01-08-2014, 05:02 PM
Awesome...glad you're going back to basics. That thumbnailing post is my staple send-to link when I try and explain a simple thumbnailing process to people.
So first things first, why not follow it?
If you're examining broad value structures in thumbnail form you have to draw the forms properly, at least at an approximation. The trick is do accurate work up front, not just a dozen loose explorations that don't actually address the issue you are trying to solve (paint a picture). What will happen is you will have to tweak everything all the way through the piece once again.
Your figures in your thumbs are long sticks. When you come to actually drawing a figure in pose and with proportion it will change the value structure and comp making your current thumbs somewhat a waste of time. It's a common beginner mistake (sorry I assume you are relatively new to the game) to think that general thumbnailing and sketching means you have licence to be inaccurate and sometime even abstract. No. You should be aiming to solve the issues that you don't want to solve later on in the painting. (pose, composition, values etc)
So for each thumbnail you do. Nail your general pose. Nail your proportions. Nail your composition. Nail your value structure (the 4 value system is good to start with). By nail I mean, that if you are to take it up to rendered state, it would look largely similar to the original in overall read. This is the ideal anyway.
From personal experience, almost every time I have started with a loose thumb and then just fiddled away it ends up something completely different and the process is painful. Of if I started with a strong thumb and then diverged from it by not referring to it all the time, the piece ended up being worse than the original thumb! The lesson is....the thumbnail is everything. All the important work happens here, everything else is just added fluff.
This is a lesson to be learned the hard way I think, but that doesn't stop me from trying to help you not do the same :D
Best thing I think for you is sketch to resolve all the main things in each thumbnail.
Use the muddy colors thumbnailing technique and sketch some poses and comps relatively accurately (at least in proportion and silhouette)
Here's a quick example, took maybe 10 minutes max. 4 layers .Started with flat value. Once the silhouettes were in, layer locked, and added simple gradients for broad value shifts (Not necessary to get the gist, but if you can why not?). Note that there are still issues, anatomy, perspective etc...but they are smaller in relation to the overall picture, and these can be fixed later.
Do 3 or more. Then post those and get some feedback or just crack on with the one you like.
So first things first, why not follow it?
If you're examining broad value structures in thumbnail form you have to draw the forms properly, at least at an approximation. The trick is do accurate work up front, not just a dozen loose explorations that don't actually address the issue you are trying to solve (paint a picture). What will happen is you will have to tweak everything all the way through the piece once again.
Your figures in your thumbs are long sticks. When you come to actually drawing a figure in pose and with proportion it will change the value structure and comp making your current thumbs somewhat a waste of time. It's a common beginner mistake (sorry I assume you are relatively new to the game) to think that general thumbnailing and sketching means you have licence to be inaccurate and sometime even abstract. No. You should be aiming to solve the issues that you don't want to solve later on in the painting. (pose, composition, values etc)
So for each thumbnail you do. Nail your general pose. Nail your proportions. Nail your composition. Nail your value structure (the 4 value system is good to start with). By nail I mean, that if you are to take it up to rendered state, it would look largely similar to the original in overall read. This is the ideal anyway.
From personal experience, almost every time I have started with a loose thumb and then just fiddled away it ends up something completely different and the process is painful. Of if I started with a strong thumb and then diverged from it by not referring to it all the time, the piece ended up being worse than the original thumb! The lesson is....the thumbnail is everything. All the important work happens here, everything else is just added fluff.
This is a lesson to be learned the hard way I think, but that doesn't stop me from trying to help you not do the same :D
Best thing I think for you is sketch to resolve all the main things in each thumbnail.
Use the muddy colors thumbnailing technique and sketch some poses and comps relatively accurately (at least in proportion and silhouette)
Here's a quick example, took maybe 10 minutes max. 4 layers .Started with flat value. Once the silhouettes were in, layer locked, and added simple gradients for broad value shifts (Not necessary to get the gist, but if you can why not?). Note that there are still issues, anatomy, perspective etc...but they are smaller in relation to the overall picture, and these can be fixed later.
Do 3 or more. Then post those and get some feedback or just crack on with the one you like.