calm
patreon
Illustration #120
🕑 Added 2024-07-27 23:01:14 +0000 UTCHey, here's a new painting! :) Wanted to finally do a scene featuring the bath house owner lady I did some sketches of a while back. I like how her design turned out, and I'd like to make her more of a recurring character since I really enjoy the whole bath house setting. I hope you guys are into that too! She might want a more central role in the next painting she's in though. π
Here are the download links for the rewards for illustration #120 so you can check out the process if you want:
WIP images
Short time lapse video
Long time lapse video
PSD files
My motivation and workflow had a lot of turbulence throughout painting this picture. When I started out I kinda wanted to re-examine the approach of going into a painting without doing a thumbnail sketch first. In the past I've felt like it's a bad idea, but since my painting technique has changed a little bit since then, and particularly considering how I recently have tried to introduce more color variety into my brush technique, I thought it'd be interesting to repeat the experiment. It actually didn't feel quite as bad as it has in the past, but I'd still say it's sub-optimal. I'll keep doing thumbnails first instead.
Part way through the process of this painting I did start feeling pretty demotivated. I felt kinda stuck. When I feel that way I often find it helpful for me to pivot my approach in one way or another. For example, in the past I've made some dramatic changes to the lighting of a scene to see it in a new light, quite literally, and regain my motivation that way. This time around I decided I wanted to try pivoting the art style slightly and introduce contour lines to help define the shapes in the painting. I didn't do it because I thought it'd look better, I just needed it to be different. And it worked out pretty alright! I don't wanna recommend pivoting your art style like that when doing client work, since they expect you to deliver your usual style, but if you're feeling stuck in a personal piece, maybe try to find a way to pivot. π
I don't necessarily think I quite hit the mark for what I'd want the art style to look like, but as a first attempt I'm pretty happy with what I learned from it. And I think I'd like to keep exploring a style that uses contour lines like that. After adding them I felt like it was a bit easier to recognize my own shape language and spot how I can improve that shape language. I'm curious to see if that'll continue being the case.
I've got this dream of being able to make a game sometime in the future, so this past month I selfishly took the time I usually spend doing doodles and spent it looking at game dev stuff instead. I'm still very far away from being able to make anything resembling a game, but baby steps I guess. π
I hope you've all had a good July! Thanks for supporting me!
Comments
Calm
They've encouraged me in the past to let them know if I want in on it, and it's nice to have that option! But I do enjoy doing things solo. π
QuirkyTopHat
Late to posting this, but if you wanted to be part of an indie adult game already being made that might suit your art style if they need artists, you could check out Soulgasm.
Calm
I've unfortunately not played enough BG3 to develop an interest in her yet, lol. Sorry about that. π
Calm
Thank you, Fuzzy! Yeah, it feels pretty bad in the moment, but it usually turns out alright in the end, thankfully. And sometimes that reapproach causes me to stumble into interesting workflow changes or new techniques too that I otherwise wouldn't notice, so it can in some ways be a blessing in disguise. π
Calm
Thank you!
Calm
Thank you, CiarΓ‘n! Always really glad to hear you're finding a lot to enjoy in the things I make. π And you're right, the bath house lady is likely more than a little interested in Luke lol. Something's bound to happen there eventually. π
Calm
Thank you! Yeah!
Calm
Glad to hear you enjoy it, Griffin!
Calm
Ahh, thank you! I really appreciate hearing that. π
Calm
I appreciate that! It's always good to know I've got access to people with more knowledge than I have. π
Calm
Thank you, Kite! I find blues and other cold colors a bit challenging too, especially for erotic scenes, since the scene can end up feeling colder and less inviting than I intend if I'm not careful. π It sounds like you probably have a bunch of good info about game dev stuff, so I might take you up on that sometime!
Calm
Thank you! π
Calm
Thanks, glad to hear you like it!
DORN
Damn Calm! This one is my new favorite! Freakin love everything about it! Amazing work! And good luck with the game development. Would definitely look into it.
Alexander
Your new approach looks brilliant, well done. Good luck with your pursuit into game development.
TheKite
This is great tho, for a first try at a new approach! I just love these blues and the contrast in general... using blue/cold tones is something I find hard to use, but when made to work, it can be super pretty! :D And man I'm with you on the making a game train haha I've been consulting with a dev for a bit, and studying the possibility to make a Lunar Towers game, gathering ideas, scope, etc... If you ever wanna talk game project or brainstorming, I'm here whenever! :P
reltcstone
I'm down to talk shop with you about game dev stuff sometime! I'm a concept artist and game dev.
OthalaM
I feel like contour lines suit your style so so much! I absolutely adore this piece! You're setting new goals for other artists everything you post! π€£
Griffin Barrows
Bro, this is good! And the huge mess she slurped out of your stud Luke is 1000% great π€€ .... lady on the right almost busting out of her top is really damn good too π«
Townes
This is great. Bathhouses are cool!
CiarΓ‘n M
Oh wow... I've found myself rather enamoured with blue lately, including sort of green-blue tones as well. Suffice to say, I immediately fell in love with the colour palette of this painting! ππ©΅π Definitely pleased to see the bath-house lady again, even in this voyeuristic role πΈ Maybe she can have a crack at Luke all to herself next time π As for this painting, the style is very interesting. The contour lines being the main thing as you pointed out. But there's something else, something that I'm not sure how to describe. Like the blue curtains and the little flowers in the vases have this feel to them that's... well, different! πΉ To make it abundantly clear, different definitely doesn't mean anything negative here. I very much enjoy the feeling of this painting, it's different but in a very wonderful sort of way. Apologies for the vagueness, but I'm not sure how to describe a feeling like that π But as I said, I really love the colours in this piece. The overall cool tones look so beautiful, with the warm skin tones of the characters looking extra vibrant and really popping. Something about the background that really jumps out to me are the interactions of the colours and how most things are tinted in some way. The curtains on the right receive this greenish-blue glow that rises up from the bottom. The curtains elsewhere have this lovely, subtle purple-pink tint that I definitely enjoy. And the dark, foreground curtains on the left have both the green and pink tint which looks very nice with its darker shadows. All of the curtains are beautifully painted too, I absolutely adore well rendered cloth folds and these are lovely. The way the cloth ripples with deep shadows between them are gorgeous and I really like the way the cloth interacts with other things. Most notably, the right-most curtain being pushed by the stonework to the right of it, and the curtain that's being pushed by the bath house lady. I love all of the stonework in this piece, the greenish colour to it looks very lovely. And the textures are great too, I particularly this sort of swirling texture to the stone to the left of Luke's head, beneath that metal hoop on the wall. Speaking of which, the various metallics in the scene, the hoops, the brassy jugs and the greenish containers on the bottom right, all have such striking textures and gorgeous shines. I also really like how the wooden table has the green tinting mixed into it that conforms to the wooden texture. Everything in the scene has terrific texturing to it, like the little towels throughout, the orange slices on the plate, the knife, the foam dripping out of Luke's tankard... I really could go on π I'd best get to the characters, lest I be here forever πΉ Starting with the bath-house lady, she has some really lovely lighting on her. I particularly like her legs, with one being vibrant, bright and warm and the other shrouded in cool shadow. The rim-lighting on both thighs accentuates their shapes really well and for her left leg, adds a great bit of pop to it. I love the way the cool blues and whites of her clothes frame her warm, bright breasts too. And the actual bra part of her outfit is great with the contrasts in light and dark and those creased, rippling folds in the material. Her face is very striking as well with the dark shadows doing a great job of defining her features. I really like her smile too, especially with the way she's looking at Luke... I'm just saying, pairing her with him would be pretty neat πΉπ» I really love the style of her hair as well. The texture is so shiny and I love the mix of purples and blues. The hair is very vibrant and has a great sense of depth to it. Of course, Luke looks fantastic too. I really like all of the definition in his muscles. I feel like I should say more but.. I mean, I don't know what else really to add, you've done a brilliant job with the lighting and rendering on her and all of his muscles have a great sense of depth and volume. The colour interactions on him look terrific too, I really like the blue that creeps up onto his body where he's resting on the blue cushions. Likewise, the greenish tones rising up onto his legs are very nice too. Overall, these cool colours blend beautifully into his warm skin tones and are a great contrast. Oh and I do enjoy the detail on his face and his expression is a lot of fun. He looks like he's trying (and failing) to maintain his composure in front of the bath-house lady πΉ Oh and the pale rim-lighting on his hair is a great touch too, really adds even more detail and depth to his hair. As for the lady attending to Luke... hoo boy... I like her πΉπ» As with the bath-house lady, her hair too has such beautiful vibrancy to it with this mix of blues, greens, magentas and purples all weaving throughout it. There's so much depth and detail to it and I love that she also receives the same kind of rim-lighting as Luke does. I also very much enjoy the little flower in her, that colour is one of my very favourite tones of purple π Her skin tones and the rendering of her body are sensational too! I really like this overall gradient that she has, vibrant and warm, growing steadily cooler and more green-tinted as we move down her body. I especially like the warm, bright rim-lighting that she has on her shoulder and arm. It really accentuates her own muscles and shows how they all interlock. Forgive me, I don't know the name of it but I just love where that neck muscle wedges into the V-shaped rim-lighting on her shoulder π₯° I really like the shape of her hanging breast too, which is beautifully defined by the shadows wrapping around her green-tinted skin π And that bright green glow that wraps around her bum cheeks looks absolutely gorgeous! I really love the effect it has on her body and the contrast with the warmer skin tones above π₯° Apologies, I feel like this comment was even less coherent or useful than usual, I'm typing it out pretty late π Suffice to say though, this alternate style looks terrific and I am utterly in love with these colours! The characters are so vibrant and stand out beautifully in this gorgeous, lovely blue scene ππ©΅ πππππππππππππππππππππ
Kopianget
Lovely
FuzzyBunny
Oh mannnnn, getting demotivated halfway through an illustration them getting stuck is one of the worst feelings. Trying to find the best way to reapproach is daunting! The image is stunning, you never fail to inspire me.
Harley Chinchilla
Any possible Karlach work in the future?
