[Fred Flick Stone]

Ok, so the first part was about tones, now this one is going to be a simple walkthrough of blocking in the stuff that is important first, and embellishing as you go. I will post a few different types of approaches, this happens to be my favorite. ITs like digital alla prima, just go for it baby!!!

So, to start, here is the reference. Here is the color palette I chose. I wasnt in favor of such a startling blue in his shirt, so I reduced the intensity of the chroma. Here is the three values, or three major hues I chose for the image. THis is also, repeating what I mentioned in the first painting tutorial I did, where you start with 3 or 4 values first, and nothing more than that. 2 is too graphic, 5 is too confusing. 3 or 4 are a comfortable number to work with. YOu can go back to any master painting and find this theory instilled in their work, all the way back to the baroque period.

SO, my first step naturally is to block in those three major values in their respectful shapes. NO outlines yet, just big forms.

Step 1) blocking in the big masses with the three main values(hues) I have chosen for this particular piece.









Step 2, now I will go back in and map out my shapes linearly just to get an idea of whether or not my big shapes I started with are going to work. ANd if I have any discrepancies, now is the time to fix them...

note-I dont do this typically anymore. I am doing it to show you how I think with a big mass of color. WHat is going on in my head technically. Typically, I just paint, I dont chart, I have been charting for so long, I need to just paint or I would go crazy...

step 2.5-continuing this process, only I am getting more specific about the formal spacial break up of the face. The thirds division vertically down the head, that is, a division at the hair line, a division at the brow line, a division at the base of the nose, and the final mark at the base of the chin. then I break up the face horizontally. An eye space between the two eyes, etc. Then I get the rough shape of the features line drawn in, now its time to paint.







Step 3-Time to block in the face. SO to begin, I noted that I have picked an image washed out in big value separations, it is equivelent to north lighting. Ambiguous shadows are always harder to paint than direct light. Its harder to make a convincing rolling of the forms. That is another reason I chose this image. Making it a bit more difficult to create. The first thing I look for is the plane changes, and I note them right off. That is what is happening here. I have noted in a darker value, the receding planes on either side of the head. SInce he is front lit, I placed about equal importance to both sides of the head. The value us from the same flesh hue, only darker in tone, darker in value to help roll the head form.






step 4) blocking in the rest of the face based upon the color banding of the forehead, the features and the chin and jaw area. My last tutorial specked out how to achieve this. Yellowish for the forehead, reddish for the features, bluish for the beard area. In this case, he has a lot of reflected light coming up from his shirt, enhancing that blue value in the jaw and chin.

I am setting up the average colors for these areas without blocking them in entirely. I want to be able to make clear decisions about changes or not, and the only way I can do that is by putting swatches of color near each other to see how their relative values contrast one another.


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RJL

[Fred Flick Stone]

Step 5) Ok now I am going in and blocking in the rest of the color for each of the major plane changes, that is, not worrying about subtelties, just thinking in planes. And I continue to do this till the form feels like it is coming "around". Starting to feel 3 dimensional...



Step 6) thinking now about all the various directions the planes of the face are facing, and concerning myself with the reflective light and how that effects the planes of the face. ANything facing towards up, will be effected very little, as it looks like there is no ceiling close to the top of his head.

Everything facing the sides is going to take on the hues of the reflector screen behind his head. SO cheeks will adapt some steel bluish tones. All the bottom planes will take on reflected light from his shirt. these will be the lightest reflected tones, and should really enhance the bottom planes, or accent them making them stand out more so than the other receding planes.



and in this step, I am also now concerned with details, age lines, highlights in the eyes, cut lines in the wrinkles of his face, etc.

Step7) Finishing. Now I am concerned with softening back harsh edges if there are any, losing significant details that shouldnt be at all. Making sure that the overall image I started with, those three big color blocks still hold up here in the end. This is most important to me. This phase of the game should be called the sacrifice of the painting phase. Go back and sacrifice those little nuances you worked so hard to achieve, but come to find they take away from the big picture, which is what we are trying to complete, and create.

OK, kinda short hand, but I think it works for what it is. Let me know what you all think, if it can be bettered, if there are missing steps you dont get, etc.

Thanks.


Ron(FFS)
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RJL

[Drunken Monkey]

Whoa...

You make it look so easy.

Are these published someplace on the web?

*goes away to practice*
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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" - Sigmund Freud

[-HoodZ-]

[Gort]

damn, Ron...are you sure you're not some kind of mind reader? I've been looking for something precisely along these lines. Many, many thanks!!
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- Tom Carter

"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf" - Jack Kornfield

[jr]

ron, i turned his frown upside down.... and then animated it.
a mix of boredom and quaterlife madness.



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[jeromoo]

Man!!! jr, that animated smiling old man is so cool! you sure know his dentures by heart! haha

fred flick stone, thank you for going through all the trouble to provide the ever helpful tutorials for us! I'm surprised that my technique really differ from yours as mine is more like 'one part at a time'....

[Fred Flick Stone]

first-jr- that is a hilarious depiction, they look pretty damn convincing. Thanks for the little animation, I am going to put it up on my site if you dont mind.

jeromoo-thanks for the kind words. It is really awesome, the art world, because everyone creates so differently, even if we were to come from a similar technique of learning. That is why I love these forums so much, I can look at all the artistic diversity and apply some of that to what I do, helping me grow as an individual, as far from techniques as possible...I am now looking for how things "look" in the end, and so many here on the forums have such naive, innocent, or very technical approaches that all have a wonderful life to them. I am glad you can see that diversity, and appreciate it too...

Hoodz, Drunken Gort-thank you all for the kind words. I hope it helps you paint digitial portraits better.

Which reminds me again, if there are spelling errors, NON PC things I might have said without realizing it, or just confusion in these tutorials, please make comments on those so I can fix them. SInce these will be up on a site, I want them as appealing to many as possible, and I want them clear, helpful and not confusing or full of personal ideals...let me know if you catch anything. ANd thanks again for all the support.


Fred
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RJL

[jr]

you can definitly use that little animation. i'd like to make some of these little tutorials for my site too. i'm trying to learn gouache now, so your tutorials are pretty darn helpful.
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[immi]

Mirrored: http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials/14033

[swampbug]

That is very cool you two. First the tut. then the "smile version"


Now I can see this turn into a little shingdig, where everyone takes that guy and puts a different face on him.

I'm temped.
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Swampbugs Boogie Base 3.0

[gp02000]

Wow ~~ wonderful

[fredflcikstone]

I like the smile, very nice touch...

[rock995]

died and gone to Heaven pt. 2. For someone to take the time to put that masterful demo together to help people...just...like...me. This is sooo appreciated Fred !
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it's not about getting what you want, it's about wanting what you get.

[Falk^^]

Yeah, great !

And this link on gfxartist, so many tutorials, that's what I was looking for

(boo... I can't see the smiling version :/)
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BLeh

[cok3]

thx for the tutorial, this'll really help me in my self portrait attempts.

[jr]

fixed.
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[spooge demon]

Thanks for doing this Ron. That is a very tough photo to work from, it's so tempting to get into the surface stuff.

Jr the smile is really well done.

I would be interested in seeing Mon's approach, I am sure he could do better than this one.

[Matthew]

omg I got so inspired, I hope it is ok that I tag along here.
had to make a quick one.

edit, �hh snif I cleaned it up a little, didn't help me better hide.



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[The Real Mark]

Ok I tried this technique - my first attempt at trying to paint someone digitally, I SUCK at proportions and I cheated a bit wiht that by moving the reference over the top for some of it, but the rest was all done by eye, colour etc.



reference: http://users.bigpond.net.au/marktavares/boys.jpeg

my next attempt: - his sis and friend.
http://users.bigpond.net.au/marktavares/nicnsammi.bmp

How can I get the hair right? I found that hair VERY hard. Also proportions take a while to get... I had to erase my ENTIRE lot of lines and shapes for the eyes etc, about 3 times. I found it SOOO hard to get it right. I guess practise makes perfect.

I should probably attempt an old man like that, but she wants me to try paint her.

plz crit me, i want to get those girls looking good when i paint them haha.

[idiran]

no skillz

[krAtul]

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