Sijun Forums :: View topic - Another one, Spooge! it's a simple one this time..

klash.jr · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2001 5:15 pm

You told us about Value, Shadow, light, technique and so on but can you elaborate on
how you finish a painting? From example the picture above! when it's all done let's say
the cut part on the right. How do you make it to look like that on the left? Do you adjust the curves? add a layer with a gradation on top of the finish painting with a low opacity to blend it all in and make it look moody!? I hope you get where I'm going with this....if you can explain a little on that term i'll be graceful thank you sir.[ anyone else that might have an idea please help out thanks.
Oh one more thing Do anyone of you people Collect Craigs Paintings, anyone have full rez size paintings his done? please let me know thank you.

[ November 27, 2001: Message edited by: klash.jr ]

jr · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2001 7:04 pm

dude, play with the functions, see what happens, see if you can get the same effects without him telling you how he does it, there's alot of different methods to doing something to get the same results. you know what i mean? practice drawing on paper, and if you get that down, everything else is just as easy.
that's my two cents..... anyways, the picture can be done just by fooling around with the opacity settings. and picking out the right colors.

klash.jr · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2001 7:26 pm

That's cool.thanks Jr. But i'm still looking
for more responces. I'm curious to see how others do it as well, even though you answer the question already.

Waldo · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2001 8:15 pm

I'm not much of a wordsmith or much of a teacher, but I believe you have an excellent start here. This is an issue we (I) struggle with constantly. What to do next and the unknowing of where I'm going. Me, personally, I would start to work your deeper and lighter values, i.e. shadows and highlights into this piece. You've done a good job of blocking in areas and then building them up and I would continue on that track, refining as you go. Keep in mind your center of focus which (IMO) would be your characters face...

Hope that helps and not confuses...

My 2 cents. Learning is fun!

Pat · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2001 10:46 pm

Actually, it kinda creeps me out that everyone wants to know EXACTLY how Spooge does his work. I'm not poking you specifically klash.jr, it's something I've noticed over time. Aside from the usual "cookie-cutter" artist argument, there's the tool itself. Photoshop has a very specific look about it when used to paint --especially in it's default config. I think what seperates the men from the boys on this specific point is the method they use to build up their work and MAKE it different. The only way you're going to get there is to experiment and put in some time playing around.

-Pat

worthless_meat_sack · member Member # Joined: 29 May 2000 Posts: 141

I somehow think that this question would not come up if I were a traditional artist. It seems to come up over and over The implication seems to be there is a "move" or a "filter" that only I know the secret to. Well, it's true. The spooge filter is a highly guarded secret, kinda like the recipe for Tabasco sauce. I have a lot of dynamite taped to my ribcage in case of capture, so be warned. I DO, however, take American express, so let's talk.

So here is the secret--- I am risking my life by telling you this...

Here is the above picture, "finished." Whatever I do, I did. Not very well in this case, but you get the idea. I consciously did not use any fancy brushes or techniques or mirror tricks or employ any of the black arts. Just the plain old Photoshop brushes. Here is the Photoshop file, with the painted layer intact.

What your start needs is better drawing, better shapes, more accurate values, better anatomy. I know that sounds obnoxious, but it is true. And it is also true that mine needs exactly the same thing, if I want it to be better!

I have three movies on my ftp site (they are the only movie files there, and leave the other stuff alone, please) that show frame by frame how I work. Can I be any clearer? I have full rez cutouts of a variety of paintings on my site.

And I have heard some state, with great conviction, that I "work over photos." How this person knows that is beyond me, and what they were implying is totally incorrect. THAT MULLINS GUY TRACES HIS STUFF,RIGHT OVER THE PHOTO ...!!! is what was being implied. I DO work on photos, here is one of them.

I also like a photo of my kat, and one of an old oil painting. They are there for color variety and textural interest, not as something to trace. You can see bits of these things in a lot of my work, mostly the sketches I have done after I started hanging out here. I have developed this (along with a few other aspects) technique in the sketches. It is now finding it's way into some of the commercial work that I do.

The exception is some matte shots have photographic elements (mostly skies). The point of matte work is to tell a story, not prove what a beastly good painter you are, so whatever you can do to pull of the shot on time and within budget is a good thing. The 500 nations work on goodbrush is another exception. There are a lot of photo elements and textures there. That was the first job I did digitally, and I had not a clue how to paint with it. And in the middle of a big job is not the place to learn and experiment. Some are totally painted, like the inside of the longhouse, with the door at the far end and the hole in the roof.

I hope this satisfies your curiosity, I don't know what else to say.

The real secret is to do it a lot. There is no shortcut.

Gandalf- · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2001 4:43 am

Before anyone else has a chance to say it, thank you very much for taking the time YET AGAIN to help us all grow as artists.

And I must say, I found your sarcasm hilarious. Hehehe.

Afgun · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2001 4:45 am

Mr. Mullins, is it allowed to ask where I can watch or download the three mentioned movies?(Have no Idea where to find your FTP) It would help me a lot, because Im an absolout painting beginner. Thanx in advance

edible snowman · member Member # Joined: 12 Sep 2000 Posts: 998

ftp.goodbrush.com

wigin · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2001 2:05 pm

man ive been trying to d/l that psd file all day. I dont get pass 24... damn.. anyways feel like sending it to me???

klash.jr · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2001 5:40 pm

Thanks, Craig
forgive me if i asked to much this time..
Have a Happy Christmas (I don't mean that as a fan. I mean it as a person) Thank you sir.

Oh and Hey sorry but that PSD file doesn't seem to work. Ack! maybe it's for the best!
I'll learnd the hard way better.

Thank you for your time.

klash.jr · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2001 6:23 pm

Has anyone Got the PSD file yet?
Can you share it with me! i can't seem to get it to Download. Now i'm really going Insane!!!!ACK

worthless_meat_sack · member Member # Joined: 29 May 2000 Posts: 141

It is probably your browser does not like the PSD file. Try right click, save target as...

Sorry if you are already doing this...

If it still does not work, I put it here,

threepirates.PSD

Try to get it from the link in my first post. if that still does not work, try the link above, and use a FTP client, not a browser. Goodbrush is way over bandwidth at this point.