davidmattingly
04-03-2009, 01:40 PM
Your assignment for this weeks class is to do a concept sketch for your final project, a mutiplaned moving matte. The requirements are as follows:
1. Create a concept sketch for a matte painting composed of AT LEAST 3 layers that multiplane against each other. The sky, which you will probably want to add a subtle move to, does not count as a layer.
2. You can do anything you want--a city, a volcano, a nature scene. The subject matter is up to you. However, make it something complex enough that it is worth working 3 weeks on. If it is to simple, it will be difficult to reflect the level of finish that I am looking for here. I would be particularly happy if it is a shot that will be used in your thesis--one of my goals as a teacher is to see more matte paintings in thesis projects at SVA.
3. One element must be animated in the composition. Whether your matte shot is great, or terrible, it will looking better if there is something moving in your shot. Your eye loves movement, and it will enhance the reality of your shot.
4. You can also add video to the scene, like a waterfall, a river, of smoke. I would prefer that you not use video of clouds, since they are so easy to do by animating painted clouds broken up into layers.
5. You must add at least one figure using green screen. In two weeks we will reserve the green screen room so everyone can shoot a figure for your painting. Please think ahead about costume and casting. If you just shoot yourself in your school clothing, your figure will look pretty lame, but if you cast your part, and assemble a bit of a costume that matches your scene, it can enhance the shot a lot.
As I mentioned in last weeks class, I will fail anyone who uses photographic elements now.
NO PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS WHATSOEVER IN YOUR CONCEPT SKETCHES!
Why?
Lets talk a bit about why I want you to just paint your concept sketches. First and formost, I believe that using any photographic element while you are trying to get a concept down inhibits the free flowing of your ideas. I think the worst work being done today is by people who just sandwich a bunch of photos together to make a good concept, or matte painting. I find it distracting to have a mix of elements right off--your photographic elements look so realistic that your painting never matches, and your find yourself fighting to get your sketch to look as good as the photographs right away. But a sketch shouldn't be about that. You should be trying to establish the position of your elements in the scene, getting mood and a feel in the piece, and not worrying about detail. I realize that some of your aren't painters in this class, but that shouldn't stop you from jumping into the picture plane, blocking in your elements, and figuring out how to get a fun picture going. Once you have your idea down, you can use all the photos you want to add realistic textures, but first get an idea down, no matter how rough the picture looks.
Here are some questions from students this semester and past:
Q:. "Can I paint over a picture of a forest, or a cliff, or a canyon as a start to my shot?"
A: "No. If you have a nice picture you want to use as the basis of your shot, put in on your screen were you can see it, and refer to it as you paint it into your concept sketch. You can work over that. I have a two monitor system at home, and I tend to keep up pictures that I like on my right hand monitor, and paint on the left hand monitor. Sure, look at good reference as you work, but don't use it directly on your concept sketches. It will limit you.
Q: "I looked at the Craig Mullins, or Ryan Church, or Dylan Cole DVD, and I can't get my concepts to look anywhere near as good as they do. I have to use photos."
A: The only way Mullins, Church and Cole got as good as they are is by painting a lot. None of them spent a lot of time sandwiching photos together to make their paintings--they painted! Dylan Cole uses lots of photography after he has his basic idea, but not before. Listen, if you find looking at those DVD's discouraging, then don't watch them! I think we are very lucky to live in a time when we can watch great artists work--just think what a resource it would be if someone had put a camera behind John Singer Sargent as he did a portrait! Hopefully you can take inspiration from these DVDs. I've watched all of them, and picked up some tips, but I always emerge feeling inspired, and lucky to be able to watch their creative process, and I also recognize that level of achievement represents an entire lifetime of hard work with no shortcuts.
On a personal note, I was blessed enough to work with Peter Ellenshaw, who may be the best painter I ever watched in action. When we were working on "The Black Hole", I got a chance to do a concept sketch of the interior of one of the space ships. I worked all weekend, stayed up late, and on Monday brought it into the studio, and Peter took a look at it. He talked a bit about how much information there needs to be in the frame. He talked about how what I had done needed "more", and mentioned a few things he saw immediately. He had an open palette in his office, and I asked him to do some corrections himself to show me what he meant. He quickly sketched in some additional background details, and I realized that what he had done in a few minutes was much better than everything I had done in a long weekend of work. I could have gone away discouraged, but I committed myself to working hard, and someday becoming as great an artist as he was.
I won't leave you hanging--it didn't happen. Even though he is dead now, he could still probably paint rings around me. But I did work hard over the years, and learned a few things, and got better. You should do the same!
Q: "I know the sketch I turned in looks crappy, but I really did work 12 hours on it!"
A: Let's talk a little bit about work habits. While you are working, are you also watching the John Stewart show, or the pirate copy of the Wolverine movie you found on the internet? That isn't working! That is working with half (or probably a lot less) of your brain in gear. Shut down all visual media while you are working or that doesn't qualify as working. Also, no texting, or video chat, or anything that pulls away the visual part of your brain. Some people think you shouldn't listen or watch anything as you work, but I have always listened to either music or National Public Radio while I work. I find that music or NPR can often distract the "thinking" part of my brain, and I can get into the "zone" easier. The zone is where you lose all track of time, and you look up and have several good ideas sketch, and no idea where the time went. Kids tell me they can do work while they watch movies or TV, but I don't believe it. Cut down your distractions while you work to get the best results!
Also, glue yourself to your seat while you work. If you get up every few minutes to roam around, you will never get anything done. Work in 2 or 3 hour chunks at least, so you can get into the project. Get rid of distractions, and sit and work. I am guilty of this as anyone else, and I have to be conscious of not wasting time by getting up to get a snack, or pet the cats, or talk to my wife.
So lets have some great ideas for next week that will be worthy of the last project!
David Mattingly
1. Create a concept sketch for a matte painting composed of AT LEAST 3 layers that multiplane against each other. The sky, which you will probably want to add a subtle move to, does not count as a layer.
2. You can do anything you want--a city, a volcano, a nature scene. The subject matter is up to you. However, make it something complex enough that it is worth working 3 weeks on. If it is to simple, it will be difficult to reflect the level of finish that I am looking for here. I would be particularly happy if it is a shot that will be used in your thesis--one of my goals as a teacher is to see more matte paintings in thesis projects at SVA.
3. One element must be animated in the composition. Whether your matte shot is great, or terrible, it will looking better if there is something moving in your shot. Your eye loves movement, and it will enhance the reality of your shot.
4. You can also add video to the scene, like a waterfall, a river, of smoke. I would prefer that you not use video of clouds, since they are so easy to do by animating painted clouds broken up into layers.
5. You must add at least one figure using green screen. In two weeks we will reserve the green screen room so everyone can shoot a figure for your painting. Please think ahead about costume and casting. If you just shoot yourself in your school clothing, your figure will look pretty lame, but if you cast your part, and assemble a bit of a costume that matches your scene, it can enhance the shot a lot.
As I mentioned in last weeks class, I will fail anyone who uses photographic elements now.
NO PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENTS WHATSOEVER IN YOUR CONCEPT SKETCHES!
Why?
Lets talk a bit about why I want you to just paint your concept sketches. First and formost, I believe that using any photographic element while you are trying to get a concept down inhibits the free flowing of your ideas. I think the worst work being done today is by people who just sandwich a bunch of photos together to make a good concept, or matte painting. I find it distracting to have a mix of elements right off--your photographic elements look so realistic that your painting never matches, and your find yourself fighting to get your sketch to look as good as the photographs right away. But a sketch shouldn't be about that. You should be trying to establish the position of your elements in the scene, getting mood and a feel in the piece, and not worrying about detail. I realize that some of your aren't painters in this class, but that shouldn't stop you from jumping into the picture plane, blocking in your elements, and figuring out how to get a fun picture going. Once you have your idea down, you can use all the photos you want to add realistic textures, but first get an idea down, no matter how rough the picture looks.
Here are some questions from students this semester and past:
Q:. "Can I paint over a picture of a forest, or a cliff, or a canyon as a start to my shot?"
A: "No. If you have a nice picture you want to use as the basis of your shot, put in on your screen were you can see it, and refer to it as you paint it into your concept sketch. You can work over that. I have a two monitor system at home, and I tend to keep up pictures that I like on my right hand monitor, and paint on the left hand monitor. Sure, look at good reference as you work, but don't use it directly on your concept sketches. It will limit you.
Q: "I looked at the Craig Mullins, or Ryan Church, or Dylan Cole DVD, and I can't get my concepts to look anywhere near as good as they do. I have to use photos."
A: The only way Mullins, Church and Cole got as good as they are is by painting a lot. None of them spent a lot of time sandwiching photos together to make their paintings--they painted! Dylan Cole uses lots of photography after he has his basic idea, but not before. Listen, if you find looking at those DVD's discouraging, then don't watch them! I think we are very lucky to live in a time when we can watch great artists work--just think what a resource it would be if someone had put a camera behind John Singer Sargent as he did a portrait! Hopefully you can take inspiration from these DVDs. I've watched all of them, and picked up some tips, but I always emerge feeling inspired, and lucky to be able to watch their creative process, and I also recognize that level of achievement represents an entire lifetime of hard work with no shortcuts.
On a personal note, I was blessed enough to work with Peter Ellenshaw, who may be the best painter I ever watched in action. When we were working on "The Black Hole", I got a chance to do a concept sketch of the interior of one of the space ships. I worked all weekend, stayed up late, and on Monday brought it into the studio, and Peter took a look at it. He talked a bit about how much information there needs to be in the frame. He talked about how what I had done needed "more", and mentioned a few things he saw immediately. He had an open palette in his office, and I asked him to do some corrections himself to show me what he meant. He quickly sketched in some additional background details, and I realized that what he had done in a few minutes was much better than everything I had done in a long weekend of work. I could have gone away discouraged, but I committed myself to working hard, and someday becoming as great an artist as he was.
I won't leave you hanging--it didn't happen. Even though he is dead now, he could still probably paint rings around me. But I did work hard over the years, and learned a few things, and got better. You should do the same!
Q: "I know the sketch I turned in looks crappy, but I really did work 12 hours on it!"
A: Let's talk a little bit about work habits. While you are working, are you also watching the John Stewart show, or the pirate copy of the Wolverine movie you found on the internet? That isn't working! That is working with half (or probably a lot less) of your brain in gear. Shut down all visual media while you are working or that doesn't qualify as working. Also, no texting, or video chat, or anything that pulls away the visual part of your brain. Some people think you shouldn't listen or watch anything as you work, but I have always listened to either music or National Public Radio while I work. I find that music or NPR can often distract the "thinking" part of my brain, and I can get into the "zone" easier. The zone is where you lose all track of time, and you look up and have several good ideas sketch, and no idea where the time went. Kids tell me they can do work while they watch movies or TV, but I don't believe it. Cut down your distractions while you work to get the best results!
Also, glue yourself to your seat while you work. If you get up every few minutes to roam around, you will never get anything done. Work in 2 or 3 hour chunks at least, so you can get into the project. Get rid of distractions, and sit and work. I am guilty of this as anyone else, and I have to be conscious of not wasting time by getting up to get a snack, or pet the cats, or talk to my wife.
So lets have some great ideas for next week that will be worthy of the last project!
David Mattingly