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13 ways to improve your card fine art
Fifty-fifty though I started dabbling in how to depict fantasy fine art as a teen, for a long time I never thought of it equally any more than a hobby. The first decisive pace on the illustration path was putting my best pencils to i side and getting a Wacom tablet. Switching to digital eventually proved to be a game changer for me because it solved both the issue of speed and the high price of fine art materials.
I attended an art school, but found that the accent was placed on contemporary trends, then I had to acquire near of what I know nearly figurative painting on my own.
However, a formal fine art pedagogy gave me a amend perspective on technical matters and perhaps created a framework for an efficient learning arroyo. And then the tips in this workshop are an assorted drove of theoretical principles I picked up in schoolhouse, personal observations and advices I found online.
I'm currently illustrating cards for Applibot's Legend of the Cryptids, a fantasy game for smartphones, and so I'grand going to use images I created for the company to testify how I apply this data in practise and, hopefully, provide some useful insight for those who are interested in producing like work.
01. Deciding on the composition
There are basically two types of limerick: dynamic and static. The get-go is characterised by diagonal lines that add motility, while the 2d features strong verticals and horizontals that either assist to create a calm temper if horizontals predominate or suggest harshness if the verticals are emphasised.
I prefer static compositions, but they can exist a bit deadening for fantasy themes. As a compromise, I use softer diagonal shapes as accents in the foreground. For example, placing objects such as flowing fabric here and there helps to break upward the monotony and develops a pleasing dissimilarity with the background.
02. When to use symmetry
In that location's a time and a identify to use bilaterally symmetrical layouts. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say that this type of composition should be used sparingly, but it's certainly constructive in appropriate contexts. Its visual bear on is high considering all lines converge and the eye is drawn towards the centre, so illustrated bailiwick matter such every bit book covers or film posters tin benefit from it.
Symmetrical poses tin make a character expect regal, powerful or heroic. They usually piece of work especially well with characters who have wings and mythological beings in general, considering they remind the viewer of iconic representations.
03. Apply the South-bend principle
This goes back to ancient Greek art and is considered platonic for depicting the human effigy. The torso should be positioned in a mode that describes an Southward-shaped line, so that the shoulders and the hips are angled differently. The most basic pose that uses this principle is contrapposto, where the figure rests all its weight on one leg.
In analogy, this formula can be taken fifty-fifty farther, and curves and proportions can be exaggerated or stylised according to your own painting method.
04. Develop focal points
The first thing people find in a picture are human being faces, then they become natural focal points and should, as such, be placed carefully. There are several means to accentuate them or shift the interest towards other areas of the image. 1 is manipulating light, such as keeping most of the image relatively equally lit and accept potent light hit the area we desire to stand out.
Variation in castor strokes or colours can besides exist used, rendering the focal point and keeping the remainder of the epitome rougher and more desaturated.
05. Dramatic lite
Interesting lightning tin quickly give an image a fantasy expect. One of the most unremarkably used – and my go-to lightning scheme – comprises a main softer light and a harsher back low-cal. This combination is even more hitting if the light sources have complementary colours, only this tin can soon become cheesy if overused!
Another of my favourite set-ups is a unmarried lite source filtered through a window, placed at an angle that suggests the late afternoon sunlight.
06. Framing techniques
Depending on the purpose of an illustration, some limitations tin come into play and 1 of them is framing. My menu art is viewed on smartphones, so the characters need to be large enough to discern details and this means sometimes they won't fit into the frame.
There are a few rules of thumb on how to crop figures: don't cut where there are any joints, never cut through the hands (they should be either visible or out of the movie) and, for portraits, avert cropping the ears or chin.
07. Detail placement
People organise visual elements in categories and group them into larger shapes, based on their proximity to each other. The Gestalt theory of visual perception has derived a series of rules from this premise.
An open expanse or a barely suggested object volition be "autocompleted" by the viewer, as long every bit its shape is recognised as a whole. This is why it's not necessary to polish every detail or worry about perfect edges – just ensure that the main shape is readable from a altitude.
08. Make more of the background
In game cards the focus is manifestly on the character, merely backgrounds and other details add together a whole new dimension. You can hint at a grapheme'southward personality through their environment or describe their social status or occupation with diverse nearby objects.
A scholarly grapheme could exist surrounded by old tomes and scrolls, a warrior will look more menacing with a stormy sky as a backdrop, and a character could be recognised as a witch even without stereotypical costumes, only by decorating her place with alchemical paraphernalia and other mysterious-looking items.
09. Costume design
The greatest challenge I face when designing game cards is coming up with fresh ideas for costumes, weapons and accessories. I follow various fashion, history and culture-related sites and blogs, and I save the most interesting clothing and armour designs in an inspiration binder.
I occasionally use Alchemy, which generates unpredictable brushtrokes and random shapes, and and then I endeavor to find patterns in the resulted image. Costumes can become quite detailed, and then to preclude them from looking too monotonous and "crowded", details should exist grouped and placed just in a few central places.
Fantasy fine art draws inspiration from historical sources, and then ornate armour and weapons are commonplace. When dealing with metal objects, I oftentimes cake in solid shapes and use the the Bevel and Emboss choice (Layer> Layer styles).
This is only to create a quick base to work with and shouldn't exist used as a standalone technique (except perhaps for very small details), because it'll produce an bogus-looking result. As a final touch on, I add a few highlights using a textured brush that's assail Colour Dodge fashion.
11. Communication for painting pare
Subtle color variation is crucial for illustrating realistic skin, but it can also take a while to blend assuredly. To save time, I've reduced this principle to alternate between the cold and warm hues that stand for to value zones: if light is warm, then shaded portions are cold and darkest shadows warm again, and vice versa.
The transition line between low-cal and shadow should exist slightly more than saturated. Pare is slightly translucent, and and so vivid light will shine through it, specially in areas with prominent bones and/or less muscles, such as the cheeks or fingers.
12. Colour considerations
In theory, it seems simple to pick a colour scheme according to the established art theory rules, but achieving realistic results involves more effort than that. You have to keep in heed that an object's colour isn't as much adamant past the way it'due south pigmented, but decided more by its environment: direct and reflect light, weather condition, fourth dimension of the day and so on.
On the other manus, values are even more than important; done correct and you can become abroad with less-than- perfect-hues. Complementaries are my customary colour scheme, with the warmer colour as an emphasis.
13. Beyond fantasy
In that location's no need to limit your concepts at dogmatic sword & sorcery themes; ambivalent elements that piece of work unexpectedly well together are definitely good for fantasy designs, whether the approach is serious or playful.
Besides the obvious cross-pollination between fantasy and sci-fi art, other types of imagery, ranging from Renaissance fine art to clean 3D looks can be incorporated into illustrations to varying degrees. Steampunk aesthetics are known to comport well in the mix and classical pin-up styles are a perfect way to spice up a bill of fare grapheme.
This article originally appeared in ImagineFX issue 131.
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Source: https://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/13-ways-improve-your-card-art-41619873