Getting Started on Environmental Painting...

[Enlighter]

So I have always had a mind for art, just can't get my head wrapped around the human form, so wanted to try my hand at environments.

Have an intuos 3 laying around, just built a design rig to go with it out of spares parts I had sitting around. Got a fresh install of painter and ps.

Now What haha.

Have a few books, but they all assume basic knowledge about environments.

I understand basic composition and perspectives (i.e. using light/colors to set the scene up, laying down color washes and filling in details from there).

Where would a good place to start be though? Should I just take some photos and have at it, or?

And yeh I know this is such a lame question and everyone asks it, so forgive me. Just tired of knowing I have the ability/brain to come up with incredible scenes and having to go through someone else to see them visualized.

Cheers for any responses.

:mod:

Horse jumping through fire is pretty neat.

[arttorney]

Design rig? Are you talking about a way to lug it outside or just the computer to drive it? A lot of people, including me, would tell you to try a few plein air paintings. It can be challenging with digital, though, particularly if it rains.

I went to the store and got one of those cheap cameras that is practically like a disposable camera except that it can be reloaded. I would get a few rolls of color print film and go to the coolest places around where I live and snap off pictures. After getting them developed, I would use scissors on them, like Jack Nicholson's Joker. I did this to re-crop the images because there is no ability to change the lens setting on those cheap little cameras. When I had an image I liked in an aspect ratio that matched up the canvas I wanted to use I would paint. You have an advantage because you can set your canvas size to match up your image.

I would still look at the pictures critically, though, cropping out any wasted space; painting the cool clouds from one picture into the lame sky from another one, etc. The actual painting of things is important. No matter how many books you read about how things look and where to put things it still hasn't done you any good unless you actually break down and paint something.

[Enlighter]

thanks for the info.

And for design rig, I simply meant a desktop computer to handle Maya/Max/PS/Painter without issue.

Maya and Max I am fine with, PS (has been a mystery to me ever since they released a new version from 5), Painter I am learning because the realism of the brushes/tools seems to really be unrivaled.

PS I'd like to get into using for color correction and layering.

As for the methods to get familiar with composing an actual scene, I am pretty familiar with all of that, really just comes down to how to get started with the tablet.

I am decent at scene set up with a pencil and paper, just bringing it over to the digital format, looks like it will be a few years before I can produce anything worthwhile.

[Enlighter]

also I guess I should add, any advice on the techniques used to create a landscape/environment using the digital medium would be welcome.

I have very basic knowledge of the color wash, and then building up from there, but I really don't have an understanding of what each process is.

i.e. the color wash set's up the overall tone of the scene, or the base colors, but moving beyond that? Also do you lay down dark to light, light to dark, doesn't matter as long as they blend, solid color blocks, etc etc.

[Katfayheirti]

Enlighter, I think perhaps you're thinking about environment painting in PS/Painter too technically. There is no set formula for creating a good digital environmental painting, and many different people go about it many different ways. You're probably going to have to experiment with many different ways of painting environments until you find one that works for you.

I guess you could always start by finding environmental paintings you think are particularly successful, then mentally deconstructing them, and trying to figure out what makes them work. It never hurts to do studies of successful pieces.

Although, ultimately, I think that the best way to get better at constructing environmental scenes is by doing many studies of real ones. You could go out and take pictures, then paint them, like Arttourney does. Heck, you could even cruise down Google Streetview looking for interesting scenes to do studies of. Ultimately, when you're confident enough in painting the real thing, it will be much easier to step off into fantasy land and paint scenes from your own imagination.

[Enlighter]

yeh,

my brain is one of the technical sort haha. I think that's why I have always struggled with drawing/painting. I am not a linear thinker, but when it comes to drawing and painting I think I forget that you don't have to do it in any pre-defined fashion :: )

Thanks for putting that into perspective for me

[Bourin]

I'm an absolute neophyte compared to everyone else here, but I got a tip from someone who's really good at them (possibly hideyoshi...) once.

The trick is to start your piece in huge resolution, something like 3000px wide sometimes, and use small brushes for the details. Once the whole painting is done, shrink image size down to 1/3 or something and it looks very detailed and about 110% better than it does when it's 3000 wide.

Just my shabby two cents!

[Farvus]

For environments any technique will work as long as you will have basic depth and focal point established. Some methods might be better for natural environments, some might be good for man made structures but ultimately it depends on your own preference.

[Enlighter]

yeh,

many things that would seem inherent. Collecting a ton of images to play with, basically just gonna start with trying to recreate them.

Might even have a go at trying to bob ross em digital style haha.

[Enlighter]

gonna play with some stuff tonight, will make a WIP thread, if you guys and gals don't mind commenting as I work on stuff, it'd be super appreciated.

Also any good Painter tutorials/ref would be a welcome resource :: )