Finding the Right Reference

If you're wokring to improve your painting, reference is a necessity.  The question is not "should I paint from reference?"  but rather "What reference makes most sense for this piece?"  This video looks for painting reference in an unusual area: visual effects test renders. 

If you're looking for the search terms mentioned in the video, here's a good starting point: Global Illumination (GI), Ambient Occlusion (AO), Caustics, Photons, VRay, Mental Ray, and Radiosity.  Search any of those along with "test render", and you'll have some fun reference materials. 

The anatomy reference was found at onlinelifedrawing.com

Custom Brushes: Workflow Examples Pt.2

Part 1 dealt with using custom brushes for their shape, and this video takes an opposite approach.   And Don't forget, take THIS SURVEY to enter the 'Custom Brush Design' giveaway!

Custom Brush Design: Giveaway!

Do you want a chance at a free copy?  All you have to do to enter the drawing is fill out THIS SURVEY so I can help improve the site.  Think of it this way: if each of you spend 10 minutes and answer some questions, I'll be able to make Ctrl+Paint a much better site!

...Also, you might get a free video series for your trouble.  Good luck, and thanks!

NOTE:  If you do not want Custom Brush Design, you can choose one of the other series.  The drawing ends on wed. the 22nd at noon EST, so don't delay! I'll randomly pick three winners plus an additional winner for each 50 surveys I get back.  This way, you'll always have a pretty good shot at the prize.

Custom Brushes: Workflow Examples Pt.1

Custom brushes can be a challenge to use successfully.  This mini-series aims to shed some light on the unusual ways custom brushes can be manipulated in a painting workflow. 

What Should I Draw Today?

Feeling blocked up?  Lacking motivation?  Hopefully this video will put the challenge in a differnt light, and get your stylus moving again.