People are different, and the way we think, the way we learn, the way we do things, and the way we perceive one another is highly unique to each one. There may be similarities from time to time, but they're never exactly the same. That being said, I'd like to show you my 'creative process', if I could call it that.
I've still got a long way to go in terms of technique, but since I've recently started to notice a pattern in my process, I figured it's a good time to write about that.
The finished illustration
My art style is what you can call 'non-existent'. Simply saying, I've got no specific style apart from what my emotions were during creation. My friends know it's been a struggle of mine to find my style or my distinction, and up until now, I've lost hope. Now, I know I do have a style, but it's a mish-mash of influences added to my emotions. Still pretty vague, but I understand it a lot.
Can you tell what I was feeling based on the illustration above? Are her eyes looking directly at you, or are they on something else beyond?
This wasn't supposed to be a 'finished' artwork. I had intended her to just be a sketch with black and white shading and a touch of red/pink, but an hour later, I found myself looking back at this. It seemed to me that I somehow got lost as I was painting her.
Process
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| Click image to enlarge. |
Whether by sketching or color-blocking, the first thing I do is plot the background and the figure. I try to stick to grey tones first, but eventually add color to get a better glimpse of what it might look like. Since her hair is plain black and has no shine or anything, I completed that part first.
Next come the basic shadows and a sketch of the face. When I do shadows, I have my layer on either multiply or overlay depending on the effect I want to achieve. The color adjustment tool has become a staple in this process.
Sometimes, when I want really clean lineart, I sketch the whole thing first, then do the lines, then the color. With this illustration, I started with color blocks, so that other process wasn't necessary to do.
This is around 30 minutes into the illustration.
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| Click image to enlarge. |
It's usually around this time that I get a mental image of how I want it to look like subconsciously. (Like I said, I give my hand and emotion free-reign at this point. Everything I do from here is out of feeling.)
Since she already started looking like a vampire the minute I blocked in that red gown and raven hair and also because it's almost Halloween, I went on to make the piece a little more eerie. I didn't know if I wanted it to stay "dark" as is typical, or something a little brighter. I guess my subconscious wanted the latter.
I added a greenish glow to her, some bubbles, and the rest of the elements you see in the image above. I was thinking "elixir", or something.
This was 50 minutes in.
I'm not quite sure if it's evident that I tried to make this messier than my usual style. :/ I tweaked the brush settings to achieve this sort of crayon texture, but that's about it. The rest was just a matter of adjusting the opacity, size, and pen pressure.
So, that's it. I illustrate based on how I feel. I don't stick to one style or theme as well. If ever, I stick to females. I don't know why, but I guess... it comes more natural to me.
Have any tips or questions for me?
Leave me a comment and I'll be glad to talk.
Ciao!
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