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I was looking for a forum to have an image critiqued. Though this forum does not state this as its purpose, from reading the posts, that seems to happen here. If this is not appropriate, please let me know. I've also noticed that the work posted here is way out of my league. I am a software developer teaching myself vector drawing and this is my first drawing. The target platform is 7-10" tablets, so the image will be considerably reduced, about 100 pixels tall. Please give any guidance, technical or artistic. Thanks. Image is here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/chvfb ... oshka1.svg
Critique of svg
Re: Critique of svg
On the technical side, you used ellipse archs, not of a full 360°.
That could be corrected and turned the object to path by pressing Ctrl+Shift+C.
Many other paths had double nodes instead of one cusp node.
The paint stripes could be done in a cleaner way by clipping.
Seems you used auto tracing on a bitmap image for the cloth, because it could have been done better with the pen tool.
More on the technical note, with the size being around 100 pixels, the details won't come out.
It is more of a pixel art then, with all the anti-aliasing problems at exporting to png.
Also using layers for such relatively simple drawings are not necessary.
On the artistic side I wouldn't use a pentagram as a decoration,
too much of it's occult used by mass control over the world.
Here is a version with some technical correction:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/6j5zicn8gj8wol5/matryoshka1II.svg
That could be corrected and turned the object to path by pressing Ctrl+Shift+C.
Many other paths had double nodes instead of one cusp node.
The paint stripes could be done in a cleaner way by clipping.
Seems you used auto tracing on a bitmap image for the cloth, because it could have been done better with the pen tool.
More on the technical note, with the size being around 100 pixels, the details won't come out.
It is more of a pixel art then, with all the anti-aliasing problems at exporting to png.
Also using layers for such relatively simple drawings are not necessary.
On the artistic side I wouldn't use a pentagram as a decoration,
too much of it's occult used by mass control over the world.
Here is a version with some technical correction:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/6j5zicn8gj8wol5/matryoshka1II.svg
Re: Critique of svg
Thanks for looking at it.
>>you used ellipse archs, not of a full 360°.
I don't understand this, can you elaborate?
>> auto tracing on a bitmap image for the cloth,
I think you mean the purple shawl part here. What I did was draw a freehand line, then reduced the number of nodes and smoothed. What do you mean by 'pen tool'? Either the 'Draw bezier curves and straight lines" tool or the 'Draw calligraphic or brush strokes" tool?
>>layers for such relatively simple drawings are not necessary.
I find them useful here. The hair layer is on top of the shawl, face, and body layers. The shawl layer on top of the face and body, etc. Is there a better way to achieve this?
>>I wouldn't use a pentagram
Good point. I'll try something else.
>>you used ellipse archs, not of a full 360°.
I don't understand this, can you elaborate?
>> auto tracing on a bitmap image for the cloth,
I think you mean the purple shawl part here. What I did was draw a freehand line, then reduced the number of nodes and smoothed. What do you mean by 'pen tool'? Either the 'Draw bezier curves and straight lines" tool or the 'Draw calligraphic or brush strokes" tool?
>>layers for such relatively simple drawings are not necessary.
I find them useful here. The hair layer is on top of the shawl, face, and body layers. The shawl layer on top of the face and body, etc. Is there a better way to achieve this?
>>I wouldn't use a pentagram
Good point. I'll try something else.
Re: Critique of svg
With the ellipse tool selected 
, on the top there appears a box where you can manually type in the right 0°-360° values.
The default setting is that, you may changed the values by moving the object's circular handle.
The most handy tool for drawing paths is the pen tool
.
With that you can draw paths with the only necessary nodes.
That is about one in each sharp corners, one in inflexion points, and one for starting and end points of curves that turn less than 90°.
Then use the node editor tool to adjust the node's handles
.
You can change the Z order of the objects by pressing PgUp, PgDn, Home, End when selected.
Layers are handy when the program would struggle with the amount of data -like heavy use of filters on a layer-,
which then you can switch off and edit the other parts with no problem.
Matryoshka dolls are usually decorated with flowers:
, on the top there appears a box where you can manually type in the right 0°-360° values.The default setting is that, you may changed the values by moving the object's circular handle.
The most handy tool for drawing paths is the pen tool
.With that you can draw paths with the only necessary nodes.
That is about one in each sharp corners, one in inflexion points, and one for starting and end points of curves that turn less than 90°.
Then use the node editor tool to adjust the node's handles
.You can change the Z order of the objects by pressing PgUp, PgDn, Home, End when selected.
Layers are handy when the program would struggle with the amount of data -like heavy use of filters on a layer-,
which then you can switch off and edit the other parts with no problem.
Matryoshka dolls are usually decorated with flowers:
Re: Critique of svg
I've redrawn the shawl with the pen tool, looks much better.
Also using flowers now, too, also much better.
Thanks so much for your help.
Also using flowers now, too, also much better.
Thanks so much for your help.