Freehand: tips?
- Thread starter Trevor
- Start date
Freehand
I haven\'t really done very much freehand, the most I\'ve ever done is on a DA chaplain I finished last week... I did find some things out while doing it though; aside from the obvious tips of thinning the paints (does anyone NOT know this?) and cleaning your brush often (VERY often... between every letter, at the least)
the best advice I have is to try to paint the freehand moderately neatly, and once you\'ve done any shading or highlighting, go back with the surrounding colour and sharpen it up. It\'s a lot easier to paint two broad lines close together than it is to paint one very thin line... and now it dawns on me that you were probably looking for inspiration :duh: rather than technical advice (which I might not be that qualified to administer
...)
anyway, hope this wasn\'t a complete waste of bandwidth...
I haven\'t really done very much freehand, the most I\'ve ever done is on a DA chaplain I finished last week... I did find some things out while doing it though; aside from the obvious tips of thinning the paints (does anyone NOT know this?) and cleaning your brush often (VERY often... between every letter, at the least)
the best advice I have is to try to paint the freehand moderately neatly, and once you\'ve done any shading or highlighting, go back with the surrounding colour and sharpen it up. It\'s a lot easier to paint two broad lines close together than it is to paint one very thin line... and now it dawns on me that you were probably looking for inspiration :duh: rather than technical advice (which I might not be that qualified to administer
...)anyway, hope this wasn\'t a complete waste of bandwidth...
Such a fun topic...
The most important thing is to keep both hands completely steady.
When I\'m doing freehand I\'m usually hunched over with both hands leaning up against the edge of my desk.
I practice and formalise one stroke that I use for all freehand, with hand holding brush moving away from mini. I\'ll twist/rotate the mini between strokes to allow for lines in different directions.
I make circles, etc. with a series of arcs that are done the same way as lines with a slight twist (of either the mini or the brush, depends how I\'m feeling).
I always use at least two colours... (for the line silly). The first colour is the same colour as the final colour, but darker. So a red line would consist of a dark red line, which is then gone over with a bright red line.
The most important thing is to keep both hands completely steady.
When I\'m doing freehand I\'m usually hunched over with both hands leaning up against the edge of my desk.
I practice and formalise one stroke that I use for all freehand, with hand holding brush moving away from mini. I\'ll twist/rotate the mini between strokes to allow for lines in different directions.
I make circles, etc. with a series of arcs that are done the same way as lines with a slight twist (of either the mini or the brush, depends how I\'m feeling).
I always use at least two colours...
(for the line silly). The first colour is the same colour as the final colour, but darker. So a red line would consist of a dark red line, which is then gone over with a bright red line.same as the eyes...
Lots of folks use Micron Pigma pens for freehand (and for dotting pupils)
They come in a large variety of colors and are a bit more handy to wield than a brush, especially for tiny parts.
They do tend to clog up, even when the paint you are drawing on is dry. I have used a damp rag to keep the pen tip clean.
But, that said, there is something very beautiful about brush work freehand as opposed to the penwork....
Lots of folks use Micron Pigma pens for freehand (and for dotting pupils)
They come in a large variety of colors and are a bit more handy to wield than a brush, especially for tiny parts.
They do tend to clog up, even when the paint you are drawing on is dry. I have used a damp rag to keep the pen tip clean.
But, that said, there is something very beautiful about brush work freehand as opposed to the penwork....
stumpkiller
New member
practice the pattern you want to do on paper (if it\'s complicated) over and over and over. at first try to stay away from patterns that have a \"mirror image\" like 2 wings or anything that requires you to copy the image with precision, start with lines accenting a cloak or free form tattos.
Of course I really shouldn\'t be giving painting advice on free hand no one will ever see my attempts at it
Of course I really shouldn\'t be giving painting advice on free hand no one will ever see my attempts at it
Chrispy
Active member
I like to go with what I call the \"Japanese brush\" approach to freehanding. Basically, you take a brush that is absorbant and very long and water down your paint to ink consistancy. Then I paint the design with just the tip, pressing hard if I need bigger lines. Of course, this only works over white, as black tends to absorb colors more.
Here\'s one:- Pay someelse to do it for you!
Nailpainter2003
New member
Good one, Dragonsreach!
Trevor:, like mule and airhead said, keep both hands steady and avoid caffeine... before starting any freehand,I always have one Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and pineapple to alleviate the allects of all the coffee! lol Seriously, invest in a good quality, small brush....at least you won\'t be frustrated by the equipment you use. A lot of practice is required, so never give up!
Faye
Freehand sample
Tattoo/body art Freehand
Bracade on chair,Freehand on mirror,brush&gown
Brocade on Queen\'s frock
Freehand on hand-sculpted rug
Trevor:, like mule and airhead said, keep both hands steady and avoid caffeine... before starting any freehand,I always have one Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and pineapple to alleviate the allects of all the coffee! lol Seriously, invest in a good quality, small brush....at least you won\'t be frustrated by the equipment you use. A lot of practice is required, so never give up!
Faye
Freehand sample
Tattoo/body art Freehand
Bracade on chair,Freehand on mirror,brush&gown
Brocade on Queen\'s frock
Freehand on hand-sculpted rug
Valander
Member
Nailpainter, you\'re a woman after my own heart! The Captain is a great painting aid (taken in moderation...)!
Something I\'ve found helps out when first starting free hand is to use those waterslide transfers as a \"template\" to paint. Stick them on the model, and then start shading and hilighting them. After you\'ve done a few of these, you\'ll develop some better brush control, and can start trying your own designs.
Also, as others have mentioned, practicing on a piece of paper is a great help. I\'d say avoid doing the practice with a penci/pen, and actually use the brush, so that you know how it will feel.
Chrispy...
...that\'s chinese brush...japanese adopted it from china thousands of year ago.
PS: it\'s called calligraphy...using flowing strokes and pressure to obtain results.
PPS: i studied it when i was young and man/rodent, it was difficult...the way to handle the brush, the steady hand, the amount of ink, the strength of the arm and the vision....haha....i certainly made a mess of it. lol
...that\'s chinese brush...japanese adopted it from china thousands of year ago.
PS: it\'s called calligraphy...using flowing strokes and pressure to obtain results.
PPS: i studied it when i was young and man/rodent, it was difficult...the way to handle the brush, the steady hand, the amount of ink, the strength of the arm and the vision....haha....i certainly made a mess of it. lol
airhead
Coffin Dodger / Keymaster
Yes, I didn\'t buy all of the hype on the W&N S7\'s until I tried one. I now have 3.
I also like the Prinston brushes, they are shorter and heavyer handled than most, but they go down to 20/0 on the spotters (eyes)
Faye, I was misled by the body tatto link lol I do airbrush body art on occasion. Way different.
freehand
Don\'t do it completely freehand.
Trace or draw guidelines onto the figure.
Or
Use a template of some sort - tape or just paper cut-out and stippled through.
Getting the proportions right is the critical thing.
Little mistakes, you can fiddle about with and fix easy enough.
When the proportions are all out is when you get into real difficulties.
Don\'t do it completely freehand.
Trace or draw guidelines onto the figure.
Or
Use a template of some sort - tape or just paper cut-out and stippled through.
Getting the proportions right is the critical thing.
Little mistakes, you can fiddle about with and fix easy enough.
When the proportions are all out is when you get into real difficulties.
M
MaestroOfMayhem
Guest
Sketch out what you want 1st, use your sketch as a resource to pain your free hand from, then make an outline in a contrasting colour over your base. Once that is done block in your outlines and fix any mistakes, then add shading and highlighting. For easy things like lines you obviously don\'t need a sketch, unless you can\'t remeber a line.
Cerridwyn1st
New member
Paint freshness
I would love some additional help and advice, since I\'m trying to do my first freehand now. It seems like from my experiments that the paint needs to be very fresh on the pallet. Even with thinners/extenders, if the paint sits for any amount of time, it starts to bind and then it\'s imposible to work with. Has anyone else seen this, or am I just doing something wrong?
I\'m glad to see you talking about practicing on paper. I drew out my design larger than I wanted, then \"drew down\". When I felt comfortable with that, I switched to paint and brush and went through the process again - big, then small, then smaller.
I also made sure that I broke down my motif stroke by stroke, like the way you construct calligraphy letters. so I start with a very easy form, then add simple strokes on top of that to build the final motif.
I would love some additional help and advice, since I\'m trying to do my first freehand now. It seems like from my experiments that the paint needs to be very fresh on the pallet. Even with thinners/extenders, if the paint sits for any amount of time, it starts to bind and then it\'s imposible to work with. Has anyone else seen this, or am I just doing something wrong?
I\'m glad to see you talking about practicing on paper. I drew out my design larger than I wanted, then \"drew down\". When I felt comfortable with that, I switched to paint and brush and went through the process again - big, then small, then smaller.
I also made sure that I broke down my motif stroke by stroke, like the way you construct calligraphy letters. so I start with a very easy form, then add simple strokes on top of that to build the final motif.
M
MaestroOfMayhem
Guest
Print it off larger, block it in, fix it up then highlight and shade it like normal freehand. The more intricate the work the more patience you need. For very small things use a small brush, watered down paint and a steady hand. make an A with your arms so you don\'t shake.
