I’ve been working in photoshop producing photo manipulations for over a couple years now. I’m having a difficult time getting started and keep wanting to start a matte painting but continue to produce manipulations. These following works are a bit older, and I’ve finished/started working on some ultimate realism or photo-realism manipulations just because my technical eye has improved.
But I’m unsure with most matte paintings how much is manipulated and how much is actually painted in terms of details. I have a wacom intuos3 6x11 that I’ve had for almost a year now but haven’t put it to much use.
I’m not much into creating a pretty landscape containing a midpoint of the horizon, but incorporating some painting to continue my concepts.
I really appreciate any input or feedback I can get considering I haven’t said much here.
I think a lot of people is having this misunderstanding that matte painting = photo manipulation. Matte painting is about creating good composition, environment and atmosphere. Matte painting master can always paint in details, and make it look like photographic detail, because they usually paint on a double sized canvas resolution of the final output. Photo manipulation is just a technique to achieve photo realistic quality quicker, because in production, time is money.
So I think there is no need to draw the line between how much photo or how much painting you need. This decision is based on your artistic judgment.
On a related note, all master matte painter I admire, start off as a canvas painter, not a PS retouching master.
disclaimer: I’am also making my way from manipulation and illustrative stuff to mattepainting and I’m not a (matte)painter yet, so you may get better anwers from those who are. I reserve right to be wrong.
Quoted just to agree.
Possibly true, because if there is no photo or finding one takes too long, you just have to paint it. Knowing how to paint also helps a lot in other areas (like composition and color), but I think there are so many different areas of knowledge in mattepainting (painting, photomanipulation, sculpting, photography, 3d…), that you have to start from somewhere and canvas painting may not be the only starting point - so just go for it and learn the rest while doing.
I’m not actually sure what you wanted to know - how to start painting or what it could bring more to your work? Since I’m also moving from manipulation to mattepainting I’ve found these steps easiest:
start using that tablet. After a while it makes huge difference in control and speed - even if doing just manipulations. Mouse feels just as handy as an axe for painting, when you have to go back.
painting lights and shadows also gives some more moving space (you propably do this already).
started to scetch my work before finding out what photos I use. Doing so lets me decide what I want - not the photos that happen to be available.
started fixing things by painting. When there is no right photo available (to match the scetch/consept) or taking one is not possible, I decided to paint parts needed rather than comromising consept. First just some small areas, background elemets etc, then moving to more important and detailed elements. Still learning though and when ever there is right photo available I see no reasont to paint it for client work (personal training is different thing).
After a while it just starts to be faster to paint parts than trying to find or take right photos. For example - some weeks ago I needed picture of Helsinki Lutheran Chathedral FAST (in hours) AND from certaing angle, AND we had to be sure about our rights to use that picture. For our surprice, it happened to be heavily under repair just then. The whole dome was covered with scaffolding and plastic. It may have been possible to get that kind of picture and rights to use it in given timeframe, but it certainly was possible to paint the detailed enought dome (for that project) in couple of hours. At that time, painting was the fastest sure way to get the job done with clear conscience.
Even I’m just learning how to paint it already has given more freedom, sometimes faster workflow, more accurate perspectives and lighting (less compromises) and trust that even things that can’t be photographed can be done if given enought time.
yes that certainly helps me. I actually haven’t used a mouse but a laptop pad so hopefully the pen tool will provide even greater freedom.
What I meant about transitioning was more along the lines of creating a manipulation and incorporating some painting into it. If I make a scene maybe starting out painting some mountains in the distance or some clouds; something easier. I guess I was trying to find out if anyone started in manipulation and has gone to matte.
When I said the matte painters I admired started off as a canvas painter, I didn’t mean you have to start off as a canvas painter. I was just stating the fact that you cannot be a good matte painter if you are not a natural painter.
Matte painters should be called virtual environment artist practically, because the increasing complexity and technicality of the role over the last decade. Now you need to understand, 3d modelling, camera mapping, texturing, compositing, and photo manipulation. And I believe the high end matte painters skill sets will keep piling up, now that we have IMAX film resolution and Fusion digital 3-d camera system.
But at then end, Matte painters will always be called matte painters because I think it embraces the fundamental basic of this role, you simply cannot create stunning realistic environment if you are not a natural painter, because you will not have the eye artistic to make the judgment. So unless you think you are a natural born painter, (which I think its not possible, because its a discipline that takes years to master) start learning to paint on canvas or on tablet is the way to go.
I am not really a matte painter yet, but thats what i came to understand over the yrs
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