@Shattuk: About the small particles you noticed in the paint, those are just small particles of dry paint (probably from the borders of the paint.) It is normal and you just need to remove them with the brush during the painting process (you'll get used to do it, I promess.) Just try to keep your paints wet enough. depending of how much time that small portions of paint were dry, you will be able to disolve them back with the brush or not.
About how to make your brushstrokes look like an extension of the original artwork, well, that's just learning to thin the paint to the right point and to move the pencil the right way over the surface. Unfortunately, this is learned through time with patience and your own experience.
I find that a lot of little particles come from the paper towel(I use a really old rag) I use when I'm cleaning and or adding water. I use a wet pallet when I paint and I find it helps me find the right amount of water pretty easily. I paint a lot of very transparent layers when I'm making smooth transitions.
@Nico: I must say I preffer yours than the original (seriously!) You've dessaturated the atmosphere by cuting the small branches, and also making the moon as the central element instead of the statue was genius.
When I'm back in Buenos Aires in a couple of months, we definitly have to hang around and work on something togheter.
@Nico: I must say I preffer yours than the original (seriously!) You've dessaturated the atmosphere by cuting the small branches, and also making the moon as the central element instead of the statue was genius.
Thanks!, although that was just a by-product of my inability to draw the smaller branches..
BlackWing - I just wanted to say that I've been slowly chipping away and reading this full thread and looking at all of the posted alters. I was not a fan of your earlier work, but I can see some serious progress when I look at your newer postings - and especially this group here looks just great.
BlackWing - I just wanted to say that I've been slowly chipping away and reading this full thread and looking at all of the posted alters. I was not a fan of your earlier work, but I can see some serious progress when I look at your newer postings - and especially this group here looks just great.
Thanks! The compliments really mean a lot to me! I've not been altering nearly as long as some of the others on this forum, so I had to push myself VERY hard to play catch-up when I first started out. I'm still not quite in league with some of the greats that post here, but I'm not stopping till I am.
First-timer here. There's some jaw-droppingly amazing talent here, I feel somewhat presumptuous posting my beginner's stuff on this thread - but here goes!
Doom Blade (art by Chippy): first experiment, and it shows. Especially the death ray's colors are off and the bottom part of the ray is even slanted wrong. Still, I had no idea how presentable the result would be and I was pleased with the result.
Plated Geopede (art by Eric Deschamps): I... like this one. I had trouble with the lava which definitely needs work, but I really like the mountains and night sky on the right.
Journey to Nowhere (art by Warren Mahy): no complaints here, this is my favorite alter so far.
Ponder (art by Mark Tedin): I knew this one wasn't going to be easy, and it was really hard. It took me twice as long as the others and I don't much like the way the paint style of the water clashes with that of the merfolk. Maybe this card wasn't the best choice this early in my altering career.
Izzet Signet (art by Greg Hildebrandt): I figured I'd back-paddle some on the difficulty with this one, but it was harder than I anticipated because of the way the purple darkened gradually from top to bottom. The pic doesn't show the actual colors very well, in real life the purple at the bottom is significantly darker than at the top, I'm fairly satisfied with the blending effect although I probably applied more layers than commonly acceptable (no big deal, it's for my own non-tournament use anyway).
Critique is welcome, just keep in mind that I started last week and have no artistic schooling
Here is a picture of the in-progress alter on an Urza's Saga Plains, along with the three colors of paint that I used in the color matching. I dont use high quality paints at the moment, but I still get pretty decent results. Next step will be to extend the land masses.
Hi everybody, this is my first alter, it was insanely hard to match the colors, and I wanted to die a little from how long this took.
I have a question - what is the best way to transfer/trace an image onto the card? I know I could use a soft pencil to coat one side of a paper and then trace the other side and the pencil is supposed to transfer onto the card. But I tried that and it didn't work very well at all. (This is related to a different alter than the one above.)
"There is no glory in a death of age, as even the leotau know. As winter steals into their coats, they seek the deadliest lands, that they may die as they lived." ~Aarsil the Blessed
I have a question - what is the best way to transfer/trace an image onto the card? I know I could use a soft pencil to coat one side of a paper and then trace the other side and the pencil is supposed to transfer onto the card. But I tried that and it didn't work very well at all. (This is related to a different alter than the one above.)
I personally use carbon paper but I feel there must be a better way to do it.The carbon paper is ok, it is even visible in dark backgrounds but the lines of the trace are always too thick and need a lot refining.Sometimes the result ends up a little different from your original sketch.Not sure if I do something wrong or I need to find a better quality carbon paper.
So far I've attempted the pencil method and it didn't work well, nothing really transferred off the paper.
The next method I tried was just tracing kind of hard, so I dented the card in the shape of what I wanted. This is very precise, but of course it leaves a line on the card that even when filled with paint is still slightly visible.
After that I tried creating a stencil out of paper and painting over it. This didn't dent/damage the card, but it also wasn't very precise because the stencil moved around and I had to scrape with the toothpick a lot to sharpen the line. Plus, this will only work on very simple shapes that don't have any disconnected pieces.
Also - just my luck that I'd be the last post on the previous page. >_< lol
Oh yeah and another question I had is what is the best spray stuff to seal off the card once you've completed it? I've never used or even seen a product like that so if you have exact product/brand names or a link that would be helpful since I basically have no idea what I'm doing lol.
"There is no glory in a death of age, as even the leotau know. As winter steals into their coats, they seek the deadliest lands, that they may die as they lived." ~Aarsil the Blessed
@ Kalaber: I'm obviously also a beginner, but if I may critique your work: the color and style matching look good, but the borders are still visible through the paint. You may have to change your paint's consistency or add another layer. Also, your signature is big and a bit messy - maybe go for something a bit less obtrusive?
@ forestninja: I *really* like that Plains, great work! For sealing I use a matte spray sold for miniatures. It doesn't change how the cards look so it seems an ok choice.
@ Spade: love the Tropical. The others aren't really my style but you're obviously a skilled artist.
@ BlackBull: that Crypt is obviously insanely well done. It's so far above anything I might do that I hesitated to even compliment it lest you take offense. EDIT: I like the mini-boxes you created for name/cost/type/expansion symbol. Haven't seen that before.
I know I could use a soft pencil to coat one side of a paper and then trace the other side and the pencil is supposed to transfer onto the card.
This is pretty much exactly what I do but with a few steps. 1) put thin basecoat of a soft medium grey down first. it gives the markings something to show up on. 2) I use charcoal rather than pencil. It comes out a darker, but you have to be more careful because it smudges very easily.
@ BlackBull: that Crypt is obviously insanely well done. It's so far above anything I might do that I hesitated to even compliment it lest you take offense. EDIT: I like the mini-boxes you created for name/cost/type/expansion symbol. Haven't seen that before.
Thanks! Those compliments makes my inner artist so happy that he wants to keep painting
I've ideated the miniboxes to gain more canvas space without erasing completely the info from the card (also, miniboxes allows the central element to be bigger.)
About how to make your brushstrokes look like an extension of the original artwork, well, that's just learning to thin the paint to the right point and to move the pencil the right way over the surface. Unfortunately, this is learned through time with patience and your own experience.
NOTE: I'm not a great artist... Yet.
Troll face is owned by... the internetz?
Okay here's a swamp
Blatantly stolen from this wallpaper (http://www.layoutsparks.com/1/223293/sad-full-moon-forest.html)
http://alteredartmagic.blogspot.com/search/label/Nicolarre
or in my Humble Alter Gallery at DeviantArt: http://nicolarre.deviantart.com/gallery/
Gallery
PM me for Commissions
GBU The Mimeoplasm Combo EDH
When I'm back in Buenos Aires in a couple of months, we definitly have to hang around and work on something togheter.
Just a thought: In between his legs, it looks as though some original art is showing. AMAZING work otherwise, as always!
EDH:
:symb::symb::symb: The Horde! :symb::symb::symb:
:symwu::symur::symrw: Zedruu the Greathearted :symrw::symur::symwu:
:symwu::symub::symwb: Zur the Enchanter :symwb::symub::symwu:
Thanks!, although that was just a by-product of my inability to draw the smaller branches..
Sure thing
http://alteredartmagic.blogspot.com/search/label/Nicolarre
or in my Humble Alter Gallery at DeviantArt: http://nicolarre.deviantart.com/gallery/
Sword of Body and Mind
Sword of War and Peace
Maze is based off of the judge foil, Sword of Body and Mind, Sword of War and Peace
My Alters:
http://photobucket.com/oneiros76
I do commissions woooeeeooo
My Store:
http://tinyurl.com/6p9n2vw
BlackWing - I just wanted to say that I've been slowly chipping away and reading this full thread and looking at all of the posted alters. I was not a fan of your earlier work, but I can see some serious progress when I look at your newer postings - and especially this group here looks just great.
Thanks! The compliments really mean a lot to me! I've not been altering nearly as long as some of the others on this forum, so I had to push myself VERY hard to play catch-up when I first started out. I'm still not quite in league with some of the greats that post here, but I'm not stopping till I am.
Or as always, you can find me on twitter @BlackWingStudio or DeviantArt
Doom Blade (art by Chippy): first experiment, and it shows. Especially the death ray's colors are off and the bottom part of the ray is even slanted wrong. Still, I had no idea how presentable the result would be and I was pleased with the result.
Plated Geopede (art by Eric Deschamps): I... like this one. I had trouble with the lava which definitely needs work, but I really like the mountains and night sky on the right.
Journey to Nowhere (art by Warren Mahy): no complaints here, this is my favorite alter so far.
Ponder (art by Mark Tedin): I knew this one wasn't going to be easy, and it was really hard. It took me twice as long as the others and I don't much like the way the paint style of the water clashes with that of the merfolk. Maybe this card wasn't the best choice this early in my altering career.
Izzet Signet (art by Greg Hildebrandt): I figured I'd back-paddle some on the difficulty with this one, but it was harder than I anticipated because of the way the purple darkened gradually from top to bottom. The pic doesn't show the actual colors very well, in real life the purple at the bottom is significantly darker than at the top, I'm fairly satisfied with the blending effect although I probably applied more layers than commonly acceptable (no big deal, it's for my own non-tournament use anyway).
Critique is welcome, just keep in mind that I started last week and have no artistic schooling
Thanks for looking!
Also, how do you guys usually go about selling alters?
P.S. I <3 Demonium!
"There is no glory in a death of age, as even the leotau know. As winter steals into their coats, they seek the deadliest lands, that they may die as they lived." ~Aarsil the Blessed
I personally use carbon paper but I feel there must be a better way to do it.The carbon paper is ok, it is even visible in dark backgrounds but the lines of the trace are always too thick and need a lot refining.Sometimes the result ends up a little different from your original sketch.Not sure if I do something wrong or I need to find a better quality carbon paper.
CARDS FOR SALE HERE!.
My alterted cards Gallery.
My Alters Blog.
The next method I tried was just tracing kind of hard, so I dented the card in the shape of what I wanted. This is very precise, but of course it leaves a line on the card that even when filled with paint is still slightly visible.
After that I tried creating a stencil out of paper and painting over it. This didn't dent/damage the card, but it also wasn't very precise because the stencil moved around and I had to scrape with the toothpick a lot to sharpen the line. Plus, this will only work on very simple shapes that don't have any disconnected pieces.
Also - just my luck that I'd be the last post on the previous page. >_< lol
Oh yeah and another question I had is what is the best spray stuff to seal off the card once you've completed it? I've never used or even seen a product like that so if you have exact product/brand names or a link that would be helpful since I basically have no idea what I'm doing lol.
"There is no glory in a death of age, as even the leotau know. As winter steals into their coats, they seek the deadliest lands, that they may die as they lived." ~Aarsil the Blessed
Guru style Tropical Island.
Guru first done by Terese Nielsen.
Troll'em hard.
Source is this: http://www.memecenter.com/search/*****%20please
1.Opponent plays spell, asks if it is countered.
2.Reply "I don't have any counters".
3.NOT.
Maybe the best alter ever made.Not.
Source is this : http://9gag.com/gag/925614
CARDS FOR SALE HERE!.
My alterted cards Gallery.
My Alters Blog.
But it really is. They are both great. I would totally play those.
Ya gotta start somewhere, right?
@ cilikosis: awesome colors!
@ Kalaber: I'm obviously also a beginner, but if I may critique your work: the color and style matching look good, but the borders are still visible through the paint. You may have to change your paint's consistency or add another layer. Also, your signature is big and a bit messy - maybe go for something a bit less obtrusive?
@ forestninja: I *really* like that Plains, great work! For sealing I use a matte spray sold for miniatures. It doesn't change how the cards look so it seems an ok choice.
@ Spade: love the Tropical. The others aren't really my style but you're obviously a skilled artist.
@ BlackBull: that Crypt is obviously insanely well done. It's so far above anything I might do that I hesitated to even compliment it lest you take offense. EDIT: I like the mini-boxes you created for name/cost/type/expansion symbol. Haven't seen that before.
Genius! You made my day :D:D
Trolling your opponent like a Sir!
My gallery of altered cards
Edit: Character based on Cookie Monster from Sesame Street
This is pretty much exactly what I do but with a few steps. 1) put thin basecoat of a soft medium grey down first. it gives the markings something to show up on. 2) I use charcoal rather than pencil. It comes out a darker, but you have to be more careful because it smudges very easily.
Or as always, you can find me on twitter @BlackWingStudio or DeviantArt
I've ideated the miniboxes to gain more canvas space without erasing completely the info from the card (also, miniboxes allows the central element to be bigger.)