Giant Rat portrait WIP

[Mefisto]

I've become little tired of bushes and started something else. I dont'know if the rat portrait would ever be used but it was quite long time ago when I tried to draw a portrait. Of course I have got some references and made some concept arts on paper so this is not an improvisation what I'm doing right now. Cathing the shape is no problem for me, the harder part would come later when some shading would be needed and adding some additional tints. But for now this is a preliminary stage.

[tr0ll]

now theres a rat with stories to tell! seems well fed too

[LordBob]

This could be promising, but before any further rendering of its fur, you should focus on shape and volume. Right now, it looks like a rat that was ran over by a troll (in other words, rather flat).
So, first pick a lightsource and define the overal shadows and lights in flat tones until you see a satisfying rat. You can do this in shades of grey on a new layer that you will next multiply or overlay, so that your earlier work isn't lost.

It also does seem to have some hamster in it: maybe you can show some of your sketches so that we get a better idea where this is going.

[Mefisto]

First of all - I humbly request to move this topic to Art Workshop forum. I posted here by mistake.

Than - LordBob - thanks for comment. I will need your advice.

My references:
- stance -
http://cdn18.se.smcloud.net/t/photos/th ... ardowy.jpg

- the head -
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PWDprQcDJ_Y/T ... r_330.jpeg

-the open mouth -
http://moniszn.blogspot.com/2010/11/szczurzy-ziew.html

The sketch and the progress in drawing an actual portrait:

[Lord-Knightmare]

The Giant Rat is coming along great, but I don't like its posture. It looks like the rat is crying something like I'm hungry! Feed me!
Anyways, this will be a great portrait.

[Celtic_Minstrel]

I think I actually like the sketch better than the colour version...

[doofus-01]

The light-colored scribbling on center of the body, when compared to the dark head and arms, makes the rat look rotund. I don't mean to micro-manage your work-flow, but I know I would find that distracting if I was working on it. Maybe make the head & shoulders lighter, and the belly & side darker, so that it looks more like it is leaning forward?

[Sleepwalker]

Once there's the real eye there the expression would change. With that and when the fur is more than just scribble then it would greatly improve...

You need to decide where the light source is if you want help with figuring out how to shade the shape. Like Lordbob said right now it's flat and the most plausible place of the light source is straight ahead from our viewpoint, i.e. it's a pillow victim.

[Crow_T]

Also, when it comes to rendering hair, think of it as masses, not individual hairs- it will look much better. You can add a bit of texture in the end.

[Mefisto]

This is how the rat looks now. In the end I gave up mesing with brushes and startd to draw every hair separately. Somehow it lost the deigned mean look. Well, whatever.

[TheScribe]

Personally, there's something about the eye that bothers me. When I hold my thumb over it, the rat looks mean. When I look at the full portrait, he looks a lot more like a pet, rather than a giant rat trying to eat you. Just my opinion though...

Other than that, it looks great. Nice job!

[LordBob]

Looking better. A few quick tips for further improvement:
- it currently has a very healthy skintone. Realism notwithstanding, viewers will be quicker to buy the idea of a monstrous rat if its bare skin shows some subtle colour variations towards shades of greys and maybe greens
- similarly, it's a beast of the wilderness, i.e unlikely to have such clean fur. Hints of dust, mud, and maybe fragments of leaves / twigs will help a lot.
- its tail is very smooth. Some scars, dirt and creases might improve it
- the eye thing. Plus, you rarely see the white of a rats eye. Most of the time, it's only the black beads of their pupils. If the problem is outliing the eye, you can use the highlight on its lower eyelid for that purpose.
- it still looks like a fat rat, albeit not a very fierce one. Maybe further highlights and a lighter colour could emphasize its claws and teeth.

[homunculus]

You have lost the back curve, and that could be the reason why the rat now looks much smaller and fatter rather than bigger and hunched.
The location hunch in the back looks characteristic, and could be used to make it look even more like a rat than it does already.
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-7709219 ... round.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... oison.html

[Mefisto]

Thanks for input and critique. Now I can really see what went wrong. I started with too fat silhouette so the rat came out rather "garfieldish". My references showed cute domesticated rats with nice faces and clean fur. And my toyin with premade brushes resulted with too fine hair on his sides and belly which makes impression of hamster's fur. Well I was exposed to hamsters much more than to rats in my life so it probably influenced me somehow. I was thinking if I must draw it again from scratch or if partial redrawing would be enouch but the more I think the more I'm inclined to starting once again. Anyway, good to have some more experience and feedback.
My next rat will be much more bruised and I'll try to add some colour variation on fur and parts of naked skin. And I realise that I need to work more on the eyes.

[tr0ll]

well you never know, it might be nice to have a jolly rat in some umc, kinda like friar tuck