you grind and got better but life just doesn't change...

>>7652881 (OP)
Well you actually have to use those skills for something other than doodling. What's your project? What's your goal? Do you even have a project or goal?

>>7652881 (OP)
You pretty much describe my current situation. I've done everything I can to improve, but nothing changes. And the problem is, I took the "easy route" and just dedicated myself to drawing hentai. And while it allowed me to earn a little extra money, to the point of buying a Cintiq, today I feel totally empty artistically speaking. Drawing hentai already disgusts me. And I'm even more disgusted by the level of stuff many amateur artists publish today. Stuff that would make even the most perverted of my comrades blush. The worst part is that I haven't even reached my goal of $1,000 a month in income.

>>7652881 (OP)
Clearly what you're missing in your life is another monitor.

>>7653297
>I've done everything I can to improve, but nothing changes.
I've seen a lot of your stuff here on ic, and you definitely improved a lot.
My advice is that you should try changing your shape language/anatomy to a more mainstream appealing one. While your Ranma inspired faces aren't bad at all, the shape language of the body anatomy you are using is unnecessarily over-complex. You add fat deposits and bumps all over the place. On one hand you go more towards realism, but this makes the vibes of the entire figure become uncanny, as you're trying to draw anime.
I think what your art misses the most is the concept of less is more.
I would describe your art as pretty unique in the sense that you aren't just another anime clonefag, which is definitely a postitive thing, however by doing so you make your art more niche. Try to find a balance.

I hope this makes sense.

>>7653297
>>7653318
Also, it probably doesn't help that your themes are pretty grotesque. In this particulare example here it's body odor, prominent body hair, meth faces. I understand this is intentional, but it's harder to reach a bigger audience/market if you draw what is considered non appealing in mainstream circles.
Plus the niche you're going for here is already pretty saturated I think.

>>7653297
Honestly I went the 'concept artist' route and it was just as unfulfilling. Reality is too much of art education (and culture for that matter) is focused on technicals without acknowledging that creative skills even exist. Makes me regret not paying attention to people like Jazza starting out. Guy might be kind of a sloptuber, but at least dude's out there trying shit.

>>7653318
I really appreciate you taking the time to appreciate my illustrations and giving me serious and professional criticism.

About the anatomy of my illustrations.
I learned to draw girls by copying the sprite designs from Street Fighter Zero 2, and later by studying Bengus and Akiman's illustrations from the 90s. I later complemented this by studying images of Greek statues.
I really like Ranma 1/2, but its body designs have always seemed too crude to me. Particularly because of the 90s anime trend of drawing girls with long legs and micro waists.

Honestly, with each passing day, I become more convinced that my place isn't in hentai or anime, but it's not in cartoons either. As you rightly mention, that "middle ground" is what I must find.

>>7653325
About my illustration, I never imagined it would look grotesque. More than anything, my intention was to highlight the characteristics of each character in relation to their environment: Lydia, with the bizarre world of Beetlejuice; Sussie and her apparent lack of love for life and, of course, her thinness; and Wednesday Addams, with her indifference and coldness. But again, thank you for your criticism. Believe me, I take all serious criticism very seriously. Especially in these moments where, artistically speaking, I feel lost.

>>7653349
It's a shame. It seems like creativity is on the way to extinction.
And I mean it. Especially because I'm a big fan of Yoji Shinkawa's conceptual designs.

>>7653363
The AAA-ification of gaming really caused this. There's no place for people like Shinkawa in the industry today when they can pay one of the thousands of artists with a clean 'professional' art style.

>>7653360
Those are all fantastic inspirations. You can't go wrong by trying to recreate the styles and designs. You probably know about it already, but in case you missed it, look up Capcom design works. It's an amazing resource for somebody with your taste.
In all honesty though, I feel you are missing some of the sleek more angular body shape language old SF art has, which makes it look badass and dynamic. Your anatomy is much softer. But I don't think that's not a bad thing in itself. I just think you are overthinking your anatomy. By detailing it in such a "realistic" manner, you lose the appeal that what you call "crude" brings to the viewer.

The less is more approach I mentioned earlier lets the viewer fill in the gaps you intentionally leave out of your drawings with their imagination (which will always topple yours, keep that in mind). This way you use the viewer's imagination in your favor. You spend less time on your drawings and make them more appealing to your audience. This is the biggest strengths of stylization imo.

As for the subject matters, I hope I didn't come across as rude with my bluntness. I thought you actually were going for a creepy kind of vibes, as this is a well known trope in hentai (akin to NTR, and other kinks vanilla people might even find offensive).
Your explanation makes a lot of sense. You should keep striving for storytelling of that kind. That's not bad at all.

If you want I can do a redline of the artwork you posted to better show you what I mean by simplifying your style even more.

>>7653398
Thanks again for your analysis. And yes, I'd really like to see those corrections. As I've already said, I have no problem with criticism. In fact, I'd love nothing more than to receive more frequent feedback.