Art books/reading thread
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Since I'm on vacation and can't update with any art I decided to start a book/art theory thread! Like the title says, post what ever art books you have found useful and would recommend others to get.
Mine are:
Hawthorne on Painting - I call this book the painters bible. Cheap, small but packed with really good knowledge.
The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants - Probably the best art book for a game I've seen, lots of really amazing art inside.
Shadowline: The Art of Iain McCaig - Ian McCaigs book, he rawks and so does his book.
The Skillfull Huntsman - lots of great designs and art. -
Update:
I received Alla Prima: Everything I know About Painting by Richard Schmid, it's just good! Similar approach as Hawthorne on Painting but with illustrations and examples provided. Both books I think compliment each other rather well. Recommended! -
mine are:
Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair - very very useful book, it's a must have book for any animator
The Art of Midway - (take look at the picture )
and a lot of pdf books (these days will mention some very useful and interesting of them )
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For anyone that doesn't have these yet, these are Sargents notes on painting (and also the painting that the notes are talking about).
RECOMMENDED FOR ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE.
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thanks guys
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Thanks Rayk!
Peter - great studies :D -
Reviving this thread with some Mullins goodness I dug up - a demo he did at Gnomon a few years back!
(images taken by Shelly Wan, notes taken by Octavian) Enjoy :)!
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// Digital Techniques
Process by which he starts a painting always changes.
This time he started with a photo and smudged it (smudge tool had a scattering effect on it) leaving only an abstract palette.
The idea is to work from a middle grey value canvas. This way you only have to render maximum of 5 steps up to light, and 5 steps down to dark. Unlike a white canvas where you have to render down 10 steps to absolute dark. Working abstractly with shapes. Using only two values: a light value of about 3 and a dark value of about 7.
Keep working with only these two values until something emerges. (again, this is not to say that he works this way always as he says he always changes it up (and the idea behind this is that he figures since he can't change his way of thinking too dramatically, he figures no matter how he starts he'll always end up with "Craig Mullins" images))
Be careful not to put in too much contrast, not until last steps.
It is better to remain flatter in the beginning to keep the silhouettes clean. Also, keep to much texturing out of the early stages as it confuses the shapes.
Looking for design and composition first
Tips on techniques:
-you can model something up in 3d, take a screen cap, and run a find edges filter over the 3d model. Set the layer to multiply and you'll have something to paint on that gives structure without too much variation (value?)
-some times bring up a canvas, like 500x800 pixels, marquee off little sections and do very small thumbnail roughs in there until something emerges. Then blow it up and paint.
-allow yourself a certain amount of time for brainstorming and creativity. Do not allow judgement to come during that time. At a particular time, look back at the brainstorm and then make decisions about where to go from there.
-Hierarchical significance for any color: 1. Value 2. Saturation 3. Hue
-Positioning of head mass relative to torso mass is a key relationship in the attitude of an illustration.
-To detail or "figure out" a section of a painting in a lower rez image; make a selection of what to detail, copy and paste in new file. Uprez the file by 1000% and paint all on a new layer. When done reduce file to 10% it's size, copy all the painting on the extra layer, paste back into original image (marquee selection should still be there though!)
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