I'd DEFINITELY call that a success. That is absolutely amazing

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You succeeded big time! The bright happy colors help it, and the sunny skies with nice white clouds makes it obvious that it's a beautiful day and they're both having a great time! I would normally suggest putting all of their bodies into the piece, but then again, the theme was Smile. You don't need a full body to smile! Oh, and your muscle shading skills epically thrash my meager skills in that department. The shiny is uber awesome! (along with all those details!)

This is awesome! Especially the faces. You captured the mood well and made them look really happy.

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Icon by =Aki--Tenraku

Definately got yourself a success here.

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"Thought you knew about life. No point sugarcoating it. Y'are what you are. If the world can't deal with it, f*** 'em. But don't try and hide it. That's just wishin,' pretending it ain't true." - Malaya Bahar, Kyell Gold's Waterways

Oh, thank you so much. :'D Thankyouthankyouthankyou. |D
Actually, I was originally trying to fit the whole body in, so that I could really practice perspective and depth, but after playing with various placements, I found that I preferred them flying in from the corner. I'm aware of some issues with the placement, but I'm overall more content with it like this.
Thank you, again. X3 I didn't intend for it to be shiny, but I can't shade cream-colored dragons without them looking metallic, so I guess he's a gold dragon now.

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Name: Khezix
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Aw, thank you. :'D It's great to know that I can do something more than just draw a character. XD;

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_{Perfect World International
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Thank you! It seems that this was more of a success than I initially thought. (and I got a record number of favorites in under 18 hours, so I guess people really like this one. Of course, I prefer comments, and the feedback has been great. )

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_{Perfect World International
Name: Khezix
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Thank you so much. :'D I'm glad you like it. :>

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_{Perfect World International
Name: Khezix
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Awww! reminds me of Brisingr

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Icon by the pwnsome *Khezix >D

私は二宮和也大好き！

If we LOVE animals. .Why do we call some "PETS" and others "DINNER" ?

Comic Book Club was canceled I was extremely angry!

I don't know what you're trying to aim for, cartoon or kinda of realistic. Just know: cartoons EXAGGERATE. They don't copy real life; they mimic it and they exaggerate. What I just typed isn't ONLY for animation, I personally find it good for any style of art, maybe except photorealism or hyperrealism.

A quote I read in "Disney: The Illusion of Life": "If they're happy, make them happier. If they're mad, make them madder" or something like that. Of course, I don't mean EXTREME happiness, but if the smile is wide, make it wider.

The only thing I have to critique is the lines: try to make them more fluid. To me, the lines are a tad bit stiff; don't be afraid to REALLY vary them. My advice: don't keep a TOO much of a steady hand. I have the same problem: the lines vary, but they're still stiff. Don't be afraid to really move your hand instead of keeping it so straight and exact (I'm terribly guilty of that with my caricature pieces).

Remember weight and mass counts (which you did an excellent job with), but don't forgot how everything acts together. For example, a happy character will have a huge wide mouth- this causes the bottom of the eye to curve upward. Remember to take consideration of what is effecting what. I see that somewhere, but I'm not sure. A good way to practice is look at yourself in the mirror making various of expressions and seeing how they effect each other. Preston Blair (one of Disney's animators who help animate "Fantasia") says that these main parts are effected for facial expressions: the eyes, eyebrows, between the eyebrows, the mouth and cheek area (if I remember correctly).

Body language is also important. If a character is clutching their fist but with a happy smile, their language tells me, "I'm going to kill you". Some parts are "relaxed" with one action but intense on the other. For example, a person who is sleepy would be a lot loose with their body action and appear swaggering, body in random positions, while a person working extremely hard would probably be stiff with work and concentration. Another example is sometimes a really sad person who is crying would have a lot of wrinkles in the eyebrow area but not in the cheeks, while a happy person will have a lot of wrinkles on the side of their mouth (caused by muscles, if I'm correct, blah blah blah...)

I do recommend looking at the animation principals. I know you're not aiming to do animation, but a lot of Animation Principals really do effect cartoon drawings. To tell you the truth, animation principals did crap for my animation learning but taught me more about fluid, bouncy and care-free cartoons.

It's a happy mood for the most part, though You got what you wanted, really.

I hope this helps you. I'm new to exaggerations myself so this is all I could do. I'm sorry if I'm off a bit, and take what I said with a grain of salt.

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