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Art by Lamp [nsfw]

1246

Posts

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited July 2016
    Thank you for the feedback Lyrium! I tried to take both issues into consideration. Here's an update. I'm kinda just getting the color/mood set up right now so that I can flatten it all down and start painting details and texture. Also need to work on the background/environment.

    rpf0x506xxjk.jpg

    Lamp on
  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Its nice seeing this progress, Lamp!

    I would assess that neck when you get to it, it seems a little low on their shoulders, if you can see what I mean.

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    You straitened up the sash on the dress which seems to be stiffening her pose. She also seems to be looking past the girl on the ground if I'm reading the eye right.

    I like the dust around the dress but I would make sure the foreground comes back into focus with contrast and well defined edges.

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Thanks Iruka! I tried to fix those issues and for now I'm gonna call it done, I'll maybe revisit it in a week or two to try to polish it up a bit with a bit of distance.

    Anyway, for now here's some work on a value comp for something new...

    6y8ljwb6uqfp.jpg


    Lamp on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    You're definitely making progress!

    The composition feels kind of static, mostly because of the square frame and because of the horizontal lines created by the staircase. Also I'm not sure if this is intentional, but the figures in the background are almost the same size as the figures in the foreground. That's fine if you're going for a telephoto lens effect, which would flatten the perspective, but it also detaches you from the scene and makes it feel a lot more stable, when I think you're aiming for something more dynamic.

    Remember that contrast makes exciting images. For example you could also push the drama a little more by emphasising a contrast in scale between the foreground figures and the statues. If you want them to be imposing make them feel waaaay bigger than the main characters (for example, by actually increasing the scale or by lowering the camera angle so that they appear to hang over the focal point).

    Keep going!

    Flay on
  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Thanks so much for the feedback Flay. You are so right about the composition. I'm gonna lower the camera way down the steps and scale up the baddies at the top of the steps. Got some ideas about that. It's painful because I keep making poor compositional choices and spending way too much time working them out. Then it gets really painful to do drastic changes. But I suppose sweating that stuff is the way to get better!

    Lamp on
  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Hoping this is a way better direction. I feel pretty good about it! Decided to put much more emphasis on the scale of the statue.

    c1nlgt2rympd.jpg


    Lamp on
  • LampLamp Registered User regular
  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    edited August 2016
    the lighting is excellent, but the kids look kind of noodle-ish, especially in the neck, shoulders, and arms. I think some of that is through foreshortening, but I think using the tiny highlights and shadows to do things like define finger placement on hands, elbows, and so on would probably eliminate some of that. you're really leaping ahead in terms of composition, though, so keep pushing at it!

    tapeslinger on
  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    If you have a few buddies on hand, this might be a good time to try shooting your own reference. Try getting some arms in about the perspective you want, and use it as guidance for the structure. even if you want to force/stylize that perspective afterwards, having a visual of the positions in reality will be good. even the front arm on the girl looks kinda broken, which I think some basic photos would help correct.

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Thanks for the feedback folks! I got reference for the arms and hopefully that fixed the issues. Anyway, this still needs polishing but here's a big update.

    imu2gnlqaqyn.jpg




    Lamp on
  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    The hands are still a little wibbly but the perspective is WAY better, yes!

    I don't have a means of digital arting right now, but this is a tut that helped me really push my hand shapes:

    http://suzannart.tumblr.com/post/147908444007/im-not-an-expert-but-i-like-hands-a-lot-so

    -- she has a lot of tips on visual shorthand for finger shapes, knuckles, and so on.

    (I think that's from her SFW blog; the post itself is SFW but Suz is a fandom artist very well known for her NSFW stuff so.)

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Haha to be honest I fudged the front hand from imagination because the reference I shot wasn't right, thinking I could get away with, I should know better, I can't draw shit from my imagination. I'll snap some new reference, thanks! I'll check out that link too.

    Lamp on
  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    yeah, hands are like one of the things you can't totally cheat on, because if they lack authenticity in volume/shape they throw off all your other proportions! Keep pushing, you are doing good work.

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Now with new and improved hand!

    t8oe3at5og5i.jpg

    I find this is a really typical problem I run into. Basically, I spend an hour or two fussing with some aspect of a painting, trying to figure out how to get it to look right. Then I furiously throw my stylus to the side and snap a reference photo with my phone, and ten minutes later that part of the painting looks 10x better than it ever would have trying to paint from my imagination. I really think most of the issues that people have with trying to learn to draw or paint is that they're just trying to make shit up out of their head, when the knowledge isn't there to draw on. Maybe someday I'll be able to paint great hands from any perspective, in any lighting scenario from out of nowhere, but I'm never going to learn how to do that if I don't paint enough hands from reference. Everyone has a camera in their pocket and a lamp on their desk but so many amateur artists aren't using them.

    Lamp on
  • tapeslingertapeslinger Space Unicorn Slush Ranger Social Justice Rebel ScumRegistered User regular
    Lamp wrote: »
    Now with new and improved hand!

    I find this is a really typical problem I run into. Basically, I spend an hour or two fussing with some aspect of a painting, trying to figure out how to get it to look right. Then I furiously throw my stylus to the side and snap a reference photo with my phone, and ten minutes later that part of the painting looks 10x better than it ever would have trying to paint from my imagination. I really think most of the issues that people have with trying to learn to draw or paint is that they're just trying to make shit up out of their head, when the knowledge isn't there to draw on. Maybe someday I'll be able to paint great hands from any perspective, in any lighting scenario from out of nowhere, but I'm never going to learn how to do that if I don't paint enough hands from reference. Everyone has a camera in their pocket and a lamp on their desk but so many amateur artists aren't using them.

    BINGO!

    :D

    you can almost never have "enough" reference. (unless you're using reference hunting as cat-vacuuming delay tactics, which is a separate issue and not likely your trouble. ;) )


  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Blerg, I dunno, I think this is close, spent a while fixing the perspective on that background building. I need to step back from it for a day or two and do something else.

    o7tqar5a815c.jpg

    Lamp on
  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    One last little update before I head out for a long weekend trip because why not-- I had the idea that the kids have a little cat along with them. I definitely think the cave wall needs a lot of work, but I'll have to get to that next week.


    pz9gstvld0fe.jpg




    Lamp on
  • SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    Nice!

    I definitely agree about the cave wall. It's significantly less resolved than the rest of the piece. I think you need to indicate some more structure to it. You have some texture there, but other than thats it's a completely flat shape.

    Man, love this weird frog dudes in the back haha.

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    Update, not sure what else to do, probably will revisit this in a few days and see what I think.

    zhaamujaywcq.jpg

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Quick little kid studies cuz that frog painting made me realize that I have practically never drawn a kid and I don't know what they look like lololol

    jfjhybec18js.jpg

    Lamp on
  • SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    Very nice portrait!

    You see how you realized you don't have enough understanding of a kid, and then you went and sought out reference, and then did a study?

    Just do that with a cave. Same process, different subject!

  • m3nacem3nace Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Always think about which way the ellipses are turning when drawing characters in perspective. Every single one of these characters should mainly have ellipses (think hips for example) that turn upwards, but instead they're turning downwards because that's all you're used to drawing. Draw through the form, follow the whole form when you're sketching. Sculpt the characters before you begin constructing them. I want to see more drawing and less painting in here because by god do you have the painting and lighting part down, but your drawing skills are just not on par.

    m3nace on
  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Good advice. Thank you folks! I agree @menace, I actually usually look at my paintings when I'm done with them and see the shortcomings in the drawing. It's frustrating because I think I am actually (at least a little!) better at drawing than most of my finished images show. I think it's because I like painting more than drawing, so I rush through the drawing stage so I can start playing with lighting or whatever. I also fret a lot about learning rendering skills. But none of that is gonna matter too much if I'm rendering poorly drawn characters and environments! I need to do just more straight-up drawing for sure. I do go to figure drawing every week, but other than that most of my drawing is limited to the time spent setting up my next painting.

    I'm gonna take a few steps back from that frog chase one and work on something new. Here's the first draft drawing I whipped up today. I'd love some feedback. My idea was a character who puts on an evil golden gauntlet and becomes possessed by it. And maybe hint at some treasure around to suggest that she picked it up from atop some treasure chest or something. Not so sure about that just yet. I'm not sure if the story is really reading very well though. Would love some thoughts!

    awepc7dmcjcn.jpg

    Lamp on
  • Angel_of_BaconAngel_of_Bacon Moderator mod
    The idea is cool and the design is cool, but I'm not sure if the pose is telling the story you want. Right now the character is staring right at the camera and mugging this gauntlet right in the viewer's face- if this was a Magic card and the idea was just to highlight the gauntlet item that the card is about, I might just suggest cropping the composition closer and push back the figure by keeping them mostly in shadow. But if the picture is more about the character and their reaction to being possessed, I'd probably want a pose that more clearly depicted the character's emotion to the situation when shown in silhouette- having the gauntlet right in front of the body and character facing the camera straight on, may compromise that initial read.

    An idea where the character is lifting the gauntlet up in triumph as they are fully possessed, or the gauntlet is placed off to the side as the character realizes what's happening and in their last moments before possession is trying uselessly to pull the gauntlet off, may be examples of takes you might explore in thumbnails.

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited August 2016
    Thank you so much @Angel_of_Bacon ! Your advice is really invaluable. What you said is pretty much what I suspected.

    SO, after contemplating, I decided that my main project here is painting that gauntlet (like it were highlighted on a Magic card or something), that's the most important thing. So I was thinking that maybe the drawing I already have will work if the character is already fully possessed and seems quite pleased about it (gonna work on the facial expression some more), as you suggested Bacon. Perhaps it's ambiguous whether the character is being possessed, or if she is willingly taking on some dark power from the item. That works, I think. The main thing is that item is evil, and is granting some power to the character who wears it.

    And I was definitely planning to have the character fall back into the shadows, with the hand being spotlighted, so hopefully that will take care of the silhouette issue.

    ut0i0fbjkoyr.jpg

    Lamp on
  • SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    Looking good! I'm excited to see where it goes!

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    Ways to go (especially on the bottom half of the image) but here's a big update!

    ztx3l3bz08js.jpg

  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Sick dude. I think thats coming along pretty well. Love the expression!

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited September 2016
    Getting close on this one, maybe. Repainted the free hand (once again was trying to paint a hand without shooting specific reference because I'm a dummy), and painted the clothes. Still a few days of polishing and details to go.

    0b5jacj27rcl.jpg

    Lamp on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    Damn! That's looking really great!

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited September 2016
    Hrrrm still noodling on this, a few spots that need polishing but taking a break at the moment.
    5jy0xuexr6oo.jpg

    In the mean time here's a composition sketch idea for something else that I started today.

    m0f41px19106.jpg





    Lamp on
  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited September 2016
    Experimenting with some other takes on the concept...

    hx2dfong4ry8.jpg


    Lamp on
  • SublimusSublimus Artist. nowhereRegistered User regular
    That evil power gauntlet thing came out really nice! Also, I'm love how you're able to quickly block in lighting on those comps. Very convincing, even in the low detail that it is!

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited September 2016
    Thanks Subliminus!!!!

    Making progress on this guy...

    a14iaoqnnyyk.jpg

    Lamp on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    Damn, your last few paintings have shown some massive improvements! Whatever you're doing keep doing it!

  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    edited October 2016
    Another big update. Getting closed to finished, but gonna keep plugging away at it for a bit.

    6mz08a9oocwi.jpg

    Lamp on
  • LampLamp Registered User regular
    Here are some things I've done lately.

    Pirate study, got bored and kind of abandoned it though.
    7f1w6y8cszvc.jpg


    Was feeling very bad about my cloth rendering abilities so I did this hobbit study.
    s7iwb5z416ag.jpg

    Felt like I had a couple of ah-ha moments doing that study, so as a little exercise I erased Sam and painted an original character (friend's DnD char actually) in the scene to see how it would come out, referring back to the hobbit study for lighting and rendering cues. I feel pretty good about this I think, probably can push it a bit further.
    906tqb65kexj.jpg

    Then here's a couple of recent figure drawings from life.
    2fwvw243iglg.jpg
    k922dmc9bbdb.jpg











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  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    Nice dude!

    These studies are looking way tighter than the ones on the previous page, so good progress. I love the different directions you are pushing yourself in!

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