SciFi and Fantasy Art: Earning One's Title - Early Pencils

This is an excellent sketch I really like it (Maybe you could put one of the legs of the horse up so there’s more action in the picture(viewers left?))

The people are great and the horse's head is nice. There's something wrong-looking about its chest and the top of its legs. Have a look at a picture of a horse and try to figure it out. I think the chest should be wider and don't show so much of the inside top of the legs. If that doesn't make sense email me and I'll try to explain it better....*Artist's comments: Thanks for vocalizing one of the things that has been bothering me about this one. Horses are always a nuisance to draw and this is perhaps the fourth one I've ever committed to paper in any kind of final form (and we're talking many years of doodling). Oddly enough, I used a reference photo for this one, although my interpretation of the forms within its shadows are apparently off. Thanks for the detail and I'll be sure to reference another shot or two before inking.*

This just might be my favorite, I know it sounds sort of absurd seeing you have so many lovely finished peices about. There's just somethign about sketches that intruige me! I love the emotion in this piece...their faces speak novels! *Artist's comments: Not too odd, actually, as sometimes there's so much potential in an unfinished piece that we see that the artist sometimes kills in his attempts to finish. I used to completely avoid inking because I would deaden the work when I did such...these days, I grudgingly feel that the only way to improve such is to try it. Shizen, Kochiro, and Saturo probably seem to say a lot with their faces because a lot has gone into them as characters and they're nearly friends with me (will probably sound odd to any non-authors). All three existed long before the world I created for them did. In fact, Kochiro and Saturo were in a series of proverbs I once decided to write to get into a Japanese-like mindset before writing anything related to it all. Now that I've bored everyone, I'll toss in a simple 'Thanks for the comments.' *

The horse's legs are too short I think, and its chest isn't broad enough. *Artist's comments: Thanks for the input. Japanese horses tend to be short, but I think I made the horse also way too thin. Fortunately, I have recently found my original again, so I can work on the corrections based on everyone's suggestions and try to get this finished.*

I love sketch work. It's like peeking in the head of the artest. You can see the idea as its becoming a reality. I don't see any problems that others haven't already pointed out. I was wondering if you plan on putting any background in? A tip I heard, if you don't put the background in in the beginning, you'll never get around to putting it in once the rest of the piece is finished. oh, and if you haven't got around to it yet FINISH this piece, its to good not to!

Raymond W. Soderlund replies: "When I first did this, I think I was picturing a sort of blurred-out, more mood-than-detail background. In a way, something similar to what became the background for the Tieh Wang pictures (except there I went with trying to do details). I do agree, however, that if you don't bother with it at the beginning, most of the time you never get to making it anything other than a pin-up and even the rare occassions when you do add a background, it doesn't work."

You've really done your homework, all these men are clad pretty appropriately and I couldn't find anything much wrong historically with their garb.

Oh, this would be such a great picture were it finished. A horseman in full battlegear - I'll admit that's one of the things I would like to make a good drawing of myself. It's just that I don't have the guts... never tried horses before. The one you sketched looks good, only the front legs probably should be positioned more under the body. But I suppose that's old news again.