Details vs readability

Sorry that I'm still behind my work, but I should at least share my progress and thoughts before the end of this month. In one of the previous posts, I've mentioned that I'm temporarily ditching the big Cintiq pro and working on a smaller device for painting.
抱歉本月依舊沒能如期完成插畫，總之月底到啦還是該上來說點什麼。數週前我提到要暫時把大塊的Cintiq pro放一邊，改用小一點的設備工作(但線稿和塗鴉仍然是利用大塊的在畫)。

I also have a Cintiq 13 HD which is syncing to a 24" monitor. 13" is quite small for checking detail/proportion so most of the time I was staring at the 24" monitor while working. You can say there's barely any difference about working on an Intuos or a Cintiq, if drawing linework is not required in the process.
除了那塊巨無霸，我還有一台13吋的Cintiq HD。但13吋老實說會看不清細節，於是我把這台小Cintiq顯像同步到另一台普通的24吋螢幕；又話說我幾乎都只盯著那塊普通螢幕畫圖，所以呃嚴格講起來，用Intuos和Cintiq作業(畫線稿除外)可能幾乎沒有區別。

Soon after the post, again, I stumbled upon the difficulties of not being able to finish the work. After making several attempts I decided to simplify my brush sets. Like, just using the default round brush. The top image is the WIP of it, and a comparison with 2 other attempts.
接著果不其然我依舊遇到一堆難以完稿的問題。經過幾次嘗試後決定一切從簡，把筆刷啦作業環境啦都重新整頓過，不需要的通通刪掉，甚至乾脆重灌電腦和所有軟體。然後第二念頭是學著用最普通基本的筆刷：預設圓筆頭。本po首圖附上利用圓筆頭整理出來的底稿、以及三個嘗試結果的比較。

You've probably heard the fact that you can only read the values while almost closing your eyes or observing in a further distance.  It is essential to have better readability so people can get the most information in a glimpse, which means a better first impression. This makes A the best choice of starting a painting. (They are probably not the best examples since I spent different amount of time on each of them)
各位可能有聽說過，當瞇起眼、或離觀察物一段距離的情況下，人眼只能辨識出灰度。意即灰度表現佳的作品比較容易吸引觀眾目光，因為大多情況下觀眾只利用短暫時間瀏覽作品，且第一眼看到的多半都是作品的縮圖。編號A在灰度處理的表現較佳。(但因為花的時間不夠，所以列舉不出更好的例子orz)

The B attempt is the one most close to my old habit. This means I've been obsessive about dealing with details--probably because I prefer to draw rather than paint--and being neglected about the readability.
編號B則從很早階段就開始處理細節，也是最接近我老習慣的畫法。意即叭子一向習慣跳過整體光影，直接跑去刻細節。但結果往往缺乏層次感，導致觀眾難以一眼就能辨識出整體造型。

The C is made after B, but I found it very hard to control square shaped brushes. They are neither good enough for dealing with clear shadings and smooth values on cylinders/spheres. And then I make the A attempt. For quite a long period of time I have been not comfortable with painting without trying to define shapes and shadings. But I believe to handle the bigger picture --values I mean-- first, and then deal with the details, will be much easier than the opposite.
嘗試的順序是B-->C-->A，在編號C我利用方形筆頭去畫，但這類筆頭很難控制，不像圓筆頭可以快速整理出圓弧表面的灰度變化、也不像扁筆頭可以清楚刻畫出亮暗面的交界。放棄C之後才做了A嘗試，先處理大面積光影-->之後再補上小細節，應該會是比較理想的畫法。

Anyway, I'm working on the A attempt and hopefully will be able to deliever the rewards in Octorber. Sorry for the waiting, I really like this drawing--it's probably my favorite one in decades-- and want to make the result as best as I can.
目前決定選擇A結果繼續畫下去，希望能在十月之中完稿。這張蛋朵圖大概是我至今最喜歡的構圖，實在很不想搞砸它，所以會多花時間畫到滿意為止，總之還要請各位再等待一段時間，不好意思orz