The Sylph-- Day One's Work
Jun. 7th, 2011 12:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadows_galleryI'm writing this entry at about eleven thirty at night, having just finished my second painting session for the day. So far, I'm rather pleased with how it's coming along, though of course it's still in its very early stages.
I started off by resizing the sketch. I tried at first to size it at 9x12, but quickly discovered that it was too much for my computer to handle, so pared it down to about 8x10 1/2. That seemed to do the trick. So, for notation, any prints will be limited to that size or smaller. Maybe eventually I can afford to upgrade my computer enough to handle those larger files.
Sizing issues solved, I began to choose my pallette. I wanted a base color of blue, with complimentary shades of pink and yellow. I created a pallette, moving through different shades of blue, and on into the pinks and yellows. I will create and add more colors along the way if and when I need them.
So, pallette made, I created a layer, and filled it with a bucket fil of a solid dark blue.
Once that was done, I began to layer lighter blues in, very roughly, varying in shades one at a time.
I began to layer in shades of pink and yellow, dark to light, to complement the blues.
And then, I blended with the smudge tool. I still wasn't worrying overmuch about details or cloud formations; I was just blocking it in. When I finished sculpting the basic shape, I hid the sketch layer so I could see how the colors were looking on the background.
At this point, I was ready to start on the figure. I used the sketch (which is on its own layer) at a low opacity so I could see it for the basic outline, and created a new layer, naming it "Sylph". I then very quickly blocked in the skin tones and dress, using various shades of pinks and blues, with a few sparing highlights of yellow.
I blended carefully, just to soften the edges and sculpt the form a bit.
And then I began work on the hair. I always create hair on a separate layer, because it tends to take on a life of its own and it can be difficult to correct if not separated. I chose a dark yellow color-- I intend the hair to be a silvery blonde in the end-- and very roughly blocked it in. I was not worrying overmuch about how tendrilly it looked right then; I was just laying a foundation.
I took a lighter yellow and started highlighting.
And then, softened with more blending.
I hope to have more to show tomorrow!
I started off by resizing the sketch. I tried at first to size it at 9x12, but quickly discovered that it was too much for my computer to handle, so pared it down to about 8x10 1/2. That seemed to do the trick. So, for notation, any prints will be limited to that size or smaller. Maybe eventually I can afford to upgrade my computer enough to handle those larger files.
Sizing issues solved, I began to choose my pallette. I wanted a base color of blue, with complimentary shades of pink and yellow. I created a pallette, moving through different shades of blue, and on into the pinks and yellows. I will create and add more colors along the way if and when I need them.
So, pallette made, I created a layer, and filled it with a bucket fil of a solid dark blue.
Once that was done, I began to layer lighter blues in, very roughly, varying in shades one at a time.
I began to layer in shades of pink and yellow, dark to light, to complement the blues.
And then, I blended with the smudge tool. I still wasn't worrying overmuch about details or cloud formations; I was just blocking it in. When I finished sculpting the basic shape, I hid the sketch layer so I could see how the colors were looking on the background.
At this point, I was ready to start on the figure. I used the sketch (which is on its own layer) at a low opacity so I could see it for the basic outline, and created a new layer, naming it "Sylph". I then very quickly blocked in the skin tones and dress, using various shades of pinks and blues, with a few sparing highlights of yellow.
I blended carefully, just to soften the edges and sculpt the form a bit.
And then I began work on the hair. I always create hair on a separate layer, because it tends to take on a life of its own and it can be difficult to correct if not separated. I chose a dark yellow color-- I intend the hair to be a silvery blonde in the end-- and very roughly blocked it in. I was not worrying overmuch about how tendrilly it looked right then; I was just laying a foundation.
I took a lighter yellow and started highlighting.
And then, softened with more blending.
I hope to have more to show tomorrow!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-07 05:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-07 05:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-07 02:02 pm (UTC)I'd love some of my sketches to look painted rather than colored in when I work digitally. What software do you use?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-07 05:02 pm (UTC)Well, I've used Gimp for years and it's always served me well. It's pretty much a freeware version of Paint Shop Pro, and can be found here: http://gimp.org
I also use a Wacom tablet and pen. It FAR beats trying to paint with a mouse :)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-07 06:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-07 06:28 pm (UTC)Oh yes, I've been quite pleased with Gimp over the years. Sometimes freeware works just as well as a program you'd otherwise spend hundreds of dollars on. I'm that way about Open Office as well-- the second Microsoft decided to go read-only in Word on my new laptop because it was only a limited license (which wasn't exactly made clear when I bought it), I downloaded O.O. and haven't gone back since, though really I've only used the word processor so far.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-07 06:43 pm (UTC)