Art Post – Page 16

Pretty Face Painting

Posted onNovember 5, 2012November 8, 2012

Pretty Face Painting in Photoshop

Got another quick paintings done in Photoshop using the soft airbrushing technique. Again, the technique is very simiIar to the dry-brushing technique.

I like the way this pretty face painting came out. It’s quite satisfying to see the forms develop. I’m getting the hang of this technique, as I’m not as nervous with the strokes anymore. Most of my undo’s and mistakes occur when I use too small of a brush to paint. I have to keep reminding myself to use a larger brush. It’s better to paint broad brush strokes at the beginning and narrow it down to smaller brushes as you get down to the finer details. There’s a great article on John Sargent’s painting process and it has helped me alot. I’ll post that up one day.

Head Reference for Artist – Male Head

Posted onSeptember 19, 2012October 16, 2012

Earlier I had the Female Head Reference for Artist video. Now I have another reference video but with a male head. If the head looks a bit like one of Alex Ross’ drawings, that’s because I used his Superman head drawings as reference. Hope you find this useful for your drawing needs, –Wei

Male Head Reference for Artist – Lighting

Want to Learn 3D Modeling?

Posted onSeptember 17, 2012November 8, 2012

If you’ve read my bio, you know that I have a wide range of work experiences in arts and computer graphics. One of my skill that I would consider myself an expert in is 3D modeling. I’ve been doing 3D modeling to some degree throughout my CGI career, but it was only after spending over six years doing 3D modeling (almost exclusively) at Rhythm & Hues Studios that I can call myself an expert in that field. I’ve learned quite a bit during those years. And I want to show you what I have learned about 3D modeling. I thought about including 3D modeling contents on this blog but there are just too much of it to be bundled here. So I started a new site dedicated to 3D modeling. It is www.3DModelingHero.com.

What You WIll Learn from 3DModelingHero.com

My 3D modeling site teaches you the concepts of 3D modeling. I like the old Chinese proverb that saids it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. That’s what the concepts of 3D modeling is–understanding 3D modeling. It’s less about learning to model a specific face, but more on what you need to understand to make a model look like a face.

Why Learn 3D Modeling?

There are many uses for 3D modeling and I’ll briefly state some of it here.

If you’re a CG generalist, then you need to build models for your animations. You don’t want to start with a crappy model or one that takes you forever to do because you struggle with modeling.
If you’re a concept artist, with 3D modeling you can do high level concepts to detailed renderings of your props like guns, spaceship, etc.
If you’re a matte painter, then there’s nothing more real and spatially correct than a 3D model or scene. It is great for laying out an architectural scene.
You want to get a job as a modeler in the interactive games industry or in feature films.

Those are just some uses with 3D modeling. Knowing 3D modeling opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It’s like having another set of powerful tools in your toolbox.

Check it out, Learn 3D Modeling. Thanks, -Wei

Cintiq, Amazon.com, and the BS CA Sales Tax

Posted onSeptember 13, 2012

Well folks, funs over with tax free purchases at Amazon.com for California residents like myself. Starting this Saturday, all purchases by CA residents will be subject to the CA sales tax of 9.75%. I’m an avid Amazon shopper, and this hurts–you can’t beat free shipping and no sales tax. At the bull-shit sales tax of 9.75%, it’s a big hit when buying high ticket items like electronics. I actually wouldn’t mind paying it if the state wasn’t run by these clowns who has put the state in a financial mess.

So if you’re in CA and looking to get a Cintiq on Amazon, you got another day before getting hit with a 9.75% sales tax. Amazon didn’t carry the 22HD when it came out, so I got mine off Wacom’s site, and they didn’t charge me sales tax. I’m not sure if that will be the case if you’re a resident at another state. Wacom.com would be a good alternative after today if you’re looking to purchase one.

Head References for Artist – Lighting

Posted onSeptember 13, 2012February 19, 2021

Do you need lighting references for a human head? In my reference library I have various lighting references on faces, but it’s never complete as they come from difference sources and of different people. So here I have taken the 3D head model from my Lady Dragon statue and created an animation with various lighting angles, creating a complete head reference for lighting. I’ve always wanted to create this kinds of references for myself. Now I have done it and I’m sharing it with you.

Head Reference Video Setup

Head Reference 1 Head Reference 2

Starting with her head facing toward the camera, the light starts up top and slightly behind her right side. The light circles around her and ends on her left side(The green arrow represents the light direction). Then the light repeats the circling motion but at a lower angle. The circling ends once it has reached well below her face.

Head Reference 3 Head Reference 4

The circling light starts up top again but with the head tilted upwards. Then her head tilts downward and finally to the side. There are two images to each frame. The one on the right has rim lighting. You can see the full video below. In viewing the video, it might be dizzying as the light moves fast. I would recommend you pause it and scrub through the frames to find the lighting angle that you want.

Head Reference 5 Head Reference 6