FLORIAN HÄCKH
  • Illustration
  • Blog
  • Contact and CV
  • Stylized Work

setting up a useful studying routine?

5/1/2015

0 Comments

 
Hey guys,

a think I finally found a way to study that works for me. It is less an issue of commitment, but more an issue of organization. I started naming the file after what the study was about and not for example who I am studying from. That way I keep in mind what I am doing the study for. Also I save all the studies I do on that topic in one month in the same file. So after a month I can see how many composition studies I did in April and how many gesture studies and so on. It feels right this way and is fun (at least for me)

A quick note on gestures. I used to hate them, because they felt so difficult und unsatisfying. I never knew why I did them, because I felt like I didn't learn anything from them. But since I started walking around outside with my sketchbook and sketching people while I was walking (sometimes behind them very slowly (people don't get suspicious if you have a baby with you)), I started to like them more and more. I guess the whole thing turned when I started to do really simplified gestures of people with the least lines possible. PS is actually a great tool for this, since it lets you change brush diameter instantly. So in the first of these I brushed in a couple of guidelines with big broad strokes and after that got clearer and more detailed. But all the time the first big strokes tell the whole story. The smaller strokes help to tell more about the volumes and connections, but the big ones are the key to the pose. And also I found my perfect time for these. It's 2 min. It is the perfect timespan to check out the whole figure, do my big strokes and then add some details where I want them. It is pretty satisfying to work that way.
These ones I started after reading more and more in Richard Schmid's great book "Alla Prima 2". It helped me to get the hang of those small value comps. The key way to always squint down at the originals until I could say which values are the darkest, which one are the lightest and what are the middle tones. I tried to work only with the least values necessary, which are mostly 3.
Bild
This one is actually just part of an image. I try to focus here on picking the right colors and comparing them to each other. I don't go overboard with rendering, but look for the simple statement. In this one I actually more or less looked for the value of the colors. In future studies I will look more into the color temperature changes too. It is still a lot to handle so no wonder my focus jumpes around a bit.
Bild
This one is by my all time favorite artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau. The focus here way to render a part of the image to a more finished degree. I don't think you have to go for the whole picture, but pick out parts, that are interesting at that moment. And to me that is rendering flesh and picking skin colors. Also learning more about the shoulder girdle, the connection of the arm and the neck to the shoulder. These studies are also a great way to feel like I can paint like the old masters and get my confidence-level up after struggling with one of my own paintings. Of course I know that I can't paint like them, since I only look at the finished piece with all the problems figured out for me. But it is a nice illusion :)
Bild
In the end I won't do this in a set order, but work on what I feel like needs attention. But having figured out some of the issues in organization and clearing up the purpose of the single study, I feel like I have more focus to actually do the study.

That's it for now. And to all the German's reading this at 1st of May, enjoy your day off! :D
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    This is my blog.

     I will share information about workflow, my insights into image-making or just general thoughts and rants about being an artist.

    In the archives you'll find my first attempts at digital painting. Feel free to check them out.

    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Illustration
  • Blog
  • Contact and CV
  • Stylized Work