1. Work
out who or what will be the focus of your picture. Perhaps
an old sketch will inspire you, as it did with me.
2. Don't
be afraid to mess around with something you have previously
drawn, and modify it to meet your needs. Just keep a backup
of your old sketch, unmodified.
3. Place
separate elements on different layers. I found out the hard
way that layers are pretty much essential for adding and subtracting
elements from your scene. If you don't have a package that
allows you to use layers, then you will need to save different
versions of your picture as you add new elements. That way,
if you make a bad mistake, you can go back to a previous version,
but that is not an ideal solution. Fortunately, some cheaper
packages - such as Paintshop Pro - do allow you to use layers.
4. If
you want the focus of the picture to be an object or person,
try to keep the background a bit hazy. It is tempting to add
a lot of detail...but if you do, you will need to work all
the harder on the main object of attention to make it stand
out. It's often better to keep background details hazy and
out of focus.
5. Add
each element on a separate layer, and move them around until
they fit the scene. Don't be afraid to experiment - or to
take away some elements if the picture is getting too busy.
Using layers, you should be able to bring some objects closer,
or send them further back in the scene by changing the order
of the layers.
6. Try
to add special lighting effects on a separate layer as well.
This is so that if some elements in the scene change - like
moving a character wielding a lightsaber - you can change
the lighting cast on other elements to match the source of
the light. It's easier to change a light effect on one layer
than to change a whole series of objects on different layers
that you may have highlighted separately. Only highlight a
character or object on it's own layer if you know that element
of the picture, and the main source of light for the scene,
is not going to be moved.
7. When
drawing a lightsaber, remember that it should be one of the
brightest objects in the scene. The core should be pure white,
while the glow around the edges of the blade can be any colour
you like. Lightsabers show up best against a darker background,
which heightens the contrast.
8. When
adding light reflections, remember that cloth is usually less
reflective than metals or other shiny surfaces.
9. Don't
be afraid of making some areas black, or very dark. Usually,
the brighter the light, the darker the shadow in contrast.
The use of light and dark areas helps to define the solidity
of an object.
10. Know
when to stop. Some people often make the mistake of adding
too much detail and too many elements, so the intended focus
of your picture is lost in all the other detail. Sometimes,
you will want to add lots of detail - especially if you are
aiming for realism - but as I said before, you then need to
make your central focus stand out even more.
Last but
not least, please keep in mind that I have not attended art
college and I too have a great deal more to learn. Happy painting!
;)