Death in the Moonlight
I thought since I'm uploading pics I draw of Pokemon, Absol in specific, I might as well upload this painting I did of my Absol, Death, after Pokemon X and Y's release. I'm still pretty proud of this one but wooow have I gone a long way despite not drawing a lot last year.
11 years ago
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This was made with OpenCanvas 5.5 (although doing it this way would also work on 1.1, and I'm guessing any version in between).
Up until this picture, everything that I've posted on this site has been my "lazy colouring", but this is a full painting.
I first sketch out what I want, then, in a frame under it, I paint everything I want in the picture; the background, the subject, whatever. I do all of this in the same layer. Then after that, I remove the sketch layer and go back to the layer I painted everything else in, and I continue on by doing detail work. I shade, do lighting, whatever. The entire thing is done with the brush tool, and not the pencil tool, and the opacity is still pretty high, so it's not that transparent. On OpenCanvas, painting kind of works like it would in real life, as it 'borrows colours' with each brush stroke going in from different areas with different colours, and it mixes and blends. Add that onto the fact that the brush is already a little transparent, which also changes with the pressure of the tablet pen, and you pretty much play with the colours as you'd like to give the desired effects.
In this picture in particular, since I never do backgrounds, I did a sketch of the background along with the sketch of the Absol, and then I painted the background before painting the subject, that way it would be easier for me to do to both without having to accidentally blend things in places I do not want.
So yeah, done in two layers, in OpenCanvas, brush tool! :>
As for OpenCanvas, yeah, that's a program! OpenCanvas1.1 is up for free, legally, if you can find it. I've used that program for years, and only recently upgraded to OpenCanvas5.5 because I love it so much. However, OpenCanvas is nooot foor eeeverybody.... Most people like SAI these days, as far as art programs go. And, SAI is good. I just haven't sat down and actually taught myself how to use it.
As for what tablet I'm using and what tablets I recommend? Anything by Wacom. I would be weary of any tablet that isn't from Wacom. I'm currently using a Wacom Cintiq. http://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-displays/cintiq-13-hd But, that's incredibly expensive and I definitely do not recommend it for anyone's first tablet! Instead, I'd recommend for you anything within the Wacom Intuos line. http://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-tablets They're very reliable, and will last for years if you take good care of it. If you're passionate about drawing, I'd recommend an Intuos Pro, even though it's more expensive. You will love yourself for it, and it's worth the extra $150+. If you're unsure, though, then stick to an Intous Pen until you finally feel like moving on to a better and bigger tablet.
Really, you can't really go wrong with Wacom. Just stay away from the navigation products, as those are not for drawing.
But I don't consider you a beginner, no. Although I wish I could see more of your art to be able to give a good critique. You only have three up, and they're all different enough that I cannot see a consistency with the way you draw, therefore, cannot really point out what you're strong or weak in, what you do on purpose, or what was done on accident, etc.
And, yes! I will ALWAYS help ANYONE improve in art so long as I am able. If you'd like, from this point on, every piece of art you submit, I can give you a full and thorough critique on it like I would anyone else I critique? It would be a lot to read, but hopefully it would be very helpful. I always feel like I have to ask permission to do critiques like that, as some people interpret them as 'mean', but it's what I and all of my other artist friends do with each other so we can all improve. It's things we appreciate, but I never know if other people on the internet are ever okay with it as well.
But yes, for the critique thing, please let me know if you would like that or not? Because critique can be hard for some people.