Dean/Cas Mini Bang 2010 | Art Masterpost - Sweet Things by Bluealbino

[odysseaia]

~ ♦ ~

I've really been looking forward to participate in the Dean/Cas-Mini Bang and I sure wasn't disappointed. I really have to thank "my" author, blualbino, for providing me with such wonderful mental images. I had a lot of fun working on this. Next to that, I big, huge, enormous THANK YOU! Goes to my lovely art-beta, amindaya. I don't know what I would have

Comments

[odysseaia]

Thank you! Actually, I really went a little crazy here. The picture is drawn with pencils - from HB up to H5 for the background and the shadows. Initially I only had a vague idea of the effect I wanted: Cas face standing out relatively brightly, illuminated by the cigarette as the only light source and all of that sort of melting out of the shadows. So once I did what I could with the pencils, I started playing around with photoshop until I finally got the contrast I wanted.

I did try charcoal once, but for some reason all of it ended up on my hands and what managed to make it onto the picture was smudged. I was highly frustrated as I love the effects you can get with charcoal.

[odysseaia]

And a freaking lot of smudging. Definitely the explanation why I only got one picture done. But I think it was worth it in so far that I learned a lot. And I learned to love photoshop when it comes to darkening.

Actually, the kitty gives me too much credit in assuming I know what I'm doing. I usually use HB for pretty much everything and know I only get a certain amount of "dark" with it. Nevertheless, I try despite knowing better - which is why you can see the HB cross hatching things (plus, I love cross hatching. If I could, I would marry it ;)). Then I took another look at the picture and decided it's still too light, so I added darkness with the H5. I think the contrast between the different backgrounds only turned out so strongly after I re-worked it on photoshop but by that time, I decided that I like the effect.

...perhaps one day I'll actually attend some art classes and then I'll be able to say what I do without sounding like the complete amateur that I am ;)

The kitty gets my kitty-icon by the way :)

[theron09]

Wow. This is really, really awesome! You're so talented :)

[odysseaia]

Thanks so much. I did about five versions of the picture until I was finally happy with it, so I'm really glad you enjoy this :)

[crayola_fics]

Wow! It might just be one picture, but the detail in that one picture is astounding! I love the detail on the coat, with the little lines along the edges where it was sewed. And I love the cigarette and how it's the only bit of (very subtle) color. And for some reason I really like the way it looks as if the edges just fade away into the darkness behind him, especially with his hair.

Fabulous.

[odysseaia]

Oh, you're being so kind to me again. Thanks *hugs*

The color is...*drumroll*...some lens flare effect in very tiny. I am, however, completely thrilled that the picture has the effect I wanted with everything melting into the darkness. That's *exactly* what I was hoping for and goodness knows a lot of experimenting research was needed to get it done. I'm so glad you like it and thanks for the kind words :)

[blualbino]

I just had to tell you another time how much I love this :D

[odysseaia]

*hugs* That's so sweet of you but really, your story was pure gold to work with. But I admit, that very first mental image of Cas being badass and smoking in the dark? That stole my heart from the very beginning. Such an awesome motif.

[marciaelena]

That's really beautiful, hon. <3

[odysseaia]

OOoh, thank you *hugs*