Hi all. I hope all is well and wanted to let you know that while I may not have been posting I have been lurking like a creep. Kevin, your blog, and work, is looking sick. Really getting inspired by your stuff. Thanks for the FZD links. They have been a great help and if you find anything else you feel could be helpful, let me know.
As for me, I have been trying to tack down a digital work method that allows for constructive growth with the minimum of menu frustrations and surprises. Bear with me as I would like to share my current process.
A while back Sam mentioned something about mercenaries in space and that got me thinking. I imagined that with the tech involved in space travel, as well as the lawlessness created by vast distance, that a biker motif would be both esthetically pleasing and logical. Looking to Sons of Anarchy and such I did a quick sketch that featured some points: sleeveless vest over hoodie, chaps, boots, etc. I worked on gray using black with white highlights.
Once I had the look I was thinking of, I went into greater detail. Cleaning things up, deciding on a face, using more tones.
All the while the transform tool became important to exaggerate proportions. I then used a multiply layer to apply localized color.
I then created a topmost layer and using high opacity, painted details, highlights, shadows and details.
Using that lasso tool, I created a mask selection around the dude so I could paint a simple everyday space-biker environment. I tried to keep the background simple and colorless so not to distract from the figure.
Lastly, I used the Gaussian blur filter to push the background back further and the transform tool to tweek things. And this was the final for Space Biker.
Me being afraid of technology and all, I still start on paper (where I feel most comfortable) offten and this is the method I use for that.
On paper, I did a pen and ink wash drawing of some dead guy. I scanned it in, changed it to gray scale and did a little clean up.
I then switched it back to rgb and used the Hue and Saturation menu to make it warmer and make the highlights more yellow. I then started applying localized color (in picture the armor) with a multiply layer.
I continued adding in color on the multiply layer and created the opaque highlights/shadow/detail layer over that.
Finally, I cut out a portion of the background and replaced it with a gradient layer, added some foreground mist with opacity/Gaussian blur and did some final transform tool stuff to change proportions.
These examples are the closest I have gotten to making sense of photoshop thus far. Masks, Transform, and Selection tools have been a great help and I can't help but wonder what you guys are using that I am unaware of. Let me know if you have any insights.
Hey Will, thanks for the post dude. love seeing your stuff.
ReplyDeleteReally cool pieces, the merc and the knight. I think your concept and design for both are really cool.
For the merc, I really like seeing how the character has progressed. I think the changes have been really good and make him feel like a fully fleshed out character. Was wondering what was around his neck? It looks like an awesome pipe / snake-like thing.
The lighting on the merc is working well right now, but in case you were looking for a more contrasty lighting, you could try darkening everything thats not the focal point (like the ground, & his feet /legs) a bit with a simple gradient. this can help keep the eye on his head.
The Same goes for a left / right side of the page read. By having a change of value either light > dark, or dark > light, going from the left edge of the page to the right edge, this can help an image have depth.
Right now, it seems you have a warm light coming from the top left. This is great, but have you considered puting a second light source, such as a cool or blue light coming from the bottom right off the page? This allows you go have one side of a figure to have orange light, while the other side has blue light shining on it, potentially giving it crazy depth.
Intermission: Have you been reading about the PS4? it looks so cool!!
Also, I may be being a bit nit-picky, but I might expand the canvas / background of your merc character because right now the bottom of his foot is just touching the bottom of the page & the top feels a little short too.
Same goes for the undead knight. On the knight, I feel like his anatomy is a little bit off, like his body would not be able to move properly if he were to start moving, but thats just me.
I was wondering what you thought of me potentialy posting a quick paintover of one of these. I could potentially explain better by showing probably than by typing.
Hope this helped :D
Thanks for posting these Will, they look really badass. Your work keeps getting better and better. Don't be a stranger on here. unless stranger = danger.
Cheers!
-Kevin
Kevin: As for a paint over: do it too it. Just don't get too refined on it as I would like to have some feeling of accomplishment when I incorporate your ideas myself :) The thing around his neck is a coupling seal for his techno space helmet. When it is off I felt the mass of it mimicked a hoodie in the down position.
ReplyDeleteI was going for an awkward zombie pose with the dead guy (pigeon toed stance, twisted upper body) so I guess mission accomplished on that end.
Intermission: The videos looked good and showcased some really great designs for each respective license (Deep Below is one I will watch for with great interest) but I have no faith in any of what we have seen as being any kind of working game play. My healthy skepticism is telling me that what we have seen is a very good tech demo.
Back to digital. When you are working in photo shop what size canvas do you find to be most conducive for work? I am usually rolling on 300dpi for the possibility of printing but I seem to fluctuate on the pixel length/width.
I need an adult!
Hey Will,
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you buddy! Glad you're getting some new stuff out there!
My digital workflow (and I'll try to get some pictures up sometime) is basically do a rough messy sketch, set layer opacity to 30%, redraw clean on a new layer, hide original layer, and paint within the lines. I do a flat color pass first, then begin carving out planes with a dark and light value. Occasionally I turn off the linework, flip the canvas, or knock everything into grayscale to make sure the values work.
Speaking of values, they're why I think your zombie night is much more successful than your space merc. I think you could push the value contrast between his red armor sleeves and his padded blue flight suit more, like the light/dark breakdowns we did way back when in Eric's class. The texturing is nice on his bodysuit. Overall I think the design is pretty solid; I have a sense for who this gruff space freighter guy is. He could perhaps use a little more gear and attitude to tell me if he's a badass warrior or a retired leader. I'd mess around with opacity and use a softer-edged brush.
I think the zombie knight is really great looking! Again, the under-lighting and values are really successful and helps convey both the mood and his form. I love his eyes and teeth through the mask and the rendering of all the materials is very successful. I think if you were to take another crack at it you could push his pose even more -- we do get a sense of his dead man's shuffle with his forward-leaning shoulder and his pigeon toes but I think it could be exaggerated. Also, maybe parts of his clothing / armor could be torn away exposing skeleton, etc.
For digital paintings, I usually just use the default US Paper 8.5x11in @ 300dpi for mucking around. For more polished pieces you might try 11x17in (pretty standard size, nice proportions) or double high def (1920x1080). I draw my comic pages at 3094x4725 at 450dpi, which makes for some pretty large files, especially if they get colored. I shrink them down later on for print.
Great to hear from both of you guys! Hope things are going okay. I am ridiculously busy finishing up at DD on Iron Man... we have been on 7 day weeks for a while now! Whew. After that some glorious unemployment!
Addendum:
ReplyDelete"use a lower opacity and softer edged brush" was in reference to his cigar smoke and shadow on the ground.
Sam: Thanks for the advice. I am starting to play around with softer brushes at the moment. They seem to have the best effect for me when used in conjunction with layer masks to preserve edges.
ReplyDelete