Staff Pick :: Maine Coon Cat illustration - 100% photoshop

[sasrdu]

My significant other gave me the Photoshop & Wacom tablet dvd for my birthday last November (from this site). I got 1/2 thru it and started drawing this using everything I learned from the dvd. It is a illustration for Maine Coon Rescue. I do volunteer work for them. I created it on a mac using photoshop cs and a wacom tablet. It is in my opinion, a huge improvement over work I've done in the past. It took me a ton of hours to do using 3 pixel and 6 pixel brushes and the smudge tool. I honestly don't know how it will look on a pc - so crossing my fingers. The final size was 6 inches by 7 inches at 300 ppi. Comments and suggestions appreciated. Now I think I'm ready to watch the rest of the dvd!

http://www.inuminous.com/charlieBlr.jpg

[Edited on 1/3/2006 by sasrdu]

[Edited on 1/3/2006 by kiwicolin]

[Edited on 1/3/2006 by kiwicolin]

[cfire]

Absolutely beautiful work!

[kiwicolin]

That is gorgeous!
Totally love this piece. I am giving it a staff pick :)

[w@rtistic]

damn if you told me it was a photo manip i would believe that.
the realism is amazing

[Kinetica]

Originally posted by w@rtistic
damn if you told me it was a photo manip i would believe that.
the realism is amazing

ditto. wonderful piece. :cheers

[PNeal]

Congratulations on the Staff Pic (they don't come easy).
Cute and cuddly (and I'm a dog person).
Great brush work.

[Leelah]

Wow. What did you use? Did you start with a photo of a cat and just alter it? Or was that from scratch?

[interstellar]

:notworthy

nuff said

[forbes]

Very impressive.

[dima_isit]

OMFG!!!, exuce my language.

This is absolutely FANTASTICO!!!!!!!!

Great work, omg soo reall looking, must have taken you ages to go arond it.

Simply one of the best artwork i have seen to be done digitaly.

Great work. Dont know what to say, my mouth still open wide.

Keep it up, wanna see more.

Amazing.

[deewebgirl]

gotta get me one of those wacom..don't think it will make improvements as well as your work though..MARVELOUS!!!:o

[sasrdu]

Thanks for all the comments! I really appreciate them! It's giving me the encouragement/confidence to not only do more but to seriously consider going back to school part time to study art. To answer some of the questions...
The cat's name is Charlie Brown. I had a printed photo reference (standard photo size from the local 1 hr place). It was the entire cat - but it was enough to give me an idea of the color of his eyes and overall coloring in general - aka brown tabby markings. I also have three cats of my own. I drew this completely from scratch (didn't scan in the picture etc). I saved 10 versions of the file (as I progressed) to keep a reference for myself. The one thing I did especially new that I will always do from here on in - is I did not start with a white background. I filled it in with a neutral gray/green color and did the first preliminary sketch with a soft charcoal grey color on top. I read somewhere about color theory that the key color (in this case the eyes) should be somehow blended in a subtle fashion through the entire picture to give it a sense of harmony. Since I knew the eyes were going to be green - that made the most sense for the background so I figured I give it a try - and it really helped later on when I was laying down the brushstrokes on the fur. The other thing I learned about what how important it was to make sure the brushes were set to pen pressure and opacity. The dvd really helped me understand the brush settings better - including the tool presets. I'll be honest - this picture probably took me somewhere between 50 - 100 hours to do. The hardest and longest part was the fur on the body (not the face) - go figure - probably because the strokes were more curvaeous and longer. I also tried not to use pure black or white until the very end for emphasis only and whenever I got stuck I took a time out and studied my own cats carefully. My cats (of course) sucked up all the attention. Charlie Brown (the cat in the picture) died in 1998 due to kidney failure and he was a very special little boy. Maine Coon Rescue will have the picture printed on blank note cards that they will sell as a means of fundraising.

[deewebgirl]

You have the patience and talent to pursue a career in the arts, so best of luck in your new endeavors. I am certain, along with the others in the cafe sasrdu, you will not have any problems reaching your artistic pinnacle in life! :cheers

[George55]

I am standing and clapping at your work.... Wow this is amazing, and it gives me more encouragement to continue my work on Photoshop. Such pieces of ART deserve a special place and you have got one here. Yes, it is true, it is hard to see pieces like this done digitally on a computer.... ! That lovely face (cat's face) and the fur work won my heart.... Congratulations!!!

[jovan]

great work!!

:notworthy

[muzicpainter]

Absolutely beautiful!

[koha_onan]

Great !!!!:o:o:o:o:notworthy

[unknowngiver]

OMG ur amazing!!! i wish i could do such stuff :(

[waterpolo6]

:notworthy interstellar is right :notworthy

can't wait to see what the rest of the dvd does for ya!

[jsdesign]

you're ready for a lot more than just the rest of the DVD. keep it going. you have amazing skills. congrats

[Jeirmeister]

Bravo, bravo man! Keep up the good work!
P.S.
I hope you used a touch screen, or else this would of taken a REALLY long time XD

[Dharken]

wow! thats amazing, brilliant work!

[slots]

This is definitely one of the most amazing pieces I've seen posted in here. I wouldn't have had the patience to pursue such a piece. Wow is all I can say.

I actually hate cats...but this piece is so beautifully done that I can say I like this one.

Wonderful work. Keep it up!

[Sammii]

What can I say that has not already been said? Art doesn't get much better - you should be so proud.

[Toraneko]

Cute cat! And grats on the staff pick...

Just wondering, what was the original resolution you drew this pic at?

[d4o2]

very nice artwork, it looks like an artist real paint job

[Marthig]

Originally posted by PNeal
Congratulations on the Staff Pic (they don't come easy).
Cute and cuddly (and I'm a dog person).
Great brush work.
:cheers Totally in agreement --except that I am a CAT person :P--
:notworthy :roll

[FX77]

FANTASTIC WORK........BUT.....

I noticed there wasn't a collar or tag!

Does it shed?

Is this cat Spayed or Neutered? We don't want strays running around the Cafe, scratching and pooping all over the forums!

:cheers :lol

[kiwicolin]

Nice to see this one back again, such a nice illo

[arieck]

yeah its great work!

[pandamaja]

I love it! How long did it take?

[shbly12]

Co0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0l...
awesome effects, but errr... like the cat is a little bit evil?:P
But its really cool i like it alot:cheers.

[~DH~]

As if it hasn't already been said:

Amazing! Absolutely gorgeous! Nice work!

[Mussarela]

Brilliant work!
:cheers

[KEMPEZ]

Beautiful, great stuff, wow again!!