tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2205825701503264862024-03-13T23:06:17.314-05:00Back to the Drawing BoardThe progress of an Artist who's forgotten how to to draw.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.comBlogger199125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-7023273093119174762017-12-30T02:52:00.000-06:002017-12-30T02:52:58.177-06:00A Psychochronography in Europe<a href="https://draw-board.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-psychochronography-in-europe.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurBSLQBJWas6wL0_aDBt95MiQmTV4Xr1XMyJGiCdKwKv3i-g8zUrruFefZ_e4v1BLEYykgnvBUWg4VVa1V5bMWS44xdHhyphenhyphenYZRoy32EayYw8p3ps77S8FbOC_yLOr9zN1pA32RRJqBqmU/s400/NAB-Thumb.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: This post has almost nothing to do with Europe. Bonus points if you can spot why it's called that.</span><br />
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Here we are again, with another Philip Sandifer cover*. I can't claim to have done the artwork on this one (for a change), rather I did the design, but the actual art was by Mr. William Blake, a gentleman who's been dead for just shy of 200 years. Pretty sure the copyright on it has expired then, (fortunately, because I didn't pay for it).<br />
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This cover is for <i>Neoreaction A Basilisk: Essays On and Around the Alt Right</i>, which as you may have surmised, is not a book about Doctor Who. This one is a standalone, and presumably features some strong words and takedowns of the Alt-Right. I don't know for sure, as I haven't read it yet, but I think it's a safe bet. If you're interested in checking it out, you can find links to various ways to purchase it on his launch post, <a href="http://www.eruditorumpress.com/blog/neoreaction-a-basilisk-book-launch/" target="_blank">over here</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*If you're new to the blog, or the cover series, you can read the entries on the previous ones by clicking <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/search/label/Psychochronography" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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So that's the cover above, which looks a little messy. hopefully it looks interestingly messy though, as I spent a while on doing it. The original idea for this design comes from the cover to the title essay of the book, which was previously released as a booklet by Dr. Sandifer, and for which he did his own cover. <br />
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This is Phil's cover for that release of the essay, and as you can see it's the cover to <i>Europe a Prophecy</i> by William Blake with Phil's name and title pasted roughly over the top to obscure the title. I poked at doing something different, but eventually worked around to 'Well, it worked for the Essay, maybe it'll work for the book too?' But fancier, because it's an actual book. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OHbBApNqMG9iyq60XI-rJ7sA8c45QLG8PZl1qFjpnykhIDsKreUEEvzJgIpG4tc2A2ZQJgW9YIj7rvdIiAUQYmcW0e2dDBOBczZLqdml9xgIwfag6suU9PemDjIhImG39cXC_r4AxD8/s1600/NAB-Cover-Test-A.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OHbBApNqMG9iyq60XI-rJ7sA8c45QLG8PZl1qFjpnykhIDsKreUEEvzJgIpG4tc2A2ZQJgW9YIj7rvdIiAUQYmcW0e2dDBOBczZLqdml9xgIwfag6suU9PemDjIhImG39cXC_r4AxD8/s400/NAB-Cover-Test-A.png" width="256" /></a></div>
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The rough I came up with following that revelation was this. I liked the idea of the leather bound Blake book being used to contain something Other. You may note some differences between this version and the final. Part of that is because this mockup was done entirely in Photoshop, with a Photo of some leather and some stock images of tape I found online. The other reasons were just that I tweaked the design slightly as I went along.</div>
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Once we decided on this cover, I couldn't find a suitably crisp image of leather online that I didn't need to pay for (and I really didn't want to pay for one). I also wasn't happy with how the gold looked, so it was time to think of another solution.</div>
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As it goes, I recently bought a piece of software called Substance Designer. It's primarily designed to create textures for video games (and probably movies), which is pertinent to my day job. One reason I've been doing less painting lately is I've been learning how to use it - not that I get to use it in the day job right now, but there may be a time when I need to, so I think I should know how to use it when I do.</div>
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Anyway, Substance Designer is specifically designed for creating physically based procedural materials, so I wondered if it was possible to do the leather material in it. Furthermore, could I do the gold design imprinted in the leather too. As you can see above, the answer to that question was yes. </div>
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The biggest difficulty was getting a black and white image of Blake's Basilisk in a high enough resolution. I'd found one for the mockup, but that was pretty small. In the end I found one at a quarter the resolution of the cover, but I thought that perhaps the embossing would hide some of the blockiness that would result from making it larger. After quite a bit of cleanup it seemed to work well enough, so I called it good.</div>
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There's more about the use of Substance Designer below, but having established I could use it, let's get back to Photoshop.</div>
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While I was reasonable certain I could use Substance to do the masking tape to a convincing degree of accuracy, I thought it would be a lot faster to just write on some masking tape and photograph it, which is what I've done here. I stuck the tape to a sealed canvas I had lying around, which was a bit silly in retrospect since the white of the canvas was quite close to the cream of the tape, making it trickier to cut out than if I'd just used black card. Ah well, live and learn.</div>
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The only other thing of note was trying to match the approximate lighting of the rest of the cover - I decided I'd light it from the centre of the spine, so that was fairly easy to match. Unfortunately I didn't do two versions, so the version actually <i>on </i>the spine is wrong. It's not terribly easy to spot though, so I went with it as is.</div>
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Here's the version of the cover with the tape in place. There's a little transparency to it, so if you look really closely you can see the original text behind it, as I expect you would with real tape.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BogtvLToQq5N1-N2nB7pxf_eofJpTzxfqfUvxTH4ew8YkM0veKBz_HvzXYmQebr3b3M2W3dsMQZS12FVNS09pgHJJcYAbLrq8ijoKIEK7Kv4fR4o-5ps9et-oopyXSpebwguGpNjDz0/s1600/NBAR-Preview2A.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BogtvLToQq5N1-N2nB7pxf_eofJpTzxfqfUvxTH4ew8YkM0veKBz_HvzXYmQebr3b3M2W3dsMQZS12FVNS09pgHJJcYAbLrq8ijoKIEK7Kv4fR4o-5ps9et-oopyXSpebwguGpNjDz0/s400/NBAR-Preview2A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next I created the red label tape with Phil's name on it, made some tweaks to the cover design and threw the Blurb onto the paper stuck to the rear cover. Some of that I'll cover in more detail in the super nerdy bit at the bottom, but enough to say for now that the label tape was done in Substance Designer, directly on top of the Blake cover, while the paper and blurb were added in Photoshop - the paper being from a scan I did of a picture my Son drew some time ago. Obviously the picture isn't there, because I erased it. Oh, and the clear tape holding the paper is also from Substance, but output separately and compositied in Photoshop.</div>
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Phil wasn't happy with the layout of the Blurb, so he rewrote it to what you can see in the final at the top of the post, and he also wasn't happy with the way his name looked on the spine (Rightly so, it's crap). I corrected it in Substance, added it back into Photoshop and that was more or less that.</div>
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OK, time for the nerdy bit about Substance Designer - feel free to skip this bit if you like; the stuff above is most of the creative process, what follows is from a more technical view.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheysyMBVa_vRFA9sGLWwSpthjVAUZ3Q-Skqi3IGEWYGhlF04mavszlrxocBQ9Q5xdFP1aOPQxBRFQuhLlGXWW1ipDlhC2fTIWkc014x2JwpomxZnxkgaHlQSdJuZTPwbJQ0-t4-a6qpm4/s1600/NRAB-Substance1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheysyMBVa_vRFA9sGLWwSpthjVAUZ3Q-Skqi3IGEWYGhlF04mavszlrxocBQ9Q5xdFP1aOPQxBRFQuhLlGXWW1ipDlhC2fTIWkc014x2JwpomxZnxkgaHlQSdJuZTPwbJQ0-t4-a6qpm4/s400/NRAB-Substance1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So this is a Substance Designer graph, specifically the one for the cover. Each of the little boxes, called a node, does something; like create a pattern, or a shape, or import an image, or merge together the output of two previous nodes, or something else entirely. The lines push the result of one node into the next node along the chain.<br />
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The ones in the large blue Output box push the results of all the nodes to a renderable material on a 3D object - In the case of the cover it's a flat square that's receiving the material. There are different outputs for different things in the material such as the Diffuse (the colour), the roughness (how smooth it is, or isn't), and the height.<br />
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Since the object I'd be rendering the material on is a square, it made sense to have the inputs also be square - this used to be a requirement of the software, since game textures are always either square, or a power of 2 (like a 2048x1024, or 64x512), but I think that's changed recently. Doesn't matter anyway, I was working in squares.</div>
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So with that in mind, this was the 'mask' I used as an input in that graph above (the input is the small node hanging out on its own in the top left). I needed this as I couldn't really generate the actual image procedurally. So the aspect ratio of the cover is squished into a square, then I do all the business with the graph, and then I get the render, also on a square, and take that output back into Photoshop and correct the aspect back to match the cover. Simple, right?<br />
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Anyway, the mask represents which bits of the cover are gold and embossed, and which bits are just leather.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkE2aYvIJjh5kUO7hoyhxfU_buCfGnsizzWnb8hR3cMuRRZLO65XB6SvCQLX10s6I9i0SlF1-AHzbhyphenhyphenUDiiebeNfS5QK5ZOrArFI3CZii_4TxuXTB2A-mRqD8CKLZEXuTQIG3xMsW1Bb8/s1600/NRAB-SubstanceCoverDifAndHeight.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkE2aYvIJjh5kUO7hoyhxfU_buCfGnsizzWnb8hR3cMuRRZLO65XB6SvCQLX10s6I9i0SlF1-AHzbhyphenhyphenUDiiebeNfS5QK5ZOrArFI3CZii_4TxuXTB2A-mRqD8CKLZEXuTQIG3xMsW1Bb8/s400/NRAB-SubstanceCoverDifAndHeight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Pushing the mask through the graph results in images like those above. The one on the left is the Diffuse (the colour of the material), while the one on the right is the Height - how far the materials appear to stick out from the surface). There are other textures output with them, which I'm not going to explain in depth here, such as the surface Normal Map (don't ask), the Metalness Mask (where the metal bits are), Specular Occlusion (also don't ask), and the aforementioned Roughness. If I've said not to ask it's because explaining would take a while, and is outside the scope of this post.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2F5VCUNFMUyYvSE8gTO-Pg0PzAwcisCN1lZv0WnCT-6jHsuHFUhyphenhyphenJ4iaGJKtDc3PI-fhQ3yisENV5dA46N4NTLn2CLRyhtwWdQ_AnNMeZNm5F-UEEM5lNK5cQVyxS5aG5Xa1BuYXQlM/s1600/NRAB-Substance2-Leather.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2F5VCUNFMUyYvSE8gTO-Pg0PzAwcisCN1lZv0WnCT-6jHsuHFUhyphenhyphenJ4iaGJKtDc3PI-fhQ3yisENV5dA46N4NTLn2CLRyhtwWdQ_AnNMeZNm5F-UEEM5lNK5cQVyxS5aG5Xa1BuYXQlM/s400/NRAB-Substance2-Leather.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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OK, so here's a closeup on the final 'Leather' part of the graph. This basically takes a bunch of patterns and noise and mixes them together to make the surface look like leather. Not quite as complicated looking as the whole graph right? It's only 24 nodes to make the leather. And that's how the graph is broken down - relatively simple structures like this blended together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi904UyWfoGEwMSh9FSYPNvYoSc36hWeqJs5nKPiprbGl6QoLolW5KiTiQ-u6Y2AcGD3UWDyeFoQeaZj8zS3MiyPKsSGKgKX7pemgyYg_8y5sMnwnKQpkIFH2LWSdLNdpY1YRLNDnGs-t0/s1600/NAB-LeatherTests1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi904UyWfoGEwMSh9FSYPNvYoSc36hWeqJs5nKPiprbGl6QoLolW5KiTiQ-u6Y2AcGD3UWDyeFoQeaZj8zS3MiyPKsSGKgKX7pemgyYg_8y5sMnwnKQpkIFH2LWSdLNdpY1YRLNDnGs-t0/s400/NAB-LeatherTests1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Originally there were even fewer nodes used to make the leather, and it looked OK, but more like cheap plastic faux-leather than <i>actual </i>leather. That's the upper left square in this image. The final leather, from that graph above, is the lower left square. Still not quite photographic quality, but close enough for the purposes of the cover. On the right of the image is how the finished leather looks with other elements such as the spine added, viewed from an angle with the light catching it. Fairly convincing... I hope.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5M08Pkw6sT47lHdgDs5JGaw7T9a7NF1Jyqvf30EnzJl_hrO8t4KY0Kj-FQXDRMdfQTjc6b7fD9-BcqWSv9hnZRKtAUrOIT4JRjIcI9Lvjp1HtuFqyjT9aN0HIvKQmGUHA56rSp43gao/s1600/NRAB-Substance2-Tape.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5M08Pkw6sT47lHdgDs5JGaw7T9a7NF1Jyqvf30EnzJl_hrO8t4KY0Kj-FQXDRMdfQTjc6b7fD9-BcqWSv9hnZRKtAUrOIT4JRjIcI9Lvjp1HtuFqyjT9aN0HIvKQmGUHA56rSp43gao/s400/NRAB-Substance2-Tape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Same deal, but this time for the red label sticker at the bottom. Originally I was just going to make actual labels, and scan them (much as I did for the Masking Tape), but it turns out the type of label makers to create these are not as easy to come by as they used to be, so I just threw them into the graph.<br />
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The left side of the graph basically makes the rectangles for the label, and creates a mask for the text like that above.<br />
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Then the rest of it takes that information, and creates the colour and height composites for the label, before blending it with the leather I already showed (the colour Diffuse is shown in this image - note how simple it is). It also splits a copy of the label in two, and then rotates and scales the copy to fit on the spine. Easy-peasy.</div>
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And here's how that turns out on the cover when seen in 3D. I think it looks pretty close to the real thing, and it has the advantage that the label will be lit along with the rest of the cover.<br />
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OK, that concludes the nerdy part of the post - hopefully it didn't bore you too much (if it did, why didn't you skip it?). This bring the total number of covers I've done for Dr. Sandifer to 11. That's quite a number - I'm going to need a larger book case for them (especially given the width of <i>Last War in Albion Volume 1</i> - that thing is enormous)! It also means I've done almost as many covers for non <i>TARDIS Eruditorum</i> books as for it. I think that will change shortly though - I suspect then next TARDIS book will be along before the next <i>Last War</i>, but only Phil knows for sure.</div>
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-60345462348817332422017-12-18T00:58:00.001-06:002017-12-18T00:58:23.961-06:00Sol Right<a href="https://draw-board.blogspot.com/2017/12/sol-right.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXJPf1RFfyu8H8ZWnKbuFJRm3Ml3kjNByKH-Yl1SdCLAHIwJEHcuvzIbCZRiF-AtK7WWGUSvMYYINInaijNbfOhOOD29yT4JBE2QrDUNKGtxq1a2k87RprLLVbPO6kZXp0xqoDbBIX64/s400/Sol-Thumb.jpg" /></a>No, it's not your imagination, I've returned to make a post. It's like Christmas in December! No excuses, and if I'm honest posts are generally going to be few and far apart for a while longer yet (though I'm hoping to do another before the New Year - we'll see how that goes). That said, I haven't been doing much in the way of art either, so it's not like I have much to post. Eventually I'll get to explaining why, but it's going to be a while yet before I can.<br />
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OK, so this post is tangential to the <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/search/label/Psychochronography" target="_blank">Philip Sandifer cover posts</a>, because Phil introduced me to Alex, of the group Seeming. I have to admit I'd never previously heard of them, but after looking them up they're really good. Not entirely to my taste, if I'm honest, but I enjoyed what I was listening to well enough, which is impressive for me as I'm a right stick in the mud when it comes to music.<br />
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So I did an Album cover! Well, that's not true; I did a small part of an album cover that was laid out by somebody else - but there is an album, called SOL, and my work is on the cover (huzzah!). It's a good album too - I'll put how you can buy ot at the bottom of this post.<br />
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So that's the album. The bit I did is in the square on the front cover. I've never done a cover before, so I wasn't sure how the thing worked - I'm more used to doing the covers for Phil, where I do the design and the art and the whole deal, but that isn't the case here, except I didn't know that until near the end, so I kept being dumb and adding a logo to things where no logo was needed, like a newbie (which of course, I am).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBe1cPgS7oQNp5DFJ1bR7VRP7tnrRgJQbB3I1bTxGPVakYlmui7lODyvDCbgDrMi-tLC3ecyAIN8K5jDnphdkPqEg7O9Fz8rWvQqDEXXMYWWAu0CfDzYUF7T8Sgn9l6k7K7McLrP62IWA/s1600/Sol-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBe1cPgS7oQNp5DFJ1bR7VRP7tnrRgJQbB3I1bTxGPVakYlmui7lODyvDCbgDrMi-tLC3ecyAIN8K5jDnphdkPqEg7O9Fz8rWvQqDEXXMYWWAu0CfDzYUF7T8Sgn9l6k7K7McLrP62IWA/s400/Sol-1.jpg" width="391" /></a></div>
<br />So, anyway, Phil introduced me to Alex, who commissioned the cover. I went about it the usual way, by giving a number of idea thumbnails to choose from. See, logos on all of them. Alex gave me an inspiration board to get an idea of the style he was after, and it was chock full of 1960's book covers. This was terrible, I've never done a 1960's style book cover in my... Oh, no, wait, I totally have! So that was convenient!<br />
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Alex ended up picking one of the ones I liked the most (5's design, but not those colours), though I was a little sad he didn't pick 4 or 16, since I really liked those too, but in retrospect they were perhaps furthest from the stuff on the inspiration board, so that's understandable. It also means I can use something similar for something else, what with my liking them and all.<br />
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Anyway, Alex wasn't keen on the human figure (it's small - you'll need to squint), and suggested I try for an animal that didn't belong in the desert, such as an elk. Fine by me.<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uCD8RhajmwmYxrcBUOnPHZ6wM_YEBrP2JhQ4SrekJXNCEy3DWlbYdiJJqQLf5BtWrraa8BDDnw5w1VEQb1wPDn1iki2weh1xbk_5gVnAgUvbPXkIMXrHsoLBkHGjR6gxOIaTU4zTXiE/s1600/Sol-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uCD8RhajmwmYxrcBUOnPHZ6wM_YEBrP2JhQ4SrekJXNCEy3DWlbYdiJJqQLf5BtWrraa8BDDnw5w1VEQb1wPDn1iki2weh1xbk_5gVnAgUvbPXkIMXrHsoLBkHGjR6gxOIaTU4zTXiE/s400/Sol-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />One elk later, with a bunch of polar bears and colour schemes to be on the safe side. I made my preference larger, but I was pretty happy with all of them. '#2,' said Alex, so that was pretty easy.<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmY71A8DNVgaiaHl_oBUcl_898s73oOq_f7f-KAyJHGUKJ3576QAll16UUt1IE6U648E-1MstrGlHvA8d7FMEf-eUNBcF1cesu0_seVok1dML8SFn_7R_TtAiuKCSBs_ZXNga65TWQJy4/s1600/Sol-RearIdeas_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmY71A8DNVgaiaHl_oBUcl_898s73oOq_f7f-KAyJHGUKJ3576QAll16UUt1IE6U648E-1MstrGlHvA8d7FMEf-eUNBcF1cesu0_seVok1dML8SFn_7R_TtAiuKCSBs_ZXNga65TWQJy4/s400/Sol-RearIdeas_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Since the front was pretty much clear from that response, I went and did some ideas for the back. Obviously, you can see from the image of the actual album that none of them were eventually used - the rear illustration is not mine. I'm A-OK with that, though I did like the idea of the front and back matching. They're here for the sake of completeness. Alex liked 5 and 6, so I took that through to final without the text.<br /><br />
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<br />I also supplied this sheet with some alternative options for the treatment of the sun and dialing in the colours. He picked one, and requested some further colour changes. Mostly making things darker - presumably for a moodier atmosphere. From there I just had to make the full size cover, which since it was pretty graphic in nature, and I'd been using a few paths for the thumbnails, went fairly quickly.<br /><br />
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<br />And here is the final artwork for the rear and Front (though as discussed, only the front got used). All in all this went pretty 'quickly' and pleasantly, except both myself and Alex were pretty busy at the time, so while there were few emails to reach the final result, it took several weeks to get there.</div>
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Alas, it has taken me far, far to long to write this post, but I'm sure any purchases of the album this inspires would still be appreciated (not by me, since I've been paid, but by the chap who was nice enough to commision me). Seeming also has a more recent EP out, which it wouldn't hurt to take a look at.<br />
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You can get the album on Digital, Vinyl or CD from <a href="https://seeming.bandcamp.com/album/sol-a-self-banishment-ritual" target="_blank">This Link.</a></div>
HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-42231054382763748152017-05-26T13:53:00.000-05:002017-05-26T13:53:37.979-05:00Fassinating<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2017/05/fassinating.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCADq75P6nHpvfewORAiN6yT27T6adn7QOemS-bN3LaAzlsr3nQhDM_9s84S3gOgbN5ZYJDMFgvhMaT1n4-AwEWXd6VgmU837PgpT_Q5WuswJkauuRmRAkKVnAEv9R9woOuNQT6a5IHqM/s400/Fass-Thumb.png" /></a>Hey, didn't I say I was going to post more, right before I vanished for 4 months? Yeah, sorry about that. <strike>Won't</strike> Might happen again. I'm not going to go into why it's taken me so long to write a new post, mostly because I'm not entirely sure myself. I have a fair bit of catching up to do though!<br />
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So, what's happened since I've been away? Well, I presented at GDC, got a new position at work (I'm an Associate Art Director now), which also means I completed the project I was working on, and did an album cover (sort of - I think I was working on it when I wrote the last post). More on some of that next time.<br />
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This post focusses on something that I did before all that though, even before the last post. Last August in fact. I thought I had posted about it at the time, but I guess I hadn't since there isn't one.<br />
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So, this is a commission I did for a co-worker's Bachelor Party/Stag Do. A friend of his wanted everyone to have T-shirts with his visage on (the Groom's, not the friend's). Since his goes by Fass, he wanted this to be in the style of an 80's Kiss T-shirt (and gave me a shot of the T-shirt as reference).<br />
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I'm not going to go into the details of how I painted this one at each stage as I usually do, as honestly it was pretty straight forward. Instead I'll give a rough overview now.<br />
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The main difference between this piece and my usual, was that I did it using Photoshop's airbrush tool. I used to do a lot of art using that, but they changed it in Photoshop 7, and I didn't like the changes, so I haven't really used it since then (so, for about 10 years). Really, there wasn't a better method for recreating the classic 80's look though, so I just went with it. Many masks used, and I did mix up the brushes for the tongue (I used some random noise brushes there, but I was trying to replicate a spatter nozzle you might use on an airbrush anyway).<br />
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The only other thing of note was the logo. I don't recall using the online Kiss logo maker that I've recently discovered, and I can't find a Kiss type font in my library, but I surely used one of those methods. Seems unlikely I would just do it by hand (I could, but it would be a lot slower). However I got the letters, I did do some editing after the fact, with changing the spacing, and altering the shape of the second S (as it is in the original logo).<br />
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OK, enough of that - here's the step by step images. Click on the faces to enlarge (but not as much as the first one).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj242aAI2YXmBYX40zkPc5KNDLoLbM53kgnf6AsNdu-si9aLwb_zjyFYCoaoG_oMj7FNMklQA_lFtFakBB6qGIGXopLBSUDRhyBWp-3aaXh2WUd1_V9WL4sqA1nm98ns3iPap-ZI_2di9Q/s1600/Fass1.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj242aAI2YXmBYX40zkPc5KNDLoLbM53kgnf6AsNdu-si9aLwb_zjyFYCoaoG_oMj7FNMklQA_lFtFakBB6qGIGXopLBSUDRhyBWp-3aaXh2WUd1_V9WL4sqA1nm98ns3iPap-ZI_2di9Q/s200/Fass1.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiw2HmpksxcPrOhnayB4ciwccyVdnZWA-gUCUfR2ASycrdRCgK27M0OBIUIVVjlS_iho0YFl2GKOQQk8si6oXU4EmBFDOokRCvHhOnszWzlU29qfmKM5dg2PriO2Ijjx3hoIUzvUjBMHI/s1600/Fass2.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiw2HmpksxcPrOhnayB4ciwccyVdnZWA-gUCUfR2ASycrdRCgK27M0OBIUIVVjlS_iho0YFl2GKOQQk8si6oXU4EmBFDOokRCvHhOnszWzlU29qfmKM5dg2PriO2Ijjx3hoIUzvUjBMHI/s200/Fass2.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj242aAI2YXmBYX40zkPc5KNDLoLbM53kgnf6AsNdu-si9aLwb_zjyFYCoaoG_oMj7FNMklQA_lFtFakBB6qGIGXopLBSUDRhyBWp-3aaXh2WUd1_V9WL4sqA1nm98ns3iPap-ZI_2di9Q/s1600/Fass1.png" imageanchor="1"> </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQtnosuOPTZMhwlkKpPLdg4BAxu_EDLD01eW22xI-Cd9XSBG5Q9aR3Vqwfh4kRGOWlqD41v1kILo03Y1nUqKMQUNuOAL_HWy6Hwe4ql0Q3bLvQhDXQJGGtaIcECqdii-OEE3b-yARk1U/s1600/Fass3.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQtnosuOPTZMhwlkKpPLdg4BAxu_EDLD01eW22xI-Cd9XSBG5Q9aR3Vqwfh4kRGOWlqD41v1kILo03Y1nUqKMQUNuOAL_HWy6Hwe4ql0Q3bLvQhDXQJGGtaIcECqdii-OEE3b-yARk1U/s200/Fass3.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd4WKA3B2uunMp0JevWTe8-jsAnpSfqEPc89fe269z7LRRRG-2yoX7VkN-q1A1TMISlrqNXrvhZGR4Sz4X-q_Q9gIZc8dKYn7WYR4su0lJCbFGk30yAav0JEGwY_ymFGVQg3hYjQmHPo/s1600/Fass4.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd4WKA3B2uunMp0JevWTe8-jsAnpSfqEPc89fe269z7LRRRG-2yoX7VkN-q1A1TMISlrqNXrvhZGR4Sz4X-q_Q9gIZc8dKYn7WYR4su0lJCbFGk30yAav0JEGwY_ymFGVQg3hYjQmHPo/s200/Fass4.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepXYRNeS4OplfSdcUna3eFv2yeg7IXmLpAMgPcmHh3tTIQOYzoPubGTE3JP9wWHsFBzR9v7SVWaKIyLrlaxM_vS6KP9Uzc628_d1-8APD5ZzR5w5Ae7XHd5c2yT5y5Je8TpOmkb6GH74/s1600/Fass5.png" imageanchor="1"> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepXYRNeS4OplfSdcUna3eFv2yeg7IXmLpAMgPcmHh3tTIQOYzoPubGTE3JP9wWHsFBzR9v7SVWaKIyLrlaxM_vS6KP9Uzc628_d1-8APD5ZzR5w5Ae7XHd5c2yT5y5Je8TpOmkb6GH74/s200/Fass5.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24dayQ1D8Tmc-BmbR0XBLRXuqTSY0peiwTRvKWI_Scai9PMD63Jr_7OlOT6Tc-Q2ojyA1bp_hzVyd_aPrjpYp2cFGraDpxOwKU7f4xvVizAkRyH344PLFQTguYyaha99ufbbuPFcpu8k/s1600/Fass6.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24dayQ1D8Tmc-BmbR0XBLRXuqTSY0peiwTRvKWI_Scai9PMD63Jr_7OlOT6Tc-Q2ojyA1bp_hzVyd_aPrjpYp2cFGraDpxOwKU7f4xvVizAkRyH344PLFQTguYyaha99ufbbuPFcpu8k/s200/Fass6.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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So that was last August. Fass is now married, and wore his T-shirt with pride at his Stag Party. Apparently he was quite taken with it. I've never actually seen one of the T-shirts myself, but I'm told they came out really well, so that's good to hear.<br />
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Sorry about the images taking more time to appear than usual - the amount of red in them is making JPEG sulk like a moody 8 year old, so I've used PNG instead.</div>
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-23138491622143563932017-01-22T20:09:00.000-06:002017-01-22T20:09:45.113-06:00Social Profiling № 11: German Shepherd<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2017/01/social-profiling-11-german-shepherd.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-4FlEi3Ssd79qCfxTAOgdYdZ54ZK2svfeSRQk91w5vBYA9hBDrU3-UpzSsZL8_XfNCK5QAZd-Rk0bWlAn1gLWGiJJ4NQeiXmk8NJvuR0_-O4AUcA2xVTibf5CB3Avoo7Fc_RxlYnd8Q/s400/JH-German_Shepherd-Thumb.jpg" /></a>It's not just blogging that's been the victim of my tardiness over the past year (and by tardy I mean being too busy doing other things), it's also been the art itself. Yes, I did a reasonable amount of stuff last year, but one thing that suffered was the occasional social media pieces I do. that is, every two years I put out a call for people to put their name in a random draw, and those that get picked (4 of them) get pieces done by me, for free, within a set of parameters. Last year the theme was 'fan', and people could say what they were a fan of, and then I'd paint it (for more on those, click facebook profiles at the bottom of this post).<br />
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This did not go as expected, with people being big fans of their kids, their dad, their potted plant, and so on. Still fair's fair, so I threw them all in a hat and drew them anyway. A year later and I have only finished the first of the four I drew (though I have just started on the second): A German Shepherd.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAim1M07wC6jRO85Z5HFONu11C3TZMGr40oJtw7XFZXM5d9ptEmurUo3QzNVs2241TS3kGP7LSk63BB0aT1G-vReooA4YCwKlTpOCYaeECaPZ-BEMu30BFFERel_yQsV3t9vHmrOLq3k/s1600/JH-German_Shepherd-Mid.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAim1M07wC6jRO85Z5HFONu11C3TZMGr40oJtw7XFZXM5d9ptEmurUo3QzNVs2241TS3kGP7LSk63BB0aT1G-vReooA4YCwKlTpOCYaeECaPZ-BEMu30BFFERel_yQsV3t9vHmrOLq3k/s1600/JH-German_Shepherd-Mid.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAim1M07wC6jRO85Z5HFONu11C3TZMGr40oJtw7XFZXM5d9ptEmurUo3QzNVs2241TS3kGP7LSk63BB0aT1G-vReooA4YCwKlTpOCYaeECaPZ-BEMu30BFFERel_yQsV3t9vHmrOLq3k/s400/JH-German_Shepherd-Mid.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Unlike most of the things I do that take longer than a few hours, I shared progress on this one as I went along on facebook, so I'll be using those same images here to show the process. For this particular piece I worked 100% in Photoshop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10Xs_7NbyTxhero-foeSnkLHswtyLjPSYLhBmBu-x4UWdDPJUoMFI0d-om2NuyXpVNQy5zZBjgwgSVd3_O1VKOK7uKwItJINnrpcP4OBLM_QlM19mwNZ3NyFwQUclqJNDf55gCVJV9Zs/s1600/FB1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10Xs_7NbyTxhero-foeSnkLHswtyLjPSYLhBmBu-x4UWdDPJUoMFI0d-om2NuyXpVNQy5zZBjgwgSVd3_O1VKOK7uKwItJINnrpcP4OBLM_QlM19mwNZ3NyFwQUclqJNDf55gCVJV9Zs/s400/FB1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The first issue I hit was that I didn't have a suitable picture of a German Shepherd to work from. I could probably have found one locally and asked to take a picture, but I had a very specific image in my head, and wanted to find a dog in a similar pose. You would think that a pose such as that above would be every 10th picture of an Alsatian, but you would be wrong. The image I finally found was terribly compressed and 200 pixels high - so about 5% of the size I did the final image. It also didn't have the atmosphere I wanted - being just a dog on a road on a sunny day. Beggars can't be choosers though, so I started on it, and looked up additional reference as I went along, for the details and such.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTQCka1yiHz7SN5hZr7b2jih2dvTCPecm6TkhqjeAQkWU5wnACkMetCyxyUr9auFQfiJJP74Mlzwn9_N-cVOUwKw-hngcAeeUZCKekBqUkXg20C8B0j2idYPAOEzm77r_V6mor4EfSqE/s1600/FB2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTQCka1yiHz7SN5hZr7b2jih2dvTCPecm6TkhqjeAQkWU5wnACkMetCyxyUr9auFQfiJJP74Mlzwn9_N-cVOUwKw-hngcAeeUZCKekBqUkXg20C8B0j2idYPAOEzm77r_V6mor4EfSqE/s400/FB2.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YQCkcnMjhgoVVSmBX4ermjehaP1a7eGiNLl4rJpos9jab13UVtF2Hc6zRUB-Qd4gkhTEDAudpH2A3bIXbbsEO_WFZGHIUC-17zUiK6kLG1Y0HSrN8_WRaXJGSXO61ZfnXBxWut0AKyc/s1600/FB3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YQCkcnMjhgoVVSmBX4ermjehaP1a7eGiNLl4rJpos9jab13UVtF2Hc6zRUB-Qd4gkhTEDAudpH2A3bIXbbsEO_WFZGHIUC-17zUiK6kLG1Y0HSrN8_WRaXJGSXO61ZfnXBxWut0AKyc/s400/FB3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While quite a few of the references I collected were of snowy roads, the one I ended up referencing the most was one taken from the passenger seat of my wife's car several years ago. Not that it's terribly relevant, just of minor interest.</div>
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The trees were very simple to do, with most of the branches just being from a brush I made for a speedpaint early last year. It's quite a versatile brush.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisv6bSUH5p-WLi_MuSJarkVFUSdaT2f0ec5Z_JETsWm6oFewudn2XBFhdnGiQsm9s1GgiIMehH3yY4aZ04Qid-EiKI_H5JPbXtVOM0jSCr24JjKvaXO-obdmFOCP1UNf-8CnhP1QAGflA/s1600/FB4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisv6bSUH5p-WLi_MuSJarkVFUSdaT2f0ec5Z_JETsWm6oFewudn2XBFhdnGiQsm9s1GgiIMehH3yY4aZ04Qid-EiKI_H5JPbXtVOM0jSCr24JjKvaXO-obdmFOCP1UNf-8CnhP1QAGflA/s400/FB4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Speaking of brushes, the fur here is predominantly done with a a brush I made a long time ago to simulate streaked brush strokes in specular maps. It's often very useful for hair too, but I found it a little coarse on it's own for the dogs shorter fur.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelV3pM07excB9wBX-GXsNky9Y-Sjifpev2SFhDDxZX8AtMRgPF9FZXAAo6ebXzNbmXRvvGvVpbC2-w8GcCuPUsEnWEMcSCodZBvQys1xTSHc8cEBNkwGapYVdQlihJEneHnwy9DcKUw0/s1600/FB6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelV3pM07excB9wBX-GXsNky9Y-Sjifpev2SFhDDxZX8AtMRgPF9FZXAAo6ebXzNbmXRvvGvVpbC2-w8GcCuPUsEnWEMcSCodZBvQys1xTSHc8cEBNkwGapYVdQlihJEneHnwy9DcKUw0/s400/FB6.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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So I made a new brush specifically for that short hair, called DogFur. It's also quite useful, also being pretty good for close cropped hair on people. Here it's mostly used on the dog's side and legs, but I also used it on the head in the right hand picture, when I did another pass on that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXFWkWWqJKABfveCnfIK7TeIqMxkl8_dIuwp5dXrgUhLHbbkssQbHNLBp6QcFI6MxXS098yqh3AuyFify0ny_TatysteCWssE-2TUL_aUObeVt77CMNoSVXu5OMf7UHcsZmsGC7_IA_M/s1600/FB7.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXFWkWWqJKABfveCnfIK7TeIqMxkl8_dIuwp5dXrgUhLHbbkssQbHNLBp6QcFI6MxXS098yqh3AuyFify0ny_TatysteCWssE-2TUL_aUObeVt77CMNoSVXu5OMf7UHcsZmsGC7_IA_M/s400/FB7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The last progress image before it was complete. This was just adding shadows, and atmosphere, and making the snow look a little snowier. I felt the image didn't feel cold enough though even though these colours were similar to the photo I was using for reference of the snow, so in the end I tinted it slightly blue. The falling snow was pretty much the last thing I added.</div>
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One thing that's not all that clear in these images, it how much things got resized and moved around between the various stages, especially at the beginning, so here's a gif animation of the stages.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEics3ExnuNMfjuoile3NICtwTc-S38EkTt66USNNHpTRLKr4TN_-D3C2IjjNxU_F-qmtOOYeaaJfPq4iH_fS5LG6C6sSjrZM4xdpgEsyLELOWIJiivd18_aJfy_O55dIAzvjL80t4eA0Lc/s1600/Shep_Process.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEics3ExnuNMfjuoile3NICtwTc-S38EkTt66USNNHpTRLKr4TN_-D3C2IjjNxU_F-qmtOOYeaaJfPq4iH_fS5LG6C6sSjrZM4xdpgEsyLELOWIJiivd18_aJfy_O55dIAzvjL80t4eA0Lc/s1600/Shep_Process.gif" /></a></div>
HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-58299896222500344792017-01-02T14:20:00.000-06:002017-01-02T14:20:55.352-06:00Speeding into '17<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2017/01/speeding-into-17.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoWAwRfxNgCl__rpjSRAYxWgDr0CyTjvnHCyddE51GMfE8iuFgnEFubkUrQfZfvdNa0jiusYIkPsj0_t0WRkB7dVXNGV7tdfASDFetzmWpFpsuqCf3HZ0itmet5AymefosBUKK4-DF5s/s400/Speed-July-Dec16-thumb.jpg" /></a>Happy New Year! Hopefully. And with the New Year comes the inevitable New Year resolutions. One of mine? Blog more, as I've been terrible at it over the last 12 months (you may have noticed). 'Blog more' is a bit vague though, so perhaps 'Blog at least once a month' works better. Other ones are 'draw more' and 'draw/paint worse' (I'll explain that one in a future post, but it boils down to me doing more quick experimentation to improve, without always worrying about the end result as much, so it's more enjoyable).<br />
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So, here I am blogging, with actual art, for the first time since July. Ugh, that's terrible! Some of the upcoming posts might be about things I did a year or more ago, because I didn't mention them at the time, and in some cases I'd almost entirely forgotten about them until I stumbled across them on Facebook (or whatever). Since the blog is as much for my memory as for your (possible) pleasure, I should probably write a post covering them. This is not that post - this is a speedpaint post. <br />
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Time Taken: 90 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/hz6bfhv">http://tinyurl.com/hz6bfhv</a><br />
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With 5 Months since I last posted a speedpaint you'd think I would have a great many to post to catch up - well, I have enough that I don't want to write much about all of them, so I'm not going to. This one doesn't have a step by step or anything, so take it as you will.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ2tMDtobMMCjEbMzo80QMwF2OIoRV4joGnZVvZ240d0cnQx3WmyF-Q6SerfpN5v4_W5VtiFLKHnYNVVg3uS8-COE-AiXc6AztrlSpa8lDE3MJtCLQIHx4FOSJhWPbRzsgAl6McgPHZA/s1600/7-Stereotypes-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ2tMDtobMMCjEbMzo80QMwF2OIoRV4joGnZVvZ240d0cnQx3WmyF-Q6SerfpN5v4_W5VtiFLKHnYNVVg3uS8-COE-AiXc6AztrlSpa8lDE3MJtCLQIHx4FOSJhWPbRzsgAl6McgPHZA/s400/7-Stereotypes-40.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 40 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Nothing<br />
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I did this while messing about with Photoshop's new(ish) Mixer Brush, which I hadn't tried before. The guy on the right came from just sort of scribbling, and finding a face in the result, while the guy on the left was more planned, but only a little so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwdmpch7NoilXOfqAGbJ0HPHiq0DWTo4UYk9D3FaySbg3ZtHTM7GMcWlX58u1dk_AWWsKKnheOKUeg1zH_MzAm6vqt7Jfd_Mjk8KzoHnp0rlpon20iPiaXot0mA7BgLAsuxfuSKq51sU/s1600/8-Chuy-140-VLRG_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwdmpch7NoilXOfqAGbJ0HPHiq0DWTo4UYk9D3FaySbg3ZtHTM7GMcWlX58u1dk_AWWsKKnheOKUeg1zH_MzAm6vqt7Jfd_Mjk8KzoHnp0rlpon20iPiaXot0mA7BgLAsuxfuSKq51sU/s400/8-Chuy-140-VLRG_1.jpg" width="331" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 140 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Jesús "Chuy" Alanis of Circulos de Nada<br />
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I got to meet Chuy, and most of the rest of the band Circulos de Nada, on my trip to Mexico. They invited me to attend one of their rehearsals, and this is based on some of the shots I took there.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eu29QHp4B7k" width="500"></iframe><br />
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I recorded me painting it here, but the capture crashed after an hour and I didn't notice until I was done. So that was annoying; Still worth a watch if you're interested though. The music is by the band, if you were wondering and didn't watch to the end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDevnI-jnr5qkOxFXIRrXQd61rMtMLUQEYqRKnmXeuncCBqcLPHIsW__Y_vyC1p6xcQ1uliCcU-IM9eoF4PFNYR7Gc_vF2re7osUWVh7wmKVyBgzQQCT2cBsx5Y2MCry7hw6RDvJJFnK0/s1600/9-red-150SML.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDevnI-jnr5qkOxFXIRrXQd61rMtMLUQEYqRKnmXeuncCBqcLPHIsW__Y_vyC1p6xcQ1uliCcU-IM9eoF4PFNYR7Gc_vF2re7osUWVh7wmKVyBgzQQCT2cBsx5Y2MCry7hw6RDvJJFnK0/s400/9-red-150SML.jpg" width="343" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 150 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on - <a href="http://tinyurl.com/jv65tnq" target="_blank">Bit of this</a> - Model Stefania Ferrario<br />
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Not terribly keen on this one, though I think the hair came out pretty well. I was trying to do something with more vibrant colour than my usual, and also something a little 80's feeling. Mixed results.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIZYb-tL9UpJzNRF5w3b-6nNBicwQ0V8A3K4Yyn4aplIJILdNx5r42dkv0u4Wysr5g1gJUAkOgD0_RDrl8VbSofs2S-LmeS7uJD5TjaBSDSUGaumYE36ZZNVjqGLKNcySzjXK7DoijRY/s1600/9-red-Process_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIZYb-tL9UpJzNRF5w3b-6nNBicwQ0V8A3K4Yyn4aplIJILdNx5r42dkv0u4Wysr5g1gJUAkOgD0_RDrl8VbSofs2S-LmeS7uJD5TjaBSDSUGaumYE36ZZNVjqGLKNcySzjXK7DoijRY/s320/9-red-Process_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think I actually preferred it before I added the round frame around her head actually...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMcNy7C5ybUYw-GZD546WuVcagmrOgC8wwd5v5OC6qTuYvPAHgXOecej8Kp3el-a5ENbfMFviRaOYlwiKBLPdML2Eb6iJxg7IumsHU1Ni0byE7C_FBiGqA1naWDBPX75u82nFTyqm3yM/s1600/10_CyberPink_LRG145_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMcNy7C5ybUYw-GZD546WuVcagmrOgC8wwd5v5OC6qTuYvPAHgXOecej8Kp3el-a5ENbfMFviRaOYlwiKBLPdML2Eb6iJxg7IumsHU1Ni0byE7C_FBiGqA1naWDBPX75u82nFTyqm3yM/s400/10_CyberPink_LRG145_1.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 145 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: See video<br />
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Personally I like this one a lot, but it seems to have passed by unremarked upon in most places I've posted it. No accounting for taste I guess. Anyway, I like it, so there.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pZkP-neGLDI" width="500"></iframe><br />
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Not a lot to say about the process - really happy how her hair came out, despite it not being remotely realistic, and done so rapidly.<br />
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Time Taken: 225 Minutes + 170 Minutes + 190 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage 4 and Photoshop<br />
Based on: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing<br />
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A sort of sequel to last year's <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/12/fumbling-speed-ball.html" target="_blank">halloween triptych</a>. That one was of Horror icons of the 30's, while this one is the late 50's early 60's, and yeah, it was done in October. <br />
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None of the three is pulled from a single photograph, and Price is sort of a 'generic creepy Price' from the era, rather than a specific character (Lee is Dracula, and Cushing is Victor Frankenstein). Price was also the most difficult, as there are surprisingly few high quality colour images of him online from that era (Except from Fall of the House of Usher, which in retrospect I should have gone with, but then he lacked the beard I personally associate with him - painting for another day I guess).<br />
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All the painting was done in ArtRage, with a little postwork in Photoshop to get the grain and such.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLr5JonRCm03-z8fzoWiSduAmWfXHVSwdKxWEuPgyz5Zgc-z2e2C3O7MtV6umtx3szCQ0dTLbBfIDnZDsF66pBKc5Q5rvD5ijpDLuA2t4vd5g0n7y1RTtBYOuyskeInWdi7-YO-ecOKw/s1600/14-Red-LRG-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLr5JonRCm03-z8fzoWiSduAmWfXHVSwdKxWEuPgyz5Zgc-z2e2C3O7MtV6umtx3szCQ0dTLbBfIDnZDsF66pBKc5Q5rvD5ijpDLuA2t4vd5g0n7y1RTtBYOuyskeInWdi7-YO-ecOKw/s400/14-Red-LRG-90.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 90 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage (Minor post work in Photoshop)<br />
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Usually I don't remember my dreams, but on this occasion I did, or at least this weird vision of a nurse with red skin. I was ill and had a fever at the time (this may explain the dream), and decided to paint it. I'm not terribly happy with the result, but it's not like I can call it inaccurate.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TskShn8O_bQ" width="500"></iframe><br />
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I recorded the painting of it, as I thought it might be interesting one way or another, and it's the first ArtRage recording I've done with my new setup too. I just did a quick search for a few references and went for it. I would not be surprised if I revisit this one day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7eCVulngv6yXkD-GuAqCP4QomsstJUJFykwfMtonRCsfnIiwcxl7U815Ozr1QNorbBmhgu35Uu3LBe3oPc7dGrPkYpP8fjz7mPQP-X7CNtfs72Wwr-CjTgbRQbh9Kc4C20vBloW7aBE/s1600/15-bedouin-Mid-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7eCVulngv6yXkD-GuAqCP4QomsstJUJFykwfMtonRCsfnIiwcxl7U815Ozr1QNorbBmhgu35Uu3LBe3oPc7dGrPkYpP8fjz7mPQP-X7CNtfs72Wwr-CjTgbRQbh9Kc4C20vBloW7aBE/s400/15-bedouin-Mid-90.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 90 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/gpjqhp7">http://tinyurl.com/gpjqhp7</a><br />
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This one was one I 'fixed' at the last minute with judicious use of Photoshop's Liquify tool.<br />
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I think he actually looks like a nice enough fellow before I made the proportional changes, but it wasn't capturing the aspects of the original I was trying to, hence the quick fix. Not a favourite of mine either way though.</div>
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Time Taken: 150 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Very loosely on a photo of model Keiko Inagaki<br />
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-3088102495182390262016-11-03T01:49:00.000-05:002017-02-06T20:11:40.687-06:00Whistle Stop Tour (Part 2)<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/11/whistle-stop-tour-part-2.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtrQ4PyBUr8dBwKfxas_BJ2J8m4lgKOAdxu66PTlO2aJjJRsEjmieOJLMC_3z41D1K4tkKJJJ23x7iK5yN1RvPoFNDhrJM2tfASmy2b7upZi4LWJdwpD-808w5ZvLOHyoARwAEGzCpdk/s400/IMG_20160704_004935+Copy.jpg" /></a>Two rather long months since my last post! No, I didn't forget to post, I just got busy. Yes, I know I always say I'm busy, but apparently I didn't know what busy actually was before, because things got a lot busier.<br />
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But I'm here now, and not busy (partly due to being sick, and thus not at work; and partly due to my Son's friends being over, ruling out having some quiet recovery time on the couch). Things do seem to have calmed down generally, but there are still some busy weekends ahead, and of course I usually post on weekends. <br />
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Anyway, on with this post, which is taking me all the way back to July and my trip to the UK. I go on trips to the UK semi regularly of course, but this time I promised some friends I'd take pictures so they can see what my hometown looks like.<br />
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I didn't actually get to go into the city center (except once, when I was drunk), so there's a lot of 'suburban' stuff to follow.<br />
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I'll keep the intro brief, as I mentioned it at the end of the last one, and also because this is going to be a long post. Looooong.<br />
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So I flew to the UK, to meet up with my Wife who'd gone on a trip to France with my Mother and our Son. The trip was fine, although the flight was miserable, partly due to a man half my size sitting next to me, who somehow managed to take up 4 times as much space, and partly due to a layover in Dublin, which has a lovely airport, except for the area in which I was waiting for my plane, which was draughty, uncomfortable and crap. I was there for 4 hours - it seemed like 14. Anyway, other than that the trip over was uneventful.</div>
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No, this isn't Dublin; this is a beach. The day after I got there, Swansea had it's annual airshow, and we got there early. So this was how it looked a few hours before the show...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT55z-ixh1isDpDMXtOIeHgV1FycpPFbHKfdNVj2edJx4oEECOZmRl0sb4bG4XieN3Bl2mPa8YltKtr2T-OUTDE5Q7OfPuCbLB20_bhVBLLUZOUwfBdS78MlAtk7HYgJIbDcHWT-nTQow/s1600/IMG_20160702_031920.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT55z-ixh1isDpDMXtOIeHgV1FycpPFbHKfdNVj2edJx4oEECOZmRl0sb4bG4XieN3Bl2mPa8YltKtr2T-OUTDE5Q7OfPuCbLB20_bhVBLLUZOUwfBdS78MlAtk7HYgJIbDcHWT-nTQow/s400/IMG_20160702_031920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
And this is how it looked during it. This was the same for much of the length of the beach. We're seated about halfway along by the way, so if I looked in the other direction in that first photo sandy expanse goes on for almost as far. I mention this as one friend once asked me in surprised tones on my mentioning a beach "Wales has beaches?" Yes it does, and then some. In fact there's another beach down below.<br />
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The airshow was pretty cool, but the forecast was for typical gloomy British weather, and then the sun came out, and stayed out, so I got pretty severe sunburn. Yes, I took photos. No, you can't see them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0grHHf1m-N9ZOZd1bYJDsOH8zTY11Bw3e3OxhOzYTx2aPJXerNaP2dIwCVaXEOjTRJ_6-EP8pPVot5f62Ep7_eJm0pyllpKthEeCf5zyO2_o1KZvW90AsYwtl8VfaGT-FhI0Rb_FbppE/s1600/IMG_20160703_105717.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0grHHf1m-N9ZOZd1bYJDsOH8zTY11Bw3e3OxhOzYTx2aPJXerNaP2dIwCVaXEOjTRJ_6-EP8pPVot5f62Ep7_eJm0pyllpKthEeCf5zyO2_o1KZvW90AsYwtl8VfaGT-FhI0Rb_FbppE/s400/IMG_20160703_105717.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, I took a photo of dusk. Why? Because living in Illinois for several years, and not getting to go to the UK in the summers, I'd forgotten how late the sun sets in the UK (it sets pretty early in winter). This was about 11:15 PM, and it was easily bright enough for my elderly cellphone camera to pick it up.<br />
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My friends in St. Petersburg* are probably rolling their eyes at this point, on account of the sun not setting there until 1am in the summer or something. <br />
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*The Russian one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQfHvEucfwKCcYillfefCqfMZqtwR7s9UNnMl38PhTq-KHCP8iIHk5PKsyOLtM71kaNB6NGoFZ2mHCKS466IuKgnbTLykucBxP9JCWfCM6z714Iz8OSfVHisWcJ_-GvomUmORPT1pkRA/s1600/IMG_20160703_082920.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQfHvEucfwKCcYillfefCqfMZqtwR7s9UNnMl38PhTq-KHCP8iIHk5PKsyOLtM71kaNB6NGoFZ2mHCKS466IuKgnbTLykucBxP9JCWfCM6z714Iz8OSfVHisWcJ_-GvomUmORPT1pkRA/s400/IMG_20160703_082920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
For reference, this is roughly the same view in the day (a few degrees to the left so the sun didn't blow everything out). Yes, my Mother's garden is a little untamed. I cannot confirm or deny the rumours of lost tribes living in it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvfWHf8Dl_cmW1IlaQdBUJXQ5yhpN7pYRU8eJ4OAmKNZTiQhhHth81W90hvUFCkGFTBTzYVebYNVbO-O6Qnpv0TA4utbXNUjqVg_fQnvRPAzF0zGZKLuxxY37tF8A5tYFzhZlxPIDf5A/s1600/IMG_20160704_003050.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvfWHf8Dl_cmW1IlaQdBUJXQ5yhpN7pYRU8eJ4OAmKNZTiQhhHth81W90hvUFCkGFTBTzYVebYNVbO-O6Qnpv0TA4utbXNUjqVg_fQnvRPAzF0zGZKLuxxY37tF8A5tYFzhZlxPIDf5A/s400/IMG_20160704_003050.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I also cannot confirm rumours of lost tribes living in the Dan yr Ogof cave system, though any spelunkers I know deny it*<br />
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The cave system is about 11 miles long, but only the first half mile or so is open to the general public. I'm just posting the one photo here, as there are far better ones all over the internet if you want to go look. <br />
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We took my son along on the third or 4th day of the trip, as all my local family were working or busy. He was surprisingly taken by the caves, although the real reason we took him was the dinosaur park that surrounds them.<br />
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*I don't know that I know any Spelunkers, but I also know there are no lost tribes... in Wales at least.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ5xT2-cyNrTkMUJ2RihX7__7QLtWiXlhaH-gdhyphenhyphenKCuPxpXVUxtvzginjsOJP0kF1gWNHrW1EVvAG6AGgw5b7Vr3qvvWLSQ1ZXqsUV4AbEe09g4OT72BDAtsfhv7gOe4S0YDQ0F6ZiRw/s1600/IMG_20160704_004931.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ5xT2-cyNrTkMUJ2RihX7__7QLtWiXlhaH-gdhyphenhyphenKCuPxpXVUxtvzginjsOJP0kF1gWNHrW1EVvAG6AGgw5b7Vr3qvvWLSQ1ZXqsUV4AbEe09g4OT72BDAtsfhv7gOe4S0YDQ0F6ZiRw/s400/IMG_20160704_004931.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can see that the weather is much more typical of a Welsh summer (though we'd had two days of sun, and the weather doesn't have an effect in the caves, so no complaints).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgh5LMID8xwDDVW2xp9agAqvUVibJD58HdObT0XT-nDK9sAKUqXpYltAy9J5G21eSr9UDxH0Q2v0Gj67Rc_ZXs5VHAHKhDltxXAPTXNWXf57mGCZlPcTCEkHpXbNNPyrIlVLH-rJ6TZ8/s1600/IMG_20160704_020116.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgh5LMID8xwDDVW2xp9agAqvUVibJD58HdObT0XT-nDK9sAKUqXpYltAy9J5G21eSr9UDxH0Q2v0Gj67Rc_ZXs5VHAHKhDltxXAPTXNWXf57mGCZlPcTCEkHpXbNNPyrIlVLH-rJ6TZ8/s400/IMG_20160704_020116.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22vbnFxK8HitQu8hkERlSoZqE7IUYf0ycq9wboDMLFtvtvudFc-sULewmBfbqxnCyai0B8nmxoN_mn_UyXEomgw0tapAEIS_UFj2M5xWQRt67vbA2AlyBEiThiUwjcmgzQzttdg4Wx8Q/s1600/IMG_20160704_021335.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22vbnFxK8HitQu8hkERlSoZqE7IUYf0ycq9wboDMLFtvtvudFc-sULewmBfbqxnCyai0B8nmxoN_mn_UyXEomgw0tapAEIS_UFj2M5xWQRt67vbA2AlyBEiThiUwjcmgzQzttdg4Wx8Q/s400/IMG_20160704_021335.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF6whE8DG9aIbGIx31tVuM7Whx2hNpNAJbXbe_UYP92RoInY5vd1ngH8KLgykwFJQkJ0Q_hCCGbUtkx4g09LysDkQqTEkJEFVD3W0wrl20jvdXspo_zQHc1DYfJgBeSsRX7fd5vlqftE/s1600/IMG_20160704_015949.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF6whE8DG9aIbGIx31tVuM7Whx2hNpNAJbXbe_UYP92RoInY5vd1ngH8KLgykwFJQkJ0Q_hCCGbUtkx4g09LysDkQqTEkJEFVD3W0wrl20jvdXspo_zQHc1DYfJgBeSsRX7fd5vlqftE/s400/IMG_20160704_015949.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This last photo is interesting*, because one of the first photos I ever developed was taken in almost this exact place (back when photos needed to be developed, and were in black and white if you did them yourself) . I have no idea where that photo is now (My mother probably knows). There are rather more trees in the newer shot, and I don't recall there being a Volcano there 35 years ago. Same aquatic dinosaurs though.<br />
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*Interesting to me. You can find it dull if you like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PpgDzUwBZVKjkagHtU1z-iDTHlOZya9v0hBXuRexKFtX0-F3t-pb_04H7qQUu0AsJu89s8anwkzr9ko7cY8ccO_VRPJhX4jE__64q8K9ofQHCkSPq5h4D4GQQsv6UzHPAQnZxBxOziE/s1600/PANO_20160704_014446_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="42" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PpgDzUwBZVKjkagHtU1z-iDTHlOZya9v0hBXuRexKFtX0-F3t-pb_04H7qQUu0AsJu89s8anwkzr9ko7cY8ccO_VRPJhX4jE__64q8K9ofQHCkSPq5h4D4GQQsv6UzHPAQnZxBxOziE/s400/PANO_20160704_014446_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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OK, last shot from the caves (you'll need to click it to expand) - This is the Cathedral Cave, and it's pretty spectacular. You can get married around the corner from this shot, although how you get to the location to do so without getting drenched by the waterfalls I have no idea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqYNwE1xURsBPzV9nN9usFOYaroim2iQusnxL6JcJVlBldC8HpXE7byouceW8dh60kCPX2KUDuxQpTAp1X2NV8z7XNi6ra198tH_oNGI7E_DXgPBl08sAt9A0X4bV8ehZtZeXLh8TZB0/s1600/IMG_20160705_024227-PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqYNwE1xURsBPzV9nN9usFOYaroim2iQusnxL6JcJVlBldC8HpXE7byouceW8dh60kCPX2KUDuxQpTAp1X2NV8z7XNi6ra198tH_oNGI7E_DXgPBl08sAt9A0X4bV8ehZtZeXLh8TZB0/s400/IMG_20160705_024227-PANO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Look, another beach. This one is a bit smaller, though the other beach from above starts directly behind those rocks on the left. This is Bracelet Bay, which I've always loved as it's a fantastic place for rock pooling and generally exploring when you're a kid. Or at least it was - the best thing we found in the pools on this day was a dead crab.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3XdsOl0NUisorKCPAD5rJZcFO4TxMihyr-A5oFpD78FvCrYllo8QarYrF4aSr_FIwJPUmroqnP6z683hBvIA5zz_LVHRIj-sczcXNwA7d6I1zdtRtuXAlj_HeTTz0tm8YAdyfo514Uw/s1600/BayCavePano.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3XdsOl0NUisorKCPAD5rJZcFO4TxMihyr-A5oFpD78FvCrYllo8QarYrF4aSr_FIwJPUmroqnP6z683hBvIA5zz_LVHRIj-sczcXNwA7d6I1zdtRtuXAlj_HeTTz0tm8YAdyfo514Uw/s400/BayCavePano.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is this cave there though. Three things there a plenty of in Wales: Caves, Castles and Beaches. I forgot my Phone the day we went to Oystermouth Castle, so no photos, but there will be a different one along below. <br />
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Anyway, this cave. It's one of my favourite caves. It's not very big (there's another small bit through a gap to the left, but this is basically it), but when the light is right you could almost imagine Excalibur sticking out of that stone in the middle. Needless to say the lighting was not right... but now I want to paint it as if it were, with a sword sticking out of that stone. Bugger. Christmas project for me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Sbz7A2kZFJXi48SU3HYj5bZZkKHg0WBlcG40syaNRHcZagUeZPuY-ORL2wO3XttJrOGTL7e7yZk9UYFvaENXgAlN-obkc_Fmu7z-htWpWG5tq2cKWuDEzR6GYquYCg5hogts04Ob98/s1600/IMG_20160705_031524.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Sbz7A2kZFJXi48SU3HYj5bZZkKHg0WBlcG40syaNRHcZagUeZPuY-ORL2wO3XttJrOGTL7e7yZk9UYFvaENXgAlN-obkc_Fmu7z-htWpWG5tq2cKWuDEzR6GYquYCg5hogts04Ob98/s400/IMG_20160705_031524.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is the last photo of a beach, I promise. This one is just an interesting rock formation on the far side of the cave. I don't think I have the camera pointed up, judging by the rocks in the foreground. That rock in the center is almost as tall as my Son if I remember rightly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0xOvDNXCEJNf_EB8jWT4xu1uxxK0rzWeYaZvgyz9SyeGWqCugXoGQVb8iYjgiCe2KJkfXC111bnOdU_SSagfHlXHmlQNFP0cDUS7mfv8gE6EFJ-ayYEliJv_gkQobIaQGtKsj8FKpVA/s1600/IMG_20160706_023650.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0xOvDNXCEJNf_EB8jWT4xu1uxxK0rzWeYaZvgyz9SyeGWqCugXoGQVb8iYjgiCe2KJkfXC111bnOdU_SSagfHlXHmlQNFP0cDUS7mfv8gE6EFJ-ayYEliJv_gkQobIaQGtKsj8FKpVA/s400/IMG_20160706_023650.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Random Streets of Britain: Part 1.<br />
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This is Gloucester Place in Swansea. To the left is the Dylan Thomas Little Theatre (Were I performed in Under Milk Wood when I was a teenager), and toward the end of the street the gray building peeking out above the darker red car* is the Exchange Building on Cambrian Place; probably best known for doubling as Victorian Cardiff in the winter in the Doctor Who episode The Unquiet Dead. I'll spare you more Doctor Who related photos, but there were a lot of them, for reasons mentioned later. </div>
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Anyway, this particular day we found a treasure hunt thing online, and being that we had no plans, and my Son was watching entirely too much TV at Granma's, we decided to head off and do it. It took us around much of Swansea's Marina district, a fair bit of which had changed since I was last there, but much of it was still familiar.</div>
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* The green sign above the same red car is of an anchor, not a deformed penis. I have no idea why my Phone's compression makes it look like one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo8cSpJvP1nZnEfFtyo3-wNwEUK4elcp6tVA3FHv9whlE7-x6kIAWPkYiGd9OfKkqbp-_YYABKnsBw44ZbgogxnD9JVNpM1NPXMqpI-gQCz9LIO6JZ83iHJZcvJPd0MXcUIoPiUDpePI/s1600/IMG_20160706_023825.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo8cSpJvP1nZnEfFtyo3-wNwEUK4elcp6tVA3FHv9whlE7-x6kIAWPkYiGd9OfKkqbp-_YYABKnsBw44ZbgogxnD9JVNpM1NPXMqpI-gQCz9LIO6JZ83iHJZcvJPd0MXcUIoPiUDpePI/s400/IMG_20160706_023825.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Random Streets of Britain: Part 2.<br />
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Some random part of the Marina. Like a song from U2, this street has no name. I suppose it's technically a quay and not a street. Well, you can walk on it, and there are buildings there - Street enough for me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqm1uRXLHmVgnpx4MFhQHwhlE127GJdiJtH-t5BBhQyhyphenhyphenMyXi1ptv4uixxqU_cFpT73jVECCeLXBTfaZBb7LswS_9O8X-W0qdWVPPo0RFeDcEB3VJWrg0mVwXbLvTCEAQxZj_BhkbigQ/s1600/IMG_20160706_023928.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqm1uRXLHmVgnpx4MFhQHwhlE127GJdiJtH-t5BBhQyhyphenhyphenMyXi1ptv4uixxqU_cFpT73jVECCeLXBTfaZBb7LswS_9O8X-W0qdWVPPo0RFeDcEB3VJWrg0mVwXbLvTCEAQxZj_BhkbigQ/s400/IMG_20160706_023928.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtwAjN0o97xFiG95_3pkK-4shXH2PqyqPa0wP5yi3RWYzcoCUwV1wottRi4MLlwtN50DzODfjiG7LrrDHr_FbUFktFck_3JD3wVQBAUfZi9R53z32u-V6JkyNCJCWdgm_xyYVzegSrbI/s1600/IMG_20160706_035647.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtwAjN0o97xFiG95_3pkK-4shXH2PqyqPa0wP5yi3RWYzcoCUwV1wottRi4MLlwtN50DzODfjiG7LrrDHr_FbUFktFck_3JD3wVQBAUfZi9R53z32u-V6JkyNCJCWdgm_xyYVzegSrbI/s400/IMG_20160706_035647.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XozMEenqRcDhjwjUM_IIDv8hdM8NZsRM8s2f8ilLgT0g37e6-4MYT9g8IKIrryK_OCYRlQfOcwSowxfK-c0Pov9lWzf3LrhwhHQvfA7rckFcCX__burMrhqdZQoy2rVNukaBqsuOAfo/s1600/IMG_20160706_042508.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XozMEenqRcDhjwjUM_IIDv8hdM8NZsRM8s2f8ilLgT0g37e6-4MYT9g8IKIrryK_OCYRlQfOcwSowxfK-c0Pov9lWzf3LrhwhHQvfA7rckFcCX__burMrhqdZQoy2rVNukaBqsuOAfo/s400/IMG_20160706_042508.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is actually on Gloucester Place too, to the right of that first shot. It's a gallery these days I guess (it used to be a church), but it was closed when we were there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SSevpK84hMhIUzrHrBHA5kLjyJr7GlJc1sS3g898_Iy16MGbplUqqkMUJ5ULn4bqHgAfp2MUCIa76OeVlpBQ3i7PW9LS78LT4rt8h40VH5iyA_zpczVytza6j0lYBVcRGc6ApB6G01g/s1600/IMG_20160706_050917.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0SSevpK84hMhIUzrHrBHA5kLjyJr7GlJc1sS3g898_Iy16MGbplUqqkMUJ5ULn4bqHgAfp2MUCIa76OeVlpBQ3i7PW9LS78LT4rt8h40VH5iyA_zpczVytza6j0lYBVcRGc6ApB6G01g/s400/IMG_20160706_050917.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the Bridge behind the Pumphouse. The Pumphouse is a pub, and was directly behind me in that first street photo. It was an actual pump house once, but now they just pump beers. <br />
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This bridge does not in fact cross the Marina, though I suppose it did once. It is one of at least two bridges I know of that go nowhere in Swansea - the other is behind me in that second beach photo at the top. In the case of the second one it's because it was either too expensive, or of too much historical significance to destroy*, but too run down to still work as a bridge. I'm guessing this one is the same, though its been like that as long as I can remember. I think the paint is new since I last saw it - I remember it being black.<br />
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* This varies depending on who you ask, and how cynical they are.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj513zkr9hsHBeaPCmEXXwCYwX1OhvoHjdlED8YIEEpOi952PYrFbkA4xsAwgCjbFTVW6c9pkDAiRgAoBFFnQG-xZWqM5dTF9_M2zRXQvJXN5NCU3tuOX5oXNrDiXDxXtZI1zxShjO5WDU/s1600/IMG_20160707_232809.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj513zkr9hsHBeaPCmEXXwCYwX1OhvoHjdlED8YIEEpOi952PYrFbkA4xsAwgCjbFTVW6c9pkDAiRgAoBFFnQG-xZWqM5dTF9_M2zRXQvJXN5NCU3tuOX5oXNrDiXDxXtZI1zxShjO5WDU/s400/IMG_20160707_232809.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Random Streets of Britian: Part 3.<br />
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Uplands Crescent in Uplands, Swansea<br />
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You may think I'm posting this photo because I've gotten drunk in that pub on the left (I have! But not this trip), or maybe making reference to the tanning place given I had terrible sunburn. Wrong I'm afraid. Expand the image and take a look at the rusted sign to the right.<br />
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No, I have no idea either, but it's wonderful. (EDIT: The sign is apparently regularly changed - a friend just sent me a shot of it saying 'Trump is not welcome in Uplands', so this photo is already capturing a moment of history)<br />
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The reason I was here is actually behind me, as this is opposite the Uplands Diner. Breakfast ahoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiAig6xW2gkfselCMvAbDr8XjXn27pcgGJip7kohSngWbVUuQOnCscGBPKoPc5ROM2z_7o-aNnIMDzyaRW-NpO-F_zFSbFVH0SglINfiQ-ul6fywtLhJpeA8Y8X-DSUwNl6iAhfIt9uo/s1600/IMG_20160707_230910.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXiAig6xW2gkfselCMvAbDr8XjXn27pcgGJip7kohSngWbVUuQOnCscGBPKoPc5ROM2z_7o-aNnIMDzyaRW-NpO-F_zFSbFVH0SglINfiQ-ul6fywtLhJpeA8Y8X-DSUwNl6iAhfIt9uo/s400/IMG_20160707_230910.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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2 sos, bacon, egg, chips, and beans with a slice of buttered bread and a half cold cut of tea. Delicious. This is not the last bacon in this post...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj7aChMhuYRdhbqrD-nuymtCd3ZPC7MrkqoeZouTiHKgMr5vv4nnsa7m3LnPgQloret0v9AbJAvSg3aBGbM2EnPgs8Nv494qXwgGJz029bREWqrgDJB7Sp1V1mhqIjyH1KOgyGVeyFQA/s1600/IMG_20160708_020953.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj7aChMhuYRdhbqrD-nuymtCd3ZPC7MrkqoeZouTiHKgMr5vv4nnsa7m3LnPgQloret0v9AbJAvSg3aBGbM2EnPgs8Nv494qXwgGJz029bREWqrgDJB7Sp1V1mhqIjyH1KOgyGVeyFQA/s400/IMG_20160708_020953.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is Morley's Lane (I may have spelt that incorrectly), which runs along the west side of my old school. That green fence is fairly new, but otherwise it's basically unchanged since I went there. <br />
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This was me taking my Son for a walk down my memory lane (literally in this particular case).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFWs38vmsrIPplWiBlk2oigZ7rakVrB1d7CAQTRfdqilPDt5WCs11DRwDuyMGjcY_opT5JvZXcyeAHRn2ZLqwu4G9FZBcZZdkDt4sWVv55wKbv_knf_mC2ZZfexqyt_pk8scLA3C4-QM/s1600/IMG_20160708_023325.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFWs38vmsrIPplWiBlk2oigZ7rakVrB1d7CAQTRfdqilPDt5WCs11DRwDuyMGjcY_opT5JvZXcyeAHRn2ZLqwu4G9FZBcZZdkDt4sWVv55wKbv_knf_mC2ZZfexqyt_pk8scLA3C4-QM/s400/IMG_20160708_023325.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypJXt1oymaO2QFhKfHXKd7MCe3_hRQWL-Q7GvF_fQvA-ASoN9T-4uq6378dqF0LxvXv60QH9DxP47axaNV2NYHHmtbsg5CEfYosMx8osRpShzwgS4OVGXPl7XI5jqXHtR7xOAhXic-PQ/s1600/IMG_20160708_023724-PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypJXt1oymaO2QFhKfHXKd7MCe3_hRQWL-Q7GvF_fQvA-ASoN9T-4uq6378dqF0LxvXv60QH9DxP47axaNV2NYHHmtbsg5CEfYosMx8osRpShzwgS4OVGXPl7XI5jqXHtR7xOAhXic-PQ/s400/IMG_20160708_023724-PANO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Also on the walk, a fair bit further, was Heol Las Park, which has changed significantly since I lived locally. The two shots above are exactly as I remember them though - except for the used condom on the bank. Fortunately my Son completely missed it, so I didn't need to explain what it was ("A milk filled water balloon! The milk has gone off!" See, I was prepping this eventuality in my head).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEi9Ro11gSZt4V1w-uvYXu0fPZiTwdZ4E9jr6t6i_V8Y8irq_4CwjnwqPa20MpHzUEp183Y2wbXPrvIoK4nu_Fh8wp4ZZjPc0njGALJE1yG1MhUDMdc8m-d9RE31Oqwg78sf8EfahcGI/s1600/IMG_20160708_024754.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEi9Ro11gSZt4V1w-uvYXu0fPZiTwdZ4E9jr6t6i_V8Y8irq_4CwjnwqPa20MpHzUEp183Y2wbXPrvIoK4nu_Fh8wp4ZZjPc0njGALJE1yG1MhUDMdc8m-d9RE31Oqwg78sf8EfahcGI/s400/IMG_20160708_024754.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUtMuZlLr-M-6qTOkZWEDvHYf7FG9JYKXSE0b-JRdYulxxLqRrnAOrqFJlKwqUPxyX_9zcx_43SwaqEJCFRGOt5if6T-Hs27IFBQNjpVHe7Fv6YKQDyOCbMiv9ScQ_Wy7Zcv5o3YZSH0/s1600/IMG_20160708_024115.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUtMuZlLr-M-6qTOkZWEDvHYf7FG9JYKXSE0b-JRdYulxxLqRrnAOrqFJlKwqUPxyX_9zcx_43SwaqEJCFRGOt5if6T-Hs27IFBQNjpVHe7Fv6YKQDyOCbMiv9ScQ_Wy7Zcv5o3YZSH0/s400/IMG_20160708_024115.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is the pump house (and nearby drain) from the Scott's Pit mine. It really was a mine, but I don't think it was ever an extensive or successful one. Anyway, I spent quite a bit of time in and around this area when I was a kid*, but it's mostly blocked off from the public now. My Son was more interested in the cows and horses in the adjoining fields.<br />
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*You would think this would be prime real estate for a spotty teenage me to hang out at, drinking beer snuck from a friends house, but I don't recall ever doing so. I think I just hung out at his house, and snuck the beer in his back garden. This may be because (if memory serves) some kid found a detonator from a WWII UXB there. It may have killed him, but that may be me confusing him with a different kid who died after sniffing glue I was about 7, things are hazy. There is a tale of someone who definitely died in an explosion further down though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_rgtyRfTGTkjroNzM1iT30bFTqcdwkCwGR9mjeiQLwDc0YfxnAIhptcVtDcF3DKQkyNNmA9X6EZ4bSUY8Y-aY7I-C1ETU6D9Sir3ucIZMAbjzwCuBpB6-iRI5WbyVhGuUpA7O7kRyIU/s1600/IMG_20160711_050351.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_rgtyRfTGTkjroNzM1iT30bFTqcdwkCwGR9mjeiQLwDc0YfxnAIhptcVtDcF3DKQkyNNmA9X6EZ4bSUY8Y-aY7I-C1ETU6D9Sir3ucIZMAbjzwCuBpB6-iRI5WbyVhGuUpA7O7kRyIU/s400/IMG_20160711_050351.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Random Streets of Britain: Part 4<br />
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This was shot from a random side street just off the place where St. Mary's becomes High Street in Cardiff. I just thought it was an interesting looking building. I don't think there's anything significant about it beyond that, although the panhandler sitting outside it was a bit of a dick about me not having any change (I really didn't, having just spent it all in the Spar across the street).<br />
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There's an Escape Room right behind me, and a Costa Coffee behind my right shoulder. The Costa wasn't bad, I don't know about the Escape Room.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw48d-MJwFCKWxEUurV7qwnILw_jXGOBYoOFCcTtPI3VLPfD-Nz3jVC2xJyDF6KYKIb63HF6E_51SNvNYgcAQgwi9g4sWSFBuJzjwS8kdtpX2Qus3MYqQEAi011vtsEVIF4oOyTY-qwPI/s1600/IMG_20160711_044028.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw48d-MJwFCKWxEUurV7qwnILw_jXGOBYoOFCcTtPI3VLPfD-Nz3jVC2xJyDF6KYKIb63HF6E_51SNvNYgcAQgwi9g4sWSFBuJzjwS8kdtpX2Qus3MYqQEAi011vtsEVIF4oOyTY-qwPI/s400/IMG_20160711_044028.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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More Cardiff. I think this is High Street. We were actually there to try a Brazilian restaurant at the other end of St. Mary's called Viva Brazil (which was excellent), as well as to go see the Doctor Who Experience. Me and the wife have been before, but my Son wanted to go, and that's a good enough excuse to do it again. No photos of that though (I took plenty), because they're easy to find online.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExWGYkz_sCzF-RyTcYVXZ39fyNi-nJEgOlR90rp_o8Fvzw6s_XGW_NXzI0HFIOtpQ7r5scPB2Z96AxD28QHD7a_hO3f70a_DdppcvK7rIAxSCfChNEdGXIdO1ehl-_wd_rs416KxfquA/s1600/IMG_20160711_024458.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExWGYkz_sCzF-RyTcYVXZ39fyNi-nJEgOlR90rp_o8Fvzw6s_XGW_NXzI0HFIOtpQ7r5scPB2Z96AxD28QHD7a_hO3f70a_DdppcvK7rIAxSCfChNEdGXIdO1ehl-_wd_rs416KxfquA/s400/IMG_20160711_024458.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPM9vKWTZCtypblXrTJCzik2jgNoe9yIfp73Vi804LWd0V512vfNAMQGD_i0PeQU4lb9-nsIskrWcCY8cvhiWDtDQ0K4NYiZt8uJqAVnC0GUnSdvVFZrB6kh65fytamUHtE4q4QzlE04/s1600/IMG_20160711_022737.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPM9vKWTZCtypblXrTJCzik2jgNoe9yIfp73Vi804LWd0V512vfNAMQGD_i0PeQU4lb9-nsIskrWcCY8cvhiWDtDQ0K4NYiZt8uJqAVnC0GUnSdvVFZrB6kh65fytamUHtE4q4QzlE04/s400/IMG_20160711_022737.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Two contrasting views of Cardiff. The second one is an old disused train station we found. The new station is just beyond the fence at the end. Well, I say station; it's a platform with a ticket machine. Progress!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlY_3ETGsbSh91GWH2V2zYVDHzOEt3hM0o80fn2MrvrIZPs57C2MqiZGkZF459dW9qR7rEg_LvlFTrmwSUGch0jJzdULuG5IFQpSZjvdwgtCoArOeazBLB4XQqhxqnJ9b5lS30PtCx-4/s1600/IMG_20160710_234828-PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlY_3ETGsbSh91GWH2V2zYVDHzOEt3hM0o80fn2MrvrIZPs57C2MqiZGkZF459dW9qR7rEg_LvlFTrmwSUGch0jJzdULuG5IFQpSZjvdwgtCoArOeazBLB4XQqhxqnJ9b5lS30PtCx-4/s400/IMG_20160710_234828-PANO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is one I took when we were actually visiting the Doctor Who experience. If you're in to all things Who you'll likely already know that just to the right of center is where the Doctor has a meal with the alien going by the name of Margaret in <i>Boom Town</i>, and just to the right of that is the main entrance to Torchwood, which is now a shrine to the characters killed in the show (mainly one in particular). There's a plaque there explaining that this is a memorial to a fictional character.<br />
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Then, to the right of that is Roald Dahl Plass, which was considered the secondary emergency entrance to Torchwood.<br />
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And yes, that's an awful lot of Doctor who in one photograph, even excluding the Experience museum just to the left of this shot. Mostly this is because Doctor Who is predominantly filmed at a studio right off the bay here, so I guess filming just up the street is cheap.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-WN7bDQtmYT2LeIzZjBVCKkxP2rgLEqbRU5pVL-NMhBTIwIgpIGNcCc2Ak9Qt1hKWZ9cGP_znPTk0bQHVIwnkRrrr8xHB_prvwDcl1KT747yByJYVlO1RrKB2d1AI-O5J7Sqvnhyphenhyphenmy0/s1600/IMG_20160712_013849.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-WN7bDQtmYT2LeIzZjBVCKkxP2rgLEqbRU5pVL-NMhBTIwIgpIGNcCc2Ak9Qt1hKWZ9cGP_znPTk0bQHVIwnkRrrr8xHB_prvwDcl1KT747yByJYVlO1RrKB2d1AI-O5J7Sqvnhyphenhyphenmy0/s400/IMG_20160712_013849.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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OK, no more Doctor Who, and on to Cardiff Castle, which we toured the following day. I don't think I've been to the castle in 30 years, but since it's a castle it really hasn't changed much. They're sort of known for that - though Oystermouth Castle had changed a lot. I'm not going to post a lot of Photos of it, because, like many things in this post, you can find better ones online.<br />
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This is the Lioness at one end of the Castle's 'Animal Wall', which has sculptures of 16 animals like this along it's length, sculpted by two sculptors about 40 years apart (the two sculptors, not each animal). In the background is the south west clock tower of the castle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-G5s3N1Aa1fkskKQ7JYs37bPJZn2z5MfGuRGT_wxeVD8UHQoL0h1_7WYnLNmiqcwWMihe58YuEBmLf6LX3rwPztAfMhkJ49S9PpiU_97Y7ilvAWPBjXV5iLlz13LePGiXsGFe9oHgVc/s1600/IMG_20160712_013634.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-G5s3N1Aa1fkskKQ7JYs37bPJZn2z5MfGuRGT_wxeVD8UHQoL0h1_7WYnLNmiqcwWMihe58YuEBmLf6LX3rwPztAfMhkJ49S9PpiU_97Y7ilvAWPBjXV5iLlz13LePGiXsGFe9oHgVc/s400/IMG_20160712_013634.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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More Animal Wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sJFhf7KZWtcftAqRk5i8nHji_9DYMkjBltSHAXnHRbWg4YiYUheRom-OgED4_cSBY-nXYHrqDeIpQW7Y9TTRb79_d7yv3rCGa4XZT_4DcYvDSKSj779cGnDp-HGNcxNnAuDJgjM6Q7Y/s1600/PANO_20160712_030426.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sJFhf7KZWtcftAqRk5i8nHji_9DYMkjBltSHAXnHRbWg4YiYUheRom-OgED4_cSBY-nXYHrqDeIpQW7Y9TTRb79_d7yv3rCGa4XZT_4DcYvDSKSj779cGnDp-HGNcxNnAuDJgjM6Q7Y/s400/PANO_20160712_030426.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the interior space of the castle. In the center is the main residence (not a residence any more of course), with the Keep to the right of it. To the far right is a Trebuchet, which I believe is a recent replica. Despite my saying little had changed, the modern Tourist center to the left of the image (actually just to the right of the Trebuchet, as this image wraps around) is 'new'. It's built into an earth bank so as not to impinge on the Castle proper.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN15tAxM_v3-BPOshoAscgLcAlGaNBDtrmeEWx3tacXq9zFv51fek0N9mvXQRRfBXa1FaE3WbMWq-NOx86Dz_4Zm_vgysVscEY0F52-ja1cmL2bKbvr3_Is_GiNt6uiu2rz7bQWTvpJCc/s1600/IMG_20160712_014920.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN15tAxM_v3-BPOshoAscgLcAlGaNBDtrmeEWx3tacXq9zFv51fek0N9mvXQRRfBXa1FaE3WbMWq-NOx86Dz_4Zm_vgysVscEY0F52-ja1cmL2bKbvr3_Is_GiNt6uiu2rz7bQWTvpJCc/s400/IMG_20160712_014920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While digging on the site of the tourist center they found this, which is now contained within it's building. It's a Roman wall, dating back just shy of 2000 years. Yes, there have been fortifications on the castle's site for a while*. And no, this isn't the last Roman thing in this post. Odd how things keep coming around like that in this post now I think of it.<br />
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*by a while I mean just shy of 2000 years, if that wasn't clear. Which it should have been.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOhglyr5Y9bvphFpnulm6c2HEuBbwG0KMVl-wVEeRUQN8P3Nflm3oqj1IGB10bugu1C3_7k7ZPkRLjA4u0uedMLUUJZxZQ0Q_a7bRj8PT8nArklkMAVHj2tpheMAW0ZJyL7bGu-Bb15c/s1600/IMG_20160712_023706.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOhglyr5Y9bvphFpnulm6c2HEuBbwG0KMVl-wVEeRUQN8P3Nflm3oqj1IGB10bugu1C3_7k7ZPkRLjA4u0uedMLUUJZxZQ0Q_a7bRj8PT8nArklkMAVHj2tpheMAW0ZJyL7bGu-Bb15c/s400/IMG_20160712_023706.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is a shot of a ceiling in the Residence. The Residence is about the most absurdly opulent place I've ever seen. This ceiling alone is probably worth almost the same as all the houses on my street. Yes, that's actual gold leaf, and the gold leaf is basically everywhere along with hand carved and hand painted sculptures and friezes. I'm only posting this one picture, because Google images exists.<br />
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If you're ever in Cardiff though I do recommend the tour of the castle, just to get a real sense of how nuts it all is.<br />
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Bacon again.<br />
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I made sandwiches out of it. <br />
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Look, British Bacon* is not the same as the bacon you get here in the US. You can, if you know where to look, get 'British Bacon' here, and it's close. But it's close to the sort of bacon you get from reputable butchers, rather than the mass market crap you get from the Supermarket. <br />
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The thing about the mass market crap though, is that it's phenomenally delicious, and I can ONLY GET IT IN THE UK (and probably Ireland and Denmark). So I eat a <i>lot</i> of it while I'm there. It's also cheap. Unbelievably cheap** I think we got 3 lbs of it for the equivalent of $10 US. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with US bacon, but there's room in the world for multiple kinds (and no, this is nothing like Canadian Bacon, which is also delicious of course).<br />
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* It's actually Danish Bacon. I don't think there are enough pigs in the UK to satisfy demand. <br />
** If Brexit does fail to happen, it will be because someone finally realizes it will mean the price of Bacon will skyrocket or something. Brit's are known for loving their tea, and their booze, but we really, really, love Bacon too (and cheese... Really like cheese. Except my mother, for some reason). OK, enough bacon already.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaK0InXPfHKJmbIKHHD_OvwPVkrke9GifMvshYkelhsHUN732QuHvRFoOCNH3KnC8rqijDeckm0YBHqohfX6hO_hyX8yz359USalwpzy2YURTMTm4VyxG9Pi6tkFZWTTykoFp6sEVgrw/s1600/IMG_20160713_062905.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaK0InXPfHKJmbIKHHD_OvwPVkrke9GifMvshYkelhsHUN732QuHvRFoOCNH3KnC8rqijDeckm0YBHqohfX6hO_hyX8yz359USalwpzy2YURTMTm4VyxG9Pi6tkFZWTTykoFp6sEVgrw/s400/IMG_20160713_062905.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Random road between my Mother's house and my Grandmother's. Those trees have grown a lot in the last few years - it's a really pretty road. Sadly the hedges on the left have grown a lot too, which rather limits the amazing view to be had on that side.<br />
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Random Streets of Britain: Part 5<br />
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I'm not giving you the name of this one, since my Nan lives there, but this street is really damn narrow, and that hill there is a lot steeper than it looks. The white house on the left there was the site of a suicide many years ago (but in my lifetime). Apparently the owner went into the attic, and blew himself up with a bunch of explosives. No, I don't remember the type of explosives, or any details really, I was about 9. I could ask I suppose. <br />
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I do remember there being bits of Roof all over my Nan's garden. Now I come to think of it, I guess it's entirely possible it wasn't all Roof. Ew! Glad that never dawned on me sooner.<br />
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Random Streets of Britain: Part 6<br />
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This is the street alongside the National Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon. Why take a picture of the street instead of the museum? well, firstly because it;s quite a pretty street, but also because the <i>whole damn village</i> is basically the museum. I mean there's an official building, and people do actually live in the village (there's a school 2 minutes walk behind me), but every other building has a symbol on it denoting that it's of historical importance. It's a really pretty village too. I wish we'd had time to look around a bit more, but unfortunately we were on our way to London, and had to return the rental car in a pretty tight time frame, so we zipped around it pretty quickly and didn't get a chance to visit the Roman Baths there.<br />
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We did visit this though, which is the amphitheatre. Gladiatorial combat happened here (at least I would assume so - the museum implied as much). It's smaller than you might think, but a lot bigger than it looks in this photograph. Also, and again, <i>Gladiatorial combat!</i><br />
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Random Streets of Britain: Part 7<br />
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We're almost done, I promise. This is Cartwright Gardens in London, where we stayed for 2 nights before heading home. The sun is out. This may be obvious, but I've been to London a number of times, and I don't recall it ever being anything other than overcast, so this wa sa big deal for me.<br />
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British Museum! We had two destinations in mind this trip to London; the British Museum, and the National Gallery. I wanted to do the gallery, and my Son desperately wanted to see the Egyptian exhibits at the museum. I have been here before, but this atrium area has been completely redone since I was there last. I had also forgotten how ridiculously big the space is. I mean look at it! there are 4 sides like that, and of course it all looks smaller in a photograph. No shots of the Gallery though - but obviously there are plenty online.<br />
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And this is the main entrance! With people for scale. <br />
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And that's basically it. We left for the US the next day on different flights that arrived at the same time. Somehow I got on a plane that had time traveled from 1999, and thus had no entertainment on demand. I didn't know that was still a thing on transatlantic flights. I feel I was overcharged as a result, as the flight cost basically the same as the one going the other way that had all the bells and whistles. Still, though decidedly boring the flight was pretty uneventful. <br />
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OH, I did get to see Concorde though. Not in the air, obviously as they're all grounded, but at Heathrow. Oddly there's just a Concorde sitting on the tarmac there, minding it's own business. I thought they'd all gone to museums, but this one is tucked away at Heathrow.<br />
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Oh, wait there was one more thing...<br />
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"Look honey," says my wife, "It's Lara Croft in '96 and 2016!" <br />
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We're well suited.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-36066007975356762272016-08-28T23:21:00.002-05:002016-08-28T23:33:37.267-05:00Whistle Stop Tour (Part 1)<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/08/whistle-stop-tour-part-1.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEAZC6TZKgd8fqWlN3nNce_O4fYYa52gfeAFcjE9lAj0p2R9VC3n-vMLWPzRZz0qwHW-kOp4tYgx50ogY-f88fVP1kfz7asURqgN6HBl0nwFDtDQH9acu7W_ah1lbrmcCLEHejhMxrRg/s400/Thumb1.jpg" /></a>This will be a rather unusual post, in that there will be photographs, and no paintings. It's possible there will eventually be paintings based on some of the photographs, but if that happens it will be unrelated to this post. <br />
It's also a rather late post, because, as has been pretty standard this last year, I've been busy, or distracted, and sometimes both at once. <br />
Finally, it's going to be a boring post, at least to the vast majority of you. This is the blog equivalent of looking at Auntie Ethel's holiday snaps, except instead of photos of the Taj Mahal, she took pictures of a tree in the Mughal Garden. I didn't go anywhere near India though, and the photos that follow are from Mexico. If you're still daring enough to see what follows, read on.<br />
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So none of the following pictures were taken with a decent camera (just my phone, as it's much more portable), and very few were taken with more than a moment's thought - generally they were shot in a hurry so as not to slow people up on the way to somewhere. Those times when I might have had an opportunity to take a more interesting picture, I was too busy being distracted by the thing I should have been taking a picture of. It is therefore a rather eclectic set of pictures. There are better pictures of a few of these things, but they were not taken by me, and therefore should have no place on my blog. I'm also trying to avoid photos specifically of people, as inevitabley they'll ask why I posted <i>that </i>photo where they look terrible, even if they don't.<br />
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Back in June I was sent to Monterrey in Mexico for work related reasons, to instruct our contracter there on some work related things. I was a trifle concerned about this, since I had never been to Mexico, didn't know anybody there, can't speak Spanish, and Unlike my trip to St. Petersburg (for similar reasons) I was making this trip alone, rather than with a co-worker who had been before. <br />
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I was quite pleased to make some new friends rather quickly, many of whom spoke exceptional English, and ended up having a wonderful time, both in relation to the work (bar some inevitable technical issues), and the personal time that came after. One evening led to my having the best steak I have ever tasted in my life for example, and on another I was invited to the practice session of a local band, <i>Circulos de Nada. </i> I wasn't entirely certain about this, knowing nothing about them beyond having heard some of their songs, quietly, on an i-phone in an effective echo chamber. It was actually an awful lot of fun though, and their music was much, much better than the stereotypical mariachi band my subconscious had supplied for expectation (not that there's anything wrong with mariachi band's you understand, but Circulos was fantastic, not merely tolerable). More on this in the next speedpaint post, as I realise we haven't had an image yet and should probably get to them in short order.<br />
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This view from my hotel room looked almost like a painting as it was. I rather like the juxtaposition of the highrise surrounded by relatively low lying buildings. The effect was somewhat marred in person as there are more tall buildings to the right of this shot.</div>
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On one of the first days of my trip I was taken to a little Enchilada place for lunch. The dining area seemed to effectively be someone's front room that had been converted into a cafe. I suspect that this is because that is exactly what it was. The food was delicious though, and I insisted we return there another two times before I headed home. Given the lack of resistance to my insistence, I suspect I was not alone in my enjoyment. Anyway, behind the eaterie, the rest of the house had been turned into a sort of museum, with each room sort of representing a different slice of time in a Mexican home over the last century or so. It was both fascinating and beautiful. The shot above is the alley way leading from the cafe to the museum.<br />
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And this is the courtyard at the rear of the house. To the right we see Chuy, of whom there will be more information in another post. To his right are the rooms of the exhibit, leading off the courtyard.<br />
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The inside of one of the rooms. I took quite a few pictures in there, but the lighting was quite low and very few of them came out well at all (mostly blurry). On the one day after this where we didn't eat lunch here, we went for Goat. It had never occurred to me really that goat would be something you'd want to eat, but I suppose a lot of Americans feel that way about Lamb, and lamb is absurdly delicious, so I thought I'd go give it a try. </div>
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Usually goat is served as individual pieces, but my host Sergio asked for it come come 'Family Style', so that everyone could try a bit of everything (fortunately, by <i>everything </i>he did not mean testicles or head, as both would be a little daring for my first go). Goat is pretty hard to eat it turns out, at least off the bone, as it's shown here on the right. It's a little like eating a chicken wing in the required dexterity, though the meat is slightly chewier. Tasty though. The cut meat on the left of the skillet is much easier to eat, and extremely tasty, though still more chewy than I'm used to. Would eat again. Sorry goat lovers.</div>
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These three photos of were all taken on the same day, the early evening of the night I went to the Circulos rehearsal. Two are just things I thought looked nice, and might want to paint at some point, and the third is of a whole heap of Animal themed Money-boxes placed on an island in the street - at least I think that's what they were. Why were they there? I'm not actually sure, but my Mother collects money boxes, so I thought it would be of interest.</div>
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I took more photographs of course, but these were the most interesting. There's another set I've done a painting from (which you'll see next speedpaint post if you haven't already), and at least one other I plan to - but since I have yet to paint all my planned paintings from my trip back in December, I wouldn't hold your breath there just yet. Oh, and on the last night there I tried Mexican pizza on a night out. I don't know if it was representative of all pizza in Mexico, but holy crap was that good pizza. One thing I never expected on a trip to Mexico was that the food was going to be so consistently delicious (though unfortunately the stereotypical effect on my stomach was much as I predicted based on trips to Spain).<br />
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The return home was a decidedly unpleasant trip, with a 2hr stopover in Texas spiraling into an all day affair, and my arriving back home at around 1am, rather than 5pm, but I made it intact and in relatively good spirits. Three days later it was my Wife's turn to leave the country; off for a trip to France with our son. This trip preempted another of my own two weeks later, where I met up with her again in my hometown, and ended up in London before heading back to the US. The UK part of the tour is where part 2 will pick up, hopefully in just a few days (realistically, sometime next year, but I rather hope not).</div>
HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-25426420506764597282016-07-24T14:59:00.003-05:002016-07-24T14:59:31.938-05:00Faster than a Speeding Bullet<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/07/faster-than-speeding-bullet.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPBZu-ilrYABrAAQeTToucYCyC8oVg540Xt-oSabfCAePy2pqWgoeBxXhCKUJEyLjsRU4ptGKVUiLL5clfcMiNtU63MZ9MbOMV5L-l0xK8yrf_Z5DWOwtueGxNLExz_3z4F-U5gvuVyE/s400/Speed-Jun-Jul-16-thumb.jpg" /></a>It's all about the speed right now isn't it? That should be sort of funny, since very few of them are terribly speedy of late. Still, here I am with another update. Next post I'll (probably) cover where I've been for the past two months, and for a change there will be photographs, rather than paintings. Yes, I'll be doing a dull as hell travelogue... sort of.<br />
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For now though I'm going to try and catch up on all my speedpaints at once (there aren't that many compared to last years pace), with minimal blathering about them (more because I've forgotten in all the excitement than just laziness, but some laziness too).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMgk31amMPeY40qoFcaHprzBqKV8ZBfjdvVgs8Z9VCboO-Gu66WC6K8BFzzmxPxUjtvZZOZWG_UNyR_zKAF50HpC-3ZGbeInKvTzDF_-_ef8hdJyoq0tANoIIsgi-4R4yeBf9R_gKNUA/s1600/1-ManJacket-95_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><br />
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMgk31amMPeY40qoFcaHprzBqKV8ZBfjdvVgs8Z9VCboO-Gu66WC6K8BFzzmxPxUjtvZZOZWG_UNyR_zKAF50HpC-3ZGbeInKvTzDF_-_ef8hdJyoq0tANoIIsgi-4R4yeBf9R_gKNUA/s400/1-ManJacket-95_1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 95 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Various references<br />
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I think the fact that it too an hour and a half is far more depressing than that I don't think it's terribly good. I'm trying to get better at pulling from multiple sources though, and this is the start of that. I'm still going to work directly from single photos sometimes, because I find it more relaxing, but less direct copying is a goal, and if I don't work on it I'll never improve.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspwK_F7gv3_desBAozecYrTTH5OZTFUc3bQTx62kEwjTHrhG4vQGxpGlponTpJUgOkiHRUvI7S51Vhb4CA1t_eyEo6hCzobTdxW2bfpAK2iVPsvzc9ARDrwwNCG-BkszbBm1OMWZ4_OA/s1600/2-Super-RecolMed_1.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspwK_F7gv3_desBAozecYrTTH5OZTFUc3bQTx62kEwjTHrhG4vQGxpGlponTpJUgOkiHRUvI7S51Vhb4CA1t_eyEo6hCzobTdxW2bfpAK2iVPsvzc9ARDrwwNCG-BkszbBm1OMWZ4_OA/s400/2-Super-RecolMed_1.png" width="290" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 240 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Well, it's the Man of Steel isn't it?<br />
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Speaking of direct copying. For me Christopher Reeve will always be Superman, with every other actor playing the role just being Actors who play the role.<br />
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Hmmm... Actually, a series of paintings just of people who've played Superman seems appealing.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aL_9O7xqJLQ" width="480"></iframe><br /></div>
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Yes, that's a timelapse YouTube video for you right there, instead of just an image. There's another one coming up later too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft2mtGqXEtsWhn4ktApzMI7-Em5EAYkoU6K7mmX1aZlPm5cniS0zJAy5LZUBTbdSXz8rSswAOUUQWeHEvgmCWc1Y_fKBnefgCogoC6BiNbqO7dxzvf1roOhNBuqpwGF08tuHHqRue3Ok/s1600/3-Backlight-60-Lrg.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft2mtGqXEtsWhn4ktApzMI7-Em5EAYkoU6K7mmX1aZlPm5cniS0zJAy5LZUBTbdSXz8rSswAOUUQWeHEvgmCWc1Y_fKBnefgCogoC6BiNbqO7dxzvf1roOhNBuqpwGF08tuHHqRue3Ok/s400/3-Backlight-60-Lrg.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 60 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
Based on: <br />
This Photo - <a href="http://tinyurl.com/hnxb9rc">http://tinyurl.com/hnxb9rc</a><br />
From this page - <a href="http://tinyurl.com/hlt6qt3">http://tinyurl.com/hlt6qt3</a><br />
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Speed wise, this is a little more like it. I was working on playing around with some techniques in Art Rage that it's not really used before. This one was done with a wet, non-self cleaning brush. Not a worry if you don't know what the means, it mostly means the way I blend and mix the paint, and the way the paint flows is very different from my usual stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXpzQQsYQV-ADKVkGxMvi8Wn0v3ivWvDmj1-Cj7_-wExMcGIDuOTuHkBkw_iG2yqtWTVqzEyErz3JyH_pv42qsv1IOmlFNTHqi6o2hPgENBPHPjVbpOqWvstDV5TW40ojNzQBjyUoSN8/s1600/3-Backlight-65.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXpzQQsYQV-ADKVkGxMvi8Wn0v3ivWvDmj1-Cj7_-wExMcGIDuOTuHkBkw_iG2yqtWTVqzEyErz3JyH_pv42qsv1IOmlFNTHqi6o2hPgENBPHPjVbpOqWvstDV5TW40ojNzQBjyUoSN8/s320/3-Backlight-65.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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I did a version with a few minutes Post work in Photoshop too - mostly to give it a little soft focus.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsryNLa5v7n8dXxkv-Mg_XznpUOujksfPsMkzqTE-rjP1NlqOk95o3VaMvXMesbFLNIBXYMzJK-X-yGhLeU4Tya0eXAcMBILiflRkG45TTLgiSvsHgJBLtu_Dq2aEv16Sp5dnu-2V8KLA/s1600/3-Backlight-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsryNLa5v7n8dXxkv-Mg_XznpUOujksfPsMkzqTE-rjP1NlqOk95o3VaMvXMesbFLNIBXYMzJK-X-yGhLeU4Tya0eXAcMBILiflRkG45TTLgiSvsHgJBLtu_Dq2aEv16Sp5dnu-2V8KLA/s400/3-Backlight-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here's the step by step of it. You can't see here, because I didn't save a shot of it, but I painted her head twice, because the first effort left he looking like she had the moon on a stick instead of a face. Corrected for it pretty quickly, but it did not go as smoothly as this image makes it seem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTXCKuNyfVCODyP6-TkkIyH6kRKwbau69bz1R013LQZ1wB9I6uSSROIii_DqXMgKDB1KnzTvDnnLLK2yQSKfML73OpFpz1YHKwP46_zdXK71rCHQmb-mYtLJ9JUGTStZbRWaHwCu4A0E/s1600/4-Vintage-90-LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTXCKuNyfVCODyP6-TkkIyH6kRKwbau69bz1R013LQZ1wB9I6uSSROIii_DqXMgKDB1KnzTvDnnLLK2yQSKfML73OpFpz1YHKwP46_zdXK71rCHQmb-mYtLJ9JUGTStZbRWaHwCu4A0E/s400/4-Vintage-90-LRG.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 90 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on (badly): <a href="http://tinyurl.com/hvq4tbd">http://tinyurl.com/hvq4tbd</a> - Victorian era star Minnie Ashley<br />
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Despite not being a particularly good likeness, I really like this one. It's another one with post processing, which I should really dial back on (don't want it turning into too much of a crutch), but in some cases it really adds to the final result (other times it doesn't, in which case I don't tend to show the post processed version.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_VKPY0v1Shfe_6U0VP_vjoHE2lWpsf4IYdTz1gYRHH6HjjKszC_x_lX7xGFqrTEeF_ETdHCwY4iQTn_3iRpPZsBTi09G06xTf3R-l9NsQTj8gq-vYUtrnFMXjvo9vNO5PnubY3NyHBTI/s1600/4-Vintage-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_VKPY0v1Shfe_6U0VP_vjoHE2lWpsf4IYdTz1gYRHH6HjjKszC_x_lX7xGFqrTEeF_ETdHCwY4iQTn_3iRpPZsBTi09G06xTf3R-l9NsQTj8gq-vYUtrnFMXjvo9vNO5PnubY3NyHBTI/s400/4-Vintage-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the step through you can see that I had her eyes further apart until right at the last minute, when I pulled them in a bit. It wasn't wrong as such (beyond not looking like Ms. Ashley), but I prefered the look of the closer set eyes. You can also see that the post processing increased the brightness, and also softened the gradients a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3BMUVmP2CQGi-_lsg5n6tjqG6O0WIYUtErXhoCsOTKvSvkLCFtgDrKda4_B4eL4IAC50CgSx2TfHbsZxiDKKU4drh6IF9egi4_jn88YNh18looGnvimSVK-tICC2KB5gg4TDpizFL-c/s1600/5-Jacket-130_1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3BMUVmP2CQGi-_lsg5n6tjqG6O0WIYUtErXhoCsOTKvSvkLCFtgDrKda4_B4eL4IAC50CgSx2TfHbsZxiDKKU4drh6IF9egi4_jn88YNh18looGnvimSVK-tICC2KB5gg4TDpizFL-c/s400/5-Jacket-130_1_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 130 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Various Pinterest pins - See the end of the video for the most significant.<br />
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So the previous image was done almost two months ago, so this one was mostly one to get me back into the swing of things. I've started a couple of pieces (about a month ago), but nothing that got very far due to other distractions, so I needed something relatively simple to work on. This, like the first speedpaint this time, is a combination of a few sources to make something fairly new. I think it turned out better than the previous effort, but it also took longer, so there's that.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iV96mLmu-00" width="500"></iframe><br /></div>
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Like the Superman painting there's a YouTube video to go with this one, but I'm trying to make them look a little more polished at this point - hence the little logo at the beginning, and the inclusion of the timer and webcam view. Eventually I might do voiceovers on them or something, but one step at a time. The main references used are shown at the end.</div>
HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-9847484898288529342016-05-22T13:51:00.000-05:002016-05-22T13:51:21.944-05:00A Hot Mess of Speed<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-hot-mess-of-speed.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK2Q2q2RfbB-OxfKIkwYWTnqIGL5MnVrKUF9kAAY0Xb35haRx2KvwxpS6jPxQvBXleJPQK0ZLT1aburKzUchJVWpPvc1mdS6ZDtFszkKXDNhGYBoOwUw3opE3eHCI1xMzVn6EHiwFO1A/s400/SpeedApril16-thumb.jpg" /></a>The last month has been pretty bad for art. My art that is, not art in general, which trundles on just the same with or without me. So far this month I've done a mere two speedpaints; one of which was bad, and the other took 4 hours (so not technically a speedpaint I suppose). Last month though, last month was pretty good. Six speedpaints (though two were more sketches than paints), two of which were pretty good in my opinion. Let's go have a look.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVK7OwMWNIvTKtGwPT2Z3kPKXV3vK6uaPBybxkvXbROGKDqQzeqNt0pviUBy9MA_wQH8d7M2weSh4H9fzWTMr0x5J6BeAo9zVQWY2LSwVtM2t3sLdSMCeVSrbHLI9vLPRdqiHVrJdNzBw/s1600/59-sketchbrush2-15_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVK7OwMWNIvTKtGwPT2Z3kPKXV3vK6uaPBybxkvXbROGKDqQzeqNt0pviUBy9MA_wQH8d7M2weSh4H9fzWTMr0x5J6BeAo9zVQWY2LSwVtM2t3sLdSMCeVSrbHLI9vLPRdqiHVrJdNzBw/s400/59-sketchbrush2-15_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 15 minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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This is one of the sketches. Not much to say about it other than that - I was testing out a new brush.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH2XDjbTR98dlPI7l-l0B0Wup81meYYseWdOUTa90YyAuFfk1t_naDf1PB63Heq9un2QvsXY9saWsyP6FHqrObltcBVIjWTe_rtzWlu8aaA_m_ZUgzFl0PWxKq_e5xghjnZKVRQTTMZ4/s1600/60-TaeDoodle-25_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH2XDjbTR98dlPI7l-l0B0Wup81meYYseWdOUTa90YyAuFfk1t_naDf1PB63Heq9un2QvsXY9saWsyP6FHqrObltcBVIjWTe_rtzWlu8aaA_m_ZUgzFl0PWxKq_e5xghjnZKVRQTTMZ4/s400/60-TaeDoodle-25_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 25 minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Almost everything is Photoshop now. I still love ArtRage, but it's unfortunately less easy to use with the Cintiq. Anyway, this is basically a doodle, of Korean singer Park Choa. It's not a good likeness. I'll be painting her again at some point, but this just happened to be visible in Pinterest when I got an urge for a quick paint.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzZ3Bqp8fy4fEQVV6jwL4vBLi6diTxmXuqtZ7eZJDFwmGAYlTmHYAThDYsA3dKFU6gPtBmvgr5VoQCCYwmqU-t2wdCBXCltwvUTpw2cvCrFf2LE2mQgwzch8ulHZKpXCwgE6BItZOPIM/s1600/61-Dapper-175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzZ3Bqp8fy4fEQVV6jwL4vBLi6diTxmXuqtZ7eZJDFwmGAYlTmHYAThDYsA3dKFU6gPtBmvgr5VoQCCYwmqU-t2wdCBXCltwvUTpw2cvCrFf2LE2mQgwzch8ulHZKpXCwgE6BItZOPIM/s400/61-Dapper-175.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 170 minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: <a href="http://wgsn.tumblr.com/post/108337736294/timeless-menswear-style-perfectly-coordinated" target="_blank">This photograph</a><br />
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This took far too long for what the result is, but the result is pretty good, so I'll take it. I just wanted to paint a slightly more interesting face, preferably a man with good facial hair - and this guy has epic facial hair.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP42TNL7gMz_58B4fX0RWWMs7IjdsoZG3wiipPBBn6ETkeGgsBW5JA7P1XuXbp7KlCG9N6BL_t4u5p9KQ6M44Esgp4uprNm2qjBe9qpjf8VQDtF2jKJEOUCuBuPBKZuhy9TfO5rKIzJ8M/s1600/61-Dapper-175-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP42TNL7gMz_58B4fX0RWWMs7IjdsoZG3wiipPBBn6ETkeGgsBW5JA7P1XuXbp7KlCG9N6BL_t4u5p9KQ6M44Esgp4uprNm2qjBe9qpjf8VQDtF2jKJEOUCuBuPBKZuhy9TfO5rKIzJ8M/s400/61-Dapper-175-Stages.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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I find it interesting how much the white hair really adds to this one. I could have done him with black hair, as the initial thumbnails suggest, but that was never the final intention, and as soon as the grey comes in for the beard it completely changes the feel of the whole thing. He's like Santa on vacation in Cannes or something.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8k8njQAmMygXlVizZWCtGHjXeUxRHMDL1s8iugdSh-nxKu3P01owW2UfnEMLT90xaUQwnFyUQIcEgSNXvACKx3Xn5EQGtGHY1UKm54pBHUOUEgtvuaaAe9E8SzQZHWYk3Uk6qQ_ayP0/s1600/62-Scotland-LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8k8njQAmMygXlVizZWCtGHjXeUxRHMDL1s8iugdSh-nxKu3P01owW2UfnEMLT90xaUQwnFyUQIcEgSNXvACKx3Xn5EQGtGHY1UKm54pBHUOUEgtvuaaAe9E8SzQZHWYk3Uk6qQ_ayP0/s400/62-Scotland-LRG.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 75 Minutes</div>
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Software: ArtRage</div>
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Based on: <a href="http://the-village-green.tumblr.com/post/77008398514/pureblyss-englishsnow-scotland-by-escape" target="_blank">This photo of the Scottish coast</a></div>
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Still trying to occasionally do some good environment pieces. They're getting better, but oddly the ArtRage ones always have a very similar look, right down to the colours I use. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjF5gaAQy5NzxgsRxKY3NEH35JrrkbRxogp_Ld0mYaJruJfjYrzBjr_QL8hk5aUZ2647JeJqgiygm48l6rGbHhb8mND3w12osjLWZ-Qa4kajx-701lG2Inaq2vEJSmRK8-krw4GtrFbg/s1600/62-Scotland-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjF5gaAQy5NzxgsRxKY3NEH35JrrkbRxogp_Ld0mYaJruJfjYrzBjr_QL8hk5aUZ2647JeJqgiygm48l6rGbHhb8mND3w12osjLWZ-Qa4kajx-701lG2Inaq2vEJSmRK8-krw4GtrFbg/s400/62-Scotland-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one was more a study of the water than it was the land, and I learned quite a bit from doing it, so that's something.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmKue7IRKmBhTLSNNN5VGtBvYZZRUGjPsPWFIiQ8JYg-WVa5hnfQCJyIgEpiYNsAehFu7SxeW25FYsY80VjDxEe0OtDNnTczNUWqvccNZwro3pRZpjthXCjadguJZ4VaDLV28crtlYlI/s1600/63-indycity-Mid.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmKue7IRKmBhTLSNNN5VGtBvYZZRUGjPsPWFIiQ8JYg-WVa5hnfQCJyIgEpiYNsAehFu7SxeW25FYsY80VjDxEe0OtDNnTczNUWqvccNZwro3pRZpjthXCjadguJZ4VaDLV28crtlYlI/s400/63-indycity-Mid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time taken: 170 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: Personal photo taken in Indianapolis</div>
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Another long winded one, but I'm quite happy with the results. Well, except for the large building in the background - that still looks sloppy to me, but the ground is quite nice.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVEcAwi8kKZfRR2AptjtdYdczVq2LKIlUnZXS6sr-iDMUYkL_7fyHV_p71_USAPPEUXoSfn0Tn1pP5lzqzHgXjTKA71DFk8NPPJhCq0Av4K8vP2UPrfX0GexjEciorW39umX9L-QZsSA/s1600/63-indycity-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVEcAwi8kKZfRR2AptjtdYdczVq2LKIlUnZXS6sr-iDMUYkL_7fyHV_p71_USAPPEUXoSfn0Tn1pP5lzqzHgXjTKA71DFk8NPPJhCq0Av4K8vP2UPrfX0GexjEciorW39umX9L-QZsSA/s400/63-indycity-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I created three new brushes for this one - one for the grass and leaves, one for the branches, that I also used for the cracks in the foreground, and one for the fence. Creating the brushes took a reasonable amount of the overall time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssdc4H1s2VKB53XX4-OZobAhbCp7Qq-AiLBdTo_Sm3ewWM4Ivng3Qm_NheOEPqUcD1LBV0AHD9PEjGaGS24tarPIT3Bar_HQFfkETAySIAB6OVtaE-Oa3m-WujIVVkK4gP-7c_dJE5Zo/s1600/65-RedBra-90-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssdc4H1s2VKB53XX4-OZobAhbCp7Qq-AiLBdTo_Sm3ewWM4Ivng3Qm_NheOEPqUcD1LBV0AHD9PEjGaGS24tarPIT3Bar_HQFfkETAySIAB6OVtaE-Oa3m-WujIVVkK4gP-7c_dJE5Zo/s400/65-RedBra-90-crop.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 90 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: an old photo I found on my hard drive - I'll try and credit it when I do this properly</div>
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This one came about as I wondered if I could use the brush for the fence in the previous one for a whole painting. Not quite, but I do like the colour I ended up with. One day I'll come back to this one and paint a lot more of her (hopefully looking more like the model so it's worth crediting). I'll probably keep the colours like this though, which are quite different to the original photograph.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlLSGM56TJOciyr6RTwm4h06ynOyu0RtTGOdNuMxLkavc7BTRHPSWomPsvqynRhLeRVdPobFAX0myCYBFmtUNuykRTDpm7N3YbUKDmTVrwwGygb7noceT1CKxRlfFlK9n5n-3kU9Mmxk/s1600/65-RedBra-90-stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlLSGM56TJOciyr6RTwm4h06ynOyu0RtTGOdNuMxLkavc7BTRHPSWomPsvqynRhLeRVdPobFAX0myCYBFmtUNuykRTDpm7N3YbUKDmTVrwwGygb7noceT1CKxRlfFlK9n5n-3kU9Mmxk/s400/65-RedBra-90-stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-10306232115559465052016-04-17T23:22:00.000-05:002016-04-17T23:22:56.901-05:00Speeding to Catch Up<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/04/speeding-to-catch-up.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtS55asJUut8h4KlpGPTlD72evu1x5C1UGWlmY9yn09WuJwfXcQ5ks5yxJTImdhek_poXH-shGHTo_JNQya4aOt2VCnKADsdtyTnxP6FcXJcsM54DrksOoQZ-SH5aS6hgKvFNIza1Y2Wo/s400/SpeedJan-March-thumb.jpg" /></a>I've decided to stop giving reasons as to why posts are few and far between lately, and just post when I can. Eventually things should calm down enough that I can make them more frequently. Until then, I have some catching up to do. <br />
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To simplify things a bit I'll just post the images of the last three months of speedpaints, and only comment when there's something of particular note. For the most part the methods used are very similar to previous ones I've posted about. There's quite a few of them (10), so this might be a long one.<br />
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<b>January</b><br />
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Time Taken: 85 Minutes<br />
Software: Artrage<br />
Based on: Very loosely, a photo of Bella Thorne (I think)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1kKGlyz27BQodyo44IHErBpFhYs68yYUzNvQbuJzb0vBezpHuX1QZ0tfZ-ra3qua-q6ijdvKr7EZtgz2l4jW0XbxYsqoESlUeHe3y0S70Nncxvu77UDUSO2PMIViKE0D1mxclpTlivM/s1600/49-Bikini-0A.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1kKGlyz27BQodyo44IHErBpFhYs68yYUzNvQbuJzb0vBezpHuX1QZ0tfZ-ra3qua-q6ijdvKr7EZtgz2l4jW0XbxYsqoESlUeHe3y0S70Nncxvu77UDUSO2PMIViKE0D1mxclpTlivM/s400/49-Bikini-0A.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />
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Did some colour correction at the end when I painted in the balloon. Also a rare case of me working out the pose structurally, instead of by eye. I should do that more often.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TIN8CaekN0g6Puu1diUCmWsdgqV5W_0qYkKbzdVEf2UMYDB_tSVBZCGwlQXAkHSHd9o0jj3chDHyng6ObrguWRutFrRl6EkVFRS3knRi60tY66hVu5m-lItKuhFsKM_-iHzpL6n1Azw/s1600/49-Bikini-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TIN8CaekN0g6Puu1diUCmWsdgqV5W_0qYkKbzdVEf2UMYDB_tSVBZCGwlQXAkHSHd9o0jj3chDHyng6ObrguWRutFrRl6EkVFRS3knRi60tY66hVu5m-lItKuhFsKM_-iHzpL6n1Azw/s400/49-Bikini-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 140 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
Based on: Nothing specific - Space doodle perspective practice<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZIQQRSPpaGX_yRGlCLxQJwPQh68Z0ywYh_5xpdPiuPbOaoQieVftAiv7vYI1Fuhi8aPvEgT1wwDVvPmATe7u9BHqdXScnspX2Xk3iKsJFHKdJE8TqgJrk1-CZluDYu-278div0ant30/s1600/50-separation-140.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZIQQRSPpaGX_yRGlCLxQJwPQh68Z0ywYh_5xpdPiuPbOaoQieVftAiv7vYI1Fuhi8aPvEgT1wwDVvPmATe7u9BHqdXScnspX2Xk3iKsJFHKdJE8TqgJrk1-CZluDYu-278div0ant30/s400/50-separation-140.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2q71nVp5b3OQRTgAgppx4Titt5_Q_w9hxDvlVI9ev4HK6vWpigb9L6BNm5WHPshkYbG1t2aA5bD-YpICAVUlupBMgK4gk5gfTYvVHkHPpHILGw-77WoLvDrFx1ZUdT8RoK7a9Ko8zps/s1600/50-separation-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2q71nVp5b3OQRTgAgppx4Titt5_Q_w9hxDvlVI9ev4HK6vWpigb9L6BNm5WHPshkYbG1t2aA5bD-YpICAVUlupBMgK4gk5gfTYvVHkHPpHILGw-77WoLvDrFx1ZUdT8RoK7a9Ko8zps/s400/50-separation-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 65 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: Nothing in particular, just a doodle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSv8rUEF3fAqY47jE3VP3cAXLK1IW-fl07mJ7OWEOro6RRgq-foEEWIqjQoDUwJUYVoAcKClLXrWf-ST5RJ4HPZ5VS9bU3IWZylE1DWkzu7u-NtqdUBf7R1bCwKTvePPHLij29OZs5QEQ/s1600/51-Stained-00.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSv8rUEF3fAqY47jE3VP3cAXLK1IW-fl07mJ7OWEOro6RRgq-foEEWIqjQoDUwJUYVoAcKClLXrWf-ST5RJ4HPZ5VS9bU3IWZylE1DWkzu7u-NtqdUBf7R1bCwKTvePPHLij29OZs5QEQ/s400/51-Stained-00.jpg" width="330" /></a><br />
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More colour correction at the last minute. I've been doing that a lot lately - I should work on getting it right in the first place, but sometimes it can help an otherwise insipid image, especially when it's not fully planned out when started.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQs9XsftUJ5gM95ReLuPc_3qnp0MjW1Cw87iWqXc8DCplqcBv0MEpWLxdX98oYvuqFLJq-n4fc3ScoaE7Zx5P-AnN2iEaClOqegRpvuSOq6A70fQBpS9i8uVGCinXgIacdXTTwFTS1kg/s1600/51-Stained-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQs9XsftUJ5gM95ReLuPc_3qnp0MjW1Cw87iWqXc8DCplqcBv0MEpWLxdX98oYvuqFLJq-n4fc3ScoaE7Zx5P-AnN2iEaClOqegRpvuSOq6A70fQBpS9i8uVGCinXgIacdXTTwFTS1kg/s400/51-Stained-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 145 Minutes</div>
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Software: ArtRage</div>
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Based on: Gene Hackman as Harry Caul in The Conversation</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlU4IGnMtMgeyx9YclBghmnonTDFuEZ2Zmq8-7C1sryr3i1Ws2oNJTwr0XSHmPYe-Bf2tioSTuVdXnWtiK4-_1QjAr2tHV0rrQfebTStMdQTEFSLKtCdfINtfkV2y7gcWk4nHDQY_Cxg/s1600/53-hackman-lrg.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlU4IGnMtMgeyx9YclBghmnonTDFuEZ2Zmq8-7C1sryr3i1Ws2oNJTwr0XSHmPYe-Bf2tioSTuVdXnWtiK4-_1QjAr2tHV0rrQfebTStMdQTEFSLKtCdfINtfkV2y7gcWk4nHDQY_Cxg/s400/53-hackman-lrg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RpKKiXrY0ve93BepunaDYjj1OKX7J85y9H3PiGnRLKFw1r-sEfitm1rAh9SZIwwV5-nSP2kGn8jn-Pzov_AAHVOvbgpOtxwT02qf3YKW4wr6_faHSBpFhYNsTesuPeanUcNMeQpAcqg/s1600/53-hackman-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RpKKiXrY0ve93BepunaDYjj1OKX7J85y9H3PiGnRLKFw1r-sEfitm1rAh9SZIwwV5-nSP2kGn8jn-Pzov_AAHVOvbgpOtxwT02qf3YKW4wr6_faHSBpFhYNsTesuPeanUcNMeQpAcqg/s400/53-hackman-Stages.jpg" width="355" /></a><br />
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<b>February</b><br />
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Time Taken: 15 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: Nothing, just a quick loose doodle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGCqwMCyL5LlZA9ZTxbAtzE8yv1uYR_dE7uWjBZ2n9uXMExU_7j5cdNWDBwg_Jh1Mh2q1ZXsMrkQ_Ptb2n5fiAdIuYk_aWXfu0YHBVWOAzeu4f37T3UnBuxCpDwokKXtN1ur1Psj7Y50/s1600/52-Warlord-15.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGCqwMCyL5LlZA9ZTxbAtzE8yv1uYR_dE7uWjBZ2n9uXMExU_7j5cdNWDBwg_Jh1Mh2q1ZXsMrkQ_Ptb2n5fiAdIuYk_aWXfu0YHBVWOAzeu4f37T3UnBuxCpDwokKXtN1ur1Psj7Y50/s400/52-Warlord-15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 170 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: Swiss/British/Korean Model/Actress Clara Lee</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGp6v1n9V1EWnqxpX_j4h6lPNEU00jiy860ujo3cheyBq6kZpR3Cab4m8paBy5GaNncT0qQ5AgOGyFfh8-DCU2FKBzZO8Zqw-94uSDQSz4db0bT8ap_u4I1JTp3KDTi6eEIiyEqSfmA0/s1600/54-ClaraLee-170-Lrg.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGp6v1n9V1EWnqxpX_j4h6lPNEU00jiy860ujo3cheyBq6kZpR3Cab4m8paBy5GaNncT0qQ5AgOGyFfh8-DCU2FKBzZO8Zqw-94uSDQSz4db0bT8ap_u4I1JTp3KDTi6eEIiyEqSfmA0/s400/54-ClaraLee-170-Lrg.jpg" width="295" /></a><br />
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I kept thinking I would get around to removing the red, but in the end it added something I liked so I left it. Did a fairly large rejig midway through using Photoshop's transform tool to pull some of her proportions in a little.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tOUrCdM3d-lrOxVOMnoZNu2SVzm0iX171nEE19xDCU0aM23rezcR4Dtw9gMhH3VMJhiHHNx2BKX6YXYsWwrsOUKXoajBtGdHhWGheGFPH7adSH0QepAlM8BBsi60o-uRUyZRVtPDPug/s1600/54-Nylon-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tOUrCdM3d-lrOxVOMnoZNu2SVzm0iX171nEE19xDCU0aM23rezcR4Dtw9gMhH3VMJhiHHNx2BKX6YXYsWwrsOUKXoajBtGdHhWGheGFPH7adSH0QepAlM8BBsi60o-uRUyZRVtPDPug/s400/54-Nylon-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 60 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: Another doodle, some minor reference</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSdygxhTTfxeB9K-Pih0OJf73kKjaxH1ypWe9Y3JOoItOHeKBbpnvVhTJzu_y5J2_IxwCUK4vhEtrsMGQmyuQ9T3HaGPsSPomxXEiPTWoNffa2j9ovamSbQ-KKLICPxoFDInMeIaejiI/s1600/55-Janus-60.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSdygxhTTfxeB9K-Pih0OJf73kKjaxH1ypWe9Y3JOoItOHeKBbpnvVhTJzu_y5J2_IxwCUK4vhEtrsMGQmyuQ9T3HaGPsSPomxXEiPTWoNffa2j9ovamSbQ-KKLICPxoFDInMeIaejiI/s400/55-Janus-60.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 140 minutes</div>
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Software: Artrage</div>
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Based on: A Photograph (Source Unknown)</div>
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Painting rocks is time consuming it turns out. I have no idea where the photo this was based on came from, and Google is not it's usual helpful self. Looks Eastern European or Russian though.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MS2KEkOipWSulsIRlw_Qr160JUB7Vwh9czh156B5WfFbWlOZWbd6VQ_ssKg-nc3BAuWLgKV_gyTaVeT5rYjtt_QbUaWKLUL9Wr2D_4ebxp4Ui1YHqtJU3w1T3u4DAHfCYEpOHiPsXCg/s1600/56-Yugo-1_Mid.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MS2KEkOipWSulsIRlw_Qr160JUB7Vwh9czh156B5WfFbWlOZWbd6VQ_ssKg-nc3BAuWLgKV_gyTaVeT5rYjtt_QbUaWKLUL9Wr2D_4ebxp4Ui1YHqtJU3w1T3u4DAHfCYEpOHiPsXCg/s400/56-Yugo-1_Mid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukqDAJDJ2XFVeLlxKCrvPLDq_V_dKgCYgWaP5mOEKaB0S4zOXbuD2ittqd2uChifgq0zn5xYXfSe-ahQ_kWvR5HH1rINLSrPLXeuNfB1NlE136RGzHcU1REpcgcO5BH9rYPFhWY21Koo/s1600/56-Yugo-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukqDAJDJ2XFVeLlxKCrvPLDq_V_dKgCYgWaP5mOEKaB0S4zOXbuD2ittqd2uChifgq0zn5xYXfSe-ahQ_kWvR5HH1rINLSrPLXeuNfB1NlE136RGzHcU1REpcgcO5BH9rYPFhWY21Koo/s400/56-Yugo-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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I did a colour pass on this one too, to get a different feel (more like dusk), but in this case I liked the warmer one more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6ZBQ0WDca0Rf-nHYuk9OLahSjJzv_v6dvWEfIZIDfA3war6-pFHc6pBeniIWbBtCjdMjWuUdyuh44G7mgS02ce0Cr7pjocg32xXuWa94ghYp9ZTzkC3Q1ahyiU7qQdINcVPzGzL3W50/s1600/56-Yugo-Compare.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6ZBQ0WDca0Rf-nHYuk9OLahSjJzv_v6dvWEfIZIDfA3war6-pFHc6pBeniIWbBtCjdMjWuUdyuh44G7mgS02ce0Cr7pjocg32xXuWa94ghYp9ZTzkC3Q1ahyiU7qQdINcVPzGzL3W50/s400/56-Yugo-Compare.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<b>March</b></div>
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Time Taken: 20 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: Nothing, just a pose sketch to get it out of my head.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGxxxBhcF26oWdqtxsgLSbChbBoCUmKgNjnXMYPwlBwf1CUH0PizZs1OLk0nzYL60PG1mH-4jFcKm44oY05PqN5ZFSWQvqpNb5ei021k4s_IUvQz3a_B_V8IebYdyNsz3rYUzLP8GLAA/s1600/57-Angel-20.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGxxxBhcF26oWdqtxsgLSbChbBoCUmKgNjnXMYPwlBwf1CUH0PizZs1OLk0nzYL60PG1mH-4jFcKm44oY05PqN5ZFSWQvqpNb5ei021k4s_IUvQz3a_B_V8IebYdyNsz3rYUzLP8GLAA/s400/57-Angel-20.jpg" width="365" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 135 Minutes</div>
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Software: Photoshop</div>
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Based on: Small Pinterested image of Christina Ricci</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIn77Qftaz_wjFoRBddUHG_Y87oO7IrOJQPPTL_vLEZEv-rFCgYKCif6inM4qaiwQTvCY4XCsqzW2FsMJRqLj05chUXSK4ci_DHjzXDt3mOUwVONjAucvn7aD_DArQDaL7Ly3vsLf2guY/s1600/58-Christina-sml-135.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIn77Qftaz_wjFoRBddUHG_Y87oO7IrOJQPPTL_vLEZEv-rFCgYKCif6inM4qaiwQTvCY4XCsqzW2FsMJRqLj05chUXSK4ci_DHjzXDt3mOUwVONjAucvn7aD_DArQDaL7Ly3vsLf2guY/s400/58-Christina-sml-135.jpg" width="363" /></a><br />
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Some heavy modifications on this one. You may not immediately notice, but between the second and third stage I narrowed her head and arm, and then on the fifth I cut her head out and scaled it up quite a bit. Actually using some of the power of the tools lately. Not useful for when I get back to traditional work, but very handy for a digital piece in a hurry.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGH9bmjed834cTVtcQw9tHJwWLebOKV3lYccZunFkpO5QoeA_hwoNB7V327ARhyphenhyphenSmyO2Dlf-mafXcq7gbwjoKtEFJq6ZzBMevTZH5MLDJVph0YyT3eCwFqXn1JSBTPPM7ZhG-jPaK1no/s1600/58-Christina-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGH9bmjed834cTVtcQw9tHJwWLebOKV3lYccZunFkpO5QoeA_hwoNB7V327ARhyphenhyphenSmyO2Dlf-mafXcq7gbwjoKtEFJq6ZzBMevTZH5MLDJVph0YyT3eCwFqXn1JSBTPPM7ZhG-jPaK1no/s400/58-Christina-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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April isn't over yet, so this months paints will need to wait until next time.</div>
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-79745902230454388152016-03-22T00:25:00.000-05:002016-03-22T00:25:13.536-05:00A Psychochronography in Chrome - Addendum<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-psychochronography-in-chrome-addendum.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOjf7ATd1De9VF5wA6EAOnvCXQSm6cQaBue40SrzbzCCJydu2ka-9pG3sdhyQbqFilNh57GHR66ZNlpbAiPuSZpFeARpIyQ16TQ5qUrcmXCVn_QXamjH2jJW4MyrFmFiv1Iv7CzvNzx0/s400/Guided2-Thumb.jpg" /></a>Well, yes, I suppose I should write another blog post, given that it's been over a month since my last. Why so lax of late? The usual; Just been busy, and blogging ranks fairly low on my list of priorities (right above Cleaning the Toilet, which is something I do more regularly - I didn't say it was a list of most fun things!). So this puts me about a year behind on the sketching posts (not actually that bad, since I've not been sketching much either, which is worse than not blogging about it), and two months behind on Speedpaint posts. I have at least three other things to write about too, so hopefully things will calm down a bit soon so I can catch up...<br />
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This post actually returns to something I've posted about before - one of <a href="http://www.eruditorumpress.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Sandifer's</a> book covers. I wrote about the cover, but I also mentioned that while the cover was done, the full illustration was not. I've rectified that over the last week, so now I can close out this chapter with a write-up. See what I did there? Chapter? See, it's a post about a book? Oh, never mind. If you need to recap about the other half of the following painting you can read about it, and the book, <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-psychochronography-in-chrome.html">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhwtYnBAhy5aztAC-ySDHJBc64x1YGeUHVmP0AMrryJ2FKPAuYQ_CSfV-jwy0__ljYiQgw6aaHV58F_8RBgFro6-dqDTwxzYsj8kV9ZrZkID7TECv6vNKPYuqBLNj4YON0GOwVF_M4Dk/s1600/Guided-1970.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhwtYnBAhy5aztAC-ySDHJBc64x1YGeUHVmP0AMrryJ2FKPAuYQ_CSfV-jwy0__ljYiQgw6aaHV58F_8RBgFro6-dqDTwxzYsj8kV9ZrZkID7TECv6vNKPYuqBLNj4YON0GOwVF_M4Dk/s400/Guided-1970.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Okay, so the cover was finished, and probably nobody would have minded if I'd done no more work on it, except me, and I did mind. I thought it might turn out to be a great painting, and really it did turn out fairly well. I was busy for a while after Christmas (still am - see above), but I really wanted to get this done so I could clear it from my mind and move onto something else, so I got ArtRage running again and got back to it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT18BHtlxAdwT4EHJAHyi7qLy3jqi1HXl1BYRoLib1CUVKVGgSKuyRGvLje9hUfSQco1EX5cKzF3wArINCLCnllFGYWY-CwherGG5FurTeHAxJyvK7w1IAecnb8DwGpgzXpxAxmzS4iCw/s1600/Guided-BC2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT18BHtlxAdwT4EHJAHyi7qLy3jqi1HXl1BYRoLib1CUVKVGgSKuyRGvLje9hUfSQco1EX5cKzF3wArINCLCnllFGYWY-CwherGG5FurTeHAxJyvK7w1IAecnb8DwGpgzXpxAxmzS4iCw/s400/Guided-BC2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The first thing to do was to work out how I wanted it to look. I did this by going back to the original speedpaint and layout sketch, and then doing some more work on it. This part was in Photoshop rather than ArtRage. I also used this as a test bed for some of the lighting I wanted to do. I knew I wanted the woman lit mainly by diffuse light, except for some points where the light was breaking through the leaf cover, and he was half in and out of the shade. This was enough to proceed on, but since I was busy it was a few weeks before I sat down to work on it properly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBT2Xa1kHSrndGnaYj9gV7q9XFdm_Ywl_1C8_yO0y0iZVJzlxYJ2vhXbhskrqnZl8Aokg_SpHdZlzkRe58QjFVi-fGOVD1Osh8TehiZ6u-wsvjZE6iIGnBUrnFpJpgLgmVoUTCTIDSLw/s1600/Guided-Stage13.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBT2Xa1kHSrndGnaYj9gV7q9XFdm_Ywl_1C8_yO0y0iZVJzlxYJ2vhXbhskrqnZl8Aokg_SpHdZlzkRe58QjFVi-fGOVD1Osh8TehiZ6u-wsvjZE6iIGnBUrnFpJpgLgmVoUTCTIDSLw/s320/Guided-Stage13.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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Step one was laying down the flat values on which the rest of the painting would be built. Not very exciting, so I've skipped that here and shown the second stage, which was filling out some of the detail on the tree. Here I've also filled in some of the coverage behind the woman. I intended to do a lot more work back there when I was done, but in the end I barely touched it, as I didn't want additional detail to draw away from the woman herself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7Vi6TnMXZVCKiMqs1mw6vP6luqKpz9FQdoZO0sQNDwHm5KIBPjJfy9IIHWuqlRuxQGYrd5k0xYGvsffKcSm7MfxNG52x4kbHiSpgvYUP-Tl3ie3FsaxADYYDtkZx5J1HT0l72pGpXT4/s1600/Guided_Stage16.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7Vi6TnMXZVCKiMqs1mw6vP6luqKpz9FQdoZO0sQNDwHm5KIBPjJfy9IIHWuqlRuxQGYrd5k0xYGvsffKcSm7MfxNG52x4kbHiSpgvYUP-Tl3ie3FsaxADYYDtkZx5J1HT0l72pGpXT4/s320/Guided_Stage16.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Next was painting the rocks, which turned out to be harder than I thought in this style ( I have trouble with Rock generally - I should do some studies). I got to a point where I was happy with it though, and started on the man. I should mention that the Man is mainly based on <a href="http://fav.me/d1bk3ch" target="_blank">this image</a>, by the always incredible <a href="http://mjranum-stock.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">mjranum-stock</a>, but I didn't adhere to it as much as I usually might, using it more as inspiration than trying to replicate it exactly. I've based speedpaints on both the photographer's work, and on this exact model before, so don't be surprised if either of those links look familiar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqc4P7_QAIWbEPiLmEHbedNIn7_C8uh-ByaxUbRzXhm_oHNSAdiwa2MSFH9BDzh9-n489GIlsu9VzLPIfTBGTmhH8Fv7KvK7Ub5r4g9q3NiBzci95BP82_jDbaN8e6Wh0el9fVnut3eI/s1600/Guided_Stage18.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqc4P7_QAIWbEPiLmEHbedNIn7_C8uh-ByaxUbRzXhm_oHNSAdiwa2MSFH9BDzh9-n489GIlsu9VzLPIfTBGTmhH8Fv7KvK7Ub5r4g9q3NiBzci95BP82_jDbaN8e6Wh0el9fVnut3eI/s320/Guided_Stage18.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Not much to add here that wouldn't equate to '<a href="http://i.imgur.com/ntPY750.jpg" target="_blank">Draw the rest of the owl</a>', so we can skip on pretty quickly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGHqan4-JZ_y50KwYzF8N8xKPLKjMUChKyNXz73J8DEIwALGwAotmclDtBKjoLPuXU96gnb1dZk3fAbgenQ2MsxqWPoPLR2MoipRLMqwlF3TIq58IB8f_HnD-h-DCgosYIRIIOx8VmJk/s1600/Guided_Stage20_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGHqan4-JZ_y50KwYzF8N8xKPLKjMUChKyNXz73J8DEIwALGwAotmclDtBKjoLPuXU96gnb1dZk3fAbgenQ2MsxqWPoPLR2MoipRLMqwlF3TIq58IB8f_HnD-h-DCgosYIRIIOx8VmJk/s320/Guided_Stage20_1.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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Unlike the man, I didn't have one solid reference for the woman. I had one woman that was half a pose reference, and another two for the rest (photographed from different angles, of wildly different body types, clothed and unclothed, with different lighting), and then another handful of images as reference for her robe, none of which were remotely close to the pose or lighting.<br />
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This was a little intimidating, but I thought I'd give it my best shot anyway. You'll note that her leg changed angles between this image and the next - I realised that her foot was at completely the wrong angle for her leg here, and it was easier to redo the leg than work out how to repaint her foot (I hate doing feet). The man also got mostly finished here - The predominant thing of note was that I shortened his neck from the layouts as it looked a bit odd in actual practice.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzhIbZa62XSTBkkpWzfIU4n-WCJxFh-lg_NqyuFEkJhjsQbf-S2mcZhpuuPg_b9FPuT2nw9Y1J6aYUryt-jIf6TRavxSDyP-Le-b0GlGmc99948dySCjrlaXP58U59bGgjHh835Af6TQ/s1600/Guided_Stage21.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzhIbZa62XSTBkkpWzfIU4n-WCJxFh-lg_NqyuFEkJhjsQbf-S2mcZhpuuPg_b9FPuT2nw9Y1J6aYUryt-jIf6TRavxSDyP-Le-b0GlGmc99948dySCjrlaXP58U59bGgjHh835Af6TQ/s320/Guided_Stage21.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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More owl (no actual owl, obviously, though in retrospect that would have been cool). Her head and hair were painted with no reference at all though, hopefully that's not completely obvious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvrU1mfPk8srdjwazawmO9YgW97A-25ETGmYcYcH8kQICOsx8ezGMA1VCoZ-9zVx2CZOkSpAUvh8fyPcy6bxYjicZ-2LbnDAGSOhYUXZ-ZfSVlN3ohm1DaxvwLPciK3y7e6pos_f9XMs/s1600/Guided_Stage23.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvrU1mfPk8srdjwazawmO9YgW97A-25ETGmYcYcH8kQICOsx8ezGMA1VCoZ-9zVx2CZOkSpAUvh8fyPcy6bxYjicZ-2LbnDAGSOhYUXZ-ZfSVlN3ohm1DaxvwLPciK3y7e6pos_f9XMs/s320/Guided_Stage23.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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Originally I was going to be quite careful with the sun dappling, making each patch match the contour and shading of the surface the sun was hitting. After a couple of them I realised you couldn't really tell, so I just splodged on some brighter areas, and that more or less did the trick. I'm halfway through doing the bloke's head here so it does rather look like someone just threw scrambled egg at him. I also refined the end of the stump on the tree, right above the man's head. A subtle thing really, but it makes a difference.<br />
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After that, to reach the initial image in this post, I finished up the sun dappling, refined the rocks immediately in front of his feet, added strappy sandals to both of them and arm jewelry to her, added a new tree, and some branches to the right of the main tree trunk, refined her hair and the belts, painted his staff and signed it. That sounds like a lot, but really it went by quickly enough that I didn't save an in between image other than the tree appearing in the background.<br />
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The lighting is probably a little off, as for the sun to have them in the shade the way I've depicted you would either have the sun higher in the sky than the way the reflection appears on the rocket, or there would be greenery poking in along the top edge of the painting. That would change the composition a fair bit though, so I'll go with the questionable lighting for the overall effect (and I'll bet until I mentioned it you didn't notice, and now you have you can't unsee it - bugger).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-roMvFTXP6RlkFn-TXCiDLmEKpH_0aL5QwTOvt0B-aBPIrAYMdMECpfhC-OziHMgDlP9bG47hUG86TMzSrwOnEziZkbyYG8QFsUaBrkMgShl_jLqzQPgSIKwj1ckzuSROIyhnKiegass/s1600/Guided-Detail.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-roMvFTXP6RlkFn-TXCiDLmEKpH_0aL5QwTOvt0B-aBPIrAYMdMECpfhC-OziHMgDlP9bG47hUG86TMzSrwOnEziZkbyYG8QFsUaBrkMgShl_jLqzQPgSIKwj1ckzuSROIyhnKiegass/s400/Guided-Detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, here's 4 closeups of the final piece, that you can better understand how loosely the whole thing was painted. This is similar to the <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-change-of-speed.html" target="_blank">Rodeo Girl</a> I did before Christmas, and obviously the previous part of this painting I'd done for the cover. It's quite a different look from the style I usually use, and actually takes longer even though it looks less refined, because I don't yet know exactly what the result will be when I make a stroke - I like it though, so it will probably join my list of things I do on occasion when the intended result best suits it.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-66006425429304772622016-02-14T13:32:00.000-06:002016-02-14T13:33:13.658-06:00Painting at the Speed of Fail<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/02/painting-at-speed-of-fail.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO63wHmTT9mAaKZciGvFskS8vT76GL9xARIjnzvAWQhnUa-7Ob3d_ZY_lrDOeFWuNVw6FLNziK6AAbhNd8vgUw-C2ava7wOwD3Tf_NZ7I2Rn3b9IaEXUEXWnmSChRdfH5hVn2zNKtF0ug/s400/SpeedDecember15-thumb.jpg" /></a>Clearly I lied in the last post and did not get to writing another, until now. I should stop trying to predict the future in my posts, because it's shocking how often things I predict don't come to pass. Or maybe I should predict things I don't want to happen, so there's a lower possibility of them occurring. Either way, here I am again with another update on some speedpaints, only two months after I actually did them. Back to December for this round. For the sake of my schedule though I'll try and keep this one fairly short. On the other hand though, videos!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tlwRVghxHxfbX87OfghdU_SdHnrb2JgyKYZ7Jnj6tus4EwX__bNSj4Fj-ef299lVH6lvgGEkqxAdewHJpxaEQ9A9eE1N6J881um-DLxpkOpB8mq-B8GUfz8lJsWhGByFU_FMp26ua_o/s1600/44-LizardThing-25.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tlwRVghxHxfbX87OfghdU_SdHnrb2JgyKYZ7Jnj6tus4EwX__bNSj4Fj-ef299lVH6lvgGEkqxAdewHJpxaEQ9A9eE1N6J881um-DLxpkOpB8mq-B8GUfz8lJsWhGByFU_FMp26ua_o/s400/44-LizardThing-25.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Time Taken: 25 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
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It's a monster taking a selfie. What more do you need?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0f7DcXXxabXr5fBNpMGF9VtHpD-bUsuaS3W3xBWC42e_VMczISHMg2fvbhaZ-4M6sYWzMm74AZED7HjARpSB4yJNonHgjptNsEAXB4s_f7tqQsPfffwbMMyz_qpFMCXHTEROTRVt6Ac/s1600/45-viking-90-sml.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0f7DcXXxabXr5fBNpMGF9VtHpD-bUsuaS3W3xBWC42e_VMczISHMg2fvbhaZ-4M6sYWzMm74AZED7HjARpSB4yJNonHgjptNsEAXB4s_f7tqQsPfffwbMMyz_qpFMCXHTEROTRVt6Ac/s400/45-viking-90-sml.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />
Time Taken: 90 minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: <a href="http://fav.me/d4q8kuy" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://fav.me/d4q8kuy</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> from </span><a href="http://randomactscreative.com/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">randomactscreative.com</a><br />
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Loved the lighting and colour on the original reference, so I had a go at recreating it. I also had a go at capturing one of those fancy timelapse videos, and finally got it working out. So, no step by step, just a video. Fun.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QT7gcdFKFVY" width="480"></iframe><br />
</div><br />
So as you can see, I have the original image open on the left while I paint on the right. I used to have the reference open on my right monitor while I painted on the left one, but since I've started working with a Cintiq having a reference on my other monitor is only good for the occasional glance, so this works out better.<br />
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I have the images set to the same resolution, which means I can zoom in and then scale the other one to match with a keyboard shortcut. You'll see my cursor appearing over the original image fairly regularly, especially at the start - this isn't me colour sampling it (I didn't sample any colours from the original here), but rather how I measure it. Hover over a point, and then flick my hand to a second point. Do that a couple of times and then use the muscle memory to do the same on the other window, but this time while drawing a stroke. It's not as accurate as measuring properly, or using a grid, but it is fast and usually close enough.<br />
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If it's worth me doing more of these (there's another one along in a minute), let me know in the comments (you may need to brush aside some cobwebs down there).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDomyLBQH3UqOKGOzVQeUSaqeU8a6jll7JLnh3kzMeu5iOFNJwg8e-W7YTtOujW2ncK-SMotdWPvhMGMQBKml1zBRHLJslIMMx17pdjvTibpPQZHzLFiBdQPKp8l9RVtcXpftSU1vWr04/s1600/46-Emperess-90_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDomyLBQH3UqOKGOzVQeUSaqeU8a6jll7JLnh3kzMeu5iOFNJwg8e-W7YTtOujW2ncK-SMotdWPvhMGMQBKml1zBRHLJslIMMx17pdjvTibpPQZHzLFiBdQPKp8l9RVtcXpftSU1vWr04/s400/46-Emperess-90_1.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>Time Taken: 90 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
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Not a finished piece by any means, but what I'm hoping to do more of from now on. A piece from which I could develop something more finished from should I want to. It's not really based on anything specific, though the pose is similar to one I saw on Pinterest. Mostly I was just interested in blending some Medieval looks with some sci-fi tech.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7UOBfOqxyyaNPxe7ox22Sscwx-Lkb8YIdieWjm6zdFKvjQUQwTmR7Nm7Ts5SeIlrrIQP5mwnPClDb4V8aOhmojZJkFyaadJfU-su8L3_NiQVhVdkkKo3MYKsJz-QPainiSHlo5CJodM/s1600/46-Emperess-stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7UOBfOqxyyaNPxe7ox22Sscwx-Lkb8YIdieWjm6zdFKvjQUQwTmR7Nm7Ts5SeIlrrIQP5mwnPClDb4V8aOhmojZJkFyaadJfU-su8L3_NiQVhVdkkKo3MYKsJz-QPainiSHlo5CJodM/s400/46-Emperess-stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I don't love the piece, but I quite like the outfit for the most part (not sure about the stomach region though, but it's better than just showing a midriff I suppose).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaIIwGnS49PSPyXyNLFo2xgVBuXqDBI7ukECzDOnriVmNfukLA3D2-foPoPWB3_IUtpH4cBEacoTbOl7apVkPhKdRouFqEmT1GmDicbK10oDnZdxh8xvUhwwj2beb_sUrCLLGnKxpMpA/s1600/47-StPetersburgl--50-190.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaIIwGnS49PSPyXyNLFo2xgVBuXqDBI7ukECzDOnriVmNfukLA3D2-foPoPWB3_IUtpH4cBEacoTbOl7apVkPhKdRouFqEmT1GmDicbK10oDnZdxh8xvUhwwj2beb_sUrCLLGnKxpMpA/s400/47-StPetersburgl--50-190.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Time Taken: 190 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: A photo I took in St. Petersburg<br />
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Part of my Designated Area series, this is from where I had to stand outside the hotel if I wanted a smoke. There were more people around in the original, but I left them out to save time.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWU7uPfAO0bVqPSSAUBAKW4iJeJn4lhOm-Q7hugZ69Nlq3nx9bbePfr96QDgJ-ZRCCVkV3bu3R5LfiusrQAUTurVwf-HdZt8f8gJLp88GBVr1cZVwpWgNh1DgEnR0VQqD5Asz22hY_Vbo/s1600/47-StPetersburg-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWU7uPfAO0bVqPSSAUBAKW4iJeJn4lhOm-Q7hugZ69Nlq3nx9bbePfr96QDgJ-ZRCCVkV3bu3R5LfiusrQAUTurVwf-HdZt8f8gJLp88GBVr1cZVwpWgNh1DgEnR0VQqD5Asz22hY_Vbo/s400/47-StPetersburg-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Due to jetlag I was outside at some fairly strange times of day. Twice while I was out there I encountered a young woman seemingly taking her horse for a walk. She offered to let me ride it for a fairly small price. I'm not sure this would have been pleasant for the horse - I'm a pretty big guy, and it was a fairly small horse - so I declined. The young woman did not seem terribly impressed by that. I was mostly impressed that she started off speaking English, but I suppose there's a reasonable chance a tired looking white guy standing outside a St. Petersburg hotel at 4am is a jetlagged visitor who speaks at least <i>some </i>English.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRRv3_51ATQVElolzLeLIuveVFn0eagpNQCZlhCVj3gQYn9wNzL0T3tMdDWMwstkUFAA95oyXMqm_txMOQv4jrtYfyAoGD_tYp1IKTy-yWZVwV0ShetxDb7sR2JYK2NU2aTyWQ4GJiD0/s1600/48-Molly-50-130.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRRv3_51ATQVElolzLeLIuveVFn0eagpNQCZlhCVj3gQYn9wNzL0T3tMdDWMwstkUFAA95oyXMqm_txMOQv4jrtYfyAoGD_tYp1IKTy-yWZVwV0ShetxDb7sR2JYK2NU2aTyWQ4GJiD0/s400/48-Molly-50-130.jpg" width="256" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Time Taken: 130 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
Based On: A photo of our Foster Dog, Molly<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">We fostered a dog for a week after Christmas. She ended up going to a new forever family after that, because right now we don't have time to introduce a dog into our lives full time (I can barely find time to write blog posts!). Anyway, if it wasn't for our schedules we might have taken her ourselves because she was the most ridiculously well behaved Dog I've even met. OK, enough about Molly, here's another video, this time from Artrage.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jV7JhFvSKeo" width="480"></iframe><br />
</div><br />
As you can see, I use a quite similar setup in ArtRage as I do in Photoshop. Ref to the left, paint to the right. The main difference is that I can't easily scale the ref to match the canvas size (I left the bit where I try and get them close at the beginning out of the video). There are a couple of jumps here and there - that's where my recording ran out and I didn't notice to start it up again for a minute or so. You'll note I moved one of here eyes at one point - I like to avoid doing that, but I quite liked how the eye looked, and didn't want to repaint it. I think this one is recorded at a more frequent rate than the previous one, so you're seeing it at a slower speed.<br />
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And that's it for today! No promises, but I'll try to be back before the end of the month so I'm only posting paints after a maximum of a month, rather than two (ugh, I can barely remember painting half of these ;))</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-31796205824506715392016-01-18T17:04:00.002-06:002016-01-18T17:04:45.912-06:00A Change of Speed<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-change-of-speed.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-s1A_R2t6-ay8_H4Q1Hr8E-A65knpkLNtNicfwZsYLw6SXCkcZz2NErDjmgG76CwW8dSvRGaVa8edcIGhwPW2mYjVY9OLqj7oQgu70CJsNNfFLFOX0B-f2o6u3z-clCluWuYuzyVOP88/s400/Speed-Thumb-Nov15.jpg" /></a>Time to start catching up on the Speedpainting for the last couple of months. So far this month I haven't painted any, which is a little miserable. Not that I've done no art at all, just nothing that I can show, and even if I could it wouldn't be very interesting. This also means I've not really started on going back to the fundamental studies I set as a new year resolution. I've done a little, but not at the concentrated level I'd conceived. Early days - January is often a little chaotic, and this year more than most.<br />
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Anyway, this post takes us all the way back to November, which seems like a year ago at this point. I'd better get on with writing it, or it will be a year before I finally cover December.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFB173gIlWLoWazlCpkhyphenhyphent37yZsiBJUlh62VZrE7hObyP6koApTavyp0HLaUi7EYrT7yU6QpUkWUMAKWgyqq_3cvR9vvlfOrvvLzwQGahwJCGJTzUWcWRTYC44eYTYmyxfBTrw2DopoE/s1600/41-me-120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFB173gIlWLoWazlCpkhyphenhyphent37yZsiBJUlh62VZrE7hObyP6koApTavyp0HLaUi7EYrT7yU6QpUkWUMAKWgyqq_3cvR9vvlfOrvvLzwQGahwJCGJTzUWcWRTYC44eYTYmyxfBTrw2DopoE/s400/41-me-120.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Time Taken: 120 Minutes</div>
Software: Photoshop<br />
Self Portrait<br />
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So, if you've been paying attention you may recall this one from the previous post. November 1st was Self Portrait Day, and apparently this has been a thing for a while, though I knew nothing about it until last year. I thought I may as well take part as it had been a little while since I'd had a new profile picture (which is what most of my selfies end up being - just like anyone else's really). I wanted a picture from that day, rather than one from a photograph taken before. Sadly by the time I decided to participate everyone else had buggered off to bed, so I had no one to take a photograph of me to base it on. Briefly considered using a mirror and working from life (I've done that a few times), and then decided I'd just take a snap on my phone and work from that. <br />
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It being late I completely forgot to save any progress images. I mean it's usually late when I paint, but this time I was also up against the clock to get it done by midnight. A shame, because as I mentioned last time it's one of the better pieces I've ever done in many ways. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EeSbvdJ4sLLrSO9ziplA1nZFMGjTvoOBKah0CIvNMADYLzAqpSfOHK_y5Q87-IUXqYdAhMknZycdfz4QpjwEfUwo-Fp-kiIDNdHmGApUfyslQAWTHBm4jJk1ZtNMc_BfY4TyGsQwmAg/s1600/42-fawn-120-medi.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EeSbvdJ4sLLrSO9ziplA1nZFMGjTvoOBKah0CIvNMADYLzAqpSfOHK_y5Q87-IUXqYdAhMknZycdfz4QpjwEfUwo-Fp-kiIDNdHmGApUfyslQAWTHBm4jJk1ZtNMc_BfY4TyGsQwmAg/s400/42-fawn-120-medi.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 120 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
Based on: Selfies of a friend of a friend<br />
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A friend of mine linked me to the photo this is based on shortly after Halloween saying it looked like something I might paint. Turned out she was right. Despite being in a halloween costume I thought the photo and costume looked quite festive. I asked the friend to ask her friend if I could paint it - the answer was yes, and I got some additional photographs to work from should I want to. I did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxIBLjh8ZI67OOZY9tSp240oDoJaH38LyOVaWP4mOfsRnOD5sOBbJoqCDeIkVpXwSosf9sXmz9PVuBUCbnSN0sErZfWAExkdaNLx16mHvBraARwDzx705m6LM4RypuRQcuJvOBMYk2gU/s1600/42-dear-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxIBLjh8ZI67OOZY9tSp240oDoJaH38LyOVaWP4mOfsRnOD5sOBbJoqCDeIkVpXwSosf9sXmz9PVuBUCbnSN0sErZfWAExkdaNLx16mHvBraARwDzx705m6LM4RypuRQcuJvOBMYk2gU/s400/42-dear-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The end result is a combination of three of the photos I think. The face and hair is the original one I saw, the angle of the shoulders a second, and the headdress a third (it was cropped off in the original). Originally I was going to have a very graphic background, but around the time I reached the second row I realised the whole thing looked like the sort of Meme that would have Impact font text top and bottom. Something like "What if Harry Potter is real... but sold to us Muggles as fiction?" So with that in mind I went back and made it more snow like at the end. Not much else to say, although I was using a different bunch of settings from the usual, which I also mentioned last post, and will mention again when we get to the rodeo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5DKE2Cj19KwbzxNuhwQGVW2VbtWDGkA7qP9ZZo6JG1jstfTpnn7oAhuzWWCa7yL0xVR6QXLP2-xrJVSJKK7-cUWOBOXu6SBb8B8HHrm_CCsGUQ-brjwMGVdOvHBvTklqh6lh9KOnveU/s1600/43-rodeo-135.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5DKE2Cj19KwbzxNuhwQGVW2VbtWDGkA7qP9ZZo6JG1jstfTpnn7oAhuzWWCa7yL0xVR6QXLP2-xrJVSJKK7-cUWOBOXu6SBb8B8HHrm_CCsGUQ-brjwMGVdOvHBvTklqh6lh9KOnveU/s400/43-rodeo-135.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 135 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
Based on: Various Rodeo Pictures<br />
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A friend of ours runs a Facebook Secret Santa group. She does most of the organisation, because she's a lovely person, and assigns everyone in the group someone else to get a present for. The present should be from local stores rather than chain stores, and the intention is for everyone to mail their gift to their recipient by a certain date. You get a little bio about the person you're getting a gift for in advance. My gift was fancy chocolates from the Bay Area for example (and they were very fancy indeed - yum!)<br />
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The person I was assigned to loved horses, and especially rodeos. I though that might make an interesting subject for a painting - not my usual type of subject matter, and an opportunity to do something a little more impressionistic. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EqUdZm0um2lcvDig5xLnw-IvjpzMluNdeOYjv3IH3RFWSQjmVnKLGH5AMclD2A0hOC76l3XXt5dXpKdbSMBMo7mTX2NmoGkNAwQyqe7nA91eGOPQ_vpYBtEW1SUqtb2N9dL84hyau6o/s1600/43-rodeo-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EqUdZm0um2lcvDig5xLnw-IvjpzMluNdeOYjv3IH3RFWSQjmVnKLGH5AMclD2A0hOC76l3XXt5dXpKdbSMBMo7mTX2NmoGkNAwQyqe7nA91eGOPQ_vpYBtEW1SUqtb2N9dL84hyau6o/s400/43-rodeo-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The intention was to get more of the movement of the horse than a crystal clear image of one. I had the initial image in my head fairly firmly, but needed suitable reference. Surprisingly it was quite difficult to find a shot from a rodeo in this pose, so in the end I think I cobbled together two horses and two riders, with the costume and face of a third rider. In order to help me keep it loose I went back to the technique I mentioned in the paint above, which is to have thick paint and low pressure with a stiff brush (these are digital settings you understand, not actual brushes; though it is closer to the way I might paint in reality). I did do a little colour switch at the end, as I wanted a cool bluer look rather than a more purple one, though I had both the blue and the purple version printed to give the recipient options. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnecJVlkaGCZxdzt1HfTEv-_1hw7LM_i5NEA2Y0Ph6JiKkjohbDqyLOBTTA2meHHcFrRCWtFcfO3REZJhTDopuW9-wNUqyyUJfzTQvCus5vFbS5m7CYPmPHRlxHgoKzObwbw0O16U8wc/s1600/43-rodeo-LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnecJVlkaGCZxdzt1HfTEv-_1hw7LM_i5NEA2Y0Ph6JiKkjohbDqyLOBTTA2meHHcFrRCWtFcfO3REZJhTDopuW9-wNUqyyUJfzTQvCus5vFbS5m7CYPmPHRlxHgoKzObwbw0O16U8wc/s400/43-rodeo-LRG.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Since it was for printing I painted it rather larger than my usual speedpaint, and this image shows it at actual size - is also gives a good idea of how impressionistic it is. Sadly it printed really dark - much darker than I was expecting (blue usually prints darker, but not by this much). She didn't seem to mind (I said if she wanted a lighter version to say so on FB, but she didn't).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BZG02eHJgOKsdWIOh7k3mtHeWyCmuqknmmm_qYkKwy3x5w7DO25kBwr-5Czvpwld0XgVHLW3oYbWjvnVRmXr8OMTAbxzM9J71yRVCjOUzmwsc1a7B1idpDSRlAhr4Lnh3lsKUOSbnww/s1600/32-Launch-45.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BZG02eHJgOKsdWIOh7k3mtHeWyCmuqknmmm_qYkKwy3x5w7DO25kBwr-5Czvpwld0XgVHLW3oYbWjvnVRmXr8OMTAbxzM9J71yRVCjOUzmwsc1a7B1idpDSRlAhr4Lnh3lsKUOSbnww/s400/32-Launch-45.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 45 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
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This one you may have seen before, as it's one of the pieces I did for the last book cover before finalising the design. There wasn't any reference for it, and unusually for me I didn't use the Oil Paint tool at all. The piece came about using the Roller and Palette Knife tools, with a little bit of chalk. This was actually done quite a long time ago, but I couldn't show it in the last post as the book wasn't out yet. Now it is (with a different cover), so I can finally cover it under the speedpaints.<br />
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And that's all for this time. Hopefully next week I can tackle the paintings I did in December. Since I started the post I have actually managed to do another speed painting (somewhere between a study and a speedpaint), so maybe I will have something to cover next month as well.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-90023844694615093102016-01-02T20:34:00.000-06:002016-01-02T20:36:34.660-06:00Back to the 2015 Recap Post<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2016/01/back-to-2015-recap-post.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpTPGCM2PEjpMh3yxOGEKByFbp1_s4oNODbu7pj8FKvnIU0cUnf3LKXoai8HTUDRs-iZ5ulHDApOIvz8Ig1DJgNWJ8duVEFapAV64DUyPQ9Zjym2PNVVS_A-mw-kZ31H_vutyfTc19zw/s400/2015InReview-thumb.jpg" /></a>I still have two speedpaint posts coming up soon, one for November, and one for December, but today I'm just going for something fairly quick and easy, one of those Review of the Year things that all the cool sites are doing these days, plus some thoughts on my goals for this year.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>I don't recall ever doing one of these before (I have done year end speedpaint reviews, but those paying attention will know those usually come around in May, for reasons), so here's the format - I'll give a quick overview of what I've done, and then pick my 4 favourite pieces to show again and cover why I like them, and one piece I hate. These are ones I personally like (or dislike) - not the most popular, and my preferences for my own work might seem a bit strange. All good? OK, let's begin.</div><div><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyfoCKm8CbhL4bxbm_edEydsdgAQfVkpkxOx68kSC-7x2oQNBlK5vz7oCaqm-isBXcr8YdIu9eoi5SdkMwvlc5kS1MItB7r2pvQsGDkLQTP0f6B5RoSLMhU2k_2hh9rLx_JCtBcNfiN8/s1600/2015InReview-LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyfoCKm8CbhL4bxbm_edEydsdgAQfVkpkxOx68kSC-7x2oQNBlK5vz7oCaqm-isBXcr8YdIu9eoi5SdkMwvlc5kS1MItB7r2pvQsGDkLQTP0f6B5RoSLMhU2k_2hh9rLx_JCtBcNfiN8/s400/2015InReview-LRG.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>This is almost every image I painted (outside of my day job) in 2015, with one major omission which I can't talk about except to say it exists (a shame, it would have made the top 4), and a couple of others I just remembered (but aren't worth redoing the image for). If you click on it it'll blow up to a size where you can actually see what they are. They're not in any particular order, and not all of them have had associated posts yet.</div><div><br />
</div><div>There are 72 images on the sheet, but some of them contain what I'd consider multiple pieces in one (and some contain multiple pieces I don't think count as more than one), so it's actually well over 100 things (I make it 142, depending on how I feel like counting at the minute).</div><div><br />
</div><div>Of those, 64 are speedpaints, which is awesome for reasons I'll get to. The rest are commissions and random side projects. That's not bad going for something I do in my spare time, and even then not as often as I feel like I should.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So of those, which do I consider the most successful pieces of the year? Well, I'm surprised at how difficult it is to choose (you know I'm rarely a fan of my own work, but I have to admit, there's some good stuff tucked away in there), but I think, at least today, the following qualify:</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriEFzQZrPqjwnDssC_KX7-yU3pV2n-pbiMq7tcUPkLsih1N8jyBlR6B76oYrSaBUbvZ47CnPlxyyivXdXYhsa-c1yG96jpras08nNFowWNQ6V0HJ3A_HkSLtDiqHZcdN9ejlQQGyd1fs/s1600/1_WhiteOnBlack-110_1_1633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriEFzQZrPqjwnDssC_KX7-yU3pV2n-pbiMq7tcUPkLsih1N8jyBlR6B76oYrSaBUbvZ47CnPlxyyivXdXYhsa-c1yG96jpras08nNFowWNQ6V0HJ3A_HkSLtDiqHZcdN9ejlQQGyd1fs/s400/1_WhiteOnBlack-110_1_1633.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i>White on Black</i></b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photoshop Speedpaint taking 110 minutes, based on an older Skullcandy advertisement.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div>I liked this one so much I did a companion piece, and also considered doing others along the same theme (this may still happen). This one was one that came about really quickly - I saw the image it was based on, thought "I should paint that!" and did it almost immediately. In addition to that I made changes and choices that I wouldn't usually make, and I think the result, especially given the time I spent on it, is a quite striking and polished image. Everything just sort of works together, from the one bold colour (pink/red) in an otherwise subdued palette, to the more graphic nature of the composition and pose (actually fully intentional for once), to the strong light shape of the headphones in the otherwise dark (but not fully black) surround. One of the few pieces which turned out almost exactly as I planned, rather than turning out OK due to some happy accidents.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqsPb1Ik6lYVmzGXWN9_CUEI7tnyAX6ZFegDEHU8cMsOrY41n3B85J0Kw7ZQKAz4sqONReO3QZlquJWsQMulm0UEhTxKUubxH4-BCwq6QPpqLpPDHfF_9-ErYr5TMshPB_NmSr3m6258/s1600/41-me-120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqsPb1Ik6lYVmzGXWN9_CUEI7tnyAX6ZFegDEHU8cMsOrY41n3B85J0Kw7ZQKAz4sqONReO3QZlquJWsQMulm0UEhTxKUubxH4-BCwq6QPpqLpPDHfF_9-ErYr5TMshPB_NmSr3m6258/s400/41-me-120.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i>Me</i></b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photoshop Speedpaint taking 120 minutes, based on a snap from my cellphone 2 minutes before.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Well, this one is awkward. Not only is it a speedpaint I have yet to post in a speedpaint roundup (that'll be the next post), but it's also a self portrait. I'm not the best subject for portraiture, by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm generally available, and this was for Self Portrait Day (November 1st). <br />
So, if I'm a terrible subject, why is this here? Because despite the unfortunate subject matter I'm of the opinion that this might be the best portrait I've ever done, speedpaint or not. Everything about it came together, and speaking as the person probably most familiar with the physog in question, it looks exactly like me. The colours work, I like the feeling of depth that it has. Really, the only things wrong with it is that it's of me, and I really can't remember how exactly I did it (I usually keep those step by step images for my memory's benefit as much as yours, and in this case I neglected to capture any).</div><div>So that's how my ego managed to make the top 4 of the year :/</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIq4fmFqajiXgSsHbhPXEQF-8fqiFlJklwRiDp14KH7pNpLVOrO8o2l-demvpLc9ixF2DxGQBS_2x6OYgr1j5iopnyOCLFRY0e4A08CfyUSZHb3kgTW9n-FTpeyCMwU_kncirTqMzJTI/s1600/22-assassin-115_LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIq4fmFqajiXgSsHbhPXEQF-8fqiFlJklwRiDp14KH7pNpLVOrO8o2l-demvpLc9ixF2DxGQBS_2x6OYgr1j5iopnyOCLFRY0e4A08CfyUSZHb3kgTW9n-FTpeyCMwU_kncirTqMzJTI/s400/22-assassin-115_LRG.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i>Urban Assassin</i></b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Artrage Speedpaint taking 115 minutes, based on <a href="http://fav.me/d2w61t1" target="_blank">this photograph</a> from <a href="http://drunkhobo-stock.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">DrunkHobo-Stock</a></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Much like White on Black, this piece was a concentrated effort to do something a little bit different. I worked looser, and with very different brush settings from those I'm usually comfortable with. This is the case for a handful of speedpaints - sometimes it works out, other times it's a disaster. In this case it worked out, and I've used a similar technique twice since then, once for the book cover featured in the <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-psychochronography-in-chrome.html" target="_blank">last post</a>.</div><div>In this case though, I think the original worked out the best. I'm slightly amazed by how well this piece works myself, given I know what went into creating it. Small things, like exactly how little work went into painting the hands and face, but how they still came out looking really effective. Usually capturing those elements takes quite a bit of work, but here there was very little repainting - what you see is essentially what I painted, stroke for stroke. Now if only I could work out how to do that every time I'd be set. In the meantime, some of the techniques learned creating this piece led to two other fairly successful pieces, and that is enough to get it a spot on this here list (also, he does look pretty badass).</div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73zTxnnyDi3mdc1LZ2eZ1tRNVUwUvc_fZ9MUsGwVKg5Hw_2VsqcHJpe-y6GrClLm2ayE78-tcEhSAYgFpkOwRdm7jVBTNN-mQVMQNq9M-lFde7kj9H5YWoUaD9o852zy7679jZXcSpt4/s1600/NotSoInnocent-LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73zTxnnyDi3mdc1LZ2eZ1tRNVUwUvc_fZ9MUsGwVKg5Hw_2VsqcHJpe-y6GrClLm2ayE78-tcEhSAYgFpkOwRdm7jVBTNN-mQVMQNq9M-lFde7kj9H5YWoUaD9o852zy7679jZXcSpt4/s400/NotSoInnocent-LRG.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><br />
</div><div><b><i>Not So Innocent</i></b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photoshop work, based on <a href="http://fav.me/d318jzv" target="_blank">this photograph</a> by <a href="http://amethystdreams1987.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">AmethystDreams1987</a></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>This is going to be a fairly short writeup. There are actually a few elements in this picture where I think I did similar things better elsewhere (such as her hair), but I'm picking this one for one reason - that jacket. It took a really long time to paint it, but the end result is probably worth all the time I put in. That, combined with how much this piece transforms the photograph it's based on is really enough to place it in the top 4 despite its flaws.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Well, making that list was remarkably difficult. Much more difficult than I was expecting when I started this post. Looking at the four, I'm interested with how dark each of them is (in terms of lighting, but also in terms of subject in two cases). Does this mean I just like strong contrast in a piece, or is it just a coincidence? Blowed if I know. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I do know the next section is easier though - what was the worst thing I did this year? Scroll on MacDuff, and discover the horror:</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR7XBDpYgf-04wDrk0PQOLJiIYZK2QZyNOb5LdPEoDYP-w5JEGTU1u1wpazu9CZK9XJS8ODyp6EmXzAT22f_swMdXZkhctQlX4_NQI7mezQnLUc5bugW5tgBDSnv0NgFPaFwUi-yBgbY/s1600/24-ScribbleHunter-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR7XBDpYgf-04wDrk0PQOLJiIYZK2QZyNOb5LdPEoDYP-w5JEGTU1u1wpazu9CZK9XJS8ODyp6EmXzAT22f_swMdXZkhctQlX4_NQI7mezQnLUc5bugW5tgBDSnv0NgFPaFwUi-yBgbY/s320/24-ScribbleHunter-25.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i>Crap Tarzan</i></b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Crap speedpaint taking 25 minutes in Photoshop, and not worth a minute of it.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Really, I'm not even going to try and justify it, it's just pure crap. There might be a kernel of an idea that could work quite well, but as it's own thing... Yeah, no. I can't blame the short time spent on it either - I've done a lot better in a lot less time.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So that covers the year, more or less, with one other thing to cover. A year ago I said my resolution was to do more speedpaints - one a week. I pretty quickly changed that to four a month, as that seemed more manageable. </div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGGbZtxpu-0D24__tNZ2ha6WmXxAR25tbUsDJ8CdRfR0y4XvzYsHM9OyZsfZKtHjTGLfKPeba_IydL04BNKfNbU-Jdni1Euotda2wpmZkSb7dKnGYRSqoDKgbMAobD_O_8MqBXPVchAE/s1600/SpeedChart.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGGbZtxpu-0D24__tNZ2ha6WmXxAR25tbUsDJ8CdRfR0y4XvzYsHM9OyZsfZKtHjTGLfKPeba_IydL04BNKfNbU-Jdni1Euotda2wpmZkSb7dKnGYRSqoDKgbMAobD_O_8MqBXPVchAE/s320/SpeedChart.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>This grid (or at least 75% of it) was created then to track the speedpaints I was doing, but at the time all the green boxes were black. Three columns of 16, so 48 cells, one for each image I needed to do - each time I completed one, I would fill in a box with green. I'd filled those by mid September, back when I painted <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/10/speed-of-one-inch-punch.html" target="_blank">Bruce Lee</a>, so I had to add another Column. Since then I've done another 16 paintings, the last of which I'll be covering in the next two speedpaint posts. So I blew past my personal challenge to get a total of 64 speedpaints done (to varying degrees of success). Rather more than 1 a week - Go me.</div><div><br />
</div><div>One thing I realised while doing them though, was I'm still too reliant on direct reference. Nothing wrong with that (especially when painting at speed). I could probably work from nothing but straight reference from now until forever and nobody but me would mind. It's not like I'm ever going to stop working from direct reference completely either - It's can be too relaxing for that. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Even so, I want to go back to working on some of the fundamentals, and if that's at the expense of the number of speedpaints I'm cranking out then so be it. This year's resolution is to work on those fundamentals, which will also aid my painting from direct reference in the long run. Things like proportion, human anatomy, perspective, composition, and colour theory. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I also realised that the speedpaints were getting to the point where they were less speed and more just <i>paints</i>. so I'm going to change my personal terminology a little. Anything under 100 minutes can still be a speedpaint (that's still pretty fast for some of the things I've managed to do), anything over becomes just a quick painting. The intent is to do more speedpaints, and just the occasional painting - even if that means they go 'unfinished' when the time runs out. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This doesn't effect much as far as you're concerned - they'll still all come under the speedpaint umbrella as far as posts are concerned with the same internal gut feeling on whether they count or not. There will also be Studies, which will be where I'm tackling something specific. Those might be as little as a few brushstrokes, as long as I learn from them. You'll get to see those too, but possibly under a different post.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Oh, and my other resolution is to get the rest of the sketch posts up to date ASAP - if some of this study is going to be traditional (and I intend for it to be) then it might be beneficial to get it up where I can easily find it - and by extension you can see it to.<br />
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So this year things are shaking up a bit while I go back to basics. Back to the drawing board if you will. Hopefully the only difference you'll really notice will be in the quality of the results.<br />
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Until the next post, Happy New Year! I hope 2015 was a good one for you, and 2016 is even better.</div><div><br />
</div>HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-61877782273889132192015-12-28T16:37:00.000-06:002015-12-28T16:37:43.603-06:00 A Psychochronography in Chrome<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-psychochronography-in-chrome.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOftLqQ-qGL7cAC5wWZPAKcnq8rD5GAMvgZqDX3ALAwv4stEfktSho85AzDYPS9qbOKtOOhoebz718MDdoCHvVHgs_Uip46L2Z5Xj4MJa4V30EKl1v82oLB_bBvIHQUdc6VMc5fcFJqA/s400/GBBW-Thumb.jpg" /></a>Well, this is a little awkward. Usually I write these posts and time them to coincide with the launch of the book they're about. In this case though the good Doctor Sandifer released it on Boxing Day (That's December 26th for those of you who don't know), which is also the day after Christmas, so I forgot. Sorry.<br />
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Anyway, we're here now, so lets get on with it. As ever you can catch up on the previous Psychochronography posts by <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/search/label/Psychochronography" target="_blank">clicking here</a> and working your way back to the beginning. You don't need to do that though; the short story is that I do occasional book covers for Philip Sandifer, who writes critical analysis of (usually pretty geeky) things. This is one of those. The explanation for using the word Psychochronography I'll let you dig out for yourself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7ugmUWqsP4nsuakUPcC9EioaI7R1xGjPcVW2ViSN-70e_av2TclPuMEpq2W0i0IRWtS7zOPXAQMVL1JBrmKJIzGiJOPueC8mQQwdtp6VfUAEH36ayFaRSEFfo7phZd9L4-UbB_Oeroc/s1600/GBBW-Main1LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7ugmUWqsP4nsuakUPcC9EioaI7R1xGjPcVW2ViSN-70e_av2TclPuMEpq2W0i0IRWtS7zOPXAQMVL1JBrmKJIzGiJOPueC8mQQwdtp6VfUAEH36ayFaRSEFfo7phZd9L4-UbB_Oeroc/s320/GBBW-Main1LRG.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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So back in June Phil contacts me about doing the <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-psychochronography-in-blue-part-6.html" target="_blank">next cover</a> in his TARDIS Eruditorum series, and just as an aside he mentions this other book of essays he's working on called <i><a href="http://www.eruditorumpress.com/blog/book-launch-guided-by-the-beauty-of-their-weapons/" target="_blank">Guided by the Beauty of Their Weapons</a>: Thoughts on Science Fiction in 2015.</i> Do I want to do the cover?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf1onI-tRAss4YAS5kDFghcpXlshT7blvdRhAOEOrTYw8XdMjWiOgpm27a_UW9UQ_jnXDhsQBMDaHhBS0yZ27bvtv6gIzOTP2I11yUCsvYmis5AmU9hlp3IyWwRU36Y2d3cIj6lmdr48/s1600/GBBW-Sketch1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf1onI-tRAss4YAS5kDFghcpXlshT7blvdRhAOEOrTYw8XdMjWiOgpm27a_UW9UQ_jnXDhsQBMDaHhBS0yZ27bvtv6gIzOTP2I11yUCsvYmis5AmU9hlp3IyWwRU36Y2d3cIj6lmdr48/s320/GBBW-Sketch1.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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After some general back and forth this was my reply. I think I've already included this in the speedpaint posts over the last couple of months (since it was one), but that was without the text; this is the one I actually sent Phil. He wasn't keen. Well, maybe he was, but he wasn't keen on it for this book in particular. I was busy on the Eruditorum 6 cover then, so it sort of sat on the back burner. He pointed out that the ship in the background looked like a Cyberman, was this intentional? It wasn't, but in retrospect it really does.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0anMkC2IqsE9iJWeAsEKD1j11a5PQ8mv8ImaJERjBQWz3P4CINwuIthB_zgWSd4IWODBOpJXJeSOL_GLgpoDyWYnoTT-cBIZDuAqgUwYLCmhCJeeut_q1XOZ4dEsEH2JUuwlIVc3xSo/s1600/GBBW-V2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0anMkC2IqsE9iJWeAsEKD1j11a5PQ8mv8ImaJERjBQWz3P4CINwuIthB_zgWSd4IWODBOpJXJeSOL_GLgpoDyWYnoTT-cBIZDuAqgUwYLCmhCJeeut_q1XOZ4dEsEH2JUuwlIVc3xSo/s400/GBBW-V2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A while later I had an idea of something to speedpaint and thought "If this works, it might make a good cover", so I did the speedpaint about three times the size I usually do them, and ended up with the above, but bigger - a lot bigger. Slapped some text on it and mailed Phil the following.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMESg0I-I6-RtUtz6Wlv4ISe1bXPL9_u_obtwQSb83sclsyRUI1xXid40F7AMcuaY-AT7QmwfgNvIHr_crMPiJODhpIt0xjC2tnPvORBjZoq7O5tnLY28zinTrfufO73R0svLF9MhC5o/s1600/GBBW-V2C1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMESg0I-I6-RtUtz6Wlv4ISe1bXPL9_u_obtwQSb83sclsyRUI1xXid40F7AMcuaY-AT7QmwfgNvIHr_crMPiJODhpIt0xjC2tnPvORBjZoq7O5tnLY28zinTrfufO73R0svLF9MhC5o/s400/GBBW-V2C1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
He was keener, but felt the colours and layout were too similar to <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-psychochronography-in-blue-part-5.html" target="_blank">Eruditorum 5</a>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OB4rkBEOxS0XrXANcxi3ezdYG7RJrcI1N_pR2KTQFnA1yGuksk2KqLAu3DMfYjKTou7tLXjyFCqqwD3ftUqkFM7IcTB1qBHwtp1mbCuzYUt7ILDzoLo-20xWArwu3rS6oLAiFkRv27Y/s1600/GBBW-V2C2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OB4rkBEOxS0XrXANcxi3ezdYG7RJrcI1N_pR2KTQFnA1yGuksk2KqLAu3DMfYjKTou7tLXjyFCqqwD3ftUqkFM7IcTB1qBHwtp1mbCuzYUt7ILDzoLo-20xWArwu3rS6oLAiFkRv27Y/s400/GBBW-V2C2.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<br />
Well, easily fixed thanks to the magic of computers. Phil seemed happy, I was reasonably happy. I Did a new custom logo this time too. I don't remember the genesis of it, except that the rougher paint style suggested wear and tear to me, so I wanted the letters of 'Weapons' to look a little chipped and worn.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXU8EtZa_rYzQ_DMBYoVCItNZl510vzEmt5kSd1sQX0A4LsJJL03YuSYoabZuSXWIpv-JGS1oF8R7yKA88uFFdHmgxmrVjRl34CLlDWf92z1JnpeHwZzO1Yk6npPsMYgyyIrEouiUuck/s1600/GBBW-V3S1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXU8EtZa_rYzQ_DMBYoVCItNZl510vzEmt5kSd1sQX0A4LsJJL03YuSYoabZuSXWIpv-JGS1oF8R7yKA88uFFdHmgxmrVjRl34CLlDWf92z1JnpeHwZzO1Yk6npPsMYgyyIrEouiUuck/s400/GBBW-V3S1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Months pass, and I decide I should take another crack at the idea for the cover. It's not that I dislike what I'd done before, just that I didn't feel it fit as well with the theme of the title essay as it could (The effect of the Sad and Rabid Puppies on 2015's Hugo Awards. Look it up, it was quite a mess). The above was the first go at it - took about 35 minutes I guess.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRf1HpiaArnyhe2Kk3uf4wH8O_r1h4ieK-v46WHSE5fKsqF4-AXp0UjM7H_MFSTBbFi5UyUXk_0-ftbmjwHSWH-H_s7Pd-e0pHY3qf2pbrBaGBz0hRBOi3e13eYAxOTnlAFL-wTbQEvus/s1600/GBBW-V3S2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRf1HpiaArnyhe2Kk3uf4wH8O_r1h4ieK-v46WHSE5fKsqF4-AXp0UjM7H_MFSTBbFi5UyUXk_0-ftbmjwHSWH-H_s7Pd-e0pHY3qf2pbrBaGBz0hRBOi3e13eYAxOTnlAFL-wTbQEvus/s400/GBBW-V3S2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And then I did this revision before cropping it and sending it to Phil. More enthused than before! Got what I was going for! The Hugo award is traditionally a Chrome Rocket (based on a 1950's hood ornament). This doesn't look exactly like one, but close enough, and he liked that. So all I had to do now was make it ten times larger and we're good to go!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoiMtSGp2JL8O3y2mvBW3FaudhzQhHsIB6C8fb211LvO6y0kNzlZ8HeK7H4iasbG7Du5Sc-EfZ35BinN3NCa-4OH0c9uWQDf3ODiRr9yywXJhPOBSAA1Isj6t00I5grdXkN1d-kRVAYo/s1600/GBBW-V3Layout.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoiMtSGp2JL8O3y2mvBW3FaudhzQhHsIB6C8fb211LvO6y0kNzlZ8HeK7H4iasbG7Du5Sc-EfZ35BinN3NCa-4OH0c9uWQDf3ODiRr9yywXJhPOBSAA1Isj6t00I5grdXkN1d-kRVAYo/s400/GBBW-V3Layout.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This is the sad image. I was going to extend the piece into a wraparound illustration, but for reasons I'll get to it didn't happen (yet). Other than that this is basically the quick painting above (which I'm also counting as a speedpaint by the way), but with a little more work on the rocket design. That left part may yet happen incidentally, but obviously not for the book, since it's available to buy.<br />
<br />
I got busy at this point. I had a lot on at work, and a trip to Russia to plan, and Fallout 4 came out, which basically evaporated a week of my life (I don't game as much as I used to, so 20 hours in a game is a big deal these days. I've played a lot more since, but not with quite so much focus).<br />
<br />
Right before I was going to head to Russia Phil emailed me. Could he get the cover in two weeks? Not the whole thing, just the front, for the Digital edition. For some reason if you don't get your final cover set a few weeks before they cancel your preorders, and there were some. The slight ridiculousness of the Digital version needing to be finished before the Print version is not lost on either me or Phil (since, in theory at least, a print version is more immutable than a digital one).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGKKBifBPoL2eqP0Ug2aA6KHcX36oOPJv0JOIfGuvPH6Reta1DjZHK_LkK9p7rfRFVYm4T2s4He4AaJfonX2ygGyYPAux27zAvDP-se7TXa4px3beKpq-V9685hXGe2NfFyc2b69pyeE/s1600/GBBW-V3P1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGKKBifBPoL2eqP0Ug2aA6KHcX36oOPJv0JOIfGuvPH6Reta1DjZHK_LkK9p7rfRFVYm4T2s4He4AaJfonX2ygGyYPAux27zAvDP-se7TXa4px3beKpq-V9685hXGe2NfFyc2b69pyeE/s400/GBBW-V3P1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wrote off the back cover part of the painting at that point. I realised there was just no way I could get that much done in time. I hoped I could get it done for the print version, but realistically it wasn't going to happen. With that in mind I knew I should focus all my attention only on what was on the front.<br />
<br />
One thing I wasn't terribly keen on in my sketch was how the rocket was lit, or more technically how it was reflecting (pure metal has no diffuse response y'see? It's all just reflections). To combat this I made a rough rocket and made it chrome. Took about half an hour, and gave me a rough lighting reference (this was from Marmoset, using one of the default environments).<br />
<br />
Then I started on the trees. The colours were taken directly from the rough, and I built them up in three layers. I knew there were going to be more trees in front of them, so I deliberately kept them sketchy so as not to take too much time or to draw to much attention to them. With the background trees done I turned my attention to the rocket, adapting the rough to the sketch I had, and to the environment, and to the colour scheme I was using.<br />
<br />
Then I went to Russia.<br />
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I could write a lot about Russia - Saint Petersburg to be more precise. I'm not going to though (at least in this post), but suffice to say I had a lot of preconceived notions about what Russia was going to be like, and other than the Airport (which was very much as I expected) I was wrong. The city and it's people were all wonderful (at least that I spoke to), and the food was amazing. Also a shocking number of people speak flawless English, and even those who speak less still speak it very well (and they'll tell you "My English, it's not so good," when it's clearly exceptional). Anyway, digression over.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6_UQjBJ49fhBzTJINq7SkJ98hxNrcO0RYhFX2vOpC9BygVFqt_pyqSSxvwqj-kLGaYhWlo3cD-C2Q4NyP8UPASmkmCBpklbW9cppLR_cbBT_7SgAfcV659w1JfxVwhyeg7TVwDtfoxI/s1600/GBBW-V3P2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6_UQjBJ49fhBzTJINq7SkJ98hxNrcO0RYhFX2vOpC9BygVFqt_pyqSSxvwqj-kLGaYhWlo3cD-C2Q4NyP8UPASmkmCBpklbW9cppLR_cbBT_7SgAfcV659w1JfxVwhyeg7TVwDtfoxI/s400/GBBW-V3P2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Jetlag is no fun. I've had Jetlag a number of times over the years. Usually on a Trip to the UK I'll get it for a few days, then relax and enjoy myself, and then get it again on the way back. Well, Saint Petersburg is three hours further away, and turned a fairly unpleasant thing into the most crushing fatigue I've ever had, and just as I got over it I came back and had it all over again. And I had a front cover to get finished, now within 48 hours.<br />
<br />
I had planned on the Jetlag being the same, more or less, as what I get coming from the UK, just lasting longer. Well, that was wrong. It was hellish. Did the cover anyway. I just can't remember much about it to relay to you. You'll want to click on that image to enlarge it by the way - you can do that for most of the other images in the post too.<br />
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The only thing I can really remember about the process, as shown above, was that I used a technique and setup much closer to that I use when I paint Acrylics with real media. I'm fairly confident I could paint something pretty close to this on a canvas; just much, much more slowly. In ArtRage (which I used) this basically means taking the Oil Paint tool and lowering the pressure and the amount of thinners, then making the brush a lot harder. The result felt a lot like the real thing to me, except I could sample colours from the image, instead of needing a palette (the initial colour scheme being defined in the rough of course).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTyU3G69xLnQeId_1JR_YZkgzYksCN9tn5dXQcJj9NfqI6xsOnrTOnh_36quRgUxBffCBf8Wgz3zXlf-mpfRcSiWa9_LMpZlEEka79ux17rnpdQAJ4ACL2LqB23vDJTA9nYKN1P-BDco/s1600/GBBW-V3P3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTyU3G69xLnQeId_1JR_YZkgzYksCN9tn5dXQcJj9NfqI6xsOnrTOnh_36quRgUxBffCBf8Wgz3zXlf-mpfRcSiWa9_LMpZlEEka79ux17rnpdQAJ4ACL2LqB23vDJTA9nYKN1P-BDco/s400/GBBW-V3P3.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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After that lot, all that needed doing was adding the birds, and them putting it in Photoshop to apply the rest of the cover trappings before cropping it and sending it off to Phil for publishing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-e13FSsFWPpPES34g4uz17s1f6cjjZrY8V_j1GrQxMwYsKQ2P4DHMU32Bx-kcoFr7_cnQP8BWVcw8W6fuB7p-qhV728cTLN8U8sQX4WoiU_9Ekypfjw-co2xsrUL6Oljj6-z32qfjFU/s1600/GBTW-Cover-1a-Digital-SML.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-e13FSsFWPpPES34g4uz17s1f6cjjZrY8V_j1GrQxMwYsKQ2P4DHMU32Bx-kcoFr7_cnQP8BWVcw8W6fuB7p-qhV728cTLN8U8sQX4WoiU_9Ekypfjw-co2xsrUL6Oljj6-z32qfjFU/s400/GBTW-Cover-1a-Digital-SML.png" width="258" /></a></div>
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So I got it done on time, with a few more days to spend on the rest of the cover for the Print version (most of which I spent at work or asleep, because Jetlag).<br />
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It was only after this that I noticed that due to my being drowsy while working on this version of it the logo had an issue with spacing and I wanted to get it fixed for the print cover. It's minimal, but it bugs me, and will probably bug me every time I see the Digital cover - or maybe I'll forget and bever notice it again.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzaZh3uET50XSqBCbo59AqaqfI4InaxzkmCZhseOrXDZFdHAqu8rxewR09yh-0mm2J3VtJD2GDa9357wYDamvSm3YUXiF-Wz_xGpFKKjWJcid1uXNC_x1h4Z_zY4iTkj2_pVRf5KWExA/s1600/GBBW-Cover-1a-Full.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzaZh3uET50XSqBCbo59AqaqfI4InaxzkmCZhseOrXDZFdHAqu8rxewR09yh-0mm2J3VtJD2GDa9357wYDamvSm3YUXiF-Wz_xGpFKKjWJcid1uXNC_x1h4Z_zY4iTkj2_pVRf5KWExA/s400/GBBW-Cover-1a-Full.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here is the final cover for the print version. The shape of the rocket ended up being a motif elsewhere, especially on the spine, but also as part of the area for the Barcode, and as a silhouette on the rear cover. Other than that there are some minor layout differences to the version shown in progress above, and for the first time (since it's not era inappropriate) there's the address of Phil's site on the back, as well as a credit for me. Overall I quite like the result - the cover painting has just enough retro to it to evoke what I was going for, but the overall design of the logo and the cover feels pretty modern and fairly fresh (IMO). Mission accomplished.<br />
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Now I just need to get around to finishing the rest of the painting...<br />
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You can by the book from the following locations:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guided-Beauty-Their-Weapons-Science-ebook/dp/B0172TJQDI/">US Kindle</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guided-Beauty-Their-Weapons-Science/dp/1522841644/">US Print</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guided-Beauty-Their-Weapons-Science-ebook/dp/B0172TJQDI/">UK Kindle</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guided-Beauty-Their-Weapons-Science/dp/1522841644/">UK Print</a><br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/600859">Smashwords (epub version)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.eruditorumpress.com/blog/book-launch-guided-by-the-beauty-of-their-weapons/" target="_blank">And Phil's launch post is here.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Covers so far for Philip Sandifer:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFo_llV0GbDB763pCQ5QUMSkOTbhXdRsglEu-ebPLe7QoEuVr-y5grFCCB-By-zThEEaa9N1Sov5oCbUUPVvjuJwhS7Gi-RVEubJDcNZU167PL0zzYcJX3PQLwqPhekdUFEz7FEQIY8Y/s1600/GBBW-Progression.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFo_llV0GbDB763pCQ5QUMSkOTbhXdRsglEu-ebPLe7QoEuVr-y5grFCCB-By-zThEEaa9N1Sov5oCbUUPVvjuJwhS7Gi-RVEubJDcNZU167PL0zzYcJX3PQLwqPhekdUFEz7FEQIY8Y/s1600/GBBW-Progression.jpg" /></a></div>
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-19058708022645982502015-12-19T14:54:00.003-06:002015-12-19T14:54:58.095-06:00Fumbling the Speed Ball<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/12/fumbling-speed-ball.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfp3KaP0kippalYMw5YJunA0wDDHK9fP2N9Yp8UTccBw-dCcXruVEnoN6HeHHn1B7eqx9f05yH9aIQeFhzZh70v2Xx38YeylDAA75LgzhfJLmQs_KeEqiEP1IpUL_CVBjlsoVpPDH0eM/s400/Speed-Thumb-Oct15.jpg" /></a>It's been a while! Over a month since I last posted I think, which means I never posted the Speedpaints for October during November. This is not caused so much by laziness on my part (though as ever, it's a contributing factor), so much as I usually post on weekends, and the weekends were full. Obviously Thanksgiving was in there, but also two weekends of travel (to St. Petersburg) - the most arduous trip I've ever been on in terms of actual travel, but the most surprisingly pleasant time once I got there. Not the best trip I've ever had, but perhaps the one I'd most want to repeat, if I could do it without the jetlag.<br />
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So that's three weekends accounted for, and I can't honestly remember why I didn't post on the other ones. Some form of busy or other, I'm sure.<br />
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So, since the following were mostly quite some time ago I'll write what I can, but it might not be much.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX37k2AnKY2FAg-5v2eGf9Pjh8sCffkn2xlPAVIYcJWv3IKu8SxffkJOQ7rfwxO2gfqKO4Z4fkUlhG0-3cmTvb9YWwh3POlLzmFQgsGA0hbQ-wL4AftNftUzeDdYQAJAVAfzZE79syyWM/s1600/34-Stars-110.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX37k2AnKY2FAg-5v2eGf9Pjh8sCffkn2xlPAVIYcJWv3IKu8SxffkJOQ7rfwxO2gfqKO4Z4fkUlhG0-3cmTvb9YWwh3POlLzmFQgsGA0hbQ-wL4AftNftUzeDdYQAJAVAfzZE79syyWM/s400/34-Stars-110.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 110 Minutes<br />
Software: Artrage<br />
Based on: Photo from the '60s of model <a href="https://intothegloss.com/wp-content/uploads3/2013/07/Linda-Morand.jpg" target="_blank">Linda Morand</a>.<br />
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I didn't want to do a direct copy for this one, feeling I need to be less afraid of stronger stylisation when called for. This was the result.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNK_NpEt8Oh8D8fYMydD45aBbI233_4OGIMvLqZ0vVfGCQYAB9_7FvYn8BGApVf3P-LFIutYO03ZUfYbiRcX2PQBP-GTwaLTnR8rsB3WLW4vaEjR98BaVuRMF4jvhbnAjPIlToK-6oUM/s1600/34-Stars-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNK_NpEt8Oh8D8fYMydD45aBbI233_4OGIMvLqZ0vVfGCQYAB9_7FvYn8BGApVf3P-LFIutYO03ZUfYbiRcX2PQBP-GTwaLTnR8rsB3WLW4vaEjR98BaVuRMF4jvhbnAjPIlToK-6oUM/s400/34-Stars-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I don't like it much. I think it could have worked well if I'd spent a lot more time on it though (clearly stylising things takes a lot longer as my brain is doing things it's not used to doing while painting, or something).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjTZyd1cUiJrcImBxmRCzGOjVa67RdQdBC9U6TGcdXtIraggOoW_stLe9kKmlbv3RXpggE9flqFRZgu8f9ZEuSJ4hvsxTGep0533siNzcQFSGAASV7zq842IHiNXMLhn6hL2S6CnSeEw/s1600/35-blimp-LRG-150.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjTZyd1cUiJrcImBxmRCzGOjVa67RdQdBC9U6TGcdXtIraggOoW_stLe9kKmlbv3RXpggE9flqFRZgu8f9ZEuSJ4hvsxTGep0533siNzcQFSGAASV7zq842IHiNXMLhn6hL2S6CnSeEw/s400/35-blimp-LRG-150.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 150 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
<br />
This one was sort of fun actually. I didn't have a vision for it to begin with, I was just doodling and one of the doodles led to this. Might lead to a more complete painting one day, but I just wanted to see how well I could translate the sketch into something more dimensional in a fairly short timeframe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jfFXv5qNXGuX1lbPZQ5oqxpRzRdPX4vKlr-D0vRkjftYMbItbtEEk2ZJD55fqZdJjwgcD46dE6QgZnOVGBI1xT2D_j61VyOPlA7k1v_AlG5b17kYJy_vrAAHq5DtIgGjt3sifSKqgIg/s1600/35-blimp-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jfFXv5qNXGuX1lbPZQ5oqxpRzRdPX4vKlr-D0vRkjftYMbItbtEEk2ZJD55fqZdJjwgcD46dE6QgZnOVGBI1xT2D_j61VyOPlA7k1v_AlG5b17kYJy_vrAAHq5DtIgGjt3sifSKqgIg/s400/35-blimp-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The sketch in the top left was done independently of the rest of the picture. I just stamped it into a pleasing compositional place and started sketching around it. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_9pXcG3f80qhsN8jI6ccqufHixg4XWBjsbK-QtSAE213TvPzs3z0bVEbKeamRGr_FeGNIBIzDol8maIcg8htBvXgQXMtQTkRP4-Kz5UHlYNdrIMtchTPDyEh8SDeGSfhPu_Z4quxnS0/s1600/36-brushtest-20.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_9pXcG3f80qhsN8jI6ccqufHixg4XWBjsbK-QtSAE213TvPzs3z0bVEbKeamRGr_FeGNIBIzDol8maIcg8htBvXgQXMtQTkRP4-Kz5UHlYNdrIMtchTPDyEh8SDeGSfhPu_Z4quxnS0/s400/36-brushtest-20.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 20 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
<br />
Just mucking about with some colour choices and brushes. I don't even remember which picture I based it on.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeiv_XWK9rmVK0tfvAnwjtlohToF_OC30IxqLJLmAB824c6uo87E8P1Ju1bKiCS9tfGVLYFks8vz5k5H9ZpGFYc5d_-gBKI1RPi3RAVIsPLa19RPrAYhfCskzHExOiQV6jUpLlW9EB1c/s1600/Triptych-screen.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeiv_XWK9rmVK0tfvAnwjtlohToF_OC30IxqLJLmAB824c6uo87E8P1Ju1bKiCS9tfGVLYFks8vz5k5H9ZpGFYc5d_-gBKI1RPi3RAVIsPLa19RPrAYhfCskzHExOiQV6jUpLlW9EB1c/s400/Triptych-screen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 120, 175 & 110 Minutes<br />
Software: Artrage & Photoshop<br />
Based on: Boris Karloff as the Monster, Elsa Lanchester as The Monster's Mate (AKA The Bride of Frankenstein), Bela Lugosi as Dracula<br />
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So, it should be fairly evident that I painted this one for Halloween, except it's three separate speedpaints that happen to fit together. The Triptych format was always intentional, with my coming up with the background before I painted any of them. What wasn't so certain was what I was going to paint. I wanted the classic Universal Monsters (hence the era appropriate Deco style background, created in Photoshop), but didn't decide on which ones, or which shots to base them on until I started each of them.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IHsXYVMIHMFF0CjJsTC7JCfOfpOL2T0DGYQCrXasaL-ifJ42GjxqH_u6Ic0GQY7Suegm4YOQz9bw8D0ZT6YcIB92mYh1UIUDc0twPYp5TGlnXkXZdMc7HoQpSDGiK-_TUWtVSm0xC1o/s1600/37-frank-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IHsXYVMIHMFF0CjJsTC7JCfOfpOL2T0DGYQCrXasaL-ifJ42GjxqH_u6Ic0GQY7Suegm4YOQz9bw8D0ZT6YcIB92mYh1UIUDc0twPYp5TGlnXkXZdMc7HoQpSDGiK-_TUWtVSm0xC1o/s400/37-frank-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Monster was first, and is probably the roughest of the three. I din't use a grid of any kind for this one, relying instead on the pattern itself and measurements to get things in the right place. It's taken from two separate photos of the monster (all three are taken from at least two photos), to give a relatively unique image. Other than the background everything other than the final image is done in ArtRage, with Photoshop used in that last stage to give a little bloom, noise and subtle colour to the image.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GRrqa5L3v9bBOZw4dBlIywlnhiBkPhMjYSEfOZbnEmNTj366v5uNGZWjU9MTMVZCUP_xyNIo_b7dK6Mkpkd6vJCq5wzP7B8lfGSXqCzhstY5nPik-wyrvW8N2waR-3bMZvcIdIpnQak/s1600/38-drac-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GRrqa5L3v9bBOZw4dBlIywlnhiBkPhMjYSEfOZbnEmNTj366v5uNGZWjU9MTMVZCUP_xyNIo_b7dK6Mkpkd6vJCq5wzP7B8lfGSXqCzhstY5nPik-wyrvW8N2waR-3bMZvcIdIpnQak/s400/38-drac-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dracula came next, and the process was very similar to that of The Monster, except this time I used a crosshair grid to aid in getting the likeness. I was actually happy with how quickly that aspect came together: the third image here is recognisable already, and the likeness actually takes a brief step backwards in the 4th.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D5f7TZ58mn9EMRti2e7hoQYJ3mLGF5bZJgqF26EB1g0djRz_QR38bANju281cTFysKIZAoU6t5BJiVnzZukBXxq1Za_CUT6InjsdA255r9OM5qQ1WPPlE3K-JaXb5tO0SfTR872pfUY/s1600/39-Bride-stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D5f7TZ58mn9EMRti2e7hoQYJ3mLGF5bZJgqF26EB1g0djRz_QR38bANju281cTFysKIZAoU6t5BJiVnzZukBXxq1Za_CUT6InjsdA255r9OM5qQ1WPPlE3K-JaXb5tO0SfTR872pfUY/s400/39-Bride-stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, The Bride. I have to admit to never having actually seen Bride of Frankenstein, and despite her place in pop culture it was only while looking for references for this picture that I realised how damn striking Elsa Lanchester actually was; attractive in a quirky way that puts me in mind of Jennifer Tilly or Debi Mazar. Anyway, I was originally going to do Karloff again as the Mummy, but quickly changed my mind when I realised the Bride's hair would be infinitely more interesting to paint. For this one I used a 4x4 grid, and based it on three images. I think it came together fairly well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_xDuDOPPKL9VPEoKD40X6ul_90VDn9kGpFxQXEf8CNg8UFYH7bxq92Myjdfikn7j7pMhflNsJsIJefmKEXOP9oMcfTj01-JSywd40pXrPPatWiq_4F_ZLZX6oZf-ShFthQ3P8bFGk1I/s1600/40-snowy-65.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_xDuDOPPKL9VPEoKD40X6ul_90VDn9kGpFxQXEf8CNg8UFYH7bxq92Myjdfikn7j7pMhflNsJsIJefmKEXOP9oMcfTj01-JSywd40pXrPPatWiq_4F_ZLZX6oZf-ShFthQ3P8bFGk1I/s400/40-snowy-65.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 65 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
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Another piece that's mostly just my playing around with various brushes. The picture is based on two thumbnails sitting next to each other on Pinterest: a man in a Parka, and a striking looking woman.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p2ab0a4JuCJiNhraabnfDvcttjg-RernUSslof5PCi2odK0qXU8lxW9aLzCUbP7uU09UwzpNyRhcDbdFd3kAjHpx_M0I0OcQ3D2_3qgJwpFm9DzDq1hHamGyPILnSGo-jfEDldPd9t0/s1600/40-snowy-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9p2ab0a4JuCJiNhraabnfDvcttjg-RernUSslof5PCi2odK0qXU8lxW9aLzCUbP7uU09UwzpNyRhcDbdFd3kAjHpx_M0I0OcQ3D2_3qgJwpFm9DzDq1hHamGyPILnSGo-jfEDldPd9t0/s400/40-snowy-Stages_1.jpg" width="356" /></a></div>
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I don't claim it's terribly good, but there might be something worth revisiting at some point. I think I actually preferred it in the early stages, when the palette was more muted.<br />
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That's all for now. This only covers October. There is another post with November's paints to come. I haven't actually done a single speedpaint so far this month (I was away, but also working on a book cover), but there are still a couple of weeks left to rectify that. November had 3 though (or 4, depending on how you count it), so I'll cover those soon.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-15810761026609432102015-11-01T12:00:00.001-06:002015-11-01T12:02:00.672-06:00Sketching - October to December '14<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/11/sketching-october-to-december-14.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf98uK7FRiOjpFHfehuNRkT2JjpfstRIQ4a_TeWGkFSL3B8tLT89xFbmCSBMp4R5hOkgDi5f8R2aGbhLw9sD5qk63oG_LN_yX0cpSV4D4cMw8L3CPNjCkudr8kN8V88PWkTkRopyIgZgc/s1600/Sketch-Oct-Dec-14-Thumb.jpg" /></a>It's a bit ridiculous that I simplified posting sketches so I could more easily keep up with it, and then haven't posted any for 5 months. I shall post now, although this still puts me a year behind. Same rules as last time - Scan page, adjust levels, post image. Edits allowed for rotating something so you can see it better, or cutting something out you're not supposed to see (for work or whatever. Not because it's bad - you get to see the terrible stuff, or there wouldn't be much to see). So, let's see what I was up to a year ago...<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">October 2014</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Notes: I quite like TV man, and sweater girl, as well as knife woman on the bottom image. Jack-o-lantern on the central image wins it though really. I need to do a painting of that one day (maybe for next Halloween).</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">November 2014</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">December 2014</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh0Wl9gHdwh5CWfdGv2RxgYV4_nkibDvrCKGcMMBSsxY-YTrosgrAcC9hHAjjuWSQ-r7vr5z2R9RRO_EMUxPC35bI4gRcs61KK2Rwdp1FiYiY-INOhyphenhyphenZucAlzL1Htpp-a1DC9n5Slt5Y/s1600/Sketch-Dec-14-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh0Wl9gHdwh5CWfdGv2RxgYV4_nkibDvrCKGcMMBSsxY-YTrosgrAcC9hHAjjuWSQ-r7vr5z2R9RRO_EMUxPC35bI4gRcs61KK2Rwdp1FiYiY-INOhyphenhyphenZucAlzL1Htpp-a1DC9n5Slt5Y/s320/Sketch-Dec-14-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Notes: Chap in the middle of the lower one is based on my Brother (not a good likeness). It's the only one based on a photo I think. I quite like a couple here (especially fur collar Aria up there), but nothing is really standing out as amazing.</span><br />
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</span> I think next year I'm going to do with sketching what I did with Speedpainting this year, since I've been sketching less but painting more. Next year I'll give over that time to more sketching, but it will be study sketching, rather than free form stuff like this. Hopefully that will get me out of the rut I think I'm stuck in right now (really, this years sketches, few as they are, are no better than these from last year).<br />
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-26767786472950780442015-10-31T15:40:00.001-05:002015-10-31T15:40:13.145-05:00Not So Innocent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/10/not-so-innocent.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcy_0c_t8TrDEjjstIOnScuUrqpq8RmJ967ex1HzePDp4IgqGJLP4kC1fD1dHzJGMCzRkNE_aqgLSKw_hmfyCpXmLtX6YoJuOYB9GQ11zqR7nqsa8jPhXtJ03K_EXVOfKJMbLUxGiIkM/s1600/NotSoInnocent-thumbnail.jpg" /></a></div>
Well, this has been an odd month. Not the number, obviously October is an even month numerically (but with an odd number of days... why am I typing this? You <i>know </i>this). No, it's been odd in a "things that I have done" sort of way, which is that I've been really quite busy, but don't have a whole lot to show for it. I dislike that - if I'm going to be busy I like to have something at the end to say "Yes, I was busy, here is what I did," Instead this month has been "I've been really busy, but I'm not entirely sure what I was busy <i>with</i>."<br />
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Still, I'm finally managing to write a blog post, and it's Halloween! Fortunate then that I have a creepy picture to share today. That I finished a month ago, but haven't had time to blog about really (and may not today - there are halloween things occurring outside the webosphere of course). Let's start; see how far we get. You can, as always, click the images to see them enlargerized with Embiggen-O-Ramavision.<br />
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Okay, so that there is the piece under discussion. If you want to skip to the end or just glance at the pictures I'll get the big details out of the way first. Painted in Photoshop, based on this <a href="http://amethystdreams1987.deviantart.com/art/Chair-3-183477307" target="_blank">lovely stock</a> photograph by AmethystDreams1987. Took about three weeks on and off. OK, we're good, off you go.<br />
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For those that are sticking around, I guess we can go into a little more detail.<br />
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The above isn't the painting, it's a rare time I'm posting a reference right on the blog. So the idea came about for this one when I was trying to work out a good way to paint blood, for entirely unconnected reasons. I picked an image and started painting over the photograph. Got the blood looking pretty reasonable, and then thought 'well, if she's got blood all over her hands she should probably have Vampire like eyes. And the background should be black, and maybe she's been crying.' Which is how I arrived at the above image, Which is of course what I based the actual painting on. Why did I chose that particular image to test the blood on? No idea, it just appealed at the time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinb-wWhy6Jb2Bk_aMUrWcbDQfpqFJonfHXAGPRrJm7OMsHK9Lz38jGlio56VAXgdj4nF9eWvbitrQDpDO3fG-g1H4g9tC1xcaClzaBAgFMjEt9Mn_fm-3cK0ZWC28nsbaKaLD3aKZPoc/s1600/NotSoInnocent-Step1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinb-wWhy6Jb2Bk_aMUrWcbDQfpqFJonfHXAGPRrJm7OMsHK9Lz38jGlio56VAXgdj4nF9eWvbitrQDpDO3fG-g1H4g9tC1xcaClzaBAgFMjEt9Mn_fm-3cK0ZWC28nsbaKaLD3aKZPoc/s400/NotSoInnocent-Step1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So I decided to paint that, and started working on the line art, using a grid to lay it out (4x4 if I remember correctly - might have been 6x6 though). You may notice one of her eyes (the left, on the right) looks better defined than the other, which is thicker and darker. That's because I zoomed in to do that one. The rest of the sketching was done zoomed out so I could see the whole image. This resulted in an interestingly inaccurate scribble when I zoomed in later...<br />
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You can see that there's a box over the sketch. This was when I wasn't sure if I wanted to change the composition, and was trying to work out something that might work better. In the end, I liked having the box there more than the idea of cropping it more, so it stayed, and morphed into what you see above. The horns came about because I've been trying to paint something with horns for a while, and I thought it would be more interesting if she wasn't just a Vampire after all.<br />
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Colour wise I used the technique of throwing down fairly random bright colours so they show through the final layer and get a little mixed into the 'paint'. Gives the flesh a little life it might otherwise lack. I was going to leave her jacket black, but at the last minute thought red might work a little better (I'm sure a combination of Michael Jackson and Akira played their part on my subconcious).<br />
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The next stage was more or less to just speedpaint in the bold strokes for most of the picture. This left me with some observations. I'd made her finger too long, but maybe that worked with the Demon thing - I'd decide later. The back of the jacket, even when more fully rendered, was going to be a big distracting white space, so I'd need to throw something back there. Was her hair reading as blonde? Or was the colour choice swinging it toward green? I realised I hadn't remotely captured the shape of her nose too, but I sort of liked it like this. For the most part I thought I'd just keep going and work things out as I went. I don't think I touched it for 10 days after this though - I was busy.<br />
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When I finally came back to it I started working on what I thought would be the most difficult bit (it was the most time consuming): Her jacket. The 4 stages here probably took about a week to do, at around an hour a night. There was some extra cleanup later, but not all that much - this was mostly it other than the addition of the skull afterwards. The toughest bit wasn't all the wrinkles surprisingly; rather it was the elasticated sleeve. Getting that too look soft enough was a real challenge. The actual jacket looks to be cotton, but in painting it it began to look slightly satin. Well, that worked out fine, so I ran with it instead of trying to fix it.<br />
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Part way through that lot I did a quick mockup of how I wanted things to end up. We'll get to the logo on the back and the neon later, but here you can see I'd started to work on those things fairly early, and then hid them as distractions. The skull emblem was just quickly warped in Photoshop to fit on the back at this point. In some ways I prefer the more subdued neon and the blue background to what I finally ended up with. <i>Ce la vie</i>.<br />
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There's a lot going on in these two pictures, so let's break it down. On the left the main change is the hair, and the rough in of the horns. The method for the hair is more or less the same one I usually use: Start with the big shapes (you've seen that bit above) and then use progressively smaller brushes to add smaller and smaller detail. The only real difference this time was the few strands hanging over her face - for those I painted a strand quite dark, and then masked it and went in again for the highlights. <br />
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On the right I've added the rimlight and neon as well as detailed out the horns. I've also fixed the length of her finger, and gave her mouth a bit more of a pout (more like the reference). The horns are the only part of the image where I've used a textured brush (other than the background). I was having real difficulty getting them to look gritty enough with just my usual flat brush. You'll note that the overall lighting is basically the same as that in the roughout - I just built layers of light and texture over that until I got bored.<br />
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The rim light was tricky, because I couldn't find a reference of a decent resolution where the subject wasn't completely silhouetted. In other words I had to guess how much penetration the red light would have through her hair. Since I'm doing this in Photoshop I took advantage of it here, and painted that on a separate layer with the screen blending mode on. This let detail show through, rather than having to manually retain it while painting.<br />
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So now we get to the skull. I'd done this earlier of course, but I'd needed a skull that was a bit cool, a bit creepy, and potentially sort of feminine. My answer is above - A screaming demon skull with a bow in its mouth. It's not all that feminine really, but this is 2015; it doesn't have to scream pretty princess or anything. The skull isn't pulled from anything by the way, I just doodled a skull and then cleaned it up a little bit.<br />
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Here is where I've started hand painting the skull in, but you can also see the blood, additional rimlight and where her makeup has run. The blood and the rim light are sort of the inverse of each other. The rest of the rimlight is done with the same Screen mode system I mentioned earlier, while the blood is the opposite - a Multiply screen mode over the existing form. The highlights on the blood were just picked out with a light hard brush. Easy.<br />
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So the skull here isn't just a straight trace of the warped one I'd done earlier (which you can see as a faint pink I'm working over). Instead I tweaked it as I went along to better conform to the angles and folds of her back. This means I essentially drew the skull from scratch again, with the earlier warped one as a rough guide.<br />
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For the neon sign I used Photoshop magic again - It's a path set to outline, and then the outline treated with some outer glow layer FX. Very quick to do, but the downside is it slows PS down quite a lot at this scale, so I had it turned off while actually painting.<br />
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And here's the final again, so I can talk about it. Most of the changes between this and the last were 'post' effects - layers on top of the actual picture meant to tweak things that would be slow to do in other ways. There's a colour modifying one to push the foreground a little cooler for example (the rimlight is unaffected, because it was on that separate layer in the first place). There is some work by hand though - the smoke is a large textured brush (it's the one I used before to paint the Reese from Terminator speedpaint), but then painted over with a regular brush for the highlights. All done!<br />
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And since I don't think I've put the original size image up anywhere, here's a snippet of it, matching the snippet of the original reference right at the top. You'll need to click it to get an actual full size look.<br />
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You know, I typed all that and only now do I realise I have a thumbnail as the thumbnail... And I did get it all written today, so Happy Halloween!HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-3191459483521241502015-10-05T00:11:00.000-05:002015-10-05T00:11:58.665-05:00Speed of the One Inch Punch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a lot of options for today's post, but finally decided to go with the good old Speedpaint roundup. There are a fair number of them, but strangely almost all of them were done in the first half of the month, as the rest of the month was taken up with other projects (the <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-psychochronography-in-blue-part-6.html" target="_blank">last post</a> being one of them).<br />
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Despite this, I've reached the goal of painting the equivalent of one speedpaint a week for this year. 48 of them. Some of them were pointless of course (there's one of those this time too), but since I'm unlikely to not do another one before New Year I think the end result will still be a positive one.<br />
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OK, enough yapping, let's look at some painting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ3oVhP4AUfUuwAOSsBIRDjx_gvuHmQgSf-tGJFMzln268I0hdzfv3cl-IR6zznHiNdnb4TSB-1mhFIqZUyV5mnnLK56e9oUgQOCgxKeJvF0wZ_zLkYOUdfXEU_5oRfVNJoWJTW6VYJw/s1600/27-horns-60-DA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ3oVhP4AUfUuwAOSsBIRDjx_gvuHmQgSf-tGJFMzln268I0hdzfv3cl-IR6zznHiNdnb4TSB-1mhFIqZUyV5mnnLK56e9oUgQOCgxKeJvF0wZ_zLkYOUdfXEU_5oRfVNJoWJTW6VYJw/s400/27-horns-60-DA.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 60 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: <a href="http://fav.me/d6o4naj">http://fav.me/d6o4naj</a> (My Brother's selection)<br />
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So me and my Brother were having that little paintoff. You may recall the Alien image from <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-bumper-fun-summer-speedpaint-special.html" target="_blank">last time</a>, The alien was my pick for something to cover, while this one was his. The rules were the same. Paint it in Photoshop in 1 hour, use of grids is OK, and the only filters allowed are ones for blurring (I didn't use any filters).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFd3HcmJRAcuzaVhS3Q7oz8mlx8Sd65TwYhyOP7lte3ReiyyRuEBPVix_H0a-JUtvyeAyhh4uMVjWg2DpGo4_q3D7e1qA_JhOBtZ4IMjmDRvCE6LEiVD5LDeGG8S-uvQWvRnXJliKO-Q/s1600/27-horns-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFd3HcmJRAcuzaVhS3Q7oz8mlx8Sd65TwYhyOP7lte3ReiyyRuEBPVix_H0a-JUtvyeAyhh4uMVjWg2DpGo4_q3D7e1qA_JhOBtZ4IMjmDRvCE6LEiVD5LDeGG8S-uvQWvRnXJliKO-Q/s400/27-horns-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see from the stages, this one was fairly by the numbers. I got a nice smokey background down pretty quickly, and then switched on a 4x4 grid to get the layout (the red blob), then switched it off and did the rest by eye. Sorry for the compression on this one - JPEG really hates the color red.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3o_yhlR77k4H5uDe78RNiTP_FIB668RIvwMZfLKuXGuVcw85KUjYsz96eZrFi5_aHGMi-dhGD239Asc5HpKBab3ARf-hbA9b8gd1lNVrxPCM2a0-4oRGsEp1ZjCMyTg7FvIYYJ_TP00/s1600/Horns-comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3o_yhlR77k4H5uDe78RNiTP_FIB668RIvwMZfLKuXGuVcw85KUjYsz96eZrFi5_aHGMi-dhGD239Asc5HpKBab3ARf-hbA9b8gd1lNVrxPCM2a0-4oRGsEp1ZjCMyTg7FvIYYJ_TP00/s400/Horns-comparison.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As with last time, here's a comparison of the results - his on the right, mine on the left.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKZcXylk_pJ5wAy6eMRRV0z1w5XfEIWUmQJ-Z4qMhAYAjwNeobdQ4wsCbSz_xeThbQ77VxT-A67-kfwzdF5CIwvU_ocxxL23aOl06mis9uZRZHkIwuSIsqX4ONHdwqMhqm2RMd-nSP9g/s1600/26-CintiqCalibration-5_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKZcXylk_pJ5wAy6eMRRV0z1w5XfEIWUmQJ-Z4qMhAYAjwNeobdQ4wsCbSz_xeThbQ77VxT-A67-kfwzdF5CIwvU_ocxxL23aOl06mis9uZRZHkIwuSIsqX4ONHdwqMhqm2RMd-nSP9g/s320/26-CintiqCalibration-5_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 5 minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
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So I finally got a Cintiq (a type of graphics tablet that is also a monitor). It's very fancy, and quite pricey, but fortunately I got a slightly older model cheaply from one of the guys I work with as he was selling it to get a new monitor. Score!<br />
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Anyway, this pointless doodle was what I did while I was setting up and calibrating it. I'm calling it a speedpaint for no other reason than I want a record of the first thing I did on the Cintiq, and if it's a speedpaint I'll always know where to find it. Rubbish rationale, but take it or leave it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaLOEjU85uykDLYiZgojtr_ZkfAwonHHeRvbNiyfoL_zgmU90DAl9xV3f0_7MrJQY1fQ53E5lvNtUfSGZpmdHn94fU9S47Fqdd6RiQkcEY9CGj2rO7g1xtisVJmsVFW6X7EjHIIyQ6xo/s1600/28-Max-100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaLOEjU85uykDLYiZgojtr_ZkfAwonHHeRvbNiyfoL_zgmU90DAl9xV3f0_7MrJQY1fQ53E5lvNtUfSGZpmdHn94fU9S47Fqdd6RiQkcEY9CGj2rO7g1xtisVJmsVFW6X7EjHIIyQ6xo/s400/28-Max-100.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 100 Minutes<br />
Software: Artrage<br />
Based on: Max, from the show <i>Humans</i><br />
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Not the best likeness, but I'm assured he's recognisable to those who have seen the show. It was painted in ArtRage on the Cintiq. I haven't quite got it set up to work with the package in a way I feel comfortable with yet - this is a failing with the Cintiq software, rather than ArtRage, as ArtRage shortcuts start by holding space (not unreasonable), while Wacom insists that they should start with a CTRL, ALT or Shift key. Humph.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzWyDQMMllf7_A7s-qqQFK2AT-GjkS8gJRpihuP__6GHhuflRo4HAGZX4mVYEgNvDw-70qfO-jp5aHnGEIJCA1So6-HCkIvrZ3ic3y5rs6BxIpfDfEHvV4Sh0fdcwrRLcs2jCj9LIMto/s1600/28-Max-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzWyDQMMllf7_A7s-qqQFK2AT-GjkS8gJRpihuP__6GHhuflRo4HAGZX4mVYEgNvDw-70qfO-jp5aHnGEIJCA1So6-HCkIvrZ3ic3y5rs6BxIpfDfEHvV4Sh0fdcwrRLcs2jCj9LIMto/s400/28-Max-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one is also not terribly exciting in the step by step. I'm working a little rougher than usual, but not peculiarly so. The main goal here (other than a good likeness, which worked out so-so) was a limited and muted palette, and I think I succeeded there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiuNOD6Acs6K0nKoB-3iJ9mkgK5LBLE2fwikVSjIPdGHazAZx-jtNKEf7gNwe5qSistMgOoi2X-S_iH_Rz3Sp0B1pKNRnsOLplQvyo89Eb0uwQHb-XFRHPMe-cNuAZW-oNWEip6if1kE/s1600/29-dog-105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiuNOD6Acs6K0nKoB-3iJ9mkgK5LBLE2fwikVSjIPdGHazAZx-jtNKEf7gNwe5qSistMgOoi2X-S_iH_Rz3Sp0B1pKNRnsOLplQvyo89Eb0uwQHb-XFRHPMe-cNuAZW-oNWEip6if1kE/s400/29-dog-105.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 105 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Photo of Mr. Gerbik, a friends dog.<br />
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I said I'd paint this particular dog a very long time ago, but things kept coming up. Finally I saw the photo this is based on, and loved it, so I thought I'd strike while the iron was hot. Not much else to say about it, but his owner was rather taken with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5hofyMQiAbvbUr_A0ITJn3JYkAyXEF3gwlO9YuhtdmZKHSThlNlsA2h6n9DvtV7rN6H9ZtD75CoG4BQQocaLSUGSBeKRLdjhS0gvt7VVdd0NYhmqCdNZDC5Sq9-5w-PpjD8AdwqZYwU/s1600/29-dog-Process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5hofyMQiAbvbUr_A0ITJn3JYkAyXEF3gwlO9YuhtdmZKHSThlNlsA2h6n9DvtV7rN6H9ZtD75CoG4BQQocaLSUGSBeKRLdjhS0gvt7VVdd0NYhmqCdNZDC5Sq9-5w-PpjD8AdwqZYwU/s400/29-dog-Process.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The photograph was black and white, but I wanted to inject a little color into the speedpaint. Since I know I'm not great at adding or changing colors on the fly I did an underpainting of strong colors, and then painted on top of this with semi transparent greys. Since I often sample colours I need from similar ones already in the image this meant the colours got spread gently throughout the image as I went along.<br />
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I tried capturing this one as a timelapse video, but it failed miserably. I did manage to capture a few frames from the video though, and it's from those that I made the progression image above. It wasn't the only time this month I tried to capture a video, and not the only time it failed (I'll try the video route again sometime soon though).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf_A1gG3OlpDuK0x4K0N8v9BkL2dPPDY3UmlnpWYs3Ye41mDtxOfOQT_fhzImR854Ai4T9U8zpntthSMoy8TSCiHQb78otPcMDemaQbUcmroq-kfmJkHOpXceu3LbrAI_k-FHhrE0XlY/s1600/30-Paletteback-55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJf_A1gG3OlpDuK0x4K0N8v9BkL2dPPDY3UmlnpWYs3Ye41mDtxOfOQT_fhzImR854Ai4T9U8zpntthSMoy8TSCiHQb78otPcMDemaQbUcmroq-kfmJkHOpXceu3LbrAI_k-FHhrE0XlY/s400/30-Paletteback-55.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 55 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
Based on: <a href="http://fav.me/d6ln4da" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">http://fav.me/d6ln4da</a><br />
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Odd thing about this one: I barely remember painting it. I think I was trying to paint something using just the Palette Knife tool, because that is exactly how this was done, but I don't remember the process all that well. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj0Zl82jfy83IRG76HjweTK5arpYzqzZyTS6TdbiEl2RoIP7zfNHWS9Tj8AdTcTyhUO9YR6zSbyqKVYDz2inJJWRlbbScf9TEcOM9FTx_faWNsyKOkO7otle8DLsxjQYagwNbzjVXZkE/s1600/30-Paletteback-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj0Zl82jfy83IRG76HjweTK5arpYzqzZyTS6TdbiEl2RoIP7zfNHWS9Tj8AdTcTyhUO9YR6zSbyqKVYDz2inJJWRlbbScf9TEcOM9FTx_faWNsyKOkO7otle8DLsxjQYagwNbzjVXZkE/s400/30-Paletteback-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fortunately I do have some images of the process I've mostly forgotten. I quite like how the hand behind her back turned out, but the one on her shoulder? Erm, not so much. Incidentally, there was another speedpaint between this one and the last, but I can't share it just yet - it may end up being used for something else, and I wouldn't want it spoiled.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Mk1-AMejiw9IrM9XM_9NY-SyhW1ALqRaqTe2zI6qBiyGm4-df_SoLayW0OtJI5BS6VJID7JadR-8N-A4mNp1IoAYeNLlg_QpXv0hV15tL7pEy2wXOPdEe_9sjVtp7RVj0s9wDvNhgGk/s1600/31-Lee-LRG-Filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Mk1-AMejiw9IrM9XM_9NY-SyhW1ALqRaqTe2zI6qBiyGm4-df_SoLayW0OtJI5BS6VJID7JadR-8N-A4mNp1IoAYeNLlg_QpXv0hV15tL7pEy2wXOPdEe_9sjVtp7RVj0s9wDvNhgGk/s400/31-Lee-LRG-Filter.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 180 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Bruce Lee's posthumous appearance in <i>Game of Death</i>.<br />
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This is the other image I tried to record myself painting, but is all went south again. I think I can only record 40 minutes or so of footage before it goes wonky, because the quick tests I did worked fine. Anyway, that's my problem, not yours. If just means the process image is a little lacking in images.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VFTd2WY0Lx1gGCxkDR_aVr1yPf-gklHYv2FXf9a2f3kOASrYTEp1zKggJcE3zFNY_bSIsTII8CaMjpfuovyBVIERxkK3BXxy1K72Pc258Q8Ja-AVloG2SSL6cUoFekYtu9wulOv-914/s1600/31-lee-Stages_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VFTd2WY0Lx1gGCxkDR_aVr1yPf-gklHYv2FXf9a2f3kOASrYTEp1zKggJcE3zFNY_bSIsTII8CaMjpfuovyBVIERxkK3BXxy1K72Pc258Q8Ja-AVloG2SSL6cUoFekYtu9wulOv-914/s400/31-lee-Stages_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As a side note, the final image in this lineup is from the 170 minute mark, which is where I posted it to Facebook. The more photographic effects were added when I was playing around with some of Photoshop's new blur tools, and took about 10 minutes. I like how it looks, so it's the new normal now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxOzPpFOxT7gCcKfnblHloEpPeQaesG0wKLzzjnS32PwEZ48gJ1_u5vxVHBgfCqVrXgxvtW4ECPWRD6RHQfghEpXkGzllgPi2w-X_ZsII0vCYaEYxEjCyC_RU47G8zuELratHP1-Rqw0/s1600/33-cop-50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxOzPpFOxT7gCcKfnblHloEpPeQaesG0wKLzzjnS32PwEZ48gJ1_u5vxVHBgfCqVrXgxvtW4ECPWRD6RHQfghEpXkGzllgPi2w-X_ZsII0vCYaEYxEjCyC_RU47G8zuELratHP1-Rqw0/s400/33-cop-50.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 50 minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Nada<br />
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Finally, here's a random sketch of a future police woman. I don't like it all that much, but it has some potential ideas for future things. It's not so much a speedpaint as a digital speedsketch. I don't have a category for that though, so I'm including it under the speedpaints instead.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-76903656674788364762015-09-21T01:07:00.000-05:002015-09-21T01:07:18.785-05:00A Psychochronography in Blue (Part 6)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-psychochronography-in-blue-part-6.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbD26WwJN8JJCH8Y6BraXNwjOpPACdhYHRl0p9IutdRBctF23YpcbeWQmUukbta6i27N9Ave1lrIDBo35h4Y_kK7HU0c_sPHVc7qblbG4aDWeTJ83Cfs0XyJHYGlnijOkFzrjaqUbiJI/s1600/Book6-Thumb.jpg" /></a></div>
I think, by now, you probably know the drill. On the chance that you're a newcomer to these here shores you can read the previous entries in this series by clicking <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/search/label/Psychochronography" target="_blank">here</a>. You don't need to in order to follow along, but the option is there if you need it.<br />
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So, new cover for a new Phil Sandifer joint, this one being the 6th of the main series of TARDIS Eruditorum, 'The Unofficial Critical History of Doctor Who' (because Phil loaths a short subtitle). To see Phil's post on the subject, <a href="http://www.eruditorumpress.com/blog/the-twin-book-launch/" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
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By all rights, this should have been my personal favorite of the series to do, as it lands smack dab in the middle of an era I hold dear. Oddly though that very fact made it less satisfying, as nothing I could do would ever live up to the memories of the ridiculous gaudy graphic excesses of the mid-80's (the prime example of the theme being the 6th Doctor's much maligned coat). I did my best though, in line with Phil's preferences, and quite like the result.<br />
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You may note that it looks a bit like a book cover, but also ever so slightly like a cover from a video game. There are reasons (other than just myself and Dr. Sandifer being colossal nerds), but we'll get to that later. If we follow Dylan Thomas' advice to begin at the beginning (which wasn't actually advice), then we track back all the way to a set of thumbnails. Ideas and options for further exploration.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTBy061EZ_lW4MJnlW1gLZmW9UEfmPMGHRu7r_pwhhsL5YOLpDyoIAklehxDEiVqJzOZHAJusrt77zD32o-rSOOsmixk9-0rBJQFb8NUyHu89BJwOahRI2o_uySitbSZZw29_TfitkR4/s1600/Book6-Roughs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTBy061EZ_lW4MJnlW1gLZmW9UEfmPMGHRu7r_pwhhsL5YOLpDyoIAklehxDEiVqJzOZHAJusrt77zD32o-rSOOsmixk9-0rBJQFb8NUyHu89BJwOahRI2o_uySitbSZZw29_TfitkR4/s400/Book6-Roughs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is actually the second set of thumbnails I'd sent, the first consisting of only the first row. Let's break down the thought process in picking the 'right' one (you'll note none of these tally exactly with the final cover - we'll get there). The cover had an additional difficulty this time, since it had to cover two Doctors instead of one, complicating the amount of information the cover had to relay.<br />
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The first two were dismissed because Phil thought they might be too 90's - they're not, being pretty strongly mid 80's, but if Phil's memories were throwing him off he wouldn't be the only one, so they were out (I think there's some potential in the second one for some other things though).<br />
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The last one was dismissed because it might be too obscure (It's based on Queen's<i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Kind_of_Magic" target="_blank">Kind of Magic</a></i> album cover), and raise questions in those who got it as to why the book didn't contain an essay on Highlander, which then raises the question, why <i>wasn't </i>there an essay on Highlander? <br />
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This left the other two as the only strong contenders in the first batch. From the rest, Phil liked the Rubix Cube TARDIS (And I've now forgotten why we didn't push another round with those, because they are sort of fun), ruled out the neon faces and crest, and liked some of the Logos. The C64 ASCII art TARDIS was deemed too plain, but it did bring up that we both have associations with the era and the Commodore 64 computer. Some logos were liked, and some were not. Somehow, through the discussions, the following resulted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLocKEShp6wbQT6ja0iIUj9G_cso2Qzpu5hKGoKq91jqpD3NmqiG2KcXlrp7Kcmp6UGVBAdBc0q_j5r7BFcMe-UUocF3843UkTo3tIMaKHxsOLso0Ezz3jr2CzqXqNGQgetni24i4sYs0/s1600/Book6-Roughs2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLocKEShp6wbQT6ja0iIUj9G_cso2Qzpu5hKGoKq91jqpD3NmqiG2KcXlrp7Kcmp6UGVBAdBc0q_j5r7BFcMe-UUocF3843UkTo3tIMaKHxsOLso0Ezz3jr2CzqXqNGQgetni24i4sYs0/s400/Book6-Roughs2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In these you can see the first real signs of what would become the final cover. It also raised a lot of points for discussion, such as how noisy the cover could be in terms of looking like a photograph of a graphic over just being the graphic, and how the books apparent age is worked out (this wasn't an issue before, but this one has two Doctors, and the next covers time outside the airing of the show on TV). For the record, the book covers are intended to be era appropriate for the end of the time covered within them. And I just realised that this is the first book without the dates it covers marked. Bugger. Not the end of the world though. Moving on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2jxq9lMPnUpVCcNs3L9ZfLWuQRUhq5Bsad7HotZFQj6PyVv453AJMkIVFMoWnAM9LXTxm1_xcnGRLhv1UN5y-k3bRyIXr1Uf6wsscENTcVpczchsvOP0n8ILW9O4Zsk17ASmNENYtNw/s1600/Book6-Rough3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2jxq9lMPnUpVCcNs3L9ZfLWuQRUhq5Bsad7HotZFQj6PyVv453AJMkIVFMoWnAM9LXTxm1_xcnGRLhv1UN5y-k3bRyIXr1Uf6wsscENTcVpczchsvOP0n8ILW9O4Zsk17ASmNENYtNw/s1600/Book6-Rough3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6t5yYyipKFROAtfPkgdFDP2m-gCKiphL12RUZkfncgxGzOoKgYDJVMSN4cdFm7A9TpIeioChU9Y6trS-tDt2kIfNmepejIyx0fU8uTwnEQNUyZf9ynOoDv38w3P05bXGOo_BTUEnOEY/s1600/Book6-Rough4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6t5yYyipKFROAtfPkgdFDP2m-gCKiphL12RUZkfncgxGzOoKgYDJVMSN4cdFm7A9TpIeioChU9Y6trS-tDt2kIfNmepejIyx0fU8uTwnEQNUyZf9ynOoDv38w3P05bXGOo_BTUEnOEY/s400/Book6-Rough4.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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So from that we arrived at these two, which are minor variants of the same (one was ironing out some things I wasn't sure I could do, like making it look as though the image was a photograph of a CRT television), including the heavily sloped A, because nothing says 80's like a heavily sloped letter or two - just ask <a href="http://eil.com/images/main/Jean-Michel-Jarre-Oxygene-341835.jpg" target="_blank">Jean Michele Jarre</a>. Phil approved the first, and then went radio silent on the second because he was busy - this may have had the longest gestation period of the covers since we were both tremendously busy at various times during it. The last book technically took longer, but most of that time it wasn't under discussion, so much as sitting on my hard drive doing nothing. The first email on the subject of this one was back at the beginning of June.<br />
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Anyway, he didn't respond for a while, which gave me time to mull things over - always a dangerous occurrence.<br />
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Phil also writes Last War in Albion as you possibly know. Last War in Albion is about the mystical war between the writers Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. That sounds weirder than it is, but it uses that to explore the history of the two and all sorts of asides in a similar way that TARDIS Eruditorum uses the alchemical aspects of Doctor Who as a springboard to other diverse topics of discussion. Anyway, that's all by the by, the important thing is that that reading it reminded me of the rear cover to Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Killing_Joke" target="_blank">The Killing Joke</a></i>, which is a playing card featuring Batman and The Joker.<br />
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Since we were already discussing the possibility of the cover containing a computer style illustration it made sense to make the playing card idea following that sensibility, and furthermore, once I did it the whole thing looked to me like the cover to a video game from Rainbird or Firebird; things like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_(video_game)" target="_blank"><i>Elite</i></a>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starglider" target="_blank">Starglider</a></i> or <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpheus_(1987_video_game)" target="_blank">Morpheus</a></i> (I may be showing my age here). Based on that I wanted a screenshot on the box. A screenshot of the non-existent <i>TARDIS Eruditorum</i> game.<br />
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I may have nerded out a little over this cover. Again.<br />
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So since we're in nerdville I may as well go a little further and cover some things I did for the cover that most people will never notice or care about. If you really don't want to know any of this, scan on down past the red framed text. If you're a hopeless saddo like me, then it's time to get (gently) technical, a little personal and somewhat old school. Reminiscence is likely to happen.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Geek Starts Here</span><br />
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So I got my start in digital art a long time ago in a country far far away. We'd borrowed my grandfather's Dragon 32 computer for a few weeks, and so my dad, being a hopeless geek himself, decided to learn to program it. I was 8, and <i>Oh My God That's My Son's Age!</i> I only remember one thing he did, which was a graphics package called Doodle. It was pretty amazing, featuring such advanced things (for the time) as rubber banding & limited animation. <br />
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It should have sold thousands of copies and funded the next version (which he started on but never finished - pixel editing and zoom were on the cards); it sold about 10 copies. After that we gave the computer back, and eventually got a Commodore Plus/4. <br />
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Nobody remembers that computer it seems, but I rather liked it. I learned to program a bit myself, and worked out how to do art on it. This involved working a picture out on graph paper and entering the colours and co-ordinates as a program. Eventually my dad bought me an art package for it - I don't remember the name of it sadly, but it was a start. For old times sake here's a link to a video of the C+4 rip-off of <i>Boulderdash</i>; <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhvlSj_gTUU" target="_blank">Icicle Works</a>.</i><br />
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</i> Eventually we got a Commodore 64 (I think I was 11 or 12) and a copy of OCP Art Studio and that was pretty much it for me, I was hooked. Eventually I got an Amiga with Deluxe Paint, and then a PC with Photoshop, and then a tablet for it and so on and so on.<br />
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But I did a lot of work on the C64. A <i>lot. </i>In fact my GCSE art project was done on one (this was a combination of original art and loading screens from various games copied pixel by pixel from games magazines. Yes it was partially plagiarism, but I didn't appreciate that at the time since I was doing it the hard way, and learning a lot at the same time. You'll note I credit pretty much everything when I can these days - Guilt from when I was 15.<br />
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But this does mean I have a pretty solid understanding of the limitations of computers, specifically the C64, circa 1986. With that in mind I decided to be as accurate as I could.<br />
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Firstly, I did it the dumb way. I should have looked for something like <a href="http://www.nightfallcrew.com/25/03/2013/hermires-v1-28-c64-hires-bitmap-editor/" target="_blank"><i>HermIRES</i></a>, which purports to simulate the C64 limitations on other systems (I just found that while looking for something unrelated, and I'm totally going to snag it in case I need to do something like this again). Instead I set Photoshop to use double wide aspect pixels and did it in there with the pencil tool and the C64's 16 colour palette and resolution. Yes, the C64 had double wide pixels on it's multicolour mode - it also had a limitation on 4 colours per 4x8 'square'; I couldn't simulate that limitation, but I did my best to stick to it anyway.<br />
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So that got me the Game screen and the Playing card, but back in days of old the way you'd get things from the computer into a magazine or on to a gamebox was to photograph the screen, which gave such shots a fairly distinctive look. Here's a couple of scans from the old Zzap 64 magazine -<a href="http://www.cerebus.de/psi5/words/review/zzap.jpg" target="_blank">1</a>, <a href="http://piratesportal.cbm8bit.com/a/0/3dpool/c64/review.jpg" target="_blank">2</a> - note the screenshots are slightly blurry and slightly distorted and you can see the pattern of the TV's electron mask. Sometimes you'd have the slight shadow of the screen's redraw too, if the photographer messed up the exposure.<br />
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So I wanted to simulate all of that, even though it would be quite likely nobody would have any idea that I had.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUJdBOl0wEjVy__u3fO-ZOEfjHwx-T-CkEpia0Bg_xPZIXLYxzZL9kd3IGVeSmnm8QmW8ILWfDWiSAODsM8pLs76hYgfcNYmbeA_9w28P1atLnFYZxUk4TPrs2HXk7nr2VTe6RBSTjjQ/s1600/Book6-Mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUJdBOl0wEjVy__u3fO-ZOEfjHwx-T-CkEpia0Bg_xPZIXLYxzZL9kd3IGVeSmnm8QmW8ILWfDWiSAODsM8pLs76hYgfcNYmbeA_9w28P1atLnFYZxUk4TPrs2HXk7nr2VTe6RBSTjjQ/s320/Book6-Mask.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Short of buying a CRT, and working out how to hook the PC up to it, and then photographing it (yeah... no thanks), I had to simulate it. I did this by creating a small mask pattern and then repeating that for each pixel in the simulated screen. For the low resolution CRT display (400 x 480i) this worked out at a whopping image of 12240x8160. Into this I would paste my simulated C64 resolution image, and then scale it up using Nearest Neighbor mode (which doesn't blur or sharpen the pixels). Some additional fiddling with blend modes and offsets and such gave me a pretty reasonable CRT look. Then that was duplicated, flattened, and the next step was simulating the photography of an actual screen, which involved distorting the previous image, adding some vignetting and some reflection off the curvature as well as a little bit of a redraw shadow. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhexdQ6SeyetPpzYGJjZwcuHyKrsFT99quEFC36yXSgANfhPbxbNeVnYQFqcD9LiFlxfA0Rlv886fjrxcpwStYKtAopAYe6k4eov2mpCSl4vF-FP9XdRJ0hzlohry4P4SmuTd6FSEv0k/s1600/Book6-CRT_Closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhexdQ6SeyetPpzYGJjZwcuHyKrsFT99quEFC36yXSgANfhPbxbNeVnYQFqcD9LiFlxfA0Rlv886fjrxcpwStYKtAopAYe6k4eov2mpCSl4vF-FP9XdRJ0hzlohry4P4SmuTd6FSEv0k/s320/Book6-CRT_Closeup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yes, that was a bit long winded, but I think the results are pretty good.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Geek Ends Here</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><br />
</span> After that it was predominantly a case of finalising the layout, adding the text, doing the wear, lightening the blue, that sort of thing. Stuff I've covered in many of the posts about the previous covers. I did go back and add 'rounded' corners to the playing card, and give it a little perspective and a reflection though, because 80's, and I also cut it out of its 'screen' a little less accurately because back then people did such things by hand (you'll never notice, it's really subtle). I also cut out the torn label by hand, but it's basically using the exact same technique as I use to do the wearing on the cover, and I covered that back on <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-psychochronography-in-blue-part-2.html" target="_blank">Book 2</a>.<br />
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One thing that's worth covering here though is the Chrome logo. Because 80's chrome is the best chrome.<br />
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I've done a lot of chrome over the years, firstly because I was actually around during the 80's, when everything had some chrome, but then because I was doing vehicle logos for things like Saints Row (now there's a Before the Blog post I should do). Usually I can do a pretty reasonable job by hand, or with filters or by using layer FX. None of that would work here (at least on its own) because the logo was too big.<br />
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So it's all done with vectors, other than a drop shadow and slight bevel overlay using the Layer FX options. This was actually pretty easy - a couple of gradient shapes, an outline, another gradient, done. Not terribly in depth, but worth noting that I did something I'm very familiar with in a very different way.<br />
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Once Phil had the final page count I decided to put the original Pixelated Doctors image on the spine, because the spine was huge, and I liked the image. Phil submitted and there was a mistake somewhere that meant I had to reduce the size of the spine again, but the image still fitted just fine. Both myself and Phil were a little surprised the cover didn't get rejected due to some of the text being upside down. That actually answered a question we had over a previous cover, but didn't have the guts to try back then. This wasn't done as a test for this cover - we just forgot it might be an issue until it wasn't one.<br />
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And there you have it. This is the second and last 1980's cover, since the next book covers up until 1995, so I'll have to brush up on my 90's before then. I promise the next one won't have a huge influence from era specific home computers though. Well... <i>maybe </i>not.<br />
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-20281189484401119862015-09-05T16:30:00.000-05:002015-09-05T16:30:40.744-05:00The Bumper-Fun Summer Speedpaint Special<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"You only posted once last month you lazy bugger." I know, I know, I'm just not as committed to this blogging lark as I should be, but in my defence last month I messed up my back, had a vehicular breakdown, bought a new car, had two family visits, did (a lot of) things at work I can't divulge, saw a meteor shower, had a kid that couldn't sleep (this is not a new child, the old one is just now having issues), had my wedding anniversary, did five speedpaints, read three books, taught my son to play Chess, and made an omelette. Given all that it's amazing I managed the (fairly wordy) post that I did.<br />
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Actually, it was six speedpaints I guess, but one of them was more like a speed sketch page (I did almost no actual sketching this last month - busy, see?), I'll show it anyway.<br />
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But in addition to that, since I didn't post about it last month it's actually eleven speedpaints I need to cover this month, plus a bonus guest one from my brother, for reasons we'll get to below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Qa7D5sYtiPhwecBZdfusRpMZd2qrMZ3GOfe6LoXY4xIIJ9DXeVp3Y0TKpvW04SRk0j2Ha4ktIaje5tAUrUAk_1xOoHY1qRJfhbxc2DQoe3xd-lXWRafCHCet_NAn3ulxvlGdGu00BYI/s1600/15-Learn1-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Qa7D5sYtiPhwecBZdfusRpMZd2qrMZ3GOfe6LoXY4xIIJ9DXeVp3Y0TKpvW04SRk0j2Ha4ktIaje5tAUrUAk_1xOoHY1qRJfhbxc2DQoe3xd-lXWRafCHCet_NAn3ulxvlGdGu00BYI/s400/15-Learn1-0.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 90 Minutes<br />
Software Used: ArtRage<br />
Based On: A Pinterest pin I neglected to pin.<br />
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This one was an odd experience. I tried to take a reference (which I've now lost; it was a thumbnail on Pinterest and I forgot to pin it) and then paint something slightly different from it. I mostly succeeded I think, although her stomach looks slightly odd, like there's no definition there (I don't mean she's lacking muscle). Now I've said that I realise I should do another speedpaint focussing on that area from a similar angle to help me work it out for next time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjju9gKGUSWFCNt6axP97bS9GKo3wa7zBvY330QDvg8fMHxzCM8C-rbaQrPYLl9iPqXkVqK8HVT6Z7evfONfR9hiYOAGPcEA-SV8dt5bMBHtBaex10VrbxQ93L0RhDQQDdvkkNmZnM8OJE/s1600/15-Learn1-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjju9gKGUSWFCNt6axP97bS9GKo3wa7zBvY330QDvg8fMHxzCM8C-rbaQrPYLl9iPqXkVqK8HVT6Z7evfONfR9hiYOAGPcEA-SV8dt5bMBHtBaex10VrbxQ93L0RhDQQDdvkkNmZnM8OJE/s400/15-Learn1-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Nothing terribly exciting in the step by step, except I'd abandoned the reference by the second stage here. Some things worked out quite well (I like her shirt and trousers), while other things sort of got a little muddled as I went along (I prefer the original angle of her head for example, and I think I made it too small when I was refining it). At the end I threw on some filters and such for fun, but it wasn't like it was going to save it or anything.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoXx5bpUmRpiLTJ4JgDXqW-ueIkvA_1PLR3IXGpQGOXNA72cI-GzZc2IE4nIy57y30RMbY5zzSrVpBcl_S0y35ks4A4NMP_7BGcbMEIHUpMYuXEkJ8kjMjFd1SxP1CbUhInCwkgWpVxs/s1600/16-Guided-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoXx5bpUmRpiLTJ4JgDXqW-ueIkvA_1PLR3IXGpQGOXNA72cI-GzZc2IE4nIy57y30RMbY5zzSrVpBcl_S0y35ks4A4NMP_7BGcbMEIHUpMYuXEkJ8kjMjFd1SxP1CbUhInCwkgWpVxs/s400/16-Guided-35.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 35 Minutes<br />
Software Used: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Nada<br />
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This was one of those 'sketch it as soon as you think of it' things that I've started to try and do. It was a possible book cover, but looks like if I ever do a more finished version now it won't be for a book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLzKGpV1MynzGE45NAL31U2tvkSfnNw9rzQj-mNL3NZV8s_eqo4V-IWYQQlJ86Kqnj9TTsET9-9lC5Yd_4AXV9OHe-ZHI_4nUF3jHAhR-D9OVd0yOE1U-8TjJR1Q_1Pu14D59GwVL0kg/s1600/17-Sunset-175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLzKGpV1MynzGE45NAL31U2tvkSfnNw9rzQj-mNL3NZV8s_eqo4V-IWYQQlJ86Kqnj9TTsET9-9lC5Yd_4AXV9OHe-ZHI_4nUF3jHAhR-D9OVd0yOE1U-8TjJR1Q_1Pu14D59GwVL0kg/s400/17-Sunset-175.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 175 Minutes<br />
Software Used: ArtRage<br />
Based On: Personal Photo<br />
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This is one of the 'Designated Area' series. It's not really a designated area, it's just a side road opposite the police station that I stopped at for a smoke (I wasn't headed to or from the cop-shop, it just happened to be across the street).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Q1IfhNkbCrW18ZlQz4UaGHrHC87j1gJYUWREV36SzjL7JkyejvljN-7DW4mZ95CEUE7u7EGOB_12vf3U_vq1dy08DkNW7L1pEJ8__SZ7l8DjA35njHP0UeSGXRCKAOjynjXQH2dYAZ8/s1600/17-Sunset-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Q1IfhNkbCrW18ZlQz4UaGHrHC87j1gJYUWREV36SzjL7JkyejvljN-7DW4mZ95CEUE7u7EGOB_12vf3U_vq1dy08DkNW7L1pEJ8__SZ7l8DjA35njHP0UeSGXRCKAOjynjXQH2dYAZ8/s400/17-Sunset-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before I started this one I created some perspective lines for reference using a free piece of software called Carapace (From the makers of Gears of War... really, kinda). The vanishing point is not quite in the same location as it was in the Photograph, so the end result is from a subtly different angle, with a slightly different FOV. I don't love it - I certainly need more environmental practice, but I've done a lot worse.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKFoKO7HSYSl3h0PE5tVCYC5zUk0B8xv3T-e-_Lr8J9v0eTzFgBgVRxhACtg_siyaMI8fXA9r6KrI6jTov-haoVJFBht2DoGKcV9SfSE_Q_pGPa1N1PNlnngQM6kJVc582Pa24Gsv7ds/s1600/18-Primary-40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKFoKO7HSYSl3h0PE5tVCYC5zUk0B8xv3T-e-_Lr8J9v0eTzFgBgVRxhACtg_siyaMI8fXA9r6KrI6jTov-haoVJFBht2DoGKcV9SfSE_Q_pGPa1N1PNlnngQM6kJVc582Pa24Gsv7ds/s400/18-Primary-40.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 40 Minutes<br />
Software Used: Photoshop<br />
Based On: A thumbnail I saw somewhere<br />
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This was indeed based on a thumbnail I saw somewhere. I don't recall where, and it doesn't really matter since the only real resemblance between this and the thumbnail is her hairstyle and the frilly bits at the top of her dress. I was playing around with doing something more colourful and more graphic (very loosely inspired by the works of <a href="http://www.videogamesartwork.com/artists/vasili-zorin" target="_blank">Vasili Zorin</a>), and I like the result (for a change), but haven't done anything similar to it since.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-0YljoY4EtORQGmVeZiuVVuxb3i1hnG7Kxmnq88tYlJacrfIS7FKYsiet_U2nsPSZ4XBB-WF_tcQyBBJTMayYkUzQcT2Y9PwX_5dm12wTfr1FzSTZxode1FvwNbgliv1kdQQZ0kz6Oc/s1600/19-Tree-60_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-0YljoY4EtORQGmVeZiuVVuxb3i1hnG7Kxmnq88tYlJacrfIS7FKYsiet_U2nsPSZ4XBB-WF_tcQyBBJTMayYkUzQcT2Y9PwX_5dm12wTfr1FzSTZxode1FvwNbgliv1kdQQZ0kz6Oc/s400/19-Tree-60_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 60 Minutes<br />
Software Used: Photoshop<br />
Based on: A Streetview view<br />
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I was wandering around in Google Streetview, sightseeing, as you do, when I 'looked' up for a change and decided 'I needed to paint that'.<br />
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I forgot to bookmark where the view was though, so I can never go back there, because Earth is a very large place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEzWWo979PO06thf6oqDhOpi-xhIfS_5aO0I0QeDVuQ-ihoX73zrLEWYjLG4HpqZbgOiq7z5TRCbrvzhWPu0xe3N1UaXZ4SZKSzLQF15blPz0PZvQjBofy3T0bObnhjQNg5g9flbU1ig/s1600/19-Tree-Stages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEzWWo979PO06thf6oqDhOpi-xhIfS_5aO0I0QeDVuQ-ihoX73zrLEWYjLG4HpqZbgOiq7z5TRCbrvzhWPu0xe3N1UaXZ4SZKSzLQF15blPz0PZvQjBofy3T0bObnhjQNg5g9flbU1ig/s400/19-Tree-Stages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm a little sad that the leaves got a little smushy toward the end, but I was surprised how well a brush I made for painting oilstains 8 years ago worked for painting leaves in the first place. Also, there's a surprising amount of blue and yellow in this picture of something you'd usually think of as being green.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvE1SHvg6oHQ0QTZBNpEsffiWD00K9_hGhwl1DDAyvj1b4qKQtcu6LhgkwJ3JHpOqHa1Z7d4AlmPqdtvzSRE3bfvgYaXbtD6nxRUXHM7iv4-3VWhUKLHiz0Njw_I2cRiasYNIO3Fiixs/s1600/20-Mucking-About-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvE1SHvg6oHQ0QTZBNpEsffiWD00K9_hGhwl1DDAyvj1b4qKQtcu6LhgkwJ3JHpOqHa1Z7d4AlmPqdtvzSRE3bfvgYaXbtD6nxRUXHM7iv4-3VWhUKLHiz0Njw_I2cRiasYNIO3Fiixs/s400/20-Mucking-About-30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 30 minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
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I was just mucking about with brushes for 30 minutes. The head in the upper middle is made out of hand prints. I should do a full painting like that someday. This was the first image of August incidentally, if you were trying to keep track.<br />
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No, it shouldn't count as a speedpaint, but I'm doing so anyway, because male ballerina, or something.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6nEP_O54kMuqRYrN4NSq0619vr9Lg9Jb8RU8gI0YY28fDU7xFApfaJuY1IBGNnlDGcPxh4A8tRFwO5uyWwDNva6lyntxrVuIcO8FM22ajRD81PkzAtncayJL1NJdmKDP4y7yRKJdrNE/s1600/21-FashionPose-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6nEP_O54kMuqRYrN4NSq0619vr9Lg9Jb8RU8gI0YY28fDU7xFApfaJuY1IBGNnlDGcPxh4A8tRFwO5uyWwDNva6lyntxrVuIcO8FM22ajRD81PkzAtncayJL1NJdmKDP4y7yRKJdrNE/s400/21-FashionPose-35.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 35 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: An image about halfway down <a href="http://www.designscene.net/2012/07/costume-national-fw12-13.html" target="_blank">this page</a><br />
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Saw this one on Pinterest, and decided I liked the pose, and the amount of contrast, so I knocked it out pretty quickly. I should have spent a little more time on it perhaps because my Wife thought it was a picture of Prince. Clearly it's Little Richard, but what can you do?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVyaWQAb9M3-q8ipGpP_fWxZpUnsydGmCsEIfeYvDymb5zXMmrjzWsBkcIFdRMrbgjOTkDFt1rrEYH8bx6xZun_NONqqcJ-sr_UzbCw8vFKusEb1V3J3AeLn63pKEgf6nRpwEvnUZmpI/s1600/22-assassin-115_LRG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVyaWQAb9M3-q8ipGpP_fWxZpUnsydGmCsEIfeYvDymb5zXMmrjzWsBkcIFdRMrbgjOTkDFt1rrEYH8bx6xZun_NONqqcJ-sr_UzbCw8vFKusEb1V3J3AeLn63pKEgf6nRpwEvnUZmpI/s400/22-assassin-115_LRG.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 115 Minutes<br />
Software: ArtRage<br />
Based on: <a href="http://harlequinqb.deviantart.com/art/293-174962341" target="_blank">This photo</a> by <a href="http://drunkhobo-stock.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">DrunkHobo-Stock</a><br />
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I was trying something new for this one. Basically I took my usual preferred settings for the ArtRage Oil tool and reversed them to try and get a more Acrylic looking result. It mostly worked I think. I also used the Palette Knife tool to distress it up a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPPpl4aPtBxte0lMxzKySCb89MOEH1dbefSDfmgHSPxm-jtR0XD6XFAYEPt5fo3w4a9pxs4ZEBwyqOGZ85FoSr-0eJNaiWP9aHEjXpmy9AcuSwOMel28s6ftVEkmDaVa9MzSfJt2tzf0/s1600/Artboard+1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPPpl4aPtBxte0lMxzKySCb89MOEH1dbefSDfmgHSPxm-jtR0XD6XFAYEPt5fo3w4a9pxs4ZEBwyqOGZ85FoSr-0eJNaiWP9aHEjXpmy9AcuSwOMel28s6ftVEkmDaVa9MzSfJt2tzf0/s400/Artboard+1_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfE3X3igBuI_jVOHv36PkSPrPH7GKy34AHmp1A2WygYv3ijsN_wYsm70SdPBgaY4Llv5cwXr9t-_8BwxjeNFAVefnZaHUDobvcvP6gMpfAn1HqMOMHnxOLejCSv5phdQQWuC9HW15jxQ/s1600/Artboard+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfE3X3igBuI_jVOHv36PkSPrPH7GKy34AHmp1A2WygYv3ijsN_wYsm70SdPBgaY4Llv5cwXr9t-_8BwxjeNFAVefnZaHUDobvcvP6gMpfAn1HqMOMHnxOLejCSv5phdQQWuC9HW15jxQ/s400/Artboard+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Two Step by Step images for this one, as I thought his face was actually the most interesting bit. You can also see just how roughly this one was painted here. I quite like the result, and I'll probably do more in this manner in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI1lhfxGUIjY9ZvsU4m4g8JgB25nnvsZAiOaaGnt9_gU-rEPVfnQyIpkkGLrEE5bTJKC09SmS18npDmPvDfCmymqO0xuKPGSWNPbqrKUXHunp2x-6azbmKKjKMus08zWAK9d7rG8wH1U/s1600/23-Lean-125B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI1lhfxGUIjY9ZvsU4m4g8JgB25nnvsZAiOaaGnt9_gU-rEPVfnQyIpkkGLrEE5bTJKC09SmS18npDmPvDfCmymqO0xuKPGSWNPbqrKUXHunp2x-6azbmKKjKMus08zWAK9d7rG8wH1U/s400/23-Lean-125B.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 125 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ohsuwew" target="_blank">This image</a> sort of, from the gallery of <a href="http://williamyan.com/" target="_blank">William Yan</a><br />
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Similar to the first image of the post, this was an attempt to modify an image while I painted to produce something very different, this time combined with a lighting study. It's the most successful attempt so far, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. I got quite into painting this one, and am lacking a step by step image as a result, but originally she was going to have horns. By the time I was at this point though I'd forgotten about them, so this one may come back some time in the future - this time with the headgear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kG_sspYXuqV8pYLxGqjrK2VbVt6UBSY4X-FmKepUr3VpBM_SqpDdrYOGpa7QoFJwRgdjDMlkWEF1EtymopmfmwVCtDCFkI97QDEh9J9wwTQRwJmX2uMDzP3FMoN1DQfREER1jgsq5_I/s1600/24-ScribbleHunter-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kG_sspYXuqV8pYLxGqjrK2VbVt6UBSY4X-FmKepUr3VpBM_SqpDdrYOGpa7QoFJwRgdjDMlkWEF1EtymopmfmwVCtDCFkI97QDEh9J9wwTQRwJmX2uMDzP3FMoN1DQfREER1jgsq5_I/s320/24-ScribbleHunter-25.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 25 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
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This one is basically awful It's okay, it happens. More than I'd like really. Anyway, moving on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKZYoqtwu6QFTzekko839XnEJF4u3ttRtXD4vmDleCEPR5hlloKfhIGnqk26OJzAfPRlfMKwyno1ELq-MmTucu8-ZW3CPrmm8yEMQJTpH_Fz6qZVw0I0UVl08wgvGiQQr_cTovCsGuAs/s1600/25-Alien-60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKZYoqtwu6QFTzekko839XnEJF4u3ttRtXD4vmDleCEPR5hlloKfhIGnqk26OJzAfPRlfMKwyno1ELq-MmTucu8-ZW3CPrmm8yEMQJTpH_Fz6qZVw0I0UVl08wgvGiQQr_cTovCsGuAs/s400/25-Alien-60.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 60 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Really? I think you should know this one.<br />
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This was a fun one because it was part of a challenge me and my brother set for each other. He's an artist too, which I'm sure distressed our parents to no end when we were growing up, but my mother seems quite proud now that her two sons are making a living in a creative field.<br />
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Anyway, he recently started Speedpainting himself (not pictures of himself you understand; he, himself, recently started), and so after his first couple of goes we thought it might be fun to have a Paintoff. Nothing serious of course, no honor on the line, just an interest in how close our respective styles are. The rules were simple: Use Photoshop, 1 hour time limit, Use of grids allowed, no tracing and colour sampling, and no filters except Gaussian Blur (use of adjustments was allowed). Each of us picked a photo, and we'd paint both (you can see the other next month if you haven't seen it posted elsewhere yet).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYmArkq0T2ECeByIj7Y5BMBVeJGUeldw6Qb9ggvKQTxE4Pi0_9QVRux03qeQIEABDbcXDONtHMKGEnYN8dIxXbhT7CxCDb0q_VmtQe5QF4TIZ43j8FeZ1lGNiqRwIf25DqCtrSFfzWZY/s1600/25-Alien-Stepthrough_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYmArkq0T2ECeByIj7Y5BMBVeJGUeldw6Qb9ggvKQTxE4Pi0_9QVRux03qeQIEABDbcXDONtHMKGEnYN8dIxXbhT7CxCDb0q_VmtQe5QF4TIZ43j8FeZ1lGNiqRwIf25DqCtrSFfzWZY/s400/25-Alien-Stepthrough_1.jpg" width="362" /></a></div>
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So, the step through is basically what you'd expect from me. Originally I was going to give it a really scratchy look, but I didn't like the brush I started with much and so switched back to the tried and true one by Stage 3, which I mostly stuck with for the rest of the paint except right at the end where I switched to the same blobby oil stain brush I used for the leaves in the tree painting above. That's probably the most useful 'odd' brush I have - I've used it for smoke trails in the past too. I should do a whole painting with it one day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhLbYz8SkBwUSZQe7KLkv27CEl5fw5FQcnNsThpq22xf45Ij4vlBQLlTKumugS8LBjBq0djwlgcqDbjBhpz-jxfdRZrb0wAm7TnEVEGdGrN7ozs3RKS8HGPaK_mEUPV0I4gLkcM7oisA/s1600/Alien-Consolodated.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhLbYz8SkBwUSZQe7KLkv27CEl5fw5FQcnNsThpq22xf45Ij4vlBQLlTKumugS8LBjBq0djwlgcqDbjBhpz-jxfdRZrb0wAm7TnEVEGdGrN7ozs3RKS8HGPaK_mEUPV0I4gLkcM7oisA/s400/Alien-Consolodated.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the result of the challenge, with mine on the left and his on the right. He didn't crop his, but he also went over the time limit and took twice as long over it. Despite that mismatch, I think it's still interesting to compare the two.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-41063895665790986752015-08-30T23:48:00.001-05:002015-08-30T23:48:13.288-05:00A Musing 7: 10 Tips for Digital Beginners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-musing-7-10-tips-for-digital-beginners.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2zEfql5mOzOuraTqiqnLB2US7BMq_rbIF5xqhHFvCE6GRt49UOhP9_ppJgmyTWRjdFj7JNSms6x-E_LPKvMAdw2IRODD_zwp1AQDdgUNo2z5XH_ffbobTzWNs1LVdQWdB8lxzL7P3LQ/s1600/Idea1_1.jpg" /></a></div>
I was asked yesterday if I had any tips for digital painting I could share. The answer to that is "Yeah, I do, but it might not be much help to you." Which isn't terribly useful, but is potentially true. My way of creating art isn't necessarily your way. I can give helpful advice and tips, some of which may work for you, and others won't, depending on your style, chosen subject matter and so on. Use what works for you, ditch the rest.<br />
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So the following are some tips for those just starting out at digital painting (as the person who asked my advice was). For more advanced things... well, see point 3 below.<br />
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There are no images in this post - I might rectify that at some point.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1) Know Your Software</span></b><br />
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When people think of Graphics software they usually think of Photoshop. If you have Photoshop you don't need anything else right? With Photoshop you can do everything! Well, yes and no. It's true that there are very few two dimensional tasks you can't do with Photoshop, but that doesn't mean Photoshop is the easiest way to achieve them, and also not the best way to learn to do them.<br />
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When I was first learning to paint digitally... Sorry, <i>re</i>learning to paint digitally, and of course I still am learning... I thought Photoshop would be the way to go. I have many years of experience with it after all, and, well, it can do anything. It wasn't though - the way I'd used Photoshop was to do specific things, and paint (textures mostly) in a specific way, and I discovered that Photoshop is crap for some things you want to be fairly fluid, like changing your color. It's improved a lot in that regard in the last few years, and of course I use it a lot for painting now. Still, there are enough technical restraints in place that it can detract from the process of learning to paint digitally in favor of just learning to use Photoshop.<br />
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There are other options, some of them much cheaper. Some of them you may take to like a duck to water, and others you may despise and never want to use again. Fortunately for this latter point, a lot of commercial software has a 30 day demo.<br />
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Personally I like <a href="https://www.artrage.com/" target="_blank">ArtRage</a>. It's what I started reteaching myself on, and as well as having a very naturalistic feel it also has a very intuitive UI intended to make painterly tasks such as switching or mixing color very easy. It has a limited set of default paint tool types, but a 'sticker' spray that has more Photoshop like power should you need it. It encourages 'real' painting, where once you put down a brush stroke you're more or less stuck with it, lacking many of the manipulation tools that Photoshop has (it does have some, but they aren't anywhere near as powerful, and of course you can undo, so you're not really stuck with it). As well as all of this, it's also extremely cheap! I believe the current price is $50 for desktop, $5 for tablets.<br />
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Other popular packages include <a href="http://systemax.jp/en/sai/" target="_blank">PaintTool Sai</a> (small, shareware, has a trial), <a href="https://www.sketchbook.com/" target="_blank">Autodesk Sketchbook and Sketchbook Pro</a> (smallish, cheapish, available for tablets), and <a href="http://www.painterartist.com/us/free-trials/" target="_blank">Corel Painter</a> (complex, pricey, powerful, has a trial), but there are dozens more, including the recent <a href="http://www.paintstormstudio.com/" target="_blank">Paintstorm Studio</a>, which has some bugs, but is currently very cheap and has even more powerful brush options than even Photoshop.<br />
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Even if you have several of these packages, it's worth taking the time to get to know what they can do, and how easily they can do it. As I've said, for what I wanted to do Artrage was the best way to go, and I've taken what I learned there and applied it to other packages (mainly Photoshop). Each package is capable of supporting a wide range of styles and techniques, but in some ways they're just like traditional media in that each one has it's own pros and cons, its own feel and limitations, and its own learning curve. The better you learn the software the better the stuff you can create with it, and just like traditional media, where you need something that makes a mark in order to produce 2D art, you need software to do it digitally (even if it's Notepad - yes, really).<br />
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So pick the one that feels best to you (within your budget), and stick to it for a while, branching out when you're more comfortable.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2) Pick Useable (but cost effective) Hardware</span></b><br />
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If your software is the pencil lead making the marks, then the hardware is the barrel of the pencil that you actually hold. If your pencil is too thin or too thick or too long or short then it's going to make creating with it more difficult, no matter how well sharpened it is. Same for computer hardware; I can paint with a mouse, but it's going to require more time and frustration than using a tablet, and the results won't be as good.<br />
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Tablet in this case can mean two things - A Graphics Tablet, such as the Wacom Intuos, or something like an iPad or Nexus. I don't much like using my Nexus for painting. I can do it, but I miss the pressure sensitivity the Wacom for my Desktop brings.<br />
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The price of these things may be an issue, but while I'm 'upgrading' to a Cintiq in the next week (like a monitor with a pressure sensitive tablet built in), I've been using the same small first generation Intuos tablet for the last 15 years, and it hasn't failed me yet. So they can cost a fair penny, but you don't need a large one, and they can last an extremely long time (I'll still be using this one to supplement the Cintiq).<br />
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The pros and cons of the Wacom style tablet are that it's highly sensitive (pressure, tilt, etc), and much easier and more accurate than using a mouse, but it takes some getting used to having to move your hand <i>here</i>, while the cursor moves <i>over there</i>. Cheap alternatives are available, but almost every professional will pick the Wacom brand over anything else.<br />
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A Nexus style tablet on the other hand has the advantage of being able to see exactly where you're going to put a stroke. On the other hand you lose a lot of the sensitivity, and keyboard shortcuts become problematic (there are gestures though, but they're on the same screen you're painting on).<br />
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I wouldn't recommend a Cintiq to someone starting out - they are extremely expensive, and surprisingly quite a few digital illustrators actually don't like them much.<br />
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And despite what I said above, it is possible to create <a href="http://www.devotion-graphics.com/melouiesister.html" target="_blank">amazing work with a mouse</a>, if you have the patience.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3) Learn Art</span></b><br />
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This is of course a given, but it's surprising how many people don't realise it. Digital tools make art easier, a lot easier in some cases, but they don't replace the need to know the same fundamentals of art that traditional media requires. Things like composition, colour usage or anatomy. If you're a good traditionalist, then move along, but if not you'll still need to work on the same skills, just that you can work on them digitally and take advantage of the Undo option.<br />
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I'm not going to cover the fundamentals of art here, but there are a lot of tutorials out there on the web. I'd recommend the blog of <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">James Gurney</a>, <a href="http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Muddy Colors</a> and <a href="http://www.proko.com/" target="_blank">Proko </a>as reasonable places to learn more about the basics (and some of the more advanced things - you'll need to dig a little on the blogs to find the learny bits). You can also check out <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Deviantart </a>or <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest </a>and do a search for tutorials. There's libraries too - a lot of knowledge found in books has not filtered onto the Internet yet, which is why I have a bookshelf groaning under the weight of art tomes.<br />
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Anyone can learn to be a reasonably competent artist, but you need to work at it, Digital or not.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4) Take It Slow</b></span><br />
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So you've got some grounding in art, and you've moved to digital and... well things just don't look as good as when you use a pencil or a brush, what gives? Or maybe you don't have a grounding in art, but you can draw a stick man, and can't do one digitally.<br />
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Well, if you were an artist versed in the use of colored pencils or marker pens, you wouldn't be surprised if your first foray into oil paint wasn't a great success, because even knowing the fundamentals all the details are different. Digital is no different. Before you can really produce masterpieces (or any pieces really) you need to work out how the software (or the software's individual tool) handles color mixing, or blending or how big your brush is at any one time.<br />
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Unlike the previous point though, learning software doesn't take very long, and has some advantages if you need to make use of them for learning. The undo tool is of course the most obvious. Make a mistake? Undo it like it never happened. Most modern software has multiple undo states, so you can make quite a few strokes before you realise you went wrong and need to remove them.<br />
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One thing people used to painting traditionally - or who just learned about colour at school - can have difficulty is the way computers handle color. They use an additive system rather than the subtractive one most children first learn and painters are familiar with. This is less of a problem when you can see the color wheel right in front of you, as is quite common now, but it can be confusing when you need to mix red and green to make yellow rather than yellow and blue to make green. Just experiment with it for a bit and it will become second nature as will using the software in general. Don't work on serious pieces right out of the gate - simple experiments that don't take long are more disposable, and teach you just as much about how to use the tools (I should take my own advice going the other way there, and do small practice pieces with real paint).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5) Show People</span></b><br />
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Whatever you do, share it with people. If you want feedback or help then ask for it, there is probably someone willing to supply it. One nice thing about sharing (even the 'bad' stuff) is that people will see when you're improving and remark upon it. Artists are usually their own worst critics, and so relying upon their own view of their works can be discouraging. It can be difficult to gauge the quality of work without having fresh eyes upon it. Equally though, it is more than possible to get so hung up on that bit of the painting you hate that you completely missed that it looks like a flying penis instead of an angel (this has happened, allegedly). So again, getting other folks eyes on it occasionally can help.<br />
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One thing about critiques though; a well reasoned critique can help a lot, but you should never take a critique personally no matter how instructive or blunt they are. Some folks are not artists, but can still critique your work with valid observations. Other folks are artists but are terrible at supplying useable critique. "It sucks" or "You suck" is not helpful to anyone. If you get such critique you should ignore it, or at least ask someone <i>why </i>it might suck.<br />
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On the opposite side, if someone compliments your work, bask in the glory for a moment, thank the commenter, but then ask yourself <i>why </i>it's good. Or ask someone else. "This is awesome!" is technically no more constructive than "This is awful!", but it can still be a learning experience either way.<br />
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Positive comments do help the ego more though, and might result in more artistic drive, but that shouldn't be the only reason to share your work (if it is then the eventual "This sucks" will hurt all the more). Sometimes those compliments might make you feel odd that nobody can see how awful that piece is - it happens. Learn from it anyway.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">6) Study Others</span></b><br />
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In addition to books and other sources that can tell you how to approach things, you can also learn a lot from studying how others do things. A lot of artists (of which I'm one, as are some of the amazing illustrators on Muddy Colors) will happily share their processes. Others will record video of themselves working and put it on YouTube, and some post their works to Pinterest as well as their own sites (or others post 'for' them - Often with no credit sadly).<br />
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Having someone walk you through it might be better, but you can still glean a lot from someone just demonstrating how they do things. Yes, it may be that is still seems like magic as they work, but they've studied at least a bit, and have been doing this longer than you. When you discover how a good magician does a trick, it doesn't mean you can automatically copy them. In fact for me it actually increases my level of respect for the amount of time it must have taken them to master something so complex and make it look simple and natural (or supernatural, given they're a magician), or even something so simple, yet make it look so very complex that nobody can work out how it was done.<br />
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The same is true of art. An artist is much more likely to share their 'tricks' with you than a magician, but it will still take a lot of practice to pull that off yourself. Even so, at least you know how the trick was done from the study of it, which puts you a long way ahead of those who think it was produced out of a hat with nothing more than some mythical natural talent*. It can also ground you with regards to how much work can go into a really polished piece, so you don't beat yourself up that you're not as good after only 30 minutes. Yes, they might be faster and better than you no matter what, but again, they've been doing it longer.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*There is such a thing as talent, but it just gives a head start - you need to work at it just like anyone else to make the most of it. That's the topic for another post, eventually.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">7) Begin at the Beginning</span></b><br />
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No matter which artist's work you look at, the chances are they all started each piece in more or less the same way - they started simple, and built up from there. Starting simple can mean working out a basic line drawing or guide first, or it can mean building up layer after layer of successive detail. <br />
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Whatever it is, working simple first means you can often identify issues early and correct for them before you spend a lot of time on a piece. If a progression image consisted of a piece just filling in in a clockwise direction it wouldn't be very interesting, or very useful to you as a thing to study. Fortunately this is usually not the case, and you can see how the artist builds up the image in stages, with each successive stage including more and more detail or refinement.<br />
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The same applies to anyone, including you. You can't paint a room effectively without putting down primer first. Why would an illustration be any different? keep it simple to start, and build up on it as you go.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8) Use the Tools to Learn</b></span><br />
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Once you've dug into the software you've chosen for a while you'll notice that it has a lot of tools that can be used to make your life easier. Generally I try not to use too many of them as I don't want them to become crutches - but I do know how to use them (well, some of them) if I need to.<br />
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How you use them is up to you, but don't be afraid of them. I very rarely use a color picker tool to directly use the colour from a photograph these days, but I still use it on a regular basis to get a true sense of how much darker Area A is than Area B (see the previous A Musing posts on optical illusions if this being difficult is news to you). I don't use either of those colors, but to me this is the equivalent of viewing a scene through a pinhole in a black card in order to gauge true color (yes, many artists do that. Not all, but enough).<br />
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So learn to use those tools, and then use those tools to better teach yourself. But be honest about it - if you picked colours directly from a photograph it's okay to mention that, and there's less backlash if someone realises you have done so and never mentioned it (you don't have to recite a list every time, but if someone asks, be honest).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">9) Embrace the Format</span></b><br />
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Digital painting is an odd thing. In a very real sense any piece you've produced doesn't exist. It's just a series of 1's and 0's floating around on a hard drive platter. And yet in another sense it has more presence than a real painting in today's society.<br />
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When was the last time you saw a real painting? If you own one it may have been this morning, but for many people it was the last time they visited a gallery, and it's slightly depressing how few people make it to even their local gallery every year (I'm sad to admit I hold myself in their number - I've not been to a gallery in far too long).<br />
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So the last time you saw a 'real' painting was probably online, or in a magazine, and in most cases such things are poor reproductions of the originals that can use paint in a way that catches the light and produces particular effects. You can't really see silver thread in a magazine or on a screen, you just see a photograph of it. With digital art though, what you see is what you get. You're painting it in the same basic medium that most people are going to see it in (well, there is some loss if it's going to be printed, but not much comparatively).<br />
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So embrace that. And embrace the things you can do with a digital work that you can't do easily, or perhaps at all, in a traditional work. One thing I love about painting digitally is that thanks to layers I can go back and work on the background separately from the foreground, and work on it as though the foreground isn't there. I don't always; a lot of my speedpaints are done on one layer, but often I do, and it's wonderfully freeing to be able to fully adapt the background without worrying that it might damage the foreground (you can mask a foreground in a traditional piece, but it's not as easy as jut adding a layer). <br />
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The end result, no matter how many layers are used, or which blending modes, or which post processing effects, is what you see on the screen - and it will be the same - bar some calibration issues - on the screen of the viewer. So use what you have at your disposal as you need to, to improve that final result.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">10) Have Fun</span></b><br />
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At this stage, if you are a digital beginner, you're probably just doing it for fun, or as a learning experience. Well, the best way to learn is to do things you enjoy, so have fun with it.<br />
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Nothing is off the table as long as you're having fun with it, and learning as you go. If it's not fun, and it's not making you money, then why do it? You might be creating works that seemingly nobody else likes, but if it's fun for you who cares? If you want to make a career out of it then at some point you'll need to do things that are less enjoyable to you and more acceptable to others, but in the meantime do what you want to, do it how you want to and 'cheat' all you want (but be honest about it - I'm not sure it can be called cheating if everyone knows what you did because you told them)<br />
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Do it for yourself, don't be ashamed to be learning, and if others like it too then all the better for everyone.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: This was an impromptu post, and eventually I will get back to the A-Musing series I started way back when once more. Have patience, it's been a busy year.</span>HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-61507083731101628452015-07-25T15:50:00.003-05:002015-07-25T15:52:09.534-05:00The Speed of Warm Molasses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-speed-of-warm-molasses.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisU8k0Q9IP93aid51VLIm83XPuq86PxPOiwEpFfbLuOxeCq84c9YqcWMXANnBR34harU7fOjo9vwrUSMa0NIfkh67ZBy9PE9ybZljt0L3wsLp9InoVjbs_tFD1U-2gF2ceayLM9sQKVJU/s1600/Speedpaints-June-Thumb.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm a little late getting to this speedpaint post. The most sensible way to do them would probably be the first weekend of the following month so that what I did, and why, is fresher in my mind. This is of course the <i>last </i>weekend of the following month, which is less ideal. Still, at least I'm not falling into the <i>next </i>month as I started to do with my sketch posts a while ago, and look how that ended up (hint: months and months behind).<br />
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Still, last month was actually pretty good when it comes to speedpaints, with 6 to show, except it's actually sort of 14, for reasons. I'll get into that below. This month on the other hand I've done 4 so far to show next month. I might get to doing another, but maybe not. With the exception of the sketches though I think this brings me back up to date again (finally). I may be forgetting something though, but if I am I've forgotten (obviously), so I have no idea what it is. Okay, enough preamble, lets look at splotches of colour that look like things!<br />
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Time Taken: 165 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Kurt Russell as Jack Burton<br />
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I realised half way through painting this that I've been doing a sort of unofficial walk through 80's cinema during my time since I started Speedpainting. There were a couple of not very good ones early on referencing Die Hard, Robocop and Blade Runner, and then more recently I've covered The Last Starfighter and Terminator. <br />
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This one is from Big Trouble in Little China of course. I say of course, but there's every possibility that you, the reader, have not seen the movie, or even heard of it. I'm thinking back to when I saw the trailer to the Robocop reboot in the cinema, and in the row behind me were two 20 year olds who had never even heard of the original. I mean yeah, you've never seen it, but surely somewhere, somehow you'd have <i>heard </i>of it right? Internet Memes or something? Okay, well, never mind I guess.<br />
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BTILC is a fun movie, made at the height of the 80's 'Fun Movie' tidal wave, and it's also one of the more quotable movies of all time. The hook isn't really the Chinatown setting, it's that the protagonist Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) isn't really the hero, he just thinks he is. The film follows him around while the real hero (Wang Chi, played by Dennis Dun) is off doing his hero thing. To be fair Burton does end up defeating the villains, but it's more by luck than any kind of judgment. At one point Jack gets lipstick on his mouth without knowing it, and spends the next few scenes being all macho with a bright red mouth - hence the picture above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F5lMhZXutl0xVpq7FCRfbSQkWS-MO8n8Sup-k_FMLWlsDw-aGqfpJmrSWmvLNfcakEMs9osjpnyWjBmGf_TpXTOk2tQrx_IROuytRITpWHX6N1weyRbjQxjeq86GFJfUPl5EnX_JcSA/s1600/9-Reflexes-Process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F5lMhZXutl0xVpq7FCRfbSQkWS-MO8n8Sup-k_FMLWlsDw-aGqfpJmrSWmvLNfcakEMs9osjpnyWjBmGf_TpXTOk2tQrx_IROuytRITpWHX6N1weyRbjQxjeq86GFJfUPl5EnX_JcSA/s400/9-Reflexes-Process.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So after all that explanation, I'll keep the process description fairly short. The pose was taken from a behind the scenes image of Russell speaking with the director (John Carpenter), but the head is taken from a screen-grab of the film itself. He does not have makeup on in the photo.<br />
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The painting itself was fairly straight forward. I used a 4x4 grid to get his pose about right, but it wasn't a lot of use for the headshot (I could have used another grid, but was trying to get the likeness without one). As a result a lot of the early stages were my trying to make his head look right. I did get a fairly caricatured version of him quite easily, but lots of moving features around and widening his head followed to get him more naturalistic looking. <br />
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Since this was done in Photoshop I used some layer FX to get the nice neon glow and blur in the background, and played with the channels to get a little fringing into the final picture. The background isn't completely abstract by the way, it's based on a statue that features prominently in the final act of the film, though you'll probably have to squint to make it out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-ZmjDlmtyC4Khl3nMedCCf3YXeq0IKfIyLT5bjByZCwYechJAN4FZM8nDtvctqk-TGNP9NyGKuy_H9EgACEuw4gdlNOqBvTM7bhcWiQWhDJWSppEiNC1jrSdHd1W3mc455hcc-KfOi4/s1600/10-Astro-60_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-ZmjDlmtyC4Khl3nMedCCf3YXeq0IKfIyLT5bjByZCwYechJAN4FZM8nDtvctqk-TGNP9NyGKuy_H9EgACEuw4gdlNOqBvTM7bhcWiQWhDJWSppEiNC1jrSdHd1W3mc455hcc-KfOi4/s400/10-Astro-60_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Time Taken: 60 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: This and that.<br />
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I'm trying to get into the habit of doodling ideas when I get them. I'm not really doing a good job of it so far, but this is an instance of that. The idea is to get an idea down fairly undiluted while it's still fresh in my mind, so that if I want to come back and make a real painting of it some time I can refer to what I was thinking originally rather than second guessing myself months down the line. You may note I don't have many original finished pieces yet - They'll happen eventually I hope, but that second guessing thing often gets me in a tangle before I even start, so I don't start. This is an effort to avoid some of that.<br />
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Anyway, this more or less speaks for itself. It's rough and ready, but I also used a very small amount of reference without copying directly from any of it. She looks a bit like Clara on Doctor Who, but that's just a coincidence since neither Clara or Jenna Louise Coleman were one of my references, though if I ever paint this properly she likely will be, because the sketch looks like her ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxOiBQ7VOOm1ttpIiYk7aOYAcBBUX4Mc1Nuuvj_irKVhG-7s55G-z6o9W_2LZHZN5LM5bVVSS7jYXjAk5Enjj4cJtmGgCH_JMU6eNW7YCvl6VG0FWjGYzJGZ4Fz_j-pR5bcCjCPdiVIY/s1600/13-facemask-170Mins_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxOiBQ7VOOm1ttpIiYk7aOYAcBBUX4Mc1Nuuvj_irKVhG-7s55G-z6o9W_2LZHZN5LM5bVVSS7jYXjAk5Enjj4cJtmGgCH_JMU6eNW7YCvl6VG0FWjGYzJGZ4Fz_j-pR5bcCjCPdiVIY/s400/13-facemask-170Mins_1.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 170 Minutes<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: Not a lot.<br />
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This is another one that's not really based on anything particular, and it also didn't really turn out anything like I was expecting it to when I started. I don't even like it that much, but it did accomplish some things when it comes to learning, so I guess it did what it needed to. The thing I like least about it is her hair. If I was ever going to repaint this I would change her hair completely, or give her a helmet or something.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9bBHRVKZYHzmz0PuGRuWJSQWr4bCLNQM4E7c8P-mOPH718AvbYMXcwMvO9XIhACTDyQ8MDLENXYoPmfKMe_2fHg06mIPdP22Z8Mccsc3EmifUPFzk6ljxrUPr9Kc8Vj1iUSb0HuoVpE/s1600/13-Facemask-Process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9bBHRVKZYHzmz0PuGRuWJSQWr4bCLNQM4E7c8P-mOPH718AvbYMXcwMvO9XIhACTDyQ8MDLENXYoPmfKMe_2fHg06mIPdP22Z8Mccsc3EmifUPFzk6ljxrUPr9Kc8Vj1iUSb0HuoVpE/s400/13-Facemask-Process.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the step my step you can see that originally I was going to give her a swimming cap type thing, and the lighting was going to be a lot more purple. In retrospect I should have stuck to my guns about both of those things. Other than that, the only thing of note is that I used some filters near the end to get the grimy post-apocalyptic look that I felt it needed. Oh, and I am quite proud of one thing; the facemask came out really well I think.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhey7Cvz88VYBtafaXeBHQIE5NJV3dTM0xSlOjqgNu5czNIQl2P9TvCP0e0FI253BNNBaw2hEQ2G28xzqCXp-tfntQ-CMW_vkWpdsWtJBC0A2a2LuU62zVF2bqsz2HcQk_gXHvlGD38F9A/s1600/11-Varied-20each.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhey7Cvz88VYBtafaXeBHQIE5NJV3dTM0xSlOjqgNu5czNIQl2P9TvCP0e0FI253BNNBaw2hEQ2G28xzqCXp-tfntQ-CMW_vkWpdsWtJBC0A2a2LuU62zVF2bqsz2HcQk_gXHvlGD38F9A/s400/11-Varied-20each.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 20 Minutes each<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: The images to the left.<br />
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I felt I should pull back a bit and focus on some aspects of my Speedpaints that I am terrible at. These include things I usually fix as I go along, but would benefit from if I got things more accurate early. In these three images I used a hard round Photoshop brush with no opacity. The pressure sensitivity was controlling the size of the brush instead. <br />
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This meant I had a challenge I don't usually have - getting things right straight off the bat. Usually if a colour is off a little I'll blend in a closer colour and then sample the result of the mix. This then becomes the colour I use on the next stroke, slowly getting closer to a result that I like. It's also the way I do blending - mix in a little of another colour, and then sample, paint, sample again, paint, and so on.<br />
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In this case I couldn't do that - each stroke had to be right (or as close as I could get it). Not first time - I'm not crazy, I was allowed to erase and undo, but much more accurate than I usually worry about. Of course mistakes that had me resorting to undo and erase took up time, and I'd limited myself pretty strictly to 20 minutes per study, and each image was quite small, fitting into a square of 256 x 256 pixels. These are the results, along with the images I based them on<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHwq-bx8HnFVfLm2aJQVmh1Z-Gjvi1qwmJ9T1E8GFL1TKKmutkCEDD5lIxl7D_GqrEhlQtDspI45fQxeZOi2JXfmWIBHBPov21e0wj3CJ22Yar8yZuq61MjAAbg06EQH4pTUr8JTw4gY/s1600/12-Varied-15each.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHwq-bx8HnFVfLm2aJQVmh1Z-Gjvi1qwmJ9T1E8GFL1TKKmutkCEDD5lIxl7D_GqrEhlQtDspI45fQxeZOi2JXfmWIBHBPov21e0wj3CJ22Yar8yZuq61MjAAbg06EQH4pTUr8JTw4gY/s400/12-Varied-15each.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 15 Minutes each<br />
Software: Photoshop<br />
Based on: The images to the left.<br />
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And here are some more - Unlike the previous bunch these ones are done with the Polygon Lasso and Fill tools. I'm trying to break the images up into their fundamental shapes. The accuracy isn't as high as I'd like because this is surprisingly tricky, especially with the even more limited time (15 minutes instead of 20). I also ran out of time before I got half the elements in the final one done (perspective always slows me down something terrible). Still these were valid experiments, and ones I'll probably do again some time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIz7tutxjrJO7AUo6ZKjlR45QUycXISzOU9ex7pLiLb21TEzuq_pPw9u3LwMr5fV-B2ed1az-_AcHRZjfARt81T9wQlTku8yhAkyAMRSJMTM7MeWPrcoPzz6QLgnH6LvVeK_YVdPSBR0I/s1600/14-Outlook-125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIz7tutxjrJO7AUo6ZKjlR45QUycXISzOU9ex7pLiLb21TEzuq_pPw9u3LwMr5fV-B2ed1az-_AcHRZjfARt81T9wQlTku8yhAkyAMRSJMTM7MeWPrcoPzz6QLgnH6LvVeK_YVdPSBR0I/s400/14-Outlook-125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Time Taken: 125 Minutes<br />
Software: <a href="http://www.paintstormstudio.com/" target="_blank">Paintstorm</a> (120 Minutes) Photoshop (5 Minutes)<br />
Based on: Photo of Shannyn Sossamon, found on Pinterest<br />
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So I bought a new art package to speedpaint with. It's brand new, and really, really cheap, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's not bad at all, especially for the price. Go show your support and <a href="http://www.paintstormstudio.com/" target="_blank">buy a copy</a> if you're into this sort of thing (or at least try it, which is free). The downside is that it is pretty early in the development process, so it's got some bugs still, and some features are missing that you might expect. It also ties itself to one computer, so you can't have it on your desktop <i>and</i> your laptop without buying it twice, which is a shame.<br />
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The image above had a few minutes spent on it in Photoshop too. This is the only place I'm showing this Photoshop treated version at the moment. You can see the less filtered version <a href="http://harlequinqb.deviantart.com/art/Outlook-speedpaint-study-541157559" target="_blank">here</a>, if the one in the step through isn't enough for you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYM8j6boXUyaVCBY_aUJ-kdR2figsQ3BOjlzZGUvlp6YXYVTsi-evSOkkLwjsExffte-JOkduJOaVLBxoWhKCsyr4Tt5oLpoSx6M4XGY8EEs5NeaUdH8engwBZkyaPK8xTSZ0BYIe1Q/s1600/14-Outlook-Process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SYM8j6boXUyaVCBY_aUJ-kdR2figsQ3BOjlzZGUvlp6YXYVTsi-evSOkkLwjsExffte-JOkduJOaVLBxoWhKCsyr4Tt5oLpoSx6M4XGY8EEs5NeaUdH8engwBZkyaPK8xTSZ0BYIe1Q/s400/14-Outlook-Process.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And really I don't have a lot to say about the process itself - it went fairly cleanly, and the most exciting thing about it (other than being with new software) was that I used a set of calipers for the measurements instead of a grid or other means. The calipers are fairly cool because I wanted plastic ones I could hold right up to the monitor without scratching it, and I've never been able to find any. The solution was really obvious once I thought about it for two minutes - I made some out of Lego pieces ;) Not used them since though - I should try to rectify that very soon.HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-34734931644700838822015-07-19T18:23:00.000-05:002015-07-19T18:25:01.948-05:00Pink Petals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/07/pink-petals.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLZj0dChpiTgrIJqFpmPON3qoJuCAr2LIElg4bvchc8niUfIEgqltau4Frt5xXujZ-mIRBkFvJQR8_ZP0fE4Tb77oeaJubVbytozey6YuqDpb8jqUAyhrargWxeiF38NkC19I5yBlD4Q/s1600/Petals_Thumb.jpg" /></a></div>
Another way of catching up on the blog a bit is to just post more, so two in one day (if you missed the previous one due to my posting twice in a day being an unusual occurrence, <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/07/robots-under-lighting.html">it's this one here</a>). Like the last one I'll be saying as little as possible in order to get it done in one go. This post's subject has been seen in a lesser way before, in the <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/06/speedy-like-sunday-morning.html">last speedpaint post</a>. I said I'd get to the results soon; this is the post about it, so let's see the result.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAqauLWt5d6QXBhwsaY3-Uwf_pTE6J1FfEDdygxVre4JJfGRINh76W3MkGiNTVIuvd9qvRqStRqjcufOmqJAIKiESfTufMaT-rYO4PvsMbtFkiBGeNbEN_4W8xXKgOQo1Ba2pkygeAT4/s1600/PinkPetals-2500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAqauLWt5d6QXBhwsaY3-Uwf_pTE6J1FfEDdygxVre4JJfGRINh76W3MkGiNTVIuvd9qvRqStRqjcufOmqJAIKiESfTufMaT-rYO4PvsMbtFkiBGeNbEN_4W8xXKgOQo1Ba2pkygeAT4/s400/PinkPetals-2500.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
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As mentioned in the speedpaint post, this is loosely based on <a href="http://data1.whicdn.com/images/129375769/large.jpg" target="_blank">this photo</a>, which I've since learned is a photograph of Argentinian actress Dolores Fonzi. It doesn't look much like her, but it wasn't meant to - I just liked how her hair looked, but even that's been changed a bit, as you can see. This doesn't mean I won't do an actual portrait of her some time in the future though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3Ct47gKCZ892Kxw4nZW5bOnb0MQK-Rg3kx0W6C84lFtcNsxkQsvF_jqpdJgJSLxdIGGE8cW3ezkNSqaYKgAieJMYPu4WADvLtCJxtBpJZDYibWcRo2c2WZ4xOQMPgbD_Q9ED7XpvjwQ/s1600/Petals_Stage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3Ct47gKCZ892Kxw4nZW5bOnb0MQK-Rg3kx0W6C84lFtcNsxkQsvF_jqpdJgJSLxdIGGE8cW3ezkNSqaYKgAieJMYPu4WADvLtCJxtBpJZDYibWcRo2c2WZ4xOQMPgbD_Q9ED7XpvjwQ/s400/Petals_Stage1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So the starting point was the original unfinished speedpaint. The first step was to do some cleanup, and start fixing some things that bothered me about her features, especially how puffy she looked around the right side of her face and chin (it's not an ugly thing particularly, it's just not what I wanted). You can see where I did this by just painting a darker area over there, without yet matching it to her hair color. Revising her face continued through most of the following images - I'm fairly pleased with the end result.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSf89yB0LPXKENM3AjonPYerQ8wYx-AI_uDVtYnhkhutwfzGg5quST45DS9HVjWVO0LLL6WBsp9kfYnaiwt_HcQzNDAJBqR1pi96Gp53wd20t3RokLen1K5WU5PUQlN5NoW5IhLUEuBQ/s1600/Petals_Stage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSf89yB0LPXKENM3AjonPYerQ8wYx-AI_uDVtYnhkhutwfzGg5quST45DS9HVjWVO0LLL6WBsp9kfYnaiwt_HcQzNDAJBqR1pi96Gp53wd20t3RokLen1K5WU5PUQlN5NoW5IhLUEuBQ/s400/Petals_Stage2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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More revision in the left picture, but not much else. On the right I've started to define her hair and shirt a little more, as well as some further refinements of her features. At this point her shirt is based on another photograph, but the end result was changed quite a lot. I also decided on a background that was a little bolder in color. This was supposed to be temporary, but that color made it all the way into the finished piece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKdRFQHY0E5ddZT6qQ0nflJmDIi0MiBV0k1p5mxmxj_ubvHAj-GTrxoC9XRj5qOd7407C_YgqRgg9gGBkibbw369r2k2iMSgPb14WWdwGWXSY5q3x5m35cip-3YERrRnIqKnJxSz5Hyg/s1600/Petals_Stage3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKdRFQHY0E5ddZT6qQ0nflJmDIi0MiBV0k1p5mxmxj_ubvHAj-GTrxoC9XRj5qOd7407C_YgqRgg9gGBkibbw369r2k2iMSgPb14WWdwGWXSY5q3x5m35cip-3YERrRnIqKnJxSz5Hyg/s400/Petals_Stage3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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More or less completed her hair on the left here, and added a little more color into her face. At this point I decided I wanted her ear to be in front of her hair, which required some repainting of the hair around there, and of course painting her ear. I didn't have a direct reference for that, so it's based on an ear seen from a different angle, and under different lighting. I also changed the color of her shirt from teal, to a more standard blue. Mostly I just preferred it that way, but it also matches the background better, meaning the shirt draws the eye away from her face less.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2faC2TRB6z9f_pE7ix3PL5-u6DIaJkKoCtxFnFNlc2YpdmS0R8N1L7bHgJusWGUDy8xRv8DZmv4KcsGmc7puHKVdO9-UFINJi9h6d3BkngATu7iU4zGp9lpkSLQtnlwCw7ZSozZYvUw/s1600/Petals_Stage4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2faC2TRB6z9f_pE7ix3PL5-u6DIaJkKoCtxFnFNlc2YpdmS0R8N1L7bHgJusWGUDy8xRv8DZmv4KcsGmc7puHKVdO9-UFINJi9h6d3BkngATu7iU4zGp9lpkSLQtnlwCw7ZSozZYvUw/s400/Petals_Stage4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here are some revisions of her shirt, so it no longer looks anything like the photo it was based on. I also polished up her arm, and put it into more of an obvious shadow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3irpU1rnuuEvWaT4udfReokL0Zs28rBXKwZlkKYA1OXwqPNK9R0VeicF9fbUw49e162hP7foBREcfbtzDnErZCyWMZMgU43A9TQz2IzQlqW4aUR1vzXAV3vrR7EkGpyFFlT1YkwqA4g/s1600/Petals_Compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr3irpU1rnuuEvWaT4udfReokL0Zs28rBXKwZlkKYA1OXwqPNK9R0VeicF9fbUw49e162hP7foBREcfbtzDnErZCyWMZMgU43A9TQz2IzQlqW4aUR1vzXAV3vrR7EkGpyFFlT1YkwqA4g/s400/Petals_Compare.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And that, apart from the addition of an earring, greener eyes, some more shirt polish and the addition of details in the background, is basically it. Yes, it seems like that last step was quite a lot, but it took less time than the original failed speedpaint. Most of the background consists of those petals for example, the most complex of which is maybe eight brushstrokes; most of them were just two or three.<br />
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Usually I just leave it at that, but I thought in this case I would put the completed one side by side with the one I started with for the sake of comparison. I think she came quite a long way in the couple of days I spent on her. I could have spend some more time on it and polished further, but I thought she'd be a good entry for another ArtRage contest, and the time was almost up at this point, so I submitted her and crossed my fingers. She didn't win (honourable mention though), but another one of my pieces I'd submitted for the heck of it did come in joint-second. Personally I think it's one of the prettier things I've ever painted.<br />
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<br />HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220582570150326486.post-86310715872968813352015-07-19T16:38:00.001-05:002015-07-19T16:40:15.929-05:00Robots Under Lighting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/07/robots-under-lighting.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT27TlZRTTxn9CbB2EPGngqoZ0fh27PAijC5omZZBMDNF2_ayElJ6JRtL5qGArZnOVAbiDBeqJh9LVInj96jrooX-MjqbPQuGnrXg7xW0uNvo01hdU4FfHlOJwHm1Xd4iF_C3h52Uww4M/s1600/DARobot-Thumb.jpg" /></a></div>Well, I certainly missed a couple of weeks there. One of them was the July 4th weekend, so of course nothing happened that weekend except alcohol, grilled meat and small sparkly explosives (a winning combination!). Last weekend... I have no clue - obviously last weekend occurred, but I could not with any certainty tell you what occurrences happened during it. Possibly I did some art, I'm really not sure.<br />
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So, anyway, hopefully today I'll get some catching up done. I think this will be done by just saying less stuff - most of what follows is basically stuff you've read before about other pieces anyway, so this one will focus on things that were slightly different.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAqW5038aLVH7ArQ_fhvHrIEimLDNWrSDTv0SwnPSH-nrc1Pxd0WJFAgwIYO-KrSolJo-5YhCUxhkWb0WIHgAavYuBtybV2ytjdYTbcTpYft8Vs87KpmT1NaTefG3DYD_5h2zZ8fNCs8/s1600/Red-Robot-Ball-Full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAqW5038aLVH7ArQ_fhvHrIEimLDNWrSDTv0SwnPSH-nrc1Pxd0WJFAgwIYO-KrSolJo-5YhCUxhkWb0WIHgAavYuBtybV2ytjdYTbcTpYft8Vs87KpmT1NaTefG3DYD_5h2zZ8fNCs8/s400/Red-Robot-Ball-Full.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A picture of a Robot. Done for the <a href="http://artrage.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">DeviantArt Artrage</a> monthly competition in May, which was themed 'Robots'. It's one of the Robots I initially sketched for those pieces I do for my son, but it didn't get done for that, so I painted it for this in Artrage instead.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKj9qBGmWG5bt1Qe59SkpnpTjsMuNNoIOcAMrisn-LX2euxQdjFBPNTdaoWAehKXeWas06z1Ddbj6jPYLuo1WWcZHC6XjS360xPIa7025L0P4-9Ky-D7ZMglRfqZaBxi-em9duO9guZb8/s1600/DARobot-Stage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKj9qBGmWG5bt1Qe59SkpnpTjsMuNNoIOcAMrisn-LX2euxQdjFBPNTdaoWAehKXeWas06z1Ddbj6jPYLuo1WWcZHC6XjS360xPIa7025L0P4-9Ky-D7ZMglRfqZaBxi-em9duO9guZb8/s400/DARobot-Stage1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The initial sketch, blown up, just like the previous ones. Unlike the previous ones I did a cleaned up sketch of it to work from (just sketched over the original scan). This was done in artrage using the Ink Pen tool. In the end it didn't prove terribly useful, but I later used the original sketch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2015/07/robots-under-lighting.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTClBSidg2oNbLwR-asQUMyQSsYiPit7-CtnUkZPrP1jcfXprtONJG5oV8QazWyV2Tul0g83JZV34lJXqy7iSNpf3sCvnuM5gvMqV7NWnWGx7nl0tf8O_yasB8p2kqq9iQtaewJksjJYw/s400/DARobot-Stage2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Adding flat color, and then reducing the opacity of the ink layer and starting to fill in some of the lighting information. I was tempted to do a very polished piece, using airbrush and such, but then decided (by this point) that having it look more like a children's book illustration would work better with the style of the robot itself. The red tone of the shadow was because I knew the heart would be glowing red, and the light would probably bounce around because this robot is metal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTex85MkqOIm5Apbtd8pzobK5Fx1HcZDc-K9X0VoOxFA1ULuo6XTREQ3XX31vYbCy5Ng0FHaBq_HO0rCJdHHWsKzgL0o8wRQCLarxVhBYrGZuFLKMDbCYR-C3HGufBaBFlTdusoKoYi0s/s1600/DARobot-Stage3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTex85MkqOIm5Apbtd8pzobK5Fx1HcZDc-K9X0VoOxFA1ULuo6XTREQ3XX31vYbCy5Ng0FHaBq_HO0rCJdHHWsKzgL0o8wRQCLarxVhBYrGZuFLKMDbCYR-C3HGufBaBFlTdusoKoYi0s/s400/DARobot-Stage3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
More lighting basically, including the first pass at the background. As reference for that I pulled out an old render I'd done of a car sitting on a 'backcloth' in a spotlight. Gave me a pretty reasonable idea of what angle the light cone would be at, and then I modified it to suit. I also added some reflection of the ball, and some bounce light from it. I have no idea if those are accurate - it just looked good.<br />
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Incidentally, since metal is a surface made up entirely of reflections, for this to look like this in reality it would require something like a white drop cloth behind the camera, that was itself illuminated, but that would then add more fill light than shown here. So yes, I know that, and I don't particularly care as I wasn't going for realism.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKfRaUCPwn5kCaE9kqR7eEyPE6EdSqoFD8yTLtnRT3b7lfGDq2PN1oBfXyUqr9B4MfklZz-9lxxIRb7XYd9dxIO5XEr4k9bknFJjtMU2TYGCQIfx3C8D2m87h3C3cOIdmnb6wj7e_bSY/s1600/DARobot-Stage4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKfRaUCPwn5kCaE9kqR7eEyPE6EdSqoFD8yTLtnRT3b7lfGDq2PN1oBfXyUqr9B4MfklZz-9lxxIRb7XYd9dxIO5XEr4k9bknFJjtMU2TYGCQIfx3C8D2m87h3C3cOIdmnb6wj7e_bSY/s400/DARobot-Stage4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
These are basically the final stages. I added the lights, and the lighting for the ball, as well as his antenna. I wanted the smile to look like an old LCD display (like you'd get on a digital watch). To do that I drew the mouth as pixels, added the grid to look like pixel cells, and then painted a very slight shadow under the mouth pixels. After that I just lit the screen to hide most of the grid. It worked quite well I think. At this point I also pulled the original sketch back in and blurred it slightly. This worked quite well to simulate a little ambient occlusion and give the little guy some solidity.<br />
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To reach the final result I made the background a bit choppier and added some noise overall, as well as the border. The majority of the piece was done using the Oil Paint tool. Some of the stages, such as the glow around the lights, were done using a very drippy Airbrush, or sketched over with the Pastel brush. the background was softened with the Palette Knife, and the overall noise once again added with a low intensity drippy Airbrush.<br />
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The picture won the competition by the way, so I'm glad I did it even if it's very different from my usual fair.<br />
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Oh, and I thought I'd posted this before, but I guess not. I did another Robot picture for my Son's birthday, which is now framed and hung on his wall. We'd noticed during the year that one of the pencils I'd used to do one of the previous ones fluoresces under blacklight (my son thinks UV lights are amazing, so we'd had one in his bedroom briefly to see how different surfaces reacted). With that in mind this particular Robot was done specifically with pencils that had the same effect, so the whole thing is also a blacklight picture. Might come in handy when he's a teen and has the obligatory Blacklight around all the time. Might mean he'll keep his old man's cute robot pictures around a little longer than he otherwise would.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNhgXOohZDAfyWeFk6hCT4CUDQ_2jOTvYP_id__-i7Or9i3UgeBdyi4URIj46kXviul5atOqDAlHg5QRxn2ne1xiHwxICZutGwJw9Ik0JPBacgf0x_CasdA-KwSbFwRwweA_IUtSGcgs/s1600/Robot7-Buttefly_compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNhgXOohZDAfyWeFk6hCT4CUDQ_2jOTvYP_id__-i7Or9i3UgeBdyi4URIj46kXviul5atOqDAlHg5QRxn2ne1xiHwxICZutGwJw9Ik0JPBacgf0x_CasdA-KwSbFwRwweA_IUtSGcgs/s400/Robot7-Buttefly_compare.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a scan of the actual picture, and a simulated blacklight version (the colors pulled off a photograph of the actual picture under blacklight, which was otherwise too blurry to show). The process for creating this was basically the <a href="http://draw-board.blogspot.com/2014/03/robots-under-pressure.html" target="_blank">same as the previous set</a>, other than ensuring the pencils would all fluoresce.<br />
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HarlequiNQBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628673686836043178noreply@blogger.com0