Help emulating a technique?

Hello! It seems I only show up here when someone dies. Had another family friend pass away and want to prepare a dedication "mixed media" piece (mixed as in all digital, but with scanned elements of scratches, sprays of paint etc, all woven in.

I'm having trouble with composting- layers, objects, blending transparencies and bitmap fills to create a cohesive whole.

Here are the reference samples I'm trying to work against:

http://axcy.deviantart.com/art/Little-Bird-346005991
http://axcy.deviantart.com/art/Robot-Boy-WP-207389863
http://axcy.deviantart.com/art/Miss-Murder-32107151

Now, I posted eons ago that, as a starting point, I'm using Big Franks mini tutorial here:

http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...aitphoto/page2

And then adding vector scratches, splashes, equalized for color, etc. But it looks like pedestrian junk. There's no cohesion.

Anyone have some updated ideas and resources where I can get the hang of properly compositing colors, swatches of watercolor, scratches, sprays, and the main "big franked" elements (faces) to achieve this?

I have the basics, the beginning, the end point, but I lack the formal art training to see what the middle process is like (how the 'sausage is made', essentially, in creatively layering elements to look like a pleasing cohesive whole in the end)

Apologies for essentially updating an earlier post, but a lot of time has passed, and there may be some new blood and new ideas here, no? Xara-specific workflow? Youtube link? Couple more "big frank" type tutorials? Compositing tricks to take me further toward my goal?

PS: here's another artist whose style is somewhat similar:
http://neo-innov.deviantart.com/art/...pt-4-178061580

Really appreciate any group input and brainstorming

Probably the best suggestion I can give you is create a collage and paint with gouache because that is how these images were painted. Other than that just just the brush tool and varying degrees of transparency. Maybe start with a scanned pencil drawing and then add transparent overlays.

I am sorry for you but yours is such a big ask.
You have to sit down and experiment a technique at a time and save off each and every method to build up a bank of methods.
You cannot be spontaneous and I'm sure your source artists weren't either. Why not praise them and then ask how they did it?

You have to become a designer, not a copyist.

Acorn

Gary, thanks. Will look.

Acorn: I don't know why this is such a big ask- I made sure to temper my request with disclaimers to indicate that I know it's complicated, and I'm not looking for someone to do the work for me. All I need is to diligently piece together 100 ideas and intermediate compositing steps and methods, and I'm trying to collect those. I thought that's what these discussions are about- ideas about how to use tools and a compilation of tricks and shortcuts to get certain results.

I've reached out already. Interestingly enough, some artists don't wish to exactly divulge their methods, or they sometimes don't clearly communicate what they do, as it's so unspoken and innate; a physical process is sometimes tough to verbalize.

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Originally Posted by Tallis

Acorn: I don't know why this is such a big ask- I made sure to temper my request with disclaimers to indicate that I know it's complicated, and I'm not looking for someone to do the work for me. All I need is to diligently piece together 100 ideas and intermediate compositing steps and methods, and I'm trying to collect those. I thought that's what these discussions are about- ideas about how to use tools and a compilation of tricks and shortcuts to get certain results.

I've reached out already. Interestingly enough, some artists don't wish to exactly divulge their methods, or they sometimes don't clearly communicate what they do, as it's so unspoken and innate; a physical process is sometimes tough to verbalize.

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OK, fine. Can you isolate a portrait from its surroundings? Can you place images on layers and apply different transparencies? Can you feather objects and fade one into another? These are five of your techniques. These alone could be combined in 120 different orders. It is a monumental task that only you can learn through practice. The only shortcut is to look at tutorials and pull out what works for your needs. It cannot be pushed out to you as a bag of tricks - it becomes your bag and what you care to save in it.

You advised an end goal, the source artists' works. You did not offer up your starting material. Have you your portraits, scratches scanned and ready? If these items are scans and photographs, you are not working in mixed media.

Acorn

https://www.google.com/search?q=doub...sure tutorials

Hans

Quote:

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Originally Posted by haakoo

https://www.google.com/search?q=doub...sure tutorials
Hans

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Hans, your link needs to be https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=do...sure+tutorials.
Acorn

Seems to work for me but I hope the OP finds what he/she's looking for :-)

Hans

Quote:

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Originally Posted by haakoo

https://www.google.com/search?q=doub...sure tutorials

Hans

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Thank you Hans, never thought of that angle! Thanks for the link. I've been struggling with placing scratches and faces, or part of faces/shadows, superimposing them, but it never made sense. I know we need a focus, like a main face, or even the focus is diffusion, where colors and textures are the focus, and objects become disperse, etherial. But I hadn't thought of it in terms of a double exposure. Simple! But not to me before I thought of it (learned it)! :-)

Maybe this question would be better posted in a technique or methods forum, rather than here. Any one have any ideas?

No Tallis you have posted in the right place :) I'll try to put something together that might help you. I am assuming you want to do this in Xara software. I'll be using the current version of Designer Pro. You will need to give me a few days :)

The main thing here if your last example is anything to go by is to convert your photo into a sketch style. Have a look here there are loads of online filters that you can use I just picked this from a random selection: http://www.snapstouch.com/

Then its into Xara and maybe through your scanner to bring textures in again using layers. Also if your really want to go hard work have a look at this Illustrator tut but this is serious if you go down this route: http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials...tor--cms-24197

Swishes and flourishes are straight forward but most of what you have shown us was done in PhotoShop so it is hard for us to tell you which way to go in Xara. I would convert your picture of your friend using one of these online filters just do a search "converting photo to sketch" and have a try there it could save you time.

thanks angelize. i hope i described my problem properly. i can do that big frank thing precisely- separate objects, fill with color or gentle bitmap like watercolor, apply splashes (vectorized spray, also filled with a paint/watercolor raster to look like splashed paint) etc. I can put scratches and fade them, i can put textured patterns, apply transparency, etc. But it just looks like a jumble. It's the "rhyme or reason" I'm missing that is evident in the sample links I posted. Or at least to me there is. I like the style because it de-emphasizes reality and emphasizes spirit, somehow. Anyway, I know it takes practice and Ive been practicing and practicing...

Thanks albacore. My mother loved albacore by the way! She would eat salad and tuna for lunch at work!

Anyway, the sketch angle is a good one, I will look into it. Thanks for the Ill link.

Good god I am being eaten now! Cheers no problem. Big Frank's solution is good because you can stay in Xara the whole time its just that some of the techniques required you can do better else where either in PS or there's a free programme called Gimp that you can try. So if your not going to make your drawing larger for some reason then you should try a decent bitmap editor it might be quicker.

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Originally Posted by Albacore

Good god I am being eaten now! Cheers no problem.

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LOLOLOL!