affinity designer My First 'Real' Project

[justwilliam]

I purchased Designer after having purchased (and becoming quite impressed with) Photo. But I didn’t need it - I cannot draw; I thought it might be good for adding text or perhaps some simple graphic to a photo sometime and they were both on sale so it was almost buy one get one free. But seeing the work of others here created a hankering in me to at least try to use this program to see if there were any hidden ability (or unresolved childhood inclination for drawing) - so I did.

 

I have now finally finished a self-inflicted learning project (and not a moment too soon since my ‘vacation’ ends tomorrow leaving me precious little time to delve deeper into Designer other than an hour or so here and there on the odd weekend). This project was never meant to tell a story, be beautiful, or even be ‘art’;  It was begun as a process whereby I could learn the tools in AD and develop my skills with them. Having no known innate abilities, I needed to practice - to jump in feet first and to try. I wanted, on my own as much as possible, to produce a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object. Nothing more.

After marathon Tutorial viewings, scouring this forum, and even asking a few questions here (to which I gratefully recieved practical and supportive answers) I set about to mentally ’deconstruct’ a small Art Deco period clock. Opening Affinity Designer with the default document settings, I began the ‘reconstruction’ with the basic geometric shapes and slowly crawled my way through the processes while consulting the help files often. The base and the clock itself were merely a time-consuming challenge and I met with no real difficulty. I built the figure’s body from the toes up until reaching a creative dead end when arriving at her hair. I had no ideas on how to do it. So I left her bald.

I then turned my attention to wrapping her in a richly-embroidered cloth beginning from the floor up (my incremental improvements can be seen as each new fold of her golden garment somehow became finer than the previous one) After abandoning her once (because of the hair), I did so again as I threw myself into endless repeated attempts to imitate the marble, onyx, and jade which was to make up the base. When I ultimately had nowhere else to turn I reluctantly returned to her hair and somehow finally found some insight on how to proceed. I rushed through the creation of the backdrop and hastily threw on the subtle shadows and some suitable reflections necessary to separate the clock from its new background. After adding a bit of text I exported a .jpg. (I then unsuccessfully attempted to export an image from the Outline View.) And I was done; it wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect, but it - and I - were done. Please have a look at the attached image. It was all done with vector shapes - brushes I will have to attempt another time.

 

I have two requests for the members of this community now that I have completed my initial endeavour:

 

Is it possible (and if so, how) to export the Outline View?

and I want to welcome any constructive criticism, comments, critique, suggestions, tips, techniques, etc. to help me to better learn the tools in Designer.

[MEB]

Hi justwilliam,

I think you are being way too modest regarding your work. First because it's nicely executed, second, because you've picked an insanely difficult subject. I'm not referring to the Art Deco inspired piece per si but the surfaces you had to render in a realistic form, in particular the "golden" statue. It's already hard control volume trough shading, but doing it with reflective/metallic surfaces is quite a challenge, not to mention the cloth that has its own specific set of issues/peculiarities and the marble.

The head/hair in particular are incredible difficult to execute even using visual references. So i don't think you're giving enough credit to what you've accomplished here.

Illustration is not restricted to drawing. That's just one part of a multitude of expressions/resources available to explore.

 

Currently there's no way to export the outlines. What i usually do is to duplicate the project file then select all shapes and set their fill/stroke to no fill/thin black stroke, then export from there.

 

Thanks for sharing your work and thoughts. I've already tried to render gold too before (although on letters) and i know how difficult is to get it right.

I'm also keen to try some different techniques after seeing how you have approached it.

Looking forward to see your next project  ^_^

[justwilliam]

MEB,

 

Thank you so much for your kind comments. Without doubt my next undertaking will be significantly less difficult and I will try to focus on attempting, or improving, just one or two tools, techniques, or concepts. I tend to bite off a bit more than I can chew and I need to try to curb that.

 

Thank you also for the suggestion of a work-around on how to export my outlines. It may not be worth the effort on this project as even in Outline mode in the View options the thin blue lines connecting all of the nodes were barely distinguishable from one another. I only looked at it to get a glimpse of the enormity of what my over 20 hours of effort spanned. But I will throw that ‘work-around’ into my 'toolbag' for another time.  Is the ability to do such an export on the ‘Roadmap’?

 

Yes, the ‘gold’ was difficult to get even as close to ‘right’ as I did - but it was not without its own reward. I think that her gown (and the clock-face) were the things that gave me the most sense of accomplishment, primitive as they are. Comically, I created each of the numbers on the clock-face with vector shapes also as I had no fitting font (I have since, just hours ago, learned how and where to download some free fonts as well as how to install them, so the other texts were far easier). 

 

I will likely devote more time to Photo as that is not only what I needed but also what brought me into the Affinity fold. I have already used it alone for editing two recent outdoor photo sessions with a young mother and her teenaged daughter. (The girl had dyed her hair ‘stop-sign’ red a few weeks before the photos and I was even able to realistically recolour her roots to that same red in Affinity Photo - much to her surprise and satisfaction - and mine!)

 

But I have acquired a passion for Designer now which I plan to pursue.

 

I, too, am looking forward to my next project … and to Affinity’s next iteration of Designer.

[peter]

That font and the clock...they are a perfect match for each other.

[yakk]

Well done !  :)

[justwilliam]

Thank you peter and yakk.

[Paul Bravery]

I am in awe, justwilliam, thanks for sharing!

[Madame]

I'm very impressed! By the beautiful result and the enormous effort! 

[justwilliam]

Thanks, Paul and Madame!

[bamboo8R]

If I can comment without using the wrong words,
It is a theme I want to learn with you.

To express the gloss need rising to draw a "strong reflection",
To represent the three-dimensional effect of the curved surface is "strong reflection" is get in the way,
It is really difficult subject.

[justwilliam]

bamboo8R,

 

Regrettably, I do not fully understand your comment. This is a shame because, having seen some of your work, I feel that I could really benefit from any input which you were to offer.

 

Perhaps you could post your words in your native language and I could feed them into a few different online machine-translation sites (like Google or Frengly) and in that way there might be a chance that I (and others) could profit from your comments.

 

I very much appreciate that you took the time to post your comments and only wish I could comprehend them.

[bamboo8R]

とても高いレベルで完成されてる作品なので、

アドバイスなんてとても出来ないのですが、

私自身が描くならどんな手順で描くだろう？と考えてみました。

 

黄金の人物に関してですが、

大きな意味で三つのレイヤーで構成すると思います。

１つは立体としてとらえるグレースケールのレイヤー

２つ目は“金色”を表現する色のレイヤー

３つ目はハイライトと反射を表現する“質感”のレイヤー

この３つです。

 

justwilliam さんは、

どんな風に構成して描いたのか、

アウトラインのデータを拝見したいと感じました。

 

良い作品を共有してくださってありがとうございます。

 

 

※前回のコメントを母国語で…

 

もし、間違った言葉を使わずにコメント出来るならば、

一緒に学びたいと感じるくらい、興味深いテーマです。

 

“光沢”を表現するには“強い反射”を描く必要がありますが、

“立体感”を表現する時に“強い反射”は時として邪魔になるし、

とても難しいテーマですね。

 

 

bamboo8R,

 

Regrettably, I do not fully understand your comment. This is a shame because, having seen some of your work, I feel that I could really benefit from any input which you were to offer.

 

Perhaps you could post your words in your native language and I could feed them into a few different online machine-translation sites (like Google or Frengly) and in that way there might be a chance that I (and others) could profit from your comments.

 

I very much appreciate that you took the time to post your comments and only wish I could comprehend them.

[justwilliam]

[Ok] をここでは、様々 な 'ゴールデン' 効果を持つセクションの画面キャプチャ (それらを行っていると確信しているがそれを行う最良の方法)、うまくいけば、これは役立ちます。

 

OK, here are screen captures of a section with various ‘golden’ effects (as I have done them; which I am sure is not the best way to do it), hopefully this helps:

Outlines Capture.tiff

Colours Capture.tiff

[LilleG]

Holy Wow!  That's good!

[justwilliam]

Why thank you, miss LilleG.

[bamboo8R]

画像のアップロードありがとうございます。

“Mask Layer”や“Gaussian Blur”を効果的に使っているのは感じていましたが、

複雑な色を上手く調和させているのだと感じました。

[justwilliam]

I did not use any layer masks at all. I only applied a mix of gaussian blur and then adjusted the opacity for each element.

 

任意のレイヤー マスクは使いませんでした。私はのみぼかし (ガウス) を適用し、各要素の不透明度を調整しました。

[jmac]

I think you did a fantastic job on this! Everything reads as what it is suppose to be. Nice dimensionality and color. My only critique would be that the right arm is a little too thick and possibly slightly too long in comparison with the left. Very impressive effort.

[justwilliam]

Hi jmac,

 

Thank you for your kind comments and for providing your constructive criticism. When originally trying to get the shapes right (as best I could), I had consciously made the left arm and the left leg thinner as I thought that perhaps this would be necessary in order for it to appear more realistic; i.e., they are farther away from the viewer and should therefore be 'smaller' - that was my thinking anyway. That was done during the 'outline phase' and, to be honest, it not only seemed to look 'OK' to me then but it was subsequently pushed completely out of my mind as I was too focused on detail to see the big picture perhaps. I have looked again, after your comment, and can readily see that you are absolutely correct - I should have caught that at some point.

 

Out of curiosity, would a distance that short generally be too small to require me to even consider doing what I did (even to a lesser degree)? I use this same principle in photography; such as making note if a model has one eye smaller than the other so that I can try to have that eye closer to the camera or to move the forehead slightly closer to the camera to create a more slender neck, etc.

 

Thank you again for all of your comments as I am only beginning to learn with Designer and although certainly inspiring to read were someone to say, "nice image"; it alone does not really help me to improve - and that is ultimately what I am after when I post something that I have done.

[peter]

I would like to see more colour and definition in her eyes and hair. As there is so much detail there waiting to come out. The frame that surrounds the picture would look better if it had a sheen or texture, just like the wonderful lettering.

 

That's my two cents. :D

 

HTH

 

peter

[jmac]

justwilliam,

 

Your thinking is essentially correct about one arm being further away and therefore appearing smaller but the difference would not be quite as great as you have it now. Also in this case that distance is diminished by her shoulders being turned almost perpendicular to the viewer. You might try Peter's suggestions, though I like the statuesque quality of the coloration and softened detail of the face and hair. You could try adding a little more definition to the hair so it was less blurred and the larger masses were more defined as if it were carved in marble. And the frame to me, fits nicely with the overall feel of the piece. The frame works very well. You notice it and can admire it without getting stuck on it, and your eye can move on to other elements. In the end it's mostly personal preference and what you want the focus of the piece to be.

[justwilliam]

Peter,

I tried, repeatedly, to put a bit more colour and definition in her eyes and hair - I failed. And there really was not so much detail there waiting to come out as this is an actual clock and I was trying my best to mirror, or at least 'echo' that object. The female figure has a finish almost like white gold (but it is not 'real' gold) I, too, liked that font; it is the first font which I have downloaded and installed - it was also free!

 

jmac,

​I conceived the frame and background to have a sort of a period 'postcard' feel. My grandmother's house had last been decorated in an art deco type of style (wallpaper, furnishings,pictures, and knick-knacks, etc.) so I have always felt 'comfortable' with art of that period (although I think nouveau is truly my favourite 'style'). I just gave the black background a gradient so the black clock had at least a fighting chance of appearing separate from it (with very limited success) and the 'golden' border was meant to look like 'paper-making-an-attempt-to-appear-to-be-gold', if you follow that. The border was meant to be a 'border' and not a major element of the whole so hopefully it worked as such. I'm pleased that you liked it.

 

As I mentioned in my original post, this began as an activity for me to become accustomed to Affinity and some of its tools; that it turned out to be anything even slightly more than an exercise in futility amazed even me. I was stunned at the amount of detail which I somehow did manage to get into her face (such that it is)  - a simple 'smiley face' is more my speed. BTW the hands and feet were also such a nightmare that they almost concluded my effort. When attempting them I felt like the silly old man who cannot draw that I am. Buy, hey, no one knows how to draw (or paint, or cook, or play the violin, or..) before they begin - and this 'beginning' was fun and cost nothing but a bit of time. I do plan to continue and I do hope to improve. Between all of the videos that are available and the kind people on this forum I think I will. 

[peter]

This is a valiant effort. So be proud of it!

 

The fact that you asked for positive criticism is a sign of continuous improvement and a true perfectionist.

 

Would a skull cap be cheating?