Mr. Rhi-Rhi

[crystallizedcharcoal]

Just a friendly rhinoceros I drew a few months ago. I painted it last night. He has friends as well that I need to paint. I am writing a childrens book =]



Tell me what you think, eh?

[Bruce Lee]

Well, it's an interesting character,Sarah, but I'm not sure I would have guessed that this was a rhinoceros off the bat. It's not the unusual horn that is throwing me here-- it's the anatomy of the rhino's head that seems off to me. It just doesn't strike me as being very rhino-like. I rhino has a very unusual and distinctive head shape, with eyes located much lower on it's skull than you've depicted here. Also a rhino's ears are closer together, and are located at the very top of its head.

I would suggest that you keep some visual reference images nearby to help you keep the animal looking a little more recognizable. Here's some images of a rhino's unusual head that might prove helpful:
http://www.roumazeilles.net/images/2...Rhinoceros.jpg
http://www.itsnature.org/Endangered/...Rhinoceros.jpg
http://www.fantom-xp.com/wallpapers/15/Rhinoceros.jpg

Note how the eyes are located far below the top of the animal's head. Another animal, like a horse, might have eyes located more towards the top of its head, but a rhino's is different in this regard. That and the spacing of the ears are crucial bits of visual info needed to convey "rhino" to your audience. Since you're taking liberties with the horn already, it's important that the other animal distinctions hold up to visual scrutiny. It doesn't have to look like a realistically drawn rhino, but at first glance, your character should be identifiable.

The left front leg/foot looks to be noticeably smaller than the other legs and feet. Work on keeping things consistent.

Hope my critique has helped. Best of luck with the book!

Loston

[Mary NO2]

It has a pretty big horn for a friendly rhino, but I guess the color makes up for it.




www.franchisemall.com

[crystallizedcharcoal]

Actually, seeing as it is for children I wasn't worried about proportions. It's supposed to be very whimsical and the inconsistency of the legs and feet were purposeful. I appreciate the long critique but I have no intention of changing him =] I actually put together a small study group of small children, I have so many nieces and nephews running around, showed them all the sketched and asked them if they knew what each animal was. They were all able to make the connection. Remember, it's directed towards children, not artists, and my characters were made specifically with kids in mind.

Mary NO2, it's funny you say that about the horn, my oldest niece said the same thing! Then the youngest one said, "But it's swirly like elf shoes! He's a happy wino!" haha

[dfbovey]

The rendering is also coming off as hairy rather than wrinkly.

[PencilVillian]

I half agree with Loston on this one. Initially I was like, "Oh a stylized Hippo with a huge horn on it's face." *pssssst* Looks more like Hippo than a Rhino.

Outside of that I think it is balancing on the "fun level" that is necessary for a childrens book. It hints at fun but also hints at a more serious/creepy (?) side. Hey, it could just be me!

The pieces may fall more into place with backgrounds and/ore interaction with other characters. All in all I think it's a nice fun-ish-type piece even if that anatomy and resemblance isn't truly accurate. Children see things differently than adults do and may very well "get" this as is, right off the bat. Us adult analyze constantly.

[crystallizedcharcoal]

haha

hippo http://blog.al.com/spotnews/hippo.jpeg

rhinoceros http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos...rium-simum.jpg

I'm just don't see that XD You say adults over analyze, which is very true and that is why I had children help in the design process. I have seven adorable drawings of "winos", and from them all Mr.RhiRhi was born. =] Of course, some of them were WAY OFF but it helped get into their little minds.

As for the hair, there is meant to be some hair...the white streaks along his neck and on his chin and jaw are supposed to be hair, but the black is just shading.

[Beastie]

If it DIDN'T have the horn -- it WOULD look like a hairy hippo. I think its the large, open mouth that does it.

The only reason I'd EVER link this creature to being a rhino - would be the presence of the horn (twisted and green as it is). Without that - there's little resemblance.

Lastly, I've got to just say that you've posted this pic here and specifically asked the question 'tell me what you think' -- and that's what people are doing. Your response to the crits you've received seems to have been along the lines of 'well, thanks for looking but my kids like it and I value their opinions more than yours'. Now, thats perfectly fine - its great to please your kids -- but you DID post here and ask for crits - so, you know, you're gonna get 'em -- and it'd be rash to ignore a recurring piece of feedback (even it it DID come from a group of over analytical adults).

[dfbovey]

As for the hair, there is meant to be some hair...the white streaks along his neck and on his chin and jaw are supposed to be hair, but the black is just shading.

The way it's drawn... the black shading along with the white, makes it look like he has puple hair all over his body.

[Beastie]

The way it's drawn... the black shading along with the white, makes it look like he has puple hair all over his body.

Definitely.

[TropicalPencil]

What's important to remember about children's books are that the creatures are very recognizable at first glance ( just look at the animals in Pooh ). The animals are simple and easy for the children to remember and recreate. This version of a rhino does not come off as a rhino without anyone saying what it is first and it is not simple enough for a child to grab on to mentally and reproduce. Please try not to be offended by the critiques and opinions of the artists here, they are all meant as constructive criticism. Just keep in mind that the biggest problem is that it is not recognizable as rhino and if this is being made for children then that's a big problem.

[PencilVillian]

CC, I think you did the right thing by allowing the kids to be involved with the character process. It's a smart thing to do IMO. But as far as the Hippo relation goes, it's all in the face. Hippos have a wide face while Rhinos have a vertical face. The way you have the mouth opening and the shape of the opening is very similar to a hippo and not even close to a rhino. Now that you posted those pics I have to say that the body looks too much like an elephant and nothing like a rhino.

Everyone is mentioning the Purple Hair and I agree with that as well. But when I first saw this I also looked at it as a fuzzy plush toy. With the horn and body having different lengths of that soft fuzzy hair on the top of treasure trolls heads. Nothing wrong with that though, we are talking about kids.

[crystallizedcharcoal]

Thanks for all the response. Just because I don't agree with it does not mean it is not welcome, by all means!

However I do see one argument that is silly to me..."if it weren't for the horn, it wouldn't look like a rhino" the thing is, IT DOES have a horn and never will you see it with. So I think that comment doesn't make much sense.

As for the hair, I totally see that now, thank you for pointing that out! =]

[Beastie]

However I do see one argument that is silly to me..."if it weren't for the horn, it wouldn't look like a rhino" . So I think that comment doesn't make much sense.

Well, I said 'The only reason I'd EVER link this creature to being a rhino - would be the presence of the horn (twisted and green as it is). Without that - there's little resemblance.' - so I'll clarify what I meant (and hopefully seem less silly to you ).

If someone posted a photo of a rhino without its horn - people would still known it was a rhino. They would say 'look! a rhino with no horn!'

In the case of Mr Rhi-Rhi, without a horn he could be anything (a purple, furry dog for example).

With a horn he takes on one visual trait of the rhino - and therefore my mind can make a loose link between the two.

But, y'know it doesn't matter what your rhino looks like. Its a character to accompany a kids story and they like him.

ps. I'm not the 'animal-likeness police' demanding that you make a photographic reproduction of a rhino or anything - I just wanted to clarify my point after being called silly

[crystallizedcharcoal]

Well then, thank you for the clarification!


but

I still think you're silly! =D