Drawing shape, from observation, is a fundamental skill for all illustrators. This is what art students pay big bucks for in their first year at art school. In this video we'll put the previous lessons on shape to use in a still life drawing. No matter what level artist you are, still life drawing is challenging and worth practice. This is how you improve, so have fun with it!
Sometimes the best way to see an object is by looking at the space surrounding it. No, this is not abstract zen wisdom - it is called "negative space". Learning to see negative space is just as important as the subject itself (the positive space). Eventually, when you're designing characters and environments, you'll be using the negative space intentionally - so get used to looking for it in your still life drawings!
Another way to draw from observation is by observing angles. In this video I describe the "linear-block-in", and how it can be useful for accurate drawing. The basic concept is to work from basic to complex: starting with a large "envelope" that encapsulates the entire form. As you work, the envelope is refined into smaller and smaller angles, which can eventually rounded out into curves. This is a very academic way of drawing, and can be a good practice for training your eye.
There's a variety of ways to describe form with a pencil, and the most common is 'contour'. This is a linear approach to drawing, focusing on creating descriptive outlines. The trick is to draw the unique contour you're observing, and not a generalized outline drawn from your memory. Beginners often fall into the trap of drawing 'symbols' instead of actual objects -- even if they are sitting down with an object directly in front of them. As children we're taught to draw symbols, and becoming an artist requires you critically look and record.
Basic drawing doesn't need to involve many tools, but the two described in this video are essential: pencils and erasers. Here you'll find a basic introduction to the types of pencils and erasers commonly used in drawing. Additionally, I explain how colored pencils (including non-photo blue) can be used in a line-drawing to construct form. The lesson ends with a quick homework assignment to test out your new knowledge!
Being inspired by art you see on the internet is both good and bad. It's bad when you copy the style, and not the substance. This video discusses the danger of digital painting fads like 'speed-painting' and 'painting silhouettes'. In this video I break from tradition and use some examples of other artits' work: David Levy and Mike Yamada. To see more of their paintings, make sure to check out both vyle-art.com and myamada.com.
Edge control is crucial to solid digital painting. Traditionally, this means having a very steady hand and careful mark-making. When working digitally, the rules are a bit different. This video introduces a few more unconventional masking techniques. They may seem pretty foreign at first, but can yield a huge effect in your painting process. If you don't know about the basics of masks, make sure to watch these videos first: Masking 101 pt 1, Masking 101 pt 2, Masking 101 pt 3, and Alternative Masking pt. 1
This video is a quick introduction to two alternative masking techniques in Photoshop. If you don't know about the basics of masks, make sure to watch these three videos first: Masking 101 pt 1, Masking 101 pt 2, and Masking 101 pt 3
For traditional drawing, it doesn't get any more basic than the HB pencil. That said, its versatility keeps is relevant for even the most skilled artists! The ctrl+Paint unplugged series is all about traditional drawing, and this is the major tool you'll be using.
Do you keep an "inspiration" folder? You should! This video explains the benefits of keeping a folder of inspirational paintings, and organizing them with Adobe Bridge. There are a variety of programs that offer similar tagging and organizing, but Adobe Bridge integrates well with other Adobe software, so I like it a lot.
Drawing is at least 50% 'seeing'. In order to capture the subject that you're looking at, you need to be able to critically look at it. One of the methods that artists use to accurately observe an object is called "visual measuring", and it's described in this video.
Capturing the 'gesture' of an object is not limited to figure drawing. The exercise shown in this video is one of the most direct and active way to sketch, and doesn't require a computer.
And make sure not to miss the other videos in the Unplugged Series!
Realistic color is often pure and unmixed. Learning to paint realistically involves learning about the way light behaves, and how colors bounce from one object to another. This video shows you how you can kill two birds with one stone: create realistic color and unify your color palette at the same time.
Painting requires you to think about many things, and one of them is color. Learning to accurately observe color will translate into more efficient painting. The less time you spend re-painting the same area of yor canvas searching for the perfect color, the quicker you will be able to finish the work and move onto another. This video offers a color drill which is all about careful observation. How close can you get? Reader Aaron M. reminded me of a fantastic follow-up: The Munsel Hue Test. This is a fun way to test your hue observation skills. I would love to see scores for both of these games in the comments!
Hopefully you've already watched pt 1, because this video enhances the basic 'chop and warp' technique by modifying the selection. Quick mask mode, as shown in this video, can be a very efficient way to modify a selection! It is a very powerful tool, though many digital painters avoid it.
One of the real benefits of working digitally is the ability to be flexible. Want to change the color? No problem. Want to move something around? No problem. It takes a different mindset than traditional drawing, but if you can wrap your head around it your work will improve. This video explores the use of "copy merged" to modify a piece of nearly-finished concept art. Traditional wisdom says that once you've made it this far into a painting it's too late to move things around, but Photoshop makes it much more possible! Though it's always better to work out the problems in your illustration earlier in the process (ideally in the thumbnail sketch), you will occasionally need to make last-second course corrections.
Faces are hard to draw! One secret to learning how to draw faces is to first tackle the skull. For a variety of reasons, the skull is a great stand-in for a face. We're hard wired to be especially critical about human faces, and they can be frustrating to learn with. Instead, learning with the skull can help you internalize the basic proportions and masses before you move onto actual faces.
As a followup to the Sketchup for Backgrounds mini-series, I want to explain the concept of a 'paint-over'. This is not an excuse to skip learning to draw, but rather a shortcut for experienced painters. Before digital art was possible, commercial artists have done plenty of tracing in their work - and it was totally acceptable. This was not because the artists weren't very good at drawing - it was merely a time saver which allowed them to meet their deadlines. Using a 3D render (from sketchup or elsewhere) is the same concept -- it saves time for the artist. Again, it's not a pass which allows you to skip learning perspective drawing. Update: In response to some of the comments about the Sketchup series, I've created a quick video which will hopefully clear up the confusion. View it here.
This wraps up the sketchup mini-series by putting the scene together and exporting a render. I find this stage extremely fun, because all of the hard work is complete. Now all that remains is arranging your houses - very much like building a toy city out of pre-painted models.
This continues the mini-series by looking at the Sketchup 'texturing' process. This is when you apply color and surfaces to the blank white 3D models, making them look much more convincing. If you've never worked with a texture in 3D before this might seem abstract, but the knowledge is very useful if you plan to enter the game industry.