# The Painting thread



## odibrom

Hello folks.

Since recently I've done some new paintings (I actually restarted to paint after some years just passing by), I though about, why not sharing them with you, you know, I kind of feel proud of them.

So I'll start with a photo of a triptych called _Cube Trilogy_. They represent a complete rip from my painting past, for good reasons, I mean, be it in atitude or expression.

These are 3 stereoscopic paintings to be decoded by the crossing eyes method. They are meant to invoke the need for different perspectives in order to understand our environment, in this situation, the space around us: size/dimension and distance. I wanted to confront the first understanding of space from the "2D" observation with the "3D" feeling of the stereoscopic one. These are 1x1 meters each and painted with acrylic paint over plywood. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.







Feel free to post your own paintings, to comment on these 3 or to ask anything about these or any others. I'm a Painting Graduate, Master in Drawing and PhD (in progress) in Descriptive Geometry, by the Lisbon's Fine Arts School (http://www.belasartes.ulisboa.pt/en/.


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## Philligan

Those are really cool.


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## odibrom

Philligan said:


> Those are really cool.



Thank you very much for your kind words Philligan. Were you able to see the stereoscopic 3D?


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## feraledge

I used to love watercolor. And drawing. I pretty much haven't done either in decades. My daughters asked me for some animal drawings. I obliged. Did three young river otters for one of my daughters and decided to color it with watercolor. On printer paper. Then I decided to just go for it. 
So busted Walmart's not finest watercolor gear tonight and did my first watercolor only painting in 19 years. I'm pretty damn stoked on how it turned out, willing to let a soon-to-be Doctor tell me otherwise! Haha.


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## odibrom

@feraledge , sorry to just replying now. That is just wonderful. GREAT work of painting/drawing (touching the Scientific Illustration kind) with watercolor... on printer paper! Isn't the paper shrouded/wavy with the water? By the looks of it, I'm sure you have some kind of education in these arts...

Anyway, keep it coming, I'd like to see more of your works, if you feel like sharing, of course.

... and as a stimulus for this thread, I'll leave a drawing here, made a few years ago (10+)... graphite on paper (a little thicker than printer paper). It's a study/invention of an architectural arch of the Belas Artes Lisbon School. I like the concept of the composition, there are textures, different shades from light grey to dark black, density and subtlety lines, chaos and order, the here and the over there, the object and its reflection... or is it a window?


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## feraledge

odibrom said:


> That is just wonderful. GREAT work of painting/drawing (touching the Scientific Illustration kind) with watercolor... on printer paper! Isn't the paper shrouded/wavy with the water? By the looks of it, I'm sure you have some kind of education in these arts...



I should clarify, that one is on watercolor paper. Earlier yesterday I did a pen drawing on printer paper that I went over with watercolor and, yes, the paper doesn't look nearly as good. My watercolor gear is all Walmart stuff, nothing great. Hoping to upgrade over time here. 
But, yes, I went a magnet high school and specialized in visual arts. I figured out proper watercolor techniques in the mid-90s, just hadn't touched them since. Thanks for the comments, I'll share more as it comes!


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## odibrom

In all arts, there are as much techniques as there are artists... plus some, you know, one artist does not uses only one technique, right? Keep them coming!


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## KnightBrolaire

Trying to get into ink-work. It's always overly sketchy unless I use a wash.








Some old studies I've done, I really wish I had the time to get back into painting.


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## odibrom

hey @KnightBrolaire, don't over judge yourself on the drawings that one looks good and promising. We're all in this for fun, that's what made us all start playing the guitar, it was fun and still is, I hope... and so is drawing and painting and so on. Keep it fresh, but focused! You're showing some pretty good skills, carry them over from one technique to another, "link the dots in between" and amaze yourself. Sketchy stuff is fresh and expressive, one doesn't always have to finish things (like those I posted before) and some things aren't to be finished. Art delves in mystery, otherwise, it would be descriptive imaging... like photography... hehehe, just a joke, photography is painting/drawing with light and has helped all other visual arts to jump out of realistic task/paradigm/responsibility that veiled them from the beginning.


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## High Plains Drifter

I crossed my eyes then blurred my vision... but still couldn't decode the images. I think that my right hemisphere is broken lol. Anyway... some horrible photos of a few random paintings.. acrylic, watercolor, oils, etc..


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## odibrom

@High Plains Drifter to decode those initial 3D paintings, one has to zoom each one of those 3 images so they fill all your screen. Then cross your eyes, so you can see 3 columns of cubes (basically you're overlaying the cubes on the right over those on the left... or vice versa). This will give a 3D feeling, but somehow incomplete or unfocused and blurry. Then, without loosing that crossed eye situation, you'll have to focus on the cubes in the middle column. The thing is that the converging point of our sight is matched to its focus point, wherever one goes, the other follows. To decode these paintings, one has to detach these actions into 2 conscious, voluntary and different movements. Not everyone is able to do this...

About those posted images, they have some moments, most embedded within a 70s psychedelic vide, but they are all too different from each other. To better understand them, could you explain why you posted exactly these images? Was it a random choice or do you like particular elements within them?


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## High Plains Drifter

Thanks for the additional info... I'll see if I can manipulate my perception. Was just arbitrarily posting some mediums that I've enjoyed working with. No real reason I guess. Apologies.


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## odibrom

No need for apologies, it's just harder to comment on something without proper context (like objectives, goals or purposes) when there is too much and diverging visual information. You clearly have representation skills and you can express yourself objectively on different mediums, which is pretty cool, so keep it up.

I'll leave another image here, also graphite on paper, also made 10+ years ago. This one is pretty special to me, because it shows a inner view of the entrance of Lisbon's Fine Arts College. It is a 12th century old monastery that was converted to an art academy in middle 19th century (if I remember correctly). It's a pretty damn awesome school, just for the history on its walls. Lots of cool memories there.


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## KnightBrolaire

a more recent piece in graphite, could've used more contrast. oh well.


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## odibrom

@KnightBrolaire that is some seriously difficult Yoga pose. Did you draw it by direct sight? How long was the model on that pose?

Regarding the drawing itself, yeah, I agree you could have used a bit more contrast, but you can still do it, unless it is not on your possession anymore. Get an eraser and open up some light, or a darker shade of Graphite and enhance some shades. I must be honest though, I feel the "background" doesn't add to the drawing, it is too "scratched". One has to dedicate as much attention to the page background as to its front theme, and I think/feel the background is lacking attention... The yoga pose itself is nailed and the human anatomy is spot on! Congrats!


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## KnightBrolaire

odibrom said:


> @KnightBrolaire that is some seriously difficult Yoga pose. Did you draw it by direct sight? How long was the model on that pose?
> 
> Regarding the drawing itself, yeah, I agree you could have used a bit more contrast, but you can still do it, unless it is not on your possession anymore. Get an eraser and open up some light, or a darker shade of Graphite and enhance some shades. I must be honest though, I feel the "background" doesn't add to the drawing, it is too "scratched". One has to dedicate as much attention to the page background as to its front theme, and I think/feel the background is lacking attention... The yoga pose itself is nailed and the human anatomy is spot on! Congrats!


Thanks,that piece is actually a photo study. I usually end up doing the background last (which I know is frowned upon/wrong) largely because I forget. I know I should build background to foregound like I was taught, but it's been quite a while since I've taken any composition/art classes.


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## odibrom

Generally it makes sense that way, BUT, one should just paint/draw the way one feels like, so go with whatever pleases you most. As for doing the background first or last, it all depends on one's objectives. One may even not draw it at all and just focus on the theme. Doing a background just for the sake of having a background is also a bad move, because it will show that it is there for no reason at all.

Drawing is quite a hard discipline, because it will show how we feel and think at the time we draw, it really tells something about the author in the way he traces lines, hatches or shades.

Also, @KinghtBrolaire, if you allow me to suggest some corrections, try to do the hatches in the same direction, for example: from left to right and lift the pencil, move the hand back to left and start again a new line. This is preferable to doing Zigzag lines to get a faster fill. The previous "technique" allows for a better control of the shade lines, though it may take a little longer to achieve the desired shade. It will also spice up your drawing identity, taste and overall results. Last but not least, try to have 2 or 3 different shades of graphite to work with from the beginning, one hard, for the light grey, one in the middle for intermediate grey and one soft for the dark shades. Obviously, one can go from light to dark with only one shade of graphite pencil, but give it a try, you'll like it.

... and now something completely different, this is an illustration of a poem I've made for my daughter 3 years ago, it was a homework from the kinder garden for us parents to so...






The poem goes like this, google translation from Portuguese with some small corrections.
_In my yellow room
I see the street from the window
I draw a picture of the garden
With green blue and brown

Hygiene matters
What dirty I learn to clean
And right on the shelf
I'll get the toys sorted

With lots of music and gymnastics
I'm an elastic artist.
It's my turn now
I'm grown up Inês
_​Explanation: my daughter is called Inês, she was at the yellow room in the kinder garden and she was 3 years old, so it's the time to learn about hygiene and getting things sorted out about rules and the places of things. She likes a lot to express herself through her drawings and paintings, she likes music (once I was hearing King Crimson and she was dancing on time and tempo with the music!) and gymnastics... this rhymes in Portuguese, by the way...


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## odibrom

Ok, so this thread has been quiet so I'll give it a push again... no comments on this one, I just like it.

Acrylic on canvas, 1x1m, circa 2006...


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## IGC

Hope this isn't too sub par for your thread odi, but I probably did this in high school (calss 1996) or early college..
On the back of one of my little brothers (8 years younger) homework assignments.


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## odibrom

@IGC There is no bar level in this thread, and it is not "mine", it belongs to whom ever posts here, so it's yours already! My role here is just to stimulate painting/drawing sharing, that's all. I know there are a lot of talented people here, so let's all share our doings in these areas, shall we?

That drawing looks nice, would you like to share a little more info on that? I can understand it is some sort of graphite as a base medium on paper. Who is the portraited fellow, how did you do it, by photo, live session? These things bring some additional charm to the images, which are the real object of the thread.

Did you not develop your drawing skills any further?


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## High Plains Drifter

That's no fellow. That's James Marshall!


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## odibrom

High Plains Drifter said:


> That's no fellow. That's James Marshall!



Lol at me then!


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## IGC

odibrom said:


> @IGC There is no bar level in this thread, and it is not "mine", it belongs to whom ever posts here, so it's yours already! My role here is just to stimulate painting/drawing sharing, that's all. I know there are a lot of talented people here, so let's all share our doings in these areas, shall we?
> 
> That drawing looks nice, would you like to share a little more info on that? I can understand it is some sort of graphite as a base medium on paper. Who is the portraited fellow, how did you do it, by photo, live session? These things bring some additional charm to the images, which are the real object of the thread.
> 
> Did you not develop your drawing skills any further?




Thanks, yes graphite to paper nothing special probably a standard pencil. Hendrix, sketched from a - if I can remember correctly, pic of him in guitar world? This would probably be the extent of my drawing skills. 
Your pieces and brolairs on display in this thread are very nicely completed. Shading has very good 3d realism.


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## IGC

This came out a little lopsided but here we go. Did this probably 5.5 years ago doodling at work (those were the days). Graphite to graph paper, I also utilized cross hatch shading.


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## odibrom

Damn, no pic again bro. You said earlier on another thread that you are hosting them on Google Photos, have you checked the photos properties so you can share them on social media? (I don't use google photos).

PS - Thanks for the compliment on my works... I'm trying to make my living out of this...


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## IGC

odibrom said:


> Damn, no pic again bro. You said earlier on another thread that you are hosting them on Google Photos, have you checked the photos properties so you can share them on social media? (I don't use google photos).
> 
> PS - Thanks for the compliment on my works... I'm trying to make my living out of this...




Are you referring to the last skull pic I posted in this thread not showing up? I will look into the sharing properties, thanks for that lead. Im seein it here tho currently...unlike the bridge pics in my build thread wich for some reason don't work. Maybe a pic per thread limit on here? IDK.

Definitely nice pieces. Are you an art teacher? Maybe graphic designer? Degree in the arts?
Is it a dream of yours to make a living off of your art, or something you just ended up doing?


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## odibrom

It's my academic education, as said earlier, Degree in Painting, Master in Drawing, PhD (in process) in Descriptive Geometry... I've been an art teacher, a Draftsman, a Designer, a painter, illustrator, photographer... so many things already...

Yep, the "skull" doesn't show...


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## IGC

odibrom said:


> It's my academic education, as said earlier, Degree in Painting, Master in Drawing, PhD (in process) in Descriptive Geometry... I've been an art teacher, a Draftsman, a Designer, a painter, illustrator, photographer... so many things already...
> 
> Yep, the "skull" doesn't show...



Hmmm dunno why its not showing on your side? Oh well.


Wow, sorry I missed your credentials earlier in this thread, I get so burnt out after working 10 hr days and am kind of brain dead afterwards...
But way cool, I envy people with your level of education.

So post some more stuff man, Im really diggin!


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## IGC

Do you have a gallery?


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## odibrom

I'm working on it for quite some time, I have no patience on organizing and building a portfolio... shame on me, I know...


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## IGC

Ok thanks, just wondering


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## mikernaut

Well I have lots of stuff so I don't want to totally derail the thread but, if your curious you can give this a look  and thanks in advance for checking it out. https://www.artstation.com/mikernaut


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## odibrom

@mikernaut That's some portfolio. Very very nice stuff you got there. Please feel free to post your stuff here, there is no derailing in sharing images that you created. I called this "The Painting Thread", but didn't specify what techniques are involved, and I have already posted some drawings. Bring your best or worst, contribute and we all will grow with it. Share a few words about "context", "how to" or technical details. I can see you're a Scy Fy illustrator for video games and you work mostly with 3D software. Please, say more of you.


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## mikernaut

Thanks for the kind words odibrom. I'm actually more 2d still. I just painted the textures that were applied to the 3d models. I currently don't have a hosting site to post "3rd party" images in forums :/ since Photobucket screwed all their users over and won't allow it now.


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## DaybridgeGhost

This thread is awesome. Loved the stuff I've seen so far.

Here's something I made a few years ago. It was inspired by a paper I read on how bacteria use chemical gradients to move in a specific direction.


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## odibrom

Nice, @DaybridgeGhost, thanks for sharing. Would you like to share how you made it? Looks like computer work... photoshop / painter / similar software...?


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## DaybridgeGhost

odibrom said:


> Nice, @DaybridgeGhost, thanks for sharing. Would you like to share how you made it? Looks like computer work... photoshop / painter / similar software...?



I painted it on GIMP (I don't remember which version, but I think it was 2.6) on a Microsoft tablet. Currently, I use Krita for digital paintings.


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## KnightBrolaire

figured I'd necrobump this with some stuff I've done over the last 6 months.





post pics

charcoal self portrait



apropos


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## odibrom

Nice, I like the first of these better, it feels more "mature" and overall a solid drawing... keep them coming...


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## c7spheres

odibrom said:


> Hello folks.
> 
> Since recently I've done some new paintings (I actually restarted to paint after some years just passing by), I though about, why not sharing them with you, you know, I kind of feel proud of them.
> 
> So I'll start with a photo of a triptych called _Cube Trilogy_. They represent a complete rip from my painting past, for good reasons, I mean, be it in atitude or expression.
> 
> These are 3 stereoscopic paintings to be decoded by the crossing eyes method. They are meant to invoke the need for different perspectives in order to understand our environment, in this situation, the space around us: size/dimension and distance. I wanted to confront the first understanding of space from the "2D" observation with the "3D" feeling of the stereoscopic one. These are 1x1 meters each and painted with acrylic paint over plywood. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Feel free to post your own paintings, to comment on these 3 or to ask anything about these or any others. I'm a Painting Graduate, Master in Drawing and PhD (in progress) in Descriptive Geometry, by the Lisbon's Fine Arts School (http://www.belasartes.ulisboa.pt/en/.


 
I can hardly draw a stick figure! I took an art class and tried still life etc, but no, I don't have the patience for it at all. My handwriting is also illegible and atrocious too. I later turned to fractal art by manifpulating Madelbrot and Julia sets to arrive at my own stuff. It's fun and can be used for ambient and soundscape album art or what not.. I used this type of thing for amibient trippy space jam recording collections. : ) I have literally hundreds of them I made. Let me know if you want to see more and I'll put some more up.


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## odibrom

Hey @c7spheres , please feel free to post whatever you want in here, the rule is visual art, mainly drawing, painting and eventually sculpture, but digital stuff is also welcome. This is everyone's thread on the subject, no need for an invitation nor authorization to post. If you feel that what you have is interesting to share, please do so. Everyone is welcome to post/share and criticize everyone's work as long as it's a constructive criticism.

Also, if for example one wants to share someone else's work, please do identify the author.

Lets try to keep photography out, for there is a thread on that already.

About that fractal image, I kind of love fractal images. This one in particular I feel it a bit aggressive because of the very strong color contrast. Maybe with less bright/luminous colors it could work better. However, the purpose is "law" so it's ok to create something with shockingly vivid colors and strong contrasts.


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## c7spheres

odibrom said:


> Hey @c7spheres , please feel free to post whatever you want in here, the rule is visual art, mainly drawing, painting and eventually sculpture, but digital stuff is also welcome. This is everyone's thread on the subject, no need for an invitation nor authorization to post. If you feel that what you have is interesting to share, please do so. Everyone is welcome to post/share and criticize everyone's work as long as it's a constructive criticism.
> 
> Also, if for example one wants to share someone else's work, please do identify the author.
> 
> Lets try to keep photography out, for there is a thread on that already.
> 
> About that fractal image, I kind of love fractal images. This one in particular I feel it a bit aggressive because of the very strong color contrast. Maybe with less bright/luminous colors it could work better. However, the purpose is "law" so it's ok to create something with shockingly vivid colors and strong contrasts.



- Cool. Thanks for the input. I made this one for a freind and she like's the rainbow stuff a lot. I like that it kind of looks like a body or spirit or something. I printed it on photo paper and wrote/typed her a poem in a fancy font that's also printed over it then gave it to her as a gift. I do that sometimes with these and give them to people.
- I'll post some more after I connect my external drive up. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing with them. I have some really old program that just starts off with "that" Madelbrot image (or any other image you want), and then you just plug in equations and it morphs it, but there's also a part where you can enter your own equations and morph it too, then you can zoom in on a part you like, crop it and change colors and things. It's really neat for someone like me that wants to make stuff but hasn't the skill to hand draw/paint something. I'll get some more Fractals up soon then. Thanks again. : )


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## High Plains Drifter

@ c7spheres... Some serious chromostereopsis represented there. Looks like a beautiful angry psychedelic vagina. Don't mind me... I may have some issues.


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## c7spheres

@High Plains Drifter 

Thanks! I had to look up that word there. I love beautiful angry psychedelic vagina's. Well, maybe not angy, then again..?


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## High Plains Drifter

I wasn't quite certain if angry or hypnotic but nonetheless... really cool image.


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## c7spheres

High Plains Drifter said:


> I wasn't quite certain if angry or hypnotic but nonetheless... really cool image.



I have been hypnotized by it before. It's like their special power : )

Here's some more fraactals I made. Some are just slight variations or different zoom and crop points of the same fractal, but it goes to show how much detail is in them. One little part that looks like a dot or scribble has all kinds of stuff on it when zoomed in on it. The really trippy circle stuff is all just variations on the center of that first colorful one you saw. If you stare at them long enough you can see faces and you can start to get disoriented. It's pretty fun. Enjoy!


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## c7spheres

.. And here's a few more...


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## High Plains Drifter

Those would be some genuinely righteous doom/ stoner/ psychedelic album covers.


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## c7spheres

High Plains Drifter said:


> Those would be some genuinely righteous doom/ stoner/ psychedelic album covers.



Yep!, That's what I've been using a lot of them for. Home grown space jams and singles. If I have a good jam or can put together a good jam collection, I like to turn them into an album or single so I remember what it is. I'll remember them as something like that "electron-symphony" song, or that "hypno-binural slow jam" or "heavy-MeLtoe" or somthing like that. It's really hard to even remember stuff exists when it starts stacking up. Gotta put a name or picture to it. I highly recommend everyone do this to remember ideas and riffs etc. Otherwise it gets outta control. 

Btw, those are thumbnails, For anyone who didn't know, they get really big if you click on them.


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## odibrom

c7spheres said:


> View attachment 79362



This one is super cool. A very well balanced composition and color scheme. I like it.


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## c7spheres

odibrom said:


> This one is super cool. A very well balanced composition and color scheme. I like it.


 Thank you.
I see a face in there. I get the colors by running an RGB cycle. It has faders and you adjust the balance, when you make it cycle it pulses the entire picture at a rate while changing the shading and intensity of the RGB color palette, and it's really strange and hypnotising, but you can adjust the faders too while it cycles to adjust the balance of the RGB in realtime. While it cycles you can feel it messing with your eyes and pulsing your brain. When it feels and looks right I push stop at that moment and see what the colors are. I've been trying to figure out how to make .gif or video of it for years but I've kinda given up because I can't figure it out, and there's no good instructions. I think I got it down but my computer just isn't powerful enough. You need alot of processing to make fractal videos. Much more than audio. I'm sure better fractal art programs exsist nowadays for sure. There's some really incredible stuff people are doing with them. Thanks again.


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## odibrom

You could use desktop recording software, recording specific areas of your screen monitor. There are plenty out there, I'm sure some might be free...?

A few years back, I knew of a free software that made 3D fractal videos and the results were mesmerizing, almost Alien (the movie) like and truly out of this world. It would create/modulate a 3D fractal environment and then it would also create a camera travel path for the movie. I have never used it though, but seen some films and it was really interesting. It was this software: https://www.mandelbulb.com/2014/mandelbulb-3d-mb3d-fractal-rendering-software/.

Here's a video


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## c7spheres

odibrom said:


> You could use desktop recording software, recording specific areas of your screen monitor. There are plenty out there, I'm sure some might be free...?
> 
> A few years back, I knew of a free software that made 3D fractal videos and the results were mesmerizing, almost Alien (the movie) like and truly out of this world. It would create/modulate a 3D fractal environment and then it would also create a camera travel path for the movie. I have never used it though, but seen some films and it was really interesting. It was this software: https://www.mandelbulb.com/2014/mandelbulb-3d-mb3d-fractal-rendering-software/.
> 
> Here's a video



- Wow! That's stuff is cool. I gotta get a better computer to handle that stuff. Apparently fractal video animation can really tax even a powerful computers' resources.
- I've seen Mandelbrot talks on YouTube. He's a really smart guy and down to earth. It's crazy how we wouldn't have computers or cell phones as we know them without his math and to think it was just brushed off as irrelevant for so many years until they could actually run the equations throuhh the first analog computers. It's alien stuff for sure. If it wasn't for Mandelbrot, none of these modern devices would probably exist.


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## KnightBrolaire

something I'm working on currently:


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## thraxil

OK, I'll bite.

I mostly work in a kind of hyper-detailed, organic "realist" abstract style that is easier to show than explain:




































Oil is definitely my favorite medium, but I live in a small apartment and don't have a separate studio, so it's not very practical for me most of the time. As a result, the vast majority of my output at least for the last few years is ink, graphite, and colored pencil, which I can do without stinking the whole place up.


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## odibrom

@thraxil That's some bite!, beautiful pieces you got there. I haven't used oil paint for almost 16 to 18 years already for that exact reason: SMELL... Whenever I'm painting, I'm using Acrylic paint. Top quality one flows as well as oil, but it will dry way faster. Painting over wood is awesome, for the wood keeps the moisture for longer time, so it will be easier do blend and mix colors (though one should do it at the palette, but there are no rules, right?). it also allows to remove paint with the brush with the same ease as adding, which is, in itself, super interesting and inspiring, a perfect blend in painting and drawing.

@KnightBrolaire looking good, keep them coming.


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## KnightBrolaire

did this yesterday.


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## odibrom

@KnightBrolaire very nice! tell me, do you protect your drawings when done? See this link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixative_(drawing)

There are lots of sprays out-there to protect your finished works from smudging... Also, when using these sprays, be sure to have your windows wide open.


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## KnightBrolaire

odibrom said:


> @KnightBrolaire very nice! tell me, do you protect your drawings when done? See this link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixative_(drawing)
> 
> There are lots of sprays out-there to protect your finished works from smudging... Also, when using these sprays, be sure to have your windows wide open.


i always use fixative. I like filling in large dark areas with charcoal so it always looks really messy.
I wanted to keep the head as the focal point so the clothes/hand got basically rubbed away


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## odibrom

Yeah, for those dry mediums a fixative is mandatory, or the drawing will smudge away in no time. It's looking good, congrats...


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## KnightBrolaire

compressed charcoal on 8x12".


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## odibrom

So, I've finished some work recently, all done with computer medium, but it is to be printed in wood... the following image is some parallel "art" derived from that work.

I could achieve this result with 3D modeling software, which I've used to achieve the color order on the objects faces, but since I needed this to be print friendly and in large formats, I had to get this all in vector format.

Main concept and modeling was done in AutoCAD,
Color distribution was on 3D Studio Max. Separated image rendering by color and also with all flat colors (So I could know which colored face is over which colored face).
Importing rendered independent colors back to AutoCAD and ordering all frames.
Exporting everything to PDF format, so to be able to print it, however, colors were Raster so I had to draw every face in Illustrator and layer them in the correct order. Everything is now in vector format.
For the following GIF, I then exported all images into PNG file format (almost the same as JPGs, but with Alpha channel included) so to build up this GIF in Photoshop.
When all things are done, they will deliver a crazy stereoscopic composition quite awesome to look at (with a bit of eye gymnastics)...

... enjoy...


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## High Plains Drifter

So with 2020 being lean and mean financially, I wasn't able to buy anything for my wife ( besides the glass ornaments that I mentioned in another thread). But I've got a lot of art supplies already so I decided to do an abstract of our kitty. Sucks to get old and discover that painting is often more frustrating than therapeutic but it is what it is. Anyway.. she loved it so it was worth every bit of pain in my hand/ wrist to be able to do it. If nothing else, even though it's nothing great at least I'm not embarrassed lol.


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## KnightBrolaire

an impromptu drawing born from me messing around with alcohol based markers. Not really a fan of these markers as they don't blend well at all. Oh well.


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## KnightBrolaire

KnightBrolaire said:


> an impromptu drawing born from me messing around with alcohol based markers. Not really a fan of these markers as they don't blend well at all. Oh well.
> View attachment 91994


I reallly hated how the calligraphy was off center and felt just tacked on (which it was).
so here's a tweaked v2. Still not exactly how I want it, but that's how it goes. I'm going to keep playing with the skull motif for a while. My sister has been begging me for a sugar skull type design.


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## KnightBrolaire

Skull study done in oil pastels. meh. 




Finally put that alcohol marker drawing to decent use


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## KnightBrolaire

I used compressed charcoal for this one.


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## KnightBrolaire

Photo Study done with oil pastel.


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## KnightBrolaire

Pointilism photo study. I used a mix of micron pens and oil pastels.


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## c7spheres

KnightBrolaire said:


> Pointilism photo study. I used a mix of micron pens and oil pastels.



Nice! I have practically no art skills but I think those Micron pens are something I've been searching for my whole life! Can I ask some questions? 

-Do they bleed if you set them on the paper to long? Are they a felt tip or or something different? Is 0.15 the smsallest one?
- I need something that's basically like writing with a needle that doesn't bleed. Do you think these are the best thing to try first?


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## KnightBrolaire

c7spheres said:


> Nice! I have practically no art skills but I think those Micron pens are something I've been searching for my whole life! Can I ask some questions?
> 
> -Do they bleed if you set them on the paper to long? Are they a felt tip or or something different? Is 0.15 the smsallest one?
> - I need something that's basically like writing with a needle that doesn't bleed. Do you think these are the best thing to try first?


Thanks. 
They don't bleed at all ime. The tips are not felt or anything soft, they're like a small plastic nib like a fine tip sharpie. 0.1 is the smallest that I have (and the one I used on this drawing). 
I don't really recommend the 0.1 for writing, but the larger sizes work fine for it.


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## odibrom

@KnightBrolaire allow me a few tips on improving your drawing/painting work:

ditch the textured paper, it's awful, it impregnates the finished result with an unwanted regular texture that distracts the attention to the work itself. It's supposed to be a learning kind of support but it really isn't. It's harder to get good results with it and should be used purposefully, not just because it's what is at hand. _Smooth paper is where the art is_...
try to have CLEAN end results. If your drawing doesn't fill the whole sheet area, the unused areas should be immaculate. Clean them if you got them dirty. Best is to not even smudge them to begin with. The drawing/painting is not only what one puts in the support, but also what one doesn't... it's like the pauses and the silence in music... they exist to enhance the sound modeling experience. It's same here, a blank area is like a pause to the visual attention, it's a place where the observer rests his eyes from all the other visual information...
consider a bit more of composition within the page, even if it's a sketch/study and not a "final piece". It will make you feel better about the finished work, and will make it have a more "professional" look.
mixed techniques are ok, but try to blend them a bit more, or have them clearly delimited... having different techniques in the same piece of work should be meaningful, not just because it's an experiment. Obviously, one only knows/learns if one experiments, right? so keep experimenting...??
... and that's all for now...


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## KnightBrolaire




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## CovertSovietBear

Printer paper and pencil, this is off Dragon Ball Super (anime/manga). Haven't finished it and don't know if I will. I'm decent at emulating but can't free hand anything as my knowledge of anatomy + movement is lacking.


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## LunatiqueRob

A few of the portraits I did in the last few years.


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## CovertSovietBear

LunatiqueRob said:


> A few of the portraits I did in the last few years.
> 
> View attachment 103026
> View attachment 103027
> 
> View attachment 103028


These are insane! Medium?


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## LunatiqueRob

CovertSovietBear said:


> These are insane! Medium?


Thanks! They're all painted using a graphics tablet in Photoshop. Here's a breakdown of the major steps for the first one:


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## CanserDYI

Close the thread @LunatiqueRob just won.

Edit: just to clarify, this is a joke, and I know that this is no competition


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## LunatiqueRob

CanserDYI said:


> Close the thread @LunatiqueRob just won.


Please please don't do that. Expressing and sharing our creativity is a joy and not a competition. Even among professionals, there are different styles, and someone who's great at realism might be weak in interesting stylized work, and vise versa. Also, the fact I've been a professional artist for decades makes it really unfair to compare. But I'd be happy to help everyone out if anyone needs some advice on their artistic development or some input in something they're working on.


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## CanserDYI

LunatiqueRob said:


> Please please don't do that. Expressing and sharing our creativity is a joy and not a competition. Even among professionals, there are different styles, and someone who's great at realism might be weak in interesting stylized work, and vise versa. Also, the fact I've been a professional artist for decades makes it really unfair to compare. But I'd be happy to help everyone out if anyone needs some advice on their artistic development or some input in something they're working on.


Oh I was simply making a joke/compliment not to put anyone else down. I suppose I assumed most people here could see I was joking but now that I look at it, you're right, I have edited for clarity.


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## High Plains Drifter

Seems that this thread has become about more mediums than just paint so since I finally got around to scanning some of my originals yesterday, I figured I'd post em here. Felt really good to get these scanned b/c I've never had any half-descent images of these to display until now ( besides the originals IRL). Thanks for taking a look. 

Pen & Ink/ SpectraColor pencil on cold-press- 




Pen & Ink on cold-press-




Pen & Ink/ SpectraColor pencil on cold-press-




Acrylic on primed canvas- 




Pen & Ink/ SpectraColor pencil on cold-press-




Oil on primed canvas-


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## odibrom

All these look cool, specially the pen&ink drawings...


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## CovertSovietBear

High Plains Drifter said:


> Seems that this thread has become about more mediums than just paint so since I finally got around to scanning some of my originals yesterday, I figured I'd post em here. Felt really good to get these scanned b/c I've never had any half-descent images of these to display until now ( besides the originals IRL). Thanks for taking a look.
> 
> Pen & Ink/ SpectraColor pencil on cold-press-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pen & Ink on cold-press-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pen & Ink/ SpectraColor pencil on cold-press-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Acrylic on primed canvas-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pen & Ink/ SpectraColor pencil on cold-press-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oil on primed canvas-


What is a primed canvas? Also the last two are my favorite, especially the last one. Great art


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## High Plains Drifter

CovertSovietBear said:


> What is a primed canvas? Also the last two are my favorite, especially the last one. Great art


Thanks so much for the good vibes. Prepped/ primed canvas is simply canvas that has been coated before the medium is applied. In most cases canvas will have something called Gesso applied to it. It makes the canvas less absorbent and creates a more firm surface in which to apply the medium... be it oil, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, etc. I used to have to stretch and gesso my own canvases back in the day which was quite the bitch lol... especially the larger they were. Now days you can find canvas pre-stretched/ pre-primed so it's a lot easier than it used to be.

The 2nd to last one is from the Heavy Metal [soundtrack] album. I can't remember if that image was on the back cover or inside cover as it was a fold-out album. But I always thought it was a super cool image so I went ahead and drew it.

The last image is from Jimi Hendrix' _NIne to the Universe_ album. I don't know what it was originally done in but I had a blank canvas that was just begging to have this done on it in oil-color. Came out pretty good although it doesn't have the same vibrancy that it used to.

Thanks again for taking the time to convey your thoughts. Much appreciated, brother.


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## LunatiqueRob




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## odibrom

LunatiqueRob said:


> View attachment 105179


Please explain what this is...


----------



## CovertSovietBear

High Plains Drifter said:


> Thanks so much for the good vibes. Prepped/ primed canvas is simply canvas that has been coated before the medium is applied. In most cases canvas will have something called Gesso applied to it. It makes the canvas less absorbent and creates a more firm surface in which to apply the medium... be it oil, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, etc. I used to have to stretch and gesso my own canvases back in the day which was quite the bitch lol... especially the larger they were. Now days you can find canvas pre-stretched/ pre-primed so it's a lot easier than it used to be.
> 
> The 2nd to last one is from the Heavy Metal [soundtrack] album. I can't remember if that image was on the back cover or inside cover as it was a fold-out album. But I always thought it was a super cool image so I went ahead and drew it.
> 
> The last image is from Jimi Hendrix' _NIne to the Universe_ album. I don't know what it was originally done in but I had a blank canvas that was just begging to have this done on it in oil-color. Came out pretty good although it doesn't have the same vibrancy that it used to.
> 
> Thanks again for taking the time to convey your thoughts. Much appreciated, brother.


Oh that make sense! And anytime man, glad to be able to share and see other's work, always enjoying seeing what people put their time and passions into, a lot of the reason I am on here.

My friend does pottery so I know the terms and related processes get very involved, I personally have only done a few mediums including oil, but didn't go through any prep. I'm not entirely sure how to get creative outside of pencil/ink medium as the shading techniques are different and such. Personally easier for me to pick up a pencil than art supplies as my capabilities aren't that much.


LunatiqueRob said:


> View attachment 105179


ANOTHER ONE


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## CovertSovietBear

Dragonzord from Power Rangers, spring 2014 during my Organic chemistry class
Medium: pen and pencil on coffee stained wide-ruled notebook paper


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## High Plains Drifter

CovertSovietBear said:


> Oh that make sense! And anytime man, glad to be able to share and see other's work, always enjoying seeing what people put their time and passions into, a lot of the reason I am on here.
> 
> My friend does pottery so I know the terms and related processes get very involved, I personally have only done a few mediums including oil, but didn't go through any prep. I'm not entirely sure how to get creative outside of pencil/ink medium as the shading techniques are different and such. Personally easier for me to pick up a pencil than art supplies as my capabilities aren't that much.
> 
> ANOTHER ONE


Painting has always been somewhat intimidating for me to just jump into for one reason or another. At least in my experience, it's proved easier to cover mistakes, change ideas, etc with pencil, charcoal, and pen & ink as opposed to paint. All paint mediums have their pros/ cons but acrylic is probably my least favorite due to the almost instantaneous dry time as well as how difficult it can be to go back in and color-match after drying. Of course for other people, they might use that fast-cure property to their advantage. Watercolor for me has been a bit more forgiving in that regard since you can go back in and re-wet/ rework it. The problem that I always seemed to have with watercolors was the potential bleed factor regarding the water to paint ratio. Oils were always my favorite due to exceedingly long dry-times which can allow you to go back in minutes, hours, and sometimes even days later and rework the medium. With oils, I dig the vibrancy and opacity as well as how the paint blends and flows from the brush to the canvas. The downside to oils for me has been the excruciatingly tedious process of clean-up as well as trying to transport an oil-painted canvas or other substrate while still wet. Definitely has a love it or hate it thing going on with the odor as well.


CovertSovietBear said:


> View attachment 105186
> 
> Dragonzord from Power Rangers, spring 2014 during my Organic chemistry class
> Medium: pen and pencil on coffee stained wide-ruled notebook paper


Hey... If a pen or pencil sketch doesn't include at least one or more coffee stains, then it's not truly art!


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## LunatiqueRob

odibrom said:


> Please explain what this is...


Sorry, I should have given some info. It's a portrait done with graphics tablet in Photoshop.

Here's a picture of the major steps:


----------



## LunatiqueRob

High Plains Drifter said:


> Painting has always been somewhat intimidating for me to just jump into for one reason or another. At least in my experience, it's proved easier to cover mistakes, change ideas, etc with pencil, charcoal, and pen & ink as opposed to paint. All paint mediums have their pros/ cons but acrylic is probably my least favorite due to the almost instantaneous dry time as well as how difficult it can be to go back in and color-match after drying. Of course for other people, they might use that fast-cure property to their advantage. Watercolor for me has been a bit more forgiving in that regard since you can go back in and re-wet/ rework it. The problem that I always seemed to have with watercolors was the potential bleed factor regarding the water to paint ratio. Oils were always my favorite due to exceedingly long dry-times which can allow you to go back in minutes, hours, and sometimes even days later and rework the medium. With oils, I dig the vibrancy and opacity as well as how the paint blends and flows from the brush to the canvas. The downside to oils for me has been the excruciatingly tedious process of clean-up as well as trying to transport an oil-painted canvas or other substrate while still wet. Definitely has a love it or hate it thing going on with the odor as well.
> 
> Hey... If a pen or pencil sketch doesn't include at least one or more coffee stains, then it's not truly art!


I used to be 100% traditional analog, but in my mid-20's (around 1998) I was forced to start using digital for my first video game job (painting textures for Prince of Persia 3D). I didn't like it because analog tools were so much more tactile, and I even loved the smell of linseed oil (to me it's a very cozy, romantic smell). In those earlier years of digital, I still did all personal work in analog, and only used digital grudgingly for work. But once I saw the works of Craig Mullins and the kind of expressiveness he was able to achieve with digital painting, I realized it's not the tools, but the artist, because his digital paintings had all the nuance and expressiveness of traditional paintings. Then later as digital emulation of traditional tools became more and more realistic, I started to prefer digital for all of its flexibility, convenience, and power. Eventually I just stopped using traditional tools and went 100% digital even for personal works.

In the early analog days, I used mixed mediums--pencil, ink, pastel, charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, oils, markers, gouache, ball-point pens--as long as they didn't create disastrous chemical reactions, I used them together. I did discover some very interesting interactions though, such as how acrylic on gouache might cause the mixture to gum up, or alcohol-based markers can melt dried acrylic paint.

I don't really miss any of them, except for oils, because I love the creamy richness of that medium, and of course the smell of linseed oil. Maybe I need to pop open a bottle of linseed oil when I paint digitally and use it the way people use incense. LOL


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## CovertSovietBear

LunatiqueRob said:


> I don't really miss any of them, except for oils, because I love the creamy richness of that medium, and of course the smell of linseed oil. Maybe I need to pop open a bottle of linseed oil when I paint digitally and use it the way people use incense. LOL


Every few brushstrokes you gotta have a tiny bit of linseed next to you so you can take a whiff haha

For your last pic, how do you determine directionality of the subject i.e. how do we know what they are looking at? In this case the first draft the eyes look dead, but then they literally come into focus. Is it all due to shading within the eye? Do the surrounding lights and shadows emanate mood rather than directionality?


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## CovertSovietBear

Saw this recently, unsure of medium but I like it


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## odibrom

LunatiqueRob said:


> Sorry, I should have given some info. It's a portrait done with graphics tablet in Photoshop.
> 
> Here's a picture of the major steps:
> View attachment 105234


... nice, you did start with a photo, right?


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## odibrom

CovertSovietBear said:


> Saw this recently, unsure of medium but I like it
> View attachment 105236


Can be so many things, from oil or acrylic paint (most likely) to guache, water color or even pastel... hard to tel on my smartphone. Could even be a mix of things, since many are compatible with others and some if in the correct order...


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## LunatiqueRob

CovertSovietBear said:


> For your last pic, how do you determine directionality of the subject i.e. how do we know what they are looking at? In this case the first draft the eyes look dead, but then they literally come into focus. Is it all due to shading within the eye? Do the surrounding lights and shadows emanate mood rather than directionality?


To establish the line-of-sight of the subject, you have to position the irises. It can be tricky if their heads are turned (for example 3/4 angle), as you'd have to move the irises at exactly the right position for it to seem like the subject is looking at the viewer. If you're off by a little, it'll seem like the subject is staring at something next to the viewer. But for a direct frontal angle, it's easy because the irises are just centered. 


odibrom said:


> ... nice, you did start with a photo, right?


Yes, realistic portraits are always done either from life, or photo references. There are no exceptions, and if someone tells you otherwise, they're lying. Although there are a very small number of artists who do advanced professional work as character concept artists for films/games who possess the skills/knowledge to paint fictional character portraits that aren't based on real people, and are basically made up, and if they have mastered anatomy/figure/portraiture, they could probably pull it off without needing references. I've done works like that in the past that are passable as real people, but subjectively, I think nothing beats real people as reference due to the unique nuances they have.


----------



## High Plains Drifter

LunatiqueRob said:


> I used to be 100% traditional analog, but in my mid-20's (around 1998) I was forced to start using digital for my first video game job (painting textures for Prince of Persia 3D). I didn't like it because analog tools were so much more tactile, and I even loved the smell of linseed oil (to me it's a very cozy, romantic smell). In those earlier years of digital, I still did all personal work in analog, and only used digital grudgingly for work. But once I saw the works of Craig Mullins and the kind of expressiveness he was able to achieve with digital painting, I realized it's not the tools, but the artist, because his digital paintings had all the nuance and expressiveness of traditional paintings. Then later as digital emulation of traditional tools became more and more realistic, I started to prefer digital for all of its flexibility, convenience, and power. Eventually I just stopped using traditional tools and went 100% digital even for personal works.
> 
> In the early analog days, I used mixed mediums--pencil, ink, pastel, charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, oils, markers, gouache, ball-point pens--as long as they didn't create disastrous chemical reactions, I used them together. I did discover some very interesting interactions though, such as how acrylic on gouache might cause the mixture to gum up, or alcohol-based markers can melt dried acrylic paint.
> 
> I don't really miss any of them, except for oils, because I love the creamy richness of that medium, and of course the smell of linseed oil. Maybe I need to pop open a bottle of linseed oil when I paint digitally and use it the way people use incense. LOL


Very interesting. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and esperiences in relation to the progression and adaptation of your artwork. 

When I was working towards a degree in advertising design, digital generated/ assisted media was relatively new and perceived by many of my aspiring artist friends as the"evil technological wave of the future". But that wasn't necessarily true at all. The digital age simply meant a new form of expression was emerging and one that you could ignore or adapt to and combine with other tactile mediums. At least this was true in regards to most mediums... Glass blowers, sculptors, and other creators of 3D art really had no choice but to draw a hard line in the sand as bridging the analog to digital world in those particular contexts were at that time all but impossible to integrate. 

Something sort of related to all of this that I don't like talking too much about, is regarding my portfolio which was stolen out of my car while I was moving from Ohio to Texas. It was my best works as well as many pieces that I had done prior to getting two scholarships to college at CCAD... artwork that was very very dear to me. And when I lost that portfolio ( It was rather large btw... probably 4' x 6' and maybe 8-10" thick) a huge part of myself and my artistic enthusiasm disappeared along with it. And it put me into a rather deep funk as well as at a crossroads of sorts regarding whether or not I would even want to continue with my artistic endeavors. And for good or bad, the loss of so much of my passion, and effort, and memories.. my soul I guess, proved too negatively impactful and bittersweet for me to continue with my art any longer.

By that time the digital age was here anyway and so I changed directions.... doing contract work, signage, textile design work, and even some jewelry commissions but it wasn't the same... I wasn't the same. Not exactly sure why I wanted to share that here but I suppose that without much of a computer background nor any experience with digital-based design and a lack of desire to start again from the ground up... the artist within me kind of died. It did come back later in my life but not at all in the same way. My artistic vent ultimately unfolded in woodworking, landscaping, photography, etc. I still draw and paint occasionally but much of my enthusiasm and interest to create art in the way that I used to, has been tempered or replaced with more practical creative ventures. Anyway... It is what it is and with so many avenues of artistic expressionism that exist, I'm just happy to be able to still be creating now. Even creating/ playing music, cooking, etc brings me that same peace of mind that more conventional art used to. So I guess I'm still expressing myself... just a bit differently than I would've ever thought many many years ago. 

And btw- Funny that you mention the linseed oil and I'd have to agree that there is a certain aromatic comfort and familiarity with that one for me as well. 

Apologies for such a long post but it felt good to share and to read your words also. Much appreciate the correspondence, bud.


----------



## LunatiqueRob

High Plains Drifter said:


> Very interesting. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and esperiences in relation to the progression and adaptation of your artwork.
> 
> When I was working towards a degree in advertising design, digital generated/ assisted media was relatively new and perceived by many of my aspiring artist friends as the"evil technological wave of the future". But that wasn't necessarily true at all. The digital age simply meant a new form of expression was emerging and one that you could ignore or adapt to and combine with other tactile mediums. At least this was true in regards to most mediums... Glass blowers, sculptors, and other creators of 3D art really had no choice but to draw a hard line in the sand as bridging the analog to digital world in those particular contexts were at that time all but impossible to integrate.
> 
> Something sort of related to all of this that I don't like talking too much about, is regarding my portfolio which was stolen out of my car while I was moving from Ohio to Texas. It was my best works as well as many pieces that I had done prior to getting two scholarships to college at CCAD... artwork that was very very dear to me. And when I lost that portfolio ( It was rather large btw... probably 4' x 6' and maybe 8-10" thick) a huge part of myself and my artistic enthusiasm disappeared along with it. And it put me into a rather deep funk as well as at a crossroads of sorts regarding whether or not I would even want to continue with my artistic endeavors. And for good or bad, the loss of so much of my passion, and effort, and memories.. my soul I guess, proved too negatively impactful and bittersweet for me to continue with my art any longer.
> 
> By that time the digital age was here anyway and so I changed directions.... doing contract work, signage, textile design work, and even some jewelry commissions but it wasn't the same... I wasn't the same. Not exactly sure why I wanted to share that here but I suppose that without much of a computer background nor any experience with digital-based design and a lack of desire to start again from the ground up... the artist within me kind of died. It did come back later in my life but not at all in the same way. My artistic vent ultimately unfolded in woodworking, landscaping, photography, etc. I still draw and paint occasionally but much of my enthusiasm and interest to create art in the way that I used to, has been tempered or replaced with more practical creative ventures. Anyway... It is what it is and with so many avenues of artistic expressionism that exist, I'm just happy to be able to still be creating now. Even creating/ playing music, cooking, etc brings me that same peace of mind that more conventional art used to. So I guess I'm still expressing myself... just a bit differently than I would've ever thought many many years ago.
> 
> And btw- Funny that you mention the linseed oil and I'd have to agree that there is a certain aromatic comfort and familiarity with that one for me as well.
> 
> Apologies for such a long post but it felt good to share and to read your words also. Much appreciate the correspondence, bud.


I have had artworks stolen or destroyed by bullies before, or held hostage by publishers who refuse to return them. I had the original artworks for entire graphic novel series I worked on for five years of my early art/writing career never given back to me by the publisher. As much as those hurt, I think a part of me always thought the best of me is yet to come, and the best way to get over it, is to grow as an artist so the work I'll be doing in the future would make me think of my earlier works as immature and full of flaws. It is with that mentality, I continue to carry on. I think for most creatives, the moment you begin to think you've perfected an artform, is the day you probably move on to something else, and that almost never happens to anyone, so passionate creatives will continue in their journey of artistic development.


----------



## odibrom

LunatiqueRob said:


> (...)
> 
> Yes, realistic portraits are always done either from life, or photo references. There are no exceptions, and if someone tells you otherwise, they're lying. Although there are a very small number of artists who do advanced professional work as character concept artists for films/games who possess the skills/knowledge to paint fictional character portraits that aren't based on real people, and are basically made up, and if they have mastered anatomy/figure/portraiture, they could probably pull it off without needing references. I've done works like that in the past that are passable as real people, but subjectively, I think nothing beats real people as reference due to the unique nuances they have.



Amen to that brother... I've been there, done the works, studied the shit...

I've started this thread some years ago (5 already?) because I did some interesting (to me) paintings that played with geometric stereoscopic perspective (links on first post are dead now, I think), which has been my thing in the past 10 years. I used to be a naturalist, to paint small flowers in medium/big sized canvas.

This is the _Cube Trilogy_ that started this thread, they are meant to invoke the need for different perspectives in order to understand our environment (life), in this situation, the space around us: size/dimension and distance... These are stereoscopic paintings, decoded by
* crossing our eyes until we see 3 columns of cubes in each painting
* focusing on the middle column...
* ... and enjoy the 3D effect

The medium used is acrylic paint over 1x1m plywood boards. All geometric calculations were done digitally and projected over the plywood medium. Colors used were only yellow, cyan and magenta (or similar), painted by translucent layers, letting the previous drying first. This is how all the color variations came from. I love the wood texture mixed with the geometric brute strength combination.







The play here is relative to how we perceive size and distance.
* In the one on the left we see 4 similar sized cubes in 2D (without 3D decoding), but in 3D we see that the one in the bottom is smaller and closer than the top one. In 2D they all have the same size, and are at the same distance, in 3D, they have different size and Distance.
* In the one in the middle we see in 2D 2 small cubes on top and 2 bigger cubes on the bottom. We are inclined to say that because of their 2D sizes and our own visual/perspective experience that the one on top are further away from us. The 3D experience will tell us exactly that and that we may perceive both cubes (the top and the bottom one) as having the same size.
* In the one on the right, we have a 2D feeling similar as to in the one in the middle, but the 3D experience will tell us that the top cube is small and closer to us than the bottom one.


Regarding what drives an artist ON or OFF, I think disappointment on the "how things work" (as in economic/social behavior of the trade) is also a huge factor for letting go of the art. "Art business" is rotten on most levels... I've been doing digital drawing for the last 15 years because I feel it is less space consuming... and it's my living. Analogue stuff does need storage, lots of it and specially when you can't move it / sell it.

I see you like Photoshop. It's one of my favorites as well, I also love Illustrator and AutoCAD which is great for geometric concepts (this Cube Trilogy was drawn in AutoCAD)... and sometimes 3DS Max also does the trick. What else do you use? I also have a Wacom Intuos 5 graphic pen tablet (medium sized)... great stuff. Wacom is the shit.


----------



## LunatiqueRob

odibrom said:


> I see you like Photoshop. It's one of my favorites as well, I also love Illustrator and AutoCAD which is great for geometric concepts (this Cube Trilogy was drawn in AutoCAD)... and sometimes 3DS Max also does the trick. What else do you use? I also have a Wacom Intuos 5 graphic pen tablet (medium sized)... great stuff. Wacom is the shit.


I've tried almost all the art software/apps under the sun over the decades, and Photoshop remains the king for its complete set of editing tools and advanced brush engine. Back when it didn't have wet-on-wet brushes, I used Corel Painter a lot, but since then Photoshop caught up in that area. I use Procreate on iPad to teach art classes but for personal work I never touch it, since its brush engine isn't as advanced as Photoshop, and I prefer my 32" 4K screen over a small screen. 

I used Wacom for decades, but in the last several years its drivers have been very disappointing, so I moved on to other brands like XP-PEN, Huion, and Xencelabs. The cheaper stuff does work very well even if they're a tier below in price and "luxury feel." Currently Xencelabs is the only real high-end competitor to Wacom and I prefer it over Wacom due to the OLED screen of its Quick Keys remote, allowing me to see exactly what I programmed for my shortcut keys. It's a company formed by ex-Wacom employees.


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## odibrom

Interesting info about pen tablets, thanks.

On mobile I seldom use Autodesk's Sketchbook. It's good enough and exports to PSD format, cool...


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## neurosis

LunatiqueRob said:


> I've tried almost all the art software/apps under the sun over the decades, and Photoshop remains the king for its complete set of editing tools and advanced brush engine. Back when it didn't have wet-on-wet brushes, I used Corel Painter a lot, but since then Photoshop caught up in that area. I use Procreate on iPad to teach art classes but for personal work I never touch it, since its brush engine isn't as advanced as Photoshop, and I prefer my 32" 4K screen over a small screen.
> 
> I used Wacom for decades, but in the last several years its drivers have been very disappointing, so I moved on to other brands like XP-PEN, Huion, and Xencelabs. The cheaper stuff does work very well even if they're a tier below in price and "luxury feel." Currently Xencelabs is the only real high-end competitor to Wacom and I prefer it over Wacom due to the OLED screen of its Quick Keys remote, allowing me to see exactly what I programmed for my shortcut keys. It's a company formed by ex-Wacom employees.



Awesome info. I have a Huion light table that works really well for duplicating line drawings and laying foundation for paintings. I feel their stuff is reliable. 

I'll have to look into Xencelabs. I had no idea they existed. I am still on an Intuos Pro medium format, never use the keys though.


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## bostjan

Art was my worst subject in school, but that was before I knew I was colourblind. My youngest son just turned 4 on Tuesday, and I got him some acrylic paints and canvases, since he loves watching art videos on youtube. I'm blown away at how he's done right out of the gate!


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## odibrom

wow... at 4?... nice...


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## LunatiqueRob

That's damn good for a 4-yr old.


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## CanserDYI

Wow! Thats fantastic! Great job @bostjan 's kid.


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## nightflameauto

bostjan said:


> Art was my worst subject in school, but that was before I knew I was colourblind. My youngest son just turned 4 on Tuesday, and I got him some acrylic paints and canvases, since he loves watching art videos on youtube. I'm blown away at how he's done right out of the gate!
> 
> View attachment 105410


The understanding of space here with the way the hills overlap is something I struggled with into my teens. This is seriously impressive.


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## KnightBrolaire

I wanted to see how far I could push my rendering ability. Could have pushed the detail in the shirt and some other spots but overall I'm pretty happy with it tbh.


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## LunatiqueRob

KnightBrolaire said:


> I wanted to see how far I could push my rendering ability. Could have pushed the detail in the shirt and some other spots but overall I'm pretty happy with it tbh.
> View attachment 106633


That's pretty good. Something you might want to try in your next attempt is to vary your brushwork more, which increases the amount of visually interesting elements for the viewer to look at. This includes the textures of your brushwork as well as the direction of your strokes (along the form, against the form), and how visible/distinct the brushstrokes are in various spots.

One of the most valuable things I ever learned from Craig Mullins (back when he was still very active in the Sijun art forum), is why he uses different types of brushwork and varying textures in his work. I asked him about it, and I expected his answer to be about matching brush textures to the surface property of the object being painted, to convey different materials like wood, plastic, metal, flesh, fur, etc. But his answer was a huge surprise. He said entertaining the audience/viewer is a major reason, and I had never thought of it like that. And that is the difference between how a very advanced master thinks and how the rest of us think about how we approach our art. At his level, he was far past the point of worrying about the foundational aspects too much, and his experimentation was aimed at developing the presentation of his work--how it feels for the viewer to look at it, and what they could get out of analyzing his work.


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## wheresthefbomb

I've never been much for drawing or painting in the way a lot of you are, but I have found I really enjoy stenciling. Something about thinking in terms of negative space gets my brain all spicy and excited, and figuring how to get the best/cleanest lines is a lot of fun. The most recent on here I cut out of foam core, I tried the same design in posterboard and it had way too much runover. The foam core was nice and stiff, I tacked it in each corner and along the horizontal bar. I try to keep it DIY and use trash, but for certain jobs nothing beats a nice fresh piece of posterboard.

These are newest to oldest. The X100b cab used to be rat fur but I stripped it and hit it with something like 5 coats of chalkboard black. Really pleased with how cleanly these came out. The last one is a Legacy II, I wish I had a better picture of the stencil because it turned out really, really nice. That design started as a ballpoint pen drawing of something I'd seen in a dream of sorts. That Legacy II sat in Heights Guitar in NW Ohio for a few years after I traded it to them, @CanserDYI @sleewell wonder if you ever happened across it

I wish I still had some of the t-shirts I've done, I made a couple really sick designs. Planning to do something similar to the Legacy II on the front of this X100b cab this summer, but in B&w or greyscale. Thinking about white splatters and "black" negative space shapes outlined in white overspray. It's almost warm enough to start painting outside again!

Carvin X100b cab, Alchemical symbol for Earth. One on each side to keep things grounded:



SUNN Beta 410 Grill Cloth, perched on your black metal band's logo:



Legacy II, documented with a potato:


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## CanserDYI

Shit I go to Heights Guitars all the time, funny, but no I don't remember that cab. And also funny, I have a HUGE interest in stencilling, as my username here is actually my old Graffiti Moniker and crew name. Stencils are so fucking fun, and LOVE the huge upside down cross.


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## LunatiqueRob

These wolves look way too clean/creamy to be wild. They look more like domesticated half-wolves that regularly go to the pet groomer.  Photoshop and Corel Painter.


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## CanserDYI

LunatiqueRob said:


> View attachment 106788
> These wolves look way too clean/creamy to be wild. They look more like domesticated half-wolves that regularly go to the pet groomer.  Photoshop and Corel Painter.


wow man, another awesome one. The fur while yes, clean and creamy, it looks like hair, like it looks like you individually drew every hair and that's amazing.


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## LunatiqueRob

CanserDYI said:


> wow man, another awesome one. The fur while yes, clean and creamy, it looks like hair, like it looks like you individually drew every hair and that's amazing.


Thanks! I used bristle brushes to get the fur look. The bristle marks make it so much easier to paint hair/fur.


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## KnightBrolaire

Did a portrait of Shane McConkey for fun.


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## LunatiqueRob

Latest portrait. Photoshop and Artstudio Pro.


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## neurosis

LunatiqueRob said:


> View attachment 106788
> These wolves look way too clean/creamy to be wild. They look more like domesticated half-wolves that regularly go to the pet groomer.  Photoshop and Corel Painter.


I actually prefer this to your other paintings. While the others look tighter anymore realistic this one has a very uncanny vibe to it the way the light works and how fuzzy/blurred the overall picture is while still retaining so much detail. It kinda looks like a hallucination. Love it!


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## LunatiqueRob

A couple of new portraits:


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## mikernaut

I revisited a few previous pieces I had done. Added new backgrounds and made them more a widescreen format to possibly use for Youtube videos. Combination digital painting/photobashing.


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## LunatiqueRob

mikernaut said:


> I revisited a few previous pieces I had done. Added new backgrounds and made them more a widescreen format to possibly use for Youtube videos. Combination digital painting/photobashing.
> View attachment 109660
> View attachment 109658
> View attachment 109659
> View attachment 109657


Nice. I see that we're both musicians working in the entertainment industry as artists.


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## KnightBrolaire




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## LunatiqueRob

Two new portraits:


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## wheresthefbomb

Came up with this design a couple weeks ago, had some days off this week and my hand/wrist is feeling better so I gave it a go. I used two vintage scythe pics and a ruler as references. Pencil>pen>fine point marker. Very pleased with the initial results. This will be a stencil, and also very likely a tattoo.

"culling fields of famine"


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## LunatiqueRob

Latest portraits.


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## CanserDYI

KnightBrolaire said:


> View attachment 109918


Nice man! I really dig this, feel like this should be some indie band album cover.


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## wheresthefbomb

CanserDYI said:


> Nice man! I really dig this, feel like this should be some indie band album cover.



Pupper looks like a daisy. Love it.


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## LunatiqueRob

I've been experimenting with digital oil painting in Rebelle, and here's a portrait of Hayoung of fromis_9. The watercolor liquid physics really adds a lot to the overall feel of the painting. What's really interesting is when the watercolor drips over the oil paint, it melts the oil paint and makes it run, but the oil will run very thick. Obviously, that's not "real" physics because water and oil don't mix, but it creates an interaction anyway.

It was a challenge to balance the impasto brushwork and runny watercolor drips with the overall aesthetics. Often, I ended up with brushwork that was too prominent or watercolor blooms/drips that were too much, and had to pull back a bit. I had to be careful especially around the eyes, otherwise it would look like she's crying and had runny mascara, or the impasto made her skin too rough. I still don't know if I ended up with the ideal balance, but I think I need to move on to finish the next painting.


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## wheresthefbomb

I assume the "rain lines" running through her hair vertically are the watercolor drip interaction you described, I think that's probably my favorite feature of the painting overall. It really amplifies the sensation of her being backlit by the sun. I bet if you got them to run in the direction of the light it would be even moreso, not sure how much control you have over that.

Anyway, very cool, thanks for sharing.


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## LunatiqueRob

wheresthefbomb said:


> I assume the "rain lines" running through her hair vertically are the watercolor drip interaction you described, I think that's probably my favorite feature of the painting overall. It really amplifies the sensation of her being backlit by the sun. I bet if you got them to run in the direction of the light it would be even moreso, not sure how much control you have over that.
> 
> Anyway, very cool, thanks for sharing.


Thanks! She's actually indoors in a room, and the light source behind her is a lamp. There are other lights in the room, such as in front and behind her.

In Rebelle, you can control the direction of of the drips, as well as the width and length. You can download the trial version and play around with it.


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## KnightBrolaire

I did a portrait of Frank Fiegel (the real world inspiration of Popeye).


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## mastapimp

KnightBrolaire said:


> I did a portrait of Frank Fiegel (the real world inspiration of Popeye).


Excellent artwork, but that's not Frank Fiegel. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/frank-rocky-fiegel-popeye/


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## bostjan

I guess it's easier than explaining that the drawing is based on a photo of an unknown guy who is often mistaken for Frank Fiegel due to being strongly reminiscent of a younger version of him. 

Really cool drawing of whoever that is, though. I'm loving your use of the focal plane.


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## KnightBrolaire

mastapimp said:


> Excellent artwork, but that's not Frank Fiegel. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/frank-rocky-fiegel-popeye/


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## KnightBrolaire

decided to give inktober a shot this year, and this is the only thing I'm happy with so far lol


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## LiveOVErdrive

I recently have been getting back into physical media after years and years of digital. Never been a painter (mostly just a cartoonist) but I've been really into learning lately. So I got some gouache paints and after one false start, did a quick painting of one of my favorite photos I took on my recent trip to France. 




I've got a whole lot to learn but this is like Hella fun. 

Also yall are all really fantastic.


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## LunatiqueRob

A couple of recent paintings. Both painted with Rebelle.


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## LiveOVErdrive

LunatiqueRob said:


> A couple of recent paintings. Both painted with Rebelle.


Are these all from photo references or are you pulling them from your head?


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## LunatiqueRob

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Are these all from photo references or are you pulling them from your head?


They have to be from references--be it photo references or from life. No artist in the history of mankind can just paint photorealistic portraits of existing people out of their heads (these are portraits of famous Korean singers, and I used photo references). It's just not something within our ability, because our human brains cannot memorize such high levels of fidelity, no matter how talented/accomplished.


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## LiveOVErdrive

Second and third gouache paintings. Getting a little better but I think it's time to do some straight up color mixing and blending exercises.


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## KnightBrolaire

I could work on it more and keep tweaking it, but idc any more.


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## LiveOVErdrive

Painted Galadriel the other night. I guess I only paint LOTR characters? 




I'm getting better but I really need to improve my blending. I want smooth gradients on the face dammit.


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## KnightBrolaire

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Painted Galadriel the other night. I guess I only paint LOTR characters?
> 
> View attachment 116158
> 
> 
> I'm getting better but I really need to improve my blending. I want smooth gradients on the face dammit.


if you want smooth transitions then work on blending your midtones at the transition. Some areas like the bridge of the nose and cheekbones are rarely ever soft transitions though.
Don't be afraid to go higher contrast and use less paint to imply structure. That can help with transitions as well.


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## LiveOVErdrive

KnightBrolaire said:


> if you want smooth transitions then work on blending your midtones at the transition. Some areas like the bridge of the nose and cheekbones are rarely ever soft transitions though.
> Don't be afraid to go higher contrast and use less paint to imply structure. That can help with transitions as well.


Thanks for the tips. Yeah the nose came out about right. I just couldn't get the cheeks or chin as smooth as I wanted.


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## AMOS

I mess around with a Gaomon PD2200 and Corel Painter essentials 8


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## LiveOVErdrive

AMOS said:


> I mess around with a Gaomon PD2200 and Corel Painter essentials 8


Nice! Any examples? 

Also fun fact: a coworker and friend of mine used to be a dev for Corel Painter back in the 00s.


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## AMOS

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Nice! Any examples?
> 
> Also fun fact: a coworker and friend of mine used to be a dev for Corel Painter back in the 00s.


I've been too busy with music to get serious with it, I got it for album qraphics and art for music videos but haven't had any time to do anything yet worth sharing.


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## AMOS

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Nice! Any examples?
> 
> Also fun fact: a coworker and friend of mine used to be a dev for Corel Painter back in the 00s.


This was for a song title, it was meant to be very minimalistic but I never used it.


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## odibrom

... this is probably going to be PSIORB's (link to our youtube channel) debut album cover art... it's in the works, but getting there.


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## LiveOVErdrive

odibrom said:


> ... this is probably going to be PSIORB's (link to our youtube channel) debut album cover art... it's in the works, but getting there.


That's a pretty fuckin sweet album cover.


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## odibrom

LiveOVErdrive said:


> That's a pretty fuckin sweet album cover.


Thank you very much for your kind words...


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## KnightBrolaire

just finished this up.


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## CanserDYI

KnightBrolaire said:


> just finished this up.


I mean this as a compliment, I swear. I'm sure you're familiar with the uncanny valley, right? This is right on the edge of that climb up right where its almost "perfectly human" and your eye won't distinguish it, where most portraits seem to fall on the early part of the "V" if that makes sense.

What I'm saying is, this is very good, and you're damn close to getting into the greater plateau on the other side of the valley, and kudo's for going that route, as most fail hard. 



I'd say like right there.


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## CanserDYI

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Painted Galadriel the other night. I guess I only paint LOTR characters?
> 
> View attachment 116158
> 
> 
> I'm getting better but I really need to improve my blending. I want smooth gradients on the face dammit.


While sure, improve your technique for your own sake whatever you want to work on, work on, but if you ask me? I really like the style here, and I actually enjoy the "cel shaded"(I realize this isn't that, but it's pretty close to the idea if you ask me) look over a "photorealistic" look here, great work!


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## KnightBrolaire

got some new ink pens so I did this:


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## Shawn

odibrom said:


> ... this is probably going to be PSIORB's (link to our youtube channel) debut album cover art... it's in the works, but getting there.


Very cool. Nice work.


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## odibrom

Shawn said:


> Very cool. Nice work.


Thank you for your kind words...


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## LunatiqueRob

Latest portrait. The background was painted in Photoshop with emboss setting because Rebelle can't have really thick impasto brushes, but everything was painted in Rebelle with the oil brushes.


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## Shawn

LunatiqueRob said:


> Latest portrait. The background was painted in Photoshop with emboss setting because Rebelle can't have really thick impasto brushes, but everything was painted in Rebelle with the oil brushes.


That's prettty impressive. Nice work.


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## LiveOVErdrive

Dug out my old WN7 brushes (that I never REALLY used) to mess around with inking. Then tried watercolor for essentially the first time. Lots of value problems but I don't hate it. 

This is my current Pathfinder character, Trulz the orcish fighter (Archer archetype) 




I looooooove working with ink. Even just sketching with dip pens lately I can do such better looking work than I ever have digitally. It's kind of frustrating even haha. But maybe when I finally do my graphic novel I'll do the art with physical media and add the lettering in post.


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## odibrom

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Dug out my old WN7 brushes (that I never REALLY used) to mess around with inking. Then tried watercolor for essentially the first time. Lots of value problems but I don't hate it.
> 
> This is my current Pathfinder character, Trulz the orcish fighter (Archer archetype)
> 
> View attachment 119044
> 
> 
> ... I'll do the art with physical media and add the lettering in post.


This is the way...

By the way, nice illustration.


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## LiveOVErdrive

Got myself a watercolor sketchbook so I had to do another lotr painting. Very pleased with how it came out, but I learned a few things that I want to try next time. Namely, if I'm going to use ink and watercolor, I need to establish values with the ink beforehand. Especially for the background.


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