Art + Life protips (Updated 8.11.2010)
15 years ago
Copy pasta'd from my dA account. I made this journal for a friend just now getting into Photoshop drawing. Updated and reposted now and then for your viewing pleasure
I will update this journal with new posts and repost it after every fifty new watchers or so. Enjoy the new stuff, and thanks for dealing with me. :)
General Rules to Go By:
- Draw all the time. I don't care if you're a photographer, graphic designer, or what. Drawing is good for you.
- When handling representative work, the longer you spend in abstraction, the better. Give the viewer something to imagine!
- Doing "simple" well is rarely ever easy. But aim for simple when you can.
- Stick to what you love. But don't let that stop you from learning.
- The artist that can learn to love drawing anything can succeed at drawing anything.
- Usually, artists that stick to similar subject matters stagnate. Others specialize and succeed. Challenge yourself always with whatever you love.
On the flipside, look up http://www.beksinski.pl or http://flyk.deviantart.com to see examples of artists that create well across related subjects.
- Don't compare to other artist. Your journey is not their journey. Many of the best artists didn't get jobs fresh out of college.
- The less of a hand I have in my own images, the better they turn out. Don't overwork things.
- If you think an image is done, take a walk first. Then come back to the image to get a fresh look at it.
- Any time you want to use the word "style", substitute it with the word "habit(s)". It'll make any style-related conversation more honest and easier to understand.
- You cannot draw anything without a reference. "Drawing something from your mind" is referencing an image in there. Invest time in bulking up your mind's "reference library". You don't get to put on sunglasses for mentioning that you didn't use a reference.
- Art isn't a race to see who finishes first. There's merit to being commercially speedy, but don't go boasting about a time to complete something. You weenie.
- Seek out the company of great artists.
- Get yourself a dead artist-mentor.
- If I ask for five dead artists that you love, you should be able to rattle names off pretty quick. If not, you have some reading to do!
- Like an image? Save it! Save any image you run into that inspires you. I have a separate folder for this site alone: http://ffffound.com
General Photoshop Tips
- If your image screams "I used Photoshop!" you probably did something wrong.
- The less tricks you rely on, the better. If you find yourself using a cheap Photoshop trick without thinking about it, that should be a red flag.
- Decide the style you're shooting for for before you start.
- I prefer using HSB color sliders over RGB. In fact, don't go with RGB. Picking colours with only RGB is counter-intuitive.
- Don't be afraid to use simple programs (like Tegaki or Colors!) to make a rough draft if Photoshop overwhelms you. (I don't do this as often as I should.)
- Want to paint in Photoshop even though you're afraid to learn about layer/opacity masks? Check out one-vox's great Photoshop videos: http://www.youtube.com/bugmeyer
- If you want an entertaining and awesome video series for general Photoshop tools, look at the videos in this series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X5uR7VC4M
- Learn all the keyboard shortcuts you can. The more you know the less time you detract from doing art. And that adds up.
- If you're going from nothing in Photoshop, get down your big shapes first. Use big brushes first.
- Squint to figure shapes out and zoom out all the time. If you can't tell what the image is in a thumbnail it is a bad illustration.
- Make a Photoshop shortcut for flipping the image horizontally. Flip it over every now and then to catch mistakes.
- Learn layer effects. Get down a good sketch, and lay down Soft Light, Exclusion, and Screen layers to see how you can make the image look cool without making it look crappy.
Cool Brushes, Bro.
- I mainly use three brushes:
• Hard brush with pressure sensitivity only on size, <9% spacing (to avoid those awful circle samples in a stroke)
This is for working big, fast, and energetic
• Hard brush with pressure sensitivity only on opacity, <9% spacing
This is for Jon Fostering it up around forms, and works great with the first brush.
• Small, jagged brush with pressure sensitivity on opacity, opacity jitter set to ±70%.
This emulates a mechanical pencil on paper. This is the main brush used for drawing sexy minotaurs, or maybe Greek gods, or anything needing an added/subtracted sketch feel.
- Use a soft edge brush about as often as you would use dodge/burn. The three have a time and a place.
That time and place just happens to be "barely ever".
- Keep your brushes at 100% opacity at all times. If you want soft strokes (with a graphics tablet), be a man and use pressure sensitivity instead.
Added 4.7.2010:
• Don't upload large projects the second they're completed. Give it time to set in before you share it—you'll probably want to change something later.
• If you think your image is missing something, but you're not sure juuuuuust what it is, try this:
Draw a heatmap of where your eyes go, then draw where you want your eyes to go. Then make changes accordingly.
• Often what separates the good painters from the great painters is the ability to control edge sharpness
• Don't think your art can be anything more for you than a vehicle. Don't find your worth in art. Art will not always be there for you.
Added 5.26.2010
•Every time you make a purchase, save the change. Bring it home and stash it somewhere. At least once a year, put the coins towards an art book that will further your art career.
•Know what you want out of an illustration from the start? Take books of artists that solve specific art problems better than you can, and open the books around your workspace for quick reminders on what direction your image should get. I currently have a page full of Rick Berry / Phil Hale sketches next to me!
•Some of the best illustrators were also great business men. If your art is going commercial in any capacity, you must learn how to communicate well with people outside of art as well as within art.
•Don't believe in any "How To Draw X" tutorials. Those can never explain how to see the world around you for what it is and capture that yourself. This relates to anything from robots to kittens to anime.
•Never sell yourself short. If your services are worth more than someone's asking price, you do not need to feel bad about it.
•Never disrespect people. If they wrong you, educating them will do more than telling 'em to bugger off.
•Question what makes art "art". Question if paintings need paint, or if art needs an audience.
•Growth in art does not happen when you get a pat on the rump—it happens when you get criticized by yourself/someone else and decide to respond constructively.
•You don't need to reject familiarity, but even in familiarity you should always be trying new things.
Added 8.11.2010
•In switching from digital to traditional, keep these in mind:
-It took me about a week before drawing with a tablet didn't feel foreign and uncomfortable.
-You should never abandon traditional for digital
-You should not abandon your prowess in one for the other.
-Revisit tutorials in later years. You will not catch/appreciate everything the first time, as progress comes in waves.
-Start as basic as possible when working in digital.
•Your art heroes are all still human beings. If you love an artist's work, don't be afraid to drop them a line to tell them! If you want, link them to a sketch blog of yours. If they don't respond, email them two more times over the course of two weeks. If they don't respond they're probably too busy.
•Go to art conventions. In illustration go to ILLUXcon. In any digital entertainment endeavor check out SIGGRAPH.
-It will be costly, but you can't afford to miss direction and networking.
-The first time you show your portfolio you may get direction from professionals concerning pretty typical 'folio errors. Oh well. Press on.
-Assess their critiques on an individual basis, then apply them accordingly. If you're trying to work in videogames, don't expect the Art Institutes, Disney, and Arenanet to all have the same opinion of your work.
-Go to any art convention at least a second time. If you followed the direction from the first time you will be amazed by how better your work is received.
/Opinions
I will update this journal with new posts and repost it after every fifty new watchers or so. Enjoy the new stuff, and thanks for dealing with me. :)
General Rules to Go By:
- Draw all the time. I don't care if you're a photographer, graphic designer, or what. Drawing is good for you.
- When handling representative work, the longer you spend in abstraction, the better. Give the viewer something to imagine!
- Doing "simple" well is rarely ever easy. But aim for simple when you can.
- Stick to what you love. But don't let that stop you from learning.
- The artist that can learn to love drawing anything can succeed at drawing anything.
- Usually, artists that stick to similar subject matters stagnate. Others specialize and succeed. Challenge yourself always with whatever you love.
On the flipside, look up http://www.beksinski.pl or http://flyk.deviantart.com to see examples of artists that create well across related subjects.
- Don't compare to other artist. Your journey is not their journey. Many of the best artists didn't get jobs fresh out of college.
- The less of a hand I have in my own images, the better they turn out. Don't overwork things.
- If you think an image is done, take a walk first. Then come back to the image to get a fresh look at it.
- Any time you want to use the word "style", substitute it with the word "habit(s)". It'll make any style-related conversation more honest and easier to understand.
- You cannot draw anything without a reference. "Drawing something from your mind" is referencing an image in there. Invest time in bulking up your mind's "reference library". You don't get to put on sunglasses for mentioning that you didn't use a reference.
- Art isn't a race to see who finishes first. There's merit to being commercially speedy, but don't go boasting about a time to complete something. You weenie.
- Seek out the company of great artists.
- Get yourself a dead artist-mentor.
- If I ask for five dead artists that you love, you should be able to rattle names off pretty quick. If not, you have some reading to do!
- Like an image? Save it! Save any image you run into that inspires you. I have a separate folder for this site alone: http://ffffound.com
General Photoshop Tips
- If your image screams "I used Photoshop!" you probably did something wrong.
- The less tricks you rely on, the better. If you find yourself using a cheap Photoshop trick without thinking about it, that should be a red flag.
- Decide the style you're shooting for for before you start.
- I prefer using HSB color sliders over RGB. In fact, don't go with RGB. Picking colours with only RGB is counter-intuitive.
- Don't be afraid to use simple programs (like Tegaki or Colors!) to make a rough draft if Photoshop overwhelms you. (I don't do this as often as I should.)
- Want to paint in Photoshop even though you're afraid to learn about layer/opacity masks? Check out one-vox's great Photoshop videos: http://www.youtube.com/bugmeyer
- If you want an entertaining and awesome video series for general Photoshop tools, look at the videos in this series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X5uR7VC4M
- Learn all the keyboard shortcuts you can. The more you know the less time you detract from doing art. And that adds up.
- If you're going from nothing in Photoshop, get down your big shapes first. Use big brushes first.
- Squint to figure shapes out and zoom out all the time. If you can't tell what the image is in a thumbnail it is a bad illustration.
- Make a Photoshop shortcut for flipping the image horizontally. Flip it over every now and then to catch mistakes.
- Learn layer effects. Get down a good sketch, and lay down Soft Light, Exclusion, and Screen layers to see how you can make the image look cool without making it look crappy.
Cool Brushes, Bro.
- I mainly use three brushes:
• Hard brush with pressure sensitivity only on size, <9% spacing (to avoid those awful circle samples in a stroke)
This is for working big, fast, and energetic
• Hard brush with pressure sensitivity only on opacity, <9% spacing
This is for Jon Fostering it up around forms, and works great with the first brush.
• Small, jagged brush with pressure sensitivity on opacity, opacity jitter set to ±70%.
This emulates a mechanical pencil on paper. This is the main brush used for drawing sexy minotaurs, or maybe Greek gods, or anything needing an added/subtracted sketch feel.
- Use a soft edge brush about as often as you would use dodge/burn. The three have a time and a place.
That time and place just happens to be "barely ever".
- Keep your brushes at 100% opacity at all times. If you want soft strokes (with a graphics tablet), be a man and use pressure sensitivity instead.
Added 4.7.2010:
• Don't upload large projects the second they're completed. Give it time to set in before you share it—you'll probably want to change something later.
• If you think your image is missing something, but you're not sure juuuuuust what it is, try this:
Draw a heatmap of where your eyes go, then draw where you want your eyes to go. Then make changes accordingly.
• Often what separates the good painters from the great painters is the ability to control edge sharpness
• Don't think your art can be anything more for you than a vehicle. Don't find your worth in art. Art will not always be there for you.
Added 5.26.2010
•Every time you make a purchase, save the change. Bring it home and stash it somewhere. At least once a year, put the coins towards an art book that will further your art career.
•Know what you want out of an illustration from the start? Take books of artists that solve specific art problems better than you can, and open the books around your workspace for quick reminders on what direction your image should get. I currently have a page full of Rick Berry / Phil Hale sketches next to me!
•Some of the best illustrators were also great business men. If your art is going commercial in any capacity, you must learn how to communicate well with people outside of art as well as within art.
•Don't believe in any "How To Draw X" tutorials. Those can never explain how to see the world around you for what it is and capture that yourself. This relates to anything from robots to kittens to anime.
•Never sell yourself short. If your services are worth more than someone's asking price, you do not need to feel bad about it.
•Never disrespect people. If they wrong you, educating them will do more than telling 'em to bugger off.
•Question what makes art "art". Question if paintings need paint, or if art needs an audience.
•Growth in art does not happen when you get a pat on the rump—it happens when you get criticized by yourself/someone else and decide to respond constructively.
•You don't need to reject familiarity, but even in familiarity you should always be trying new things.
Added 8.11.2010
•In switching from digital to traditional, keep these in mind:
-It took me about a week before drawing with a tablet didn't feel foreign and uncomfortable.
-You should never abandon traditional for digital
-You should not abandon your prowess in one for the other.
-Revisit tutorials in later years. You will not catch/appreciate everything the first time, as progress comes in waves.
-Start as basic as possible when working in digital.
•Your art heroes are all still human beings. If you love an artist's work, don't be afraid to drop them a line to tell them! If you want, link them to a sketch blog of yours. If they don't respond, email them two more times over the course of two weeks. If they don't respond they're probably too busy.
•Go to art conventions. In illustration go to ILLUXcon. In any digital entertainment endeavor check out SIGGRAPH.
-It will be costly, but you can't afford to miss direction and networking.
-The first time you show your portfolio you may get direction from professionals concerning pretty typical 'folio errors. Oh well. Press on.
-Assess their critiques on an individual basis, then apply them accordingly. If you're trying to work in videogames, don't expect the Art Institutes, Disney, and Arenanet to all have the same opinion of your work.
-Go to any art convention at least a second time. If you followed the direction from the first time you will be amazed by how better your work is received.
/Opinions
Much work is to be done!
You're kinda inspiring me to look past my many flaws and to just work on being better at what I do, no matter what I do
thanks! :D
-"Stick to what you love. But don't let that stop you from learning." <--- I agree with that wholeheartedly.
take care
- Doing "simple" ..... 1,000,000,000% agree. XD Sometimes it is very much harder for me to convey less than to convey more. Loading on detail can often be the easier way out. That seems counter-intuitive, but it's true, I think. Simplifying requires a special kind of discipline and skill at interpretation whereas with detail, you're often just referencing reality. A great deal of people automatically assume it must be easier to simplify when it is often not (at least for me).
- The artist that can learn...... I don't agree with this one entirely, it is very idealistic. I do think artists have limitations. But we're both on extremes here, maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle? Some artists can and will achieve whatever they want because they are driven, dedicated, and naturally talented some won't because they're not driven, and some can't because they are limited. Yes? No?
- Don't compare to other artist..... I disagree about comparing but I do like the point you make; "their journey is not your journey." One of the things that motivates and inspires me is to compare my work to other artists' work. But on the other hand, you're right that their journey is not my journey. I'd like to know more of the reasoning behind why you opine this. Do you think comparing one's work to other artists is harmful or detrimental?
- The less of a hand..... Agree. I would addend that it can be hard to know when you get to that point. Generally, I realize I'm overworking something when I start staring at it for long pauses trying to figure out what else I should add. :P
- You cannot draw anything without a reference. .....Agree. I do often wonder why there's this attitude that we should be ashamed for using any kind of references at all. Also, lol,
- Seek out the company of great artists. ..... An interesting thought. What would you consider to be a great artist? Any examples? Personally, I idolize Raphael Lacotse, among others.
- Get yourself a dead artist-mentor...... Bouguereau and Bierstadt.
- If I ask for five dead artists..... (I would addend that none of those should be obvious dur choices like Michaelangelo or Leonardo Da Vinci. :P ) Bouguereau, Bierstadt, Manet, Titian, Carravagio, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Auguste Rodin, Maxfield Parrish.
General Photoshop Tips
- If your image screams..... :P what criteria do you use to judge that by? Just curious. For me, it's that plasticy look (guilty as charged XC).
- I prefer using HSB color sliders over RGB...... Why?
- Keep your brushes at 100% opacity at all times. WAT! XD I totally disagree with that one. But ya know, different strokes for different folks.... OH GOD I'M TERRIBLE, I DESERVE TO BE FLOGGED! XD
Added 4.7.2010:
• Don't upload large projects..... This is good advice. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. Derp. XD I will most definitely be heeding this one.
• If you think your image is missing something,..... Now that is a REALLY interesting thought. How do you draw a heatmap though? XD
• Don't think your art can be anything..... I agree, but tis easier said than done.
Added 5.26.2010
•Know what you want out of an illustration from the start..... >8{ I said almost exactly this same thing and you disagreed! *spank spank* You little contrarian fucker. :P *spank spank spank*
•Don't believe in any "How To Draw X" tutorials..... This is a very good point though I wouldn't make it such an absolute. There are some good tuts out there that have valuable information. However, you're right in principle; most "how to draw X" tuts teach copycatting. It's much more important to learn the philosophy behind X rather than how to copy someone else's method for doing X.
•Never disrespect people.... Definitely good advice, very hard to do though if you're short on patience. XC
Overall, this was definitely a good read and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get anything out of it. :)
- When people refer to being "born with a gift", I've thought of that gift as the desire to succeed at something. Enjoyment may be the secret weapon of the greatest artists. I'd say that yes, non-driven but experienced artists can complete goals, but you can tell when they don't enjoy it. (Look at Amano's art for FFX-2! He sucks at hiding when he hates something.)
- "Comparing" in this context refers to a negative connotation: like any time a freshman looked at a masterpiece and felt like quitting. I love competing with all those artists that are better than me, but there's little purpose that comes from my comparing my work to theirs. I probably shouldn't compare Jon Foster's work to my work unless they were created for the same client or something, and I lost. Does that make more sense?
- We hip, we chill, we def, we ill
- Here's that one influence meme, with artist names available upon request. My favourite painter ever is Zdzislaw Beksinski.
-There are a few things i don't do to make an image scream "PHOTOSHOP!" I stick to just using a hard brush (usually), I never overlay a digital texture across the entire image, don't touch lens flares, use colour dodge/burn .01% of the time, work on only one layer, etc…. But that's only because I'm not a bad-enough dude to do the above without screwing it up.
-Colour gets more saturated as it gets darker, and less saturated as it gets lighter, except for special circumstances, like glowsticks (be ready for anything with furry commissions). The hue/saturation/brightness sliders make my picking way easier than having to align three slider a little bit to the side each time I want to alter one hue.
-That 100% thing is another tip to keep the image fresh. I stole it from Jason Chan in one of his Massive Black instructional videos. Your brush strokes look more badass if they wiggle in opacity. But I can see how it wouldn't be conducive to your workflow, as your images require far more precision than mine!
-The heatmap example is linked on the word "heatmap". :B
-I noticed that when I linked you back to my list. I thought "Oh shiiiiiit. Oh well. I'll just justify it later." I probably could pull something out of my ass. I hate being wrong. Can I get back to you on that one tomorrow? :>
-I was talking with a math teacher today about this very problem, about tutorials, pretty much. We never teach little kids the why, only the how. And it's depriving our nation of an awful lot.
Thanks for reading,
Bobbie Jean PENTACOST, BOUNTY HUNTER.
Can you elaborate on this?
Also, what exactly is HSB? I've not experimented with this before.
Oh yeah, being comfortable with the concept of pixel ratios is pretty difficult. It took me a few years before I could comfortably relate to how big any set number of pixels really is, but it'd take a normal person a week, at most!
When you say you use HSB for setting background tones, please help me understand something:
why are you differentiating your background tones from your foreground/character tones?
I'll continue to use this a a reference for reflection when I draw/paint thanks for the lifter here, I've been in such a rut; constantly looking for inspiration.
Thank you (can't say that enough)