Almighty painter

Chapter 645: Sitting on the mountain top, overlooking the world

Three thousand avenues.

Same way.

Gu Weijing had no idea about the realm of a martial artist, didn't understand fighting, didn't understand Jeet Kune Do, and he had never even seen a Bruce Lee movie.

However, when he was painting at this moment, he felt a similar meaning to this sentence.

Impossible, infinite.

When there is no law, take yourself as the law.

In unlimited freedom, you can be free to control yourself.

Every time he put his pen to paper and every time he lifted it up, it was as if he had measured it carefully with a ruler, and his works had a more free and easy sense than those painted with a ruler.

Not one point more, not one point less.

This is not the first time that Gu Weijing has used the "real world" painting skill.

The process of adding color and flavor to Mr. Watt's painting "Museum" was like doing the work of a repairman on someone else's almost completed work.

The purpose of practicing in my spare time is also to comprehend Menzel’s profound experience in the use of brush in his painting techniques.

therefore.

In the scenes where skills are used, Gu Weijing's paintings are more "microscopic".

He focused all his energy on the subtle details.

Tonight is the first time that Gu Weijing uses the "real world" to paint his own picture.

The first real creation.

and so.

this moment.

It was also the first time that he truly realized what the greatest gift this skill brought him was—

Every high-level skill in the system brings about an improvement in vision and pattern.

Just as the legendary knife painting technique taught him the ultimate use of an oil painting knife, the legendary printmaking technique told Gu Weijing that if a person, from adolescence, youth to old age, spent all his life on engraving, he could elevate a small carving knife to a level of perfection.

The skill of "real world" also opened a door for Gu Weijing, revealing the magnificent mountain scenery behind the door before his eyes.

It's not just about sophistication in lines and skill in colors.

It is more of a kind of confidence and composure that comes with a skill that has been mastered to the highest level, as the master sits on the top of the mountain, overlooking the world.

Menzel used his brush to travel through all kinds of life, including the hawking at the docks, the countless sparks flying like waterfalls in the steel factory, and the feasts of joy in the Charlotten royal castle, before he brought his technique to the pinnacle.

Such a peak appeared before Gu Weijing's eyes.

When all the works created by the painter throughout his life slowly unfolded before him like a grand scroll, Gu Weijing seemed to have become their creator in a trance.

When he had a glimpse of all of Menzel's works and all the details.

Gu Weijing suddenly understood.

For the watercolor technique, the sparks flying from the anvil as the shirtless steel worker swings his hammer and the flute played by the maneuvering Frederick the Great, both have the same weight in the painter's brush.

The essence of the technique lies only in realism.

It's all about having just the right amount of control and masterful composure.

It is this power of control and this sense of calmness that allowed Gu Weijing to gradually find the light feeling of having wings on his back when he was creating.

The difference between the "Perfect" class and the "Legend" class is the subtle difference between lightness and flying.

They all have wings on their backs.

When Gu Weijing uses watercolor pens, he may not be able to achieve the same freedom of flying in the air in the mountains as when he uses oil painting knives, but it is enough to make him look like a true hermit, walking through the snow on the mountains.

No trace left in the snow.

Gu Weijing picked up his pen and completed the sketch of "Old Patriarch Cat Basking in the Sun".

He looked up and saw that the remaining time of today's skill displayed on the virtual panel was exactly (3/1000) seconds.

The last three seconds are just the right time to finish the painting, which is not just a coincidence.

When Gu Weijing understood the brush in his hand to the extreme, he had outstanding control over every stroke and every painting.

He knew clearly when the final stroke of the painting would be added.

It's like a martial artist finishing a set of wooden stake exercises in the yard and then closing his stance with his fists clasped.

Look sideways.

The sand-like fire on a stick of incense beside me had just gone out, and the last wisp of smoke after burning out was wafting from the incense burner.

The score is perfect.

Gu Weijing closed his eyes.

He recalled for a moment the relaxed feeling he had when painting, as if he had just returned from a banquet in heaven, savoring the last bit of the aftertaste of the immortal wine lingering between his lips and teeth.

a long time.

Gu Weijing opened his eyes again and scanned the detailed information about the painting on the system panel.

[Title of the work: "Old Patriarch Cat Basking in the Sun"]

[Sketch Technique: Level 9 Master Level ]

[Watercolor Technique: Level 9 Master Level ]

[Emotion: Feeling something in the heart (completeness)]

"Well, this is the level of a third-level master..."

Gu Weijing stared at the tilted watercolor drawing board in front of him.

The elderly Geralt Nomi was lying on the ground, half-raising his head and looking back. The light from the desk lamp splashed on him, penetrating the half-dry and half-wet moist paint.

The sunlight flows through it like water.

He placed the drawing board vertically against the corner of the desk.

Watercolors do not require the same amount of time, such as days, weeks, or even months, for their drying process to completely dry as oil paintings do.

Gu Weijing did not use a very wet painting method.

He estimated that after waiting for a while, the painting should be mostly dry.

Wait until it starts to dry.

Gu Weijing would scan the painting, save it as an electronic file, and then simply frame it.

Oil paintings can be rolled up after they are completely dry, but gouache paintings must not be rolled up, as they will crack if rolled up.

The fragility of watercolor painting lies between the two, but it is best not to curl it.

Gu Weijing prepared to find a frame to put it in and put it in a box. Once all the drawings were completed, the Schönbrunn Palace Office would send them to the organizing committee office of the Singapore Biennale.

If you're just attending an art exhibition.

It is enough to hand in a work like this.

But if we look at it from the perspective of a cartoon character commission, then this picture of "Old Patriarch Cat Basking in the Sun" should be called a "conceptual picture", "vertical picture" or "promotional picture".

In order to facilitate the subsequent peripheral related production and modeling on industrial software, in addition to the concept map, it is best to add some other drawings, such as background maps, three-view drawings, etc.

of course.

It’s okay if Gu Weijing doesn’t paint.

Once a beautiful concept drawing is thrown out and a cartoon character is designed, the most valuable work has been completed.

The rest of the work can be done by other people later, or by the assistants in Jane Arnold's illustration studio.

In fact, in the illustration industry, the higher the price of the contract, the less constraints there are and the more room there is for free expression.

Low-level office worker painters often have a lot of trouble when receiving assignments.

How many design drawings do you need to draw, what angle each drawing should be, what the three-dimensional structure should look like, what design should be on the front, what design should be on the back... There are often a lot of rules and regulations, and the client would like to give you a 2,000-page character manual and ask you to draw it one by one, for fear that you will cut corners somewhere.

After you submit your manuscript, they will still find fault here and there, deduct some money, and say they are not satisfied with that and ask you to send it back for redrawing.

To the level of Jane Arnold's illustration studio.

Party A, on the other hand, doesn't have any requirements.

They state the basic demands and leave the rest to the artists to express freely.

What people buy is not the number of paintings, but the cultural concept, the artistic IP, and the sense of design in the work.

When employers talk with illustrators, they don't discuss how to color the work, what poses the characters in the work should have, or whether to submit an electronic draft or a hand-drawn draft.

So precise.

It's too low-end.

This is a requirement for a $1000 draft contract, not a requirement for a $ draft contract.

The client talked about "concepts", "dreams" and "atmosphere".

What remains is how to realize this nonsensical concept.

Everyone just gave up and didn't care.

The bottom-level commissioned designer does the job of a taxi driver, responsible for taking the employer from point A to point B accurately.

High-end illustration studios are building the Tower of Babel.

The employer came up with a concept, a dream, and pounded the table and said, "We choose to go to the moon."

The artists were responsible for building the towering pagoda layer by layer according to the other party's requirements, allowing them to step on their own drawings, land on the moon, and rise to the clouds.

This type of contract is the most difficult and the simplest.

It is said to be the most difficult because the mysterious concepts of "concept" and "dream" cannot be piled up or cushioned with hard work and sweat, or can be touched by standing on tiptoe.

Even if you work diligently overtime for several months and come up with dozens of drawings, each plan is like a Disney princess's wardrobe, with countless matching design versions.

Finally, he took two assistants and carried a mountain of drawings to submit them.

If the employer is not satisfied, then he is not satisfied.

Your painting may be beautiful, but it is not the feeling that the client wants, so it is still an unqualified work.

Said to be the simplest.

Because some master artists have the ability to capture the core "essence and soul" of what their employer wants in their drawings without any effort.

For others, the difficulty is as ethereal as picking a star from the reflection in a pond.

To them, it was as if they were picking a pine cone from the pine tree next to them.

Gu Weijing had heard of it.

There was once an art design job in the industry for an animated film with an investment of tens of millions of dollars.

The artist drew the initial version of the character using sticky notes and a ballpoint pen in a taxi on his way home after negotiating a contract.

Just a few strokes.

Both the spirit and soul are ready.

Everything else is built by the studio's team of assistants around the artist's rough sketch concept drawn on a sticky note.

For this contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, the artist's actual painting time can be calculated in minutes.

The director wasn’t the only one satisfied with the result.

It was also a huge success at the box office.

Gu Weijing believes that both Jane Arnold and the musical team in London's West End should be satisfied with the concept drawings he drew.

At least he felt that this work was no worse than the drawings he created for "The Little Prince".

But this is our first collaboration after all.

Jane Arnold immediately handed a big contract worth nearly one million dollars to Gu Weijing.

In order to thank this senior figure in the illustration industry for his trust in him, he still hopes to do his best to be as detailed and as good as possible in areas where he can do well.

"Today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, I'll paint Geralt Nomi. In the next three days, I'll paint Jenny Dot. And then...if I paint one painting in three days, I'll have to finish everything in July. Well, I can also prioritize finishing the concept drawings for the exhibition, package them up and send them to the organizing committee, and then focus on painting three views based on the electronic photos."

Gu Weijing was thinking about the time plan.

While waiting for his watercolors to dry, he opened his laptop.

Gu Weijing originally wanted to report to his agent, Mr. Sloth, to follow up on the painting progress and the next schedule.

His eyes swept across the notification bar on the screen.

Gu Weijing discovered that he had received a new email from the Singapore Biennale Organizing Committee:

[Dear contributing artist Mr. Gu Weijing:]

[Hello, Mr. Gu, I am Bonnie Rampling, the curatorial assistant of the Singapore Biennale "2023·Human Noise". Every art exhibition should be a passionate journey, a ship that allows brave people to interpret ourselves in a unique way, understand ourselves, embrace the present era, and sail to the future. After the professional review of the organizing committee, we found a unique vitality in your work, and saw your outstanding painting literacy, keen insight and clear expression ability. ]

[The curator, Mr. Mika Tonks, asked me to express his congratulations to you! Mr. Gu, you are the artist he wanted, the sailor, partner and friend he chose for this voyage.

He is honored to invite you to attend a great art feast at the Esplanade in Singapore at the turn of summer and autumn, together with him, other outstanding creators like you, and audiences from all over the world. 】

【We are eagerly looking forward to you picking up your ticket and embarking on the ship that sails to the world.

The hustle and bustle of the world is for you. 】

[This is my personal email and WhatsApp number. You can treat me as your personal butler. If you encounter any questions or difficulties during the exhibition, I will serve you wholeheartedly. ]

Yours faithfully, Bonnie Rampling

【Remark:】

[1. Please send your original submission "Good Luck Orphanage in the Sun" to the 2023 Singapore Biennale Organizing Committee Office (16 Bayfront Ave, Singapore) before July . Please note that the final exhibition work must be exactly the same as your electronic submission work, and no additional smears, modifications, or secondary creations are allowed. Violators will be automatically deemed to have waived their eligibility to participate in the exhibition.]

[2. The organizing committee will provide you with accommodation and meals at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore during the exhibition. There is no dress code for the exhibition itself, but if you do not want to miss the artist dinner held during the exhibition, please do not forget to bring a set of formal clothes suitable for attending the dinner. DRESS CODE: Formal, Black Tie (Dress level: Formal dinner, men must wear black ties). ]

【3. Your VIP guest badge for the exhibition will be mailed to the communication address you indicated in the work information form in a few days, please check it.

The Biennale Organizing Committee will provide you with round-trip tickets to Singapore. If the route is not operated by Singapore Airlines or requires a transfer, please log in to ——】

(End of this chapter)