KITCHEN 4.1 we cook art here!

getting there · by **anjyil** » 13 Jan 2012, 05:34

Okay, a couple of more monochrome color and value studies. Brown and purple! hahah . For the purple one, I removed the gray-scale cheat sheet and tried to figure out on my own what colors would give me good value throughout the piece. Turned out I picked right. I took the file and grayscaled it to be sure ^_^ I think now I am going to try two colors! ::shudders in fright:::

I am thinking of using a different sketch, too..kind of sick of seeing my own mug and the classes are darned difficult

getting there · by **anjyil** » 30 Jan 2012, 02:19

A WIP I am currently working on. Yes, I am using a photo reference. The face has been smooshed ,though, so I need to elongate it a bit more, along with several other refinements. Haven't even started working on the eyes and hair yet lol. Anyway, this is being done in Painter because I have another project already on my easel. ^_^ I have come to realize that the pencil brushes work nothing like real pencils

I feel so used! (j/k) hehe.

getting there · by **anjyil** » 31 Jan 2012, 13:41

Still plugging away at that portrait ^_^ I'll have to hunt down the photograph owner to give proper credits (lost the link, but I at least know I got it off of DA)

Still lots of changes and corrections to make. The beauty of digital is being able to keep working at it until it is right. I gave up trying to treat Painter like "traditional" mediums...they advertise it as behaving that way, but there is still a long way to go before they really reach that level. I am merely using the pencil brushes from Essentials 4 and, as far as I can tell, they don't behave at all like the pencils I use every single day

getting there · by **anjyil** » 04 Feb 2012, 14:05

Thought I would post this as an update. I have run into a problem, though... I can not decide which direction I want to take this portrait. Should I shoot to match the original as much as possible, or look at it as it's own. Right now, it doesn't look much like the original. I don't think it is too shabby, either, especially for a truly first male portrait. If I try to match the photo, then I have this overwhelming feeling that I will never be done with it. Yet if I try to take it as it's own, I am not sure what needs to be fixed to make it look better. -_-

i drink and post · by **Mugshotpro** » 05 Feb 2012, 01:45

i'd like to see the photo before giving any kind of thoughts about it

getting there · by **anjyil** » 06 Feb 2012, 12:40

Mugshot-Pro---good point! Here is a link to the photo I am working from

http://browse.deviantart.com/photograph ... e#/d4b5nci

I needed to hunt it down anyway for credit.

i drink and post · by **Mugshotpro** » 06 Feb 2012, 21:16

here are my suggestions for matching the original if you decide to go in that directions...although it looks pretty good as it's own.

also I would change the shape of the eye a bit and show that its a little more deep set like in the original.

getting there · by **anjyil** » 07 Feb 2012, 01:36

Wow, thanks Mugshot! That is extremely helpful (will have to remember to lay out those lines like that in the future^_^) And it was all the spots I knew weren't right which actually makes me feel better ^_^

Now to decide which way to go....seeing it like that doesn't seem as overwhelming as before, so maybe I will try to get closer to the picture ^_^-

i drink and post · by **Meteorskies** » 07 Feb 2012, 20:33

The key when studying with precision an image (or from life) is to use as much as possible reference lines such as verticals and horizontals. At first it's difficult to see them, but it comes with practice. The other key is to see the negative space which most of the time shows immediately if you're right or wrong. The last thing, which is obviously the most difficult to acquire, it to make abstraction of the subject and see only shapes of color and value instead of an object.
Keep working, it'll come faster than you expect.

getting there · by **anjyil** » 08 Feb 2012, 01:21

Thanks, Meteorskies. Academically, I know...but it just isn't translating yet into practice. :/ Sometimes...like once in a while...it does, and I can get something really good out of it...but mostly it is banging my head against a brick wall. ^_^ Those Bargue studies I did earlier really helped with improving it, but I need to do more...draw more until it becomes second nature. Part of me still has that amateurish thinking of just drawing without thinking or planning. Old habits are hard to break and new ones are even harder to form but I will get it and keep your advice in mind.

Hmm...maybe I should sticky note it on my computer so I can see it