TerribleSorcery
Should be playing D&D instead
Sorry but I must reply thusly:
Dragonsfoot Magazine Adventures--Call Out
- Thread starter Malrex
- Start date
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
I am finally reading Burrough's Mars/Barsoom books. No idea why I waited this long. Really enjoying them.
Anyway, it seems like the modern "orc" with green skin and prominate tusks are visually descendants of the Tharks (e.g. Tars Tarkas). I feel like so much of what we are accustomed to seeing today came from Franzetta's covers of the Barsoom and Conan novels.
Anyway, it seems like the modern "orc" with green skin and prominate tusks are visually descendants of the Tharks (e.g. Tars Tarkas). I feel like so much of what we are accustomed to seeing today came from Franzetta's covers of the Barsoom and Conan novels.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
I apologize in advance if my continued contamination of Bryce's Adventure Design Forum with art is getting on people's nerves. It's the journey I am currently on. So here goes until someone tells me to stop.
What has proven to be a treasure trove to me for free on-line figure drawing and anatomy courses in Proko.com. Here's the link to their massive library of how-to videos: https://www.proko.com/library/
One of the more interesting ones is an interview with Karl Kopinski. He did a lot of video-game concepts and Magic The Gathering cards. In spite of that (
), I really like him---both as an artist and how he comes across as a person. It's a fun interview.
I'm trying to do a quick sketch-a-day and focusing in on a dozen different thing: proportionality, anatomy (skeleton and muscles), balanced and dynamic poses, and perspective. I think this topic has relevance for all would-be adventure designers because it seems (as @Malrex points out) that while art is costly, but also lends immensely to curb appear.
So in that vein, I share today's trifecta of sketches. All very fast and rough with pencil, photographed with my phone, and then garbled a bit in GIMP trying to get the rough edges off and get a more "painted" look (well, at least two of the three).
Today, every one is wearing clothes. Admittedly they are only an after-thought since I'm really focused o
n muscle placement. At one stage in each drawing, everyone looked like a lithograph out of Grey's Anatomy (i.e. no skin).
My "rediclopus" self critiques:
What has proven to be a treasure trove to me for free on-line figure drawing and anatomy courses in Proko.com. Here's the link to their massive library of how-to videos: https://www.proko.com/library/
One of the more interesting ones is an interview with Karl Kopinski. He did a lot of video-game concepts and Magic The Gathering cards. In spite of that (
), I really like him---both as an artist and how he comes across as a person. It's a fun interview.I'm trying to do a quick sketch-a-day and focusing in on a dozen different thing: proportionality, anatomy (skeleton and muscles), balanced and dynamic poses, and perspective. I think this topic has relevance for all would-be adventure designers because it seems (as @Malrex points out) that while art is costly, but also lends immensely to curb appear.
So in that vein, I share today's trifecta of sketches. All very fast and rough with pencil, photographed with my phone, and then garbled a bit in GIMP trying to get the rough edges off and get a more "painted" look (well, at least two of the three).
Today, every one is wearing clothes. Admittedly they are only an after-thought since I'm really focused o
n muscle placement. At one stage in each drawing, everyone looked like a lithograph out of Grey's Anatomy (i.e. no skin).My "rediclopus" self critiques:
- The man's got a serious case of jerk-face. Try as I might, I couldn't make it go away. The haircut probably doesn't help. He has no hand because...I hit the edge of the paper. Also, I don't know what he's doing. Screwing in a light bulb in his underwear?
- Legs are my Achilles's Heel (pun intended). It would be much easier to draw everyone with wheels attached at the waist. I cropped the girl's off because they irked me so much. To rectify, I plan to draw nothing but disconnected legs for a week. (Don't get me started on feet.) Also, she should probably be holding something---I'm thinking either a very large beer stein...or a laser rifle (since ironically she's probably both over and under-dressed for traditional Swords & Sorcery).
- I have no idea where the spaceman came from. I was just trying for an extreme perspective of a mannequin. Mork popped out...and I'm pretty sure he's up to something. I blame Kopinski. The Take-away: it's a far cry easier to draw a stylized version of reality than a photo-realistic one.
Last edited:
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
I originally thought I would not post this sketch because I want to redo it, and the final version will be in the DF Footprints issue (if I make the deadline!), but...then I realized I was being silly and missing out for the chance of valuable feedback. I also lack self control when it comes to posting illustrations.
It started out (on graph paper) as a quick "gesture drawing" practice. That's when you limit your sketch to drawing primarily "C" and "S" shape curves that are suppose to find the elusive "flow" of the drawing. Lines of action that draw-the-eye. Fortunately/unfortunately, I didn't stop there. I was doing the figure...worrying legs (of course), but had a morning thought while getting out of bed that I would like to show @EOTB 's grappling tactic---so I went ahead and completed a scribbled scene.
A layout, that's all I was after.
But I also started practicing goblins.
But I also was thinking about Franzetta's widely acclaimed skill at showing potential energy in his poses.
Yeah, I know --- not even close, but I'm trying.
Also, if you look at my last post --- the figure of the girl in particular --- I really did not like her look. To me it evoked Elmore. He's technically a fine artist, but has always been one who's vibe I never much enjoyed. He reminds me of the journeyman comic book artists at Marvel in the 70's, who would "fill in" for an issue. They got the job done, but everything was pretty flat and boring. They/he lacks Franzetta's potential energy, or Jack Kirby's/Neal Adams'/John Byrne's brilliant style. Elmore is the Peter Jackson of Dragon Magazine cover-artists---light and airy. Very 2e safe.
So I conceived of a lighting scenario that would push me away from the Elmore-look. Stark dark-light. Frantic and physical. Stealing a page out of the Palace's Chris Cold's playbook (thanks @Malrex), I put the Shaman's staff against a backdrop that made the underworld look like it's on fire. Maximum contrast.
Anyway. There are some big mistakes (care to spot them?). The most glaring is the mad Shaman/Priest's mask which is SUPPOSE to be a fish-skull (it makes sense in the Earth Temple adventure)---but I got lazy and (as Malrex pointed out) it looks more like his head is a bubble.
Merde.
I also hurriedly mushed it up in GIMP quite a bit too much. The original pencil details were more interesting in someways.
Still, there are a few things I like about it---details that I hope won't get lost if/when I redo it. One of which is the face of the goblin who has cinched the fighter's waist. That's what I want my goblins to look like.
I'm keeping the staff design too.
Oh yeah. The underworld...is...most...definitely...ON FIRE!
You've read enough. Here it is.
One question for the next iteration:
What should be the illustration's focus? The fighter....or the Shaman? I can swing it either way.
P.S. What this fighter is internalizing, is what I hope my players are also thinking when journeying in Terra Incognita and the s*** hits the fan ---
"I am so screwed! Get me the hell out of here!"
It started out (on graph paper) as a quick "gesture drawing" practice. That's when you limit your sketch to drawing primarily "C" and "S" shape curves that are suppose to find the elusive "flow" of the drawing. Lines of action that draw-the-eye. Fortunately/unfortunately, I didn't stop there. I was doing the figure...worrying legs (of course), but had a morning thought while getting out of bed that I would like to show @EOTB 's grappling tactic---so I went ahead and completed a scribbled scene.
A layout, that's all I was after.
But I also started practicing goblins.
But I also was thinking about Franzetta's widely acclaimed skill at showing potential energy in his poses.
Yeah, I know --- not even close, but I'm trying.
Also, if you look at my last post --- the figure of the girl in particular --- I really did not like her look. To me it evoked Elmore. He's technically a fine artist, but has always been one who's vibe I never much enjoyed. He reminds me of the journeyman comic book artists at Marvel in the 70's, who would "fill in" for an issue. They got the job done, but everything was pretty flat and boring. They/he lacks Franzetta's potential energy, or Jack Kirby's/Neal Adams'/John Byrne's brilliant style. Elmore is the Peter Jackson of Dragon Magazine cover-artists---light and airy. Very 2e safe.
So I conceived of a lighting scenario that would push me away from the Elmore-look. Stark dark-light. Frantic and physical. Stealing a page out of the Palace's Chris Cold's playbook (thanks @Malrex), I put the Shaman's staff against a backdrop that made the underworld look like it's on fire. Maximum contrast.
Anyway. There are some big mistakes (care to spot them?). The most glaring is the mad Shaman/Priest's mask which is SUPPOSE to be a fish-skull (it makes sense in the Earth Temple adventure)---but I got lazy and (as Malrex pointed out) it looks more like his head is a bubble.
Merde.
I also hurriedly mushed it up in GIMP quite a bit too much. The original pencil details were more interesting in someways.
Still, there are a few things I like about it---details that I hope won't get lost if/when I redo it. One of which is the face of the goblin who has cinched the fighter's waist. That's what I want my goblins to look like.
I'm keeping the staff design too.
Oh yeah. The underworld...is...most...definitely...ON FIRE!
You've read enough. Here it is.
One question for the next iteration:
What should be the illustration's focus? The fighter....or the Shaman? I can swing it either way.
P.S. What this fighter is internalizing, is what I hope my players are also thinking when journeying in Terra Incognita and the s*** hits the fan ---
"I am so screwed! Get me the hell out of here!"
Last edited:
Malrex
So ... slow work day? Every day?
Hey Squeen--
You have seen my art....and your work here blows it out of the water.
I took a closer look...here are some comments:
Pro
Love the burning smoke.
LOVE the shadowy goblins in the background...the one holding the spear...I with more art would do that.
I love the scuffle with the warrior. I could see goblins fighting like that.
I dig the shaman's staff..looks cool.
There is actually a lot I like about your art style and this piece.
Suggestions
I hate the fish skull bubble thing. Maybe it needs to be a little smaller? Its just really hard to tell what it is. That's my biggest gripe.
Looking at it again....Is the shaman a good guy or bad guy? At first I thought he was a good guy, but now I'm uncertain. If he is a bad guy--I'd consider putting another adventurer in there--perhaps just a dark shadow, facing off on the other ones coming in--so low detail/shadow shape. Or perhaps a dead goblin...
Shaman's bracelet looks a tad too big...like it seems like its going to move up and down the arm pretty annoyingly for the wearer.
I think the dagger is too long for the goblin in how he is holding it...looks like he is holding a shortsword like that--I'd consider shortening it.
the goblin on the back of the warrior...is he holding a dagger? or just using his fist? It's a little hard to tell. I think it would enhance the danger vibe if he is holding a short dagger.
I love the 3 goblins near the top of the page...I think they are perfect. I think the 4th one that is near the bottom of the hill should be a little bigger since he seems closer? does that make sense?
Are those more goblins emerging from the smoke? I'm wondering if they could be enhanced somehow..maybe a larger, lighter gray shadow in the smoke or something. I thought they were rocks at first.
Other Comments
I like the blurred out style. The warrior has a little detail which is cool...and it makes the blurred style ok because with the little details, I can fill in the gaps with my imagination. BUT...I'm wondering if the goblin holding the dagger/shortsword--wondering if he should get a tad more detail like the warrior since he is closer. Maybe its just a necklace or something.
I also really like the goblin on the warrior holding down his sword arm.
Id focus on the warrior I think, especially if the shaman is a bad guy.
You have seen my art....and your work here blows it out of the water.
I took a closer look...here are some comments:
Pro
Love the burning smoke.
LOVE the shadowy goblins in the background...the one holding the spear...I with more art would do that.
I love the scuffle with the warrior. I could see goblins fighting like that.
I dig the shaman's staff..looks cool.
There is actually a lot I like about your art style and this piece.
Suggestions
I hate the fish skull bubble thing. Maybe it needs to be a little smaller? Its just really hard to tell what it is. That's my biggest gripe.
Looking at it again....Is the shaman a good guy or bad guy? At first I thought he was a good guy, but now I'm uncertain. If he is a bad guy--I'd consider putting another adventurer in there--perhaps just a dark shadow, facing off on the other ones coming in--so low detail/shadow shape. Or perhaps a dead goblin...
Shaman's bracelet looks a tad too big...like it seems like its going to move up and down the arm pretty annoyingly for the wearer.
I think the dagger is too long for the goblin in how he is holding it...looks like he is holding a shortsword like that--I'd consider shortening it.
the goblin on the back of the warrior...is he holding a dagger? or just using his fist? It's a little hard to tell. I think it would enhance the danger vibe if he is holding a short dagger.
I love the 3 goblins near the top of the page...I think they are perfect. I think the 4th one that is near the bottom of the hill should be a little bigger since he seems closer? does that make sense?
Are those more goblins emerging from the smoke? I'm wondering if they could be enhanced somehow..maybe a larger, lighter gray shadow in the smoke or something. I thought they were rocks at first.
Other Comments
I like the blurred out style. The warrior has a little detail which is cool...and it makes the blurred style ok because with the little details, I can fill in the gaps with my imagination. BUT...I'm wondering if the goblin holding the dagger/shortsword--wondering if he should get a tad more detail like the warrior since he is closer. Maybe its just a necklace or something.
I also really like the goblin on the warrior holding down his sword arm.
Id focus on the warrior I think, especially if the shaman is a bad guy.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
Me too it's embarassing. But, I appearently lack internet modesty...
The Shaman is a half-goblin bad guy. He needs a complete redo. The only thing I want to keep is the dark cloak silhouetted against the bright background and the staff. I really ran out of stream at that point in the sketch---out of the time I allocate myself each morning.
Bracelet is stupid. Needs to be more interesting. I need to research drawing cloth. Kopinski's got some great stuff I can "study".
I was actually thinking the foreground goblin stole the fighter's dagger. His pose is kinda boring too. Needs a rethink. He also has 6 fingers and an extra muscle in his arm. (Oops!) Rushing.
You are correct on all counts: 4th goblin-silhouette is too small. Others in background need to be made clearer. Thinking about adding some eyes in the pitch-black shadows on the left too. The whole landscape need to stretch a bit and the fighter placed/lit prominently in that "magic 3rd" spot we learn about in high-school photography class.
The goblin on the arm needs to get the fighter's forearm in his armpit a bit more...maybe a claw on the sword-hand too. Somehow his other foot got erased too. Suppose to show his legs locked together. I need to rework the grip around the waist too. Time...(sigh)
I'm thinking the goblin above need a sharp shard-like object or maybe needs to be leaping. Probably both.
Lastly, the fighter's off-balanced pose needs to be exaggerated.
Got some more ideas for stuff to accent the scene. Another PC's silhouette might be the ticket---maybe with a bow. Definitely gonna add a dead goblin. Maybe some other cool stuff too...<wink>
Someday I'll post a photo of a dagger I brought in Spain. Thing is big. (i.e. knife-->dagger-->short sword-->sword)
P.S. Believe it or not, this is helping get me psyched for writing the rest of the adventure. Kinda hit a low point where I felt it was all too boring (for others) to bother with. "Seeing" it and thinking about the little details helps with the creative process for me. You become a conduit for the info, and forget your concerns about it's reception/utility. Now, if only each day was 40 hours long...work is frantic between now and November.
Sketching is a nice (quick) 5am stress reliever.
Last edited:
Malrex
So ... slow work day? Every day?
The dagger makes more sense now...and it looks the size for the human fighter. I guess the way the goblin had grabbed it was just sorta odd to me. But at the same time...it's kinda interesting--like the goblin had never seen steel before and is checking it out. If you change him, maybe he is actually picking up the dagger.
If you redo the shaman--I'd recommend not doing the robe but more witch-doctor look. You can still keep the fish skull, just tweak it maybe...maybe it will be more apparent without a hood. maybe the bracelet is a series of small bones tied together or something. The shaman's face could be inside the mouth or something. I really like the staff's look, but maybe as a bad guy, it has dangling feathers and rat skulls or something on it.
I like fight scenes...always have.
Again...I'm just being extra-nitpicky because that's what I think you are looking for...but overall I like it as is and couldn't do any better. Also, if you figure out a way to get 40 hours in a day, let me know.
If you redo the shaman--I'd recommend not doing the robe but more witch-doctor look. You can still keep the fish skull, just tweak it maybe...maybe it will be more apparent without a hood. maybe the bracelet is a series of small bones tied together or something. The shaman's face could be inside the mouth or something. I really like the staff's look, but maybe as a bad guy, it has dangling feathers and rat skulls or something on it.
I like fight scenes...always have.
Again...I'm just being extra-nitpicky because that's what I think you are looking for...but overall I like it as is and couldn't do any better. Also, if you figure out a way to get 40 hours in a day, let me know.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
Fish skull is right on!
But, gots to keep the robe, man. The Shaman is 100% bonkers---driven mad by you-know-what, and high-as-a-kite all the time on it's excreted narcotics. Of course he skulks around in a robe! I'll just make it a bit smaller/cloak-ier/form-fitting.
For this illustrated sidebar about Goblin Tactics I was thinking of having a little mechanic explaining how they are particularly good at snatching/dislodging items while grappling.
I may add to the scene that the Shaman is casting his Earthen Grasp spell from the Appendix/list I sent (?) you. Also while staring at the pic, I thought of a new spell: Neutralize Armament --- turns whatever you are holding (sword,shield,etc.) into a snake/spider/bugs/[...]. That's an alternative.
But, gots to keep the robe, man. The Shaman is 100% bonkers---driven mad by you-know-what, and high-as-a-kite all the time on it's excreted narcotics. Of course he skulks around in a robe! I'll just make it a bit smaller/cloak-ier/form-fitting.
For this illustrated sidebar about Goblin Tactics I was thinking of having a little mechanic explaining how they are particularly good at snatching/dislodging items while grappling.
I may add to the scene that the Shaman is casting his Earthen Grasp spell from the Appendix/list I sent (?) you. Also while staring at the pic, I thought of a new spell: Neutralize Armament --- turns whatever you are holding (sword,shield,etc.) into a snake/spider/bugs/[...]. That's an alternative.
Last edited:
TerribleSorcery
Should be playing D&D instead
Fuck yeah man, this one looks really cool!
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
Found an awesome fish-skull reference. Your is terrifying, but I think this one is weirder---to hint at the insanity percolating underneath.
Maybe a combination will work.
This link is to the 3D model. You can watch it spin 360-degrees.
I may buy it to ray-trace it in my software to get the appropriate lighting....but I am very cheap with hobby dollars.
I also like it as a reference for the Neo-Aboleth too---trick will be placing that third eye. Maybe it's on a stalk.
Maybe a combination will work.
This link is to the 3D model. You can watch it spin 360-degrees.
I may buy it to ray-trace it in my software to get the appropriate lighting....but I am very cheap with hobby dollars.
I also like it as a reference for the Neo-Aboleth too---trick will be placing that third eye. Maybe it's on a stalk.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
Some more sausage-making tips for those interested in doing their own product art.
Today's Proko.com lesson was on shading, and I'm a sucker for making these time elapsed GIFs.
Look ma! I drew a ball! ...err...I mean...The Sacred Sphere of Death!!!!!!!!
The first image-flip is my pencil-only version. Doing my most careful best (on graph paper!) to apply the lesson's techniques (along with what I know about light transport from writing ray tracing software). It actually looks better (to my eye) on the physical page. Photographing it with my phone's camera washed it out.
The next image in the sequence is after I futzed with it in GIMP. What I do is a combination of the following:
After that was all done, I fired up Ye Olde Ray Tracer to see if I got it right. Meh.
Guess there's a reason Hollywood does computer animation. Probably would be more productive if I was learning to sculpt with Zbrush.
Also in the proko lesson, I can't reproduce his numbers. The cosine of 80-degrees is not 45%, it's 17% --- so his comment seems off. Unless there is some trick in Lambert's Law for art that's different than for physics. (Perceived brightness?)
When I first embarked on this little experiemnt, I was fascinated with learning to use GIMP to alter/clean-up my sloppy sketching. As time goes on, I've come to realized there's a hard-limit on what I can do with a "smudge tool" or "painting with a mouse" --- I need cleaner pencils from the start. That's my goal now: Slow down. Build a drawing. Layout first. Better anatomy. Cleaner pencils. Proper shading. ...only THEN am I allowed to screw it up in GIMP.
Hope this helps someone.
Today's Proko.com lesson was on shading, and I'm a sucker for making these time elapsed GIFs.
Look ma! I drew a ball! ...err...I mean...The Sacred Sphere of Death!!!!!!!!
The first image-flip is my pencil-only version. Doing my most careful best (on graph paper!) to apply the lesson's techniques (along with what I know about light transport from writing ray tracing software). It actually looks better (to my eye) on the physical page. Photographing it with my phone's camera washed it out.
The next image in the sequence is after I futzed with it in GIMP. What I do is a combination of the following:
- brightness/contrast enhancement
- creating a semi-transparent Overlay layer, and painting in it in black or white to deepen the shadows and/or brighten the "half tones" or add a highlight
- use the GIMP smudge tool (on both the base and overlay layers separately) to fix some of my sloppy habits, soften the edges, merge the fat-fingered overlay painting (with a mouse), etc.
- sometimes I de-saturate (make grey-scale) the image too and do this sepia trick
After that was all done, I fired up Ye Olde Ray Tracer to see if I got it right. Meh.
Guess there's a reason Hollywood does computer animation. Probably would be more productive if I was learning to sculpt with Zbrush.
| One final GIMP tip: Use a large brush with 25-50% opacity. This allow you to feather in the edges. For an even lighter touch, either paint in a layer with reduced opacity (e.g. set it less than 100% on the overlay layer) or else just adjust the opacity on the paint-brush itself. This applies to smudging too. If you are going for "painted/realism", use this technique to make profile edges disappear to a hair line (on the lit-side). |
Also in the proko lesson, I can't reproduce his numbers. The cosine of 80-degrees is not 45%, it's 17% --- so his comment seems off. Unless there is some trick in Lambert's Law for art that's different than for physics. (Perceived brightness?)
When I first embarked on this little experiemnt, I was fascinated with learning to use GIMP to alter/clean-up my sloppy sketching. As time goes on, I've come to realized there's a hard-limit on what I can do with a "smudge tool" or "painting with a mouse" --- I need cleaner pencils from the start. That's my goal now: Slow down. Build a drawing. Layout first. Better anatomy. Cleaner pencils. Proper shading. ...only THEN am I allowed to screw it up in GIMP.
Hope this helps someone.
Last edited:
DangerousPuhson
Should be playing D&D instead
Your commitment to doing everything peripheral to adventure writing without doing any actual writing is commendable.
j/k, much love squeen
j/k, much love squeen
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
Too busy with work. This take less effort. 1/2 hour a day before sunrise. Did the sketch yesterday, the post today.
Real writing has a habit of blowing up into a massive time suck I find difficult to walk away from. Dumb little nibbles are easier.
Besides, if you can't chase your muse a bit for your hobby...when can you?
Last edited:
Malrex
So ... slow work day? Every day?
October 5th is the deadline for Footprints articles for those who are interested in submitting....I can maybe extend it for special cases (*cough* Squeen) but then we may want Bryce to change this forum to Adventure Design, Reviews, and Past Deadlines....
TerribleSorcery
Should be playing D&D instead
Okay, well reviews are coming in for the contest adventures. We have four in total. I'd be happy to clean mine up a bit and send it in to Footprints, what does everyone else want to do?
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
Dig a hole and stick my head in it.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
For those folks out there still mentally perplexed by the discrepancy between the cosine-law drop-off and what was presented in the video --- I've solved the mystery. It's the so-called gamma-correction.
cos(80) = 0.17 = 17% of the straight on (0-degree) luminance
but, that's if we treat (displayed) luminance values in a linear space (a la physics). For a monitor, the value get boosted to account (supposedly) for the response of the monitor. This is the so-called "gamma correction" that is behind Microsoft/Adobe's sRGB colorspace. In order to make pixels display at the correct luminance on a monitor, they get adjusted. That sRGB adjustment is approimated by taking the linear value to the 1/2.2 = 0.45 power (approximately the square-root). If we do this (like a ray tracer typically does) we get
cos(80)^(1/2.2) = 0.45 = 45%
This is the value he quotes in the video. It's a bit weird to my mind, because the gamma-boosts (for dark pixels especially) is suppose to be compensating for old CRT monitor phosphorescent/circuit effects, i.e. the computer code boosts it and then the CRT response undoes it---the two cancel and the brightness looks correct to an observer. But he (in the video) is talking about what you do for pencil shading...so I am wondering if there is a bit more to it. Maybe, as the Wikipedia link suggests, it's a psycophysics of human perception effect.
Anyway, I just didn't want to leave that dandling in cyberspace. I sure it's of little practical interest here (or elsewhere), but it was bugging me.
Cheers.
cos(80) = 0.17 = 17% of the straight on (0-degree) luminance
but, that's if we treat (displayed) luminance values in a linear space (a la physics). For a monitor, the value get boosted to account (supposedly) for the response of the monitor. This is the so-called "gamma correction" that is behind Microsoft/Adobe's sRGB colorspace. In order to make pixels display at the correct luminance on a monitor, they get adjusted. That sRGB adjustment is approimated by taking the linear value to the 1/2.2 = 0.45 power (approximately the square-root). If we do this (like a ray tracer typically does) we get
cos(80)^(1/2.2) = 0.45 = 45%
This is the value he quotes in the video. It's a bit weird to my mind, because the gamma-boosts (for dark pixels especially) is suppose to be compensating for old CRT monitor phosphorescent/circuit effects, i.e. the computer code boosts it and then the CRT response undoes it---the two cancel and the brightness looks correct to an observer. But he (in the video) is talking about what you do for pencil shading...so I am wondering if there is a bit more to it. Maybe, as the Wikipedia link suggests, it's a psycophysics of human perception effect.
Anyway, I just didn't want to leave that dandling in cyberspace. I sure it's of little practical interest here (or elsewhere), but it was bugging me.
Cheers.