Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Witches' Wardrobe, Part Two

So last time, we left off with a black and white version of the entire composition done low-res at a much smaller size (in inches) than the final, but the same compositional ratio (what I mean is that I fit the low-res sketch to a 8.5 x 11 size file, but, when sized up, that same image fit perfectly into a final 27.7" x 20.5" puzzle size, with no gaps.)

Here is a colored-in version of the roughed low-res composition.




Once this color was approved, I went into the final art. The final size  is 27.5" x 20.5", 300 dpi. Lots of stuff going on, so it is labor intensive. But, I attack it, like a ninja... or maybe, like a stack of blueberry pancakes! (Yum!) :D


This is the  working file, with the background rough sketch layer turned on.
So this is how I organize in my working file in Photoshop: Each little grouping of witchy things received it's own file folder (called a "Group" in Photoshop). That way, I could move stuff around, nudge it here and there when needed, and generally keep things under control.

You will see the transparent sketch is behind everything (above screenshot). I enlarged the low-res sketch to fit my hi-res file, and I used it as my general guide. There is virtually no detail in the low res art and any that is there is totally lost when stretched to a size so much larger than the original rough, but I use it as my rough template, and within the perimeters set by the sketch as well as the color choices made, I could paint away, experiment on the finer details and create some really nice and fun little things, right as I went along on the fly. That is very fun and freeing to do especially when you are working on such a ginormous, segmented piece.
This is the same file, but with the background rough sketch layer turned off.


Tomorrow, I will show you some close-up details of some of the elements in the illustration, as well as the final piece. See you then!

2 comments:

Natalie Timmons said...

Kathy, so the detailed sketch stays in the background as part the final art? If so, very clever and I like the depth it adds to the overall piece. Also do you "paint" the color layers in photoshop or do you use fills or some other process? I've never tried this approach with my art and looks so cool. I can't wait for my puzzle to come in the mail. Maybe I'll finish it in time for Halloween? LOL!

Unknown said...

Hi Natalie!
The sketch does not stay in the final art. It's just the rough layer I make transparent when laying out the final line work. When it's scaled up, it just shows me generally where the certain elements are supposed to go. Then, I do all the detailed drawing in the "without a net" so to speak - because the rough sketch transparency is really really super rough when scaled up and it does not provide any detail. I hope this makes it easier to understand!

I did all of the coloring in PS, yes. I just painted in Photoshop.

Thanks for the questions Natalie! Perhaps I can add a screenshot or two to the tomorrow's post to help demonstrate a couple of things I tried to explain here.