[deleted]
2015-07-13 00:11
Man, when it's sped up it makes it look too easy. I bought a tablet and got photoshop and I only ever really made one decent landscape. I've always wanted to paint landscapes.
Uncomfortable
2015-07-13 00:13
More than anything, it's a matter of learning about composition, and how to use colour effectively. But yeah, if it weren't for the speed up, you'd basically just be seeing me blundering over and over.
[deleted]
2015-07-13 00:24
It's reassuring to know that even great artists have to go through a process of trial and error to make something unique.
Uncomfortable
2015-05-13 23:37
I always highly recommend using reference whenever possible, but these sketches were done without any. I was just doodling, killing time, so I didn't really want to cut into my workflow to hunt down reference. There's no doubt that the result would have been better, but everything has its advantages and disadvantages.
CMacComics
2015-05-14 00:44
I still thought it was good. I asked to kinda get a reference for myself to try and put myself in your shoes.
I am just starting to really dig into drawing and I find that I am using references almost always. I feel like it is using a crutch, but the more I look for information and study other artists I think it is more of a tool.
Uncomfortable
2015-05-14 00:51
It certainly is a tool.
A crutch, when removed, will leave you weak and useless. It is for that reason that the use of reference isn't a crutch - because as you work from reference, you are developing your visual library, the area of your mind where you store away little bits of information in regards to what things look like, effective aesthetics, design details, etc.
Of course, there are good and less good ways to use your reference. Some people, rather than using reference to apply to their own composition, will simply reproduce a photograph. This can be very helpful too (specifically it's called a study), but it is only helpful if you strive to understand what it is you are reproducing, rather than mindlessly copying. As long as you are thinking through why things work certain ways, it is a great way to practice.
Taking reference and incorporating parts of it into your own composition inherently requires you to understand what you are extracting from your reference. It's very similar to the dissection exercise in lesson 2, where you take surface texture/detail from any and all objects and apply them to organic forms. You have to consider what defines that surface and what gives it that particular appearance, so you can transfer it to a completely different form.
The reason I was able to sketch like I did in the video, was because I've worked a lot with reference. A lot of it rubbed off on me and embedded itself in my brain, so when I was working off the top of my head, it made its way into my imagination.
CMacComics
2015-05-14 03:43
Very cool. Thank you for your insight. It will be interesting as I develop my comic to go back to my earlier work and see where I started to use less of the reference images and more free form from experience.