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!
