Realizing Your Conception
ā„ Deciding what type of compositions to use and how to begin blocking out an image.
I have been asked a similar question on how to begin conception for a city scene, and you can read my answer here, but I figured Iād do a proper tutorial for this.
So! I think the general feeling here is about the thumbnail process, figuring out composition, and deciding what to do for the image you want to convey, right? okay.
I donāt usually post my thumbnails because theyāre pretty illegible most of the time, but there is this one image Iāve been working on since May ā09 that I can use thatās kind of more clear for this stage. One of these days Iāll finish it, I swear. lol here is my page of scribbles:
progress on it! I canāt believe Iāve been picking at this for nearly 3 years, I really do need to finish itā¦hahaā¦XD;;
The main thing about this image that I wanted to convey is the feeling of running. All throughout the beginning while thumbing it out I thoughtā¦what can convey this motion I feel while I play Okami? Circles. Kind of like how a vortex sucks you inā¦thatās what I was thinking about, anyway.
ā Other examples of a different type of planning.
Iām pretty visual so I can āthumbnailā in my head very clearlyā¦that takes just as much time as drawing your idea out though! If youāre going to try this I especially recommend a quiet room, close your eyes, and concentrate for a while. Be sure. However only use this method if you are VERY CLEAR about what you want to do. I canāt properly explain what happens in my mind..umā¦Iāll try to show you?
ā I wanted to show these for another way of āthumbnailingā in thinking about color in the very beginning of your process. Color is just as valuable as any other element in an image.
The Korra image was pretty basic, it was just a promo image for a convention so there wasnāt anything too complicated about it. As straightforward as it was, motion and flow is still my main thought throughout.
This one is a bit more about motion and feeling:
Again with these I knew basically what I wanted from the beginning and the sketch is done in around a minute or so. It depends on the image and how strong the concept is for meā¦more often than not Iāll do multiple thumbnails though.
ā Normally I would say to do about 5 thumbnails and pick the most appealing one. In time you will figure out what is comfortable for you. Usually you want to concentrate on basic elements and work from there.
ā On Composition: There are many tutorials out there about composing lines and circles. I canāt remember the name of this amazing childrenās book David Soman showed meā¦if anyone knows the name of it please let me know. But yeah, itās about managing dynamics of relationships with other elements in an image and how to play on them. Itās all about different ways of managing Size, Shape, and Balance to make them work for you. Donāt be afraid to play.
ā Blocking out Shapes of your Elements in an Image
Iām going to show something from Donato Giancolaās Character Design class I took:
These irk me now theyāre so old and weird haha but the concept is there. I have SO MANY progress shots of this horrid thing itās ridiculous, so many different designs were made. But I think thatās the thingā¦it all starts off as just blobs and silhouette. He actually kept scolding me for being too detailed hereā¦now I can see how right he was, I wish I was more clear! It is really hard to do this and break down a design and make it the best it can be, but practice practice practice!
ā VALUE is just as important in the planning stage as anything else. Do not neglect it!
ā Remember that everything takes time. You will get frustrated. It wonāt be perfect right away. This is HARD. You WILL improve. Donāt give up.
I donāt know what more I can say on thisā¦make sure youāre clear about what you want to convey with your MOVEMENT, VALUE, COLOR, and COMPOSITION.
Thank you for your question, I hope this helped! Iām always open to any of your questions and requests! :)
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