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Staying Under
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Tag Archives: bodybuilding
Everyone Needs
Sorry about the background. I’d left the transparency, instead of adding a layer of white. For some reason, it’s expressing as black.
Weird.
Anyway, here’s my first digital picture in awhile. My process is pretty simple, all things considered.
A line drawing by pencil, transferred to Photoshop as a layer, copied over as line work then filled with an establishing color.
It was a bit easier; I guess my skills have improved quite a bit, which makes me happy.
The work on this was relaxing for me. It was a nice return to why I loved drawing in the first place.
I wasn’t trying to please anyone. I just put myself in the moment and did my best. Seems like great advice and definitely the kind I should take.
The final result actually garnered me some interest with a gym interested in making shirts and stuff. The owner is a professional bodybuilder who likes my style.
So being myself paid off.
Cloudy
Last post before the new year! I’d love to lie about being ready. I really would….
As you can see, I’m back to doing digital painting. Believe it or not, this one was fairly easy for me.
Everyone thinks that I have my own special, custom brushes for doing this kind of thing. Nope. I’m doing it the hard way. Opacity on 10%, so most of the brush strokes you see are built up. It’s how I get that feathered look.
As for the details… I’ve gotten a lot better at crossing the finish line nowadays. Those little things are the difference when it comes to your art.
To be honest, I never trusted myself with being able to bring them out.
Anyway, I’m not sure if I’m happy with it. I gave the old background more pop and a 3D feel, but…
…. we’ll see.
Void
Well, it’s that time of year when people approach me to draw really buff women. I don’t mind ❤️
Believe it or not, the whole thing is something that flowed from a lifelong love of weightlifting for me. I have absolutely no problem with a woman trying to be as strong as she wants.
Of course my first show as a spectator made me want to draw these superhuman physiques. And the ladies were more amiable and less guarded than the guys when asked. So I naturally started there.
Having someone willing to pose for dramatic effect was a turning point for me. I’d never had an opportunity to do still life drawing; so I relished having access to people so willing. I guess you can say that I gained a new artistic appreciation for bodybuilders.
I try not to over sexualize the people I draw. That component is there of course, but it’s not the point.
If you’re trying to get the same effect in your work, you have to understand that the people you’re drawing ARE PEOPLE. I do the same thing with cosplay. I find it brings out the best in them.
Sometimes it’s good to just draw an emotion. It keeps things simple, but gives a clean look. I actually like those best.
So that’s that! Now you have an answer for my drawings of women being mostly muscular.
Oddly enough, no one wants an off-season image of themselves, lol.
There are a few exceptions. And honestly, if you’re one, let me know, because I’d love to do more pictures like this one.
Asphyxiation
I have had a crazy couple of weeks! First, I went to work for a new company and they were really awesome people. Then, I was hired by the federal government! Yep, pension, benefits and horrible commuting! Today is actually my first day.
So I drew this weekend. A LOT.
The mustang is from a photo that I took at a car show. I was trying to combine my style with that of another artist, whose look I admire. Hopefully it comes off pretty well.
Next, since the CrossFit games were on, I decided to do a strong lady flexing. If you know me you know I’m all about those, lol…
For an old classmate, I did a commission of our high school mascot. It’s been a while since I’ve drawn animals, but people seem to like them.
Then there’s THIS abomination. Ugh. I drew this and the whole body is drifting towards the right because I held the tablet on my knee. ALWAYS do your work properly, kids. Lesson learned.😑
Anyway, that was that. I had fun and got rid of some of my nerves. Wish me luck!
Butcher
I have a list of images as long as my arm and even if I could do one a day, it would take me two months! I should be excited but that’s not the word for it. Overwhelmed is.
Not only that, most of these are getting a background. I can do it, but it requires a little more thought and planning. You look at certain people and ideas come to mind. For instance this guy had a very primal theme; Atlas.
He’s not a massive person. Still the image gave me a good starting point. I ran with it from there.
So this is as far as I got before I had to leave for work. Promised piece is coming up! In the meantime, enjoy your day.
For All to Begin
Finished! Now I’m on to the next event and this Sunday I get to go to a bodybuilding show,the Jay Cutler Classic in Baltimore. Should find a lot of clients, but even if I don’t, I’ll have lots of fun!
Everything Needed
Last week, I showed you how far I’d gotten but not the steps before. Yeah a lot of things change when you’re working on a picture. For example…
In the earlier versions, something kept bothering me. Once I began shading it came to me; her left I seemed wonky! Now, I could have went back to the beginning and redress it on that layer, but instead I simply erased it.
Using the magic lasso(W), I drew a selection around the other eye, then copy merged the area. Make sure you choose copy merged from the edit menu, otherwise it will only copy the selected layer of art!
After you paste a new copy, move it to the area. While still highlighted, go into your transform set and choose ‘flip horizontally’. This will create a mirror image of the other eye. Of course, it can’t look exactly the same, so I recommend using your skew and rotate functions to align it properly and scale it correctly. In my case, I had to select the pupil, move it to create the illusion of looking forward and then shade the area.
She looked a little like Popeye before I fixed her eye...
Remember, the most important part of your image is the linework proceeding the actual coloring. However, if you make a mistake, you can always fix it. That’s all for me, I gotta get back to drawing!
Back to Forward
Told y’all it was back to digital! I am entering a monthly contest they have in one of the groups on DeviantArt, so I need to get hopping on this image. Wish me luck!
Shutter
Starting to get the hang of this…
Howly Time! 