[AndyT]

Finally I invested more time in an image again.

The reference image is taken from the Pandora-Stock account at Deviantart
~Pandora-Stock
and I got permission to post it outside of Deviantart

This is the image I used:
Deviation 4090875

I almost gave up about 3 times I guess.
( After the first step I wanted to post it as Uma Thurman fan art j/k )
But I actually thought about leaving it sketchy
(step 6 ... because it kinda had a Micke and/or Joachim feel to it)

As almost always I used a mouse and The Gimp.
Here are snapshots of the process. It's not a "how to" though.
But I guess it goes to show that it is possible to make major changes even in later stages.
Process



I thought about posting it as WIP but it's more or less finished.
(Unless anybody has ideas how I can improve it ...)
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[see]

Hey andy your getting better !

If you want to work on, keep an eye on the nose and the hair. Just add more and more details.

But thats fine !

[AndyT]

Thanks for the comment. I just updated it.

But to be honest I don't know where I can add details.
I guess I don't understand the lighting and forms well enough.
So I don't want to move away from the photo too mucb.

I made some gradients smoother and moved the whole face to the right a little.
And I worked on the nostril ... there was brushstroke that was too thick and looked weird ...
if I understood that correctly
(thanks nikia for the comment in the Middle Class thread)

The old version is here:
http://andyart.de/images/steps/pandora_final.jpg
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[spooge demon]

Hi AndyT,

I am here at my parents working with tools somewhere between stone and bronze age, so this is a little rough, with a clunky old mouse and a very small and bizarre set of brushes. So I don't know if this will be of any help at all. Ok disclamer made.

My thought is to look at the bigger shapes of the head, and play with edges more. There is a hierarchy of edges as well as values. I know if you look at the photo, you see hard edges everywhere, so you have to kind of "remap" that in your head, looking for the softest edge in the photo, and paint that as really lost. Look for the next hardest edge and make that a little more firm, and so on. Leave the hardest edges for last, after your biggest shapes are already working OK.

I really lost the edge of the hair and face to make a point about how soft you can go. Also hair is a soft material, and you can generally make it softer than it might appear.

But i think you are seeing too much a head, and not enough of submitting to just what you see. I know I yammer about structure and drawing all the time, but you have to go back and forth between what the structure is and what the resultant shapes Really are. And then to simplify. I painted only the top, front and side planes of the nose, ignoring all the fascinating little changes in local value that are there. So in that case I simplified based on form, not just the shapes that I saw. I know it is confusing, and you just have to do it a lot to know where to paint the simplified form, and where to follow just the 2-d shapes and values and edges that you see.

The only guide I can give is to ask what form is denoted by each change in value. Is it an important form that you want to show or ignore? This begins with really big stuff like the turn of the cylinder of the head away from the light, the brow turned more away from the light than the cheek, etc. Start with the bigger forms and you will be surprised how quickly it can come together if you analysis is right.

[AndyT]

Wow! Thanks for taking the time!
I'll definitely try to approach it like that.
I can't promise I'll show the result though ...
depends on how it turns out.

I tried to make it look painterly by showing that I used normal, round brushes here and there.
The approach you wrote about is probably the way to go.

While I painted it I thought about what you wrote in the Speed Painting Thread btw.
(about "understanding and simplifying")

I just thought it's too early to go for it ... so I just copied the 2D shapes.
(Didn't even dare to paint the neck more like a cylinder ...)
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[Matthew]

hey Andy it�s nice to see more of finished pieces from you and you got some really nice tips from spooge there aswell.
Ir�s gonna be cool to see yours and odd�s entry for thunderdome later on, been following your thread overthere.

Keep up the good work dude.
Matthew

[oDD]

wow, very nice andy
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[AndyT]

Hehe thanks.

oDD:
I had to think of the overpaint you made ... of Alyson Hannigan. Remember?
I guess I made the same mistakes again.
But the proportions are better this time.

I blame it on the time I spend on trying to learn how to draw
(wasted time, I won't learn it like that. Got to find a better way.)

When I paint I go into "brain off mode". Got to change that.

I tried the tempera paint btw and now I'm scared to touch it again.

Love your SPs btw.

Matthew:
I guess that image is only that finished because I wasn't myself.
As I said ... usually I give up or call it finished earlier.
Because I think the errors are unfixabe or I can just mess it up.

But it was supposed to be a study when I started. Not a copy. Stupid /me!

Thunderdome ... right! I almost forgot ... *yawn* (lie). Need to work! HARDER!!!
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[Max]

Wow! Very good work Andy. This one really suprised me.
You've come a long way, just keep it up!!!

[Capt. Fred]

spooge, your paintovers! [Speechless, chuckling]
The way you work is just incredible! Really incredible.

Sorry Andy, to detract.
That's definitely the most realistic of your pics I've seen. Keep it up.

[CwStone]

Very nice andy, u definatly have come a long way (makes me wonder if i should do tht 500 list, eh?) neways, great work. keep it up!
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[Omi-kun]

Great stuff Andyt!

I'd say shocked but what else could I expect from Mr. Spooge? But that insight have changed my painting life! Thank you!

[AndyT]

Thanks guys.
I guess I could have done that earlier though.
Don't think I improved (much).

The 500 list would have helped if I had put more energy in each piece.
There are about 4 images that got the attention that they deserved.
All these images were done from life. The ones from photo ref are all messed up.

Now I get how this approach saves time btw. Even if it's not finished.
And I messed up the proportions again

I'll start experimenting with edges and values and simplifying now.
With other images.
I guess Spooge's image is a "spoiler" somehow.
Still ... I tried to come up with my own interpretation:


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[Al Ian]

Dude that rocks AndyT!! The 50 minut one has alot of promis. Seems less forced!
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[eyewoo]

Andy... gotta say this is very cool. You are going in the right direction with that smudge tool... bury it deep...
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[Max]

The 50 mins one is truly impressive Andy. That's he way to go.
Now make one or two of these paintings everyday and you will get better pretty fast. You will also realize that you will get better results in less time after some practise. Good luck!!!