Vanquish(updated)

[John P.]

I was a bit stumped for ideas of what to paint next after the last painting was finished. But then it occurred to me that I haven't drawn a car since I was......ten or so!
So I decided I could need the practise and that I needed a car painting in my portfolio.

This painting was made using a picture as a reference. About 60% of the initial sketch was traced over the picture though.

The reason I decided to do that, was that I had already finished sketching from the picture by looking at it, but then I decided I would check just for fun how close my sketch had come to the original.
So I put the original image on it's own layer beneath the sketch, and it turned out I was a bit off in about half of the sketch I had made.
So being the perfectionist that I am, I corrected the areas where I was off to fit with the picture. I then removed the picture from the layers, and continued painting using the original as a reference only.


This was a bit of a painting exercise for me, 'cause with the brush I used, it was impossible to blend colours(unless I had 'cheated' by using different opacities on the brush), so I had to find a gradient close to the one next to it if I wanted to go lighter or darker.

Pretty obvious stuff, but pretty new to me.

So I consider this to have been a nice training session.

Plus now I have a car in my portfolio! :)


Intuos and PS btw.


SEE UPDATED PIC BELOW, AND AT MY WEBSITE

[Loga4]

Well nice effort you make,
cool piece,mate,keep exercise
that way:)

[ODIN SIX]

Very Good NG,,,,,

My only crit would be that it needs a bigger shadow under the
car.. It looks like its Floating or something...

This was a bit of a painting exercise for me, 'cause with the brush I used, it was impossible to blend colours(unless I had 'cheated' by using different opacities on the brush), so I had to find a gradient close to the one next to it if I wanted to go lighter or darker.

Why is this Cheating?????

Well Good Job!!!!
:beer:

[John P.]

Originally posted by ODIN SIX
it needs a bigger shadow under the
car.

Thanks for the comments both of you.

Yes, I know. The reference I used does have a shadow, but I'm pretty sure that's just a Photoshop shadow. In other words, I think the reference I used is a photoshoped image.

But I think I'll add a shadow with a brush. :)

[Fozzybar]

Hey, OdinSix! He's John P. now! :)

John (he, i learn fast), you should enter Jason's thread about copying a master's piece. It looks really good!

But one crit though...again i am going for the composition...as the background shouldn't be important, the white flash is too prominent...viewers are looking there, though there is nothing of importance...the focus is dragged to the left...

[cucaracha]

I know that photo, it was my desktop for a while :)

I think it's bit too close to the original.

If you have a reference and draw directly on it, why not making a different background or a new lighting?
That would be nicer, imho.

[Blind]

Ahhhh, the Aston Martin... you've found my weak spot. The V12 Vanquish... a mere $240,000 USD...

nice painting, btw >8)

[John P.]

Originally posted by cucaracha
If you have a reference and draw directly on it, why not making a different background or a new lighting?




Erm, I didn't draw directly on it; well ok, half the sketch I did.

I have actually made an alternative background, that I've drawn from a pic of a desert road, with a blue sky and stuff.

But I wasn't really happy with it, so I scrapped it and went for the easier background.

Maybe I'll post one where I use the other background.


Again - the light at the left is pretty much exactly as the reference too.

I know I have probably kept too close to it - but I did not do a paint over job on this! If it looks like I did, then I hope you'll find that it's because I did a fairly OK job with this one. I know that it probably makes the painting more 'boring', but this was more of an exercise for me.

Drawing from images is something I know, as I've done it for years, only on paper before.

[EVIL]

.. ey.. you see that green stuff in the background?! yes?.. okey.. wel i dont see it on the reflection of the car.. FIX THAT..NOW!!.. :) :evilbat:

[John P.]

I know.

However......



IT WASN'T IN THE REFERENCE EITHER!!!










Oops....Caps Lock.... ;)

And neither was the blue sky I added.... It was all green up there....


Lousy reference.... http://home.online.no/~johmoe/smilies/grumpy.gif


However, I'm planning on perhaps putting the car in the other background I made, so...



PS for those of you who wonder why the thread was made by ¤ N G ¤, and John P. is answering, it's because I've just had a namechange. Thx davi! :)

[cucaracha]

i'm sorry for saying you drew directly on it :o

so, gj - keep on drawing a backround :)

[mtomczek]

The agree about the green stuff. It needs to be on the car whether it was in the reference or not, its in your composition. Right now it the car doesnt fit in with the background, because it isnt reflected on the car. Another thing I was going to say is that this isnt necessarily the smartest thing to add to a portfolio, if you were the designer of the vanquish then perhaps it would, but schools and studios are looking for original stuff, I admit it is done very well, but its not necessarily something that a school or studio is going to judge your talent by. Personally I wouldnt use it in my portfolio, but as practice on how cars are to be rendered, and learn from it, then design a car of my own for my portfolio using what I learned. This would make a piece that is ten times more influencing then the rendering of the vanquish.

With that said, the painting is extremely nice, and you obviously have an eye for color and reflection. Keep it up.

[John P.]

EDIT:

Instead of bumping this thread, I decided to post the finished painting here.

So here's the updated finished painting, posted today 16th of January:


http://home.online.no/~johmoe/art_portfolio/JPM_Vanquish_2.jpg

[ODIN SIX]

Like 400% Better John P...

I'm really diggin this new enviroment:beer: :beer:

[John P.]

Thanks ODIN. :)

What I need to know is, is this new background too open to the right? Does the composition make your eyes wanderr over to the right, away from the car, or is the car prominent enough to keep your attention? Stuff like that.

What to add and whatnot. The sky isn't finished of course; nothing is finished in the background, but you get the idea.


TIA. :)



edit: If someone wants to see the reference I used for the painting in the first place, and are too lazy to search for it,
here it is. (http://www.edmunds.com/media/firstlook/02.aston.martin.vanquish/a-m.vanquish.f3-4.500.jpg)

[Fozzybar]

the composition is ok, because the car has got lots more details then the rest...the big "space" on the right is helpful to get the focus to the car...

[Yaseck]

Yeah.. it's good when you`re trying to pump up your skills. In that case: good job. As an art: sorry..

[John P.]

Originally posted by Yaseck
As an art: sorry..


Yeah, you're right.

I should've painted from a picture of a woman on a sofa, or some apples in a bowl on a table.

Then at least I could've called it art... :thumbsup:

[Yaseck]

You did get me wrong: I was trying to say: what for re-makeing some photos? Are they not good enough? Try to show yourself in the picture, not only copy it.