[Chaotic Descent]

hello.
first of all, I know most of you don't know me and I've posted all of like 3 times, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

I'm at a point right now where I really don't know what to do with my drawings.

first off, examples. my web page.
Chaotic Descent's Art
and uh... I dunno, here's the last one I had a part in coloring. a joint with Darkmoon that was released in Seire.

again, joint with Dm, she helped color it.


I just bought a 4x5 graphire (it was the most easily available, and I don't find it that different than the 6x8 intuos I've tried many times)
I thought it would make drawing a lot easier, but I'm running into the same problems.
I have a sketch and I just have no idea what to do with it. I've already been "experimenting", and I haven't learned a damned thing about Photoshop.
I already know the basics about coloring, but I keep forgetting the details, and for some reason it just ends up as a big mess.

I attempted to change my drawing style, but that's hard when it's an unconcious thing.
I still draw with 2D shapes instead of outlines, and even then I still manage to get the shapes and proportions wrong.

[Matt Elder]

First up, PhotoShop, buy the book called "Adobe PhotoShop - Classroom in a Book". It is an excellent starting point and explains what you are doing. Other books assume that you know stuff and are difficult to 'learn' or just tell you what to do without properly explaining it. Go through the book cover to cover (although later chapters you can probably leave out for now, ie printing processes etc).

Style - hmmmm .... harder to answer. With the two images in this post, it looks like you have a really good understanding of things and checking out your website tends to suggest you know how to draw so I'll focus more on colouring (at least the little that I know).

Start of with a flat colour. Using the airbrush, go one tone darker and one tone lower to create shadows and highlights. Then use dodge and burn tools to get smoother gradients, and make some sections even darker and some sections lighter.

Next, paintbrush - low setting, hard edge (ie 10-20%). Use opacity with tablet (not size or the other one). Go over image to help give a crisp sharp feeling while maintaining the colours. Use eye dropper tool to constantly be changing through colours efficiently (on a PC, hold down the Alt key while use the paintbrush or airbrush to temporary change to the eye dropper tool). If these colours turn out too sharp, use the airbrush at a low setting (10-20%) to desharpen.

Through out the whole process, change brush sizes as appropriate. Usually I find start with the big brush and work your way down. Also, start with darker sections and work towards lighter ones (as you will overlay the colours in this order).

This is just my suggestion. I've been trying to develop my style for awhile now and it wasn't until the other day when a couple of people from this board mentioned hard edge paint brush that I was able to resolve a 'sharpness issue' (these guys are absolute legends in my mind!!!).

Other people use the smudge tools and dodge and burn alot. I initially started out with these but found the smudge tools, to be an efficient process, required a much faster processor and more than the 300+MG of ram I have.

Experiment I guess is the key, and take regular snapshots in photo shop so you can quickly flick backwards and forwards to see what works and what doesn't.

What I also found was to draw the same type of image (I choose hands) and keep experimenting on the same thing. I did 15 hands in a row, all roughly the same but each time I found my style got better and better. I could look at what work, didn't work and reinforce it throught trying it again.

Unfortunately alot is experimentation and it will suit the way you work. Allow time for images - alot of my 'better' ones take at least 20 hours to do as I'm still experimenting and doing good work will take time. Try not to look for quick solutions. These are just some suggestions.



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See ya on da flip side
Matt
http://www.mattelder.com

[Chaotic Descent]

well actually my anatomy is only half-decent.
I only have the courage to post the ones that don't look like crap.
my "drawing style" is that I sketch. and I erase, and sketch some more. and by the time I'm done, I've redrawn all the lines 100 times over, so I never really know how to draw them right the first time.
I "know" anatomy, yet I can't seem to make it look right. apparantly my necks are always too long as well.
I would have taken a class in figure drawing, but I was too late. :P
the anatomy book I have right now sucks. (it's by Peck, Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist or something like that)
what I really want is something that explains anatomy. I'm tired of looking at overly muscular men and wondering why I'm not looking at pictures of more normal looking humans like the ones I draw.

ah well. I really did screw myself over this time.

so does the outline layer get dumped when you're coloring? whether it's inking, or clearing up sketches, I just don't know what the hell to do with them.

I guess I'll try just coloring at some point, if the outline is confusing me.

[kig]

Quick drawing tip for better outlines (helped me a lot): Don't raise your pen off the paper (drawing with just one line). Don't use the eraser. If you get some point wrong, try to finish it with as little additional mistakes as possible, then make a new one. Continue until you get five to ten (or more) good looking ones in a row. Then change subject and start again.

Best done with a thin marker.

Damn, I better start doing that again, my sketches are degenerating :/

And generally start simple, and when you get the simple stuff right, use it to compose more complicated stuff.


I think you could of course draw yourself from the mirror for a more realistic figure (unless you're one of those overly muscular men :P) Has anyone read any medical anatomy books with pictures? Just a thought