Nick's Rage Against the Machine Spot

[Caesar]

Dear Nick, I saved this thread amomg my preferred sites of tutorials because it really is a great tutorial beside a delight!
I was just wondering whether You start with a tonal layer first or a sketch drawing followed by a tonal idea. I know that both are really fundamental in a painting more than anything else, especially in the ones of Your genre, to assure a successful and credible outcome.
I noticed that You use also two different light sources (and colors) in a number of cases and this adds a little to complexity when guessing the tones, I presume, and it's not a lesson usually treated on manuals I'm afraid. That's another reason why I admire Your works. Obviously anyone able to could use a 3D software to run a simulation, but it's not the most practical way to proceed this far ...
Thanks again very much!

[Nickillus]

Oh you are nice Caesar.
This one started with a sketch and I dropped a tone in after. Here's a bit more.

[Borilius]

Amazing, even on this stage it looks finished to me. Huge fan here

[SCP]

Loving this one,the character,pose and pespective look fantastic.Your use of washes is working well.Looking forward to the end result!

[Nickillus]

Thanks again, chaps.
Here's a bit more, but not much I grant you.
Wanted to deepen the tones on her, so I've duplicated the shade layer and altered the hue, using ctrl+J to open those controls. Then I'm working back into both shade layers to add more nuances and subtlety (loads still to do to make it work obviously). Then I've added a layer (labeled GLINT) to pick out coloured highlights over that. Details for hair and such will go on this layer too.

EDIT (12 midnight) - and the addition of a corny rainbow element - on a layer set to 'colour' blend mode.

Edit2 (5.10am) - Added some flowers (not finished of course) and yet more layers - mwahahahahaaaaaa - It's late here in the UK. I get like this sometimes-sorry. Must stop dithering and get on with it.

[Caesar]

Fantastic, dear Nick! ... and what a patience and strive for perfection! I guess the title to be, more or less, Still waiting for her Bridegroom ...
Since I never learned command short-cuts, Which are on the menu the corrispondig items to Ctrl+J, pls?

[Alexandra]

You are a fantastic artist Nick!

[Mairzie Dotes]

Nickillus,
At times when I view your paintings, the proper response fails
me because I am so often overtaken by your exceptional
talent and artistic creations that I think ... how to relate how
I feel with adequate words that don't sound too gushy but ...
since I am sitting here typing this and in a gushing mood here
goes ... your pieces are exceptional masterpieces! It doesn't
matter what the subject matter is for I am always rendered
in an immediate state of rapture just staring at one of your
captivating marvels on the screen before me, completed or not.

What a true artist and talent you are ... my heart aches for
the bedridden hob, I somehow felt his agony and you have
made even a wild haired prune of a hag appear somehow forlorn
and to be pitied. You have the uncanny ability to infuse human
emotions onto a canvas, wether happy or sad, silly or not. You
magically create stories, songs and poetry with your brush. You
can imagine the sensation then paint it into your subjects with
such bewitching flair that it almost seems to not be quite enough
to respond with only a "well painted" though ... from my heart ...
well painted!

[Nickillus]

As ever, I do thank you for your kind comments, chaps. I think persistent is probably the most accurate description for me. I nibble away until I have no time left and have to move on to the next.

ctrl+J (command+J on a mac?) opens up a set of controls for adjusting the colour. brightness, contrast etc of a layer Caesar. I have to admit it's the very first time I've used it myself. It allowed me to copy a shadow layer and change ts colour- but there are a host of other things it will do. I'd give it a try and see if any of it is useful to you.

Same with ctrl+B - for the blur a layer option. I find it handy when I've used the chalk to put colour down quickly on a layer, and need to smooth the texture down a bit. Or if I want a misty look for instance. For more localised blurring I'd use the palette knife of course. We all work in different ways and it's a matter of finding the tools that go best with that.


EDIT - WOW Mairzie - I think out posts must have crossed. I was typing while you were sending, so I didn't spot your extremely generous comments until after my usual word fumble had gone in without an answer included to your post. How very kind of you to express the unexpected response my digital canvas scraping can evoke in you at times. If I have any ability at all, it's just come through grinding away at it for nearly thirty years, on a full time basis - discounting the long stares out of the window, eating, drinking and even sleeping on occasion.

It gladdens me to hear that sometimes I reach a kindred spirit. Thank you so much for telling me.

[Caesar]

Thank You once more, dear mate! I found it on the Help Manual too. Edit -> Blur Layer and /or Adjust Layer; they correspond to ctrl+j and ctrl+b.