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shinius — a bronze idol of shiva
Published: 2011-08-15 01:16:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 1193; Favourites: 20; Downloads: 54
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this is a painting i started in january and i put it aside for a while.it is 2 canvas of 20x24" and i use a 5" or so statue i have at home for reference.
i must admit that i'm not 100% happy with the photo. The colors are a bit off and there's a kind of vignette effect on the contour that is not that apparent on the actual painting. I took 50 pictures maybe in various condition and i cant manage to render the real colors. this is the closest i could get.
I might upload a new version of the pic if i manage to make it better.
hope you'll enjoy and as usual I appreciate comments.
cheers
oil on canvas 2x 20x24"
(might be for sale... not sure yet )
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Comments: 19
It turned out very good! I like that you made and some texture there.
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thanks my friend ! let's catch up soon.
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i'm glad you like it!
and thanks for the fav 
i appreciate it
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in case it is of some help, the vignetting is usually caused by the lens, specially when it's a wide angle; usually telephoto lenses don't have that problem, but it can be compensated for with an imaging program like Ps.
to get the colors exact, the usual way is to select one color and then adjust it with the "levels" tool in Ps.;
then, correct each of the other colors one after the other...
in order to do that, you will need some ambient room light that's as close as possible to the color temp of your monitor; this lamp would be used to light the original painting in order to compare colors with some amount of precision.
a good enough light for that would be a 5W GE 6500K compact fluorescent, with the light shining on the original, not on the monitor.
if you'd want to get the very best light for that, here's a link:[link]
a good way to get closer to the colors you want to reproduce is to place a gray scale target in a corner of the subject you photograph and from there make adjustments on the gray scale in Ps.
when done, crop the gray scale out of the image.
hope this helps.
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Hi!
i doubt the vignetting in that case is not caused by the lens because the original pic was wider and i cropped it. The wall around it didnt show that vignetting. I dont know if its related but when i use a dark background to start a painting, i get this kind of effect.
for the color, i took pictures inside outside on bright sunny day, darker days, with the canvas lying on the ground, against a wall. I was always getting either that dark vignetting or white spot due to light reflections.
for sure i will try that grayscale tip of yours. And i will check for the temperature setting of my monitor.
thank you very much for the very insightful comment. I must admit i dont have a nice setup to take picture of my work. I can manage to work someting out with small pieces but not big pieces. I will look at this light you suggested.
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if it's not the lens causing vignetting, then i don't know what causes it.
color temp. outside is always changing, the sun makes reflections, etc... not a very good thing.
probably the best time outside is under cloud cover.
I've made copies of paintings before and, being a former pro, i know what the best technique is, but i forgot to explain it to you yesterday.
i'll try to explain as clearly as i can.
first, you need to put the camera exactly perpendicular to the painting you want to copy;
a good way to do that is to put a mirror exactly where the the painting will be, and
then align the camera so it is centered, both on it's reflection in the mirror and also
exactly at the center of the painting.
do not use a wide angle lens, but a mild telephoto, if available.
a macro lens is best.
then, you need 2 light sources, each at 45 degrees to the sides of the camera.
Electronic flash is very good for this kind of work, but there are a couple of things
to be aware of:
1: you must stick a UV filter in front of both flash heads, preferably a Kodak CP2B, which is not very costly
because it's not of good optical quality (it's not needed), but only used to filter out the light.
2: you may need to use a polarizing filter in front of the lens, and maybe, if you still see problems, also
in front of the light sources.
then, make a few test shots at different exposure levels ( a change of 1/2 f stop each time) and pick the best one: details in highlights and shadows.
be sure the camera is adjusted for 6500K, the same as the electronic flashes.
keep notes of your setup so it can be replicated easily and you don't have to make tests every time you do this.
i think that's all; if you have any question, i'll be pleased to answer as best i can.
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First i want to thank you again for taking time to give me these tips. This is exactly why i came to DA to interact with people and get feedback but i feel such thing is getting rare.
I will go to the hardware store during the weekend and i'll have a look at these 5W GE 6500K compact fluorescent you previously mentioned. So by using 2 of these would i be ok setup a 'shooting spot'?
As I see my upcoming work i will add more and more texture on the canvas so I guess i will need a very soft light to avoid making sharp shadows on the painting. what do you think about that ?
I forgot to mention that i used a glossy varnish on this one so i was constantly having bright light reflection on it.
as for the CP filter... i was just postponing going to the store to get one but that situation should be resolved in a matter of days now
cheers
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if you want to use compact fluorescents, then you should get some rated at around 25 Watts (equiv. to 100 Watts); this in order that you be able to shut down the lens to get quality. by this i mean the great majority of lenses are at their best when they're diaphragmed around midway between wide open and at minimum aperture; also, this will give you more DOF, which is precious when doing macro work.
if you can use a focus magnifier on the camera, this is also a very good thing to do.
to get soft lighting, you can bounce lights on white styrofoam panel, or use unbrellas or soft boxes. the styrofoam is cheap.
polarizing filters will eliminate most reflections, including the micro ones. combining the two should be very good.
about the varnish (i know nothing about painting technique), would it be possible for you to photograph your paintings before you apply it?
this way would make your work of copying much easier.
when you make exposure tests, put a gray card in the frame, this way you will know exactly which of your exposures is right and which ones are either
overexposed or underexposed. a Kodak (among others) gray card should read R:128 G:128 B:128 with your imaging program. put it at the exact position
you will copy paintings.
once you've calibrated everything, just make sure your setup stays exactly the same every time you make copies. if you change one thing, you will have to recalibrate your exposure.
try not to put the light sources near the paintings, it can easily give you uneven lighting. at my home setup, i had them at about 2 meters distance and the usual painting size i was doing was around 8 x 10 to 20 x 24 inches.
as regards critics on DA, they're quite rare, even more so for technique.
those who criticize on composition and subject mostly just repeat the same general rules for composition; those rules can be broken at will, it all depends on the subject and what one wants to say with his image. it's a bit of a loss of time if it's not done with examples.
hope this is clear and that it helps.
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thank!
it took me quite a while to complete.
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