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Critique please

New piece: I have had a lot of chronic pain in my left shoulder/back/collarbone/arm (and elsewhere but not near as frustrating) area for three years now. I have used that pain as an excuse and a crutch for why not to do things for that time and I have had it (yes I have been through a plethora of medical/chiropractic/psychological tests about it, so I don't need advice on that front) and I am sick of it.

So you see pictured here, my fursona Slipstreme, a sabretooth that looks somewhere between feline and canine punching a hole in a concrete wall with a severe injury (will be bloody bandages in final).

I would like a redline, and general critique. Feel free to pick at just about anything, except that it is physically impossible for a normal human to punch holes in concrete, especially at that angle, and that the tail is too long, too bushy, etc.

I have drawn a green line in for a pose I am considering with the legs as I felt like what I have drawn previously indicates a more relaxed pose for a human figure standing straight up rather than a pissed one.

Slipstreme will be nude, however are male (Slipstreme is actually a herm without boobs) nudes allowed on Jaxpad? The genitalia won't be that noticeable but I am planning for it to be there. I find non-anatomical correctness disturbing and barbie doll-ish. Slipstreme is very furry so a lot of the muscle definition will ultimately end up toned down.

Also links to good muscle refs would be nice. I have yet to find much worth considering, and yes I am planning on going to the library when I have money to afford the gas, to get a good human anatomy book.

You will pardon my bluntness, but the pose is bland and boring. From your description, it sounds like this should be an emotional piece for you, but I'm really not getting that. Punching is not simply the action of extending your arm. A serious punch (like those required to punch through walls) involves the entire body.

http://punch.freedomblogging.com/files/2007/10/barrerapacquiao1006_lrg.jpg

See how that boxer leans into his punch? See that twist in his body to really launch his fist forward? I suggest you do a Google image search for boxing to get the feel of the dynamics required for a punch.

Finally, the structure of the head looks okay for the most part, but it seems huge. It may be the broadness of the muzzle creating an optical illusion.

It is supposed to convey the idea of superhuman strength but I can definitely see how the pose is boring, which is probably why I have so many issues with how it looks in general. I don't have any real experience at all displaying punching or fighting, but I will look into google and hopefully come up with a way to convey the front on, just put a hole in concrete look in a more dynamic fashion.

Though I have little faith in photos anymore (anatomical issues I thought I knew well). Apparently I am at the stage where only drawing from life will help that well.
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Checked google terms: boxing, fighting, punching and punching hole in wall, and found nothing close to what I am looking for probably because most people punch things in front of them where they can build up enough forward momentum. I am thinking I might be able to angle the body but I am afriad that would detract from the injury which is supposed to be afflicting the arm, shoulder and clavicle area. Or put the wall in front, thus busting a hole through the wall, but again that might detract from the fact the arm is injured. I don't know really. Could be this image, at least what I want to be taken from this image is a doomed idea because of the fact the attention has to be the front of the body. I have a vague idea for a possible pose that would still have the focus where I want it (in front wall behind) but I am not sure if that one will work any better. I might try it though.

You don't seem to be using your resources to the full extent then. Doing a search for boxing, I found the following within the first 3 pages.

http://www.sketchcrawl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1877
Gorgeous gesture sketches!

http://www.army.mod.uk/img/irishguards/boxing_147.jpg
Honking huge picture of a punch being thrown.

You say you want to focus on the bandaged arm. How better than to have it right there in the viewer's face? The Honking Huge Picture shows the all-important left arm in the punch position, although, I love the dynamics of the upper right figure in the third gesture sketch. The latter could also highlight the left shoulder/arm with the bandages that you envisaged.

For very dynamic fight poses, you could also check out comic books.

I never considered using another artist's gesture images. Rather than photos. I did try out a few things, more to play around with poses and facial expressions than anything concrete, so please pardon the rather random looking and hard to follow image.

However, I found to my dismay that the poses I used seemed to loose the focus on the injury. I also played around with a different facial expression, trying to find out what would hold more impact, considering the pose has changed.

I am thinking on trying maybe from a different perspective, looking up at the character, where the injury would be most visible (From the front, collarbone area, where it is most prevalent and annoying). I am also having a hard problem in getting the image to look like the character is fed up with being weak, rather than angry at the viewer. I don't want the image to be read off as being a rage image, rather than an empowering one, however I also believe the perspective from the bottom might loose focus on the expression on the face.

Sadly I have been doing mostly studies recently, plus getting too many ideas at inappropriate time (inc a sculpture), hence not being able to work on only one project at a time. Also I am suffering art burn out (long stress filled story about feeling like my art is not improving fast enough), have no more sketchbook paper, and will be moving tomorrow (another long stress filled story). So I am not sure when or if I will be able to get back on the internet, or when I will get around to doing this piece seriously. But I am still working on it.

Maybe try using a mirror for reference? I just tried it and the first pose you had is quite accurate. I found that the shoulder of my punching arm came forward and my torso twisted to do that. Also my head was turned slightly away from the punching arm. It's looking good, only small crits I have are that the arms are a little too thin and the toes look a bit stylised but other than that it's looking good.

Unfortunately I have a great deal of self hatred for how my body looks, and the fact I am the wrong gender. So I have avoided drawing myself. Not to mention I have found the fact that I am for instance, fat to be a disadvantage to my drawing thin characters, because the fat conceals the anatomy so well, such as around the elbows and the curve in the arms. I noticed in a lot of my earlier pieces I was literally drawing thinner versions of people with fat person anatomy, minus the belly. While it would help, I can't get myself to do it, and the only other person I can think of to help me who is thin, like myself was born the wrong gender to even want to have herself drawn.

Unfortunately this piece is on hold because I have recently been doing a whole bunch of other things, especially since I just now got internet back since January, haven't had money to go out and do anything, so I bascially drew a lot of things I had anatomical refs for. Such as general felines, derivatives there of and birds, using my books. Anatomy of the Cat has been really helpful, and the Birding book I have has the layout of feathers and skeleton of a general songbird and has been helpful. I will be starting a sketchbook soon with my WIPs and studies. However I have very few of them scanned.