Hi inkscapers!

I'm drawing some medical illustrations for didactical purpose; if they'll prove of good quality, I'd like to upload them on wikipedia.

Basically, I played with Inkscape for years, but this is my first "serious" project, and my inkscape-fu is weak. Also, I am not an illustrator nor an artist. So I'd like to have some feedback and constructive criticism from the community.

I started my illustration with a brain:

http://fav.me/d4i8akk

http://fav.me/d4i8aqn

In particular, coloring gave an hard time... I don't know how to give volume to the various structures. What techniques would you suggest?

Cheers,
Lorenzo

hi Lorenzo,
It's a very good drawing and easily recognizable. The only thing I might recommend is that I'd change the hue of the pink, it seems too 'pinky' to me, and I'd make it more ecru/flesh with a light pinkish red hue. On top of using gradients, I would also draw in a couple of shaded areas for more effect, other than that, it looks good to go to me.
dee

Thank you for your answer.

Actually it seems a little too pinkish to me, too (I was trying to reproduce the color of a living brain - which is not gray, but sorf of light pink-gray). I will change color and consider adding shaded areas. Thank you

Lorenzo

So, a little update:

http://fav.me/d4i8aqn

- I changed the color to a more natural one. Looks good to me, but I'd appreciate some feedback
- I've added some tags (to be continued....)
- I added little shadows (again, to be improved).

Other suggestions to improve the drawing?

Thanks everyone!

Lorenzo

I`m not quite sure where are those shadings that you have mentioned?

Except for color, previous version was more descriptive, illustrative... but now it`s kind of flattened? I believe my monitor is calibrated, but maybe it`s not ,) Also, I`m not exactly sure how you did this illustration, but with bluring, gradients and transparency I`m sure you might get even better results. I mean, now that you have all outlines, lines etc. illustratively describing the form should be easier part?!

Hope you won`t mind, just because picture tells 1000 words...

Thanks for your remarks, Maestral! I completely agree: a picture tells 1000 words!

I further tweaked the image according to your comments, with wich I agree. I had lighten the color too much, flattening the image; now it looks like:

http://fav.me/d4i8aqn

(I'm sorry for all these links, but I can't embed the image with the tag provided in the forum, maybe because the picture is not in my gallery yet)

Thank you Maestral.

You`re welcome.

It looks much better now.

Personally, I would enhance a contrast for a bit. Difference among volumes is noticeable but maybe not just as it could be for a complete eye-pleasured sight ,) Also, I`ve noticed that some blurred portions are going outside of the main outline. You could make all of those blurred ones as one shape or group and then use duplicate of the main shape as clip or mask (Object/Clip or /Mask), in order to keep shading only inside of the main shape.

Thank you, it worked like a charm. I experimented very little on the mask function. I see it can be really useful. I have to search some tutorials about it.

By the way, are masks supported by web browsers? I tried to open the .svg with Firefox and Chromium; both display only the black outline but not the color. I googled around but found nothing relevant...

Color is fine on FF 9.0.1/ubuntu 11.10

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/brainm.jpg/

nice drawing by the way

One idea I had (while viewing your illustration) is where does the do-hicky end and the what-do-you-have-it begin? You might consider a slight LIGHT, MEDIUM and DARK color to show that.
The difference between LIGHT, MEDIUM and DARK might be really slight, just enough to tell the tale.

In looking at the illustration I would conclude (right or wrong) that you are referring only to what is seen on the surface, that depth does not matter?
Or that the brain is like intestines and you are referring to only that section of intestine rather than this section.
Or that you are referring to an exact point - the tiny point the arrow (that is not an arrow) goes to.

For "clarity before realism" we brain lovers want to know. If you can meditate, go into your brain and experience each part. I have, and it is WELL worth doing. I mean really. Every little bit of the brain is different than every other part.
This was intended as feedback and constructive criticism.

to the author: the brain looks good but why didn't you keep your work separately from the beginning till the very end instead of replacing the old one with the new one? That would be convenient for people who come late to get to know what you've done to the brain. Sincerely.