In this final episode of the Concept Art tutorial series we add the finishing touches to our creature concept. We will paint the last bit of polish and detail and also create a simple background and make our concept presentable. We take the concept to the final stage so it can be handed off to production or as a marketing illustration. Narrated by the artist.

In part 5 of the Concept Art Tutorial series, we add texture. Using a combination of photographs, photo manipulation, and Photoshop blending modes we seamlessly add texture to our creature design.  This technique will quickly add a nice layer of texture, detail and color variation.  Narrated by the artist.

Simplify, group and then simplfy some more is the lesson here. Below is an example of tonal composition studies I did from November 2011 to January 2012. These were drawn in my toned paper sketchbook, about 1-2 inches in size. See image below for complete materials list.

My daily tonal composition studies from November 2011 to January 2012.

My sketchbook and materials I typically sketch with. These are perfect for doing tonal studies and quick tonal renderings.

]]> http://www.freshdesigner.com/tonal-composition-studies/feed/ 4 http://www.freshdesigner.com/studies-of-the-old-masters-in-watercolor/ http://www.freshdesigner.com/studies-of-the-old-masters-in-watercolor/#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:56:04 +0000 admin http://www.freshdesigner.com/?p=539 Taking the advice of several teachers I admired, I decided to paint little studies from old masters. Since watercolor is quick to set-up , it makes a perfect painting sketch/study medium that can easily fit into a busy, working schedule.

Artists like Anders Zorn, Sargent, Edgar Payne and N.C. Wyeth were the artists I looked to at the time.  This represents early January 2012 to mid February, 2012. Each image took approximately 20-40 minutes to complete, watercolor on Moleskine.

“Mastercopies in Watercolor, 1/12 – 2/12″

I recently got the privilege to see master sculptor Auguste Rodin’s work at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, CA.  Since I have way more traditional drawings and paintings then digital/commercial work I’d like to start regularly posting sketchbook pages and other foundational studies.

“Rodin Study #1″, pen, marker and white pastel on toned paper.

“Rodin Study #2″, pen, marker and white pastel on toned paper.

Ever since March of 2010, when Steve Huston was last in Los Angeles to teach his annual workshop, I was eagerly anticipating his return to Southern California. The time finally came last April when Steve returned to Pasadena for a one night drawing workshop hosted by 3 Kicks Studio.

This was a short but intense workshop. Steve packed in a lot of information in 3 hours. Here are my thoughts on the evening.

Part 1 – Lecture

Steve began the lecture by stating his fundamental principles to drawing and art making. The essence of Art is the “Idea”, he noted to the class.  He then broke down that concept into 2 fundamental parts:

Gesture and Structure,

or Parts and their Relationships.  Parts representing structure or form, gesture is synonymous to the relationship between forms.

The idea of structure and gesture, parts and relationships is so fundmental to Steve’s work, it appears over and over again in his drawing. From the 2 minute gestures, to the head drawings to the fully rendered, titanic and kinetic boxers and workmen he is known for.

A sample from Steve Huston’s sketchbook. Wow! www.stevehustonart.com

Parts, Steve noted are what most artists are comfortable and competent with. Relationships are what takes a lifetime to master.

Steve then began to demonstrate specific techniques such as using gesture to create dynamic stretch in a figure. He also demonstrated how gesutre can also create movement down and along form. Movement along form is what he calls structure. Any observer of his work can clearly see his mastery of structure.

Steve Huston lecturing at 3 Kicks Studio.

Steve also simplified the figure using abstractions and geometric forms, and most importantly how to get the simple abstract forms to relate to another in the most effective and elegant manner.

The lecture was very condensed.  This could have easily been a 10 or 20 week course alone. Despite the short time frame, Steve managed to touch on the key essentials of his drawing philosophy.

Part 2 – Drawing Time

After the lecture, the class finally got their chance to apply all the knowledge from the lecture and draw from the model. Steve began the first 20 minute set with a demonstratoin of 5 minute poses. Obviously his lecture was informative by itself, but watching him draw is truly invaluable. This is what I had waited the entire year for, the chance to watch Steve draw and work his magic.  Watching him put all the principles together, one always comes away feeling, “Ok, I can do that”.

The remainder of the workshop was drawing time for the students, with Steve giving as much one-on-one feedback he could in the short amount of time.

A snap from Steve Huston’s sketchbook. www.stevehustonart.com

Conclusion

Steve closed the workshop by giving us some final thoughts on drawing and art. He gave us some ideas for self study and a daily practice routine, stressing that art is a cumulative, marathon-like journey.  After his parting thoughts, Steve was very generous with his time and stayed behind to talk to students who wanted some final nuggets of wisdom.

Watching Steve at the end of class, I couldn’t help but feel admiration. It was already well past 11 pm on a Saturday night. Just hours earlier, he had taught a full day painting workshop, and had to prepare for the next morning’s class. Despite the long day, here he is, a nationally renowned, gold-medal winning artist working overtime for his students.  Wow. That’s class, and that is someone any young artist could feel proud to emulate.

In conclusion, the short but action-packed drawing workshop was a great experience and a great value. Steve did an honorable job teaching such a daunting amount of material in such a short period of time. For the beginner student or someone new to his work, it served as a great introductory, or ‘teaser’ course. Personally I would want to spend a whole week on this topic, but that will have to wait.

I would also like to thank Charels Hu and 3 kicks Studio for hosting the workshop. Charles did a great job with the event and made the students feel very welcome and at home. I recommend 3 Kicks to any serious art student in southern California and I am definitely looking forward to more classes and workshops there. Of course, I’m already anticipating next years’ Huston workshop.

This summer, Zhaoming Wu will be teaching an exclusive, 2-day head and portrait drawing workshop.  The date is Saturday, June 4th – Sunday, June 5th, 2011. The time is 10 am – 4pm both days. The workshop will be held at theCommunity School of Music and Arts (CSMA) in beautiful Mountain View, California (just 20 minutes south of San Francisco).

This is a limited, one of a kind engagement. Take advantage of a unique opportunity to study with a living, modern master. Enrollment has begun and class size is limited. See below for complete details.  To enroll please visit the CSMA website:

http://www.arts4all.org/register/index.htm

To see Zhaoming’s incredible work please visit: http://www.zhaomingwu.com/

DETAILS

When: Sat., June 4 –  Sun., June 5, 2011

Time: 10 am – 4 pm

Where: Community School of Music and Arts (Finn Center), 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, CA

Cost: $300

Concept Design Academy (CDA) is hosting a new figure drawing workshop every Sunday in Pasadena, CA. CDA is one of the top entertainment art schools and many great artists, industry professionals and talented students have come to draw on Sunday night. Including the school’s founder Kevin Chen.

For those in the Los Angeles area who follow my tutorials and videos, stop by say hi and come draw with us sometime.  I would love to meet all of you and thank you for your support.  I am currently enrolled in Kevin Chen’s drawing class this term and will be attending CDA until April 10th.

For info on CDA, faculty and class schedule visit their blog: www.conceptdesignacad.blogspot.com

Time: Sunday, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Where: Concept Design Academy, 55 Waverly Drive, Suite 104, Pasadena, CA  91105
Fee: $15

A page from Nathan Fowke’s sketchbook. www.nathanfowkes.blogspot.com

Nathan Fowkes is a renowned Los Angeles artist and teacher. Among many things he is known for being a masterful color stylist. All you have to do is see hislandscape sketches to know he is a master of color and his craft. Being a fan of his work I was eagerly awaiting his one day Color Concepts Workshop @ Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (LAAFA).

The 8 hour event was divided into 3 parts. First was lecture and slideshow.  Next came a demo from the model where Nathan put into practice the topics of the lecture. Finally the students got their chance to paint from the model with Nathan’s guidance.

Nathan began the lecture and slideshow with personal stories and experiences. Relating how painting and sketching drives his illustration at Dreamworks Animation where Nathan does spectacular visual development work.  The meat of the lecture consisted of color principals, concepts and color theory.

Obviously the lecture had tremedous value. My only gripe was that it was a bit long at 41/2  hours. As an artist eager to paint alongside Nathan, I wanted more painting time and would have liked to see a more condensed lecture. Considering the circumstance and the 1 day schedule, Nathan did an excellent job presenting the material.

For me, the most valuable thing I took away from the lecture was the importance of temperature (warmth or coolness) of a color. Nathan spent a lot of time on temperature and its emotional impact on the viewer. That in itself was priceless.  Having laid a foundation it was time to put the concepts into practice and demo for the class.

For the demo, Nathan prepared a costumed model with dramatic, colorful, saturated theatrical lighting. A rich red spot light complemented by a bright green rim light.

The quiet before the storm. Nathan’s trademark watercolor setup.

For those who have ever wanted to see Nathan demo his process, it is a thing of beauty. Imagine a crescendo of fat sable brushes applying thick color with fearless and agressive strokes. Each stroke bold and precise. Wow!  I had previously seen Nathan demo at a previous LAAFA workshop and I was still mesmerized.

A master at work. A thing of beauty. I could of watched him all day.

The first half of the demo consisted of  a color exercise where Nathan harmonized two opposing colors. The goal of the exercise was to work a interesting and powerful color harmony out of 2 seemingly unrelated colors. He worked small, quickly and very abstract with his trademark bold marks. After completing 2 small studies Nathan moved on to the model.

Again working small and relatively abstract. Nathan began to apply his color concepts. Now the challenge was not only to compose an interesting figure but to relate a red and green light being shone on a living, breathing form.  Watching someone with that much experience makes it look so easy.   I came away with a feeling of,  ”hey, I can do that”.

The studies on the left are color exercises. The right is the final demo from the model. Approx. 1 hour to finish.

After the demo the class excited for the final session of painting from the model.  There were 2 models with 2 different scenarious set up. I chose the original model from Nathan’s demo.

My humble little watercolor setup.

As with his demo, he had the class spend the first hour doing the harmonizing exercising. Working small, loose and abstract. Admittedly, I was bored at first, but then the wheels in my brain started turning. The relationships between colors change so dramatically as I painted. It became a compelling exercise and proved to valuable when painting from the model.

The last 2 hours was dedicated to painting the model. Nathan gave a lot of feedback to students while we were painting.  At the end of the final session, Nathan thanked the group and gave some final thoughts. Even after class, he was also very generous with his time in answering questions and giving feedback and critique.  That’s one thing I appreciate about him is his eagerness to share and help students.  Of course, I took full advantage and was able to spend some time Nathan and get feedback on my own work. Thanks Nathan.

Overall, the workshop was an excellent experience. The lecture was interesting and the material was extremely valuable. Even though it felt a bit long, Nathan presented the material well. The demo was valuable and exciting. Watching Nathan work was a tremendous learning experience. Finally, the painting session with Nathan’s guidance was fun and valuable.

Congratulations to LAAFA for another successful workshop and special thanks to Nathan for his time and generosity. LAAFA did another outstanding job organizing and hosting the event. Every workshop I’ve taken there has been fun and well organized.  I always feel at home when I’m there.  I am definitely looking forward to the next Fowkes workshop and the next visit to LAAFA.

2 hour figure drawing by Chris Legaspi. Taken from the Wednesday, Sep. 22nd session in Mountain View. 2 1/2 hour pose, charcoal on paper.

This new figure painting and drawing session starts out with 20 minutes of gesture poses for warm up, then 1 continuous, long pose for the remainder of the evening (approx. 2 1/2 hours).  Perfect for fine art charcoal drawings and painters of all mediums. Students, professionals and artists of all levels and all mediums are welcome.

No pre-registration required. Drop-ins welcome. $15 drop in fee. $12 with CSMA discount card (contact CSMA or workshop organizer for more information).

Details here:

Where: CSMA/Finn Center, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, CA 94040
Time: Every Wednesday from 7:00 – 10:00pm
Fee: $15 ($12 with CSMA discount card)
Website: http://www.arts4all.org

Inside our figure drawing studio @ CSMA