Cherry

There is little more unsuited to critique than the first lesson of an automated out program. The prompt, the reference, and in Art Academy's case, even the construction methods and particular strokes, are shared among many, and so only the technique can really be discussed. It is beyond difficult to innovate with these lessons, especially the early ones, and my low star ratings in all areas save technique should not be held against the artist. This is a pretty good Art Academy cherry, but I'm a little concerned about the touch screen of the 3DS it was drawn on.

This is the very first lesson in the very first course of this game. Most people who play this lesson have either never drawn on the 3DS screen before, or have only drawn on other programs. It is very difficult to get used to using a 3DS screen, and it is very difficult to get used to how paint strokes are laid down by this game if you are used to the previous Art Academy title. Any comments I have that are critical of technique are not reflective of this artist's talent or general ability. Most of them are interface problems faced even by skilled, experienced artists when porting over.

That said, the thing that strikes me most about this artist's interpretation of this lesson is the effective, wet blending of the cherry. The particular blend pattern used really does mimic the appearance of a cherry and evokes a sense of juiciness. I feel like I could bite into it. I also like the textured, notched appearance of the stem.

What really needs work here is the proportion and shape of the cherry. It's ok to warp proportions for effect, but I suspect in this case the issue is a strong need for calibration of the 3DS screen and the learning curve of AA's interface. Smooth lines are important, necessitating small, short strokes traced over by smoother, sweeping ones. Using the grid more carefully may also be of use.

This piece is minimally effected by AALFE's impasto glitch in the foreground, suggesting a high degree of skill applied to an unfamiliar interface. Using a wet brush with no paint to blend streaks can help the few places where it appears. Do be careful not to overblend, as was done to the cherry's sheen in several places, especially the bottom.

This is a worthy effort at the first lesson, showing high promise and only problems I would expect from this lesson. However, I strongly recommend you only request critique on mini-lessons in the future. Those force you to do more of the composition and "think work" for yourself, and the critiques will be more useful and more fair to you as an artist. You don't get a chance to shine when re-creating someone else's picture, no matter how well you do it.

Excuse me; I have an artist to invite to a group just now. <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s…" width="15" height="15" alt="" data-embed-type="emoticon" data-embed-id="391" title=" (Smile)"/>