Please help me learn how to paint better.

#1

Hello beautiful artists and members of CGTalk, I have here a basic first draft painting of a small “Simpsons” figurine I had lying on my desk.

I’ve read many lighting tutorials and painting tutorials before making my first piece of work, however, it’s just not easy to actually make a good drawing your first time no matter how much you know.

Please not only critique this garbage, but please teach me how to make this better. If you have a suggestion, please tell & show me how to do it. For example, I cannot figure out how to distinquish the bottom lip and chin as two different surfaces (I’m new to this).

Any help appreciated,
beast

#2

Well, the only thing I can say is where to start…and That’s usually where everyone starts. You need to copy the masters and create what has already been created. By no means Plagiarizing, but study other artists work. You had a question about that lip, distinguishing one surface from another. The best thing for you to do is to find a painting of a character and study it. Look to see how they solved your questions already. You will save many hours this way. Check out thegnomonworkshop.com and buy some DVD’s. Take some classes at a local college, and check out the speed painting stuff on youtube. I hope this helps, good luck.

#3

Thank you for replying :).

For one I’ve been studying for a few months on other artists work, for a VERY long time actually. I’ve seen many speed painting videos on youtube but they are just too quick for me to learn anything more than what I already know. I also purchased Dylan Coles Matte Painting DVD but it didnt seem to help much on painting with the Wacom only, since he uses images and whatnot for Matte work.

Here’s what I’ve concluded from working on my latest piece: I paint much better when I have a really nice sketch to start off with. The painting in my first post had a horrible sketch, because I dont know how to draw very well.

Here’s my latest sketch, done in flash because the lines are so much smoother (i wish i could sketch in photoshop). Check out in this thread:

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=4597222#post4597222

#4

Hi paintingbeast,

U shouldn’t just directly look at those realistic professional painting. Try to study manga stuff first. Observe the painting technique or steps. (Oh dun get into manga anatomy too deep, just learn the painting skills, ok?)

And understand the basic rendering on basic form such as cube, sphere, pyramid. U can check out Scott Robertson in Gnomon DVD. It helps alot in my digital painting afterall.

Every object got planes. U will eventually understand how to paint ur objects more 3D look.

And Marko said dun give up on ur painting so fast. U will learn even faster when failure is troubling u.

#5

>Please not only critique this garbage, but

I’m only a half-assed painter, too, and just happened on this. Me, I wouldn’t call it garbage at all - it’s not half bad for a beginner. Sure, we all know it’s not going to win any prizes, but it’s not too bad, for a primitive kind of thing. I’m great with 3d, not so good with 2d, either. The way to do just about everything in 2d is with shading, though. Shadows, definition - stuff like that.

#6

Hi I think jjdon is right shading it seem is what gives everythig shape and foram and stuff. The best thing I could say is get some photos you like and try to paint them thats what I do but then again I’m not that great either. You could post this painting in the paint over thread if you haven’t already. Its very helpful I think.

#7

I think you need to draw only first just to understand the shapes to have good proportions etc. and when you feeling good go in painting.
Personally I think not that to study style manga at this beginning is very good. The most part of the mangaka having a very good knowledge of anatomy, it’s a bit as art abstracts many ppl think that it’s easy and that they make bad work but these artists can draw as well or paint in representational artist, apart precisely what goes directly indoors there thinking that they will become geniuses by making anything.
Just take ebook from loomis and you’ll ameliorate you.

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=166&t=518066&highlight=loomis

See you.

#8

Copying the masters is great if you have been at it for a while. If your a beginner I have another suggestion… this goes back to when I was about 10, I took lessons from a professional artist for a few years, it was a children’s class but looking back on it now the atmosphere was very grown up. Anyway to cut a long story short one of the main exercises we did was as soon as we got into the class we headed right for the numerous piles of magazines which he had in the corner of the studio and looked for pictures, pictures that we wanted to draw or paint. This technique was so effective that I could see a vast improvement within about three months :slight_smile: .

[ul]
[li]So firstly draw/copy (not trace) pictures and images you like whether it be scenery, figurative, mechanical, realistic or cartoon. [/li][li]Secondly try copy them as close to the original as possible, in other words try your best to become human photocopier. [/li][li]Thirdly, at this point in time you should not be worrying about things like light, colour, anatomy, perspective. Once you have gotten to the stage that you can copy another picture comfortably without any distortion, it is a sign that you can progress to learning the previous mentioned.[/li][/ul]
You may be asking, well what’s the point in copying pictures/images that already exists.
At this moment in time your brain is not wired up to draw correctly, it needs to develop connections and the simple act of copying makes those connection’s. There are the other benefits too, as you learn things without even realizing it.

Finally this is only an exercise so copy something at least twice a week. And leave the rest for creative exploration. Creating your own images and playing around with software.

#9

Not exactly a double post - this link comes from the thread above this one: http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials/14033 - I’m sure it’s other places around here, too. Really excellent rendition of how to accomplish exactly what this thread is about. Notice how he starts with a big blob of neutral paint, and then uses shading and tonality to bring it all to life - even exaggerating it at first and then feathering it back. I can’t paint anywhere near that well (well - way, way far away from it)- pretty amazing look at how it happens, I think.

#10

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