violettawilde: (silverflame art)
violettawilde ([personal profile] violettawilde) wrote in [community profile] silverflameart2014-12-16 11:48 am

Walkthrough/WIP: Midwinter Blessings

I thought I would share a little walkthrough of what I've done thus far on the gift piece. Progress shots under the cut.  Click on the thumbnails for full-sized views.





1.  Creating a new file in Gimp and setting the resolution to be more print-friendly (best resolution is 300 dpi, but my laptop can't handle files that size, so I usually work at 150 dpi), I copy the sketch into the new file on a seperate layer, enlarging it to fit the canvas size I chose (since I'm going to put it in the Zazzle shop I'm building, I'm creating an 18x24 in. piece).  Then I lower the opacity and add another layer, tracing the sketch with my Wacom pen so I will have line art of the piece to work with.


2.  I create a gradient on the background layer, using a succession of pale blues, violets, greens, and yellows.


3.  I create a new layer and began painting in the basic colors at 100% opacity. I create a new layer for each element to make it easier to edit.  With the skin, hair, etc., I don't bother with the lasso tool because I don't like the sharp edges it creates, but I use the lasso to select the skirt of the dress and the wings so I can apply a gradient to them.


4.  I decide  I want some hint of trees in the background, so using the paintbrush tool, I model some trunks and branches.  On another layer, I model more tree stuff with a lighter color to give a feeling of depth. I also lighten the opacity of the line art a bit.


5.  As the trees are still too dark, I lower the opacity on the layers to let them fade into the background a bit.


6.  More gradients for the snow, the trees, and finally a light source in the forest.



If you enjoy the work I create for Silverflame Art, you can help to support it by participating, commenting, and spreading the word! Tips from those able to contribute financially are also very deeply appreciated.








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