Finally......Someday!

[I STRaY I]

My first real attempt at some environment, spent 4 hours on it and it was fun as shit, I have no idea why I've been or still am so terrified of environments. But I know for sure I need to work it out.

[Mannyhaatz]

Love your determination. We both made some intense goals...lets continue working hard.
Subscribing to your sketchbook; I'm looking forward to see how you progress and what you progress on in your studies!

[Freshfool]

niiiice stuff here man so much work since i last visited dam i got to work harder, i really like that last environment its got some nice atmospheric perspective keep up the studies your drawings are getting stronger

[I STRaY I]

@Manny haha yeah if you're referring to the goals posted in OP, there's no chance I'll hit one of them. I actually won't even come within screaming distance. Not sure they were very good goals, not thought out very well. But I will work as hard as I can, am trying to learn to work more efficiently or smarter. I came to realize simply going for quantity and speed wasn't helping me to learn really. But anyways thanks man, and I'll be checking you out here and there (CD) as well. Peace man!

Thanks FreshFool, you work hard man, much harder then I for sure. But cheers and thanks for the continued support.


So some perspective stuff, a 4 minute ctrlpaint value sketch done while watching vid, and a still life drawingreally focusing on line on the final pass.

[M.Calza]

I like the perspective stuff, my suggestion is that you try to make some more complex shapes.

[MrFrenik]

Good stuff, Stray. I'll be posting some more exercises tonight in the thread, so be sure to check them out.

[I STRaY I]

M.Calza, thanks for visiting. Yeah, once I've got a decent handle on moderate ones, for sure more serious attempts to be made.
Mr.Frenik, thanks to your contributions, these exercises will get me to more complex perspective. Very cool thread, thanks for stopping by too!

Speaking of that thread, here are those perspective exercises from it, more, many more to come. Also some Ctrlpaint worksheets.

[I STRaY I]

Some stuff from today and yesterday. Took that still life bottle I did recently and ran it through perspective setup. Needed to learn how to set exact depth on a cube. No kidding, but this was really hard to find out for me, Norling, and Loomis bot assume you should just now, and until now. I really always thought perspective depth was always eyeballed. Well, today I learned of Station Point and measuring points and built from it. Not sure I executed it properly, but I atleast paid mind to it. My original drawing from life was pretty close, so I'm happy about that. Once finished I painted from life, with some adlib once I lost my light.

[V3T]

Thanks for the advice on my sb =].
Your stuff looks great and the perspective work looks solid.
Your latest post of the still life, it feels a little flat to me and top seems a bit out of perspective.
Keep up the hard work!!

[I STRaY I]

Vet, yeah having a look at it on day two a few things stick out. I think obviously I suck at creating a background for things, and I haven't quite worked iwth wrapping an elipse around form. Also painted that after having done the bottle so the windmill scene kind of beat down the shadow some, and well honestly I have miles and miles to go. But thanks for the crit for sure!

Here's my update for today, more of these lines I'm sure nobody cares to see. But some good exercise.

[Mepainter]

I like your perspective stuff. I like your first envirinment, too, quite cool for your first!

[I STRaY I]

Hey MePainter thanks for stopping by, and the compliments. Kind of you, and I hope to build on those environments soon. Just need to get some perspective under the belt because I'd like to do some structures, and also some vehicles maybe. Anyways, here's some connect the dots from today. Norling stuff for plans. Also, haven't done anything organic in awhile. So I decided today I might have a run at the Tomb Raider contest. No shot at top 25, butthe creative practice is worth it. So funny actually, looking at the entries. They are all so similar, the fricking bow pose, and the jumping bow shots, and so on. I might make it a goal just to do something as unique as I can, but it'll suck for sure, because I love me some static poses, lolz. Anyways, here's some thumbs I worked up, trying to be all speed painterly. "trying". I kind of was getting into the first one, but I don't think I'll use any of these.
This is actually a pretty crappy update. I'll need to do better.

[I STRaY I]

WIP from today.

[Rostas]

That environment is really nice, even though you're terryfied of doing them. I used to be also , not that I'm any good at them but I'm trying to get better. If you learn stuff like atmospheric perspective and how light and color work , and obviously normal perspective you can do lots of stuff. Keep working on them , you'll understand their fabric soon enough.

[Rhubix]

That perspective study looks tight. I don't know how background guys have the patience to put in all the little windows and details of a city scape. Maybe I'm just too high strung....
Speaking of high strung:

Sometimes it most likely doesn't look like it because I spend more time reading about creating art then actually doing it. And by the time I get around to it, I'm on information overload, and feel blah.

I do this too! The best remedy for me is to draw with little kids. I have a niece and nephew ages 6-4 so that's pretty convenient. Drawing a crayon unicorn in a monster truck is so much fun! Draw some ghost-monkey-pirates. chilling out and doing something souly for fun can be just as beneficial to your art as studies can. Always have to remember why we do this it's just damned fun!

Happy sketching!

[I STRaY I]

Thanks Rostas, I already hit you up in your SB!

Rhubix, so right! Perspective is sooo time consuming if going for exact stuff. Hopefully I'll soon be able to understand it enough to just wing it by eye. Because as you can see, in the one I did where windows applied, I got like 10 in and said "F" it, haha. And heck yeah, I think doing anything with kids puts the world into a much more friendly perspective. Sadly, I don't have access to children. Hopefully, for a few years more anyways. But such a good point you brought up, and as always thanks for stopping by!

So finally, with CA being on overhaul, and me having been knee deep in this Tomb Raider Contest, updates have been sparse. But today, thanks to the deadline I have an image to share. It's the most complex one to date for me, not nearly what I wished to accomplish, but I'll happily take the completion, mileage and all that I was able to learn from it. I experimented like a mother. Having tried alot of technique for the first time. So I'm sure it shows. I know what will show is how much work and study I need to do. So I'll be back to work, now that this is done. I'd love crits on it, I haven't the balls to throw it to the wolves in the Crit section, not yet anyways. I feel like I spent way too much time on it, and eventually was in the Monkey House for sure, which is uncomfortable to say the least. Anyways, I have some sketches and stuff to for this, I'll get them up later.

[I STRaY I]

Heres some of the sketches I worked up before starting that TR piece. I think I had some better ideas, the leaping one I really wanted to do, but I settled for something I could do more confidently which sucks. Might have been for the better using something else. The piece I did was very simple in terms of perspective(even then I suffered). A low camera is what I wanted to do, but foreshortening and all that is very hard for me. Anyways, here those are, very loose with my ass sketch lines. Even after a few passes, haha. I swear I try to fix this. Also, a screencap I did today, from Bourne Legacy.

Also, If anyone can chime in on this I would appreciate it, but when I paint environments I rarely zoom in past 50% sometimes 33% or something. And I notice that when I post the image it's not as interesting to me, or likely you when it's not small. What do I consider? I feel like I'm trapped if I zoom in, and it just flows easier from far away. But small scribbles become so ugly when the image is larger. Is this just a crap technique, or just terrible execution on my part?

[diamandis]

Nice Lara Croft.

Out of curiosity, are you going to school for this, or just teaching yourself? Sorry if you already mentioned it. I skimmed a little, but didn't see anything.

[I STRaY I]

Hey Diamandis, thanks! No, no school, I'm trying to self learn. Thanks for stopping by.

Some perspective and a 1hr mountain study. I was studying an Elmore painting and just wanted to paint one of his mountains. I really need to learn some technique, I learned nothing really with this, but to try and be faster. Anyways. The perspective is kind of off somehow I think. I didn't finish all the way, easier to just eye ball that for what I intend.

Attachment 1745530

[diamandis]

That's an intense perspective study. You're just doing Click > Shift > Click in Photoshop? That would drive me insane after a while.

[V3T]

Those perspective studies are crazy! Keep it up =]

[I STRaY I]

Diamandis, for sure man perspective can be lame, but if you consider how much better your image will look because of it, it's certainly worth it, I think. So technically yes, to get straight lines sometimes I use shift click, but alot of line tool too, and more importantly studying the setup and measurements and all that.

Vet, yeah they can make you crazy thats for sure! Thanks for stopping by!

Here's some material studies from today, they are all to be metal. I kind of blew it on some of the lighting and of course the structure of the inner circle, but just wanted to focus on the rendeing and technique, also some big cat sketch studies.

[Rhubix]

H
Also, If anyone can chime in on this I would appreciate it, but when I paint environments I rarely zoom in past 50% sometimes 33% or something. And I notice that when I post the image it's not as interesting to me, or likely you when it's not small. What do I consider? I feel like I'm trapped if I zoom in, and it just flows easier from far away. But small scribbles become so ugly when the image is larger. Is this just a crap technique, or just terrible execution on my part?

I think you only need to zoom in when your refining specific things. The more you can stand back the better.
Have you taken a look at FDZ school on youtube? I"m too lazy to scroll through your SB and check.
He works through his process and talks along with it - the guy's a machine- great resource.

[lupre]

jesus christ, you really got some tempo going on here. your progress .. after the first half year or what.. is tremendous.
actually i also like your early style when you used more 'skratchy' strokes into your rendering. it just gives it great texture. handmade.
also your colors seem pretty straight forward, nice-ow.
peace

[GrayPersona]

hey man,you really made some progress from the last time I saw your thread,good perspective studies
and construction and your paintings are moving along nicely.
would be great though if you would paint more from life,maybe do some self portraits.

[I STRaY I]

Hello, thanks for stopping by!

Rhubix, yeah I watch alot of Feng's video's. It's crazy actually because I walk away from them like okay, that was easy and the I go have a go, and gawd. He is pretty pretty good, two environments at once!?! Awesome. I've actually been coming to terms with some of what he speaks about in regards to visual library. As mine is somewhat limited. Well, whats really limited is the ability to take an idea and translate it to the page. I'e really been trying to exercise this starting recently, because what good are all the technical skills if I can't have good idea's and make them cool for others to see. I have a very very long road ahead for this.

Lupre, thanks for stopping by and the encouragement. Helps fight the fight. Yeah if it were up to me I'd saw everything out with my strokes that way, I do still alot, but am making a strong effort to at least make another pass with clean lines. I'm getting better, and more comfortable with the tablet. But I do recognize the skill it takes to make nice strokes, and am trying. Sometimes it really kills any creative momentum, so I just go.

Graypersona, thanks! You're absolutely right about the life studies. I desperately need to do it.

Studies in general I need to do, studies of everything. Over the last few days, I've really developed a much more serious appreciation for the difficulty in character design. Boy it's hard. And those that do it so fast, geez. Pretty cool. I have really wanted to participate in the Crimson Daggers Bloodsport, but I just really started thinking about it this week and I don't think it's possible for me to get done. Kind of disappointing but, oh well. I'll continue to try and maybe I can get on an all night heater. Not likely. Anyways, I need to give an update. As sad as it is, here's all the sketches I've been able to muster for it.

[Papu]

Man you're working hard You're off to a very solid start and I think you're doing a lot of the right things. Props for doing perspective stuff too I find that stuff so boring so I know it can be hard. Anyway, keep it up like you're doing already and you'll be awesome in no time!!

[I STRaY I]

Papu, thanks so much. I appreciate it. Someday's it does not feel like it, but I hope you're right.

The updates were ridiculous this week, and I aim to fix that. I hope anyways. Had some issues this week, and some mental maybe even psychological blocks to maneuver. Not so sure I managed well at all. I did finally start this, only far to late for the challenge it was intended. It really sucks out of it's narrative, and was going to be an attempt at something humorous, but I just struggled to get off the ground with it. I think I'll shelve it for now and move on. Sorry to update with an unfinished wip, but I need something!?!

[I STRaY I]

Heres a study of this lizard, I have the feeling he's been reproduced a few times over. Also, wanted to have a go at some silhouettes. I have a lot to do in terms of design work, and alot to learn and a creativity to build. So these were fun, can only get better I hope!

[kingkostas]

Hello mate!!! Great studies and hard work, this is the best way man, you are doing great.Also you are doing a variety of things and that is helping you improve faster.You seem to have the needed passion to improve even further. For now keep up, i dont thinki have something specific to say, maybe i could remind you that values[greyscale] are more important than color, you may want to focus more on going greyscale studies than color. Keep up the good work