Makkon: I wanted to make a step-by-step of how I render paintings sometimes. Sorry for image compression, the file would have been huge.
PLEASE REFER TO THIS ARTIST FOR MORE INFORMATION. He's a lot better at it than I am and he's a better teacher.
Johannes Helgeson
http://helgesonart.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-formula-step-by-step.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Cu2OUPLsU
Radian: Well, I made some experiments based on this method. Result is very... interesting. But I really used to work on lights and shadows at once (like sculpting the form) so jumping between layers is not my "thing". I'll make some more experiments soon and it'll be something prequel-related.
Also, your sketch much more accurate and clean than mine ;)
Makkon: @Radian: It might take some getting used to, but the benefit is pretty big. This is still sculpting the form of your character, but you get to tackle one thing aspect of the rendering at a time instead of all at once. Think of it like how you might composite a 3d render in a film
If you're not quite feeling this one, you might like the way my buddy Max Grecke paints. He still separates his lighting by layers, but the way he goes about it is still a lot closer to what you might be used to.
https://gumroad.com/maxgrecke
This one is like taking a black and white photo with one light source and adding color and other light sources over it. It does make it much easier to render softer or more ambient lighting conditions, but you have less control over material types and it'll always look like you colored in a BW image (because you did).
I demonstrate something similar (with my own approach) to that here:
http://makkon.tumblr.com/post/136246423103/steps-from-my-previous-painting-hope-someone
For me, however, I find this method a lot harder to control color and contrast between materials, which is something very important to me.
And example of the difference in results, first is Johannes's Method, last is Max's method
With Johannes, you get better color and it's easier to make changes, with Max you get more control over the shading and form but very little control over color.
Radian: @Makkon: There is some big issue with these methods: if you not notice mistake early steps it'll be nightmare to fix later. Also choosing proper colors for shadow/lights harder for me because I not used to work with different layer modes so much. But it allows to make some very cool "color madness" effect. I kinda want to show that painting I did yesterday.
Makkon: @Radian: I think large issues ought to be solved earlier in the process, and smaller problems can be solved at the paintover stage. However, at the paintover stage, nothing is really stopping you from making a major change to the painting (so long as it's not a color change). Every layer prior is merged down anyway, so at that point it's nearly identical to your current method of painting; now you just have something solid to paint on.
Choosing a color for shadows should be a simple problem to solve, since you can change it completely independently from everything else at the drop of a hat, so it's okay to experiment. Generally shadows are a less saturated color of the environment, but you can usually be safe with a purple or blue color. Check out Johannes's tutorials I linked to on the first comment for more info :)
Nyflex: I wonder what it would be like if whole Prequel illustrations were changed into your version. It's so beautiful. I think this tutorial may help beginners take their painting skills up a notch. I also enjoyed watching your demonstration and the video. Anyways, your Katia is so gorgeous!
Nicros_Man: I've always wanted to do art like this! I'll try to use your advise and follow your steps to make those kinds of art! Thank you for posting this tutorial.
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PLEASE REFER TO THIS ARTIST FOR MORE INFORMATION. He's a lot better at it than I am and he's a better teacher.
Johannes Helgeson
http://helgesonart.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-formula-step-by-step.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Cu2OUPLsU
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Also, your sketch much more accurate and clean than mine ;)
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If you're not quite feeling this one, you might like the way my buddy Max Grecke paints. He still separates his lighting by layers, but the way he goes about it is still a lot closer to what you might be used to.
https://gumroad.com/maxgrecke
This one is like taking a black and white photo with one light source and adding color and other light sources over it. It does make it much easier to render softer or more ambient lighting conditions, but you have less control over material types and it'll always look like you colored in a BW image (because you did).
I demonstrate something similar (with my own approach) to that here:
http://makkon.tumblr.com/post/136246423103/steps-from-my-previous-painting-hope-someone
For me, however, I find this method a lot harder to control color and contrast between materials, which is something very important to me.
And example of the difference in results, first is Johannes's Method, last is Max's method
With Johannes, you get better color and it's easier to make changes, with Max you get more control over the shading and form but very little control over color.
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Choosing a color for shadows should be a simple problem to solve, since you can change it completely independently from everything else at the drop of a hat, so it's okay to experiment. Generally shadows are a less saturated color of the environment, but you can usually be safe with a purple or blue color. Check out Johannes's tutorials I linked to on the first comment for more info :)
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