OK, finally got finished with my last process, the Emergent. This is how I paint most of the time, and I love the advantages listed in the video, and hate all the disadvantages. Cleaning up edges over and over when there are things like foliage present is an efficiency nightmare, but getting a mood established and the speed and pleasure of just painting can't be ignored. On to lesson 2!
Certainly don't wait on me to start the next assignment, if you are ready. I was planning to go through and set all the deadlines, but I personally got sidetracked by a few projects that needed immediate attention. I'll be less useless in march.
So I've been working on the emergent process. Easily the hardest one for me. This is definitely not how i work in so many ways, but i know it's good practice. Here's what I got so far. Pardon the risky attire, I just painted what felt right haha.
@F87 I think B is a weak one in that bunch. A is interesting though the figure in all of them looks very static,something that may not necessarily be a problem, but I think that this is a good way for you to work out some more interest in your stuff. Of all the ones I see there, the only one that is saying anything specific to me is #6, sorta a standard composition and narrative, but it works.
A is interesting but I think you could push that way more just at this stage. Why is a person standing like a century in a dark alley? This is a phase that I think you are super under practiced in, so I encourage you to experiment here. These are low impact studies, and quick, so it wont cost you much to push yourself here before you try going all out on something. Take your time and keep iterating, maybe try breaking down some more dynamic compositions into two tones before trying to make your own.
Obviously not being part of this class I don't know what the objective is, but my opinion is I actually like that one the most of the three - it may be less clear in terms of silhouette than the others, but it draws me in more because it's more successful at storytelling, and I like the idea of those shapes getting lost in the shadow, lending some mystery to the proceedings.
Of course, this is one of those 'no right or wrong answers' things I think- so, just my 2 cents. <shrug>
@Angel_of_Bacon The assignment is essentially to do a gray scale composition, So you aren't missing much and you are totally valid:
Design a lighting scheme that creates an appealing value composition, and then paint the scene using only values.
I can see what your saying, though. I maybe what I'm reacting to is the lack of clarity in the shapes compared to the other two, but you are right that the composition itself is stronger. I think my main point still stands though, that this is a good part of the process to hang out in and not leap ahead without some self assessment.
Calling it. @Iruka that is all great advice, and I should have taken more time to view the critiques as well. Rough week, this assignment aside, just felt like I needed to power through. Maybe I'll just take another shot at another piece this week.
I'd probably put the hanging guy in shadow (he is beneath a tree after all), and make the background behind him lit up. Would make for a nice value focal.
This was pretty fun, I wanted to mix it up a bit cause quickly looking through all the assignments I noticed a lot of them are character based and I wanted to branch out a bit. I'm pretty happy with the lower right and planning on taking it to a more solid state, not sure if I should try the 'coloring book' method with greyscale to color or jump straight to color since I already have a pretty good idea of how I want the value structure to be?
I love the scale and environment Kallisti, very nice.
Here are some more thumbs, trying to put more narrative in but I think the silhouettes got a little crowded in some. Maybe I'm overdoing the patchwork.
Frank those are nice. I would pick a few and start doing the multi-tone part of the process. Maybe also do a multi tone of B from your last batch, and see where it goes.
@eLIOTaLEXANDER Love how that turned out! You for sure tackled the assignment more truthfully and it shows. It can be really hard to break your natural workflow to try something new, so nice work buckling down and forcing yourself to do it again.
@Kallisti , those look great, bottom right is sticking out to me the most.
That's the one I decided to finish! I'm pretty pleased with it, I could tweak it forever and I see things that could be improved but I'm going to let it go and move on. I was constantly referring back to my thumbnail by keeping it on the top layer and flipping back and forth so that was really helpful. I used the coloring book method on this and with a solid thumbnail I think it helped to resolve a lot of the downfalls of this method in keeping all the values together and cohesive. Onto assignment 3!
@Kallisti Love the lighting and the texture is so cool! @eLIOTaLEXANDER I'm super impressed with both, great work dude!
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I wasn't happy with my first two tries so I worked up a third and feel a little better about it. I'm glad I pushed myself because I need to figure this out. Now, this is pretty cliche but I feel it's somewhat of an improvement.
It's a framed, multi-point composition. There was way more to the lighting than I thought about. I tried doing some warm up studies of underwater values and that helped some but...reflective/semi-transparent and rounded... that's a bit much for me. Also, it doesn't quite feel underwater to me? Might be too bright overall. There is a lot I want to fix with it still. The arms attach at a weird spot and I'm not happy with the spacing or rhythm...It was a lot to work on the composition as well as figure out these designs. I really should have listened to the instructions when he said to do a "simple" illustration. I want to push the textures a lot and don't even get me started on the perspective! But I need to just post this before my schoolism runs out :P
so this assignment took me a bit, I am working on a project (a children's book) that actually has some parameters, so instead of just being able to go at it wildly and see what came out. I did some little quick studies:
More in my sketchbook, but not really notable enough to scan. Anyway, then I moved into learning a bit of 3D. Really for helping me think a bit more spatially in general. It can be really hard for me to plan out a space in my head, and the book will have some scenes play out in the same spaces. Being able to turn the angle of a simple set up is going to help me as I go along, and speed up the process. Anyway, this is one of the quieter scenes in the book, so maybe not the dynamo you were supposed to get out of the assignment, but I have 20 more to keep trying this process on:
Theres still alot of painting to go, but here's how its looking so far:
Guess we finally got out shit together at the same time. I think that you are moving along in a good direction, but I liked the thumbnail you had picked before you went all bubble robot on it. I also liked the lighting set up before the for ground got so blown out, You sorta abandoned the interest of the s-curve you had back there, and put all the emphasis on the figure. Its essentially circled in the composition, "HERE! A FIGURE! LOOK", and the other composition was a little bit more outside your usual digs. I also think the little robot was more interesting mechanical design than the bubble ship, but maybe that's just some bias on my part. What did you base it on?
@Iruka Ah shoot, I think you are right. I really didn't think about that effect the sub bubble would have! I really did want the s-curve in there too, but it fell through.
I based it on those personal leisure/research submarines.
I thought that abandoned one would have been fun but I felt like it was too simple of a composition. Now I think it's a good one to work with and try this shit again! Or at least something as simple.
Your assignment looks awesome! Reads well and really draws you in to the story. You make that seem so easy. The 3d room looks really helpful, I want to try mock ups like that. It would probably be better to try these assignments without extra constraints, but if you have 20 more of these to do I'm sure you be able to cover plenty of the material. Also, I like the fish eye lens looks, that makes it a bit more dynamic. Was that a camera setting? Did you use blender?
I've been using modo, which has a lot of camera settings built in, which is very useful. I might end up switching back to 3DSmax though. I for sure think tackling this assignment without any restraints is the way to go, but I kinda need to get head way done on this project, so combining tasks is my best bet.
That bubble robot is crazy looking, like a tonka toy. I think your little robot in the thumb is cooler, might be worth looking at sea diving robots without people in them, and trying to combine them.
This is definitely a stronger composition storywise. There's an implied narrative that forces the viewer to ask questions about the image. I don't know that they're *strong* questions, but it's got dynamics. I kind of like the dynamic of the later thumbnails, where we see the prisoner before we see the inquisitor, because I think storywise the prisoner's plight is more interesting in a reveal, but the nice thing is that really, there are probably strong reasons to show it either way, which IMO is a sign you're on the right track.
How are we doing, are we all dead? I took a Dark Souls hiatus but plan on jumping back in, the next lesson doesn't seem too terribly difficult, but the way in which it was explained certainly was!
I've been in a Dark Souls coma as well (1, to prepare for 3, then 3). It is simultaneously amazing and life destroying. I've just beaten 3, so I can have my life back now! I'll be trying to catch up over the next couple of weeks.
starting with my "Values First" ones. I did this one of arin, Planning to follow his process and add color.
But I'm going to actually do something much simpler for the assignment, because I'm not going to figure out an occlusion pass on that mess up there. So I figure deedeedee is a good, simple shape. Still working on the values.
Last Thursday my wrist and arm starting to really hurt so I took the last few days to rest. It's still fairly uncomfortable to paint or draw. Pretty sure how I rest my arm and how low my chair is/high my desk is are probably the main causes. Really wanted to work out the lighting and fix this up a lot more but I may have to see the doctor and figure something out before I can get back to painting.
I'm judging you for the boobs being the most rendered thing in the piece, they also got a lot bigger and no longer seem to fit on her rib cage. I also liked her old expression better. She was bringing the eye to the focal point and overall seemed much less stiff. Right now I'm not really sure whats she's looking at, but its for sure not the guy in the back.
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Has anyone started on the second assignment?
Maybe a more free form, go at whatever pace would work? I'm at least going to watch the second assignment videos this week.
I wish I had time and could afford these classes, they seem amazing.
Took three of them a bit further:
I've been through the videos a few times and I'm excited to learn about composition. Tomorrow I will start in on one and watch the critique videos.
A is interesting but I think you could push that way more just at this stage. Why is a person standing like a century in a dark alley? This is a phase that I think you are super under practiced in, so I encourage you to experiment here. These are low impact studies, and quick, so it wont cost you much to push yourself here before you try going all out on something. Take your time and keep iterating, maybe try breaking down some more dynamic compositions into two tones before trying to make your own.
@eLIOTaLEXANDER I'd try to break down that grayscale thumbnail just a bit more graphically. I really like your emergent process, but I cant help but wonder if a harder brush and more defined shapes early on would help you see and refine forms earlier. Like looking at all your tree foliage, It seems like you would save yourself alot of time making those edges now. You have a bit more of a bubbly cartoon-y thing going on, but I think about how relatively unified the shapes are in these:
http://intindra.tumblr.com/post/110589872461/argh-i-do-love-backgrounds-but-its-for-like-lvl
http://chrisbrucejohnston.tumblr.com/post/114689432505/troll
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/153755774755494220/
Just some food for thought. I'm going to try and do some of these studies myself before the weeks out.
Obviously not being part of this class I don't know what the objective is, but my opinion is I actually like that one the most of the three - it may be less clear in terms of silhouette than the others, but it draws me in more because it's more successful at storytelling, and I like the idea of those shapes getting lost in the shadow, lending some mystery to the proceedings.
Of course, this is one of those 'no right or wrong answers' things I think- so, just my 2 cents. <shrug>
Twitter
I can see what your saying, though. I maybe what I'm reacting to is the lack of clarity in the shapes compared to the other two, but you are right that the composition itself is stronger. I think my main point still stands though, that this is a good part of the process to hang out in and not leap ahead without some self assessment.
This was pretty fun, I wanted to mix it up a bit cause quickly looking through all the assignments I noticed a lot of them are character based and I wanted to branch out a bit. I'm pretty happy with the lower right and planning on taking it to a more solid state, not sure if I should try the 'coloring book' method with greyscale to color or jump straight to color since I already have a pretty good idea of how I want the value structure to be?
Here are some more thumbs, trying to put more narrative in but I think the silhouettes got a little crowded in some. Maybe I'm overdoing the patchwork.
and I did some quick studies beforehand
Here is my second run at the assignment. Definitely came at the project from a more solid place.
@F87 really liking 2 and 3
That's the one I decided to finish! I'm pretty pleased with it, I could tweak it forever and I see things that could be improved but I'm going to let it go and move on. I was constantly referring back to my thumbnail by keeping it on the top layer and flipping back and forth so that was really helpful. I used the coloring book method on this and with a solid thumbnail I think it helped to resolve a lot of the downfalls of this method in keeping all the values together and cohesive. Onto assignment 3!
@eLIOTaLEXANDER I'm super impressed with both, great work dude!
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I wasn't happy with my first two tries so I worked up a third and feel a little better about it. I'm glad I pushed myself because I need to figure this out. Now, this is pretty cliche but I feel it's somewhat of an improvement.
It's a framed, multi-point composition. There was way more to the lighting than I thought about. I tried doing some warm up studies of underwater values and that helped some but...reflective/semi-transparent and rounded... that's a bit much for me. Also, it doesn't quite feel underwater to me? Might be too bright overall. There is a lot I want to fix with it still. The arms attach at a weird spot and I'm not happy with the spacing or rhythm...It was a lot to work on the composition as well as figure out these designs. I really should have listened to the instructions when he said to do a "simple" illustration. I want to push the textures a lot and don't even get me started on the perspective! But I need to just post this before my schoolism runs out :P
Here are the thumbnails/sketch:
so this assignment took me a bit, I am working on a project (a children's book) that actually has some parameters, so instead of just being able to go at it wildly and see what came out. I did some little quick studies:
More in my sketchbook, but not really notable enough to scan. Anyway, then I moved into learning a bit of 3D. Really for helping me think a bit more spatially in general. It can be really hard for me to plan out a space in my head, and the book will have some scenes play out in the same spaces. Being able to turn the angle of a simple set up is going to help me as I go along, and speed up the process. Anyway, this is one of the quieter scenes in the book, so maybe not the dynamo you were supposed to get out of the assignment, but I have 20 more to keep trying this process on:
Theres still alot of painting to go, but here's how its looking so far:
Guess we finally got out shit together at the same time. I think that you are moving along in a good direction, but I liked the thumbnail you had picked before you went all bubble robot on it. I also liked the lighting set up before the for ground got so blown out, You sorta abandoned the interest of the s-curve you had back there, and put all the emphasis on the figure. Its essentially circled in the composition, "HERE! A FIGURE! LOOK", and the other composition was a little bit more outside your usual digs. I also think the little robot was more interesting mechanical design than the bubble ship, but maybe that's just some bias on my part. What did you base it on?
I also like this abandoned attempt: https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/editor/qw/w8wvrqjatj05.png maybe not the most complex composition, but I think its has fun shapes and lighting.
I based it on those personal leisure/research submarines. I thought that abandoned one would have been fun but I felt like it was too simple of a composition. Now I think it's a good one to work with and try this shit again! Or at least something as simple.
Your assignment looks awesome! Reads well and really draws you in to the story. You make that seem so easy. The 3d room looks really helpful, I want to try mock ups like that. It would probably be better to try these assignments without extra constraints, but if you have 20 more of these to do I'm sure you be able to cover plenty of the material. Also, I like the fish eye lens looks, that makes it a bit more dynamic. Was that a camera setting? Did you use blender?
That bubble robot is crazy looking, like a tonka toy. I think your little robot in the thumb is cooler, might be worth looking at sea diving robots without people in them, and trying to combine them.
Pretty rough sketch still, but I was wondering if the composition/story seems better than the last?
And the thumbnails:
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
wow, i really like it.