Work in progress

I've decided to post everything that I do, even if it is not in chronological order. I'm kind of a neat and order freak, and I always try to do everything as squared as I can. But I just realized that that might not be the best for this blog, as far as posting activity goes. So from now on, I'll just post stuff, even if it is not in an apparent order.

Hope y'alls don't mind.

Digital Art Process : Nadia Color

Continuing with the Digital Art Process Series of posts, here is the third and final state:

The Color Process. Part 1 and 2.

 

Done in Photoshop CS5. 

The only part that I didn't record was the flattening of the colors. This is where you just put a flat color or colors on the art just to have a base on where to start coloring. I'm not saying that this stage is a waste of time, it's just that for the sake of the video not being an hour long I cut this part out.

I hope this series has helped you in some sort of way. Please feel free to ask or comment anything. I will be looking forward to it.

Digital Art Process : Nadia Inks

Continuing with the Digital Art Process Series of posts, here is the second state:

The Inking Process. Part 1 and 2.

 

Also done in Manga Studio Ex 4. I must say that this was one of the first times I got to try this software and it is marvelous. It perfectly emulates the real thing with all its ups and almost none of its downs. Plus, the forever awesome Undo function, saves you lots of time and boosts your productivity.

Digital Art Process : Pencils

About a month ago I posted the general process I follow when I'm doing a commission. I also said that I record the whole process and I would post it. Here it is the first of three posts of the whole thing:

The drawing process.

This was done on Manga Studio Ex 4. My review of the software is still pending. For now I leave you with the video post. Hope it helps you.

Digital Art Process : Nadia

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine asked me for a commission for her boyfriend. She wanted a comic style portrait of the both of them, and she wanted it as soon as possible, since the dude was returning from a trip in just a week. Normally that would have been plenty of time for a job like this, but I had another project due to that very same date. Time, my old arch enemy was at it again.

Since I had to do it in just a few couple of hours I opted to do the whole thing digitally. I could have done it traditionally with the old pencil and bond paper, I could even have used my newly constructed Light box (which I will tell you all about it later) but, due to the circumstances this was a perfect opportunity to test my recent learned skills in Manga Studio Ex 4 (which you can see in this). So here is the process that I usually follow:

1. Sketch

After the description of the client, the first thing I do is a quick sketch establishing the general position of the characters, in this case my friend asked me for them both to hold cooking instruments in one hand (supposedly this dude cooks like iron chef) and hugging with the other one. This was already the second sketch for the piece since the first one was rejected. Normally I use a blue and red pencil for the initial lines. In Manga Studio I used the Pencil tool in a blue color.

2. Refined Sketch

With the overall sketch authorized I go further with the details (face, clothes, hair, props, etc). I draw on top of the blue lines (as a guide) making finer lines using the Pencil Tool with a black color. Once I have them ready I send them again for authorization.

3. Art line

Usually I try to be objective with my clients and draw them as similar as I can with the comic book style. This is where I have fun, because I tend to draw them super hero or super heroine like. After a couple of little changes here and there I finally have the artline ready for the inking stage.

4. Inks

This was the part where I enjoyed the most of the whole process, because the art becomes solid and very much stands out. I try to respect the thickness of the original lines and use as much as the original pencil art line as I can, redefining and being consistent with how I'm intending to do with the next stage, which is the coloring stage. I used the Pen Tool for most of the curved lines and the Magic Marker tool for the straight lines. Here is where Manga Studio Ex 4 really stood out from the other softwares I have used. It really emulates the traditional tools, with the digital advantages that comes with it (hello multiple Undos).

5. Color

The last stage it is also very fun and challenging at the same time, because you have to decide, which coloring style you are going to use, if you want to give it a comic book style of coloring or a more painting style, or a cartoony style, it all depends on what you have to offer and what the client wants. Here I opted for a Paint style because that is what I'm trying to get better at these days. Color was done in Photoshop CS5.

Everybody has differences on their methods, but basically this process is pretty much it. Of course the more you do it the better you get at it, and I must say that this would have never been possible If I didn't used Manga Studio Ex. This was the first commission (or for that matter the first piece ever) done by me 100% digital. It really saves you time and steps (in the traditional way I would have to make changes on the original artwork and scanned the drawing in order to color it). I recorded myself during the whole thing, so I will post the video later on together with a quick review of the software.

Digital Sketching on Manga Studio Ex.

Remember I told you about that sweet software Manga Studio Ex? Well i'm getting to know it better and loving it even more. I'm telling you, it is really uber awesome. I'm planning on doing some tutorials in the near future, with the little twitches and specs that I have had difficulty with when doing my artwork, hoping that they help you to solve any problems or doubts that you may encounter too.

In the mean time here it is a quick unfinished sketch using this wonderful software. I'm working on a tutorial, hope to have it soon. This was a the initial concept of a comission, but in the end it wasn't used.