Art Compendium #1 - June, July, and August 2019

In this compendium, I'll be discussing:

Creation of Animated Loops
Art Style Changes and Exploration
My Addiction to Soft Colors

Usual disclaimers:
To have posts in between the well-thought-out ones that take a long time to make, every three months, I'll be discussing what I've experienced and observed in regards to the creation of my artworks. Providing some insight and perspective, all based on personal experiences.

JUNE

Animated Loops

This was a time when I had a lot of free time. I experimented with various ways and processes to make my art, but none of them stick.

I figured I should look further outside the box. Maybe a different form of art?
I haven't made animation in a while, so I decided to animate. I didn't have a lot of ideas on what to animate, or if I did, I don't expect to be able to do them. I was very rusty. But I still wanted to animate. I feel like I was going somewhere but needed to find other pieces of the puzzle. And then it hit me.

I saw a cute little loop wherein there's a static picture of a character but some floating decals were animated in a loop. It didn't occur to me at the time but this was exactly what I was looking for. Animation that still promotes creativity through other means besides animation complexity.

Once I finished this, I decided I wanted to make more. But I don't want it to be the same. I couldn't figure out the next step.

Being something very different from my other works, this received a lot more positive feedback. I was looking through the comments and one of them completely changed how I wanted to go forward with this format.

"What if you added music?"

That comment is the reason why I made 8 other loops. And they all went through different processes.

For most of them, I painted the static image first, picked the music that fits the best with the artwork and then added animated elements to complement the synergy. Except for these two, where I had the music and animation in mind right from the start:

What's interesting is how these videos feel like they are made organically. After I paint an art piece, what music could fit with it? Best examples to better present my thoughts are the Jam video and Blitzed video. The painting of Sophia and the painting of Eliza was never meant to be made into a loop, they were both meant to be just art pieces. But with both of them, I found music that fits perfectly with the vibe of the artwork. With added effects and animated parts, I made it so it's much less obvious that it was all improvised and ended up making something completely cohesive. It all just works.

This was a new medium for me. A new way of expressing creativity. I couldn't get enough of it. I kept wanting to make more. Until eventually, free time has become a lot more scarce and I was becoming more and more ambitious with each animation loop. I got the feeling I always get when I'm super passionate about learning more and see how far I can go after somehow being able to impress myself, which is a rarity. But too bad I couldn't keep it up and had to deal with the pile of personal problems I need to fix. It was definitely fun and I hope to get back to it when my passion sparks again and free time is abundant.

JULY

Art Style Changes ft. Soft Colors

This is the time where I felt like my art style needed to go through big changes.
So I experimented. I sketched my characters in different ways. Avoided drawing methods that I would often use.

This is when I got addicted to soft colors. Despite going through color theory and adjusting multiple layers to get a specific look, I always end up using the same color algorithm ever since I found out about it from making the artwork above. It's nothing special, it just darkens the bright areas and lightens the dark areas, giving the illusion of soft colors. When in reality, it just decreases the contrast. But of course, I don't just let it do that on its own. I add extra adjustments to the base effect. Or paint over the filtered artwork so it'll look more cohesive. What makes it special is that it drastically changes the mood of the picture into a more lighthearted feeling. It gives a distinct vibe that I never had on any of my artworks, which inclined me to test it on all my works, even if I went through extensive finicking. The fact that it just works on almost all cases makes it intriguing and fun to just mess around with, it's always a mystery how it would change the overall atmosphere of a painting.

Although this effect wasn't my main focus at the time, it did affect every artwork that I make onwards, without me even noticing.

My main focus during this month was making detailed faces.

Detailed Faces

I had always wondered if I could pull it off. Detailed faces don't necessarily mean realistic but rather, looked like there was some time put into it to make it look as good as it should. I didn't want to disappoint myself because I tend to overdo faces which leads to an uncanny valley look most of the time. Since I'm not as stubborn as I used to be, I decided to use references. References are a huge help when used right and I really felt like I got a lot of what I needed to learn just from using them. I found out a lot of the mistakes I kept repeating.

I did exactly what I anticipated. As I said, I wasn't aiming for realism, I was aiming for detailed. I was satisfied with the first attempt but felt like I could do so much better. I was thoroughly surprised with the second one, as her face looks like soft touchable skin. I don't want the shading on the face to be the focal point of the painting, I want it to be subtle but adds a lot to the overall look of the painting. Which brings me to the third attempt. Art cohesion will always be my priority and her face did not get in the way of achieving the goal I had set. Rather, it enhances it. I could always stick to the reliable flat faces but how could I ever improve if I continue to do things I'm already doing? The shading of her face is subtle but does not take up the focus of the art piece, and it also gives a lot to the overall feel, which was exactly what I wanted.

AUGUST

Art Style Exploration

I explored new ways to change the look of my art. Using layer blending modes and colors in different ways. I'm still not satisfied with how little I've done to change my art style, so I decided to try to come back to my old ones and also try to mimic other artists' art styles. I noticed that I learn the most when I use references. References include other art styles, in which their core traits get implemented in my general art style.

I eventually reached a point where I could make art that all look drastically different while still having that "Kerzid" feel to it. And I used everything I've learned to make the next few artworks and to remake old works that I once considered really good but now lacks the initial punch it had when I made them.

Not a lot of changes but they are still there and are very noticeable. My art style is a lot more cohesive, considering my scope has gotten bigger. The downside of having a lot of art styles or having the ability to have a single but diverse art style is the upkeep of making sure it stays broad in scope and not lose its / their established charm. Which happens to me a lot when I take more than a week-long break. I could say over time, the general look of my art style doesn't change much but my knowledge of using it to its potential increases. Use of color, proportions, organic lines, composition, values and a lot of different factors affect the overall polish of my work.

Soft Colors Addiction ft. Hardlights

As mentioned in the July observations, soft colors have completely taken me over. The low contrast vibrant look was just so appealing, that I couldn't help but apply the same color algorithm to all my works.

The reason why I stopped using black outlines was that it was a waste of potential in adding more color to an artwork. Why have it black when it can be its own shade of color? Unless you're going for an art style that requires outlines to be black (ex. Don't Starve Art style) then it's an easy choice but I have a principle where I must find every and all factors I could exploit to make my work feel richer.

Aside from the color algorithm I always use and the usage of colored outlines, there's another factor that solidifies my soft color addiction. Hardlights.

Different ways to use hardlights on the same art piece

Color Process of "Collective Joy"

Hardlights are a double-edged sword. On one hand, it helps someone like me who is colorblind be able to control colors and values in a very easy way. On the other hand, if used too much or incorrectly, it can lead to unfavorable results.

Color Process of "Bed for Two"

Color Process of "Buss"

Hardlights are best at setting up the atmosphere. Since I know it starts at gray, all I have to do is figure out what gray would look like in the ambiance I want the painting to have. Using only one shade of color in the hardlight layer would just blend the colors together into a fine flat mess. I usually stick to two shades so that it is simple to manage and also simple in terms of color variance. Most of the time those two shades are just light and dark versions of the atmosphere color. In other terms, they are what gray would look like if it was lit or not with the intended mood in mind.

And that is all I've learned and observed from June to August. It's nice to know that I'm still learning and will continue to learn more from making art and finding new ways to experiment. Experimenting will always be my #1 tip in regards to improving. Not only do you have fun but you also find out a lot about your art style preferences at your own pace. It's always a pleasant surprise to discover new ways to improve your art and to reach a higher potential in expressing creativity.

Everyone goes through their own journey when it comes to learning. It's best not to compare and stick to the reason why you wanted to learn in the first place. Because it's fun knowing more about what you're passionate about. And the fun in learning will continue to ignite that passion.

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