Concept Sketches?
PhoenixDeFalco
Posts: 71
Does anyone else here use pencil-and-paper concept sketches when forming new render ideas? What are your thoughts on this practice? What techniques/practices do you use when forming new project ideas?
Post edited by PhoenixDeFalco on
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My hands shake and holding a pen or pencil for very long is painful so I do things entirely on the computer. I might take inspiration or direction from a sketch, but I don't make them myself.
I used to, but more and more I just take a walk or something and get an idea in my head, then start placing stuff and figuring out what looks good.
The exception is modeling. I don't do it often, but if I'm going to try to model something in Carrara I'll grab some blank paper to sketch out what I want. Very very very roughly, because my freehand skills are only a few steps above 'toddler scrawls.' (Which is one reason I do this rather than freehand art)
General idea of what I want, then add/change/take away till I have a scene nothing like my original idea.
Always!
I start with 'hey, that hair looks nice' and end up with something like 'punk girl with a bunch of injuries smiling at the zombie she's about to chi-punch into pieces.'
As usual, I'm completely bass-ackwards! I put together a 3D scene in order to produce a pencil sketch lol.
- Greg
Not a render idea, but see how the original concept ended up in my texturing tutorial
form this
to this
To eventually end up as this
I have a coiled notebook beside my computer all the time, I write notes and draw sketches whenever an idea pops into my head. Ii is far easier to conceptualize on paper, and toss it away for the next better idea at the scribble stages. By the time I switch on the modelling program the core concept has taken pretty good shape in my mind's eye. Then it's just a question of, making it so.
That basically sums up 90% of the scenes I render ;) And the other 10% are mostly cases where the basic idea was simply "ok, let's play with DS", so technically it didn't really deviate from that...
For a long time now, my manual dexterity has uhmmm . . . let's just say left much to be desired lol. Anyway, that's been part of the motivation in my quest to teach a computer how to draw, sketch, paint, etc. Here's an example:
There's a thread with more examples, if anyone is interested:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/68493/algovincian-non-photorealistic-rendering-npr/p1)
Do you put pen to paper when you plan a scene, PhoenixDeFalco? If so, I'd enjoy seeing your sketches and the end results!
- Greg
I occasionally sketch a model before I make it... But in the end whatever I sketch is completely different from the final model... Same with the first versions of the model. For physical model making and prototyping, I'll often sketch what the client is describing when I'm meeting with them. For renders... Maybe twice I think... It was really cartoony and simple, more to get a feel of what it should look like.
I tried once!!
and failed!
I've used both pencil/paper and digital mediums for sketching things out. I use Photoshop mostly, but I've also used Krita (especially when I want symmetrical painting).
Usually my scenes just "happen". Either I have a theme (for example a contest theme) or I load something new to try if it works in Daz and then add to it until I have a finished scene. Sometimes I have a picture in my head and simply build it with the items I have. I never considered sketching something.
If it helps you visualizing your render then it is a valid practice of course. I probably didn't think of it because I am not good at drawing or painting. And I have a natural ability to see the "Rule of Third". Every time I try that view on a finished scene I am usually only a few millimeters off.
Pam you are a hidden talent !!!!
I find when I've come up with a concept and I take the time to sketch it out on paper, I save a lot of time in Daz because I've already got a pretty good idea of what I'm trying to accomplish. It doesn't always turn out how I've sketched it, but when it does; it really works!
Short answer, when I'm doing comic book work, ALWAYS. I have to layout the entire page and storyboard each panel. I often abandon that plan during execution, but I always start out with a very rough sketch as a guide.
When I'm doing other renders, I only do it sometimes. I often just create the scene and then explore it, looking for the best angle.
I make scenes for 2D video games so I often sketch out scenes while I'm storyboarding. I find it incredibly helpful. It might take a little extra time at the start, but it saves a ton of time over the course of the project. Once you know what a scene should look like you can just dive right in. Plus it helps you decide if you already own the necessary props/clothing/scene elements or if there's still something you need. Once or twice it has actually saved me from buying something that wasn't needed, and it's also helped me decide between two items by seeing a rough sketch of which one would look better in the scene.
Not to say that I don't just jump in without a plan every once in a while - sometimes just hanging out in DS and object hunting is a fun way to put together a scene
I started using DS as a tool to do layout sketches/grisaille underpainting for Painter which I use because I can no longer stand at an easel/hold a paint brush for long.
Now I'm using DS for it's own sake more and more but I almost always do a quick ballpoint sketch first to get basic composition sorted (ballpoint because then I don't get bogged down with detail/corrections).
Then I use primitives in DS to get a more detailed tighter layout and then replace the primitives with props/figures etc
And then find, in the final render, the hair's nowhere to be seen
I think I watched too much Bob Ross years ago because I always start with an environment and work from there adding and deleting items working from background to foreground with any 'happy accidents' thrown in for good measure. I never know how it is going to end up until it is finished and even then I can go back months later and change it because I see it differently. Everything I do is a WIP it seems :)
Happy trees?
Yep, those too:)