A Bit of Help on Process?

[Diagrax]

Hello,

I just recently signed up, although I've been viewing all of your works for quite some time now (very beautiful stuff here). My name's Laura, and I'm a highschool student in South Korea whom is aspiring to be a concept artist, and the tips you could give me would greatly improve my future.

As of now I am working on a personal project (a form of book), and would like to know your individual processes for creating 2D concept art. I'm already comfortable at details and shading- but what I am wondering is: Do you first make a sketch, lightly color the basics using traditional medium, then scan and refine of photoshop... or is it something different? And, what form of medium to you tend to use?

Also, do you tend to use some form of tablet when doing your works on photoshop- or do you even use photoshop?

Any help or extra tips would from you would help alot, thanks. :wink:

[Automatic Kafka]

Im not a professional(Computer game graphics student) so maybe you shouldnt listen to me all that much but here what I do:


1. Put on music on full blast, do a whole bunch of random doodles to get warmed up.

2. Try to form an idea on what it is that I want to do, and make another set of random doodles on that subject

3. Time to begin. I start up a new document in corel painter and begin making a bunch of very small sketches using my wacom. I use an Intuos3 A4 so I can sketch directly on the computer with precision. I use these thumbnails to check composition and poses.

4. I decide on one thumbnail to use, I blow that up to about 800x600 and make a rough sketch out of it with more details. I block in shades of grey to check composition and change it around until it looks good.

5. I take the rough sketch and blow that up to maybe 3500x2000. I use a new layer to do a cleanup of the rough sketch with exact lines.

6. I begin laying down my flats(colour fields) its important that these are very precise so I can use layer transparency so Ill paint on just the area I want to and nothing else. This will keep my edges sharp and crisp

7. I do light shading and highlighting to get a sense of volume, no directional light, just ambient to define volume and shape

8. Now I decide where the light will come from and I begin by adding a transparent multiply layer over the picture to darken it and then I erease away quickly and roghly to see where the highlights go.

9. I follow my "lightmap" and begin to paint shadows and highlight

10. Finishing painting touches: I mess around with colour value and tone to get it exactly as I want it, you can use layers with paint to change the hue of light and so on.



Now during all steps I continually erease and redo, add and remove stuff from the picture. If something looks wonky, it must be removed or repainted a hundred times until I get it right

[Diagrax]

Hey, thanks for taking the time for the reply so thoroughly. :3

Interesting, so your technique is to essentially skip the traditional medium and go straight for the Painter program? I've never used Painter myself, but it sounds somewhat similar to Photoshop.

Viewing other artist's art, I had always assumed that they achieved that sketchy, yet smooth and bold effect by first starting off with perhaps watercolor after doing the outlines, and enhancing it through a computer program. XD Never gotten it quite down pat, but I think it's because I use a touch pad/mouse for my work. .__.

Hmmn, well I suppose the best way to learn art really is through self experimentation, eh? xD Hehe.

Any other artist's procedures would be appreciated. :bashful: My school doesn't provide a great art program, and I often use resort to my own books and meddling around to learn. >_<

[Seedling]

Diagrax - I don't think you are likely to find many concept artists who use watercolor. A few, perhaps, but not many.

Photoshop, pencil, and marker are the more likely tools, with Photoshop leading the way.

Rwally, what you want to do is figure out what works best for you, and not worry about what others are using.

By the way, you might be interested in the link in my sig called "Concept Art 101". . .

[chaosrocks]

actually I use, WC pen and ink...etc sometimes.
I can knock out abig overall landscape in a short time that way
I have also just discovered that if you do an ink drawing ...scan it..print it out on Matt photo papaer and let it dry for an hour..you can WC over it....weird... but kinda fun to work that way

but these are the excewptions..not the standards as seedling said

chaos

[Diagrax]

Hey,

Thanks you two for the tips. :3

Well, you see the only reason why I'm interested in what other artists do is because the information might help me expand my own horizons while I'm continually learning. ^^

The Concept Art 101 is helpful though, along with this: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18980

Thanks again, I think I have enough information to start pushing myself more now. :0-)

[Justin.]

Many use tablets, many use Photoshop or Painter (Made by the company Corel) Or both.