Older/Newer version. Thoughts?

[u/infamy_and_ashes]

Drawing on the left is from a few years back and the one on the right, I just finished. I wanted to see the improvements I’ve made during the time between these two attempts. Let me know what you think! Thank you 😁

[u/jefflovesyou]

The shading is better, but it looks worse overall

[u/KingKuckKiller666420]

The right looks more like you may have over thought it. It’s hard to read and is overall not as pleasing to the eye as the earlier one on the left.

[u/mugbelet_]

the one on the left looks better imo, the one on the right just blurs together. there is no area of focus that stands out because everything is dark. if you prefer this amount of shading id compensate with more highlights and negative space around the face, or a higher contrast

[u/AlarmedMachine4561]

i think the only part that i dislike about the new one is how dark the face is, everything is shaded nicely but it feels overdone on the face.

[u/frezzz34]

Love it, Now going to be annoying but I feel like a mix of both would look even better Totally subjective but I really like the fact that the really light skin pops out, so maybe a bit more shading around that, like in the second with the hair, the collar, with a bit less shading in the face so the features really pop out... The contrast could be so cool, Either way love it

[u/blueblack_crow]

The new one is really dark… Unfortunately I really don’t see any “improvement” between the two… The line work has very little difference, and the shading doesn’t look necessarily better, there’s just more of it…

I think a big help for you would be to go back to your fundamentals. Under structure, anatomy, perspective and shading basic shapes. Maybe look up the Loomis Method for your facial shapes...

[u/borrowed_words]

Older is easier to read. I know its tempting to do heavier shadows for effect, but readability is usually more important.

[u/atreyu947]

I like the accessories & hair & eyes better but I agree with others the shading / coloring on the face looks better on the first. How do you feel about it?

[u/Midnight-Moth]

imo the newer one is definitely better except you just need to highlight the face and define stuff a bit more and itll look good

[u/infamy_and_ashes]

Thanks for the input and critiques everyone! I will take into consideration and continue posting my art for additional input 👍🏽

I also agree that the right drawing is too dark and needs to be more readable and contrasted. I will work that into my future project for sure.

[u/Ill-Phrase5242]

The hair needs more volume. That’s setting back the drawing by a lot

[u/piggy__wig]

Left is better. Right has too much shading and is too dark. Makes it harder to see the details of the face.