Maaaaajor stiffness issues in this. You should always try to avoid drawing hips + shoulders parallel to each other, it has a tendency of making people look too stiff. I often had the same problem but it's a relatively easy thing to brush up on so I doubt it's gonna be a problem for you.
Try and think about what their poses actually say- poses are just as important as expression for communicating a mood. If they're just standing there, give them different postures depending on their personality, or how they're feeling right now.
Gesture drawing can help you loosen up, too. You'd be surprised how quickly it'll fix up your posing just doing a few pages of 90-second gestures of figures. If you don't have a life model to hand (who does?), a workable alternative is the 30-Second Drawing Widget. You can change the times to suit you; it's best to start a little slower. When you draw the gestures focus on the line of movement, the angle of the hips and shoulders and the positioning + basic shape of the limbs.
I'm also getting the impression that you don't like drawing hands or ears very much. With the exception of the hand on the masked guy and the bottom of the blindfolded guys earlobe it seems that you're going to great lengths to avoid drawing either. Stop that! If you're not confident with drawing certain things, you need to do it anyway, as boring and often disheartening as it can be. Look up some references and fill a couple of pages with studies. It is exceptionally tedious but it pays dividends.
I would also REALLY suggest moving away from the anime thing. Draw more substantial noses and less 'flat' looking eyes. I'm not saying you need to suddenly go all hyper realistic, but before you start stylising and cutting corners it's important to have a good understanding of how a real face and body are structured. It's also really important to vary how you draw characters; the hardcore test is: if you were to draw them butt-naked and without their hair, would you still be able to tell one from the other? If the answer is "no" and you're not drawing twins or clones then you need to start thinking about varying their features a bit more. A lot of people get hung up on the clothing + hair of their characters but don't think about the way their body is proportioned or what their facial features are like.
WALL OF TEXT WALL OF TEXT I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T DOING THIS ANY MORE ZEEMORT.
Sorry if I sound like I'm ripping the shit out of you. That is not my intention! I am giving general pointers that should help you out.
Try and think about what their poses actually say- poses are just as important as expression for communicating a mood. If they're just standing there, give them different postures depending on their personality, or how they're feeling right now.
Gesture drawing can help you loosen up, too. You'd be surprised how quickly it'll fix up your posing just doing a few pages of 90-second gestures of figures. If you don't have a life model to hand (who does?), a workable alternative is the 30-Second Drawing Widget. You can change the times to suit you; it's best to start a little slower. When you draw the gestures focus on the line of movement, the angle of the hips and shoulders and the positioning + basic shape of the limbs.
I'm also getting the impression that you don't like drawing hands or ears very much. With the exception of the hand on the masked guy and the bottom of the blindfolded guys earlobe it seems that you're going to great lengths to avoid drawing either. Stop that! If you're not confident with drawing certain things, you need to do it anyway, as boring and often disheartening as it can be. Look up some references and fill a couple of pages with studies. It is exceptionally tedious but it pays dividends.
I would also REALLY suggest moving away from the anime thing. Draw more substantial noses and less 'flat' looking eyes. I'm not saying you need to suddenly go all hyper realistic, but before you start stylising and cutting corners it's important to have a good understanding of how a real face and body are structured. It's also really important to vary how you draw characters; the hardcore test is: if you were to draw them butt-naked and without their hair, would you still be able to tell one from the other? If the answer is "no" and you're not drawing twins or clones then you need to start thinking about varying their features a bit more. A lot of people get hung up on the clothing + hair of their characters but don't think about the way their body is proportioned or what their facial features are like.
WALL OF TEXT WALL OF TEXT I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T DOING THIS ANY MORE ZEEMORT.
Sorry if I sound like I'm ripping the shit out of you. That is not my intention! I am giving general pointers that should help you out.
![[Image: 6WzBw.gif]](http://i.imgur.com/6WzBw.gif)