i need to break away from cartoony!

[RATBAT]

http://side7.gundam.com/ratbat/pictures/shad.jpg

I got some much-needed advice from Todd lockwood over the e-mail today and he said i was heading in the right direction with this displacer beast of my own makeing. amung the main points:

1. textures
2. outlines.

im wondering how someone whos drawn anime style for 8 years can possibly break away from drawing outlines, what is an easy way to define a shape like a hand or a paw from everything else without a black line? does anyone have any other tips for acheiving a more realistic feel? maybe someone could paint over my picture?

[Landmate]

haha good question. I myself have decided to stick with lines and see where it takes me, I guess its what I do. I think sometimes just going with what you do is the best way, and just improve. If you really hate it, well hopefully some of the painters can help you..

sorry i ranted

[Arwar]

you can replace the lines with differences in values. IRL there are obviously no lines so our eyes differentiate objects with color values. But you dont want to go ultra realistic do you? Like photo realistic? Lines are used in art as a style and most art wouldnt look good without it. I say dont abandon lines completely. Maybe you could omit some of the lines where they are not needed.

[MindCandyMan]

This is an interesting discussion because it sort of reaches back to the whole open form/closed form debate that the classicists and romanticists had with each other. Closed form = Drawing a very detailed contour before you ever start painting...etc... Open form was more like moulding clay just reworking the form till it looks right. It is going to be very hard to go from doing linework to doing realistic paintings so I would suggest jumping in with both feet. I would get a painting program like painter/photoshop. Get painter if you can because you can move paint around the canvas with the brushes. I would use painter and pick a thick smeary brush and just start trying to create something. Don't do any underdrawing...just go right to paint and start to shape the forms. I think that would help you move into the other realm quicker. That beast is sweet by the way. I really like the design. It's good that you are wanting to move into more volumetric drawing/painting. Some anime/linework is really cool but most of it lacks a lot of depth...because (going back to the discussion between open and closed form) when you put lines on the outside of the subject you are, in essence, flattening it to begin with. You then have to fight with that image to get it to read more like a volume or mass in space. There are times and places for both and that's my rookie two cents...anyways I hope that helps. I can't wait to see your paintings you obviously have a lot of skill.

[bboy]

Just some things I thought I would add to what was already been said. I think that you could also try varying the quality of lines you are using. For example having a heavier or thicker line on things that are closer to you or which would have more importance and lighten up.. or even have the line disappearing altogether on things that have less importance. Or perhaps you could use this same principle in terms of how something is lit, Maybe no line at all, where the light is hitting 90 degrees to your subject. Thick? Thin? Light? Dark? Which kind of line would be the most effective in what area?Also I was thinking you could change up the characterof line, maybe like.. a scratchy line? Or scribbly kind of line? flowing? gestural? jagged, dotted? What is the character of line? And which character of line would best suit the subject matter?

I know it's been mentioned before, but tone is another thing you could take up. How much tone though and how much line? Are your line and tone doing the same job right now? As someone said before perhaps, you're already doing something with tone, and maybe you don't need a line there at all. Just sort of... how much line do you want to use... and how much tone do you want to use.... 90% line? 10% tone? or less line? and more tone?

Hope that helps out some.

bboy

[RATBAT]

this is a small strange painting i was commisioned to do, im still working on it.. and incorperating more ambeint shadeing and textures in it. but as i was painting this.. i couldnt help but feel that the dark lines are really sapping away the pictures look of anything realistic. i mean.. is it allright to have sutch thick lines?? i was hopeing in the futore to produce soemthing close to Ed Lees sea dinosaur pick. I want lines, but i dont know that if i go bigger, they will be destrationg. when is a good time to not use lines? when your matte painting?

http://side7.gundam.com/ratbat/pictures/clock.jpg
..a bit of background.. its kind of a psuedo anime type portrayal of a contorted humanoid with a wing bursting out of the chest cavity. its a symbol of a nephilim, a kind of angel that was never meant to be. hence the wrongess. any advice to get away from more cartoony?

[R_M]

the skin on this one is really nice! you should post a bit bigger res though.

If you want to go away from catoony you should use your lines just as guides, and pait over them, like in the hand and head. my 2 cents