I haven’t been very prolific in the art arena the last few months. I’m still not, really; but I sketch a lot during my time at TAFE. As usual, some of these I may end up finishing, and some of them are just repetative face doodles.
Enjoy!
First and foremost I should state that this is not for beginners. There are a bunch of useful Photoshop tutorials that cover the basics. However, all you really need to know for this particular tutorial is how to use layers and brushes.
Lets get started then!
The lineart here is from approximately 2006, but it’s simple enough to warrant me using it as an example.
I don’t normally colour underneath my initial lineart layer. I colour ontop of it. This makes smoothing out any errors easier for me.
A common error I see is that the colouring doesn’t follow the lineart. I developed this method to prevent myself from falling into that trap.
Using the brush Airbrush Pen Opacity Flow I map in the flat colours I want to use. Note how I avoid overlapping the lines in most parts? This helps me with the next step, basic shading. I work fairly small so I’m usually zoomed out all of the way.
Note: I paint entirely on one layer just to keep things simple.
I use the b setting in the colour picker [or a sometimes, I swap between them.] It makes blending colours smoother being able to see the transitions.
I block in the lighter and darker shades of every colour I have used here. Try and keep the values far on either side of the scale so you can work with the lighting more effectively later- the contrast will help you map out the shading later.
The most important step. This is to prepare parting your underlying lineart with the colours.
The left is the one with lines underneath it, and the right is without. Don’t worry- it will get neater. Now you can smooth any kinks out. I swap between the aforementioned airbrush and a small hard brush to define details.
Next, I make a new layer and fill it with white. I move it between the lineart and colour layer. That way, the lines are hidden, and if I want to use the lineart as a reference point I can just hide the other layers.
using the hard brush again, I go over my soft shading and define it even more. Now with the lines hidden I can see what needs to be strengthened. I add highlights and detail [in the wood, hair, fur etc] and I add some depth by using a very dark blue for shadows and a light yellow for highlights.
This is where colour theory comes in handy. Using black and white for shadows/highlights is best avoidable as it gives a really flat, unrealistic look. Complimentary colours are the best option when shading this way. Experiment, see what works- it’s all trial and error.
This last part is optional. I like to add black outlines to my painted art because it gives it an Illustrative feel. I don’t outline the entire drawing [as you can see above, the hair, blood and bulb lack lines.] I outline hard surfaces and places that are most likely to be subject to darkest shadows. I’ll add some white lines next to the black ones to make the image “pop”.
If you do chose to add lines, by all means be messy. perfect, thick lines take away from this painting style in my honest opinion; it ruins the organic feel.
I chucked up a quick background and added some after effects to give the image ‘mood’. I use a lot of gradients on seperate layers, and I’ll mess with layer opacity and settings to make them work. I also messed with the colours; lowered the vibrance and added Red, Green and Yellow to the whole picture via Image -> Adjustments -> Colour balance. I wanted a warmer, more sepia-like tone.
If you have any questions, have found any errors [typos or otherwise], or would like to show me the art you have created using this tutorial, feel free to throw an e-mail my way.
Thank you! ♥
© R.E Morgan, 2009
The artworks here are not to be edited, reproduced, or sold without my written permission.