Kasey's Sketchbook
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I don't think your own work is too far from the 8 examples you posted. Some have tighter lines, there are ways to achieve that. Some of them have a limited color palette with color contrast as the main focus to make the subject stand out. The light you want to achieve can also be done in layers.
Will Terry has to me a ground breaking lighting technique in Photoshop I never knew existed until I took his 10 Step digital paint course. In it he is able to brighten sections on a separate layer that would save any artist HOURS of reworking by hand. I've been using it like crazy for the past 3 weeks since I learned it. It's one of those things that is so simple you never knew it could be that easy...
But Photoshop is the KING of doing 1 thing 10 different ways. It allows people to do what's most comfortable for their work flow, and or understanding, much in the way a traditional painter would just put in the time. So fear not, all that you're looking for is out there, well you know cause you've seen it in people you admire of course.
The half light effect you're looking for can be done with gradients. I've seen a version of it created by one of the artists in the Painting in Photoshop course. I think his name was Kevin Keele. He basically did a gradient map of his original piece, and began painting over it... but he was able to alter various areas in seconds that again would take hours to do normally.
I think the misconception of using filters and effects is what sets apart real painters in Photoshop from the button pushing of beginners. I know I have been there. I have clicked one too many filters like it was going out of style, because I thought THAT was how the effect was done, but those filters I would say are 80% there for photographers and editors. It's not for the look you're going for, and even in comics, over using them is the sign the colorist is a newb.
And I'm talking about the motion blur junkies, and the lens flairs and over use of color holds to tint lines. None of that is used outside of comics, but there are tools in Photoshop and techniques that will add to your repertoire. It's not all painted by one brush, even though the best of the best make it look that way. Yes they do use a select number of brushes and do not rely on texture brushes to do all their work.
It's a mash up of what's comfortable really.
Sadly some of this CANNOT be taught. Each artist is their own original master, and what they bring to their work comes from who they are, not what they have spent using over and over. Style can be emulated but not given, it can be borrowed from and morphed into your own originality but not turn you into the next NC Wyeth or whomever. In linework you can have clone artists, but when you start adding color, composition, texture and detail, those are distinct skills that can only be done with a thorough appreciation for, it won't make you that artist.
You will be a better artist garnering inspiration from those you admire, so that is really something to shoot for...
I hope your time here is productive, and you get closer and closer to your answers. All the best.
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Some great tips for Cleaning up your linework in Photoshop from various artists... I am gonna try the making my image larger and resolution higher. My own goto technique was lowering the flow and opacity on a hard round brush. Anyway hope those help...
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@Kasey-Snow Ok, I'll take a look at this more when I get home but this gives me a much better idea.
I was proactively thinking about where to take this piece/where you wanted to take it and I was pretty sure you were going for half light with the way you had it set up.
2 things:
1st, I don't think many artists jump right in to the hardcore lighting effects until after several steps into the art process. You have have the line art first step (it's great by the way), you have the local color second step (also great). With your "map" you can now begin to render things out and start pushing the lighting. Then, at the way, way, way, end, you bring in your filters and tweak things.
(I have a few examples of my finished work at https://mattramsey.artstation.com/ the first (3). The final touches with filters etc. happened in the last 30min - to an hour and the final pieces were anywhere from 15 to 40 hours. Yes, I'm slow--but getting faster hopefully.)
2nd, You will get leaps and bounds better by copying/studying some of those references you showed us. You've heard it before I'm sure but I'll reiterate it: it's one thing to really look at an image and think about it and try and mentally deconstruct it. It's entirely another to get your hands dirty by opening up that blank page in photoshop with the image next to you and start painting. The latter method will be like shooting steroids*, you'll get so much better so much more quickly.
Finally: you mentioned you kinda liked those images and styles but you weren't really sure and that you were going for this kind of hybrid style etc, etc. When I hear stuff like that I think one of two things. Either you've got some amazing idea NO ONE else has ever come up with orrrr, you have to put in a little more thought/research into what you are trying to achieve (because some professional somewhere is probably doing it).
Believe me, I get it. Style is one of the most difficult things to "do" apart from the, ya know, actual art. But you will be doing yourself (and your work) a HUGE favor by going in with a clear plan of which artist you want steal/emulate/whatever. I've finally gotten to the place where when I sit down to do an image I can plan on 1 of about 4 different artist styles I'm going for. Am I on their level? No. Is it an exact copy? No. It WILL be my particular take on it and there will inevitably be a blending.
But having that kind of plan is just so beneficial. You'll come up with issues and be like: well, so-and-so solves this form issue/lighting scenario/composition problem like "this." Obviously you will run into things that you don't have a direct reference for but with your stronger plan/map you will be able to solve it.
*Note to parents and children: I do not condone the use of steroids.
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Couldn't agree more with Matt's 2nd Principle AND he said we could do steroids! He just doesn't condone it... winkwinkknowwhatimean...
But yeah jump in and try to do one of those references. One of my happiest moments with Photoshsop was applying a Rembrandt palette to a portrait I was working on for a friend. Unfortunately I won't post it here as the dude turned out to be a complete wanker, and my friend is better off now. But the portrait did push my work leaps and bounds by spending hours studying that light only a master could convey. It is so worth your time...
Not saying that my work is anywhere near the quality of Rembrandt, just that by attempting his color choices, something I would never have done before on my own, I found it possible to make work I admire more for my own doing. When I grew up, comic book artists were my masters, to this day I love the line work of Barry Windsor Smith, the shadows of Gene Colan, the anatomy of Gil Kane, the storybook telling of Jack King Kirby.
You can emulate those guys, but that won't be YOUR work... it will just be heavy influences that an editor might notice. I know a guy who purposefully has an Adam Ross style he paints in for particular projects. He has it down to a science, it's very close, but his own style is already so good, adding Adam Ross to him was just a cherry on top. It made him that much better. Not like Adam Ross, but with a heavy influence to make him achieve things he knew the style was graphically perfect for...
One of the top artists in comics today Francis Manapul brought back wash and ink work into his style because he loved it so. No one else works like him anymore, it's all done digitally. Very clean, it's missing that organic look that only ink and a brush can give you. When others try to emulate his style, it's Johnny come lately, or that is to say not as good. BUT - the style is there for all of us to learn from, and who knows what it will add to our own distinctness.
I've heard it said over and over in articles interviewing artists I admire. If you wanna break into the industry (concept art) make your work as good if not better than the people you admire. Cause you can bet they are doing the same thing. Look at any deviant artist you think is great, then look through who THEY are watching. You will find work of as good or better quality, because that is who they are aspiring to be.
My background is comic art related, and concept art related, I am only now trying to add the work of children's book illustrators I admire. Not to become them, but to learn from them. I don't want to be the next Will Terry, but I'll take the next best thing, have him look at my work and give me a thumbs up. Yeah, I'd be okay with that...
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@Bobby-Aquitania said:
Couldn't agree more with Matt's 2nd Principle AND he said we could do steroids! He just doesn't condone it... winkwinkknowwhatimean...
I see you are adept at reading between the lines....
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@mattramsey @Bobby-Aquitania Thank you both for your advice. I think I maybe am trying to push a style that is difficult/annoying to me right now. It's much more natural for me to work in a more painterly way, so for now I think I'll focus on that. Maybe once I get comfortable enough in photoshop I can try to go back to that look. For now, the cartoonier stuff will just stay in my sketchbooks.
I watched the new Painting videos by Marco and applied some of his techniques on flattening, rotating, and setting the brush to overlay and it was pretty fun! I think I'll mess around with these techniques more, it felt like a very comfortable way for me to work and this sketch only took about an hour. So that's promising I think.
I did this while streaming over at Picarto. Anyone ever tried that or have tips? I had about 6 people watching me, which was cool. But I wonder if there are better ways to use streaming sites/promote them. Will take any and all advice.
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@Kasey-Snow on promoting your work on streaming sites? Artgerm puts out a Facebook post when he is streaming a new piece with a teaser of it at whatever stages he's at. He has the worst music, so that's something to think about, he also talks occasionally answering chat questions while he streams.
And he now streams on You Tube.
I believe some artists offer prizes when they stream, like working on a piece that was inspired by someone else's suggestion. So that the audience gets to decide what the artist will draw sometimes.
Also he saves his previous casts for watching, which is something you might look into doing.
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@Bobby-Aquitania Good ideas! I actually did record this one, might try and start up a youtube channel at some point in the future. I thought about posting to facebook but got nervous since it was my first time and I didn't know how it would go, haha. But now that I kind of know how the process works I might just do that. The prizes thing is a good idea too. I'm running a request giveaway promotion on my FB page now, so maybe I'll stream those when I pick the winners.
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@Bobby-Aquitania I clicked just to hear his music. Not sure what I was expecting. I wouldn't say the WORST but it was pretty strange. Some of it was like Super Mario Bros done by Frank Sinatra's band in Midi format.
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I think he uses lounge music versions of songs so he can't be sued by the original rights owners... I just think with the money this guy makes, he could afford better sounds.
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@Kasey-Snow I did a quick paint over here: https://youtu.be/TEBQCqEPudU
I hope it was OK to link your website(s). I don't get traffic at this point but I figure if I ever did it would be one way to direct people to you as well.
Also: sorry about the somewhat blurry nature of the video. I think it's due to my NVIDIA screen recording program but I'm not sure. If I ever started doing this type of thing more often I'd probably invest in something better.
Let me know if you have any questions.
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@mattramsey are using Shadowplay to record your screen? I tried that with no luck, but would love a video on it, since you did it successfully. Or point me in the direction of one that can show me. Loved the hard vivid layer of yellows you used, I'm gonna try something like that and maybe it'll speed me up.
Question if you were going to approach a gryphon piece would you do a greyscale layer for light and shadow, or is that not how you normally work, do you always go to direct color after linework?
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@Bobby-Aquitania Yep, it's Shadowplay. I'm at work atm so I'm going on memory (I can check on this later):
When I open up my Nvidia program (through the control panel) I see a tab that says Shadow Play. When I click on that I see all the recording options. There is a list of hot keys on how to record/stop record. Mine says Alt + F9. When I hit that a little green button pops up (I am able to direct where the button shows up--mine is top right corner). Then when I'm done I hit Alt+F9 again and the video automatically saves to the folder I've specified (also in the options menu).
I don't know what version of Nvidia/Shadow play I have so I can check that--it might make a difference.
Is the problem that you unable to record anything?
As far as my process: I have done grey scale-to-color in the past and I will do it again I'm sure. I really like that idea and it gives me a much firmer foundation than just doing straight color. I believe Dave Rapoza does that a lot, as does Bobby Chiu. Then they would use some Color & Overlay layers to get the right tones and then start painting straight color.
Many times, however, I just skip that step and go to color. This is usually due to laziness but sometimes I have a really strong idea on how the lighting will work and I don't "need" grey scale.
I recently saw a creature tutorial from Aaron Blaise and his process is similar to mine but I learned a lot of little techniques and "short cuts." My plan is to do a creature using some of his tips and then post a video of the whole thing. Maybe sometime in January.
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@mattramsey Oh wow, thank you for taking the time to do that! I think watching you work on it helped get my mojo back and I will probably return to it once I finish my 3rd Thursday entry. It was fun and helpful to watch and of course I don't mind you linking to me, I definitely appreciate it!
Also, on the topic of recording, I use Open Broadcaster and it seems to work pretty well and is easy to record on. Setting it up for streaming is a little bit more confusing, but once you get everything established it's a breeze, at least that's been my experience.
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@Kasey-Snow No problem--I really like the piece
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@mattramsey yeah Shadowplay starts and then gives me the not recording icon the green button with a red line through it. Happens no matter what I do. Restart it, restart my pc, use the command line prompt to restart the Nvidia streaming service. It's been a royal pain. Never has recorded one thing. My graphic card is a 960 Strix, and I have 16GBs of RAM, an i7 2600K CPU, an 850watt gold power supply, so it's not my specs...
I was thinking of using Open Broadcaster, but with your video using Shadowplay, I thought I'd give it one more try... nope, no luck.
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@Bobby-Aquitania Hmmm. I didn't really do anything fancy. There aren't a lot of options for me to choose from/mess with. As long as your "allow desktop capture" is enabled and you have a destination for your videos I'm not sure why it wouldn't be working.
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No biggie, I will probably use something more reliable.
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Latest WIP. I participate in a yearly secret santa art trade on another forum and this year I am supposed to draw a lion for someone. I like to use this opportunity every year to try new things with Photoshop and new methods of approach, so here's what I've got so far:
Here is a small color key mock up of the direction I'm going with the lighting/color:
Eventually there will be some low hanging branches to help frame the animal and downplay the contrast of that tail in the crook of the tree a bit, I just didn't block that part in yet. I might lower the tail and get the tip out of sight as I feel it draws attention away from the lion herself. But we'll see how much the branches end up obscuring it.
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Grabbed another hour to work on this, it's coming along I think. Still not sure about that tail tuft, but pretty happy the rest of it so far. Once I get it more finalized I'll be able to flip it around and and check for imbalance. Also planning on burying her paws in the snow a bit, just needed to block in her form so I could make sure her proportions were good.