looking for any tips, guidance, critique, etc

[faelic]

basically i'm aiming to try to figure out how to work photoshop, get it to do what i want, and paint realistic fantasy creatures, end goal being reaching the skill level to do this for a game company. these are among the first attempts, but probably the 'better' ones so far, and i'm well aware they're quite a bit off still.

specifically looking for info/tips on how to show light correctly, how to show material (ie if the horns are bone or stone or metal, or the skin is covered in fur, etc), depth/form/shape of the creatures and characters, and moreso along those lines.

any/all replies welcome.

also, sketchbook link is in signature if seeing previous work is useful.

[White-Tean]

I would recommend that before you focus on technique you improve your anatomy. As you're dedicated to learning how to paint realistic fantasy creatures, I'd advise you refer to the book Imaginative Realism recently published by illustrator James Gurney which outlines a very thorough approach for realistically illustrating what doesn't exist.

If you poke around his blog you'll also find excellent educational discussions and resources there free to read.

In this post he talks about why he wrote the book, what it deals with, and includes excepts which showcase the fantastically methodical approach outlined in the book which, as he says “is intended not only for artists interested in fantasy and science fiction but also for anyone who wants to recreate history, visualize extinct wildlife, or simply tell a story with a picture”.
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/20...e-realism.html

[faelic]

Thanks White-Tean, i'll look into getting that book and browsing through more of his blog/information.

however, i'm still interested in improving the technique as well as the anatomy and just in general improving. i really feel like i'm hitting a wall specifically in digital work trying to show stuff the way i want to with rendering, that's why i'm mostly looking for tips/crits in that direction.

[PuppyKitten]

I know you're looking for digital help mainly, and for that I'll give you one solid piece of advice: Watch your textures. In some spots it almost looks like you used some filters, which cheapens a piece (I don't mean you DID use filters, but you definitely were using texture to make up for errors in painting technique and anatomy and that can have the same overkill effect).

My real advice though is the advice I already know you don't want: Work on your anatomy. I can tell you have a great imagination, and I love where this is going, but anatomy is waaaay more important. No amount of photoshop magic is going to make these pro quality right now. If you really want to practice digitally (and I don't blame you, I love PS), then I suggest using a hard round brush ONLY (with opacity set to pressure), and work in black and white for a while until your values are more consistent. And use reference. Lots of it.

You'll be great in no time flat.

[Bai Fan]

I would say to use more reference. If you are going to draw a unicorn, look at pictures of horses so you know what they look like. Muscles, proportions, etc.

[faelic]

PuppyKitten - i havent used any filters, and i dont really intend to ever touch them, except possibly the liquefy at some point far far in the future. all of these i start working in greyscale and all color is added via a "color" layer, but i'll give some shots at doing full greyscale studies. again i'm aware of the anatomy problems and will work heavily on them, but i'm looking for other tips/critique.

Bai Fan - thanks for the reply, if i hadn't known before i posted i certainly would have noticed by now with the third reply the same comment to work on anatomy, i suppose i should work specifically on these three and reupdate the thread at some point.

overall thanks in general, i've a few self assigned projects set up to try to improve, i'll give those my attention for awhile before i drop back.

[ryansumo]

Something that's also helped me immensely is to ignore color at this stage. In the beginning when you're trying to make a kick ass masterpiece (without really knowing how) you kill yourself by introducing too many elements that you have trouble with.

Start with black and white sketches/paintings, and when you're more comfortable with that start introducing monochrome, then finally adding some more color. I know how it feels to be where you are right now, so trust me, it only gets better with time an d a lot of practice.

[MT-Mystic]

Define your light source. Pick a direction from where the light is coming from, and draw it as an arrow. Remember to consider your light source three dimensionally, so if it is coming from the upper right, is it from in front of the subject or back? And then paint your highlights and your shadows according to your defined light source. Think of an object in real space, on your desk. Play with your desk lamp, or whatever, and then paint your values according to how light actually works in real life as opposed to engaging in generic "shading." Is the light direct or diffused? Diffused light will create form shadow and diffused cast shadow. Direct light will create strong, sharp cast shadow, and you should map that cast shadow across the form. Think like you are painting a 3-dimensional sculpture as opposed to something 2-dimensional. As far as material indication goes, a lot of it has to do with specularity. "Shiny" materials have tight, hard specular highlights, whereas dull materials have diffused highlights. Mess around with a material editor in a 3d program (like say Blender, which you can get for free). The texture of the material will also react with light differently, i.e. a bumpy surface will reflect light differently than a smooth surface, but ultimately you can simply this according to the planes of form.

[Bai Fan]

Also, practice hands and feet. Leaving them out is cheating.

[PuppyKitten]

I know you didn't use filters, I simply said in my post that using too much fancy photoshop rendering can have the same overkill effect as filters. Another reason to stick with a hard round brush for a little while before experimenting with too many other photoshop toys (like other brushes or color overlays). Not that you have to avoid the fun stuff, but maybe just force yourself to do two or three studies with the most basic brush and color palette for every ONE colorful experimental painting. That way there's a balance and you won't burn out...

[Morgan_R]

I'd suggest some still lifes of simple objects. Learn how to render real objects before you move on to imaginary ones. And even then, reference will help.