digital.painting.struggle [updated]

[killing.people]

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/cog_girls.jpg

-kill, kill, bzzt, kill

[Fozzybar]

looks sweet...maybe an additional color to the blue parts would look better...

her bottoms looks strange...

this pink smoke...wow...awesome! Well done!

[hed|lamb]

I thought she was facing the opposite way at first, but once I got her direction it all looked nicer. =)

Really cool piece you have here killing.people, I like your color choices and the overall design. The whole brown "mud" thing you've got going around the bottom (leg) area looks a little too shiney though, but that's only preference, no biggy.

[nil]

this is the coolest thing i have seen from you to date. why is the thread titled digital.painting.struggle? looks well executed to me...

[Grooveholmes]

SHut up dude, you didn't make it look like a struggle. She turned out great:chug:

[bwiseman]

More color is always better...maybe try some kind of secondary warm light coming up from below. It would really help her pop out.

What about the background? anything going to happen there?

[killing.people]

i dont have the strength to go back into her. she took an entire day of fiddling around.
for those of you that said it wasnt a struggle you are somewhat right, it was a struggle - but not every struggle means i will loose, have a little faith guys. ;)

OK!

i have been staring at this little icon i have on my desktop titled painter 7 for some time now.

i spend the entire night playing in it. what fun. the program sure is an energy drainer! whew!
i played around with the camelhair brush everyone loves so much.

this was the first time i felt hindered with my mouse. painter is the only program that i wished i had a wacom and sylus, and well of course a fast processor, some of the brushes lock up my machine pretty good.

fozzybear:
no i dont think i will that peice any more than i have already. as far as i am considered, i am through with it for now, i didnt realize i would get so many responses.

hed|lamb:
hey whats up man, been awhile.
i actually flipped her before i added the numeral and .. letter decals. might have worked better the way i drew her. i think the mud on her leg did get a little out of hand. i was just trying to do something different, trying to pull my roots out a little. i kept thinking of chocolate and candy, it looks more like she was stomping on chocolate bunnies.

nil:
thanks, and thanks for thinking i did it with ease .. i was trying for a smoother cleaner look. i dont think i got it, looks like my stuff, but i like parts of it pretty well.

grooveholmes:
ah thanks man.

bwiseman:
less is more?
hey thanks for your comments and advice man, if i ever get back in to it i will try it. i think it would help also.


ok ok, kinda excited with painter7, all this with only two tools?
nuts. okay three woa, i used the pen tool, the camelhair brush, and the just add water tool. thats a cool cool tool.

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_01.jpg

a good hour later ..
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_02.jpg

-killings

[c0g]

Hi. You know me... sorta anyway. I thought I would just say neat picture. I like androids. I have a fetish actually. It's probably unhealthy becuase I haven't found an android to fullfill this fantasy. What am I talking about... jeez...

[killing.people]

hi cog.

2 more hours
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_03.jpg

quick change.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_03b.jpg

which looks best you think?

should i add a background color now?

am i getting to crazy with my colors?

i have problems with my values, how do i fix it?

is there a better tool in painter7 to use?
my current technique is pretty time consuming but i like the fell in the end.
i am trying to mimick the imp n' foster techniques ...

.. imp .. foster ..

.. imp-foster ..

.. imposter .. *blinks*

-killing.study

[killing.people]

+ 2 hours:

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_04.jpg

[nick reynolds]

I personally like the upper one where the lizard radiates a glow of blue and yellow onto the face. keeps that nice shadow on the right side.

Also I think there should be a nice white highlight at the top of the nose.... errr... watch out for art director guy.... hes a nasty one. :D

the eyes get pushed back alot with such dark values, blend it out a bit. that might help.

Im just rambling and I have no art theory.. so i could be very wrong. Trial and error my friend trial and error...


PAINTER ROCKS!

[amphex]

Damn, your amazing. And a quick learner =D

[killing.people]

amphex:
thanks man i appreciate that.

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_05.jpg

[killing.people]

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_06.jpg

-killing

[killing.people]

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_07.jpg

-killing.engineers

[usagi yojimbo]

damn, how much experience do you have painting?

ive been trying to get into it but i have no idea where to start do you have any good tuts for just starting out?

[killing.people]

just a little of actual traditional paints. not much.
all i know is from painting programs.

1.) procure a black and white sketch.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie01.jpg

(using photoshop7) (150 pixels/inch)

2.) clean-up sketch using white and black brushes and the histogram:
image > adjustments > levels... (ctr+l)
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie02.jpg

3.) double-click the background to make it a layer.
4.) select multiply as its blending mode. (normal >to> multiply)
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie03.jpg

5.) create a new layer and drop in a color for your background using the fill tool -or- go to edit > fill... > foreground or background at 100%.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie04.jpg

6.) create a third layer.
7.) i picked a dark color and outlined forms in the sketch, using a medium sized hard brush (100% opacity) (100% flow).
http://images.deviantart.com/large/interfaces/imisc/pie05.jpg
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie06.jpg

[killing.people]

8.) i changed the brushes opacity to 20% and began to shade or flesh out the sketch trying my best to communicate the shape of the subject.
i used this ball of goods to help you get a better understanding.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie07.jpg

heres a shaded snow.pie:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/interfaces/imisc/pie08.jpg

9.) i went back in with the erase tool at 10%
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie09.jpg
- a nice monotone shade -

10.) now the fun part, color. in this technique i color in wash or tints. think deep first then work out. i get a little crazy in this one, its all this tropical fish talk and having to think about what i am actually doing.

using the same hard brush on the same layer - i tint the same way we did when shading snow.pie, only this time at 10% opacity. in this scenario application of color is much more noticable. i chose a dark and saturated orange, when i was adding it i put it where i thought grease would build up:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie10.jpg

11.) then some light and dark greens.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie11.jpg

12.) then using a skin creamish peach , while applying this color i picked a light source, everything else i used for fill lighting.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie12.jpg

13.) then the finishing touches. using the erase tool at 100% opacity i erase the color that went outside of the lines.

14.) i painted in his eyes with a light green and the inside of his mouth with a dark green.

15.) using the dodge tool at a 30% exposure, i gave him that hansomly shiney, fast food feel. the dodge tool has three modes called ranges named the following: highlights, midtones, and shadow.

highlights give a cool matalic color burn with a white center, it flares the color you are trying to highlight, much like the morning sun reflecting off water.

midtones lighten the color by adding white (color+white).

shadows is the same as midtones just more of a drastic change in value towards white.

i used a medium sized hard brush and rendered in the highlights with a stipple effect, or dots. then with a smaller brush i overlay it again so it looks crisper and harder contrast.

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/pie13.jpg

snow.pie has never looked so sexy, but dont tell him that.

-killing.pie

[killing.people]

crap sorry about that. i guess you would have to define an area to be the lowest color / under tone.

i ran into this problem with my skeleton guy. this is how i fixed it.

so here is a ball.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/blemsolve01.jpg

here are my layers.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/blemsolve02.jpg

i wanna darker brown background but what a minute! i followed a shitty tutorial, and i cant!
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/blemsolve03.jpg

heres what you do:
on your color layer select around your colored filling (under the sketch) and create a new layer.
place it over the backdrop layer (pink) and fill it in.

-or-

you can do the opposite, place the new layer (brown) under the backdrop layer(pink). using the selection of the negative space from the color layer - in the new layer (pink), delete the surrounding backdrop color revealing the dark brown underneath.
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/blemsolve04.jpg

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/blemsolve05.jpg

-killing.spheres

[amphex]

Wow man..your freaking amazing lol
Are you gonna keep working on that "apoc_engineer"?!

[usagi yojimbo]

oh man, i expected you to give me a bunch of crappy tutorials ive already seen

this is so helpful, thanks man

[oglzogl]

Very nice!

I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around painting in programs like PS or painter. Familiar with PS but have just never used it that way.

Thanks! That helps me out a lot too.. to see your progression.

[killing.people]

want a challenge? try painting a fricking cardboard box!

-touched up the lizard.

-added some backlighting.

5 more hours:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_08.jpg

detail:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_09box.jpg

[killing.people]

2 more hours:

high rez:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_11.jpg

http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_10sm.jpg

-kill

[ELWOOD]

Good stuff killing, and thanks for the demo, they helped me out alot, they gave me a starting point. thanks

[killing.people]

+3 hours:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_12.jpg


+3.5 hours more:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_13.jpg

-killing.lizards

[MindCandyMan]

Looks awesome killing. I can see the foster...imp head influence. Looks really cool man. You still just using the same tools on this piece? The camel hair, just add water?

[killing.people]

i used watercolor stuff on the box and his arm where the glove meets; splatter paint - eraser salt

i also stared to use impassto but took most of it out, i think the only texture still in there is a tiny tiny creases on the cardboard box near his thumb and the grey drips on the box. i made the grey drips with the leaky pen tool. i am playing and searching for new tools when i am limited.
;)

uh, for the highlights in the metal i used the dodge tool in photoshop7. and the text on the box where made in photoshop7, i have been flipping back and forth between the two, painter can save as a psd file and converts okay. painter has a few layer types photoshop7 doesnt but it works out.

-killing.thanks

[killing.people]

+4 more hours
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_14.jpg

[MindCandyMan]

looking great killing. I love the rubber glove...really looks quite rubbery. I love the clamped on lizard as well hehe.

[killing.people]

2 more hours:
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_16.jpg

comments and criticism welcomed with open arms.

next i plan to flesh out the background some more and cast shadows, any advice you might have?

any comments so far on anything else that bothers you about it?

-killing.people

[killing.people]

3 more hours
http://images.deviantart.com/large/indyart/indymisc/apoc_engineer_18.jpg

comments and criticism welcome.

[Oblio]

this is kick ass stuff... :bow:
I love those wires...


yours.dead.oblio

[MindCandyMan]

Everything is awesome. The stuff in the box is good. The pipes and the hanger. Wow...awesome work man. When this is finished your seriously should consider submitting it to Spectrum. It has a unique style I think they would like. Keep up the good work man.
jon