[Spiral]

It has been often said that one should first learn how to draw well before going on to paint and color. Well, I have been studying anatomy for some time and now I am about to start taking art lessons, still the speedpaint thread is, in my opinion, a great way to learn. So I decided to purchace a tablet, nothing fancy just a Graphire 3.

Sketching with it is weird but it's cool, I want to get to understand and use color but the tutorials are all over the place and the random ways in which I find them are, I'm sure, not a correct way to learning color. I do not want to rush myself into getting to use color, even digitally, without having good use of tone and line, still it's tempting, and posting doodles on the speedpaint thread isn't going to provide anything to me or others.

So to get to my question, how does one know when to move on to color? Is it wise to try and learn color at a more early stage, even if it is in digital form? And where does one really start with color? There are so many tutorials and books on color, covering different aspects of it but they all seem to be like different chapters of a book, and I can't figure out which one is the first chapter.

Any advice/help?

[Mon]

It depends on what you want to do with your art. There are people out there who couldn't care less for lines and proper anatomy, who are only interested the relationship between colors.

If you want to do something, do it. I have yet to find someone who didn't benefit from following his heart in this. If color is important to you then don't waste another minute and get to work.

my 2 cents
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[matter]

i agree.. personally, i love line and value.. but color offers lots of new possibilities, so it's something i work on alongside drawing (though not nearly as much!).. why limit yourself?

-matt

[Spiral]

Well, what I want to do with my art is make it sellable. I want to become an illustrator, a painter. I don't see how your advice can be bad, quite the contrary, but I don't know if it is the correct way.

I have an instinctive thing for color. Other artists have also told me that I have a good sense of aesthetics but I know that I am lacking the Way and the Why among other things. For instance, I have drawn a small castle. I know I want to make it look like it's made of green stone sorta. Now, I know, almost, how to pin down a type of green I'm looking for, then I know about what kinda of color the dark area of the thing should be (or at least what looks good in my head). Even if the combination looks good (and sometimes for various reasons I don't know, it doesn't), I "see" that I need and want to add more greens, grey, a little brown ect. I don't know why these things look good in my head, I don't know why I can't pin down all the colors correctly, I don't know where they should go on the image. I think you get my point.

I am beginning to feel that buying the tablet as a cheap way to get into color was wrong, I am thinking I should have spent it on an acrylic kit (or an oils kit, the medium I want to get into)and a book.

Mind you that my influences are mostly barbaric, meaning Frazetta and Valejo, I was brought up with He-Man and Conan so, it's logical. But by no means do I want to copy them, I have more contrasted images in my head.

Still, I would like some more opinions and advice. Or even a starting point for getting to learn how to paint.

[watmough]

work from life.....nature is the best teacher u can find,
i had never painted from life before last fall and it has helped me ALOT.
working from life will teach you about form,value,color,composition,you name it.
then,after you start to understand a little more,the stuff comes out of your head with more purpose.

[Heysoos]

The reason to start off black and white before learning color is to learn the importance of controlling and seeing values. Thats the main thing to think about when first learning to use color is to keep paying attention to the grayscale equivelant value of those colors you use. squinting a lot while you work helps to do this. Work a lot from life in an ala prima technique (like the impressionists use) and also if you have access to an art museum it is very helpful to look at some original paintings by the masters to see how they handled color.

also, you should post up your attempts and I'm sure people will help tell you how to improve.
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[Spiral]

As I said, I'm going to begin working from life by taking art lesons. I have done so on my own a bit and I do know that is what I am lacking. Still, just taking an apple and trying to paint it with color is noway near trying to draw it in black in white, but then again, I remember thinking the same about drawing it in black in white as opposed to drawing from imagination, and that was way before I began lurking around here, reading Loomis' Human Figure book and getting George Bridgeman's anatomy book. Maybe it's a logical leap that must be made.

In any case, I'll go on as planned, with the lessons I mean, and maybe I'll bet a couple of books on color that were suggested. I just hope I won't be doing anything too wrong.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[Impaler]

[Spiral]

What I meant was that I hope that rushing into things without being certain that I have aquired the basic skills I need to go on, will not do me bad.

I can't see how not understanding how to percieve shadows and tones will help someone with color. Of course I want to jump into it, frankly I can't wait. But, I don't know what to do. And I don't know if what I would be doing would be the correct thing to do. It's not technique that I am persuing, nor the knowlege, it's just the first step, a direction of sorts.

As I said, I'll go along with those art lessons, although the teachers pretty much scoff at illustration, favoring more 'artsy fartsy' work, which I'm pretty sure has it's place in the world. But in the meantime I will get me a color theory book by Faber Birren that was once suggested, along with some painter how-to book. I hope it will be a good start, a correct one.

I'm sure that practicing will not do me bad, but as you also have noted quite succefully, I do have a fear.

[AndyT]

Seems as if you don't like theory? Then simply ignore this post ...

Well in ateliers people learn to get the proportions right first.
I hope you did that before you started learning anatomy
For example with bargue drawings. They have to be perfect before they may move on.

Then they draw from life without colors. Cast drawings for example.
Then cast paintings (no colors).
Then still lifes and figure drawing/painting also in color afaik.

Check out MindCandyMan's tips if you want:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12104 (Bargue Drawing)
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5363 (Cast Drawing)

But you probably also want to work from imagination.
I like Ron Lemens exercises.
As Craig wrote: the more you know about your subject, the better you will be at drawing/painting it.
For that exercise you have to understand the structure:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23042
(Doesn't only work for faces)

Mistakes you can make would be copying without thinking ...
or painting something without reference and without thinking.
Master copies can also be a great way to learn.
Kincept has some great tips:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13511
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[Mon]

AndyT - Great post, nice info for all of us. thanks

Spiral - Either you want to show us something or you don't. Yeah the white of the canvas can be frightening but you need to decide for yourself what you want to do. No book will tell you that. If you've got something to share with the rest of us then get to it. Use whatever means necessary, if you're serious about it we'll notice. Paint, and good luck to ya
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[Spiral]

Well, AndyT first of all thanks for the resources. Now about me disliking theory, not true, physics, chemistry and biology were my favourite subjects in school. I am very eager to learn theory, the problem is that I have no idea what it is and how it will be used. Forget that though, I am sure I will learn in time.

I have practiced proportion and do so daily, I understand it's importance and pay attention to what I do with it and learn from it. Anatomy has come next.

Drawing from life has been a problem though. I have tried on my own but I haven't really understood how to measure the proportions of what I see, very well. That's why I'll take lessons.

Now, I haven't posted anything yet because of technical reasons really. It's embarassing, still when I get everything done I'll begin posting my stuff.

I understand the advice given and especially Mon's percistance on getting things clear with myself and sort of make a stand. And I thank you all for that. It's what I want to do, I was just a little scared. Thanks for the help everyone.

[Wagner]

If you draw a picture and want to color it, color it. You might not color it well, but that's ok. I think allowing yourself to do the kind of art that you want to do is good, even if you haven't studied it yet.
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[aprilllee]

It's fine approaching your art training in a thoughtful and methodical manner. Whatever works for you is good.

But don't fear to try things. Just jumping in won't automatically lead to bad habits. One can pick up bad habits even in classes. Fear, however, can be debilitating. What do you fear? Even in failing, you are learning something. Even in finding you have bad habits, you can learn. If you want to use color and feel you have a sense for it already--go ahead and experiment.
_________________
April

Illustrations

[Spiral]

Well, thanks for the encouragement everyone. I have allready begun trying out color (digitally at least), even if what I'm doing isn't correct. The reason I couldn't do it before was because it is so overwhelming, it's great but it has a complexity to it that made me freeze.

I was looking at tutorials and color theories all over the place and they all examined specific theories that were too advanced. In the end I just stuck for the beginning with ol' Loomis (how much I owe this guy) and I drew something and posted it after all the tech problems with my PC were solved, and have had some good help.

I also got a book today that came in highly recommended, Stephen Quiller's Color Choices. I've only browsed through it but, it seems great and helpful. There has been no resourse and tip that has originated from these forums that has gone bad for me.

Color still seems overwhelming, only now I know it's possibilities and I am on track at last. I guess the thing that was scaring me all along was the fact that I hadn't begun and was eager to participate but couldn't.

[gpetersz]

Yep. I really didn't understand your fears. I am an amateur really but I always love to experience even if the result is crap.
Just go in and do what makes you happy!

http://gpetersz.gfxartist.com
http://gpetersz.epilogue.net