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Learning how to hand paint textures.

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polycounter lvl 6
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pigart polycounter lvl 6
So I bought a tablet and I'm trying to learn how to paint these kind of textures. Here are my first two swords.

aitihSS.png

cl9y8P6.png

Timelapse of the second one.

I'd love to get some comments on what I'm doing right and what I need to focus more on/what to change and etc.

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  • Jeff Parrott
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    Jeff Parrott polycounter lvl 19
    Good start go through and check out:

    http://youtu.be/4PH8V2yXUlg?t=12m50s

    Actually just start looking/following along with:

    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hand+painted+textures
  • Ferum
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    Ferum polycounter lvl 7
    That's a good start. However colors seem very flat, you might want to add some light and shadow information to bring out the shape. Also the blade, especially in the first image, looks like it's made out of stone with its color and cracks. Unless that's intended, you could add a slight blue hue, more contrast and highlights.

    Here's a quick paintover of the blade part which I hope you don't mind: http://i.imgur.com/vWklWyS.png
  • David-J
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    David-J polycounter lvl 11
    Good start. Also besides what Ferum said, think of light direction a bit. Create more highlights and shadows with some intent to create cool contrast.
    Also don't be afraid to add some colour to highlights and shadows. Adding some subtle blue to the shadows and some warm tones to lighter areas can bring objects to life.

    Great post Jeff. Lots of things you can pick up from those videos.
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Thanks for the comments. Really helpful. I also have to find more time to watch all those videos.
    So now I made a dagger.
    6rJD9yL.png
    The paintover was really helpful. I tried to get a more metal look this time. I also tried to get more shadows in.
    Would like some more comments and tips on how to get better.
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    35fZ9p6.png
    Timelapse
    New painted weapon.
    Comments and things like paint-overs are highly appreciated.
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Did another model. This time a guitar.
    57PlXaB.png
    Timelapse
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    AQ26wEY.jpg

    Little evening fish paint. Comments are welcome.
  • Cremuss
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    Cremuss polycounter lvl 12
    Hey !

    That fish is cool, definitely your strongest piece so far :)
    However it doesn't look like it's finished yet !

    - Eye of a fish is way more complex than what you painted, and it's generally where viewer will look at. We're a meant to look at eyes, so it's VERY important to put a lot of details here. It's also a good spot to put bright colors so use that as best as you can.

    - Overall, colors could be pushed a LOT more : fishes are probably the most colorful creatures on earth with birds, so take advantage of that when you're painting them. We all love colors, so go crazy with it !

    - You also could add global shading to your fish, add some top/down blends and front/back blends to make specific areas pops more. We LOVE gradients so add some !

    - I'm sure you can do better with the mouth :) Fishes don't smile ;p

    - There's a seam visible where the fins connects to the body !

    - Minimalist painting is cool but you could still add some scales here and there to add a bit of details. Those colorful dots doesn't sell like scales very well.

    - More specular ! fish = water = reflections & specular. Maybe you could even paint some caustics too ?!

    The guitar looks rushed. Take your time and call your work done only when you've done your absolute best and can't think of any improvements to make. Surely there is a few stuff you could do to make that guitar pop a bit more like adding gradients, shading, AO, scratches, paint some specular, dirt etc... Silhouette looks way too blocky too.

    Concerning the weapons, here again you have to play with blends a lot more. Add top/down gradients to separate values of the blade from the hilt, add details, scratches, dirt, colors in the shadows etc.

    Keep it up !!
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Super thanks for the critique Cremuss. I'll think about what you said more when I paint the next time.

    Decided to do a character now. Here's my current progress.
    hZ0FoAG.png
    I hope it will look good when painted.
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Slowly working on this.

    DqkrdwF.png

    Still kind of like a first pass for these shoulderguards. Gonna have to add some more shadows to them. Also need to make them kind of shinier and more reflective but don't really know how.
  • Giacomo X
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    Giacomo X polycounter lvl 6
    Gonna have to add some more shadows to them. Also need to make them kind of shinier and more reflective but don't really know how.

    Pro tip: Surface, light, and render your model normally (i.e., using shaders for metal/flesh/whatever surfaces) and use the render as a basis for painting your maps. (Or, to put it another way: bake as much as possible.) Trying to freestyle it all out of your head will get you nowhere.
  • MissMaddyTaylor
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    MissMaddyTaylor greentooth
    Really awesome to see your progress! Definitely use some reference of shoulder pads or other models for lighting. I'd also suggest reducing the amount you use any textured brushes. If you want a clean, hand-painted look, I'd highly suggest sticking with the round and air brush.

    I'm not very familiar with Blender, but I'd suggest 3d Coat for painting on models (and Photoshop for UVs.) 3d Coat allows you to import brushes from Photoshop and colour pick any references you need to help you texture and you can transfer screenshots or UVs of your model to Photoshop to paint even cleaner. :)

    I did a little paint over in Photoshop on your shoulder pad to give an example of a material and lighting treatment that I would do. Adding some more saturation, contrast, bounce light, bevels, and damage will add interest and painterly details. I hope it helps!

    HQFFuc.gif
  • ScottHoneycutt
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    ScottHoneycutt polycounter lvl 14
    As a general piece of advice, no matter what the style you are going for, ask yourself if the texture reads as the appropriate material. In other words, do you believe its metal, wood, a fish's sides, a sword, etc from the texture you painted and not just the model? With the initial posts, those blades could have been broken up concrete as much as a blade. Below I took out the model silhouette. The handles could even be a brick of some sort. Notice what TerraBite did above. Even if it isn't exact realism, there are ways to indicate what the material is with your strokes. Spend as much time researching, looking up other's works and watching those videos as you do painting. Notice not just what they they are doing software-wise but artistically how they indicate what the subject is.

    01-12.jpg
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Reviving this thread. I feel so bad for abandoning this thread and not seeing the last feedback. I'm gonna try to quit messing around and actually learn as much as I can this time.

    Here is some work that I did during the past month. Still having a hard time with painting metal.

    SzD5qxb.png

    k02x78z.jpg

    ----

    This is what I am currently working on. Starting to paint right now.
    FdFB7pc.jpg
  • Francois_K
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    Francois_K interpolator
    The shield decorations look verey outliney. There's a white line around the metallic shape and then that has a black line.

    It makes it read incredibly flat from a distance.
    The outlined metal bars which keep the wood intact look flat , they have a gradient sure , but they have no scratches , no indication where the metal ends and starts. Everything has wear and looking at the shield , it's got some scratches.

    The marble white also doesn't seem to be working in terms of the shield though , it's popping out way too much. Personally I have no idea what material it's supposted to be. Milk? Ivory?

    In terms of presentation , you can't even read the wireframe. When you present it make sure it's grey or a flat colour so you can see the wireframe. I had to get really close to see where the wires were , I thought it was just a cylinder shaped object .

    The black is also something I'm confused by. What's the black in the middle for? Is it another metal? Work on your material definition.

    Anyway , I'm rambling , I hope some things made sense.

    Good luck , quite some progress since your first few images in this thread.
  • achillesian
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    handpainting is bevels, learn them, love them
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Francois_K Thank you for the critique. I really have to practice on material definition.

    Here's my first pass with a soft brush. I'm picking all the colors myself. Time to take out the hard brush now.

    bWtmdhq.jpg
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Finished working for today. Gonna fully finish it tomorrow :)

    gWtY9Bm.png
  • Visceral
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    Wow the ammount of improvement in this thread is awesome to see!
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
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    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    Try throwing some light noise texture over the cloth wraps, etc. See what it does to add some tactile feel to it.
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Added some light noise on the cloth. It's pretty hard to notice but it does help.
    Here's the final image.

    J9JAetf.jpg
  • Francois_K
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    Francois_K interpolator
    If I were you I wouldn't wrap it up yet though. The brush strokes on the blade of the knife make it look really incomplete and some parts of the texture still look very smudgy.

    But it looks really nice so far. Good job.
  • Demonith
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    Demonith polycounter lvl 6
    And i waiting for tabet too and cant wait to get started working on learning painting and sculpting in Zbrush
  • SpaceRogue
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    SpaceRogue polycounter lvl 3
    Damn man, wonderful improvement ! Looking out for more :)
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Francois_K I left some of the brush strokes visible on purpose. I wanted to really copy the concept. I agree that some parts are a bit smudgy though.

    SpaceRogue Thanks :)

    ---
    Started on a new project now. I always wanted to make a cool looking bow so I decided to do one now. Here is the concept:

    6bY6CEW.png

    And here is my current progress. Gonna do a bit more modelling work on it and then I'll start unwraping. It's sitting at 1274 tris right now.

    7R3hAg2.png
  • wakkamis
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    wakkamis polycounter lvl 15
    Wow, can't wait to see how that bow comes out. Great job on the textures so far!
  • Gannon
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    Gannon interpolator
    That jump in quality. You must have been doing something right in the last couple of months because your work has definitely gotten better.

    What's the material that makes up the green parts of the bow? It's kinda hard to read, just something to keep in mind for making it believable.
  • ScottHoneycutt
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    ScottHoneycutt polycounter lvl 14
    yes, much better.
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Gannon wrote: »
    That jump in quality. You must have been doing something right in the last couple of months because your work has definitely gotten better.

    What's the material that makes up the green parts of the bow? It's kinda hard to read, just something to keep in mind for making it believable.

    The concept isn't don by me. I just found it on the internet. I guess I should have said that :/

    The green/blue parts will be the bark of the wood. I can't wait to start painting this bow!
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Here's an update. Been painting for an hour. Mostly blocking in colors with the soft brush.

    0PNjz6M.png
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Image for the bow. I know I could work a lot more on it but I'll call it done.

    ZX4hB2i.jpg

    I kind of want to make a simple character face bust or a small diorama next.
  • felipealves
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    felipealves polycounter lvl 10
    I saw a lot of improvement here. Nice stuff so far!

    As for the bow, I suggest you to increase the highlights, especially on the wood.

    Keep it up man :)
  • Eliteabix
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    Eliteabix polycounter lvl 5
    I really like where it was headed in that second to last update, I think youve pushed the contrast too far in this most recent version. I think you wanna display it on a lighrt background too, that may not be helping.

    other than that, LOVE the colours, love the bow "string", youre certainly learning.
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Thanks for the nice comments :)
    I edited the wood and I think it looks better now.

    kdT9JeE.jpg
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Did a little color shading practice.

    HsEGIOL.png
  • Odow
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    Odow polycounter lvl 8
    Looking nice but i don't really like the bloom/glow effect you put on the overall bow, it look kind of blurry :<
  • Neox
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    Neox veteran polycounter
    pigart wrote: »
    Thanks for the nice comments :)
    I edited the wood and I think it looks better now.

    kdT9JeE.jpg

    conceptart by dario coelho

    maybe you should add that info
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Neox wrote: »
    conceptart by dario coelho

    maybe you should add that info

    I added the names of the concept creators on the bow and dagger images now :)
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Been very busy with school :(

    Here's my first ever skull

    Ug6MXan.jpg
  • Shyralon
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    Shyralon polycounter lvl 11
    That's awesome, so much improvement compared to the beginning of this thread. I especially love your last dagger and the bow!
  • Earthyn
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    Earthyn polycounter lvl 2
    I love finding a new thread I have yet to visit and following its steps from the start!

    Such an improvement and the knowledge you have taken straight into practice is inspiring!
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Thanks for the nice comments guys :)

    Here's my first tileable texture. I sculpted the rocks and painted over the baked AO. It's a nice workflow.

    Vhq3eTa.jpg
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Finally grew the balls to try and do a human face bust. Just started painting it.

    WMPll7U.png
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Not sure if I should call it done or paint more :/

    C5BtCBO.png
  • Jedairusz
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    Jedairusz polycounter lvl 13
    Your skin texture is to monochromatic. Take a look at http://studioproducts.com/demo/palettxt.html I think, that you should add some highlights and shadows (under hair for example).
  • Maher
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    Maher polycounter lvl 5
    really cool works :)
    for the last piece , well i'm not expert but i think
    the skin need more colors and shadows as what @jedairusz say
    also i feel there is a problem with the eyes , maybe its far away from each other
    the hair can be better , but it is nice start :D
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Thanks for the crits guys. The link helped a lot too.
    I decided to try and do a full character. Working on the base mesh right now. It's at 1652 tris.

    ihNj4Rx.png
  • pigart
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    pigart polycounter lvl 6
    Here's an update:

    4ZuiElv.png

    Modelled the clothes/armor. Still need to tweak the face a bit. I'm going for a swamp witch/rogue type character :)
  • Butthair
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    Butthair polycounter lvl 11
    For all of the pieces I've seen, you have really good base colors.

    But the material rendering isn't quite there.
    Don't get me wrong, there's great improvement since you first started.

    Doing some studies from realistic lighting references would help you a lot when transferring the study to the hand painted look.

    Keep at it. Once you learn the little tricks of color manipulating you'll never forget them!
  • CreativeSheep
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    CreativeSheep polycounter lvl 8
    I love hand painting my textures mind you a strong working knowledge of photoshop is beneficial although hand painting is time consuming, but you have full control.

    I love making 4K-8K textures mostly for high resolution images / commercial film.
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