"Hercules" by Rachael Evans

Oooo Anatomical studies galore. Good stuff. So far the face feels a bit too unrefined and I'd like to see it hardened a bit such as making the cheek bones level with each other and so on. Not a huge thing though. The first major thing I see are the forearms going behind the head. They need to be much bigger given his frame. Look at body building images if you get the chance. The smallest that arm will get is around the wrist. The pectorals look good, however some people with heavy muscle sets tend to have more of a 3d feel, don't be afraid to shade some for that shape. Infact, take the bottom of the sternum, where the corner of that pec hits, and then make a line (visually or with a light pencil) to the base of the shoulder area. That's a good line generally to base that 3d feel off of, I would shade there down the pecs usually, give or take a bit.

His abs don't look too shabby at all, but I'm thinking he has a bit of an hour glass figure starting to happen, which may not hit the look you're going for. Don't be afraid to use angles more and less flowing curvy lines. The legs look good, make sure you dont' over do some muscles compared to others though, I certainly used to do that and it became a problem later on.

And I have no crits on animals as I reaally suck on those (there's a reason I have none up lol). Once again, this is a great image and I think you've done a great job. Keep hitting it and you'll have this stuff twice as fast as other artists I see.

Rachael Evans replies: "His cheek bones are uneven? *looks* Oh yeah, I guess they are. Okay, check. Forearms, I see what you mean - check. I'm a bit confused about the pectoral area, I guess it would help if I knew where the sternum was *?* Hmm...not quite sure about the hourglass figure, I see what you mean but am not sure how I would fix it given the pose he's in; any suggestions? Will try to keep legs muscles in check and not go overboard ^^ Thanks for such a sweet compliment *huggles*"

yay! more mythology ^^ *pets the birth of venus picture* You know how I lean more towards men that are pretty and not walking topographical maps..but I think you did really well ^^ My favorite part is the hydra...I'm sure once you put some spit and polish on it *maybe some color eventually?* it'll be a great picture ^^ Artemis: my deer? where! where??! M: ermm..calm down dear..no one connects you with that name yet. ^^;; *shoves Diana back into circle of seasons* ^^;; sorry lol keep up the great work ^^

Rachael Evans replies: "Oh? What's this? Artemis in 'C O S'? Ha hah! That should be a blast! I know, I know, he's not real pretty, but come on, he's Herc! I've got some work to do on this yet, but I don't know about color. I'm looking to get some prisma markers, but they're spendy and we'll have to see how things look after the holiday season. I still have two portraits of my nieces that have to be painted, but I don't have any paint! Thanks sweetums! "

He works hard for the money!
Ok thats enough of that.

It would be cool to have a background behind the foreground subjects. Maybe a picture of mount Olympus or a temple to Zeus?

Rachael Evans replies: "By golly you're right. I'm revising this picture right now, perhaps I'll take into consideration your suggestion and see what I can come up with. Thanks so much for your input."

Wow... **eyeballs pop out** I think I saw him at my friends bachelorette party a few weeks ago! Seriously, this is different. Did you get the pose from a bodybuilder? It looks like that...I think the concept of putting them all together in a collage is a cool idea. I'd love to see this in color! You're so cool, girl. You know it!!

Rachael Evans replies: "Yeah baby! *tucks dollar bills in his loincloth*
I did get the pose from a bodybuilder book. I'm going to see about doing the Mount Olympus thing in the background too, so this will be revised, yet again. I've already re-done his face, it looks better now. Thanks darlin'!!"

Thanx for sharing your talents with Elfwood, Rachael, and
also for contributing your time and effort to make
Project#7.5 a success. It is always nice to see artwork
appear in our otherwise very wordy undertaking. I don't
believe I'm nearly as useful critiquing artwork as I might
be with a story or poem, so I won't misrepresent myself - I
hardly feel qualified to call myself an amateur over here in
the art galleries. That being said, the tales of the Twelve
Labors of Hercules have always been favorites and the
smaller illustrations surrounding him are a very nice touch.

I've always been fascinated by legends and myths and would
have been thrilled to see your interpretations of all
twelve. Alas! The Augean Stables, though one of my favorite
myths, does seem "a bit of a stretch" in light of the
limited space around Hercules in this format. Glad to have
you in our group, Rachael... I hope you always find your
time with "The Project" well-spent and enjoyable!

Rachael Evans replies: "Hey Jim, thanks for dropping in, I really appreciate it! I haven't been around in a while and am just now getting to reading and replying to all my comments. I still haven't been over to see what the newest project is *ahhhhhh*! Thanks for dropping a line and keeping me in the game. Take care Jim ^^"

*sings*
I'm to sexy for my shirt
*cough*
Reminded me of that song
lol
Great picture!

Hey... Hercules had 12 works wright??? I only see 10...
great picture tough

AWESOME depiction of Hercules! The pose is SO perfect!

I do agree, however, that "So far the face feels a bit too unrefined and I'd like to see it hardened a bit such as making the cheek bones level with each other and so on..." I would also add that it might be a good idea to broaden his jaw to add more masculinity to the face... it looks kinda funny to have a slightly feminine face atop a body like that. *g* The shading around the eyes (is there a hint of eyelashes?) also gives a feminine impression, but I can't figure out how to fix it! Sorry, wish I could be of more help there.

"Hmm...not quite sure about the hourglass figure, I see what you mean but am not sure how I would fix it given the pose he's in; any suggestions? " Personally, I would just widen the ex. ab. oblique area of the trunk... just a tad so's to not alter the pose he's in. Just out of curiosity, did the pic you used for reference have a lot of definition in the serratus anterior? That could add a lot to the pic, but it might be a pain to fix at this point. Just curious.

BTW: The sternum is the flat bone in the center of the chest, right between the two pectoralis muscles (the sternocostal heads of the pectoralis muscles actually originate at the sternum). Ribs 2-10 come together and attatch (directly and indirectly) to it in the front. (Sorry if this is too much info. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me; I sculpt more that I doodle, but maybe I could be of assistance!)

Again, GREAT job! Love the rest of your gallery, too. Keep up the great work!!!

I love it! But...The face seems a little girly.
(Oh my gosh! You spell your name the exact way I did! Maybe we are twins...o.0)

I think you did a very good job on all the background elements and as an artist who draws a lot of men I can tell you that you did an excellent job on his body. The face it good but it’s looks almost cat like to me for some reason. But over all you did an excellent job.