C.O.W. - #001: Mascot - Official Tutorial by Matt Dixon

[Fozzybar]

Tutorial for
COW #01 - Mascot

artist:
Matt Dixon

[Fozzybar]

Matt Dixon will start this thread with - what else - the 1st winner-piece of C.O.W....the making of "Mascot for C.O.W."...



Matt Dixon:

Intro

I don't know if this is a 'tutorial' exactly, but this shows how I painted this image for the COW activity. The pics should be fairly self-explanatory, but I've added a few comments that try to explain what I'm trying to acheive in each step. This pic was painted in Photoshop in a total of around six hours.

Tutorial Matt Dixon - COW #1 "Mascot"

[Fozzybar]

Tutorial Matt Dixon - COW #1 "Mascot"

[Fozzybar]

Tutorial Matt Dixon - COW #1 "Mascot"

[Fozzybar]

Tutorial Matt Dixon - COW #1 "Mascot"

[Aberrant]

I love the texture in your backgrounds... what kind of brushes are you using, for both BG and the rest of it?

[Odds]

hey.. thanks a lot for that Matt! impressive stuff. heh, i thought the puddle of milk was pretty creative
thanks again... can't wait to see others from you and other artists!

[JeffZNY]

Thanks a lot, Matt! Looking forward to others jumping in on this!

[Matt Dixon]

Aberrant - Well, I purposely haven't touched on brushes here because that's a whole subject in it's own right, and I have another tutorial that I hope to finish up one day that would cover brush creation in Photoshop. Basically, all the painting is done with custom brushes - most of them based on real brush marks that I've scanned in - I alternate between different brushes during the painting which encourages texture and helps avoid any repetition in the marks. I think you can see from those progress shots that only some of the 'texture' in the background is coming from the brushes though, and a good deal of the effect is created by layering marks on top of one another.

GomenNasai - Fozzy's posted it as I sent it to him, so I'm the one who's to blame for having the text and images seperate. I was trying to keep the size and number of image files to a minimum, but that's less of an issue now CA.org are generously hosting the pics. If others find it to be a problem, I'll try and find time to set them up as you suggest.

[Midnight]

Nice tutorial.

btw, what size images do you work with, Matt?

[Sok N. Wett]

GomenNasai - I like it, it'll be real good for print, cause i hate looking at a tutorial through the browser, and switching from that and photoshop. I'm just glad we got a tutorial from Matt if anything, so I'm not really too picky about how the format is. Just like what you just did, I might do the same, and print it up for myself to use as a guide.

Thanks Matt your the greatest, and I wait patiently for DOUGBOT's Tutorial.....

[Fozzybar]

...if you need help, I can give it a try and send you the results for approval
what do you all think?

Of course it's better this way GomenNasai, but really all the duties on this board are eating my time up....so this is maybe a hint for all coming tutorial-makers to prepare their works for a good read...

Also i couldn't paste the text under the images, since the attached images are always at the end of a post (or i am too dumb to figure it out)...

[Matt Dixon]

I'll attatch the text to the images as suggested later in the week and let Fozzy have them so he can update this when he finds the time.

Midnight - For personal / forum stuff like this, I usually go for A4 at 300dpi ( 2480x3508 pixels ). That's plenty big enough if I need to print it out for any reason, but not so large that I loose too much detail when it's reduced for the web.

[brokk]

"beau·ti·ful ( P ) Pronunciation Key (byt-fl)
adj.

Having qualities that delight the senses, especially the sense of sight.
Excellent; wonderful. "

That is how I feel about the way you paint Matt, especially your textures and backgrounds and how you make all the elements in the image so harmonious.

[Fozzybar]

note: Matt sent me the retouched tutorial pics...i had to post this one at the end, since i can't have more than one attachments in one post (it will show only a link if so), that's why the "detail shots" are here...

Detail shots

Here are a couple of sections of the image at 100%. I work with as much of the image on screen as possible - usually at either 25% or 50% magnification - I don't see the pic in this much detail until I'm done. You can hopefully see a combination of heavy opaque marks to model the significant stuff, and thin glazes of colour to either smooth edges or with textures for a 'scumble' effect. Notice that some areas of the underpainting are visible as the base colour in the hand and around the eye.

Time for a nice glass of milk..!

[arteric]

Thanks first off Matt for the great step by step on your Mascot creation. I always loved that piece and it was great seeing the progress.

I assume you have a WACOM tablet that you are drawing with? If so, care to share any of the basic settings or how you use it in terms of techniques for those of us just getting ours?? (Or who have had them for a short time but want to get better.)

Also, this entire image was done only using photoshop? Do you ever work in Painter or any other illustration programs for some of the other C.O.W.s we've seen in the past several months, or is it all photoshop?

Thanks all, and thanks again for the great tutorial.

Eric

[Matt Dixon]

Thanks, Arteric.

Yes, I've been drawing with a Wacom tablet for almost ten years now. The tablet settings themselves are a matter of personal taste, so I assume you're asking how I use the Wacom to control the brushes in Photoshop? It varies from brush to brush, but the majority of my painting is done with the tablet pressure controlling opacity alone - I use keyboard shortcuts to resize the brush while I paint. Other than that, I'm not sure what to say - I don't think I draw with my Wacom any differently than I do with a pencil. Does that answer your question?

All Photoshop. Painter and I fell out around version 5.5, and we've never made it up. I've given the latest version a try but for all it's cleverness, I find the interface far too clumsy and it also feels as if there's a lot of 'computer' between me and the virtual canvas, if that makes any sense? Photoshop is much more direct, and it's superficially simple brush engine reveals itself to be very powerful once your explore what it can do.

[Fozzybar]

Ok, the "detail shots" image is the right one now, sorry...

Thanks to Matt Dixon, Wishes and GomenNasai for pointing this out to me

[Wishes]

Fozzy: Are you referring to my PM's? Otherwise I don't know what you mean

Anyway, everyone: I had a thought, what if someone, with the time for it, could manage a page for the DSG and COW winners and also the tutorials and such, at the main page of CA.org. I PMd Fozzy about it and he suggested I'd post it here to see if people are interested.

Good idea? or totally useless? It's kind of annoying right know to scroll and such and to find stuff back IMO. Well, that was it

[Fozzybar]

Fozzy: Are you referring to my PM's? Otherwise I don't know what you mean

yes, you told me that the detail shots are not the right ones...didn't you?

[Wishes]

I didn't haha I meant the PM about the site with winners etc (see my previous post)

[Fozzybar]

hmmm, ok then it was Uziel or whoever...

[Matt Dixon]

Anyway, everyone: I had a thought, what if someone, with the time for it, could manage a page for the DSG and COW winners and also the tutorials and such, at the main page of CA.org. I PMd Fozzy about it and he suggested I'd post it here to see if people are interested.

Anything to get the front page updated more regularly! It'd be a good incentive for those who contribute, and might also help promote the activity to a wider audience. Great idea.

[Sok N. Wett]

I really like that idea, because I know back then I use to search for tutorials, and found some, but no community attached to them. So if any regular people just saw the tutorial, then they might sign up for the forum to ask some more questions or something. Community interaction is where it's at these days.

[arteric]

Yes, that was pretty much what I was looking for. Thanks for the tips, now I am more eager than ever to get that darn drawing tablet... don't know why they are taking so long to deliver mine.

Sorry to hear about your painter fall out.... hoping I have better luck seeing as how I just plunked the money down for Version 9.

Eric

[redehlert]

Many thanks Matt!
The breakdown was most helpful and inspiring to say the least. Sweet idea about scanning in your brush strokes to create customs.
Cheers,
D

[arteric]

It came today.... it came today!

OK dirty minds, I meant my drawing tablet. I finally got it (only waited a little over a month.) Apart from the expected learning curve, you should see my NEW C.O.W. pieces in the next one or two topics.

I can't wait.

Eric

[JakkaS]

Wow, this is great. Nice to see the Master at work
Thank you Matt.

[wizo5454]

many thanks for this tutorial. Im still amazed at how well you manage your colors/constrasts. I am a big fan of your work!!!

[ikuru]

So much skill! How long do you think you spent on this one?