Future Marine by Ignacio Bazán Lazcano

contents

chapter 01 – characters
Dyna m ic a n d E xa g g er at ed P o ses
M ark Mc D onnel l

Dyna m ic C a m er a Pl a c e m en t And Fr a ming

David Smi t

Pai n t ing a J ung l e Mon s t er

M at t Di xon

Pai n t ing a Va m p ir e
Richar d Ti l bury

Pai n t ing a Z om bie

Richar d Ti l bury

F utur is t ic M a r in e s
Ig n a c io Bazán L az c ano

C ar ic at ur e s
Jas on Sei l er

Ki ng Art h ur a n d E xc a l ib ur
Simon D omi nic

chapter 02 – science fiction

S c i -fi Veh ic l e s : Spa c e sh ip s
Ch ee M i ng Wong

S c i -fi T r a n sp ort - C a p ita l Ship s

Ch ee M i ng Wong

S c i -fi T r a n sp ort - Spa c e S tations

Ch ee M i ng Wong

S c i -fi En v iron m en t - C olonized P l a nets

Ch ee M i ng Wong

S c i -fi En v iron m en t - Spa c e Battle

Ch ee M i ng Wong

chapter 03 – fantasy
M edie va l M a r k e t
Ig n a c io Bazán L az c ano

Fantas y C it y on S t ilt s
Jes se Van Di jk

M edie va l Slum s
Richar d Ti l bury

chapter 04 – vehicles
De sig n ing a c onc ep t r a c i ng ca r
Dwayne Vanc e

De sig n ing a n In du s t r ia l Vehic le

Hoi Mun Tha m
 contents

chapter 05 – speed painting

T h e sl eep y v ill a ge ne ver saw the hor ror a p p ro a ching
Nat h anie l W e s t

As night fell, the d a r kness c a me a live

E h s an Dabbag hi

T h e a p pro a ching swa r m lo oked biblica l in sc a le

J u s t in Al be rs

T h e m a chine was their only mea ns of esca p e

E m r ah E lm a sl i

Fe a r eng ul fed t h e m as the y r ea lised the y wer e a b o u t to die

E m r ah E lm a sl i

chapter 06 – custom brushes

C u stom Bru shes for Fa br ic a nd L a ce
Ny k ol ai Al e k s ande r

C u stom Bru shes for Ro c k/ Meta l/ Stone T e xtur es

C ar lo s C abr e r a

C u s tom Bru shes for T r ees, leaves a nd Br a nches

Roberto F C as tro

C u stom Bru shes for C ro wd s

Ric h a r d ti l b ury

chapter 07 – painting from a 3d base

U sing G oog le SketchUp as a Base for Digita l Pa inting
R ic h ar d Til b u ry

Sci- Fi Rob ot
C ar lo s C abr e r a

T r a in Dep ot
Ioan D um it r e s c u

Ab a nd oned Fa ctory
S e r g S o u l e im an

chapter 08 – complete projects

T he M a king Of “ T he Beast ”
J a m a J u r abae v

T he M a king Of “Hot Ho u se”

Ke nic hir o Tom iya s u

T he M a king Of “D u st ”
C h a se S tone

T he M a king Of “Ar etha Fr a nklin”

J a s on se il e r

the gallery
Introduction

Using a 3D base for digital Painting – Sci-Fi Robot by Carlos Cabrera

C o m p i l ed by t h e 3 D T ota l T e a m

Introduction
Throughout the history of mankind, ages have been defined and shaped
by the artistic styles of the period, from Renaissance, Romanticism
and Neoclassical through to the present age, the Digital age. Digital
Painting Techniques: Volume 2 is just a small insight into this exciting
and creative age that drives so much of what we see and enjoy in the
modern entertainment industry. Art surrounds us, we look at it every
Tom Greenway Simon Morse Chris Perrins Richard Tilbury
day, sometimes without even realizing it. As digital artists and their
techniques improve and develop, more and more of this art is being
created digitally using the skills described in this book.
All works are copyright © 2010 by the credited artist, their representative or copyright holders.
Every effort has been made to locate copyright holders of materials included in this book in order
Throughout the pages of this book, you will find detailed tutorials on
to obtain their permission to publish it. If you need to contact us, the details are:
[email protected] varying subjects and themes that provide a great starting point for
3DTotal.com Ltd, 1 Shaw Street, 3rd Floor, Worcester, WR1 3QQ, United Kingdom anyone planning to take-up digital art, or anyone aiming to improve

viii
 Introduction

and build upon their existing skill set. Digital artists employ many
differing methods to create art, from speed painting and custom
brushes which make the painting process more efficient and
help move the process on at a quicker rate, to painting over a
base made in 3D which allows the artist to be more accurate and
detailed, these are all techniques instructed in this book.

Although digital art creates new possibilities and provides us with

tools that can help our artistic processes, it is also important to
remember that the art fundamentals like composition, color, light
and design cannot be avoided or cheated. Within the pages of this
book you will find that the exceptionally talented artists that have
created these tutorials will guide and instruct you on all of these
subjects, from composition basics, to character and vehicle design,
through to ensuring your epic landscape doesn’t look flat, but
draws in the eye with a captivating sense of depth.

Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 2 does not only provide useful

tutorials but is also brimming with artistic inspiration, not only from
the tutorials but also from the gallery section which features work
from some of the most talented artists in the world today. For
anyone interested in digital art this is an invaluable resource.

Simon Morse
C on t en t M a n a g er , 3 D T ota l

Custom Brushes – Fabric and Lace by Nykolai Aleksander

free resources
Some of our Digital Painting Techniques tutorial artists have kindly supplied, where
appropriate and possible, free resources to accompany their tutorials for you to
download to follow along with their teachings. You will find free custom brushes
donated by Ignacio Bazán Lazcano, Richard Tilbury, Nykolai Aleksander, Roberto
F Castro, Carlos Cabrera and Jama Jurabaev. On top of these, 3DTotal are also
providing the 3D base images to accompany the ‘Using a 3D base for Digital Painting’
by Carlos Cabrera, Ioan Dumitrescu and Serg Souleiman.

download your free resources for digital

painting techniques: volume 2
All you need to do to access these free resources is to visit
the new 3DTotal micro site at www.3dtotal.com/dptresources,
go to the “Free Resources” section, and there you will find
information on how to download the files. Simply look out for
the “Free Resources” logo which appears on articles within
this book that have files for you to download from.
www.3dtotal.com/dptresources

ix
© Kekai Kotaki
characters Creating a character is a tough but very
rewarding experience for any artist. Story
plays a big part in painting one. Getting
that story to show through is the tough part.
Whether happy or sad, stoic or emotional,
recognizing and respecting what your
character is about makes them stand out
and defines him/her. There are countless ways to do this, and almost
limitless possibilities of what makes a character special. It is important
to recognize that it is also necessary to have the technical proficiency to
properly execute your idea. Having the draftsmanship to be able to draw
your character in any moment of time will better allow you to tell the story
of your character.

Kekai Kotaki
[email protected]
http://www.kekaiart.com
characters

D y n a m i c & E x a g g e r at e d P o s e s
By M ark McDonnell
Introduction
To create a dynamic and exaggerated pose
is to push the limits of human (or animal)
physics. This becomes much easier if one has
an understanding of the anatomical make-up
of the human body. Many artists have spent
lifetimes figuring out the mechanics, and how
the “human machine” performs under various
stresses. It can take a lifetime to perfect the
mechanics of the body’s movements and
gain the understanding of how all the pieces
fit together to form the perfect puzzle. For
the sake of using this information to help you
perform in the animation and entertainment
industry, simplifying is just as important as
understanding the complexities of the human
(or animal) form.

In figure drawing, this is an incredible practice

that must remain in one’s studies until we

have all grown the long white beard worn by of religious institutions and various cultural
those giants that have come before us (ladies, meeting spots.
please excuse the beard reference). Giants
such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael, These images are various studies I have drawn
Parmigianino and countless others, all spent recently (Fig.01 – 03). In the following images,
a lifetime accumulating the knowledge of the however, you’ll see more of a purpose than in
human body to plaster images on high ceilings these initial ones.

Chapter 1 12
 characters

That purpose is simply: the story.

Story
The story should always be in your head when
you are after anything that deals with gesture
drawing, for any medium or platform you are
designing for. Imagining what the person,
character or beast is thinking will make your
work transcend the typical study we happen
upon on various portfolios, blogs or websites
as we scour the internet for sources of
inspiration.

As you can see in these quick sketches

(Fig.04), there is a thought behind the
sketches, not just an application of how light
falls upon the form. Perhaps thinking in terms
of feeling ill, worriedly on the lookout, or yelling
something specific will determine a better
understanding of not just the pose but the story
of what’s happening for this particular pose.
This type of thinking is the first step in creating
a dynamic and story-driven “interpretation”
of how to approach sketches that will lead to
final rendered pieces. Without this first step
you may have a beautiful, well-rendered piece
full of incredible and dramatic lighting that
suggests the ultimate battlefield, strewn with
the bodies of warriors placed under the foot of
the victor, yet it may appear dead or somewhat

soulless. This is generally due to a lack of In the first example, perhaps an elderly man is
dynamic and exaggerated posing. waiting by the bus stop, happily content to get
to his next destination. As a character designer
Standing Poses and visual development artist, one is always
Let’s start with an example of a person concerned not only about the personality, but
standing at the bus stop waiting for the bus to the overall shape a person has, and how that
come and pick them up to carry them to their shape will read from a great distance. This is
destination. Pulling out the trusty sketchbook something to always consider when sketching.
and observing life is just as important as There will be hits and misses, but always think
sharpening a needle-sharp pencil to do figure about the overall silhouette, and if/how that
drawing or holding a stylus ready to begin an pose reads to clearly describe who that person
illustration! is, or what their specific action is. The clearer
the better! This is why exaggerating the pose
Please note: I am an artist who primarily works is so important and necessary in the animation
in the animation industry and my personal and entertainment industry.
preference is in finding a character and
pushing the pose to support the action and Sometimes – as with this example of the
personality that a particular individual would elderly man (Fig.05) – subtleties are more
exhibit. important than a bold action. Knowing when

13 Chapter 1
characters

to use what is just as important as the actual

drawing itself. In the elderly man you can see a b c d e
he is slightly off kilter and not as sure footed as
some of the other characters waiting at the bus
stop in this next illustration (Fig.06). Generally
speaking, the wider the feet are from the center
of the body, the sturdier the posture will be due
to a greater balance of weight from the center
point of the body.

In pose A, we can see the character is leaning

in to see around the corner for the bus that she
is so eagerly waiting for. She also is holding
her hands behind her back, showing even
more of an uncomfortable wait that may cause
her to be late for an important function.

In pose B we can see the woman is slightly Their close proximity suggests they are drawings, the sketches will appear much
more aggressive just from her stance. Her together. It is also shown by their general look. clearer and grasp more of the “spark of life”
posture suggests more of someone “on guard” She’s strongly stanched to look good, while others are so drawn to, such as the examples
– her legs are further apart, increasing her he’s more in command and ready for anything in Fig.07. Certain situations call for more
center of gravity, giving her a stronger stance. that comes his way in an effort to protect her, dynamic, “pushed” poses, while other poses
based upon his widened stance, similar to pose demand a more subtle style of dynamics. For
In pose C we can see this lady is slightly more B. example, the sketchbook pages of the patrons
withdrawn and kept to herself. We can see waiting to be picked up from the bus stop show
that by the way she’s enclosed her hands and Movement these subtleties. A more dramatic, or a subtle
is crossing her arms. She’s balanced in her In the following illustration examples, we’ll be push, can both be accomplished by focusing
stance but ready to move quickly, if need be. approaching more movement-based drawings. on the overall silhouette. This will automatically
exaggerate the pose and make it far more
In poses D and E we can see these two are a By taking the same knowledge from the dynamic than merely copying what you are
couple straight out of a Hollywood roadside. sketchbook drawings and applying it to life seeing in front of you. From here, adding the

Chapter 1 14
 characters

subtleties of what the character or person is

thinking will generally push the drawing over
the edge and into the “unique” category.

But always remember: be it figure drawing,

character design, concept design, film design
or anything in-between, the root of it all is
capturing the correct amount of “life” that will
be appropriate to the particular project that is
being worked on. This is why figure drawing
is such an amazing and unending source of
inspiration. It’s unending because you will
be practicing whatever you are interested
in experimenting with, whilst tackling the
challenge of figure drawing.

Q u i c k T i p : One good rule to

always follow is to leave the facial features
or expressions until last. It’s my personal
feeling that the entire body language without
the face should communicate what the
action is in the pose, or poses. It’s really the
icing on the cake and can be the greatest
exclamation mark at the end of a statement.
Take a look at some of the sketches here
to see some gestural approaches to feeling
out the pose, and more importantly, the
character that is posing (Fig.08 – 12).

From the ballerina sketches to here, you

can see that pushing the pose into a more
dynamic and exaggerated way will increase
the storytelling aspect of a drawing or concept,
as well as give you that “spark of life” you are
searching for in any piece of artwork. With that
being said, this process of gesture drawing is
cross-platform – from animation, illustration,
film design, storyboarding, concept design,
visual development, character design and
everything in-between. It’s the root of all things.
It’s the first step and the last adjustment to
any amazing illustration and should not be
overlooked in an effort to finish a piece for
production purposes or otherwise.

15 Chapter 1
characters

Dynamic Camera Placement And Framing

B y D av i d S m i t

A perfect character design – a brilliant idea, just We’ve all been there, I guess (or at least I’ve
brilliant! If people could see this you would be been there plenty of times). You messed up
the god of all forums, an instant 5-star wonder! the final composition: you didn’t place the
camera right and it suggests the wrong thing
You’ve worked for weeks on your character; for the wrong character. Instead of people
every detail fits perfectly and you know exactly being impressed by your dark, über giant with
what kind of environment to put your character a glowing sword, they actually think it’s a cute
in. All that remains is to make the final shot, little character with tiny dots on the ground
after days (and days) of hard labor, getting scattered all around him. So what did go
everything exactly right. You – you hero, you! – wrong?
have just created a masterpiece! You upload it
to the forums … here you go: you’re on the fast This is something I’ll try to shine a little light
track to fame now. You refresh your browser … on in this tutorial about camera placement,
and again. No replies yet. Ah, but it’s only been framing and other things to keep in mind to can just talk about overlay tricks, positioning
there for a few seconds, everybody is probably convey the right things for your image. and what it does to the subject, but the basics
still sleeping – it is 5am, after all. You go to – or the fundamentals – of those theories and
bed, and wake up in the morning all excited Introduction tricks are basic rules of composition.
because you just know you’ve hit the jackpot. When I was first asked to write this tutorial I
You turn on your computer, go straight to the immediately agreed. What a great opportunity Now, composition is a slightly different story.
forums to check your thread, and there you to write something about a part of image People study composition for years, and
have it: a grand total of absolutely no replies at creation that I really like, and also a good most artists never really completely figure
all. It stays quiet all day, and the next day. You exercise for me to structure the knowledge I composition out perfectly. It’s a fascinating
start getting nervous. Five days later someone have about this topic? So I sent the email back, topic as well as a frustrating one. It’s an
replies, “Hey, nice work, took me a few minutes saying I agreed with it and I would be more important topic, but a difficult one. And most
to figure out what you meant but cool idea.” than happy to write something. Not too long of all, it’s a humongous, ridiculously over-the-
That’s it, that’s all you get for your hard, intense after I wrote that email though, I thought and top big topic! I’ve only just started to explore
work! Can nobody see the brilliance? What realized what it actually meant: writing about the world of composition and definitely haven’t
went wrong…? camera positioning and framing. In a way, you figured it out yet. I focus on a quite specific

Chapter 1 16
 characters

element of composition and try to give lots of framing for dynamic characters. That being
examples and tricks on improving dynamic said though, I would advise everyone to read
framing, but there is no escaping composition up on composition separately to this tutorial (I
theory. So I’ve also included some of that in actually should start re-reading a lot of things
here, too. Of course it’s short, cut down to fit myself as I’m sure I’ve forgotten some of it
into the story and it’s not, by far, a complete already).
view on composition or dynamic framing and
camera position, but hopefully it will become Official composition rules are a great way to
a small guide for you into the wondrous world learn how to place things, but most of all they
of it all! are great analytical tools to help you see what
you’ve done wrong – or right. But I do feel that
Composition these formal composition rules, in my opinion,
So let’s kick off with a little bit about the should be considered as guidelines and not
fundamental background of the whole thing: laws, for it is always about what you want to tell
composition. When you say “composition”, or show, and any or every rule should be bent
most people will think about the placement of or broken for that purpose. The question is: what story do you want to
dark and light elements on a canvas or the tell? For any one of those above, I would pick
“golden rule of thirds”, etc., which of course is Camera Placement a different camera angle. If you don’t know
true. But there is much more to composition Now that we have established that the whole exactly what you want to tell then go to a cafe,
than that! Composition is basically how you problem with camera placement and framing is have a drink and try to figure it out. If you
arrange your scene for the viewer. This can composition, where does it leave us? In exactly don’t figure it out before you start then there
be purely down to aesthetics, or to tell a story; the same place as before, unfortunately! I have is a small chance it will work out, but there’s
it can be 2D or 3D; it can be the design of an included the information though because I think a much bigger chance you’ll get a grand total
outfit or a landscape – anything and everything it’s important for people to realize that most of of absolutely no replies on the pro art forums
is or can be seen as composition (yep, it’s that these problems are compositional ones. But and you won’t be on your fast track to internet
big). for the sake of our tutorial, I’ll be taking the fame!
opposite road to the solution: not from how you
The thing with composition is that you can learn want to tell it, but from what you want to tell. Getting your story
everything there is to know about it from text First and foremost, you need to know what you ready
books, completely understand it, and still not want to tell. This is the most important thing in Okay, so how exactly do you get your story
be able to do it. It takes years of experience to a story-driven image, and a necessity in order ready? One way, as I said before, is to have a
even get the basics; to truly understand them to choose a correct camera angle and a frame. drink. Alcohol works for me (most of the time),
and be able to apply them. I have to cut the but let’s assume you’re not a drinker and want
whole thing down a bit in order for me to finish Story to figure this out in a bit more of a structured
this tutorial before I’m 80, so for the sake of What do you want to tell? and analytical way. So the first thing you should
this article and to keep it to an acceptable size, What is the main element of your story? The always do is choose your story. I can’t really
I’m going to focus on story-driven composition scared face of your beautiful night elf just help you with that one; it’s your choice if you
with a special focus on camera placement and seconds before it gets smashed in by the want to display the elf being smashed by the
ridiculously big hammer of an orc? Maybe the hammer, or not. I would personally go for the
extreme size of the orc compared to your cute worm family, of course – it’s so ridiculous that it
little night elf? Is it the tiny pink rabbits that should be fun!
are trying to flee the site of danger before they
get elf blood on their pretty fur? Or maybe it’s The next question is: what elements do you
the army of frustrated worms who have had it have to display in the scene? Which things
with the constant ground shaking, jumping and are fundamental to the story? I’m always in
running of the stupid orc, and have decided favor of showing as little as possible without
to take action by mobilizing the entire worm compromising the story. First of all, it leaves
family, arming themselves with advanced, high- much more for the viewer to interpret for
tech nano weapons, and under the command themselves. Or, to put it in other words, more
of the most feared Worm General in history people are bound to like it since everybody
they stride to battle to take down the orc? All fills in their own details. Some will applaud
this is one scene?! you for your funny image and nice rendering

17 Chapter 1
characters

skills, whilst the next person will go down want to tell, and leave the rest for a second,
on his knees because of your amazing third of whatever image. If you put too much
intellectual depth in the image (of course, in into one scene, the viewer will get lost and
reality you have no idea it could even contain confused, and that’s the last thing you want
“intellectual depth”, but whatever, just play with this kind of image.
along!). Secondly, it usually makes the image
a bit calmer, since there are fewer elements to People in general look at a webpage for about
distract the viewer. And last but certainly not seven seconds. Seven! And that’s if it contains
least, it’s less work. It can save you up to hours a lot of text, etc. If it’s just an image, usually
(or days), which you can then spend playing surrounded by other images, it’s probably less.
videogames or making your next internet- So let’s say four seconds, which is not a lot of
famous image. time to get a story across. You can’t explain
everything, so whatever you show must be
Something I’ve learned from game design is obvious. No, it must be more than obvious!
a little thing called the ‘MSCW list’ (Moscow- Make it so that even a mentally challenged
list – easier to remember), which is basically: monkey looking the other way could get it in
Must contain; Should contain; Could possibly four seconds, and you might have a slightly
contain; Would be nice to have. This is a way better chance of getting noticed.
of creating a hierarchy of importance. Now I them however you want. You can use one of
can tell you that Could never happens. Pretty Emphasizing your them, or combine them. It just comes down
much the same thing goes for Would. We can story to the question: what works best for your
use a similar tactic to organize the information Okay, great. You’ve got your story down. You purpose? There is always going to be much
we have. So let’s focus on Must and Should. know exactly what needs to be shown and more that you can do and play with!
Must in the image with the worms is of course what can be left out. Now it’s time to think
the worms; in particular the Worm General about what elements you can add to increase Additional
with the advanced, high-tech nano weapon. the drama, movement, humor, or whatever Supporting Elements
Secondly, since it’s an army of worms, we need you want to show in your image. This is a very Composition Disclaimer
more worms – at least enough to suggest an important step because it is basically where Now the following section is a bit of a dilemma.
army. you try to move the camera around in your I want to talk about supporting elements like
head to look for the perfect angle of the scene. foreground elements, the direction of lines,
So here is our Worm General (Fig.01). There are some things to keep in mind though and the space around a subject to create a
when you’re staring into oblivion, trying to certain sense of motion, but those elements
We’re going to need the orc with a hammer as figure out where to put the camera: will only work if your basic composition allows
well. Preferably, we need to see the elf, but a it. Yes, here we are again: composition. But
suggestion of her could be enough. Some Basics to fully dive into the realm of composition is
Kick force perspective, low horizon: quite a task, and as mentioned before it would
Keep it simple! Increases the size of the character, adding a probably require 10,100 magazine pages filled
Don’t try to solve all the stories and problems threatening effect; makes the user small and with information written by – not me. I am far
in one image. You’ll fail! Pick one thing that you the subject big; great for your giant and dragon from a formal composition master or teacher.
illustrations (Fig.02). So what to do?

Eye level on main subject, horizon in the I’m going to slap composition in the face
middle: Size of main interest is approx. the by stuffing it into a few basic boxes for this
same size as the viewer (Fig.03). tutorial’s sake. Now, don’t kill me over this, I
also have to go outside sometimes and get
Bird’s eye view on main subject, horizon at some fresh air, as well as eat. Talking too much
the top: Subject of interest is smaller and/or about this subject will strip me of any form of
lower than viewer; subject is dominated or the what (very, very, very little) social life I (pretend
“underdog” (Fig.04). to) have.

These are the 3 most basic options. Of course, Ok, so let’s get back to it. In general there are
you can apply them in subtlety or exaggerate two types of composition: Static and Dynamic.

Chapter 1 18
 characters

Static Composition is where the overall

balance of an image feels solid (I am sure
there is a much better way of describing this
in one sentence, I just can’t think how), and
there is no obvious sign of motion. It often
uses horizontal and vertical lines in a central
orientated layout, using a triangular, round or
square composition (this is really putting it into
a small box!).

Dynamic Composition is where the image

suggests movement, almost like a frame
capture from a movie. It often uses curved and

diagonal lines in an off-center layout, and often a big empty space behind a character can
shows an element that suggests that it’s going also – depending on your context of course –
in a certain direction – your brain automatically suggest an element of danger) (Fig.06).
finishes the movement. Now, if you want to
know more about this, please don’t email me. Secondly, you want to have more than one
Read a book or take some lessons. If you want focus point: let the eye of the viewer wander
to complain about my composition blasphemy, around the image; let the viewer explore the
you have all the right to, I guess. image; allow eyes to follow lines and areas of
contrast – the more the eyes move the more
Let ’s focus on dynamic the image seems. Don’t make 100
Dynamic Composition focus points – that won’t work! That will just
So you have your important elements clear. frustrate you and your viewer. Keep it simple.
You know that you want to show it either big or Just trust me for now.
small, depending on the purpose of your story.
Now how do we get this baby moving? Lines
Diagonal lines work great for a dynamic
Well first of all: don’t put your focus point in the composition! Why? Because your eye
center; don’t put it in the horizontal center; and automatically follows lines, and lines have a
don’t put it in the vertical center (Fig.05). No direction (a line does not have to be an actual
center! drawn line, it can also be a suggested line by
light, dark, colored or other elements as seen
Disclaimer: there is no absolute rule in a lot in Fig.07).
of compositional rules. And, of course, you
could put it in the center and still make it look A quick note on lines: I was always a big fan
dynamic, but you have to know exactly what of flipping my image in Photoshop. It’s great
you’re doing (and I’m betting that the chance is because it makes you look at your image from
really high that you’re not reading this tutorial a new perspective. The old Masters used to
if you do). hold their images or paintings upside-down
in front of a mirror to check for mistakes. But
Good, so you put it out of the center. Why does lucky us, we have an option called “Flip”! I’ve
this work? Well it breaks the perfect balance always wanted to make sure an image works in
of the whole composition, but also it suggests either direction – flipped one way or the other.
movement. To put it simply: balance = static; off Later, when I was researching some things
balance = dynamic. If there is room in front of about visual storytelling, I came across some
the character, for example, it suggests an area information that explained that a line curved
where the person can move to. If you show a upwards from left to right is perceived as going
large area behind the character it suggests the up (Fig.08). But if you flip it, it is perceived as
character is coming from that direction (putting going down (Fig.09).

19 Chapter 1
characters

So an image doesn’t have to work both ways, way is to put your main element in the middle If you place your character half way along the
because you read the image completely ground, add some foreground and background plane, it also suggests isolation, but the plane
differently either way. It’s got something to elements, and you’re done. But this is boring becomes much less impressively big (Fig.11).
do with the reading direction. We are used to and far too easy!
reading from left to right, which is why we also By putting your character in the background of
“read” an image from left to right. This has even Putting your character in the middle of anything the same plane suggests even more solitude,
more implications than just a line going up and destroys the potential movement it can have and hints at a traveled distance (Fig.12).
down: things on the right side of the vision towards any direction. It makes it balanced.
have a tendency to be perceived as more Putting your character in the foreground So to sum up, placement in depth can be
threatening (in general); things coming from the suggests importance of the background, and considered in the same way as placement on
right side – let’s say a train, for example – are an involvement of the background with your the horizontal or vertical axes.
also perceived as going faster than when the character.
train with the same speed is coming from the C a m e r a R otat i on
left side. These are small, unconscious things, For example, an empty, dried-out plane or The simplest way of creating a dynamic
and all really dependent upon context and so desert stretching towards the horizon is much composition is to rotate the camera. All
on. But they are fun to play around with! more threatening if your character is in the naturally static horizontal and vertical lines –
foreground element (Fig.10). This way the the horizon, trees, etc. – become diagonals,
Depth Placement plane becomes much bigger, and it suggests and it suggests that the camera or viewer is
There is the option of putting the subject that your character has to cross it or at least participating in the scene in a more active way
anywhere in the distance. So why should you has some business with the unpleasantly big (Fig.13).
choose one or the other? Well, the safest and empty space.

Chapter 1 20
 characters

Overl ay Elements
Suggestion works great for dynamic scenes!
Showing a little will make the viewer finish the
rest in his or her brain. If you have a character
that looks scared at the camera, it works, and
it makes people guess a bit about what is
happening (Fig.14).

If you show exactly why he or she is scared, it

still works a bit, but it’s less exciting (Fig.15).

If you place an extreme foreground element,

like an arm, hand, leg (or whatever) over
the camera, it suggests involvement with
something more, and the viewer is right in the
middle of it (Fig.16).

Q u i c k T i p : A great way to
learn about these compositional tricks is to
Foreshortening and in towards the place where you want it. But it
analyze movie shots – old black and white
l e av i n g t h e f r a m e also suggests a world outside of the frame. It
movies in particular, like Macbeth, Citizen
Another great trick to suggest more is to have a makes the frame more like the current view
Cane, etc. (they’re worth watching anyway,
certain line or element leave the frame – a leg, of the onlooker and suggests the potential of
even if you’re not studying them).
for example. This draws the eye of the viewer something else happening. You have to be

21 Chapter 1
characters

careful with this, though, because it can also up from a little ridge, and some particles all you should make use of it! If your character
make the eyes of a viewer leave the image if going in the same direction (we’ll go with right doesn’t have it: What’s wrong with you? Have
not treated right. Remember the direction of to left, because it’s perceived to be a faster you wrapped your character up in Latex? It
lines! If a line is followed by the eye and it goes movement in this direction) all of a sudden the better not be a guy! Just give it something that
towards the edge of the canvas, and there is whole static desert becomes a moving – and moves. If you avoid it hanging straight down as
nothing to stop it and pull it back in again, the even more threatening – plane. You can feel though made out of lead, it instantly suggests
eyes will leave the canvas. the sand gushing past your face and through wind and movement. Such an easy trick, and
your legs; you know you have to move through yet it always works (Fig.19).
Pa rt ic l e s , w ind , d u s t it but you can see there’s nothing to find shelter
and superhero capes in (Fig.18). Guidelines
A great way to enhance the dynamic feeling of Remember that all these are guidelines. It’s
your scene is to add elements that we know If you have a character with a nice cape, dress, much more important to figure out what you
move, like wind, dust, small particles, falling or other fabric elements that will show wind, want to say and think about how to do it, rather
leaves, and so on. It’s a sure shot way to
making it dynamic (or at least moving). If we go
to the empty desert again, with nothing in there
except a character, we can see that it’s quite
a static, non-moving scene. Why? Because
it’s a dry, empty plane – nothing is happening
(Fig.17).

Now, if we would add some suggestion of really

strong wind by adding some sand blowing

Chapter 1 22
 characters

than follow standard rules. Get familiar with

the tricks and get to know why they work. And
what they exactly enhance, but don’t become
a slave to them, or to any trick for that matter.
Try to keep an open mind and keep thinking
on what you could do to improve what you are
doing.

Okay so you figured out your story, you’ve

established your primary and secondary
elements. Now let’s look at the limitations or
possibilities of your frame.

Framing
Alright! Framing: the package in which you
wrap up your little story! The borders for your
brilliance; your own little frame of infinite
possibilities; the edges that border your deep,
intellectual thoughts; your own piece of ...
Yeah, OK, I think you get it!

Framing is as versatile as the composition

you put in it, and actually, it is an important
part of the composition itself. The frame is
the first thing you see; it’s the work area and these kinds of illustrations that you often have I find that people often choose a frame
it depicts a lot of the suggestion of the scene to sacrifice important things; the trick is to because, well, just because it’s always like
even before the image is shown. Do you want sacrifice the least important one. that: landscape = wide; portrait = vertical. Of
your viewer to have an endless visual journey course it works; it always works. There is not
from left to right over a magnificent widescreen Sketching, thumbnailing and having a camera necessarily something wrong with it, providing
landscape? Or do you want to show them a floating around in your head looking for the you know why you chose it.
deep and interesting vertical image? What best possible angle are vital techniques to
about leaving the traditional frames for what employ in these kinds of illustrations. However So here we are: we have all the freedom in
they are, and pushing the limits a bit? What these kinds of frames are boring, or they’re the world to choose a frame for our dynamic
does a round frame do? How about a squared boring to talk about at least because they are composition. What are the options? Well,
frame with an element leaving it? set, fixed, and there is nothing you can do infinite actually, but that would make this
about it. You just have to find a way to make it tutorial extremely long (or extremely short if I
Fixed Frame work. just keep it at the word, “infinite”). So let’s break
Framing offers lots of possibilities – that’s if it down into a few forced boxes again (I like
you have the freedom to pick a frame anyway. Free Frame that: pushing things or people into boxes where
Often in the commercial world there are certain So I want to dive a bit further into the world they don’t quite fit, but with enough force, or
limitations to the frame you can use. If, for of free frames; the place where you have at the right angle, they will awkwardly look like
example, you have to create a cover illustration endless possibilities – choice all over! The they sort of do).
for a book then you’ll have to work within the question is of course: Is more choice better?
limitations of the format. This can make things Choice is great if you can choose (now that Basic Frames
a lot harder. When you need to display a lot of makes sense, doesn’t it?). Sometimes having The non-special, what-you-see-all-day-long
information about a landscape, for example, no choice is great in the way that it forces you frames:
and a very wide horizontal frame would be to think about a less than standard solution. It
perfect but the book is standard vertical size pushes you outside of your own little safe world Horizontal: Your basic screen layout.
… well, this is where you want to have a where everything is great, beautiful and boring. Comfortable to look at, fits in the view of a
good understanding of composition, but more It forces you to get frustrated and start thinking person. It’s a solid balanced shape. It’s great
importantly about the most important elements again. for showing things that require some width,
that you need to show in your image. It is in or for images that you plan for people to use

23 Chapter 1
characters

as backgrounds. It’s often a good choice for

something that you want to feel like it has some
sense of space, or if the space around an
object is important. If you don’t know what to
choose, go for this one: easy, simple, straight
forward (Fig.20).
3 4
Vertical: Again, quite a basic layout (but then I
have put them in the basic category, so it does
make sense). It has a familiar shape which is
great for showing things that are a bit higher
than they are wide, such as people. This shape
4 3
also often shows a bit more depth, since a
many elements tend to be overlapping or have
foreshortening going on to make them fit in the
frame (Fig.21). Now, I also find this shape a
bit more dynamic. I’m not 100% sure why, but
it might be because it’s less grounded then
a horizontal shape. Maybe it’s because your
eyes often can’t fully see the whole image at
once and they have to travel up and down, left 1
to right? Or maybe I just like it? Not sure!

Squared: I really don’t know what to say about

2-or more
this one (Fig.22). It’s good for a CD cover, but
that’s about it in my opinion. I use it sometimes,
but that’s mainly because I crop the vertical
or horizontal image because of a mess up 1
somewhere and then it eventually ends up
squared. Squared is boring; it’s too solid,
too rigid, too … well, it’s just boring. Anyway,
since this is not science I am not obligated by
objective facts, I can be as subjective as I want 1
to be. And I will be! I think squared sucks! It’s
just not fun! And there you have it. I don’t think
anyone will look me up after reading this and 1
2-or more
punch me in the face because he (or she – I
prefer she) is a squared frame fundamentalist. E xtreme Frames character in such a frame requires much more
Extreme frames! This is basically the same as thought than in a regular frame. It can work out
I just love to tell the whole world something the basic frames, but exaggerated. Now there brilliantly – only if you place it right and there is
sucks. It’s just great! Somehow it’s more should be a note to the usage of extreme and a reason to place it there.
rewarding than saying you like something. No, unconventional frames: by using a choice of
you really, truly think something sucks and the frame like this, you have got to have a reason. Extreme Widescreen: This one is awesome
whole world can know about it – awesome! Of It will stand out if you don’t, just because it is for über epic landscapes, or to show off exactly
course, my opinion on things tends to change, such an unconventional frame choice. That how long your hero’s cape is (Fig.23).
so there is a good possibility that in the next means that people expect it to make sense.
year or so I may become an absolute squared You have to explain your choice of frame to Extreme Vertical: This is a great choice for
frame fundamentalist! the viewers. Now, if you choose an extreme things that are extremely long, or deep. It’s a
widescreen frame for example, and you put good choice if you want to have a wide angle
Anyway, enough off-topic nonsense! We a character in there (vertically), that means camera lens and you want to show how big, or
are here for information so let’s move onto that the space around the character is given deep something is. It’s also a good choice for a
something a bit more interesting. significant importance. The placement of your 3-point perspective (Fig.24).

Chapter 1 24
 characters

Unconventional with pizzas. Otherwise, just make an original

Frames story and choose a frame that fits it.
“Unconventional” is pretty much anything that
hasn’t fit into the previous headings. I rarely Round: This is a bit like squared, don’t you
use them. Why? Well, because I don’t often think? It’s solid, but it’s better than squared. I
have a reason to use them. They also take a lot wouldn’t use it though unless I had to. It’s good
of pre-thought since all applications and paper for an avatar/portrait, I guess, but I’m not sure
are pretty much always bound to have four what else I would do with it. An epic landscape
90-degree angles, making them any variation doesn’t really work in this one (Fig.25).
of a square. So, if you want to do something
different, you have to plan it, and you have Outside the Box: This one is fun (if you can
to have a good idea why something like that use it properly, that is)! It’s a great way to
would be a good idea. And I’m not too good at attract attention to your image. It’s very good
that – I tend not to plan. for creating a sense of depth. Have your
warlord step out of the image; it really works
But then, saying that I don’t plan would wonders if well applied. Be careful with it,
completely discredit the previous text that I though, because if you make a digital image,
wrote before this. I do plan! I don’t really like it, the image is always squared, so you actually
but sometimes you just have to. But, if I have have to select the background color in order
a choice – as it is with free choice of frame – I to fake the effect. This makes it only good for
choose not to plan too far ahead. that one specific forum. Of course, it’s a bit
easier if you make a comic, since you know the
Still following me? Good. The thing is that background and it’s always the same (Fig.26).
there should be a reason for your choices. Are
you in an online art competition and you want Fuzzy Edge: This one is quite interesting, too,
your space marine to stand out next to all the and it’s great when combined with one of the
other squared space marine images? Well above! Again, be careful because the image
then, yes, go to the forum, press Print Screen, will only work with certain backgrounds (unless
get the background color and “fake” the you make the background a specific color and I could go into detail here on how to make
unconventional frame. Give your space marine you create a new frame in your big frame). It’s an image exactly and setup your whole
his gun outside of the frame. Cool! hard to say what it is specifically good for since composition, but that would be ridiculous.
it depends so much on the image. It can also Just try it out for yourself and use some of the
Ok, so a few conventional variations on be nice to combine this with a normal sharp elements described previously. I don’t want to
unconventional frames. When people use edge to create a surrealistic effect (Fig.27). make a 1, 2, 3 step tutorial on how to create
unconventional things to be “original” they tend the “perfect” image. I don’t want to hand out
to choose the most common of uncommon C r e at i n g t h e F i n a l a sheet with tricks. Just use this as a guide
things. Please don’t use it for that; use it Image to help you understand composition, camera
because it fits the image. If you want to be So you’ve got your story ready and you’ve placement, framing and the dynamics of an
original like that then go out and paint a bicycle decided on your choice of frame. Now you just image better. Sorry for all those who were
have to put it together and make an image. It’s expecting a super trick to the solution of life,
that simple! the universe, and everything under it, including
eternal internet fame! It’s not here; I’m not your
The main trick here is to know what you want man. If you want to know that, go and read The
to make. Try out different setups; try out a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (the answer is
vertical frame or a horizontal one. Try adding 42, by the way). But I do hope you’ve enjoyed
an Overlay layer to the foreground, or perhaps reading this as much as I have writing it …
even a big, empty space in the background.
Try, try, try; sketch, sketch, sketch. Never go for Not that I was drunk while writing this (well, at
the first one. least not the whole time anyway).

25 Chapter 1
characters

Pa in t ing a J u ng l e M on s t e r
By M at t D i x on
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

C on c e p t u a l i z at i on
There are many different ways to approach
monster design. It’s good to be familiar with
as many different methods as possible, not
only does this allow for greater versatility
when selecting the appropriate solution for a
particular design challenge, but employing a
range of techniques helps to keep ideas fresh
and the process fun.

Other than a jungle habitat nothing about this

monster is predetermined. While the idea of
having free reign with the design is appealing,
such an open brief comes with one very
significant challenge: where to begin? To solve
this little problem, we’ll look at a technique that
will spark the imagination and quickly provide a
variety of different options to explore.

Q u i c k T i p : Before picking up ideas begin to flow before reaching for

a pen, spend a little time getting into the your pen. Filling your head with ideas
mood. Refer to appropriate reference before you begin to draw will really help
material and inspirational sources such as start the creative process and should mean
art, photography or even evocative music your imagination is already whirring away
while you think your design over. Wait until when the pen hits the paper.

Chapter 1 26
 characters

Now the drawing can begin. Sketch out lots of Stop once you find ideas repeating and
quick doodles, keeping the lines as fast and review your doodles. Set your imagination to
free as possible. Details are not important at work on each in turn, considering how they
this stage, only basic shapes and proportions. might look with different patterns, colors and
materials applied to them. Try to make sense
Concentrate on the overall form of each of any chaotic lines – are they feathers, horns,
creature as you draw. We want these drawings tentacles, a trunk or something else? Which
to be deliberately loose and spontaneous. are most appealing visually? Do any suggest
This approach is similar to the ‘automatic a story or particular behaviour? One or two will
drawing’ employed by the surrealists, where usually stand out right away - though they may
the drawing hand is allowed to move across not necessarily be the best or most rewarding
the surface of the paper in a random fashion in choice - take time to explore each drawing
an effort to tap into the subconscious mind. The thoroughly.
human eye instinctively seeks to make sense
out of chaotic shapes. The idea here is that Try to justify the final decision. Just liking the
encouraging random and accidental lines onto way it looks is reason enough, but thinking
the canvas will help to suggest ideas that may through the reasons for making the choice
not have been drawn deliberately. You can take will help give direction to the next stage of
this technique as far as you wish; completely development – what appeals to you about your
random doodling can produce very interesting choice? How will you communicate that to your
results and is a fun way to try and break a audience?
creative block, but a more structured approach
inviting some chaos into deliberate sketching I chose the creature in the top right (Fig.01a).
is likely to yield more usable ideas. However I liked the idea of a monster with cute
if it is employed, this is a very effective way to proportions – balancing that juxtaposition progresses. The mixture of rounded and sharp
prompt new and unusual designs. Go crazy should be a satisfying challenge as the design shapes in this sketch also appealed to me
(Fig.01a – b)! and suggested a small, tree dwelling beastie
which seems a practical choice for a jungle
environment.

Development
The next step is to develop the creature
doodle into a full concept design. A neutral
symmetrical stance allows you to concentrate
on making the anatomy work without having
to solve any problems that may be caused by
a difficult pose. Begin by loosely defining the
proportions of the creature then gradually begin
to make sense of the shapes in the doodle.
Make use of scale, rotate and distort tools to
quickly experiment with different proportions
(Fig.02).

With basic anatomy and proportions decided,

add details. Again working against a neutral
pose makes this easier. Use layers to quickly
compare different ideas. Keeping shapes
consistent within the design gives rhythm.
Remember why you chose this doodle as the
starting point for your jungle monster, trying
to retain and develop what appealed to you at
that stage.

27 Chapter 1
characters

I focused on the cute proportions which first saturated orange/red here – this is traditionally may be amusing for any nearby spectators, it
drew me to this creature, the large eyes, head a color associated with danger or warning can be a very useful way to explore different
and ears. A long, thick tail exaggerates these which should project the nasty side of my poses quickly if you keep a large mirror where
proportions further. Spiky details – fangs, creation, and will work well against green hues you work.
claws, tufts of fur – hint at a nasty side to the in a jungle setting. A neutral body color will give
monster while also helping to tie all the shapes additional contrast to the eyes, and choosing Consider a setting which supports a suitable
in the design together. The eyes will be a focal a bright tone for the fur ensures good contrast mood for your creature. Hopefully this is
point of the design and are traditionally seen as with the background which will help to show off something that was considered back in the
windows to the soul, so it’s here that I need to the cute body proportions. Accents on the tail sketching stage. Jungle environments are rich
concentrate the marriage of cute and cruel that add interest and help to maintain a consistent and diverse; decide if a predictable background
I want to show in my jungle monster (Fig.03). color theme within the design.” of green broad leaves or something more
unusual suits your jungle monster best. Try to
Now consider the colors, patterns and textures P r e s e n tat i on show scale by including objects or cues which
of your monster. Again, layers can make How will this freshly-designed monster be will be familiar to the viewer (Fig.04).
changes and experimentation easier – set used? This will determine how best to present
your sketch to Multiply mode and apply color your creation. What you have at this point, Explore different ideas with loose thumbnail
to a layer beneath it. Use color adjustment perhaps with additional viewpoints and sketches. As in the doodle stage, keep things
tools to quickly see variations on your ideas. annotations may well be sufficient for a pure fast and free – not only will this repeat the
Try to make your development deliberate, concept piece, but the design is only half possibility of accidental marks sparking new
ask yourself why your monster would have the fun. Your jungle monster will be far more ideas, but loose sketches capture movement
a particular color or pattern. Is your design engaging, more alive, if you show it in a scene. and energy very effectively.
led by evolution – color for camouflage,
courtship, or deception – or to satisfy criteria Composition
in your design – eyes as a focal point, contrast The first step is to decide on a pose and setting
with background color – the choice is yours. for your creature. Pose can communicate
Remember what justified your design choice a great deal of your creature’s behaviour or
- does that give reasons which influence your personality. A background may not strictly
decision on color? be necessary when presenting a creature
design, but the setting can be a powerful tool in
With a chosen color, your design is complete. establishing the mood of the final piece.
Look back at your original doodle to see how it
has developed. Have you built on the qualities The development process should mean you’re
that attracted you to the sketch? now well acquainted with your creation –
imagine the kind of things it would do and try
For my creature design to work as I intend, it’s to choose a pose which will tell the viewer
important to get across aspects of both cute something about your monster. Think about
and nasty in my monster. I have chosen colors how it moves, what it eats and where it spends
which I think will support this. To establish the it’s time. Try getting into the character of your
eyes as a strong focal point, I have selected a creature and act out movements. Though this

Chapter 1 28
 characters

I have referred back to my original doodle for

inspiration on the pose for my creature. It looks
almost as if it’s been disturbed or startled which
I think adds to his character and suggests that
it’s engaged in some sinister behaviour which
suits the mood I want to project. I intend to
keep the background as simple as possible
to show off the creature most effectively. The
bough along which it creeps together with
some surrounding foliage should give a good
impression of the scale of my monster (Fig.05).

To begin, build on your compositional

thumbnail. Simply establish the basic pose and
proportions of your creature along with any
background elements. Lay everything out to
make sure the arrangement of shapes in your
composition is correct. If it works in this simple
form, you can be confident that you have a
solid foundation to build upon (Fig.06).
the creature appear more confident, less like mode, and lay in values on a layer below
Now add details to your layout sketch. How it has been startled and more like it is about to (Fig.07).
far you take this depends on your coloring and pounce!
painting technique and the complexity of your Begin with basic layout of flat values.
monster design, but it’s important to have all Va l u e Establishing the basic arrangement of value is
the significant elements in place before you Next, establish values. Defining the values in the only goal here, so keep things very simple
proceed to the next stage. your painting before working with color allows (Fig.08).
you to control the contrast in your image more
Thumbnail C (Fig.04) was my choice for the effectively and to consider form and the basic Add variation to the basic arrangement.
final painting. This was closest to my original behaviour of light more simply. Place your Strengthen the contrast where dark and light
doodle, though I modified the pose to make sketch on a separate layer set to Multiply values meet, and place any significant details.
Try to keep forms flat at this stage. Decide
where the darkest and lightest values in your
image will be placed – be aware that these
points will often establish the areas of highest
contrast which will become a natural focal point
(Fig.09).

Begin to add form to the shapes in your

painting, and place any final details. Pay
particular attention to edges at this point – soft
surfaces should have soft edges, hard surfaces
hard. Try to ensure all lines are removed in
preparation for painting.

My values are very simple. I designed my

creature’s bright fur to contrast against the
background, so I placed it against a shadowed
area of foliage to make the most of this. The
highest and lowest values are deliberately
placed in my monster’s head to draw a strong
focus to this area.

29 Chapter 1
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Color
Flatten the final value treatment, then copy
it onto a new layer and again set to Multiply
mode. Lay in basic colors on a layer below.
It’s always best to work with a simple scheme,
at least to begin with. No more than three or
four main colors as a starting point. Begin by
establishing the basic colors of your jungle
monster as these are already decided, then
choose complimentary colors to use in the
background. Using a soft brush here will
encourage colors to mix which can produce
interesting results that you can carry through
into your final painting. Different colors may be
added on separate layers so that adjustments
can be made more easily if necessary (Fig.10).

The Opacity of your value sketch layer may

need to be reduced a little, especially if your
values are strong, in order for the colors
beneath to show through effectively. This is
fine as the relative values remain consistent.
A positive side-effect of this is to reduce the
strength of the very darkest and lightest values,
which may then be re-established during
rendering.

A good impression of the final image should be

seen at this point. All the significant elements
have been put in place and all that remains is
to refine what is already there. This is a good
opportunity to take stock before final painting
begins. Note areas which could be problematic
during the painting process or which don’t work
as you intend and try to address them before background is a strong compliment to the At each stage of the render, try to build on
you progress to the next stage. Similarly, saturated hues in my jungle monster and I’ve what has gone before. In the previous section
take note of any areas which are particularly used a blue shadow to add interest to the the colors were placed, use the color picker
successful and make sure you don’t spoil them! scheme. The blue shadow and green foliage to choose colors from the existing image
I’ve chosen a basic color palette. A green colors mix to create a bright teal hue where and begin to refine your painting. Resist the
they mix. I like how this ties the colors together temptation to add new colors at this point. Tidy
and I will aim to maintain that in the final any loose or messy areas and pay particular
painting. attention to edges and texture (Fig.12).

Render Continue working across the image, making

Now the fun can really begin! Flatten the image sure to balance the background elements with
and build on the colored value sketch. At all the foreground.
times try and develop the image as a whole,
rather than concentrating on small sections. Here I’m really feeling out the background of
Use the biggest brushes you feel comfortable my painting. I want it to look like foliage, but I
with - this will force you to make bold marks don’t want it to draw attention away from my
and encourages the idea that each mark monster. My solution to this is to take an almost
should be deliberate (Fig.11). abstract approach to the background, defining

31 Chapter 1
characters

rough shapes of leaves and plants without In the final stage, I pushed some darker tones
placing any details. The goal is to give the into the shadow area behind my creature and
impression of what’s in the background without added further bright values to the fur. This
having to show anything too specific (Fig.13a really boosted the contrast around the creature
– b). and gives the image a satisfying ‘pop’. I drew
further attention to the eyes by adding some
Now is a good time to flip and rotate your subtle reflections which, along with hard, bright
painting, this gives a fresh viewpoint on your highlights make this area a very strong focal
image and can draw attention to problem point. I also added some small details such as
areas. Fix any issues you can see. Continue the skin texture in the ears, and some floating
to refine your work, strengthening values and pollen in the background.
adding detail as required (Fig.14).
Critique and I’m generally pleased with my jungle monster.
As the rendering process draws to a close, add conclusion It’s good to look back at the very first doodle
any remaining details making sure to keep the Acknowledging that there will always be some which inspired this creature and see a direct
tightest detail in and around focal areas. aspect of your work that can be improved connection with the final design. I think the
means that each piece you produce can be design criteria, a quirky mix of cute and nasty,
Finishing touches viewed as an opportunity to grow and refine which I set myself is successfully met along
The rendering is complete. The final step is to your skills. Take a little time to look back at with the intention of having the monster’s eyes
add a few finishing touches. Pick out significant your work with a critical eye to see what may as a strong focal point. Perhaps the design
details with highlights, strengthen values to have been done differently and to review could have been more original or unusual.
give the image plenty of contrast punch, make anything you feel you have learned from the Though presenting a creature with some
any final adjustments to the texture of surfaces. piece. This is best done at least a few days similarity to familiar animals (in this case a
Image adjustment tools can be very powerful at after completing the work to give a better small primate such as a lemur or capuchin)
this stage, but try to avoid getting bogged down chance of casting an objective eye over the can help the viewer to accept the design as
with tweaks and frills. If you’ve followed these image. For a concept piece such as this, pay plausible. The finished painting works as I
steps correctly, you will have made deliberate, particular attention to the development of your hoped, I like how having small parts of the
positive decisions about your creature design ideas. Compare your first sketches against creature obscured behind the foliage and
and presentation throughout the process and your final image. Does your finished creation bough helps to give the impression of a
major adjustments at this stage should be remain true to your original concept? Does it secretive, skulking nature to the beast. Some
unnecessary (Fig.15). successfully answer any design brief? Was the elements, particularly the monster’s hands,
process smooth and deliberate? Do you like could maybe stand out a little better but that
Your jungle monster is complete! the end result? might interfere with the strong focus on the
eyes so I’m happy that there’s a good balance
to the picture overall.

Designing monsters is always fun. Hopefully

the techniques that we have looked at in this
example will have been interesting to explore
and will prove useful in the future. Introducing
an element of ‘automatic drawing’ into the
early sketches is not always easy, especially
if an artist has been trained to produce neat
and tidy drawings, but it’s an approach worth
persevering with even if it does not feel natural
at first. Few other methods have the potential
to produce such varied concept ideas as
quickly as this, and remember that your unused
ideas can be saved for possible future use!
If you’ve enjoyed the process, why not go back
to your concept doodles and develop other
monsters?

Chapter 1 32
characters

Pa i n t i n g a Va m p i r e
By Richard Tilbury
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction This poses an initial problem as I can’t decide have previously considered. In this instance
Before beginning any sort of project I usually in my mind what the character should look like, I begin with a few silhouettes to try out some
begin by doing a bit of research into the subject and what type of aura I want him to convey. poses (Fig.01).
and gathering some reference material. In this Should he be a sickly, cowering type that hides
case I searched Google for images relating to from human contact, or have a more powerful You can see here that a simple silhouette
vampires and the numerous incarnations that and charming persona exuding status and can convey much about a character (1 – 3),
have appeared over the years. When you look sophistication? These issues led to decisions providing an insight into their proportions and
into the topic of vampires you’ll realize how over the costume design and posture, and with clothing, for example.
many different interpretations exist, from the so many question marks it was necessary to
early vision of Count Orlok in the film Nosferatu start with some thumbnail sketches to try and I decided to make a few head studies to
through to the classic character portrayed by resolve the problem. explore the type of qualities and look he
the ubiquitous Christopher Lee. Then at the should have, and to try and decide on his
opposite end of the spectrum are the more Thumbnail sketches demeanor (Fig.02). Should he look imposing
modern takes that are evident in the Blade and It’s very good practice to make a series of and more human-like or perhaps be eerie with
Underworld series’. Suffice to say there is no small and swift sketches before starting a final exaggerated features that resemble more of a
single and consistent concept that springs to design as it will help clarify things and also sub-human or monster?
mind when you think of a vampire. suggest artistic directions that you may not

1 2 3

Chapter 1 34
 characters

You can see that the top left sketch resembles

Nosferatu (1) and has a very different feel to
the version seen middle-right (4). The bottom-
left character (5) looks more like a monster, 1 2
whereas the top-right sketch (2) looks more
modern and contemporary in context. Each
has a different quality, and by making a series
of sketches such as these we can begin to
formulate an idea and turn a vague notion into
a clearer vision.

Usually there is not one single sketch that

looks right over and above everything else,
but rather there are aspects that prove to be
likeable in each. In this instance I like the more
charismatic quality to number 4 compared to
the left-hand column, but I also think that the
long hair in number 2 adds a certain feminine
3 4
quality which contrasts well with the notion of a
physically powerful being, lending him a certain
dynamic. I also like the robe/cape shown in
number 6 which adds a classic look, as well as
providing a lyricism through the flowing lines of
the fabric.

By making these quick sketches I have already

been able to decide on a few components
that I would like to include in my design, so
I can now go back to the pose. The one that
strikes me the most is number 1 (see Fig.01). It
doesn’t feel as domineering as 2 or 3, but with
the extended arm it seems a little creepy and
5 6
mysterious, without being too obvious.

Favoring this posture I begin on some

variations (Fig.03). I have made the decision
to give the character a robe and long hair, but
if the robe envelops his body there will be little
room for detail; I don’t want the majority of the
concept to be made up entirely of this element!
To add some interest I open the front in order
to include some anatomy which will contrast
well with the dark clothing (1). Version 2 looks

1 2 3 4

35 Chapter 1
characters

somewhat surprised, as though he’s been

disturbed and has looked around to face the
viewer. This combined with his more hunched
shoulders gives him a creepy quality, which
I like but is not in keeping with a powerful
presence.

I’ve decided to add another arm to version 1 for

thumbnails 3 – 4, but version 3 is the one that
seems to work best, as 4 appears to be too
gestural and makes too strong a statement.

Blocking in
The first step is to add a neutral background,
which I generally do by filling the entire canvas
with a tertiary gray of some kind, and then paint
random strokes over it using a textured brush
of some description. On a separate layer I then
begin by blocking in the character in rough,
bold strokes, focusing on the main volumes
and areas of color (Fig.04).

I have used a custom brush to add the textured

effect, which was modified from a photo of
broken glass, of all things (see inset). Much of
the other blocking in is done using the standard
Hard Round Airbrushes and Chalk brushes that
Photoshop provides.

I always keep the background as a separate

layer as it makes it easy to change the color
scheme and lighting, as we will see later in this color (Fig.05 – see inset) and on a new layer You can also see that I have now started to
tutorial. In fact, I think it would be interesting to I add a Gradient (Foreground to Transparent), block in the main shadow areas across the
have the bottom of the image a touch darker and then set the layer blending mode to face and torso, and have better defined the
and have the character almost emerge out of Multiply. head.
this darkness. To do this, I select a gray/green
The character at this point appears to be
looking slightly to his left, whilst the thumbnail
sketch confronts the viewer directly. So I
change this here, as well as tidy up the hair
shape which looks a little windswept (Fig.06).
The other issue was that his robe was open
very low on his torso, which was looking a little
risqué, so I amended this and started to paint
in some fabric folds.

So far the Photoshop file has been divided

into three layers: the background, the gradient
and the character himself. Continuing on
the character layer I start to use a grayscale
palette to work on the skin. This is so I can
focus on the tonal range, but I also want him

Chapter 1 36
 characters

to have very pale and lifeless flesh to create

a ghostly, non-human appearance and a
suggestion of the undead (Fig.07). Although
pure coincidence, I really like the expression
in the thumbnail (see inset). It suggests to me
a look of sorrow, or some forlorn hope which I
really want to capture.

Part of the reason I’ve painted the skin in black

and white is that I can overlay a color, retaining
the tonal values but with the option of making
hue changes at any point during the process.
In Fig.08 you can see a dull ochre color on the
left, set to Normal mode, but when changed to
Overlay (see right inset) it adds a certain glow,
whilst maintaining the ghostly quality.

In compliance with the 3rd thumbnail in Fig.03,

I’ve added the character’s left arm (Fig.09).
You can also see at this point the layer
structure on the right-hand side palette, with
the separate color overlay for the skin.

I notice here that the figure looks a little wobbly

on his feet, so I rotate him slightly to make him
more upright (Fig.10). I also add some fancy
brocade around the sleeve and torso to add
some interest, and start to form some of the
folds in the robe, all of which is done on the
character layer.

37 Chapter 1
characters

Building the detail

At this point I am starting to realize that
because I have used my thumbnail as a
starting point, which was obviously done
quickly and not accurately, I have transferred
many of the problems across to my final
version; namely the proportioning. Not only
does the character look very tall, but the
rib cage looks too low down, and his left
arm is also too long. Sometimes having
these exaggerations can help a design, and
in this case the small head and long arm
does somehow lend our vampire a creepier
presence. In fact, a smaller head is often a
good device to make a character seem more
heroic and portray a sense of power!

However, I have decided to squash everything

up a little, which I do using the Edit > Transform
> Scale tool. I duplicate the right arm, and on a With the anatomical proportions improved I boots, along with a small decorative element
new layer move it to a better position, using the start to work on some more detailing, namely to his robe (Fig.12). I add another gradient to
Eraser tool to blend it in with the original layer fixing him on the ground. I consider the idea make the bottom part of the painting darker,
before merging the two together. In Fig.11 you of having the robe hide his legs, or making the which also emphasizes his skin color.
can see the original position highlighted in red bottom part of the painting dark to create the I’ve been moving the robe detail around but
and how it has been altered. impression of him floating, but I settle on some it never really seems to work until I place it at

Chapter 1 38
 characters

the top of his left boot, which immediately feels nature of vampires and their reputation of being the naval is far from being central to the torso
right. I’ve also added another small focal point able to charm and seduce their victims, and so and head, and looks awkward as a result.
to the bottom section of the picture. I’ve decided to change his left hand to a more
beckoning gesture (Fig.13). Refining
One other part of the design which has been I alter the shape of the hair, making it less
causing me some problems is the hands, which It’s always good to have a distinct lack of bouffant, and I add some length and highlights
look rather too symmetrical – as though he symmetry in your characters to make them on a different layer, just in case I want to
is sitting on a throne. I’ve thought about the more believable, but in Fig.14 you can see that reverse it or leave it short (Fig.15). You can

39 Chapter 1
characters

also see that I have created a new layer called

“eye color”, which is set to Overlay and shows
the red tint around the eyes.

You will have noticed that the background color

has changed throughout this tutorial, which
is the advantage of keeping it separate to the
character. You may wish to change the tonal
values etc. – or in this instance add some
textural detail in the form of a blood spatter
(Fig.16). I created this custom brush a while
ago and thought, with some subtle use, it could
prove appropriate to this particular painting. I
added a new layer for this effect.

The painting is almost complete now, but after

having altered the right arm and hand it has
since seemed inconsistent with the other one.
The thin wrist and angle of the forearm does
not feel right and again mimics the thumbnail
too closely. After using a mirror and some
careful posing, I decide on a different gesture,
the result of which can be seen in Fig.17.

Conclusion
This has been a fun project as I have never
painted a vampire before and more particularly
because I did not have a clear idea about how
he would look before starting out.

It’s interesting to see how an idea or feeling

evolves during the painting process, and
you will have noticed how the character has
transformed during this tutorial. There are
aspects which perhaps do not follow strict
rules, such as how the robe fits around the
body (I am sure some fashion experts could
point out some of the problems to me!), but
from an artistic perspective I like the flow and
rhythm it has created.

The boot design and hand gestures have

certainly been improvised along the way, and
the fact that one sleeve is torn and ragged
compared to the other was also unintentional.
However, part of the fascination with anything
creative is the fact that it can suggest its own
direction and surprise you on the way!

Here is the final version (Fig.18).

Chapter 1 40
characters

Pa in t ing a Zom bie

By Richard Tilbury 1 2 3 4

S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
The zombie in many people’s eyes has
probably been epitomised by the films of
George A. Romero but it has been modified
over time into a variety of guises. The word
zombie refers to a ‘mindless’ human being or
someone who has been reanimated or brought
5 6 7 8 9
back to life without speech or free will. There
are different incarnations and some appear as
slow lumbering creatures that wander around
groaning whilst we have also seen in recent
years a hybrid form that which is quick, more
aggressive and predatory in films such as 28
Days Later.

As with all characters once you start to

research the subject, you find a great number
of interpretations but the one contemporary
common thread is that all are human with a 1 2 3
need to attack other human beings by way
of biting and thus spread their disease. This
aspect has become part of the modern myth
and popular culture and is somewhat removed
from the original meaning of the word and its
roots but is nevertheless a widely accepted
convention within the modern entertainment
industry today.

Chapter 1 42
 characters

I decided that my zombie would be your

average office worker that did not look unusual
in any way and would be the slow, lumbering
type as this quality felt strangely familiar from
my days commuting in London in the mornings
and being turfed out of pubs at closing time in
the evenings! Over the years I have had plenty
of inspiration for this subject from living in
cities, believe me.

Thumbnail Sketches
What was very important in this image was
the posture, as this would carry much of the
personality and characteristics and suggest
how he would move. Vampires and werewolves
have no distinct movement compared to
the somewhat erratic gesticulations of the
classically sluggish zombie and so it was
important to come up with a pose that reflected
this.

This type of problem is perfect for silhouette

thumbnails and so this is where I began
(Fig.01).

Having an unbalanced posture with limbs

being awkwardly positioned would help show
an unstable walk and aspects such as a
tilted head and misaligned shoulders also
lend a suitable quality. The first four sketches
incorporated hunched shoulders and tilted
heads and I even considered including a
zombie dog but none of these felt right. Sketch
6 was the first thumbnail that seemed ok and
looked as though the character was having
trouble walking and keeping his head upright. I suggest that his bite is used as a primary eventually see. The main reason for making
liked his leg positions and left arm but his right attack form but the expression was not right. I these sketches is to try and give form to what
arm did not look great and so I made three liked the notion of showing the teeth however are rather shapeless ideas in one’s head. I
variations (7 – 9). so for sketch 2, I removed some of the flesh do not think it necessary to fully resolve all of
from around his mouth as well as the front part the creative issues at this point but if you can
I decided that pose 6 would be the best starting of the nose. I maintained the rolled back eyes formulate a general direction then a number
point for the final design even though I was from sketch 1 which suggested a dysfunctional of the lesser decisions can be made along the
unhappy about the right arm but thought this brain or semi conscious state. The third sketch route.
could be resolved during the painting process shows a well dressed man but with a different
where I could try out a few options. level of mutilation. One of his eyes is missing Blocking In
which I thought made him look scary as With a reasonable idea in mind I began the
With a solid idea about the pose I then decided though he had been viscously attacked. I also final version of the painting (Fig.03). I decided
to make a few portrait sketches to explore the transferred the left eye from sketch 1 which not to stick to a grayscale version with an
type of expression and degree of disfigurement gave him an intense stare which I liked. Overlay but instead used a color palette. I
he would display (Fig.02). Having his mouth have taken pose 6 from Fig.01 but left out the
agape as in sketch 1 looked more threatening I decided that the final version would be problematic right arm for the time being.
but made him seem a bit too angry. It did an amalgamation of all three as you will

43 Chapter 1
characters

I could have chosen to have his right arm At this point the head looked far from
missing but thought this would be a cheap satisfactory, not least because the angle was
solution so decided to try having him reach out wrong. I made a rough selection around the
towards the viewer in a classic zombie posture head and neck and then rotated it to the left
which looked quite creepy (Fig.04). after which I filled in the gaps and adjusted the
features (Fig.06).
With the right arm in place I made a start on
some of the gory details. I started to add some The head and features looked much more
features to the head as well as use my custom convincing after the alterations but his outfit
blood brush for some stains and spatters resembled that of a surgeon more than a city
(Fig.05). worker – time for a change of clothes!

I was painting this on a single layer, so in order

to change the color of his suit I made a general
selection area around everything except his
skin using the Lasso tool and then selected
the Quick Mask mode (highlighted in green in
Fig.07). You can then use a brush to either add
to the mask (using black) or subtract from it
(using white) enabling you to precisely mask an
area which is tinted red. With this done I then
clicked on the Quick Mask button once again to
return to standard Selection mode and went to
Image – Adjustments – Desaturate and turned
his suit to a grey color.

Now the main problem with doing this, and why

using separate layers for different components
can be useful, is that by doing so it will also
desaturate the blood which is not what I want.
Therefore to avoid this I first used the Magic
Wand tool and selected the main areas of
blood which were then copied and pasted onto
a new layer before changing his clothing.

Chapter 1 44
 characters

I now had the opportunity to alter the blending

mode of the blood which actually looked much
better as Overlay as it appeared less opaque
and paint like and was now affected by the
clothing beneath (Fig.08).

Having learnt from my mistake I added some

extra blood but this time on a new layer
(Fig.09). It is important to add some variation in
the blood to show that it is very reflective when
wet but also that it congeals and dries quickly.
There are two dark spots on the shirt which are
browner in color and suggest it is thicker here
as well as a pale area on the left lapel which
looks as though it has caught some light and
has yet to fully dry (blue circle).

Building the Detail

The zombie by this stage has been fully
blocked in along with a reasonable amount
of detail but the face still lacked character. I
liked the rolled back eyes in the thumbnail I have also brought the jaw forward from the will also notice I have tried a new background
sketches in Fig.02 and the intensity of the right neck in the shadowed section and painted in color as part of the ongoing process which is
eye in sketch 3 so decided to combine the two some lighter highlights to help the eye socket something worth experimenting with as your
(Fig.10). look more menacing and recede more. You color scheme and tonal range changes.

45 Chapter 1
characters

I felt at this point that the character was layer and then went to Image – Adjustments – proved useful to have a separate blood layer
developing nicely but in order to help Color Balance and moved the slider towards (see top of layers palette) as this can remain
emphasize the blood and make him look a yellow (inset 1 in Fig.11). I then used the unaffected. The two insets show the before (2)
little more like someone who had actually died Eraser tool to delete around most of the skin and after (1) effects with the result in the main
he needed a different skin color. He looked a so as to leave the hair, parts of the face, suit picture.
little too pink which would suit someone who and shirt unaltered. I could as an alternative
had just died but I wanted to make him look have applied a New Layer Adjustment but this In the layers palette you will notice that I have
more gruesome. I duplicated the character method was quite quick and easy ultimately. It added a shadow layer and a Gradient to

1
1
2

Chapter 1 46
 characters

darken the ground section. It was time to fix

that right arm which was the main area lacking
any definition. I decided to raise the arm to
make him look more contorted and suggest he
was more desperate to reach out to something
or someone (Fig.12)!

I felt his new arm position added extra tension

to the pose but when flipping the canvas
horizontally he did seem to be leaning too far
to the right overall as though he was about to
fall. To rectify this I went to, Edit – Transform –
Warp and adjusted his legs. You can see from
the red guidelines how the posture has been
modified which includes the angle of the left
arm. Some smaller details which have also
been added are the torn bottom of the shirt and
sleeve as well as some further refinements to
the suit.

With the second arm resolved, the painting

was nearing completion but I felt he needed
some more interest on his exposed and rather
clean arm. I opted for a wound which was
created on a new layer in case I changed
my mind (Fig.13). I thought the wrist needed
an adjustment and so drew a selection area
around the hand and went to, Edit – Transform
– Rotate. Once done I “stitched” it back onto
the arm by painting over the tears and making
sure there were no gaps.

47 Chapter 1
characters

Final Adjustments complement this I modified the background by When you feel you have added all the details
Whilst reducing the size of my canvas I playing off light against dark i.e. where the light and flattened the image it is sometimes worth
noticed that he did not stand out clearly from hits the right side of the face the background applying an adjustment layer of some kind to
the background as much as I should like and is made darker and the section behind his experiment with the color scheme and mood as
so used, Image – Adjustments – Curves to left arm is lightened to bring the arm forward this can always be undone. I find Curves and
increase the contrast of the character. To (Fig.14). Color Balance are particularly useful and once
applied there is always the option of painting
into the mask to control the areas affected
without destroying any of the final painting.

One final stage which I often incorporate,

particularly if the image is large scale, is Filter
– Sharpen which essentially increases the
contrast between pixels, making the image look
clearer. You can see the final version of the
image in Fig.15.

Conclusion
The process of exploring ideas through
thumbnails is a crucial part of the creative
process and concepts nearly always require
approval before embarking on a final design.
However it is always worth having a little room
to improvise if possible, without necessarily
straying too far from the original design.

Chapter 1 48
characters

Futuristic Marines
By Ignacio Bazán Lazcano
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
Hundreds of games have been published in
which the main character is a soldier from the
future. These games are known as FPS or First
Person Shooter. Currently a lot of progress
is being made concerning the way games
look. New technology and 3D engines make
games look as if they are real and contain
very detailed images. For this reason, when
it comes to making art, you have to show

a lot of detail. Although detail and design who has a suit that could withstand extreme
disappear when playing the game, the truth is heat on fire planets. For the last two weeks
that you have to first sell the game. This is the I’ve been drawing volcanic lava backgrounds
reason why detail and a cool design make the for the company I work for. I had to do a lot of
difference. research and look for various images related
to volcanoes and natural landforms. This was
The tutorial very useful as I can use this research for my
The idea of this tutorial was to design a marine tutorial.

Chapter 1 50
 characters

The sketch Style and References

To start, it is necessary to do several sketches To be up to date and know what is fashionable,
to help you select the best idea. The first idea it is necessary to sit down and look for
that came to me was to draw the character good references. What is very useful when
standing in front of a background, holding thinking about action scenes, is to see films
a gun in his arms. This is the classic way of related to the subject, or to play games full of
showing a character, and it is useful to begin action. Crysis, Dead Space, Section 8, Halo,
with it (Fig.01). Later in the process I realized Appleseed ex machine, all provided me with
that this idea would be a bit boring, and inspiration for my image and all of them are
decided to do something less static always excellent games and films in my opinion.
thinking about the commercial effect. I decided
it would be best to show the character in a To decide what to draw and which aesthetic or
dramatic situation, full of action, as if it were the creative path to take, it is necessary to think
marketing poster for a game (Fig.02a – b). about all the references that we researched
earlier in the process. On this occasion I
I made two quick sketches and selected option look for human body pictures to use them as
2. I thought this was the one that had more reference for the marine’s suit. I also look for
potential to be developed.

photographs of volcanic lava, volcanoes, and

stones for the background.

As I always say, the first and most important

thing to do is to research before you start
to draw. This is the way most videogames
companies work.

The picture
My aim, if possible, is to show you in a simple
and fast way how to create a more professional
and realistic drawing. I will focus on techniques
concerning realism, final finish, texturing and
special effects.

To begin with I will show you step by step the

following figures in grayscale. Afterwards, I’ll
stop to explain to you how to work on the more
advanced stages (Fig.03).

51 Chapter 1
characters

Realism and final

finish techniques
To get an idea for the whole design I begin
by drawing the soldier’s helmet. Once that
is finished, it will help inspire me to draw the
rest of the body. In the first three pictures
I used Photoshop’s Classic brush. In the
following images I used part of a helmet from
a photograph to give it a real texture and from
then onwards I used this texture, drawing on it
with a normal brush (Fig.04).

To select the area of the photograph I am

interested in I use the Loop tool. Then I mark
out the area I want (CTRL+C, CTRL+V). Once
I have got the piece of the photograph I want
in my drawing I use CTRL+T and click the
Warp option in the top bar to adapt the photo
to the soldier’s head shape. The last step is
to transform the photo’s colors into the same
gray tones of the drawing. Afterwards, I’ll press
CTRL+U and select the proper light tone on the
lightness progress line (Fig.05).

This technique can be used to make things we

draw seem real.

The following picture shows in four steps how

I designed the torso. Almost everything is
done with the brush and for strategic areas
photographic support can be used (Fig.06).

Chapter 1 52
 characters

This is another example using the same

technique, but this time selecting the front part
of a modern car (Fig.07).

Te xtures
When it comes to texturing, the most
recommended method is to first draw the
shape and afterwards cover it with a particular
texture. This time I’ll show you how to make the
stones that are in the background.

First draw a rock with any brush you want.

Then look for a photo that has the desired
rock texture, and then select the area you are
interested in (Loop tool + CTRL C+CTRL V),
and put it on the drawing using Overlay. Once
you have the texture on the drawing, open
up a new layer and paint the texture with a
brush to give it the final finish. It is an easy
and fast way to obtain realistic results (Fig.08).

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Special Effects complexity. I’ve tried to teach you the key Remember that this is only a technique useful
When the drawing looks like it is nearly finished points to get the best quality possible. You to improve your work. The most important thing
it is time to think about the last step, which I can use the tips more than once in the same is the ability to create original things.
call “to put popcorns to the subject”. That is to drawing but don’t make ill use of them. I hope you have enjoyed it!
say, special effects: sparks, lights, fires, etc.
This step is defining, because it will give our
drawing the final punch to be marketable.
To make the sparks draw yellow color points
-almost white- on each and every area poured
with lava and the use one of Photoshop’s
effects. Go to FX + Outer Glow and then
modify levels to obtain the desired effect. It’s
very easy and it looks wonderful (Fig.09)!

Bonus track!
I designed for the final presentation a
schematic. This image helps 3D artists to
shape the final character to be included in the
game (Fig.10).

Conclusion
It’s very difficult to develop in one tutorial a
drawing like this completely because of its

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C a r i c at u r e s
By Jason Seiler
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
I have done many tutorials and step by step
guides on creating and painting caricatures,
and each time I share a different technique
of how this is done. This may frustrate some,
but I do not have a set way or formula that I
stick with. The same things are important each
time, like shape, likeness, and values, but the
approach may differ. In the end what matters is
the final piece.

The Pa in t ing
As a subject for this tutorial I chose my friend
Ben, who is the owner of Deluxe Tattoo in
Chicago. He has a great face and I thought he
would be perfect for this demonstration. When
I start a caricature of someone, one of the
first things I do is make sure that I have more
than just one reference picture to work from.
I went to Ben’s shop and took about fifteen
or so pictures of him, from various views and
angles. This gives me a solid idea of what
his head looks like in 3D. I also have a few
skulls that hang out with me in my studio. My
favorite skull to sketch with is a small skull
that fits comfortably in my left hand as I draw.
I bought it at AnatomyTools.com for those of
you interested. I don’t always draw caricatures

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or portraits while holding a skull, but every But before I get into that, let me explain what example of this I took a picture of myself and
once in a while it really comes in handy. It is I look for when starting a caricature. First ask did a ten minute sketch, see Fig.04. Notice that
important when sketching a caricature that yourself, what is the shape of your subjects similar to Ben, I too have quite a big forehead.
you understand the structure and foundation head? For example, Ben’s head seems to have But you will also notice a few differences, such
of what lies beneath the skin and muscles. the shape of an upside down egg. Next I’ll ask as a shorter nose, and the space between my
So having a small skull that you can hold and myself, where is the weight on Ben’s face? nose and mouth is slightly less than that of
tilt with one hand while you sketch is a real Meaning, does he have a higher forehead Ben’s. The space from my bottom lip to chin is
advantage. which would mean that the weight is his greater than the space between Ben’s lip and
forehead? Or does he have a smaller forehead chin. Understanding these relationships will
When starting this piece, I first thought I would and a larger chin? In this case, I decided that give you a good place to exaggerate from.
do a finished line sketch similar to the style and the weight on Ben’s face is in his forehead. In
look of a sketch I recently did of my friend Brian fact, he doesn’t have much of a chin at all. If Going back to Fig.03, after establishing
(Fig.01). But as I began sketching I felt it would you look at Fig.03, you will see that I created where to put the weight and placement of
be more interesting to show how I draw and a rectangle which goes around Ben’s head. I features, I now question the shape and size
paint caricatures under the tight deadlines that then put in a few horizontal lines, first starting of the features in relation to one another. For
I have to deal with on a weekly basis. with the top of his head, then with one going example, how close are the eyes, are they
through his eyes, another just beneath his
To get warmed up, I decided to draw a few nose, one through his mouth, another under
quick thumbnail sketches as seen in Fig.02. his mouth, and the last under his chin. This
These sketches were done in two to five diagram shows the head divided in a way that
minutes each, with the exception of the sketch will help you make your choice of exaggeration
on the far right. The purpose for these quick a little bit easier, and help distinguish the
doodles is to familiarize myself with my subject. relationships between the features. This
Sometimes it is a challenge to put down the isn’t something that I normally do, eventually
exaggerations and shapes that I see in my exaggerating and caricaturing will become
head with a drawing or sketch done only with natural and you will begin to draw and
line, as was the case with this caricature. exaggerate with feeling. If you look at Fig.03
When under a quick deadline I don’t usually you will see that Ben has quite a big forehead,
spend much time sketching the accuracy of mostly due to the fact that he has a receding
the features. Instead I put down a basic shape, hairline. Notice how there isn’t a big distance
and merely suggest where the features will go. between the nose and the mouth, but the
Then I begin to block in the shapes with broad space where the nose lies is quite long. Also,
brush strokes. I cover ground much faster this if you look at the space from the bottom of his
way and can easily make adjustments whilst I lip to the bottom of his chin, you will see that he
paint. doesn’t have much of a chin at all. For another

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small, sunken, or are they large? What shape Back to creating my caricature of Ben, if you painting with larger brushes. There is no need
are the eyes, what shape is the nose? Are the take a look at Fig.05 – 06 you will see the to use smaller brushes or to zoom in for that
nostrils large or small, do they have large or gradual steps that I saved while blocking in matter, don’t get caught up with details until
small wings? Does the subject have creases with a round paintbrush. After sketching the later on. As I have decided to draw with large
or wrinkles on their face, and if so what kind of thumbnails, I realized that I wasn’t capturing paint strokes rather than thin lines, it means I
shapes are they creating? Don’t forget about what I was seeing in my head, so I decided can capture both drawing and values all at the
the ears, how big are the ears in relation to to move things along by painting in shade same time which saves time. At this point I am
the nose and the rest of the face? What shape and values rather than spending more time still painting all in one layer. I usually create a
are the ears? Take a look at Ben’s ear in drawing with line. I use this time to establish new layer for a small palette of values that I
comparison to my own. You can see just how my values, using black, white, and a couple select from while painting. Once I have enough
different ears are from one person to the next. lighter grays that fall in between. I set my brush values painted into my painting I won’t need
to 90% flow and 90% to 100% Opacity. At this the palette, and I delete the layer. To select
Q u i c k T i p : I believe there are stage I am only using a round brush, and only my values from this point on I use ones that
three things that are the most important
to get right in order to create a strong and
accurate likeness. Head shape, eyes, and
the mouth. If any of these are wrong, the
caricature’s likeness will no doubt suffer
greatly. I mainly focus on the eyes and
mouth. If you get the eyes wrong you can
kiss your likeness goodbye, and the mouth
is just as important. Think about it like
this. When you talk with a friend or watch
someone on T.V., where do you look? I
know that I look at the person’s eyes quite a
bit and when they talk I watch their mouth.
What is fun though with both the eyes and
the mouth is that they both can be used
to enhance expression and character.
By accurately exaggerating the eyes
and mouth you achieve greater likeness
as well as the humor that is necessary
in a caricature. After all, caricaturing is
exaggerating the truth, or understanding the
truth of what you are seeing in your subject
and then pushing it further.

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already exist within my painting, and if I have

to make any adjustments I make them in the
color picker.

If you look at the progression of my value

painting in Fig.05 – 06, you will notice that
I made a lot of changes to structure as well
as the placement of Ben’s features. My
first feeling was to give Ben a much larger
forehead, but as I painted I began to realize
that I was neglecting the size and unique
qualities of his nose, to fix that I quickly paint
the eyes higher on the head and extend the
length of the nose. It’s not that Ben’s forehead
isn’t important, but as I developed the shapes I
realized that it was his nose that needed more
attention. You may find it helpful to create a
list showing the order of importance. In Ben’s
case the list would be as follows, larger nose
that takes up most the face, large forehead,
small mouth, and basically, no chin. Once
you have the main idea of how your subjects
face works, you can then decide how far you
would like to push the exaggeration. For this
demonstration my purpose wasn’t to make fun
of Ben, but instead capture his essence. So I
decided to exaggerate less. For further options
of exaggeration, I did a three minute doodle of
a more exaggerated Ben (Fig.07).

Values are the lightness or darkness of a

color, rather than the actual color itself, and
at this stage of the painting I am preparing a
foundation of values to build off of once I begin
using color. When blocking in my values I
slightly close my eyes, blurring my sight so that
the detail of what I am looking at is softer. I look

for the darkest darks and the lightest lights. To begin painting in color I create a new layer
Once I have those established, I block in a few above my value painting, and fill it with an
mid tones. You can see that my last version orange-like brown, specifically 20% cyan,
of Ben in Fig.06 is still very basic there are no 66% magenta, 67% yellow, and 1% black. I
real details, only suggested detail. The face choose this color randomly, depending on how
and values are close enough to move onto the I’m feeling at the time. My reference pictures
next stage, painting and finishing in color. The felt a little cool in temperature and I wanted
time that I have spent so far on these first steps a warmer painting. Next, I change that layer
is about thirty minutes. mode from Normal to Color. Now the orange-
like brown is transparent, changing my black
By this stage (Fig.08) I have prepared a rough and white image into a monochromatic block-
black and white value painting, with enough in. Next, I extended the left side of my painting,
values and structure to move on to the color. to create a palette and area to mix and create

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my colors. A lot of what I do is by feeling, and I

know that the most important thing to get right
is the values. It’s been said that if the values
are right, you can pretty much paint with any
colors that you want. To create my palette I
select the flesh-like colors that were created
by layering the orange-like brown over my
value painting. Next I select a few more colors
that I feel I will need for the painting, like reds
and greens as well as black. It is important
that the colors I choose harmonize with one
another. For example, I won’t choose a bright
red, instead I’ll pick a red that shares the same
values and tones as are seen in Fig.08, and
likewise with any other color I choose.

Next I create a new layer (Fig.09) and fill it

with 75% gray. I then go into my filters and
select Add Noise. After this I select blur more
and I set the layer to Soft Light and bring the
Opacity down to 26%. There is no set way of
doing this, you will have to mess with these
settings to get the look you desire. The reason
I do this is to give my digital painting a slight
texture that helps it feel less digital and more
traditional as this is the look that I prefer to
achieve. Without this Noise layer the painting
would still look nice, but it would look too slick
for my taste. This isn’t something that I do on
all of my paintings, but I would say that I do it
on most of them, some with more noise, and
others with just a touch. After this I create
another layer that is placed above the orange- This is the layer that I will begin to paint on. Up block in the painting quite a bit in comparison
like brown layer and under the Noise layer. to this point I have been using a round brush, to Fig.08, mostly using my favorite brush with a
but at this stage of the painting, I begin to use bit of paint texture added.
brush #24 which is a standard Photoshop
brush. Years ago my friend Bobby Chiu at At this stage I am still squinting my eyes quite
Imaginism Studios created a really nice texture a bit and focusing on the values, but I am also
that can be used with any brush that has the concentrating on color temperature. I prefer
same texture as real paint. I don’t know how to keep it simple, so I quickly block in a cooler
Brush to create brushes, so Bobby was nice enough gray-like green into the background. As I do
to share this texture with me. So occasionally this I purposely let some of the red from the
I will add this texture to brush #24 to give my background show through here and there, this
digital painting a texture like that of a traditional helps the painting feel more traditional than
painting. I adjust the levels of opacity to my digital. My colors at this stage are basic, mostly
liking. Sometimes I want a lot more texture, browns and flesh-like colors to cool and warm
other times, just hints of it (Fig.09a). I also use where it is needed. At this time I also start to
With
paint another brush quite a bit, and to tell you the define the features and structure of his face.
te xture truth, I don’t even know where this brush came I locate important areas of the skull to keep
added
from. It is similar to brush #24, but a bit more in mind as I paint, such as the Superciliary
to the
brush brush like, I call this brush “my favorite brush”. crest (or brow ridge), Temporal line, Zygomatic
f av o r i t e B r u s h You can see in Fig.09b that I have begun to process of the frontal bone, the Zygomatic

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bone, the Orbits, and of course, the Nasal I continue the same process of adjusting the shoulders, and in Fig.11 I have now started to
bone. If you don’t understand what I am talking face in Fig.10 – 11, adding more layers of work on his eyes using a smaller brush. It is
about, I suggest you invest in a few human paint, and making adjustments where they are important to note that I have not yet zoomed
anatomy books, because I find it very important needed. You can see by comparing Fig.10 to in to detail the eyes they are still more of a
to understand what it is that you are Painting. Fig.11 that I began to mess around with his suggestion than anything else.

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In Fig.12 I decided to increase the size of

the canvas size and add more space around
Ben’s head, adjusting the composition as well.
I also felt that Ben’s forehead could use a bit
more work as well. This brings us to Fig.13
– 14. There are not many things that change
between these images, but you can see that I
continue to draw and adjust the structure and
likeness while trying to mix accurate values
and color. Also in Fig.14 I start to detail and
develop Ben’s eyes (Fig.14a – c). Up to this
point I have only used large brushes and have
painted from a distance. To paint the eyes I
zoom in and begin to use smaller brushes, but
my technique hasn’t changed at all, the only
difference is that I have to now slow things
down a bit in order to focus on the details of the
eyes. This is the part of the painting where you
need to be patient. I can easily spend a couple
hours just painting eyes, but for this painting
I wasn’t interested in a photo realistic look,
instead I wanted to end up with an image that
looks realistic yet painterly. I enjoy brush work
and work hard to create brush strokes that
are pleasing to the eye. You may notice that
there are all sorts of soft edges, and a lot of
subtle changes in color and value? In the photo
reference in Fig.14b, you can see that there
is a variety of colors. Don’t let this overwhelm
you. To simplify I again squint my eyes and

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as the photo blurs, the colors unify and pull realistic painting, but instead a painting that Opacity to at least 50%, and make a light pass
together. Those are the colors and values that feels and looks more like a traditional painting. over the hairs. What this does is soften the
I focus on. So instead of getting in there and painting hairs slightly and push them back a bit into the
every single pore and crease, I merely make painting. Repeat this process a few times to
Continuing on to Fig.15, you will notice that I suggestions. create depth (Fig.17a – b).
develop the areas around the eyes a bit more
but also begin to work on the nose, mouth, This is the fun step, painting hair. I love
and ear. I don’t stay in one particular area for painting hair, there is always an opportunity to
more than a few minutes or so. Rather than add humor and character just in how you paint
just finishing one of the features, such as the the hair. For the majority of the steps, you will
nose or mouth, I prefer to move back and forth notice that the hair and facial hair were solid
between the features. This way I can see how shapes of color. I always wait until the end of a
the painting is coming together as a whole. painting to add details such as pores and little
This is important as you don’t want to overwork hairs. I start detailing only when I am happy
one area over another. with my colors and the values, and when the
eyes, nose, mouth and ears are finished. To
Moving on to Fig.16a, I no longer have a paint the hair, I created a new layer above my
need for the palette of colors that I created on main layer and switch to a soft round brush.
the left side of the painting. From this point I make sure that Shape Dynamics is clicked
on, I will use the Eye Drop tool and eye drop on giving my brush a point. After selecting the
colors that already exist within the painting, colors that I want to use for the hair, I begin
and adjust the values by going to the color painting in small hairs on top of what I have
picker. You will notice that I have begun to add already blocked in. After I put a layer of this
details such as pores in Ben’s nose (Fig.16b). down, I select the Blur tool and set it to about
For this I switch back to a soft round brush. 20% and then lightly pass it over the layer of
Remember, my intention isn’t to create a photo hairs. I then select the Eraser tool and turn the

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To bring my painting of Ben to a close, I make

a new layer and set it to Multiply (Fig.18). I
continue to use a soft round brush, but click off
the Shape Dynamics option. To create freckles,
I eye drop the color of skin that I will paint the
freckles on, and then randomly paint in freckles
of all sizes and shapes. Once I am finished, I
select the Eraser tool and lightly pass it over
the freckles until they are softened into the
skin. I felt that his hair still needed a little more
work, so I created another layer for hair and
repeated the steps I mentioned for Fig.17,
adding more hair to the back of his neck as well
as to his beard and neck. Once the painting
is to a place where I feel it is finished, I like to
zoom out so that I can see the painting from a
distance and see how it looks at a smaller size.
I will also flip the painting horizontally as well
as vertically to see if anything strange catches
my eye. After my approval, I sign the painting
and call it a day.

I am so honored to have been asked to do this

step by step. I do not consider myself to be a
master of anything, instead i think of myself as
a student for life. I will continue to work hard
and to push myself to learn new and better
ways to create my art. It has been a passion
of mine ever since I can remember, and I hope
that what I have shared here will inspire and
re-fuel your passion for art, whether you are
interested in caricature or not.

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King Arthur and E xcalibur

By Simon Dominic
S of t wa r e U se d : A rt R a g e , Pa in t e r

Introduction
For this medieval tutorial I’ve chosen to depict
a scene from one of the Arthurian legends.
I wanted to show Arthur about to withdraw the
great sword Excalibur from the boulder, and
demonstrating his worthiness as king.

A couple of years ago I might have been

tempted to tackle this piece in a more
dynamic way, showing Arthur in the act of
hefting the sword, chunks of rock flying in all
directions and onlookers staggering around

in amazement. Since then I’ve learned that challengers lounge contemptuously, scornful of
sometimes a less direct approach works best, the idea that this upstart can accomplish such
so here I’ve recreated the scene immediately a momentous task. In this way the anticipation
before the act. We see Arthur quietly confident of the viewer should provoke a stronger
reaching out to grasp Excalibur, whilst in the reaction than would a portrayal of simple
background an audience made up of failed dynamism. That’s my theory anyway, and I’m

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sticking by it. The piece is created digitally,

starting in ArtRage 3 Studio Pro and moving on
to Painter 11.

S e t u p t h e c a n va s
In ArtRage I set up a new canvas. I start
small – 826 x 1141, which is 1/3 the final size
– although soon I’ll be upsizing in order to add
detail. I create the canvas with a fairly rough
texture so that my initial pencil sketches will
more resemble traditional media. I also set the
background to a light buff color because I find
pure white too overpowering (Fig.01).

Main character
outline
Arthur is very much the focus for this piece
so I draw him big and bold in the foreground.
I use only a few lines at this stage because I
want to get the overall outline sorted before Sketch the believable. My primary reference is the 1903
I start sketching detail. I show him as young environment painting “King Arthur” by Charles Ernest Butler.
and somewhat on the weedy side, reinforcing With quick, bold strokes I outline the mountains It’s important to remember that referencing
the idea that nobody could reasonably expect and surrounding rocks and, most importantly, should not mean straight copying. In this
him to succeed in his task. In the background Excalibur itself, embedded in stone (Fig.03). instance I use Butler’s painting mainly as
I include the outlines of the three watching a clothing reference and not a base for the
knights. Again, no real detail here but I’m Upsize pose or composition. I sketch the detail onto a
careful to make their stances look natural, Having outlined all the desired elements I separate layer. That way, when I’m done, I can
projecting the knights’ mood clearly even upsize the image to its final resolution of 2480 erase the initial rough sketch. Not essential but
though they are minor characters. One knight x 3425 (Fig.04). I find it quick and tidy (Fig.05).
is muttering to the other, “Why is he wasting
his time?” whilst the third one can’t even be Sketch detail Tonal under-painting
bothered to get up and watch what’s going on, Here I use a few references I found on the Tonal under-painting is basically just shading
preferring to simply sit and smirk (Fig.02). web in order to make the characters’ garments the values – the lights and darks – to better
define the composition and solidity of the
image. This can be done using the Pencil tool
or, as I’ve done in this case, a dry brush. I paint
onto the canvas underneath the sketch so that
the sketch is still visible. When I’m done I drop
the outline layer onto the canvas ready for
painting (Fig.06).

Set up the palet tes

I find it very useful to do most of my work
from a set palette. Moving to Painter I dab my
desired colors onto the Mixer Palette. When I’m
happy with those colors as a base I’ll create a
Color Set Palette using the Create Color Set
from Mixer Palette option. This takes care of
about 80% of my color usage. For the rest I’ll
just add colors to the Mixer Palette as required
during the course of my painting. I will be
staying in Painter from this point on. I like to

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alternate, on a piece-by-piece basis, between Artists Oils brush set to about 10 pixels. Guided
ArtRage and Painter for color work because by the tonal under-painting I concentrate on
both have their strengths. I find ArtRage is by getting the lighting looking believable and
far the most authentic tool for emulating natural consistent. At this stage I don’t concern myself
oil media whereas Painter is quicker and more with smoothing or fine detail (Fig.08).
forgiving for oil work, and allows greater control
over small detail (Fig.07). Pa in t ing m e ta l
Using Butler’s painting as a partial reference I
Begin with the main make Arthur’s armor sleek and slightly golden-
focus looking. When painting reflective metal like this
You can start coloring anywhere but I usually bear in mind not just the direction of the main
begin with the primary focus, which in this light source but also the lesser reflections from
case is Arthur’s face and upper body. I use the the environment. These needn’t be especially

accurate but if they are not included the metal

tends to look dull, like stone. Arthur’s armor is
unmarked in order to reinforce the idea of a
young, inexperienced character (Fig.09).

Chain mail
Chain mail, viewed at mid-distance, is easy
to paint. First, paint the area in a uniform dark
color. Then, pepper the area with a series of
dots, aligned across the chest and down the
arms. In the same way as the metal armor
reflects the light, each of these dots must
be lit according to how much light it reflects.
However, rather than picking a new color for
every dot, I go over the same area several
times, each time with a brighter color and each
time covering less of the area. At this stage
you’ll note I flip the image horizontally. There’s
no particular reason for this, I just prefer it this
way around (Fig.10).

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Reinforcing areas of
interest
Renowned oil painter James Gurney refers
to this as ‘counterchange’ and it’s basically
the way in which key elements of a painting
area can be tonally contrasted with their
background. For example, the left side of
Arthur’s face is in shadow so I’ve lightened
the local background in order that his features
stand out. If you look at his hands, which are
brightly lit, you can see that in both cases
their immediate background is dark, therefore
enhancing the hands’ appearance and making
them ‘pop’ (Fig.11).

Secondary characters
Despite these characters being in the
background they are still very important in
setting the scene. We don’t want to make them
stand out too much but at the same time we
don’t want them to get lost in the environment.
Therefore I use the minimum amount of detail
I can get away with in order to convey their
mood and appearance. Also, I ensure that they
are partially in shadows and that the sunlight
that does fall on them is weaker than the
sunlight that falls on Arthur (Fig.12).

At m o s p h e r i c d e p t h
In order to stop the image looking flat we need
to give it some depth. I do this by decreasing
the contrast for distant objects and lowering
their saturation so that they appear to have
a bluey/greeny tint. In addition I paint the
background more loosely, saving the intricate
detail for the foreground and areas of interest.
When painting the landscape, and indeed any
part of a picture, a good tip is to use the largest
brush you can get away with. So, whilst I may
use a 10 pixel or less brush for Arthur’s facial
features, I use a 100 pixel brush for much of
the misty, mountainous backdrop (Fig.13).

The sword
This image needs careful handling because
it has more than one area of interest, or
focus. The main focus as we’ve seen is Arthur
himself, specifically his head and upper torso.
The secondary focus is comprised of the
watching knights but we also have another
secondary focus, that of Arthur’s reaching hand
and the sword Excalibur. For this reason I paint

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the sword boldly, although not too boldly as and the knights. Note that the water uses the Back to the sword
we don’t want to overwhelm the main focus same colors as are present in the landscape, I decide to make the sword’s handle look like
and therefore confuse the image. I also add on account of water being mostly colorless and it’s forged from gold, with emerald inserts. A
a shadow to the rock and the sword handle. taking its color from reflected elements of the very unwise choice for a sword handle, being
This helps place the sword in relation to Arthur, environment, e.g. rocks, sky and in this case about as appropriate as clay or balsa wood, but
reinforcing the idea that he’s just about to grasp the lower portions of the three knights (Fig.15). as this is fantasy we’re allowed a little leeway
it. Whilst I’m happy with the metallic look of the (Fig.17).
sword it’s looking a bit bland so later I’ll come Close-up detail
back and jazz it up (Fig.14). For the rocks closest to the viewer I add detail The finishing touches
using a smaller brush. Selecting relatively Using very light pressure on one of the default
Environment bright hues I apply only a small amount of blenders I dab at the rough areas around
At this stage most of the detail is complete so pressure so that a rocky texture is suggested. Arthur’s face and hands, so that the skin looks
I move on to the environment. Using stronger, Again, I’m always mindful of the location of soft rather than scaly. I then move around the
more saturated colors for the foreground I use my primary light source so that consistency of whole of the image and tidy up any loose ends
a medium-sized brush to define the rocks and lighting is maintained (Fig.16). I find (Fig.18). And that concludes the tutorial -
earth. I also add a bit of water between Arthur hope you’ve found it to be some use!

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© Robh Ruppel
science fiction Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres, probably
because it leaves a lot of room for invention.
It has to look real, and still follow the same
laws of light interaction and good design, but
the sky is the limit, no pun intended. Good
sci-fi is really just good design. Patterns,
rhythms and proportion still matter but the
forms can take on a new and never before seen appearance that is
familiar, yet different.

The digital tools today’s artist has to work with are amazing in their
breadth and scope, BUT as Syd Mead is fond of saying, “idea trumps
technique”. Meaning all the custom brushes in the world won’t paint
the picture for you. It still takes an artist with a unique idea to catch the
world’s attention.

Robh Ruppel
[email protected]
http://www.robhruppel.com
science fiction

Sci-fi Vehicles – Spaceships

By Chee Ming Wong
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
In each segment of this tutorial we will
consider simple traditional techniques and
discuss design and function first and foremost.
Effective design is being able to fully translate
your ideas in an accurate and inspiring manner
towards the recipient, be it a 3D modeller,
game designer, art director or a member of the
public (Fig.01).

Form & Function

Space transport comes in all forms and can
generally be split into the following:

• Geometric
• Industrial and angular (functional)
• Organic and xenomorphic

The other aspect to consider is whether the

overall shape is symmetrical or asymmetrical.
Therein lays the challenge: to produce a
convincing design in whatever shape, form or
symmetry.

For the purposes of this tutorial, let’s consider a

functional and partially geometric function.

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Fig.01 illustrates various classical and retro

spaceship designs currently known in popular
culture.

• Mary Poppins (1) – Yes, I consider her to

be an android in disguise as a super nanny
(how else can one explain her anti-gravity
vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, via
an umbrella?)
• Tardis (2) – An unconventionally shaped
spaceship of the time lords (where the
insides are larger than the exterior due to
non Newtonian 4-dimensional capabilities)
• Classical Space Rocket Ship (3) – e.g.
Flash Gordon
• Dragonfly/Animal shape (4) – e.g. Firefly/
Terran Trade Federation
• Doughnut/Horseshoe (5) – e.g. Phantom
Menace/Homeworld/Stargate marks across a vehicle, or along its frontal/ 1950 Grand Prix Formula One front engine
• Industrial (6) – e.g. Space: 1999/Aliens/ posterior axis, to suggest form (Fig.03). racing cars, let’s attempt to spruce it up
Pitch Black towards a probable function and purpose for
• UFO/Saucer – e.g. Independence Day In the designs shown in Fig.03, various cockpit space based racing.
• Cigar-shaped/Jet fighter-shaped – e.g. configurations and some degree of asymmetry
Buck Rogers/Battlestar Galactica/Star are included within the designs. Once the initial In the exploded schematic (Fig.04), a finalised
Wars/Thunderbirds form is considered, it’s sometimes useful to view of the fictitious XA-332 is rendered using
consider the internal mechanics underneath digital markers and marker paper.
Let’s next consider a fictional spaceship the external cowling armour plating (as shown
manufacturer, Azora Dynamics, who will be in the singular sphere design in Fig.03). Using Markers: a
designing and producing a multipurpose and simplified Industrial
modular space transport. This can be used Designing the Design Approach
for civilian purposes, law enforcement or even prototype XA-332 Traditional Tools Required: Cool gray
deep space racing and must carry one to two Having decided upon the overall form to be a markers 20%, 30% and 50%, Pilot G-Tec-C4
passengers, and can be used for atmospheric cigar-shaped shell, reminiscent of the historic 0.25 and 0.4, Pilot G-2 0.7
re-entry. In terms of technology, gravity has
a minimal effect on this space transport, but
during atmospheric flight, tiny aerodynamic
adjustments may provide small advantages,
crucial for racing.

Prototyping
Traditional Tools Required: Biro/pencil/ink
gel pen, paper (any kind) and imagination (as
standard).

First of all, let’s consider various forms for our

single/twin seater transport (Fig.02). You can
explore these designs in a side view or as
shown in 3/4 perspective view.

These images were rendered with a mixture of

a cheap 37p biro and thick 0.7 gel ink pens. I
find it particularly effective to use stripes and

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1: Block in the form 2: Consider e xhausts 3: Consider engines

4: Redefine panel lines 5: Front vie w 6: Rear view

Recommended Paper: Any high quality bleed design now with your smallest ink pen 3. Consider Engines – Most of the time the
proof marker pad, e.g. Letraset. available. If available, use a fine tip 0.25 engines will not be obviously shown externally,
pen to ghost the various outlines. and it may seem strange to consider it at this
The trick here is in the wetness of the mark! • Accentuate your lines – You can further point. However, if you consider very simply if
Working with markers, one has to work quickly accentuate this with a 0.4 diameter pen, it will be located in the front, mid or back, then
and rapidly, whilst the mark is still wet. This ensuring that you start blocking in further this allows you to determine where aspects
allows you to graduate your various tones details, panel lines and considering how such as seating, cockpits and avionics,
(normally I use a gray tone of 20%, 30% and various parts may interlink to form logical electronic equipment and countermeasures
50%, primarily) repeatedly over one to two but functional shapes. can be located.
passes, and then lock the design down in ink • Research and Knowledge – These
(I prefer using Pilot 0.4 Hi-Tec-C/G-Tec-C4 designs do not require a Master’s degree 4. Redefine Parallel Lines – This last step
pens). Shadows and stripes on the other hand in engineering, but some rudimentary means to add panel lines in parallel to the main
are best done with gray 70%, produced in one knowledge of how transport is put together, axis, and also to add smaller details such as
single pass. and can be front, rear or mid-engined, will access hatches, further panelling and plated
be helpful. areas.
For inspiration and reference, one can refer
to the great concept art markers rendered by Basic Design Engines
Doug Chiang and Feng Zhu. From various Traditional Tools Required: Biro, pen or Engines form a distinctive character towards
experiments, I find it easiest to do as follows: pencil. any form of transport, in particular aerospace
related vehicles. There are a whole host of
• Basic form and perspective – Loosely Let’s now look at how we can approach the engine types that can be categorized into two
mark down the overall form using a 10- design of a semi-elliptical and cylindrical object types: funnel-shaped and needle-shaped. Both
20% cool gray marker. Take note to plan (Fig.05). may incorporate small adjustable fins to better
your vertical and main axis. Don’t worry control and direct thrust. In addition, engines
about leaving residual marks or unsightly 1. Blocking in the Form – Ensure the main tend to feature smaller sets of piping and tubes
construction lines; the whole idea is to axes are drawn first, to suggest a horizontal that regulate fuel, an oxygen/fuel mixture and
communicate your overall form using the and vertical axis relative to the perspective combustion, as well as multiple pressure valve
values established by your marker pens. plane you intend to use. Then roughly controlled feedback loops.
• Tonal values – Next, whilst the markers outline how you would like the overall form
are still moist, proceed to lay down your to appear. This ensures that a modeller can Within our designs, we’ll stick primarily
tones using 30% and 50% cool gray understand how the form is lathed on both to circular exhausts, although they may
markers. You need to ensure you have a sides, and whether the form is symmetrical or be housed in different shaped external
relatively good idea of your light source asymmetrical. housing – as both an aesthetic/aerodynamic
to enable you to show reflectivity. Some consideration.
simple observation of how light forms 2. Consider Exhausts – Next, try to consider
bands on a cylinder or a shiny parked if there are any external ports, engine exhausts XA-332 Sunred
car can provide immediate and simple or thrusters. These will suggest how the Prototype
reference. transport will be propelled. Let’s take a look at some shapes and designs
• Overall form – You want to outline your for the XA-332:

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• Fig.06 – Three part process illustration of

the working mechanics of the XA-332 from
inwards to out.
• Fig.07 – Shows the low shot view of the
XA-332 side.

If your design is going to be considered for

production or initial 3D prototyping, then it’s
useful to consider breaking the design up into
three parts (Fig.06), as follows:

• Internal engine and mechanics

• External frame/exoskeleton
• Full armor plating and final external form

Much like dissecting is required to understand

the anatomy of a species, of bone, muscle,
organs and flesh, we can use a similar
analogy to understand transport design, such
as:

• Organs – Are analogous to the combustion

engine.
• Fuel – Is analogous to the blood.
• Bones – The underlying main skeleton that
holds the frame of the machine together.
• Flesh – Analogous to the overall rigid skin
of a machine.

From the inside working our way out we have

as follows:

• Bare bones – Depicts the internal working that is hardened and built to withstand the designs (Fig.08). A frontal and rear 3/4
mechanics, engine and basic cockpit. various extremities of the environment. perspective view are chosen to illustrate the
• Cowling – Depicts the internal frame that XA-332. All the basic steps are employed, only
shelters the mechanics above and provides Production Ready this time we wait for the markers to dry out
basic protection. Once the final key designs are accomplished, before adding in further details, and give it a
• Full frame – Shows the full external view it’s time to produce the finalized marker second pass of markers and inks.

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Q u i c k T i p : The key thing to

note here is to add only an additional
heavier line weight on the bottom of the
transport, to further bulk and accentuate its
overall form. If the line weight is too heavy,
it will contrast dramatically with the overall
design, so a careful maintained balance is
necessary.

To finish up, included are three additional

variant designs that explore different engine
designs or placements and accentuate the
overall feel (Fig.09). In this instance, the best
designs are still the earliest designs for both
the XA-332 and Sunred transport.

To finish off, you can scan in all your marker

designs and present them in a logical and we present our designs to the head chief of In Fig.11 there are five different views of a
clean fashion (Fig.10). engineering for consideration of use for a space race taking place on the surface of a
production model, it would help if we could planet/moon. With each panel, try to use one
Storyboard 101 imagine this transport being used. As such, to two keywords to describe the scene. In fact,
We’re two-thirds through our workshop and we can rely again on simple basic techniques: because it is so minimalist, the headline words
the end is in sight. Well … almost! Before storyboarding (Fig.11). can accentuate the story with great impact. For

Azora Dynamics XA-332

Sunred H a m ilton
XB-43 XA-NSF22

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Storyboard 101

a: Canyon Run B: Near Collision C: Tight Turn

D: Flyby Tower E: Whirlwind Run

our illustration, I would like to go for a mixture

of A (Canyon Run) and C (Tight Turn) set on a
desert surface of a moon.

Space Canyon Race

I l l u s t r at i on
Great, so now that we have spent all this time
preparing for our final illustration and all the
steps are in place, ensure that all the key 1: Establish
basic horizon
transports are scanned in and cleaned – it is and aerial
the clean crispness of the edges that determine perspective
how successful the final image is.

In addition, be prepared to lose some of the

original lines for a more logical layout.

• Perspective and Layout – Using the

established designs and storyboards, lay
out the composition grid and align vehicles
accordingly (Fig.12). Save these grids on a
2: Set main
new separate layer, which you can turn on/ objects on
m u l t i p l y, a n d
off at will. ensure the
• Establish Horizon Line and Perspective initial l ayout
s at i s f i e s y o u r
Add vehicle drawings on new layer set to original
storyboard
Multiply. Clean the edges and make clean ideas
selections of the overall form to save as an
Ensure
Alpha Mask (Fig.13). Next, establish the perspective is
adhered to
background plane using flat washes.

I have taken the liberty of ensuring that there 3: Once

l ayout is
is both a diffuse light source pooling down the locked and
centre, and a vague shape of an observation finalized,
ensure
tower (far right) and large looming structure in a clean
selection of
the far distance (far left). the overall
forms are
ava i l a b l e ,
Bring your vehicles into the image (on a a n d s av e d
as an alpha
separate layer), and do check again that channel
their outlines are saved onto an Alpha Mask/

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Channel, as you will be constantly reusing this images of Formula 1 cars, for example, and art, and this is where Form and Line are in
throughout the whole illustration. then consider how the light reflects off shiny transition.
surfaces. (Fig.14 – 15): • Warm and cold – Once the general
Color Tone: Earth & shapes are blocked in, you can give light
Sky Color • Block in – Select your main transport and and shadow to your objects (Fig.14). In
Once the vehicles are included, you need to provide a flat wash of tone. This is painted general, a shiny metallic surface reflects
consider how to color and light them. Observe directly on a new layer above your lined a sky tone (whatever color the direct

1: Establish color
s wat c h e s

2: Block in sky tones

and earth-ba sed
t on e s r e l at i v e t o t h e
e s ta bl i s h e d s wat c h

3: Ensure use of
s e l e c t i on f or f l at t i s h
surfaces for a cleaner
s u r fa c e g r a d at i on

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ambient light is above), and similarly the

1: Copy
underbelly/underside reflects an earth tone. background
Sometimes the reflected or bounced light l ayer, and
set to
for the earth tone can even be as bright as m u lt iply
the direct light.
• Establish a swatch/palette – Once the
basic forms are blocked in, it can be useful
to establish a color palette for use (Fig.15).
This is like an immediate color guide (paint
by numbers) to apply from areas above
and below. Once you have worked out
the color tones, it saves a lot of additional 2: Check
perspective
guesswork and can lead to very methodical and use
selections
workflows. to define
f l at p l a n e s
r e l at i v e t o
Bringing it all perspective
together
In Fig16 are some of the key stages in bringing
everything together: 3: Block
out
general
shapes.
Background Environment Details
• Instant Contrast – By rapidly copying are not
required
the whole layer onto a new layer (set to
Multiply), you can subsequently erase out
areas that are too dark to produce a quick
fire environment.
• Block it out – Use the largest brush size
4: Darken
you can tolerate, and quickly work out overall
some general shapes in block form. We image and
mask out
want to keep it loose but also realistic (our areas lit by
focal light
brain fills in all the missing details from source
its established database of forms and
shapes).
• Focal lighting – We darken the whole
image (on a new layer) to allow for more
focal lighting.
• Rim lights and tightening up
• Bounced ambient light
5: Add rim
lighting
Almost There! and
bounced
The overall image is almost complete now, a mbient
light
and it’s just a matter of taking that extra step of
ensuring details are correctly in place.

1. Add jet wash – I choose to use some

diamond-shaped thrusts based on existing
research by XCOR/JPL/NASA using methane
rocket engines. the layers (Ctrl + Shift + C) and subsequently edges and try to blend the vehicle and
paste as normal (Ctrl + V). environment together well. The use of some
2. Add motion blur – Using the Motion B lur atmospheric perspective (dust) may help.
filter, copy the whole image onto a new layer by 3. Smudge leading edges – For the final Here is the final version (Fig.17).
selecting the whole canvas (Ctrl + A). Copy all touches, ensure you smudge lightly various

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Sci-fi Tr ansport – Capital Ship s

By Chee Ming Wong
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop 7

Introduction
I have grouped together the large collection of
ships able to carry groups and large amounts
of inhabitants as “Capital Ships”. In our current
naval equivalent these are termed (from
small to large) as Frigates, Destroyers, Deep
Space Sensor Arrays, Mass Troop Transports,
Battleships, Massed Array Destroyers, Multi-
Assault Super Destroyers, Carriers, Fleet
Carriers and Leviathan-Classed Battleships.
These terms roughly describe the range of
militaristic space capital ships.

Grand Design:
Construction of a
Superstructure
To start the construction of something that
is relatively large, we have to scale it down
significantly. Large or small objects, when they
are all scaled to the size of a thumbprint, leave
very few discerning details. The main thing to
therefore observe is its overall form and shape.
It is with this issue in mind that I often want to
label the design of spaceships as “sexy bricks”
(Fig.01).

Design – Sexy Bricks

When you consider the look, feel and design of

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a very large spaceship there are a few useful to the designer (and their subconscious) markings, panels, piping, engines, hangars and
everyday considerations that can help convey additional data on how to refine, and improve such are drafted and considered in the final
a sense of realism and aesthetic beauty. You on the design process (Fig.02). plans.
could in essence look at capital ships as a
hybrid of U-boat, battle tank, naval warship In the illustration (Fig.02) is a five step Capital Ship T ypes
and bullet train, all mixed to different extents. approach towards this aim. The next few steps to consider are the
The thing about space is: there is no real need individualistic styles your design may have.
to consider atmospheric aerodynamics, in 1. Draft – In the draft form, keep the lines Often, the style of the ship may be considered
general. loose and ensure they cross from one side to initially, or alternatively you can consider how
another. it may look once a suitable selection of ship
Capital Ships: How To shapes and designs have been drafted.
In general, you can take any cylindrical 2. Panelling – Start to divide and construct
or relatively rectangular object and these separate sections for your spaceship, e.g. Determining how a ship should look is akin
would serve as a very good base to make a forward bulkhead, engine section, living to determining the type of fabric, weave and
spaceship. The way I would like to approach quarters, observation deck – all of these get pattern that goes into a finely embroidered rug.
the construction and design of a capital ship considered here. In gaming terms, it could be representative
is to assume that I could produce the same of which guild or faction a particular make
functional design given the right technological 3. Bulking – Additional plating and armature belongs to; and functionally, the type of look
level, to perfectly build a spaceship. are added towards the overall exoskeleton can lend credence to how your current ship
line has been built, and how its lineage can be
The closest production method would be to 4. Solidifaction – This represents the pre- represented for designs originating from this
take a leaf from both the building of naval prototype before you complete your initial ship genealogy.
ship construction and the car manufacturing design. The whole ship should look solid, well
process. In this methodology, a combination of built and capable of performing its intended In the illustration (Fig.03) a range of three
semi schematic and loose sketch allows both role. representative styles are displayed:
the designer and viewer (modeller/architect/
director) to appreciate how the forms cross 5. Final – The design is considered finalized • Retro-Industrial – This represents a more
from one side to the next, and also present when all the additional details such as industrialized feel, where many elements

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such as tubing, pipes, engines and overall

superstructure is exposed. If you desire to
look at truly futuristic design, look to the
past; it’s probably one of the few reasons
why ships of old look so good.
• Fused – This represents a fusion of
industrial and angular shapes, combined
with slight elements of a smoother and
more organic shape. Our current modern-
day design aesthetic is roughly within this
sphere of design sensibility.
• Organic – Smooth flowing lines, hidden
pin-point engines and seamless joints
all suggest a more exotic origin of space
design language (for reference, look up
Luigi Colani).

Capital Ship:
Superstructure
As a general workflow, I tend to:

• Start the design – With pen and paper, on

any paper/sketchbook available and
explore various shapes, forms and
aesthetics

• Refine the design – Utilise the design can often be a large undertaking that falls flat
language and reference to establish a ship for one primary reason: reality.
line, and narrow the selection process into
two or three designs that show promise In reality, these ships in deep space will no
• Finalize the design – Using markers and more reflect light than appear as a multitude
pens to depict 3/4 perspective views of the of blobs. As for the flotilla of ships: nothing,
space vessel front-to-rear and rear-to-front just dark outlines of nothing … against a sea
views of dark.

In Fig.04 the design is taken further. Using the Perhaps a small smattering of local lights may
same process, more care and deliberation is help define its form better against the backlight
used and the overall draft is produced on A4 of ... nothing? And there we have the appeal for
moleskin paper. The finer lines are produced artistic license.
using a brown Pilot 0.4 G-TEC-C4 pen.
Problems arise in depicting relative scale and
Space Fleet Scene atmosphere. There are no visibility issues in
In part two of this workshop, let’s take you reality, you either see a ship or you do not, and
through some basics of how to produce a scale of a large ship vs. a small ship by the
space fleet scene. The thing is, trying to naked eye is impossible to discern.
showcase your latest ship designs in formation

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The proponents of artistic license will happily

use:
• A backdrop of ships going through a
nebulous region (often the density of
nebulas are so heavy all forms of organic,
structural and latest state-of-the-art ships
crumple into nothing, or are fried into space
1 2
dust from the intense radiation)
• A group of ships running through space
gas and clouds (runs again into the
nebulae issue)

Fleet Shot – The

Drawing Bit
3 4
Gray Layout
In Fig.05 a bunch of capital ships are depicted
in grayscale. On the far left, rough outlines of
the basic geometry have been employed. And
on the far right, the ships are depicted using
rough and large paint strokes.

The argument for depicting a deep space

scene in grayscale is that it allows you to
concentrate on design and composition. The
difficulty that arises is the transition to color.

The transition from grayscale to

monochromatic color is not difficult, but looks
very unimpressive. In fact, it looks very gray.
The transition to happy impressionistic artistic
license Technicolor is a whole new kettle of In space, all forms of orientation of up, down, Background
starfish altogether. Color will imply saturated left or right are nonexistent. For artistic With reference to Fig.06, we now make the
colors. And desaturated highlights ... well, you purposes, it would be convenient to use a transition to color. In this instance, it is just as if
will see it is challenging to look just normal, one or two point perspective but all notions of you are painting desaturated clouds in space.
much less make it decent. including a horizon are often nonexistent.
Sometimes it does not pay to zoom in on
every nut and bolt. Focal detail is the mark of a
quality illustrator, and it is towards this goal that
every artist seeks to attain and spend a lifetime
polishing and refining.

Capital Ship Design

Paradoxically, I stop the painting process
to take time out to design the capital ships.
What I like about the rough forms of the
initial grayscale is translated in essence onto
markers and pens (Fig.07).

I use this opportunity to take the design as far

as I dare. And it is at this juncture I would like
to briefly talk about scale and panels:

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Scale – In space, the size of a space vessel 1. Put the ships on a separate layer, and set it main warship), then apply faint washes of gray
may be hard to gauge. And thus, care should to Luminosity in perspective.
be taken to block out segments. Generally,
a large vessel has more segmented shapes 2. Make a duplicate copy and set it to Multiply Final Details
than a solid singular small space transport. above To bring it all together, the overall image is
However, when an object is so large, its flattened and each respective ship has the
multiple segments can often blur into panels. 3. Masked out the overall forms, and save to following applied to it (Fig.09):
Alpha Channels
Panels – The size and variety of panels can be • The panels near to the bright objects have
both a stylistic and relative scale to compare a 4. Select the forms and use the Lasso tools to been cut-out.
large ship to a small one. cut out various panels and selections relative to • The upper edges reflect the red/orange
each plane (for example, the top surface of the highlights of the nearby galaxy
Panels with windows, vents and lighting are
therefore very useful for this purpose. In
Fig.07, the warship on the left is depicted with
multiple panels and detail. In comparison, the
warship on the far right is minimally detailed
and panelled. Yet, the object on the far right
can be perceived to be bigger, even though the
warship on the left is intended to be the larger
and more powerful warship.

In summary, it can be generally said that the

object with large panels and lesser details can
be seen to be bigger than a similarly sized
object with details and panels throughout.

The ships
The ships are brought back into the colored
background and a few issues are immediately
apparent (Fig.08).

Firstly, the values and lighting are different

from the original grayscale background. So, to
remedy this you can use the following steps.

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• Bounced light is applied to the lower edges Final image space capital ships, and give a small nod
or across flat surfaces. In the final image, the vibrancy of green towards John Berkey, famed granddaddy of
• The overall color has been determined by and blues are more saturated. The far right sci-fi and space art.
the color of its ambient surroundings warship is edited out of the final image, as its
• Engine washes have been applied faintly overall shape is decidedly poor and distracting Pa in t ing I n spir e d - by
towards the rear of each ship (Fig.10). Berkey
• Atmospheric perspective – I judiciously The key to one of Berkey’s images is being
added a faint hint of dust and pushed Impressionistic loose and impressionistic, coupled with big
objects into the distance. In reality, this Burning Ship fat strokes to suggest form, color and lighting
effect would not be evident, and the nearby To conclude the third and final section of this (Fig.11).
and far objects would be equally lit and tutorial, we will tackle a more colorful and
provide comparable luminosity. impressionistic approach towards painting F or m a nd Pa l e t t e
In Fig.11 a basic color palette is determined
beforehand. In this instance, I choose to use a
greenish/yellow background.

• Primary – typical cream white for the ship’s

main color
• Cool – reflected ambient color, greens and
blues
• Warm – Reds and purples

Foreground
Directional Lighting
Pa l l e t t e Subsequently, the canvas is expanded to
Background incorporate a more traditional portrait view
Pa l l e t t e
(Fig.12).

Lighting On the far left are some small thumbnail

the scene cutaways.

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1. Top left – small thumbnail to assess overall

form and composition.

2. The bottom and mid-left thumb – to depict

the lighting issues; ideally, the space yacht
would have a sharper rim light as depicted by
the small thumbnail, but it is at this juncture
that I am still undecided as to how close/far the
light source should be.

Color & Mood

The next thing to consider is the color and
mood. The original green color is very
interesting, although I really prefer the warmer
orange based palette (Fig.13).

D o Not Pa s s W i t ho u t
Checking!
This stage is all about checking (Fig.14).
Ensuring that:

• The values allow the forms to read well.

• There is appropriate use of color as a
compositional tool.
• The image is relatively balanced (with
regards to adjustment levels).
• Bounced light and ambient light allow the
form to have soft edges and suggest how
light turns around the forms.

Pyromaniacs
The last aspect of the illustration is to add the
fire and destruction, debris and explosions.

Here is the final composition as it stands,

burning with wreckage being strewn
everywhere. Careful study of explosions and
fires would show that there is far more smoke
and glowing deep embers for any burnt up
object travelling at velocity. As such, the image
depicts it accordingly (Fig.15).

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S c i - f i T r a n s p ort – S pa c e S tat i on s
By Chee Ming Wong
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop 7

Introduction Another consideration to keep in mind for a giant canal or a great grouping of massive
When given a typical brief to design a space large structures larger than 100 feet in height tubular structures.
station for either illustrative or production and width is panel lines. The larger an object
design, there is a certain limitation to how becomes, the less discernible these become, Shapes
radical the design forms can be. The design and imperceptibly may appear as almost In Fig.01 is an assortment of various semi-
of such large installations should be based on featureless, flattish positive and negative detailed thumbnails that are starting to outline a
existing technological limitations and designs, shapes and surfaces. This is not to suggest general form, and will later be worked on.
and extrapolated around 20-30% into the future there are no divisive lines; however panel lines Essentially, you can explore space technology
and the imagination. on objects such as space stations may truly be as thus:

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• Conventional – Cylindrical, modular, semi-

industrial, almost pin-point LED lighting and
symmetrical.
• Advanced – More streamline or grandiose
forms with less joins, piping and streamed
lighting.
• Exotic/Alien-esque – Forms are more
organic and smooth in nature:
asymmetrical and fantastical shapes may
be employed. They generally appear highly
advanced or non-manmade.

Battle Space Station Design: Construction

States
When creating space stations it may be useful
to envisage how it is built, and possibly how it
1. APPLY BR OAD STR OKES
would look partially built, fully built and in a fully
ruinous state. Using gray markers and marker paper you can With regards to the partially built station
make the structure look loosely based upon design (left), a state of construction can
In Fig.02, we see a more militaristic space a cylindrical structure, with its values utilising be accomplished by imagining the entire
station in two states, one is partially built and 4 core values of gray: 10%, 30%, 50% and form bristling with partially connected tubes
the other is well armored. neutral gray 50%. and extruded layered forms. In contrast,
when considering a fully armored station
design the main idea is to convey a sense of
interconnected plates and joins that fit together
logically and with purpose.

I l l u s t r at i n g G a l a x y
S pa c e S tat i on X
Setting up a Galaxy
For this illustration, the shot is produced
without any preliminary study or definite design
worked out. All that I know is that it will involve
a typical widescreen/landscape aspect ratio.

1. A greenish blue hue is the intended color

palette (Fig.03a – b). The canvas is partitioned
into thirds and a brighter light source is
established early on. I’ve chosen to provide
an extra “bleed” area reminiscent of how one
may paint on a traditional canvas/watercolor
canvas.

2. The next step is to expand this canvas more

to include a counterbalance such as saturated
clouds of ochre and neutral blues. Broad
strokes are best used for this initial stage to
provide a rich gas cloud style in space.

3. Once a general palette is established, areas

of contrast are defined. It’s sometimes nice to
leave some remnant strokes to help build up a
2 . B L E N D Y O U R VA L U E S A C C O R D I N G L Y random textural feel towards the background.

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4. The next aspect is to establish the light

source and values as a compositional tool
(Fig.04a – b) as the eye is drawn to areas of
light and high contrast. Once done it is time to
establish the star systems and brighter stars.

S pa c e S tat i on
The next step is to incorporate a typical space
station design within the environment.

Painting with Light and Form

1. Using primitive shapes of just cylinders,
toroids and various flat panels, the initial design
is blocked out (Fig.05). Using the color and
light sources established in the background,
we can add color and light to the surface of the
space station.

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2. The next aspect is to make the level of next, using a mixture of selections and simple (Fig.07). Areas to probably correct are the
detail and form more discernible to the viewer. painting techniques to blend various direct large toroidal shape housed towards the rear
The front segment of the space station has and ambient lighting sources. These include and the area situated furthest from the viewer.
appealing shapes that suggest a cluster of adding tiny banks of lit windows, access
cylinders grouped together, and surrounded by panels and hatches that are probably not seen Getting Your Space Station Up & Running
a large toroid (Fig.06). immediately. To finish your space station illustration, you
can make it more interesting by adding more
3. Finer subtle details such as rim lighting and 4. Lastly, it can be useful to check that all the objects.
graduated edges are to be painstakingly added proportions are in place and fit accordingly

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To achieve this, various capital ship shapes

are added in the distance to help provide some
scale and relativity (Fig.08). In the foreground
a basic tri-pronged cylindrical object is painted
in to denote larger space ships and the core
structure of the larger outer ring is finally
installed.

To finish up I address various perspective

issues, including the upper flat solar panels
and the large spherical engine quarters (far left
end), and there you have it – a fully working
space station (Fig.09).

Blowing It Up
In the second element of this workshop, we
plan to blow up the space station. Yes, we’re
going to blow it up to explore how light and
large explosions can be depicted whilst still
using only simple forms, to cast light and
shadow and minimal detail.

1. The first step is to break the whole station up

(Fig.10). The trick is not to scatter the various
parts too far from its point of origin. This is so
you can depict the station as part-drifting part-
exploding/burning in space.

2. Next, on a layer below, a base color of

orange is applied on areas which may contain

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reservoirs of oxygen (Fig.11a – b). Again,

one may argue that such explosions will tend
to burn blue primarily, but choosing a more
realistic option tends to clash with the ambient
color chosen. It is advisable to keep this “effect
glow” on a totally separate layer so that you
may change its hue, color and saturation with
ease in the future.

3. Now that you have tackled depicting the

glows behind the space station, repeat the
same principles in front of the station onto a
new layer (Fig.12).

4. In the bottom right the whole illustration is

applied with a Blur > Radial Blur set to zoom at
10%. Ensure that the whole image is duplicated
beforehand. Apply a Layer Mask on the whole
image, as if the whole effect has not occurred,
before repainting the blurred elements onto any
peripheral edge of the explosion and objects.

5. The next step is to add some small degree 7. To really finish it all off, add some subtle
of remnant debris depicted by tinier fragments contrails and glows to suggest engine washes.
exploding from the central explosion.
And there you have it – a fully blown up space
6. Lastly, you can depict various vessels station (Fig.14).
escaping the blast by producing various shots
of large vessels heading out from the centre of
the field of focus (Fig.13).

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Sci-fi Environment – Colonized Planets

By Chee Ming Wong
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop 7

Introduction
During this tutorial we will discuss the
challenges of illustrating an image through
to its finality. Inevitably, there comes a point
where even an image cannot be saved, and
you have to make a key decision as to how
to persevere or adapt it into something more
fitting.

S pa c e E l e vat o r
Let’s explore the concept of a space elevator
as a vital mode of mass transport between a

planet side and near planet side/low orbit. The planet. It is at the geostationary point that
key features of producing a space elevator are: the force of gravity is sufficiently weak, thus
allowing an object, such as a satellite, to orbit
• A fixed point in space in an exact fixed point in space.
• A lightweight cable system
• An appropriate counterweight Now that you have a fixed point it seems a
simple matter of hooking a long rope from the
If we consider the current day challenges of ground to the geostationary object. For the
building a space elevator on Earth, we firstly purposes of this tutorial, we will assume that
need to determine a fixed point in space, this technological barrier and such limitations
known as a “geostationary point” above a are easily achievable. I start by doing various

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sketches exploring different architectural styles

to house a space elevator (Fig.01 – 02).

Skyscrapers of the
Retro Future
For references you could look at the
architectural genius of Hugh Ferriss (1889-
1962), a master of shadow and light. His
works show a technical brilliance of contrasts
and towers of epic proportions. Another D u p l i c at e
inspirational source is the artist, Erich Kettelhut Use selections for sharper Selected area and
clean edges se t on m u lt iply
(1893-1979).

Pa in t ing a n A r colo g y
For the remainder of this workshop I will take
you through the design, composition and
challenges of building an arcology and space
elevator into our final illustration. But first of all,
I’ll explain a bit about an arcology:

Arcology is Paolo Soleri’s concept of cities Background

which embody the fusion of architecture elements –
simplified
with ecology. The complexification and angular forms
miniaturisation of the city enables radical
conservation of land, energy and resources.

So in essence, we are attempting to both

integrate the housing of a giant space elevator Foreground
with a central compact living environment. elements –
More detailed
forms with
reflected
Initial Composition & Layout lighting to
For our own arcology/space elevator design, showcase
a modern
I imagined an angular white faceted style for surface
all the buildings, cities and towers. In the initial te xture

composition, a simple one-point perspective

is used, with the focus primarily on the central
Mid-ground
tower in the middle (Fig.03). To showcase a elements –
bit more of the overall city, a slight tilt is used A large
central
in combination with a central composition. I r e c r e at i o n a l
centre or
imagined the foreground to incorporate a large pleasure
flattish leisure area/park with verdant hanging district
f e at u r i n g
gardens replete with fountains and pools. gardens and
clean
geometric
Building in Some Structure & Design shapes
To bulk out the initial design further, I duplicate Giant
the central features and set these to Multiply. structures –
L a r g e f l at
Using the Eraser tool, various features and angular
shapes
facets can be etched out to create and suggest contrasted
buildings, roads, towers and parallel lines. with smaller
scaled
r oa d way s a nd
For the foreground elements, the Lasso tool is pa s s a g e way s
provide scalar
employed to provide clean selection edges, to reference to
the viewer
provide a sharper crisp and defined edge.

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Control
tower
Adding decals and piping

Bulking Out
At m o s p h e r i c
Having laid-out our base, the next steps are to perspective
(Fig.04):
O b s e r vat i o n b a l c o n y
• Block out simplified angular forms
• Provide contrast and relief for the
foreground elements
• Maintain clean geometric shapes
throughout (keeping it consistent with
the established design of angular and
geometric design)
• Large parallel structures that lead the eye
towards the central tower

Q u i c k T i p : It is worth sticking
in grayscale to establish the forms, lighting
and composition. At this stage the basic
values and key design issues can be
scribbled in or painted out easily, with less
loss in overall time management.

The next thing is to add further details to the

various foreground elements and forms, such
as decals and piping along our large sewer like
structures (Fig.05).

Other issues to consider are the elements

of atmospheric perspective. Blocking in the
background and mid-ground elements with a
lighter gray can be used to suggest distance.

Elements in the background merely require

basic forms blocked out to read well (Fig.06).
A few new additions to the foreground include
a control tower and observation balcony. On
the top right, repeating shapes of diagonally
placed tower blocks are added purely as focal
interest which I imagine could serve to remind
the inhabitants of the grandeur of the central way of prototyping transport vessels. The a vessel in the side view, it is possible to
tower/elevator. transport depicted in Fig.07 is a basic civilian generate many designs rapidly and quickly.
vessel being constructed. As such, various Simple top-down lighting will help depict the
Rapid Vessel Prototyping elements of underlying skeletal structure and transport’s form, and once the general form is
For this workshop, I would like to share a rapid foundations are shown. By initially designing determined a small transformational shift (Ctrl

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+ T) will be sufficient to suggest the transport’s

1.
overall shape in perspective. M o n o c h r o m at i c
yellow color
pa ss
I still prefer designing with a simple biro and
paper; fewer complications and gimmicks – just
ideas. If one can translate these ideas, even
with crude sketches, then a well-executed end
product is all that matters.

Coloring & Rendering

In theory, if the original grayscale composition
is well defined, then transferring the 2. Complementary
d e s at u r at e d bl u e
imagination into color should be relatively t o i n d i c at e s k y
a n d at m o s p h e r e
straightforward.

In Fig.08, a basic monochromatic ochre-yellow

based color pass is applied via the Hue/
Saturation layer option (set to Colorize).

To make the typical blue sky/yellow haze look

is a matter of determining the primary color and
the ambient color. The trick is to add each color
pass layer by layer, to create a homogenized 3. Mid-range
s at u r at e d
feel (or mess). Ultimately, it is a subtle mixture green tinges
on foreground
of color blends, some elements of repainting, elements
and luck.

Color Choice: Yellow Haze

We will next look at three different times of the
planetary cycle: daytime, dusk and twilight.
We’ll start with the golden hazy approach
(Fig.09). The overall image is warm, inviting

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and golden tinged. For this color choice, bluish

complementary colors, such as engine washes
or blue tinged lighting, can bring out a good
sci-fi feel.

Some degree of repainting is required to paint

out the blacker elements and line work from
the grayscale painting. Overall, as long as the
range is narrow, the overall image will work
monochromatically.

For the final image, a bluish/purple engine

wash is added towards the central transport,
and various elements of steam and smoke help
to provide an industrialized city feel (Fig.10).

Color Choice: Blue Haze

Next, we try to tackle the same scene with a
daylight styled color (Fig.11). For a daytime
approach, tinges of green and some blue
and orange are required, but in more subtle
amounts. One thing a daytime approach is
good at is suggesting atmospheric perspective.

I started to feel that the overall composition

was too busy so the first step is to simplify
the whole design (Fig.12). This means
selecting out areas that are in the same
plane; using the Lasso tool you can pick out
the upper walkways and lower areas, one by
one. Subsequently, save this selection as an
Alpha Mask in your Channels layer, for quick
access later. Using a new layer, block in the

Selection Pa in t e d se l e c t ion s f or si m il a r pl a ne s

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same color and value for any surface sharing

the same plane/angle. Since there is a focal
light source, these should all share the same
directional light and ambient light source. Then
block out the corresponding shadows.
Using
reinforcing
lights to aid
Colored Details composition and
Using the same process, we can now add add mood
further detail and wear and tear on various
objects; texture overlays can help provide this
feel (Fig.13). I have chosen to simply paint in
various colors based on flaking rust and worn
paint onto the large arches (bottom right).
This is the final daylight image, and gone is
the asymmetrical design in favour of a more
parallel and central feeling. Care was taken
to ensure that the opposing arches were in
shadow and the landing pad area has been
restructured to look logical and functional.

Color Final: Twilight

For the final alternative we will repaint the
scene within a night/twilight mood (Fig.14).

Final Touches
For this scene, I apply a saturated blue/green
feel. The main premise is to use the arches searchlights and bands of horizontal lights to both grayscale and color. I hope this has both
now as glow-lit supports heading into the suggest scale and focal interest (Fig.15). been an informative insight into tracking a sci-fi
centre with the horizon painted as a thin wedge theme, that invariably crops up in one’s line
of bluish twilight. Summary of freelance or professional work, or even for
Overall, we have looked at various ways to one’s own leisurely paintings (Fig.16).
For the final touches, elements of the central work a production painting from various angles
tower are restructured and relit with beams of and troubleshoot various design elements in

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S c i - f i E n v i r on m e n t – S pa c e B at t l e
By Chee Ming Wong
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop 7

Assembling the Props

For this scene, our main purpose is to produce
the set of a key battle moment from an epic
space fleet battle, followed by a composite shot
to show how a singular key battle moment may
be illustrated as the “money shot”.

Opposing For ces

Opposing Forces – characterized by chunky and elongated forms

Line Up along the longitudinal axis. In contrast, the far
A good starting point would be to line up the right Team Zeta is defined by a more organic
various capital ship profiles side by side, to geometric shape, coupled with elements of an
determine and visualize the core silhouettes asymmetrical nature, borrowing from elements
of both forces (see Fig.01). On the far left, of a trident, scythe, and a two-to-three pronged
Team Alpha is defined by a symmetrical, fork.
semi-industrialised, angular look that is

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The next step is to extrapolate these ship the top) capital ship and the last two shapes at was a matter of lines and functionality working
profiles into something more volumetric (Fig.02 the bottom. What is really surprising is that the well (luck), from the first draft (that did not
– 03). In addition, it’s also useful to block these fourth (from the top) ship works quite well as require too many further developments).
designs out into a black and white silhouette to a distinctive shape, but it has the least panel
check it for readability. lines or design, whereas the top two ships *Any design language deviating radically
have the most design, thought and functionality from known historical or current day objects/
One thing that may be surprising is be that after instilled into them, but then their outlines may transport/functions may appear incredulous
adding details and panelling, the overall forms not work as well (see Fig.04). and perceived as “alien looking” in nature.
might not work out as well as you might have Even when a distinctive design becomes iconic
expected. In Fig.04 team Zeta has very defined Opposing Forces – and enters popular culture, it may be that
shapes, in particular the Mother Ship (top right) Tea m Zeta until the general public is able to see, interact
and Frigate (bottom right). In comparison, In comparison, the requirements for Team and physically use the new device, abode or
Team Alpha has very similar shapes. In fact, if Zeta (see Fig.04) meant producing a more transport, that anything too radically different
there was no relative comparison of size; one distinctive (i.e. visually different) design. will appear alien looking. For example, if you
would be hard pressed to distinguish these as Partially organic and smooth in comparison were to rewind the clock back 100 years and
a battleship from a normal pea shooter. Does (this sometimes translates to an alien look), it tell folk that one day every household would be
it mean the design is flawed? Does it mean
the ships require more definition or defining
characteristics? Or does it mean the ships
require a return to the drawing board?

All of these issues, or variants, are important

issues to consider for the would-be concept
designer of futuristic designed space ships in
the entertainment industry.

Opposing Forces –
Team Alpha
For Team Alpha, we will gather a range of
capital ships and a single personal fighter (see
Fig.02). In the three-quarter view, the designs
that seem to work well are the second (from

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able to have a small receiver device to show

full moving pictures on a screen, or that there
would be small personalized communicative
wireless devices to talk to one another, that
even played back movies, you would be rightly Shot 1 Shot 2
scoffed at and laughed at as being delusional.
Go back 500-600 years and the world view
would be so radically different that such current
day appliances would have had most folk
Shot 3 Shot 4
hanged or burnt as a demonic heretic for even
entertaining such thoughts! To conclude, what
this slightly more academic discussion means
to simply state is this: 70:30. By that I mean
that if you want to keep the designs within the
Shot 5 Shot 6
realms of believable and accepted world view,
try to keep your design 70 percent rooted on Drawing a Line in the
known existing design, and leave 30 percent to Sand
the realms of creative imagination. The next aspect is to generate a backdrop.
In this instance, I have reused elements
Key Scene Moments of previously painted backdrops. Next we
The next crucial step is the process of idea make the choice of an arbitrary horizon and widescreen aspect ratio to conform to modern
generation. From my own experimentation, I perspective (see Fig.05). film conventions. Try to work loose and fairly
gather all the approved design forms and line rapidly, working in the general forms and
them up in one corner of the digital canvas – Establishing Shots approximate shapes, and focusing primarily on
similar to generating a paper cut-out of various Using this basic canvas, I would recommend mood, lighting and readability. My ideas can be
approved designs and forms, you literally producing a grid of six to eight panels of equal seen in (Fig.06).
scatter it across your canvas (Fig.05). aspect ratio. In this instance, we use the
Ultimately, I prefer the first shot as our ultimate
key visual scene. The thing is, sometimes
your first concept or first stab may be the best;
however, it is not until you have worked out
other alternative shots that you can adequately
make an informed decision.

Initial Compositing
Using the key visual thumb in Shot 1 (see
Fig.06), the next task is to assemble all the
various props into one chaotic mess (Fig.07).
Shot 1, in critical analysis, is quite orderly and
this ultimately translates into a very sedate,
almost calm scene. Aim to thrust the viewer
right into the action. This can normally be
achieved by having a camera viewpoint set
up just behind or over the shoulder of any
transport your camera is focusing on. So that’s
it, Shot 1 must go, unfortunately.

With reference to Fig.08, we take all the

best elements of the six panels (noted by the
various areas selected in red), and consolidate
them into one miraculous, organized, chaotic
mess. This involves some degree of overlay

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painting and repainting to produce some sort of So let’s have a look at some different methods
coherent mess. Notice that Shot 1 provides the of successful conversion:
main backbone towards a more complicated
battle scene. • Overlay an old photo/texture painted image
on a low Opacity (3-5%)
The Money Shot • Photoshop > Select > Color Range method
Now the process of idea generation has been (feel free to do some self exploration to
relatively explored, one can get down to the achieve this method) The next step is to slowly reintroduce the
nitty-gritty of producing the “money shot”. • Establishing a monochromatic color (e.g. cut-out shapes of various groups of ships that
Hue/Saturation set on Colorize) and add recede into the distance, and to ensure that
Proof of Concept thin washes of complementary or adjacent readability is achieved. Following this comes
The entertainment industry works roughly like color the trickier bit, and that is to introduce all the
this: a production director, game team or writer • Straightforward over-painting mid-ground to background explosions and
has a great idea for the next great big movie, elements. A simple method is to set your image
animation or game product. The thing that gets In this workshop we will opt for the last option: on Luminosity and lower the Opacity (Fig.11).
the product a green light is producing, a) Proof the simple, straightforward, purist method
of Concept, and b) Key Scene Visuals. If you’re (Fig.10). On a new layer (100% Opacity, The painting reaches the ugly stage which
successful at passing through the first hurdle, Normal) you can simply paint and establish again is a natural process and is simply a
the next few stages are roughly the elements of various colors and complementaries to matter of ordering chaos out of all these
production. generate a vague and pleasant-looking set elements. In addition, explosions in the
of hard-edged (colored) clouds. These can distance are further blended into the
The Composite Shot represent various nebulas or slightly colored background and toned darker to achieve a
With reference to Fig.09, the amalgamated gas clouds. more homogenized background.
grayscale shot incorporates all the various
elements, shapes and forms. It all looks
relatively confusing and is without any visual
focus. The explosions are all relatively of the
same luminosity and all the forms are of the
same black silhouetted placeholder ships.

Gr ayscale to Color
Now begins the trickier bit: converting a
grayscale value image into full Technicolor. The
fact is it’s both hard and challenging to make
a grayscale image look good in color, but not
impossible.

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Correction &
Detailing
From this point on it is now a matter of
starting to add some rudimentary details to
our foreground objects (Fig.12). Panel lines
and sheets of metal can achieve an even
sheen by painting parallel strokes according to
their relative planes. In the top-right segment
there is a feeling of empty, useless space.
The explosions are thus rapidly converted
into various ships coming out of hyperspace
and being attacked and/or surrounded. Some
even display the first signs of an explosive
shockwave of contained gasses, debris and hot super-fine tweaking which would amount overall composite illustration (Fig.13). Most of
plasma. to Level 3 (90% complete). So, befitting the placeholder objects now have their shapes
the purpose of this workshop, we are only defined by relative rim lights, based on the
Level 2 interested in achieving a Level 2 finish. This ambient and direct lighting.
I break the coloring and detailing of the image is mainly because of relative real world time
into Level 1 (30%) and Level 2 (70%). To constraints; you often do not have more than Some further close-ups now show us the rough
create a very high quality visual, this may one-to-two days maximum to work on a large, details of the use of local directional lighting
even necessitate further effort, texturing and complex piece. So let’s have a look at the to colorize the foreground elements (Fig.14).
In the top segment, the Alpha fighter utilises
a warmer color on its lower aspect, whilst the
upper portions are cast in relative relief, thus
producing an under-lit finish. Whereas the
main Zeta Mother Ship uses a more muted
and narrow band of values that are close to the
mid-to-background colors. These will help to
seat the object into the mid-ground.

Finally, the subtle use of volumetric-cast

shadows can just add that additional element
of realism. We finish off with a few additional
corrections and blend it all into one final giant
(organized) chaotic clash of light, color and
space vessels attacking and counter-attacking
one another, with various groups having their
own personal dog fights (Fig.15).

Alas, we have not yet finished. This is because

we have forgotten to tell the basic story behind
our image!

A Story without
Words
The final aspects of a Level 2 detail (going
into Level 3) would be what I liken to post-
processing. This means the majority of the
painting in this image is complete, and from
here on it’s a matter of fiddling and fudging with
various cropping angles, filters, contrasts, and
color/lighting adjustments.

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Now, there are various ways of setting up

a good composition. Utilising your basic
Selection tool, or Crop tool in Photoshop,
rotate your selection and take virtual snapshots
of compositions you desire. Sounds like
common sense, and that is the beauty of it: it’s
simple and underused. You can take various
selections and generate a simple storyboard
out of these selections at will.

Have a look at Fig.16 as a basic storyboard. In

essence, it should tell a basic story of a space
battle. The really clever thing is the simple and
effective use of motion blur and radial zoom wide shot. Take care to erase/paint-out blurred the Shot 1 thumb (see Fig.07) but now with
(blur). By making duplicates of your selections areas to bring back various objects of visual elements of motion and blur of the respective
you can replicate fast shots by tracking your interest into focus. elements. Do note that motion blur should not
focal object (thus the background is blurred in be a crutch to a decent understanding of the
the direction of your camera’s relative speed Personally, my ideal shot would be embodied basics, but it’s certainly useful to help sell the
and velocity) or by panning out further to take a by the panel in Fig.17, which has echoes of idea of action.

Conclusion
This workshop hopefully demonstrates one
methodology that you can experiment with
in your day-to-day workflow. Thinking cross-
laterally, you can also apply similar optimization
and thought generation workflows in other
related genres, e.g. character and creature
design, landscape and cinematic set pieces,
and so on.

In conclusion, the main things to get out of this

short article are:

• Find the right shot.

• Ensure the forms read.
• Apply sufficient visual contrast.
• Be prepared to apply judicious artistic
license versus your own core values, if the
scene warrants it.
• Optimize your workflow for a more
productive ideation.

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fantasy The importance of fantasy art is that it
provides an outlet for anyone who has
ever felt that their life was a bit mundane,
and that somewhere out there – adventure
awaited. With fantasy art, there is always
another world to explore, another story to
experience, another fantastic design to entice
you. The page becomes your doorway to the artist’s imagination, and we
become explorers without ever leaving the comfort of our own homes.
It’s this emotional response in the viewer that every fantasy artist tries to
capture, and you’ll see for yousefl in the next few pages just what I mean
by this. Enjoy these amazing images!

daryl mandryk
[email protected]
http://www.mandrykart.com
fantasy

M e d i e va l M a r k e t
By Ignacio Bazán Lazcano
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
Today I’m taking on the task of drawing a
medieval marketplace. The first thing I imagine
when thinking about this type of setting, is
a place full of people from different social
classes: knights, noblemen and merchants
are all together in a place filled with texture
and color, where there is smoke and several
tents of different sizes and shapes. Perhaps
it’s even surrounded by stone walls and narrow
roads or streets. I understand markets to be
essentially social places where people gather
for exchanging either things or ideas.

The Pa in t ing
If you’re drawing a marketplace, you can
choose any viewpoint or approach; you can
either draw in the foreground two people
bartering or trading, or perhaps a child
stealing some fruit from a stall – there are
many potential stories to be told. The picture, To start working on something like this, you Once you have an idea established, with
or your point of view, will change depending need to use quick strokes to get the idea down, regards to the objects and the location of the
on what choice you make here. If we think defining it step by step as you go. Measuring people in your scene, you can start defining
about it, the possibilities are truly endless! perspectives is necessary for making adequate and specifying your work more accurately.
My choice is possibly the most complicated structures. In this first instance, it really works Amongst many things, digital art allows you
one: I’m choosing to show what happens in a to make quick sketches, without thinking too to gloss very easily over any black-and-
marketplace as if we’re looking at it from an much about the anatomy of your painting white drawing that has been done. Another
aerial perspective. (Fig.01). alternative is to color your work from the very

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beginning. This is the most traditional way of Look for the blue tone you want in the slider picture. My sketch is full of people and objects,
doing things, but you have to be very sure bar called “Hue”, and with other options you so I’ll try to use as many colors as I can to
about the palette you are going to use when will be able to adjust the color even more. You achieve variety in my composition. There are
taking this approach. I’m going to do something should now have a completely blue colored many characters that are becoming gradually
in-between: define the objects and people drawing which is ready to have the real color defined: to the right there is a man that carries
in gray until I get what I’m searching for, and for each element applied over it (Fig.04 – 05). fruit in a basket; in the middle is a mysterious
afterwards I’ll gloss over in color (Fig.02). figure covered with a red cloak; above and
To color over the blue, let’s create a new layer below the picture you can see people from
The starting point will be a quite defined (Shift + Ctrl + N). Tick the Colorize option over different social classes, moving upwards and
drawing to which you have put the first layer of the layers bar, and from now on you can paint downwards (Fig.07).
color. Blue is the selected one for me, which with the colors you like (Fig.06).
I apply to the base layer using the Ctrl + U The second stage consists of giving basic
command. Tick the Colorize option in the new Blue will be the background color. I’m going to color to each element and, at the same time,
window that has already opened up (Fig.03). use it to shade all the elements included in the to go forth, tracing and polishing characters.

Light Area

Light contrast

Color Contrast

Dark Area

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The following one is to define contrasts better. situation; that is to say, you have to adjust the me a certain degree of sensitivity and, at the
There are different ways of getting it: marking whole picture at every moment. The control is same time, strong lines to define it better
the place where light comes from very well; yours! (Fig.10).
and, at the same time, where dark and shade
zones are placed; using warm and cold colors The following is without any doubt the stage To explain what I’m saying, I’ll now show you,
to separate elements (Fig.08). of adjustment and precision. Let’s use the from the very beginning, how I have colored
magnifier for details now, to make elements the character who is dressed in a cloak and
The drawing is becoming even clearer now become clearer still. I usually use the holding a cane (Fig.11).
(Fig.09). At this stage you must control the Paintbrush at 78% Opacity for this. This gives
What I want to get is the feeling that his cloak is
made of pure velvet, something very luxurious.
For the shadowed areas I use a basic blue;
for color, I select an almost red rose color; and
to brighten it I choose an orange. This way, I
can move myself within the chromatic scale
(Fig.12).

Q u i c k T i p : The trick with

Shadow Color Light painting is to put your light and shade in
the right places. If you are accurate with
this, you can try to draw something realistic
with very few brushstrokes. But this is
quite difficult and you can only do it after
observing and practicing (Fig.13). I use
the same procedure with the remaining
elements of the picture.

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Gr ay Color Light & Highlight Detail & Light

Scale Base Contrast Reflections

With the painting done throughout the scene,

and with all these details hanging around, it
is fairly easy for us to imagine what kind of
custom brushes we might need to make work
easier for ourselves when it comes to finishing
up with the detailing work. When I think about
a marketplace I generally see stone, fabric
textures, weave, ornaments, and so on.
1 2 3 4

So to make any kind of medieval scene you

might imagine, I’m now going to take you
through the process of creating four custom
brushes to aid you on your way – they’re all
very easy to design and make (Fig.14).

Custom Brush No. 1

Select a default Photoshop Paintbrush and
draw a line with different degrees of intensity to
get an interesting texture (Fig.15).

Select this line with the Lasso tool and then

turn it into a paintbrush by going to Define
Brush Preset and naming it. Now we’ve got a
new paintbrush with interesting weft (Fig.16).

The following step is to retouch it to get the

final paintbrush. Go to the Brushes menu.
We’re going to modify each brushstroke’s
distance, giving it 140% Spacing. From this,
we’ll get a staggered effect (Fig.17).

Next, tick the Texture option and scale it up to

1000%, selecting Overlay mode (Fig.18). Before After

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Finally, to give it a dirty texture, tick the Noise

option (Fig.19).

Let’s now see an example of how we can use

this paintbrush in our painting (Fig.20).

Custom Brush No. 2

First of all, look for some photos where you
can see bricks or stone. The idea is to create
a paintbrush that will let us overlay the entire
painting where stone, walls, and floors (etc.)
can be found (Fig.21).

Go to the tool bar and select the Lasso tool.

Choose any form that allows you to get a tile,
something that fits well when using it over and

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over on your canvas. Then define your brush

(Fig.22) from the Brushes menu, and tick the
Scattering option, setting it to 14%. This will
let us repeat the texture several times within
an adequate distance. The scattering can be
regulated to keep the distance you wish.

Select the Texture option: set 192% for Scale

and 76% for Depth; tick the Noise option.
Finally, select the Brush Tip Shape option and
set Spacing to 63% (Fig.23).

You now should have an excellent paintbrush

to decorate the walls and floors of your painting
in a quick and easy fashion (Fig.24)!

Custom Brush No. 3

Like in any medieval marketplace, we’d expect
to find tents with fabrics and awnings. For this,
it’s therefore useful to design a paintbrush for
weft.

Select a default Photoshop paintbrush and

then draw a dotted line with different degrees
of intensity in the stroke (Fig.25).

Select this line with the Lasso tool to turn it into

a paintbrush (don’t forget to define your brush:
Fig.26).

Go to the Brushes menu, select Other

Dynamics and tick the Noise option to make it
smooth at the ends. At the same time, give it a
dirty texture (Fig.27).

Trying the paintbrush out vertically on your

canvas should help you to appreciate the effect
of this brush (Fig.28).

Custom Brush No. 4

Finally, we’ll design a paintbrush to emulate

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a real one! Select a default Photoshop menu to get a beautiful horsehair type brush,
paintbrush, and with small dots try to make ready to use. This paintbrush is useful for
what would be the bristles of a real paintbrush everything: people, backgrounds … but, best
when pressed against paper. To create of all, it makes you feel as if you’re painting the
variations or different strokes, make larger traditional way (Fig.30)!
and smaller dots, each one separated from
the other. With a suitable shape defined, use Although brushes are nothing but tools, they
the Lasso tool to turn it into a brush and define are funny and simple to make and use. They
your brush preset as “normal” (Fig.29). help us to get good quality results in a short
time, because digital art simplifies the creation
Once we have the paintbrush defined and process. But I think that brushes must only
stored inside our Brushes palette, tick the be used when they are absolutely necessary,
Other Dynamics option in your Brushes because otherwise they can cause you to lose the challenge of art creation, and drawing
becomes only a digital image with several
textures applied.

Finally, to give your drawing a traditional

painterly look, you can use a filter over it
(Filter > Sharpen). And here we have the final
painting (Fig.31). You could keep going and
working your image to achieve a photographic
representation of a city marketplace scene, but
each of us knows when our work is done, and
mine is now.

You can download some custom brushes

(ABR) files to accompany this tutorial from:
www.3dtotal.com/dptresources.
These brushes have been
created using Photoshop
CS3.

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Fa n ta s y C i t y on S t ilt s
By J e s s e va n D i j k
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
In the following tutorial I’ll document some of
the decisions I made during the process of
creating this image. Initially all I started off with
in terms of an idea was to create a ‘city on
stilts’.

The Pa in t ing
When the time schedules allow for it, I like
to take a bit of time to create my first rough
sketches. I prefer to work in various, very short
(15 min) sketch sessions to put some ideas
on paper, making sure I don’t start detailing
anything and just get down the essence of an
idea I might have. Also, I prefer to do these
both digitally and analogue - again, when time
allows for it. I usually find that doing analogue
sketches provides me with different solutions
than sketching in Photoshop. Not necessarily
better ones, just different ones. It’s partly
because I can’t do line drawings in Photoshop
very well. When I sketch on the PC I use
shades of gray and surfaces mostly, but with
pen and paper I primarily draw.

This process can take a long time, sometimes

even weeks or longer. During such a period
I just do a quick series of thumbnails and

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sketches for 15 minutes before I proceed with

the rest of the paintings I’m doing that day.
The combination of sketching for one theme/
image and then detailing another is one I find
particularly comfortable.

Shown below is a collection of images I did

during my sketch phase for the ‘city on stilts’
painting (Fig.01 – 07).

I very soon discover that I’ve got some

conflicting requirements for my final image.
These usually result in compromises and
subtleties, and therefore I want to avoid them.
In my paintings, subtleties are badly solved
problems 99% of the time.

In the case of this image, I wanted the scene

to show an extensive part of the environment,
which on the whole should feel huge and epic,
but I also wanted it to suggest some sort of
‘homeliness’ – if that’s the word – even a bit
of coziness. My first ideas for solutions for
these two aspects were each other’s direct
opposites – for the first I would use a very large
scale, but for the other a much smaller scale
would be better. And there were other conflicts
like that as well. I wanted the scene to be in
daylight, but I also wanted to show light behind
windows.

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Back to my collection of sketches: So far, these

aren’t really blueprints of what my final image
should look like – but I’ve gathered some
interesting ideas through them. Particularly I
feel the combination of up-scaled vegetation
with the concept of a city on stilts works very
well. I end up choosing a very rough thumbnail
to go ahead with (Fig.08). I know beforehand
that what I’ll end up with will bear very little
similarities to what I’ve just started with, but I’m
not too bothered by it. I consider this sketch
primarily to be a means to get the process
started – I’m not really fussed about changing
things around 180 degrees if needed. I find
there’s an upside to this approach, but also a
downside; it allows you to really hone an idea,
but it also takes quite long.

The first thing I do once I’ve selected my line

art thumbnail is to put some value in there. This
is done very simply by making sure the sketch
layer doesn’t have any gray areas any more,
setting it to Multiply and then I paint underneath
it (Fig.09).

In Fig.10 I try to get some idea of scale by

suggestion of some human activity. I want
the place to feel populated, not deserted. The
scale of the world can use some attention too;
I stretch the image vertically to increase the
height of the trees.

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Before I worry about color, I tweak my I can sense that I’m not absolutely certain Light is shining on the canopy, but is also
environment one last time to give the trees about which aspect of this scene I intend to emitted by artificial light sources from the
even more height (Fig.11), I also make a more highlight - and I will come to regret that later population.
elaborate suggestion of some prominent tree on.
roots on the left. During this process I also cut This is a point where I really have to wrestle
and paste bits of my sketch here and there - all The first implementation of some color (Fig.12) with the image (Fig.13). The values are
I care about at this point is macro composition. features a prominently blue/greenish haze. affected by my rather brute force color

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implementation (overlay layers and color can now finally tell what is supposed to go or Channels. For example, should you want
balance adjustments) and I just can’t read the where - but the lighting has become incredibly to paint fog behind a tree, having the shape
image properly. boring. I decide to build on this base - flattening Selection stored can save you a lot of time.
the image. I do that a lot during my process, at
I try a lot of different things, and in the end I (mostly) sensible points. However, things like Here we are nearly at the point where I’m going
resort to a rather generic but failsafe method - the borders of the tree bases, (or actually, the to have to call it done (Fig.15). I provide some
structure the image by means of atmospheric shape of their silhouettes) are typically things light from above on the rooftops, and add birds
perspective (Fig.14). It works to a degree - I that are useful to keep in saved Selections to liven up the scene. Particles are used to

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much the same effect. Also, quite a good bit of

detail is inserted in the scene once more - and
stuff painted at this stage is typically a task
that 90% of your audience will overlook - so
be aware of that. If things aren’t working now,
detail isn’t going to save you. It’s amazing how
easy it is to write this, but how hard it is to
implement it while painting!

At this point though I am still not quite satisfied!

For my final pass (Fig.16), I beef up the lighting
once more, possibly overdoing it now, but
again, I don’t really do subtleties very well.

Having now done my final pass, I look back at

my process critically, and I can’t help but feel
I’ve thrown too much at the image from Fig.12
– 13. My final image suffers from conflicting
interest points - something I often struggle with.

That is not to say I didn’t have a good time

painting it. It’s just not the end of this design -
I’ll revisit this world at a later time to set things
straight. Stay tuned.

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M e d i e va l S l u m s
By Richard Tilbury
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
This particular task required the creation of a
medieval scene that could fit within the Fantasy
genre and also had to represent a slum area
of a city. I searched the internet for some
reference material initially, looking for scenes of
old streets and alleys and anything that related
to the medieval era. The type of architecture
that seemed appropriate was anything
asymmetrical and with some feel of chaos to
its structure as this felt more indicative of a
slum district. I also knew that I would keep the
palette muted to convey a dirtier environment.

I decided to set the scene at street level, in a

narrow alley shaded by the tall buildings that
would create an almost tunnel like atmosphere.
I hoped that this would convey a more
claustrophobic quality and suit the theme.
some color. Often I work in a grayscale to used to prop up the overhanging buildings.
Blocking In determine the light and dark areas and then This made quite a good structural device and
Once I had decided on the rough composition add color on a separate layer but in this case also a useful way of creating perspective.
and eyelevel I began blocking in some of the I added the color onto the same layer, straight
key forms along with the main areas of light over the tonal sketch to establish my base I repeated this shape along the street as seen
and dark (Fig.01). layer. in Fig.02 keeping the warm tones along the left
side. At this point I was laying down numerous
I started with a tonal layer just using black and I painted in an arch spanning the narrow street colors on a newly created layer set to Overlay
white and then using this as a guide I added and liked the notion that this may be partly and experimenting with the quality of light.

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Q u i c k T i p : I find that using

multiple layers set to different opacities
Background +
or blending modes can create an effect
similar to watercolours which are one of the
best mediums at conveying light. By using
this technique you can create the effect
of light bouncing off objects and reflecting
surfaces without upsetting your tonal range
– radiosity in other words.

L ay e r 3 + C olor O v e r l ay
I use this technique intermittently throughout
the painting process and once I am satisfied
with the result I usually flatten the image and
then continue the process. This way I can
minimize the size of the file and keep things
from getting too complicated.

This is precisely what I did in Fig.03. I flattened

the image at the stage seen in the previous
illustration and then added two new layers, one
set to Soft Light and the other to Overlay. On
the far left is the initial background layer with
the other two added in sequence culminating in
the version seen on the far right.

Building the details

After reaching this stage I again flattened the
image and started on a new layer which I used
to add architectural features and begin building
the detail (Fig.04).

I began painting in some of the windows and

doorways as well as supporting beams and
struts. The brush that I mainly used during this

project was a standard Chalk brush combined some sunlight filtering into the street in the mid-
with various Dual Brushes during the process distance and also illuminating the buildings in
(Fig.05). the background on the left (Fig.07). I decided
that the spire in the upper right was a little
By enabling the Dual Brush function you can distracting and so removed this for the time
vary the brush marks and texture by changing being.
the Sampled Tip (Fig.06).
After taking out the spire I thought that maybe
I continued adding details such as the beams something should occupy the skyline to
jutting out from the right rooftops. I painted emphasize the heavily built up nature of the city

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and make the scene feel more claustrophobic. Leaving the file intact with these four separate
I added a large cylindrical tower on the right as layers I altered the color balance adjustment
shown in Fig.08 and hence leaving less of the layer by going to: Layer – New Adjustment
sky visible. Layer – Color Balance (Fig.10).

To emphasize this feeling I created a new This adds a new layer above the one you
layer set to Multiply at 60% that added a currently have selected and allows you to
darker shadow in the foreground (upper left in modify the color and tone etc. This means that
Fig.09). A second layer set to Overlay at 100% any alterations can be reversed if need be as
comprised of some highlights on the street and everything is done on a separate layer and
paving (lower left). hence can be deleted. However an Adjustment

layer allows the option of using a mask to

control the effect which means that it is non-
destructible.
1
M u lt iply 1 2
60% Overl ay You can use black to reveal the initial layer or
alternatively use white to show the adjustment
2 layer. In Fig.10 you can see the Color Balance
Adjustment Layer in the Layers Palette and the
mask thumbnail to the right.

Below are the Color Balance settings, these

are used to add a warm tone across the picture
with black being painted into the mask to
Overl ay
100% Opacit y reduce the area of effect.

Fig.11 shows the masked area in Quick Mask

which shows exactly which parts have been left
unaltered – this corresponds to the black and
white areas in the thumbnail.

Refining the Picture

and adding te xture
Once again I flattened the image at this stage
and then added a new layer which was to
represent the glare from the sun. To do this I
used a Soft Round Airbrush and painted in a
small white area top right above the tower roof.
Mask
I then clicked on the Add Layer Style button at
the base of the Layers Palette. This brought up
a dialogue box similar to that seen in (Fig.12).
It is here that you can add your desired effect,
in this case an Outer Glow.

This creates a glow around whatever is

apparent on the layer and enables you to
control the Opacity, Color, Size and Blending
mode. You will notice that the Size is at

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maximum and the Opacity is at 58%. Also were taken from the free library available at
notice the Opacity in the Layers Palette which 3DTotal.com (http://freetextures.3dtotal.
is set to 56%, helping to keep the effect subtle. com). This is a great resource for artists and is
You can see how this bleaches the wooden perfect for this kind of project.
beams and right side of the tower, creating a
more intense light with a soft orange tint. Almost every photo will require some form of
color correction before it can work with the
Fig.13 shows the effect at 100% opacity. The lighting and color scheme in your work and
last stage in the process is something a lot there are two key approaches I use to do this.
of concept artists do when working digitally
and that is to blend in some photographic Once the copied section has been pasted in values and then use Curves etc. to blend it in.
references to add some realistic textures and and scaled accordingly I either desaturate the In Fig.15 you can see an example of the first
details. image, setting it to Overlay or Soft Light and approach which I have used to add the rubbish
then adjust the Curves and Brightness/Contrast lining the street. Sometimes even when the
In Fig.14 you can see some of the photo to match the scene. Alternatively I leave the photo elements have been blended in it is
references that I have merged into the scene to Blending mode at Normal and go to Image necessary to use your brush to correct areas
add another level of detail. All of these images – Adjustments – Color Balance and alter the and help integrate things.

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In Fig.16 you can see a tower that has been

added into the background but with some
over-painting to ensure it fits into the image. I
added some cobblestones on a near section
of the street and some windows along the right
foreground wall to balance the detail on the left
hand side.

At this point I flattened the image to avoid the

file getting too big. After reviewing it I decided
that because this was meant to be a slum
area it needed to be a bit darker and even
more claustrophobic. I duplicated the scene
and reduced the brightness as well as tinting
it towards a blue and green by way of Image –
Adjustments – Color Balance.

Once done I then used an Eraser to restrict the

darker layer to the ground level (middle image
in Fig.17). To add some drama I then created
a layer set to Overlay and painted in some
highlights along the upper left row terrace and
facing side of the right hand building using a
pale yellow (left image).

Because I had now added some sunlight I Shadow L ayer Highlights L ayer Overl ay
figured the areas catching the sun should be
warmer to contrast with the street. I therefore
created a Color Balance adjustment layer
(Layer – New Adjustment Layer – Color
Balance), using the settings shown in (Fig.18)
and then painted into the mask to restrict the
warmer values to the upper section of the
street.

The scene was almost complete at this stage

but I thought that it needed just one or two
more elements to lend it a more slum like
quality. I thought that the building on the right
looked unstable due to the damaged wall and
so painted in a haphazardly placed beam to
brace it against the opposite side. I also added
some precarious scaffold in the middle distance
to help create a more chaotic and shanty
quality to the district.

Last but by no means least I looked through

the free reference library mentioned earlier in
order to research some medieval costumes
and add in some shady looking characters.

Here is the final version (Fig.19).

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© M at t A l l s op p
vehicles Concept design and the prototype stages of
development will range from Initial Concept
through to Proof of Concept, which may take
a further leap into becoming a fully realized
3D model or manufactured product.

My contribution to vehicle design begins

by taking something real and commonplace, and pushing it towards
something more unusual. Here an incredible creative process begins,
where anything can happen from fully functional real-world automobiles,
to organic alien star destroyers that are completely abstract. As a
concept artist I love being versatile, as the range of design can be huge
and the possibilities endless.

After all of the initial sketches it’s great to exhibit the final design. As
shown here one of my key favorite ideals is to really sell that vehicle, by
displaying the craft in its ‘natural’ atmospheric environment.

M at t A l l s op p
[email protected]
vehicles

Designing a concept racing car

B y D wa y n e Va n c e
S of t wa r e U se d : Pa in t e r , A lc he my a nd Photo shop

Introduction
My design brief for this project is to design a
sleek race car, so I’m instantly thinking of long
sleek shapes that are aerodynamic and fast
looking. My next thought is when the car will
be built: should it be from the future or from
the past? Since this is an open project I will
probably let my shapes dictate whether it is set
in the future or the past and I will draw forms
that represent both.

The Concept
In this tutorial I’ll give a few different
approaches that I like to use to generate ideas
quickly. I use three different programs to start

my ideation: Alchemy, a freeware program, Painter and Photoshop.

At this point I just let my mind wander as I try to come up with unique
shapes and patterns. I treat this phase as if I’m looking at the clouds in
the sky and coming up with shapes and interesting forms; trying to be
unique but still achieving a really cool look.

At this stage you don’t need to worry about being perfect; just draw and
let your hand flow. It really can be a lot of fun and takes the pressure
off you to create something perfect on your first try. I start with Painter
and make lots of scribbled drawings; I’m not trying to be precise with
these sketches, just letting my hand flow. The only thing I think about

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is that it needs to look fast, so my lines are

long and aggressive. I will refine them as I go
along. As you can see (Fig.01), I have several
rough squiggles. I am keeping my lines quick
and loose, trying not to draw what I already
know; trying to come up with new lines and
unexpected shapes.

I now start to go over my Painter sketches and

fill them in a little, trying to keep the squiggles
as my guidelines to create interesting shapes
(Fig.02).

Now I try another program called Alchemy,

where I draw random shapes and again
try to keep it loose and see what kinds of
combinations I can come up with. In Alchemy I feel at this stage like I’m drawing too many I’m now trying one more method for creating
there are lots of settings you can choose familiar car shapes from the side view, so I’m random shapes, and I also create some custom
from. There is no “Undo” in this program going to work from top views instead (Fig.05). brushes in Photoshop. The guys at Steambot
though, which can actually really help in your There is a really cool mirror tool in Alchemy came up with this method and it works
creation process as it forces you to work in an that creates symmetry – it makes some great great! So I create my own custom brushes in
unfamiliar way (Fig.03 – 04). “happy accidents”! Photoshop and make them really aggressive-

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looking to go with the design brief (Fig.06). I

then start laying down random brush strokes,
creating shapes with them (Fig.07). The cool
thing about these kinds of brushes is they give
you lots of exposed mechanical-looking details.
Then, after creating your shapes, you can pull
them, stretch them and flip them until you get
something you like.

Now I go through and start selecting a few

that I really think are interesting and have the
potential to be made into a cool, sleek race car
(Fig.08). As you can see, I have lots of different
looks here, but they all have a fast appearance
to them. Now I will take these cars and do
some rough thumbnails in 3/4 view.

In these sketches I take a side view and a top

view and combine them (Fig.09 – 13). This
helps me to start defining the car in 3/4 view.
I still keep my 3/4 loose and I don’t define
anything yet; I’m still exploring what might give
me a really unique shape. Most of these cars
have come out futuristic, which is fine. Some
of them have a hot rod style, but others look

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like flying ships with wheels. So I feel I have gives a good underlay (Fig.14). This way I can bigger the engine, the faster it looks! So I go
several good ones to choose from and I can see my new line sketch as I lay it down. to my reference stash from all the previous
still take each sketch and make them look hot rod shows I have attended (Fig.17 – 18),
different. I decide that the engine is too far forward and and pull up some engine references. Using
I want to make the car look longer, so I cut the references, I feel, is very important; it helps you
Refining the Concept engine out and move into a position where I put in details you might not have thought of
This next stage is more of a thinking stage think it looks better (Fig.15). I then start laying when you were drawing entirely from your mind
where I figure out what makes my rough down some line work to start cleaning up the – especially if you’ve never drawn the subject
ideation look good and what the design and design (Fig.16). before.
proportions look like. So I take my roughs,
which give me a decent idea of what the car I really figure that the engine will be the I don’t stick to the exact design and I add
might look like, and start to sketch over them. showcase piece on this vehicle – after all, the some modern features to the engine, as if
This is one stage that can be a lot faster if you
are working digitally.

In my drawings, I cut stuff out, move them and

scale them to get different proportions and
such. The three final designs were sketched
in the same way, using Painter 11, in which I
made a non-photo blue pencil.

So in the first phase I take the ideation sketch

and fade back the layer so it is lighter and

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it could be from the future or an alternate

dimension (Fig.19). I also love things with lots
of mechanical detail; it gives a sense of being
engineered and that it could function if it had
to. You may also notice I made the engine big,
but I later shoved it back into the body more to
really kick the wheels out in front!

I tighten up my wheels with some ellipse

guides (Fig.20). One thing that I do manually is
use my ellipse templates on my Wacom 21 UX.
It takes too long to draw up a circle and stroke
the path, so I just put my ellipse templates
right on my monitor and draw as if I was using
regular paper. This saves some time. I also add
a small grill to the front to keep the engine cool.
I know it still has the hot rod feel – what can I
say? I love hot rods!

In this last phase I add a ground shadow to

place it on the ground (Fig.21). When you
add a simple shadow, it really helps make the
object you just drew feel like a solid mass –
even when you draw a spaceship hovering
over the ground, you can place a shadow
under the ship. Not only does it give mass to
the object, but it also helps you determine the
top view. I then went around and added a few
shadows to darker areas to give detail and add
mass.

The following sketches were also done in the

same way (Fig.22 – 23).

As you can see, my final concept is still not

a really tight drawing, but is much closer to
a finished piece now. This phase is probably

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 vehicles

the hardest phase because you are figuring

out the design and how things look with each
other. This comes with practice and observing
things in life, and then figuring out how you can
manipulate that to look futuristic – or whatever
the design brief may ask for.

The Final Desgin

Next I’m going to look at adding color and
setting up the scene. I drew my car in
perspective to understand the form and to give
a general sense of what it looks like and now
I want to draw it in a more dynamic way. I’m
going to set it up in a scene as if it’s racing or
parked in a garage and I want the car to look
more real, so I will draw it from a perspective
that suggests I’ve taken a picture of it through
a camera (Fig.24). When you draw things more
from the top it can sometimes look like a toy, so
I find drawing it at a lower angle is best, from
more of a realistic point of view.

I take my rough line drawing and clean it

up. I then take my cleaned line sketch and

place some quick guide lines for perspective

(Fig.25). I lay out my perspective guidelines
to line up the background and make sure it is
sitting on the right ground plane.

I decide to place my car in the desert, as if it’s a

Bonneville Salt Flat car. As you can see, I have
refined the car a little more and modernized the
body of it. So I make my canvas fairly big now
and lay in some ground that looks like sand,
and I include some mountains to the distance
to add some additional interest (Fig.26). Now
this piece is more about showing off the vehicle
design and less about the scene, so I really
make the vehicle the centre piece for the
scene.

I decide to really crop the picture in at this point

to focus more on the vehicle. I add some sky
tones, clouds and some texture details to the
ground. I try to keep this really quick because
it is more about the vehicle and not the scene.
I take the sketch and make it darker-toned so
that I can see everything going on in the car
(Fig.27). The blue just wasn’t helping anymore.

I remove the perspective guidelines now and

start to work in some color. I leave my sketch

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on one layer and start coloring under the

sketch to start. As I define more of the car I
will move on top of the sketch to pretty much
eliminate the line drawing. I decide to go with
the green color because it is kind of inspired by
WWII aircrafts. I also start with a gray for the
engine area, just to lay in some tone (Fig.28).

I start to define the cockpit area more here

and put the horizon line and sky tones on the
top (Fig.29). One trick when you’re rending a
vehicle in a scene is to match the color of the
ground with the tires. Just go slightly darker to
define the difference between the object and
material. It will look like it is part of the scene
pretty quickly. It wouldn’t look right if I went in
and colored the tires solid black against the
sand color. They would look too clean, as if the
car has been dropped into the scene rather
than having been driven there through all the
dirt.

So here I start to lay down some other colors

for the engine (Fig.30). It would be very dull
and boring if I made the whole thing metal. You
can have various kinds of metal as well; shiny
chrome, dull flat metal, brushed metal etc. So
you can use these to break up the engine so it
doesn’t look like one solid chunk of metal. The
top intake area I decide to make shiny chrome,
so I lay in some sky tones and a ground plane
(Fig.31).

I add quite a bit to the engine area and break

it up into different colors and materials to

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 vehicles

give it interest (Fig.32). I still use my engine

references while rending the engine, just so
I can see what details I need to have there
to make it look believable (Fig.33 – 34). I
modernize the engine a bit to push it out into
the future. I also keep working on the body of
the car to keep refining it. I put the lighter color
on the bottom because it is reflecting the color
of the sand up into the body. Then I make the
top darker because it is reflecting the blues of
the sky.

In Fig.35 you can see a rendering material

example and the similarities and differences
between each material. Chrome always reflects
its surrounding environment, just like a mirror.
The green shiny paint is similar to the chrome
but it is using all green hues. Then if you render
dull metal, the sky, horizon and ground all
blend a little. Just compare the shiny chrome
to the dull metal. The rubber material of the
tire can also be seen. It’s not shiny because
the sky, horizon and ground all blend together,
just giving enough indication of where they all
are. I use cylinders to render because most
car shapes are complicated cylinders. They
will have your sky tone on top, your horizon in
the middle and your ground tone below. Then
you just take your horizon and bend it around
the curves and different surfaces of your
automobile or vehicle.
1 3

I am still focusing on the engine area of the car Sky tones

and adding details and small material break- Horizon

ups (Fig.36). I am starting to show a process
called “vignetting” (vin-yet-ing). This is when Ground

Brushed or non Tyre

shiny metal

2 4

Sky tones

Horizon

Ground

Rendering Chrome G r e e n Pa in t

you make things fade out from the closest and saves time when rendering. It also helps
object to you. The front wheel and engine is the keep your vehicle from looking flat or “pasted”
part of the car that is closest to you, so I focus into the scene. You don’t need to render every
my detailing and color saturation on those single detail to get your point across!
areas. Everything from there fades out. This At this stage I pull some photo scraps from
really helps the eye to flow over the vehicle one of my hot rod photos and place them

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onto my car. I just take an existing wheel and

modify it. I do this to save time and it gives
me a very precise and defined wheel instantly
(Fig.37 – 38). One thing on a vehicle that is
very important is the wheels. If they are not
very defined wheels, or not drawn correctly,
it can quickly ruin a cool vehicle. I just take a
wheel that is close to the perspective I need,
and skew it into the right perspective using the
Transform tools in Photoshop.

I finish up the detailing on the wheel and go

through and start adding a few more details to
the car. I also add some smoke to the exhaust
and some paneling details to the body (Fig.39).

The wheel in the back was taken from the

same photo (see Fig.37), but I used the back
wheel of the car instead of the front. I don’t
spend too much time on the back wheel
because I want the front wheel to have most of
the detail. I then detail up the back suspension
to make it look more complete. I use a soft
brush to go over the back wheel as well, to
make it look dustier and to push the wheel
back further (Fig.40).

The car looks a little strange just sitting there

on its own and so I add a driver sitting on the
rear wheel (Fig.41). Again, I’m still leaving
the focus on the vehicle and so I place the
character in a position where he is not the main
focal point. I am also working on the far front
wheel, just adding enough detail to give some
indication of parts and a possible brake system

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 vehicles

like a street bike. Again, I’m not putting a lot

of focus on that area – just enough to suggest
that something is there.

I work on the driver a little more here, giving

him a type of vintage suit and goggles, almost
as if he’s a fighter pilot that drives this car
(Fig.42).

I decide here to put a logo from my book,

Masters of Chicken Scratch, on the side of the
vehicle. It has a kind of vintage feel and is a
logo you might see on a WWII aircraft (Fig.43).
I also lay down some dust over the driver so
he becomes part of the scene. I then adjust the
background a little and turn up the contrast a
touch; I felt it was a little too muted.

The logo is skewed and placed on the side

of the vehicle. I also use the Warp tool in
Photoshop to give it the curvature to match the
body. I continue to add details to the body, like
rivets, and refine the areas around the cockpit
(Fig.44).

I add some more detail and contrast to the

ground around the car here (Fig.45), just to
lead the eye through the whole piece. I start
adding a car in the background that is racing
through the desert. When cars race out there
they very rarely race alone; they all have to
have buddies. It adds more action and interest
to the piece. I also add some tire tracks to the
sand so it looks like the car just rolled up there
and parked. It adds realism to the piece and
helps to make the car feel like it hasn’t just
been dropped there. I then decide the shadow
looks a little dead and I could add some color
in this area. When you have warm light from
above, the shadow will be a cool color, so I add
some purple in there.

This is the final piece (Fig.46). I decide to

crop it down a little more because I don’t need
all that background. I like the long, narrow
look when working on a car piece. Like I said
before, it’s all about the vehicle and not so
much about the background.

151 Chapter 4
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vehicles

Designing an Industrial Vehicle

By Hoi Mun Tha m
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Tools Used: ARTLINE 200 0.4 fine point

pen (similar to a Super Fine Sharpie) and
Prismacolor medium cool gray 30 & 50%
markers.

Early concepts &

i d e at i on s
In this tutorial we’re going to be designing a
futuristic construction vehicle. Since we’re
going to be designing it for entertainment
purposes, we have to be constantly aware
of how people are reacting to our designs.
Whether the audience finds it nice or ugly, cool
or not-so-cool; every design decision made
should always support the context, story or
purpose.

When designing vehicles, the second most I start off by creating a huge set of thumbnails
important thing – apart from cool visuals – is and then make some rather small, rough
functionality. All good designs are followed by concepts, experimenting with shapes and
practical and believable functions. Most of the silhouettes. Depending on your personal
time concept art is meant to provide a better preferences, you could just start by creating
understanding for the next person down the different silhouettes before getting into too
pipeline, so it’s important not to create any sort much detail or form, but, I work differently
of confusion in your designs. depending on the length of a project. In this

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 vehicles

case I draw them rather detailed and small so size. When designing these thumbs I start off engaging feel, but at this angle many parts
that I can get more stuff figured out at once. by laying down a two-point perspective guide are hidden and overlapped, so it will be
Again, it depends on what works best for an to help me out and then I start sketching with difficult for viewers to read parts of the
artist and it should not be something that is a felt-tip pen. Start from the biggest shape to vehicle. This isn’t wrong – it’s just not the
either right or wrong (Fig.01a – c). the smallest, general to specific, and you’ll be right choice for this illustration.
able to control the overall volume much better • Image #2 is the most comfortable angle
I spend about 10-15 minutes on each (Fig.02). to see most of the vehicle. The level of
thumbnail. Try not to worry about your pace distortion in terms of perspective is lower,
at the beginning if you’re new to all this, just Lastly, put all of your thumbnails together so shapes are more readable. I also like
try to work out lots of good designs at this and evaluate your designs. Refer back to the this angle because the vehicle front is
stage, because your pace and speed will guidelines you set yourself earlier and see facing to the left, and the human eye has
catch up eventually once you’ve done this for which fit the best. Slash out the ones that been trained to read things from left to right,
quite some time. Practice, practice, practice, aren’t working, even if they look good. Again, if so it’s a nice thing to have your vehicle’s
because there are no shortcuts! there’s a story for you to refer to then it should front being read first and followed by the
be the one that fits and supports the story. rest of it.
When designing, I usually give myself a set of • Image #3 has an average human eye level
guidelines to work with (just to keep in mind). From my thumbnails, I choose a design to perspective. It’s a better choice than #1, but
For example, in this case, I want to make the be developed further into a final presentation not #2. At this angle, many details on the
design cool, tough, balanced, practical, logical piece. The goal of this tutorial is to illustrate top part of the vehicle are hidden.
and heavy. With these key points, I’m able a vehicle design, and so I’m not trying to • Image #4 is at another angle – similar to
to flesh out all the thumbnails. But of course, make my concept design look too dynamic or #2, but at the other side of the vehicle this
before this I go through a bunch of references. exaggerated in terms of angle and position. time. Although the angle is right, a huge
It’s very important to know how things work, What I’m trying to do is to find the best possible part of the vehicle is blocked by the big arm
particularly when there is a lot of machinery angle in order to present the design without and so it’s not such a good idea to go with
involved. experiencing any difficulty or hidden parts. I this one either.
quickly draft out four thumbnails of different
As you can see here, some of the vehicles I’m compositions to see which will be most suitable Line Art dr afting
working on have wheels and others have tank to present the vehicle (Fig.03): After a process of elimination, I decide to go for
tracks; some designs are excavators and some composition #2. I usually work with 3D software
are crane-like – some are all in one! I’m still • Image #1 has a rather dynamic camera these days to construct a rough proxy shape
keeping my options open in terms of shape and angle which provides an interesting and of my vehicles, simply because it saves a lot

1 2 3 4

Composition Drafts

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of time and is a lot more accurate, but in this

tutorial I would like to share with you guys how
I work with a design starting from a line art,
all the way to the final render. I’m going to be
working entirely in Photoshop from here on.

Firstly, referring to the composition draft

selected, I lay down some perspective
guidelines. They are not 100% accurate,
but should be good enough. I then take the
thumbnail and distort it according to the
perspective guides, making it look like a flat
image in the centre of the space as a design
guide (Fig.04). From there I start blocking in
primitive shapes that create the foundation for
the vehicle (Fig.05). I always work from general
to specific because it’s much easier for me to
judge an overall shape before committing too
much time to one particular part if the rest is
not working.

Once I’m happy with the basic shape of the

vehicle, I remove the guidelines and start to
refine the shapes with more sub-shapes and would always try to create parts with intricate to create some contrast. Detailing requires
details (Fig.06 – 07). This part is really fun designs and parts that are huge and plain so a lot of referencing, especially mechanical
because with details you can determine the that, in the end, there’s a balance between the designs because parts and pieces have to
character of a certain shape. For detailing two. I will never do one more than the other look believable in terms of function and logic.
mechanical designs, I always follow this rule: unless there’s a need to, but usually I have Details are not just filling up a space with
balance. What do I mean by that? Well, I big shapes working with much smaller shapes unnecessary shapes; they have to mean
something. For example, this area of detail
must have something that looks like part of the
engine, or this part should have details that
suggest a power source. If you accomplish
that, it will take a design much further into
believability and realism.

Once I’m happy with the line art, I can start

setting up the light source. Here I use natural
light and cast it from the left of the image
(Fig.08). I make the cockpit area brightest
because I want to direct viewers to that area
instantly, and with natural light I can have
shadows with no distortion. Artificial lights are
usually close to the subject, therefore creating
long, distorted shadows which are too dramatic
for this piece. Light is the other element that
plays a very important role in making a design
more believable, because things like cast-
shadows will help ground the shapes into the
space. When a picture looks like it’s floating,
usually it has something to do with the light and
shadow being inaccurate. Also: don’t forget the

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contrast of light and shadow. Shapes nearer

to the camera should have higher contrast
compared to shapes further away, unless
you’re trying to achieve otherwise.

So here I block in the local colors of each

part, with lighting and shadows cast (Fig.09).
If there’s any weathering or damage to the
material I usually do that towards the end of the
piece – again, working from general to specific. a new 100% Opacity layer on top of everything the surface needs to be smooth and thus a
Right now I’m just trying to get my light and and start painting in the finer details and further polished chrome metal is the best choice – not
colors as accurate as possible (Fig.10). enhance the light and shapes. a brushed one. The smooth, polished surface
of chrome has a very high level of reflectivity
I’ve been laying down the colors and light on M at e r i a l r e n d e r i n g and it could almost reflect everything around
a Multiply layer over the line art; I also do an Here are the two materials that I’m using for it like a mirror. Like the reflection of the sky
overall color adjustment to the piece to make it the vehicle (Fig.11). The first one is a chrome that makes the ocean blue, the same goes
look less saturated. Once this is done, I create metal, used on hydraulics. Being hydraulics, for metal. It reflects whatever color or material
is around it, so it’s really like rendering the
reflected colors more than rendering a specific
color for the metal. This metal also has a very
high specular/hotspot, so the tonal changes are
more obvious – like having a really dark line
right next to the brightest part of the metal. This
contrast will instantly create a very polished,
smooth surface, as opposed to a soft blend of
tonal values like the yellow material.
Polished Metal

The yellow material I made is a painted

metal sort of material. It is yellow gloss paint
over brushed metal. Even though it still has
traces of the metal, the elements have been
softened because of a layer of glossy paint.
The reflection and specular are much lower in
contrast, but not in value. The hotspot could
still get very bright but it won’t be next to the
darkest area because the paint has softened
the tonal values of the metal.

Brushed Metal
The diagram on the right of Fig.11 shows the
grains of the two different metals. The first one
M at e r i a l R e n d e r i n g is the polished metal which has finer grains and

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thus provides a more stable surface for light to painting would be done – for example an lighting correct before we start building up the
reflect in a parallel order, eventually creating acrylic or oil painting. layers – from general to specific.
a sharper reflection. Whereas the brushed
metal has rougher grains, so light is reflecting So on this opaque layer, I further refine and Adding details
in different angles and thus creating a softer enhance the shapes and volume of the already (Signal lights & Spot
blend of reflections and tonal values. established lighting. As you can see from lights)
Fig.12, you can see how the image looked Here’s a short walkthrough showing how I add
It’s now time to move onto a new layer in before and after I painted on the opaque layer. extra parts, which were not created during the
Photoshop, where I will paint what I like to call If it has already been well established, the line art stage, onto the vehicle (Fig.13a – d). I
a “paint-over” layer. This layer will be painted lighting of the image should not change much want to add some small details on the vehicle’s
similar to how a traditional, non-transparent at this stage. So it’s very important to get the cockpit and after some research I decide to add

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Signal and Spot lights. These are details which believable so that it feels like it could actually Once I’m done and settled with the overall
I think are practical and sell the believability be true. Some parts of technology advance paint-over on the opaque layer, things are
much more. So what I do is start a new layer faster than others, so not every single part of a pretty much done. So here is where I start
– Layer 11 – and draw a simple line art of the vehicle needs to be modified when designing adding textures, dents, weathering and
lights. Once I’m happy I proceed into coloring something for the future. Some details/ scratches. Not every vehicle requires this
by starting another new layer above the line functions are already good enough for what sort of treatment, but a construction vehicle
art layer (a Normal layer will do; a Multiply they need to do, like the arm mechanism, and would not be complete without any of these
layer does not work well above colored areas). so doesn’t really need to be changed. characteristics, especially when the vehicle
I paint in the values and colors of the lights – is in an outdoor setting. Sometimes wear and
they are not highly detailed because they’re
rather small when you look at the painting as
a whole, so simple shades can suggest the
shape and read well without having to render
photorealistic lighting.

In this tutorial I am 100% using the default

round brush found in every Photoshop package
– just a round brush tip and an eraser.

Here I try to keep in mind the different materials

I’m painting (Fig.14); for example, having the
very polished metal against the painted yellow
metal creates a nice contrast for the viewer.
There are not as many cables compared to
real, existing excavation vehicles because I
want it to look a little more streamlined and
advanced compared to the ones we have in
our own time. When I design a vehicle which
is set in the future, I try not to go too crazy
and fancy with the concept (unless the brief
says otherwise); I like to keep it real and

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tear detailing could even push the story/context

of a vehicle further, like where it has been,
what it has been doing, and what its purpose
is. So here I overlay a Multiply layer of rusty
paint, and on the edges I add some painted
scratches as well (Fig.15).

Take note that even though I have applied a

rusty texture to almost the whole vehicle, I
haven’t forgotten that some parts/materials
would not rust, like the hydraulics. This material
in particular should always remain smooth and
polished, so that it functions well.

Te xturing up Close
Here’s a rough step-by-step walkthrough
showing how I apply the textures:

• First of all, I find a texture that I would like

to apply to the vehicle; I have gone for a
rusty paint texture which I found online (free
texture websites like CGTextures.com are a
good place to start) (Fig.16a).

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 vehicles

• Secondly, I need the texture to be bigger so

I tile the texture by flipping it and then place
the two next to one another (Fig.16b).
• I keep repeating the tiling process until I get
the size I want (Fig.16c).
• Here I adjust the contrast and color of the
texture so that the pattern on the texture
stands out more from its background
(Fig.16d).
• Now I use my arrow and right-click on the
image to open a sub menu, and from that I
select Distort and then I distort the texture
according to the rough perspective of the
vehicle/scene (Fig.16e).
• Lastly, I select the Multiply blending mode
for the texture layer and set it on top of the
vehicle. Using a standard round Eraser I
erase some of the areas I don’t want to
texture, like the glass, polished metals and
the ground (Fig.16f).

So once the texturing is done, everything

else from here on in is just extra tweaking,
but still serves a purpose. With this image I
add a layer of glow which I painted in with a
soft round brush to show the reaction towards
light on these materials. For example, the
polished pipes and mirror would have a small
amount of glow reflected, and this will help
suggest the material better (Fig.17). The glow
shouldn’t be too much because we don’t want
that to distract the viewers’ eyes from the main
subject, which in this case is the whole vehicle.

Decals up close
I have a library of vehicle decals and
aftermarket stickers. I like these because they
somehow give the audience a hint of what the
vehicle is about and where it comes from, but

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in this tutorial I have decided to create a decal It helps to improve readability and creates a artwork. The final product of a certain design
for 3DTotal. The decal is currently black on a better finish. Details of the artist, date, and title goes beyond our jurisdiction because it will
white background, but I plan to invert it to white of the piece will provide better understanding to be handed down to other people further down
so that there are multiple ways of applying it to viewers, so they know what they are looking at. the pipeline, so therefore a good, readable,
the vehicle (Fig.18a). believable design is essential.
Final thoughts
Since the decal is on a separate layer from We are visual communicators. We We are also known as commercial artists
the white background (Layer 1), I just hold communicate through our designs. A visual because in our line of work we don’t work in the
down Ctrl and press I, and it inverts the color communicator’s job does not end with the way that fine artists do. Our time and budget
to white for me. Once that’s done I want to
transform the shape so that the decal fits well
on the perspective of the vehicle. I use the
arrow, right-click on the decal, and select the
Distort transformation tool. This allows me
to manipulate all four corners of the image
separately (Fig.18b).

So once it’s placed on the vehicle, I just blend

the solid, white decal to the vehicle’s tone.
Since it’s on the darker side of the vehicle, I
simply decrease the Opacity down to about
28% (Layer 11). Then I just make it look
more believable by using the eraser to add
weathering and scratches on the decal, and it’s
done (Fig.18c).

Last but not least, I add some other decals

to the vehicle to help create a little bit more
context, such as where it was manufactured
(Fig.19). I also add some small traffic cones
and humans to suggest scale. I love creating
layouts for my designs because I always
believe in the good presentation of a concept.

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is always limited. We don’t have the luxury of

waiting for inspiration to hit us and taking two
years to finish a painting. I think many students
need to understand that clearly if they choose
to pursue a career in this industry. It’s not
always glamorous and good money, so it really
boils down to how much you love the craft and
how doable the individual is. Competition is
really high so be prepared and be clear on your
goals and objectives.

Think about it: if concept art is really what you

want to be doing then you should know that
nothing is going to stop you, and you will strive
through no matter what life throws at you. Be
strong, and work hard and smart. “The last
person to give up is the first one to win.”

Good luck and thank you all so much for taking

your time to read this.

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speed painting Speed painting is a method of painting
where all the essential parts of an image
are laid down in a single painting session
without detailing the image. The result is a
crude sketch representing an image that has
composition, color, light, shape and texture
that has an impressionistic feel to it. In terms
of practice I find this method crucial for an artist’s development as it
forces you to tackle all aspects of an image. It also makes you see that
images need little detail to make sense, and that detail only needs to be
used in certain areas. The method is not only a great practice tool but
also a way to put down a solid base for a longer and more ambitious
painting. Even though the method refers to the term “speed” it is
important to not be stressed by this while painting. The image needs to
feel complete in the end and that is the goal.

Levente Peterffy
[email protected]
http://www.leventep.com
speed painting

The sleepy vill age ne ver saw the

horror approaching
By N at h a n i e l W e s t
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
For this exercise, I’ve chosen to do a relatively
calm setting, and to have the horrific area
be more of a second read. It’s a promise of
impending doom to come, instead of doom that
has already arrived. This sketch will be more
about colors, values, and overall composition,
rather than details. This allows me to work
out an idea that can then be reworked with
additional details in order to make it a finished
piece.

Step1
I first start by laying in a wash of color onto the
canvas. I want this background color to act as
my initial Midtone, where I will develop both
lights and darks from it. Any color will do, but

something orange or red is always popular, so sky color. This doesn’t need to be exact at the
I’ve gone with that option (Fig.01). moment, as I’m simply getting a feel for how
I’m going to organize my values into large
Step 2 shapes that are easy for the eye to read.
Next, I begin to lay in a lighter and cooler color
for the sky. You can barely make out some I then decide to add in a scribbling of a darker
roof top shapes in the negative space of the mass, which will end up being a fountain in the

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centre of the village. For the water, I pick up buildings. In the background I roughly indicate by adding in a splash of red from the under-
some of the sky color, which also helps to tie some sort of multi-headed serpent creature painting. It helps to draw the eye towards that
the upper and lower portions of the painting way off in the distance. I decided to help pull area once again. A few more dots and dashes
together nicely. At this point I’m already starting out the fountain from the buildings behind it on the village buildings to suggest beams,
to get a feel for the composition and the overall
lighting direction (Fig.02).

Step 3
Next I continue by working out the perspective
of the scene, and I block in more defined
shapes. I’m staying very loose and sketchy
with things, as I don’t want to get too specific.
For contrast and visual interest, I decide to add
a slightly green complement to the palette to
represent some lily pads in the fountain. This
contrast will also help to make the fountain a
focal point to the scene, and the horror part will
be a secondary read for the viewer (Fig.03).

Step 4
I continue to refine the forms further, adding
in a suggestion of figures holding up the
fountain basin, and putting loose details on the

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awnings, and street decoration are some of the

vital pieces of information I need in front of me,
and I can now begin to detail and refine this
piece (Fig.04).

Step 5
I’ve decided to make the scene appear cooler.
The image is too red and warm for my eye. I
overlay some photos that have cooler palettes,
which quickly changes the mood of the scene.
One of the photos has some remnants of snow
in it, and so I decide to add some indications of
snow throughout. I also lay in a photo of stones
onto the ground in order to get the idea across
in a timely manner without painting in every
stone (Fig.05).

Step 6
I feel that the right side of the painting needs a
bit more room, so I extend the canvas out a bit
and then detail out the building. The process I
use for this area is to find a photo that inspires

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me, and then I lay it over the painting and

adjust it to fit the perspective. I then paint over
it to loosen it up a bit and to keep it sketchy.
Once again, this process allows me to quickly
get the idea across, rather than painting the
whole building from scratch. I also continue
to add in more traces of snow throughout
(Fig.06).

Step 7
I repeat the same photo manipulation process
with the buildings on the left, and then spend
some time indicating the monster in the
background and adding in some more detail to
the buildings in the distance (Fig.07).

Step 8
Next, I focus my attention to the fountain,
where I’ve decided to add in some icicles to
break up the dark shape of the basin. At this
point I feel the sketch is just about complete,
so I wrap things up by adding a few more
indications and highlights throughout the
painting.

And we’re done (Fig.08)!

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As night fell, the darkness came alive

By Ehsan Dabbaghi
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Concept
With this kind of task, first of all we must think
about what we want to paint. I personally
thought about the topic for a couple of days
and then got my thoughts down visually by
painting three sketches in black and white.
From those sketches, I could work out exactly
what I wanted to achieve with my painting: to
depict a story about a group who want to stay
in a camp all night long, but where no one
knows what will happen once the sun goes
down and darkness reigns.

Step 1
So, with the story in place, I can now get to
work. I start by making a new blank canvas in
Photoshop at 4000 x 2000 pixels. I use some
shaped brushes and just play around with the
black and white paint, getting a feel for shape
and tone (Fig.01). I think it’s important to
always try to work at about 50% or 25% zoom
at this stage; that way you can see the whole
image easily and think about the composition
whilst you’re working on it.

Step 2
Okay, this is where I have to refine the design,
so I make a brush that will be useful for this

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task (Fig.02a). You can see the options

selected for this brush in the palette (Fig.02b).
In Other Dynamics I set both options to Pen
Pressure. These brushes can give very
interesting random lines and shapes that I
personally find are really great to work with,
especially when you select an area with the
Lasso tool and then paint.

At this stage I add a foreground to the painting,

as you can see (Fig.03). I believe that light is
the most important thing to keep in mind when
painting. I heard somewhere that you shouldn’t
think about light at first; that you should use
color to get the light established very slowly,
and then with just one or two touches of your
brush you can achieve the light. Well, I’m not
sure whether that’s right or not, but it certainly
sounds like a nice concept! I will test the theory
out in my next painting. Getting back to work, I
now add some light gray where I want my light
source to be coming from.

Step 3
I wanted to make a connection between the
foreground and background in that previous
stage, and I have achieved what I want: a
feeling of depth. The light in the mountains
seems to be working, and so now I need to
start thinking about the shapes of the rocks as
they will form a very important part of the scene
(Fig.04). Step 5 Step 6
I use an airbrush at this point to add some At last, I finally reach the color stage! I start by
Step 4 haze to the background and to help achieve creating a new layer in Color mode. I like the
Here I add in the poor guys who are going a better feeling of depth. I also make the contrast between orange and blue, and so this
to be facing the darkness of the night in this foreground darker – which isn’t too important is the color scheme I choose for the base work
scene, and possibly also dealing with the fear at this stage as you can always do this towards of this particular scene. It also works well with
of their own deaths (Fig.05). the end of the painting (Fig.06). the story of the sundown (Fig.07).

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Step 7
I create a Color Balance layer here and add
some blue to the shadows. I also add more red
and yellow to the highlights (Fig.08).

Step 8
Now it’s time to add textures. Using the color of
textures can prove useful; they can work very
well when you get into thinking about color in
your painting. For the textures in this piece I
use a Soft Light layer, from the layer palette.
I have three texture layers in total; you can
use textures to distort or even to add more
perspective to your painting. I use this trick on
the mountains (Fig.09).

Step 9
I use an Overlay layer here, which is great for
creating nice color effects – kind of like a glaze
does with oil paint. Here I further detail the
mountain area (Fig.10).

Step 10
I continue to add story and mood to the scene
by creating a fire in the centre of the huddled
guys in the middle ground, and painting the
reflection from the fire onto the men. All of this further helps with the connection between the
helps to focus the viewer’s attention on the foreground and background, as mentioned
people on the scene and assists with the story before (Fig.12).
of the camp at dusk (Fig.11).
Step 12
Step 11 This stage is all about helping to define the
Adding some light to the foreground and rocks and shapes, with some detailing brush
middle ground area here is a good move – it work (Fig.13).

Step 13
Using a Color layer is a really important trick
to bring in at the end of a painting; you can
create the color directly on the image, which
is pretty exciting! I’ve never worked with oil
paints before, but I do know a little about it
and I think that if a digital painter can have
an understanding of traditional oil and acrylic
painting then it can help them to create a
better digital painting. Understanding color is
important, as is the affect of applying a glaze to
a finished painting, which is what I’m currently

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trying to develop an understanding of. With my

Color layer here, I try to imitate the affect that a
glaze might (I assume) create on a traditional
painting of a similar subject (Fig.14).

Step 14
Back lighting. I like it when there is light behind
your camera; it seems to give more feeling
to an image. To do this, I create a new layer
in Normal mode and just paint with the color
I want. Take a look at the mountain in the
background (Fig.15); it’s important to use
colors for shapes. I’m very happy with how the
red looks there, beside the shadow color – I
really like this part of the image.

To finish up, I select all of the layers, drag and

drop them into a new layer (using the function
at the bottom of the layer palette to create the
new layer), and then press Ctrl + E. I go to
Sharpen > Unsharp Mask and set the options
as required to make a nicely sharp image. To
achieve more depth in your scene it can also
be a good idea to erase some areas, if needs
be. This also helps to create more of a feeling
of focus.

As a final note, be sure to enjoy painting and

be happy with your final outcome. Thanks for
reading!

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The a ppr oa c hing s wa r m lo ok e d bibl ic a l in s c a l e

By Justin Albers
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
This was a very doom and gloom sounding
piece, but had the potential to be epic. When
I first read the caption I had two ideas – one
was an Amazonian jungle setting populated by
huge wasps or mosquitoes; the other was of
a burning, orange Egyptian desert swarming
with locusts or scarabs. I decided to go with the
second, just because I like painting deserts!

Step 1
I’ve opened up a portrait-style canvas because
I’m thinking I’ll want to have a lot of sky in there
to show off the magnitude of the swarm. This is
the part where I just experiment with colors and
texture brushes until I find something I like. The
palette here is pretty tame, and at this point I
think I need to go much warmer (Fig.01).

Step 2
I start to scribble in some shapes and define
my composition. I know I want something in
the foreground to denote scale. I also want
some sort of ancient ruins or a sacred-looking monolithic structure in the background with Step 3
building way in the back that’s being threatened sand pouring out of it, but while this seems I decide to substitute the huge Egyptian
by this insect invasion, and then in the middle pretty cool at first, it quickly starts to appear too structure for a smaller, more rectangular
ground I want to show lots of sand. I toy busy. In addition, I begin to finalize the shape building that has some Middle Eastern
around with the idea of having a huge Egyptian of the rocks in the foreground (Fig.02). influences in the architecture. I still want to

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maintain a bit of a fantasy element to it, so I’m

making stuff up as I go and reinforcing it with
referenced details. I’m also defining the rock
and sand in the middle ground (Fig.03).

Step 4
I start to refine the composition, often checking
in the Navigator window to be sure the piece
is reading properly. I’m happy with the color
palette; I like the blues with the oranges,
browns and yellows. Now that I have these
main elements in, it’s time to add in the
nightmarish swarm of insects (Fig.04).

Step 5
Here I’ve painted in what I imagine one of
these insects to look like, making a point to
keep it fairly clean around the edges. I decide
to make it a blue color to contrast with the
surrounding oranges. I’m thinking these are
about the size of a hawk… which is grossly big
for an insect (Fig.05).

Step 6
Once I have the scarab designed I make a
brush out of it. To do this, I copy the layer with
the bug on it and paste it into a new canvas
so that it’s by itself on a white background.
Then I go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and
name it “Scarab”. I go into the Brushes tab and
modify it; I check the Shape Dynamics and
the Scattering tabs and adjust the sliders until

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it looks somewhat like a natural swarm. I also bright sunny day in the desert with a couple
alter the spacing in the Brush Tip Shape tab of annoying flies. To make the scene more
(Fig.06). exciting, I add more insects in the background
so that the swarm starts to blot out the sky. I
Step 7 also add a scarab or two into the foreground
I’m trying out the new brush I made. It works and blur them out so that they appear
great and makes an easy bug swarm. I make close enough to be out of focus. I add an
myself a few bug swarm layers and set the approaching sand/thunderstorm to the fray to
opacities at different percentages to make help add to the chaos of the scene. My thinking
some appear further away. I combine these is that this tower has been cursed and is being
layers with the original bug that I painted and subjected to a plague of carnivorous scarabs,
copy them a few times to create the swarm sand and lightning storms that will eventually
(Fig.07). destroy the tower and its inhabitants. Also, the
figure in the foreground, who is a scout or a
Step 8 lookout, looks like he’s just chillin’ on the rocks
I’m happy with the swarm but it doesn’t feel with not a care in the world. So I add in some
nightmarish or biblical enough! It feels like a scarabs attacking him, forcing him to defend

himself. I also add in the lightning, because

lightning looks cool. I darken the foreground to
really put emphasis on the swarm flying past
and also lighten the area on the rocks by the
scout to add focus to that little interest spot as
well (Fig.08).

Step 9
I make a few more adjustments to the piece
after receiving some friendly critique. I make
the foreground rock formation smaller and add
in some ground details to open up the piece a
little bit and make it feel less cluttered. Also, I
ditch the building and add a huge insect hive;
the image reads better fictionally to have the
swarm pouring out from this thing and I turn
the figure into some kind of warlock dude. I
think adding in the giant, disgusting insect hive
makes it feel more dangerous and nightmarish
as the topic implies. I also add some gray to
the middle and background to push those
elements back into the painting (Fig.09).

As a speed painting this guy is pretty much

done. I will probably go back and tighten up my
edges by making a selection of each piece and
painting inside it to make them precise. I will
also tighten up the storm clouds and possibly
add a few more scarabs.

And that’s enough talk of man-eating bugs for

one day!

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The m a c hine wa s t he ir only m e a n s of e s c a pe

By Emrah Elm asli
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction theme so I decided to paint it. It will be very a at 150 dpi. Firstly, I need to block the main
Hello everyone! First of all, I would like to let simple and graphical composition with strong shapes and colors in, so I’ll choose a textured
you know that this month’s speed painting use of colour. So let’s get started. flat brush and start to paint. I won’t be using
will be homage to English sci-fi painter, John any fancy brushes for this speedy, so that it’s
Harris. When I first heard about the theme, Step 1 easier for you to replicate what I do (hopefully).
the first thing that came to my mind was this As usual, I’ll be using Adobe Photoshop CS3 Anyway, I’m trying to create a silhouette of a
scene, which is similar to one of John Harris’s for this tutorial. It’s going to be a vertical space ship with basic brush strokes; I’m trying
paintings. I thought it would really suit this composition, so I’ll create a new A4 canvas to be really loose at this step of the painting
(Fig.01). I also draw some perspective lines to
create an illusion of depth to help me while I’m
painting, and I’m using a very strong orange
on the background because it’s going to be a
huge Sun!

Step 2
I create another layer to mask the upper part of
the Sun and give it a nice round curve (Fig.02).
I also create an Overlay layer and paint on
the Sun to give it a basic form. Now I can start
to paint in the details. I start with blue smoke
coming from the launch pad; blue creates a
really good contrast with the orange at the
back. For the foreground I paint in a wide road
going towards the launch pad. Then I pay some
more attention to the spaceship and paint in
some more details on the launch pad. Small
lights add an illusion of life to them.

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Step 3
For the next step I will just carry on detailing.
I’ll paint the prominent areas on the Sun and
add detail to the chromosphere (the Sun’s
atmosphere) (Fig.03). I’m still not sure about
the shape of the space ship, by the way; I’ll
probably try to define a good shape for it whilst
I finish the painting. I thought a rectangular
shape with sharp edges would look good, but
it looks like a building instead of a ship, so I’ll
soften the edges in the future steps.

Step 4
It’s now time to paint the people walking on the
road, who are all heading towards the space
ship to embark and get the hell out of there,
because the Sun is getting closer! That ship is
their only chance to save them from extinction.
As you can see, I soften the edges of the ship
here – it looks more like a vehicle now. I won’t
give any form to it because I want to keep it like
a silhouette (Fig.04).

Final
Almost done now! I always adjust colours while
I’m painting, so here I open a new adjustment
layer and tweak the colours a little; darkening
the painting by adding some blue to it. This is
the way I paint: adding contrast while I paint.
As a final touch, I apply a texture to the Sun,
using a picture of the Sun that I found on the
internet, and just overlaying it on the painting.
I erase out the parts I don’t want and that’s it –
done (Fig.05)!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this painting process.

Thanks for reading!

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Fear engulfed them as they realized they were

about to die
By Emrah Elm asli
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
The subject for this speed painting is quite
interesting – I get to figure out how to draw a
few people who are about to die! So after doing
a few sketches in my sketchbook I decide to
go with a simple but effective composition. I’m
going to draw a giant coming out of a forest,
walking towards a couple of humans, who are
of course terrified because this giant is really
mad! There’s no place to escape and, well,
anyway – you get the idea so let’s get started!

Step 1
My main software for speed painting is Adobe
Photoshop. I’ll be using CS3 for this piece.
For the first step I start by creating a new file;
it’s going to be a vertical composition so an
A4 canvas at 150 dpi will do. I need to block
the main colors in, and I choose to go with a
brownish and purplish palette. I use a textured Step 2 out from the darkness. This also creates a
“palette knife” kind of brush to block the colors I create a new layer and start to paint the giant mysterious atmosphere (Fig.02).
in, trying to determine the places of rocks and in, using the same block-in brush for this as
trees very roughly. I also apply some very well. Starting with a dark color I slowly paint Step 3
simple lighting into the scene. I guessed direct some highlights and flesh-out this enormous The next step is to start detailing. I don’t do
midday sunlight would do (Fig.01). creature. I use light purple for the highlights anything special just yet; I’m just painting
because I imagine that this guy is coming straight away and trying to figure out the

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gesture of the giant. I figure he’s going to be

holding a big club which he’s carved from a
tree trunk. Forming the background at the
same time, I use green to create a feeling of
fogginess. I want to use a kicker light for the
giant to separate him from the background a
bit, so I paint in a very slight yellow light hitting
him from behind. At this point the image is
starting to come together (Fig.03a – b).

Step 4
Time to paint in the terrified humans! I use a
very small brush because these guys are going

to be tiny in comparison to the giant. I start

painting them in, trying to capture a “trapped”
kind of gesture. When happy with the result
I can start making the highlights glow a little.
To do this I create a new layer and select
Overlay from the layer options, then select a
de-saturated yellow and start painting. This
basically gives a glow effect and helps to
enhance the mood of the piece (Fig.04).

Final
It’s almost finished now; there are only a few
details left. I continue adding the blood on the
giant’s club and mouth. It also fix his right hand,
because it looks somewhat odd. Lastly, I create
an Adjustment layer to adjust the colors slightly
(Image > Adjustments > Color Balance) and I
want some more blue in the piece so I increase
the amount of blue and cyan until I’m happy
with it. And I think that’s about it (Fig.05)!

Hope you like it and thanks for reading!

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custom brushes Digital painting can easily feel a bit artificial
if you are not careful. Custom brushes give
a great counterweight to this. What I like
about custom brushes is the freedom they
give me to experiment with different mediums
all in the same painting. I can approach the
painting as if it is oil on a canvas and in the
next step paint directly over it with what feels like a ballpoint pen.

In this painting I’ve integrated several custom brushes to show the range
you can achieve when creating various textures. With one brush I can
define the semi abstract volumes of the smoke, and with a different
brush I can create the smooth reflective qualities of the locomotive. This
adds variety and helps entertain the eye. Contrast doesn’t necessarily
have to mean value or shapes, but can be how you treat the variety of
textures in your painting. For this, custom brushes are a great aid.

Thomas Pringle
[email protected]
http://www.pringleart.com
custom brushes

Custom Brushes for Fabric and Lace

By Nykolai Aleksander
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
Seeing realistically painted fabrics and material
is always awe-inspiring. We wonder how an
artist achieved it, managing to apply such
amounts of details and textures without going
insane in the process – those of us who’ve
tried to do it all one stroke at a time have
certainly had our brush with insanity (excuse
the pun!). Yes, it is manageable, but intensely
time-consuming aside from anything else.

This is where custom brushes come to the

rescue.

To use custom brushes for fabrics, embroidery

and lace is not quite as simple as it may seem
at first glance, and still requires some time to
get right, but it is a lot less aggravating than
having to do it all by hand.
thrown-together garb, or a beggar in torn cotton You’ve been looking at photos to give you
Are you curious to see how it works? Then just rags … Maybe you want to paint a dancer inspiration, you have been to textile shops to
keep reading! clad in nothing but net and lace, or design a look at the real deal, and even raided your
wedding dress that will make jaws drop? The own wardrobe to see what certain fabrics look
Pa in t ing R e a l i s t ic picture is there, but the details are missing to like, but you still find it hard to paint it all. Well,
Fabrics distinguish between cotton and silk, lace and you’ve been to all the right places. You just
Let’s assume you have painted a wonderful net, wool and linen, or give the garments that forgot to utilize what you saw. Go back to the
picture with someone wearing a beautiful ball extra little kick with extensive embroidery or textile store and buy a small piece of those
gown, or maybe a pirate in a 17th Century exquisite brocade. items you liked, download the free embroidery

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patterns you saw online, get a fashion and

fabrics book from the library (not for direct
copying though, since even though the fabrics
are not copyrighted, the photos of them are),
and go back to your own wardrobe (or that of a
friend or relative) and pick out the pieces that
hold something of interest – maybe a piece of
lace underwear or net stockings, some torn
jeans, a chunky knit top or a dress with some
nice flower prints on it. And now you’re good
to go!

S i n g l e Pat t e r n
Let’s start with something simple: a single
item to turn into a brush. Here’s a photo of
a T-shirt of mine that has a nice flower print
on it (Fig.01). You can see how I made sure
that the piece was lying flat, and that I tried to too over-saturated (Fig.02). Too much contrast lot better that way once we use it in a painting,
photograph it straight from above. That way, we here can make the image look very scraggly as it won’t look too “cut out”.
eliminate any kind of skewed angles and have and too sharp around the corners, which is not
as few creases as possible, in efforts to avoid very desirable. Sometimes it can be easier to invert the
the problems they may cause later on. image’s colors (Image > Adjustments > Invert)
We can now crop the image with the Cropping so everything that was white will be black, and
The first thing we want to do when we open Tool, trying to get as close to the edges of the vice versa, as it is easier to see that way where
the photo in Photoshop is to desaturate it by flower as possible without touching them. We there’s still some gray areas in the black, than
going to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate, can also adjust the crop rotation if we want to in white. All you need to do before turning the
unless of course the image was taken in black – sometimes it just works better (Fig.03). Now image into a brush later is invert it again to its
and white, like mine. It will be easier this way that is done, we can adjust the picture some original colors. And should you work with the
to optimize the image before turning it into a more, if necessary. There may still be some Eraser tool, make sure your active Background
brush. Some colors turn into grayscale better grayish tones where there should be white, and Color is of course black, not white.
than others – the ones of my T-shirt were we need to get rid of those.
unfortunately not some of them. Essentially, we are now done, but if you feel
We can either do this with the Paintbrush – a that the image could use a little more contrast,
To turn just the flower into a brush, we need simple hard round one is usually the best adjust it once more using Levels. You can
to get rid of the T-shirt surround – Photoshop option here, with Opacity set to Pen Pressure also use the Burn tool with the Mode set to
brushes will use anything that is not white, so if and Color to white – or the Eraser Tool (with Midtones to bring out some of the dark areas a
we were to turn this current image into a brush, the same settings). When using the Eraser bit more (Fig.05).
we‘d get everything we see in it right now. So tool, we need to make sure that our active
we need to get rid of everything but the piece Background Color is white. We then carefully Now the image is ready to be turned into a
we want to keep. Adjusting the Levels of the paint over or erase the bits that need to go brush. Depending on the size of the image, you
photo – Image > Adjustments > Levels – helps (Fig.04). Take your time with this, as you want may have to resize it to be able to turn it into
to get the desired results, making sure that the it to be as perfect as you can get it! Leaving a a brush. In Photoshop CS, the brush size limit
surroundings get as pure white as possible, bit of light gray stippling around the immediate is 2500 pixels on either side (Image > Image
while the flower remains nice and dark but not edges of the flower is okay; it actually works a Size).

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custom brushes

Simply go to Edit > Define Brush Preset, give

your brush a name if you like – and you’re
done (Fig.06 – 07). This kind of brush is useful
for creating stand-alone embellishments on
fabrics, as well as non-continuous repeat
patterns.

You can create lots of brushes like this from

photos or scanned items. The brushes will
stay in your brushes palette until you change
your Brush Set, and then Photoshop will ask
you if you would like to save the changes
made to the current set. You can also create
a completely new set with your own brushes,
by deleting all the brushes in your current set
and then creating new brushes. All you need to
do then is to Save the brushes (click that little
arrow in the top left of your brushes palette to
get the option).

S e a m l e s s Pat t e r n
Let’s move onto something a little trickier: a
seamless brush; one that, when used, creates
a continuous pattern. These can be anything
from knitted fabrics to lace borders.

We start pretty much the same way as we

did with the previous brush, by scanning or
photographing a piece of fabric or clothing.
Here we need to make absolutely sure the
piece is laid out straight, and that we capture it
dead-on from above. No odd angles. Also, we
need to make sure to capture enough of it, so
the pattern can be “stitched” together without
any all-too-obvious seams later. could use anything, as long as it’s dark) to get Some adjustments in the Levels may be
the best contrast. We desaturate as before needed, as before, so work your magic!
I photographed a section of cotton lace border and then invert the colors (Fig.09). This is
(Fig.08) that I’d like to use. As the border itself necessary this time round because we want The next important step is cropping the image.
is white, I put it on a black piece of fabric (you the lace to be the brush, not the surroundings. We need to make absolutely sure that we know

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 custom brushes

where the pattern starts and ends, so that we

can crop it right at that point. If it is a tiny repeat
pattern, as in this case, we can choose a larger
section to make it less obvious that it’s been
stitched together later on when used. The more
variation the better as it makes it look much
more believable (Fig.10).

When cropping, it may become more apparent

that the pattern isn’t perfectly straight – like in
this case. To rectify that, we need to transform
it a bit to get it straight. If we don’t do this, it will
not align properly later.

First, we may want to show the Grid, to get

an idea of where the lines need to be (View
> Show > Grid). We then select the canvas
(Select > All), and then go to Edit > Transform
> Skew. This will let us straighten the
horizontals and verticals out, as well as squish
them to make them line up better (Fig.11).
Once we are done with this, we can crop the
pattern (Fig.12).

We now proceed as before with making a new

brush, and once we’ve done this we need to
adjust it to create a seamless pattern:

We open a new canvas and select the brush.

We then open the Brush Presets palette
(Fig.13a). Click on Brush Tip Shape at the top
of the list on the left. You’ll see lots of options
there, but the one we need to pay attention as the preview isn‘t quite that accurate. If adjust it every time you want to use the brush
to is the Spacing (Fig.13b). Moving the slider there’s a gap between the segments, or they (Fig.13c).
to the right spaces the brush out more and still overlap, fine-tune the Spacing manually by
more. Move it until you can see the segments increasing or decreasing the percentage. Once This kind of brush is useful for large surface
touching each other, instead of overlapping one you‘re happy with it, create a new brush preset texture or embellishment, like lace and
another. Try the brush on an empty canvas, from the existing one so you don‘t have to embroidery borders.

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By the way, if you cannot tell if a brush is dashed or solid circles, swirls, zigzags, or depending on whether you want a seamless
aligned right because your straight line whatever you can think of that will help with pattern or a stand-alone/repeat one.
drawing ability is a bit under the weather – like painting patterns by hand. I usually like to
mine – just press and hold the Shift key on paint all my patterns, no matter what they are, Using Fabric Brushes
your keyboard while you draw the line – it will and then use them as brushes, rather than Download the Free Brushes with this tutorial
automatically be straight. photographing actual items. Painting and and we’ll have a look at how to best use the
designing your own patterns really gives you main brushes in the set. You will notice when
H a nd Pa in t e d endless freedom. you open it in Photoshop that I’ve already
Pat t e r n s adjusted the settings of the brushes so they
Of course, we can also paint patterns by hand, The method for creating a brush for these is work as they should, but that shouldn’t stop
or even make small brushes such as dotted, the same as the two previously described, you from playing around with them.

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 custom brushes

The easiest ones to use are the Single Pattern

brushes. I have not provided any settings for
these, as they are usually stamped onto an
image rather than used to paint. Here are two
examples of brushes like that (Fig.14).

When using these kinds of brushes, always

make sure you use them on a separate layer
as they need to be adjusted. Why? Because
they need to follow the flow and folds of the
fabric they are on, and have to have the right
perspective, too.

It’s quite simple, really, though you may need a

little bit of practice with this.

Here is one of the patterns on fabric with folds

(Fig.15). If we want the pattern to slightly wrap
around something, like the side of a dress, we
first need to adjust the perspective of it. To do
this, we go into Edit > Transform > Perspective.
We now push and pull at the corners and sides
of the Transform tool until we get it roughly
in the right position. If some of the pattern is
going over the edges of the fabric, it shouldn’t
be of any concern to us at the moment. Let’s
continue with making the pattern fold. The fun
starts here!

If you’re working on a small area in a rather big

painting, you may want to select the area the
pattern is in with the Marquee Tool. This will
cut down the loading time of the tool (or filter?)
we’ll be using next, namely Liquify. You can find
it under Filter > Liquify, and it‘s a small program
all in itself (Fig.16).

To do what we are about to do, choose the

Forward Warp tool and adjust your brush size
to what is appropriate for what you need. The
brush should be slightly larger in diameter than
what we are about to warp. Also make sure
you have Show Backdrop ticked at the bottom,
and Mode set to Behind, while Opacity should
be something between 50 and 70. I personally
also like to show the Mesh, as it gives me a
better indication of what I am doing.

Now we gently start to push the pattern into

the folds of the fabric, using short, one-way
strokes, lifting the brush off after every stroke.
Resize the brush as often as needed. For large

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or long areas, such as flower stems, we need

to start at one end and slowly work our way to
the other end with repeated brushstrokes. It
is impossible here to make long strokes as it
will only warp the part where you first set your
brush down on the canvas (Fig.17).

The deeper the folds, the more we need to

push the pattern into them, creating the illusion
of it bending with the fabric. If folds overlap,
it may be wise to first cut the pattern up and
actually remove part of it (where the folds
would hide the pattern) and then put it back
together before using the Liquify filter.

Once we have our result (Fig.18), we may

have to adjust it some more here and there, as
sometimes it is hard to judge where the pattern
is going while using the Liquify filter.

At this point, if parts of the texture or pattern go

over the edges of whatever they are on, just
erase those parts.

This still doesn’t look quite right because the

pattern is one single block of color; it needs folds of the fabric. To easily paint over the like? I could just refer you to the final image,
shadows and highlights according to the light pattern we click on the little Lock Transparent but figured it’d be nice to see them just by
source in the painting, and according to the Pixels icon at the top left of our layer palette themselves for a clearer view (Fig.20 – 24).
(the small checkered square) – this will do what
it says: lock all transparent pixels, leaving you Conclusion
to paint happily over everything else on the Working with these kinds of brushes may take
layer, which in this case is the pattern, until you some getting used to, but the result is well
are happy (Fig.19). worth the time taken. I truly hope this little
tutorial is of some help in getting you started
This is pretty much what you need to do every with it all.
single time you use a complete fabric texture or
just a pattern – no matter what it is. If it’s not a Detailing your paintings should be fun, and
flat surface, it needs to go with the direction of with these brushes it will hopefully be just that.
the fabric. There is no way around that. At all! And if you’re really into it, you may even find
yourself keeping an eye open for new patterns
All the textures and embellishments in the final all the time, be it when shopping, reading
image of this tutorial were applied with that magazines or browsing online. Or, like me,
same method. you’ll start a whole folder on your computer of
hand-painted patterns that you can adjust or
By the way, sometimes a brush like these looks modify as you please, when you please. The
even better if you apply the Median filter or possibilities are truly endless.
a slight Gaussian Blur, just to make textures
(especially photographed or scanned ones) You can download a custom brush (ABR) file
look more painted and more part of the image. to accompany this tutorial from:
www.3dtotal.com/dptresources.
So now that we have looked at one brush in These brushes have been
action, what do some of the other brushes look created using Photoshop CS3.

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custom brushes

Custom Brushes for R ock/Metal/Stone Te xtures

By Carlos Cabrera
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
I have been asked on many occasions how I
create the rock textures that often appear in
my illustrations – on walls, backgrounds, even
on characters. The secret is a rare passion for
painting stones… as well as, of course, a set
of custom brushes for this purpose, which I am
going to now share with you all.

We are basically going to be working with two

kinds of brushes: a metal chain brush and
a rock/stone brush. So let’s begin – starting
things off with the stone brush.

Rock/Stone Brush
The first thing we need to do is to find a nice
stone picture from our texture library. For this
tutorial I’m going to use a free texture from The different shades of gray will work as levels black and white so you don’t need color), and
3DTotal, one of my favorite texture resource of opacity. For our first brush we don’t need too tweak the Levels adjustment (go to Image >
sites (Go to www.3dtotal.com > Free Stuff > many shades of gray because the image will Adjustments > Levels) until almost all of the
Textures) (Fig.01). be very transparent, and we need a more solid gray tones have been eliminated (Fig.02).
color for our stone.
Before we start, you’ll need to understand We now have a nice black and white texture
how brushes work. The texture image we Open the texture up in a new Photoshop with the correct Levels for our new brush, so
are going to be using for our new brush will document (I’m working with Photoshop CS3, the next step is for us to decide on how our
be desaturated, which means it will have no but this tutorial can be followed in any version brush is going to look. Select the Eraser tool,
color at all. White in a brush will represent the of Photoshop). Press Ctrl + U to desaturate and with a soft paintbrush erase anything that
transparent color, and black will be a solid one. the image (remember that the brushes work in you don’t want to be part of the brush, trying

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 custom brushes

to create an irregular shape. To improve our Brush Tip Shape. In the window that appears
texture we are going to deform it using the on the right of the Brushes tab, we are going to
Warp function (go to Edit > Transform > Warp). modify the Spacing percentage to 16, leave the
Try to match the shape of that shown in Fig.03. Angle at zero, and let the Roundness remain
at 100% (Fig.04). If we test our new brush we
Another way of doing this is using the Liquify will see that it still needs some more work in
tool. Some people prefer this way because it the Brush Preset settings – the stroke looks
is more visual and you have more settings to strange and is much too repetitive.
tweak, but I always use the Warp tool – it’s
simple and quick. The next preset we want to explore is Shape
Dynamics (Fig.05), so select it and you’ll Count at just one. With this preset, the brush
The texture is now ready to become a brush. then be able to set the Angle Jitter Control will repeat itself and overlay the strokes, as we
Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset. Give the to Direction, meaning the shape of our brush can see in Fig.06.
brush a name, and then hit OK. And voilà! Our will now follow our graphics tablet or mouse
brush has now been created. You will find your direction. Getting around the Direction control Now for the fun part! Let’s select Color
brush available in the brush menu (you can is one of the most important aspects of this Dynamics now; you’ll need to apply the same
right-click on the canvas for a shortcut to it). custom brush technique, as we will be able to settings as you can see in Fig.07. I’m going to
see later on when we create our metal chain stop here for a moment to explain this preset.
With the easiest part done, we now need to brush.
modify the settings to improve our new brush. If we compare the previous image (see Fig.06)
So click on the Brushes tab on the top-right of Moving onto the Scattering options now, we’re with Fig.07, we can see that the stroke is
the workspace, and in the Brush Presets select going to set Scatter to 85%, and we’ll leave the monochromatic, with one color, and lifeless. As

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we know from experience, rocks and stones

have different color values, light variations and
characteristics that make each one unique.
Some stones are green from moss growth, or
violet from weathering by the elements. Well,
with these presets, you can play with the color,
brightness and saturation of your brush. In
Fig.07 you can appreciate the different color
values and light variations with just a few
simple changes on the controls. So at this
step I’m going to recommend that you find the
value you like the most for your own brush – as
you can see it’s easy and the possibilities are
enormous!

Last but not least, we have the Other Dynamics

preset to play with (Fig.08). Let’s change the
control of the Opacity Jitter to Pen Pressure;
however, if you’re working with a mouse and
not a graphics tablet you won’t be able to utilize
this option.

Right-click on your canvas now and select New

Brush Preset so that we don’t lose any of the
changes we’ve just made to our new brush.
And that’s it! – Done! Easy and simple! Here is
how our new brush looks (Fig.09). If we test it
out we’ll discover that it has pressure opacity,
pen direction and refined color variation –
perfect for painting rock and stone textures!
Our rock/stone brush is now complete, but
Metal Chain Brush have gone with a high percentage of Spacing
there is still the matter of metal to cover, so
The first step is the same as before: find a because I need to tweak the space between
let’s now get started on creating our very own
texture of a metal chain. The difference this every link in my chain; if you use a low value
metal chain brush.
time is that we need to make it tileable. To do your links will be too far apart from one another
this, choose the Rectangular Marquee tool and other. On the other hand, if you use too high
select from the centre point of two links in the a value then you may finish up with a weird
chain, as shown in Fig.10. shape overall and no links at all! So play
around and see what you can come up with,
Copy and paste this into a bigger document. remembering to save the Brush Presets each
By pressing Ctrl + J, you can duplicate the time you find a brush that works for you – you
layer; you’ll then need to flip it by going to Edit can save as many variations of one brush as
> Transform > Flip Horizontal. See if the chain you like, the limitations are endless!
links are looking correct at this point, and check
Original photo
if they are tileable (Fig.11). Conclusion
The best way to learn with custom brushes is
C o p y, p a s t e & r o t at e When you are happy with your new tileable by playing with the settings. As you can see
chain texture, follow the first steps of this from this tutorial, making your own brushes in
Tileable photo tutorial once again as you go through the Brush Photoshop is not hard at all. I would like you
Presets, finding the right settings for your new to take this tutorial as a starting point for the
brush. Remember to set the Direction Control future of your custom brush collection (Fig.12).
of the Angle Jitter preset, and focus on the
Spacing percentage. For this chain brush I

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custom brushes

C u s t o m B r u s h e s f o r T r e e s , l e av e s a n d B r a n c h e s
By R oberto F · Ca str o
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
Drawing any type of vegetation is not an easy
task! One of the main problems many artists
face is the creation of credible trees and
brushes for their paintings. The best way to win
this battle is to carefully observe the vegetation
around us, and to create a set of brushes that
will create a good effect on our canvas.

All you need to make a good tree is your

graphics tablet, your pen, and this tutorial! I’m Life drawing – to shape “clouds” of leaves. It may sound very
sure that advanced painters will find some tips pa i n t i n g v e g e tat i on poetic, but keep this in mind as it will be useful
and tricks here, whilst beginners should not Trees and vegetation have been one of the for this tutorial.
fear any of this either! So let’s get started. more difficult things for artists to draw and
paint. And the reason for this is simple: Like Q u i c k T i p : Digital art
animals or humans, trees have an organic provides artists with a useful weapon:
and random structure that can’t be easily brushes. The creation of adequate brushes
assimilated. Most of the time, trees in a scene is not the solution to a bad drawing
are in the middle or far distance. It’s for this technique, but the use of them will make
reason that I’m going to focus this tutorial our work faster and more effective. First
on painting trees and vegetation that will not of all, trust in your head; when you have a
appear too close to the observer. clear idea of what you want to paint, use the
tools available. These kinds of tutorials are
It is important to understand that leaves, perfect for designing useful tools for your
branches and the trunk are all parts of the work!
same element: the tree. In some way, painting
foliage is not far from painting clouds or cotton- As an example to illustrate this tutorial, I’ve
shaped materials; the leaves gather together selected one of my images called “Citadel”,

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 custom brushes

which has a great combination of different

types of vegetation elements. I’ve also selected
this particular painting because the tree is
one of the main elements of the composition.
Moreover, we can see a far-off forest at the
bottom of the image, as well as some examples
of ground leaves and grass.

Custom brushes to
d r aw l e av e s – A n g l e
J i t t e r a n d S c at t e r i n g
effects
First of all, you have to know what kind of tree
you want to paint for your scene. Pines, for
example are different in shape and structure
from oaks or birches. In my own image, I
decided to paint a rounded tree with elliptical
leaves. The truth is that you don’t need more
than two brushes to paint tree foliage: one is
used to paint the grouped leaves (the compact
mass of leaves), and another is used to paint
scattered leaves (to paint the leaves of small
branches and to give detail and brightness to
foliage).

The first step is to select a photograph or

image of grouped leaves and convert it to
Grayscale mode (Fig.01 – 02) (I recommend
you gather photos of trees and vegetation
to have a good collection of images that will

help you to create brushes). We then have to the canvas, save the brush and name it (I’ve
edit the image to define it and finish around named mine foliage brush).
its borders (Fig.03). Because leaves in the
real world are never completely opaque, I For the other brush of scattered leaves we
recommend that you adjust the image’s levels need to isolate one leaf in the grayscale image
to reach a medium-dark tone of gray. we obtained earlier (Fig.05). The parameters in
the Brushes Editor are the same as the foliage
We convert the image to a brush now (Define brush, only with one difference: we have to this
Brush Preset in Photoshop’s Edit menu) and time check the Scattering effect. Try the brush
open up the Brushes Editor. As we want the with different values to get a suitable result
borders of our strokes to appear irregular, we (Fig.06). I have named this brush, scattered
have to set Angle Jitter to the maximum level. leaves.
You can also slightly adjust the Roundness
Jitter to get a random deformation of the leaves Brushes for branches
(Fig.04). Regarding the Opacity, I usually – the Direction
control this with the Pen Pressure setting. controller
Adjust it to your needs and paint whatever is We only need to design one more brush to
convenient for you. Once you’ve completed create a tangle of branches now. Collect some
the editing of your brush, and it feels good on images of trees without leaves (winter images

197 Chapter 6
custom brushes

of trees are perfect!) as these will be helpful. I

prefer branches to be not too dense or complex
(Fig.07), but this decision depends on the
kind of tree you want to paint, of course. After
removing the trunk and some branches, we
can define our new brush (Fig.08).

This brush has a new and interesting effect

in that the rotation is now being controlled
by the stroke’s direction. Photoshop allows
us to position the brush image depending on
the movement and direction of our pen. You
just have to change the Angle Jitter control
parameter to Direction to get this working
(Fig.09). A more precise way to do this is to
select Pen Tilt, instead of Direction, but you
should note that this is only applicable when
using a pen which is sensitive to vertical
rotation.

We can try the new brush out now and check

how it works using the Direction controller. As
a final touch, I adjust the Spacing on the brush,
and save it out. In my set of brushes that come
free with this tutorial you will find this brush
labeled branches.

Using the brushes – The next thing we need to tackle is the foliage.
drawing trees The time has now come to prove our painting
The steps to paint a tree are easy, but you’re skills! This may prove to be the more difficult
probably going to need some practice before part in this process, so take your time and
you have full control over your new brushes. try as many times as are required to get the
Before going any further, we have to create a results you want.
layer for the trunk and branches, and another
one for the foliage. We select a dark color and start painting on
another new layer with spiral motions of our
The first step is to create the branch framework hand, using the foliage brush to apply leaves to
of the tree on a new layer. In my Citadel the branches of our tree. We must be sure not
painting, I draw the trunk on the top of a to create foliage too near the trunk, nor on the
mound. I then choose the branches brush border of exterior edges of branches. The best
we designed just a moment ago, and make way to do this is to concentrate on the leaves
a clockwise stroke to create the basic branch in the central area. As you can see in Fig.11 I
structure of the tree (Fig.10). Don’t be afraid of have deliberately left empty spaces where the
the result of the branches brush; the placement branches appear through the masses of leaves
of the leaves in the next step will prevent us (marked with circles).
from seeing most of the small parts of them.

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 custom brushes

Once we’ve finished the main mass, select add more green mass unnecessarily. Use any the distant mass of trees. As we can see in
the scattered leaves brush and define the brush you consider suitable to give more detail most landscape paintings, the distant trees and
outer border of the foliage (Fig.12). When we and definition (Fig.13). And be careful with the woods are usually represented as an undefined
use custom brushes, keep the Brushes Editor light source in the scene – as you can see in mass without detail. The rule is simple: The
open as a helpful habit. You can modify the my image, I’ve created a backlight ambient that longer the distance of an object from the
Scattering effect (or any other parameter) shapes the tree with dark tones of green. observer, the lower the amount of detail it will
quickly, according to your needs, at any time. have. In the free brushes set that come with
The distant wooden this tutorial, you will find several brushes to
Finally, select lighter colors to create volume mass – lighting tree paint distant vegetation.
over the mass of leaves. Lock Transparent crowns
Pixels on this layer so you can be sure not to Let’s move onto something a little easier now: So let’s now pass from theory to practice. Use
the wooden mass brush to create the base
of your wood. I’ve simply used a photograph
of a tree to create it (Fig.14 – 15). By adding
a Scattering effect, Angle Jitter and controlling
the Opacity with Pen Pressure, you can obtain
lots of brushes to create a wooden mass. As
mentioned at the beginning of this tutorial,
painting trees is similar to painting clouds or
cotton!

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custom brushes

To define the crown of the trees we have

created a brush starting from another new
photograph. As we need to see the tops of the
trees, we can edit the image and erase the
lower part of it (Fig.16 – 17). The result is a
vegetation arch facing down that will be very
useful to provide volume to the plain mass
we painted before. All we do with this brush is
light the tree crowns. You’ll find it in the free
set labeled as the tree border brush. Note
that in the Brushes Editor, I have activated the
Direction controller to obtain a more flexible
drawing technique.

I have created an example in Fig.18 so you

can see this in action. I have used only two
tones of gray to show the advantage and
simplicity of using this painting method. In the
top image, we start by creating rough stains 1
with the wooden mass brush to simulate
volume. We then complete our wood by
defining the borders with the tree border brush
in the second image. It’s easy, really! In few
seconds we’ll reach a perfect and realistic
result without too much effort.

Custom brushes for

everything you can
imagine!
2
Creating custom brushes is a meticulous task
that will bring you a new range of possibilities My trunk roughness, grass leaves, and light There are lots of possibilities in the creation
to your drawing techniques. All the custom vegetation brushes are some of the other of custom brushes, and I’ll be very pleased if
brushes I have compiled for this tutorial vegetation brushes I have used, as you can this tutorial serves as inspiration to create new
are used in the Citadel image, and you can see in Fig.19. Take a look and think about the methods to face the difficult work of painting
download the brushes with this tutorial for free. different treatment of the vegetation elements trees and vegetation. We could spend pages
Explore them and create your own new ones regarding their position in the scene, the and pages explaining how to design brushes
for different tree species for your paintings. lighting, and the perspective (Fig.20). for countless purposes, but at the end of it all,
the most important thing is not my theory, it’s
your practice!

Thank you for reading this tutorial, and good

luck with your own custom brush creations!

You can download a custom brush (ABR) file

to accompany this tutorial from: www.3dtotal.
com/dptresources. These brushes have been
created using Photoshop CS3.

Chapter 6 200
See more
from
Roberto F.
Castro

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custom brushes

Custom Brushes for Crowds

By Richard Tilbury
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
Custom brushes are a powerful part of
Photoshop and form a particularly valuable
asset amongst any digital artist’s set of tools.
These enable the artist to tailor his or her range
of marks and brushstrokes, adding a new
dimension to the work and injecting the canvas
with a varied and rich dynamic.

Customizing brushes can help condense the

physical qualities of a material or surface within
a few deft strokes, and therefore describe the
subject matter in both an economical and yet
highly effective manner. This technique can can create a complicated array in a matter revolve around the theme of crowding and
also save much time in the case of repeating a of minutes as well as maintaining a plausible flocking etc. I decided that as opposed to
motif for example. result. a very dry exercise focusing purely on the
process of creating a brush, it would be more
The subject matter in this image has been This is another practical aspect of Photoshop’s appropriate to use an actual scene.
used as a vehicle for showing groupings in one brushes which allow specific brushes to
form or another; in this case people, insects be used to save time; something which The first brush I made centred on people as
and birds. These, of course, can be painted is becoming ever more important in the this is probably the most obvious. As with all of
individually but by customizing a brush we quickening pace of today’s art and design my painting projects, my first port of call was
industry. the internet in search of reference pictures.
Crowds are a challenging topic as there seems
Crowds to be no apparent structure to them other than
To make this tutorial a little more interesting shoulders and heads and even these vary
I thought it would be better to have a context depending on the distance and angle from the
for my custom brushes which in this instance viewer.

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 custom brushes

When you look at a crowd it seems to be an

almost indiscernible mesh of abstract marks
and colored dots. The difficulty comes when
you try to extrapolate a repetitive motif or
shape that consistently describes what you are
looking at.

I tried an abstract approach initially using a

variety of shapes but in the end it simply looked
like a pattern of different sized dots and nothing
more. In the end I decided to start with what I
knew, i.e. a shape representing the upper torso
as seen in Fig.01.

It made sense to use a shape that looked

correct and then use the brush parameters to
create the random array of shapes visible in name and save your brush. Once done it will
images of crowds. appear at the base of your brush library within
the brush presets.
Once you have made a template like this you
need to save it as a brush in order to use it. When you select and use your brush it is likely
To do this, open the brush preset picker (small it will not appear as you would wish and this is It may be that when you drag your brush along
arrow next to brush tool) and then click on the due to the default settings. To gain access to the canvas it will produce a solid line as seen
small square icon in the upper right (Fig.02). the brush parameters click on the small icon in the left window. This is due to the Spacing
This opens a dialogue box where you can along the toolbar (ringed in red in Fig.03). within the Brush Tip Shape being set to low,
11% in this case.

Some of the settings will need to be modified in

order to refine the brush and mean that it works
the way it should which I will cover next.

Fig.04 shows the brush stamped four times

using a mouse and the resultant pattern it
makes without any alterations. I changed the
Spacing under the Tip Shape to 138% which
overlapped the strokes slightly (Fig.05).

I then flipped the X Jitter under Shape

Dynamics to add a little variation (Fig.06).

I altered the settings under Scattering as seen

in Fig.07 and that about finished the crowd
brush.

When put into practice it resembles something

similar to Fig.08. Obviously legs would need
to be painted on the nearest figures or a brush
created with the whole body for the extreme
foreground.

The brush can be seen here in the final image

(Fig.09).

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Flocks
The next brush I wanted to create was one
for painting flocks of birds which has become
a very popular icon in both film and digital
painting. This is far simpler than the previous
brush and the best way to start is to search for
some photo references of birds.

Make a selection area around the birds you

wish to include in your brush and then fill them
in with a pure black. Delete the surrounding
areas just leaving the bird silhouettes as seen
in Fig.10.

Save this out as a new brush as done

previously and you will have a brush that now
resembles your original pattern (Fig.11). Roundness Jitter helps flatten a few birds out You can see these settings applied in Fig.13
as though they are flying “side on” to the viewer and how they add randomness to the two
I altered the Shape Dynamics and Scattering and if you didn’t want any to appear upside brush strokes. The final result can be seen
to those parameters seen in Fig.12. The down you could turn off the Flip Y Jitter. here in Fig.14 where you will notice a few birds
are upside down but from a distance this reads
ok.

S wa r m s
Another brush I created was aimed at painting
insects. I painted in a few abstract shapes that
represented some sort of flying bug and then
made this into a brush (Fig.15).

I then applied the following settings in order to

paint a swarm (Fig.16).

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 custom brushes

Q u i c k T i p : Because the brushes palette is so

versatile, it is possible to create a handful of different brushes from
a single template. I created a variation of this same brush using the
following settings (Fig.17) which was used itself as a Dual Brush
(bottom right). With the Dual Brush applied you can see how it breaks
up the brush strokes even more and creates a frenzied mass of bugs
(Fig.18).

There was one other insect brush I made for this tutorial which would
represent any bugs flying nearer to the viewer which can be seen in
Fig.19.

I applied the settings seen in Fig.20 which

ensure that each stroke scatters the insects
sufficiently. When a single stroke is dragged
across the canvas the insect shapes cover a
wide area as seen in Fig.21.

These three insect brushes have been used to

the right of the foreground as seen in Fig.22.

Conclusion
I hope that I have at least given you a glimpse
into the usefulness of creating and customizing
brushes. I feel that these tools are a valuable
aspect of Photoshop and can enhance the
quality of an artist’s work as well as helping to
improve on efficiency (Fig.23).

You can download a custom brush (ABR) file

to accompany this tutorial from: www.3dtotal.
com/dptresources. These brushes have been
created using Photoshop CS3.

207 Chapter 6
© Ron Crabb
painting from a
3d base My illustration career began in a time when
the tools available to an artist did not include
anything electronic. Since then the visual
arts world has transitioned from analogue
to digital. From the early days of relatively
simple digital paint systems that cost a
fortune, we artists now have access to even
the most advance 3D software—right on our desktop computer.
The result is a third option added to our previous choices of either
drawing from scratch or working from photographs. We can now create
a virtual 3D world where the only limitation is our imagination. We are
not just painters anymore—we have become architects, sculptors, and
engineers.

The artists in this chapter are exploring this new territory. And it is
inspiring to see the breadth of imagination the artistic mind is capable of.
Limitations? Maybe not.

Ron Crabb
[email protected]
http://www.crabbdigital.com
painting from a 3d base

Using Google SketchUp as a Base for

Dig i ta l Pa in t ing
By Richard Tilbury
S of t wa r e U se d : G o o g l e S k e tc h Up

Why use SketchUp?

Google SketchUp is a free programme
enabling users to quickly and effectively build
3D environments using a number of intuitive
tools. Unlike most 3D packages it is very easy
to learn and does not require hours of training
before decent results are achievable. It is very
versatile and with regards to digital painting can
prove an invaluable tool in swiftly establishing
a correct perspective, as well as offering a
moveable camera in order to experiment with
alternative viewpoints and compositions.

An object can be made and then duplicated scenes, one can use SketchUp as a valuable
any number of times, so if a structural element starting point to establish a “guide template” on
is repeated throughout your concept then this which to paint over.
package can quickly and accurately create
such arrays. It also has a simple-to-use lighting I n s ta l l at i on
system that enables placement of the sun In order to install SketchUp, visit http://
according to the month and time of day by sketchup.google.com and go to Downloads
way of slider bars, thus determining physically on the left hand menu. Select the free version
correct shadows that can be turned on or off at which is currently version 7 (Fig.01). Choose
the click of a button. These functions mean that your operating system and then follow the
as an artist wishing to draw detailed or tricky instructions.

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 painting from a 3d base

Once installed, click on the application shortcut This is basically where you can customize your left-click in the viewport to begin drawing. You
and you will be prompted with the following workspace and add toolsets to speed up your will notice that as you do so, the points will
dialogue box in which you are asked to choose workflow. For additional help go to Window > snap to the green and red axes, thus easily
a template (Fig.02). The scale and type of your Instructor; this will open a window providing enabling the creation of right-angled structures.
scene will determine which you choose, but useful information on whichever tool you have
for the purposes of this tutorial we will select currently selected. When you finally close the shape by clicking on
Architectural Design – Feet and Inches. the initial point you will notice the shape turns
B a s i c N av i g at i o n blue, indicating a surface has been made; once
Toolbars & Menus The key orientation tools you will use to a shape has become closed you can still edit it.
When SketchUp starts you will see a screen navigate in your scene are Orbit, Pan and Using the Line tool, add an internal rectangle
resembling Fig.03. From the main menu click Zoom, which you will find on the top toolbar (see top diagram in Fig.08). To now make this
on View > Toolbars > Large Tool Set; this will and whose shortcut keys are represented by edge become part of the exterior shape click
access more tools which will appear down the O (Orbit), H (Pan) and Z (zoom). These can be on the Eraser tool and then on the outside
left margin. To change the display mode of the seen in Fig.06. edge shown in red.
objects in the scene click on View > Face Style;
this will show a number of options, as seen in The main tools used to directly manipulate your You can continue to cut into your shape or
Fig.04. objects are Move (M), Rotate (Q) and Scale alternatively extend it outwards and then erase
(S). The Scale tool appears on the left hand the necessary lines by using the Line tool
If you also check Views under View > Toolbars toolbar which you will see highlighted if you (Fig.09). Here I have added a walkway and
you will see six small house icons appear press S on your keyboard. also a curved section using the Arc tool. You
below your toolbar (Fig.05). These will provide can also draw more organic shapes using the
quick access to orthographic views, as well Drawing Shapes Freehand tool (Fig.10).
as isometric. You will notice that I have also One way of using SketchUp is to create
checked Face Style in the list (highlighted in two-dimensional shapes from which you can One other useful function, especially for
green), which has added some cube icons to extrude three-dimensional objects. Select the architectural structures, is the Offset tool which
represent the display modes. top view and then the Line tool (Fig.07) and is situated next to the Rotate tool. This enables

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a shape to be duplicated in order to create

depth – perfect for drawing walls in a building,
for example (Fig.11).

With an exterior wall depth, click on the large

internal shape using the Select tool (black
arrow on toolbar) and hit delete. You can then
select the Push/Pull tool and then click on
the wall and raise it vertically (Fig.12). You
will notice I have edited the section where the
walkway adjoins the building using the Line
and Eraser tools so that this was not raised
along with the outer wall.

Three Dimensions
When a shape has been converted into 3D it
can be edited further by using a combination
of the Line and Push/Pull tools. If you move
the Line tool along an edge it will snap to the
midpoint between opposing edges (Fig.13).
You can then make equally spaced cuts, as
shown. These new shapes can be pushed
inward or pulled outward, or alternatively a
new shape can be drawn and this can then be
manipulated.

In Fig.14 I have used the Offset tool to create

a window shape in the far left rectangle. To
create the same proportioned window in the
other sections simply select the Offset tool
and double-click in each rectangle. To create
the arches use the Arc tool and then erase the
horizontal join shown by the dotted line. To
create windows use the Push/Pull tool to move
the shapes inwards beyond the inner wall
surface or until they disappear.

Using a combination of the tools mentioned

so far you will have the means through which
to create and edit a wide range of forms and
design detailed scenes.

At m o s p h e r i c s &
Lighting
You can add atmospheric perspective in the
form of fog to your scene. Go to View and
check Fog, as seen in Fig.15. You will notice
that the edges on my building have also been
switched off, which you can control in the menu
under Edge Style > Display Edges.

To add lighting effects check Shadows which

is above the Fog label, and to get more control

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 painting from a 3d base

over this function go to View > Toolbars >

Shadows. This will place two slider bars on
your toolbar which denote the month and time
of day. By adjusting these you can control
the position of the sun and direction of the
shadows (Fig.16). There is a little icon to
switch the lighting on or off, and besides this
there is also another icon which opens up
some extra parameters that alter the tonal
range of the shading. You can also control
whether this affects just the object itself or the
ground along with it and vice versa.

Additional Tools
A few other useful tools worth mentioning are
the Tape Measure, Protractor and Dimension.
The Tape Measure is used to draw guidelines
which can then be traced over with the Line
tool. In Fig.17 you can see that the tape
measure has created the dotted lines which
can be used as a guide to draw the windows an
equal distance from the top and bottom of the
block. To delete the lines simply use the Eraser
tool. The Protractor is used to create accurate
angles. Move the tool to the point at which you
wish to start the angle and you will see how it
snaps to the three axes. Click to establish the
correct plane and then click to begin the angle
along the appropriate edge. Now you can set
the angle using the guideline. In Fig.18 I have
used the near corner as the starting point,
which I will mirror on the opposite corner.
points. Click and drag from A to B and then One final tool which may prove useful is the
drag up or down to set your dimensions, once Section Plane tool which allows a view of a
Once the guidelines are drawn, trace them
again using the Eraser tool to delete when cross-section of your object. To use this click
using the Line tool, as with the Tape Measure.
necessary (Fig.20). on the tool and then align the green icon to the
In Fig.19 you can see that the two angles have
corresponding plane or angle you wish to view.
been drawn and then the Push/Pull tool was
used to extrude a roof shape across the base
Cameras Then select the Move tool and click on one
The camera in SketchUp is initially placed at an of the corner arrows and drag in the relevant
block.
average eye level height, so for example when direction (Fig.22).
you click on the Position Camera tool it will
The Dimension tool simply adds a label to
zoom in and appear around head height from This concludes our overview which I hope has
your scene, showing the distance between two
the ground. In this sense scale is an important at least introduced the main tools and their
factor in your scene. functions. There are of course further lessons
to learn along with other tools and techniques,
In Fig.21 you can see a cross where I intend to such as applying materials, but the main aim
position the camera, after which the viewpoint here is to introduce the interface and value of
will resemble the inset image. The character the software in terms of building a simple 3D
has been placed in the scene to demonstrate environment which can then be used in digital
the relationship between the scale of a painting.
character and the initial camera height. To
adjust your camera, use the Look Around tool
represented by the eye icon.

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Sci-Fi Robot
By Carlos Cabrera
S o f t w a r e U s e d : P h o t o s h o p, G o o g l e S k e t c h U p

Introduction
In this workshop we’re going to be working on
a speed painting using base geometry created
in the free software, Google SketchUp –
nothing too detailed, just a couple of boxes as
buildings, and a simple robot creation (created
using Google SketchUp).

SketchUp
SketchUp Render One
We have two SketchUp renders to start
working with. The first one is a base render
with the edges turned on (Fig.01); this image
will be perfect to use to check our perspective
lines, buildings and robot shapes over the top

of our painting later on. I can also use the little love old sci-fi movies so I’ve decided to paint
guy close to the robot’s leg, in this case, to help something with predominately cold colors, with
me with understanding the proportions and just simple touches of warm colors.
scale in the scene.
So, that is my palette and my mood for this
Concept, Mood and Color illustration defined. Now onto the second
The next step is to use your imagination; you render before we start painting.
have to elaborate in your mind the mood of the
painting you are about to work on. In my case, SketchUp Render Two
I’ve envisioned a sci-fi scene like the ones we For my second render (Fig.02), I took away the
used to see in the cinema back in the 80s. I edges and added more contrast to the image;

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 painting from a 3d base

you can see how the shadows pop up a bit

more and the middle gray appears between the
shadows and highlights.

Photoshop
Add Color!
Now it’s time to add some color to our painting,
so open up the image in Photoshop (or your
favorite painting software) and add two new
layers. Fill these layers with cold and warm
colors. I fill the first layer with a blue (cold) and
the second layer with a brown or sepia tone
(warm).

The cold layer is going to be our shadow color.

How do we do this? Well it’s quite simple: we
set the layer blending mode to Overlay and
slide the Opacity value to 62%. The shadows
become blue with this blending mode, but the
highlights remain white.
there was a huge riot in the streets of Buenos building textures with the original SketchUp
Next, set the warm color layer to Darken mode, Aires and I couldn’t take my camera out to render. When you switch the layer on with
and set the Opacity to 86%. The highlights grab any textures of my own. It’s a great idea the edges shown on the SketchUp render
should now be sepia, but we can still keep the though to get out of your “art cave”, and go (SketchUp Render One), the edges will help
cold shadows (Fig.03). and take some photos of the buildings in your you to find the correct perspective.
neighborhood for your very own personal
Textures and Perspective references. Use the Transform tool (Ctrl + T) to set the
Now that we have our base color implemented, correct perspective of the photos; you will see
it’s time to add some detail. Have a look in With these images we can texture our how easily the background will become more
your personal texture library for a couple of background. Add each one of these images and more a part of the final illustration at this
photos of buildings. I’ve chosen some free to a separate layer and set the layer blending stage. Once you’ve finished with the Transform
photos from a free online texture library for this mode for each one to Overlay. Play with the tool you should have something similar to
piece, because the day I started this tutorial Opacity value to mix the buildings with the Fig.04. Remember that up until this stage,
we’ve only laid down some textures over our
SketchUp render, so we still have all the fun
part left to work on: the painting!

Do you see how our painting still keeps the

base colors we applied before – the blue and
sepia colors? That’s the idea of the first step:
create the base of our scene to work quietly on
the mood, characters and fine detail.

Illustrating the Mood

Now it’s time to start working with the mood of
the painting. Paint in a couple of streetlights
– nothing complicated, just a dark silhouette
of a streetlamp. For this step you can pick the
color you have in the background to paint your
streetlight; I usually use this technique to keep
the color gamma balanced without any strange
colors coming in.

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Use references from sci-fi movies if you want

to add a nice touch to the illustration. I’m using
the design of some lights featured in a classic
movie, maybe one of the best sci-fi movies of
all time – do you know which movie it is?

I add another layer for the light halo effect and

set the blending mode of the layer to Color
Dodge. Never set the Opacity to 100%, try to
mix every layer with your background image!

To add a story to this image I’ve decided to

paint with a paintbrush a couple of bullet holes
in the walls, to show that a horrible crime must
have happened there, or maybe even a gang
war of some kind. So now we have a non-
textured police robot, some bullets holes, and
a nighttime street scene (Fig.05) – the perfect
mood for our sci-fi image!
inside the shapes. This technique takes some (Fig.06). The body of the robot is smoother
The Robot practice to get right, but you’ll find it really than the 3D model, as I’ve decided to use
Time to paint our robot now! With the Lasso useful for speed paintings or concept artwork. curved shapes instead. I want to take my time
tool and the Elliptical Marquee tool, we can Use the base 3D model to check the with this bad boy, working it section by section
start to add shapes to our robot design. Make a perspective and the shape of the robot; as you until I’m happy with the outcome. I also send
selection with these tools and paint with a soft can see I’m using the same background palette some layers to the trash can at this stage until I
brush (with the Pen Pressure set to Opacity) to keep picking those colors for the robot really nail the final design of my robot!

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I keep working on the body and start on the the shape of the robot using the Warp tool
front leg. Remember: during this step I’m just (Fig.08). This is one of the most useful tools in
using the Lasso tool and Marquee tools with Photoshop!
a soft brush to paint inside the selections.
The back leg is a copy of the front leg, only I The last step is to throw some life into the
“deform” the shape using the Transform tool painting, so I’m going to paint some cops
until it snaps the correct position of the new looking for clues in the crime scene; one of the
leg. Once happy with the body and the legs, I’ll policemen is showing his partner the robot (as
continue with the fine detail (Fig.07). if it were a car) (Fig.09).

Details With my rain brush I paint on another new

On a new layer now I add the POLICE text layer a rain texture, just over the streetlights
and the robot’s identification number, following (Fig.10).

And that’s all folks! Here is the final painting

(Fig.11).

Painting is easy if you know exactly what you

want to achieve with it, so keep up the practice
– do it every day (I know I do).

You can download a custom brush (ABR) file

to accompany this tutorial from: www.3dtotal.
com/dptresources, along
with the base images created
using Google SketchUp. These
brushes have been created
using Photoshop CS3.

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Train Depot
By Ioan Dumitrescu
S o f t w a r e U s e d : P h o t o s h o p, G o o g l e S k e t c h U p

Introduction
It’s always a good idea when creating concept
art or illustrations for games, movies and the
like, to use whatever means and methods
necessary to make your artwork quickly and
easily. In the case of this tutorial I will be using
a simple 3D base which I’ll create in Google
SketchUp as a mockup for a Photoshop
painting.

Google SketchUp
I start with a simple idea in the back of my
mind of a sort of train depot where locomotives
are traveling in and out, loading cargo, and
transporting people. So to get things moving,
in Google SketchUp I begin by building some it. I copy the profile section and mirror it so and in-between them, so that I can give my
simple platforms as a starting point (Fig.01). I that it’s not too far away from the first one. future painting a believable, industrial look. The
choose a simple profile shape and then extrude I can then create the intersections, which I other diagonal beams coming from these pillars
imagine to look like strong beams which the will sustain the bridged sections. All shapes are
locomotives might use to get across to the created with the Rectangle tool or the Line tool,
other side. which can create planes and volumes if used in
three-dimension.
I use the Rectangle tool and start making
lapped boxes which I will then extrude with On the left side I want to mirror the diagonal
the Push tool. After making one section of the feeling from the right side, so I firstly make
beam, I multiply it and move it onto the first some pillars, and then create walls for each
mirrored deck. I then make double pillars with a pair of pillars (Fig.02). I play around a bit here
diagonal metal element for the structure above with the silhouette of the structure, just to

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 painting from a 3d base

spice things up a little. When happy, I go on

to create a series of open and closed spaces
between each wall, for the locomotives, people,
and cargo to all pass through – all done using
the Rectangle tool. I also create a low ceiling
above each of the passageways and close
the middle part of the three sections of the
wall. On the right part I pull the pillars up to the
next floor and add decks for potential people
passing through. I also make some intersecting
platforms between the left and right structures
whilst thinking about accommodating possible
functions within a train depot.

To finish off the 3D part of the work in Google

SketchUp, I make sure I enable the three-
colored Axes under the View menu, select then export my chosen view by going to File > SketchUp so I can choose my favorite from
Face Style > Monochrome, and go to the Export > 2D Graphic (Fig.03). those. I decide on a somewhat central
Window menu where I select Styles > Default perspective for its balance, strong diagonal
Styles > Engineering Style. For the Camera The cool thing about this 3D scene is that I can lines, perspective, and focus (Fig.03).
setup I choose Perspective from the drop- always go back and add new levels or find new
down menu. I then rotate the scene, searching points of view if I want to make some changes! Photoshop
for some cool viewpoints. When ready I can I export about 10 scenes from Google I take the Google SketchUp scene into
Photoshop now where I can start sketching on
top of it, on a new layer, to try out some ideas
(Fig.04). While I was making the 3D image I
was already thinking about locomotives, metal
arches, cables, glass façades and so on, so
here I can start to build these ideas on top of
the 3D render. I also decide to widen the frame
to give the scene a more cinematic look that
I’m trying to achieve with this image.

I never repeat the same process in my images,

and it was no different for this image. I start
out in black and white to establish my general
values, and then add color to the image with
Overlay and Color layers (Fig.05).

From this point on I start to define the arches

and pillars. For contrast I use a white wood
material for the pillars and arches on the
right-hand side, with a green metal to achieve
a more industrial, steampunk look to them
(Fig.06).

Right now I’m pretty sure of where I’m heading

with this image, so I bring in a couple of
textures now for the huge stone pillars on the
left and for the locomotive in the foreground.
I make a few Levels and Color Balance
tweaks to get them into place, and then start

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painting on top of them. It’s good to have as between the pillars and give some interesting the frame, so I’m going to go with a classic
much texture as possible from the start which shadows that fall upon the bottom deck and on steampunk/industrial theme here and add a
matches the kind of look you want, just to the locomotives. glass and metal rooftop to my station scene.
give you a good base to build upon. It’s also To do this I paint lots of straight lines on a
important to decide on your lighting scheme I keep refining the shapes on the right-hand separate layer and then simply put them in the
from the start, too. I want a dramatic sunset side and bring in some of the white from the correct perspective. To stop the eye getting
lighting scenario, coming in from the left of left-hand side just to encourage the eye to tired from all those lines, I add some colored
the scene, to get that gold, steampunk feeling travel from one to the other. The space at the patches of glass for contrast and interest
across. I knew from the beginning that this top of the image is a little disturbing for me (Fig.07).
kind of lighting would define the space better though as it’s allowing the eye to slip from
Q u i c k T i p : Remember to flip
your image from time to time to help you
spot mistakes or disturbing areas. People
often make fun of me, saying, “You rotated it
again!” But that’s just because, composition-
wise, I only decide just before the final save
as to which way it looks best.

I add some balconies between the pillars to

give it a more familiar look and to add some
depth. This also makes the viewer wonder
about what actually happens there; whether
there are offices or just passageways up there.
The next step is to finish the background
(which is bugging me). I decide to go for a look
similar to old train stations and create a huge,
intricate façade of metal and glass, which fills a
great space within the frame (Fig.08).

I begin to give atmosphere to the image about

halfway through the painting process – any
earlier and it would have distracted me, and I

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Q u i c k T i p : Before picking up
a pen, spend a little time getting into the
 painting from a 3d base

wouldn’t want to leave it any later just in case it

doesn’t fit as well as I imagine it to.

With all these steam-driven machines it was

easy to add atmosphere into the scene. It also
helps with the depth and the overall way in
which the image is read. To add smoke and
steam, I usually use a standard soft brush
with texture applied, or alternatively the Chalk
brush. Generally in my artwork, I use a round
brush, the Chalk brush and a soft brush,
alongside a few texture brushes which I’ve
collected over the years.

Those huge wheels attached to the

locomotives which are pulling the locomotives
along those cables (think in terms of cable
cars) were under-detailed. So to bring them It’s not our prerogative to stick to the 3D image Because of the lighting scheme I am able to
up to par with the scene, I paint them in whilst that we started with, which is the beauty of show where the locomotives are going to pass
thinking of the mechanics of a clock or watch. experimentation. I haven’t followed the original between the pillars and out of the depot; this
I found using a Dodge layer very useful to get base scene with the pillars on the right; now, gives more functionality to the space.
some stronger highlights on the metal and in between two stone pillars stand some kind of
highlighted areas. hangars – or perhaps they’re just spaces for I love scattering human figures around an
cargo to be deposited and such? Between image: doing the dirty jobs like cleaning pipes
For the interior of the arched structure I’ve those and the pillars are passages for people or the furnace of a locomotive, or perhaps
already decided on a glass roof and walls, so to pass through. The pillars were a little too directing passengers into a building; maybe
I paint those in, keeping in mind the saturation plain and so I add some sort of engraved they’re just standing around chatting or
levels and making sure everything is nice and pattern to them to further define them. I also laughing about something we have no idea
atmospheric. This helps to punch the image paint some graphics on the cargo bay areas about… They are also great for giving scale
away from the dullness it was in before, before between the pillars to help them “pop-out” more to a scene. When people look at an image
going on and adding the final details and (Fig.10). they will look for human figures to give them a
making everything more cohesive (Fig.09). sense of scale of the space.

With a few more smoke trails and steam, some

light fixtures on the front of the locomotives,
and some more detail on the foreground decks
– all those rivets, slabs, stains, etc. – the image
can be called “done” (Fig.11).

I hope I have been able to get the main ideas

behind this image across to you, as well as the
techniques involved, and that it will all be useful
for your own art creation in the future. Thanks
for reading!

You can download a base (JPG) image created

using Google SketchUp
to accompany this tutorial
from: www.3dtotal.com/
dptresources.

223 Chapter 7
painting from a 3d base

Abandoned Factory
By Serg Souleim an
S o f t w a r e U s e d : P h o t o s h o p, G o o g l e S k e t c h U p

I start out with a simple 3D block-in using

Google SketchUp, setting the camera to an
extreme angle to give it more depth. After
exporting the 3D model as a jpeg, I open it up
in Photoshop and resize it to around 150-200
dpi (Fig.01).

In Photoshop I then create two new layers for

the left and right vanishing points. With the use
of the Line tool, set to Fill Pixels (Fig.02), I find
the vanishing points of the architecture.

To find the vanishing points of the architecture,

you first of all need to find your horizon line.
Drag to horizon line
The horizon line is basically your eyelevel in
the image, or of what you’re looking at. In my
image I’ve left a little gap between the two
cylinders to make this quicker for the eye to
find.

This is where the Rulers come in handy: press

Ctrl + R to turn them on and off. With the
Rulers turned on, click-and-drag on the top
ruler guide to pull down a line guide onto the
horizon line (Fig.03).
horizon line
With the horizon line now marked out, you
need to find where your two vanishing points

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will fall. To do this, use the Line tool and follow

To right
along one corner of the structure. Where your
va n i s h i n g p o i n t
line meets the horizon line is your right-hand
vanishing point. Mark this with a vertical ruler
guide (Fig.04).

The same thing goes for the left vanishing point right
va n i s h i n g
– in my image this one is off the canvas. To find point
it, you need to zoom out and find where your
Line tool meets the horizon line (Fig.05). Drag to right
va n i s h i n g p o i n t

Now that you have your two vanishing points,

use the same Line tool to draw lines radiating
from the left vanishing point (Fig.06 – shown
in red), and the right vanishing point (shown in
green). Each vanishing point needs to be on its
own layer.
L e f t va n i s h i n g
The next step is to block in the shadowed sides point

with red using the Selection tool and filling

them on a separate layer. Do the same with
the side that is facing the light, also on its own Drag to left
layer (Fig.07). I’ve used these specific colors va n i s h i n g p o i n t
just because it’s easier to see them, and when

I need to select a side I can simply hold Ctrl

and click the layer for an instant selection.

I now have five layers: the 3D base image, two

layers for the vanishing points, and two for the
shadowed/light-facing sides (Fig.08).

I hide all the layers here, except for the two

vanishing point ones. On a new layer I then
start sketching in some ideas (Fig.09). At
this point it’s a good idea to start thinking and
looking for some textures to use, (tip: check
out 3DTotal’s new free texture and reference
image library for royalty-free textures: http://
freetextures.3dtotal.com).

I hide the sketch layer, and on a new layer

set to Color I lay down some basic color and

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painting from a 3d base

texture with a textured brush, just to get rid of

those grays and to start setting the mood of the
piece (Fig.10).

After gathering textures it’s a good idea to

then resize them to keep a sense of scale;
for example, you’ll need to ensure that the
windows and doors of a texture are not too
small – or too big! – for your scene, always
avoid making bricks look like they’re about five
feet long!

So I’m starting to lay down the textures on the

building surfaces now, using the Transform
tool (Ctrl + T). Right-click and set it to Distort
(Fig.11).

I now want to place the texture on the surface

and pull the corners of it to fit my vanishing
points (Fig.12).

I continue to lay down textures on the rest of

the buildings now, still using the Transform tool
to fit them in the correct perspective. I’m also
using a rock-textured brush over the textures
to unify them (Fig.13). I’m trying not to worry
about painting over my textures; they can
always be reapplied or replaced if necessary.

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 painting from a 3d base

With most of the texture down now, I can start

to add more color with the help of a new Color
layer. I flip and re-crop the image here to take
a little off the left and bring more of the train on
the right into view (Fig.14). I’ve found a texture
which is very useful for the old train; and while
looking for the train texture I also came across
a great factory reference image which I have
decided to incorporate into my background.
I’ve had to adjust the factory to fit the vertical
vanishing point using the Transform tool.

I flip the image, and on a new layer I add

some atmospheric fog over the distant factory
buildings, as well as applying a few other
textures to the walls and ground to bring out
more detail (Fig.15 – 16).

In the final steps now, I add some haze to the

image, along with the kind of light ray you might
see coming through the clouds on a cloudy
day when the sun is strong! I have done this
by simply adding a new layer, painting in my L ayer set to soft light
ray of light with a large soft brush, and setting
the layer to Screen or Overlay to achieve the
right effect (Fig.17). This little trick adds more
intensity to the focal area!

I tend to flatten the image at this point so I don’t

get overwhelmed with all the layers. It also tool, and add some additional broken glass,
helps to make it feel like everything is coming as well as lightening up the windows. This all
together. And with the image flattened, I can helps to balance the image, with the train on
now go in and add detail on a new layer. I’m the right, and the building on the left (Fig.18).
pretty happy with the right side of the image,
but I find the left to be lacking in variation, so I At this stage, it’s all about how much detail you
darken the entire wall on the left with the Burn want to put in; you can keep adding textures

or painting until you’re content with how things

look and want to call it done. I’m happy with
how things are working with this image now, so
I’m calling it “final” and leaving it there. Thanks
for reading!

You can download a base

(JPG) image created
using Google SketchUp
to accompany this tutorial
from: www.3dtotal.com/
dptresources.

229 Chapter 7
G.I. Joe © 2010 Hasbro, Inc. All rights reserved.
complete projects As a painter who has not been able to create
a personal piece for years now, I took an
opportunity to create this piece in my own
time. Of course settling on a character
instead of a more complex composition was
inevitable since I could only spare one day
for this work.

Although GI Joe was not a list-topper among my childhood influences, I

have to say that I’ve always found the Snake Eyes character pretty cool.
That is how I chose my character for this piece, and then I immediately
went ahead and started the reference search. For the character itself, I
used one of my Snake Eyes action figures. I do not need to tell you how
much time it ended up saving me since the whole thing took 8 hours
to finish. In this chapter these artists show us the process they use to
create their excellent pieces of art.

Kerem Beyit
[email protected]
http://www.theartofkerembeyit.com
complete projects

The M aking Of “The Beast ”

By Ja m a Jurabae v
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Overview
During one of those ordinary after work
evenings, I was sketching some character
thumbnails, one after another.

I like to explore new shapes and forms, and to

generate something I’ve never created before.
Speaking in general, I manage to capture
interesting ideas when I don’t restrict myself to
anything specific. I find that I am most creative
when I have no idea what I am going to create.

Frankly speaking, characters are the most

difficult thing for me to draw. I feel more
confident drawing environments, but I knew
that if I struggle on with the characters I would
develop my concept art skills. And I hardly ever
give up!

Production
So usually, I quickly drop some silhouettes
on a blank canvas (Fig.01). I like to work with
the silhouettes, because silhouettes allow me
to concentrate more on the design, than on
technical issues such as shadows, highlights,
color etc.

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My main production tool is Photoshop, but

I would advise Alchemy to those who are
interested in concept-art. It is excellent
software for producing interesting shapes that
could be used in order to create characters,
landscapes, vehicles or whatever one needs.

I have my own set of brushes for Photoshop,

though I only use few of them during
thumbnailing.

Actually there is no best brush for painting it is

all up to the artist. In this painting I used only
one brush. I would suggest using the brush that
suits your style and your needs.

Some people create masterpieces with a

one pixel round brush, and some spend too
much time searching for magical brushes in
Photoshop. Don`t waste your time just draw as
much as you can.

Whilst working in Photoshop I find that the Tool

Preset menu is more useful than the right-click
brush menu (Fig.02). The right-click menu only
saves the brushes, but the Tool Preset menu
allows me to save the presets of that specific
tool, such as Painting mode, Opacity and Flow.
Also the Tool Preset menu simply saves me
time; instead of right-clicking and searching
through the brushes on the list, I simply
select them from the Tool Preset menu that is
constantly open on the right side of my screen.

Using a chalky brush I created a dozen of quick the composition and the space around the
thumbnails (Fig.03), the beast with the belly character. I wanted a simple foggy environment
looked interesting to me, so I decided to detail in order to help me concentrate more on the
it. design of the beast itself (Fig.04).

Before detailing the character I wanted to set- After setting up the whole scene, I created a
up the composition of the whole picture. layer in an overlay mode and introduced some
So using the wide brush strokes I defined of the colors (Fig.05).

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My personal preference is a realistic style of

painting. Moreover, I love cinematic scenes.
To check if my colors are consistent, I
constantly squint in order to see if the color
works.

After I had finished laying down the main

colors, I started to detail the character.
I wanted him to look semi-organic. It seems
I am still under the influence of my Quake II
adventures, so I created some sort of armor
around his chest and head (Fig.06).

It may sound weird, but I enjoyed working on

the grass more than detailing the character
itself. I also added some particles flying in the
air in order to reinforce the atmosphere.

Post production
As stated before, I love photorealistic and
cinematic stuff, so I can’t help myself but add
some cinematic effects after the painting is
done.
Another trick is in my use of a chromatic And the last thing I use in my art is grain. To
Q u i c k T i p : It is important aberration. It looks like a shift of the RGB fake the photography grain, I created a gray
to understand the main principles of channels, and adds a bit more of the realism to layer, applied noise to it, and then blurred the
photography. Most of the time one can notice my pictures. Chromatic aberration is used a lot noise (Gaussian Blur – 1px). I then set it up to
that blurring occurs as you go away from a by 3D artists in order to simulate photorealistic Overlay mode.
focal point, so in order to show that, I used effects. I use the Digital Film Effects plug-in for
the 1 pixel Radial (zoom) Blur. Photoshop for this (Fig.07). And here it goes (Fig.08).

Conclusion
Being self-taught, it was a very serious
challenge for me to grow as an artist.
I live and work in Tajikistan, a country that has
no CG art schools, no cinemas and no modern
entertainment. But I never gave up, because
what I need for painting is in my head and
heart.

I love painting - that is where my heart is.

The rest is in my head, so watch movies,
play games, read books, travel and enjoy life.
Everything can be inspiration for you drawings.

My characters say “thanks” for your attention.

You can download a custom

brush (TPL) file to accompany this
tutorial from: www.3dtotal.com/
dptresources. These brushes have
been created using Photoshop CS4

Chapter 8 236
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237 Chapter 8
 Check out
more from
Jama Jurabaev
in Sketching from
the Imagination

Whether scribbled in a sketchpad or on a napkin, concepts are a way

for artists to develop their skills and discover interesting shapes
and forms that can be developed into their next masterpiece. In
Sketching from the Imagination, 50 talented traditional and digital
artists have been chosen to share their sketchbooks and explain the
reasons behind their design decisions.

Available at
store.3dtotal.com
complete projects

The M aking Of “Hot House”

By Kenichir o Tomiya su
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

This scene portrays the last day on earth in

a far-off future, as the sun is over expanding
and going nova. Global warming has reached
its final stage and has overrun the Earth,
transforming its surface to a completely
different terrain. This new environment has
created trees several kilometers high with
flora nearly reaching into the stratosphere. An
aggressive genus of ivy now climbs over all the
other large plants. Airborne social and sentient
plant life have replaced flocks of birds with
broods of floating flora. Their floating bodies
are mobilized by the lighter than air gas within
them. A circulation system of tree sap flows
over the terrain from tree to tree, creating a
biologically interconnected forest. This sap has
replaced water and where there were once
waterfalls, now exist running falls of sap.

When I was drawing this, The Last Day on

Earth is what I had in mind. Until now there
have been many portrayals of The Last Day on
Earth but I wanted to do something in which
Earth was covered by huge plants. I wanted
to create a sense of irony in which the future
of Earth looks how it was when it was first
conceived. I imagined the Earth would have
extremely humid and heavy air, forested with

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huge ancient plants, looking quite like the Earth

hundreds of millions of years ago. I hope this
painting conveys the image of a far and distant
future.

First I sketched out an image of what I had

in mind. I imagined a place with big trees, an
enormous sun and a surface covered by ivy,
plants and other greens. Keeping perspective
and color concept in mind I created my starting
point (Fig.01).

I usually start from the background as I feel

that it is more efficient working out from the
background. I usually use default Photoshop
brushes. Keeping composition in mind, I
worked on portraying the trees as being huge
and massive (Fig.02).

I continued this process, and started work on

the foreground. As I work I am not afraid to
make compositional changes if necessary.
Using photo references, I rendered and gave
details to the foreground (Fig.03).

With repeated slight changes and tweaks I

added more details (Fig.04). I wanted to make
the bottom look dense and the sky empty, so I
reduced the volume of leaves on the trees near
the top.

I have 15 layers now. I merged the layers

according to their depth, adjusted the

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brightness and added some fog (Fig.05). It is

important to keep the layers clean. By keeping
the layers clean, it makes further progress
easier, by doing this it will be easier to make
changes if you need to.

In this final stage, I make slight changes to

it as a whole, as well as add more details
(Fig.06). Using a photo of the galaxy I created
an enormous sun. Using the orange flare from
the sun, I added tints of orange hue to the
foreground to harmonize the image.

I placed significance on how the eyes

would move about the image. I created a
zigzag pattern for the eyes to move from the
foreground to the background in this image
(Fig.07). To do this I adjusted the brightness
contrast according to depth perspective.
Brightness and contrast is very important to
create a convincing image.

Using these layers, I adjusted the contrast, hue

and saturation respectively (Fig.08 – 11).

I finally added a Gradient and Noise layer to it. I

put a focus on the actual distance between the
objects in the image. For example, a distance
of 200 pixels in the image may amount to a
few kilometers in the dimension of the world
I have created. It is of extreme importance to
keep in mind the image has its own dimensions
and scale and is not just a random 2D image
(Fig.12).

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The M aking Of “Dust ”

By Chase Stone
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

With this project the main thing I was

interested in was painting an image with a
dark, moody atmosphere, with much of it in
shadow, and a bright spotlight to illuminate
key elements. I was inspired by the work of
the great Renaissance painter Caravaggio. I
am intrigued by the idea of illustrating a very
modern subject, in a more classical style.

I used a few different brushes in this project,

but most of the time I stuck to the good old
Chalk brush, with Pen Pressure on and Shape
Dynamics off (Fig.01).

I started off with a very rough black and

white sketch (Fig.02). When drawing the
first thumbnail I don’t worry about accuracy,
anatomy or even composition. In the beginning,
what’s most important is getting the gist of
the image in my head down on the paper,
giving myself freedom to articulate my vision
and develop new ideas. I decided I wanted
the spotlight coming from the right in order to
illuminate the foremost soldier’s face as he
looks around the corner, and also to create an
air of mystery and make the viewer think, what
exactly is he looking at? Initially, I wasn’t sure
how to pose the second soldier, but sometimes

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lIGHT
SOURCE 1

lIGHT SOURCE 2

one element helps to define another. In this finish it section by section. I jumped into the mechanical objects, I find that reference is
case, the lighting really determined his pose latter perhaps a bit too early. Normally, I try very important. I happened to have a model
for me. I knew that I wanted his edge lit by to start the final rendering only after nailing of an Abrams tank on my desk, which I lit
the spotlight; for that to happen, he had to be down the sketch. But I still wasn’t 100% sure appropriately and directly referenced (Fig.05).
standing, peering over the side of the tank. about what I had down, and as a result each With my model as a visual guide, this section
figure underwent a few variations (not without was the most straightforward to complete.
I started over and drew up a second, more frustration) before I was finally satisfied.
refined sketch (Fig.03). I decided to adjust the As mentioned above, the soldiers went
angle of the rifles to make them suggest the The first part I began working on was the front through a few variations during the painting
shape of an arrow pointing toward the foremost end of the tank. I’ve always felt that reference process. Originally, the foremost soldier was
soldier’s face, to better guide the eye towards material is important, but with real-world going to bend forward a bit more, with his face
him. I giddily realized that, in doing so, I could
pick up some of the spotlight on the front guy’s
hand and rifle (an exciting discovery). I also
added a secondary light source from the left
and mapped them both out (Fig.04).

As I continued working, I didn’t deviate much

from the color in my initial sketch. I decided a
monochromatic look would best convey the
gritty, war zone feel I was trying to get across,
though in the end I wish I’d deviated just a bit
more color-wise.

With the composition, lighting, and poses

roughly mapped out, I began to finish the
piece. For me, there are two ways to complete
a project – keep things zoomed out and
work on everything at once, or zoom in and

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uncovered (Fig.06). However, I wanted more

emphasis on his eyes, so I scrapped this angle
in favor of a pose that allowed for more light to
hit his face. Knowing the expression in his eyes
was the single most important element – the
key to the project’s success – I got a friend to
act it out and snapped a few reference photos
(Fig.07). Try to use your photos as references
to simply ensure accuracy. You should strive
to avoid copying photos pixel for pixel and

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definitely avoid tracing them. The reason

behind this is that an image too dependent
on photo reference can become pretty stiff. I
referenced his eyes pretty closely, but painted
the helmet and goggles largely from my
imagination.

The second figure was the most time

consuming element in the piece, mostly
because I just couldn’t make up my mind.
His head was especially problematic; first I
wanted his face uncovered (Fig.08a), but I
found that to be too personal, so I went in the
opposite direction and made him completely
anonymous, covering him up with a balaclava
and making his goggles opaque (Fig.08b – c).
That made him feel too disconnected from the
primary soldier, so I split the difference and
made his goggles transparent and that brought
things together for me (Fig.08d).

Soldier number three was, thankfully, fairly

straightforward. He went through some
variations as well, but nothing very drastic
(Fig.09). With the three figures completed, the
background fell into place rather quickly. What I
wanted was simple – rubble fading away into a
dusty background. The best way to paint rubble
is to lay down shapes without thinking about
them too much. Real rubble falls randomly, so
I believe it should be painted kind of randomly
too. After getting those basic shapes down a
few minutes of quick noodling will wrap things
up.

With everything painted I adjusted the overall

brightness and contrast on adjustment layers
and applied a very subtle noise grain to the
whole thing just to give it a tiny bit of texture.
And that’s it! Hopefully this tutorial proves
helpful (Fig.10).

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The M aking Of “Aretha Franklin”

By Jason Seiler
S of t wa r e U se d : Photo shop

Introduction
These are the steps I took when painting my
caricature of ‘Aretha Franklin’. The sketch was
drawn in Photoshop (Fig.01), using a small
round brush. For the painting I used Photoshop
CS and a Wacom Cintiq; the size of the final
painting is 13 inches wide by 14.5 inches high,
at 300 dpi resolution.

Step 1
After I had finished my sketch, I chose Select
All and copied that layer and pasted the copy
of the sketch above the background layer.
I then switched to my background layer, hit
Select All again and deleted the sketch from
the background layer. I then selected Layer 2,
which had the sketch on it, and set that layer
to Multiply.

I painted in a flesh tone directly under the

sketch layer so I didn’t lose my sketch lines.
The brush I started with was a size 13 round
brush (Fig.02 – 03). I made sure that Other
Dynamics was turned on and that the Opacity
Jitter was at 0%; control was set to Pen
Pressure, Flow Jitter set to 0%, and the control
below the Flow Jitter was turned off. These
settings gave me the control that I prefer. I

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usually paint with my Opacity set to 85-90%

and my Flow set to 100%, although this
sometimes differs depending on effect.

I made sure that Shape Dynamics was turned

off. The flesh color I chose to use in RGB mode
was R: 190, G: 124, B: 104. I don’t always start
with this color. In fact, I rarely start with the
same color twice because each subject I paint
presents a new mood or feeling that I want to
capture.

My photo reference had unnatural lighting

and felt too pink. I knew from looking at my
reference that I wanted to go in a different
direction; I wanted to end up with a warm
painting, as well as a painting that looks
and feels like a piece of art, rather than a didn’t want any whites in my painting just yet, I created a palette layer at this point (Fig.04).
manipulated or distorted photograph. So I because I tend to paint from dark to light, the It’s important to create a color palette that has
chose a violet/red color (R: 98, G: 17, B: 25) background here was used as a foundation to harmony. My main priority was getting the
that I essentially filled the background with. I build from. values right and I knew that if I could succeed
in that, I could do just about anything with the
color. When I paint, I usually create a variation
of red, yellow, and blue. With these three colors
most colors can be created. You’ll notice that
in this painting my colors are very warm: reds,
oranges, browns, violets, and greens.

To create my palette, I made a new layer that

would remain on top of all the layers from this
point on. This layer was used as my ‘palette
layer’. I selected my Eyedropper tool and
picked a red/brown color. I then clicked my
color picker and chose a few more reds based
on the red/brown that I chose, and then I
created a small grouping of flesh-like reds and
browns. I did this by squinting whilst looking at
my photo references, and then choosing color
according to the values I saw. When I looked at
my photo reference I saw reds, greens, violets,
and blues, but I knew that I wanted a warmer
painting. So I create those colors and mix my
red/brown color into them, therefore creating
harmony.

Step 2
What I typically do at this stage is use my
Eyedropper tool to select the color I’ve created
for the background, and then use that color
to begin my block-in (Fig.05 – 06). At this
stage of the painting, I was mostly concerned
about painting the correct values. It was also

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important, at this stage, to not zoom in too The background was important to establish I usually save my bright highlights and whites
close. I chose to paint from a distance and early on in the painting; it had to complement for later on in the painting and start first by
used large brushes. This way I could focus the portrait. The colors and values of the establishing my darks and working towards
on capturing shape and values, and merely background will affect the colors and values the lighter tones. This stage is simply for me to
suggest detail. Next, I created a new layer on in your portrait, so it’s important to work back create a balanced foundation for my block-in.
top of the other layers and began to slowly and forth between the portrait and background Steps one and two take five to ten minutes – at
paint over my sketch lines. By this point I’d while blocking in. Think of it as if you are most – to complete.
created enough form and structure that I no sculpting, chipping away small pieces until the
longer needed my sketch lines. I also began form appears. Step 3
to block in a bit of the background as well. I created another layer that went directly under
my “palette layer” but would remain on top of
all the other layers. I began to paint on top of
my block-in; everything up until this point was
used as a guide for me to follow as I built up
layers of color.

Next, I needed to establish my darkest darks

and block those in. There was no need to
zoom in; I worked at a distance and continued
to use a large round brush. My technique
when painting digitally is very similar to how
I would paint traditionally with oils: start with
bigger brushes, blocking in the largest shapes
of darkest color and value; as the painting
progresses, I use smaller and smaller brushes.
Also, I never stay in one area for too long.
Painting from a distance with larger brushes
helps you cover more ground in less time.

I established my darkest darks and at this point

began to paint lighter values on her face and
chest (Fig.07). I also started adding lighter,
almost pure white to her clothing. Notice that
I have not yet added any such values to her
face, as I saved those highlights and reflective
lights for later on. It’s easy to become impatient

Chapter 8 250
 complete projects

and want to paint in highlights right way, but it’s

better to not get distracted by them and wait.

The reason I painted the almost white values

on her clothing was so that I could later
compare the lighter values in her face to the
values on her clothing. I knew that there should
not be any area on her face that shared values
as white as those which exist on her clothing.

Step 4
As I continued to block in the painting, I found
myself unsettled with the composition. This is
one of the great things about painting digitally.
With the Crop tool, I selected the entire canvas
and then added a bit more to the bottom, giving
Aretha additional girth (Fig.08).

Step 5
As the painting developed I continued with the
same approach, squinting and mixing color to
match the value and temperature that I desired
for the piece. Still using a round brush, I began
to zoom in to paint details. I then started to
refine the mouth, eyes, nose, ears, and hair.
You can also start to see a softer transition on
the edges between values (Fig.09).

Step 6
I removed the palette at this stage because I
had enough colors in my painting to work with.
If I needed to change the value or saturation of
a color that I already had, I simply clicked on
the color picker and mixed or adjusted my color
there (Fig.10).

I began to use my favorite Photoshop brush,

#24 (follow the brush settings mentioned in

251 Chapter 8
complete projects

Step 1). Brush #24’s marks and strokes feel

more like a natural paint brush. This was the
brush I used to finish the painting, with the
exception of a soft round brush which I used
for hair.

Step 7
I began to focus my attention on Aretha’s face
(Fig.11). Adjustments were made to her nose
and right cheek, and I noticed that I could
exaggerate her mouth a bit more, so I painted
away the mouth and re-painted a new mouth
lower on her face. This added more space
between her nose and mouth, which is what I
wanted. I also extended her mouth and bottom
lip out a bit further, which enhanced both the
likeness as well as humor. I continued to soften
edges, adjust values and introduce additional
lighter values to her face and clothing. I also
began to soften her chest and hair.

Step 8
At this stage I freely zoomed in and out –
zooming in for details, zooming out to have a hair, I created a new layer. This way, if I needed best when they’re not so obviously digitally
look from a distance. It was important to often to erase a section of hair that didn’t feel right, it created. That’s my preference anyway.
step back from the painting. With this painting didn’t ruin the rest of the painting. I painted the
it was not my intention to copy the color I saw large mass of value and shape that I saw while The painting was almost finished here, but I
in my references. Instead, I wanted to focus on squinting my eyes. I then blocked in the basic felt once more that the composition could be
values and color temperature. Squint your eyes form or design of the hair a little bit darker better. So I selected my Crop tool and cropped
for value, and open your eyes to see the color. than it needed to be. This way, when I painted a bit off the right side of the painting. For the
smaller hairs on top, in a lighter value, it gave final finishing touch, I wanted to add some
I basically finished the face at this stage, and the illusion of depth. To add to this illusion, I noise and additional texture to the painting, so
started to detail her chest and clothing (Fig.12). also changed the size of my brush to differ the I selected a mid-tone gray, created a new layer
widths of the hairs. I used a soft round brush and filled that layer with gray, making sure this
Step 9 with a tapered point to paint smaller hairs. layer was on the very top. I then selected Noise
The painting was all but finished in this final Keep it simple: study what hair does and then in the Filter menu and chose Add Noise. When
step, with the exception of the hair and minor make it more interesting. using this tool you’ll need to adjust the settings
details of clothing and composition. For the until they look good to you. I then selected Blur
My goal with this painting was that it would More in the Blur settings. I did this to soften the
feel more like a traditionally painted piece, texture of the noise a bit. And finally, I changed
rather than a digitally painted image. To get a my layer to Soft Light and brought the Opacity
more traditional look for the piece, I selected down to about 17% (Fig.13).
a texture from one of my oil paintings and
dragged it on top of my painting. In my layers Final Thoughts
window, I selected Hard Light and set it to 47%. Well, that’s it. Remember to have fun. Sketch,
This effect changed my colors slightly from the draw and paint from life as much as you can.
previous step. Truthfully, this was something Keep it simple. If you look at the design of my
I’ve never done before; I enjoyed the look I was portrait you can see that my shapes and forms
getting and decided to keep it. Don’t be afraid are basic and simple. When I combine strong
to experiment with some of the tools to see values and color to my basic design, the final
what they can do, but be careful to not abuse image appears more complicated than it really
the computer. I feel that digital paintings look is.

Chapter 8 252
 complete projects

253 Chapter 8
the gallery
256 © 2010 SEILER All rights reserved.
3324 North
California
Jason Seiler
(Left)

N at e i s L at e
Loïc e338 Zimmermann
(Right) © Loïc e338 Zimmermann

257
© Brad Rigney

A H o s t i l e Ta k e o v e r Lizard Pa pa Be a r
Brad Rigney Craig Sellars Daniel Dociu
(Above) (Below) (Right)

© Craig Sellars

258
 2 r5e9n a N e t / N C s o f t a n d a r e b e i n g u s e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n
A l l G u il d Wa r s i m a g e s a r e p r op e rt y of A
 Stopping for Directions
Brad Rigney
(Above)

© Brad Rigney

Stopping for Directions

Brad Rigney
(Above)

Incorporeo
Eduardo Peña
(Left)

A Deadly Encounter
Daarken
© Eduardo Peña a.k.a chino-rino (Right)

260
261 © Daarken
Concrete 5
Ya ng X u e g u o
(Above)

262
 © Ya ng X u e g u o

263
264
 Grandma
Chase Stone

265 © Chase Stone

 A l l G u il d Wa r s i m a g e s a r e p r op e rt y of
ArenaNet/ NCsoft and are being used
© stephan m artiniere with permission

Dervish House Space Scene 3

Stephan M artiniere Daniel Dociu
(Above) (Above)

Ta k e o f f Machinery of Light
Thomas Pringle Raphaël Lacoste
(Below) (Right)

© Thomas Pringle

266
267 © Raphaël Lacoste
 © Craig Sellars

Styna
Craig Sellars
(Above)

Binaural
Loïc e338 Zimmermann
(Left)

Welcome
Geoffroy Thoorens
© Loïc e338 Zimmermann (Right)

268
269 © Geoffroy Thoorens
© Thomas Pringle

Drydock
Thomas Pringle
(Above)

Order of Chaos
Daniel Dociu
(Left)

Va r i a b l e S t a r
A l l G u il d Wa r s i m a g e s a r e p r op e rt y of A r e n a N e t / Stephan M artiniere
NCsoft and are being used with permission (Right)

270
271 © stephan m artiniere
 Dwellings
Daniel Dociu

A l l G u il d Wa r s i m a g e s a r e p r op e rt y of A r e n a N e t / N C s of t a nd a r e be in g u se d w i t h p e r m i s si on
© Geoffroy Thoorens

Northern Conve yor

Geoffroy Thoorens
(Above)

Street Scene
Theo Prins
(Left)

Mushroom Hunter
Bobby Chiu
© Theo Prins (Right)

274
© Bobby Chiu 275
276
 Grump
Sam Nielson

277 © Sam Nielson

 To t h e Wat e r fa l l
Wa n c h a n a I n s t r a s o m b at

© Victorior 278
 Rosie Lugosi
S e r g e Bir a u lt

© Rosie Lugosi 279

280
 Big Red
Simon Dominic

281 © Simon Dominic

The Tutorial Artists
Carlos Ignacio Nathaniel
Cabrera Bazán Lazcano West
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.artbycarloscabrera.com http://www.ignaciobazanart.com http://nathanielwest.net

Chase Ioan Matt

Stone Dumitrescu Dixon
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://chase-sc2.deviantart.com http://jonone.cgsociety.org http://www.mattdixon.co.uk

Chee Jama Nykolai

Ming Wong Jurabaev Aleksander
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://koshime.com http://jamajurabaev.daportfolio.com http://www.admemento.com/

David Jason Richard

Smit Seiler Tilbury
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.davidsmit.com http://www.jasonseiler.com/ http://www.richardtilburyart.com

Dwayne Jesse Roberto

Vance Van Dijk F . Castro
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.mastersofchickens- http://www.jessevandijk.net http://www.robertofc.com/

cratch.com/dwayne-vance

Ehsan Justin Serg

Dabbaghi Albers Souleiman
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://dabbaghi.deviantart.com http://www.justinalbers.com http://www.artofserg.com

Emrah Kenichiro Simon

Elmasli Tomiyasu Dominic
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.emrahelmasli.com http://www.studiotomiyasu.com http://www.painterly.co.uk/

Hoi Mark
Mun Tham McDonnell
[email protected] [email protected]
http://hoimun.blogspot.com/ http://markmcdonnell.blogspot.com
The Gallery Artists
Bobby Geoffroy Stephan
Chiu Thoorens Martiniere
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.imaginismstudios.com http://www.djahalland.com/en/home http://www.martiniere.com/

Brad Jason Theo

Rigney Seiler Prins
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://cryptcrawler.deviantart.com http://www.jasonseiler.com

Chase Loïc e338 Thomas

Stone Zimmermann Pringle
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://chase-sc2.deviantart.com http://www.e338.com/ http://www.pringleart.com

Craig Raphaël Wanchana

Sellars Lacoste Instrasombat
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

http://www.greensocksart.com http://www.raphael-lacoste.com http://www.victorior.blogspot.com/

Daarken Sam Yang

[email protected] Nielson Xueguo
http://www.daarken.com [email protected] [email protected]

http://artsammich.blogspot.com http://seedsfromhell.blogspot.com/

Daniel Serge
Dociu Birault
[email protected] [email protected]

http://www.tinfoilgames.com http://www.sergebirault.fr/sb

Eduardo Simon
Peña Dominic
[email protected] [email protected]
http://chino-rino2.blogspot.com http://www.painterly.co.uk
index

a
Adobe, 178, 180 Concept, 15, 27, 28, 35, 76, 100, 171, 210, Elmasli, Emrah, 178 – 179, 180 - 181
Aerodynamic, 75, 76, 142 234, 235, 239 Embroidery, 184, 187
Aesthetic, 51, 76, 85, 86 Contrast, 19, 28, 29, 48, 69, 78, 93, 175, 222, Emotional, 11, 117
Air, 18, 236, 238, 242 240, 245 Engine, 75, 76, 77, 78, 85, 96, 97, 146, 148,
Albers, Justin, 174 - 177 Crabb , Ron, 208 - 209 149, 156
Alchemy, 142, 143, 235 Creation, 16, 28, 32, 124, 134, 143, 211, 214, Enhance, 22, 23, 58, 157, 158, 181, 207
Aleksander, Nykolai, 184 - 191 223 Environment, 16, 27, 67, 68, 69, 70, 134, 141,
Allsopp, Matt, 140 - 141 Creature, 27, 28, 29, 32, 113, 167, 180 149, 213, 235, 238
Alpha, 79, 88, 105 Crop, 24, 113, 147, 151, 185, 187, 229 Erase, 67, 81, 113, 161, 173, 179, 185, 190,
Anatomy, 27, 35, 61, 77, 118, 242 Curves, 149 192, 200, 211, 212, 252
Animation, 12, 13, 15, 111 Custom, 36, 40, 44, 73, 121, 184, 190, 204, Exaggerate, 14, 18, 57, 59, 252
Architecture, 101, 134, 174, 226 207, 217, 236 Exoskeleton, 77, 85
Artistic, 34, 40, 86, 87, 113, 209 Experimenting, 15, 45, 134, 154
ArtRage, 66, 67, 68 d Expression, 37, 43, 58, 244
Atmospheric, 75, 81, 102, 104, 130, 212, 223, Daarken, 260 Exterior, 75, 198, 211, 212
229 Dabbaghi, Ehsan, 170 - 173 Eye, 18, 19, 21, 22, 27, 32, 40, 43, 168, 183,
Daylight, 104, 105, 127 190, 213, 222, 226, 243
b Definition, 47, 109, 199 Eyedropper, 249
Backdrop, 69, 87, 110 Depth, 18, 20, 24, 25, 63, 69, 171, 226, 239,
Background, 17, 20, 25, 28, 29, 94, 216, 222, 240, 252 f
245, 248, 249, 250 Desaturate, 44, 137, 185, 186, 192 Fabric, 22, 35, 36, 85, 121, 186, 189, 190
Backlight, 86, 199 Detailing, 38, 63, 112, 127, 149, 150, 180, 235, Face, 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 48, 56, 57, 58, 242,
Bazán Lazcano, Ignacio, 50 – 55, 118 - 125 236 245, 250, 251, 252
Beast, 13, 32, 235 Develop, 27, 31, 32, 54, 62, 63, 166, 173, 234, Facial, 15, 63, 69
Beyit, Kerem, 232 - 233 242 Fade, 145, 149
Birault, Serge, 279 Digital, 25, 60, 73, 75, 110, 118, 124, 213, 252 Fantasy, 70, 117, 175
Blending, 36, 45, 135, 136, 161, 215, 216 Dimension, 146, 204, 220, 240 Fashion, 27, 40, 78, 123, 185
Blocking, 36, 58, 59, 76, 134, 156, 250 Display, 17, 23, 43, 112, 211 Feathers, 27
Blood, 17, 40, 44, 45, 46, 77, 181 Distance, 13, 20, 57, 62, 96, 102, 123, 135, Feet, 14, 37, 92, 228
Blur, 60, 63, 81, 88, 113, 176, 236 240, 250, 252 Fighter, 75, 109, 112, 151
Branches, 196, 197, 198 Distort, 27, 156, 161, 172 Film, 15, 34, 110, 206
Brightness, 138, 194, 197, 240, 245 Dixon, Matt, 26 - 33 Fire, 50, 81, 90, 172
Brush, 31, 36, 40, 44, 52, 53, 57, 58, 60, 61, Dociu, Daniel, 259, 266, 270, 272 - 273 Fires, 54, 90
248, 250, 251, 252 Dominic, Simon, 66 – 71, 280 - 281 Flatten, 135, 206, 229
Brushstrokes, 120, 190, 204 Doodle, 27, 28, 29, 32, 59 Flip, 19, 32, 64, 68, 144, 194, 222, 229
Draft, 85, 86, 109, 155, 156 Floating, 23, 32, 38, 156, 238
c Drag, 173, 205, 213, 226 Flocks, 206, 238
Cabrera, Carlos, 192 – 195, 214 - 219 Dumitrescu, Ioan, 220 - 225 Flower, 185, 190
Capture, 19, 28, 37, 58, 59, 186, 234, 249 Duplicated, 46, 97, 138, 210, 212 Flying, 66, 145, 176, 206, 207, 236
Caricatures, 56, 57 Dust, 22, 81, 87, 89, 151 Fog, 130, 212, 229, 240
Castro, Roberto.F, 196 - 203 Dynamics, 14, 25, 63, 64, 242 Foliage, 29, 31, 32, 196, 197, 198, 199
Character, 11, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 58, 63, Forces, 23, 108, 143, 165
68, 234, 235, 236 e Foreground, 18, 25, 31, 101, 102, 112, 205,
Chiu, Bobby, 275 Ears, 28, 32, 58, 63, 251 207, 221, 223, 239, 240
Cinematic, 113, 221, 236 Earth, 70, 81, 238 Foreshortening, 24
Clouds, 87, 93, 111, 142, 147, 176, 196, 199, Edge, 15, 22, 25, 97, 212, 213, 243 Forest, 180, 197, 238
229 Editor, 197, 199, 200 Fountain, 166, 167, 169
Cobblestones, 138 Element, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 32, 35, 38, 96, Freckles, 64
Composition, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, 244, 245 Fur, 17, 28, 29, 32
155, 174, 251, 252 Elliptical, 76, 197 Futuristic, 86, 109, 144, 147, 154

284
 index

g
Galaxy, 88, 240 Lasso, 88, 102, 104 Multiply, 28, 29, 31, 64, 79, 81, 88, 101, 128,
Garments, 67, 184 Lava, 50, 51, 54 220, 248
Gaussian, 190, 236 Layer, 25, 28, 29, 136, 138, 145, 173, 179, Mun Tham, Hoi, 154 - 163
Generation, 110, 111, 113 235, 236, 240, 252
Geometric, 74, 102, 108 Leaves, 17, 22, 28, 32, 73, 196, 197, 198, 199, n
Geometry, 87, 214 200, 239 Nail, 216
Gesture, 13, 15, 39, 40, 181 Leg, 21, 43, 214, 217 Nature, 32, 39, 93, 108, 109, 135
Glow, 37, 97, 105, 136, 161, 181 Levels, 54, 60, 90, 192, 197, 221, 223 Naval, 39, 84, 85
Gradient, 36, 38, 46, 240 Library, 137, 138, 161, 185, 192, 205, 215, 227 Nebulas, 87, 111
Grayscale, 36, 51, 185, 197 Light, 94, 119, 121, 129, 135, 137, 156, 172, Neck, 44, 45, 64
Greens, 60, 89, 239, 29 252, 266 Needle, 13, 76
Guidelines, 17, 22, 47, 143, 147, 155, 156, 213 Lightening, 229 Neilson, Sam, 276 - 277
Gun, 25, 51 Lighting, 13, 36, 68, 70, 81, 88, 103, 104, 180, Noise, 60, 236, 240, 245, 252
212, 243, 249 Nose, 43, 57, 58, 59, 63, 251, 252
h Limit, 73, 185 Nostrils, 58
Hair, 35, 36, 39, 46, 63, 64, 251, 252 Lineage, 85
Haze, 103, 129, 171, 229 Lip, 57, 252 o
Helmet, 52, 245 Locomotive, 183, 221, 223 Ochre, 37, 93, 103
Horizon, 18, 20, 79, 87, 105, 110, 148, 149, Loop, 52, 53 Offset, 211, 212
226, 227 Luminosity, 88, 89, 111 Oil, 68, 69, 158, 172, 183, 252
Horror, 166, 167 Opacity, 31, 60, 63, 111, 136, 137, 157, 162,
Hue, 31, 37, 93, 97, 240 m 192, 194, 197, 199, 215, 235
Machine, 12, 51, 77, 178 Opaque, 45, 158, 159, 197, 245
i Man, 13, 14, 25, 43, 119, 176 Organic, 86, 87, 93, 108, 109, 141, 196, 211,
Illuminate, 242 Mandrake, Daryl , 116 - 117 236
Illustrate, 77, 155, 196 Manipulate, 147, 162, 211 Outline, 67, 76, 92
Illustration, 13, 14, 15, 23, 77, 79, 135, 155, Markers, 75, 76, 77, 86, 87, 93, 154 Overlay, 16, 37, 43, 53, 110, 122, 130, 160,
209, 214, 215, 216 Martiniere, Stephan, 266, 271 168, 193, 229, 235, 236
Impression, 29, 31, 32, 38 Mask, 44, 48, 79, 97, 105, 136, 138, 178 Oxygen, 76, 97
Ink, 75, 76 McDonnell, Mark, 12 - 15
Insect, 174, 175, 176, 207 Medieval, 66, 118, 121, 123, 134, 138 p
Inspiration, 13, 15, 29, 43, 51, 76, 163, 184, Menu, 121, 123, 124, 161, 193, 197, 210, 211, Paint, 25, 36, 45, 53, 130, 149, 157, 197, 198,
200, 236 212, 221, 235, 252 199, 206, 209, 210, 223, 245, 249,
Instrasombat, Wanchana, 278 Merged, 137, 239 Paintbrush, 58, 121, 122, 123, 124, 192, 216
Invert, 162, 185, 186 Metal, 68, 112, 148, 149, 157, 158, 159, 194, Painter, 69, 172, 178, 233, 242
Ivy, 238, 239 220, 221, 222, 223 Paintover, 158, 159
Midpoint, 212 Palette, 31, 36, 63, 67, 81, 89, 90, 93, 174,
j Midtone, 166 175, 180, 187, 249, 250, 251
Jitter, 193, 194, 197, 198, 199, 205, 206, 248 Modify, 54, 121, 136, 150, 175, 190, 193, 199 Particles, 22, 236
Jungle, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 174 Money, 108, 111, 163 Pattern, 28, 85, 161, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190,
Jurabaev, Jama, 234 - 237 Monochromatic, 59, 193, 243 205, 206, 223, 240
Monster, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 169 Peña, Eduardo, 260
k Moon, 78, 79 Pen, 26, 75, 76, 86, 126, 154, 155, 183, 194,
Ketaki, Kekai, 10 - 11 Mosquitoes, 174 196, 198, 222, 242
Knights, 67, 69, 70, 118 Motion, 18, 19, 81, 113 Pencil, 13, 67, 75, 76, 145
Mountain, 172, 173 Pens, 75, 76, 86, 87
l Mouse, 193, 194, 205 Perceived, 19, 20, 22, 88, 109
Lace, 184, 185, 186, 187 Mouth, 43, 57, 58, 59, 63, 181, 251, 252 Personality, 13, 28, 43
Lacoste, Raphael, 267 Movement, 14, 18, 19, 20, 22, 28, 43, 198 Perspective, 79, 189, 215, 221
Landscape, 17, 23, 25, 69, 70, 93, 113, 199 Movie, 19, 21, 111, 216 Peterffy, Levente, 164 - 165

285
index

s
Photograph, 52, 185, 197, 199, 200, 249 Sand, 110 Thumbnail, 28, 29, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40, 43, 90,
Photos, 122, 149, 168, 184, 185, 186, 197, Saturation, 69, 97, 149, 194, 223, 240, 251 128, 136, 155, 156, 242
215, 244 Scattering, 123, 199, 223 Tilbury, Richard, 34 – 41, 42 – 49, 134 – 139,
Photoshop, 19, 170, 174, 178, 194, 196, 197, Schematic, 54, 75, 85 204 – 207, 210 - 213
215, 217, 220, 221, 251 Seiler, Jason, 56 – 65, 248 – 253, 256 Tile, 122, 161
Picker, 31, 59, 63, 249, 251 Sellars, Craig, 258, 268 Tomiyasu, Kenichiro, 238 - 241
Pillars, 220, 221, 222, 223 Sensitivity, 120 Tonal, 36, 37, 40, 45, 68, 134, 135, 157, 158,
Pipeline, 154, 162 Shade, 58, 119, 120 213
Pixel, 69, 235, 236, 244, 245 Shadow, 31, 32, 36, 46, 69, 70, 80, 96, 101, Train, 20, 85, 220, 221, 222, 229
Placement, 16, 17, 20, 24, 25, 57, 59, 198, 210 105, 156, 173, 215, 242 Transport, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 103, 104, 109,
Planes, 104, 112, 220 Ship, 85, 86, 88, 89, 96, 108, 109, 112, 146, 110
Planet, 78, 100 178, 179 Tree, 27, 129, 130, 181, 196, 197, 198, 199,
Plants, 32, 238, 239 Shooter, 50, 109 200, 238
Pose, 12, 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29, 35, 43, 47, 67, Silhouette, 13, 14, 34, 43, 109, 178, 179, 215,
242, 243, 244 220 u
Position, 17, 38, 47, 145, 150, 155, 189, 198, Sketch, 25, 27, 28, 29, 51, 56, 57, 67, 165, Underpainting, 67, 68
200, 213, 217 166, 169, 227, 242, 243, 248, 250 Upload, 16
Posture, 14, 34, 35, 43, 44, 47 Sketchbook, 13, 14, 86, 180 Upsize, 67
Pressure, 171, 185, 194, 197, 199, 216, 248 Skin, 32, 36, 37, 38, 44, 46, 57, 64, 70, 77
Pringle, Thomas, 182 – 183, 266, 270 Skull, 56, 57, 60 v
Prins, Theo, 274 Slum, 134, 138 Value, 29, 31, 59, 60, 62, 105, 111, 250, 251,
Prototype, 75, 141 Smit, David, 16 - 25 252
Smoke, 90, 104, 118, 150, 178, 183, 223 Vampire, 34, 38, 40
r Snow, 168, 169 Vance, Dwayne, 142 - 153
Race, 78, 142, 144, 151 Soldier, 50, 52, 242, 243, 245 Van Dijk, Jesse, 126 - 133
Radial, 113, 236 Souleiman, Serg, 226 - 231 Vanishing, 226, 227, 228, 229
Rain, 217 Space, 18, 19, 62, 75, 78, 100, 101, 108, 109, Vehicle, 75, 79, 81, 141, 145, 147, 148, 149,
Realism, 51, 85, 112, 151, 156, 236 112, 166, 178, 179, 252 150, 162, 179, 204
Realistic, 51, 53, 62, 63, 81, 97, 120, 137, 147, Spaceship, 75, 85, 146, 178 Volcanoes, 50, 51
159, 200, 236 Spark, 14, 15, 26
References, 51, 67, 101, 137, 145, 149, , 216, Spotlight, 242, 243 w
239, 244, 249, 252 Stand, 24, 25, 27, 32, 48, 69, 186, 188, 223 Warp, 52, 189, 190
Reinforce, 68, 236 Star, 16, 94, 141 Watercolour, 93
Rembrandt, 12 Station, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 222 Weapon, 18, 196
Render, 31, 149, 156, 159, 214, 215, 221 Steampunk, 221, 222 Weathering, 157, 159, 162, 194
Resembles, 35, 205, 206 Stone, 67, 68, 118, 121, 122, 168, 192, 194, Werewolves, 43
Resolution, 67, 248 221, 223 West, Nathaniel, 166 - 169
Resource, 137, 192 Stone, Chase, 242 – 247, 264 - 265 Widescreen, 23, 24, 93, 110
Rigney, Brad, 258, 260 Street, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 151, 168, 216 Wong, Chee Ming, 74 – 83, 84 – 91, 92 – 99,
Rim, 90, 95, 112 Streetlights, 215, 217 100 – 107, 108 - 115
Rivets, 151, 223 Sun, 136, 138, 170, 210, 213, 229, 238, 239, Wood, 70, 199, 200, 221
Road, 17, 178, 179 240 Workflow, 86, 113, 211
Robot, 214, 216, 217 Swarm, 174, 175, 176, 206 Worm, 17, 18
Rock, 53, 66, 70, 175, 176, 192, 194, 228 Sword, 16, 66, 69, 70
Root, 15 x
Rotate, 20, 27, 32, 37, 113, 194, 221 t Xueguo, Yang, 262 - 263
Ruin, 150, 252 Temperature, 59, 60, 251, 252
Ruler, 226, 227 Texture, 31, 32, 52, 53, 60, 67, 70, 118, 165, z
Ruppel, Robh, 72 - 73 172, 174, 215, 217, 222, Zimmerman, Loic, 257, 268
Rust, 105, 160 Thoorens, Geoffroy, 269 Zombie, 42, 43, 44, 45

286