MONSTER TECH!...or how DRAW with my inner child.

O.k.....

I have had a few folks ask me how I approach certain pieces of art I do....
First off.....I work both digitally and traditionally.It depends on the job,timing and what the art will be used for.
A few days back.... one of my clients called asking if I could do there Speed catalog for them again.I have done this for the last 3 years now and I said ... sure.Then they said we need it next week!
Aww.... the great life of an illustrator......oh well...there cool and AT LEAST pay there bills.

So....initially...I get the specs and the printers requirements....I set up the document and begin.






Next step was the ruff...... I chose to do this digitally because of timing and ease of transfer directly to the printer.
I work in mostly 2 digital programs...Photoshop and Coral Painter.

In Painter I have made ALOT of custom tools.....and for this job I will be using my pencils and Pen and Ink tools.
Since I know this client and they trust me with the outcome....I fire up a VERY ruff draft....email a lo res image and explain where text and copy shall go.Most auto parts catalogs today are.....dull.....so I said I would like to do some monster images and they were fine with that.

the Quick ruff.....don't laff.

I want to approach this with a heavy Newton flavour.
Ed Newton is by far one of the most talented guys I know of and his inking and sheer drawing talent is stunning.

 

So after an little conversation with my client I begin.
In Painter I have drawn my ruff to scale on a layer(default) and create a new layer over it.To think of this in trad. terms..... think acetate overlays....
I pull the opacity back on my ruff to about 20%.... and start to draw(ink) over it.

 

The right side is the front and in this dumb tech,,,,,, is what I am concentrating on.the left is the back and it will eventully be done in the same manner as the front.The boxes and such on the ruff indicate were (loosely) were the copy and text will run.

I begin to dig into my toolbox for my custo made drawing tools.I work on a wacom tablet.....I can replicate ANY trad. tool here....So I begin with some pen and ink tools and start from the rear of the drawing......

 

So,.... remember I work on layers?.... well..I start to build layers and name them (such as blower/engine....monster body...etc,etc)
This way I can erase or elimanate unwanted lines or add to them.
I constantly turn on and off the ruff.....always checking my line quality for thick and thin variation.
In this example here.......

 

Ruff on and layers(4) on.......scribble,scribble,scribble.







Layers again and the tires and lower half is done.

 

Nearly done.....some B/G elements ,front wheels andsome yeechhee stuff!

 

So here you have the finished line work....about 6-7 layers with the ruff turned on.
Of course,....when sending this to the printer I will delete all unneccasary ruff layers.....just to avoid confusion.

If this stupid post holds any water....I will go thru the color process in a few days.

later.......

 

Thanks fellas.

I CAN'T stress this enuff......There ain't no "Magic Draw Monster" Button on any computer.....or the instant click left"Norman Rockwell" tab.

If you can't draw.....start practicing.

It takes time...alot of Time and tenacity.... just like anything else....welding,carving,fabrication etc,etc....

I know you folks understand this....

 

Ok.....well in the OLD days of commercial art(no so much today)
An artist would do a ruff in pencil(or whatever.....) then tranfer the image on too a piece of artboard(pencil again or blue non repro pencil).... whip out there handy dandy tech pen or quill and ink away.Little mistakes were handled with white out or pelekin white.
there would be a stat taken(b/w image and layed down to a mech. board for color separations and off to the printer......(I am being simplistic here)
At any rate....at that time it was not the illustrators job to get it ready for printing.(yay!)

With todays technolgy...... it for the most part is(boooo!) ha ha hah

I guess what I was leading to about understanding is..... the computer is just another tool......like an airbrush,hammer,cresent wrench or #5b pencil.

If ya can't use it well......it won't do the job.

 

Sure Bernie.....
In Corel Painter.....you have a vast array of premade "tools".
You can take a tool(lets say a pastel chalk).....and start to mess with its varations....ie=the size,the drag,the density ,etc,etc.
There is also papers....which you can change the premade quality....changing the surfaces from really smooth to very ruff..... like a heavy watercolor paper....
It is a program to truly be investigated.

 

Well... go to the corel website and look for the painter section.....there is a subsection caalled"Painter Masters"..... you will truly be blown away.

 

I think I just might quit my Taco Bell day job.

Thank you baby Jesus for Diet pepsi.

 

Cheers!