Accountability: using Lee White’s 6-step process to create a Christmas card

[TessaW]

I'm here for this journey! Keep at it. I can relate to the struggle with thumbnails.

[BichonBistro]

@neschof @TessaW finally, double-digits! It is taking a little less time and not quite as anxiety-producing with each one...trying not to think about the fact that I don’t like any so far and have no idea how I would flesh any of these out!

[BichonBistro]

@TessaW not even halfway there and my head is empty! #13 was the only one I did quickly (for me that’s 20 minutes or less) and I think it’s because I started with ellipses rather than angles and my inner critic didn’t taunt me every 5 seconds about perspective being off...

[NicolaSchofield]

@BichonBistro These are all really great. If you're struggling to come up with new ones then maybe you could now take the one you like best and then do a few variations of it - zoom in and out a bit or draw the same scene from slightly different angles. Maybe keep the room the same but move around a few of the people or objects. Maybe keep it all the same but try adding a bit of value, showing where the focal point of the image will be. Really simply, just by adding transparent grey over everywhere except the focal point. Switch that focal point around the same scene and see which you like best.

[TessaW]

@BichonBistro These are looking great and it looks like you are already coming up with some winners. You are doing the 50 thumbnails challenge on such an ambitious piece! Coming up with that many doesn't seem easy when you are trying to convey all those little vignettes between the characters. I think you'll learn a ton from it. These look way better than my initial thumbnails. Keep fighting the impulse to make them too detailed at this point.

How much composition reference are you using at this point? I made a quick pinterest board for you to maybe spark some ideas- just to see a few angles- shapes- the space division- how much info you can cram into a space- architectural ideas, etc. I'll sometime browse pinterest when I get stuck and find ideas that I probably wouldn't have thought of. . . like what would happen if you put a Christmas tree in almost half the space of the comp and had to work everything else around it? Sometimes ideas will not work out- but that's ok, it's good to have the contrast of what's working and what's not.

https://www.pinterest.com/tesapie/ideas/

[BichonBistro]

@neschof thanks so much for giving me more ideas of how to move forward

[BichonBistro]

@TessaW said in Accountability: using Lee White’s 6-step process to create a Christmas card:

@BichonBistro These are looking great and it looks like you are already coming up with some winners. You are doing the 50 thumbnails challenge on such an ambitious piece! Coming up with that many doesn't seem easy when you are trying to convey all those little vignettes between the characters. I think you'll learn a ton from it. These look way better than my initial thumbnails. Keep fighting the impulse to make them too detailed at this point.

How much composition reference are you using at this point? I made a quick pinterest board for you to maybe spark some ideas- just to see a few angles- shapes- the space division- how much info you can cram into a space- architectural ideas, etc. I'll sometime browse pinterest when I get stuck and find ideas that I probably wouldn't have thought of. . . like what would happen if you put a Christmas tree in almost half the space of the comp and had to work everything else around it? Sometimes ideas will not work out- but that's ok, it's good to have the contrast of what's working and what's not.

https://www.pinterest.com/tesapie/ideas/

you are right, as frustrated as I’ve gotten, it’s still a learning experience and part of that learning is definitely to fight that detail impulse

I saved 76 “santa’s workshop” references to my photos and made notes about what I liked in each, but only a few were noted for composition. You got me thinking to start looking more for interiors in general. Interior architectural details are woefully lacking in my imagination, so that is something I’m going to focus on.

I tend not to go to pinterest much (I can’t remember what turned me off about it), but I went to your idea board and it’s great! I’m going to shoot for 10 more vertical format, then try some horizontal. I am wondering if part of the reason I am so slow is because I’m putting something down, seeing it’s not working, then erasing and moving stuff around to try to make things work, instead of letting the “not working” thumbnail be a stepping stone to the next one where I make those changes. Joy Heyer said doing thumbnails is like stretching. It’s taking me awhile to loosen up!

Thanks so much for the pinterest board ideas

[BichonBistro]

So I never got to 50 thumbnails, but I learned something trying. The stopping point with every thumbnail was difficulty constructing the shape of the interior using different points of view. An insightful comment on IG by @neschof prompted me to step back and re-evaluate, just as I was about ready to throw in the towel and go back to my character-only format. She talked about using Lee’s process to improve a piece more within my comfort zone. When she mentioned “baby steps”, I had my aha! moment. In a previous career, I helped autistic children learn by breaking tasks into manageable steps and using methods that played to their strengths and set them up for success. (I think that’s one reason I find @Lee-White’s systematic approach so appealing).

I chose a subject that plays too heavily to my weaknesses (perspective and composition). So I decided to think about how I could set myself up to succeed in working on these skills. I went through my thumbnails, took my proportional 5x7 thumbnail frame and looked for “spots” that would emphasize my strength (Bichon characters), but also require some perspective and composition. I tried “Step 3 Rough Sketches with Values” with 2 thumbnails, #7 and #9.

#7 was too frustrating because of the scene falling below the horizon line. #9 was more satisfying because it required me to work out the measurements of the candycane railing using perspective and I could incorporate some of Will’s “50 Things” concepts on the “shelf below the elf”.

So I am leaning toward developing #9. I welcome suggestions about the composition that don’t require a change in perspective (adding or subtracting elements, moving things around, values, etc.)

This is a S-L-O-W-ember piece

[Kat]

This is a super cute idea, and I love how you're sharing your thought process - really helpful to see how you're incorporating things you learned from different videos into the whole thing. I just want to say, however, that they're all good dogs. Just all of them. They're good. :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_smiling_eyes:

[BichonBistro]

you're right @Kat!

[BichonBistro]

@Kat how’s this

[Kat]

@BichonBistro LOL love it!

[TessaW]

It's great to hear your self reflection and progress. Knowing that perspective and backgrounds have been a challenge for you, I was very impressed with what you produced in your thumbnails. There where a lot of interesting and convincing scenes with different view points. It seems like a significant step toward growth.

[BichonBistro]

@TessaW Thanks! I am going to keep working on more complex thumbnails for this concept as I gain confidence with perspective (the Loomis reference you gave me awhile back is in my educational toolbox) and composition. In the meantime, I will back down to very simple scenes to learn perspective for points of view I want to achieve (below the horizon is high on my list). I used some of the photo references I picked out initially (and from your pinterest idea board) to work out horizon lines and vanishing points with draw-overs last week. I realized I need a lot more practice doing that before I can accurately construct my own scenes. You've always provided great resources, thanks so much!

[Coley]

@BichonBistro I love it, what a cute idea!

[BichonBistro]

Still at rough thumbnails step 3, so glad I am not at the painting stage because I realize the candy cane railing is not in 3D perspective in the 1st sketch, so I am trying to work that out. 2nd drawing is after making the railing fit into a box.

One reason this is a good challenge for me is that the stripes on the candy canes will be horizontal at the horizon line, curve up when above the horizon line and curve down below the horizon line.

Questions:

1. do I have the basic shapes now drawn to look more 3D in proper perspective?
2. Is the best way to get stripes drawn correctly to draw ellipses within the candy canes?
3. Are there perspective rules I am missing trying to make this railing look more realistic than the first thumb’s flat rendering?

Thanks!

[TessaW]

1. Yes, it does look more 3d in proper perspective.

2. Simple answer- just wing it until it looks good. Use reference, online or buy a candy cane, to help you. It's kind of a complicated thing to achieve correctly in perspective, and I think for this case, it just needs to look good and not be technically correct.
   Complicated answer- This is a tricky drawing problem to explain easily. You have the form of the candy cane (a cylinder) coming toward us, and falling away from us at an angle, and you are introducing a spiraling ribbon wrapping around those forms, in either a clockwise or counterclockwise way, and you have to determine the steepness of the angle the spiral will wrap. Identifying the ellipses within the candy cane (cross sections) can certainly help visualize how the spirals might work. Or you could even think of the candy cane as being broken up into several equal cylinders. If you wrap the ribbon around the same way for each cylinder in perspective, that might be a good way to go. It can definitely be plotted out in perspective, but it could get confusing fast and take a lot of time. It could be a valuable exercise, but maybe not worth the trouble, which is why I recommend winging it.

I've tried to plot it out- wrapping one way and then the other, but I'm not sure I got it correct and I'm not convinced it looks any better than if you free handed it until it looked right.

Maybe someone with more perspective experience can chime in.

3. It's looking good to me. Adding a bit of shading or linework in the final will go a long way in helping the perspective read.

[BichonBistro]

@TessaW said in Accountability: using Lee White’s 6-step process to create a Christmas card:

1. Yes, it does look more 3d in proper perspective.

2. Simple answer- just wing it until it looks good. Use reference, online or buy a candy cane, to help you. It's kind of a complicated thing to achieve correctly in perspective, and I think for this case, it just needs to look good and not be technically correct.
   Complicated answer- This is a tricky drawing problem to explain easily. You have the form of the candy cane (a cylinder) coming toward us, and falling away from us at an angle, and you are introducing a spiraling ribbon wrapping around those forms, in either a clockwise or counterclockwise way, and you have to determine the steepness of the angle the spiral will wrap. Identifying the ellipses within the candy cane (cross sections) can certainly help visualize how the spirals might work. Or you could even think of the candy cane as being broken up into several equal cylinders. If you wrap the ribbon around the same way for each cylinder in perspective, that might be a good way to go. It can definitely be plotted out in perspective, but it could get confusing fast and take a lot of time. It could be a valuable exercise, but maybe not worth the trouble, which is why I recommend winging it.

I've tried to plot it out- wrapping one way and then the other, but I'm not sure I got it correct and I'm not convinced it looks any better than if you free handed it until it looked right.

Maybe someone with more perspective experience can chime in.

3. It's looking good to me. Adding a bit of shading or linework in the final will go a long way in helping the perspective read.

This is so helpful! Your cylinders within the canes are great guides. I will probably end up winging it to save time, but I want to try to plot out in perspective at least one side of the closest one because I need to learn how to do this. I can work on it again tomorrow night. I did the same candy canes front on view a few years ago when I used Will & Jake’s “Posing Characters” video to try and bring more dimension to my dogs, but that’s my biggest problem: I always do front view without backgrounds because it’s easier Thank you so much for your guidance️

[BichonBistro]

S-L-O-W-cember...value study. Trying to do candy cane ribbons in exact perspective taxed my brain, so I ended up winging it.

Next up is drawing on ipad with a no-pressure brush so that there is no variation in lines when printed, then color tests in watercolor.

[BichonBistro]

Staying Accountable: donut doggie toy is my “note to self” I can’t quit and the pressure is on to finish because some loyal customers want this card.
Final drawing ready to print. Not much time for thoughtful color studies, but onward...