JoeSB

[Adam Lina]

Thanks a lot for the tutorial Joe. Its really helpful to see how all this stuff is done in PS. I have a bit of a problem. At the 3:20 mark where you crtl click the line. It doesnt seem to be doing the same thing when I try what you said. It pulls out both end points.






Also have you tried the vanishing point thing under filters? I just found out how to use it to make perfect boxes and ellipses in perspective.

[Joe]

At a guess, you might be using the line tool rather the pen tool. So you'd want to make the line using the line tool, then switch to the pen tool to move it around (thats because if you try to move it with the line tool it move all the...erm nodes (I use the word nodes for everything it seems) but if you try to move something with the pen tool it'll only move the node you have selected)

Another thing it might be is that you are clicking and dragging to high up on line rather than at the tip of it

That's the best I can do at the moment I'm afraid, I'm away from photoshop for a week

I had a little look at that filter but I couldn't really get what I wanted from it. Wanna do a google hangout sometime and go through it? See what it's capable of

[Adam Lina]

yea im there now in the CD hangout if you got a few minutes

[Joe]

It'll be next week now, just about to get on a plane

[Joe]

hey guys, I'm back off holiday and I've gotten to grips (sort of) with making videos so now it's back to actually doin' some drawing :0 

GOODGUYSBADGUYS 

for my first go round on this project I'm going for a ww2 era designs. it's the time period i'm trying to emulate, not the armies. more like a parallel universe where the armies at war are just known as the good guys or the the badguys. 

I started of designing the bikes for each faction first, only because I've been drawing a whole heap of bikes recently so i could focus more on the design and rather than visual research (i'll be doing the tanks last as I've never drawn or even paid the the slightest attention to them)  

the top drawing is the badguys, the only real trait that I want the to have is to be the aggressors, and to have some intimidation factor. I'm taking influence from old battle ships, they're bulky and function of form which I think comes across aggressive. I tried to give it so posture of an animal that charges, like a ram or a hog

the goodguys go to trait is 'plucky'. I'm stealin' design language from prop fighter planes from this team. For the bike a wanted it to look clearly quicker and nimble.

While I'm working on this i'm imagining it as a RTS. So each bike would have different functions withing the armies. the badguys bike is an infantry killer and also used for hunting down the goodguys bike. each biker for the good guys is a sniper, the goal of the bike is the get them in position quickly and out of danger once they have killer their target or are spotted. their target would be badguy generals. if a units general is assassinated the squad loose firepower and defence and there would be a time delay for getting new generals out to them. simply Badguys infantry with Gen. =stronger than GoodGuys infantry.    Badguys infantry without Gen. =Weaker than Goodguys infantry 

I'm going to design a para upgrade for the goodguys bike (so it can be dropped anywhere on the map) and also a side cart for the Goodguys (it'll make the bike a lot slower but add aditional firepower so could be used to kill an infantry squad. it would make them slower than the badguys bikes and therefore sitting ducks)

little note on workflow for this. I recently got a cheap scanner printer so what I've been doing is scribbling a bunch of designs working towards proportions/ shapes that I like. once I have one I like I measure it up (using wheel bases as units) tweak it a little and draw a neatish copy. i'll scan that in, lower the opacity and print out a few pages, some with nine to a page, some with 4 (options when printing stuff from windows photo viewer). the 9 pages are for scribbling rough ideas out the 4 pages are neater and much more detailed. I'd constantly jump over to a 9page while drawing out a more detailed 4pager just to check and try things out. 

I love it, has a good flow to it. i'm a chicken too, so it really works for me, lets me be much less precious (something i struggle with) 

nextup i'm gonna take the designs into photoshop and do a finial tweak and neat line work over the top. before going to drawing them in perspective... probably irl    

thought I'd include a pic of some of the sketching (i think if you click on it it's quite high res)

PERSPECTIVE WARM UP

been doing this as a little warm up, just combining random shapes until just have some vague scifi designs. it's a technique from https://gumroad.com/joepetersondesign

virtual plein air

Just started a new one of these, thought i'd do some progress shots as i go

step one is just doing a rough line drawing. I'm going to continue by doing something very similar to shaddy's youtube series but i'm not good enough to do it without a quick line drawing first. i'll be blocking in the shapes using both the brush and paths depending on which ever is most useful

That's it for new drawings

just a little note too, i've started trying to teach some technical perspective stuff on YouTube, there is a thread on Daggers if anyone is interested HOW TO PERSPECTIVE LIKE A PRO There isn't much there yet but I'm working on it. looking for topic suggestions too if you have any thing 



end of wall of text

[Adam Lina]

Those bikes look sick bro. The Joe Peterson gumroads sound interesting. Are they good?

[Joe]

Adam, Thanks man, not sure if the peterson Gumroads are worth it, from what I remember they were pretty expensive and didn't go into too much depth, it's was basically, you can draw some primitive shapes and cut away at them/ overlay details on 'em. it was cool to see the kinds of things you can draw using it though, I think it's defiantly a good way to approach any drawing.

Back again after another long absence. I'm so shit at keeping this up to date, it,s usually the first thing that drops off when I get too busy. so quick update. I've moved house and now have access to a mac, so I'm hoping to start streaming soon (something my old shitty laptop couldnt handle).  been working on a portfolio and going through all the gumroads from the guys at Naughty Dog. learning a bit of 3D too, Blender because I can't afford modo

so my first two portfolio pieces 

I'll probably redo the stagecoach one again from scratch, looking back on it now I can see a lot wrong with it and it generally just doesn't look finished.

Both of them took about a week to finish, starting out with a  basic 3D base made in blender and then detailed out in photoshop using a combo of photobashing and painting. 

the 3d bits 

For the western picture, the 3D stage coach is a sketchup model from their warehouse. still aint sure what the rules are for using warehouse models as part of your blockmesh so for the next image I model the bike myself in blender. It took me a little over a week because I was learning how as I went along, but I love working in 3D.

the 3d Model, you can see it and move it around in 3D here

so that Bike was the same one a drew on my last post for GoodGuysBadGuys, I did a neat line work pass in photoshop and a quick paint before I tryed to modelled it in blender 

 

So on top of the Naughty Dog Gumroads I also picked up a couple Mike Hill's after watching a few of his Industry workshops, I got them mainly just because I like the guy. they are really good, I love his opinions on thumbnails and how he approaches a brief.

this is a quick sketch I did after watching one them (the other use a lot of 3D, will probably be a while before I have a use for it)



I did a bit of inktober too, but quit pretty early on, maybe next year. they are all up on my insta

[miracoly]

Man, nice work dude! I always admired your SB, keep it up Joe!

[Joe]

Going through a 'everything I do and everything I've done is shit' phase of learning how to draw. Upside of it though is and increased motivation to go back to basic studies and suckle at the teat of fundamentals (sorry for the gross imagery) while i wait for my ego to return. 

rough plan is to blast through HowToDraw and HowToRender again, try and get through them by the end of the year, skipping the shadow construction and going straight onto lighting basic forms 

 

 

 

 

 

I did these last week, but most of my time has been finally getting to grip with lens, scale and distance. it's taken me a couple of years to understand but I feel I've finally got an accurate understanding of it and can draw in accordance to a particular lenes (these studies were all 50mm) with calculated scale (this alone has made me really wanna get back to making personal pieces). As I continue going through the books I'll continue churning out new grids for a selection of lenses (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 100mm and 200mm), I'll post the files when I'm done and explain how to make them if anyone is interested. It'll just be basic perspective at first (where the vertical lines are perpendicular to the horizon and don't converge) but I'll expand it to full perspective at some point 

 

Yo Miracoly, thanks for the comment man, your sketchbook is my go to when I'm feeling lazy and need a kick start, gotta try keeping up with ya.

[Joe]

I forgot to mention

www.shutterdial.com this website lets you search through images on flikr by lens size. perfect to get a rough idea of how a subject should look if shot (or drawn) using different lens

for example landscapes using a 20mm
http://www.shutterdial.com/#/search?s=la...e&f=20&a=0

[Joe]

Quick update of some new portfolio pieces. not really been doing much studying of late... not really been doing much of anything really, but hey, i'm still livin' 

I like them enough for now. the second super photobashed one was done after watching john sweeny's gumroads, i think the perspective ain't too bad (I used a ridiculously long lens for the comp when i was doing the 3d and it skrewed with me the whole way through) but i fucked up the lighting, it doesnt feel full... i have wimpy lights, just eh-ing their way through life. couple bits I like though like the blocks on the floor near the army dudes foot...they're some dope blocks
aint much I like about the spider one. most of it is painted, and i didn't start out with a 3d base, just drew it. so i get some cool guy points for that. really messed up the scale and depth when it came to painting it... it's passable, still has the same lighting problems, all kinds of drab

shit I is gonna do now:

• make sexy bullet point lists 
  
• still life (see if i can take care of my sad sack lighting)
  
• landscape studies (again for lighting... and for working out depth/scale/perspective when dealing with super big things, like really big things... 'uge things)
  
• movies caps, make my comps more compy
  

I finally got around to getting screencaputer software on my new computer, and set up a twitch. I probably wont continue my perspective series as i figured I hate making videos... but I'm here to help whenever anybody needs it. just get in touch any way you want, whether it's just a reply on this thread, DM or you tracked me down on facebook, tell me what you want help with and we can arrange a time to stream.

I'm a maths focused guy (even have a shiny degree and everything) i have a pretty good grasp of the theory (terrible at implementing it, I skipped the doing 100s of shitty sketches needed too improve your eye... also my designs are pants. so if you get frustrated that something doesn't make sense and just resort to drawing a crap ton of boxes hopefully i'll be able to fill in any gaps in your knowhow.... before you get back to drawing a further shit ton of boxes)

Done.

oh yeah, I also decided I dont like designing vehicles (I can't even spell it half the time), i just find it tedious so probably no more of that from me, just story scenes and landscapes 

 

[Joe]

Histograms :0

I was wasting time on youtube, ended up watching some videos on histograms, did a very rough edit of the soldier piece seeing if I could improve the lighting. snatched a Sweeny piece off artstation (Drakes attic) that had the lighting I was sort of aiming at and attempted to edit my histogram to match his, which was very underexposed... I think it would be interesting analyse the histograms of picture I like... maybe interesting is the wrong word 

it's a quick fix which created more problems than it solves (mainly the smushing together of colour temps) I reckon if I keep an eye on it from the start it could be useful

 

[Artloader]

Nice to see you posting on here again mate :).

I'm loving those spiders in post #51.

Keep it going fella!

[Joe]

Hey Daggers, gonna try pop back over here a little more often. quick update!

Tried to get into Freelancing. 

started out on Fiverr and got a couple job quite quickly, a few which were little one off concept pieces and some which expanded out into much larger projects that kept me going for a while. 

the two larger jobs were working on a some background images for some interactive learning program

   

  

and some concept images and storyboards for a guy working on his first  film https://twitter.com/CoffeeIndieFilm

I ended up working with the above clients away from fiverr in the end, the company takes about 20% of your earning and wasn't getting a whole lot in the first place haha. definitely helped in find the initial work though, so I'd say it was worth it.  these two projects along saw me though most of my first year freelancing, they always just seemed to have more work available. Had promises of more to come as I started year two, so I rested on my laurels a bit and learnt how to paint portraits while I waited for the next phase of work to begin. 

I mostly just painted portraits for gifts, but I got a few clients from people finding me on instagram (first time that had ever happened to me, was smiling for days after I received the first portrait request message)

The extra work with the film and the learning software people fell through in the end :( I'd mostly be biding my time waiting for them to start and not looking for for new clients. so when it didn't materialise I entered a bit of a panic. 

I'd decided over my first year that there didn't seem to be much need/demand for lower level concept art, I think for the smaller companies/ solo creators they'd just be getting the people making the assets to design them too and wouldn't be wasting their money hiring addition concept people. so in my penniless panic I decided to try and pivot to doing straight illustration. Only problem was that I had no illustrations in my  portfolio, just portraits and photobashed concept art. 

For the first time I started applying for work on the concept art jobs forum, I didn't really have high hopes but I got lucky and received a response from a small game company based in Amsterdam who were working on their first card game.  I'd offered to do the first illustration for free as like a trail run (since I had no past work I could show them) which ended up taking a whole lot longer than I'd planned and really stretched me to the end of my finances (I really hate that piece now too, don't know why they took me on after it haha) 

(trail image)

The situation with them really worked out well though, I've been working for them for a few months now (getting paid this time) which has been the perfect opportunity to build up an illustration portfolio while earning enough to keep ticking along. Think I've managed to improve quite a bit too 

     

  

I LOVED getting away from the concept art/3D photobashing work to straight up painting too, not something I'd done for a long time I'd definitely missed it. I'm still working for them now, you can find them over at https://www.instagram.com/GrumpyOwlGames/ if you want to keep uptodate with it and see some of the awesome art their other guys are doing

Also doing some new work with an old friend of mine, he started his own business writing cycling copy and wanted to branch out into offering illustration. Been fun working with someone I've known since I was a kid, also had some of my better paying work though his company which is a definite bonus.

  

Think I've been quite lucky up to this point, I've gotten to work with some really awesome people on a wide variety of project and a bunch of different styles, It's been very stressful and I'm definitely poorer that I was working a 9-5 (most through bad choices on my part) but it's been fun!

It's all gonna change soon though! In much bigger and more important news I recently found out I'm gonna be a Dad :0 

I think as it stands I'm currently not earning enough to be contributing my fair share, so as the due date approaches it's looking like I may have to put pursuing art to the side/ abandon it altogether and shift my focus towards regular working and fathering it up to the max. It may turn out differently and I may land on some consistent, well paying illustration work,  but if not, it's not all too sad. I think it's been about 5 years since I started practicing and made it my goal to become a concept artist, but for the most part I think I just wanted to be challenged and to be facing some kind of uphill struggle and that has definitely been the case.

Life is good though, I turn 30 in a few weeks, I'm proud how much I've managed to learn and improve, feel like I've developed a genuine craft/skill, I have my first baby on the way with a woman I've been in love with for over a decade, I couple months worth of illustration work left and to cap off the year, today behance added by untamed work into the illustration curated gallery (not sure if that is a big deal or not, but it definitely made my day!). so what ever happens next, it's okay by me.

Not too sure what I'm looking to do with this sketchbook, or just being back on the forum, I just missed it is all, I think If I end up putting art to one side I'd like to keep the social side of it going, have some fun doodling and seeing wht people are up to. plus my paternal instincts are kicking in, wanna make sure I keep an eye on all you young'ns see if I can help out at all.

Happy to answer any questions if you think there is something I can help out with. or if ya looking for crits? I'll try drop some regular updates too.

[Fedodika]

Thats a riveting story my dude, i love your attitude <3

If youre looking to keep up with the social aspect the forum is quite dormant for the most part, but i try to post consistently perhaps dogmatically or something lol.

Youd probably have more luck on the daggers discord talking to people from here. Your composiitons are really charming and you have very solid color and shape choices, im not sure how to better them at this point in time.

Hope the fatherhood turns out well man, and best of luck to find what it is youre looking for :)

[Artloader]

Hey guy, good to see you on here again.

You've done well for yourself - nice going :) and happy birthday for a few weeks time :).

And many congrats to you and the missus on the approaching addition to the family.

I've seen your stuff on Instagram, wonderful, I hope you get time to keep the art journey rolling along as time goes by.

All the best fella :).