#lastly: don't look at my sketch layers i do not enjoy making sketch layers they do not spark joy ;w;

[godbirdart]

「 GABRIEL 2024 REDESIGN TIMELAPSE: LINEART 💫 」

a few people requested more timelapses, so here's one of my character gabriel who's been in sore need of a glowup. i needed their new design for another upcoming art piece, so this was done up real quickly on the fly. i'll likely tinker with it a bit more, but this'll be their new reference sheet once it's coloured and put together.

when working on reference sheets i draw the outfit and second pose on top of the art of the first pose [seen at the 1 minute mark]. this ensures the two poses stay relatively proportionate to one another and helps avoid any weird physique discrepancies.

i typically avoid posing hands in front of the character to ensure the whole body can be seen unobstructed. i've made an exception here as gabriel has very few markings and none would be obscured by having their hands there. that, and their palms have a reference in the second pose.

hope you enjoy watching!

[rielzero]

From Script to Comic Page

I thought it would be fun to show how my process tends to go, in some minor detail. (this is not a tutorial)

This is page nr 7 (page 5 if you do not count the cover and warning page) of Night one: Sleep? What even is sleep?

This is an excerpt from the script, when I am making thumbnails and eventually working on what dialogue comes on the page, I tend to change it. The script is never the final result, sometimes all the things inside the script won't fit on the page, the dialogue is too long.. Or it just isn't vibing well enough, so It ends up different on the page.

The ''not a chef'' line ends up on the page before it, so the dialogue got adjusted for this to an inner monologue, to increase Locke's sense of denial. Gale is aloof, lost in thought.. Processing the day while Locke can't make up his mind about the vision of death.

After the thumbnail phase is done, I do page layouts, which requires me to go into the game and take screenshots inspired by the thumbnail's angles. Since a 3D environment works different, the thumbnails don't always reflect the end result.

I don't enjoy drawing backgrounds, so using ingame screenshots is my way of cutting corners. I have very limited energy to work with, so investing it in learning a new skill would just take the fun out of it for me. Needless to say, it might make the environment feel ''off'' for the average person or skilled artists who are much more perfectionistic than me. I don't add shadows beneath characters or extra rendering detail for this work.

3D posing can be time consuming the more I have to adjust poses. If something very dynamic is happening (physical interaction, or combat scenes) it can become very time consuming. Easy poses take about 20 minutes or more to set up, while a large render can take 1 hour or much more if I'm nitpicking on tiny details or angles. If characters are close to each other I am not posing them separately. Gale's model and Locke's model are posed on different 3D layers here.

I go directly to lineart from here, (sometimes I sketch first, but not for comic pages.) Color coding my layers, bg layers and 3d layers are in folders. I'm using color layer mode(blue), multiply and lowered layer opacity to make it easier to work.

Now it'll be easier to draw on with black, mapping pen on 5.0

(this canvas size would be 4093 x 5787 px 350 dpi.)

And from there after all the linework is done, comes flatting- eventually I merge all flat layers.

I have a specific fill color for this comic's setting since I'm trying to simulate this ''its getting late'' vibe- therefore multiply on the flatcolors.. It will make it look like it's darker, then there's this gradient filter on the top that's on overlay mode, so that the backgrounds and everything blends better as well.

So, afterwards the final touches for the comic include.. Adding light effect (reflective feel from the fire) gives characters a lil sense of depth, gives the page more of a vibe. Highlights- (motions and lil lights in the eyes) Lastly I put all the character layers in a folder, copy the folder, merge the copy folder- turn the copy folder in a gaussian blur layer and lower its opacity.

It makes it feel glossy! I like it. Real camping out with the dudes vibes.

Full work will be up on @ohnoestherestadpoles by the time this post comes out.

[denimecho]

Recently I've been wanting to get back into art, but I don't know how to start. Do you have any advice? I know to use references and tutorials (unlike when I first got into it...), but that's it.

I am sorry for the late response, Anon. I have wondered how to respond to your question, and if you are still checking for this ask, then I will try to give my advice.

First of all, there is no right way to get into art. I can’t say which sort of history you have with art, but from the sound of it, you might have given it a try, and ended up too confused and overwhelmed. 

My first advice is to take an idea out of your mind, which is the idea that art must be constantly studied and is only about results. It is true that if you want to improve, you will have to study anatomy, among other things. However, it’s also important to recognise where in your artistic journey you are. If you are in the very beginning, jumping straight into the hardest subjects from day one will tire you out, and kill the joy you feel from drawing. First and foremost, you must ask yourself why you want to get into this field. The answer should be because it’s fun, or because you want to express something, express an idea, and that can be done at any skill level. And there are no rules against redoing the same idea, when you’ve eventually reached a level you’re more satisfied with. The most important tip on how to get into art, is to allow yourself to enjoy it. And don’t worry - You will improve a little bit with every drawing you make.

When that is said and done, there aren’t many other methods for learning than looking at the world around you, and studying that world. Call it references, but what it really is, is just the act of observing. You can observe in many ways; you are not limited to pictures that you find online. Try observing people when you go the store, sit down in a park and draw quick sketches of passerbys, pay attention to how fabric of curtains behave in the wind, and the list goes on. Observe, and try to gain an understanding of how the world works; how the body works. 

Going off from that, something that is extremely important is to learn how to sketch. Many people make the mistake of just drawing clean lines when they start out, but you must imagine that being an artist is the same as being an engineer. You will need to learn how to draw the blueprint, before you can build your invention. Without a blueprint, you have no overview of what you are working on, and it becomes too easy to build something wrong. I, myself, use at least 3 layers of sketches, and that is discounting clothing. Construction is endlessly important, and I have never met a student or professional who could do without it.

Lastly, I have answered another ask before, that may have some pointers that you could use. Please read it too, if you feel that this advice didn’t quite cover what you need.

I hope this helped, but if not, you are always welcome to send me a chat message. I’ll try to help, if I can.