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In this section I am going
to go over my process from initial concept to "finished" piece.
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Hardware |
A PC running Windows XP and a
Wacom graphics tablet. |
Programs |
Painter in conjunction with Photoshop |
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Step 1: |
Drawing... Lots of Drawing. |
Once an idea pops into my mind I
start sketching. Depending on the piece there could be dozens of
drawings. Most of the time this step is done |
on paper with a 4H pencil (I use
a hard pencil because I tend to smear with softer ones) or a fine
tipped pen. On occasion I have sketched in the |
digital realm. |
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Step 2: |
Scan It |
Now it is time to scan the
drawing into the computer. I scan at a higher resolution then the final
piece is going to be so I can bring the image |
into a larger dimensional form (
i.e. original 8.5"X11" to 17"X22" digital painting) and retain all the
details. I scan at 600 dpi, with the printing |
norm of 300 dpi. |
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Step 3: |
Decisions, Decisions |
Now I decide on what my color
pallet is going to be. What are going to be my dark darks and bright
brights, and every tone in between. |
My pallet might get revised as I
am painting but I try to stick to my initial choices. |
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Step 4: |
Background Love |
I try to keep digital painting
as close to traditional painting as possible, so I start with the
background. In Photoshop I make a new layer under |
the sketch layer and switch the
sketch layer to multiply. I start with base colors for objects and a
dark to light gradient for skies. Each image is |
different so I refine it until I
am happy and then onto the next step. The beauty of digital painting is
that I can always go back refine further if I |
feel the piece requires it. |
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Step 5: |
Blocking in the Focus |
Moving from the background I
make a new layer for the focus of the piece, for most of my work it
would be a character of some type. I block |
it in using the darkest color
already in the image. This allows me to see the silhouette and I can
make any changes for a more defining design. |
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Step 6: |
Mid Tones Galore |
Next are the mid tones for
whatever material is needed. At this stage I try to keep in mind what
the light source(s) is doing, keeping the dark |
shadows were they need to be. I
also start blending at this stage. My blending technique stems from
charcoal drawing where you are taking a |
dark tone into a light one. I
use Corel Painter to blend because it feels more natural than in
Photoshop, but Photoshop blending methods can |
work for different problems so
it is good to save as PSDs for easy switching between the two programs.
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Step 7: |
Hi Highlights |
The highlights finally make it
to the party. Blending continues with much more thought to what
material the objects are made of. Different |
materials react to light
differently. Are the highlights defused? Is this material reflective
and if so to what degree? Questions to keep in mind. |
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Step 8: |
God is in the Details |
Now I focus on the details, the
stuff that no one notices unless they are not there, like good
seasoning in
food. This is where the digital realm has a |
leg up - the ability to
zoom in
on an image and tweak the smallest pixel is great. Do not jump to this
step prematurely because once you get |
wrapped up in the details it is
easy to lose site of the image as a whole. |
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Step 9: |
I Just Need Some "Me" Time |
This step can occur throughout
the process but it is necessary towards the end. Step away from the
piece for a day or more so that when you |
come back to it you have fresh
eyes and can see the big mistakes. Some times because of deadlines you
do not have the luxury of doing |
this to a great degree, but even
a good night's sleep does wonders. |
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Step 10: |
Separation Anxiety |
Calling a piece done can be
difficult. Sometimes you just can't stand the sight of it any more,
other times the deadline cuts you off; in any |
case it is time to stop. Some
people say a piece of art is never finished, just abandoned. That might
be true but the only question that needs to be |
asked is, "Are you ready to let
it
loose in the world where it can be ridiculed or praised, loved or
hated?" |
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