ShangXian's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[Thanator vs Panther]

This is simply stunning starting from the overall composition that gives a nice depth touch to the environment. The shades projected by plants, bushes and trees give a nice natural vibe as if you were really in that forest. I like how you can feel each texture of this forest, from the wood, to fungi, leaves, stones and grass; everything combines in a perfect dance of vivid colours and 3D-like volumes. Both panthers look fantastic, I can feel the raw power from Cameron's panther and the curiosity in the real life counterpart with that cute lifted paw.
I like how both seem curious at each other and seem to interact in a playful way (the lifted paws, the tilted head of Avatar's panther just to mention some).

I also enjoyed the animated gif that showed the entire making of the project. I find it inspirational for those who want to start practicing pixel art and I like when people decide to share how they make their stuff. Congratulations!

Everything feels so natural, I love it!

p.s. I am still trying to find the two leaves that made it in the final image even though it's not easy due to the high level of details, but I am having so much fun at trying to find them nonetheless because I love when people make their work interactive^^

Zanzlanz responds:

This is literally the most thoughtful review of any drawing I've made, thanks so much for this nice surprise today! :>

I'm really happy you felt things turned out natural. The curiosity of both creatures is definitely the driver here, which is probably an unusual portrayal of the Thanator in particular - but I love when there is some ambiguous tension in scenes like this.

I thought I knew where both of the leaves were, but I can only spot one of them right now haha! It's harder than I remembered!

Thank you again!!

[Triumphant Tit]

I love the overall composition of this piece. I like the texture of the bird and snow, nice strokes too. Great tits are notorious for searching for meat during harsh times like winter where they can even enter pipistrelle bat dens and eat their brain by repeatedly pecking at the head because the brain is rich in fat. This predatory behaviour was recorded in 2009. Nice job, I love it. Rest in peace little rodent but at the same time I commend the tit's successful kill. I think it's a female because the dark vertical stripe is narrower on females and often does not extend as far down toward the legs whereas in males the black stripe goes down towards the legs.

[untitled #5313750]

I love the simplicity of your composition starting from the background which conveys well the Dark World. I also love Ralsei, one of my favourite character, you drew him very well and he is adorable. I love the cell shading and different blending modes that give a nice appeal to the character. Amazing first post. Keep it up!

[✨🌈 Poppy X Branch (Trolls) 🌈✨]

You did a superb job with these vivid colours! I love how you captured well both Poppy and Branch's personalities well with these lively expressions! I like how well defined lineart is and the sugary background makes everything eye-candy. I agree with the upbeat part the series gives, and you managed to convey it in this composition.

I see joy, happiness, easy-going attitude and overall carefree vibe in this work. Nice anatomy, good balance between shading and highlights, lovely details of the background and overall great job. I like this a lot and congrats for the frontpage, totally deserved.

[Swan Lake]

Wow, I am simply enchanted by the overall composition of this masterpiece. I love the glare the ballerina has, there is a mix of elegance, concentration and determination through her gentle eyes. I love strokes of the clothing, you can sense with your eyes the texture of the leotard and skirt. I can see the silk-like texture in those superb colour blends and shades especially in torso area. I love how the background strongly reminds me a galaxy or a starry sky instead of the interior of a theatre, because the combination of lights, dark areas and colour choice give me this feeling and I love it since it allows to make Princess Odette stand out superbly.

I suppose it's Princess Odette judging by the attire and wings not to mention the title of the work, but I could be wrong. Anyway I am impressed how this work speaks elegance from the character and excellent artistic skill from you. I like to think this is Act two, Scène. Moderato, where she meets for the first time Siegfried, in fact I can sense a bit of fear in her eyes, especially on the left eye and the slightly frowned left eyebrow but maybe it's just me.

I also like to image that the ballet dancer is a talented Russian dancer who trained herself extensively in one of the two main methods adopted in Russia the Vaganova method and the Legat Method. I love how this work is letting my mind to brainstorm.

Asides from the theme of the work, she also reminds me of an angelic figure, an entity of light descending on earth. I could admire this gem hours and hours, you did an astonishing work!

sekim0118 responds:

I'm glad you liked this piece!
This is the revised version of my old work(you can find it in my gallery if you want) and I thought it was a perfect choice to paint over since the former design lacked the vibes that Odette has, which I didn't like.
Your appreciation really inspires me. Thanks for the compliment :D

[At The Pokemon Cafe]

Another masterpiece where colours, lights and technique combine to create a harmonious composition of cozy feelings and warm sensations made by the joy of hanging out with friends. I love how the focal point immediately makes the viewer focus on main characters and most of all that delicious cake with that adorable Eevee. This is a nice touch I really appreciated. Probably one of the thing I love the most of this work is its ability to make me live a synesthesia-like experience because looking at those foods and enjoying the overall atmosphere, activates my smell and it looks like I can really smell those delicious sweet aromas.

I also love Simisear's look towards the viewer because it's inviting him/her to join the party. Each character has unique qualities in terms of emotions expressed: maturity and kindness from Simisear, child-like innocence from Oshawott and carefree attitude from Woobat. The sunlight coming out the window is really a nice touch that well conveys the atmosphere and period characters are enjoying. Superb!

[#513 Pansear]

Wow, I am amazed by the overall composition. I am truly speechless to notice how the highlights combined with warm colours give a feeling of enchanted wood. I like how the warm-coloured sunlight (a sunset?) seems to comfort Pansear's sad feelings. A gentle caress in the shape of hues, blending colours and highlights. I also love how each material is realistic, you can see and mentally sense the texture of rocks, grass, bushes and even water. Water and those shiny effects of the light and its interaction with matter is my favourite part of the background.

It feels so natural and realistic. I find this painting inspiring for me in terms of backgrounds. I am not that good with them and looking at this shiny gem really inspires me. Keep it up!

[Happy memories]

May I say that this artwork gave me a warm feeling of affection and love? I explain myself better. When I first saw the image I thought the creature was about to lure the poor child with a toy, but then I read the story and got compelled by its narrative and unexpected nature. I didn't image the creature was the father but I got happy knowing how the story evolved. I like how the initial narrative, combined with the visual effects (shades, hues, brush strokes, etc.) gives a gloomy vibe that evolves into something wholesome. I like how the father speaks through actions and actions speak louder than words many times. This piece reminds me of the trope of the Benevolent Monster and now I wonder the backstory of these two chracters.

I would like to see and explore better their stories. You did a really superb job both visually and on an narrative level.

Serafin-corpse responds:

Awwww, thank you very much for your comment and thank you for taking the time to read the story, I really appreciate it, when people comment nice things like this it really makes me want to continue making these types of drawings with back stories.💖

[🎪 Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus) 🎪]

I simply love the way you rendered him. You caught perfectly his personality through expressions and vivid colours. I love the chromatic aberration effect in the first version, it gives a nice touch of retro. The background is spot on, it gives the same feeling the original series gave me: a world full of wacky adventures that hides something more sinister or mysterious at least. Nice job with shading and highlights, they are vibrant and are eye-candy. Keep it up!

[Winged Fox]

I love the fairy tale-like vibe the composition gives me, starting from the colours of the background, the soft and warm hues of the sky, the strokes on tail fur and details of the wings. I see there are two versions, I like both but the second is my favourite one due to its vivid colours that render the image more defined and sharp. But besides this I like it a lot. Nice job, really!