tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66529407842102644862024-03-13T20:25:16.489-07:00In the Wake of Artjoelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-57226448985831498092019-06-03T08:00:00.000-07:002019-06-03T08:00:07.148-07:00Khazar Bagathur Part 2: Pushing Further (2019)Hi Everyone!<br />
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Two months ago i finished my painting called <a href="http://joelchaimholtzman.blogspot.com/2019/03/khazar-bagathur-2019.html">Khazar Bagathur</a>. The Painting had an overwhelming positive response online, and it got me a tremendous amount of high end jobs. However, since the piece is rather personal, I kept going back to it over the last three months, and made numerous minor changes to it. In my eyes, the piece changed tremendously, and i would like to share my process with you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikn0MZmx0bCWTLXNvQoo5teTXJEug3C_QhlfFgehfsR_Bi0OiXLqNPcCSeidLsYBqstL3Tix3S87VSiNs7JHjIx4sNhhWU0Og2OPg5PM5j_PzF4PdD3HpGmjLKExp4XRsOc4tYDq40Dtw/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1600" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikn0MZmx0bCWTLXNvQoo5teTXJEug3C_QhlfFgehfsR_Bi0OiXLqNPcCSeidLsYBqstL3Tix3S87VSiNs7JHjIx4sNhhWU0Og2OPg5PM5j_PzF4PdD3HpGmjLKExp4XRsOc4tYDq40Dtw/s640/Untitled-1.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>Phase 1: First Share</b></h2>
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The painting was shared in it's first finished iteration in february 2019. It already received a positive response but a friend of mine told me i could push the face a bit more. Thats where I started to notice a plethora of different things that I thought could improve. I had my holiday in NYC to think about these topics:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9mc2Jl0NGtt9XGqwwksyPd-AUHoMru4Iwep6DK5NITFuTB9JQMY2uDjr42oJt7BL38yg8xHS3EeX5HPLUhfRKs7b_yRNbzhVxVY5RNt4esIKAIazsrPKn3NoHQuXp_ODFklkYTfrQ6g/s1600/1text.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9mc2Jl0NGtt9XGqwwksyPd-AUHoMru4Iwep6DK5NITFuTB9JQMY2uDjr42oJt7BL38yg8xHS3EeX5HPLUhfRKs7b_yRNbzhVxVY5RNt4esIKAIazsrPKn3NoHQuXp_ODFklkYTfrQ6g/s640/1text.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YFAQLVNfZYp8sS_ICov6UrQQhSEN3jS9WJHhIx2HU97mh5eU-vgvnU20q5ZIJYov8L0nCXTcpfo4vvZuw4gIA3CvbBWDRPI4U9UhuyxDkf2bnYh0rH78xa31xl1jV0iZCR5l2hIGz68/s1600/Saturation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YFAQLVNfZYp8sS_ICov6UrQQhSEN3jS9WJHhIx2HU97mh5eU-vgvnU20q5ZIJYov8L0nCXTcpfo4vvZuw4gIA3CvbBWDRPI4U9UhuyxDkf2bnYh0rH78xa31xl1jV0iZCR5l2hIGz68/s640/Saturation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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1. <b>Saturation</b>: Even though the colored front and background add to the contrast of the warm/cool dynamic of the painting, I felt that the saturation for both was a bit too much. Not necessarily incorrect, but too much for the feeling I would like to convey, which is more realistic rather than Blizzard/Disney style. </div>
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2. <b>Face: </b>The first thing i noticed that could be improved. It is pretty funny actually since the face is where people look at first, so it should be perfectly rendered (same goes for the hands actually)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxArWXotbCkyWfzcWAFm8PZaasG0tXp8OBIj_DqNCP2V3vCKiCP3TUGPycAJp811DWo3ajGg0BgmHHHSmQtqpnDEqXBftO0fICdDa5k2dcE2ToyxgXVqzHNWe7evYJWymji2afNbceD64/s1600/face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxArWXotbCkyWfzcWAFm8PZaasG0tXp8OBIj_DqNCP2V3vCKiCP3TUGPycAJp811DWo3ajGg0BgmHHHSmQtqpnDEqXBftO0fICdDa5k2dcE2ToyxgXVqzHNWe7evYJWymji2afNbceD64/s400/face.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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3, 6, 8, 10 <b>Contrast (Shoulder, hands, arms, loincloth and background details): </b>I felt the first iteration could have popped a bit more, especially when the torch is so close to the shoulder as a secondary light source, and the primary light source from above is a useful tool to include crucial elements and exclude secondary elements from the focal area. The loincloth had too much contrast, so I dimmed it down. Same goes for the rock in the background which has the same amount of detail as the character itself almost.</div>
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4. <b>Proportions: </b>I used the reference on the left for the painting, which i did not translate that well actually. The perspective is not that clear (something which i only fixed in the last iteration), but the primary issue is the lens distortion. The head looks a bit too large for the torso, which hindered the painting greatly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4BlmBHiVjPG4i3AiDeaRpLv2a0I0doKeJ2axBqJGPEUGXvUb_-Yk9r86Yxo_d09JL9jBwpiEMjhhyphenhyphenGPw5q439or4IficYDbuq6ScPnpIklGfLcZ2ZKWWGeahzjSaDxPbSNYmZQjwXJk/s1600/proportions+with+ref.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4BlmBHiVjPG4i3AiDeaRpLv2a0I0doKeJ2axBqJGPEUGXvUb_-Yk9r86Yxo_d09JL9jBwpiEMjhhyphenhyphenGPw5q439or4IficYDbuq6ScPnpIklGfLcZ2ZKWWGeahzjSaDxPbSNYmZQjwXJk/s400/proportions+with+ref.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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5<b>. Hand: </b>The hand holding the chain has a very odd tangent where it is *exactly* touching the top of the fur-trim on his belt. This creates an unnatural composition and gesture.</div>
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7. <b>Silhouette</b>: The first iteration is missing a great deal of silhouette below the waist; It is just an upper leg without interesting folds, so i added an extention to the loincloth to make some sort of battle skirt on the sides of the body to make the silhouette more interesting.</div>
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9. <b>Foldings on pants/knee</b>: The reference photo used a pants that did not translate the gesture into very interesting foldings, and while in the workflow I blatantly took that to the first iteration. The gesture isn't really showing that much tension, so i added some extra foldings to where the knee meets the boot. This didn't prove as effective either as will be discussed later in Phase 2.<br />
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<b>Phase 2: All the little things add up</b></h2>
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After i shared the second iteration I started to actually receive the job offers and even better positive response online. Due to that positive feedback I spent more time looking at the piece and over time discovered various minor things that bugged me and which I will address in the second half of this blog post.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HviAEI95spLZXPJNFPBa4lWZpHRXNsoCUeJ48chWOFv9xgxrwt98bFFE4eoXtdoo9EcbWZwJAxuCu4Cp4nYPC5bRooqXvqS_aygCMSejx8bYTSa7iiXmGO902JpZ48VF_5qUvb9NsKs/s1600/2text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1129" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HviAEI95spLZXPJNFPBa4lWZpHRXNsoCUeJ48chWOFv9xgxrwt98bFFE4eoXtdoo9EcbWZwJAxuCu4Cp4nYPC5bRooqXvqS_aygCMSejx8bYTSa7iiXmGO902JpZ48VF_5qUvb9NsKs/s640/2text.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8WFcZbdU_-parGJu9VzHu5qaMbBZwn_Vt1qZ7ivhb8PT45Tic3C5Tb-4iFjafIJdb6YtivqnEvu1aDJH5WSUhVO1eWETaWTtf6FGvyQz9_d6PkjVcM3lBK1kyDS8kd4jsjLKdb3Zc-s/s1600/Untitled-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8WFcZbdU_-parGJu9VzHu5qaMbBZwn_Vt1qZ7ivhb8PT45Tic3C5Tb-4iFjafIJdb6YtivqnEvu1aDJH5WSUhVO1eWETaWTtf6FGvyQz9_d6PkjVcM3lBK1kyDS8kd4jsjLKdb3Zc-s/s640/Untitled-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></h2>
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1, 2, 6. <b>Perspective</b>: The second iteration did not consider the horizon line like the third version. While the initial reference photo (Phase 1.4) is clearly shot from below, ánd from an angle, Iteration two does not translate in any foreshortening or perspective. This is mostly due to an undefined horizon line (6), which did not stand out due to the surrounding being in nature/organic shapes, where a horizon line is a bit tougher to spot unlike architecture/geometrical shapes. In third iteration I established a horizon line and changed the perspective on the fur (1) , and the plating on the lammelar armor (2).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy6zeF8kO2x9FJXCGx4wHB7IvmFDxhVmN92bixCq6mIkNxDMSEUNpAhu_NM0uCV8Uug1EG3k_x46-BYr65FqPEPLP_gR9ZlwuNzU8bXaPXd21ET_f4t5hM5WYT6BGWkaUqxoQnuC9MyQ/s1600/Perspective.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy6zeF8kO2x9FJXCGx4wHB7IvmFDxhVmN92bixCq6mIkNxDMSEUNpAhu_NM0uCV8Uug1EG3k_x46-BYr65FqPEPLP_gR9ZlwuNzU8bXaPXd21ET_f4t5hM5WYT6BGWkaUqxoQnuC9MyQ/s400/Perspective.jpg" width="282" /> </a></div>
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3. <b>Chainmail</b>: Minor part of the painting, but in the 3 months i have been fixing this painting on-and-off I learned from artist Gambargin how to make believable chainmail. Don't just paint OOOOOOO's above one another, but rather intermingle CCCCCCC's in opposite direction every row<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KArDr5oX8m1gedjrBUQtUG5e28ZpUxdNA5OVJsjON2j5cE-AU4SATU5cmJn86e284NQmFGenGSXbBaAU5uQyf6BQwEMMfxtX-cH4HdpmFSiC_Co4bS2Bn1ZD9kfmhQwSpOjo4nczYCo/s1600/Chainmail.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KArDr5oX8m1gedjrBUQtUG5e28ZpUxdNA5OVJsjON2j5cE-AU4SATU5cmJn86e284NQmFGenGSXbBaAU5uQyf6BQwEMMfxtX-cH4HdpmFSiC_Co4bS2Bn1ZD9kfmhQwSpOjo4nczYCo/s640/Chainmail.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
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4, 9 <b>Hand Gestures & waving fur coat : </b>I wanted to push the looseness and confidence of the hand gestures. Initially the hand holding the wand was anatomically off, and didn't feel very dynamic. The hand holding the chain didn't feel very natural either. Didn't feel like he was *holding* something. In the final iteration I made the hand holding the wand more expressive, with the thumb adding tension, and in the hand holding the chain I made more of the fingers visible, to show more room for the chain to be held. For this purpose, I shot reference again.<br />
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Also, the fur coat in the 2nd iteration felt a bit static, hanging in a perfect 180 degrees. the final iteration made the fur more waving to push the movement (9). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wcu_38bkkg0jsZNcNxJs_QMptmiq6c-ZH0Xr1waP9Lmrh-6sJHNr2XygoA9DWr4EquOoAc1bOARZczkkpJnuXLN8YQ5vV5F2FJKARADYwZ30RgqLJUzpA1B3TBYnT6nGBDVq-HC-Ytg/s1600/hand+gestures.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3wcu_38bkkg0jsZNcNxJs_QMptmiq6c-ZH0Xr1waP9Lmrh-6sJHNr2XygoA9DWr4EquOoAc1bOARZczkkpJnuXLN8YQ5vV5F2FJKARADYwZ30RgqLJUzpA1B3TBYnT6nGBDVq-HC-Ytg/s640/hand+gestures.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
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5. 7, 8 <b>Legs: </b>The legs had numerous issues attached to them. The initial reference photo, had the left leg/ our right forward. While that was implemented in the painting, the legs were still too close together perspective wise. The spacing of the legs (5) could be enhanced to push the gesture and make the painting more dynamic (Even though its a portrait piece!) through increasing the front leg's size and decreasing, and fading the hind leg. Increasing the front leg also solved the issue of the upper leg being too long (8). Even though the reference photo was used correctly regarding the folds, the material of the pants did not translate in interesting folds to enhance the all-important gesture. I shot photo of my knee bent;trying to find cool foldings.<br />
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<b>Final thoughts</b></h2>
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When you improve in your artistic career, you eventually reach a point where the art looks good on a ''first glance''. This proved a great advantage for me in previous iterations of this piece. But as a nitpicky artist you start discovering mistakes the more time you spend with an image, a process which can be tremendously annoying, especially since sometimes you spot ''mistakes'' that aren't there. However, I think around 80% of things that bother you are real issues to be addressed. In most cases, these little issues can be ignored without them having to ''kill'' the painting, but to me those issues accumulated and when they have been fixed the difference started to show greatly. </div>
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Even if for another person the changes mean little to nothing, I have learned tremendously from those little mistakes, that are all little lessons that will be adapted in future paintings (where the problem could potentially hit much harder).</div>
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I hope you found this blog useful! Please give me your thoughts; either comment under the blog, social media platform of publishing or an email would be awesome.</div>
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In any case thanks for stopping by!</div>
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JCH</div>
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www.joelchaimholtzman.com<br />
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joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-68451204277685919112019-03-17T18:18:00.002-07:002019-06-02T14:49:09.118-07:00Khazar Bagathur Part 1: Initial Painting (2019)Hi Everyone!<br />
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Every once in a while i have the urge to talk about the process of my
artpieces. In this blog post i will talk about my newest image called <i>Khazar Bagathur</i>. My goal is to teach, inspire and simply guide those interested into my process as an artist.<br />
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The image is made as a part of a series, with an emphasis on the Dark Age factions, which delves into their tales of war,
heroism and falling from grace through occultism. The character depicted is a ''Bagathur'' (meaning hero in old turkic) from the ancient Khazar Empire, a turkic tribe who converted to Judaism around 750 AD, while still maintaining their belief in shamanism.<br />
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<b>Khazar Bagathur</b></div>
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<i>''We embrace our new god with every fiber of our being, and carry him
closest to our heart, however, ancestral stirrings still speak to. They
guide our hand, teach our children, grow our crops, and defeat our
enemies''. </i><br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QhyphenhyphenQTYtV5pJqOj8sQjEk9p_DV-Qfe62UjxJBB_ZRQHzou5KhiZ7ia5qArMY8aOyU7SSOeIFxe5R8jV_RcTessjcFoiY1hNJ8o_qKjylpPMXqCvcmrzKGyQ_sBBRlxoTQCBRRSVSjV50/s1600/Khazar+Bagathur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QhyphenhyphenQTYtV5pJqOj8sQjEk9p_DV-Qfe62UjxJBB_ZRQHzou5KhiZ7ia5qArMY8aOyU7SSOeIFxe5R8jV_RcTessjcFoiY1hNJ8o_qKjylpPMXqCvcmrzKGyQ_sBBRlxoTQCBRRSVSjV50/s640/Khazar+Bagathur.jpg" width="451" /></a></i></div>
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<b>Inspiration:</b></h2>
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<b> </b><b> The Hermetic Tarot, The Knight of Wand</b></div>
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<b> </b> I was always fascinated by the Tarot when i first saw a unique variation of them in the album ''Holy Wood'' by Marilyn Manson back in the day. Besides the divination aspect of Tarot, it holds a lot of archetypical imagery which, in my opinion serves as a backbone to a great amount of artwork in the entertainment industry. I fell in love with the artwork on the ''Hermetic Tarot'' deck when i saw it on my trip in Israel in a store. The artwork above is inspired by the ''Knight of Wands'' Archetype.</div>
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<b> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgauBaGa_PSLzmxRWx-oE-KmpRRIkq8761NH1dkxHD7LtLYOpSJRc9ChnwwOLSsrzm5Yn5UzMjsx0hyDV65OP0cQP4eEu3gNum3ICztCmrP0hnuDIV74Py5Uv_uCWfp43FFP2tEk8RdT4/s1600/b3ed9208c14f5d5e321908a4ee0a277e.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgauBaGa_PSLzmxRWx-oE-KmpRRIkq8761NH1dkxHD7LtLYOpSJRc9ChnwwOLSsrzm5Yn5UzMjsx0hyDV65OP0cQP4eEu3gNum3ICztCmrP0hnuDIV74Py5Uv_uCWfp43FFP2tEk8RdT4/s400/b3ed9208c14f5d5e321908a4ee0a277e.jpg" width="228" /> </a></b></h2>
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<b> </b></h2>
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<b>Nagato Iwasaki's Driftwood Sculptures</b></div>
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I always liked the haunting aspect of these sculptures, in the water. Originally i wanted the Bagathur to be surrounded by similar burning idols/sculptures, but i found that would require a horizontal and perhaps more dynamic composition. I settled with the main character itself standing in the water, without the sculptures with a more straight forward approach for the character to be in the main POV.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6iVzYUjMzCesq5xpXprNEdvEhwmYEUpTPdH8cxry53RhOE_RsJKTMzp8E_t0ujNslo-bVcrQWO0KKNRCa5AEJ_3o24rgb_MjxDTFmYyU15nvzJg9g7RJPN-G_ZTB-EwTgyu01cGf2Djg/s1600/u8mr3jhgog301.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6iVzYUjMzCesq5xpXprNEdvEhwmYEUpTPdH8cxry53RhOE_RsJKTMzp8E_t0ujNslo-bVcrQWO0KKNRCa5AEJ_3o24rgb_MjxDTFmYyU15nvzJg9g7RJPN-G_ZTB-EwTgyu01cGf2Djg/s400/u8mr3jhgog301.jpg" width="282" /></a><br />
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<b> Justin Sweet, Chronicles of Narnia</b></div>
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This is a painting by Justin Sweet, done as concept art for Narnia. I have been a fan of Justin Sweet ever since i saw his artwork on the Magic the Gathering set ''Legions'' . His mood and brush efficienty are just amazing, and i wanted to try something similar with my paintings, a warm hard light source coming from above.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjtEXo0uFo3HL3qUouaXC9UpUf2WnLDIDCCDUYPDmetmP8PeYK_OOB9r6g7lWzFNNHGkYLxGAWaQxZGYw6rUGasRxMhBHz7Ajh7utz11XYdnApDZThrPdCiQxwOFKYdNUJaK4mbGv6Yg/s1600/justin+sweet+-+USA+%252846%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjtEXo0uFo3HL3qUouaXC9UpUf2WnLDIDCCDUYPDmetmP8PeYK_OOB9r6g7lWzFNNHGkYLxGAWaQxZGYw6rUGasRxMhBHz7Ajh7utz11XYdnApDZThrPdCiQxwOFKYdNUJaK4mbGv6Yg/s400/justin+sweet+-+USA+%252846%2529.jpg" width="370" /> </a></div>
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<b>Jason Rainville, Mardu Skullhunter</b></div>
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With Jason, i have a love/hate relationship; i think his work is absolutely stellar, but him entering Magic the Gathering<b> </b>as an artist, raised the bar tremendously<b> </b>for those needing to yet get in, haha. I studied the artwork for ''Mardu Skullhunter'', to push the rendering to the next level (and since both artpieces have the sime idea +/- too. I also got inspired by the gold coins in his braids, i added two on my characters Moustache!</div>
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.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1q-1gb5Qbv1UfIz81XPZHyx_15xBPDiIDf07CQ9QyTKX_diw85gBRuYm7ci2ghsL3u2abv3Hx09ug5CHbEKi3JcKN4gscmekAgDZLENOocVEGSn_3a9wwL9IovV4JJb5mFN0kV0D4FI/s1600/Mardu-Skullhunter-MtG-Art.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1q-1gb5Qbv1UfIz81XPZHyx_15xBPDiIDf07CQ9QyTKX_diw85gBRuYm7ci2ghsL3u2abv3Hx09ug5CHbEKi3JcKN4gscmekAgDZLENOocVEGSn_3a9wwL9IovV4JJb5mFN0kV0D4FI/s400/Mardu-Skullhunter-MtG-Art.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Reference</h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Before i start to work, i gather as much reference as possible, because i dont want to get stuck not knowing how i should paint something. Here is a collection (not complete unfortunately) of items, and where i used them later down the road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">It varies from reference for the fire, furs, apparel/weaponry to overall gesture/anatomy/lighting, environment to smaller details like the Khazar Tamga (Rune) which comes out of his staff and the Menorah Brooch on his chest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcDFsOCcsCWMFdOKevVI-3hSEQuyBnD9rdvXm6I1HrFG1QPEc-jTzNoH2DgLLKl-M583E27HlNXt1X0FNLnKzFyoTfJs2VqoBejdRWy0Qp-tIDGqeu2PC3puPkfEApGODUzM-OFhn1EA/s1600/Ref.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcDFsOCcsCWMFdOKevVI-3hSEQuyBnD9rdvXm6I1HrFG1QPEc-jTzNoH2DgLLKl-M583E27HlNXt1X0FNLnKzFyoTfJs2VqoBejdRWy0Qp-tIDGqeu2PC3puPkfEApGODUzM-OFhn1EA/s640/Ref.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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Process</h2>
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While every step integrates more rendering and details, there are other key parts that i would like to address in each phase: </h4>
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Step 1: Shooting Reference</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> I always like to shoot my own reference. I can guide the pose, lighting and overall expression/gesture. For this purpose i used myself as a model, trying different poses in front of a filming camera (on selfie mode) and eventually screenshotting a few poses that align with my interest. Filming yourself rather than taking pictures can help with your poses more fluent, due to your screenshots capturing a mid-action movement.</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkxra_3hUX8WG9fKgXBDNPZDmNO-TGrZAtY1P3XBVl2Y3-g_x-poZW2O9uk2gPCnOETLLayQI2CmebTzKOftiv05xxpcdbA2OXuncCmda0bwICMyVBQeOSyz-w1RxAj0fidjYsQKXVOI/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkxra_3hUX8WG9fKgXBDNPZDmNO-TGrZAtY1P3XBVl2Y3-g_x-poZW2O9uk2gPCnOETLLayQI2CmebTzKOftiv05xxpcdbA2OXuncCmda0bwICMyVBQeOSyz-w1RxAj0fidjYsQKXVOI/s400/1.jpg" width="230" /></a></h4>
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<b>Step 2: Placing inside a scene</b></div>
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For a quick overview i like to place a cutout of my ref into a scene, which is a photobashed version of the water/sculpture showed earlier. Right now i just need to make the values and color correct and i have a base for my image in step 3.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7am_KgFFMll2IK2Wm2r_PV2gzLkAp0kZl78tY5eg7GMIr2kafgv9jMxJ4a4YN377xeBuZORYQEilGYtvuSB29NuE0lgD74HSTAaDiTBcL_QxOW8YH6AdB79Wxz2V2dS2G74sg2MsBbI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7am_KgFFMll2IK2Wm2r_PV2gzLkAp0kZl78tY5eg7GMIr2kafgv9jMxJ4a4YN377xeBuZORYQEilGYtvuSB29NuE0lgD74HSTAaDiTBcL_QxOW8YH6AdB79Wxz2V2dS2G74sg2MsBbI/s400/2.jpg" width="282" /> </a></b><br />
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<b>Step 3: Block in</b><br />
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Right now its time to push the shapes and values. I use the mixer brush to blend all the pixels together and refine the shapes after. I should have a clear overview of what my painting should be from a thumbnail POV, and if thats not the case, i need to remain where i am until the image reads decently. I also changed the hand gesture to hold chains, as an extention of the wand he is holding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhQTa6DMZ0zaRiD1Xkx4R_tuZjMSiGmmp3jb7vlr5SSqnqN8zPo6Os8svpnPca7oaNJhqUFnoEUbkaAZLyXNbShy4iZJ3Lwyf8QHj5RA2bKjbC4O8ggezhmO7TMzpQs4LoJioinpNEmA/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhQTa6DMZ0zaRiD1Xkx4R_tuZjMSiGmmp3jb7vlr5SSqnqN8zPo6Os8svpnPca7oaNJhqUFnoEUbkaAZLyXNbShy4iZJ3Lwyf8QHj5RA2bKjbC4O8ggezhmO7TMzpQs4LoJioinpNEmA/s400/3.jpg" width="282" /></a><br />
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<b>Step 4: Detailing and enhancing focal Point</b><br />
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For my reference i used white sheep fur, which proved to be a great focal point behind the darkened background. I enhanced the overall contrast, and pushed the definition of the shapes/rendering.<b><br /></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkHU7Wa0Pqf0xXg3-Jmd_vi96OGIQC5yJetfQIf7j8ZR507RBElq48Sq090LlVQmmCgKA2vtAz4QjmVbylHm86Tek8rfU1F5dgKchd3I39GeNc_iQ8hlLqDLskCCPyG8Bcrtpu9TJS48/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkHU7Wa0Pqf0xXg3-Jmd_vi96OGIQC5yJetfQIf7j8ZR507RBElq48Sq090LlVQmmCgKA2vtAz4QjmVbylHm86Tek8rfU1F5dgKchd3I39GeNc_iQ8hlLqDLskCCPyG8Bcrtpu9TJS48/s400/4.jpg" width="282" /></a> </b><br />
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<b>Step 5: More contrast</b><br />
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Painting dark scenes, does not have to mean your painting actually needs to be dark, it just needs to have a clear contrast between light and dark areas. Step 4 lacked nuance, and was too dark. I pushed the contrast even more, and started to shape up the secondary, dim lit light sources on his sides.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHPkoG-rC4_508TQ6Ug9yNccA9Kivd8P17hf63-8NNMwd7T8AD2PUAzNt5jJIOJ7PN3fwZoIpAYN_1rOjbANduT1eNAEQX4dTj-fKTRV27CLD_g19Cj8eH_Xx71tWycIBfd548ooYJkQ/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHPkoG-rC4_508TQ6Ug9yNccA9Kivd8P17hf63-8NNMwd7T8AD2PUAzNt5jJIOJ7PN3fwZoIpAYN_1rOjbANduT1eNAEQX4dTj-fKTRV27CLD_g19Cj8eH_Xx71tWycIBfd548ooYJkQ/s400/5.jpg" width="282" /></a></b><br />
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<b>Step 6: Auto Tone</b><br />
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<b> </b>Local color (mostly reds) started to shape up in Version 5, which eliminated the depth. When that happens, i select the ''Auto Tone'' Function (Image-->Auto Tone) on a flattened layer. It searches for the best contrast and color relation and adjust your images that way. top create a more coherent feel. the tool isn't perfect obviously, so you need to adjust areas manually. While this version looks more coherent, it has a uncomfortable green hue that needs fixing.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSVoVyjK5fozL0pM4JB2TQlk6PaA29Q8SRxkP5KWkNj_0d3bqAKmZXq29pAhptq2ESY45y2th2Wvc5HwhzTHCTzE77Ntt1wuT3WCPtmjLCMnPkWJ1RZQ28quHhZSHMP9byxJ0lpKGBTY/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSVoVyjK5fozL0pM4JB2TQlk6PaA29Q8SRxkP5KWkNj_0d3bqAKmZXq29pAhptq2ESY45y2th2Wvc5HwhzTHCTzE77Ntt1wuT3WCPtmjLCMnPkWJ1RZQ28quHhZSHMP9byxJ0lpKGBTY/s400/6.jpg" width="282" /></a> </b><br />
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<b>Step 7: Not yet finished</b><br />
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I enhanced the saturation around the flame/lit areas, to have saturated warms, and desaturated cools<b>. </b>On this exact stage i actually shared the painting online, and it received greatly positive response. When time came i spotted various minor issues with this painting that I decided to fix in version 8.<br />
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<b><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLYbUN6rjHUQ_LgtV01NaZ0LtR_Jbr-H0hbtRvOTC4Rq4SnTFcqvWndZuLS281M9ePKwI3r3QNFmwfodwHoGvJLSWk3SLPz3_Ek1bIG9CoBr1mG2ckQBzLrjU98DE9LVj0YHuI6MKovM/s400/7.jpg" width="282" /></b><br />
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<b>Step 8: 12 things i needed to fix</b><br />
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<b>I stumbled upon various issues in Step 7 which are fixed in step 8:</b><br />
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<b>1. </b>In my reference i took in step 1, there was a lot of lens distortion going on. limbs looked bigger/smaller than they were. I copied these mistakes onto this character, who had a head too large and torso too thin.<b><br /></b><br />
<b>2. </b>The head missed a tremendous amount of rendering, as a focal point it should be perfect.<br />
<b>3. </b>The arm holding the chain has a tube shape, and not an organic one that starts thin and ends up thicker at the arm-muscles.<br />
<b>4. </b>The loincloth had too much contrast; It fought for attention with the focal areas.<br />
<b>5. </b>The Chain arms needed to form a focal/depth area. I needed to enhance the contrast by lightening the lit part of the arms, and darkening the adjacent areas.<br />
<b>6. </b>There was a tangent between the hand and painted fur beneath the armor.<br />
<b>7. </b>There was way too much detail in the background. It fought for attention with the already detailed character.<b><br /></b><br />
<b>8. </b>the character took up a tad too little space in the piece, which resulted in a bit of dead space at the bottom of the water area. Since the illustration leans to a portrait imagery, i wanted the character to take more space in the canvas.<br />
<b>9. </b>Silhoutte was missing around the leg area. I used the loin cloth to push the silhouette and make it more dynamic<b> </b><br />
<b>10. </b>The blues in the painting were too saturated, which looked a little bit unrealistic. I desaturated them, so they still suggest the color blue, but dont fight with the dominant colors red and yellow.<br />
<b>11. </b>Too little bounce light on the character from the surrounding areas. Needed to add more blueish/cyan tones on the sides of the character to balance things out.<br />
<b>12. </b>Too many darks in the midtones, i removed those and added lighter/more saturated colors instead. Has a more dreamy look to it (needed to pay attention to not kill the contrast), and technically will also look better on phones and print.<b></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxRs4XBw6Y3C1ZXtZZX-B8b_yetW4xf2myQ6Ui8oXofEK2NiZcSru_05Vg7eeNKEc3UdbyP4OpK2BkOPgQyMoWe3CWHlyD8fZDUpuNNIOQFHfCbehMjx_lJ0B8lzvxIkC2293neuyimA/s1600/Khazar+Bagathur.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxRs4XBw6Y3C1ZXtZZX-B8b_yetW4xf2myQ6Ui8oXofEK2NiZcSru_05Vg7eeNKEc3UdbyP4OpK2BkOPgQyMoWe3CWHlyD8fZDUpuNNIOQFHfCbehMjx_lJ0B8lzvxIkC2293neuyimA/s400/Khazar+Bagathur.jpg" width="282" /> </a></b><br />
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<b> Step 7-8</b><br />
<b><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRebSAWipFhLMXN7kMalGnc_tlKepIM4nbt0H2mVVCXaQbzXy69oGfgm9rZKqGSems_EDoNgb4xUoFV0LfEVE5sJt33c2vLkkiavL06FIYUUJMZqd8e-Wa8SL0FTBGncgdKHXKwad_DA/s400/Comparisment.jpg" width="400" /> </b><br />
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<b>Step-by-Step</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzPK1oE5EEe4gXwW5ccAfS_qgIzAj2bRU8PisMip68T6Xb2Xoua_yABfHHd7_QbVwYz87Hi3CeRdDZ2iWeNqMeMOBsqU3pxdMJ9wR1uOPxMh_ogHHeUyEd7_FXGR4pL5-0XUG9ZvspcI/s1600/Progress.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzPK1oE5EEe4gXwW5ccAfS_qgIzAj2bRU8PisMip68T6Xb2Xoua_yABfHHd7_QbVwYz87Hi3CeRdDZ2iWeNqMeMOBsqU3pxdMJ9wR1uOPxMh_ogHHeUyEd7_FXGR4pL5-0XUG9ZvspcI/s640/Progress.jpg" width="640" /></a> </b><br />
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<b>Conclusion: The Final Step</b></h2>
In this painting i did not struggle that much in the process compared to earlier personal paintings. The problem solving went decently, be it technical aspects or conceptual aspects, however the ''dot on the I'' which i tackled in step 8 was a new experience for me to push myself further. I needed to ask myself more critical questions and make A LOT of comparisments with other artists to achieve that result. The final step made alot of difference to me and it gave me great insights on what i can improve in a future painting<br />
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**Part two is online very soon! In this blogpost I will address mistakes that have been noticed after this blog post launched <br />
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<b>As always, i'd like to read your thoughts; discuss!</b><br />
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<b>All the Best,</b><br />
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<b>JCH</b><br />
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<b>www.joelchaimholtzman.com</b><br />
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joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-38579806333249914422018-06-19T04:41:00.000-07:002018-06-19T04:41:52.759-07:00Into Valac's Realm (2018)Hi Everyone!<br />
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Every once in a while i have the urge to talk about the process of my artpieces. In this blog post i will talk about my newest image called <i>Into Valac's Realm</i>. My goal is to teach, inspire and simply guide those interested into my process as an artist.<br />
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The image is made as a part of a series, with an emphasis on the Indo Scythians/Biblical Lost Tribes, which delves into their tales of war, heroism and falling from grace through occultism.<br />
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<b>Into Valac's Realm</b></div>
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The Goetic Memoires describe lands parallel to ours in ancient Arabia
that is home to Valac, the Marquis of Snakes. Those daring to travel the
lands bringing offerings and sacrifices can expect to be thaught the
powers to find treasures and transmute simple minerals to the purest of
gold, creating a pilgrimage for alchemists, magi and adventurers alike.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X0cznzo7PE-qA4zP0wnVcSxhLNA_LSCQwUllngUOBTrWtYqt3YxIHyVT_LT29NPwUbAE_LdbFzW5Saf1uM1M5QVrQWMyIy7xl7niNfbYcX2ASZ1r3gS9uxWTpFTLxiNzPxksuOPC3yo/s1600/Valac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1159" data-original-width="1600" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X0cznzo7PE-qA4zP0wnVcSxhLNA_LSCQwUllngUOBTrWtYqt3YxIHyVT_LT29NPwUbAE_LdbFzW5Saf1uM1M5QVrQWMyIy7xl7niNfbYcX2ASZ1r3gS9uxWTpFTLxiNzPxksuOPC3yo/s640/Valac.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Inspiration:</b></h2>
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1. Oxen, by Sebastiao Salgado. <br />
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When i saw Sebastiao's photography at his exhibition ''Genesis'', i liked everything about it. The atmosphere, nature and the in depth traversing into the lives of various african Tribes.<b> </b>Various of his imagery have been a major inspiration to my latest art pieces, and also this one below.<br />
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<i>2. </i>The Hamaxobii Scythians</div>
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I always like to do my research on the history of various outlandish tribes around the world. Thats where i stumbled upon the Hamaxobii Scythians. Descendant of the Persian Medes who, instead of other Scythians being horselords, they traveled and lived in their tents, pulled by Oxen. This proved to be a major selling point of the painting. </div>
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3. Medes and Scythians</div>
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After doing a bit more research on the Hamaxobii, i learned they were descendants of the Medes, who were a persian people, and Scythians (who were a mix of various people in the middle east, caucasus and levant). So i did some research on key elements of fashion from that time, and i found various elements that triggered my interest. One is the Mede gown, which had an interesting fold pattern, and the other being the Archetypical Scythian hat, staff and boots, which i applied to the painting later on.</div>
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Process</h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Stage 1</b>: Block-in and finding a narrative</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> This is the stage where i attempted to blockin the comp and narrative. I still wasn't sure what the story would be about and i let myself be carried away by the placement of the objects.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivE1BZlM_vAKjYSBtXtvfsgOmnAHu209lTdOjuSl2eP5BPYG4yTFlpXEHZleGE9a93cDS4LiSXJ1KtJ3tAKxdlgM4FAtKkHe-mTPcjQRQydSx0YoQe1OWnakOoFkiUNqGOdG5C2ckoGU/s1600/Valac1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1159" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivE1BZlM_vAKjYSBtXtvfsgOmnAHu209lTdOjuSl2eP5BPYG4yTFlpXEHZleGE9a93cDS4LiSXJ1KtJ3tAKxdlgM4FAtKkHe-mTPcjQRQydSx0YoQe1OWnakOoFkiUNqGOdG5C2ckoGU/s400/Valac1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Stage 2</b>: The Magus and the Worm</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">This is the stage where the image would have been leaning towards a magus with his entourage delving into a Lovecraftian Landscape after hearing a calling (hence the magus influencing the tentacles/worms), something i ditched for the most part due to conflicting narrative elements.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Stage 3</b>: Reference for character + Polish</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">This is the stage where i applied reference shot for the character (Cheers Jesse!) I attempted to replicate the foldings of the Mede Robe shown earlier with clippers. Furthermore i recommend using the <b>Auto Tone</b> function once in a while to get some color contrast fixing in your image. (The image was mostly brown first, but right now it has blue on the light parts and red on the shadows.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Stage 4</b>: Almost finished the image. Not!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">As i almost finished the image and showed it around, most people told me the same thing: The aesthetics work, but the narrative doesn't resonate. Mostly due to the following reasons;</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The man, the cart and the oxen don't interact with their surroundings. They just walk like nothing happens and the tent on the cart doesn't tell a specific story. I had to push deeper. The tentacles don't seem to be adding movement or narrative to the image.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">It seemed like i still had alot of work to do after all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Stage 5</b>: Lambs to the Slaughter</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I
decided that the image is about a Magus bringing human sacrifices to a
Lovecraftian Entity. I changed the tent/cart to hold human prisoners and
the oxen to be more afraid of the tentacles.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaQpa5chIoNwv5qZ5Xgj7W8TTcoF6I2a6_ZbZTriPqtDtUuJMHBlWmGhTok4mbCgEm5bVCJDiMKQKVD7v80vV3nwHF4WFBOfQ0nHTdW2B7kOLAlO2hYeyrNYaPtgRnrhNvM_TM-q5QfY/s1600/Valac5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1159" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaQpa5chIoNwv5qZ5Xgj7W8TTcoF6I2a6_ZbZTriPqtDtUuJMHBlWmGhTok4mbCgEm5bVCJDiMKQKVD7v80vV3nwHF4WFBOfQ0nHTdW2B7kOLAlO2hYeyrNYaPtgRnrhNvM_TM-q5QfY/s400/Valac5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> <b>Stage 6</b>: Almost finished! </span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Besides
the fact that the oxen and the cart have more narrative, the character
felt a little stiff/lacking a story. I decided to have him interact with
the oxen more, and have him push one annoyed. I re-shot reference for the face, looking towards the oxen, and the hand being in a more pushing motion. I also made the tentacles more aggressive and darkened the sky to decrease contrast and emphasise mood.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"> <b>Stage 7</b>: Into Valac's Realm; The Goetic Alchemist </span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In this stage the image is finished. I finalized all the little details and i even added a final push to the story:</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I changed the narrative to something more occult/mythological rather than Lovecraftian. I have always been intrigued by the lore of the demons of the Ars Goetia, the way they look, what they offer, and what they take from their victims.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Man, descendant from ancient tribes mentioned earlier is a wandering alchemist (See the ornate jewelry and the pouches filled with coins), delving into a parallel universe (see the outlandish structures and turbulent sky), who is home to the fallen angel Valac, also known as the Marquis of Snakes (see the tentacles from previous iterations being turned to snakes). In return for Human sacrifices the demon teaches those who manage to get far enough with knowledge of finding treasures, and transmuting mundane materials into gold.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In this image i learned a lot regarding the use of deep narrative. I need to get more extreme with gesture and interactions rather than only making a ''nice picture'', to make memorable imagery. And also very important: i need to <i><b>dare</b></i> more</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I hope you found use in this blog post. Please comment and let me know what you think!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">All the best,</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">JCH</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">www.joelchaimholtzman.com</span></h3>
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joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-61628284898515510192017-12-03T14:46:00.000-08:002017-12-03T14:46:41.571-08:00Mjolnir Coil (2016)Hi Everyone,<br />
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Every once in a while i would like to talk about the process of my more succesful pieces, made around 1.5-2 years ago. Besides the fact that i hope to help and inspire those who are reading, its a great way to delve into the realm of Nostalgia.<br />
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The piece itself was made within a series, of historical characters interacting with supernatural beings.<br />
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The painting depicts Nikola Tesla, having Captured the Norse God Thor and using his anger and hammer to fuell the Tesla Coil. These series were a great vessel to increase my inspiration for further painting i would make.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilD9TX-as3jBOXm6hOD_Hs5NfEp6fhUV5LFgcp1UWW9gP-U26PVULdKzcU1MhziK9lyOvhLnTCtVpvk96DZgu9jULWUcKF218RoS8w3bvq1wdHAs1Ue9q0qP_dSv6fEwYKpKsLA5HMSzo/s1600/mjolnir_coil_by_chaimon-dabjr9h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilD9TX-as3jBOXm6hOD_Hs5NfEp6fhUV5LFgcp1UWW9gP-U26PVULdKzcU1MhziK9lyOvhLnTCtVpvk96DZgu9jULWUcKF218RoS8w3bvq1wdHAs1Ue9q0qP_dSv6fEwYKpKsLA5HMSzo/s640/mjolnir_coil_by_chaimon-dabjr9h.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Mjolnir Coil</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span><div>
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<i><span><span>''As a human race we are weak. Countless
Philosophers, conquerors and inventors did not change that fact of the
matter. But look at us now. Together, we can make so called ''gods''
kneel, and serve as the footstone of our civilisation.'', </span></span></i></div>
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<span><span>-Nikola Tesla's Pitch of the Mjolnir coil to Thomas Edison</span></span></div>
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<b> Idea Sketches</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ODI7X9ljahovsD7NmvomaqIrDtvD768pOMhQ9NGb29YZDVq1JQB-Sz4DVnmSmSDFWUYjJ6hj34e68AJy19oLfhsSNJyeBiQYAuPk13uSCKXrLgv2hOr9vzlXLZoY2-NqkpCgz6z1tzU/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ODI7X9ljahovsD7NmvomaqIrDtvD768pOMhQ9NGb29YZDVq1JQB-Sz4DVnmSmSDFWUYjJ6hj34e68AJy19oLfhsSNJyeBiQYAuPk13uSCKXrLgv2hOr9vzlXLZoY2-NqkpCgz6z1tzU/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboGALw_LRQ9KFUes8ShegW5IKuYmr0Nyw5DuajGQCFzkvne5K4d10uAt9puqOqwej8Bhrmgl2l5EfApg8UXF7kz5Y56FCqWRFBSCjS78H788MidzfIu6DK0J4O6aDRLO2wEQws-eg3nU/s1600/Tesla.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboGALw_LRQ9KFUes8ShegW5IKuYmr0Nyw5DuajGQCFzkvne5K4d10uAt9puqOqwej8Bhrmgl2l5EfApg8UXF7kz5Y56FCqWRFBSCjS78H788MidzfIu6DK0J4O6aDRLO2wEQws-eg3nU/s320/Tesla.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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Here are a few sketches of ideas i had in mind, trying different POVS. I decided to go with the second POV however i changed a few things:</div>
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<b>1. </b>The manner Thow was chained to the coil, looks too much like a crucific. I did not realise the resemblence up until i made the sketches, and i decided not to go with this subject matter. Mostly because of the fact that the theme of a christ like figure being chained is overused/cliché and could be perceived as offensive. Furthermore it didnt add any interesting design or narrative to the story i wanted to tell, to i did some research about Tesla, and decided to use a full Tesla Coil where Thor is chained up to.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKzwCY00wSe_lPZnqF5H5V0khzW1homvIw3QBJjJEeNrGf3z3Z7fQOEaUeyuAZIq0w2vpSFJU1EjGiPJ8zz_GyDaKOk17TEr7pCTPan62n-dKskh1QazDfD3fv9JTyrBsiwE0ru8CXqk/s1600/b57e06e96a3ba44dcb8c252aa4105c36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKzwCY00wSe_lPZnqF5H5V0khzW1homvIw3QBJjJEeNrGf3z3Z7fQOEaUeyuAZIq0w2vpSFJU1EjGiPJ8zz_GyDaKOk17TEr7pCTPan62n-dKskh1QazDfD3fv9JTyrBsiwE0ru8CXqk/s320/b57e06e96a3ba44dcb8c252aa4105c36.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. Thors Hammer, Mjolnir as shown in the Mythology (and the Marvel Cinematic universe) can only be wielded by Thor himself, so it wouldnt make too much sense for a skinny guy like Tesla to wield it. Even though Thor is held in submission. From this point i decided to make Mjolnir the main part of the Tesla coil, and let the viewer decide how it got to be a part of that contraption.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d8Vc9ltEuyChfnONHBvExopc96TKXEWNG-g6MQ_fDWdiVKu5NiHYO3mjNc-G6XDcCV5JKLc-5Gxq0_6XHMs2vI2dDSahwzMki94RIGgGnjlbsgFj21cDggPFG-RgTzz0dotyIileP0g/s1600/Tesla+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9d8Vc9ltEuyChfnONHBvExopc96TKXEWNG-g6MQ_fDWdiVKu5NiHYO3mjNc-G6XDcCV5JKLc-5Gxq0_6XHMs2vI2dDSahwzMki94RIGgGnjlbsgFj21cDggPFG-RgTzz0dotyIileP0g/s320/Tesla+%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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In this image i wanted to emphasise that Tesla is in a large ball room kind of area with thor. the setting, while wanting to show alot of energy, seemed a bit stiff and could have alot more power. Thor wasn't struggling, and the setting seemed a tad dull and boring. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeRJHZNDRCGLrrtJf2DK7K8KwxDtgHBlxFA8aaMxhJ6xIcuCnhhjcQXd6xBdwemVUlhoHH5IcAauhbUArzhWevDTSJf569VSuzxgbxbVsqwPwH17cO5W9eA2oqUyMruIUOGTc9B9uJ44/s1600/Tesla+2-Recovered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeRJHZNDRCGLrrtJf2DK7K8KwxDtgHBlxFA8aaMxhJ6xIcuCnhhjcQXd6xBdwemVUlhoHH5IcAauhbUArzhWevDTSJf569VSuzxgbxbVsqwPwH17cO5W9eA2oqUyMruIUOGTc9B9uJ44/s320/Tesla+2-Recovered.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So this section is a significant improvement. It shows alot of dynamics, where the lines of the ballroom, add depth, as well as pointing towards the Coil. There were still a few problems. There were a few perspective issies as well as Thor still needing a bit of Work. The tension of being bound was still missing!</div>
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Design wise i went slightly different with Thor. I really, really, didnt want go for a Marvel/winged helmet kind of look so i just took my liberties with the fact that he is the god of fertility too besides being the god of Thunder.</div>
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<i> Photos by Jimmy Nelson's ''before they Pass Away''. A must include if you are a character designer.</i></div>
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As you can see here, these are obviously not norse characters, but African. However, i thought it would be cool to combine the two elements. Part A of how we know Thor, and part B of something completely new. Adding two unrelated subjects together is a major way of creating cool and unique characters.</div>
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At this stage things are starting to come together. Thors hands tell alot about the Tension he is enduring, and them wearing metal gauntlets also give a nice contrast to the organic and shamanistic objects he is wearing.</div>
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Regarding Tesla and his consorts i wanted to go for a steampunk look, to make them look mighty enough to be able to challenge an entity like Thor.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzcmdMEfk1tFu8-ReCyZY_UXLpRTxgc6JbmnMk3c14r2sK-22TOzE1Utfy24_fPxcVL1hckeLn0yfX0aMOvJA7vRaTqlH0Ptst1ykq8yu3A90eGthPly5hCt0hyphenhyphen2OPEsDaIpmHFHrrxg/s1600/mjolnir_coil_by_chaimon-dabjr9h.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzcmdMEfk1tFu8-ReCyZY_UXLpRTxgc6JbmnMk3c14r2sK-22TOzE1Utfy24_fPxcVL1hckeLn0yfX0aMOvJA7vRaTqlH0Ptst1ykq8yu3A90eGthPly5hCt0hyphenhyphen2OPEsDaIpmHFHrrxg/s640/mjolnir_coil_by_chaimon-dabjr9h.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the finished piece, i played alot with the lightning from Mjolnir to show depth, action and movement. Thors red hair and yellow flowercoat prove an interesting focalpoint against the general blueish hue of the image. The lightning also connects the two main characters of the image. Thor and Tesla. </div>
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It was a challenge for me to utilize these aspects back then since i was mostly proficient with more static characters, so this piece proved a milestone for me using various elements to enhance the dynamics in future paintings.</div>
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I hope you enjoyed this blogpost, please let me know if you found any use in it and if you have any comments.</div>
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All the best,</div>
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JCH</div>
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joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-36913386136235202017-09-11T05:07:00.005-07:002018-06-27T05:50:41.782-07:00Promise of Power: My First ExpoHi Everyone,<br />
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In this blogpost i would like to talk a bit about my experience on my first expo, especially the opening, and i hope it encourages you to set up your own!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1zLiJSvnRVcwW7nvaYcRznAFphB1vFSaMiYUPFOapprOHi3TBntw1pzUadxgO3CI3PCdHvsnlDaXE913sRYclmC6h3lAKxm2w7E_ZwwUTFWCoCh7mh9o1BtKiEqlNee7fA8OBVfNo-4/s1600/8XlVAge2uoUihnmGxPjfjr5cZS2lVFbMp3lQoIwXFPN43A7lNqUVkbuEJT-pq6tZCQ8ptA%253Dw1704-h946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1261" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1zLiJSvnRVcwW7nvaYcRznAFphB1vFSaMiYUPFOapprOHi3TBntw1pzUadxgO3CI3PCdHvsnlDaXE913sRYclmC6h3lAKxm2w7E_ZwwUTFWCoCh7mh9o1BtKiEqlNee7fA8OBVfNo-4/s400/8XlVAge2uoUihnmGxPjfjr5cZS2lVFbMp3lQoIwXFPN43A7lNqUVkbuEJT-pq6tZCQ8ptA%253Dw1704-h946.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>How it all started</b></div>
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I went to an exposition of friends, around a year before i decided to do mine. They were present at a local art collective and they invited friends and family. Food was present, music even and a general good vibe. I wanted to try something similar.</div>
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So i am a regular customer at my local <i>American Book Center </i>and i noticed that they organize various expositions upstairs. One day i just asked the store clerk if i could enter, and after showing my work he was excited and then the preparations were being made.</div>
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<b>First steps</b></div>
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At first<b> </b>i decided to just use prints and frame them, invite a couple of friends/family and generally have a good time. The news came to my dads ears, and as a man who was a succesful artist back in the day, with expositions around the world of his photography, he implied i should take this more seriously. I should ditch the paper prints for this purpose, and he would help me get some proper prints. </div>
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The more we worked on this, the more serious the entire idea became! I decided to invite alot of people. Print flyers, ask friends, friends of friends, old friends, and future friends. Family and in-laws.</div>
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<b>Ordering prints </b></div>
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I went to the local print stores and noticed a few options that caught my attention:<br />
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(I do not own any of the 3 images shown as example below) </div>
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<b>Option on wood</b>: Artwork would be printed on wood. Either with or without white colors (so that the wood would replace everything that is white) I did not choose this option because my work contains too many value ranges on different places. It would be a mess. This option, however, would work on media with strong contrast and a limited valuerange.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9w4QIPQ9D-iawewb8hWD1N5WDpMz3fz1Rum_UG7g2S3y4BeJhJZDjKcWriwMqSLgHo1kkUXBGoTuCqi6_8jioyA8fVz9NdXdmo-zF62oA5K76XXSrpSztDqgSRpQM7yqcujCrww505Cw/s1600/IMG_A34438_800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9w4QIPQ9D-iawewb8hWD1N5WDpMz3fz1Rum_UG7g2S3y4BeJhJZDjKcWriwMqSLgHo1kkUXBGoTuCqi6_8jioyA8fVz9NdXdmo-zF62oA5K76XXSrpSztDqgSRpQM7yqcujCrww505Cw/s320/IMG_A34438_800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Museum glass</b>: This is the most aesthetic pleasing of all options. It is something, as the name says, that could hang in a museum. The colors come out nicely and the print has a nice coating of glass for an extra professional feel. I considered this option but it was a tad too expensive. I do not have an audience that generally collects more expensive artwork/originals, mostly prints, so i should find a nuance for now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s0mzbvO4dyU20HtCbkFyOktQo9F19Sj7nVnY4BpyHVlgCVpyQEJ4Mdh6VodBiQRdcY4IXkYyWW8qIqZfi9_eNtCHzD7jiD3qs-6j52SGqhbH2QjLQ5XzQA3gdB7NJnxar-13mQMzfB0/s1600/je-foto-op-plexiglas-printen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="400" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_s0mzbvO4dyU20HtCbkFyOktQo9F19Sj7nVnY4BpyHVlgCVpyQEJ4Mdh6VodBiQRdcY4IXkYyWW8qIqZfi9_eNtCHzD7jiD3qs-6j52SGqhbH2QjLQ5XzQA3gdB7NJnxar-13mQMzfB0/s320/je-foto-op-plexiglas-printen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Forex print</b>: This is the option i decided to take. Its a high quality form of cardboard which is very light. the colors come out extremely nicely even though the print is extremely matte. However, since the material was so light/fragile it couldnt be fastened with a hanging device. This proved to be a pain later on, since i had to fasten it myself!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdZuOKngVI5O4fFh_KhB4zSfz9rbFgXMZn95ImnFEdw0bPsTWxSLeHp0MUEtfDvzLiVphgcut1vCEIyG3V6UmgBWm_lJupdw21LkB5UuAzBqBA20WndslbMj7LxlyDLGb-Lg7wFKXeZQ/s1600/3a-forex-print-1AS-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="335" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdZuOKngVI5O4fFh_KhB4zSfz9rbFgXMZn95ImnFEdw0bPsTWxSLeHp0MUEtfDvzLiVphgcut1vCEIyG3V6UmgBWm_lJupdw21LkB5UuAzBqBA20WndslbMj7LxlyDLGb-Lg7wFKXeZQ/s320/3a-forex-print-1AS-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Opening</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-s1FL8bUbKNVPU5PMcXUvEh3CTDk9aUqA2SRAbIscj7K4C7ErfiCYw35COBX1ypYx54I-ok6OAnddMqpExeVcsyxV9aNPemVSdhimVypO5jxATziBrcWhCPQsisHgqhxxpVkqWkP-Ys8/s1600/20507230_1622103687814019_5971598260143134316_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-s1FL8bUbKNVPU5PMcXUvEh3CTDk9aUqA2SRAbIscj7K4C7ErfiCYw35COBX1ypYx54I-ok6OAnddMqpExeVcsyxV9aNPemVSdhimVypO5jxATziBrcWhCPQsisHgqhxxpVkqWkP-Ys8/s400/20507230_1622103687814019_5971598260143134316_o.jpg" width="400" /></a> </b></div>
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90% of the effort was aimed towards the opening. The most people would be there at once, after that the expo would be present for a month where only a trickle of people would be there at the same time.<br />
I invited everyone i have and had contact with, the latter aiming to reconnect and hopefully rekindle old friendships. In many cases it happened succesfully! I am working with old friends now to expand my business and i had great talks too with people i didn't see for a while! People who were important in my life connected with each other as well which was great to see.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6WKX-p7Sncub3-nSSQdoKqFgmkljvoE765fmXGxhRUDW6JKcuUlzc9h2FM5nrmToGzF3ltqdl7XqEDcTK7jPHaL7iO51Px3hzatC1yfFsycFO1a5Y7IxVC_h2IdRsQ3BokxJiR639Jw/s1600/20507353_1622104074480647_3470861441873725020_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6WKX-p7Sncub3-nSSQdoKqFgmkljvoE765fmXGxhRUDW6JKcuUlzc9h2FM5nrmToGzF3ltqdl7XqEDcTK7jPHaL7iO51Px3hzatC1yfFsycFO1a5Y7IxVC_h2IdRsQ3BokxJiR639Jw/s400/20507353_1622104074480647_3470861441873725020_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To backup the costs of the event i had a booth selling prints, as well as showcasing work not hanging at the expo itself. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Wvwz13MZ-Tr9HVWzo-F4079OyvGB7MsakIUQVu2OHO1C4EDsS-6rEG1aDk1kePjLw3gcwt4cg4fajwkde9rFJ5GqrYD-sI_8bB2xquIRSq57j4c8h64Ch6vZW_Zt0-CQxR59sYzp5a0/s1600/20452015_1622103994480655_6038647892185975784_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1315" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Wvwz13MZ-Tr9HVWzo-F4079OyvGB7MsakIUQVu2OHO1C4EDsS-6rEG1aDk1kePjLw3gcwt4cg4fajwkde9rFJ5GqrYD-sI_8bB2xquIRSq57j4c8h64Ch6vZW_Zt0-CQxR59sYzp5a0/s400/20452015_1622103994480655_6038647892185975784_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The most important part of this expo was not to sell prints necessarily, but mostly for the reasons mentioned above. its a great experience, and it adds alot to a professional atmosphere around your work in general.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXQd1hoCUx-I7kzMBCYoSUcongXx_Y8X9N57lgreFm6VHV8FN-5c0vRoryOvDaCZI-Ja73U2SUbqj2c9W_xoS_U5L5hDtp90Srd8Z0MN0Syd-KB_S80m_ymm1Kmld2lV3XXp-ZjoMFcw/s1600/20543796_1622103564480698_5888780199413354728_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXQd1hoCUx-I7kzMBCYoSUcongXx_Y8X9N57lgreFm6VHV8FN-5c0vRoryOvDaCZI-Ja73U2SUbqj2c9W_xoS_U5L5hDtp90Srd8Z0MN0Syd-KB_S80m_ymm1Kmld2lV3XXp-ZjoMFcw/s400/20543796_1622103564480698_5888780199413354728_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I recommend every artist take a stab at this. Invite your family, friends, old and new, fellow artist and print alot of <b>flyers</b>! Spread the world and who knows who will come to check out your work. It's a great reason for you and enthousiasts to look at your work in a different light.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhBFv-ANU5kkQk_YnGguepJR5WEGQa5KMM4DseQIIdZp2IwgVmfFWpaEw9szK321Xc8qRj6-12oNb8Ye9z6zmM92YV9we4v4Ukg0wUamrA25bpCNAFVt3_gz5IH980S_CTL5ztTqBq4k/s1600/20294461_1612507925440262_5432789208821617875_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="679" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhBFv-ANU5kkQk_YnGguepJR5WEGQa5KMM4DseQIIdZp2IwgVmfFWpaEw9szK321Xc8qRj6-12oNb8Ye9z6zmM92YV9we4v4Ukg0wUamrA25bpCNAFVt3_gz5IH980S_CTL5ztTqBq4k/s640/20294461_1612507925440262_5432789208821617875_n.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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Hope this was interesting and even inspired you to take a similar initiative as i did! To this day i even hear at conventions that people saw my artwork IRL at this exact expo and i connect with them immediately. If you have any questions regarding setting up your own expo, make sure to message me!<br />
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All the best,<br />
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JCH</div>
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joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-44565717355987099862017-08-06T16:57:00.003-07:002017-08-18T04:23:25.950-07:00The Resurrection of the Ouwlaw King (2016)Hi everyone,<br />
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Here is another Walkthrough from one of my recent more succesful paintings (1 yr). It depicts William Wallace, After being slain by the english. His king makes a pact with the Gwyllions of Wales to resurrect him, by stitching him while he is nailed to trees. Just playing around with history and myth around the same area and time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhga8DKwKtg21OwofBoUqTIVaJEzmS7mTEwNQGOnsUZTfLgVbEMOYg6ju6-akHZZWzsjO633dKZywzedseJlfV0mItuWm6l44bnjyKy_QeIjdHTsfvjfml1j0Zkkc9v3PvJxjaUCJV-EEo/s1600/ww.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhga8DKwKtg21OwofBoUqTIVaJEzmS7mTEwNQGOnsUZTfLgVbEMOYg6ju6-akHZZWzsjO633dKZywzedseJlfV0mItuWm6l44bnjyKy_QeIjdHTsfvjfml1j0Zkkc9v3PvJxjaUCJV-EEo/s640/ww.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<i><b>Resurrection of the Outlaw King</b></i></h2>
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<i> ''The Guardian of Scotland is Dead; Betrayed by our enemies, branded traitor and mercilessly executed.''
<br /><br />Hope is lost among the Clansmen, but I, Robert the Bruce, Heir
to the Scottish throne did not.
The Gwyllions of Wales want to play.They have recovered William's
dismembered bodyparts and restitched them together for our cause.
They even clothed him in old scottish manner and donned his warpaints.
<br /><br />With their unholy blessing our hero will lead us to victory once
again, but at what cost? When we win this war, what will these hags do
once they have access to the Throne of England? '' </i></div>
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<b> Idea sketche</b><i>s</i></div>
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In this painting i wanted to depict the battle fought when WW is already been resurrected, as some kind of frankensteins monster, next to Robert the Bruce, the future Scottisch King. I liked the motion but i didnt use it because it wouldnt emphasise the entire selling point, which is that WW is resurrected by a mystical power.</div>
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSeJdtqYAvqvPdq4fFF-ADJCkP2mwsvaqpm2Xgs5evHQOvCLV47WaHpiZNm-rQfdHdk9D7J94QcoAsfy4rEe7J3Mpt8Pjiw5SGJmpukO1_RaaweCX-7l-NWL2RTvXZi_RA44VlNkxPGg/s1600/Robert+thumbs.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSeJdtqYAvqvPdq4fFF-ADJCkP2mwsvaqpm2Xgs5evHQOvCLV47WaHpiZNm-rQfdHdk9D7J94QcoAsfy4rEe7J3Mpt8Pjiw5SGJmpukO1_RaaweCX-7l-NWL2RTvXZi_RA44VlNkxPGg/s400/Robert+thumbs.jpg" width="400" /></a> </i></div>
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In this painting i wanted an stoic scene where WW and Robert are ready for battle. As with option 1 it just didnt emphasise the selling point, and just wasnt that spectacular in general. The background seems a bit weird as well (doesnt fit the mood and narrative)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvqfW4p0I-p3joL30ZrpRTTe0Rff-XVqcV6NSDg1weh85OeGXsIQ2AQzkPgWQzzxfjMpAKrLLU10hBGgHxPoEUO4GS1tqCKPu1k34IYNZq0jiLz4lovAHswgQQKzzrRQ7s0jHH6cx9tE/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvqfW4p0I-p3joL30ZrpRTTe0Rff-XVqcV6NSDg1weh85OeGXsIQ2AQzkPgWQzzxfjMpAKrLLU10hBGgHxPoEUO4GS1tqCKPu1k34IYNZq0jiLz4lovAHswgQQKzzrRQ7s0jHH6cx9tE/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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This is the sketch i eventually chose to pursue. It has an interesting angle, it tells the story in a clear way, and it has the best mood of the 3 sketches. I also chose to retain humanoid proportions for WW because i didnt want the character to look too comical.</div>
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Here is the chosen sketch after some work. It looks pretty decent so far, but the more i worked on it, the more i got overwhelmed by the piece. It was all to blame to not using the proper reference or only using it halfway.</div>
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I used my girlfriend as reference. As you can see this doesnt look like anything i am painting. She doesnt wear the clothes of WW. she doesnt have the body type of WW and her arms arent leaning on anything. This reference is 99% useless besides the pose perhaps.</div>
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Here is when things are starting to get hard. I started to lose control of the values when moving to color (Thats why you should check your values at ALL TIMES through a Hue/Saturation layer). The piece lost its mood from the sketch and i did not use proper reference for the kilt/body. I just grabbed something from the internet and tried to integrate it on the pose of someone lying down, which i can guarantee you NEVER looks 100% natural, as you can see above.</div>
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Here is a comparison of the greyscale version from before and after i added color (so you can see how it went wrong)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22Kf9HsCMcWVkkB0o0Tblr9mXFLxejEaken-ZCWKkFEL7t73eP4XPZq_KGEmZAfd3mHGx_X8G7QRPSha6_IXPRy_Rx8F6CCmgRAmSLACGPMN67oOqAVo6NKDyC5rWXvw_ynBdyWiHI2Q/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh22Kf9HsCMcWVkkB0o0Tblr9mXFLxejEaken-ZCWKkFEL7t73eP4XPZq_KGEmZAfd3mHGx_X8G7QRPSha6_IXPRy_Rx8F6CCmgRAmSLACGPMN67oOqAVo6NKDyC5rWXvw_ynBdyWiHI2Q/s200/3.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkwMcp_OZGsVUJFyN-xcnMNo7iqi4IzRR0nYrWRP_b2dMuohBhk_bWFItjAvHMJ7dnZOtnhHC6DksN_JXj9UhgMM0da8B1nAisGAXMtZzDJZtVYys3kCTchqJBSj188GXzt7wIeUzAtc/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQkwMcp_OZGsVUJFyN-xcnMNo7iqi4IzRR0nYrWRP_b2dMuohBhk_bWFItjAvHMJ7dnZOtnhHC6DksN_JXj9UhgMM0da8B1nAisGAXMtZzDJZtVYys3kCTchqJBSj188GXzt7wIeUzAtc/s200/2.jpg" width="200" /> </a></div>
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Left piece has a pretty intense mood, accompanied with a wide value range, while the right piece (where i started to add color) started to look messier in general, while losing the sinister vibe the first sketch had.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGX75f3Y0kY611-PrcoE5UHcIPM0TGtr0Yoi3NFpeGvg_JTxKiMN8JxzRUwXgvQ2Td1M4P-pcA0kwjG_lFT6hPcfeiQKheA7R61VcWv8mt28k1AvjpYijakNuYsrWdl6HE07L0oSTeFQ/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGX75f3Y0kY611-PrcoE5UHcIPM0TGtr0Yoi3NFpeGvg_JTxKiMN8JxzRUwXgvQ2Td1M4P-pcA0kwjG_lFT6hPcfeiQKheA7R61VcWv8mt28k1AvjpYijakNuYsrWdl6HE07L0oSTeFQ/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is where things started to become frustrating. I started to render only realising after a while i am not anywhere near a realist level. The mood is still missing (its a tad better due to the darker background) the folds are slightly better but not perfect (as i will show you later) and the anatomy is so, so. Alot of guessing again from reference that isnt in the same pose whatsoever, and no time is spent emphasizing the muscles.</div>
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<i> </i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTeYtm1ALETRWJB0KeXw7x6PXNR0lhW1F08h5OKKbnoJRb18uyme2mkjNrdm7OYYY7NPO8yyBg6qJcla6uXbFfnpAw-i6fNGKlRnWZdh0-pZHsSlJIhB2cwPCmwGHaFV-EKJ-FljU0T8/s1600/IMAG0369.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTeYtm1ALETRWJB0KeXw7x6PXNR0lhW1F08h5OKKbnoJRb18uyme2mkjNrdm7OYYY7NPO8yyBg6qJcla6uXbFfnpAw-i6fNGKlRnWZdh0-pZHsSlJIhB2cwPCmwGHaFV-EKJ-FljU0T8/s400/IMAG0369.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Here is a reference piece use for the piece above. I shot a photo of a male friend to better suit the subject. Its slightly better than the first reference but again, not there at all. The cloth is just strewn on his body, not wrapped around like a kilt, nor does it have the same pattern as a kilt. The upper body of my pal should have been exposed to show muscles to help me paint them.<i></i></div>
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At this stage things are starting to look brighter. I used proper reference on the clothing and it shows. The background is painted decently but the mood has been lost again after a </div>
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while of painting. Always make sure to check earlier stages of your painting to find parts you lost but could use again! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInnvR7PgAwaIN6byHAun6yXqzDx6aSBkatf_rUbBf1Azdm3oudm3igMxEiFwd8pTlwl6hVAUF9PQ9J07uA9w75bAxhpzop2dWhUiPbYjD2OngZ24n2PEFJ9lQkoOBHQPgTJtKo4Ui5jA/s1600/13336187_1198960133461712_1561861545_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInnvR7PgAwaIN6byHAun6yXqzDx6aSBkatf_rUbBf1Azdm3oudm3igMxEiFwd8pTlwl6hVAUF9PQ9J07uA9w75bAxhpzop2dWhUiPbYjD2OngZ24n2PEFJ9lQkoOBHQPgTJtKo4Ui5jA/s400/13336187_1198960133461712_1561861545_n.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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At this stage i started to take things way more seriously. I asked another friend to tie a sheet around his middle and a another sheet around his torso/hips (fastened with a belt) to make it as realistic as possible. Too bad i didnt take the time to find a checker sheet to emphasise the kilt itself, but the largest part has already been done. However, i still needed to find reference online for prominent muscles (no offense to my buddy ofcourse!) but at least right now i knew where to place them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_r6SoCnBx0yIB9uP7ytWnueylz41JZHZC4ZkGNINRfIiWsGPERqoSyaQYozh0hYiZBE-LPVbFV-5JuVk72f1hH4qEuNCeHr-LMo1vcvjU2kfYBMrdOberU7vEi2kAZ-zmJEo64yvJaDk/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_r6SoCnBx0yIB9uP7ytWnueylz41JZHZC4ZkGNINRfIiWsGPERqoSyaQYozh0hYiZBE-LPVbFV-5JuVk72f1hH4qEuNCeHr-LMo1vcvjU2kfYBMrdOberU7vEi2kAZ-zmJEo64yvJaDk/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpBagsA6wcswMQ1Bh2EtGR74uNI2GXKChYRrvuTztKqvAOLtQizZW1Ya3mX0MAhOppJtsao6EXp1CqZMp2tSHSYvS09fpRLlYX6FCMNf0ljthbmffl5aHqxC3NMInI2URj6SuAZhdEoY/s1600/Sewer+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpBagsA6wcswMQ1Bh2EtGR74uNI2GXKChYRrvuTztKqvAOLtQizZW1Ya3mX0MAhOppJtsao6EXp1CqZMp2tSHSYvS09fpRLlYX6FCMNf0ljthbmffl5aHqxC3NMInI2URj6SuAZhdEoY/s320/Sewer+1.jpg" width="180" /></a>At this stage things are starting to look more finished. Rendering to its fullest, as well as finding proper reference for the little Gwyllions for which i used my girlfriend. She wasn't comfortable with doing nude shoots so we shot the photos with stretched clothing. The lady sitting bottom right was hard for me to do with clothes, i couldnt see certain muscles bending with the movement properly, so she agreed to take one photo without clothes.(which i am not going to share for obvious reasons :-p)</div>
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdE79bapqRhrvOCkuUfpfrmnpl24UGp0l-GAoBB1MdW2vqrm-JnjiOeoiNk6OnzPyQqdI6j-KnY74vbiexXSJCLCjJY7migjCwWnUlnCikit0q8qSMuEtyEyeiSxnoVCTpgLuYwHDCtkg/s1600/ww.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdE79bapqRhrvOCkuUfpfrmnpl24UGp0l-GAoBB1MdW2vqrm-JnjiOeoiNk6OnzPyQqdI6j-KnY74vbiexXSJCLCjJY7migjCwWnUlnCikit0q8qSMuEtyEyeiSxnoVCTpgLuYwHDCtkg/s640/ww.jpg" width="640" /> </a></i></div>
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At this point the piece if finished. I emphasised the focal point to be the center of the image, where all the seweing is taking place. The golden beltbuckle serving as a bounce light source to light the gnomes and part of WW's face. When characters are lit from below it always give you a more dramatic and foreboding vibe, so i took full advantage of that. I darkened the surrounding area of the image to get the sinister feel back, but i had to watch out to not get TOO dark. The most important part is just to have the gradiation going of the values (from dark to light). </div>
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This piece took alot out of me; It was hard, challenging, but i learned alot when it comes to preparation and proper reference usage. Taking things to the next level so to speak.</div>
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I will try to make these blogpost a 1/2 week thing. I really like to share knowledge and hear positive things from people. Sharing is caring after all!</div>
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Please let me know what you think of this post,</div>
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Have a great one!</div>
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JCH</div>
joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-41006891097454505552017-06-27T17:14:00.002-07:002017-08-06T16:58:12.648-07:00The Khan and the Horselord (2016)Hi everyone,<br />
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Now that ive shared the process of learning the craft through a mentorship i would like to explain how i made various of my portfolio pieces. Today we will talk about my piece t<i>he Khan and the Horselord, </i>An interpretation of the tale where the devil promises Jesus the world but he declines, but in this storyline the devil goes to Genghis Khan and promises him the same. The latter accepts thus he becomes the greatest conqueror in history.<br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxB4NJehXNYYskdLeiyL0v9LubJc43yDHx25AnVrjy0YzViI5NshE7gWiZoSdExcOk0c9YWYpbpUKyA_SBFSJVluqK-PgDdN9VOSbXH5kGWx2RSJawL7xbTnEnWZ0ogbs0KsnUXZuujy8/s1600/Khan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxB4NJehXNYYskdLeiyL0v9LubJc43yDHx25AnVrjy0YzViI5NshE7gWiZoSdExcOk0c9YWYpbpUKyA_SBFSJVluqK-PgDdN9VOSbXH5kGWx2RSJawL7xbTnEnWZ0ogbs0KsnUXZuujy8/s640/Khan.jpg" width="452" /></a></i></div>
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<i>''Who am i you ask'' The hooded stranger grinned. ''I am a wanderer,
searching lands beyond hidden borders for the most capable souls who
have the capability and will to wield great power. Only two worthy men i
visited, one in Nazareth, and the other one is you, Temujin, conqueror
of Mongolia.''
<br /><br />The Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.''All this I will give
you'' he said,''if you will bow down and worship me'' Feeling presence
greater than Temujin knew he was capable to either fight or achieve on
his own, he knelt befor the fallen angel, and looked upwards.
<br /><br />The Devils grin broadened. ''Arise, chosen one. Arise as Genghis Khan, and make the world tremble!'' </i><br />
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Thats a story i have written to backup the piece! <i> </i>Now we have got that part out, i will explain how i started.<br />
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<b>Thumbnailing</b></div>
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A process which i use when i would like to view various compositions from a distance without delving too deep into details yet. It helps me to read the image in an instant. if it doesnt work, here, it will never work, so it is important to be critical with yourself when using this method. You can easily pass the 20+ sketches in this method.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCSGMPL_jvYwDVQ1iTnBQIc8PRztvhE712_LlSbR_BIHefGb8qjzsuiHJTxhFEstVLKtpvsEnBagMhpkKehv03VAtR6vjJF8UEHeBKKHGsWzxFvrRjgR_gEQ5Vkk0A-mWrXxPME2uOlg/s1600/Thumbs+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqCSGMPL_jvYwDVQ1iTnBQIc8PRztvhE712_LlSbR_BIHefGb8qjzsuiHJTxhFEstVLKtpvsEnBagMhpkKehv03VAtR6vjJF8UEHeBKKHGsWzxFvrRjgR_gEQ5Vkk0A-mWrXxPME2uOlg/s320/Thumbs+2.jpg" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbjlcmuM28Ohty9HrWiMMQZIP5_SMNw_wBRFrd5BVwO2VbGTRaOwiXVwaQrrMdWYoAVEvMNcS5CI_PTgttLKADu-XHzdvku6JqzR1sp_P0YlflkTS8A7cZF0JSyIRvf_I46wfNeahdZE/s1600/Thumbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbjlcmuM28Ohty9HrWiMMQZIP5_SMNw_wBRFrd5BVwO2VbGTRaOwiXVwaQrrMdWYoAVEvMNcS5CI_PTgttLKADu-XHzdvku6JqzR1sp_P0YlflkTS8A7cZF0JSyIRvf_I46wfNeahdZE/s320/Thumbs.jpg" width="225" /> </a></div>
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As you can see i tried various poses, closeups, interactions and lighting. Some of them work, most of them dont. Its important to get as much as possible out of your system, since there might be a better option lurking. You dont know if you dont try! </div>
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The way i did this process in quick way is making the thumbnails in a selected layer (so you wont paint outside the box) and just copy them, and altering them every time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUBEMlJ6807iksWUOZvIk6nzMOP4l2G4Jciqo70qcc__arlhykBukZs1U3RSAuTo-P8jfuU8Pu7XBm-kl7Xzk6D_JgV6ln5M7ZwfR0wlT1l55mU6trH5c2NJHRs-GstI0XWL7MwgCj8I/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1133" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUBEMlJ6807iksWUOZvIk6nzMOP4l2G4Jciqo70qcc__arlhykBukZs1U3RSAuTo-P8jfuU8Pu7XBm-kl7Xzk6D_JgV6ln5M7ZwfR0wlT1l55mU6trH5c2NJHRs-GstI0XWL7MwgCj8I/s320/3.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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At this point i found myself an interesting comp, where the story in my opinion is told the best. I wanted the focal point to be at Satans hand, where the interaction between the two characters is </div>
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taking place.I started to look for a fitting color scheme.</div>
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<b> </b>I played around with various color schemes until i found one that emphasised the atmosphere of my story the best. I went with a lowly satured mix of red, blue and green, to create an eerie and foreboding atmosphere.<br />
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<b>Reference gathering</b></div>
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Now its time to understand what i will be painting. I bought colored lightbulbs and used them to light myself, posed. My apologies for the low webcam resolution. The program i used to take snaps at the time was a free version. As i used the colored light, i noticed interesting things starting to happen with the colors. The unlit areas starting to turn more red, as red is the opposite color of green, which is the light source. </div>
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From here i needed to find reference and inspiration for the aesthetics of both characters. Unfortunately i do not have these references anymore. I was stupid enough to throw them away after i was done with them, but i have learned to do better now. </div>
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.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49OdzhfRyMZvnTme3lorhl3_l-CNAct-HMWUri2o52RhMkSA2q41XKn9fWACsY1BiBPnKrMEUXBOuOrqt8gwpjAaPTRYy-Lk1_OHoChBR0W2k78hvWpimcD0uF8zlMQqoOhNLx2aX9bc/s1600/13020313_1167161109974948_2128148546_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49OdzhfRyMZvnTme3lorhl3_l-CNAct-HMWUri2o52RhMkSA2q41XKn9fWACsY1BiBPnKrMEUXBOuOrqt8gwpjAaPTRYy-Lk1_OHoChBR0W2k78hvWpimcD0uF8zlMQqoOhNLx2aX9bc/s400/13020313_1167161109974948_2128148546_n.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k1qa-lEyPO1Jh0DXW2eZNHfxiWodqW4ss_mJYDq3ez9BOCD_dD_7qYo4hFceGoY5UOHLffw1PaSRMtdLoC88eE9K1EW7_zJPTNwQ9ui5ZWNLMa3liHbfzX5xXZyjK2HXHmTKN0R0h8I/s1600/20160502144003571.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k1qa-lEyPO1Jh0DXW2eZNHfxiWodqW4ss_mJYDq3ez9BOCD_dD_7qYo4hFceGoY5UOHLffw1PaSRMtdLoC88eE9K1EW7_zJPTNwQ9ui5ZWNLMa3liHbfzX5xXZyjK2HXHmTKN0R0h8I/s400/20160502144003571.jpg" /></a> </div>
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<b>Lets begin! </b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLB6XyXuOodnuu8axpTZNH-1X5ZMUzgxCJ4wjdfVB3MYYU45yClRyNe7Ngywi_3QpoW7ledmqx06OLv4CLPbhK8JcLFS_092WZi8h6sXCTyJtpFTeucv22hjx9scV4Ghw_HAJ_lax4Wto/s1600/step+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLB6XyXuOodnuu8axpTZNH-1X5ZMUzgxCJ4wjdfVB3MYYU45yClRyNe7Ngywi_3QpoW7ledmqx06OLv4CLPbhK8JcLFS_092WZi8h6sXCTyJtpFTeucv22hjx9scV4Ghw_HAJ_lax4Wto/s400/step+1.jpg" width="282" /></a> </b></div>
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This is literally the untouched thumbnail i decided to use for the project. Everything is there exactly as how i want it to be,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM1wGTOLtUtFkuGD0b1iESgjo78QoPeNa4-m4Gyh_D_wUtKIeBWmTAKqKyL1orQ_C_PBffX2zvHTgDV85QtXoWlPtcZlq_tby5Pi_5Vm_VQ0FcWOzu9gCA74MzXlR5lIHCggZNooI5Wk/s1600/Khan+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhM1wGTOLtUtFkuGD0b1iESgjo78QoPeNa4-m4Gyh_D_wUtKIeBWmTAKqKyL1orQ_C_PBffX2zvHTgDV85QtXoWlPtcZlq_tby5Pi_5Vm_VQ0FcWOzu9gCA74MzXlR5lIHCggZNooI5Wk/s400/Khan+%25282%2529.jpg" width="282" /></a> </div>
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Back when i made this piece, i didn't take the time to prepare fully with reference and inspiration gathering, so you will see alot of trial and error in the subject matter. Again, i learned to do different. At this stage i tried to set a the conceptualization. Satan Took inspiration from Siberian shamanism (the mask) and Genghis Khan took inspiration from traditional Mongol clothing. No offense to mongolian fashion (i like it alot) but it looked more comical on someone as brutal as Genghis so i decided to change it for armor.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvDcqXyZjhpmj2e2rV_RWfMU9wO8ijGdT5A1YZ-oJpYx5hkOk1bp_QwTqVGOr3vr5n0zcROM9vSDoxNdKYNsocK3kZ2lrbeerQFSaWMTUG60xb7O4FfzDV_aip5RmX2Fu9CySgj8aEeo/s1600/Khan.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvDcqXyZjhpmj2e2rV_RWfMU9wO8ijGdT5A1YZ-oJpYx5hkOk1bp_QwTqVGOr3vr5n0zcROM9vSDoxNdKYNsocK3kZ2lrbeerQFSaWMTUG60xb7O4FfzDV_aip5RmX2Fu9CySgj8aEeo/s400/Khan.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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I was lucky here, since i pretty much immediately nailed the armor the way i wanted it to be. Note: This is not mongolian armor. I took inspiration from Medieval Chinese plate armor to make Genghis look more royal, as if he scavenged the armor from a Chinese general or so. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH66QJOA3HVjoXyIZB7BzLdj6jZFj3aJ2y1UFJDvftBPks9vUPmTeNiSgGUZQUpVc_IL7CRJyhTKP26XszaoaCVgGwmDXxKEmyIaYwdTLJVg6-3VwJGgWoMex4ejEcX3MfNA6qgxoy7c/s1600/Khan+definitive.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH66QJOA3HVjoXyIZB7BzLdj6jZFj3aJ2y1UFJDvftBPks9vUPmTeNiSgGUZQUpVc_IL7CRJyhTKP26XszaoaCVgGwmDXxKEmyIaYwdTLJVg6-3VwJGgWoMex4ejEcX3MfNA6qgxoy7c/s400/Khan+definitive.jpg" width="282" /> </a></div>
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I worked alot on Genghis' face. I used my face a little too much as a reference and he started to look more like an arabian knight, due to my prominent nose. I had to search for correct mongolian features and flatten the face. Also, i rotated Khan a bit, to make it look as if he is leaning on his sword more; kneeling. When i finished the Khan for the most part, i got overwhelmed by the image. I lost control and i started to play around without a sense of direction on the Satan part. The image flattened, the focalpoints and readability got lost. This was a perfect moment to take a step back.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQeOijWr6nVXGU_6xLggvWOXKTDpcJY99HprvZ8aTTisrk0eKYWyhPAZ37o9vDkVEC0oTsNV5bwwy6afoFdMV-x5I7rsQ8E3eFJ4MKTGgLIrFyW0aqfGANbqrgnSijx2U4dvc8TRz2lQ/s1600/Khan+3+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQeOijWr6nVXGU_6xLggvWOXKTDpcJY99HprvZ8aTTisrk0eKYWyhPAZ37o9vDkVEC0oTsNV5bwwy6afoFdMV-x5I7rsQ8E3eFJ4MKTGgLIrFyW0aqfGANbqrgnSijx2U4dvc8TRz2lQ/s400/Khan+3+%25283%2529.jpg" width="282" /></a> </div>
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On this stage i started to climb back a bit. I got back to a similar style of the initial horse mask for satan and a background/foreground started to form as well. I defined the silhouette of Satan as well. However, a focal point was still missing!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDNflZOu0IxooYhJg_RahWur8Esu6sU51wGugNJRu77QyAFju10HPFFySRIfrEWoLWp5Rh5bjI4xHoNRX-dPdR72RTASA3LGFGcdCsvb9juwbgAKyphV2TA-R-jJfu9JrzqDR1Vr8VlA/s1600/Khan+3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDNflZOu0IxooYhJg_RahWur8Esu6sU51wGugNJRu77QyAFju10HPFFySRIfrEWoLWp5Rh5bjI4xHoNRX-dPdR72RTASA3LGFGcdCsvb9juwbgAKyphV2TA-R-jJfu9JrzqDR1Vr8VlA/s320/Khan+3.jpg" width="225" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-31D_k3_PhuXZSCPBJIHzZrzxMSGEUJKKl81h3jktxxM-es0JHTJiqxyDaXbz8WZsNm7KMGLdIZcBQn_ceV_c-3ALZNRzS4CzW3KS92L9RD6Bs3v_MXZIdj8PjPlsWBuwM7mG2zJKojg/s1600/Khan+3+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-31D_k3_PhuXZSCPBJIHzZrzxMSGEUJKKl81h3jktxxM-es0JHTJiqxyDaXbz8WZsNm7KMGLdIZcBQn_ceV_c-3ALZNRzS4CzW3KS92L9RD6Bs3v_MXZIdj8PjPlsWBuwM7mG2zJKojg/s320/Khan+3+%25282%2529.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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At this point the image is nearing its final form. I made the focal point the hand, bu using the lightest light, and the darkest dark together on the same spot. as well as the harshest contrast. I wanted the image to be about the interaction between the two characters, and the degrading left hand gesture of satan is a key element in that. </div>
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I didn't like the left placeholder face of Satan. It looked to dorky and even a bit comical. An entity as satan could at least be more terryfying! so i looked at various siberian ritual masks. i tried something with it, and i felt it aleniated the image of Satan a bit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteb6lExI8pXG0wPAwTL0IB-LOiRvaIVWNVyPq1wduVKW_Szh6VWWZnYA574ekZnqu9sku-rrjwAauo4Z1Ml7HfeucB1y_3Ir1U9tAT0sJL7QpPj8n9eqsEhruYumSko4DEp9ZhzqH44o/s1600/Khan+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteb6lExI8pXG0wPAwTL0IB-LOiRvaIVWNVyPq1wduVKW_Szh6VWWZnYA574ekZnqu9sku-rrjwAauo4Z1Ml7HfeucB1y_3Ir1U9tAT0sJL7QpPj8n9eqsEhruYumSko4DEp9ZhzqH44o/s320/Khan+4.jpg" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9Q1HkfNdlc0NIUnChxFDrf12iix2ApBMgqhDP8n9gZFrTzwI4C1IXNmIUSoknIAlwC3Ca9ukXCWhvuafUcAPgSxejMnSb-Pm4j_lmEAAzM9OKvcpKOXbN0rV2brnNmHEpSoUFNAw07U/s1600/Khan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9Q1HkfNdlc0NIUnChxFDrf12iix2ApBMgqhDP8n9gZFrTzwI4C1IXNmIUSoknIAlwC3Ca9ukXCWhvuafUcAPgSxejMnSb-Pm4j_lmEAAzM9OKvcpKOXbN0rV2brnNmHEpSoUFNAw07U/s320/Khan.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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I changed the face of satan to something resembling an asian demon. Since only the lower part of the face was visible, the mouth had to be prominent. At this point the image is 99% done!The focal point/hand wasnt as detailed yet. you always want to reward the viewer by making the focal point as interesting as possible. I decided to add more flavor to the piece by adding voodoo nails onto Satans hand, as well as some extra textures.<br />
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Now the piece is finished. I hoped this blog will help you on your journey as an artist, or if you are just an enthousiast of an artistic process in general. Please share your thoughtprocesses below in the comments, and i will see you next time!<br />
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All the best,<br />
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JCH<br />
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www.joelchaimholtzman.comjoelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-2279800974354829362017-06-05T18:34:00.000-07:002017-06-05T18:34:03.339-07:00Back From the Monastery Part 4: EpilogueHi All,<br />
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This will be the last part of my ''Back from the Monastery'' Series, about my mentorship with Sam Flegal. This blog will be slightly bittersweet, but not too hard to handle hopefully, haha.<br />
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Bear with me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jGcIAs6778XFRe_1XGcSwEVBOvEZ_Yzqy2IGXL40msOYAYWIOx8QcutIBaSmKglMdAkWHxvxjtm6rwyMgL3uYOw5mtts8CGC_BKvYf0kAU13oL_OqEYNpA8L_hCKLJASzT6ayAzdoFE/s1600/The+Cordyceps+King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jGcIAs6778XFRe_1XGcSwEVBOvEZ_Yzqy2IGXL40msOYAYWIOx8QcutIBaSmKglMdAkWHxvxjtm6rwyMgL3uYOw5mtts8CGC_BKvYf0kAU13oL_OqEYNpA8L_hCKLJASzT6ayAzdoFE/s640/The+Cordyceps+King.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><u>The Cordyceps King</u></i></div>
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After a succesful year with the mentorship, ehnancing my skills with art, convensions and web presence, it was time for me to set my first step into the world of big people. I was excited for that, but it didnt go without too ups and downs. It started positively. The piece shown above was the final piece i finished under Sam's guidance. It received the best acclaim of any piece i shared so far. It got a Daily Deviation on Deviantart (my first one!) and i got featured in a French Photoshop magazine. I felt i was in the game!<br />
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A few months of work ensued, until a few people i was supposed to work with either werent cancelled or dissapeared from the project due to numerous reasons. I didnt have work for a while. And i felt upset, since i expected alot more after being supposedly having a professional level. I felt bad about it, since i am a pragmatic person. If something in my piece is off, and someone points it out, i fix it. It was harder here, since i did not know what to do after getting the quality of my work to a level i wanted.<br />
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I talked with various folks, brainstormed and let the time go by. I concluded the following:<br />
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<b>Competition</b>: </div>
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When you reach a pro level, and you aren't on top of the food chain, you will have to struggle through it. I barely have contacts in the field i would like to work in, which turns out helps alot on the long run; the Netherlands is more of a comic/graphic design country, which is also why i barley have contacts in the field of art i am doing. I Wondered why i didnt get as many job offers as i could have had, and it turns out art directors tend to hire people way more efficiently when they meet you in real life as well. Emails work way less due to the influx they get each day.<br />
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This means i will have to go to other countries to hunt tconventions and the jobs i want on a more efficient way.<br />
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When i eventually connected the dots, i calmed and looked at further options to garner my income. Various other seeds besides freelancing have been planted. Besides hunting freelance I am planning to go to more conventions, focus more on print sales, kickstarter and even start a mentorship of my own. All these elements are working slowly atm, but hey, they are working!<br />
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Hope these series of Blogs helped you so far. In the future i will try to share something weekly, whatever is on my mind at that point.<br />
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All the best!,<br />
<br />
JCH<br />
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www.joelchaimholtzman.com<br />
<br />joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-57392931698026521822017-05-22T05:32:00.000-07:002017-05-22T05:32:25.872-07:00Back from the Monastery Part 3: Web PresenceHi Everyone,<br />
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In the last Blog we talked about my experiences with conventions. Today i will discuss my web presence, and how it currently helped me, and hopefully will even more in the future.<br />
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As another part of my mentorship with Samuel Flegal we talked about me getting the most out of my exposure on the internet. It seems there are alot of layers to peel here to maximize your exposure and make potential enthousiasts of your art have an efficient and enjoyable experience browsing it.<br />
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Hope this blog helps you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb3oOWoCSfycKUOnR_hoG_cDBqcisAr8g1RkEMQaK9nmzR5R5SeKWDGZe5oe7sqcn9Xi3slcd_MjbqUPuFBoaC3xd2rGAxZcccfkEVFIwFJX5umXicCyaGa1vHE6SC0bHH_Yduysg6Tg/s1600/maelys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb3oOWoCSfycKUOnR_hoG_cDBqcisAr8g1RkEMQaK9nmzR5R5SeKWDGZe5oe7sqcn9Xi3slcd_MjbqUPuFBoaC3xd2rGAxZcccfkEVFIwFJX5umXicCyaGa1vHE6SC0bHH_Yduysg6Tg/s400/maelys.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Getting Followers on social media</b></div>
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Its the first thing people think about when they hear the world exposure, and rightfully so.<b> </b>On this section i will tell you a few ways i think you can improve your overall following on the internet. Each platform has its own way to handle things but i will tackle the general bulletpoints for now.<br />
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1. <u>Post consistently</u>: The more and consistent you post, the more you will remain in people;s retina. It will also get you higher on peoples walls due to algorithm which is present on most platforms.<br />
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2. <u>Post quality: </u>Even though your work is okay-ish and better than the average human being, internet is flooded with it. We get bombarded by it all the time on all the platforms. Thats why even though it might sound harsh, mediocre work gets ignored. hard. Only post the work you are most proud of and it will show.<br />
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3. <u>Interact: </u>If people see you are interacting with them, commenting on their art, giving advice, share WIPS, sharing knowledge, it will get you liked and indirectly familiarized with people and they will be more eager to follow you.<br />
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4. <u>Thinking outside the web:</u> Among my most quality followers, (most engaged followers) are people which i met outside the internet. I am not talking about my family or friends only, but people i met on conventions. Try meeting new potential lovers of your art outside, and due to the personal interaction you can get lifelong supporters out of it (see my former blog post).<br />
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5. <u>Shameless promotion, what does that even mean?!: </u>There is no such thing as shameless promotion. Share on every group and platform you can think of for maximized exposure. However, dont cross the line by breaking any group rules.<br />
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6. <u>Post in relevant groups: </u>Find your niche and interact with that area. It doesn't make much sense to post your realistic dark fantasy art in a group where most people adore chibi art of their favourite animals.</div>
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<b>Getting to know the platforms</b><br />
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Now you know how to get followers, its time to find out where to find them. In this section i will discuss most notable platforms i use. Some of them require more knowledge to handle properly, some are just good to have around without paying too much attention to them. <b></b><br />
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<u>Facebook: </u><br />
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Post as much relevant content daily as possible, but dont get too spammy. Your followers here have a more personal connection with you here in general so you would like to be more connected with them. Posting to groups which are aligned with your artwork is a must too. Do not post/share from your art page! Facebook algorithm forces you to pay money for more people to see your artwork there. I recommend turning on the ''follow'' function and do everything from your personal account. <u><br /></u></div>
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My Account: https://www.facebook.com/joel.holtzman.9<br />
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<u>Instagram:</u><br />
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Post every day as much relevant content as possible with the correct hashtags. Also make use of the ''story'' function to share 24HR snaps, if you aren't interested in posting that specific photo permanently. Instagram is one of the most used social media platforms to date so being active there could garner you a lot of followers<u><br /></u></div>
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My Account: https://www.instagram.com/joel_chaim_holtzman/<br />
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<u>Twitter: </u>This Platform is tricky due to it being bloated. You can easily get 1k+ followers which results in it being hard for your followers to see your posts, because they might follow that amount of people as well. My advice, follow as many interesting/relevant people as you like, and that will be the moment, when they see you followed them that your account will have theyr fullest attention.<u><br /></u></div>
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My Account: https://twitter.com/JoelCHoltzman<br />
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<u>Tumblr: </u><br />
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Same as twitter and instagram. Be connected with other people. Reblog /like/follow their stuff to get noticed in the beginning. after that its just a matter of blogging alot to stay updated and get reblogs easily after.<u></u><br />
<br />My Account: http://joelchaim.tumblr.com/</div>
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<u>Linkedin: </u><br />
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The most unused platform for art in my experience. I just share my art here through other platforms when they offer me to. Further more i connect myself with all relevant people to garner a mutual following.<u></u><br />
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My Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-chaim-holtzman-70830310a/<u><br /></u></div>
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<u>Pinterest: </u>Besides being a goldmine for inspiration, you can also post your art in various boards for other people to repin. Make sure you have pinned alot of inspiration for people to follow you, and after that repin your art. pretty much a win-win situation; You pin your inspiration, and you get exposure as well!<u></u><br />
<br />My Account: https://nl.pinterest.com/joelchaimholtzm/pins/<br />
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<u>Deviantart: </u><br />
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Seen its glory days, its the most crowded art related site of the world. From amateur to professional, it takes time to stand out. If you start out share your art in various groups to get seen and be consistent with it. After a while you will see your followers number increase and you will get likes/exposure by itself.<u></u><br />
<br />My Account: http://joelchaimholtzman.deviantart.com/<br />
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<u>Artstation: </u><br />
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A site where mostly professionals are present, and people are hiring. It is mostly focussed on concept art, but more illustrative artists are here as well. Personal interaction for exposure is crucial in this platform due to the limited amount of users compared to deviantart for example.<u></u><br />
<br />My Account: https://www.artstation.com/artist/joelchaim<br />
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<u>Behance: </u><br />
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Another design site. As described previously interaction is crucial to gain a following on this platform.<br />
<br />My Account: https://www.behance.net/joelcholtzman<br />
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<u>Blogger/Youtube:</u><br />
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Excelent platforms for exposure. People really like to learn and delve into the personal life of an artist. When you use these plaforms post regularly to build a consistent reader/viewerbase. This really takes time to build.</div>
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<u>Reddit/Imgur:</u><br />
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<u> </u>I heard these platforms are potential exposure goldmines, but I dont have too much experience on these platforms. If you do please share them in the comments<br />
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<b>Making your portfolio website</b></div>
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I see a lot of questions and confusion regarding how a portfolio website should look like. Here are some bulletpoints i would like to share with you on how to make your website as readable as possible for art directors and enthousiasts.</div>
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1. <b>Keep it simple</b>: You can add as much gadgets on your website but it most likely just distracts your viewer. Keep separate tabs for each thing you would like to share.</div>
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2. <b>Only show your 8-12 best works:</b> Art directors have limited time, they dont want to scroll an unending protfolio. Besides, you get picked for your worst piece. Limiting the chance of having a the worst piece stand out is dont by having the 8-12 piece limit.</div>
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3. <b>Dont post student work/studies in your potfolio</b>: It is unusable for 99% of potential clients, and as the title says, it shows a studentlike feel to you an an artist. Avoid this entirely or make a separate tab for it with your best pieces of that specific subjectmatter.</div>
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4. <b>Make 1 tab with all your pieces in it</b>: People are not keen to search for your best pieces scattered through 3-5 tabs. Since you only need 8-12 pieces anyway in it you can put your best illustrations, character art and environments in 1 tab.</div>
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5. <b>You will get hired for the work you show in your portfolio: </b>As the title says, you will get hired for the work that you show, so only add works that you really like to make. If you would show pieces that you don't like to make it would probably show anyway.</div>
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6. <b>Dont use custom websites</b>: Alot of people use Artstation or even worse WIX/Deviantart as their portfolio. While they may serve as artdump platforms, as portfolio sites they look highly unprofessional, with an exception for perhaps Artstation. The problem i have with the Artstation portfolio is that the thumbnails are INCREDIBLY small and cut off your images.<br />
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7<b>. How to present your artwork:</b> When making your website, make sure all your images are viewed in full, not too small as explained in point 6., but not too large it covers your entire screen. Make the images clickable so that if someone would like to view the piece in large the posibility is present.<br />
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My website for inspiration: www.joelchaimholtzman.com<br />
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I hope this blog helped you! Next time i will conclude my series of my hiatus year from blogging. If you have any experiences or tip and tricks regarding web presence to share, please do so in the comment section!<br />
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Wish you all the best, until next time,<br />
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JCH</div>
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joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-61846686240932829992017-05-11T17:09:00.001-07:002017-05-11T17:12:28.211-07:00Back From the Monastery Part 2: ConventionsHi Everyone,<br />
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In Part 1 i talked about my growth towards being a professional artist through my mentorship with Sam Flegal on a technical level. In this blog post i will talk about my growth with conventions and the ins and outs of getting the most out of your presence behind your booth. I will talk about each convention i went through in chronoligical order. Please enjoy and i hope you learn a thing or two!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVX2DTxLgSVnP3s-UEFlUsSrMSCQ3Kg__pb2OOW3CIsdI6qKvBNkI03CDUvpoRHidi-tCXEM0zG9TXB1f1vXVsleHjbGa4-ym313ZuA1nL44EsKapzw8nT5qJQNmPJNZ7A1b-k38PDoo/s1600/18193082_1522154391142283_8687438402390294414_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVX2DTxLgSVnP3s-UEFlUsSrMSCQ3Kg__pb2OOW3CIsdI6qKvBNkI03CDUvpoRHidi-tCXEM0zG9TXB1f1vXVsleHjbGa4-ym313ZuA1nL44EsKapzw8nT5qJQNmPJNZ7A1b-k38PDoo/s400/18193082_1522154391142283_8687438402390294414_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Elfia 2017</i></div>
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<b>2015 Gooische Comic Con</b></div>
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My first convention ever. Technically a disaster, since there were almost no people attending the convention itself, and ofcourse since it was my first convention ever. I was over confident, ordered too many prints which turned out too dark and sat (!) besides the table, head down, drawing and painting; Making minimal contact with any potential buyers. This was a disaster for social interaction. However, surprisingly i met alot of people which opened various doors for me regarding other conventions later on.<br />
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<u>Things i learned:</u><br />
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1. Artwork looks lighter on the screen than it will be printed, due to it being back lit. Always lighten your artwork a bit before you get it printed.<br />
2. This stuff is harder than it looks! haha.<br />
3. Even though the convention may not be a success, you will meet interesting folks to hang out with or who might even prove a plus for your career later down the line!<br />
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<b>2015 Kampen Comic Con</b></div>
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This was an outdoors comic con. It went better than the previous convention i have been to but still not very well.<br />
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<u>Things i learned:</u><br />
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1. Not much. Perhaps a bit easier talking with people<b> </b>and got a bit more into the convention vibe<br />
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<b>2015 Breda Comic Con</b></div>
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This convention was a disaster by itself. I was struggling with depression at the time and it showed on how people reacted to me. The second day i felt better, and i asked advice from artist Iris Compiet, who helped me out with my booth perfectly. She at that point had the best booth and presence i had ever seen irl. She helped me with various points below:<br />
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<u>Things i Learned: </u><br />
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1. I literally left the prints lying on the wood of the table itself. Next time i had to get a tablecloth, preferably a neutral dark one.<br />
2. The prints were strewn on the table. without any order. Time to get some print holders who would make them stand out, to draw attention.<br />
3. Some prints and a poster were stuck to the wall behind me with duckttape. (without any sleeves ) That had to go!<br />
4. Sitting with my head down wouldn't get me any interaction. I had to stand up, and actually invite people into my booth. <br />
5. If you are happy, people around you will! So make sure you are well rested and enthousiastic!<br />
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<u>Since this convention was a tought experience i stopped doing them for a while, until my mentorship with Samuel Flegal. He told me i should do the following things: (besides the above)</u><br />
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1. Don't do comissions. It will make you sit down and avoid contact with people.<br />
2. How to talk to people who are interested in your art ( i might get in depth on this on a separate blog)<br />
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<b>2016 Utrecht Artistic Comic Con</b></div>
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For that time this was my best convention so far. While the convention itself wasnt that good due to amount of people, i felt i did pretty well. I dropped comissions and focussed purely on representing my personal art in print form, standing up ofcourse. While standing up i felt i was more alert and i could talk better with people about my art. This convention marked the beginning of my successes in conventions.<br />
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<b>2016 Breda Comic Con </b></div>
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This convention was just great. I felt like the roles compared to the year before were reversed completely. I was the guy who gave people advice instead of receiving it regarding their booth presence. My girlfriend helped me out and my mother, mother in law and sister in law with her bf came to visit, which is always good for morale.<br />
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<u>Things i learned: </u><br />
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Having someone to help you out is golden!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT57MlKmMJrRNJkLwfMWv2gPC-RK6SG3mB37dGMvB3ALsfFssjaHJcu7BDZ4r5d8lz0dUupvr0fcP30qD8fhocOHefnbnH8RCjFdaIQUetNlDZbhHSZzsi1stpigkI-GeQG_OMqwcU_L8/s1600/14681055_1307384305952627_727775950480267758_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT57MlKmMJrRNJkLwfMWv2gPC-RK6SG3mB37dGMvB3ALsfFssjaHJcu7BDZ4r5d8lz0dUupvr0fcP30qD8fhocOHefnbnH8RCjFdaIQUetNlDZbhHSZzsi1stpigkI-GeQG_OMqwcU_L8/s400/14681055_1307384305952627_727775950480267758_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> My girlfriend helping me out</i></div>
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<b>2016 Terneuzen Comic Con</b></div>
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This convention was ok. Very little people came. And most of them were comic collectors anyway.<br />
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<u>Things i Learned: </u><br />
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Going to small conventions just isnt worth my time, at this stage in my experience Very little people come so your exposure is limited as well. Time to Take the Plunge into bigger conventions and make a scary investment! However dont do this when you are starting out. learn the ins and outs on smaller cons and grow steadily towards the bigger ones.<br />
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<b>2016 Xmas Comic Con</b></div>
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Best Convention until then! I had a friend coming out to help me. Having two people operating a 4M table is just the way to go. This was the biggest convention i had ever been to until then and at first it was a tad intimidating, since i invested so much in it. But at the end it just went great!<br />
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<u>Things i Learned: </u><br />
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1. The more you invest in a convention, the more you get out of it on the long and short run.<br />
2. Buy Protective sleeves for your prints <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSMkmya2H7QomD5eqdmUWbGxYQHIkCU6YQ56U9vellJIP9ZlNuIqFz7VGCEejge-n8p58cB4Oi9KBS6y3n4lVZJ7pTWncFuIpMszO65Gg_8xtgWsj3GFT63KchPAryjzBdX7vLT3sjXU/s1600/15493711_1382092788481778_2325165346570362361_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSMkmya2H7QomD5eqdmUWbGxYQHIkCU6YQ56U9vellJIP9ZlNuIqFz7VGCEejge-n8p58cB4Oi9KBS6y3n4lVZJ7pTWncFuIpMszO65Gg_8xtgWsj3GFT63KchPAryjzBdX7vLT3sjXU/s320/15493711_1382092788481778_2325165346570362361_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Friend of mine and me at Xmas Comic Con</i></div>
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<b>2017 Elfia</b></div>
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Again an improvement in the convention scene for me! Not only was it my biggest and most succesful convention to date, it was also one i felt i really levelled up. I went with a friend who had a car. He took various materials with him which facilitated out booth in a positive way. A cardboard covered with cloth which acted as a wall for our prints to lean on, and a rack for his postcards. The funny thing is since i stopped doing comissions, people actually dont realize i am the artist; mostly they think i am a retailer. This has to change! I needed to get a banner.<br />
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<u>Things i Learned: </u><br />
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1. Get a car<br />
2. Get a large holder for my canvas prints<br />
3. Get a postcard rack<br />
4. Get a banner with your name and function on it<br />
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<u><b>Overview of Major things i Learned so far:</b></u></div>
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1. Its not enough to present quality work. Your booth setup is perhaps as important! It shows a professional attitude towards the viewer and towards your own work. Feel free to get inspiration from my own setup or of artist you have met at your local convention.</div>
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2. Be enthoustic and <u>stand up all the time.</u> Standing up makes your blood flow and thus more enthousiastic, and makes people more eager to have a positive interaction with you.</div>
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3. Be well groomed and dress nicely. These two things i always tried my best to work on, and might even speak for itself, but people tend to take you more professionaly earlier when you look like you could afford your own work in a heartbeat.</div>
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4. When printing prints (for conventions), make sure you lighten them a bit on your computer, since the artwork is back lit, it looks lighter than it actually is when it will be printed</div>
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5. Draw your people in your booth an tell them about your work as an artist! Most people dont realise you are the artist anyway in my experience if you are not actively drawing at your booth.</div>
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6. Always try to learn new things every convention, be it socially or technically (business modules, gear to buy etc)</div>
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7. If possible get a spouse or a friend to help you out. This decreases the workload tremendously.</div>
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8. A Simple handshake can do wonders!</div>
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9. If possible, get a car to transfer next-level gear to enhance your booth.</div>
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10. When starting out you might have a tough convention experience like i did. Dont get discouraged and try to improve each time you do a new ones. You will see that it pays off. No Pain, No Gain.</div>
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So this was it, here is a quick overview of my experiences with conventions. Trust me i have way more to tell about this but i suppose i will get to that deeper in other blogposts. Meanwhile i hoped you learned a thing or two from it, and if you have anything to say, please discuss below!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEnFECH8r01umzo9dPb5z-I0to5fw2fk5LQEummOyN6Jv2rgYK3UJuco4WTzdDtG-opgDV9RmG4ADHGnCr9ZDwXIgQbkAxYYzhnmCXYPMkJ0Lk5vqEJcIvslsNKQe-YuExTa-Y6jGIYM/s1600/16602233_1436775913013465_2706708669498996204_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEnFECH8r01umzo9dPb5z-I0to5fw2fk5LQEummOyN6Jv2rgYK3UJuco4WTzdDtG-opgDV9RmG4ADHGnCr9ZDwXIgQbkAxYYzhnmCXYPMkJ0Lk5vqEJcIvslsNKQe-YuExTa-Y6jGIYM/s400/16602233_1436775913013465_2706708669498996204_o.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<i>When your art can make someone happy!</i></div>
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<b>Next Time...</b></div>
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I see alot of artists struggling with their internet presence. Now that i have learned a thing or two from that i really would like to share what i know regarding that subject matter.<br />
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So stay tuned for Part 3!<br />
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All the best,<br />
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JCH<br />
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www.joelchaimholtzman.com joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-69851193468197428322017-05-05T17:06:00.000-07:002017-05-11T17:10:53.818-07:00Back from the Monastery Part 1: ArtHey everyone,<br />
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Now you are wondering, what this specific title means, does it have to do something with my absence from blogging for over a year?<br />
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Actually, it does.<br />
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I have been training my art skills and business in the metaphorical buddhist monastery with Mentor Samuel Flegal. ( www.fatefulsigns.com ). The mentorship has concluded, and a few months i were set to test my newfound abilities into the world. The results were mixed. In this session i will try to explain what i learned from the mentorship<i> </i>regarding technical skills.<i><br /></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTgfsPffmZQIKCHqi_ivZWItwWlIo3nOW4tsRpeQ5bT7uHVYj_3duQcxpc0vmK0CBRiJz4tmONW8MhxMtD04C7mfAwtQIZVL-5L7qrMXF1KfHS4SDxwP744fmpTSKpVyDhuXReYvuNWc/s1600/Mystic-Monastery-MtG-Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTgfsPffmZQIKCHqi_ivZWItwWlIo3nOW4tsRpeQ5bT7uHVYj_3duQcxpc0vmK0CBRiJz4tmONW8MhxMtD04C7mfAwtQIZVL-5L7qrMXF1KfHS4SDxwP744fmpTSKpVyDhuXReYvuNWc/s320/Mystic-Monastery-MtG-Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i> Mystic Monastery by Florian de Gesincourt</i></div>
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So around february 2016 i felt, like many artist at a certain stage, a bit stuck with my art. I didnt have any feedback from professionals and i liked to know at which stage i was in art. I was following the One Fantastic Week show online, and one of the hosts seemed like a cool guy with knowledge that suited my interest so i approached him for a mentorship. We started 2 weeks later.<i> </i>It was mostly concluded my that work was 80% on a being of a professional level. The missing 20% being a lack of a personal voice/creativity, rendering and properly using reference.</div>
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<b>Creativity </b></div>
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We started working on the creativity part. I had to choose my favourite time of the year (Spring), my Zodiac Sign (Scorpion), and my favourite flower (Lotus). For each of these i had to make sketches of warriors, to train my imagination. From these sketches i picked a final piece, which was from my favourite time of the year which was Spring.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFy3XCXGcKib14Z_8MPWvc3pE6SQ0gGoObXDuhXR7JdFmDZExMTXimeMu_8mB8Ly_EzFsKPaElrDbi2h8-Q1t0uAtbnqiYANs-VocwosWTRd9OGLnsq4HYAkDs7onk5NmtM5HECXvd1gE/s1600/Knight+Final.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFy3XCXGcKib14Z_8MPWvc3pE6SQ0gGoObXDuhXR7JdFmDZExMTXimeMu_8mB8Ly_EzFsKPaElrDbi2h8-Q1t0uAtbnqiYANs-VocwosWTRd9OGLnsq4HYAkDs7onk5NmtM5HECXvd1gE/s400/Knight+Final.JPG" width="380" /></a></div>
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<i>Final Sketch for the Knight of Spring </i></div>
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<b>Reference </b><i><br /></i></div>
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For an artistic purpose you could say this piece has value, but technically it lacks various technical aspects. Now it was time to prepare the final piece and make the thumbnails. I have also written a story to guide me on my way. From there i would shoot the references i need to create the painting.</div>
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<i> </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1YeXJIOTRSFiUvgq1tGUjT4Tk-1fKC4UkkJMmBSTKAO8B-10HwstscImbJGS3jtHzjhhofKqwWRLkZBkBrn1AXg64Kz5HC_zp8ibJMDtIBFMA5Fn19s6YggnxQd4o_njVcsMw8qfPTw/s1600/Dit+wordt+em.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1YeXJIOTRSFiUvgq1tGUjT4Tk-1fKC4UkkJMmBSTKAO8B-10HwstscImbJGS3jtHzjhhofKqwWRLkZBkBrn1AXg64Kz5HC_zp8ibJMDtIBFMA5Fn19s6YggnxQd4o_njVcsMw8qfPTw/s320/Dit+wordt+em.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i> </i></div>
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<i>Here is a shot of my girlfriend that i used for the pose of the character</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp-yRftjia67nwLFKuYEpU_AJD5soxZELY7ascp6I-IibCOxTg2OdH9Evp8k4PygLbKlskQ8UiEc8IGEqQ4LibZ9pjVsWlo_uEI-eTqrJkzYdnFWMWRq2jc8EwW7XthKCMpqgCV-JlAQ/s1600/Green+Knight+Thumbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzp-yRftjia67nwLFKuYEpU_AJD5soxZELY7ascp6I-IibCOxTg2OdH9Evp8k4PygLbKlskQ8UiEc8IGEqQ4LibZ9pjVsWlo_uEI-eTqrJkzYdnFWMWRq2jc8EwW7XthKCMpqgCV-JlAQ/s320/Green+Knight+Thumbs.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
<i>Some Thumbnails i made, none of them which i intented to use. However, it helped me in various ways. Mainly with the narrative.</i><br />
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I also learned that most artists take shooting references to a next level. They even dress up for the occasion and use proper lighting. They make things as easy for themselves as possible. This showed to be a major struggle in this piece since i made a lot of guess work, which kills your time. A few months later, i bought this beauty. A mini suit of armor to guide me with armor, reflections and proper lighting. This saves alot of time guessing and maximizes the realism. </div>
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<i>The more you reference, the faster you paint and the better the realism.</i></div>
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<i> </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ps_HjrMShezUBWDn7TWMiDiBlqfUE9p_7Qn2kFl9wY_kAGAnjZSCv_6Rmr3waMSMKN5LjjYiMZCX_XvMOC-su6M1ktPB-n6LuX0bHKJFTkXf8APgyXAaF9jLn45fdUhhyDQbh443Xt4/s1600/14963286_1331627640194960_2582527665296138700_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ps_HjrMShezUBWDn7TWMiDiBlqfUE9p_7Qn2kFl9wY_kAGAnjZSCv_6Rmr3waMSMKN5LjjYiMZCX_XvMOC-su6M1ktPB-n6LuX0bHKJFTkXf8APgyXAaF9jLn45fdUhhyDQbh443Xt4/s320/14963286_1331627640194960_2582527665296138700_n.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>
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<i> </i>From here, i started painting. The Process took alot out of me. I made alot of basic mistakes and it really plunged me into the deep. Here are some process shots:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1A9-AdyxLt1M0Srxw91xgZbjCrI9tEiXPTP6vhWI6EA8xVvrV5PB2d18YXU_a3hcRhm0OZpjUK0asFoTNE05nwXygT8c4ypJSAIzNllIst-IQfs0xLXXW9-ic3t5VThF6oO6_9vOlmA/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1A9-AdyxLt1M0Srxw91xgZbjCrI9tEiXPTP6vhWI6EA8xVvrV5PB2d18YXU_a3hcRhm0OZpjUK0asFoTNE05nwXygT8c4ypJSAIzNllIst-IQfs0xLXXW9-ic3t5VThF6oO6_9vOlmA/s640/Untitled-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are the project shots for the piece. As mentioned earlier it was madness working on this piece, since i kept unlocking new ways to work and to fix. I have around 7 PSD files, all of the filled up with small layers fixing this and that.<br />
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<b>Rendering/Final Touch</b></div>
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After i finished the piece at number 6, i posted it online, without asking for a final approval from Sam, and was dissapointed on the response i got on social media. I approached Sam and he told me the piece was not yet ready to post. It was almost done. I didnt get it since in my eyes it was done, but i understood it eventually because of my lack of experience.<br />
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I had around 5% left to go to have my first professional piece done! Sam told me i had to look at artists i admired and see how they polished their work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gtzRvN7XFrVw8K_NmOIE9QcrfcTV_DgTglsbTg-JG-bnD3kFsFuSvh8mZtWmGk3QWhJ9ewNfbQ6oJ-P8IYfOeWNehhGmPBpz0Fqze6vZhKPA92UhW2EveuWb29Glr8DTGyZSjwaGtXY/s1600/Dryad+Arbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gtzRvN7XFrVw8K_NmOIE9QcrfcTV_DgTglsbTg-JG-bnD3kFsFuSvh8mZtWmGk3QWhJ9ewNfbQ6oJ-P8IYfOeWNehhGmPBpz0Fqze6vZhKPA92UhW2EveuWb29Glr8DTGyZSjwaGtXY/s320/Dryad+Arbor.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FUXfj_fP-SmNgdD0ubZYfOviyBur0Nqo6DcDM2KND_HufON5fl3HkRyHDQz3NjjpZ7TKF7a_vJGjpyERS5TuzS8BHSqx4aWuiTDKy6abAl12pea6_SL8ieCdNyE0WvkAMBHmRFwvUvg/s1600/Chris+Beatrice+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FUXfj_fP-SmNgdD0ubZYfOviyBur0Nqo6DcDM2KND_HufON5fl3HkRyHDQz3NjjpZ7TKF7a_vJGjpyERS5TuzS8BHSqx4aWuiTDKy6abAl12pea6_SL8ieCdNyE0WvkAMBHmRFwvUvg/s320/Chris+Beatrice+2.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<i> Dryad Arbor by Brad Rigney Artwork By Chris Beatrice</i></div>
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Samuel told me i should compare my work directly to that of artists/art i admired, and i looked for two artpieces i found fitting to the artwork i was working on. I learned that i had more layer of rendering, especially on the focal point. Narrative rendering was crucial as well. Even though the knight was consumed by nature storywise, he still had shining armor. That had to change obviously!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5CyUZy1DFdA8keJPqfM2CZq3A51DexXRUKa4K78W9BfAnV0yuY1a3nG-dyy0mvwWW1mZ97To3r-zk2j5V9MgKvB70DYelX2kxJ3PpGUZ5pu5J1UaLEBAH3U87R9ldv_DECnovxN8LR0/s1600/paintover_March30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5CyUZy1DFdA8keJPqfM2CZq3A51DexXRUKa4K78W9BfAnV0yuY1a3nG-dyy0mvwWW1mZ97To3r-zk2j5V9MgKvB70DYelX2kxJ3PpGUZ5pu5J1UaLEBAH3U87R9ldv_DECnovxN8LR0/s400/paintover_March30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Adding Rust to the knight's armor</i></div>
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<b>FIN </b></div>
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I worked and worked, and soon enough, the piece itself was done. I added a layer of color dodge on it, carefully erased parts to make the focal points pop even more. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoxGQRA18tmTB-gN0nl5HU_X0PWuwl9-rwsvnc4ugDsWSZJ6G_4tUcucJhN3YFoBoUPJczMikDdbD8q-jd1aa3rr5Jt2PCUCIE8Tmi2-WmfKm5SPx2V_vEUTC2hp52V1yj_odAYTe2lM/s1600/Gawain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoxGQRA18tmTB-gN0nl5HU_X0PWuwl9-rwsvnc4ugDsWSZJ6G_4tUcucJhN3YFoBoUPJczMikDdbD8q-jd1aa3rr5Jt2PCUCIE8Tmi2-WmfKm5SPx2V_vEUTC2hp52V1yj_odAYTe2lM/s640/Gawain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i> Gawain, Legacy of the Green Knight</i></div>
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Funny thing about certain pieces is that you start your head with one narrative and end with another. This piece depicts Gawain, knight of the round table, being possessed by the spirit of the Green Knight, a storyline that only rolled on the table after i was a long way working on this one.</div>
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After i posted this piece, it got a nice reaction from the public. And to this day it is one of my most sought after prints at conventions. It is still the top piece in my portfolio. After this piece i made various other works under the guidance of Sam. Each of those still a major struggle, but none of them can take the place of this piece emotionally, since this piece marks the beginning of my professional portfolio.</div>
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<b>Next Time...</b></div>
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Besides working on improving my art, i learned a ton about marketing, approaching companies, and being a part of conventions. I will talk about all these things next time i write a blog.</div>
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Thanks for reading this far, if you wish to add a comment please share your experience, thoughts and dont hessitate to discuss,</div>
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Wish you the best, and until next time!</div>
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JCH</div>
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www.joelchaimholtzman.com</div>
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<i> </i></div>
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joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-11429136782758048062015-11-14T05:44:00.000-08:002015-11-14T05:44:09.964-08:00Reference, your best friend!Hey there everyone!<br />
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In my previous blog post i have talked about how important it is to use references, and in this blog post i will dig deeper into that subject.<br />
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When doing realistic art you want to be referred to the ''real world''. You have to translate what you see from reality as believable as possible. There is no direct guideline for this, since everyone has their own goals in realist art (ie, painterly, photoreal etc), but there is a fundamental knowledge that everyone must know, and without observing anything that is related to your interests/goals that is not possible.That means looking a lot to reality is a must, and knowing how to implement your reference is even greater.<br />
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When you practice these ''fundamentals'' you mostly come to understanding that you want to make your own stuff, and you make sure it looks cool. How do you do that?<br />
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Again, reference usage. Compose your image from various little things, that even might seem uninteresting at first sight. There are alot of interesting fiction, clothing, artifacts, animals, shapes etc to be see found everywhere, not seen at first glance. Collect a few (thousand) of those, and now you can gladly say you have got a <b>Visual Library.</b><br />
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I will show you an example of how i used my visual library for my artwork ''Zumokuta, Dying Lotus''<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kVYdwUQEq-hEEqi78L7Q5vlLlvEHxPLi2UI8omLwkaBthWJe2ktMNeK-MUdftwKRLCXzL-0fu2qK8Z-uU2zZKcULYQ7ST5RIJt83FiH9Kc5xZo5tSNE_HMjtnAW8Mk-9IDGM_vswmpU/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kVYdwUQEq-hEEqi78L7Q5vlLlvEHxPLi2UI8omLwkaBthWJe2ktMNeK-MUdftwKRLCXzL-0fu2qK8Z-uU2zZKcULYQ7ST5RIJt83FiH9Kc5xZo5tSNE_HMjtnAW8Mk-9IDGM_vswmpU/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here are a few reference images i used (i do not own any of these. If your image is uncredited please let me know and i will add your name)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwyZNjL8r1KHqMg-GInNkiXZ-RWWD1NbtXliPA3sv4-ztJm3rWI_m120YDmoDJOcX1l2NYROmVXdNB84wLbG9Adcw-EACXHaO4MkcYYTinrK1hyphenhyphenqxqh_ql1uhFCFUpkTQ0bSksM9yqaI/s1600/2x10-Valar-Morghulis-game-of-thrones-31038956-1221-680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwyZNjL8r1KHqMg-GInNkiXZ-RWWD1NbtXliPA3sv4-ztJm3rWI_m120YDmoDJOcX1l2NYROmVXdNB84wLbG9Adcw-EACXHaO4MkcYYTinrK1hyphenhyphenqxqh_ql1uhFCFUpkTQ0bSksM9yqaI/s320/2x10-Valar-Morghulis-game-of-thrones-31038956-1221-680.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I used this image from Game of Thrones as an inspiration for the necklace of the samurai</span></div>
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This one i used as a reference for the Eagle (I have almost never drawn one before so this came in really handy)<br />
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Samurai armor for the corpses littering the ground<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNW2M1ap1qM8iNeCb0fuyunYrGPDZwnSolYZL0xLDLdpcyE10Q6k0P9J72XtV4dkBddxacMP7dxDAZnkLGkkSyp1xrbn2a89dG_aoF2pusK98-L5meQOHM1aMTcH0C1S9Ct_2IiPo1-c/s1600/9ff26edd4366e52d6b415979fd362ecf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNW2M1ap1qM8iNeCb0fuyunYrGPDZwnSolYZL0xLDLdpcyE10Q6k0P9J72XtV4dkBddxacMP7dxDAZnkLGkkSyp1xrbn2a89dG_aoF2pusK98-L5meQOHM1aMTcH0C1S9Ct_2IiPo1-c/s200/9ff26edd4366e52d6b415979fd362ecf.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>
Japanese Oni mask used as reference for Zumokuta's. Gave my own twist to the mask by filling the eye holes with makeshift Engineer goggles. Small details like this can create a unique personality.<br />
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Image by Fenghua Zhong. Used as inspiration for overall atmosphere of the image<br />
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As you can see, i managed to use the essence of the reference images above to implement and morph them into a piece that is entirely unique to me. I was not afraid of letting the real world as well as other artists inspire me and make my work easier and more efficient as an artist, and another great part, is when i am using reference like this, i am naturally studying at the same time, Win-Win! However, don't do this instead of focused studying please, haha.<br />
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Also, when using references, you should know how to properly implement them in your artwork. This can only be done by failing a lot and grinding the fundamentals. I will show you an example of where i used reference like this starting out the wrong way.<br />
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Here are two images i attempted to combine directly to create a character with a frog-perspective. Left is an old toy of mine, right is a promotional photo from the series Spartacus.<br />
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This is what i managed to come up with at that point. (let's not mind all the mistakes for now) The most prominent mistake is that i used the two reference images above without proper fundamental knowledge, thus i didn't see that these images both had a complete different perspective. When translated to a real horse, the toy POV of the toy is MUCH lower than the Spartacus' As if you would have viewed the horse from a ditch. The Spartacus image has a Frog Perspective. Combining the two means disaster, as you can clearly see in the image above. This results in the rider looking unstable; like he is falling from his horse, towards the camera.<br />
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After some great advice from the lovely community i tilted the camera on the horse to make it fit more with the reference from Spartacus. This is the result. The image feels more natural and flowing:<br />
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So this was this weeks talk about using Reference and the Visual Library. I hope you enjoyed it and/or learned something from it. Please join the conversation below, let me know what you think and share your personal experience with the subject.<br />
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I am Joel Chaim Holtzman, you can find my work at www.joelchaimholtzman.com . Until next time!<br />
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Cheers,<br />
<br />
JCH<br />
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<br />joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-2717722727300633502015-10-26T07:22:00.003-07:002015-10-26T07:22:29.019-07:00Art Theft; To do, or not to do?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Hey there! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As explained in the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>introduction I have done art all my life up to
this point and witnessed various people doing it as well. Naturally, I
witnessed my own art grow and of those around me, but I wondered: ‘’<i>Why can’t our work look like the pro’s or even just a little bit</i>?’’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The question stuck into my head and I didn’t
pay much attention to it until I decided to take my art career more seriously.
After graduating from High school I decided I wanted to go to Art school, to
become a professional Illustrator. Since I did not have a (varied) portfolio,
and almost no knowledge of the art world, I decided to take classes at an art
atelier. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The teacher was incredibly helpful, and what he noticed me doing when
attempting to paint realistically, he simply said ‘’<i>You are drawing out of your
head, it is visible you have not looked at reference from the real world</i>’’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">At
this point I realized, that most amateur and starting artists, including me at that
time who aim to make ‘’good’’ art have the preconceived thought, that when we
use reference in any way we are stealing,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>we are a fraud and that we don’t have a professional attitude. Let me tell
you that this is NOT the case. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While the
comments of my art teacher at that time opened my eyes, they also
created questions I am still hoping to solve. I did my
best at solving some, even though I don’t have a great knowledge in law and copyright i hope
most information I share with you will be correct as possible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">.</span></div>
<h2 class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What does
‘’stealing art’’ really mean? </span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘’Stealing’’
art takes on many forms. Some are bad, and you would be surprised some aren’t! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The most
common known way of stealing art is when you take unique elements from one or
more creative content and copying it in a direct or very obvious way, just like
in this example what happened to Brom (See picture below). Doing this while
making money out of it can get you in legal trouble. There is a certain
guideline, which says you copy elements from art 100+ years (?) back without
creating a fuss or being embarrassed about it, since it is outdated anyways.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bS1Y3U0LQDM6qnJzNBd1II68yN_L9zjuiavdSEoUgJXrzxphlbeuTRFNo1w9iPf8kGMEe00gcu2FG04go-SCS8Hv_ocsUHhfWJ70F-XXyHwaUR74s8aNApDtp_KWpJOudoHh2NRKJC4/s1600/7825510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bS1Y3U0LQDM6qnJzNBd1II68yN_L9zjuiavdSEoUgJXrzxphlbeuTRFNo1w9iPf8kGMEe00gcu2FG04go-SCS8Hv_ocsUHhfWJ70F-XXyHwaUR74s8aNApDtp_KWpJOudoHh2NRKJC4/s400/7825510.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Getting
inspired by art</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A lot of
people have the misconceived idea that getting inspired by existing art or reality is
stealing, and they try to come up with ideas all by themselves. The result was not what they had in mind initially and the artwork looks pretty bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I will get in detail about reference using on the next post, but what i can tell you right now, is that a</span>rtist from all centuries have used their
previous colleagues as inspiration to learn from. They studied their
predecessors, copied their work in the process, and eventually aimed to create
a new, unique voice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA2LVjldqVa7uaPi0U_1IcLwzScWauZ8gN9xzXLT_R0nX74LpvMkFAXlpb0DAQSlbeBl3_0XSFkobYHaSjGz7OPSQUl6w_tvtewE5D31zwXVGXqpO0HjPTPMR739DlHlWPOAisAROgq8/s1600/brief-history-of-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAA2LVjldqVa7uaPi0U_1IcLwzScWauZ8gN9xzXLT_R0nX74LpvMkFAXlpb0DAQSlbeBl3_0XSFkobYHaSjGz7OPSQUl6w_tvtewE5D31zwXVGXqpO0HjPTPMR739DlHlWPOAisAROgq8/s320/brief-history-of-art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (Artist unknown. If this image is yours please let me know and i will credit you)</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Get inspired, but watch out! </span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Learning from other artist is always good, however,
one should find the balance between being influenced by a piece of art and
copy-pasting a unique element without modifying it enough to make it uniquely
yours. If you do this, it mostly looks unique enough for you to not get sued or
anything, but would you want to be an artist that is just like that one great
artist but just worse? Here is an example from 4 years ago. I took the upper image and used it as a reference for my own painting. It is unique enough, but for those who know the upper image it most probably will remind them INSTANTLY of the original piece. For study purposes this is a good thing to do like i did when i started out working harder, but do not, i repeat, do not do this with portfolio pieces, in this case you WILL be seen as a fraud most likely and it can be a stain to your reputation if you do this frequently, even though your intentions are not bad.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVLY3N_A6w1-60SENUrzCD0eMYyEMa8R7hREF6sPh8xbi5IDca9-bNWExhuL8hDyXSn8qbjrkbOw5H4teOoB-6TAXsrr8s0i2uhTYRd518TQunY3USrfr7vFf_-nCxtxK6VdwqVFVFRU/s1600/300px-Orrian_Undead2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVLY3N_A6w1-60SENUrzCD0eMYyEMa8R7hREF6sPh8xbi5IDca9-bNWExhuL8hDyXSn8qbjrkbOw5H4teOoB-6TAXsrr8s0i2uhTYRd518TQunY3USrfr7vFf_-nCxtxK6VdwqVFVFRU/s400/300px-Orrian_Undead2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszLRFlTgm_73JT5QvToFGC-DFPnu93CmHH3Pk9fZjT269wxS5yPmkw6RJxX8-HCUh0DtgygcCn7JB_Y9A9OSt02EprfIVBjdgcYILewK83bRmKIPKhP-CZ6IoZDAf6jF4Iz2gDrshUxU/s1600/DSCN0408a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszLRFlTgm_73JT5QvToFGC-DFPnu93CmHH3Pk9fZjT269wxS5yPmkw6RJxX8-HCUh0DtgygcCn7JB_Y9A9OSt02EprfIVBjdgcYILewK83bRmKIPKhP-CZ6IoZDAf6jF4Iz2gDrshUxU/s400/DSCN0408a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>Top</b>: Orrian Undead, Artist Unknown (I think it is Kekai Kotaki)</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>Bottom</b>: Piece i made a few years back </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For this purpose I recommend using reference images from
the real world above using reference from current art directly, that way you
have a greater chance of reinventing the wheel without becoming a copycat. Don't get me wrong, keep getting inspired by art that you like, just try to not use it as the backbone of your image.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Interpretations/Fan Art<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">First i would like to address i am not an expert in this subject matter, and i have noticed it is very hard to find a precise guideline for the possibilities regarding Fan Art. Interpretation/Fan Art is when you copy a piece of an existing (creative) visual element directly in your painting but in a conceptual way. The ‘’theft’’ has
become a part of your painting and thus you still managed to create a unique
piece. When you do this you still have to mention the original source you
interpreted the art piece from. When selling it you need to ask permission
first obviously and most likely pay a fee per sold piece. Interpreting artwork from novels/text is different, because the visuals is entirely unique to your creation, and not on someone else' visual elements, thus you own the entire image. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ySa3bdruhZkzD2GYoah4x0xlL-mzoLFeuuCCcemVQNBL9Hi6tGEuOt4yKslwtVe-j5gZJcbdNFoPX4P9l95oMCtMSTh7vQr7e0Dha95ts2BhtKDV-o5_gOpgJpxRejPFDGcbs08FIg4/s1600/degenesis_by_davidrapozaart-d7xtrmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ySa3bdruhZkzD2GYoah4x0xlL-mzoLFeuuCCcemVQNBL9Hi6tGEuOt4yKslwtVe-j5gZJcbdNFoPX4P9l95oMCtMSTh7vQr7e0Dha95ts2BhtKDV-o5_gOpgJpxRejPFDGcbs08FIg4/s320/degenesis_by_davidrapozaart-d7xtrmy.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
Degenesis fanart by Dave Rapoza<br /><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Photos and Textures</span></b></h3>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A lot of digital artists, including me use photo textures these days in their
artwork. When doing this, you have to ‘’destroy’’ the image enough so that it
is not recognizable as the original photo (which can be copyrighted). When you
are using a photo as the base of your image (see below), the likelyhood of getting in
trouble is greater, since the general composition of the original photo will mostly remain visible
through your process. For this purpose I recommend shooting your own photos to use in your artwork.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaumH_GSUzV_ggbfpziF__ajhO96Yt6p80yh8Zk2d-lHGEAwuKoCuVVRI8aNsMgD3C6jYBGPEDNeJ1jpsDBRvfn3E1_ZSYdoWZYyXXo0Hpi_e9APuKLfEye4aqIRQi5AXoOK6TFDj4l9E/s1600/10403982_10203075263314130_7142862223450102950_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaumH_GSUzV_ggbfpziF__ajhO96Yt6p80yh8Zk2d-lHGEAwuKoCuVVRI8aNsMgD3C6jYBGPEDNeJ1jpsDBRvfn3E1_ZSYdoWZYyXXo0Hpi_e9APuKLfEye4aqIRQi5AXoOK6TFDj4l9E/s640/10403982_10203075263314130_7142862223450102950_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Artwork by Jonas de Ro</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So that were my two cent about the greatly discussed topic of ''Art Theft''. I hope you enjoyed it and got something out of it. Please join the discussion below, let me know what you think about the subject matter. Next week i will continue talking about art with <b>Reference Usage .</b></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I am Joel Chaim Holtzman, you can find my work at <b>www.joelchaimholtzman.com</b></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Cheers! </span><br />
<br /></div>
joelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652940784210264486.post-86328257877941840522015-10-19T10:23:00.001-07:002015-10-19T14:54:57.217-07:00IntroductionHello there, Reader!<br />
<br />
I am Joel Chaim Holtzman, a professional illustrator and concept artist. Art has been my passion all my life, and after quitting an unsuccessful time at art school, i have been worked hard to launch my career as an artist. Even though i am not that long in the industry, i have worked for various clients, and i am more than passionate about my job. I do not wish to do anything else than art in my life. Furthermore i work as an art teacher at a primary school and i am present at Dutch conventions regularly. In the future i am planning to head to international conventions as well. My dream is to launch my IP in 5-10 years which i started writing in the last few months.<br />
<br />
You can find my art at <b>www.joelchaimholtzman.com</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDg7fRgR0mz0wEzZ9r2EgXAiJ1DuwHENOW3AOAMuUIXITUF4t7O3mjfpN7LfhL6UrU4Nu9R4umfYGbKj8jCNCmN6KFNiq7JwcY5r1sW7KFAXaMJvODA_syT493qBL4HC2C1wK5-2juF_Y/s1600/Bittersteel+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDg7fRgR0mz0wEzZ9r2EgXAiJ1DuwHENOW3AOAMuUIXITUF4t7O3mjfpN7LfhL6UrU4Nu9R4umfYGbKj8jCNCmN6KFNiq7JwcY5r1sW7KFAXaMJvODA_syT493qBL4HC2C1wK5-2juF_Y/s640/Bittersteel+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
You may have stumbled upon this part of the internet either through a recommendation, through a share or just through coincidence. You may be an artist, or just an enthousiast. Either way i am happy you have found my blog because it means a lot to me to share any thoughts i have as an artist, regardless if you like what i write or not.<br />
<br />
In this blog i will be discussing various subjects, my art, my sources of inspiration, the development of my IP, certain views on prominent elements in the art business; In general, just being in the <b>Wake of Art. </b><br />
<br />
So, this might actually be a beginning of what i hope would be an interesting story i can share with you, since thoughts are meant to be shared. In purpose of educating, warning and strengthening each other; You name it. I hope i will grab your interest, and make sure to start a conversation if anything you read has sparked something in your head.<br />
<br />
Good day to you!<br />
<br />
JCHjoelchaimholtzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00547849569602298096noreply@blogger.com0