Rabid-Animals's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[the demons face]

I'm not getting it.

Sorry man, but I'm not seeing anything in this picture. To me, it appears to be mayonnaise with some mustard and ketchup smeared in. You have a good grasp of color, but you need to focus on form and line more. Without that, your piece really can't stand by itself.

Maybe if you defined the shape a little bit more, I would see the demon. Move the points closer to the top of the image, bring out the face. Use less yellow in where you want the "demon" to exist, and oranges and yellows behind it to create a hellish background. Keep working at it.

Review Request Club

[Mr. Buisness man]

Innocent and clean.

I'm reminded a little bit of a kids' book when I see this. He's on his way to work, obviously, but he'll teach us some lessons on the way. His clean, demure construction works well, especially in his face. I like his tiny eye, and his nose is kind of funny.

His business clothes look great; it's amazing what you did with just a couple blues. The style of this creation is very unique, and I'd favorite it if you were scouted. I don't think you need a background, simply because the dude works very well by himself. If you did manage to do one, I'd like to see it done in the same style as the guy, with no hard lines, and with very cold colors.

Review Request Club

StalkerGuy responds:

Alright, thanks. You should check out Totaljerkface. I was borrowing his style, of his clothes and using small amount of colors. Thanks!

[Phoenix /SN/]

This is where I'm going when I die.

I'm curious about how this piece was created. At first glance, it appears to be real, but upon further inspection, the various filters and effects lend the picture to one's imagination. Did you use a picture of fire as a base, or was this created from scratch?

The phoenix figure is kind of evident, but only in a Rorschach-Test manner. As abstract art, it works well, but the figure could be more clearly defined if you want it to be. If I just looked at the picture, knowing nothing about it, I'd think it was just some fire or a portrait of Hell.

Overall, the picture looks neat, but there are two issues that lost you points. The first is the text; it seems unnecessary for the Art Portal, where you are credited and where the title is above the picture. I understand having the text if you were uploading this somewhere else, but it's extraneous and distracting here. If you must have it, organize it in a black bar at the bottom of the picture.

The second problem I see is an odd bar of color at the bottom, starting just above the "a" in your name, extending to both sides and the bottom of the picture. To see what I mean, look at the light flame in the left-middle of the bottom portion of the picture. I don't know if that's a rendering error or something, but it looks weird.

Nice job overall.

Review Request Club

SessileNomad responds:

wow im surprised you found that overlay problem near the 'a' in my name, i never noticed that, i dont plan on fixing it since im kind of trying to work on other things but yeah, now i feel kind of nubbish

the original pic was a bucket with lots of rust on it, the filters really were what morphed it into an abstract image

without the dodge tool emphasizing the shape of the phoenix, it does basically loot like a lot of fire, but i wanted to have some kind of specific subject matter rather than just abstract looking flames

[Flower /SN/]

Getting there.

The whole piece has a little bit of a Gothic, angsty feel to it. I can see it used as a cover for some grunge music or something of the nature. What really brings me to this conclusion is the flower in the background. It appears to be a little wilted which, in combination with the purple and black, gives a sad, if not depressing, feel to the piece.

It does evoke some emotion, but the presentation is a bit haphazard. Definitely a main contributor to this issue is the text. It doesn't look as destroyed as the rest of the piece, and the color choice seems a bit off.

A little bit more imagery would have gone a long way. Including some grays or some other wilted objects would make the piece hit harder, and possibly give it a bit more meaning. For a beginner's piece, it's good.

Review Request Club

SessileNomad responds:

note to self, less useless text

[The Lovers]

Progressive, meaningful.

I can see this in a gallery, among seriously professional artists' pieces. Your style is unique, but somehow, it seems familiar. In my area, there's a lot of Hispanic influence, and your work reminds me of Aztec-influenced pieces. There's a classic, very refined style to the picture, and I appreciate it.

The subject matter, while obvious, is touching. With what seems to be impeding destruction in the back, a couple takes their last moments to appreciate what means most to them. Your use of nudity is warranted, as it's not gratuitous. It just serves to show the purity behind the embrace. I adore the moon and the sun; they show two completely different sides of life-- the sun, in its positive, welcoming nature, sets, to herald the moon and its darkness: death. The clouds and the meteors seemed to take up the rest of the sky, which I think is a little much. I'd pick just one.

Otherwise, the piece is very attractive. It's polished and nicely proportioned. The only issue I have with the people is the girl's eyelash. It's enormous. Kind of distracting, but no big deal.

Review Request Club

Merol responds:

I'm don't know how much Hispanic influence my pictures have, but i'm sure they have some.

I'm glad you like the sun and the moon! I wanted a lot of disaster in the background, I thought lightnings would fit well, and I still do! If I had to pick one, they would be the meteors, since they are crashing the sun.

Heh, I like drawing girls with big eyes.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

[The Sugar Claws Cover]

Great for a wallpaper!

This looks like it's part of an intriguing project. I'm loving the juxtaposition of the dreary, ghostly figure in the middle, surrounded by hearts and other bright, happy, imagery.

I think the color choice is one of the best, most artful, aspects of the piece. In just a few colors, you've created a great amount of contrast and visibility. I really love the light animals and hearts all over the side of the piece.

The text looks pretty professional. The cursive-looking font works well with the lovey-dovey kind of theme that seems to be going on. The only issue I've got with it is the white glow around the text, which seems a little tacky, as it takes away from the wonderful simplicity of the rest of the piece.

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Celx-Requin responds:

The colors are all shades of pink, man was it hell getting them to mesh together properly though.

Thanks for the review!
- Celx

[Tankmen-loves box]

Lacks definition.

Upon seeing this picture, I had much the same reaction as the Tankman had to his precious box: a slight, if somewhat confused, chuckle. In the same vein that I find humor in B-movie horrors, this partially campy picture made me laugh. I'm not entirely sure why, but in getting that enigmatic reaction from me, you've earned some points.

However, I'm afraid that the appeal of this piece is limited. The Tankmen are beloved characters-- almost the de facto mascots of Newgrounds; if you use them, you're really obligated to make something cool. Simply, the Tankman doesn't look great. At the very least, it should look exactly like JohnnyUtah's version, and if you change it, unique stylistic choices must provide new sources of appreciation from the viewer. The shape of his arms and helmet seem sloppy, and the minimal shadowing is lackluster. The lighting effect on the glasses is really what I'm talking about, but it shows promise.

Labeling the box was kind of a funny idea, but the neat text on a crappy old box doesn't look right. Consider making the word box drawn in marker or something over the side of the box. The speech bubble is also kind of ugly; smooth it out a little, and have less empty space in it.

Why does the Tankman have a beard? It doesn't go with the character; if you needed one for the drawing, my best suggestion would be to do a full, bushy, woodsman's beard-- go for the badass look.

Review Request Club

[me in chibi]

Decent style, but rough.

Judging just by the character, I think it's safe to say you have a heightened grasp of the style you're drawing in. It seems that you're past the experimental stage, trying to figure out what you want your final product to look like, and you're comfortable in the zone you've found. For an artist, it's one of the most important steps in creating masterpieces.

The piece as a whole doesn't bring a whole bunch of thoughts to me, but I enjoy the dumbstruck look on his face, like one of his friends sent him an email to a shock site. The nose seems a little off to me; if you take a look at it, the angle seems kind of confusing. Considering noses aren't flat, I think you should experiment with some shadowing there. The mouth, however, is excellent; you did a commendable job of shadowing in there.

The clothes are nothing extraordinary, but they do look pretty nice. I'd like a little more detail in the shirt and pants, though. The enormous, comical, shoes look great, though. Lit very well and colored just as carefully, they're the part of this piece I enjoyed most.

Review Request Club

lgnxhll responds:

Thank you for the complements.I have never been good at noses but ill work on it:).

[Ikebana - Corner of Ikebana]

Jammin'!

I'm getting a really clear vision of the flowers in this piece. If I'm not mistaken, there's a vase at the bottom, with the flowers all sprouting skyward from it. The reds, yellows and greens really provide a burst of energy that works with flowers.

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed with the shape of the flowers. They seem a little leafy and sharp rather than elegant and curved. It's a bit distracting to me, but it definitely doesn't destroy the piece.

Blues, to me, either represent sadness or confusion, so in the background the color featured so prominently is a departure from what I expect from abstract and expressionism. I'm pretty sure the blue everywhere is either the ocean or the sky, so it makes sense, and it looks very pleasant.

Review Request Club

[Lay off the coke, Garfield!]

Funny, but impersonal.

I'm not getting an atmosphere from this piece. It's not the lack of color; it's the lack of detail. The walls in particular are just there-- they're nothing to look at, which is a detriment to the quality of this piece. The scratches are good, as they add to the humorously dreary setting, but some peeling wallpaper and a mouse-hole would have greatly improved it.

The picture is very funny, but I'm not entirely sure where you came up with the concept. I can't say that I "get" the joke, but the shock value gives me a laugh.

There are some small details that you missed, the most bothersome (for me) being Garfield's stripes. They're missing. Across his sides, stretching just a bit onto his stomach (ar at least visible from this angle) should be Garfield's triangular stripes. The other thing that bothered me was the perspective; look at the picture once, and Garfield is lined up with the table. Look at it again, and it appears he would have to lean to reach it. Even it up.

Review Request Club

Blue-Dolphin responds:

Hmm. I should make a final copy of this in colored pencil or paint, I'll keep all that in mind, believe it or not, the suggestions you just gave me can actually be totally helpful. Thanks, Rabid.