Hello, this is Ha-Ya.

When I upload my work on YouTube, I get a lot of questions.

The most frequently asked question is “How to improve the completeness of a drawing after a certain level of description.”

 

Even if you have been working on a drawing for a while, many people feel lost about what to add to raise the quality until the final stage.

So today, to help you with these concerns, I would like to introduce one of the ways to improve the completeness of a drawing.

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What is density?

What is density in a picture? Is it a different concept from detail? Why is density important, and how do you increase it?

 

Density refers to the degree of filling of an image, the richness of expression, and the amount and quality of information.

 

There are three main elements to the density of an image: visual density, sensory density, and narrative density.

 

First, visual density refers to how many elements are contained on the screen. It is based on how densely the lines, colors, textures, shades, and details are contained within one screen.

 

In other words, the more details a picture has, the higher the density, and the simpler it is, the lower the density.

 

Example - Pictures with low and high visual density

Even if it's the same face, if the skin texture, small wrinkles, and even lighting changes are depicted in detail, it can be said to have high density.

Second, you can measure the sensory density based on the degree of texture expression and layering overlap. The more visible the transparently stacked brush strokes, gradients, and textures are, the richer the painting will be sensorially.

Finally, the depth of meaning and context contained within the screen is also important. Even if there is a lot of visual detail within the image, if there is little narrative information, it can feel low density. The more the facial expressions of the characters, the placement of the props, and the symbols in the background are connected, the higher the narrative density can be seen.

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Density is the balance between information and sensation.

I don't think of density as simply "how much detail did I draw?", but rather, I focus on "what and how much will I include." Those who frequently participate in live drawing broadcasts probably know well how I draw. When I draw,

 

1. I first grasp the concept with a vague mass,

2. I slowly increase the density by building up thin brushstrokes starting from important parts,

3. Even after I have increased the details to a certain extent, I adjust the density according to the composition within the screen or the degree of expression of the storytelling.

The important point here is that density is the balance between information and sense.

A higher density does not necessarily mean a better picture.

A good picture is one that appropriately distributes the amount of information necessary to clearly express the intention of the work.

 

When I was an amateur, I was often criticized for lowering the overall quality because I tried to maximize the details in every part of the screen whenever I drew.

 

Since every part was expressed in detail, the picture became difficult to grasp the subject or context, and since I didn't draw it often, the parts that were relatively lacking in expression were emphasized more.

 

Excellent description is a condition for a good picture, but in order to bring out the strength of the description, the distribution of density within the screen is very important.

 

Just as you put a lot of effort into building up the build-up to emphasize the climax when writing, you also need supporters to make the subject stand out when drawing.

The better the design, the longer you can look at a picture, and the more senses and stories it contains.

 

First, let's divide the parts that should be emphasized when designing a picture and the parts that should not be emphasized.

 

The part that should be emphasized is the subject of the picture. In the case of a character illustration, the main character's face would generally be like that.

 

The visual density increases as the brush strokes are piled up in detail, the parts where the tone changes slightly in the color expression are depicted together, and the stages of light and shade become more detailed, so it can be emphasized as a subject.

 

On the other hand, the parts that should not be emphasized can be intentionally expressed in large chunks of light and shade, the color tone is simplified, and the lines are used concisely.

The expression of a character's face also feels closer to the subject the more strongly it expresses emotions.

In addition, the greater the contrast or the more clearly expressed the part, the easier it is to emphasize.

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Drawing process and density distribution

So when is the best time to adjust the density during the work process?

It is a method to set the density distribution through post-correction after a certain amount of work has been done, but it is not recommended because it takes a long time.

I think that the clearer the initial design, the simpler the work process becomes.

If you decide on the subject from the beginning and make a plan for the density distribution before starting the work, you will spend less time wandering.

Let's look at the density distribution method while watching the work process together.

This painting is my own remake of John Everett Millais's "Ophelia."

 

First, let's look at the blueprint.

The subject is the face of the character. However, since there are many decorations around the character and various colors will be used, it is easy to lose focus to parts other than the face.

Therefore, the lighting on the face will be clearly included, but the other parts will be designed in a form where the light spreads relatively.

Accordingly, the contrast of the face will be emphasized, and the contrast will decrease as it goes towards the edge of the screen.

The decorations around the character will be finely divided and scattered so that they do not have a strong presence.

It would also be better to not describe details much. Just like the out-of-focus function of the camera, it is enough to only be able to see the shape of the parts farther away from the face.

Since the background is water and grass, the overall color of the screen is green. Therefore, I will emphasize the complexion of the character and aim for complementary color contrast.

However, since the character in the picture is set to be dead, I will be careful not to make the expression too close to life.

The decorations will be arranged in a round shape around the upper body of the character.

In post-design description, we focus on progressing from large chunks to small details to avoid collapsing the shape of the object.

If you start from a part and go into detailing, the picture can easily fall apart.

If the shape falls apart, the detail expression will also fall apart, so it is important to build it up step by step.

I tend to approach the picture by first defining the shape in large categories and then gradually cutting it down to create a clear shape.

Slowly increase the density of the entire screen evenly, and after the minimum description has been made, it is efficient to narrow the scope to the main part and add details. As you move from the mass to the detail, the boundaries between the surfaces become more finely divided, so it is good to work while adjusting the hardness of the brush. It is also recommended to set the brush size small.

I tend to use an airbrush a lot when I draw, because I can control how much the pen comes out depending on how much force I apply to my hand, and I can express both gradation and boundaries by adjusting the hardness.

However, airbrushes are also tricky tools to handle. If you don't accurately divide the surface of an object, the boundary will become unclear and the large shape will collapse.

A gradient can be seen as a collection of surfaces where the light and dark levels change step by step.

The more accurately and finely the surface is divided, the more detailed it becomes.

The boundary expression of light and dark should be accurate as you approach detail depiction.

You shouldn't blur it. As the detail increases, you should be careful not to expand the blending range. It's better to minimize it.

Since you can't accurately divide it, if you blur the shape like a blur, the detail will actually decrease.

In other words, when you need to remove unnecessary information, it is good to use the blending tool or blur effect. Simplifying the color tone is also a method.

Don't forget to reduce the canvas size in the middle of working to check that the overall screen composition is not disturbed.

 

This is a bit of a trick, but if you put glitter points on the face, it is easy to increase density. Be careful not to express it burdensomely.

It will be more realistic if you express it in a blotchy way along with the skin texture.

 

You can see the working video of this painting through the YouTube video below.

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finish!

The most important thing in the process of building density is not to be impatient.

The process of drawing a picture is inherently inefficient and irrational.

It takes much longer than building up a description for a single detail for completion, and the results are not guaranteed compared to the time and effort put in.

 

Completing a picture is like loving a series of processes close to this practice.

I hope you can enjoy the agony and development through a series of uncertainties and move forward together.

 

That's all for today. If you have any questions, please leave a comment.

You can also leave a comment about the topic of the next tutorial. I will prepare it based on the comments you provided.

Thank you.

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HEYA

heyaart@naver.com