I’ve been doing other things rather than updating this blog. It’s a shame really. I do art. I do photography. I don’t get it uploaded. My laptop is a mess and I’ll really like to just start over with my file system. It needs a clean up.
Anyway, this post is a start of many to come. 
Created in GIMP, my old tablet small square tablet was used. Three figures drawn. It’s nice to just doddle away in GIMP. It needs a color layer!
It’s a rare moment when William takes his pencil drawings digital. He has been focused on working from photo and imagination. That’s something that needs to change – a balanced approach.
On Tuesday he imported two photos of pencil sketches that he had drawn during his time in Wellington. This is the result.
The line layer. He believes the pencil line looks more professional and there is more control. But he’s use to producing the digital line. It may serve some use in the future.
The tone layer. As usual William has used a range of brushes in order to show texture and variety in the work.
Slow on the digital painting recently. I’ve been filling up my sketchbook with pencil drawings. This morning though I went to Lower Hutt Starbucks and finished a cityscape work and started a painting from life. Here’s the result. Great to get something uploaded since it’s been several days.
Here goes -
This is the reference I used. On the left is a sketch from Hastings, center is a building which is visible from parliament and the right is a pencil line sketch of an area on Cuba Street. I started merging together my pencil drawings into digital paintings towards the end of last year and it’s been great to get back into it again, I’ve really only been working on RedditGetsDrawn works so fun to do some work that involved just the environment - no characters!
Line work. The center building was the first area to complete in line. I went and did the grayscale tone for the building as well before deciding it needed more detail and bringing in the reference on the left and right. Fills up the page.
I wanted to make sure that the three pieces worked together without feeling out of place, where they line up is important. Overlapping and such is not a problem.
And gray-scale tone. I used a range of brushes in this work in order to give a variety in texture. Make sure to balance those lights and dark throughout the piece. Looking back
Color. Wanted to keep with colors I was familiar with, but added in a brown to experiment with. This is working well with the reds. The right side of the page has evolved since color has been added, no longer is it a pillar but instead it’s a building structure. These things happen.
Some portrait painting during my time in Wainui. These were used as demos to show Michelle how I digitally painted.
Here we go:
Since I only have the laptop currently I used one monitor for this. The reference was placed on the left side and I worked in the line on the right.
Regina Spektor. 
I was explaining to Michele about how I don’t use the smudge tool. I decided to show her the tool and this is the result. We compared the smudged to the non-smudged. She liked the smudged version better. Personally I like the non smudge. Being about to see the brush strokes and use them as part of creating the form. 
Color. Showed how I use a limited amount of colors but a range of tones of each color. New color for the shirt.
Reference for this were photos on the shelf. I drew the characters, the frame around them, and the mantel piece they sit on. Turned it into a landscape work with the clouds in the back and scaling of the photos. 
Black and white. Focused very little but instead just gave the impression. In the background I defined the land. The characters are lighter than usual. Black frame septrates them from the landscape scene. On the left is square tiles. I like these for the ground. Above this a character is erupting from the land.
Color. I said in a recent post I wanted to use more browns in my work. Here I’ve done this with the land. Experimenting with the saturation levels of the brown – interesting grays appearing on the right hand center. For the water I used the green – exploring a range of brushes. I like the center area green – it has a flow to it that works. Building up those tones is helping.
That’s all for today.
Here’s some more digital works. This time I used reference from RedditGetsDrawn.
Portrait photo reference. I usually go for photos that have more of the body but this one was interesting with the tape covering her mouth. The background was plain, with only the vertical tiles. I added in quick flicks. I wanted to work different here – created a map top down view rather than a perspective looking over the ocean to the hills in the distance.
The tone changed the map idea with more of a focus on perspective - the normal way I do these scenes. I’ve used range of brushes. Normally I stick with the one brush in the whole painting but adding more adds texture and variety to the piece.
Color. Went with a orange for the skin. Since I’ve been using a range of tones with the color I feel I can explore other colors without having problems of the colors not working together – like in washes. Using the range of tones allows for clarity and flow within the color – and spreads throughout the whole painting.
This was a great reference of these two people. When I was little my uncle would give me piggy back rides. Extremely large scale for the figure sitting on the others shoulder.
Grayscale tone. Much of the work is flattened out – the ground area doesn’t contain the texture that the line version had. Minimal focus on the face details - leaving out eyes/nose/mouth.
A range of saturation was used in the figure. Previously I had only worked with adjusting values. I love the brush for the leaves. 
Figure on the left. I used a photo I took in Wellington for the environment I often just use my imagination. Working from reference will be helpful. Especially using my own photographs.
Mixing up the colors with a blue for the figure. Pink was used in the building, not sure how I feel about it – doesn’t fit the flow of the painting. Maybe a nice brown would have worked better. Fun times with the green, covering the majority of the painting. The hills and sky in the distance are painted blue.
Currently staying at a farm just out of Hastings. Slow on the digital painting, but getting plenty of Photography and Pencil Drawings done.
Here’s a digital painting I did from imagination. I had a kid observing me and giving me in instructions on what to add.
I started with the figure, then added the floor. For the background I went with large circles as hills. I was told to add a cave into the mountains, this is visible on the left. There is a figure rising from the hill.
Tone added. Much of the detailed areas in the line version are removed. Added though, is tone and shape. 
Color. I explained how I use a restricted amount of colors – three here, and that I use a range of tones (3 usually) of the colors. This isn’t finished, yellow could be added.
Currently in Wellington.I have my tablet with me but likely it won’t get much use – the weather in Wellington is beautiful. I plan on getting out and photographing and maybe drawing. Spent one night in the city and snapped off 100+ photos.
Anyway, here’s a painting before I left to Wellington -
Photo reference. I choose to paint this photo because of the makeup. She looks like a girl I went to The Learning Connexion with. The photo is OK, if it wasn’t for the makeup I would struggle with the tones in the skin. I like how the top of the hair is cut off – in December 2011 I did a series of drawings of Harry Potter characters with the top of their hair removed. I was working landscape instead of portrait and it can happen.
Anyway, here’s the painting -
I started with line. Adding line to the face to define the light areas from the dark For the shirt I created long strokes of lines in directions to give an impression of the checked shirt. I created a horizon line on the same level as the mouth and added water movement below this line. In the water I also added a boat shape. Above I created jagged shapes for the hills/land in the distance. I repeated this pattern on the left edge. This creates depth in the painting. On the right side I created a vertical pole and square shapes. I’m thinking this could be a building with the squares being windows. 
Black and white tone. I used a dark gray for the hair, eyes, nose, and mouth area. Slightly lighter for the sky in the distance, and repeating this in the foreground . Water is created with a light tone. Darker for the boat. I modified the design slightly with the squares on the right – created squares on the bottom half of the screen.
Colors added. Similar to the previous few color paintings – working with 5 different colors and a range of different tones of each color. For the skin this is my usual yellow. The hair is a new yellow/orange. It’s not much different to the skin tone.
For the sky – blue as usual. The land mass in the distance is a dark turquoise with a lighter version in the foreground – tone from the distance is also used to give it the areas common elements. There is a balance of dark and light tones of this blue spread around the painting.
The red is used is the same as the same as the skirt I used in the dress of a girl earlier in the week, It’s different to the red I usually use, very exciting! This same red is used for the mouth – something different. I used a light tone on the top of the clothing and darker at the bottom. 
Color/black and white tone layers mixed together. Makes it feel complete.
Here’s an extra painting -
This was another from RedditGetsDrawn. I did the line and forgot to create a new layer for the tone layer, and never ended up finishing the tone layer. I like what I’ve done though. Figure is standing in the middle of the road. On the left side there are power-poles
This is Wellington Railway Station Digital Painting, I’ve been producing plenty of RedditGetsDrawn works lately, these have been a character focused but have included basic environments I don’t like the idea of just painting a portrait or character, it has to be within an environment I decided to go back to an older pencil drawing that I’ve worked from previously and produce a digital painting of it. 
This is the pencil reference I used. This was drawn during a trip to Wellington in 2012, The scene is out front of the railway station in central Wellington. It’s one of my favorite drawings. Like previous works I’ve done like this I opened this up in GIMP and created a new layer for the line 
Line. I traced over the reference. Used my laptop computer for this – usually I use my desktop. The settings are a different for the paint dynamics and I’m not getting the best thick to thin. It’s something that I need to fiddle with.
And tone. Harsh dark for the figures in the work, and a mixture of mid to lights for other areas. I just guess the tone and made it up as I went. I started a color layer for this – only did a little before I got distracted with something else. I’ll likely just keep this a black and white tone work. I want to produce more of these environment works – maybe look though more of my older drawings and develop works from them.
Today has been a bad day. I have an awful headache and feeling sick. I’ve managed to half finish a painting (just have the color to do). I am broke if anyone would care to donate. Web-hosting renew is happening at the start of March so somewhat worried. The ads on the sites aren’t making me anything, sites barely get any traffic, but I stopped worrying about low traffic years ago, I make the site, art, and write for myself.
If anyone wants art let me know, I’ll do it for cheap. I like working from photographs.
Another color painting from Tuesday. This one was for RedditGetsDrawn:
Lovely photo, clear, and crisp. I would of preferred a full figure (don’t get to practice legs often). At least I get the waist and part of the arms. I took notice of the flower painting in the background. Bookshelf was ignored. 
Line. I developed the flower painting multiply times and spread it around the work – in the background I also made the usual spiky pillars of land. For the figure I worked off the reference mostly but had to make up the elbow, It took several lines to make it right. 
Tone. For her dress I used a dot effect for the white highlights.Painting the figure is alright, but the area I enjoyed the most is the environment. It’s all imagination I really should be using reference photos for it. I used a reference photo for another work I did yesterday – a cityscape. I’ll upload this work later.
Alright, onto the color layer now -
Color. I used a new red for her dress and the land in the paintings on the wall. It is similar to the red in the reference photo dress. For the sky and water (in the painting on the wall) I used the blue I often use. The floor has a new blue - turquoise even. Something different to work with. Often when I start using new colors they develop into my other paintings. I need more color though, and to not fear introducing new ones into the paintings. I’ve done it here though! New color! For the land in the distance I used the usual green that I use in the paintings – this is usually used for the floor – I use it to create a water.
Mix of the tone and color layer. As I said in the previous post – It feels finished.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. I aim to keep bringing you regular artwork.
Just a short one today. I think It’s better that I keep with these short blog posts rather than large 10+ paintings that just overwhelm me when typing and I end up giving up on the typing and just publishing it.
So yesterday was a slow down in the painting I did 4 paintings in total but had problems with the computer and had the computer crash on me. Shame really, as I was happy with a few.
But one worked out OK, no video due to going over the 2000mb cap (added color and got distracted . Anyway, enjoy -
Reference photo. Reddit user Volume_Beat submitted this photo. Read the comments for it here. I noticed this photo straight away when scrolling through the photos – I had to paint it. It’s an interesting pose (hand and expression), background is unique (I’ve never seen another presidential photo like this. And multi figures!! The lighting is OK, I can get three different types of tone from his face which is better than most that have the one washed out tone.
Line. Added the president figure in first before working on the environment and second figure. For this work I changed some settings within GIMP – experimenting with the angle and aspect ratio of the brush – something I’ve never touched before. It doesn’t effect the line but the next stage…
Tone. I’m using my usual brush but have it rotating around depending on velcoticy. It’s made me want to explore the Paint Dynamics editor further. In the past I’ve used it only for pressure size and opactiy pressure. Plenty of other settings I need to experiment with as well.
Color. It’s been over a month since I’ve used color in my work so great to get back into it. Focusing on the black and white tone has taught me to increase my range of tones in the work. Moving back into color I’ll look into using a range of tones of colors rather than just the washes of color over the work. It allows the color work to stand out further.
