I don’t know if it’s wise to put one’s trials up, but this is a blog about process, and I try to put up most of what I draw. Actually, I know I’ve been rather sporadic lately, and will try to remedy that.
Still, digital painting in Photoshop is a fascinating process, even though the Wacom stylus is not my preferred tool. It’s interesting to try stuff, and only by practice can one get good. These are a little better than my earlier attempts (my first couple of pictures seemed great — beginner’s luck). Like watercolours, it takes a certain eye and feeling you have to get into. I think of it almost as a trance, where one can see where the light lands, and which colour goes with which. Unfortunately, most of what you learn painting watercolours doesn’t apply here. It’s closer to oil painting, which I never got into much.
Of course I could avoid a lot of difficulty if I copied photographs rather than trying to paint things from scratch, but that idea still bores me. At least at the moment. Still, there are a lot of switches and techniques to learn. My line with the stylus is still wiggly and amateurish — it takes a lot of practice and knowledge to overcome that.
I’ve been watching tutorials on youtube. The speed painting demonstrations, at least for me, are daunting and kind of frustrating. I know they’re not really painting so quickly, but I want to know more about the kinds of brushes they are using, how many layers, etc, and something about their approach. I’ve gotten a lot from this person and this one.