06-24-2022, 02:03 AM
Honestly? Looks really good! There's a huge difference between the new and the previous shirt, it's a lot more crisp looking. With the brushes I don't really know, It seems like you've figured out what kind of works and what doesn't. I would probably be having the same struggles as well because I don't use procreate. I think just going for black and white was a good idea, it makes it a little less complicated of a problem.
What you said here:
is actually a really good question, and the answer is that it's relative to something that you can be pretty sure about. If it's white or black, or at least the lightest or darkest part of what you're painting, then you have a solid reference point to base the things around it on. Having filled in your kind of general guess as the overall color and value of an area, you then pick a plane of value, like let's say the flat part of the collar. And you say, well let's say it's this shade of white. If true, what would the value next to it be? And you can see that on the front of the shirt it's the same, but a tiny bit darker. And then as the shirt turns away into shadow it gets a tiny bit darker still, and maybe warmer. And you ask yourself if it has the same read as the reference, if it's the same relationship or is yours too dark or too light. As you go you can refine these decisions. So now for instance you have realized like, oh mine has too much contrast and it's because I made some parts a little too dark. And that's good, it's just part of critiquing your work. With experience and practice you can figure out these relations fairly quickly by trying numerous combinations of color notes together in quick succession before any real work has been done painting details you won't want to redo.
I also want to mention that this is where your sense of form comes in as well, what I was talking about earlier. You can look at two values you painted next to each other in the 2D sense, of just purely how does this look compared to the reference? But also, you can ask, does this value look like it turns the form the same amount as the reference! Because changing the value changes the form. And that might be an idea you don't need to deal with at the moment, but I want to mention it because when you paint not from direct reference, that becomes important.
That being said, I don't necessarily think it would be bad to pick some colors from the photo just so you have something to start with that is definitely right. Or just check if you're on the right track when you're stuck. It kind if puts up some bumpers so you don't get way off. But obviously if you're just picking every color from the photo you aren't training your eye, which, as you mentioned, is an issue when it comes to still life, or painting from your head.
What you said here:
Quote:So I've now sat down and I'm finding where do I get my colours from??!! I don't want to colour pick - because art from my head or still life I can't just colour pick from.
is actually a really good question, and the answer is that it's relative to something that you can be pretty sure about. If it's white or black, or at least the lightest or darkest part of what you're painting, then you have a solid reference point to base the things around it on. Having filled in your kind of general guess as the overall color and value of an area, you then pick a plane of value, like let's say the flat part of the collar. And you say, well let's say it's this shade of white. If true, what would the value next to it be? And you can see that on the front of the shirt it's the same, but a tiny bit darker. And then as the shirt turns away into shadow it gets a tiny bit darker still, and maybe warmer. And you ask yourself if it has the same read as the reference, if it's the same relationship or is yours too dark or too light. As you go you can refine these decisions. So now for instance you have realized like, oh mine has too much contrast and it's because I made some parts a little too dark. And that's good, it's just part of critiquing your work. With experience and practice you can figure out these relations fairly quickly by trying numerous combinations of color notes together in quick succession before any real work has been done painting details you won't want to redo.
I also want to mention that this is where your sense of form comes in as well, what I was talking about earlier. You can look at two values you painted next to each other in the 2D sense, of just purely how does this look compared to the reference? But also, you can ask, does this value look like it turns the form the same amount as the reference! Because changing the value changes the form. And that might be an idea you don't need to deal with at the moment, but I want to mention it because when you paint not from direct reference, that becomes important.
That being said, I don't necessarily think it would be bad to pick some colors from the photo just so you have something to start with that is definitely right. Or just check if you're on the right track when you're stuck. It kind if puts up some bumpers so you don't get way off. But obviously if you're just picking every color from the photo you aren't training your eye, which, as you mentioned, is an issue when it comes to still life, or painting from your head.