.... Today's update. Feeling sick. Trying to do fewer graphite work and more photoshop work. Rebuilding my confidence for colors, so sticking to monochrome for now.
Wonderful sketches, specially those made on pencil. Yeah, the transition from pencil to tablet it's terrible - I myself I'm not done yet, although many years has passed since my first digital attempt. But why don't you use the best of two worlds? Make your initial drawing on pencil, scan and paint in PS? It works very well to me.
Man those drawings are really good. But it really is a shame your colorwork cant hold up to this. You should really work on this and you will do some really great stuff! Promised!
@acapulco: Yours is one of the most honest critiques I've received yet! I love that. Thanks. To tell you the truth I'm still extremely intimidated by color. I try to paint but sometimes nothing comes out of my mind and onto the canvas. I just still prefer graphite painting for now...
Today's sketch....
The fact of knowing the universe plain sucks sometimes.
You really have the best start for colors possible, some good drawingsskills. You seem to get your values quite right in your drawings and that is most important! Colors are just decoration! But you need to get a transfer from drawing to painting without losing it.
Everything surely has to work in values in order to work in colors. I'd suggest you to first start every painting in black and white and then do another try in colors, or color-overlay your values in PS, another possibility.
This drawing was just a quick(ish) value study with the prismacolor col-erase! There is so much more potential in wax pencil crayons than there is in standard graphite (in my opinion). I don't think I can go back!
You are getting quite good into that digital painting. You could do a test for colors. Just make a new document and try to match the values with colors. Lay them beside each other and look at your values, dont pick! Picking will grey out your image and is not the way you should go!
@acapulco: Thanks, im actually doing that right now. And bombing spectacularly lol. I'll post it at a later date I think...
Today's Update...
Giving charcoal another chance. I actually blended using toilet paper. Otherwise, done on newsprint with a flat stick of charcoal. Proportions are off here. I never seem to get those right.
I tried to focus on the values.... But i ended up doing it for two hours straight. It gets really tedious after a while. And the eyes are overworked. Oh well.
A couple study cards drawn during lunch break at work. The first was actually charcoal on lined paper, but I used Photoshop to remove the lines. Still... it's a pretty roughed up image.
... Today's Update. Well I lost my job today (QA job) due to a work shortage. Oh well, I was prepared for this. And at least now I have more time to study.
On the bright side, I managed to make a charcoal drawing at work.
That does look really fine! Could you always post your reference to your drawing so one can measure how far you bring your own style into them? Would be interesting for me.
... Today's update. I couldn't do a color painting in photoshop (my brain refuses to process color). So I did a monochrome sketch instead (WIP). Sigh, maybe next time I'll finally make the leap into color.
P.S. Just to be clear, I can color; if you imagine a grade school student with crayons. That's how I color right now.
Did not have much time to work on my painting this week. Just been exhausted and busy. But I wanted to post a little update to make sure it stays alive.
.... Today's Update: My first 3D post here I think. I'm learning the fundamentals right now (texturing), so my model is appearing quite naked at the moment. Any help would be appreciated!
Damn dude, great lighting/shading in your 2d art! Surprised I missed this thread...
The squirrel is alright, but I think the model could use some work. Namely the eyes. They don't seem like a part of the face, they just seem like some spheres you plopped in. I think they curve way too much (makes him look bug-eyed. not at all like your drawing). I'd suggest you make the spheres much larger on further back into his head. I also think he needs more defined eyelids on the top and bottom to hold his eyes in. I can't imagine how he'd blink right now. The feet look more like duck feet, than squirrel feel right now, and the lack of hands bother me, but perhaps it will work in the texture. I think you also changed the shape of his body quite a bit from your drawing (which was superior).
I know I'm late to the party on this, but I hope all goes well with the job/financial situation. Just don't end up like me-- taking commissions from sketchy ladies to paint things like orlando bloom
On the color side of things, personally I've found it impossible to add color to an image in Photoshop if it started as black and white-- If I'm going work with color I have to do so from the get-go. Painter seems to be much more forgiving though, at least for me; it's still a lot of work but I've been able to take a finished b&w image and color it up. The brushes they have allow for better blending than anything I managed with Photoshop, and I was able to pick up an old copy of Painter IX for only $90. Just a thought.
@aesir: thanks a lot for the critique. I took a second shot at the squirrel with your criticisms in mind. Tho bear in mind the concept / proportions are fixed (its not actually my design, but they are my drawings). So hopefully I've addressed what I could in today's update!
@wake: I've actually experimented with this in a painting I'm struggling with. After reading up on some color theory, I've come to be a little more confortable with the idea that color is just a value with a hue and saturation attached to it. I'll post my study below . Thanks again for the comments!
.... Today's Update:
The squirrel updated + WIP greyscale to color painting. Thanks!
its jus the proportion/size of the leg/knee that throws it off. shorten the thigh n scale down the knee perhaps . to show it going off into the canvas. dnt forget about the sizew of the foot as it will be closer to the viewer than the knee.
bit of a dodgy angle that leg so really emphasize what you're trying to do with it.
@SSquir33: Thanks! I've practiced a bit more at trying to build the tibia area and proportion of the feet. It's a tricky area...
... Today's Update: We're onto the legs this week and I thought I'd share a construction image on the major muscle groups. Since there were so many muscles to cover, we had to group a lot of them into basic shapes (eggs, tubes, etc).
Are you using a tutorial learning photoshop painting? How do you blend the values together so well? When I do this it doesn't look this smooth certain brush maybe? Also, how did you get the grey scale image to the color so well?
@teknopaint: Its not much of a tutorial. Actually its just one layer set to "color" lol. I stopped doing that now because although you can get some nice effects with it, its actually quite cumbersome to work with. I lay down colors directly now, when i can. And adjust for temperature later.
Replies
Quick pencil sketch while watching some standup comedy. Hehe.
@ebagg: Thanks!! lol
.... Today's update. Still trying to learn photoshop. It's hard going from graphite to Wacom. The world of digital is sooooo different.
thats true, classic and digital are not the same but the principles are! And youre showing it with your incredible skills knowledge!
@jramauri: What a great idea! I'll have to try it out next bit of free time I get, thanks!
Todays sketch... Looking in the mirror, feeling inadequate / angry / frustrated?
Today's sketch....
The fact of knowing the universe plain sucks sometimes.
Everything surely has to work in values in order to work in colors. I'd suggest you to first start every painting in black and white and then do another try in colors, or color-overlay your values in PS, another possibility.
@SimonT: I normally just draw with a 4B Lumograph. Sometimes 2B.
Today's sketch..... I'm heavy handed, or just mentally limited without a mentor.
This drawing was just a quick(ish) value study with the prismacolor col-erase! There is so much more potential in wax pencil crayons than there is in standard graphite (in my opinion). I don't think I can go back!
I re-designed my previous painting for my friend Krista. Hoping she'll like it.
Today's Update...
Giving charcoal another chance. I actually blended using toilet paper. Otherwise, done on newsprint with a flat stick of charcoal. Proportions are off here. I never seem to get those right.
A couple study cards drawn during lunch break at work. The first was actually charcoal on lined paper, but I used Photoshop to remove the lines. Still... it's a pretty roughed up image.
The second is just a prismacolor pencil.
On the bright side, I managed to make a charcoal drawing at work.
@acapulco: Haha sure. I'll add a thumbnail or photo next time.
@BradMyers82: You're too kind! Thanks.
... I just thought I'd post the final drawing.
... Today's update. I couldn't do a color painting in photoshop (my brain refuses to process color). So I did a monochrome sketch instead (WIP). Sigh, maybe next time I'll finally make the leap into color.
P.S. Just to be clear, I can color; if you imagine a grade school student with crayons. That's how I color right now.
I like the sketch!
@acapulco: Thanks, I hope to get it over and done with sooooooon.
@rustim: Thank you!
.... Today's Update:
Did not have much time to work on my painting this week. Just been exhausted and busy. But I wanted to post a little update to make sure it stays alive.
.... Today's Update: My first 3D post here I think.
Concept drawing:
Model:
Render:
The squirrel is alright, but I think the model could use some work. Namely the eyes. They don't seem like a part of the face, they just seem like some spheres you plopped in. I think they curve way too much (makes him look bug-eyed. not at all like your drawing). I'd suggest you make the spheres much larger on further back into his head. I also think he needs more defined eyelids on the top and bottom to hold his eyes in. I can't imagine how he'd blink right now. The feet look more like duck feet, than squirrel feel right now, and the lack of hands bother me, but perhaps it will work in the texture. I think you also changed the shape of his body quite a bit from your drawing (which was superior).
Lookin forward to updates!
On the color side of things, personally I've found it impossible to add color to an image in Photoshop if it started as black and white-- If I'm going work with color I have to do so from the get-go. Painter seems to be much more forgiving though, at least for me; it's still a lot of work but I've been able to take a finished b&w image and color it up. The brushes they have allow for better blending than anything I managed with Photoshop, and I was able to pick up an old copy of Painter IX for only $90. Just a thought.
Always great to see your work redpanda.
@wake: I've actually experimented with this in a painting I'm struggling with. After reading up on some color theory, I've come to be a little more confortable with the idea that color is just a value with a hue and saturation attached to it. I'll post my study below
.... Today's Update:
The squirrel updated + WIP greyscale to color painting. Thanks!
Head construction and gestures study.
... Today's Update: Construction of the upper torso homework. Selected two from the batch that I drew up this week.
bit of a dodgy angle that leg so really emphasize what you're trying to do with it.
keep it up !
... Today's Update: We're onto the legs this week and I thought I'd share a construction image on the major muscle groups. Since there were so many muscles to cover, we had to group a lot of them into basic shapes (eggs, tubes, etc).
@teknopaint: Its not much of a tutorial. Actually its just one layer set to "color" lol. I stopped doing that now because although you can get some nice effects with it, its actually quite cumbersome to work with. I lay down colors directly now, when i can. And adjust for temperature later.
Here's where i learned color theory: http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/472/Color-Theory%3A-The-Mechanics-of-Color
Do you work in any art related jobs?
How many hours a day do you draw?