How did he do it?

[Shadowwing]

I was looking at some pictures of dinosaurs. They are beautifully detailed, and I am curious about what kind of medium the artist used to create the pictures. The artist's name is John Sibbick, and his site is http://www.johnsibbick.com/.

I am guessing that he uses a combination of watercolors and some other media. Any ideas on how he does it?

[Elwell]

From the About page on his site (emphasis mine):
The first stage of any commission is to go to the fossil evidence, and consult with specialists in the field. John then works out a number of sketches to build up an overall picture of structure, behaviour, and surface detail. 3-D models are a great help in working out lighting and various viewpoints. When all the elements are agreed on he works on the finished piece. Paintings are executed in gouache and finished drawings in pen and ink, or different types of pencils.

[Shadowwing]

Thanks, Elwell. So...the magic medium is gouache. I wonder how it was applied to get such a fine detail? If you look closely at his pictures, you can see scales...tufts of fur...shadows in wrinkles. Sorry for so many questions...I am trying to understand the process here.

[kev ferrara]

Brushes come in sizes from 0 (super small) to barn brushes. You want fine detail use a zero.

If you really like one of his pieces, find out what size it is and try to make a duplicate of it in the same medium. That will answer many of your questions.

[Elwell]

I believe John uses some airbrushing for skies etc, but yes, mostly it's just getting in there with small brushes and rendering the hell out of things.
Also, like many paleoartists going back to Charles R. Knight, he often makes detailed models of the creatures he's going to paint.
For lots of nice, big repros of Sibbick paintings, along with other great paleoart, check out this (http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaurs-Global-Sylvia-J-Czerkas/dp/0792456068) and this (http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Imagery-Jurassic-Lanzendorf-Collection/dp/0124365906).

[Jacob Kobryn]

Ya probably a 0 - 0000 brush.
Don't under estimate the power of the fine detail airbrush Elwell. I've gotten at least a line that you would get with a 0 brush probably much smaller than that! Check this out:
http://www.airbrush.com/forums/upfiles/21/2F2E7B90219F46FFA5FA87B54A4415D2.jpg
Jake

[JS Neo]

Another paleoartist i like is the illustrator of dinotopia, James Gurney... Check out his blog. He documented some of his method of creating his illustration.
[Link to Blog] (http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/)

[Moai]

Ah, John Sibbick. Seeing his artwork brings back a lot of good childhood memories of poring over dinosaur books and being fascinated by things that once were.

[Shadowwing]

Kev: I agree...the best way to learn is to try coping the other artist's style for a while.

Elwell: I have some table mats with his paintings on them...so I can study them while I eat. I do have some books with his artwork too.

Jake: That is way cool...makes me want to take out my airbrush and start using it. I may start an airbrush thread soon...I have had this airbrush for years but no idea how to use it.

MyDrako: I like James Gurney's artwork too. I checked out his blog...very informative! Thanks!

Moai: Yep...they still inspire me to this day.


Anyway, I think I am getting an idea of how he does his paintings. Basically, he probably blocks in the basic colors, and then go in for fine details with a small brush. I noticed that some areas had graduation...so I believe that he uses an airbrush for detailing in some areas, as well. Now that I understand the process better, I am going to start practicing.

[Shadowwing]

A quick question. What is the best surface to do gouache or acrylic paint on? I'm looking for something that is relatively inexpensive for practicing on, not for framing.

[Elwell]

Nice heavy paper, like a 3- or 5-ply kid finish bristol, is good, or illustration board if you don't want to worry about buckling.

[dose]

You can also try a watercolor block, though it's sometimes hard to find one cheap enough for practicing with a texture that isn't annoying.

[Elwell]

If you want a block without pronounced texture, go for hot-pressed. For instance, the surface of Arches HP paper is the equivalent of a cold-pressed bristol.

[Shadowwing]

I've seen Arches paper....very expensive stuff. They usually run for like over $45 a block. Definitely out of my price range. Bristol and illustration boards are what I use normally for artwork I'm planning to keep.

When I was a kid, I used to paint acrylics on cheap poster boards...they worked pretty good although they did wrinkle and buckle. I just have had an idea...maybe cardboard with gesso on them would be a good cheap way to go? (for practicing only)