Squirrel would like to learn to paint >.<;
By
mistformsquirrel,
Posted on: 2007-10-31 18:39 in Multi-Media Fan Creations
I always sketch on a sketch pad first, then transfer it onto my watercolor paper and paint it in. Then I finish up with ink on the outline and some colored pencils. Check out www.dickblick.com, they have some good beginner sets and books. Just fiddle around and experiment until you find something that works for you.
Hmm... >.< this seems like a reasonable idea.
I think I'm going to do some practice stuff like this on the side throughout November. I'm not going to be around here on the forums most of the month (if I can help myself) - because of NaNoWriMo; but it would be good to keep doing art while I write >.<;;
Thanks Star, appreciate the ideas! >_<m Hopefully branching out will help my other art as well!
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
Yay another NaNoWriMo-er! This is my first year...
Sorry for the threadjack 
I shall now invoke the spirit of Lou, my wonderful drawing teacher.
Shape...shape shape shape....silhooooouette.....
Okay. So you want to paint? Really, all good painters started with solid drawing skills. So try this. Get charcoal, compressed blocks, vine charcoal, etc. Next, set up a variety of objects (Try an egg shape, a box, something like a creamer or a vase) under one focused light, a regular lamp does fine really. Noooow draw them!
When you're finished with this nice study, you should do about 30 more varieties of such. This should help you get a grasp on volumes, light and shadow, composition, etc.
Charcoal is your FRIEND. It's cheap, it's readily available, and you can do a mess of things with it. It is the building block of a good painter.
Once your arm has fallen off, you can move to paints. I would suggest when you start, to only start with black and white. I hate acrylics, so you could use acrylics, but I do advocate trying oils. I also suggest before buying oil paints, that you read up on them. Because oil paints deal with so many toxic substances, you want to keep yourself safe.
I would not try watercolors unless you have a handle on oils first. It was a lot harder for me having done watercolor first, to get the hang of oils...
Thanks Sayterra >.< that's a good idea. I had forgotten about using charcoal. Back when I was in art classes, we messed with it a little bit; but we didn't do much on any one thing. Maybe that'll help my line-art too >.< One way or another, I want to get *good* at this stuff!
(I'm so sick of being mediocre draw-like-I'm-12 guy; I've been doing this since I'm 16 and I'm 24 now! <x.x>; Obviously I've been going about something a leeeeeeetle wrong)
>.< Hopefully I'll be able to hit Hobby Lobby this month and get some supplies!
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks Sayterra >.< that's a good idea. I had forgotten about using charcoal. Back when I was in art classes, we messed with it a little bit; but we didn't do much on any one thing. Maybe that'll help my line-art too >.< One way or another, I want to get *good* at this stuff!
(I'm so sick of being mediocre draw-like-I'm-12 guy; I've been doing this since I'm 16 and I'm 24 now! <x.x>; Obviously I've been going about something a leeeeeeetle wrong)
>.< Hopefully I'll be able to hit Hobby Lobby this month and get some supplies!
[/ QUOTE ]
Charcoal's wonderful. Nothing quite like it for big, messy fun and getting decisive about broad, bold choices. I've got a charcoal piece I did from a photo of Kenneth Braunagh for a class two years ago, and it's still on my wall, I loves it so much. There's just something about charcoal.
Draw big. It helps. And it's important to understand that drawing is all about looking and drawing what you see... and you should spend at *least* as much time on the looking part as the drawing part.
Don't worry if it's not coming out. Push through. Learn to handle mistakes. One of the best things I learned in my design/art/animation/etc classes was to NOT scrap a piece too early just because it wasn't coming together right away, but to give it time to mature.
And Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a great book for anyone that draws. it really is. I'm on my third copy, because it's still helpful to go back and read through it every once in a while to keep my mentality aligned.
Thanks Su-Lin! Sorry its taken awhile to come back to this thread; I've been working on my NaNo like crazy hehe >.<
I'm definitely going to be trying for the Charcoal then - I even asked my mom to get me an easel for Christmas. I loved the one I used in my art classes my first year of college; unfortunately me and my teacher did not get a long. (Some of it was personality, some was politics, and I freely admit, some was just me being boneheaded!) So I didn't get as much out of that class as I really should have.
I've also got a new avatar in the works that's comming along pretty well. Not sure when it'll be done, but its very different for me.
>.< Thanks again!
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
Good luck with your writing Misty! I'm going to take my notes and plug away with my own over November.
=^_^=b
Good luck to you too Tundy! <^_^> I haven't gotten a thing done today <_ _> but yesterday I got all caught up (5020 words) - so hopefully if I can get a reasonable start tonight, then tomorrow I'll play catch-up again. I hate having to do that; but tonight has just kinda sucked!
>.< seriously though, good luck! I love NaNo!
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
I hate trying to force myself to a set number of words per day. Sure, I can get a lot done, but I don't always feel the quality is there. >_< That said, I do seem to do best overall when I try to reach a minimum number of pages. >_> ... <_<
Oh, and I'm going to be sorta not around for the rest of the month. Heading off to visit family and they all don't have PC's. @_@;;;
But keep at it Misty! You can do it!
=^_^=b
Have fun! <^_^>
I'm going to get started shortly. I didn't get anything done last night, but today my aim is to crank it up and get caught up (again) >.<
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.
Or more to the point - I think I want to learn to paint. >.< By hand.
I think I've discovered one of the reasons I rarely get my artwork 'finished' - the computer is very very distracting for me! I have so many other things I have access to on the comp...
Plus - there are some effects that I've seen done by hand that I have yet to figure out how to replicate via digital art.
I know some basics from my mini-painting; ie: how to mix paints (acrylics anyways)...
But I'll be real honest. I have no clue how to go about getting started trying to paint an honest-to-goodness picture.
So I was wondering >.< Does anyone here have any suggestions on how to get started? I literally know nothing about this.
Do I draw up a sketch on canvas first, then try to paint it in like I would digitally? Or should I just try to 'go with the flow' and paint it all freehand? >.<
I figure this is a good place to ask since I've seen several amazing paintings here >.<; Any help is much appreciated!
A Warrior's Friend: ID 335212 - Help Infernal save Valkyrie from Battle Maiden.
Above Mars Part 1: The Wellington: ID 159769 - Save Mars by destroying a monstrous battleship from the inside!
>.> My DA page, where I attempt to art.