CRIMSON REVOLVER 4 - Deity WIP

[pnate]

This week: Character of the Week!

This week's topic was written by the winner of Revolver #1: Crackedskull!
(http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6123 )

For a moment it seemed that time had stopped. Both sides lowered their weapons and stood staring in awe at a being unlike any other they had ever seen. Merely gazing at him gave them profound fulfillment and at the same time the sheer weight of his power forced them to their knees.

Your task: Design the Deity


Guidelines:

• Environment backgrounds are optional.
  
• Keep in mind you are not required to stick to what is in the passage. It is more of a guide in terms of mood.
  
• There is no restriction on the character's gender, time period or culture.
  
• Photo textures, 3D, and traditional mediums are allowed.
  
• Studies are recommended, but not required.
  
• There is no restriction on image formats (horizontal, vertical, square).
  

Rules:

• You must post at least one WIP in the WIP thread to be accepted into the final poll.
  
• Finals must be posted in the finals thread before the deadline.
  
• At least 3/4 of the character must be visible (minimum from the knees up). No back views are allowed without a front.
  
• Only ONE character please.
  
• Only ONE submission per person in the finals thread.
  
• Sketches, WIPs, or rushed artwork will not be accepted into the poll.
  
• No fanart. We want to see your original, unique interpretations!
  
• Have fun!
  

Deadline is Sunday, March 15 @10pm GMT

[BlueBear]

interesting Challenge ! thanks for setting this up Nathan !

[KurtJeremy]

Im in

[Adrian]

Nice topic. Quite enjoyed it.

[Adzerak]

Fun! Here's a wip of a fiery diety purging some evil. Or that's what It'll look like when I'm done with him I guess heh.

[NinoKitteN]

Quick question , a Deity is supposed to be a divine being right ?

[pnate]

Ninokitten - Basically! It's a loose definition, so as long as it's in that ballpark it should be alright :)

[Patrick Gaumond]

Sorry guys, I've had a pretty crappy past two weeks and haven't participated in the challenges. I'll see if I can get something out anyways though :)

[NinoKitteN]

So, I'm not quite sure about this I dont think I have the chops to complete a concept , any tips would be appreciated. here are some loose ideas tho.

[Adam Lina]

started late but heres some ideas

[Patrick Gaumond]

Giant brain man wearing fez. Bask in his magnificent terror!

[KurtJeremy]

Aggghh i swear to god this took me AGES!
i did some studies beforehand and took the time to have a solid linework, just to find out i struggle with my values. frustration!!! ..... theres just not enough time to take it to finish.
stilll pushing myself to the limit with these challenges . everytime i do it i see my weaknesses and invisible walls thats needed to be hit.



im curious as to how you go about this challenge, do you go straight into paint and explore there? or do u guys use lines?

[pnate]

foxfire1345 - I can't speak for the others, but my own process "usually" is that I try to think of an idea before I even start drawing, then put it down with some simple lines or shapes and keep iterating and doing different versions of it until i get something that I am ok with. Once I have the basic idea down, then I go into a simple sketch, which I then turn into a detailed sketch. Then I block in simple values to see what it would look like, then a quick color scheme to see how that looks as well. After I've done a sketch is when I start doing studies; generally I like to do studies after I already have my idea down so they don't influence what I put on paper too much. Then from then on, you can guess the rest of it which is just putting all those pieces together and rendering. Keep working at it and be patient with yourself although we are our own harshest critics :) I also try to keep in mind the idea that (I think Jaime Jones or someone said this) some of the fastest painters are the ones who paint the most accurately and think the most about every brushstroke, though I also forget this all the time and fall into non-thinking mode. Keep it up!!!

[KurtJeremy]

foxfire1345 - I can't speak for the others, but my own process "usually" is that I try to think of an idea before I even start drawing, then put it down with some simple lines or shapes and keep iterating and doing different versions of it until i get something that I am ok with. Once I have the basic idea down, then I go into a simple sketch, which I then turn into a detailed sketch. Then I block in simple values to see what it would look like, then a quick color scheme to see how that looks as well. After I've done a sketch is when I start doing studies; generally I like to do studies after I already have my idea down so they don't influence what I put on paper too much. Then from then on, you can guess the rest of it which is just putting all those pieces together and rendering. Keep working at it and be patient with yourself although we are our own harshest critics :) I also try to keep in mind the idea that (I think Jaime Jones or someone said this) some of the fastest painters are the ones who paint the most accurately and think the most about every brushstroke, though I also forget this all the time and fall into non-thinking mode. Keep it up!!!

thanks for the enlightenment. for this one i did some loose sketches for compositions and for the pose. after that i took a nosedive , and took so much time in the linework stage, realizing that i have problems with drapery i tried doing studies so that took extra time as well. is it normal to be this slow? or should i just have a bettter workflow designed for beginners like me? what can you suggest in studying values?
thanks for these challenges its really taking me to the limit.

[pnate]

Foxfire - Your workflow sounds fine to me. Try not to worry about speed at all when you do studies, particularly when it's an area you haven't studied before or are new at doing. I know that's hard to do for such a fast challenge as this one, but I would suggest whenever you have any extra time or during your study period outside of doing the challenge topics, to go back to those things that held you up and just do very specific studies tackling those things one step at a time. You can't rush yourself with learning new things; otherwise you'll just end up hurting yourself in the long run. It's not really a simple fix, you just have to keep doing it and you'll get faster and faster which I know is frustrating but you are doing all the right things. And looking at your sketchbook, looks like you are applying most of your studies which is good; keep doing that! Here's some useful tips from AJ in case you are having trouble with the studies themselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kfK46nruKM

[Patrick Gaumond]

thanks for the enlightenment. for this one i did some loose sketches for compositions and for the pose. after that i took a nosedive , and took so much time in the linework stage, realizing that i have problems with drapery i tried doing studies so that took extra time as well. is it normal to be this slow? or should i just have a bettter workflow designed for beginners like me? what can you suggest in studying values?
thanks for these challenges its really taking me to the limit.

Don't worry about time man, I used to spend 20 hours on a single piece that today I could probably do in 2 or 3 now. Stop when you feel like you've solved a problem or fixed a mistake you've been making in the past. I wouldn't really recommend going much longer than 15 though, be reasonable but still take your time and resolve as much as you can. That's my advice, but mold it to your own preferences. I personally didn't feel like I learned much from trying to hit a certain time frame or number of studies per day/week. I wanted to achieve a certain look, and if it took a while then that was that. Definitely do some things that are timed, but don't do them for the sake of doing them; They have an objective which is to train speed and efficiency, but they are poor for learning accuracy and precision in fundamentals. Be goal oriented, not process/workflow oriented. That will invariably come over time, but if you shove aside the fundamentals you might be fast but fast at making nothing that anybody wants

Along with what nate said which was good advice, I also think you should take a note from craig mullins. That is, that in order to find the workflow that works best for you, or to discover new ways of working or to learn about how you can combine different procedures, you should try to experiment and fail a lot. If you always work in the exact same way, challenge yourself and do a few pieces using a completely different way of working. Try going in straight with colour, try working with silhouettes and selections, try working with line, try working with only value, try working ontop of photos and old paintings. Try everything, and establish a feedback loop where you're always discovering things and incorporating them into your workflow, rather than trying to find a perfect way to work. They're all valid, it's just about finding which ones and in what magnitude they are effective for you as an individual.