Hey! In this video, I am going to explain my process of creating an illustration from the first stage of sketching to the final, I will show all the general stages of creating art. Using the example of the Harpy, a charming lady with big paws, I’ll show the main steps in creating art and talk a little about how we can think, when we work with characters. The video demonstrates the technical aspects of working with color and tone.
All arts begin with a question to yourself: who will this character be?
What is his story? What does he do for a living? What environment does he live in?
A harpy hunter and a harpy cook will not only have different equipment, but also different body dynamics, different personalities, different external shapes. You’ill never confuse the Gardener’s Harpy with the Inventor’s Harpy if you meet them in real life. I can swear actually. They, at least, will be distinguished by tan and body type due to a different lifestyle. All these things help to better think through the storytelling of your character and it will be much easier for you to fill it with special design elements.
In this case, I decided that my harpy would live in a tropical climate. I took a rare Aru parrot as the basis for her coloring. Ara has a bright, colorful plumage, and therefore, in the process of searching, I decided to abandon more details so that my character does not look chaotic, but there is some specific focus area.
It is warm in the tropics, so clothing is not necessary for her.
Sometimes I take a separate piece of paper and write down
all the main things that can help me in creating a character.
Although the first sketches had a rather complex gear, as you can see, I completely abandoned this idea. You can see the sketches in the corner of the screen. I gave her a lot of feathers, and also made a helmet that somewhat resembles a parrot skull. I wanted to give the character a dynamic plastic pose, so I have spent some time looking for the right feeling.
I didn’t do a clean line because I don’t have to approve this work with anyone and I can solve the problems of shapes and design a bit later, for example on color stage. But, if you are doing a paid job, it will be much more professional to show all the important things in line and agree on this with your customer, before you start working with color.
Usually I do a quick color sketch with a general light source in mind. I try to immediately solve the problem with tone and color. If you have little experience, you can separate this work into two parts: first – find the right sense of color, then show tone work.
- The main thing you need to control – do not let yourself work with small details. Just work with the whole picture, do not go into details at this stage.
- Sometimes I add some color to the background. This gives me more understanding of how tone and color will work, what kind of reflections my character will have. As I progress in tone and color, I decrease the brightness of the line.
- It should not be such that you have a well-drawn head, but there is not even a general silhouette of the hands. Do a quick color sketch to get an idea of what the finished art will look like.
- I must say that throughout the work, I am not lazy and use references. For example, I look at exactly how parrot feathers grow, what shape the feathers have, how one feather overlaps another.
When the basic things are decided, I start drawing my character. I pay special attention to the head, especially the face, chest area, and hands. In general, try to make the light parts of the character rendered at your best level.
If you want to see the result, watch to the end of the video. I won’t bother you with my comments anymore.
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