Sketches and Studies by Craig Houghton - [11/16]

**Fellah.** · May 29th, 2005, 04:15 PM

Already looking amazing

Good work dude!

**Craig Houghton** · May 30th, 2005, 12:36 AM

Thanks Fellah

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I took the easier road out, or rather, I don't think she's anything more than a nude for its own sake, so I'm just framing her off and calling her finished. I'm happy though

I worked up from a brown underpainting, leaving much of the underpainting intact. All of the brushwork on the figure was a brush variant of the Gouache brush with the 'Feature' setting set to 3.2 to show bristles. This made for a cross-hatch sort of brush. I built everything up as if using a scratchboard tool. It's not perfect, but I'm satisfied.

and

Thanks for looking!

Craig.

**Jesus_Mancini** · May 30th, 2005, 02:03 AM

That, Craig, is absolutely spectacular. Dont usually comment much here on CA but I felt I had to. You didn't take a simple approach to it, but you nailed it. Great lighting and value.

**SupaFightingRobot** · May 30th, 2005, 02:11 AM

Fantastic. A mix of wonderful style and small areas that are just about photorealistic. Great stuff!

**Craig Houghton** · May 30th, 2005, 04:53 AM

Many, many thanks Supa and Jesus.

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Someone was asking about the brush technique. So, I made a little movie w/ a very cheesy sphere.

http://www.leversandpulleys.com/strokes.wmv

It's short and only about 150k. If it starts playing in the middle just hit stop and play again.

-Craig

**Johann de Venecia** · May 31st, 2005, 12:33 AM

Hey, Craig, that last figure study is wonderful!

**Craig Houghton** · June 1st, 2005, 03:58 AM

Lukavi - Thanks man. I really appreciate you stopping by.

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I'll be working, slowly, over the next few months, on some illustrations of the Pequininos from the Ender Wiggins books by Orson Scott Card (The books following Ender's Game: Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind)

They're a vaguely pig-like race of child sized tree-huggers. One I get them all fleshed out from head to toe I'll begin work on some finished illustrations involving them. The books are friggin amazing, and I'm rather excited about this project. There's some fan type work out there already, but I'm looking for something more. So, I'll be doing it myself.

Here's a rough concept sketch for the basic 'little-one' head

Full concept sketches and such are on the way, but I've lots of other projects to work on as well.

Thanks for looking!
Craig.

**Craig Houghton** · June 3rd, 2005, 01:44 AM

I've been working on a basic frame for the Pequininos, but it's not ready to bother posting yet. In the mean-time, I did some basic rendering on the head sketch to get a feel for things. They'll have hair of some sort soon enough, even if it's just some tufts.

long way to go, but I'm looking forward to seeing the pequininos come to life.

Thanks for looking,
Craig.

**squirpy** · June 3rd, 2005, 01:56 AM

awesome, I've never really been able to picture them. I'll keep an eye on this project.

Also, great life studies, they have a lot of life but feel pretty economical at the same time.

I really like your cloud buffalo, but it seems like it could be taken to another level. It's a great concept.

**Craig Houghton** · June 4th, 2005, 04:58 AM

squirpy - thx man. i took a break tonight, but i've been thinking about the pequininos nonstop. btw, now that some time has passed since i first finished it, i agree about pressing the buffafloat further.

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Forgive me oil paint, forgive me pastels, but digital painting is so friggin' addicting. i'm worried that i'm spoiling myself with lightning fast color changes and brushes the change shape like magic. I'm worried I won't be able to go back. I will, but damn this is addicting.

this time things are going much faster. i think this will be called Hired-Gun, but so far there's not much story behind it, just an excuse to paint. to my eyes, it looks too real already. it's from a ref, but even though it's freehand, it's feeling way too easy. now that I've figured the software out a bit (and now that I'm working in higher resolution) working in Painter IX feels like hunting caged rabbits with a grenade launcher. it takes a lot of time I guess, and I certainly have a certain 'look' in mind, but corrections and color changes happen so fast that if you can 'see' it, you can make it happen. that's not always true in traditional mediums. I suppose i regret that at the end of this, I won't have a painting to hold, just an image..

anyhow, wip

I'm using the exact same brush settings from last time, but I'm using base coats that are closer to the end-values.

Thanks for looking,
Craig.

**Craig Houghton** · June 4th, 2005, 12:14 PM

detail

**draw** · June 4th, 2005, 10:56 PM

Craig - I totally agree with you, digital painting is so uncomplicated... It's all good I guess.

Love your latest digi images. One crit I would like to make is that the darker shadows look depletingly dark and greyish. I am no expert but using clean complimentary colours to shade not tones mixed with black and dark grey/brown for shadow give a cleaner and better finish. Its not that noticeable on the latest nude but a little on the last couple (great drawings btw). For example under the girls right eye and chin and alsp the characters back of head and general colouring. I also feel you could perhaps model the character a littlle more. Keep it up!

**aan** · June 4th, 2005, 11:11 PM

Damn nice digital paintings, it really shows that you are comfortable with it now. Looking forward to the finished version of the last one.....and keep posting these paintings.

**Craig Houghton** · June 5th, 2005, 02:54 AM

aan - Many thanks. I'm glad you like em.

Draw - I really appreciate the detailed crits. I'll definitely be taking your advice. At first I was thinking 'nah, but I never add black I use the mixer,' and then I realized that I'd been using the slider on some of the base colors on the mixer. So, yer right.

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been working straight through. i've also figured out her purpose in life. she's part of Condor Army. In Ender's Game by Orson Scott card the students at the battleschool are arranged in little armies. Condor Army is one of em. THey're colors (well, sorta) are white, black, white, or something along those lines. She's not in a battle suit, but she'll suit up soon enough I'd imagine. Anyhow, she's in the team 'colors.' The clothing still needs a lot of work (including the mesh). The hands need some work, and I still need more highlights etc and to kill some other ones. I haven't decided on the background yet. Really though, she's just practice.

i adjusted the bright/con levels in the wip to flatter it a bit.

-Craig

**Seantaclaus** · June 5th, 2005, 10:16 AM

Nice work, Craig... I very much enjoyed the progression your sketchbook shows in your ability. Keep it up!

**Craig Houghton** · June 5th, 2005, 06:30 PM

Seantaclaus - Many thanks! Always glad to hear it.

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worked on the gun today. I haven't circled back around to the other stuff. Getting the gun right has proven challenging. I've done away with my original lower half, and I'm simplifying. I'm not a fan of man-made objects.

I'm happy with it thus far though.

-Craig

**JustinBeckett** · June 5th, 2005, 06:44 PM

d00d really love all your work, great stuff, especailly that 3 day digital figure paint.

**Craig Houghton** · June 11th, 2005, 01:22 AM

Justin - Thx man. digital stuff is new for me so it's great to see feedback like that.

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I'll post another update on the gun-chick soon, but in the mean-time

moving this sketch along into a doll-ish chick on a tree with foot just touching water. going to be letting ripped up pages of a book fall and fly around. book itself will be draped over tree limb. it'll be called something along the lines of School's Out.

-Craig

**mentler** · June 11th, 2005, 03:59 AM

Patience seems to become you ~~~ this is a very methodical way of working that i could never do!

**Craig Houghton** · June 14th, 2005, 12:25 AM

Mentler - It's true. My brain seems to be wired for it. I hold the end product very strongly in my mind before I ever begin work in earnest. I try to loosen up, but I'm only satisfied when I'm thinking a mile-a-minute, but I'm moving very, very slowly.

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Speaking of methodical, I have a materials fetish. I did a non-photo blue test this evening.

Here's what you're looking at:

Look for point durability in the squiggle. The Steadtler and the Prismacolor both blunted up very quickly with pressure. The steadtler also breaks apart in small chunks.

I did some basic blueline removal around the happy face areas to see how well they respond to some color level manipulation. I could remove more of it, but that wasn't the point of the comparison. The sanford and the col-erase were easily removed.

I did two sorts of erasures. The small circle is a quick press with the electric eraser. The vertical line erasure is a simple three pass with light pressure. The col-erase really beat the pack in this test.

In conclusion, the col-erase erases like a champ and keeps its point. The Sanford 'turquoise' comes in second in both regards. Pretty much any of them can be removed by manipulating the channels, but the col-erase and the sanford, once again, made it all the easier. The steadtler and the prismacolor were both hard to erase, more of a pain to remove, and easy to blunt. The prismacolor is basically a colored pencil -- I don't fault it for being waxy (go, figure), but there's no excuse for the steadtler. I'm usually a steadtler fan, but their non-photo blue pencil didn't score any points in this test. It's also a different hue. It may be closer to 'true' non-photo, but that doesn't matter all that much to me.

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On another note, I'm working on three commissions at the moment. Tis the season, it seems. I've a logo, a large oil landscape, and another charcoal portrait. And, I'm still working on those two digital pieces.

-Craig

**Craig Houghton** · June 14th, 2005, 10:32 PM

I took care of one of the three commissions today.

Charcoal (with some pastel) 8x10 on ink-stained arches hot press

-Craig

**theartguy** · June 14th, 2005, 10:46 PM

wow, your work in painter is great! i'm anxious to see that last piece with the girl and gun finished.

did you use picture referance or draw it from life and then paint it?

either way, keep it up,
-Seth

**IanE** · June 15th, 2005, 02:54 AM

Awesome stuff, man. Your paintings have really improved, great work.

That last sketch, of the two girls... it's the paper it's on, but their teeth look rotted as hell, haha. First thing I thought was "Man, that looks good," then, "Oh, damn... that's gonna be an expensive trip to the dentist."

Just my little opinion. Awesome work, glad you got a spot in the local store, you deserve it. Also looking forward to seeing the girl with the gun finished and some new digital paints!

Ian

**theartguy** · June 15th, 2005, 04:04 PM

...i'm with him on tha teeth

**glikster** · June 15th, 2005, 04:12 PM

Whoa! I wish I could manipulate form and color the way you can.

**Craig Houghton** · June 18th, 2005, 10:42 PM

theartguy - Many thanks. I used a couple of refs for the girl & portions of the gun were inspired by a squirt gun.

the likeness of the girl in the ref came through too much for my taste (especially considering I wasn't trying), so I'll be changings some things before I call it quits. and, many thanks. I'm hoping to finish it up. I hadn't meant it to be such a project, but I kept escalating the details.

IanE - Thanks man. I really appreciate it. And yeah, those chompers look terrible on the stained paper. I really, really didn't think of that before-hand.

Glikster - Many thanks!

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Among other things, I've been working on the tree girl and this, but the former isn't ready for an update.

I finished up the gun, I hope, and I've blocked in the hair/added detail on certain portions (like against the white). I'm hoping to leave it pretty dark and only lift out the lights wherever it's really needed.

she still has far too long to go. oh, and the CA on the gun is for Condor Army. the bird logo thing is um.. supposed to be a condor

anyhow..

-Craig

**Quinster** · June 18th, 2005, 10:56 PM

AWSOME!!! I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!! AHHHHH!!!

**blankslatejoe** · June 18th, 2005, 11:39 PM

heh.... i did something similar to that blueline material study once... I had the blues on one side, and then a photocopy of the page next to it... it made it easy to see which pencils were TRUELY non-repo...

great paintings by the way, I think you're really hitting something with those!

**Craig Houghton** · June 19th, 2005, 06:05 PM

blankslatejoe - The blueline thing was a lot of fun. I have another to add to it now too. And, many thanks btw.

Quinster - How can I argue with a post like that

Thank you.

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Still working on it, and I hate to mud up my thread with too many wip shots, but what the heck, real-estate is cheap

I'm still working on the hair and other things. then, I need to work on the clothes quite a bit more. I'm not sure what I'll do with that top. Her arms/belly need work too. I'm hoping I can get away with leaving her hair fairly dark while just milking the highlights.

-Craig

**blankslatejoe** · June 19th, 2005, 06:14 PM

dude, this is your SKETCHBOOK... if this isn't the place to muddy up with wip shots.... the where is?!?!

nice progress on the hair... my only comment is the bit of gray peeking through under the trigger seems like it should be seeing through to the other hand/finger a little.

keep it up!