The Art Center

Mark McDonnell: How To Draw With Different Mediums - PrismaColor Pencil 02

2012-01-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

Hey Guys with the digital world dominating most of our professional lives, I have found it is pretty important to continue to use traditional media that really can be transferred into our digital work (for look and feel, or otherwise),

Because of this, I decided to post an all new video in the realm of using different mediums and experimentation when creating gesture specific drawings for the Animation and Entertainment Industry. It's a quick over the shoulder view of a few drawings done with a PrismaColor Pencil and Ebony Pencil, as one is a wonderful waxy smooth pencil and the other has such a great range of light to dark all with one pencil making it so much fun to draw with.

All my best,

MAC

Painter 12 Brush Review (and Photoshop, sort of)

2012-01-02T23:05:00.001-07:00

I bought Painter 12 a while back and I really like it (and if you change to the Legacy Brush Resize tool, it's fairly stable too, at least for me).

I tried to get familiar with more of the stock brushes this time around, so this review includes some new brushes, but some old brushes I really liked as well. This is a compressed review though, for the full version look here.

My favorite new brush: Real 2b Pencil.
Least favorite new brush: Real Oils, any of them
Favorite new brush that has actually been around for a few versions of Painter: "Grainy Water" Blender
What I hated most of all: Photoshop CS5's Mixer Brush Tool

Just so you know what criteria I'm judging by, if a brush is easy to get the behavior I want out of it, and the results look pretty good, then it is a good brush. Brushes that are clumsy or non-intuitive get a low rating, regardless as to how good they look. I want efficiency in painting more than anything else, and if I feel like I'm wrestling the program, my joy in painting just disappears.

So here's some of the other brushes I spent some time with:
Painter 10+ (and maybe earlier versions)
Blenders> Grainy Water: 2 thumbs up, best blender even in Painter 12
Watercolor> Wet Wash Flat: the least offensive of the watercolors for actual painting
Watercolor> Diffuse Bristle: great for adding natural texture
Digital Watercolor> New Simple Watercolor: 2 thumbs up, best for adding color to drawings

Painter 12
Real 2b Pencil: 2 thumbs up. Most useful for drawing.
Variable Chisel Tip Marker: 2 thumbs up when opacity control changed to "Pressure." Corel gets Markers right.
Real Pastels/Chalk: 1 thumb up by themselves, but two thumbs up with Grainy Water Blender
Real Watercolors: 1 thumb down. You can't predict what they are going to do!
Real Oils: 2 thumbs down (nice looking, but painful to use)

Photoshop CS5 (CS5 doesn't have real stock brushes, so this is a review of the brush engine)
Basic brush tool: 1 thumb up if you use a Brush Preset that has some texture and add a little spacing/scatter/texture, 1 1/2 thumbs up when using dual brush functionality
Smudge tool: 2 thumbs down by itself, but if you modify it with a Preset, tie the strength to your pen's pressure, and adjust the spacing/scatter, you can get it to do some nice things.
Mixer Brush Tool: Waste of effort. Photoshop basically copied Painter's "Oils" controls, which are the most unwieldy part of Painter's brush engine.

Florian Satzinger: Working with References

2011-12-01T11:40:00.004-07:00

Here's a nice example about using references for a new design:

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Update: Here's the finished piece.

The colour palette I was working with:

book preview

2011-11-21T11:41:00.001-07:00

Here is a book prievew that I hope to have out by comicon!

Wouter Tulp: Caricature sketch demo

2011-11-18T02:55:00.001-07:00

Close up. Click image to take a close look at the brush strokes

In this video I recorded the process of sketching a James Brown caricature. At the very start of the recording, my computer suddenly ran slow, which caused the initial sketch to be a little rude and blunt. I decided to keep on going and use the heavy linework as a staring point for the rest of the painting. I usually create a more subtle basic sketch.

You can see that the basic sketch does not have the right proportions yet, and I chose to paint and correct this along the way. I used dark linework on top of lighter values and left some parts open to keep the painting vivid.

Mark McDonnell: How To Draw With Different Mediums - PrismaColor Pencil 01

2011-11-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

As we're all gearing up for the 3rd Annual CTN ANIMATION EXPO in Burbank California, I decided to post an all new video in the realm of using different mediums and experimentation when creating gesture specific drawings for the Animation and Entertainment Industry. It's a quick over the shoulder view of a few drawings done with a PrismaColor Pencil, as they are a wonderful waxy smooth pencil to draw with.

Mark McDonnell: How To Draw With Different Mediums - Pastel 01

2011-10-27T13:01:00.002-06:00

Here's a video showcasing how to approach gesture drawing while experimenting with Pastel, as it's a medium that has much to offer. I'll be posting different videos in the near future that deal with the subject of experimentation, this one is the longest of the already recorded videos. It's the first on using Pastel in quick sketch sessions.

MAC

Leighton Hickman: An Introduction to Plein Air Landscape Painting

2011-10-16T20:33:00.000-06:00

The greatest challenge for anyone new to painting en plein air (in open air) is distilling the overwhelming visual information of the landscape into a painting. The key to this is simplifying and grouping objects into a manageable framework that can then be added to, refined and detailed. In this post I've included an exercise from my landscape painting class as well as a step-by-step series of photographs from one of my personal plein air paintings explaining how the exercise applies to creating a finished piece.

The first exercise I have my students do is to construct a composition using white and burnt umber in a five value scale. In this exercise burnt umber will serve as our darkest value and white as our brightest with three steps in between. The goal here is to challenge yourself to create a simple graphic composition using a limited value structure while still remaining true to landscape you're trying to depict.

Before I begin any painting from life I like to take a moment to name the colors and values of the objects I will be painting. This helps me to create a plan before I start applying paint to canvas and helps limit any mistakes and frustrations that arise from beginning too hastily.

I picked this view specifically to give more leverage to my limited value structure. The overlapping levels of lights and darks not only add visual interest to the painting but also act as depth cues separating foreground from middle-ground from background.

The sun, your light source, is always moving when you're painting outside so use your time wisely and try not to be too precious with your drawing. Establish your lights and darks immediately to avoid confusion later as your light source moves overhead. Never try to chase the sun while you paint- instead start your painting with an established light source and stick to it. This will save you from hours of frustration.

First, I lay in my composition by doing a loose sketch. I then begin painting with my middle values saving my darkest darks and lightest lights until the end so that I have more room to adjust contrasts. It's often wise to leave your sky blank when painting outdoors because it's generally your lightest value and if you try establishing it too soon you'll often paint it too dark.

Once my middle values are established I pop in highlights and add my darkest darks at contact points and overhangs. Be careful not to break the value structure you established in the beginning of your painting- the goal here is to sweeten the composition with just a few touches in carefully chosen locations to keep the values from becoming spotty. I often try to centralize the highest levels of tonal contrast to my focal point in order to add to it's visual interest.

While the goal here isn't to create an art piece this exercise is a great introduction to building a composition and has direct applications to creating a finished piece. Below is a step-by-step plein air cityscape I painted using the same concepts from the exercise above.

Before painting I established the composition's figure ground relationship and defined the areas of light and shadow in a pencil drawing.

I began the painting process by applying the middle tones to the areas in shadow using heavily diluted paint.

To create the stylized, vintage and atmospheric look I used a series of monochromatic washes, adjusting my values by adding or wiping away paint. At this point I'm leaving the areas of highest value white much like I left the sky white in the exercise above.

Its not until I begin to address the lights that I abandoned my atmospheric washes for thicker paint and sharper edges. This was done to create stronger visual contrast between the areas in light and those in shadow, further allowing them to blend and recede. I kept my lights limited to hues complimentary to the shadows using only blues and greens to create a sharp contrast between the reds and oranges of the shadows. The highest chromatic and value contrasts are reserved for the focal point: a blue vintage sedan.

Here is the finished piece, stylistically very different from the exercise we started with but conceptually they are one in the same.

A view of the street and my set-up. The light has changed dramatically at this point but this is why I established my value structure early on. Hope this inspires some of you to move your studios outside for a bit and try your hand at some plein air- happy painting!

-Leighton Hickman

Eaton Canyon demo photography courtesy of Fred Palacio http://fredpalacioart.blogspot.com/

Florian Satzinger: Poster Artwork - Complete Break Down

2011-10-04T04:17:00.007-06:00

Florian Satzinger: Warm-Up Sketch Video

2011-09-27T02:39:00.004-06:00

I recorded a new drawing process the other day and thought it would be nice to share it over here, too. Hope you like it...

Work In Progress 7 (2) from Florian Satzinger on Vimeo.

Florian Satzinger: Guides

2011-07-13T02:13:00.003-06:00

Drawing those green guides (you can use any colour you want, of course) on the characters effect automatically a better understanding of the volume or form. Which is important for the whole process related to placing shadows, accenting weight etc.

Florian Satzinger: From Rough To Finished

2011-05-12T06:58:00.000-06:00

Here's the complete break down of my "CTN duck":

Jason Scheier: Landscape Digital Painting Creation.

2011-04-21T09:59:00.003-06:00

Here are three videos I recently put together documenting my quick sketching process in Adobe Photoshop CS5. They usually begin with an abstract layout, keeping in mind foreground, middle ground, and background. My process is usually very fluid and organic. Being malleable in the initial stages will help the paintings become spontaneous and fresh as they develop further. Incorporating reference photography quickly creates textures and blueprints for how the paintings will develop. The idea with using photos, is primarily for jumping levels quickly from painted to photographic. The trick is to control the amount of painted elements by creating a balance between both.

It's important to start applying some key rules with speed painting. Local colors, bounced light, focal point, and emphasis of design. Unification of elements such as shape design, and visual cues to bank the eye throughout the landscape.

Important things to keep in mind even in the loose sketching phase:

Perspective, A sense of reality, lighting, selective vision, whether its an establishing shot, medium shot, close-up, extreme close-up, rules of thirds, size relationships, screen direction, avoiding tangents, abstractions, positive and negative space, atmospherics, order vs. chaos, and complex vs. simple.

The key is to start abstract, and to apply grounding rules as you progress in your painting.

Thanks for viewing and I hope you enjoy! If you would like to see future demos, I encourage comments and feedback. I love helping others find their working process, and inspiring most of all.

-Jason Scheier

Hat Lieberman: Stuff I've Learned About Storyboarding Part 3

2011-04-18T15:08:00.010-06:00

These next few tip sheets examine the elements of design; line, shape, space and value, and how to incorporate them into your storyboards to help direct the eye and clarify information. The focus here is not the cinematics of stroyboarding but the execution of idea to paper and ultimately how to utilize design principles to achieve desired results in an efficient way within a given panel or shot. Storyboarding is not necessarily about drawing 'good' but drawing effective.

NOTE: There are two other elements of design, texture and color. However they would only be used in rare cases with storyboards and when employed probably wouldn't be for design purposes but most likely for clarification (I.e. using colors to keep track of specific objects of similar size and shape in a given sequence, such as stones or gems, that each have varying story-specific trajectories).

Below are a few examples of how incorporating varying line thickness into a panel can help clarify not only the information presented, but the depth of the shot. There are many things you can do within a given panel to help focus or direct the eye to the important information. A simple way to achieve this is through contrast. Contrast can exist in many forms, and below we look at how contrast within a specific design element (shape, space, value) can create a focal point.

Now we can take these principles and incorporate them into storyboard panels.

I got a bit 'wordy' on the tip sheet above. I think the most important thing to take away from the sewer-rat example above is realizing that even though panel 1 and 3 are the exact same compositions, the shading can either greatly enhance (1) or greatly distract (3) from the important information. This holds true of the other design principles as well. Thinking about these principles while you are boarding can help in creating clear and easy to read compositions.

Storyboards, by nature, are disposable. They are not finished pieces of artwork. The main goal is to present ideas on paper quickly and clearly. Design principles can help sell ideas very effectively in storyboards. Below are a few more examples;

There is no single 'right' way to present an idea visually. The 'blimp' idea, for instance, could easily be boarded successfully in a variety of different ways. Ways that would vary in stylistic choices based on the artist, but that could all achieve the same goal of focusing the attention on the blimp. In fact there are probably compositions that could be more successful than the one presented.

So start experimenting with design principles and find ways to incorporate them into your boards that work for you.

As per my previous posts, I reserve the right to be wrong. These are simply tricks and tips I've picked up along the way that I've found to be successful in my own work.

-Hat

Florian Satzinger: In Quest Of The Right Shape

2011-04-15T06:13:00.004-06:00

I often start with certain reference images and then proceed running around on the piece's form and volume on and on and on... lately, I recorded that initial process of mine:

Work In Progress 7 from Florian Satzinger on Vimeo.

Shape reference: Nautilus shell

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Kirk Shinmoto: Learning to Draw!

2011-04-12T21:16:00.002-06:00

I original wrote this on a whim but thought I would share it here as well. These are just my thoughts and advice on learning to draw. I'm mainly referring to figure drawing, but it really applies to just drawing in general.

The worst part about having tons of papers and books is having to move those tons of papers and books. I just recently moved into a new place and along with me came a giant stack of figure drawings that I've kept in my closet since I started Art Center back in 2005.

(this photo is a little older, so it is actually about a foot taller now!)

Seeing my drawings from first term was nostalgic, terrifying, and encouraging all at the same time!

I've had many discussions with people about whether or not they are improving or what they should do to get better and really there is no secret to it. It just takes time, focus, and lots of paper! I see too many people get discouraged because they are not improving fast enough or they get drawn into shortcuts while losing track of the fundamentals. And fundamentals, as simple as they seem, really do take the longest to internalize and master. The rest is just fluff. A box by any other name is still a box!

I thought I would share some things to think about that really helped me improve. They may sound a bit corny but they work! they really do work!:

shoot for the moon!

I still remember those inspirational posters that hung above the chalk board in middle school and one in particular still stands out. It read: "shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land amongst the stars." (hahaha)

At school everyone seemed to be looking over everyone else's shoulder to see who the biggest threat was. I think some friendly competition is good, but if your only goal is to be better than the person next to you then you will only end up being better than the person next to you. I realized at one point that my only real competition was myself. I didn't need anyone to tell me when my drawing was bad because I could see that for myself. I stopped comparing my drawings to my peers and started comparing them to the artists that I really looked up to like the old masters: Michelango, Pontormo, Rubens. If you have a lofty goal in mind you will never be satisfied with where you are and in turn you will never stop improving.

be honest with yourself!

A big thing that stops improvement is plateauing. I think a lot of times this happens because we start to get comfortable with where we are at. It feels good to draw things that we are used to or that are easy, and it's good to indulge once in a while, but if you do the exact same thing over and over you will not improve. One of my teachers emphasized drawing the whole figure and to treat it as a complete statement or idea. I didn't quite understand why at first, but as I looked around at workshops, everyone was just drawing torsos! torsos upon torsos! They were well drawn torsos, but when it came to drawing hands and feet or finishing a drawing they couldn't do it. And I was one of them! I then made an effort to draw out the whole figure (even in the two minute poses!) and it forced me to deal with those areas that I was uncomfortable drawing- like the hands and feet. You are also forced to respond to the model and compose your drawing rather than mindlessly going through the motions. The only way to get over areas you have trouble with is to slow down and deal with them rather than glossing over them.

draw/study with a purpose!

It is important to have some sort of goal or idea in mind before you start drawing. And it could really be anything. I would often spend an hour or so before going into workshops doing master copies and then spend the session trying to emulate whoever I was copying. Or on shorter poses I would focus solely on getting the gesture down without worrying about structure. As the poses got longer and I had more time I would incorporate more structure. Also doing master copies sometimes I would try to break their drawings down through a more constructive approach, and other times I would focus more on the techniques they used. If you can identify areas you are having trouble with, then you can spend time focusing on those areas. It doesn't matter what your goal is as long as you have one in mind you won't drift around aimlessly when you start drawing. Just like everything else in life!

fear is the mind killer!

Learning to draw takes time. People are impatient. Don't be impatient! I've seen a lot of people stop trying because they weren't seeing results fast enough. Or people worry so much about improving that they just freeze up and don't do anything. Don't worry so much about where your drawing level is. Worry about where that invisible box that everyone talks about is. Or where that crazy sartorius goes. Focus on the task at hand.

buy/borrow some books and research!

Another thing I started doing when I started learning was buying books--lots of books! I tried to surround myself with artists and things that I found inspirational. I would go down to the used book store once a week to see if they had anything new. I also scoured the net for artists and images that I liked. Learning to draw is like learning a new language and the best way to learn a new language is to constantly be surrounded by it and the culture it comes from. Learning about other artists also helps you to identify what you like and what you don't like aesthetically and it ensures that you will always have new ideas to draw from.

always be cobbling (drawing)!

The only way to get better at drawing is to draw! At one point in school I decided that I wasn't satisfied with how I was progressing so I decided that I would make time to figure out what this "drawing" business was all about. I moved all my classes to the morning so I could make it to the workshops at night and I even skipped a few classes to go draw. I went so much that it became a habit. I missed many dinners and parties while I was in school. If you really want to get better you have to make time to draw. Carry a sketchbook wherever you go and take every opportunity you can to draw. It will become a habit and then the progress never stops.

There is no magic secret to drawing. To quote Ivor Hele, "Only your own hard work teaches you anything of value in the end."

Hat Lieberman: Stuff I've Learned About Storyboarding Part 2.5

2011-04-12T12:33:00.009-06:00

Here is a quick draw-over I did recently of some student storyboard work. The particular sequence at hand was a first attempt at storyboarding, which I was quite impressed with. I had a few notes and ideas for her, things I felt she could look to incorporate into her storyboards as she moves forward, that I believe will help take her work to the next level.

I focused on a single panel to clearly illustrate the principles. Below is a step-by-step progression of my draw-over.

1. Original Panel From Student Sequence:

Conceptually it is good.
-She has clearly established a screen relationship between the two characters (left and right).
-Indicated an environment (the mountain range in the background).
My main note is to push it! Take the concept of this shot and push it to find a more interesting and compelling composition.

2. Draw Your Grids:

I started my redraw with a horizon line and laying down a grid.
Laying down your grids (on the ground, walls and sky) will help clarify the depth of your shot, and can also be used as a guide for incorporating mid/foreground elements (illustrated in step 5).

3. Push The Depth:

In the original panel there is a lot of empty space around the characters, not particularly interesting or dynamic visually. I drew over the characters, using my grid as a guide, and tried to push the depth.

By pushing the depth, bringing one character closer and pushing one further away, you can create a much more engaging composition as well as utilizing the real estate of the panel more effectively.

4. Use The Background To Enhance The Composition:

You can use background elements to enhance a composition and help direct the eye.

The important information in the panel is the characters, so everything else in the composition should support that. Keeping that in mind, we can use mountain ranges in the distance to help lead the eye to our character.

5. Populate The Mid-Ground

Put some junk in the mid-ground.

Populating the mid-ground can help in a few ways:
-Further help define the environment.
-Help push the depth by incorporating visual depth cues such as over-lapping objects and size relativity (objects get smaller as they recede).

6. A Little Shading Goes A Long Way

In the original panel the shading wasn't particularly adding anything to the composition. A simple way to approach shading is by thinking about it in terms of foreground, mid-ground and background.

I did a quick shade pass over the panel using each object's relative position in the composition (how closer/far away it is from us) and shaded accordingly. We can also use shadows to help direct the eye, much like background elements, by having them point towards important information.

Below is an animated gif of the progression so you can see how being conscious of these principles while you are boarding can really help enhance your work. You may need to click on it to see it animate.
With storyboarding it is just a matter of getting sequences under your belt. The more you board, the better you get, plain and simple. It takes time for these principles to become second nature, don't get discouraged if you don't see them immediately taking effect. The important thing with these concepts is to be aware of them, how they work, and how they can affect your boards. Over time everything will fall into place.

-Hat

Wouter Tulp: Shapes and textures

2011-03-23T09:54:00.000-06:00

Florian Satzinger: Anatomy of My Rough Process

2011-03-23T03:10:00.004-06:00

Alright, here we go...

Wouter Tulp: Controlling values

2011-03-16T03:17:00.001-06:00

Controlling values is important to create the illusion of realism in a painting. Under the same lighting circumstances a metal object reflects light differently than a piece of cloth. Understanding how this translates into values is important to express the difference in textures.
Having no control over your values can cause a painting to fall apart, or lose all sense of depth. In this illustration I did a little experiment. I used my values in an unconventional way, by deviding my illustration into four sections, and apply a different range of values to each section. Within each section, the relative use of values is as usual. The range was set in advance.

I used the posterise filter, to show how I four basic values for the entire illustration: black, dark grey, light grey and white. When I block in the basic values for an illustration I trie not to go into detail, but stick to only a few basic values. Refinement and detailing come later on.
The use of values this way, gives an unnatural look to the whole of the image. It's as if the different artists have been cut out an put together as a collage. I magnified this effect by reversing the laws of pespective in some areas. Big shapes in the back, small shapes in front.
Setting a limit for the use of values this way is a great exercise to understand and control values. It made me realize what the effect is and made me use values in my other paintings more consciously.

Wouter Tulp: Sketching a character

2011-02-28T12:47:00.002-07:00

Character sketch from Wouter Tulp on Vimeo.

Florian Satzinger: Fish In Progress

2011-02-03T13:21:00.003-07:00

I thought I post this little work in progress process so you know The Art Center is still open! :)

XAV: A step by step on my last illustration

2010-12-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Time to time, readers of my blog ask me how I work, so I've decided to make a simple step by step of my last illustration. I hope everything is clear, if you have questions I'll try to answer in the comments.
By the way, as you probably notice, I'm french and my english is not very good so sorry if I don't explain the proper way (and also my photoshop is in french.)

So, first of all, I only work in Photoshop. Time to time I make drawings on paper then scan them but all my last illustrations and designs were made with my wacom intuos and this last one with my all new Cintiq 21UX.

1. The drawing, with a simple home made brush, very rough.

2. I turn over the drawing and make a cleaner drawing.
3. I rebuild the tricky parts to be sure of the construction.
4. I make the final drawing with a clean line and I fix some parts (here the face).
5. I start the colors with the line above.
6. Every part (face, jacket, hair, etc) on a separated level.
7. The face.
8. cheeks and nose.
9. I add the lines and other details.
10. With the gradient tool, I make a subtle color effect.
11. I set the layer in screen mode and lower the opacity.
12. I start the background with the basic color.
13. I add the snow with a brush that looks like snow flakes.
14. A white gradiant to suggest the snow on the floor.
15. A quick shadow on the ground to set the character in space.
16. A quick skyline of Paris.
17. I add a layer of noise.
18. I lower the opacity and set it to color burn.
19. I had a paper texture layer that I colored in light blue before.
20. I set it to screen and lower the opacity.
21. I finally add my signature...
22. And voila !

Florian Satzinger: Process Breakdowns Plus Work In Progress Film Clip

2010-12-10T05:25:00.016-07:00

Please find the a short clip of the drawing process of this rough test design right below. This huge small-headed bird character was quasi the preliminary draft to the character at the end of this post. BTW, I had some sort of a bushy Christmas tree in mind (and a wee bit Seinfeld's Newman) in connection with the shape of the characters.

Work In Progress 5 from Florian Satzinger on Vimeo.

Here's the final version of the character plus the process breakdown sheet:

For a larger version of the breakdown sheet JUST CLICK HERE

Mark McDonnell: "MAC Sketchbook Sessions" 03

2010-11-24T09:29:00.007-07:00

Here is an all new video which is the THIRD of my How To Draw In Your Sketchbook that I'm calling the "MAC Sketchbook Sessions" for the Animation and Entertainment Industry. It's an over the shoulder view of my flipping through my third of many personal sketchbooks and giving commentary. This book's goal was the use of black and white to control values as well as the eye's interest in the contrast between the two. The pen's used were the Gelly-Roll/Pentel Stylo and a Pentel "Water Brush" for the thicker lines and darkest darks.

I hope it's enjoyable.

Best,

MAC