Saturday, July 21, 2012

IF-LOST (and FULL illustration art process.)



I've been wanting to complete a full/complex illustration for awhile...ever since graduating It's been hard to find time or patience. I've also wanted to use and document the FULL creation process since I've learned several GREAT methods that make the whole process fun and controlable.  Sorry if it seems that my blog has become more of my ART JOURNAL than anything else.


1.Underdrawing  (1.5 hours at work on my lunch and breaks)
a Concept exploration
b Thumb and strings
c enlarge and redraw (grid thumb and map to larger size)
d Trace and finalize drawing (flip pages back and forth like animators)

a Concept exploration
  b Thumb and strings
c enlarge and redraw (grid thumb and map to larger size)
  d Trace and finalize drawing (flip pages back and forth like animators)

2.Final Drawing (a - g:  4 hours   h:  45 min at work)
a scan underdrawing. Warp/adjust  in Photoshop
b color comp
c Turn colors greyscale (desaturate)
d build value up, off of desaturated color layer
e carve into line and value layer
f Colorize and lighten everything (Hue/Saturation). Make new layer and 
finalize character lines.
g finalize value
h Colorize and lighten everything (Hue/Saturation) print and draw final BG

a Scan underdrawing. Warp/adjust  in Photoshop
  b Color comp
  c Turn colors greyscale (desaturate)
  d Build value up, off of desaturated color layer
  e Carve into line and value layer
  f Colorize and lighten everything (Hue/Saturation). Make new layer and finalize character lines.
  g finalize value
  h Colorize and lighten everything (Hue/Saturation) print and draw final BG


 3."Final" value and Colors (false start) 4.5 hours
a Scan final BG lines. hue/sat red away. finalize value
b mask layer (only paint color using masks)
c Lighten everything a lot (preparing for colors part 2)
d colors part 1-soft light layer (make a good base for colors part 2)
e colors part 2-multiply
f  final colors

a Scan final BG lines. hue/sat red away. finalize value
  b mask layer (only paint color using masks)
  c Lighten everything a lot (preparing for colors part 2)

d colors part 1-soft light layer (make a good base for colors part 2)
e colors part 2-multiply
  f  final colors

At this point I hit a wall. The colors were misbehaving and out of control, and the value structure was chaotic. I was about to say, "I'ts good enough" and just move onto my next step of Paint, Paint, Paint (where I spend 5 or so hours syncing everything up), but I wanted to get this illustration right, and push through the wall I've been stuck behind for awhile now. (I am starting to learn that walls aren't meant to hinder, but to make you grow and show how hard you want your goals.) There were several parts of the painting I loved, but I knew that small sacrifices must be made for the greater good...so I took matter back into my own hands and did a 5 hour redo.


4. REDO Final value and colors step (a: 20-30 min at wok. b - e  :  5 hours)
a value structure thumbnails
b turn color greyscale (desaturate)
c  Rework value (based on thumbs).  Do a very detailed rendering of value. Finish Value
d Lighten Value ALOT  (preparing for colors part 2)
e Colors part 1- Last time I did a soft light layer, this time I made individual Hue/
Saturation masks (colorize) for each portion of the drawing. Gets the 
same results. (make a good base for colors part 2)
f Colors part 2- layer set on multiply. Paint colors in. (use 3f as a guide. Also 
tried to keep colors in control and natural.)

a value structure thumbnails
  b turn color greyscale (desaturate 3f)
  c  Rework value (based on thumbs).  Do a very detailed rendering of value. Finish Value
  d Lighten Value ALOT  (preparing for colors part 2)
  e Colors part 1- Last time I did a soft light layer, this time I made individual Hue/
Saturation masks (colorize) for each portion of the drawing. Gets the 
same results. (make a good base for colors part 2)
  f Colors part 2- layer set on multiply. Paint colors in. (use 3f as a guide. Also 
tried to keep colors in control and natural.)

5. Paint, Paint, Paint. Finale (6 hours)
a Final colors (sync multiply layer)
b Finalize values and contrast. (using auto and levels features)
c Paint, paint, paint over value and color layers. no masks used. While painting 
add pure colors from swatches…conforming as needed. (discovered 
d FINISH. (do whatever is needed to make it complete.)

a Final colors (sync multiply layer)
  b Finalize values and contrast. (using auto and levels features)
  c Paint, paint, paint over value and color layers. no masks used. While painting 
add pure colors from swatches…conforming as needed. (discovered 
  d FINISH. (do whatever is needed to make it complete.)

Approx. TOTAL creation time: 22 1/2 hours

Unique aspects I learned:
Do color comp. then convert to greyscale use as value base.
Expore BG digitally. Print and do final lines of BG with pencil and paper
Lighten value layer ALOT, soft light layer, multiply layer. add final color, add pure color.


Here is a short movie I threw together of 73 screenshots over the course of creating the illustration. Sorry that it's not bigger... Blogger wouldn't upload anything larger. 0_o  




Saturday, July 14, 2012

Various client projects, and Once Upon my Garden!



I think it's always great to see your artwork in the final used context.
I hope you will endulge in my large image/process dump today.  The artworks here are not how I typically work...so if you dont find the animated gifs useful, then I will.



Final digital Rough Draft

once again I think it is not only great, but refreshing to see your artwork used, and enjoyed!


 Once upon my Garden!

This is what we've harvested from our garden so far (minus the actual greens of the onions, and the green-leaf lettuce we've already ate). We still have tomatoes, cucumbers, and maybe broccoli coming.

Can't say it's easy to have a garden. I've dealt with ones in the past, but honestly there is a science to the whole thing....and this is the first time for  both of us (my wife and I) planting and harvesting on our own.  Despite the crazy drought, our garden did pretty good....though compared to the others on the lot ours looked like a weedpatch. X_x sigh...

Speaking of crazy lack of water, I think it is ironic that my ongoing online story book, "Make it Rain" is all about that (I came up with the idea before we hit the drought. haha).  It's so dry where I live, that they would charge a $150.00 fine if you watered your lawn!

Thursday, July 05, 2012

Illustration / comic Drawing Methods & Techniques

"Rodin Forever Thinking." 2012 Digital.
This was a commission I completed yesterday (started and finished in 5 hours.) It wasn't supposed to be anything amazing, however after seeing some of Rodin's sculptures in person, I fell in love with the rawness of his figures, and especially the HANDS...oh what wonderful hands. So I hope I made it a little amazing.

If you haven't noticed from my last few posts, I've been putting alot of thought into how I work artistically. If my barbaric explanations fail to inspire you, then at least it helps me understand how I develop my drawings best.  Because of the illustration above, and my past few posts, I have felt the desire to publish in a simple/illustrated format HOW I develop my underdrawings...the scaffolding...the core of my illustrations.

Represented below are two schools of thoughts that I have learned/developed over the years. School one is DRAW/ERASE. School two is what I call DISTANCE METHOD, or to be more proper Traditional methods. I don't use one school or method exclusively, or even think about the fact I am using them. In fact quite often I use ALL of them even in just one drawing. These are just GREAT techniques for developed a good/solid underdrawing early on.  This list is not meant to be exclusive...as I have a few others I forgot to include, but are at least my core.  Honestly I am a CHOAS to order kinda guy, so you will notice I like to scribble and make a mess before things make sense.

My methods:



Traditional Methods / Distance Methods:



You probably noticed I used the word, "Impression" for all of my techniques. Impression is where the magic occurs; it is element X.  For me it's the thing in my head that speaks and tells me things have to be a certain way...what's right or wrong.  This type of magic is created and gets stronger by years of practice, studying professional artists, basic art classes, hard work, and more practice/failure/practice/failure/practice...and even then you just keep learning. It's kinda scary... The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
-Mike Blake.

Possible future posts?
-Thumbnail...small, med, large. general to more specific. Using the grid for live drawings?
-building up lines with short strokes.
-Using Distance method 2 - light to dark in conjunction with photoshop hue/saturation.
-Warp lines (have a fairly complete drawing.)