DETAILING
STEP 6: Refining and Clarifying
This is the stage that most people consume themselves with. When in truth, this stage doesn't have to be as labor intensive as some may think. Sure it can be, depending on the proposed forum your art is intended for, but typically it doesn't have to be. If you logically approached your art in the previous stages and completed them with some bit of intelligent thinking, you may already almost have a finished painting. Details are, and should only really be the final touches to an already understandable piece of artwork. They are, to sound lame, the icing on the cake. They aren't the layers of dough that make up the brunt of the cake, but they are the sweet indulgence we all fall victim to. This is why, most amateurs dwell way too long on this stage. One thing to realize is, all the detailing in the world will not rescue a painting with bad foundations. With that said, details can also be added to an image with their own layers. (background detail = bgdetail, foreground detail = fgdetail and character detail layers) (see figs. 11, 12 and 13) By doing it this way and not painting directly on your blocked in color layers, you can try to maintain the spontaneity you have already established. A layer allows you infinite levels of refinement, the only thing that obstructs that fact is practicality and if your a professional... budget. Aside from that you could experiment all day, however, I don't recommend doing this. I suggest you handle your digital document as if it were a traditional canvas or illustration board, commit yourself to not falling into the bell and whistle trappings of digital creation.
For a final stage, I like to add a color adjustment layer to marry the whole layout together. This is not a necessary step, if you consider your paint choices at this stage should be pretty consistent, but it is there if needed. In this example I needed it, so there it is. (see fig. 14)
With that in mind, this point brings us to yet another theory. It's one that focuses on digital painting.
Treat digital paint like it's real paint. In real paint, changes or manipulations are difficult to facilitate. In digital, they're not. This means you have to be very cognitive of following rules and guidelines. The best way to do just that is simply treat digital as if it were traditional. For example, when painting use a texture brush (why not, they're readily available in Photoshop) however, apply a brushstroke and stick with it. Apply the brushstroke as if you were holding a paintbrush, even though you're using a mouse or tablet. Commit yourself to the illusion that your monitor is a canvas. If you make a mistake on a canvas you paint over it to correct it, you don't have an erase tool in real world conditions. Use a limited amount of paintbrushes. Stay away from filters, etc, etc, etc. Now, you may ask yourself, "Why should I paint digitally then?" And my answer is, digital allows you to experiment with ideas or outlets you may never have considered. It's relatively fast, and you have little (if any) cleanup. Do not eliminate what digital offers, that's not what I mean. However, do not abuse it either. It's a tool, and should be used for its advantages, but do not let the tool dictate your actions. By working with this mindset, you will find that your work (even though created digitally) will still evoke a traditional feel. Of course you will not have a tangible object, such as a painted canvas, as you would if you worked traditionally. Yet, your work will not look artificial and overworked (as it easily could when working digitally) Strive to keep the two, traditional and digital, indistinguishable. If you do this, you avenues for work will not be limited.
