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sketcheth β 121313 Couch Process
Published: 2013-12-13 06:41:14 +0000 UTC; Views: 45675; Favourites: 1538; Downloads: 454
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Description
EDIT:: You can now see anΒ animated version on tumblr!!
Every image is roughly 15 minutes of work. Sometimes I missed the timer and let it go long, and there might have been some undocumented work between the steps. Okay, okay, so there's nothing consistent here but I tried.
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I've been wanting to put up something that shows my process for a while now. As you can see "process" for me is synonymous with aimless wandering.
In all seriousness, this is how a lot of my stuff starts out, a vague tonal drawing with some sketchy lines over top, suggesting a pose that I think is interesting, and then I go from there, blocking in colors and hopefully establishing a sense of atmosphere as quickly as I can.
This is a strange one too because I started this back in October and got a couple hours in before letting it go, and then when I came back earlier this week I forgot where I was, and was mostly just turned off by how dull the color was, so that's why there's a sudden saturation jump.
This is a pretty weak tutorial from an educational standpoint, but hopefull you get something out of it! I want to do the tutorial sort of thing moreso on Justin.tv, because I feel like it's more interactive.
Painter 12.
6-8 hours.
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Comments: 140
Perfect. Thank you very much -- yes, I will definitely "get something out of it!" Question: Frame #1: When you started this, did you have any idea what you were aiming for? I mean, when you laid down frame #1 did you have any vision in your mind that looked something like the last frame? When you laid the "blobs" or marks of frame #1 down, were you already blocking out the final composition? Or, did you just lay down the blobs, and let the final composition grow out of them -- kind of like a rorschach? Am I making any sense in this question?
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Thanks!
I didn't really know what I was starting! Never quite do. Usually I have a vague goal like, "use a almost clashing neon yellow with red in a warm, bright bedroom" or with this one it was "A girl on a couch playing a game. Backlit. Lots of warmth"
In laying down the blobs in frame 1, I just want to establish something of the shapes, angles and lines of the image, not the final colors. Sometimes I'll purposefully use a obnoxious contrasting color in laying down the composition, just to give me something to fight against and make the unfinished areas very obvious as I start working my way around the painting.Β
Usually what I find is as I work I start to simplify things too much, so as I start struggling with how to make forms appear round and such I'll start putting in shapes that cut across other colors or make odd angles in the composition, which is why a lot of the big wrinkly shapes in the white blanket showed up at the very end-- there was just something missing in those spots.
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A very painterly method you have, and it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for your reply.Β
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Certainly, thanks the questions!
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Looking at this makes me want to paint!
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Beautiful. Only problem is overuse of the "backlighting" type stuff. Read something the other day about how people overuse that type of lighting in an unrealistic fashion, and I never noticed it until then.Β
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Awesome! I really appreciate your comment on this and I'd love to read what you're referring to. On a personal artistic level I can completely relate and appreciate that criticism. Backlighting is definitely a sort of trick that I rely on to get me out of tight compositional/spacial spaces in a lot of circumstances, and sometimes too much, as you said, and that can just make things a little too consistent and un-interesting.Β
On the other hand , saying that people can "overuse" a type of lighting or use it in an "unrealistic" way as you said sounds dangerously subjective and absolute. I wouldn't dream of trying to negate your criticism, because it's valid and I agree, but to say that something being "realistic" or "unrealistic" suggests that there is a correct and incorrect way to make art, and that I entirely disagree with.Β
I personally want to communicate depth and space in my paintings so I tend to rely on a lot of drawing convention to communicate that--hence the use of backlighting, but making no effort to communicate space doesn't make something worse, it just makes it flat. And I was being totally serious about wanting to read that bit you mentioned, it sounds really interesting and I'm curious now! Thanks for the criticism.
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Well it is overused when it's not needed. That's all I was trying to say, but it's a very effective way to do what you were trying to do P:Β
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This is so me every day.
Only less pretty. xD
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It's nice to know it's not totally unbelieveable.
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wow, wish i could do that!!!
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You can! That is unless you're talking about playing a mint/white 3DS on an IKEA couch next to a sweet ass Dr. No poster...while being a woman. That is much more complicated. But if you want to paint you just have to try, and do so more often than most people are willing to.
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I like the progression of colors
It feels really warm by the end
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The funny thing is that it was totally accidental and I only did it because I left it alone for two months and then came back and thought it was too drab. 
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I'm gonna poop on you cause I am jelly of your leet skillz, fo sho
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I can take it, bring on the poop! But seriously, thank you.
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Neat! Is that a Dr No poster behind her?
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You got it! By the kickass illustrator Mitchell Hooks. I love Bond.
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15 minutes? this would have taken me months to do XD Any advice on how I can improve my speed?
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Speed comes from repetition, unfortunately, staleness and monotony comes from repetition too, so you gotta keep mixing it up for yourself. Try doing more drawings and studies from life or photos of the sort of lighting and poses you want, that way when it comes to laying down brush strokes your brain knows better what you're going for. Also, it helps to have some tools you really like. I've got a handful of brushes that I'm constantly using because they just lay down paint the way I want. But again, staleness comes from that too, so when you feel yourself getting comfortable, give yourself a new brush to work with.
Also, the whole thing took several HOURS, there's just about 15 minutes of work spent between each individual image. 
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Sorry I guess I read the description wrong XD your still faster than I am 
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I'm glad it helps! Thank you for commenting!Β
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took 15 minutes for each step she has shown. so it took about 5 hours.
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heh I guess I read the description wrong, its still quicker than I could probably do XD
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lmao i take weeks xD i could never do it 5 hours either
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I try stuff what you do, but I make a pure mess of it
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It's not impossible that you just work differently than me. I work the way I do because of my own habits and influences. Keep exploring your own interests and looking at the way the people you admire work and you'll pick up things. Everyone makes messes, for every one of these paintings that I start and finish, there's another four or five that are just Β sketches that got gross and nasty and I abandoned and perhaps will come back to.
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Thanks for the tips
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Sounds like you've got the right idea.
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lmao I know where you are coming from
but it takes years of practice
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This is what I used in my University project, and it got a B, but I think it's a cluster 
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It is really great and I am glad that you were able to pass it, but like I said, it takes time, but mainly practice to achieve something that you are intending to try. Honestly, I went from simple to where I am trying to achieve a paint style, but it is hard.
This is where I tried for the first time, trying to achieve a paint style
royalvintage.deviantart.com/arβ¦
and this is where i am a year later.... so not much really changed throughout the time.Β
royalvintage.deviantart.com/arβ¦
and this after two years. royalvintage.deviantart.com/arβ¦
it never really takes everyone a one time try, trying to achieve something they want to try to accomplish. it will take a longer process. but really the main key to figuring it out is if you can learn the trick or technique in accomplishing something you are trying to reach for.
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Wow, you've progressed quite a bit
In a nutshell I should keep trying and try to nail a certain style?
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Im only taught self and really mistakes make a difference. I usually end up improving by doing something by mistake and it helps me improve more then i could have imagined.
I think i began digital painting in 2011 in summer. I just try to find tricks because I am not the type of artist who is creative, so i end up drawing less. So knowing that drawing less means slow improvement means i wont get anywhere. So finding the easy parts make is easier to accede further O:!!!!!
I tried not to take art classes because i remember my freshmen year in high school I had art class and learned nothing. so everything i did to improve was self taught.
Yes!! just keep trying! it really take 2 or 3 times till you are satisfied or you will see a difference.
ill give you advice that helped some people i know improve <: if there is something off in your drawing that doesn't seem right! even if its just a gut or a small feeling. go with it! fix it no matter what! because that feeling is telling you what actually is, and that is how you can improve. that's how i do it.
btw i became an "adult" this year xD.. i am only 18.
another thing is, whatever stands out to you in from an artist, even if its just an eyelash, learn from it, its a faster way to improve as well, I always learn faster when something stands out to me. because whatever stands out sticks to your mind.
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Wow, self taught? 
And in such a short time, I started in 2008 xD
Art comes in many forms, I choose an animation course to help me get better with 2D animations, but if I can't even make one frame of something, how could I do 2000? XD Yours would probably be the same, teaching you things outside your own curriculum to fulfill theirs.
Huh, a simple yet effective technique, I'll give it a shot 
Just to wrap up, but I recently drew and uploaded a tree to see where I stand in the digital art field, hate to ask but, is there anything bad you can find on it?
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I like the result but I do also like the earlier too, when it is not all finished it can sometimes spring more to life than the finished one, well done
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Lots of truth there, thanks for the comment.
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