Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Concept Stages - Gangster
Over the last few weeks I have been creating a one-off test, to get better at digital colouring and drawing in general. i have captured images of the various stages of it's production thus far and I plan to finish it within the next few days. The image is very simple, and is of a gangster holding a baseball bat. It is in very similar style to a lot of concept video game art and I hope it depicts this well, because it was my inspiration behind it. I've always loved concept art, there's something very exciting about getting an idea of what a game will be like from a few basic sketches. The possibilities are endless at this stage and once I finish my gangster, I can pretty much chuck him into any scenario I want, and for me that's the beauty of art, when it's traditional or digital.
Graphic Tablet!
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| The unravelling... |
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| It's not as easy as it looks! |
Friday, 25 March 2011
Existing Traditional Artists - Alex
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| Kairit |
1.) Could you tell me a bit about yourself as someone who works in the Traditional medium?
I don't know exactly what you'd like to know, but I've always been a very visually oriented person; I typically think in pictures, versus ideas or words or what have you. My personal tastes visually are along the lines of beauty and realism, so I don't generally go for abstract or cubist or impressionist type work, or even dark/macabre stuff, though there are always exceptions, and I try to appreciate the time effort and inspiration behind pieces even if they aren't to my particular tastes.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
I’m not, for the most part, employed in any way in the arts field. I do dabble from time to time, when work needs something, or a club/team wants a shirt, or something along those lines, but I'm not like a graphic designer or a movie set dresser or anything like that. If I could find steady work in a traditional field, I'd jump at the chance, but I'm rather pessimistic about the opportunities available to actually earn a living doing something I enjoy so much. I've watched my dad, who's been doing stained glass for about 25 years, and opened up his own shop about eight years ago, and even though he excels at his field AND is a good businessman, he only really makes enough money to support his art, but not nearly enough to cover food and mortgages and gasoline and all of the other things that we need money for. He still relies on his "real" job to put food on the table, so to speak. My aspirations are to make some money off of art, but I do it because I love it, not because it's profitable.
3.) What equipment and skills are most essential in your work?
As far as equipment and skills.... patience and PhotoShop, lol! I jump around from medium to medium a lot, so I feel comfortable creating art with just about anything, from expensive paints, to cheapo bic pens to whatever I've got on hand. I've whittled with a knife, and once when I was filling sandbags in the army I got bored and built a 15' fluted tower, just because. Really, one just has to have the patience and perseverance to see a project through, and take the time to do it right the first time. I say Photoshop, too, as it has proven a very valuable tool. Although I sometimes draw from sight, and do a lot of design freehand, I like to try and lay things out and plan ahead of time when I can. Although other techniques are available, I find that I can sort of mock up an image or work in PhotoShop, using reference photos, cropping, blocking in figures or objects, just general stuff to make it easier to visualize what I'm going for. I can block out proportions and perspectives as well, see how something will look horizontally vs. vertically, or how it will look relative to its frame/mat or the space on the wall it will occupy, that sort of thing.
4.) Do you use digital methods in some of your work? If not, have you ever considered it?
I tend to grid a lot when I'm actually drawing, so that I include what I want to include, without running out of space, or making an image too small, or disproportional, so PhotoShop is helpful for that. It also makes it easier to zoom in on a particular area to better view the details. All of these things can either be done without, or done with other techniques, but I find that Adobe simply makes life easier in a lot of ways. Of course I also use it when I photograph or scan finished artwork, to get the levels and contrast to match what’s on the paper, as my scanner tends to leave out a lot of the high and lowlights.
I don't know exactly what you'd like to know, but I've always been a very visually oriented person; I typically think in pictures, versus ideas or words or what have you. My personal tastes visually are along the lines of beauty and realism, so I don't generally go for abstract or cubist or impressionist type work, or even dark/macabre stuff, though there are always exceptions, and I try to appreciate the time effort and inspiration behind pieces even if they aren't to my particular tastes.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
I’m not, for the most part, employed in any way in the arts field. I do dabble from time to time, when work needs something, or a club/team wants a shirt, or something along those lines, but I'm not like a graphic designer or a movie set dresser or anything like that. If I could find steady work in a traditional field, I'd jump at the chance, but I'm rather pessimistic about the opportunities available to actually earn a living doing something I enjoy so much. I've watched my dad, who's been doing stained glass for about 25 years, and opened up his own shop about eight years ago, and even though he excels at his field AND is a good businessman, he only really makes enough money to support his art, but not nearly enough to cover food and mortgages and gasoline and all of the other things that we need money for. He still relies on his "real" job to put food on the table, so to speak. My aspirations are to make some money off of art, but I do it because I love it, not because it's profitable.
3.) What equipment and skills are most essential in your work?
As far as equipment and skills.... patience and PhotoShop, lol! I jump around from medium to medium a lot, so I feel comfortable creating art with just about anything, from expensive paints, to cheapo bic pens to whatever I've got on hand. I've whittled with a knife, and once when I was filling sandbags in the army I got bored and built a 15' fluted tower, just because. Really, one just has to have the patience and perseverance to see a project through, and take the time to do it right the first time. I say Photoshop, too, as it has proven a very valuable tool. Although I sometimes draw from sight, and do a lot of design freehand, I like to try and lay things out and plan ahead of time when I can. Although other techniques are available, I find that I can sort of mock up an image or work in PhotoShop, using reference photos, cropping, blocking in figures or objects, just general stuff to make it easier to visualize what I'm going for. I can block out proportions and perspectives as well, see how something will look horizontally vs. vertically, or how it will look relative to its frame/mat or the space on the wall it will occupy, that sort of thing.
4.) Do you use digital methods in some of your work? If not, have you ever considered it?
I tend to grid a lot when I'm actually drawing, so that I include what I want to include, without running out of space, or making an image too small, or disproportional, so PhotoShop is helpful for that. It also makes it easier to zoom in on a particular area to better view the details. All of these things can either be done without, or done with other techniques, but I find that Adobe simply makes life easier in a lot of ways. Of course I also use it when I photograph or scan finished artwork, to get the levels and contrast to match what’s on the paper, as my scanner tends to leave out a lot of the high and lowlights.
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| After Action |
5.) Personally, what style of art do you prefer? Do you prefer traditional means or do you think digital is the way forward?
I think that both digital and traditional have their places in culture. Digital allows one to create things nearly impossible with hands on media in a fraction of the time, but (at least for now) there are things, especially in the tangible world, that are simply beyond computers. There's simply no way for digital to create a textured surface, or a granite relief that you can actually touch (at least right now). That said, there are digital applications and artists that can really mimic the look and feel of paint, or charcoal, or actual photographs, and there are colours and styles I've seen digitally that would be hard to approach with traditional means. I personally have a small Wacom, and I do enjoy it, but I'm nowhere near good enough with it to approach what most artists can accomplish, and my tools are limited at best. It’s something I'd like to learn, but I see myself as being primarily a traditional artist, at least for the foreseeable future.
Graphic Tablet Purchase
I've always wanted to see what these things can do! And now I'm gonna have the chance to find out. I just sent off for my Trust Slimline 16529 Graphics Tablet, equipped with USB Cable and Pen, and at a size of 254mm x 152mm it should provide me with an excellent first time experience with the hardware. The prices of graphic tablets vary from twenty pounds to over a thousand and there are many speculations as to which brands and sizes are easiest to work with. The Slimline 16529 I bought came to around sixty pounds so it should be sufficient enough for the project and for any further use I may have for it in the future!
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| It's a good place to start. I have 2 days to wait! |
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Existing Traditional Artists - Olivia
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| The Butterfly Effect |
1.) Could you tell me a bit about yourself as someone who works in the Traditional medium?
I've always loved drawing, and have recently discovered new areas of art which I feel passionately about. This has led me to apply for an art foundation course. I am hoping that this will allow me to further my creative knowledge/technique as well as allow me to determine which area I wish to specialize and pursue at university.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
No, but I would love to find employment in the creative industry. I want to experiment with film, as I've recently become interested in photography, though this isn't necessarily the area I would like to go into. I'm interested in illustration and comic books, though I understand this is a difficult career choice. I'm also interested in the idea of becoming an advertisement photographer.
I've always loved drawing, and have recently discovered new areas of art which I feel passionately about. This has led me to apply for an art foundation course. I am hoping that this will allow me to further my creative knowledge/technique as well as allow me to determine which area I wish to specialize and pursue at university.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
No, but I would love to find employment in the creative industry. I want to experiment with film, as I've recently become interested in photography, though this isn't necessarily the area I would like to go into. I'm interested in illustration and comic books, though I understand this is a difficult career choice. I'm also interested in the idea of becoming an advertisement photographer.
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| Doodles on the Train |
3.) What equipment and skills are most essential in your work?
Drawing - graphite pencils, a rubber and a sharpener. I hate using charcoal. Skills - a steady hand and an open mind.
4.) Do you use digital methods in some of your work? If not, have you ever considered it?
I have experimented with digital methods, but only as a hobby, not as part of my art and design course. I've used Manga Studio and Photoshop for colouring/sketching. I own a drawing tablet which makes this easier to complete.
5.) Personally, what style of art do you prefer? Do you prefer traditional means or do you think digital is the way forward?
I think it depends on the artist. Some people can produce beautiful traditional drawings, and some find digital art easier. I think traditional drawings show raw talent, though digital shows dedication and commitment.
Basic Colouring & Shading in Photoshop
Colouring and shading is something that can prove quite tricky for people just starting out. But there are many different ways and techniques to digital colouring that can be learned. Anime/Manga are styles of drawn art traditionally associated with asian culture. In Japan and China, Anime is immensely popular and can be seen everywhere. Manga is what anime is called when it is seen in paper/poster form. You'd think from looking at an anime cartoon that it would be an easy task to sketch it, well it's not. There are many elements surrounding anime and manga that need to be accounted for. The eyes are probably the most important thing to get right. I felt that manga was a good place to start on, for a colouring-in experiment, as the drawing would not take as long to finish as a detailed, realistic sketch. I took a picture of my face in webcam and proceeded to manga-fy myself. I then scanned in the drawing into Photoshop and coloured the various 'segments' that made the picture. I added shading and lighting as well. Manga never uses more then a few shades of colour in any part so I kept in the same style with my adaptation. I'm pretty happy with the result!
Adobe Photoshop
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| Flag of the Talfein Empire |
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| Telescopic Rifle |
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| Lexadam |
Existing Traditional Artists - Leong
Leong Hong-Yu
Malaysia
http://hong-yu.deviantart.com/
Malaysia
http://hong-yu.deviantart.com/
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| Tae Yang |
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| Zhou Xun |
1.) Could you tell me a bit about yourself as someone who works in the Traditional medium?
I never wanted to extend my hobby into a career. I’ve been interested in drawing since I was a little girl. It’s a hobby for me, that’s all. I attended a drawing class in 2008, and I display my sketches primarily on DeviantArt.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
No I don’t think I could make it into the arts industry. And I wouldn’t want to either, drawing is just a hobby of mine.
3.) What equipment and skills are most essential in your work?
Drawing equipment, pencils are the main tool needed.
4.) Do you use digital methods in some of your work? If not, have you ever considered it?
No, never.
5.) Personally, what style of art do you prefer? Do you prefer traditional means or do you think digital is the way forward?
I prefer traditional, I enjoy what I do now and I don’t see a reason why I should use a computer to do it.
I never wanted to extend my hobby into a career. I’ve been interested in drawing since I was a little girl. It’s a hobby for me, that’s all. I attended a drawing class in 2008, and I display my sketches primarily on DeviantArt.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
No I don’t think I could make it into the arts industry. And I wouldn’t want to either, drawing is just a hobby of mine.
3.) What equipment and skills are most essential in your work?
Drawing equipment, pencils are the main tool needed.
4.) Do you use digital methods in some of your work? If not, have you ever considered it?
No, never.
5.) Personally, what style of art do you prefer? Do you prefer traditional means or do you think digital is the way forward?
I prefer traditional, I enjoy what I do now and I don’t see a reason why I should use a computer to do it.
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Existing Traditional Artists - Mann
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| Puma |
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| Cyrano |
1.) Could you tell me a bit about yourself as someone who works in the Traditional medium?
Well, as you can see, most of my posts are illustrations (drawings and paintings) because I really love to do these. I myself studied graphic design and illustration at the beginning of 1990s. All works from that time were traditional hand-made. I really wanted to work as an illustrator at that period... however, demands are always changing and the market of my city (Hong Kong) is too small for illustrators. Most people like me work for a design firm and only can occasionally do some freelance commissions. And mostly digital works are required because they can be saved and changed more easily. And certainly digital are expected to be faster. Today I only do illustrations for commercial use very rarely. Mostly I do paintings and drawings for my own fun.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
One of my previous full time jobs was making computer animations for a TV station. Now I'm still working in various design areas. But honestly my personal love is traditional arts.
3.) What equipment and skills are most essential in your work?
For working, Photoshop is a must for me.
4.) Do you use digital methods in some of your work? If not, have you ever considered it?
For my personal drawings, I also use PS for a little level tuning before posting.
Well, as you can see, most of my posts are illustrations (drawings and paintings) because I really love to do these. I myself studied graphic design and illustration at the beginning of 1990s. All works from that time were traditional hand-made. I really wanted to work as an illustrator at that period... however, demands are always changing and the market of my city (Hong Kong) is too small for illustrators. Most people like me work for a design firm and only can occasionally do some freelance commissions. And mostly digital works are required because they can be saved and changed more easily. And certainly digital are expected to be faster. Today I only do illustrations for commercial use very rarely. Mostly I do paintings and drawings for my own fun.
2.) Are you employed in the arts/entertainment industry? If not, do you aspire to?
One of my previous full time jobs was making computer animations for a TV station. Now I'm still working in various design areas. But honestly my personal love is traditional arts.
3.) What equipment and skills are most essential in your work?
For working, Photoshop is a must for me.
4.) Do you use digital methods in some of your work? If not, have you ever considered it?
For my personal drawings, I also use PS for a little level tuning before posting.
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