Rendering

[Janooh]

As much as I've tried to figure this out, I really can't.. Ive been trying different methods for blending, but can't seem to be happy with whatever it is i'm doing, so what I want to know is..
What kind of techniques would I need to be able to render like this:
http://conceptart.org/forums/showpos...0&postcount=59

Not exact, but Id like to know people's insights on what kind of brush they think were used, and blending methods.. since, I hate the default blend of 'just add water' because it only makes it look like its a blurry thing when im blending, and i lose the composition and definition of colors.

I read someone tell me it's important not to just always blend the colors, but also leave some sharp edges... what would you guys say about this?
I have Painter IX. btw. I think my biggest problem with digital painting isn't blocking in the colors... or anything else, but being able to get the colors to transition in a smooth way without making it look like a half-assed painting >.<;

[Jin]

Hi Janooh,

Try using brush variants that both paint and blend instead of using the Blenders variants that don't paint color but just blend existing color.

Testing each of them, you'll find examples of brush variants that, in their default state, paint color and also blend existing color. Look in the following brush categories to find the variants that do this:

• Artists' Oils
• Digital Watercolor
• Gouache
• Impasto
• Oil Pastels
• Oils
• Sumi-e
• Tinting

Not all brush variants in these brush categories both paint and blend but many can be adjusted to both paint and blend or to paint and blend better.

Some indicate this capability in their names though not all that both paint and blend give these hints in their names and these hints don't guarantee the brush variant, in its default state, will both paint and blend. Look for these words in the brush variant names:

• Blender
• Oil
• Oily
• Soft
• Smeary
• Wet

Or, you can choose a brush variant you like, lower Opacity and Resat/Resaturation, and set Bleed higher so the brush variant paints color and blends, too.

Try this one, for instance:

NOTE:

Resat/Resaturation controls how much color is painted in the brush stroke.
Bleed controls how much existing color is picked up and painted along with the current color.

1. Choose the Gouache's Wet Gouache Round 20.

2. Move the Opacity slider to 13% (lower might blend even better).

3. Move the Resat slider to 7% (lower might blend even better).

4. Move the Bleed slider to 100%.

5. Now paint an area on the Canvas with one color.

6. Choose another color and paint over the first color, blending the two colors.

7. Paint with a light touch to get the best blending.

8. If you're getting too much color, adjust the Opacity and Resat sliders lower.

9. If adjusting the Opacity and Resat sliders doesn't help enough, reset your Brush Tracking using more than normal pressure when painting a brushstroke on the Brush Tracking scratch pad.

You can adjust many brush variants this way as long as Opacity, Resat/Resaturation, and Bleed controls are available for the brush variant.

............................

[Automatic Kafka]

The lazy cheaters approach to blending is to simply lay down paint with whatever brush you like and then use "Blenders- Soft Blender Stump 10-30" to rub it together. Its the best of the blender brushes but you have to watch so it wont get blurry or so smooth that it looks fake

[rogfa]

You can use the special blending brushes in Painter but for most blending you can use the same brush you paint with. Technically, I will lower the opacity and put a very light stroke down. I will sample this new color/value and continue to stroke very lightly to acheive the edge I want. When blending you are not just trying to to gradate colors or values, you are also trying to indicate edges. Edges will describe the form to the viewer.

If all the edges are soft, it will look very amateurish. You have to mix it up, there are soft and hard and lost edges in all forms. Check out these threads with posts by Greg Pro. His posts have helped me a lot.

When you look at that piece by Icon note where the hard edges are and where the soft edges are. The nose has a hard edge because the form turns fast. The nose has a side-top-side with sharp angles. And the light is coming from the top right, more right than anything else. We know that because the light hits the side of the nose hard but doesn't hit the top of the nose.

But where the form turns slowly, like the cheek, it creates a soft edge. Also note, the cast shadow from the eyes creates a hard edge. Light is being blocked and where light is being blocked it creates a hard edge. I'm paraphrasing Bob Kato. His dvds taught me to paint.

Roger

[Janooh]

Thank you, guys!
This definitely has helped me a lot. I never thought of using the same brush for blending >.>' because I..well, just never thought of it. But I'll definitely give everything a try.

And rogfa, a picture's worth a million words! thank you so much for it.