Oburi's Colors

Oburi

All praise Grail
Okay this is my first ever attempt to even try to mess around with coloring, I didn't want to make a new thread (thanks CnC) so I'll stick it here under the assumption that people are going to give me pointers or instructions on wtf I'm doing. Anyway I know these colors suck, I made this guy look like the flamboyant leader of the gay Kushan squad but I was just messing around with colors and had nothing for reference. I am a complete amateur at this, I basically just learned how to use photoshop within the last hour but theres still much I don't know. Anyway it's berserk related so...

berserkprojectaaayo9.jpg


Compared to CnC and the others this looks like some 5 year old kid did this with a crayon (it's not even finished) but it's just a first attempt, I'm sure I'll get better.
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

Heya Oberi,

I split your post into its own thread as the "tips and tutorials" thread is for just that, tips and tutorials. If you had a technical question that would be a good place to ask but otherwise post your work in this thread I created for ya.

That aside, you've just made your first step into a much larger world. :) For one hour of photoshop experience thats pretty good.
Keep at it. Use reference. Good luck.
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

hey, I like it!

It needs some highlights tho, to show light source and texture.

Good work!
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Re: Oberi's Colors

ehsilatsmallpr3.jpg


EDIT
ehsilatsmallwl0.jpg


I increased the colors and actually succeeded somewhat in giving Grunbeld some depth. I just threw a shadow over Silat because I'm lazy. But it deff looks better.
 
Re: Oberi's Colors

I don't think you are an amateur at all... I mean the coloring looks good! o_o I wish my attempts at coloring turned out 1/2 as good. =[

I like how you used soft tones... and the choice of colors was great too for the "flamboyantly gay leader"... XD
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

nothing like a steady stream of content. You're workin' fast :)

Interestin' composition. But it needs more contrast. Everything's at the same level of intensity.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Re: Oberi's Colors

Thanks for your comments guys, it's really inspiring.

But it needs more contrast. Everything's at the same level of intensity.

I knew it wasn't right somehow. I know exactly what you mean though. I need to try and figure that out. Thanks.
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

Oberi said:
I increased the colors and actually succeeded somewhat in giving Grunbeld some depth. I just threw a shadow over Silat because I'm lazy. But it deff looks better.

Grunbeld is, indeed, looking better. However the shadow over Silat being lazy shows. That needs work.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Re: Oberi's Colors

Hey can someone give me some tips on how to make Slann look correct. I'm having trouble getting her colors right. It's when she rises out of the bloody mass in the Qlipheth so I'd tried making it look kinda messy but it just dosn't seem right. Obviously it still needs work as is.
slannsmallza3.jpg

It's just a piece of a larger picture.

http://img153.imageshack.us/my.php?image=slannsmallkc1.jpg
This is a little bigger.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Re: Oberi's Colors

Oberi said:
Hey can someone give me some tips on how to make Slann look correct. I'm having trouble getting her colors right.

Take a look at this if you want.

Slan.jpg

Or maybe you have already? The key here is to make her "skin" lighter I think, more skin-like basically. You went too heavily with the blue.
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

Hey Oberi,

Whenever I'm in doubt about what color to do I usually just look at reference. In this case, perhaps find some photos of intestines

I did a _VERY_ quick paintover:

Here's a capture of my desktop (reduced).


Basically I just have a reference photo open and I grab colors from that. That usually provides me with a rough starting point to gain get a color pallette. Then I can light it, etc.

End result of the color:
berserk_oberi_crit.jpg


Keep in mind I didn't do anything except give Guts flat shading, so this is far from a finished pic. I just wanted to illustrate what I'd do in this sitution. Of course, there are many different ways to get to an end result.

Good luck
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Re: Oberi's Colors

Hey thanks man that's a big help. But jeez looking at that
VERY_ quick paintover:
...damn dude, i guess some people are just naturals at it. lol, nah seriously thanks for that reference of the um..cough..small intestines...it's a good reference. Also i found out I'm using an older version of photoshop (as if the newer version will make me that much better)

P.S. How do you specifically get that gradient? Like how how do you get that shading so good?
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

Oberi said:
Also i found out I'm using an older version of photoshop (as if the newer version will make me that much better)

I do most of my work in CS1 as CS2 is buggy and can't handle large files very well (most of the coloring work I do is on 4000+ pixel pictures at a minimum). I think as long as you're using 7 or above you'll be dandy. Otherwise it might be time for an upgrade.

I hope CS3 is kewl. Its supposed to be released at the end of the 1st quarter 2007.

Oberi said:
P.S. How do you specifically get that gradient? Like how how do you get that shading so good?

--Short Answer--
Shading is just a basic understanding of how light interacts with objects. The gradient is just a starting point to indicate light where I then just start darkening to indicate form and shadow.

--Long Answer--
If you look at my layers in the screenshot I took I have a background layer (the original b/w drawing usually), the flat colors (Just flat colors with no shading, I use this to grab colors independently and work on them), the color layer (a copy of the flats layer where I do most of the work), the inks (just the original with either the white knocked out or the layer set to multiply), and finally the traps (color on top of the inks or changing the ink color to something other than black).
So my layers looks like:
--Traps--
--Inks--
--Color--
--Flats--
--Original--

The actual shading part happens on the Color layer. I can start to indicate light by selecting the desired colors affected from my Flats layer and putting a gradient set to Dodge, Overlay or whatever on the Color Layer. I then add shadow keeping form in mind (shape of the face, hair, etc.).
This is just one way to approach a coloring. It all depends on what the material demands. It could have worked better if I had started dark and painted in the light. Or if the scene might have worked better with doing all the midtones and painting in both light and dark. Its up to you on how to accomplish the end result but in all cases an understanding of how light works is crucial, imo.

Hope that helped. :guts:
 
Re: Oberi's Colors

CnC said:
Its up to you on how to accomplish the end result but in all cases an understanding of how light works is crucial, imo.

He's right. If your end result lacks lighting effects, it just won't turn out as good. As harsh as it sounds it's the truth. But the only way to hone your photoshop skills is to practice, practice, practice...

So get boy!
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Re: Oberi's Colors

This isn't done yet but I'm going on a vacation so I won't be able to work on anything for a week. I was thinking about merging all the layers together like of Grunbreld and Silat so it doesn't look so cut and paste like. The other pic is part of something i was doing. The color of her skin is wrong but I thought her eye looked cool so I put it up.

Anyway yea CnC that was a huge help regardless of the "different strokes for different folks" part. :casca: I found it helpful.
slannneyens8.jpg
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

glad I could be of help. But theres still no contrast or indication of shading on those pics. Notice not much stands out as everything is at the same intensity?

Keep at it.
 

Ariel

he's a fresh-maker!
Re: Oberi's Colors

Oberi said:
...........Anyway I know these colors suck, I made this guy look like the flamboyant leader of the gay Kushan squad..............

ACTSHULLY, that's not so untruthful of how it was. Only recently has the military’s of the world learned that bright colors attract attention and therefore a soldier dies easily. If you look at old paintings or murals or tapestries, you will notice that soldiers wore bright red, green, gold, whatever. Knights and Nobles wore all different colors with all different designs. So, it's not that hey were necessarily gay, it was more like, semi-subconscious egotistical vanity...of men.
 
S

Sanguinius

Guest
Re: Oberi's Colors

it was more like, semi-subconscious egotistical vanity...of men.

Bit off-topic maybe, but the reason people wore such recognisable and visible clothes was to make themselves more noticeable deliberately not in a vain manner but in order to identify friend from foe and to quickly recognise where your leaders where. When war changed from the distance of an arms reach to rapid firing weapons where you see your enemy through a sight if was no longer beneficial to be recognisable. This was because the challenge was not in telling friend from foe in a chaotic close quarters battle but in manoeuvring your forces to a position where they can take the enemy by surprise from a distance.
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Re: Oberi's Colors

Don't anyone start a historical accuracy argument here, please. This isn't the place. You want to discuss stuff like that there are threads already out there where that can take place.

Regardless of whether or not Oberi wants to give the soldiers bright colored clothing or not, the point of the criticism was to show that despite the color choice there was not enough attention given to how those materials react to light. They lack the appropriate shading and contrast to make them believable.

So keep the comments/criticisms constrained to the pictures, please.
 

Ariel

he's a fresh-maker!
Re: Oberi's Colors

Ok then. Both are true! *everyone is happy now*

I don't agree with you're critique, but seeming as how I'm not allowed to argue with the moderator and administrator...

I think you need to finish the coloring, you don't need the shading. A comic is just black and white and doesn't always have the shading, and everyone thinks the pictures look just fine.

And because of this, Slan can be any colour you want her to be. She can be hot pink or white or pocka-dotted.

I like the colors around the single figure. It deffinitly draws the eye.


Aazealh said:
Yes it is, in this case.

Are you going to back up that argument?
 
Re: Oberi's Colors

Ariel said:
I don't agree with you're critique, but seeming as how I'm not allowed to argue with the moderator and administrator...

I think you need to finish the coloring, you don't need the shading. A comic is just black and white and doesn't always have the shading, and everyone thinks the pictures look just fine.

And because of this, Slan can be any colour you want her to be. She can be hot pink or white or pocka-dotted.

You're allowed to argue with anyone you want Ariel, so long as you have some ground to stand on, IMO.

Now, I'm not tryin to get into it with you, but I need to speak my peace on what you posted.

We really shouldn't critique unfinished artwork. I kno anyone who did was only doing it was a POSITIVE INTENT.
Shading and lighting is CRUCIAL if you want your piece to look good (yes it can look good without it), but taking some more time and paying more attention and adding realistic detail (lighting etc) will make a 'coloration' look MUCH better, again IMHO.

As to Slan being any color you want...you know where I'm gonna go with that.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Re: Oberi's Colors

Ariel said:
And because of this, Slan can be any colour you want her to be. She can be hot pink or white or pocka-dotted.

That's quite a disputable point you're making here. Things are the color the author intends them to be. You can make Slan pockadotted, sure, but that'd be ugly, stupid AND inaccurate. That being said, if a character's color scheme isn't clearly defined, of course it's up to people to color it as they like, to some extent. All of this assuming one cares about staying faithful to the work (s)he's coloring.

Ariel said:
Are you going to back up that argument?

That's not an argument, just a fact. I don't feel the need to back it up when you could simply research it yourself.

The problem here of course not being the diversity of the palette used (although as far as I know a red dominant would probably be more appropriate in this case), but the crayon-like quality of the colors. Oberi acknowledged this himself and he was right to (not to mention that it's obvious). Knowing your errors is the first step toward improvement. And sure enough, he's improved since. I'm not sure what you're trying to do exactly, tell people that the guy's face being yellow and his beard bright red is historically accurate?

Anyway, I could just post colored pictures from the Berserk TCG showing Kushan soldiers colored tastefully, but I have a feeling that wouldn't stop you from believing whatever you want to.
 
Top Bottom