Artist advice needed.

[Stone]

Guys I have been working on drawings tp try and post on the site.I get them hatched out and somewhat refined where I could add hue.What mediums do you all recommend.I never end up coloring them due to that the fact I don't want to mess them up.
Do any of you guys do and drawings then scan them and work them with a 'puter program?What programs should I look for to do that?I just got a scanner and hope to contribute for next friday's show.
Thanks for the help guys.You all are a big inspiration for me not to be lazy and draw.

[safariknut]

I would try working in whatever medium you feel comfortable in.If the drawings are small enough to copy(8 1/2X11-11X17)I'd go to the local copy shop and make a few copies;then color those.That way you don't mess up your originals.I do this with artwork all the time.If I'm adding color,I usually do it minimally and use Magic Markers(the double ended knd that have one wide end and the other a fine point).I'm usually just highlighting chrome and leave the body coloring to whomever I'm doing the work for.
You could use colored chalk,water colors,even airbrushed if you like.I wouldn't use water color on copies though as the inks will run if wet.

[Stone]

I use the prismacolor markers some but I can never seem to get mine to be as flawless and as fluid like as I would like.I'm thinking of trying some water color paintings.I have a set of guache that I need to get some use out of.

[chromedRAT]

here's what i did when i started trying to seriously get things done, drawing-wise. i use prismacolor pencils and markers, first off. i began drawing on black paper with a white pencil. card stock works well, as it is tough enough to erase the prismacolor fairly well. the verithin prismacolors erase better and are more suited for sketching this way, i have found. find a black car with chrome and whites to start with and have at it. this way, all you are doing is putting white where the highlights, reflections and whitewalls are, and black where there are very dark reflections, shadows and the like. makes it very simple to begin with, as you are only doing dark and light. look thru magazines, etc, and pay attention to reflections. they are usually merely ground, horizon and sky, and can be done easily in black and white when you're starting out. figure that out, and you can add color to the drawing, like some blue for the sky, brown for the ground, maybe add some of each into appropriate places in the body of the car, as reflections in paint often appear as a mirror image that is slightly tinted. figure that out, and use paper that is the same color or near to the color of the object you are drawing. makes for smoother coloring and the like, saves time, gives good results if you can highlight and shadow enough to make it "pop" and helps you to further learn about color and rendering. i'll throw up some pics to show you what i mean. the biggest thing is to be very observant of your work so you can improve. i'm by no means perfect, but i'm pretty happy with what i can do. here's the first car i did like this (got the idea of using like-colored paper from some drawings my brother did when he was in college for industrial design).

[chromedRAT]

i did this fairly recently, but you can see what i mean about starting with a little bit of color. i really hate how my computer posts this pics. might be ok on other's computers, mine makes em MUCH grainier than they are in real life.

[chromedRAT]

last one, i kinda screwed up the lettering on the door, and the front wheels feel a tad awkward, but you can see how i used red paper for a base, white for highlights, and darker reds for the reflections in the paint. i kinda like this on, gotta do it again sometime and fix the little stuff.

[mikes51]

[ QUOTE ]
Do any of you guys do and drawings then scan them and work them with a 'puter program?What programs should I look for to do that?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's an excellent way to colorize your drawings. I've used that exact technique, real fast and easy.

I first draw with black pen/marker on white paper, then I scan that in to your computer.

Once it's scanned in, use a paint program's airbrush tool, and throw in a color. Don't even worry about "staying within the lines". For example, in the below pic, I ran the red/orange air brush beyond the black outlines of the car.

Then use the air brush again, and throw back in some white highlights. That will make the car seperate from the background, even though they are the same color.

I did these a while back for a Friday art show, using PHotoshop. You probably could do the same with a simpler paint program, just try to get a program that at least has "layers" functions. So that you can keep your original black lines on one layer, your color on the other.

[mikes51]

Here's another old friday art attack. Same process, black pen on paper scanned in, then use your pc to add any color.

[Stone]

Thanks guys.Mike that is a style like I was wanting to give a try.

[bradberry00]

the key to great results is in quality of materials!....and not just nice markers, paint....etc...but the paper plays a huge role in what the final product looks like...spend a few bucks on a nice sheet of paper.(every medium likes different paper, plus your personal preference)....

prismacolor markers are ok from what ive heard, but ive never used them....i use Chartpak markers from time to time...they flow out very well when you use a smooth paper with little tooth...try index paper or a smooth bristle board....you should get pretty good results...

[hillbillydeluxe]

Guys,
nice tips for Stone. I guess the best advice is that after 14 years of professional work, the single biggest thing is to just get in there and start swinging. I used to freeze up and it would stop me from having fun.

Which was why I started doing this in the first place. . .

If your work begins with line (and that is most artist's strength), then add colour, you need to choose your medium. You can put it on watercolour paper, and begin working light tones and colours to dark. If you take safariknut's advice and make black-and-white copies, be sure that your markers will not cause the copier ink to run. I've seen guys at work with this technique use thier final coloured image as re-scanned presentation artwork.

Whatever you ultimately decide, please don't use the computer as a crutch. It is a great tool, but will not hide a poor illusrtator or make you a superstar. Classically trained artists excel when they accept any medium and make it their own.

Like in racing, some guys are fast on whatever they throw a leg over (or into). Keep at it, and don't be discouraged.

[Jeff Norwell]

A wise man once told me.."your gonna make a million mistakes,.git drawing and start making them"
I lost count years ago.

just do it.

[bdrake]

As some of the others have said, swing away, try different things and don’t be afraid to screw up. Try to save that mistake, take it in new direction or just experiment with it.

From black and white pencil it depends what I’m doing with it. If going electronic, it gets scanned and off to Illustrator or PhotoShop to get the works or redrawn for pure black and white. Basically the same process for markers, ink, paint and colored pencil. The computer is just another tool.