Photo paints | update may 9 | HELP ME OUT!

[Erik]

Hi

[ EDIT : More pics below, im trying to do one each day now ]

29 april pic added below
may 2 pic added below
may 9 pic added - HELP ME WITH THIS ONE!

This is a picture i did from a photograph of Matrix movie

I'm trying to learn how to paint with values as shapes instead of outlining first. This is an early attempt.

Please tell me what i should do to improve my technique

[Aura]

This is a good start. I would say that I think you could up the contrast a bit. Make your darks even more darker. It will make certain things pop out better. In the background, try to use less highlights, so that it will push the figures forward, so they won't blend into the background as much. But like I said, a good start!

[Erik]

I agree about the background - it was like that in the pic though. But that was less monochromatic.

Thanx too!

[Erik]

another attempt - it's another movie mug (blade runner - though you'd never know) and again almost monochromatic

i toned down the back and tried to get more contrast.



BTW. i use Painter 6 -- is painter 7 much better than 6?

Edit: yeah i lkie it and that's why i used it for my avatar now. I don't care.

[Erik]

It's supposed to be laurence fishburne - from a picture. The likeness is not completely successful - the goal was to learn color and value for painting volume.

I'm trying to do at least one photograph a day now.

[removed since it sucked]

Crits please!

[Nimrod]

Hey man, awesome work, I can see visible improvement already. this is a great way to learn, and it looks like your having success. The only thing I can say is keep it up!

[blackhand]

Erik, the Rutger Hauer pic really strikes me. I think where it really has success is the hair--you're hitting the mark when it comes to implying shape and volume without outlining. In my opinion, that's your strongest one out of the three so far.

[Erik]

Hey Blackhand! You saw its supposed to be Rutger Hauer ;-) Thanx btw for the compliment! Have that same feeling bout that picture as you can tell from the avatar;-) . I'll try to get a better one tomorrow again...

I find it easier to get it right with fewer tones... but i use way too many values i discovered when reading the stuff in life drawing. I basically just try to paint what i see and have no official technique for it.

How is the best way to do this? Work from a midtone and define the shadows first? How does this work?

[Erik]

Here is today's attempt. I don't really like the result (the thumb and chin are not really ok) but i think some of it cane through.

It's another Blade Runner picture.

I notice that i'm using too many values, sizes and color values now so i'm trying another 'single brush size' attempt next week.

[Erik]

Here a new picture. It's from the movie Alien. Still hoping someone would crit on the pictures -- mainly about how to use color and value to define shape, in stead of outlining.

[Erik]

Another one of the Matrix. Done in one hour. I keep seeing purple where there is none... my eyes dont work correctly i suppose. First it's purple and later it seems to be grey. Well, here goes:



I'd sure like a crit for once.

[Nimrod]

Awesome improvement. As for crits I would say you need to give those color value shapes harder edges or go even smaller with them.

[coriat]

Originally posted by Erik
Here is today's attempt. I don't really like the result (the thumb and chin are not really ok) but i think some of it cane through.

It's another Blade Runner picture.

I notice that i'm using too many values, sizes and color values now so i'm trying another 'single brush size' attempt next week.

Deze is fantastisch!

(this one is great)
Don't know much else to say then keep it up!:beer:

:chug:

[Erik]

Thanks people!

The last few days i have had little time to do any and those that i did sucked. Tomorrow / this evening i will try to keep it up ;-)

[Erik]

Hi,

Decided to post this one anyway. Though it is not a good likeness. I can't paint hair and this guy is almost all hair... the top part is ok i guess but the bottom part is awful. Tips and tricks are very welcome! The main problem is that the hair of the beard has the substance of a cross between cotton wool and strings of some very thin hairs. The hair on the head is more 'matted' and stringy so that was easier to get right.

It's from LOTR : FOTR (love that abbreviation)

here goes:

[edit: removed image since it sucked too much ]

Might take it down if i do a better one today. Or if i get regrets of posting this one. ;-)

[sin]

heh these really are amazing, gandork (lol ) looks really good

[Erik]

Hi there

today i'm more satisfied for a change though the picture doesn't match the photograph, it's more a 'based on' thing.

It's dr. Jones.



Tell me what you think!

[Erik]

Today i tried using the square chalk in painte in stead of oil pastels.

A picture from Men of Honor. Took some 2.5 hours.



Critcritcrit ! ;-)

[DustinTrimble]

Not much to crit, the last one looks goos, good form started, and finished in the important areas, looks like you did really well for working a couple hours on it. Good study.

[Erik]

Hi,

I finally have some time to try a new movie again - Gangs of New York. Never saw the movie but the pictures are just too good to let go.

Got me into trouble though - i can't paint hair!

Here's a non-finished one with the ref pic (i am not trying to copy exactly so it is off in some areas, just trying to learn how to paint - and it is not finished.)

Help me out with the hair and the dress! I tried to do the hair but it didn't work out, i seem to have a sort of 'mental image' or trick to paint hair that is nice in some style but it is not realistic. Need to break that!

I also need to upgrade the color. My second monitor had its dials juggled so it was all yellow... Noticed that only when i put both images on the same screen. :-/





and the ref

[Erik]

More attempts below. This picture also is not finished. It was done in around 1 hour to the stage you see below.

I posted the reference also, it is again not a precise copy (no measurements were taken, maybe i should do that) but just practice. I'm not entirely happy and the background mixes way too much with the foreground. That will probably take some more time but by getting more detail and definition in the fg and makeing the bg more 'out of focus' the problem will hopefully go away. The photograph has a better distinction because the composition is better there. The color is too yellow because my monitor still sucks.

I posted a number of steps and the ref pic. Please criticise anything, from the workflow to the picture. I need to learn and advance!









and the ref

[Rohan]

I meant to comment earlier i thought these were very good, but looks like you've improved alot too. I really like the images you chose. To try to help, I would suggest that when you begin one of these observational studies establish a range of the dominant tones and values in the background and foreground at the same time, so you can see their relative values more clearly. I've been trying to treat the process like progressive passes; first simplify with bigger, more blended brush strokes, colours closest to primaries and the lightest, middle, and darkest tones, then smaller, more defined brushwork, more tertiary colours, and intermediate tones. mind you I do this with a bias towards painting light over dark depending on how the light is hitting the subject.

If you get the dominant shape, colour, saturation and tone relationships down first things tend to fall into place easier as you get into detail, as the ranges you define early on will suggest further, more detailed isolation of local form, tone and colour while keeping in relative balance with these dominant relationships.

you can also be checking the relative blurryness or focus of different areas such as the background and foreground as you build them so you don't have to adjust them so much later. this is just a simplified explanation of how I might personally approach something like this, I hope it makes sense, and helps in some way. keep it up! btw I have similar probs with a second monitor, but it's the exercise that counts.. you might just be capturing those distorted colours perfectly!

[Erik]

Hey thanx Rohan, that's a lot of good advice. I try to work out of the dark too and i mostly do try to define big shapes before detail. I'm going to try what you say about the primary to tertiary colors - i mix saturated and desaturated in no particular order right now.

[And i need to measure stuff before drawing in stead of just painting something down ;-) ]

[For the record - i reposted this in a separate thread since this one was sinking but now i get help here too -- impatience i guess ;-) thnx]