One of the most anticipated successful of all renderings is an internal frames. As with any established rendering formulas, it contains real risks of overuse, and has the making of a cliche', but these dangers are the only evidence of the fact that it does work. It simply needs a little more care and imagination when it is being applied.
The appeal of frames within frames is partly to do compositions, but a deeper level it relates to perception. Frames within the render have the effect of puling the viewer through; in other words, they are a kind of window.
On a purely graphics level, frames focus the attention of the viewer because they establish a diminishing direction from the outer render.
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Composition
The most straightforward rendering environment is one single, clear subject filling your view port. Before you fill your view port, with one single image, you should consider if the surroundings are critical to the view, or its design. If you need to fill your frame right up to the border, with a single subject, you might run the risk that the eye may feel uncomfortable concentrating on points falling particularly near the edge of the render. If often needs - or at least benefits from - a little free area around a subject to be able to move without feeling constricted.
The Ames RoomThis room was devised by the artist Adelbert Ames, Jr., to show just how deceptive the geometry of three-dimensional objects can be. We think that we see a rectangular room inhabited by two abnormal people; but the room is not rectangular, and its planes - walls, floor, and ceiling - are not set at right angles to each other. It is actually a six-sided irregular construction with sloped floor, ceiling, and rear wall, inhabited by people of normal size.
Our binocular vision means that we see horizontally. Fatter frames are the most natural image format. In other words, they are the least intrusive and most accommodating to the eye. The naturalness of horizontal vision reinforces the eye's desire to scan from side to side, and a corresponding reluctance to scan up and down. There is an assumption that the bottom of the picture is a base; a level surface on which other things can rest. Most things are longer in one direction than in another, and it is natural to align the main axis of an image with the longer sides of the rectangular frame.
A square format render often suffer from lack of direction. Patters and other formless arrangements fit well into a square frame because the frame has no directional emphasis - very few renders lend themselves well to square compositos.
The question of which aspect ratios are perceived as the most comfortable is a study in its own right, but in principle, there seems to be a tendency towards longer horizontally, but less elongated for vertically composed images. The most common render is the proportions 3:2, but it does depend on the subject you are rendering.
Artist's look at the world in a different way, at least I do, and so should you. We tend to observe every thing we see, make mental notes for reference, and use what we take for guidance on our next project. Although not as good as our minds eye, here are some links to resources I sometimes use for reference, and I would like to share with you. 3D.SK
Taking your own photographs is the easiest way to get references of a subject. They're also essential if it's a subject you're not going to encounter again easily.
Take at least half-a-dozen photographs, none of which need be the perfect. You'll use these together to reconstruct the element in your mind's eye. On any given project I may use hundreds, if not thousands, of reference photos. With today's drive capacity you shouldn't have a problem building up a very robust library of custom reference photos.
Almost everything has more than one value. Depending on the light source, most things have some areas that are very light and others that are quite dark.
If you look closely at a mound of dark earth, you notice that it has several different values. If a fresh layer of snow covered this mound of earth, there would still be lots of values. When you can see a range of different values you can draw your subject in the third dimension.
Squinting to see values and simple shapes
Seeing values is key to drawing in the third dimension. Many artists can visually simplify complex drawing subjects by simply squinting their eyes. Squinting helps you screen out details and see simple values and shapes. When you can see the shapes created by different values, you can draw your subject more accurately.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could simply press a button in the middle of your forehead and magically transform the world from full color to gray values? This ability would certainly make drawing a lot easier. Thankfully, simply squinting your eyes can help you develop this skill.
- Look around you at different objects. Focus on only the light and dark areas and not the actual colors. Concentrate on the light and shadows. Then squint your eyes until you see the values of that object.
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Take a mental note of where the lights and darks are. Think about how you could draw these darks and lights. Don't get discouraged if you can't do it right away. With practice, you get better.
- Find a colored photograph with lots of contrast. Squint your eyes to block out the colors and details. In your sketchbook, draw only the simple shapes and values you see. Add shading with only black, white, a light value, and a middle value.
If your subject has, for example, light-pink and dark-red stripes, seeing two different values in the two colors is easy. You simply draw the dark red as a dark value and the pink as a light value. But, some objects have colors that seem to be the same in value. When this is the case, you simply have to rely on your own discretion to decide which colors should be drawn lighter or darker than others. If your subject has stripes of dark green and dark red, you need to pick one to be a lighter value. Otherwise, you end up drawing a solid tone instead of stripes.
Almost every photo has a situation in which a colored halo (usually purple, green or red) is apparent around certain elements of a scene. This sort of optic anomaly, more commonly known as color fringing, is known as chromatic aberration. We, as photo real computer illustrators, can use this effect to help us fake reality. Chromatic aberration is an optical phenomenon in which the camera lens is unable to focus the different wavelengths of light on the same plane (in this case the image sensor) in order to produce a correct image, resulting in a halo or fringe around objects.
- After opening your image in Photoshop, go to Filter -> Distort -> Lens Correction…
- On the right side panel you should find a set of controls named Chromatic Aberration
- Depending on your image, you should adjusting the sliders. To do this in an optimal way make sure you are viewing the image at a magnification of 100% or more.
- You might have to move only one or both sliders: it all depends on the image you’re dealing with.
Caution! use sparingly, it is suppose to be very subtle, if done correctly.
In an "O" composition, the object forms a kind of "O" shape on your screen. The circular movement of the "O" keeps the viewer's eye inside the drawing.
The opening of an "O" composition is a good place to draw your focal points. To find the perfect place for your local points, draw several objects, value masses, and/or lines to form your "O". Then place your focal points within that circle