Form Using 4 Values

In this lesson we looked at creating form using only 4 values. We were given a silhouette of a droid with 3 more colour swatches for the lit surfaces, the lit vertical surfaces and the lineart, which could also be used for the darkest shadows. Using these, we had to paint in the droid, using the provided finished droid as a reference. 

 First I blocked in the lit surfaces to give it some depth and to act as a guide for the rest of the values.

 Then I blocked in the lit vertical surfaces.

Finally I added in some lines and shadows using the lineart colour, then refined it and made the edges neater. I also added a glow around the two lights on the droid, like in the reference image. Here is my final version.

 After this, we were to duplicate and resize the droid, using the perspective guide provided and adjusting the values through the levels to create the illusion of atmospheric perspective. This is when something is further away from the eye, so the values have less range and appear lighter. It's also harder to make out details. A good example of this is looking at an expansive grassy field with hills during the day. The grass and trees closest to the eye will appear green, but the further away they get, the more blue they are and lighter they are.

Here is what I ended up with.

I am quite happy with the way I showed the atmospheric perspective. Since there was no colour in the background, the only thing I did to each droid was adjust the levels so that the details were harder to see as they go further away and they appear lighter. I also made the little lights less intense in each droid, with the last one not having any light at all.

The droid itself could be better. The lines are not as neat as the reference image. Next time, I will need to be more patient and keep my hand more steady. Still, it definitely has form and looks like a 3D image, so I am content at having learnt the technique well.