DIGITAL PAINTING
- PROJECT FROM THE BEST POSSIBLE FRAME
Christian Kugler says, “I start by seeing if any
concept or reference is to be used as a framework.
After going over that with the supervisor or lead
and production, I will come up with something that
presents my vision of what I can bring to the table
along the lines of what has been discussed. If it is a
2.5D shot where there is parallax involved then
camera tracking is needed and projections need to
be set up. It is super important to set up your
projections before you start painting so you can go
forward with confidence in knowing what you are
doing is right. Projections can either be super
complicated, or very easy. It all depends on the
camera movement. Whether the camera is locked
or moving, you pick a frame, or several if it is a
moving shot, and build your shot from the best
possible frame. If it is a projection then you build
your shot around the best possible frame[s] to
project onto. After you bring that into Photoshop
you set up your perspective and come up with a
basic concept, or utilise something that has
already been built. Much of the time you couldjust be helping out with a sequence and the
shots have already been done. In that case it is
wisest to just use as much as possible from
the other shots as a starting point, or at the
least a guide to point you in the right direction.
Once you have a solid direction with lighting
and perspective established, it just becomes a
matter of finding good reference or shooting it
yourself. There are many advantages of both.
Time, location, resources, and the type of shot
will dictate how I go about it.”© Christan Kugler- POLISH YOUR
PORTFOLIO
If you want to be hired as a matte
painter, you need to build a solid
portfolio of work. “It doesn’t have to be
official production work,” says Max
Dennison, “but it must be matte painting,
and it must not exhibit a slavish use of
photographs.” He adds that the best
piece of advice he can offer to any
aspiring matte artist is “to practice and
paint as much as possible.” But think
about what you choose to paint too. He
explains that he prefers to see “a simple
painting exhibiting a thorough
understand of painting. Invisibly
removing a building from an image,
replacing it with something completely
different, rather than a city in the sky or
a supersized extraterrestrial cavern or
landscape. The former is ‘matte
painting’, the latter is concept art.”
© Max Dennison