How long does coloring a full piece take artists, normally?

YunSooJin

YunSooJin

Pyromaniac

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/W

I've got a few pencil pieces from various artists that I'm thinking to get colored. Before I go about making a thread, I was wondering if artists could tell me how a full color piece normally takes them to color (one figure, weapon, and maybe a little background).

NOLANI ARTISTS GO!

edit:

heck here is what i was thinking of



Ravenhawk

Ravenhawk

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2009

Eon

Me/N

Hmm..I rarely time my coloring (or my overall efforts actually lol) but I can usually color a piece (no background , one person) in one sitting. Maybe 1-2 hours. Depending on the amount of details.

Verene

Verene

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jan 2009

[SOTA]

D/

For me, it depends on the media and how detailed and perfectionist I get. Sometimes it takes an hour, sometimes it takes like 15. Digital usually takes an hour or two on average. Marker is quick because you have to be quick. Colored pencil generally takes longer

Tommy's

Tommy's

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Dec 2006

[Bone]

Mo/

Can't really tell because I never "colour" stuff, I always paint without lines, so my painting also include creating the pose etc. However I did a few black and white thingies (can be found in my thread) which took about 30-45 minutes to colour. But those are black and white and pretty basic. More acurate colouring would be like 1-2 hours. However those pictures would take longer I guess, because you need to do quite some cleaning up (or you need to paint on top of it, but then its harder to colour again).

Konig Des Todes

Konig Des Todes

Ooo, pretty flower

Join Date: Jan 2008

Citadel of the Decayed

The Archivists' Sanctum [Lore]

N/

Depends on the medium, what I drew/am coloring in, and how detailed I want it. I've spent a couple hours over multiple days coloring in a single small sheet because I wanted it with good colors (I used oil pastels for that one).

Though I don't really draw anymore (should get back into it... need motivation though... good motivation... Maybe something for this Halloween Workshop...).

Murke

Murke

Academy Page

Join Date: Jun 2010

In the land of chairs.

Eon

N/R

For me markers take about an hour, maybe two. As for colored pencils, maybe 3 or 4 hours. Digital work takes me daayyyyys...mostly because I go back every few hours after I've declared it 'finished' and fix things...and that process goes on for about a week.

` Marshmallow

` Marshmallow

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2009

Canadaa!

Last Friday Night [TGIF]

E/

Forever. I work on one thing, minimize SAI, watch Youtube vids for 20minutes, then remember I left the canvas opened. Repeat steps 1 through 3 until picture is finished : D!

Espadon

Espadon

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Dec 2007

USA [GMT -5]

State of the Nolani [gusy]

A/

Quote:
Originally Posted by ` Marshmallow View Post
Forever. I work on one thing, minimize SAI, watch Youtube vids for 20minutes, then remember I left the canvas opened. Repeat steps 1 through 3 until picture is finished : D! ^this. Replace SAI with PS.

Angel Killuminati

Angel Killuminati

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2007

UK

A 'finished' piece should always take a few days.

Whenever you think it's finished, take a break, come back, refine it some more and then it's finished. Repeat over a couple of days.

Espadon

Espadon

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Dec 2007

USA [GMT -5]

State of the Nolani [gusy]

A/

As an artist I think that's a load of bull. How does that opinion apply to elegant sketches using just a few strokes? There's a beauty in finishing something quickly and eloquently, too.

It's very easy to overkill a piece. Oftentimes the average person's idea of a 'finished' work is comparable to the average shitty fanfic you see with their Mary Sue protagonists. The common idea of a finished, 'flawless' painting is actually the weakest, most boring stuff ever.

There's also the case where, no matter how many days you spend working on a piece, if you're baed, you're baed, and you're not going to be able to compare to a more experienced artist no matter what [unless you serendipitously hit upon magical awesomeness, but that's not something you can depend on].

I'd just like to make the point that you can't quantify any individual factor of art; good art is the combination of a lot of factors and the moment you try to divide these factors up, you're violating the definition of [good] art.

Charlie Dayman

Charlie Dayman

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2009

Trifecta Luminati [TRI]

W/

Espadon summed it up to the point. The length of time is not and should NOT be a requirement in determining whether or not a piece is to be considered finished. Constantly refining a work over an extended period of time isn't always necessary and can in some cases destroy the energy/gesture behind a picture.

Sometimes less is more.

Darcy

Darcy

Never Too Old

Join Date: Jul 2006

Rhode Island where there are no GW contests

Order of First

W/R

IMO, those drawings aren't meant to be colored. I think any attempts to color them would ruin the art.

Duranin

Duranin

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Feb 2007

East Coast

none

Me/

For me, planning and lineart tends to take much longer than colouring itself.. mostly because the early stages take more thinking and starting over and over.

If I manage not to get sidetracked, one of my old lined commissions would take probably 2-3 hours to colour.

My painty style takes many days.