Paint dump -updated-

[cos]

A bunch of recentish sketchy style paintings/concepts

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/ladydeath.jpg

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/troopers.jpg

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/snake.jpg

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/the_beast.jpg

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/orcwarriorconcepts.jpg

c&c welcome, cheers.

[Fozzybar]

Oh man! Sketchy...?...

*speechless* :jawdrop:

[Lono]

i love your style Cos..

its really meaty.

meat.

-Lono

[Batteram]

Now this is what I call concept art. When I saw the last two, my eyes started to sweat. Very sweet concepts, I can almost taste that candy. Is this all done in painter?

[dodowa]

waaaaa~:eek:
tough guy! :D and,
best color! :thumb:

[Jabo]

OMFG!

They all look great, but No.2 is the Überpic!

[Manta_Ray]

Wow....just sketches? Can you talk about how you approach your work please I really like the style of your work and the compositions. With a little more refining you could easily develop them into fully worked up pieces which I would love to see an example of..do have any?

Geezz..so much talent now on conceptart..why o why we didnt win the last Tdome I dont know....

[Manta_Ray]

Doh! Just saw soe of your other final works on epilogue. Excellent stuff, never mind what I said about fully worked up work..but I would still love to know how you approach your paintings. :chug:

[nardfrog]

Cool cool. I dig the beast. Anything evil and dark is cool.

[davi]

if i tried to hold your hand would you punch me?

I've heard many things about you lately, It appears i've missed alot of great art from you.

Can't wait to see more of your work in the future.

[cimax]

very nice stuff there....

I really like the mood ...

sorry nothing more to offer then my praises :D

[cos]

Thanks everyone for the feedback

Mantaray - I'm using Photoshop for my digital work. I don't really have one approach at working, or follow any strict rules. I like to mix it up and experiment with methods/techniques, and trust my judgement. Go with what I feel looks good and fits what I'm doing, rather than restricting to one train of thought, or "the right way". I'm pretty much self taught all the way, so this is how I've developed.

Here's a few examples I put together earlier this year. The painting steps might be a little old now, tho should still give you an idea on how I work. I'll try put something more recent together soon.


painting from scratch in photoshop

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/orcwarparty_wip.jpg

I prefer to start sketchy, this way I can pull it together and tighten up as I go. I find it's better to start like this rather than from a tight drawing if you are painting. It keeps you loose and you're more willing to experiment.

So starting with a rough, simple bw block in, I start working out a balance of light and dark, composition, lighting etc (all elements I continue work on).

I'll then block in the remaining white canvas with a fairly darks to mids base colour, and begin to work in lighting and forms with my colour choices. Thinking about how light affects different surfaces i.e. metal, flesh, etc. At the same time thinking about hard and soft areas of lighting, how shadows would be cast from the lightsource, alternate light sources including reflective, where hard and soft shadows would be and why they would be like that, where light would meet the shadows, etc. There really is alot to think about. Then I continue to work, adding details, and trying pull all elements together as best I can, building up texture as I go.

I also work from sketchbook sketches in a similar way. Always keeping the initial drawing loose, block in a dark base and start working in the lights.

(a couple of initial sketches for the concept paintings here, unfortuantely I haven't any steps of these saved.)

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/beast_sketch.jpg

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/orcwarriorconcepts_sketch.jpg


and some b&w steps

http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/artstuff/maimer_wip.jpg

1. Start with a rough line sketch.

2. Quickly block in the shadows, keeping in mind to create a good balance of black and white.

3. Begin to carve and define your shapes, as this is digital you use both the black and white to do this.

4. Add the rendering and final details.


Overall I try and stay away from using reference in my artwork. I like to do studies seperately then work from my head and think about what I might have learned, tho if I need it I will use it. I still work continously on anatomy, posing, light and shadows, etc and do life drawing studies as well as non life studies. From the work posted here I've used ref on the first image, not for the pose but for rendering certain body parts. Ultimately I'd like to get to a level where I won't be needing it at all, tho it's all a constant battle of hard work.

Also I can't stress this enough but if you haven't already and you love fantasy art, I recommend looking up the works of Justin Sweet. Probably one of the best fantasy artists out there in my opinion. Not only for his painting skills but he also has some of the best drawing talent I've seen in the fantasy genre. The guy can draw amazingly, and tho sometimes drawing ability can get hidden in a painting, if you look closely at his works and you will really see it. Sometimes rare to find an artist that can do both so well, a true inspiration.

[Fipse]

Thank you very much for showing us the way you work - I think I can use some of your tips for my approach to Digital Painting, even for working with opaque colors, what I´m not used to.

Fipse

[amphex]

Amazing work!
Your use of color is stunning, and you always seem to create great moods to all of your pieces =)

[ZippZopp]

thanks for the bits of information cos! always nice to see how other people work. to be honest, your work is amazing. your anatomy is always right on. i'm still struggling to draw something decent from my head!

[Smeagol71]

Cos...this stuff is freakin' awesome. Thanks for the short tutorial, stuff like that is GOLD!

:D

[Hudnut]

Cos-

This stuff is beautiful. I mean really, really good. I love your color palette choices. Great colors.

I appreciate your desire to work without reference for all that great anatomy. I'm on a similar journey. I believe it's possible to have that kind of knowledge of anatomy, as your work demonstrates. I can only wonder what kind of stuff you'll be cranking out in a year or two or five. I'm sure it will be awesome, and I look forward to seeing it!

Dave

[cos]

Hey thanks again all for your comments. Glad people found this stuff useful/helpful, enjoyed going through some of my thinking process with you. And sorry bout the late response btw, haven't been around to reply!

Hud- Cheers man, glad you liked 'em. I loved the work on your site btw! great style.

[ChadTHX1138]

Post more Chix.





:ep:

[Blackwell]

Really incredible stuff, man -- I love your style. Thanks for sharing your tutorials, too.