Again, edited in Gimp but I can't bring out the brightness of the paper, or the subtlety of the shading. Some of it is really soft. This looks crude.
Some of the shapes are off and misaligned but you wouldn't know it without the ref pic. It's okay, it works. I'm learning to be okay with what works. Taking pictures like this helps me identify spots I'm not happy with. I've already just corrected a couple of things from the shot above.
Because the vestments are white I have to take liberties with the tones to make sure some of the details will be readable. I'll also have to make sure they are light enough that when I get to his skin I don't have to overly darken the shading there. I also have to re;y more on contour lines than I'd like...I'm learning to accept that too. I don't like contours in my work. I'd love to be known for that: "He's the guy who never uses contours, just fields of tones." The work wouldn't be the same, so screw it. Use what the image needs.
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7 hours in. I'm going to end up wanting to adjust thee lightness of some of this, and I'm not sure it will really need it. Artistic license, if it works it works. It's the impression you make that counts. I do think I'm going much too dark with some of this shading when I look at the reference but on it's own it looks nice.
You try to see the shape of each shadow, and if you recreate those you might be fine. However there will be many instances where the shapes are off, where they are mislocated...and if you try to fake it - if you just ma
e up the details - it's probably going to not convey anything to your audience but arbitrary marks on the page. Feel the surface of the subject, in this case the fabric of the clothing. Look at the material until you can feel it's flow and texture. Feel the rhythm of the folds. Feel the way they reflect the light, or the way the light fades from the undersides of the folds. When you see the flow of the material, feel it's rhythm, then you can fake the details in a way that you still convey what's going on whether it's technically true to the source ref or not. I'm having to make up some of this in spots where I can't make out the shading in the photo, but I can see how the material lays on itself and on the body. Some of it didn't convey the feel to me by flat 2D shapes on the page...but they feel right when I try to emulate what I think the material is doing.
Can you see the seams? All of them? I keep finding more seams that weren't obvious, and they're not all demarked by a contour line. A few if those seams are actually a physical but of piped trim.
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8 hours in. You see how far I get in an hour. I can't usually work more than two at a time or I risk an eyestrain headache. I've been spreading it out today, not out of prudence but because this segment is difficult to make out. Here's a tip, if you can make out the seams (or other visual borders) you can divide the piece into areas to work on their own instead of being intimidated by the thing as a whole.
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Done another 45 minutes and I'd like to do more today but the what I'd just added is starting to look a little like...bullshit? The part of my brain that processes the image is starting to not work properly, I'll have to look at it again fresh. It's the shading and the rucked material around the seam that are stymieing me. I'm doing the under part of the sleeve now up to the cuff.
I think that's it for the day unless I add more later tonight. After all, I'd like to have that sleeve fragment done. But it's best to look at it after some rest, and I doubt I'll have any time tomorrow. So, 8 hours 45 minutes so far.
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