Dragon Slayer enlargement WIP

[KerryOriginals]

This was my first centaur painting, a small 4x6 gouache piece that I really felt would be great as a larger painting where I could really put some paint on the canvas and detail it as much as I want without being limited by the small size of the original. So, finally, I decided to go ahead and blow this up to a 24x30 painting on canvas! This one will take me some time since I will be working it around other art I'm working on, but, I think this might be an interesting WIP due to the transfer process to a large canvas. If anyone has questions about this or what I'm doing, ask!
This first image is of the finished 4x6 inch OSWOA that I am enlarging. These small paintings make great 'studies' for larger works!

[KerryOriginals]

Correction; this will be on a 18x24 canvas, not a 24x30! I blew up the image to a 8 1/2x11" black and white printout to use as my 'original' and gridded it off first into quarters (pink lines) and then further divided each section again so I had 8 sections up and 8 sections down. As you can see I extended the drawing into the white margins on the printout since the shape of the original art (dark areas) is narrower than the copy paper. The canvas shape is still somewhat larger than the modified printout being wider by about 1. I want to show more of the dragon than in the 4x6, too, so I marked off the extra 1" on the left side where I will extend the dragon drawing, then created my grid on the canvas (not including the 1" left margin that I marked off). Again I divided the canvas (just the 17x24 section) first into quarters both vertically and horozontally, then again into 8 sections to match the printout. I find it helps to number the squares in both grids to make transfering the drawing easier. In the areas with more detail such as the dragon and centaurs heads, I further divided the squares on both the canvas and the printout for greater accuracy in the drawing. Some points to consider when doing a graph enlargement;

1. Your enlargement grid must be the same shape ratio as the original. If not, you will end up with a grotesquely distorted drawing! That is why I portioned off the extra 1" on my canvas. I will extend the drawing into that margin after I have it drawn into the grid first.
2. you can divide your original and canvas into any number of squares you want, but the original and the enlargement must have the same number and shape of squares.
3. number your squares or color code them to make transfering less confusing!
4. Divide areas with greater detail into more/smaller squares to make the new drawing more accurate.

[bayoudragon]

I actually use graphs often, but I've never subdivided the more detailed squares into smaller ones. That has never crossed my mind... I've learned something new (and useful)!

Thanks for doing another WIP!

[KerryOriginals]

I have to back up a bit here because I forgot to mention how to get your size ratio for your enlargement. I make a simple graph, see the next photo below, to plot out the correct dimensions of the graph for the enlargement. Start with a right angle and make a box the size of the larger canvas. Make sure your lines are straight and the corners square at 90degree angles. Mine had to be at least 18x24 the size of my canvas. I used a 3/8=1" scale but you can do it full size if it's easier. Mark off the inch marks. Now mark in the size of your smaller original in the lower left corner and draw in the box. I show two smaller rectangles in my graph below, but, you only need the one that you are working from. Now, use a straight edge and lining up with opposite corners of the small box from lower left to upper right, draw a line extending exactly through each corner and beyond the box until the line intersects with one of the dimension lines of the canvas. This point (circled on my graph) gives you the exact dimension of your larger graph. If your canvas is larger than this, then just center this dimension on your canvas, and grid it like the smaller grid leaving the extra margins outside the grid. In my case, I did not center the grid because I wanted to add to the left side of the painting so I left the extra margin all on the left side instead. Hope I didn't make this too confusing. It's really pretty simple.


At this point, now, I have finished transfering the drawing to the canvas. This is done simply by comparing the location of the drawing within its grid in the printout and then finding those points in the larger grid and plotting in the basic shape first. once the basic layout is there, you can go back and refine and correct. If you have problems with an area it might help to increase the squares in both grids in that section so you can get your placement more exact. Take your time with this part because you want to get it right.

I've already made a few changes to this drawing. I extended the back of the dragons head and arch of the neck right to the edge of the grid and into the 1" margin. I also changed the shape and position of the centaurs ear. One more change is I lengthened the dragons tail. In the printout you can see where I had drawn the tail inside the grid and right on the edge of the canvas. I think this weakened the composition and wanted to get the same look back here as in the original 4x6 with the tail going completely off the canvas and then back on higher up. You can make any changes to your drawing pretty easily after you have accurately plotted the drawing, but, if you try to make changes before you have finished accurately transfering the drawing you might mess yourself up or at least make it more work than need be. Hope this helps explain the process of graph transfer.

In the previous photo I have blocked in the underpainting using burnt sienna and white to get the basic values. You can still make out the grid underneath the thin paint. I don't have any detailing at this stage, although you can go extremely detailed at this point and then just use transparent glazing to color in the image. I'm planning to go with more opaque and heavier painting on this so it is a waste of time for me to put too much detail in at this point. I just need the basic layout at this stage. Just so you all know, I'm not planning to paint this the same colors as in the original. Haven't completely decided on the colors yet, but, color is where I'm planning to really deviate from the original! And that is the next stage, to work out my color composition.

[artfullyme]

Hi Kerry it's Erika the proud owner of your 4x6 aka OSWOA version of you Dragon Slayer! This is so exciting for me to watch!

[KerryOriginals]

Hey, hi Erika! Glad you made it over here! I haven't decided on my color theme for this yet, but, I'm contemplating a more neutral theme in ochres and siennas, just can't decide. Might have to do some color studies and work out a few differant ones. I'm a lazy painter, however, so that isn't likely to happen! LOL!

[artfullyme]

Originally Posted by KerryOriginals

Hey, hi Erika! Glad you made it over here! I haven't decided on my color theme for this yet, but, I'm contemplating a more neutral theme in ochres and siennas, just can't decide. Might have to do some color studies and work out a few differant ones. I'm a lazy painter, however, so that isn't likely to happen! LOL!

If you're a lazy painter then I...I must be a sleeping artist! I want to be as lazy as you Miss Hardworking Painter!!!! Love ya!

[WSTopDeck]

This is fascinating! One of these days I may just have to try this out

[KerryOriginals]

I don't usually graph work out, in fact, I've probaby only ever done it a half dozen times in my life! It's good to know, however, for those rare times when you really want an accurate enlargement (or reduction!). I think this is more accurate than using an opaque projector, too, unless you have a really, really good setup. Well, I don't have anything else done on this yet, and, probably won't until after the 1st and I get back on my regular painting schedual.

[W.J.Lexie]

Glad to see you useing the acient grid system [ the original projector ] Theres a Albrecht Durer woodcut of an artist drawing a female figure [life drawing] the artist is sitting at a table that as a wire grid [ table tennis style] that veiwing the model through . Nice work !

[KerryOriginals]

Hey, it may be old-fashioned but it is easy and works! Sure beats forking out $400+ for a projector that is likely as not to distort the image! I've seen pics of that Durer woodcut.
I managed to do a bit more on this. I was playing with the color (yes, I did not do mockups! Too lazy, remember) I pretty much like the color scheme I have going here, but, have already decided on a few more changes. Thinking of going with blue wings on the dragon and will re-do the sky a clear blue and maybe throw some celestial body on the horizon. This is a pretty unfocused pic, but the color is close.

[WSTopDeck]

Woohoo! Yay for the Appy-butt!

[KerryOriginals]

Oh, yeah! He'll have spots up to his eyebrows before I'm finished with him and freckled skin and kinky red hair, mane, tail, legs... I have family visiting so I won't get to paint on this for a couple more days.

[KerryOriginals]

Finally got another short session in on this. I've reworked the background again and worked the wings again. They aren't done yet, but, the wings are about where I want the color. When they are dry again I will go back into them and work a textural skin pattern into them. The undersides of the wings may need more work. I really want them to have a translucent look with the light glowing through in the section just above the centaurs head. Might need to go lighter and more orangey there. Started in on the centaurs upper body, but, I'm jumping the gun a bit here because I will need to go back in to re-establish the highlights on the head/face and front/upper parts of the figure. Next, I really need to bring the rest of the painting up to the same level of completion, especially the dragons head and body and the forground, before I get back into the detailing stage. These photos don't show the fine detail again, but, I will try to get some decent photos of this when it's done.

[KerryOriginals]

Oh, yeah, and I decided against a blue sky and went with yellow/green. Don't ya just love doing fantasy! You can paint it any way you like!