Alright, Ladies & Gents, I’m stuck and would appreciate your input. Better yet, I would love to start an open conversation for anybody and everybody in here, something we could all gain from. I realize I may be asking for too much and this post will wind up at the bottom of the list before long, but I’m not going to know if I don’t try.
Here goes…
I’ve been trying my luck in the paint booth on and off since FM2. Over that time, I’ve had a few hits – the HPI-Racing Subaru (FM2), the custom Nitro Fairlady Z & Daijiro Kato / Shoei helmet-themed hatchbacks in FM3, remakes in FM4, a few traditional / classic hot-rod flame paints peaked by the chrome-flamed Corvette in FH2 – but there have been far more misses. For all of my pride in those, I turned back to you all in the community and saw that there was definitely room to grow and improve.
For the most part, logos aren’t an issue anymore if I put the effort into them. Basic stripe designs, two-tones, etc. are a cakewalk but I often find them missing something to put them over the top. I’d love to take things to the next level and get into the anime or the photo-realistic designs, but for some reason or another there’s just a mental block.
I know practice makes perfect. I’ve read through the stuck threads over the years. I’ve watched and re-watched tutorials, but they don’t seem to provide what I’m after. What’s the secret to it? There has to be something I’m missing. I see wicked designs here, in photos from the internet or even just in my day-to-day life that I’d love to convert to Forza entities. But when I sit down to do it, my wheels spin and after a while, I just hang it up because I’m not seeing what’s in my mind show up on the TV screen. At the moment, there are at least 5 FH3 projects that I’ve started, but have been idle for weeks.
What process works for you? This inquiring mind – and I’m sure there are plenty others – would love to know. Thank you for hearing me out and I look forward to any and all feedback.
Good topic SBus. Hopefully some of the top-notch fantasy, anime or photo-realistic guys will drop in their 2 cents here.
Let me start by asking this … for your ‘next-level’ ideas … will you be starting from scratch with a blank canvas and creating original works? Or are you just trying to improve your techniques while replicating pictures, artwork, anime, actual liveries, etc.?
Interesting question. I guess I ultimately want to be knocking out full blown originals, but that’s probably an end goal.
I’ve had fun creating designs of all types and definitely look for that to continue. I just enjoy the process (when the creative juices are flowing) and if I think something might work, I want to put it into action. And the inspiration could be anything. My recent Mountain Dew LiveWire came to fruition based solely on the soda can. The Adidas / Under Armour Shelby Raptor came to be after studying my son’s soccer cleats and shin guards. Going further back, the Shoei and Nitro cars requested by other forum members were based on their respective motorcycle helmets.
For what it’s worth, the five shelved projects that I currently have consist of three race replicas, a scratch built Crown Vic police car and a livery that may spread across multiple platforms based on a logo that I’ve asked and received approval to recreate.
Well … truth be told … I’m probably in the same category as you. I’ve been at this for several years now and am comfortable in my ability to accurately replicate or create original logos. I’ve developed some good techniques (at least I believe so) in using shapes and colors to come up with nice base designs that work well. And if I do replicas … I can pretty much knock those out dead on (short of the next-level type works you’re talking about). But when it comes to stepping up to another level like you mention (the top-notch anime and photo-realistic type paints), I just don’t quite have the skills to pull them off to the level where I’d be proud of them and willing to share them with the community. I know that this is ‘just’ a video game … but there’s some true artistic genius involved in creating some of the work we see around here.
The handful of times that I’ve stepped out and tried some of what we’re talking about … for the most part, I stick with ‘cartoonish’ type designs. Probably because I know that it is what is is and I can get away with falling short of true photo-realistic work because it’s just a cartoon. For example, here’s my FH3 Drift Monkey paint:
Obviously, I’m not trying to paint a photo-realistic monkey face … so I can get away with just ‘getting it close enough’.
So what’s the difference between a paint like this one and the photo-realistic stuff … or really good anime stuff? I believe one difference is that when I do a paint like this … or when we do our shapes/colors/stripes types of liveries … I don’t think that we typically use the sheer number of stacked layers of various colors and transparencies to end up with truly photo-realistic textures, shadows, etc. that some of these top-level works have. I know that I don’t. I think that’s just one of the techniques that the ‘pros’ you mention use to create more detailed and more accurate paints. But now you’re talking about taking a paint with 500 layers to one with 2000 layers … and you know the time involved in creating something like that. And then there’s the skill needed to know how to place all of those things so that they’ll come together in a work of art.
I’m sure that there are many other tricks and techniques involved … but that was just a thought I had.
that’s exactly why I did these images the way I did them:
I was able to get the look I wanted by going with white on black, but if I tried to get them to look right in color (and photo-realistic) I’d fail miserably.
(btw, the drift monkey looks great)
also. I noticed that it’s a lot better to work on vinyls with my Xbox hooked up to my 27" monitor than to my TV. Being up close and seeing every pixel makes them a lot easier to work on.
Photorealistic images are really just layer eaters, especially gradients (circles)… I Always tell people to start with a simple cartoon, then move onto cellshaded, then try an digital artists portrait (a little less real), just move forward when you’re comfortable with the work /process
I Always use an image with grid to recreate it with the right proportions, which usually are pretty necesary for a good portrait
Um, not quite the same category. You’re among those that I look up to. It wasn’t until you posted the Drift Monkey design that I realized who you are (sorry! Names aren’t my strong suit!). I don’t think I’m even up to the cartoon level yet. Like I said, photo-realistic would be an end goal. Right now, I just want to take another step in that direction.
I hadn’t considered starting in black & white, but that makes sense. Worth a shot anyhow. I might have to try the monitor approach. It’s just a matter of finding time when I can monopolize both the computer and the TV from the family. LOL
I kind of figured the process would go along the lines of cartoon > cell shade > photo, but even the cartoons seem to mess me up. Except for this way back when, they’ve all been flops:
I’ve had mixed results with the grid too. Maybe it’s just a lack of practice though.
Dont concentrate on making an eye an ear or a mouth but instead concentrate on recreating the transition between shades.If somethings black in the original then so should yours be, but over how much distance should it take for the black to transition into which ever other colour.
Look at what you actually see, when you see someone on TV youll instantly recognize them however rarely will you be able to make out individual eyelashes sometimes you just have to hint at something and let the viewer fill in the details.
Stick with it, if something is going to look realistic at the end then half way though youll probably have something you imagine looks nothing like the original.
transparency, use it to add texture and experiment making textures.
practice, not just in making pictures but in what the shapes can be used for, how they look at different sizes or what new brushes can be made out of two or more shapes.
watch some vector graphic tutorials video on you tube
A good painter doesnt make a good designer and a good designer doesnt make a good painter.
Pracitse painting different things, people , mechanical, cartoon, landscapes and just mess around in the booth to become familiar with everything.
