The next stage of my process is the drawing stage. After taking all the photographs needed and placing them into Photoshop, I divide the main image into sections that are then printed out and used as guides for the final drawings. Having the photographs visible in the printed guides allows me to use them as a reference. The visual references enable me to create final drawings that are tailored to fit exactly with the photographic elements of the main image. The cohesiveness of the drawn and photographed portions of the main image are made possible by the use of a light table and the sequence of the stages of my process. After all the final drawings are made, I then scan them all into Photoshop. Thus begins the next masking stage. All photographed and drawn elements are masked. For the non-photoshop savvy this term means hiding all unwanted areas around the object you are working on. As with the drawn knights shown here, the white area surrounding them is hidden so only the knights themselves are visible. The masking process can be long and tedious work, but I choose do this so I can then still have control until the very last stage of my process to reposition elements to my liking. Digital painting and correction is the next and final stage and will be covered in my next post.
Although the Inception hype train may now be an old hat, I will still say it--an amazing movie, definitely made of a quality like I have not seen in a long time.
