[Chapel]

I'm starting a new thread on this one, because this is probably the fastest coloring job I've done. So, I'd like to know how it looks. This is kind of a hard pic to color because of all the crosshatching. It really should just be a b&W image.



------------------
Chapel
My Home

[cybergod]

Chapel-
nice work ...
very nice work

---------------
Born To Burn
---------------

[kimzoll]

like the drawing and colouring.
One crit point, it looks like the bottom hand is closest to us when you look at the axes ankle and its actually smaller than the top hand.
Kim

[Isric]

Actually I agree with you, this probably should be black and white. If not that, I would make the color scheme more like: dark dark dark greens, browns, greys etc.

[Chapel]

Isric: Yeah, but I wanted to make it look like a lost issue of Thor type character. The Marvel Look. Totally different than the direction it should have been taken in. FE can color it the other way better than I could.

[Dives]

Been admiring your work for a long time now chapel (have i said this before?)
Anyway i luv your work. There is 1 thing that bothers me though. You draw those lines like on the axe that do not blend evenyl. Though it looks nice it is disturbing. Why do you do that?

------------------
"believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see" Chris de burgh

"Don't go to heaven, It is really only hell" Ronnie James Dio

[Chapel]

Which lines? I'm not sure which part you are referring to. Do I do somewhere else to?

[JLunar]

Hiya Chapel,

Nice colouring, I like the warmness to it. Other colouring tid-bits, (I dunno if you wanna colour this anymore, but these are just little details), tinge the vein on his right arm blue, and if you're really into it, you can add minimal highlights and shadows on the cracks of the axe.

One other thing I'd do is to make the hair in the space of the axe/left-hand darker in there to contrast the hand more. it'll make the left hand pop out more, since the hair and skin colours are pretty similar.

Drawing wise, looks good to me. ^^ I think the sketchiness emphasizes the nature of the barb.

And that axe is just plain cool I'd colour just the axe, even. mwehhehee...

Jen :)

------------------
Jen's Skratchpad
http://www.skratch-pad.com/

[Chapel]

JLunar: I see what you mean. I probably should have darkened the tone of the hair starting to the left of the blade and carried it over the shoulder then lighting it up towards the end. The handle was kinda hard because of all of the linework. I'm not sure on how to go in and add detail to it. thanks for the help (that is why I wanted you over here.. hehe)

By the way, Flexible Elf did the lineart.. his thread is still floating around here if you want the lineart.

[This message has been edited by Chapel (edited November 30, 2000).]

[JLunar]

hrmm.. easiest way to fix the hair is just to go in an select it using the lasso tool and apply a light gradient filter, (try a dk. blue on at 20% or something), on it and use the airbrush to recolour bits of it yellow.

Other was would be to go in and to this strand by strand with the paintbrush or airbrush tool. Lemme stress this is painful if you're using a mouse. Thank god for the tablet.

Jen :)

------------------
Jen's Skratchpad
http://www.skratch-pad.com/

[Flexible Elf]

I really like your coloring Chapel. It's real slick, real bright colors. We make a pretty good team

-Flexible Elf

------------------
http://www.geocities.com/flexible_elf/Main.html

[black_fish]

Hey man

What I wanted to say in my last post is this: I think you have what it takes to work as a professional colorist, and I think this picture doesn't demonstrate it. When it's an amateur posting his doodlings here there is nothing wrong with congratulations (even if not desserved) but when somebody like you wants to work at a pro level, I think it's better to be harsh because the pro world is a cruel world. I'm glad to see that you took well my criticism, and although I could be wrong (I'm not a professional colorist after all) I wanted to help you doing better. Don't take what follows as an advice but more as tricks that could help you do better (and I'm sure you can be a lot better).
So....
about values: I think your image should be readable by values alone, that is if you remove the linework and you put your image in grayscale you should be able to understand it, and to see all the volumes that are making the shapes of the character. Your image should look good just like that.
about colors: try to be dramatic in your choice of colors and/or lighting. That what's work best in the comic genre. I think one of the best trick is to use a range of similar colors (let say browns for example) to paint the majority of the image, and then use a totally different vibrant color (or small range of colors )to highlight it (you could use green for example to highlight your browns). With that you create DRAMA. To create mood you have to choose carefully your color ranges: do you want something moody and dark? go for blue. Do you want something that looks more desesperate? greys. Do you want something dynamic and full of energy? orange. Those are just basic examples (and possibly bad ones) but if you start to think in terms of creating an atmosphere with color, you're on the right track.

Those are my two cents....
Hope it helps


Somebody like Liquid could give you more advices (and more useful ones) if he finds the time

------------------
http://www.jmringuet.com

[This message has been edited by black_fish (edited November 30, 2000).]

[Chapel]

I don't think Liquid! wears ties... but I hope he finds it too..hehe

No, offense taken by the critique. That is what I want to see as long as it makes sense and it does. I realized the tones were not very strong when I thought I finished it, but I saved it and posted anyway. If I can find the time I'll try and do a different version tonight.

[Chapel]

Alright tried a slighty different approach. I should probably do some more on this, but I need sleep.



just so you can see what the greyscale looks like:


Eh.. I give up right now.

[JLunar]

what usually helps in this situation is to pick a secondary light source. somewhere from the lower right, methinks. Umn.. a red perhaps.. I dunno.. @__@ I'm not thinking straight right now. I've just spent the last eight hours baking cookies... 500+ cookies, dammit.

I ti-red.

Jen :)



------------------
Jen's Skratchpad
http://www.skratch-pad.com/

[black_fish]

Sorry to burst the bubble but I think it looks terribly flat, and the color scheme doesn't seem to match the subject at all. I mean the drawing is kind of dark and moody (after all it's a viking warrior), and the colors are bright and happy. It doesn't work for me.
In a nutshell: no values, no volumes, and bad choice of colors.
I know you are interested in going pro with that Chapel so that's why I think it's better to be honest on this one. I don't think it's pro quality.
But I could be wrong.
Hope you don't mind me being harsh.

[sacrelicious]

Chapel, good work on the redo, looks really nice. The piece is somewhat lacking in depth, though. A secondary light source would help, red or orange as if from a fire perhaps. I also like the puff of breath, but you may want to point it in the opposite direction (away from his face and body) to clarify what exactly it is. I like both versions though, I think you've done excellent work here. Later.

------------------
mmm... sacrelicious

[Chapel]

Cool. Alright, so I blew it on this attempt. I'll try and do a better version when I get home. I see what you are getting at and you are right. I like the harsh critisisms... occasionaly.

[aNoah]

NICE... I like it. I wish I had his axe.

[Rinaldo]

had a little play around. (your drawing was too good to resists Flex^_^)

I think you need to play with contrast more. define the planes of the face etc. otherwise it's sort of a bit flat. I does depend on what dort of look you're going for, Flat colours can work wonderfuly.
And yes what black_fish said. in the past your colours haven't been establishing a mood. start with an extreemly limmited palette. you can make a few extra colours out of the limmited range and then think about if you really need to bring in some more. only do so if it's going to help.
That colour you have the cloth around the neck and arms is wrong IMHO, it's too feminine. (It's also not a very realistic colour)
But anyway, good job, you're definitly getting better.


(ps- sorry about that green backlight^_^, It's just painted itself while I wasn't watching)

[Chapel]

I think I understand. I should have taken a nap before I worked on that thing. My redo was less than an hour by the way.

Rin: I don't know if I agree with you on the wraps. The blue I can understand but the dark green I was trying to use a simular color to the tunic. When you look at old viking pics they usually wear simular tones. Red kinda stands out in my opinion.

JLunar: I'm starving at work and now I get to think about homemade cookies till lunch time.

[This message has been edited by Chapel (edited December 01, 2000).]

[Rinaldo]

I would't say my red was such a good choice.
but the colour you chose is very plastcic. I would go with more earthy/natural tones. I thikn they would be brown, as in leather really. ask Flex he's been doing all the research

how are you doing your flatting these days, I've been playing around with different techniques, found some good time saveing things. the flatting on teh pic above only took 10-15 min (and i think I can do it a lot quicker now that I've got a few things down

[Chapel]

I scribble the color on the section I want then I trim it with the eraser.

[Rinaldo]

do you have all your flats on the same layer?


(You can ICQ me if you want to talk about techniques, it's hard to figure stuff out here, number is in my Profile)

[This message has been edited by Rinaldo (edited December 01, 2000).]

[Chapel]

I'm at work, so ICQ is disabled. Here is what my setup usually looks like. This isn't the actual psd I used though.



Email me.

[Rinaldo]

here's waht mine would look like
I think I'll email you

[Dives]

1 question. Why so many layers? im kinda new at coloring so i basically suck ass.
Chapel no only on the axe blade both pics. I can't explain better.

[This message has been edited by Dives (edited December 01, 2000).]

[Chapel]

Dives: Those are what most people refer to as cuts. It is just a different way to add a textured look. I haven't gotten the technique down yet. If you look at Liquids! coloring pieces he does something simular but much better.

I break everything up into sections so I can edit them easily. If I wanted to change the skin tone I just select my skin layer and fill it. After I set in the "flats" I set the layers to preserve transparency. I can do highlights and change the colors all on that layer without having to go select everything.

I haven't been coloring very long either.. this is just the way I started doing it.

[This message has been edited by Chapel (edited December 01, 2000).]

[Flexible Elf]

Chapel, I really dig your grayscale rendition. That really gives the picture some teeth and mood. And I like the one you did Rinaldo quite a bit. He's really got some shape and form in your rendition. And I happen to like the green backlighting

I'm glad you guys think that pic is colorworthy and I'm really enjoying seeing your takes on it.

-Flexible Elf

------------------
http://www.geocities.com/flexible_elf/Main.html

[black_fish]

Much much better Chapel!
The only thing lacking is a little more constrast in the values: bump up the shadows and the lights and you'll have a great pic!
The secondary light source, like the green light Rinaldo used, is pretty cool, but I think it's not totally necessary, more a matter of taste. A lot of comic colorist use it though.
Very good work anyway. And it's pleasing to see a thread where everybody is going in the same direction and trying to help each other. Very interesting to read

------------------
http://www.jmringuet.com