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The Incredible MGC · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2001 5:14 am

Drawn originally for the UNSEEN submission but I removed it since it doesn't really fit.

the art of matthew g. cox

(sorry if editing this bumps... =( had to remove some text.)

[This message has been edited by The Incredible MGC (edited February 12, 2001).]

PandaX52 · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2001 3:10 pm

the design of the buggy/car thing is cool, maybe if you cleaned up the shadow it would look cleaner....unless you were going for the grungy thing...

The Incredible MGC · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2001 3:57 pm

Thank you VERY much for advising me on this. You are dead on!

IS there a magic trick or technique to adding a realistic shadow to something you are drawing out of your head without reference? Or something you're drawing in a position different from the reference from which you are working?

How do you properly determine the shape of a shadow that would be cast on the ground?

Obviously I don't even know where to begin regarding that, as PandaX52 pointed out. It's the sloppiest part of my drawing for sure.

synj · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2001 4:13 pm

since right now you're dealing with an overhead kinda thing, I might be able to actually explain how to do this.

Okay, first of all imagine you as the light source. In this case we're looking straight down onto the vehicle here. Are we going to see anything underneath where it flares out? Probably not, so just focus on the outermost shape and draw it out below, then fill it in dark. bam - shadow!

I don't know if this makes too much sense to anyone but at least I tried, right?

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synj industries, inc.

BakaSan · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2001 2:10 am

here is the no fail trick:
think in 3D
Did that help any?

Duckman2 · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2001 11:44 am

Well unless you want to get a book on perspective, those books usually have information on how to cast shadows acuratly

The Incredible MGC · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2001 1:37 pm

Thanks again, guys, for all the help!

"Think in 3d". That makes all the sense in the world actually... For me it's like, "Oh! Duh!!"- I work in 3d every day professionally and lighting is one of the things I do best... So I don't know WHY I *wasn't* "thinking in 3d".

That definitely helps. Thanks for pointing that out!

Rick · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2001 1:48 pm

I have never tried this before, but if you're using Photoshop, lasso the object that needs a shadow. On seperate layer color the selection as you would the shadow, then use transform tool to rotate and skew so the shadow looks like its on the ground.

Like I said, I've never tried this so maybe it doesn't work, or there's an easier way.

Good piece, but the wheel doesn't look like it's on the same plane as the cockpit is. Perspective is a bitch.

The Incredible MGC · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2001 4:53 pm

The design is supposed to be three wheels - is the perspective still bad when you realize the thing is like a tricycle?

I thought it was just a view problem, but once you mentioned my perspective another friend told me the perspective is off in pretty much all of my drawings.

From now on I will use the basics I learned in technical drawing 101 to lay down basic perspective lines before drawing. Thanks for helping me realize the need to do that.

[This message has been edited by The Incredible MGC (edited February 13, 2001).]

Pigeon · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2001 5:29 pm

Cool schematic! I love the addition of that little bit of white to solidify and differentiate the object from the grainy background. And I love the grainy background! How do you get that look?

As far as the 3-wheel thing, it doesn't really make sense because we have no clue that it's there. You'd have to draw the whole thing from a slightly different perspective in the first place (excuse the pun), so that at least a little bit of that third wheel is showing.

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-Pigeon
http://www.darklight.org/dunakin