[dEATH.Tool]

Well as said I'm a character designer, and I'm seriously considering intergrating digital illustation into my work. But I'm stuck with a dilemma! IMO I've improved with my work since the last week....but I have no idea what so ever how you guys do that sketching thing! I always find myself laying out the flat colour and then going on to rendering. I always seem to lack in the building process of my images. I'm very confident in my traditional painting....but it's a bit different when it gets digi. Can anyone help?

I'm not looking for a long drawnout tutorial (unless ofcourse you have the time)....I'm mostly gear toward tips on how the process works! Your process! I really need to practice some of those quik 5 min sketches that most of you does....but as said sketching is the problem! I use PS 5.5....just got Painter 6 (confused on that one for now)....but I'm just lacking this essential! In other words HOW IN THE HELL do you people scribble in the image....and scribble...and scribble...until you end up with a finely stroked piece! I don't even know where to start!

All input is appreciated in advance!

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.life without fear is the perfect nightmare.

[dEATH.Tool]

Note: Yes I can sketch in any other medium....just not digital paint...yet!

[Wiked Ewok]

Takes me forever if I tried sketching with a mouse...ewwwww! Course, shaking lines..

My advice is to get a digital tablet, lots of people here say they love their Wacom Digital Tablets. I myself have never had the chance to use , or even see one. Basically, I use my scanner, and a pen and paper and to the sketching by hand first. I scan it, and make it a semi-transparent foremost layer in Photoshop. Then, using the sketch as a guide(you can fill in colors, be sure not to leave open gaps in your inking, or if its pencil sketch, just try using the "pen" tool in photoshop to trace over it and select stuff)I basically paint with my color.

Oh Btw, does anyone how much and where I can get a Tablet? I'd probably like to use an 8x11, or maybe one size smaller or larger, depending on my budget

[dEATH.Tool]

Yeh I just got a new tablet this mourning...haven't opened the pack yet. But I don't think it's the tablet, I used wacoms a lot back in school just not for painting. I just don't know if I'm supposed to layout colour blocks are just start stroking in. Or for that matter do I just keep sketching until it's done!

This image was done by spoogedemon, I only wish to use this poece for illustration purposes. Spooge if you'd like me to remve it please let me know.


Ofcourse we all aren't Spooge, Dhab and all the other greats but I'll get there. But what I'm trying to get at is, as seen in this piece it was compose of a sketch and stroke after stroke. I don't know if it's complete, but I don't get how yo began! Do we start with a simple blot or do we just sketch in the shapes in multiple shades and stroke render over that? I can't even explain what I'm talking about....hope you get what I trying to say.

[d0oD]

hiya dEATH.Tool !
Wow i really love this drawing
Specially the mysterious feeling, and soft and hard light very cool

[Rinaldo]

dEATH.Tool- I think the trick is to approach it as a differnt medium altogether. Just like going from watercolour to oil. Very different.
Forget everthing you've learnt for the moment. Take a step back and have a look at what you've got. You can use any colour you like. You can zoom in very close and get the detail. You have unlimited editability. There is no build up to speak of. You can easily get the same colour over and over again. You can use layers to for all sorts of tricks if you wish.
On the other hand there are a few disadvantages. Texture is not a given, you must do some extra work. Drawing precisly freehand is a task.
There are a lot more but you get the idea.
With this in mind it becomes apparant that a lot of the techniques involved in traditional art are not aplicable. Everything basicaly comes down to your ability to put the right colour in the right spot, Then you can play around with it a bit. The main thing (which applies to a whole bunch of things both traditional and even non-art stuff) is to start big and then go small. If I was to do that pic of spooges Then I would be putting in the bigest shapes first. with that one there would be some working out in a negative fashon. I would have a look at spooge's tutorial at 3D palete http://www.3dpalette.org/features/cmullins/september/
it has some insights into what you are asking about.

As an example for the shoulders I think he would have put in that blue you can see at the bottom (quite bright). then dulled it down a bit with that grey and then gone over with some strokes or light blue/white to bring it out. He might also have used a screen blending mode or some lighten to get some of the brighter colours.
I don't really know, just having a stab in the dark. Spooge does say to try and use the biggest brush possible at first. As an exersise you could try using a really big brush for as long as you can. see how far you can get and only then go in for the detail.

Hope this helps

[dEATH.Tool]

d0oD: Sorry...no offense, but that pic above is in NO WAY mine. It belongs and was composed by Craig Mullins/spoogedeomon not me (note previous post).


Thanks a lot Rinaldo! Your input started me in the right direction. I checked out spooge's tut a while back it helps but is a bit odd to master at first...I'm getting there. Again thanks for your help friend!