11-25-2015, 08:10 AM
@Olooriel: I would suggest not photobashing until you feel more comfortable with your own painting and judgement so you are able to self-correct those basic fundamentals.
Photobashing is very much about integration and does require enough knowledge to be able to know how to change the photos to make them work. Where pbashing comes in handy is really in getting detail and pattern into your work quickly so you don't have to paint it all from scratch, and this is why it is so prevalent in concept design.
You will definitely learn more by painting from reference from scratch so I'd say paint from reference instead this time, and maybe we can add some details in small areas with photos as a finishing technique.
For any areas where you are struggling even painting from reference, do separate studies. This is the best way to teach your brain what to do. You have to begin to learn to simplify and abstract the things you are painting down to enough of a level that you can get the nuance of them without necessarily painting every pixel the same, so focus on simplification. Decide what it is you are trying to capture from the reference and focus on that in your study. If it is lighting...then focus on nailing the lighting. If it is the texture, focus on the texture. Do enough studies, and you will notice that you will begin to understand the subject, find little techniques or brush choices to become more efficient. You are problem solving. The problem being how do I depict the reference with the tools at hand? So be as thoughtful about your studies as you need to be to solve this problem and don't just become a duplication machine.
Some tips for studies:
Before you begin decide what you want to focus on and what problem you want to solve.
Spend some minutes really just observing the material. Use the colour picker to examine Hue/Sat/Value relationships. Why just eyeball it when the software can tell you exactly. (Keeping in mind that photos aren't accurate to lighting conditions but close enough to be practical)
Work zoomed out of the canvas on screen. You don't want to focus on detail (unless it is some detail you are studying)
Squint your eyes at the ref, it helps by simplifying down to the most basic tonal and edge structures. The more you squint the more it cuts out detail and all but the most important edges.
Work from large to small / general to specific.
Try and use the fewest strokes possible to depict anything.
Think before you put down a brushstroke, don't noodle.
Put the study down when you have learned what you set out to. Don't worry about how good it looks, it's for learning, not display. (I do want to see them ! :) )
If you aren't satisfied with the result, do more studies, until it starts to click. Then you can begin to apply to your piece.
Photobashing is very much about integration and does require enough knowledge to be able to know how to change the photos to make them work. Where pbashing comes in handy is really in getting detail and pattern into your work quickly so you don't have to paint it all from scratch, and this is why it is so prevalent in concept design.
You will definitely learn more by painting from reference from scratch so I'd say paint from reference instead this time, and maybe we can add some details in small areas with photos as a finishing technique.
For any areas where you are struggling even painting from reference, do separate studies. This is the best way to teach your brain what to do. You have to begin to learn to simplify and abstract the things you are painting down to enough of a level that you can get the nuance of them without necessarily painting every pixel the same, so focus on simplification. Decide what it is you are trying to capture from the reference and focus on that in your study. If it is lighting...then focus on nailing the lighting. If it is the texture, focus on the texture. Do enough studies, and you will notice that you will begin to understand the subject, find little techniques or brush choices to become more efficient. You are problem solving. The problem being how do I depict the reference with the tools at hand? So be as thoughtful about your studies as you need to be to solve this problem and don't just become a duplication machine.
Some tips for studies:
Before you begin decide what you want to focus on and what problem you want to solve.
Spend some minutes really just observing the material. Use the colour picker to examine Hue/Sat/Value relationships. Why just eyeball it when the software can tell you exactly. (Keeping in mind that photos aren't accurate to lighting conditions but close enough to be practical)
Work zoomed out of the canvas on screen. You don't want to focus on detail (unless it is some detail you are studying)
Squint your eyes at the ref, it helps by simplifying down to the most basic tonal and edge structures. The more you squint the more it cuts out detail and all but the most important edges.
Work from large to small / general to specific.
Try and use the fewest strokes possible to depict anything.
Think before you put down a brushstroke, don't noodle.
Put the study down when you have learned what you set out to. Don't worry about how good it looks, it's for learning, not display. (I do want to see them ! :) )
If you aren't satisfied with the result, do more studies, until it starts to click. Then you can begin to apply to your piece.