1 Sketching the ideas
It all starts with the sketch. A few key words spark ideas and help me write this workshop. My aim is to create different angles of a female head using my visual and muscular memory, and give the viewer the sensation that they’re being observed.
When ImagineFX contacted me, I was interested to hear that the theme of the cover was to experiment with a painting. This has always been my mission with my personal work, so I was more than happy to approach the cover in the same way.
The idea was to paint a female portrait and for this I went to my comfort zone. My lines, which are always flawed, tend to produce features that I consider particularly attractive: thick lips, large eyes with long eyelashes, small pointed noses and hair that flows in all directions.
As with my other client work, I start by visualising various options. During this stage what’s foremost in my mind is to avoid drawing the same angle. I look for natural angles of the head that would allow for a logical movement of the character’s eyes towards the viewer.
Once the sketch with the strongest composition is chosen, it’s time to give it maximum visual impact, using colour. My approach during this stage is to create a sense of randomness using a range of Photoshop tools. I want to combine effects that on initial viewing appear like mistakes, but with a little vision can end up having potential towards the end of the painting process.
Once the colours are finalised, it’s time to enjoy discovering the image, using design rules that enable me to reveal attractive shapes in each area that are gradually refined as the painting progresses.
2 Wrapping lines over my sketches
Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av ImagineFX.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra October 2021-utgaven av ImagineFX.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Raquel M. Varela
Raquel is inspired by magic, fantasy and fairy tales. She loves designing female characters from distant worlds. \"My greatest reference is Loish's art, thanks to her I learned to draw the movement and fluidity I like to convey.\"
Estrela Lourenço
Estrela is a children's book author and illustrator. Her work is influenced by her background in character animation and storyboards for clients such as Cartoon Network, and she channels comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes.
Daria Widermanska
Daria, also known as Anako, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Inspired by Disney and classic anime, she loves creating new characters and often finds that a single sketch can spark a unique story.
Allen Douglas
Allen has been painting professionally since 1994 for the publishing and gaming industries. Inspired by folklore, he distorts the size, relationships and environments of animals, and calls his paintings 'unusual wildlife'.
Thaddeus Robeck
Thaddeus has been drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil, but it was the 2020 lockdowns that gave him the time to focus on honing his skills.
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CREATIVE STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY
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Gigi Murakami
Shock and terror! Step into the world of the American horror manga artist, where her tastes are on full display
The path to the top at a video games company
No cheat codes required Tanya Combrinck finds out exactly what it takes to make the leap from burgeoning student to game-shaping art director
