Painting Demo, *Rocks* Now with carvings.

[Gilead]

This is in response to andy__artist's post about how to paint rocks.
I'm no Keith Parkinson, but I'll do my best.
I'll do two rocks one just using opaque colors and on using opaque and transparent colors.

a rough sketch
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks01.JPG

My pallete. I'm using all latex house paint for this.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks02.JPG

The background. Blue and white at the top blue, white and fleshtone at the bottom for atmosphere. The ground is red and brown with green and brown for grass, not blended just kinda' chopped together. I like this $1.00 brush from the hardware store for stuff like grass.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks03.JPG

Painting the dark side of the rocks.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks04.JPG

3 shades here; the left side the right side and the top.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks05.JPG

My pallete so far.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks06.JPG

For highlights scrub a lot of paint off the brush to get a dry-brush effect.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks07.JPG

Scuff on some lighter areas wherever the light would hit raised surfaces.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks08.JPG

I mix a little blue in the color for the top plane to reflect the sky.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks09.JPG

A fairly respectable rock for 5 minutes work.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks10.JPG

Add a few darker details with a small point brush, still mostly dry-brushing. You need a stiff bristled brush for dry-brushing. I like this worn out filbert because of the nice point it now has on it.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks11.JPG

Now on to the next rock. I start with a little chunk of sponge. Just dab it all ofer the pallete picking up several different darker colors. dont blend them just dab them up.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks12.JPG

Then dob them on all over the rock.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks13.JPG

Now get some lighter colors and do it again. Dont clean the sponge just slop it around. Be careful to change the position of the sponge to avoid creating a repeating pattern.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks14.JPG

Now I'm mixing some darker color with a little varnish and some of my dirty water from my brush cleaning jar.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks15.JPG

Let the sponge stuff dry completely before glazing on a thin mixture of color.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks16.JPG

Mix a little more paint in darker areas, but keep it transparent.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks17.JPG

More layers make it darker. Pick out interesting features of the surface by darkening little spots like facets of a gem. Remember where your lightsource is and darken only on the shadow side.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks18.JPG

Mostly done.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks19.JPG

Just a few bry-brushed higlights put on sparingly and we're through.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks20.JPG

Gonna have to put some grass back in, For really scrubby foliage effects somtimes I just jab the surface with this brush. All done.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks21.JPG

While we're all here and having fun let's try some cracked rocks. I'll just do the sponging thing right here on my board.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks22.JPG

Once it's dry I mix a fairly thin dark paint and make the cracks with a liner brush. Be sure to use sharp angular lines not smooth curvey squiggles.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks23.JPG

With a really thin mix put some shadows on the bottom edges. That'd be above the crack.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks24.JPG

Now with a dry-brush scrub some lighter color on the top edges; below the cracks.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks25.JPG

Pull some of the light out into the surface to show where the light catches on irregularities.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks26.JPG

Voilla! I've done entire walls like this in an afternoon. Do your Mom's room like this while she's away at work. She'll be very surprised.
http://members.cox.net/gilead1/rocks27.JPG

That's it, hope you enjoy.

[bracomadar]

Great tutorial. Thanks man. You wouldn't happen to have some Painter 9 tutorials, or know where there are some on painting trees and grass easily would you?

[RandAlThor]

Clear and concise. :wink:

[Gilead]

RandAlThor, thanks. Hope it helps.

bracomadar, Painter 9? Is that sum kinda' computer thang? I just do paint.

[Fusion]

wow, fantastic tutorial gilead! heh, you learn something new everyday :) Keep up with these tutorials, they're helping tons. . . plus im sure we'd all be glad to see these traditional paints than the thousands of pgs of painter 9 ;)

[Judy Warner]

this is very helpful--I need to do rocks all the time---thanks-Judy

[Gilead]

Fusion, Thanks I'm happy to help. I respect computer art, I just don't know anything about it.

Judy Warner, Really? What do you do?

[Judy Warner]

I paint a lot of landscapes, and I live in New England--tons of stone walls---I sometimes use a technique involving scraping with the side of a credit card over several layers of paint to create planes and color variation. Works very well if the paint is just right :) I will try some of your ways too. Judy

[madster]

. . . plus im sure we'd all be glad to see these traditional paints than the thousands of pgs of painter 9 ;)Although very appreciated, that doesn't mean "we'd all" necessarily prefer traditional over Painter, OR Photoshop, OR Flash...Don't presume to speak for us all, Fusion. I happen to be equally traditional medium and digital, as are others. That's one of the nice things about CA, it allows for many different forms of expression for "us all..."
~M

[Gilead]

Judy Warner, Sounds cool. I was born in Vermont and have dim memories of stone walls and lots of greenery...and mosquitos. I hope to see some of your work posted here 'bouts when you get set up.

madster, Actually I'm aware that I'm kind of the odd one out here and I accept it. Here I am knowing nothing about computer art, animation or video games and yet I'm posting on a website that's basically focused on that stuff. I'm just gratefull no one's kicking me out.

I don't know if traditional techniques translate at all into computer art, but I'm happy to toss out whatever I have for anyone who can use it.

[madster]

Gilead, the only "oddness," is that you are strictly Traditional. Many of us ride the wave of both Traditional AND Digital, sometimes combining the two and blurring the borders even more...My comment was directed more to Fusion's blanket declaration, than your generousity in sharing this technique with us.

The steps you've shown can be fairly easily adapted to Corel's Painter software, and to a somewhat lesser effect, to Photoshop, as well.

Thank you for taking the time to post the photographs with the tutorial. It always helps to have visuals when you are trying to learn new techniques. If not for the fact I'd be shot when family returned from a current vacation, I'd love to paint the bathroom with this rock texture, large cracks and all...I think it'd look uber-cool!

~M

[HunterKiller_]

I love how the second rock turned out. Great work.

[Gilead]

HunterKiller Thanks glad you enjoyed it.
madster, That would look very cool. You could do the whole room like a dungeon with cracks in the stone and icky creatures creeping out from behind the comode. Who wouldn't love it?

[Big-Dave]

Very nice tutorial. Rocks aint easy to daw convincingly, so any help available the better. Is that hogs hair brushes you're using to paint the rocks, or is it something else?

[Gilead]

Big-Dave I think so. I buy my brushes by feel. The filberts are stiff and coarse which is good for pushing around thick creamy tube paints. The flat is stiff, but finer haired which is prefferable for thinner paints.
Even for watercolors i can't stand a limp bristled brush. If you flick it with your fingertips it has to snap back into shape or it's no good.
Natural fibers are prefferable, but some synthetic fibers feel the same and act the same. They also tend to cost the same so there's no real advantage that I can see.

[Gilead]

Check out my other demo on how to paint elephant like skin here: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=537644#post537644

[Gilead]

Just for fun I decided to add some stone carving.
It's basically the same thing as doing cracked rock.
First do the sponging technique like before. When it's dry, draw your design with watercolor pencil.
http://members.cox.net/gilead/stone49.JPG

Using a thin wash shade the underside of the forms
http://members.cox.net/gilead/stone50.JPG

http://members.cox.net/gilead/stone52.JPG

And with a thin white wash do the top side of the forms and you're done.
http://members.cox.net/gilead/stone54.JPG
Nothing to it. Now you can paint your whole bedroom to look like a set from an Indiana Jones movie!