One of the best i have seen and a bonus yet by just using PS, I have Painter but wow its very tedious as I rarely use it , it does come in handy once in awhile CC
Tokkes wrote:
Since you work 5 hours on one painting, do you have a workflow?
I'd love to learn
I prepare an image by fixing exposure color and blemishes , then I desaturate and work my values with the smudge tool and selective dodge and burning to get the contrast I want to see , I like to work in BW as it gives me clearer even tones to work the face planes with , then I recolor and again work the tonality and detail some more , its a process of working the pixels like putty , pushing smoothing moulding a face that has 3D planes on a 2D surface , then its final color and sharpening adjustments to finish up ,, I have made some actions I use and also some custom brushes through trial and error to get a look that I personally want and off course my own history of many years in 3D and Photoshop plays a big part in my own style .
Smudge painting has been around for ever and there are many good artists out there , you will find that the techniques they use are just about all the same when you get down to it , maybe a little different in the way they are implemented but by and large the same techniques are used , but if you look at the finished works they are very different , thats because of the options and scale of adjustments available within the tools used , no two artists will bump adjustments the same , or push the same pixels into the same place with the same settings , the finished works is very much an individual expression and in the eyes of the artist , its like painters , they have the same tools but different minds , this is the same .
For me a Wacom tablet is a must have , its so natural to use I couldnt live without it , I use a Graphire 6x8 but I want an intuos3 for the hotkeys and double sensitivity , I just shelled out for a Dell 30inch monitor so a new tablet will have to wait
In that video she tells you to select a preset brush for the smudge tool. I have CS3 and my smudge tool does not show any presets like that. Am I doing something wrong?
Brandon Mizar wrote:
In that video she tells you to select a preset brush for the smudge tool. I have CS3 and my smudge tool does not show any presets like that. Am I doing something wrong?
Brandon , experiment with your brushes , you can use most all PS brushes with the smudge tool , I often use from the default set the number 14 brush as it adds some grit to the stroke I also use this brush a lot with the dodge and burn tools , constantly change your size also , my left fingers are on the size keys all the time while I paint , expand on that video with your own experiments this is how you develop your own style by pushing outside the norm , I use Tutorials as guides that I generally change to suit my own style , this stuff takes awhile to get good at , you have to get your eye in and become familar with the tools .
Hi Bob I post them on traditional forums and they take them for what they are , some are blown away some are not actually I frequent many painters forums and dont get shot down in flames , I kinda dont know what your point is Bob as nobody is saying they are traditional paintings ,, I am actually closer to illustration and airbrush and those artists actually frown on the roughness of traditional painting , so I guess its still as it has always been , Art is in the eye of the beholder and thats the great freedom of Art in its many forms .
Rod
I can also digitally paint closer to traditional styles , I just like the airbrush look .
Whatever style you call it, they are simply awesome. How many years have you spent doing this type painting? Are there any books or manuals that would help a total rookie get a start in attempting work like this?
Ronbo wrote:
Whatever style you call it, they are simply awesome. How many years have you spent doing this type painting? Are there any books or manuals that would help a total rookie get a start in attempting work like this?
I'll second that... I wish I could do some of this type of work to complement my photographic work. I am looking at this from the point of view that this will help me re train my eye and the way I look at subjects when I photograph them.
ronbo wrote:
Whatever style you call it, they are simply awesome. How many years have you spent doing this type painting? Are there any books or manuals that would help a total rookie get a start in attempting work like this?
Ive spent the last 10 yrs in graphic design and 3D , with painting and illustration on the side as a hobby type of thing , its probably been only the last 6mths that I have dug right into this type of work , the web is full of good artists with lots of help for smudge painting if you really chase it and put the time in anyone can do it , but I will say there is no easy preset to find no tricks or secret software , its really knowing Photoshop , having a good eye for lighting and composition ,, and a good photo to start with makes a lot less work
Rod
I just finished this for a family whos son Dale just died of cancer age 21 , makes you realize how lucky we are to be here .
Rod, I really enjoyed reading this thread and viewing your work. It's been a while since I've seen art this good, it's very moving/inspiring work. I am sooo glad I wandered out of the photography forums
RodBarker wrote:
Ive spent the last 10 yrs in graphic design and 3D , with painting and illustration on the side as a hobby type of thing , its probably been only the last 6mths that I have dug right into this type of work , the web is full of good artists with lots of help for smudge painting if you really chase it and put the time in anyone can do it , but I will say there is no easy preset to find no tricks or secret software , its really knowing Photoshop , having a good eye for lighting and composition ,, and a good photo to start with makes a lot less work
Rod
I just finished this for a family whos son Dale just died of cancer age 21 , makes you realize how lucky we are to be here .
Thanks for your help. I sort of figured there would be no easy way to learn something like this, just looking for a good starting point. No doubt that it takes years to train even a skilled artist to reach the levels that you demonstrate here. I guess I will just have to grit my teeth and get slogging through it. And prepare to throw away 99 percent of the first year or two's work. Nothing worth doing well is easy, I guess..
Ive tried hard to develope my own look .