Visual Development
Bambi Environment Study #3
I have to admit that before I got started on this study, I was feeling rather intimated looking at it. The glassy almost moss agate feeling of the far background left me a little puzzled as to how I would manage to get that glow and dreamlike texture.
But I reminded myself that this was the point with these background studies. To push myself in this watercolor impressionism effect. And knowing that the last study would be even harder I took a deep breath and got on with it.
This time I started with an off-white canvas as a selection aid and then I made a blank layer on top to build the painting off of. I then did a light trace. With clip studios mechanical pencil and then I began building up the color using Mateusz Urbanowicz add watercolors texture brush.
In the end I didn’t match the grass colors as much as I could have but I was actually really happy with the direction that my version ended up going which is awesome. These moments help your own artistic voice come out even while emulating another’s work.
Takeaways
Those soft invisible edges are key. You can see them in the background the best. But they’re also scattered throughout the mid ground as well.
If you want to make quick leaves for the background a great brush I stumbled on by complete accident was Kyles Concept Brushes -Fast Grass 1
Also, when you add these leaves in make sure to use the Clip Studio blur brush to again “imply” texture but not show it out right.
For the foreground mound I experimented with a different fill in. Instead of using the Add watercolor texture brush. I used Kyle’s Paintbox - French Point Small Impressionist brush. I liked how it laid in two colors at once and gave it some texture that I then knocked down with a gaussian blur to then build on.
For the flowers I used Kyle’s Paintbox - Impressionist Chunk 2.
The grass is a pain in the rear so here’s a way to solve that.
Lay down your colors first (Much the same way as you do for the background.)
Then using the hair highlight brush star blocking in some contrasting colors be sporadic (don’t worry if it looks a little off from the ref.)
At the same time use the blur tool to blur the flattened part of the hair highlighting brush.
Here and there uses the blur tool to blur out whole pieces of grass here and there.
Reference Images
My Version
Time lapse
Next Time
In the next post I will be doing a the fourth and final background study from the movie Bambi.
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