[Digital Painting] Going into detail

[cityy]

So I'm looking to get more into digital painting and eventually develop a decent skill set but I find myself having a hard time.

I usually start out creating some rough shapes with the soft edge brush to give my scene a vague layout and then try to define those shapes further to possibly get a sharp looking image. Whenever I do the latter things start getting out of my hand - things don't fit in anymore and the overall composition looks strange.

I can't manage to get a smooth transition between my rough sketch and a detailed image.

Are there any general hints for that part of creating a digital painting?

Also, should I stick to basic brushes or does it make sense to looks for custom ones (say stuff like leaves, grass or other textures)?

[Pericolos0]

This is a very hard thing to do. How I try to handle it is, only put the details where they are necessary, only put details in "high energy spots" where your eye naturally moves to.

A good way to practice this is to draw stuff from life, and to draw what you see, rather than what you think you see.

[Minos]

and to draw what you see, rather than what you think you see.

Here's a great book about this: http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Right-Sid ... +the+brain

[Froyok]

I guess it's one way as many, but you can try to follow these sketch techniques : http://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL/videos

[Minos]

I guess it's one way as many, but you can try to follow these sketch techniques : http://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL/videos

Damn, completely forgot about those videos! Really awesome stuff.

[Tschoppo]

I guess it's one way as many, but you can try to follow these sketch techniques : http://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL/videos

Feng Zhu is great,isnt gonna teach you any basics but goes for composition and all the thoughts behind his paintings. Motivates a lot.

[cityy]

Thanks for the tips I guys.

@Pericolos0: Is there anything you recommend reading on that eye path topic?

I'm most likely gonna give the book a try at the end of the month; also those FZD videos are pretty awesome from what I've seen so far.

Here is what I toyed around with this morning:

However, I'm kind of dodging real light paint with this one and I have no idea how to continue without messing it up

[Sentura]

you picked a real hard place to start because of the composition of the image. you want to have some golden ratio whenever you do an imagine like this, so the focus point is always skewed naturally to the left/right of center. this creates a better dynamic in the image and makes it seem more real. in the one you posted i can't really see the perspective (i assume it's centered), which makes the image look more like a flat abstract than an actual painting.

before you start painting you always need to be aware of composition. draw lines from the horizon (where ever it may be in the image), and use those lines to build your image around. then you can start putting in stuff and sprucing it up. and don't be afraid to "throw away" your sketches. while they may seem good (and some of them will be), you'll always be able to do better if you correct a fundamental flaw in the image.

[cityy]

I see, that makes sense.

I've seen people literally setting up a 3 dimensional grid for painting (like in this video:

) - maybe I will try that too. Not sure how to set it up yet but I guess it wont be too hard.

[Thrik]

In some ways it's probably a good idea to take photographic principles into account when it comes to art composition, as they both kind of share the same principles and have borrowed from each other over time. The whole 'rule of two thirds' thing Sentura is alluding to above is definitely important, as is a general understanding of how lighting and framing can hugely influence the beauty of a picture.

When it comes to painting specifically though, I think getting your overall composition right is definitely key — have a sketched version of the entire piece rather than trying to make it up as you go along. Also, get into the habit of doing several throwaway sketches on a small piece of paper before you try and do a proper full-size version, as then there's less commitment to each version and you don't feel so bad about throwing an idea away.

Even if I'm pretty much sure I know exactly how I want something to look, I'll still do one or two sketches just so it's totally imprinted in my mind so the final version is more of a planned production.

[Sentura]

I see, that makes sense.

I've seen people literally setting up a 3 dimensional grid for painting (like in this video:

) - maybe I will try that too. Not sure how to set it up yet but I guess it wont be too hard.

those lines are exactly what i meant. the reason he draws a "grid" is because he has 2 vanishing points on the horizon, and he is drawing lines from them both. some images you only need one vanishing point for, and i would suggest to start out like that.

also, what Thrik said.