Askren Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 So, I just got a new Wacom tablet the other day, and have pretty much been using it nonstop for the past week. I love it to death, and have been practicing my digital painting every chance I get. From that, obviously, comes piles and piles of sketches and unfinished work that I may or may not go back and finish later. Now, bear in mind, I have never spent any significant amount of time using a tablet. my old one was too small to use, and basically an expensive mousepad. So everything contained herein will be me learning (or re-learning) how to draw and paint digitally. I apologize in advance if it sucks. :P So, I'll use this little thread to share them, those unfinished little doodles that spring up from my twisted mind. WIP of an old Chaplain design I have. Not even close to done. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v713/HunterMage/prev.jpg An Ultramarine Chapter Champion I'm also currently working on. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v713/HunterMage/ChampPrev.jpg A Dark Angel sketch I'm doing lineart for, re-purposed for the Nestir V AoD campaign. Tabled for a few days while I play with my tablet. I'll finish it soon, I promise. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v713/HunterMage/SpaceMarinecopy.jpg That's all for now. Of course, I'm always churning out sketches, so there will no doubt be more here in the near future. C&C always welcome, of course, and much appreciated. Thanks for peeking. Askren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother 'Ussell Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 looking good, what software are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 The first two are just Photoshop with my new Wacom Intuos 4. The bottom one is a scanned pencil sketch, with the black lines done in Illustrator (using a mouse). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester_prince Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Good times, i go0t myself an old intuos 2 :lol: I always found it a little difficult to work with because you have to disconnect your eye from your hand... plus i have a bad habbit of turning paper around as i draw, which you just cant do with a tablet. I do get used to it after a while but i dont draw as much as i used to. ;) Illustraiter is a great "little" program especialy if you mix it with photoshop. I do curse you however, I am easily influenced and you may have just "persuaded" me to dust off my tablet. Your stuff is far nicer then any of mine and they arnt even finished. So congratz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sons of Horus Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 you're definitely great at sketches :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Mordeus Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Ok im also a fan of tablets, but i am far from your capacities, and so i humbly ask you, how do you do such clean and proportionate sketchs? Mine never seem right. And on your last drawing you lines are so straight and clean, how? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 Good times, i go0t myself an old intuos 2 :lol: I always found it a little difficult to work with because you have to disconnect your eye from your hand... plus i have a bad habbit of turning paper around as i draw, which you just cant do with a tablet. This is pretty much the reason I shied away from buying a tablet to begin with. Outside of dropping the $2000+ for the Cintiq, you sort of have to re-learn a lot about drawing. For me, this includes not being able to turn my paper, so I have to keep my arm in the same position to draw awkward curves and lines. It's tough, but it gets easier with time. I also learned that as decent as I am on paper, I am not that great at digital painting, so I have a LOT to learn. I actually prefer Illustrator for lineart. My girlfriend doesn't understand how I do it, because the process is a bit more tedious than others, but when all you have is a mouse, you learn to work quickly. I like it because 1.) I can zoom in as much as I like. I like to work small, which you can't do as well with Photoshop because of the pixels. Vectors are always smooth, no matter how close in you get. 2.) Solid lines. I like being able to get quick, clean, solid lines that are easy to vary in thickness. If you saw my cartoon style, you'd know why I prefer it. 3.) I'm used to it. :cry: i humbly ask you, how do you do such clean and proportionate sketchs? Mine never seem right. And on your last drawing you lines are so straight and clean, how? Proportion and weight are just skills that come with lots and lots and lots of practice. I may be new to using a tablet, but I am by no means new to drawing in general, with more than 6 years of figure/life drawing, painting, sculpting, and illustrating under my belt. Not that I'm by any means the best, but I do have plenty of practice, because art is pretty much my life. Everything you want to be able to do comes from practice, and sadly, there's no magic shortcut or step-by-step around it. As for the last part, like I said, I did the lines for the last sketch in Illustrator, which is why they're so clean. Thanks for the comments and praise! I always enjoy answering questions when I can, so don't be shy. I leave you with this. Just a closeup of the Space Marine I'm working on, to show you the size I work in. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v713/HunterMage/lolshot.jpg Enjoy! Regards. Askren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistinthunder Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 thats really good. i was contemplating getting a good tablet and some software but i need a new laptop first :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminatorinhell Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 so are tablets hard to use? I can do line drawings and i can almost neatly outline them in Illustrator, any tips on how to make good curves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistinthunder Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 tablets act like paper so they are only hard to use if you: 1)have trouble drawing without looking at your hand/the movements your making 2) you turn your paper to help you draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 so are tablets hard to use? I can do line drawings and i can almost neatly outline them in Illustrator, any tips on how to make good curves? They take some getting used to, no doubt. But a good one with good pressure sensitivity will feel very natural while sketching. The only problem, like many have said, is that if you're like me, you constantly turn the paper while drawing, it's a bit hard to un-learn. But like I said, practice enough, and it gradually goes away. Of course, learning to color and draw with low-opacity brushes and pressure sensitivity is also tricky if you're unfamiliar, but of course, practice cures that too. Just don't expect to buy it, and become an amazing artist as soon as it's out of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip S Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Very nice work. Good structure. I shall keep and eye out to see how this develops! Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verpine Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 tablets act like paper so they are only hard to use if you: 1)have trouble drawing without looking at your hand/the movements your making How the heck do you not look at your hand/the movements you are making? Well your artwork looks really good, i can't imagine accomplishing something like that. Keep up the good work. Now I'm off to teh interwebs find out what a tablet is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 How the heck do you not look at your hand/the movements you are making? Well your artwork looks really good, i can't imagine accomplishing something like that. Keep up the good work. Now I'm off to teh interwebs find out what a tablet is... It's not too hard, really. It takes some getting used to, but it's easier than it sounds. Can't really explain more than that. At tablet is basically just a slab of plastic and a stylus pen. The pad on the tablet tracks the pen tip, using it like a mouse. The difference being that the tablet understands pressure sensitivity, which basically means you can use a large brush, but only make a large stroke if you push down. Here's my Intuos 4. http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7698/aveostill0106.png And of course, my updated Champ picture. More color layered in, just to select my palette. Also attempted some work on the gold to see what colors to use. Of course, this Marine suffers the same problem my actual models do: I have trouble getting the gold/blue bright enough. It always just seems too dark to me. http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2950/champprev.jpg Thanks again for all the awesome comments. I'm glad you guys like everything so far! That's what I aim for, so I know I must be doing something right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 Spent all night experimenting with painting gold. It's almost as tricky as NMM gold, which I am not the best at. But I think it looks ok. Bright enough, at least. http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/6430/goldora.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminatorinhell Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 looks great so far, if you finish it i may put it on my wall ^_^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother 'Ussell Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Your nmm effect is looking pretty good, I'd say it needs a bit more of a reddish/brown tinge to the darker areas though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 Your nmm effect is looking pretty good, I'd say it needs a bit more of a reddish/brown tinge to the darker areas though. I was actually leaning towards a more yellow->white kind of gradient, like the one seen on the 'Eavy Metal painted version, rather than the brown->yellow gradient that pure gold has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commander alexander Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Oh :) I love the chest armor on that AoD Marine, if only I could model that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaptermaster Graymantle Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Looks amazing Askren! Glad to see you got a Wacom, they are definitely worth it. For people who need to see their eye to hand coordination and turn the paper a lot, the Wacom Cintiq is the best bet, though it is extremely expensive. - I want one! Love the new chest plate on the AoD Marine by the way, and also the other progress you've made on it. Both the Ultramarine and the Chaplain are coming along nicely as well, and I really like the glow you gave the golden helmet. As for gold being to dark, have you tried over adjusting the contrast on metals? I often find that this helps define areas that are supposed to be a metal more as an actual metal. Looking forward to seeing more of your work! :tu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Religion Kills Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Askren mate these are beautiful! When i first saw your Dark Angel sketch i immediatly knew i'd found the style i had wanted to emulate in my 4th company master. Its perfect! until you changed it :( is there any chance of him being continued as a DA or is his new direction the way forward? because id sure like to see him finished so i can go *idea used and adapted, idea used and adapted, artwork printed off and stuck on wall for inspiration* <_< i envy your skill i really do :( keep up the good work! i cant wait to see all the finished products in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 Askren mate these are beautiful! When i first saw your Dark Angel sketch i immediatly knew i'd found the style i had wanted to emulate in my 4th company master. Its perfect! until you changed it :( is there any chance of him being continued as a DA or is his new direction the way forward? because id sure like to see him finished so i can go *idea used and adapted, idea used and adapted, artwork printed off and stuck on wall for inspiration* :lol: i envy your skill i really do :P keep up the good work! i cant wait to see all the finished products in the future! I can't really come up with a good enough response for praise like this. This is exactly why I continue to do what I do; for the few people out there who get some sort of inspiration from my work. It's really humbling. That said: Of course, I can finish the original DA sketch. It was requested by Mr. Graymantle in a slightly modified form for his Nestir V AoD campaign, with the DA iconography removed in favor of aquillas, which is why it's currently the way it is. But the original isn't lost, and I'd be more than happy to finish it in it's initial form. Once again, I can't thank you guys enough for the comments. As long as people want more art, I'll do my best to supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Religion Kills Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 You deserve every bit of praise you get mate :D and thanks i would really appreciate it, i mean ive got both the picture from this thread and another from a previous thread where he was a little less completed but im rubbish at filling in the gap xD usually im really creative mentally and when it comes the physical product, its nowhere near as awesome as i thought it would be but i was different with my company master, i couldnt think of anything. And like i said before your picture just clicked, it was perfect, you captured that style i wanted :) good luck in the future :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askren Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8355/bigprev.jpg My, this thing is a monster. Full view this picture, which is about 1800x1800, and then picture it blown up to 5000x5000, which is the size of the PSD I'm working on. This thing is gigantic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaptermaster Graymantle Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Wow, you work in enormous sizes! I usually make the mistake of working far to small, so its a good thing to go larger. Would love to see more of your progress too! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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