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mikemars In reply to SamVerdegaal [2011-12-16 16:11:30 +0000 UTC]

hi sam.

yeah i can give you some advice that might help.

1. keep the types and amounts of brushes in ps down to an absolute minimum until you feel like you can describe form and lighting with basic brushes. having a brush for every occasion just becomes a distraction. most paintings can be made very expertly with just a few of them in stead. if you send me your email i'll send you my two brush sets from ps. one is a simple set and the other is my way out of control set. 99% of the time im using the simple set.

2. the first ah ha moment i had in digi painting was when i got some ryan church dvds and saw how he used layers. he will make a layer above the previous one, then paint on it, then erase out,he'll use the lock transparency button sometimes, then when hes happy with it he'll drop it. he uses painter which i dont anymore, i cant stand its f@#%ed up transform tools, yuk! and its overly complex simulation of real media, not interested. but the painting process he uses is very solid and traditional. i'd watch the vids for some painting technigue generally and his use of layers and keeping things simple. the vids i bought were, arch interior, shiny vehicles, matte vehicles.

3. over the last two years ive been trying to discover the thing that painters take for granted that other artists dont get in portraying things. that essence of painting that makes it easier to do it and understand it. if i could distill it id say it was "start with big messy shapes that are loose all across your painting, spray in some color/value wash then go paint smaller and smaller smaller shapes until your done".its one of those simple things that's so simple you actually can miss it unless you really try it.

4. learn to dissect things into 2d shapes. start to deconstruct your subject into a series of layered 2d shape steps and techniques. think in 2d right up until the end then at the last moment think in 3d when painting. this is another one of those really elemental things thats easy to overlook in painting. its so simple that no one talks about it really much. they just assume everyone does it or something. or everyone knows it already. i can say as a recovering 3d artist who's now learning about 2d that its amazing when you start to practice this idea.

4. don't use cheap tricks to get color in your paintings, not until you can paint in color with some confidence. the only way to get color is to jump into the deep end of the color painting pool and really use it. there is no wading in from the shallow end of the pool. when you start painting in color you will experience its do's and dont's as you make lots of really horrible paintings. dont shortcut that process. go through it. make lots of mistakes with it and try to correct them. james gurney has a book on painting called "color and light - a guide for the realist painter" that gives alot of great info on color and value. get that for the concepts in it. that will help immensely.

5. make mistakes and let them become a part of your painting. paint over them. just dont be afraid to make them. they help you to loosen up your process. they are actually essential to being a great painter i think. i look at art from painters i like and they all have that expressive and loose feeling. i think that's how you get that. you make mistakes but try to fix them but dont hide them. that will make your work look and feel more confident.

6. composition. there's a book called "composition of outdoor painting" by Edgar Payne that in the later half of the book talks about and outlines some of the most classical types of compositions for landscape painters. get to know those and then decide on your own views about it. it is important to think of the whole composition in big block outs before you commit to endless hours of detailing your subject.

7. dont copy sparths painting techniques untill you have the basics under control. he can get away with a-lot because he's put in the years of painting to use those short cuts and not fall on his face. this leads me to kind of my general rule thats "learn from others but dont forget to nurture your own process to". its ok to try someone else-s skin on to see how it fits but dont forget to take it off and be your self after.

8. paint what you are personally interested in. that way you will want to paint and grow faster. this is kinda related to the above no. 7

9. don't finish every part of your painting. leave some areas un-finished or not as developed. develop the focal point and fade off from that. actually have a focal point is the other part of this. it sounds simple but know what the hell your trying to do before you do it. this is really hard. and im not talking about sketching, thats different. there is another great book on painting you should get that's more philosophical its called "alla prima" everything i know about painting by - richard schmid. when you paint your inventing a new world so get some thought about reproducing reality and the ideas that can help from that book.

10. paint a-lot. it is a process you will be going through like evolution. it will take a while and there are no shortcuts to that. check out my first posts here on da. my ugly begining is there for anyone to see. some people try to hide that but i think thats a mistake. if people can see your development you become more real to them and your work over time can light the trail for someone else who is just starting.

11. and lastly for now. reference reference reference. you cant paint what you dont understand. so simple its easy to not do it. its like situps and running and going to the gym, discipline. thats what separates the greats from the rest. collect pics from the internet on your subject, analyse movie stills. take them by using videolan's vlc media player, i love that thing, so simple and free and just works.

thats all for now. i have to paint! i'll post my brushes in my da soon but if you want them sooner, just email me at mikemars@comcast.net if you have any more questions just ask. and remember use a simple set of brushes until your ready for the crazy brush for everything approach later

good luck painting!
-mike

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