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Offline vrtTopic starter

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Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227343#msg227343
« on: December 18, 2010, 02:22:32 pm »
In Lesson 1, we wanted to see where you were at. There was a lot of variety in skill level, but overall, I have to say it's better than I had expected. One area of interest, though, is sketching. Sketching is an art of its own.. And that's exactly what we'll be doing.


Lesson 2: Example:

For this lesson, I created 2 sketches of a creature I thought up. I used a different technique for each sketch, as you can see.



On the left, we have my first sketch. It's a linesketch; no values are assigned. In about 5-10 minutes, I tried to show the general outline of the creature, by giving him armor, a weapon, and a 'look'. You can tell what it is quite well, despite it being far from finished. I marked 3 points in the sketch, let's have a closer look at them.

At point 1, you see a blatant anatomical flaw in the wrist and hand. This can be fixed easily in the final piece, so I left it in. Don't need to put in much effort when the fix doesn't mean much for a final piece. Point 2 highlights something else: It's not finished. The amount of detail in the tail and legs is minimal, but it doesn't matter much; you can still get a read from them; you can clearly see what it's supposed to be. Remember that term, it's going to matter. Point 3 shows how it can help to leave in 'wrong' lines. When I was sketching this guy, I had his arm level, originally. When I made a bad line for one of the spikes, I saw how I could make him draw an arrow - hence he's holding a bow now.

On the right is my second sketch. This one was created in around 10 minutes, possible 15. It's more of a speedpaint style, and it shows values very well. None of the transitions are smooth, but they don't need to be. Please do note how I used a variation on the original character; his bodytype, armor, weapon and pose have changed. This makes him look quite different, while he essentially isn't. Small changes like this are important, so that the final piece can have the best combination of elements. Now, to the 3 points!

Point 1 shows a very powerful tool of speedpainting: The suggestion of detail. 10 little dots is enough to make you believe he's wearing a big studded belt. Little effort, great result. It's a good example of how to get a good read out of an image. Point 2 makes it even more obvious; all of the lines and shapes are unfinished, but by glancing at it, you can fill it in for yourself. This means the effort is saved; you have time for more sketches! Finally, at point 3, I left out the sword/axe/toothpick altogether, so I didn't have to spend time on it. You can tell he's holding a powerful weapon by his body and pose, why would I bother painting it in when it's not needed?

I hope these examples help a bit; pepokish will have more examples in a post below this one soon!



Lesson 2: Assignment:

For this Lesson, which will also be the final lesson of 2010, we'll be looking at the very start of your piece: The sketches. When you have something to create, you need to start out with an idea, and develop that. For this purpose, you will be creating three sketches of a creature of your choice. This creature may come from a Card Idea, but you can think up a creature of your own, if you'd so like. I'd really appreciate it if you explained what creature you picked, and why, too!

Guide for this assignment:
    Three pieces, post them as they're ready. This means each sketch gets an individual post![/li] Use different techniques; and have a good focus on what you want from the individual sketches. I expect at least one non-lineart and one lineart sketch from everyone.[/li] Change up the creature a little bit for every sketch. Different poses, creature details, and perspective; it's all good![/li] Sketches can be coloured, but I'd suggest using black and white; this'll keep the pace up.[/li]

If you've completed the three sketches, and have some time to spare: Make more! Sketching is an incredibly strong tool, and allows you to experiment and practice all you want. The more time you invest in it, the better at it you'll get, and let's face it: You can't expect to build a house without a foundation, in the same way you can't expect to paint a masterpiece if you can't sketch!


This assignment will run for 2 weeks. On Monday, January 3rd, Lesson 3 will start.





Good luck!
So long and thanks for all the fish!

Offline pepokish

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227351#msg227351
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2010, 02:40:19 pm »
Alright, Lesson 2 is underway!  :D

I put together a few examples for you guys as well, using the two basic techniques as described by vrt.  These are the two most common ways to sketch, and it's up to you to decide which technique works best for you.  Personally, I tend to lean more toward linework-style sketching, while Vrt heavily prefers speedpainting as a base for his art.  However, we both incorporate elements from both techniques, for the best results. 

--

Example A: Sketching with Lines

The basic idea with this type of sketching is to define the edges of an object, as well as the edges of shapes within that object. 

I've compiled two quick sketches using the linework technique.  On the left is a Gryphon-type creature, and on the right is a more humanoid Ork/barbarian/thing.



As you can see from both examples, I've done a bit of defining the inner basic shapes of both figures.  Take a look at the right-sided figure, and notice the circular shape indicating a knee cap.  Obviously, when this painting is finished, he won't have circles marking his kneecaps -- but right now, that's a great indication for me to remember how legs joint together and move.  You can also see crosshairs on both faces of the figures -- this helps me keep the faces symmetrical and centered, and will be painted over or erased later.  At this stage, guidelines like these are perfectly acceptable to leave in!  Sketches are not meant to be pretty or presentable -- they're the basic root for your final product.


Example B: Sketching via Speedpainting

This style of sketching is all about defining the value -- meaning how much light touches any particular part of a figure.  It can be a great way to suggest weight, shape, and even environment.  It's all about shadows and highlights (we won't worry too much about colour right now, as it's really not easy to combine value and colour). 

For those of you using digital media, try to use a big brush to lay down big chunks of value, then go in with smaller, more refined areas.  For those with traditional means, the basic idea is to define shapes through shadows and highlights -- the challenge is to do this without using edge definition as shown in the previous example.  It is challenging for many, but definitely possible!

Here, I carried over my Gryphon creature from my first example, to whip up a quick speedpainting example.



Obviously, it's not very detailed -- it's hardly much more than a basic silhouette.  But you still (hopefully) get the basic idea of what I'm going for. 

Notice that the hind legs and tail are almost completely untouched.  This is perfectly okay -- I know there isn't much to be done in these areas, and fiddling around too much in those areas is just going to waste precious time.  My focus here was the facial area, specifically the eyes -- so that's what I paid most attention to in the speedpaint. 

A few quick short strokes of light grey around the neck area form a basic suggestion of a fur texture without going too much into detail.  Later on as I work on this painting, I will go in and make a more refined fur texture -- but for now, these rudimentary clumps of "fur" will help define the texture.  As Vrt pointed out, a little can go a long way!

Finally, I wanted to point out that bits of detail are okay!  I get a little creeped out when the eyes of a figure aren't very well defined, so that's something I always make sure to flesh out a bit.  I took a very small brush and quickly defined the eye shape, beak shape, and claws on the front feet -- these are important details that I want to pay special attention to later on in the progression, and it's okay to make a little "note" of that now by enhancing the detail around those areas a bit.  That said, I still spent probably less than 30 seconds defining those areas in total -- don't get caught up with detailing specific areas before you're ready!

--

Okay, that's all for now!  Good luck with your sketches, I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!  :D

Offline Glitch

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227481#msg227481
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2010, 06:36:32 pm »
Omigosh I am so sorry I didn't manage to get in artwork last lesson =(.

I love what you guys are doing here though, so I guess I'll whip up something pretty quickly in paint or photoshop or something.

Here's what I've got so far.


Offline vrtTopic starter

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227538#msg227538
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2010, 07:35:05 pm »
Omigosh I am so sorry I didn't manage to get in artwork last lesson =(.

I love what you guys are doing here though, so I guess I'll whip up something pretty quickly in paint or photoshop or something.

Here's what I've got so far.
"So far" makes it sound like you're planning to work on it more! Remember, if you've spent more than 30 minutes on a sketch, you should probably scrap it!


As for Lesson 1; the topic will remain open until Lesson 3 begins. :)
So long and thanks for all the fish!

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227580#msg227580
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2010, 08:32:16 pm »
I haven't done lesson 1 yet, but here's a rough sketch I did for this lesson. It's rather messy.



I didn't really choose a tiger for any particular reason; I just picked an animal and tiger is what popped up into my head.

wizelsnarf

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227594#msg227594
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2010, 09:00:32 pm »
Sketch 1: Lineart


Wow. Not a fan. Drawing with a mouse makes lineart near impossible. I think my latter two will be speedpaint versions. It is just too hard to get the jitters out of the mouse...

PS I wanted to make a simple creature without armor or a weapon, so I went with a Gila Monster. Maybe in latter sketches I will explore armor/clothing/other things.

Offline 991woot119

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227615#msg227615
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2010, 09:20:51 pm »
I posted on the lesson 1 last night a little bit before it finished and u didnt reply (can u please?) and I'll get to work

EDIT:Heres my first one



that thing on his face is his beak :(

I'm leaving at Xmas so I can't be there at the start of the third lesson

PS this is meant to be a baby penguin for one of my old card ideas

Offline Wardead

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227791#msg227791
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2010, 12:32:47 am »
Spent 15 minutes on it....Would work on it further if having too....



Its a Goddamn Creature Who Breathes And Controls Fire From Hell. And It's A Snake-Dragon-Human-Flying-I-Have-Know-Idea-What-It-Is Creature.

Few things: Those are two arms if you look really closely, the second's other half is blocked by the first's. In total, that thing has 4 wings, not 2. The smaller one is NOT the back one, it's an "addition"  :D.


Offline bored_ninja777

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227818#msg227818
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2010, 01:26:50 am »
reserving my spot i guess...
so how exactly do i do the line art in ms paint? i couldnt draw a smiley face with my touchpad let alone my crappy wireless mouse..
also.. speedpainting? what do u use? just a brush in mspaint and pick a color? maybe could vrt or pepokish post a video or something showing us/ me? otherwise im kind of lost as far as using computers for art.. i dont know what half the things are in mspaint or pixlr.com
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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227819#msg227819
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2010, 01:29:01 am »
Ninja, just to give you some ideas, I used Gimp.

Speedpainting would be easy if you just use a bunch of different shades of gray and the paintbrush. You can set to like 50% opacity or even less if you like and just paint away.

Just use a big brush and paint around and come back and makes strokes that are over the top of one another... If that makes sense.

 I don't know how to use pixle but probably the same thing.

Paint doesn't cut it because you won't be able to have soft edges you need to make things look good.


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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg227851#msg227851
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2010, 01:58:25 am »
Second tiger picture.



Edit: Realized I forgot to add in the pupils. Fixed.

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Re: Lesson 2: Getting Started https://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php?topic=17823.msg228099#msg228099
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2010, 09:01:26 am »
SKETCH #1:


First sketch of a knight who's weilding a mighty sword. The dark thing on the place where the mouth should normally be is some sort of mask as protection. Not sure whether I should pay more attention on the legs, since I didn't put in many details there, but hopefully you are :P


SKETCH #2:


Second sketch. Lizard-knight with leather-armor. You can guess he has scales already so I didn't draw them.
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