CGMythology's Sketchbook

[cgmythology]

Navaali:  Thank you kindly!  Glad you enjoy the new sketch as well!  For the background I'm going for something nature oriented as it's something I enjoy painting, it should work better now that's it's painted hopefully!  Thanks for the positive words!

darktiste:  Yeah I could have put more thought into the background dragons, but I just updated the to make them more unique so hopefully it's an improvement.  Excellent tips and feedback as well, will keep them in mind for future illustrations.  

The link you posted for the YouTube channel is brilliant, just subscribed to him as well, some really great content there.  I watched it a bit too late during the painting process to incorporate any substantial change on the dragon, but hopefully it works well enough!

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Went ahead and finalized the painting.  I'm pretty happy with it, and I'm open to hearing any final feedback as there's still time for minor changes if needed, so please let me know!  Below is the current preview followed by the steps for those interested:








Next up is a quick study from Lord of the Rings.  These studies are great because I get to tackle lighting as well as fantasy architecture so I'm learning quite a lot:






Finally I'm beginning work on a new painting.  The lighting and pose is heavily referenced intentionally as I want to continue with my lighting studies.  Any input before I begin color work would be most appreciated!  Here is the current sketch:

[TrashPanda]

Hi CG cool sketch as always, I made a rough paintover with some ideas you can maybe try out.
I think you can get away with far less details in the sketch if you take a closer look at your general composition.
I simplified the leafs just to show the idea of "resting areas and moving areas" or " high detail / less detail".
If most of your comp is filled with too many details it can become a bit too hard to generate focal points and to frame the character properly. I believe you can get away with using less details with the plant / leafs in the foreground since you already have some cool shapes (moving areas / high detail areas) in the jewerly and the clothing design.

Even though its quite cliche it can be helpful at times to add a basic 1/3 grid or any grid with neat golden ratios
to plan out your sketch in terms of focal points and their hierachy in between. By establishing your 3 focal points
you can then build around them and create shapes that generate a flow / gesture in between your comp.

If you have time you can look up the book "Grid systems in graphic design by Brockmann", the book 
talks more about graphic design, grid systems for ux design etc. but it shows some abstract concepts
that you can apply for your own compositions. 

keep up the good work

[cgmythology]

TrashPanda:  Thank you, and thanks for taking the time to do that paintover, very useful and constructive!  Sometimes I go overboard with the detail work even on a sketch, and the result will be that the image might appear to be too cluttered.  Your example shows a simplified composition that is much more improved, so I went ahead and implemented and the image looks all that better for it.  

Thanks for the book recommendation as well - it's actually crazy expensive though, but I did buy some books on composition that I will be studying in the near future so hopefully they will be just as useful.  Thanks again for taking the time to do the draw over and suggestions as well, very much appreciate it!

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I went ahead and painted the image in.  I pretty much accomplished what I set out to do with the image, which is to study dynamic lighting and I feel the illustration works well in that regard.  There's still time for some fine tuning if needed, so if something looks off kindly let me know!  Here is the current preview followed by the steps for those interested:








Next up I started a new sketch featuring Athena from Greek Mythology.  This is my third attempt at the character and I feel the sketch is the strongest of all the ones I've done so far.  General pose for the figure was referenced from Satine Zillah's recent Greek stock pack as well.  Pretty happy with the sketch but I wanted to hear any input before I proceed to paint it in, so any feedback would be highly appreciated!  Here is the current sketch:

[darktiste]

The background look unresolved it more of a feeling than anything i can pin point i certainly understand the framing of the head achieve by that layout but it not convincing in term of arrangement that the closest i can put it in word.I would suggest a few more thumbnail for the background layout perhaps. For some reason i am also seeing a vision of a throne not in a palace but like in some kind of open air setting where column align just for aesthical purpose.

There also something about the gesture that seem off in term of balancing the weight (perhaps it just my inexperience in that realm and the cloth hiding the gesture).I feel like the left leg need to move more to the left to carry the twisting of the body and arm and head shifting to the left.

There also deformation on the ring chain some of the ring are flatten at the torn and chain do not ''stick together'' they interlock i never seen chain like those. Also i expect that your level to be doing more then coping ellipse without care for any form or perspective the chain is not resting flat on a cube like come on men it know it alot of work but that the price you pay for those design decision.

[cgmythology]

darktiste:  Thanks for your input;  I agree somewhat about the environment, although I'm generally happy with it.  It does look a bit too clean and a big 'staged', but I think I fixed that issue now that I painted it in.  Removed the chain from 'Athena' as well as I rushed that part during the drawing process and it didn't really add anything to the character design.

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I went ahead and painted the image in.  The painting process went by extremely smoothly, probably because I got the values the way I wanted them very early in the painting process.  Slowing this down really is helpful during the early stages!

Here is the current progress followed by the steps for those interested.  Any feedback on the image would be greatly appreciated as there's still time to correct things and fine tune things if needed, so please let me know!

[darktiste]

There a inconsistency in the section of stone supported by the column the pattern. On left side there is a a ''lips'' under the ''square'' but this continuity doesn't exist between the two middle section.This create a leak of depth in that section right section and the one hidden the behind the leaf.

I would also probably add a little more detail to the step they feel a little bit to "pristine compare to the lower floor.

That extreme nitpicking but that detail that show you rush to finish.

Is that Zeus behind and why does his throne is in such a ''desolate'' temple this strike me as odd for a god. This feel more like the place Pan would play is flute in.

[cgmythology]

darktiste:  Great points!   Initially I wanted to make both concepts unique and distinct from each other, but during the painting process I painted them both with the same material so they looked very similar even though that might not have been my initial intention.  I do think they would work better if they both have similar designs, so I went ahead and did that.  Regarding Zeus, I didn't want him to take too much attention away from Athena so I tried to keep everything subtle in that area as I was afraid it might lead to him becoming an unwanted focal point.  Hopefully it works well enough, however.

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I went ahead and updated the column so they both match and did some subtle improvements through out.  I think the image is finalized for now:





Next up I started on a new sketch, wanted to paint a figure riding a horse again, although at the same time significantly different than the recent illustration I tackled.  I had a reference for the general poses, although in the reference the figure's leg was covered up by drapery so I drew that form imagination, hopefully it looks natural enough but please let me know if you feel otherwise.  Overall I'm pretty satisfied with the sketch, but I would love to hear any input on it before I begin painting, so please feel free to let me know if anything can be improved.  Here is the current sketch:

[cgmythology]

Took another look at the sketch and addressed some issues to give it a more natural look.  Mainly her arm and hand positions, hopefully this is an improvement but I'm open to feedback!

[darktiste]

I think this piece is pretty weak the background leak storytelling.There is no connection between the figure and the horse apart from the figure sitting on it. The flag leak form/fold. There also a tangent with the horse head band and the flag just to name that one. Congratulation on catching the horse mouth must mean you evolving in creature observation. For the flag i would try to re design something with more identity and not have the insignia so close to the pool.

I don't really understand the dagger importance i would prefer a companion in her hand something more worth looking at and to worth interacting without this is just an unanimated object i really don't understand what that dagger bring in the storytelling. Also have the dagger toward herself that kind of strange. The direction also i feel change the implied story to a degree when it point toward the castle i feel as if she will come back for revenge and when it toward herself well i really don't get it.

I feel like the horse head is still to small.I am also not convince by the way the flag she hold the flag the pole direction and how her body is doesn't make much sense it hard to explain but it come down to you don't hold a flag behind your back and the hand position cannot physically hold the flag in that position or it again an othe case of i need to pov to see for myself. I really don't like when object just vanish behind object for example where is the bottom of that flag pole?i Is it a short stick flag that odd. Where is the horse lead vanishing into? How is she conducting the horse?That the problem when hand are not visible they hand hold alot of story props which give function and realism to a story. By hiding the hand we loose some of that visual clarity.