Making a New Book - Documenting my own process
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- No notes exactly, I have worked with this publisher/author before and gives me quite a bit of freedom in how I work.
- I initial send character concept sketches and then idea thumbnail sketches of the concepts, these value studies are the last step before focusing on the final paintings.
- The value studies were of a larger size so not really thumbnails at this point, but I still try to keep things simple. You could do these as thumbnails too, but I wanted to refine the sketches anyhow so I blended both processes. @jdubz
- No reason, just a personal choice. I have done them b+w, bluish tints etc in the past. As long as I get the information I need it doesn't matter so much.
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@Gary-Wilkinson said in Making a New Book - Documenting my own process:
I initial send character concept sketches and then idea thumbnail sketches of the concepts
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How many character concept sketches do you send? Do you give them an option or do you send the ones you've chosen and just tweak them based on feedback?
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Is the thumbnails with the yellow highlights in the previous thread what you shared with them?
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Do you share these with the whole team or just the AD privately?
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Have you maintained the same process since your first book with them?
I'm just starting work on a big project and have been given full freedom to work as well. They've given me a deadline for the sketches but I'm wondering if I should share my character sketches and rough thumbnails with the AD first?
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@Gary-Wilkinson Ah gotcha. I had just started thinking about this in a project I'm working on right now. I had made small thumbnails and then redrew them at the larger size and I felt like it lost something in translation between. I had thought to maybe do them at the same size but just zoom out so that I'm refining all that energy from the sketches once I was happy with a basic comp.
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Color Studies
With my value studies sorted I can start looking at color. I try to use a big brush and put down a bunch of colors until I can find what works well. I like to keep things simple and in keeping with my style. These colors will be a guideline for the final painting and I expect to add in a lot more detail, but for this stage they are complete enough.
Whilst painting, there were a few areas that weren't fitting in as well that became more noticeable, so even though i'm mostly focusing on color it still helps further refine the overall painting.
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@Gary-Wilkinson looking beautiful!
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Really coming to life @Gary-Wilkinson!
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Hi @Gary-Wilkinson can I ask how you chose your color palette?
Its clear from your thumbnails that there is a consistent palette running through the book but you're not limiting yourself and including saturated blues, greens, purples, reds, oranges etc.
This is something I struggle with so its nice to see it done so well. I often find my colors losing saturation as I try to make them work together.
Great job.
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@Gary-Wilkinson I love your lighting and style huhu. Thanks for sharing your process!!!
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Sorry for the late update. I was hoping to upload a WIP to final piece painting, however I've been working through a few spreads at the same time, so nothing is at it's final stage yet. However I thought I would show how I start a painting.
Previously I started painting everything on the canvas and detailed parts at different speeds, however in trying to simplify my process I begin with flat colors and separate them on their own layers. Each additional layer will be clipped to the master layer so that I can adjust things quickly and not worry about having to backtrack if I make a mistake.
@skillydan Good question, however I don't really have a great answer as to how I chose my palette. Generally I try to keep things simple and focus on the primary colors, and just go with what feels right. I try play with my lighting to avoid making everything feel over saturated (though I always feel like I walk a fine line), and this also helps put more focus on where I want the reader to look.
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@Gary-Wilkinson This thread is a course on his own. Thank you for your work and for sharing it. I payed for SVS subscription because I love will Terry style and I wanted to learn his process, how he makes textures, etc. Now I say the same for you. I visited your site, Charles Bronson's caricature sketch is sick, I love it!!!!
Have an amazing day!!!!!
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Painting Process
Here is a step by step shot of how I go from start to finish when creating a painting. As mentioned in the last post I put down a flat layer of the base colors first and from that point I start adding light and color. I try and keep my workflow nice and tidy, but as you can see in the layers image, it becomes pretty messed up by the end point...., however if I put everything in folders then it helps for when I have to flatten each part down.
I try to avoid using too many layer effects, but those that I like to use are:
overlay - lighting and color balancing
multiply - for shadows
screen - adding some faint lightingAs I also mentioned previously, by having a good foundation for what you what your painting to look like will really help get it to an endpoint as painlessly as possible. I stuck quite close to my color study and everything else is just detailing. For the moment i'll be putting this painting to the side and checking it again after I have a few more pages done to look at it with fresh eyes, but it's now in a place that feels like it's mostly done.
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Wow. @Gary-Wilkinson thank you so much for sharing your process.
I am wondering how you manage to do this when working with a publisher? I was not very happy about the terms I have to sign when working on the last couple of books - everything has to be in private (only shared between me, my editor/AD, and my agent). It feels like working in a dark cave in comparing to how I developed my personal work, which I use the forum and my critique group a lot, and always in communication with other artists.
Currently I am planning a personal book project along with working for clients. The main reason is that I really want to have an outlet that I can grow my art in a community such as SVSLearn. I can not do that with client work because of the contract. This threads gives me a lot of ideas of how to organise my process better. Thank you so much.
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I get really excited when you post and update on this thread! Thanks so much for sharing your process. I'm really learning a lot of useful tips.
