Simplification and It’s Grand Rewards

Greetings, all! Guess what? I won the ImagineFX challenge again this month! 😃 Now, I think it’s time to step aside and give it a rest. I might still participate in the challenges, but I won’t submit my work in the finals. Here’s the winning image (though feel free to give me some crit over at ConceptArt.org)

It’s nicely rendered, but I’d really like to loosen up my style. I think if I had a more distinct style, I’d be much further along in breaking into the industry. As it is, I feel like I border on being forgettable. While browsing some art sites, I’ve been incredibly inspired by artists like Ruanjia, who absolutely blows me away, and by pieces like “Faun is Forest Defenders” by Pervandr on DeviantArt. I love how each stroke defines the form without over-explaining it. It reminds me of a powerful statement I recently read in an art tutorial:

“The advantage art holds over photos is simplification. In a photo, you’ll get distracting details. When drawing, you can remove objects that aren’t relevant to the scene.” – Arne Niklas Jansson

Every single stroke should add something to the piece. If it’s not needed, don’t include it. That’s a substantial thought, and it really made me think—I hope it makes you think too. 😉
Here are a few quick sketches I’ve done this past week as I try to loosen up my technique:

I still have a long way to go, as you can see, but I’m pushing myself.
During my studies this week, I discovered a way to replicate that hard brush look I often see in concept art. My standard hard round brush just wasn’t cutting it, so I played around and found that the “Oil Heavy Flow Dry Edges” brush, set to low opacity and low flow, gets really close to the effect. Does anyone else have a different technique? I used it for the tornado speed paint above. Here are my settings:

Looking forward to seeing more of everyone’s work! 😊