The Composer

 I didn't want to tighten it up too much so I left everything rough and loose. Felt that it was more important for me to capture the feeling I envisioned. I've been wanting to play around with lighting for awhile since its something I wasn't taught much about in school.

I think one of the most important aspect of this piece was getting the hands right. I learned in school that hands could be one of the most expressive part of a piece and its definitely true. Sadly, I still often struggle with drawing hands but I've come a long way! I used to draw characters with their hands behind their back or in their pockets so I could avoid the frustration haha! Now I can draw hands without having to google the PERFECT angle (or another trick is to photograph your own hand with your phone- quick and easy).

Anyway, this piece was inspired by an OPB commercial I saw when I was a kid. It's been so long but its one of the few commercials that etched in my memory because its so darn creative and clever!!

One thing I learned in school that changed the way I painted in photoshop was to have a desaturated layer that I can turn on and off while I worked. This helps me keep my values in check.

Stage 1 and 2. First stage was literally just scribbling whatever I had in my head without really thinking of anything technical. This stage was done without colors. Literally looks like chicken scratch. Second stage was cleaning it up a bit and trying to capture the mood I wanted.