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Aurelious-Auria β Prowling at Night
#blackarachnia #chibi #decepticons #summer #tfa #transformers #transformersanimated
Published: 2015-07-16 15:58:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 3234; Favourites: 74; Downloads: 6
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Description
Keep forgetting she's techno-organic.I sketched three of these a while ago but didn't do them all in the spring like they were themed so I guess I have to make this one summery now since it would be misplaced otherwise lol. Shockwave/Spring. Blackarach/Summer. Megatron/Fall. ???/Winter
I should probably start requests now >n>
Transformers Animated (c) Hasbro
Artwork (c) Aurelious-auria, 7/16/2015
PaintTool Sai
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Comments: 38
Wow! Awesome! She's one of my favorite decepticons! This is a great picture!
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Nice job! Keep up the good work! I wonder why is she sticking her tongue out? XD
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Thanks! Hmm, good question? It might've had something to do with the sketch where she was hunting a butterfly? I didn't use it in the final pic. *shrugs*
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Oh, I see, anyway, nice job! Blackarachnia is really, really awesome! 
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Aha thanks so much! And keep working at it, and you'll get there too. You already have a great start!
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Yeah, but it's obvious that you're waaaaaaaaay better than me in every characteristic of art and drawing styles!
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Only because I've been working hard at this for hours upon hours out of my day and every moment of my free time. The amount of time I dedicate to teaching myself is unhealthy and borders on the obscene, and getting this accomplished in under a year has deprived me of valuable social time, much needed sleep, and even meals. It takes a lot, and I mean a LOT of work to improve on artistic skill and honestly it is a process best taken slow. Trust and believe in your capabilities, say "I can draw this idea and I will." Go drawing by drawing. Critique yourself just a little, pick out the parts of a drawing you like and don't like, improve in the next. Look to other artists for inspiration and new ideas. Above all else be patient with yourself, as that is one of the hardest things to do when you feel like expertise is a growing abyss between you and success. Using resources like tutorials and how-tos' don't make you a cheater, they make you an eager learner. It took Picasso a lifetime to truly find himself as an artist and for many others, it's a life's journey as well- so maybe it's just best to relax and enjoy wherever the long road takes you.
I don't know if any or all of this is relevant to you, and it's not often that I make grand speeches like this, but I hate to see a fellow artist bully themselves because they compare themselves to others and feel worse about their skill for it. If you ever need my advice for anything; how a picture looks, good artist resources, tutorials, anything- I will never be angry, and I will never ignore you. And as I said before- keep going, you already have a great start.
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Thank you very much! Your words made me feel better. So, can I become your apprentice, please?
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Aha, if that's what you want then sure. I'm happy to help.
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Thank you! I want to learn you secret techniques in art.
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Sure! I'm not to great at pinpointing my exact characteristics, but if you point to a specific deviation/drawing that I've done, I'll tell you how I made it and what I used.
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Ok, for example, this one: Prowling at Night.
How did you do this? Which steps should I follow and which tools do you reccomend me to use?
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I use PaintTool Sai for everything I draw. It's layout is simple, easy to figure out/learn, and it has all you need to make something really nice. It's a Japanese export, but there's an english version on the site right here . There's a free trial too! It's only about $50 which is very, very, affordable as compared to other programs such as the famed Photoshop adobe suite- which I personally find an overrated high-society gimmick to pull large sums of money out of eager artist's pockets and unnecessary to artist productivity but that's just my opinion.Β ΰ²₯β£ΰ²₯ It can be useful but I don't believe it is
the "end all, be all" to creating art. It's also a heavy program and Sai works easier with my computer.
On to how I created Black Arachnia. If any of the terms or phrases I use while I explain are in any way confusing to you, let me know so I can explain those as well... I have no idea how much you know, I'm sorry if any of this makes me sound patronizing but I will try to go over everything. When I start a drawing I always start by scaffolding the basic shape and concept of the subject or figure, really simple lines and shapes, it's like a precursor to sketching.
Kind of like this:
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Next I begin sketching over the scaffold, which I set to a low opacity and get to work in a new layer over the scaffold. I use a pen brush at about a 50% density in either black or gray. This is important time for references, so make sure if you're drawing from a character or something similar, you get it right in your sketch! Nothing is more frustrating than having to go back and fix your linework, it can hurt the flow.
This sketch was cleaned up for the internet, but as long as you get all of the ideas you need to portray through the sketch you can move on to the linework:
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Next is the linework. Some people use linework layers, and that is a fine and viable option, but I tend to go with the traditional route of stroke by stroke. I use a pen size that best fills up the subject and use smaller sizes for details likeΒ crevices and folds. I make sure my min. size is at 0% for the sharpest line and connect lines with quick strokes. 99% of the time I make the line longer than it needs to be to make sure every line has the right thickness as excess can be erased later.
This is what she looked like after linework:
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Flat colors. Exactly how it sounds. Usually, I just color in the whole object with a solid color, usually a "skin" color (in her case, purple) and take advantage of clipping groups to add colors on top of it. Make sure you use "preserve opacity" to color on top of what you've already done more easily. I keep track of the color palette by using a set amount of colors to make things easier on myself and things won't seem "off."
In 'Rach's case here: purple, golden yellow, dark gray, pink-red. I never use solid black to avoid it conflicting with my lines.
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Next is shading. For this picture I used just some simple blacks and white with some opacity and no fancy overlay options. I picked out my light source, which is directly over Arachnia's head/back. Shading is difficult to explain as it relies on a lot of physics implied by the subject. For example, Arachnia is made of metal. But probably softer looking metal since she is a techno-organic, yes? So where shiny metals will have more striking contrast as seen here , her looks more buffed as seen here . TheΒ appearanceΒ also suggests softer lighting, which is nice since it is dark out and the brightness would look off. To create this look I used the water brush on the edges of the black to create a smooth looking transition between the shading and color. It's very important to remember your light source! With everything you shade. I did the light second, only adding little strikes of highlights to accent the edges of the metal.
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To finish off the figure I made aΒ luminosity layer and added red over the biolights using a noise setting on my airbrush to make them extra striking. I ran out of thumbnails I can add here, but you can see them clearly in the pic! That's how I did the figure. If you need any specifics or I missed something, I will certainly go into more detail. I hope that answered your question!
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Sorry for not replying earlier. I've been trying to follow your steps and I'm actually getting it! But I'm still having trouble with the shadind.
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What is it you are shading? A robot? Maybe it would help if I saw the actual picture.
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Check this out: bladecut.deviantart.com/art/Bl⦠I tried my best but I feel that the shading is still not that good.
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I think you have an excellent start. I can tell where you put the light, somewhere above his head where he's looking, and you've done very well in shading around it! My only suggestion is that you may want to close the gap between his head and shoulders with some shading too, as his head may be casting a shadow from the angle of the light source- and maybe pull it along some of the creases in his armor to make them look more three-dimensional. Other than that you may be looking for is more complexity in your application? In which case, I think you should try going for some lighting! Intense lighting should only be saved for drastic circumstances, so of course, only use it when you're planning on it making a big impact.
At first, I would just go for a few strikes here and there, stick to the sides of your linework and go for the places that should be brightest first. Take a look at Nautica here for example:
Her armor has a lot more shine to it from the places where I threw in some thin, high-contrast lines. You can probably tell the dimensions in her hips and legs, where they jut out, from it. You may also notice that I airbrushed in some pink on the left side where the light is coming from, for added effect! This was done with a luminosity layer, I believe. Try it in places! It may just add the right touch to your piece. I think it would go very well with the colored lines.
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Well, is not that easy for me, I have a limited imagination and common sense in shading, but I try to investigate always about how to give volume to my drawings, so I'm always thinkng from which direction is the light coming from.
But that was the best shading tip I've ever got. Thank you very much! I haven't noticed that a lot of people use two colors that look a little bit similar to simulate lights. In your case, you did pink and purple, right? That's awesome! I need to find a way to make more smooth shadows.
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I'm glad I helped at least a little! I little extra tip- when I was learning I would look at a lot of speedpaints to get a feel for the process, not only is it entertaining, it's a learning experience. Livestreams help, too! And good luck in future drawings, I'm always here if you need me to talk more. uvu
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Thank you very much! I owe you! Is there anything I can do for you?
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How sweet of you, but you don't owe me anything! I'm honored you found me talented enough to seek my advice. uvu
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It's really amazing to have a teacher like you! Thanks! I'll keep practicing! And I'll contact you if I need something else!
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Gawwhhshshh thanks /)(u////u)(\
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You're the most welcome!
By the way, your real name is Ria, right? It's the first time I heard a name like that.
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Aha lol nah it's not my real name. XD It's a nickname that my friends call me over the internet to address me personally. You are certainly allowed to refer to me as such instead. ^v^
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Oh, I see, hehe, ok, that explains why it sounds so weird, hehe
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This is such a fun piece! I'm loving the nighttime details you've used to create the background, the tall grass, the fireflies, the stars, it definitely helps give off the feeling of being out for some nighttime prowling. Having Blackarachnia look like she's literally crawling out of the piece it a fun twist as well, it makes the piece over all more interesting to look at. You really captured her sassy attitude and spider instincts with the pose as well, and I'm absolutely in love with the glowing effect on her optics as well as those cute little fangs peeking out!
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What a detailed comment! I'm inspired by how much you like it. Thank you for the lovely compliment!
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You're so very welcome.
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