Painting a simple sphere
Painting a simple sphere
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Painting a simple sphere

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This week, we're kicking off with a straightforward assignment that involves painting a red rubber ball. To make things easier, we'll start with a black and white version of this object. This task is designed to be simple, allowing you to focus on the basics of digital painting.

Preparing for the Assignment

Setting Up the Digital Workspace

First, you'll need to open the image file in Photoshop. I've taken several photographs of the ball, but we'll begin with the black and white version. Here's how to get started:

  • Go to File > Open and navigate to the folder containing the image file, named Simple Shapes 03ABW.
  • Adjust the window size to make the workspace comfortable for painting.

Selecting the Right Brushes

For this assignment, you'll need specific brushes depending on the software you're using. Here's a breakdown:

  • Photoshop: Download and import the JV Chalky brush. This brush offers a nice texture and opacity control, making it ideal for painting.
  • Krita: Use the wet textured soft brush.
  • Affinity Photo: Select the Classic Oil Smooth brush from the oils category.
  • Clip Studio Paint: Choose the gouache brush from the thick pastels.
  • Procreate: Opt for the turpentine brush.

These brushes were chosen for their texture and pressure sensitivity, which are crucial for this painting exercise.

Painting Instructions

Starting the Painting Process

Begin by opening the black and white image of the sphere. You'll be painting directly on a new layer above this image. Here's the process:

  • Use the color picker (Option key on Mac or Alt key on Windows) to select colors directly from the image.
  • Start by painting the base where the sphere rests, then move on to the sphere itself.
  • Initially, your painting might not look perfect, but the goal is to improve through practice.

Techniques and Tips

As you paint, focus on capturing the shadows and highlights of the sphere. Here are some tips:

  • Adjust the brush size using bracket keys for detailed work and cleanup.
  • Stay loose and rough at first to establish the basic tones and shapes.
  • Avoid using multiple layers or undo functions. Treat this exercise as if you're painting on a physical canvas.

Additional Challenges and Expectations

Once you're comfortable with the black and white version, challenge yourself with the color version of the sphere. Aim to complete three black and white images for practice. This will prepare you for more complex subjects in future assignments.

* * *

This assignment is designed to help you get comfortable with digital painting tools and techniques. A sped-up video demonstration is included at the end of the video to show that this task can be accomplished with just one brush. Remember, the key to improvement is practice. Good luck, and I look forward to seeing your work!

Newest
@caremyr
1mo
Here is my assignement for this lesson with Procreate and the Turpentine brush I tried to color pick from the reference only to check the colors after having guessed them first
@angelic_garbage
This is my first sphere, Procreate w turpentine brush. I will attempt two more before moving on and add them to this post, but please feel free to critique anytime, as I'm having trouble "seeing" and unsure what I did well or poorly here. Seems blurry.
@angelic_garbage
A second one. Haven't practiced, hoping to get in the swing of regular practice by November.
@mcminnjesse
Here are the rest of my shapes! I think I'm getting the hang of this, though blending and color matching is still difficult. I actually found that I struggled the most with the simple spheres - getting a nice gradient of color at the right angle was really difficult.
@mcminnjesse
Here's batch 1 of spheres and cubes! I tried eyeballing the colors and values and am pretty happy with how close I got in most cases. I'm still struggling a little with the texture of the spheres - they never come out feeling as round as I'd like them to. The lone sphere with the zigzagging shadow shape also threw me off both times I painted it. Looking forward to honing the observation skills I need to get those shapes down!
Lanna
4mo
Here are my drawings. As a beginner with colour and value, I used the eye dropper for each of the drawings except for the last. I had some trouble with blending but I think these are decent first tries!
@jacorn
4mo
Here are three of my attempts. Definitely saw some improvement between my first and last attempts!
Seth Lynch
5mo
Here is a few, I didn't use the eye dropper when doing these.
Bryant De Jesus
I'm retroactively adding these images. It's difficult not to be self-conscious as a novice when it comes to color. I didn't use under drawings when they weren't included in the assignments, which led to me having issues with proportions. I can see that I also had little experience blending colors and values. I started to get a feel for how to pick colors while also seeing them properly.
@philowenaster
Did two studies, one B&W and one color. I'm confident in my tools, but I'm trying to grasp shading that will actually suggest a form.
@mmtm
5mo
Black and white ball study
Vin
5mo
Hello, here is my approach. Each one took me 1 hour, and the last one took more than 1 hour. I am struggling with the borders of each value. I can’t find a way to make the gradients look smoother. I didn’t use smudge; I only used the brush that Jeremy recommended. I appreciate any feedback. PS. I used color picker in this assignment.
@cisainz
5mo
Tried to eye most of it. Think I got pretty close for the most part
Mipupu
6mo
Extra shapes for week 1, painting tennis balls was stressful😁
Lanna
4mo
These are gorgeous!!
K La Truli
5mo
Each one looks so realistic! I absolutely LOVE the last two. The reflection of the trees on the red sphere is spetacular.
Courtney B
6mo
used the eyedropper for the colors and focused on the highlights & getting the right shape. Felt like I learned a lot about painting shadows as well!
Jocelyn Sy
6mo
Here's my week 01 Simple Sphere assignment. I'm using Clip Studio Paint and Jeremy's JV_Chaulky brush. I tried not to smudge and undo. It's quite a new method of painting for me. I just eyeballed the values and did not sample from the photo at all.
@tiajabbour
Here is my attempt. My approach to coloring wasn't very methodical. I messed around with the colors until I had something that looked somewhat similar to the original photos; however, I am not sure if my approach is the correct one. Anyways, I had a blast doing these, thank you!
Filippo Galli
It had been a while since I had last painted anything, so limiting my tools for the first assignment was a nice way to get back at it. I avoided using the color picker for each of these, and I don't plan on ever doing so while doing studies. I also went a little bit over the time limit on the second one.. I hope that won't be too much of an issue. Either way, you can never go wrong with the good 'ol sphere exercises; I'm excited for week two!
Kyle Haschke
Had time to do some of the bonus images this week. Moving on to week 2!
Isabel Kaspriskie
I'm new to digital painting (and working with color in general, though I have some drawing experience) and I am having such a blast! Thank you for your wonderful YouTube channel and these courses on Proko, Jeremy. These were my first attempts, and I had to stop myself from spending more than an hour on them. Art is a journey, and I am looking forward to seeing what I can learn!
@alonom
7mo
Despite loving sketching and outlining, coloring has always felt intimidating. I constantly struggle with it. So I couldn’t have been happier to find out and try out this course! I avoided tackling this difficulty long enough :) I did use color picking (and a bit of the smudge tool)
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About instructor
Jeremy teaches Light and Color and has worked for over 25 years in the animation, film and games industry, most notably at Pixar Animation Studios
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