Kinsei's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Blind Old Adventurer]

Pretty Sweet...

I tend to be kind of a personal fan of the theme of fanstasy and adventure. So reviewing pieces like these always bring some form of enjoyment.

As a basic overview, this reminds me a lot of the Shakes And Fidget style. Not that that is a good thing, it just brings some comical images to mind. Lets be honest here, this isn't the typical hardcore fantasy piece. This is more of the lets have a fun but awesome adventure. And I love both equally, so no points off there. So, on with it!

One of the first things to be noticed about this is the color. It is colorful, and that color is nice.
I'm thinking it is a pretty safe bet that you colored this digitally. and although it may be digital, some of your color strokes remind me so much of actual markers. Which is kind of cool. I like what you have done here.
You also have good atmospheric colors with the saturating colors in the distance. So again good.
The only think I don't like on the color is the clouds. you just kind of have these white cut out clouds. I think you could have added a little shadow to their underside. Give them a feel of depth, you did well with that most everywhere else, just not the clouds.

The second thing I take up on is the line art. As a person struggeling to develop my own digital inking skills, this has become something that I pretty much check out with everything I look at these days. You know How dynamic is it, does it have good weight and character. is it think , or is the artist going to make it invisible. You know, all the same questions we ask ourselves, I'm sure.
Anyway enough rambling. The line art is good. You went with some nice interior lines while having a solid outline. The lines are pretty dynamic and fitting for the piece.
If I had to bitch about something on the line art, its the road in the background. I like that you have done it in brown rather than black, but I think you should have thinned it a little. give it the appearance of being less.
Since I'm on the road (Get it :D.... er yeah...) I think you should have tapered the road in the distance a little more too. again just to aid th foreshortening of the piece.

The composition is pretty solid and well balanced. It lends its self to the interaction of the characters as well.

Lighting, much like the coloring, where I should have mentioned this in the first place, is good. I think you have done well with your shading and highlights. So Major kudos onthat one.

Over all. Great piece. I like it. Really awesome
Even fave'd it.

[Helmet Study]

Very Well Donw!

I ended up hunting up the original picture so I could compare the two of them. And I will admit you have done a very, very nice job.

As for improvements, I would like to see some more stronger highlights and a few stronger shadows. This will really help make the helmet look like it was polished to a high sheen.

I also wish you had a much larger version of this. I'm one of those who like to see everything, and I do mean everything.
Really nice man. really nice.

thdark responds:

Your image hunting skills are astounding, haha.

I agree with the improvements, I just spent far too long on this, considering it was just supposed to be a study.

As for size, I actually made it larger than the source image I had on hand. I would have loved to start from a larger source, but this drawing was on a whim.
Thank you for the critique and comments, I appreciate it!

[Revlovers 3D Render]

Pretty Excellent Render...

You have a pretty nice looking piece here. The only thing I would like more of is a much larger size. I would really like to see that detail you got on those guns.

[Moon Card]

Nice

I like it kashi, but I think you could use a couple of dark spots to be the craters on the moon.
it just kind of feels right to have a couple of spots on the moon

congrats on the tarot card slot

Kashi responds:

Gah, where were you in Stickam when I was taking comments?
:P Good idea though.
And why don't I get a pagelong critique? I feel so left out D:

[Mill for Mom]

Interesting...

At first I would not think this as a digital piece. And after realizing that it wasn't my second reaction was that you had used a few filters to give this a feel of a painted canvas piece, but then I realized the error of that those thoughts as well. I think I may need to look in to this Artrage a little more.
Anyway moving on.

As mentioned with the last piece I reviewed for you, I like your lighting, you seem to have a nice grasp on your lighting. You have a couple areas that could use some shadow play, like the dome of the windmill and its side, but you still do a good job over all.

One thing you need to work on is your form a little. The clouds reveal this most of everything. I think you could get a much more impacting sky with a little more form. Work some highlights in to some of your darker clouds to give them some more dynamic depth and to really push up your lighting skills. Work to your strengths, right?

Colors are nice and vibrant, This entire piece has a nice up beat feel.
I think you could have added a little more texture over all though. you have some in the grass and mill, but I think you could have gone a little further, not much, but just a little.

One thing I do need to mention is composition. Your main focus, the mill, is right smack dab in the middle of the frame. You usually want to avoid this. Try to follow the Rule Of Thirds: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Rule%20Of%20Thirds
Following theis will help your composition a lot. I think if you had gone fora wider shot you could have had more room to make clouds and lead the eye around a little before settling on the subject of the piece.

On top of everything, I think your mother would like this gift. you put in some nice effort, and had a couple of strong skills to show her.

Joshsouza responds:

Thanks for your in-depth constructive criticism, Kinsei, I really appreciate it. I will try to work on those things in my next piece. Thanks very much for the review.

[Custom Gauntlets]

Much Better!

I have always strongly believed that Presentation has lot to do with art, Especially when it comes to more physical or functional art. Here you have done an excellent job, the photos are many, and they are nice and crisp. I can see the detail very clearly. And you have taken time to remove all the white background, nice.
I think I goaded you in to going a bit overboard one the presentation this time. I would even say I may have agitated you a little, but by pulling out the stops like this, you have given the audience what they wanted. This is the type of thing you want when showing off your future creations.

The multiple photos help a lot. In the old one, I couldn't see much. And to be honest I thought that the foam was an awkward shape that you had wrapped around itself. I Personally though that it looked tacky and lacked design. But here I was, unable to see the rest of them. Now I see that for your main backing that you have these disks rather than one bulky piece. This lends the gauntlets a more traditional feel.
The backs of the Gauntlets are alright, I will mention that I think you could use some accents, symbols, or runes or something to help them stand out a little more.

You mention the stress fractures as a bad thing, but I think they are good. Take some darker paint, a dark brown or a black with some metallic properties and paint along those stress fractures. Make them look deeper like older cracked armor. Just because the Gauntlets have been well used, doesn't mean they lose appeal, they gain character.

The duct tape is a little messy, not for the paint chips, but just a little messy, although the fingers look pretty nice.
The gloves do look a little stiff though. They might be softer than I'm thinking, or even nicely broke in, but it still looks stiff. It makes me wonder what you could do with some leather work gloves or something. I think you should do a second set, but with a broader set of resources this time. I think you'll be amazed at your creation.

One thing I would like to see in the future is you putting some of these mods and creations in to action. Once you get a full array of costumes and accessories built, I think you should start taking a few photos of them in action. Talk one of your buddies or something in to holding them or dressing up for you, so on and so forth. Although sadly I think that crosses the line about the Portal's no photography rules. But that doesn't mean you can't put them in your thread. I would suggest starting out by having a few shots of your arm with one of these gauntlets on holding one of your guns. Meh, its an idea for you to toy with.

Oh yes, one last thing. Although I find Guns intriguing, I find the elegance of a blade much more fascinating. Any plans to do some swords or knives in the future?

MajesticBob responds:

No, but I do have a bow in the works. The thing about the stress lines is paint won't stick. Trust me. Color isn't going to change that fact. Lol.

[Cirrus]

Welcome Back

Starting this up on more of an upbeat, I enjoy the colors used. You did a decent job on color selection and movement.
The lights and shadows are pretty nice as well. I enjoy some of the sun play on some of the trees in the background.
So On those points, good job.

This has the feel of a speed paint, but you mention yourself that you spent 3 hours on the piece. I feel when laying in color rapidly like this, you should practice to cut down your creation time. This feels like one of the roughs before starting on a final piece. The work is so loose and wild that it just has that unpolished feel. I think that if you were to go back, and use this as a guideline for a more finished piece, you would have a pretty solid piece.
one of the reasons this feels so rushed and incomplete is the mix of line thicknesses, and then the blur tool. Like you laid down the initial color with a big brush and then went back for the details, but never quite finished the detail and got a little too loose with it.

You did a good job of only referencing that photo, but putting your own touches on your piece. So tighten it up a bit. I would like to see a second more defined piece.

Joshsouza responds:

Thanks for the advice Kinsei! I didn't actually use the blur tool once on this. But I think the problem with that is that I am so used to traditional acrylics and I though I could blend colors without having it blurry, I have another piece to upload right now too. So thanks!

[Custom Gas Mask]

Embellish It More...

I remember the conversation that was had in stickam. (Or at least I think it was stickam). In the conversation you have stressed a very, very strong position about not adding just random things to your mods just to make it seem more steampunk. I can understand where you are coming from with that, So many people on the net think that by just gluing some gears and painting it copper qualifies it as steampunk. But although I agree with you on that stand point, here on this mask I need to say, you needed to add some stuff.

First off I want to say that the cylinders are looking pretty good. They are an excellent start. I'm seeing some of the weathering and multiple colors that tend to make up the appeal of the steam punk. But after that the canisters and the mask itself seem a little lacking.

------------------------------------------------------------
What I am about to suggest as modifications may damage the protective properties of the mask. If you intend for this to be functional after my suggestions, you may need to take a little extra time to make sure the mask is sealed once again.
------------------------------------------------------------

Ok now that I have made my disclaimer, on to my suggestions. Go out and get some copper wire, well actually any metal wire will do as long as you paint it properly later, Drill two holes in the side of your canister and wrap the wire from one hole around the can to the other hole. This will give the illusion of tubing to the canister. Using super glue or hot glue should reseal the respirator so it is usable again. Do this in a couple of areas, and even have them wrap around over the top could help with the design appeal.
You can do similar with the mouth piece as well. But the thing I want to see is some scraping, get some of the oxidization on the mouth piece like you have on the canisters. I think that it would really help it stand out.

I'm glad to see you finally get some multiple views on your pieces. I think it really helps the viewer get a better feel for the piece. You may want to take a little more care in your placement though. with the white strips at thee top of the first one and the bottom of the second two... and the small sliver at the top of the third one.... you may want to crop these down just a little more. Also the second one is a little blurry...

Anyway good job. You may want to work on getting a little more flash in the future.but you have a start.

[The World Card]

Alrighy Then....

Everything I said in the last review, plus this~
The addition of the vines is nice for the tarot collab.
Pretty smooth move with the overlay on the space parts but leaving the earth standing out. It draws the attention nicely.

:P
Ok double duty done....
What... I can be a lazy whore :3

MajesticBob responds:

The vines were all over the earth as well, Someone said the vines were distracting, Then Zane the super Genius suggest what I ended up doing, and it came out Wundebar!

[Earth]

A well earned 9...

At first I thought this was water color. Especially when I was looking at the earth. And I could see others making a similar perception. You have done some pretty nice work on the planet itself. I also like the space. you have a but of a hint of some blue and green floating through space, giving it a much more mystical feel than a solid black. Also the mixture reminds me much of the Hubble images that NASA releases from time to time.
I tend to get lost in the majesty of the beauty of space and spend hours looking at images and the stars themselves from my own porch. But even will all that time admiring those distant lights, I have never been able to reproduce their beauty on canvas, paper, rock or a monitor. And here, in this simple, abstract form you have produced, you have seemed to capture something that is still elusive to me.

Moving on from my more sensitive self (BACK IN TO YOUR CAGE DAMNIT!). I think you have done a pretty solid job here. One thing I really want to point out is that this seems to have a bit of a texture to it. Even the planets seem to be a little raised. off your canvas a little. And it even seems like you have a rough bumpy texture other places as well. Although that could be the glitter that I suspect you used.

Speaking of, what did you paint this on? Cardboard or wood? I'm thinking wood cause I think I see some of of the texture poking through.

One of the things I think that could be adjust with this is the actual lighting. It seems like you had a bright light on when you took the photo, and it is reflecting off the piece kind of badly. You should take a second shot and try and get a more even lighting over it to prevent such a harsh glare.

So sweet man, Keep it up.
You should upload the one you prepped with the tarot card backing and such so people can see it as well.

MajesticBob responds:

Yeah spray paint is highly reflective so after MANY shots I chose that one because the glare looked like light from the Sun adding to the realism. I think you meant to give me a 9 but gave me a 10. I'll take it! No take backs! Lol. I'm really touched by your review. Thank you. As for texture, this was done on a 1' x1'x piece of pine. I used Spray Paint and only spray paint, Not a drop of glitter. I used paint layering for the texture. It was painted with earth colors (hence space has that rainbow effect and yes it was intentional) put a coffee can down and sprayed black around it. the stars were white, silver, and gold using a "dusting" technique, that if you look at my guns you'll notice I do that a lot. The moon was spray paint into a roll of electrical tape using a "flooding" technique that gave the moon it's cratered look. I am supremely proud of this.