"You should use some color"

[Colonel Conterno]

Hello, I am looking to go into the Ringing CA program. I met with an admissions officer, and she said I need to do some thing with color. My only issue is, I have only had a "basics" art class, so I've never used color or been told what to even do with it. I don't know where to start or what to use. I'm not into painting so i figured colored pencils or some thing? If so what kind of brand should I be looking for?

Also when using color do you sketch it out before using color or does the color erase like pencil?

example of what I'm looking to do
http://web.tiscali.it/guilli/originali/hogarth.jpg

Thank you for your insight. :sungod:

[Carl Dobsky]

If you're trying to get the effect of the Hogarth drawing you linked, I would start by researching Hogarth. Find his suggestions for the materials he used. Start with those and see what happens.

On a side note, I don't strictly see that drawing as being about color necessarily. Yeah it has a color but it's not ABOUT color. Though you may not be into painting (which for personal reasons I cannot even begin to understand why :P ) giving it a shot might teach you alot about color.

Anyway, whatever. Just have fun with it and see what it does. You seem new to the game so just play around with things a bit to see how they work.

[Amber Alexander]

My guess is that picture is done in conte crayon, I've only ever seen it come in black, white and red. You might want to try that. But if you do go with color pencil then Prismacolor is a good brand but the tips do break off...alot, I don't know if that happens to other brands. Also color pencil doesn't quite erase like a regular pencil.

[Pilgrim1099]

I would think that venetian red pencils from Rexel Cumberland Derwent (they are awesome) or Prismacolor would do the trick. Also LYRA/Rembrandt's Venetian Red 700-90 would do the trick nicely. For the gradients shown on Hobarths would require a soft lead such as red or venetian red chalk/charcoal.

[TASmith]

My advice is, if you want to get into concept art, you need to get into painting. It's the fastest way to learn color. Start with a very basic palette - just cad yellow, cad red, ultramarine, and white. Paint from life and see just how far you can do with these colors.

That'll help you loads with learning color. After a time, switch your red to quinacrodone, your yellow to Hanza, and your blue to pthalo (green shade). See how this changes things.

Just focus on blending, not glazing or special technique.

[JeffX99]

I would recommend going with markers for now - Prismacolor, Tria, Copic, etc. They are mainstays in the traditional concept art world. You can augment the marker with a little pastel or colored pencil for detail. The problem with colored pencils is they are a "line/point" tool and not well suited for broad, rapid passages. Goache is also a traditional painting media that is relatively easy to handle for concept work - it has some funky aspects as well though - like drying a lighter value than you lay down.

Yeah - the Hogarth is probably Conte or Sanguine and charcoal. Carl is right - that example is more about tone and form.

Anyway, I wouldn't get too worried about technical color theory at this point - that's what you're going to school to learn so...good luck!

[Colonel Conterno]

Thank you for the input.

And I don't want to do concept art hehe, just like the site as a nice information portal.

[JeffX99]

Oh - sorry - I checked it out - I thought Ringling CA was a concept art oriented school - sort of like Art Center in Pasadena. What area is your focus?

[TASmith]

I thought the CA stood for concept art. I guess it's California? I need a dumb smily for how I feel. :dumb:

[drd]

CA is used to say Computer Animation, even if it gets confusing around here. Concept art, computer animation, and cali.

jeez.

[JeffX99]

I thought something like that too - it is in Sarasota Florida it turns out. Pretty major media school...

[Colonel Conterno]

yes computer animation hehe sorry.

[TASmith]

Anyway, go paint! :P