My first monster - please help :)

I would greatly appreciate all critiques and advice to make my monsters better! I know there must be something I can do to give the horns more dimension.....and I don't like the way the eyebrow thingies came out so thick....also this fun boy specifically requested eyeballs on his eyelids which I'm not sure if I want to offer as part of the design option (opinions?).

Hey, I am new at fp ...but I LOVE it!! I am just learning my dragon ( a whole body on the face or arm) so I appreciate your effort at the monstr or dragon face...see the thread on dragons and use of the pouncer sponge...really cool.

The horns look pretty 3D to me. Did you use a filbert and give it a twist as bringing it to the end tip? Most children are not worried about alot of detail and dont want to sit still too long. NEXT!

Okay... you asked for a critique so I'll assume you really want one.

First, I think your horns are fine on top... you've got a rounded base and a point giving them some dimension. The one on the right (when looking at the photo) is the better one - can you see the difference between them? It is better shaped, the point of it curves just a tad, the shading you did at the base works better than on the other horn.

Second the eyebrows are place too high to give a good expression and are sort of floating on the forehead. And they are rather heavy handed - they work better when tapered to a point at each end. To give a good expression work with the natural line of the brow and then angle up ... look at any of the Wolfe Bros monsters/skulls/etc. and this is well illustrated. Start lower near the nose ridge and angle up sharply... that will look "meaner".

Even if you are painting eyes on the lids keep the brow line as close as you can to the natural brow... it will look "right" then.

Personally... I don't like painting eyes on the lids and generally don't do them. I have one "Bug-Eyed Monster" design that uses the lids as part of the eye but the pupils are over the brow so the lids don't hide the eye when they are open.

And you know what... he's happy with it, obviously so all in all it worked! And it passes the "what is it" test! So that's all good.

Awesome, that is exactly what I was looking for, so incredibly helpful! Thank you so much!

I am not crazy about painting eyes on the lids either but my goodness the boys and tweens really seem to get excited about that. Lots of kids who said, "no, thanks", then saw a pic of someone with eyelids painted into eyeballs and they couldn't get in line fast enough. Not sure to keep offering that or not. May I ask if you have specific reasons for not painting on eyelids in general?

Aussiemarie, thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement! I did all the black and white with my #4 round brush....first drawing smaller white horns then outlining in black. Even as I was painting it was coming out thicker than I wanted but it was like a train wreck I couldn't stop, lol. And you are SO right about them just wanting to get out of the chair and see their design then go play again!

And can I just say how awesome and wonderful it is to get a critique and advice form Shannon Fennell!!!! Your work is amazing and inspiring and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from and even get to dialogue with you. Big thanks and smoocharoonies for your time!

No prob. Regarding the painting eyes on the lids... I just personally think it is pointless... once they open their eyes no one sees them, they get smudged... etc. I find it a waste of time on my part to paint them.

This is the only one I have on my board - he actually does have his eyes open in this photo (silly boy was rolling them back into his head every time I tried to take a picture of him!)

)

This one is not perfect but just an example

Lisa Joy Young just posted her Blue Monster on YouTube...check it out

For eyes on eyes, I angle everything, so I'm not really painting on the eyes.
Here's a snake I do that shows this:


For horns & teeth I like to use a filbert brush & start of flat for the base of the tooth/horn & then twist it to a point.

I was painting so fast at this event that I forgot an eyebrow & skipped a few steps

THis was my first monster attempt

Aaaaand, i think my second. Still working on details!

i think you did a great job! .. i would add that little line right under the horn that makes it look likes its coming through the skin though... I think it adds alot and make the horns look like they belong, and it only takes a sec

Such great monsters and very helpful advice, thanks so much everyone!

And the little line under the horn....I was trying to remember how to achieve that look but for the life of me could not, lol - so thank you! I painted based on a picture I had saved from somewhere on the web and even when I did the one nostril couldn't understand why just that one side but figured maybe it was part of the mask design. lol Now I see everyone's monster nostrils/noses and it really helps!