Touch n' Go On
Tree trunk (the whole wooden part of the tree) painting now officially done. (after dark photos; low res)I'm calling the trunk painting done. I've spent many hours painting, painting, painting. Up 'vis the taupe, down 'vis the brown, too mooche blaque, needs more jellow. It got so I think I've re-colored the whole tree the same a few times over, like when I'm driving lost and keep seeing the same landmarks.
Last night I sat for a long while using only my middle finger pad to delicately rub on pale yellow acrylic detail onto the texture between the grooves on the inside cottage side, where most of the tree would be seen up close. I had to adjust my tactile awareness to become familiar with exactly how much pressure and paint to apply to color top most surface of the avocado skin roughness. It looked just right in the dark but by morning it looked less natural. It was back to stippling, stippling, and knocking back (with) some alcohol for me.
I can't tell if I've been-there-before, color wise. It no longer matters as it looks pleasing enough to me in total. There are many areas that don't look at all as though they've been painted, rather as though they ARE wood. Very satisfying moment when that bit of alchemy can happen.
I re-masked the cottage walls where they meet the trunk and touched up the plaster where it had been damaged by the removal of the previous mask for the sculpt stage. With it dry and peeled up it now looks cleanly seamless between tree and walls.Tomorrow is Leafday™
One thing you ought to do is set up your lighting as closely as possible to how you think it'll be when you shoot, and do your final painting in that light. (I love the two tone lighting you've got going on in these pics, the blue skylight contrasted against the warmer golden tone).
ReplyDeleteIf it's going to feature in scenes with radically different lighting, you might even want to do a little painting in between shots to match the next lighting scheme.
Thanks, Mikee Mike. My strategy so far is to paint the tree, et al, as close to nature as I like and then light as close to diffuse outdoor daylight as I can with whatever lighting I end up snagging. It is what is what it is and will look as it will.
ReplyDeleteThe outside lighting should be pretty consistent from scene to scene, long shots mostly. The interior, around the hearth, of course, will have warmer firelight, etc. but I figure the shift in bark color will be correct as it's real, no?
Tell, tell!
Nyeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhh......
ReplyDeleteCOULD be! Alls I'm sayin' is that often people are surprised the first time they look at an actual pic of their set/peppet/whathaveyou, because things tend to look different through the camera than to the nekkid eye. Also from one camera to another.
Example, Ahab looks very different through the Unibrain that through the much more optically precise Hitachi or (especially) the 6.5 MP still camera! The first shots of him were sort of warm and fuzzy, soft and diffused. Details were sublimated or just blotted out entire. Then suddenl;y (when I got the 3-chip Hitachi with good optical lenses) he sprang into clear focus. And *GASP* when I got the still camera, suddenly it's like putting him under some kind of super-duper mega high-def magnifying glass! I can now see things I never even imagined in that craggy face! You can see it pretty clearly in my blog banner (though that's reduced from the original res).
The camera affects color in much the same way. And of course, differnt kinds of light can wreak havoc on carefully integrated colors. Painters are often shocked when they whisk a masterpiece out of the studio and place it under the cold lighting of a gallery, and suddenly warm skin tones become bleached and corpselike!
But actually you're doing it the right way. The right way is to keep checking all along the way by taking lots of pics, preferrably with the camera you'll be animating with and under similar lighting conditions. In fact, nigh on to production time, you'll likely be taking more and more, honing everything in, to the point that the transition to animation will be almost unnoticeable. The pics just come faster and furiouser until suddenly they bust out into animated life!
Whew, I said a mouthful!
Oh, and I'm not sayin' it WON'T work - not at all! Just to stay sharp and be preparated. If something bothers you through the lens, don't be a'feared to zap it!
ReplyDeleteBut judging by the way it's all looking already, you shouldn't have a problem.
Are you aware of what you did with the lighting? The fact that in nature sunlight strikes from one side while the other is illuminated by a cooler blue skyshine? Or was that just a happy accident? Cause either way, it's workin'! And if it's a happident then it's just another of those brilliant Halfland coinkydinks that seem to be aligning themselves with this project. Anyway, whatever you're doin', it's werkin'!
Can't wait for Leaf Day!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Just realised The Tree Day is Tommorow, Duh!, What a cool Present Post from Halfland!
ReplyDeleteGotch ya, Mikee, Got it. Yes, I won't be a feared to keep painting when everything's really set up, good point.
ReplyDeleteI was noticing Ahab's great craggy details just yesterday!! That's so funny you mention it. I was admiring the details of the sculpt and how much artistry he has. I swear, I was!
And Ben, you'll be happy to know I just got back from mailing out all the new Halfland buttons Yay! Yours will be coming "Par Avion"!