Discman wrote:I don't really like the new Mallarchy, but you guys are nitpicking its anatomical structure a bit too much. I mean, it's a cartoon duck-monster.
If you stick around, you'll find that this is simply what we
do. We've got a lot of artists and a lot of members with deep knowledge of animals, as well as perhaps a higher than usual amount of attention to small details -- they're going to talk about specific small details. So long as the comments are phrased in a way that doesn't attack the artist (a standing, though largely unspoken, rule of ours), it's pretty standard and accepted in these parts.
That said, I am not bothered by the slight anatomy problem even though I did notice it immediately. My demand for anatomical realism is pretty low after years on neopets and now almost a year on subeta -- when it comes down to it, they are just cartoon animals drawn on a limited size palette; concessions and compromises must be made. I think that the new mallarchy strikes a good balance between cartoon and realism -- and really, more often than not this is how cartoony wings are drawn. I can't take the time right now to analyze other winged subeta pets, but I'm willing to bet that a lot of them have shortened or missing bones in the wings.
One thing that bothers me a little -- and would probably keep me from getting one even if I did have any desire at all to own a duck -- is the shading on the wing feathers. This is a stylistic preference on my part, not at all a problematic thing -- I just don't like that I can visibly see brushstrokes of colour on some of the feathers; combined with the outline (which seems quite prominent on the lighter-coloured areas), it makes the wings seem more like a unified and solid mass than layered feathers. Also, the shape of the second feather down on the wing closest to us bugs me, though I can't say exactly why at this point.
See! Totally picky! Overall you did a great job, Rah; it's a huge improvement over the old one. I like the dynamic pose, and the changes you made on the face and head positioning are really nice. It looks sweet, but not saccharine. Also, some of your colour schemes are lovely -- I can safely say that this is one of, if not the, only sun pets that doesn't make me cringe away from my computer!