C.O.W. - #059: Creek Crawler - Official Tutorial by JakkaS

[Fozzybar]

Tutorial for
COW #059 - Creek Crawler

artist:
JakkaS


JakkaS:
"I start with few sketches, ideas but usually I know how the creature should look. So I am drawing a few variants of the chosen idea. Here are they with the brushes I have used for this painting.



When I have my sketch, I make a blank new image and start drawing. I use the sketch but usually don’t work on them. When I am drawing it from the beginning, I have the opportunity to draw a few things in a different way or sometimes just by accident, I can find some new ideas.

When I have my sketch, I can make a layer for first colors. I don’t start with grayscale like most of u do. Reason? I was trying it but I wasn’t satisfied. The colors were dirty and everything was too flat. Anyway, I start with my basic colors and when the colors are ok, I usually make the picture flat again (sometimes I work on many layers but not this time).

At this moment, I work only with brushes. I don’t have any special technique so there is nothing to share with u. Maybe next time :D.

After the drawing is finished I usually experiment with custom brushes or by adding the dirt, I am trying to make the picture more interesting. I use for this second layer set on multiply or other filter – I am still experimenting with this.


Below u can fine the work steps and my final.

Photoshop, about 10-11 hours.

[Fozzybar]

Final Image

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Thumbnails

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WIPs and steps

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Enjoy, ask and discuss! ;)

[Michael Jaecks]

Interesting. Do you ever lasso stuff and tweak the hue saturation value as you get closer from mid-point to final?

Its also cool to see you refine and edit ideas out of the picture... like the eyestalks coming out of the water.

[Supervlieg]

Wow, nice to see the progress mr. Jakkas. Love the little thumbs.

[Joey-b]

thx man.. very nice.. how manny layers (just curious :))

[AztcFireFlower]

Always absorbing ideas and methods constantly. Thanks for the breakdown on your great entry, Jakkas.

[Stephan_R]

i've always wondered "how you do it" and now ....the answer! Thanks :) great stuff, I like the thumbs as well I need to start doing that more often. You're a master of polish that's for sure, whether its in the design of the subject or the execution. I look forward to seeing more of these.

[Moai]

I'd like to see a step 3 1/2. It went fairly quickly from a colored sketch to an unfinished painting. But beggars can't be choosers, I guess. Awesome to see a master at work.:rendered:

[KaWaii]

Just love how you shrimped his eyes in the final haha

Thx and keep up the good work !

[Supervlieg]

I like shrimps too man.

[Ostrander]

This is a great tutorial, thanks for sharing this with everyone!

[BANCK]

this is the best idea! i love tutorials =)

this truly amazing jakkas, i hope that you will continue doing tut´s!

awesome pic.

[Simon Boxer]

Jakkas, you are the man. When are you gonna display your work on FF?

[Tom Garden]

Hey one question to add

When you are using your bruch - what sort of settings do you tend to have it on, as in terms of opacity, flow etc

[JakkaS]

Sorry Guys, I was quit busy.

Michael Jaecks – Of course I use them. But usually in the last stage of work. However, I noticed that playing with layers gives more interesting effects then using hue or saturation. When I want to change some color or gives some dirt/texture, I create empty layer and use some custom brushes with random color. Just to try making the picture more interesting. I draw some shapes over the surface I want to change and the I set the layer to on of the filter – multiple, darken etc. Different settings gives different effects, but accidentally u could find something cool.

Supervlieg – Thx :D

Joey-b – For this one 3. One for the background and the creature (sometime I separate them), one for the Ambers and details and one for text. I usually create additional layers when I am not sure if the idea I want to try will be fine. If the details or colors I am trying are good I making the picture flat again.

AztcFireFlower - :D

Stephan_R – Thank u…I think I will make at least one more in the future ….if FOZZ will agree.

Moai – This is my first “tutorial”. Next time I will make more steps and probably I will write more comments.

KaWaii – Thx

Ostrander - :D

BANCK – Thx, I think there will be more! :D

cognition.sb – hehehe, I think it will be soon. I don’t have any choice…:D Too many people asking for that. U see, I still don’t have good portfolio but I am close to finish it. When I throw my old works and put the new ones will make my thread on FF.

Tom Garden – It is always an experiment. Usually I use only few brushes with standard settings. When I create a new one, it looks like that, [this is Polish version but u can see what I have set]. Btw, when I am drawing I set flow 90-100% and then a use keys from 1 (10%) to 0 (100%) to changing the opacity. It depends how much of color I want to add.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/JakkaS/_brush-settings.jpg

Sorry if the answers are not clear enough but for me it’s hard to explain something in English. I hope, I it was useful. :yayca:
Cheers
Kuba

[Fozzybar]

I think I will make at least one more in the future ….if FOZZ will agree.
I agree :) :perv:

[Vampire Ninja]

Hey Jakkas, thanx for showing the process. I love seeing how other artists work.

question: What resolution do you work at (sorry if you have already answered this).

[JakkaS]

Vampire Ninja - I work at 2000-3500px /300dpi :D

[Chuck Wadey]

Neat. This is cool.

[JakkaS]

Thx Chuck...I hope u will be the next :D
btw, thx for the vote in the last round :D

[ikuru]

Your style rocks dude!
Do you look allot at photographs for water and such?:lens:

[Rist]

kick ass dude. I am just starting to learn the ins and outs of digital painting and this is a great tutorial to aid me on my way.

[TomCardin]

Thanks for puting that tutorial together for us! It definitely leaves me asking for more. Damn I miss not being able to paint.

Are you just using photoshop?

[peter_john]

Fozzybar, JakkaS, thanks for putting this together! I'm excited to see your c.o.w. 100 results too.

[Thujon]

Hehe wlasnie przeczytalem ze studiwales w Polsce....
Muj brat studiwal na ASP w Krakowie...
Ale rodzina sie przeniosla do Szwajcarij w 81...
Fajnie jest ciebie tutaj poznac....i przepraszam jak muj polski pisemny nie jest naj lepszy ( nigdy sie tego naprawde nauczylem ;-))
Pozdrawiam!!!