Bigger:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/Loco3000/DTownALPHA_zps1bf13bcc.jpg
Basically using the brush as much as possible, staying away from dodge and burn, but utilizing the selection option to get clean edges. Plus I am also working with the layers.
So far, I am not sure if I am liking it. How can I fix it? Any recommended techniques? Especially for painting of urban landscapes?
Here is the pic I used:
In the photo you have 2 levels. The sky and the city. I would think about integrating the 2. It would give it more levels and make it more interesting. In other words make it more like its foggy out and fade some or all the buildings to some degree. That will also help put the focus on the cool part, the street scene.
If you’re going to do a study of a photo, then make sure the photo is a quality one, with proper exposure and high fidelity. It’s kind of pointless to do a study of a photo that is badly exposed and lacks detail.
^What he said- this photo sucks, can’t get to the link to see if it’s any better but lighting sucks, lots of ISO in this image- is there a reason you chose this level of exposure?
I think he probably just didn’t give enough thought to the quality of his reference. But I’m sure he’s aware of the problem now and can do something about it.
Other things to consider for those of you who are working from photo references:
-Are you doing a photo-copy exercise simply trying to train your eye-to-hand coordination and be able to reproduce accurate shapes, forms, values, colors, edges, textures, etc? If so, then be precise–it’s a technical exercise.
-If you actually want the image to be a “painting” that has artistic value, then don’t just copy–the reference should be just a reference, and you must inject your own artistic voice into the painting, or else it’s just a copy of a photo that has no artistic meaning. If you want it to be a piece of art, then give it artistic expression–be it in the form of selective detail, expressive brushwork, interesting colors, interesting lighting, stylization by idealization, simplification, exaggeration, and so on. Decide what should be compelling about this painting.
Thanks for the replies.
I was thinking about what you said Lunatique.
Can you give me some examples?
Also here’s an update:
http://i.imgur.com/1blQsH0.jpg
I used google maps to get a better idea of what the buildings looked like.
A good example would be Jeremy Mann’s cityscapes:
http://www.redrabbit7.com/compositions/compositions1.html
http://www.redrabbit7.com/traditional/cityscape/cityscape.html
See how expressive and artistic his cityscapes are? He’s using his artistic sensibility when portraying his subject matter, instead of just copying in a sterile, non-creative manner.
How’s this?
Was thinking of a more cartoony look, and I tried using the least amount of layers possible so it doesn’t look like I’m trying to aim for perfection.
http://i.imgur.com/TakQTJ9.jpg
The number of layers has absolutely nothing to do with the choices you make in your stylization and artistic sensibility, so don’t worry too much about that.
The only factors that contribute to a style or artistic sensibility are:
-Composition/Perspective
-Shapes/Proportions
-Form (Values/lighting)
-Colors
-Edges (hard, firm, soft, lost)
-Surface treatment (brushwork, line quality, textures)
And that’s it.
Right now, it seems you haven’t even learned the basic of perspective. In many ways, you’re trying to do cartwheels before you even learned how to crawl as an artist. Based on your CGPortfolio’s About Me page, you do have professional aspirations, and if you still do, I highly suggest you start learning the critical foundations of visual art so you actually stand a chance to become a good artist one day. If you haven’t been to the Art T&T section (linked below in my signature) of cgtalk, definitely go there and read all the sticky threads–lots of excellent tips on how to learn and grow effectively as an artist.
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