Galneda's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[Forgotten Lands]

Instant five and fav when the first words out of a viewer's mouth is

"Wowww.....I wanna be there."

quote, unquote, my first impression. Damn good!

[Happy Days]

I love it! My favorite details being the hooked-metallic tentacles and the toothy grin of the monster. The style on everything looks fantastic.

I have to ask, because I have NO idea how you do it, but how did you manage to get the comic-booky "dot-matrix" kind of shading? Is that a pattern that you overlay on the whole thing and erase where you don't need it, or is it much simpler/more complicated than that? I would cherish a response on the matter.

That's all I have to say about it, lol. I can empathize with the feeling of starting an art piece months ago and sludging along until its completion...I've been there too many times. But hey, it got finished, and it looks great! Don't beat yourself up about it, Mr. Front Page feature! Keep up the great work! :D

BryanV responds:

Thanks, man! It was done in Adobe Flash. I just set the color of the brush to a dotted pattern and then lock the pattern, and then just brush like I normally would. The only hard part was getting it to look right as flash would create a weird messed up pattern if i would zoom out to get a better look at the drawing so every time I had to do that I would just save it as an image. So.. yeah.

[Chalk Pastel Self Portrait]

You nailed the face, and the hair looks good too! I can see where your concerns are routed in the shape of the hand (wrist area, finger length) and the shading of the shoulder. Chin up, though! It all comes with practice...and dude, chalk pastels have a bit of a learning curve on them...I could only pray something I was fucking around with, using only chalk pastels, would come out half as good as this...its WAAAAY out of my comfort zone, and the only way to expand on YOUR skills as an artist is to push the boundaries of your own comfort zones.

That said, Mission Accomplished!

Keep it up dude! It looks good. Even if you hate it, never delete this; for it will serve as a testament to how far you've developed in retrospect...and shit, if you don't like how THIS turned out? You're aiming highly for yourself. Settle for nothing less, and keep on developing and improving.

372 responds:

Thanks dude, you always leave the best comments<3

[DeathInk 2099]

That's fuckin' awesome!

deathink responds:

thanks man

[OGGMON]

Surprisingly creepy.

Nicely done!

[Swampmaiden]

Looks fantastic! The detailing all over the creature's face is a marvel to behold...though I'm sure it was an intense, time-consuming undertaking, I kinda wish the same level of detail was continued to the comparatively bare forearms...

Even if it wasn't necessarily pores and wrinkles, creases...the contrast is evident. But, shit, there's no way that deducts on this artwork's score in the slightest. The overall color scheme is wonderful, I love big elements like the flowers, to little details like the necklace. I even enjoy the texture on the background.

This deserves its status as a front-page feature! Great job, keep up the fantastic work!

Jaona responds:

Thank you!

[Megaman]

Honestly, I liked it better without the laser pointers dotting him.

The two burn holes on his breast plate were sufficient in adding that grit, but the extra ones spotted here and there and on the helmet just makes it seem he's going after some needle-thin threat.

The edit/changes aside, though, this is fantastic art. The smokey orange to the left compliments well with the Blue Bomber. I LOVE the particle effects of the charging Megabuster. The metallic detailing and subtle knicks and scratches are AWESOME on the armor. The rubbery abdomen was a great touch.

The face must've been really fucking challenging.

I never quite understood the Japanese tendency to make (Rockman) sound more like (RockBOY)...I get the human that was turned into Mega Man was really young, but were they too scared he might be paralleled to Astro Boy or something? With Mega Man X, he's all grown up. Longer proportions, and to my bewilderment as a kid playing the next tier X games, he's voiced by a girl sounding like a child again.

Whatever Japan. Do your thing.... but I guess the artistic direction based on the character always aimed to make him appear youthful as well, beneath the helm.

What you've done here is the PERFECT, Non-Anime execution of his face. Every non-anime interpretation of MegaMan that I've ever seen up to this point just looks disgusting or wrong. This retains that Japanese, almost baby-face quality, and yet, somehow pulls it off with such grace, it retains grit, and it embraces badassery.

Is it the lighting? Is it simple details like the human blood coming out of the cut (though X was a Reploid). Is it the facial expression? Is it the masterful lighting, combined with the Megabuster and an overhead lightsource making sure the top of his eyes are shadowed?

Probably all. But Jesus Christ, man, mad props. Full Vote of 5.

(I still think the added laser pointers are a bit overkill.)

[Random concept 2]

Wow. The foreground is efficient in simplicity and....that sky...that BACKDROP.... Just "Wow."

[Hunter Space Fighter]

That looks fun to fly! Kudos on keeping everything proportionate, symmetrical, and overall looking great!

Since the metal plating shade of grey is kinda trying to blend with the grey fuselage of the fighter, it would be a good idea to make the background either a black tarmac kind of look (so the machine pops out more) or to give the fighter a paint job for the same effect.

In a futuristic setting of stealth-defeating detection, I'm sure blending in to the blackness of space is the last of their worries. :P

The 3-Dimensional attention to detail all over the Thermal Radiators are really eye-grabbing, and I'm loving the plausible details all around the cockpit. Like the Rescue release latch, the cut of certain panels, it all looks great.

The idea of the Omnidirectional Engine Pods on the very tip of these slender Predator / Reaper Drone looking wings raises concern of the payload capacity of the wings. They're long and slender, and I'm sure they're made of intense materials. SPACE materials, even...but its really the only detail in the design that I'm curious about.

Granted, in an animation, it would frantic and awesome as it's doing spins and maneuvers, absolutely TESTING the wing's ability to not snap off...and then it needs to abruptly pitch down, so the pilot is blinded by a pillar of fire shooting upward right in front of his line of sight...hope it's not leaking fuel, or catches on fire, because now the pilot is terminally IFR for the rest of the mission.

Also, there's an additional set of wings or kind of "fins" that are in between the Thermal Radiators and the cockpit. They're prominently featured in the top view, I think I can see where they end, aligned with the rear "X-wing" stabilizers, but on the side view...I suppose they're mostly hidden behind the top OmniDirectional Pod, but they don't seem to lend any significant stability to the design. If they were shaped to look more like a long-range comm or sensor array, that would lend strength to the design, in my opinion... wings have no function in space but a surface. There's no airflow, and no real need to generate lift. It's got plenty of thrust to compensate for that! :D

Great design! Reminds me of many a cool sci-fi. Can't wait to see it animated!

Nanashi responds:

What a thoughtful and comprehensive critique. Thanks!

In response, I'll try to address some of your concerns.
First, the engine pods. The idea is to move the thrusting units as far away from the center as possible in order to gain a mechanical advantage over moving the ship in zero gravity. You'll notice that the 'wings' or engine booms are actually quite thick compared to an aircraft wing, as they have no aerodynamic needs. To add to your concerns though, you should also know that the wings hinge back 90 degrees for storage, so the structural challenges in this area are vast for sure.

The rapid pitch thrusters are a serious design flaw that I chose to leave as is. Without going into too much detail, these fighters are generation two, but are still the result of a VERY rapid development cycle with very little testing (The colonies needed some sort of defense craft while capitol class ships are being built). Additionally, these thrusters are actually high-energy ion engines, which emit very little visible light when operational. Fire is a non issue, as the cockpit is the only pressurized and oxygenated location, and the engines use an electrical fuel source.

The craft is actually designed to undergo some basic atmospheric flight to facilitate emergency landings, so you'll notice the wingletts actually do have flaperons. The computer controls all flight surfaces during atmospheric flight because of the crafts inherent instability (much like a B2).

Finally, I'm kinda torn on how I want the craft 'painted.' I feel the somewhat boring grey lends to the fact that the craft is rapidly developed (You'll be happier with the MkIII in this area).

You're welcome to PM me if you feel a need to respond to any of the above, and again, thanks for the thoughtful feedback. Though I have responded to most of it, I am not ignoring the concerns you've raised.