M
Madbrush
Guest
I suggested this too, a sort of step by step, which will provoke step by step help.
I suggested this too, a sort of step by step, which will provoke step by step help.
E
EDGECRUSHER
Guest
I can see you have a great mind's eye and you will be great at realism. If I can make a suggestion, just paint. When you're done with that painting paint another. Your problem isn't that you don't know how it should look it's just lack of comfort with your airbrush. When you start a painting and get to a point where you hit a wall, stop and start something else then come back to it later. I've found in my short time AB'ing that a lot of problems I initially obsessed about disappeared with more practice and newly gained confidence. There are a ton of little tricks that only become evident with experience. You can read books all day but what it really comes down to is practice time. However, it never hurts to ask for help too. Just be patient.
Have you tried any freehand 'shields' in your work to render textures? Sometimes ordinary objects when sprayed through can give you some amazing textures especially when used subtly. One of my favorites is some scotch-brite pad pulled apart a little and torn. Works great for fuzzy, or billowy look as with clothing or some quick clouds in a landscape. I've seen broom fibers used as well. Anything paint will blow through and leave a pattern. Experiment a little with different applications and soon you'll have paintings that have complexity, texture, and dimension.
I just wish when I bought that Paasche VL back when I was a teenager I hadn't forgotten about it on the shelf in the basement because by now I would have had a ton of practice. But then we never had the internet where anyone can learn anything and are not limited to the resources immediately around them.
Have you tried any freehand 'shields' in your work to render textures? Sometimes ordinary objects when sprayed through can give you some amazing textures especially when used subtly. One of my favorites is some scotch-brite pad pulled apart a little and torn. Works great for fuzzy, or billowy look as with clothing or some quick clouds in a landscape. I've seen broom fibers used as well. Anything paint will blow through and leave a pattern. Experiment a little with different applications and soon you'll have paintings that have complexity, texture, and dimension.
I just wish when I bought that Paasche VL back when I was a teenager I hadn't forgotten about it on the shelf in the basement because by now I would have had a ton of practice. But then we never had the internet where anyone can learn anything and are not limited to the resources immediately around them.
S
Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
thabnks for your replys 
well i started another one today, i think it is goin ok, i have kept it as light as i can. what do you guys think ? sorry for the bad pics btw havin to use my phone as cam batterys are dead 
this is tom welling as clark kent in smallville, still gotta do the coat he is wearing etc !
well i started another one today, i think it is goin ok, i have kept it as light as i can. what do you guys think ? sorry for the bad pics btw havin to use my phone as cam batterys are dead this is tom welling as clark kent in smallville, still gotta do the coat he is wearing etc !
M
Madbrush
Guest
Looks good, but are you painting on old paper? it looks like its bee through the wash,
S
Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
no its new just thin cheap rubbish i ment to put up the 2 eyes i did! 
there a little dark i know but these are my first and second trys so i can only get better
M
Madbrush
Guest
These are damn site better than my first tries, you can actually see the dreaded blue shift on the first one, which is why I never start with black, to be honest I can't even remember when I last used black.
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Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
yh i know, i hate it when it turns blue its odd tho as i always use to use black and white and it never happened to me b4 :S very odd
its odd tho as i always use to use black and white and it never happened to me b4 :S very odd
S
slipery
Guest
yh i know, i hate it when it turns blue
Some paints shift more than others.....it can be overcome by adding a few drops of orange to your white.......or you can spray a thin coat of white over the entire painting to make it shift over the whole area, then it wont look out of place, then you just have to come back in with black & sharpen it it where it has to be done...
Strictly Attitude
Air-Valve Autobot!
Stu what kind of paint are you using? I see a few things that would help you out first would be get a decent surface to paint on a water color sketch pad would do you justice. Plus it allows you to save your portraits so you can compair and see your improvements. Your last one is better than your first. How much time are putting into each one? I feel you can pull it off but feel you just are missing a few things that are holding you back.
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slipery
Guest
These suggestions, although valid....are not going to help him improve!!....he can change paint, airbrush, paper, his underwear for that matter and it still won't help him improve until he has his control issues undercontrol.....he won't be able to compare anything to see his improvements until he can recognise his mistakes.....what's holding him back is that he is trying to do too much too soon....there are some people that can pick it up straight away but from what I'm seeing here, he is not one of them, he will need more time and possibly other technics other than freehanding .....sorry if this sounds a little harsh, I'm all for incouraging and I do......
keep at it but get your control issues online first, before worrying about texture & blue shift, these things are nothing while your eyelashes are looking like they have been run over by a sherman tank.....Practice Dagger stokes, lines (thick & Thin), dots (big and small), blending and so on, when you have them undercontrol then paint the eye again.....texture is not required to make something look realistic. Practice practice practice
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Strictly Attitude
Air-Valve Autobot!
I agree with you but it's not going to be easy to adress these issues while fighting against others at the same time. It is not just one issue I see here but multiple. I'm just saying you need a good foundation. I've seen workspace that people try to paint in that hinders there ability's. I'm not saying it's going to cure his problems but it's going to help him be able to adress them.
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Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
These suggestions, although valid....are not going to help him improve!!....he can change paint, airbrush, paper, his underwear for that matter and it still won't help him improve until he has his control issues undercontrol.....he won't be able to compare anything to see his improvements until he can recognise his mistakes.....what's holding him back is that he is trying to do too much too soon....there are some people that can pick it up straight away but from what I'm seeing here, he is not one of them, he will need more time and possibly other technics other than freehanding .....sorry if this sounds a little harsh, I'm all for incouraging and I do......
what control issues are you referring too exactly? if you could help me out a bit i might be able to improve my work a little
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Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
well this one is coming along now, sorry about the bad pic again, also this cheap paper im using is far to thin and goes wrinkly once the paint wets it! annoying but hey i cant afford expensive think paper
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slipery
Guest
Fair enough....I think he need a bit of one on one attention, maybe you should take him under your wing, too many people pointing out things seems to be a bit confusing for him, and I think he is having problems understanding the terminology...
Strictly Attitude
Air-Valve Autobot!
you cannot afford $15 for 50 sheets? Art1st Sketch Pad, 18 x 12, White, 50 Sheets/Pad - Zerbee=
M
Madbrush
Guest
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but one of your issues is your choice of paper, this will hold you back immensely, the paper your using will change form as soon as the paint hits it, this makes your work hard see properly, for yourself I mean, as already suggested try to find a reasonably priced sketch pad wit thicker paper.
It's clear that you have an eye for what your doing, I personally wouldn't even consider trying portraits, so your are very brave to do so, but I think you may just be jumping too far ahead of yourself, this is definitely not criticism, but your ending up in situation where you can't see the trees for the forest, slow down a little, take a step back and try some simple exercises as the guys here have already advised, I know it's boring doing dots and daggers and figure 8's. but it certainly pays, a bit karate kid and his fence.
I have nowhere near enough knowledge to guide you here but the others have posted here so far do.
I don't if it will help any, but I use mdf panels to practice on, and I can sand and prime these and use them as often as I wan't that may be cheaper than paper, and I know for sure it's ideal for practising scratch and erase techniques.
It's clear that you have an eye for what your doing, I personally wouldn't even consider trying portraits, so your are very brave to do so, but I think you may just be jumping too far ahead of yourself, this is definitely not criticism, but your ending up in situation where you can't see the trees for the forest, slow down a little, take a step back and try some simple exercises as the guys here have already advised, I know it's boring doing dots and daggers and figure 8's. but it certainly pays, a bit karate kid and his fence.
I have nowhere near enough knowledge to guide you here but the others have posted here so far do.
I don't if it will help any, but I use mdf panels to practice on, and I can sand and prime these and use them as often as I wan't that may be cheaper than paper, and I know for sure it's ideal for practising scratch and erase techniques.
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Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
im using auto air transparent black. i do think using a better quality paper wud help atm as this thin cheap stuff is wrinkling up when the paint wets it! which makes it look like it has a weird texture that it doesnt actually have
i will get a nice pad end of the month once paid i guess i need to sort a few issues and textures up.
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Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
no not intill i get paid i cant and im in the uk aswell. that paper im using atm is 1 pound per 5 meter roll which is why im using it as it is so cheap! like i said i will get a decent sketch book end of the month, i still have a a2 canvas left that im goin to be usin over the weekend to do something on.
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Stu-Art-Designs1244
Guest
Fair enough....I think he need a bit of one on one attention, maybe you should take him under your wing, too many people pointing out things seems to be a bit confusing for him, and I think he is having problems understanding the terminology...
if i had someone to show me wat to do then i think i would pick it up alot quicker but seeing as i have only dne about 6 portraits im doin alot better than some i have seen
and im not sayin mine are good at all, far from it but you need to cut me some slack as im very new to it all. so help me out peeps
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Strictly Attitude
Air-Valve Autobot!
Are you thinning your paint and with what also are you using a transparent base? These will help because by using a washed out paint it will be lighter when sprayed. Granted it takes longer to build your painting up up but it is allot more forgiving if you mess up also. This also alows you to build up your gradients slower avoiding that blacked out look. The paper makes it really hard to accurately critiq your work. Slipery has good points I feel you could benifit from some time working on airbrush technique also. Practice will fix this and the more you paint the better at these techniques you will get. Slipery is the expert here when it comes to freehand portraits and will tell you that it's gonna take time and you need to build the fundamentals. Pretty much you need to crawl before you can run. Seems to me you can probably draw pretty good. I see allot of proportion issues in your painting maybe it's the paper I'm not sure. You might want to try using a grid method where you take a pencil and grid out your reference photo and then make a larger grid in the same proportions but larger on your canvas or paper. Also take some time and practice achieving different textures you want to paint. Such as hair in different styles (curly,strait), Eyes, noses and different skin textures. Look at them blown up so you are painting them larger than you would in the portrait. Then make the same effect smaller and smaller. I don't know what you detail skills are with an airbrush but for texture you need allot of control and ability to spray detail. It is a must to know the details you are spraying and what they look like in order to reproduce them.
