Suzanne-Helmigh

Occupation: Principal Art Director at Ghostfire Gaming.

Twitter: twitter.com/SHelmigh
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/helmighs/

Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCwrDw…

Twitch: www.twitch.tv/suzanne_helmigh

FAQ

Do you take on commissions?

Usually not, but you can send me a DM on Twitter.

Can I use your work for commercial purposes? 

No.

Can I use your work for non commercial purposes?

Yes. You can use it for your own Youtube videos or school projects or homebrew campaigns (that you don't put out to sell), the only thing I ask is that you credit me.

How much hours per day did you spend when you were beginning?

In 2009- 2014 I illustrated about 8-16 hours a day. I have stepped away from that for health reasons and certainly do not recommend spending this much hours on honing your craft. You think you may get ahead, but ultimately you'll pay the price and fall back behind. (not that it's a race.)

What brushes do you recommend to use when you are a beginner?

There are no special beginner brushes, I'd say use ALL the cool brushes you can find! And experiment.

How much hours per day did you spend when you were starting in concept art?

Same 8-16 hours a day ^^

What books do you recommend to read?

Color & Light by James Gurney

Pictorial Composition by Henry Rankin Poore

Figure drawing for all it's worth by Andrew Loomis

Constructive anatomy by George B. Bridgman

Should I practice in greyscale or in colour when beginning?

Practice both. Black and white studies will help you learn about values alone, colours will help you with both.

Is there any secret in holding the tablet´s pen?

Mmmh, In your preferred writing hand, without putting to much pressure on it. (too much pressure will damage the pen-tip quicker and will deform your fingers!)

Should I practice traditional drawing instead of digital only?

Do Both! I personally do a lot of traditional when I'm out of the house, in a cafe or in a train etc.

At home I mainly do digital.

Which software do you paint in?

Adobe Photoshop.

Do you use the smudge tool or is it all brush?

99.98% brush.. occasionally experiment with the smudge tool, as apparently you can do amazing soft gradients with it! I also use the selection tool as a key thing to create sharp edges.

Dimensions to sketch?

4000px minimum (X or Y) for sketching.

7000 px minimum (X or Y) for finished rendering.

Do you trace for sketches?

Never. However I do create my own reference material to look at when I'm not certain about angles/muscles/colors etc.