PROCESS VIDEO // blossom 01
Added 2020-01-17 13:41:41 +0000 UTC
I’ve been digging through some of my old screen recordings! There are a LOT that I have never assembled into process videos. This week I put together the full process of BLOSSOM, a painting I made in 2016. Here’s a large version of the piece:
This is one of the most detailed paintings I’ve ever worked on and it took me a long, long time to make. The video is sped up, but in real time, it was about 25 hours - much longer than I usually take! Because of the length, I divided it into three parts and it’s sped up about 10 times.
Some notes with this first video:
- You can see how I change the pose quite a lot as I’m starting out. This is why I love working digitally: I can change things as I go. Later on, I change a lot of details when I’m painting as well.
- When I’m first adding color, I like to use gradients to layer them on. Color transitions help lead the eye around the image, and it also keeps me from getting too hung up on the details.
- Quite early in the process, I merge the layers together and just start painting from there. Keeping everything on one layer helps me keep the image unified. I basically ‘carve out’ the details from the rough color setup, a process that feels a bit like sculpting.
Enjoy this video! Part 2 and 3 are coming up.
Comments
Have to admit that the time and effort you colour adjustments is remarkable
GloryArt
2020-04-24 16:03:12 +0000 UTCLove it! I totally love how the colours come together in such harmony!
chiohui
2020-02-10 16:04:43 +0000 UTCAfter seeing all the process video, I have no words. It's just amazing! Every detail on each leaf, the shadows, the colours, the transparent effect of the shirt, ... it's just wow! All the hours and the effort you put into this piece, is reflected in everything. Thank you Lois for creating illustrations like this. That inspire a lot to keep drawing every day :)
sandviart
2020-01-22 19:30:15 +0000 UTCthanks so much! I'm glad you like it! I definitely want to take these videos to the next level in the future. But recording audio and editing video is very time consuming so I want to wait until I have more time and can justify that financially. But any feedback is definitely appreciated, because for me, launching the patreon in this way is a first step and there's lots of directions I want to grow in! Thanks for your kind and thoughtful words!
Loish
2020-01-22 11:19:20 +0000 UTCThese process videos are so cool. You've only had your Patreon up for what, a week or two? Seems like. And yet already all this awesome content. Really happy I pledged. Also, it's great that you include notes with your process videos - as someone else mentioned, a lot of artists who share process videos, especially sped up ones, just present them without comment and particularly when it's sped up really fast it's impossible to tell what they're doing or why. Pretty to watch, not useful for learning. I really appreciate that your videos are both entertaining and informative! Would you consider doing voice-overs on process videos in the future? The notes are great but I'm always hungry for more, haha.
FaroreNightclaw
2020-01-22 07:57:28 +0000 UTCHonestly, I've tried both in my own painting (layers/lasso and single layer) and single layer generally comes out with a much more organic, harmonious image. It doesn't make a lot of sense because the digital art program should be combining the colors the same way regardless of whether they're on the same layer or two, as long as both layers are set to Normal, but for some reason it just does - something about the way your brain processes it, I imagine. I personally work similarly to you - add a few layers, compress, add a few layers, compress, though I've also just done paintings where I didn't compress at all.. I like using textures in my work though so sometimes I just need to keep separate layers since I can't paint the photo texture back in if I accidentally go over it! It's irritating though and I wish there was a way to work around that...
FaroreNightclaw
2020-01-22 07:55:17 +0000 UTCLoish, Thanks again, and again. I fear you will become tired of these inquiries. The fact that you will answer directly is very unusual. It is a great help when the other sites i follow often just present "voila' and let the viewer figure it out. Now keep some notes to write a book or article. I know, you have to get some money out of all this effort. I understand and appreciate you and your work.
Greg Schultz
2020-01-21 01:27:57 +0000 UTChey greg! thanks so much, glad you like it! this is exactly right - i put down some colors, and then use the sliders to make the colors 'work together'. my favorite is selective color but i also use color balance and hue/saturation. the basic color choices are just random colors that i pick intuitively, i personally don't work with palettes! let me know if that answers your question.
Loish
2020-01-20 09:47:25 +0000 UTCyep, keeping things on one layer helps me to keep a unified and painterly look but it is tedious as heck. I think my process would be a lot faster if i was using lasso tool and separate layers. but then i don't know if i would be able to organically reach this end result...
Loish
2020-01-20 09:45:50 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing this process loish! It’s actually a bit relieving to know you have those moments when a piece seems overwhelming too! I tend to increase my layer stack on complicated pieces and then quickly loose track of everything haha this is a very interesting thing to create backups but keep everything merged into one layer - does it get tedious to have to repaint parts though to keep those sharp edges in your painting?
SK
2020-01-17 22:17:12 +0000 UTCThis is wonderful, instructional video. I'm puzzled about color selection. My impression is that you lay in basic color and then use the color picker and HSB sliders to make frequent subtle changes, choosing from within the developing painting to keep things harmonious. Is it something like that? If so where do your basic color choices come from? I don't see any palettes on the screen (so far) but I'm just working through part one. Hope you don't mind "tecchie" questions like this.
Greg Schultz
2020-01-17 16:17:48 +0000 UTC
