Speed Painting - Digital Painting Tutorial Series Vol.3 - Zoo Publishing & 3DTotal.com Ltd. - (2009)[ChrisArmand]

Contents Chapter 01:

Overloading core in futuristic power plant

Eduardo Peña

Richard Tilbury

003

007

Chapter 02:

The surgeons were shocked and repulsed when they saw the parasitic creature

Levente Peterffy

Richard Tilbury

009

016

Chapter 03:

Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die!

Eduardo Peña

Emrah Elmasli

020

024

Chapter 04:

The machine was their only means of escape…

Emrah Elmasli

Justin Albers

027

031

Chapter 05:

The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare

Justin Albers

Richard Tilbury

036

041

Chapter 06:

The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting

Richard Tilbury

Justin Albers

043

046

Chapter 07:

They looked through the window and what they saw took their breath away

Levente Peterffy

Jesse van Dijk

049

053

Chapter 08:

As night fell, the darkness came alive

Ehsan Dabbaghi 060

Emrah Elmasli 068

“overloading core in futuristic power plant” by Eduardo Peña & Richard Tilbury

Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant

Speed Painting: v3

Created In: Adobe Photoshop

Introduction Before starting this speed painting, I tried to imagine the general theme and what kind of narrative that I would like to implement in the picture. I decided that I wanted to tell a story in which things were shown in a space environment, where the circumstances reflected this, whilst still answering the brief: “Overloading core in futuristic power plant”. Because of the nature of this kind of content, it allowed me to propose a story and/or physical events in a very particular way, where the idea could be unwrapped from my own ephemeral history.

Working Process Beginning initially with a vertical canvas, I wanted to apply and propose some attractions in the visual composition. Here I applied some inconsistent and orthogonal brushstrokes to gauge the orientation of the image (Fig.01). At this stage I was only concerned about the composition, without going into too much detail. The main thing was to simply create as many “happy accidents” as possible, as these would later create possibilities to guide my creativity and also visually enrich the painting (Fig.02). This process is a bit risky in the sense that it’s an unstructured process of building an image, but with speed paintings I like to let my instincts visually guide me towards what may be considered to be correct. Obviously, wandering around the canvas is the only way in which I can develop, using this kind of method. Because I started off with a vertical canvas, in order to propose some attractions in the visual composition, this is not to say that this is an appropriate start for every project! However, for this piece it was a good point from which to

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Chapter 1

Speed Painting: v3 Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant develop the ability to observe, interpret and then propose new things to later help me make better achievements in the painting. Continuing with experimentation, I began to develop different directions, using both linear and random circular brush strokes (Fig.03). At this stage I started to link them together, giving the impression of routes that connect with each other. And, in terms of the brief for this speed painting, gradually building up an area that could eventually be interpreted as a complex power plant. After applying the same method of finding structures and relationships within the brush strokes to the rest of the painting, I found that this process was really starting to best describe the theme of the image. I continued to explore this method, following the joints exposed in the structures that created lines and circles (Fig.04), which are really just basic forms if we look at them as individual pieces. But what is interesting to see is how they can become complex and elaborate forms, and how they cooperate if they

show some order and consistency; likewise, the

What I really wanted to show was the scenario

relate to each other. This generates new visual

space and atmosphere were also acquiring such

in its entirety, but I thought it would also be nice

proposals, and I like to take advantage of these

characteristics (Fig.05). I flipped the image at

to show certain things that give importance

situations that arise!

this stage to check that everything was looking

to the image, such as the holes which make

good and to give me a fresh view of the painting.

up the reactor and also somehow define the

Gradually, the general form was “sculpted” in

space. The small garden-like areas around the

this image. The structures that seemed abstract

At this stage, I also began to work on the finer

structure also play with the idea of an urban

and undefined at the beginning were starting to

details and points of attraction in the image.

quality of space (Fig.06). To finish off, retaining the structure that already existed and continuing with the treatment of colour and texture, I played with the tonal values to give more drama to the image (Fig.07). This final touch gave a little more wealth to the atmosphere and highlighted some of the areas within the picture that were of particular value to the viewer.

Conclusion As well as painting this image I found it fun to create stories whilst I painted – I played with my imagination. By doing this, for a moment in life, I got to be the protagonist in a dream

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Chapter 1

world and I was able to roam around in my mind and exercise my creativity to it’s full extent! I hope this is reflected in my image, and that my working process will encourage you to try out some of the same techniques within your own art works. Thank you!

Eduardo Peña For more from this artist visit: http://leco3ur.carbonmade.com/ Or contact: [email protected]

Speed Painting: v3 Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant


Introduction For this particular challenge I had very little idea about how I wanted the final design and composition to look. I knew that I wanted the scene to depict a large interior with the suggestion of machinery in the background and a bright light emanating from the core as though it was about to explode. I also wanted to portray a large sense of scale, so I decided to have the ceiling and distant wall invisible and have everything disappear into a dark void to help give the room a large and cavernous quality.

Blocking In The first step was to establish the shape of the main focal point in the image: the overloading core. I imagined this as some form of centrifuge, rotating at high speed to generate energy hence the cylindrical shape evident in Fig.01. and foreground darker by comparison and I

it was time to add some simple shapes in the

I began by establishing the light source at

also painted in some streaks of light shooting

background to imply some random pipe work

the centre of the core. As this was the focal

outward; an indication of a possible explosion.

and cylinders etc (Fig.02).

point of the image, I kept the background

The rough shape had now been established so

Adding Details With the main shapes and tonal values blocked in, it was time to refine the picture. On a separate layer for each, I added a base to the generator and some fencing around it. In Fig.03 you can see a custom brush (inset) I made to create the fencing. With regards to the base, I made half of the shape and then mirrored it. Although the scene was a little more defined at this stage, the base still lacked form and there was no real sense of the scale of things either. In Fig.04 you can see that there are some extra brush marks to help add volume to the lower section, as well as a figure sheltering his eyes in silhouette against the light, which helped to determine the scale.

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Chapter 1

Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant

Speed Painting: v3

Colour Scheme There was enough detail and information in the scene now to warrant adding some colour, which was done on separate layers as a series of overlays. In Fig.05 I have added two new layers using the colours and blending modes in the top left corner, with the blue being restricted to the core and the brown to the surroundings. something may be amiss in the background that

added at this stage are the tiny highlights,

could perhaps be causing the overload (Fig.06).

picked up by the background shapes.

well as emphasise the core itself, which was

I added a new layer here set to overlay and

Final Stages

brought into the foreground by the blue hue

used the orange colour (inset) to add the light

The picture was all but complete, but with a few

However, things weren’t finished yet! This was

and I also painted over the background with a

extra touches it could be more tightly “knitted”

only the initial phase and to help improve the

pale pink. I carried this colour through across

together. The main addition was to bind the

composition, I decided to place some light in the

the foreground and added some reflections,

background colour more to the core by giving it

right background section. This served to fracture

as well as some shading around the base of

a cooler hue. Initially I wanted a stark contrast

the symmetry somewhat and also suggest that

the core. One other important feature that was

between the foreground and background but

The colours helped soften the background shapes and tie them all together a bit more, as

I felt this solution was far more convincing in the end. I also used a blueish colour to add further highlights on the background shapes to reinforce this. I neatened up the fencing a little and also copied and pasted the light section of the base over itself and set it to Screen mode which now gave it a brighter and “hotter” quality. The last remaining components were the particles that are shooting from the beam. These were painted with a hard edged brush on a separate layer and then Motion Blurred, leaving me with the final version of the image (Fig.07).

Richard Tilbury For more from this artist visit: http://www.richardtilburyart.com/ Or contact: [email protected]

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Chapter 1

“The surgeons were shocked and repulsed when they saw the parasitic creature” by Richard Tilbury & Levente Peterffy

The Surgeons were Shocked and Repulsed when they saw The Parasitic Creature

Speed Painting: v3

Created In: Photoshop

A Different Approach In this tutorial I will explain my steps behind creating a speed painting for the theme: “The surgeons were shocked and repulsed when they saw the parasitic creature”.

Introduction Since this is quite a different method of painting, it deserves a longer introduction. The technique featured in this tutorial is based on extracting all

The colour palette of the painting should have

attributes we want to use. Now look at my

the key components for the painting from a set

some relation to the reference image’s colour

reference image and compare it with the image

reference image. When you look at a reference

palette. For example, this theme tells us we are

you have in your mind of a surgery … It has a

material it already contains the perfect light,

in a surgery room. If you imagine this theme

somewhat similar lighting setup as a surgery

shadows, colours, shapes, textures and so on.

in your mind then you can extract some of the

would have; you have some red substance

The main goal with this painting technique is to

colours from there. You’ll have a very strong,

which could be used to create the open cut. For

transform some of these attributes in order to

directed light source (a surgery lamp) casting

me, these attributes are enough, so I can start

create another image. So with this technique

sharp shadows. The light will also bring out the

working on my image.

you don’t use references as references are

strong values of reds in an open cut where you’ll

usually used. You don’t simply refer to it every

find blood, organs and so on. Okay, so now we

Creation by Destruction

now and then; you literally transform it into

know we need to find a reference image which

We have a reference image we can work with,

another image!

has strong light (a spotlight, if possible), with

but how will you know what kind of shapes you

saturated and strong red values. The subject of

want to bring out from this reference?

Getting Started

this reference image could be anything, really. If

First of all, we need a reference image. So how

you look at the reference image I used (Fig.01),

The creation of shapes is probably the most

will you know what reference image to pick

you can see that it’s Japanese food! Even if the

complicated part of the process. I’m going to

when the idea is to transform one image to

motive in this reference image is completely

confuse part of this painting technique here,

another?

different, it does have some of those important

because what we want to do is to destroy the reference image – literally – to convey some of the shapes I want to paint. If we think about the theme in our minds we can see a patient with soft and curved shapes. We also see the shape of a surgeon silhouetted against the brightly lit patient lying on the table. The surgeon should have some zigzag edges because of his clothing. So when we destroy this image, it’s important to keep these shapes in mind. Because what you do when you destroy the image is to try to

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Chapter 2

Speed Painting: v3 The Surgeons were Shocked and Repulsed when they saw The Parasitic Creature

spot those shapes. When I destroy an image, I usually apply the following things until I start to recognise the aforementioned shapes: - Cut-out shapes with the Marquee tool and move them around - Duplicate the image and Transform, Rotate, Scale, Warp

- Apply blending modes and mix the opacities

confident about a shape and feel that it has

- Paint randomly using different custom

potential to be the shape of the patient, surgeon or some other subject, I just keep pushing and

brushes

defining it more. And this takes us forwards to There is no strict way of destroying an image, for me it is basically what comes to mind. You can try anything really!

the next step.

Definition Once we are happy with the loose shapes

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Now let’s look at two images: the first is where

we need to define them to make them more

I destroyed the reference image (Fig.02) and

readable. So this step is all about using the

the second one (Fig.03) describes how I was

set colours in the image and painting in some

able to read some of the shapes. When I feel

definition. Please take a look at Fig.04, Fig.05

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Speed Painting: v3

and Fig.06 to see how the definition becomes clearer as I paint. In the defining stage we don’t use new extreme values of colour for the painting. The colours that are used are picked from the image. With definition work, we not only work on the shapes but also on how the light interacts with the shapes - for example, the decay of light on a shape, or the light interaction with it. Light is painted much more softly on the patient’s body than the light hitting the folded clothing. Compare the surgeon with the patient (Fig.07 – Fig.10). For more help, references can be used for the following things: - Clothing folds - Light and material interaction on specific clothing - Metal reflections - Anatomy for the patient

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Final Touches When we have finished defining all the objects so that there are no doubts about the subjects, we can do some colour experiments. These optional experiments, which involve using painting, gradient maps, variations and blending modes, are used to try to bring out richer colours and make the objects appear more credible. This phase is optional and you can choose to adjust colours more, or simply let the defined painting remain as it is (Fig.11 – Fig.14). For more information about this working process, please feel free to visit my website where I have put up some video tutorials that show you how a reference image can be transformed into another painting.

Levente Peterffy For more from this artist visit: http://www.leventep.com Or contact: [email protected]

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Chapter 2


Speed Painting: v3


Introduction For this speed painting I was not sure what the parasite would look like, only that I wanted it to remain somewhat mysterious and left to the viewer’s imagination. The notion of a parasite is quite unpleasant as they not only tend to acquire a host through devious means, but also tend to thrive at their host’s expense. I do find the idea a bit scary to be honest, especially since my brother picked one up once and it emerged from his lower back chapters later!

Blocking In As per usual I began by roughly blocking in the light and dark areas and establishing the perspective. The operating table would eventually be illuminated by ceiling lights above the main focal point - the parasite (Fig.01). I used the standard Hard Round Airbrush and Spatter brushes with opacity set to pen pressure during this stage. You can see here that the surgeon who will be performing the operation has his back to the viewer, so we cannot see

exactly what he is doing. The table in front of him is lit by the yet to be painted lamps. With this initial composition blocked in, it was time to start putting in some shapes that would help describe the equipment and in particular, the adjustable lamps. I used the circular marquee tool to create the oval shapes of the lamps and the lasso tool to block in the equipment that is attached to the ceiling. I noticed from doing some research into operating theatres that there is an abundance of all sorts

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Speed Painting: v3 The Surgeons were Shocked and Repulsed when they saw The Parasitic Creature of technology used to monitor a patient during an operation and so wanted to fill in some of the space with this type of thing (Fig.02).

Colour Scheme I decided that this compositional structure was okay to continue with and so started to paint in a rough colour scheme on a separate layer set to Overlay mode. I began by using typical medical green, mainly because it would help emphasise the blood that would at some point find its way into the image! In fact as I started painting in shades of the colour I could not help but add in some arterial spray just for fun, using a custom brush which I often use for debris (Fig.03). With a rough notion of the colour scheme, I moved on to refine some of the simple shapes and give them a clearer identity. I gave the foreground objects some detail as well as painting in a viewing window in the background. The ceiling lights were duplicated and then were given a Gaussian Blur to provide a little glare. I used the suggestion of the random tentacle shape from Fig.01 (above surgeon’s left shoulder) to create some kind of writhing organism reaching upward like a serpent (Fig.04).

Refining the Picture At this point the image needed the inclusion of

a least one more character to tie in with the title, as well as further definition to the parasite itself. I painted in a second character holding his head in disbelief and tried to show he was leaning away from the table in his shock at what he was seeing (Fig.05). I added some volume to the sheeting to suggest that there is a covered body or organism on the table, as well as adding some definition to the parasite. Using the Hard Round brush I cleaned up some of the edges, mainly around the focal point in the room (e.g: the surgeon and operating table).

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Speed Painting: v3

At this stage the image was almost complete, but the parasite looked like two snakes and just did not work at all and so needed to be resolved before I could call the image finished.

Final Stages As I looked at the parasite problem, I decided that I still wanted some type of tentacle emanating from the table, but just far more subtly. As I began to erase the shape, I pictured the section at its base as being the main body, which was far less explicit. I added a cut across it and some small veins and things started to improve. I erased most of the tentacle down to a few small, plant like strands which I was far happier with – it appeared less obvious and left more to the viewer’s imagination (Fig.06). To help enhance the colour of the surgeons and operating table, I changed the room to a different colour which added more contrast. The change to the parasite helped the picture feel far nearer to completion now, but I thought that perhaps one more shocked surgeon would fulfil the brief more successfully. The nearest character could well be shocked, but we do not know for sure so another person was required. The final result can be seen here (Final).

Richard Tilbury For more from this artist visit: www.richardtilburyart.com Or contact: [email protected]

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Chapter 2


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Chapter 2

“Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die!” by Eduardo Peña & Emrah Elmasli

Speed Painting: v3 Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die


Introduction Before starting the composition for this piece, I considered the general theme and tried to develop a narrative style that I would like to apply to the image; i.e: the type of story I was going to tell, the situations that would occur within the space, related circumstances and the feelings associated etc.

particularly in relation to where the story

inside the woods near their home – just to waste

would take place. This is why I thought up a

some time and amuse themselves! Without

situation involving fear, which is generated by

noticing, they travel deeper inside the woods, far

The nature of the concept allowed me to

the curiosity of two adolescents who are trying

from their homes. As darkness falls, they find an

propose a story and/or physical event,

to break away from their daily routine and get

isolated home and decided to go inside. When

Concept

they are drawing close to the entrance, near the door, suddenly – and instinctively – they start to run, full of fear! Something has happened inside the house, but unfortunately only they saw what it was …

Working Process In this piece, as well as in others, I want to experiment with a freer, faster process that allows me to confront technical elements that are being discovered as the project evolves. I start off with simple spot and brush mark marking in order to find some visual orientation within the image, and I also start playing with creating textures and lines to achieve a more plastic-like sensation. Once I find a “friendly spot”, I make a quick draft with black lines to define some objects within the scene (Fig.01). This allows me, little by little, to start defining the elements that make up the image, along with the general environment – which gives me good composition and also provides visual definition. I am trying to build a special moment in the day, (in this case, sunset), so I use a few warm colours to portray an afternoon setting, and I mix things up a little with some cold colours to build

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Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die

Speed Painting: v3

up the moodiness of the image (Fig.02). I also obtain some interesting textures with this treatment (Fig.03 & Fig.04). Another interesting technique I like to employ when “speed painting” is working directly on a layer and taking advantage of possible “errors”. I tend to favour them, rather than being afraid of them, and I liked to play around with what I find. Somehow, by doing this, they help me to create a whole collage of ideas (Fig.05)! I also like to work with the basic brush with a rock texture; this gives me the sensation of working with charcoal – it’s truly phenomenal! It’s simply great to learn from the easiest of things! Further down the line, I also use vegetation brushes and textures, although they are not my priority; the less material I use the better, because I learn to develop methods that bring good results – something good will come out for sure (Fig.06 & Fig.07)!

Continuing work on the structure of the image I try to define some objects, or items, that are important to my concept, such as the trees, house, stairs – and the two young people. Finally, under some of the details, I apply some more brushstrokes – and then I’m finished!

Conclusion I really don’t know what these young people saw, but situations like these are pretty common and can lead to any number of different events that we do not expect, giving us cause to panic. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. “Trick or treat!”

Eduardo Peña For more from this artist please contact him at: [email protected]

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Chapter 3

Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die

Speed Painting: v3


Introduction Hi all, I’m back with a new speed painting this chapter! This time the subject is quite interesting, actually; I’m going to figure out how to draw a few people who are about to die! Hmm … So after doing a few sketches in my sketchbook I decided 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 01 My main software for speed paintings is Adobe Photoshop (as you may guess). 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 150ppi will do. I need to block the main colours in, and I choose to go with a brownish and purplish palette. I use a textured “palette knife” kind of brush to block the colours in, trying to determine the places of rocks and trees very roughly. I also apply some very simple lighting into the scene. I guessed direct midday sunlight would do.

Step 02 I create a new layer and start to paint the giant in; I use the same blockin brush for this as well. Starting with a dark colour I slowly paint some

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Speed Painting: v3 Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die highlights and flesh out this enormous creature. I use light purple for the highlights because I imagine that this guy is coming out from the darkness. This also creates a mysterious atmosphere, too.

Step 03 Next step is to start detailing. I don’t do anything special just yet, really – just painting straight away, trying to figure out the 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 it’s starting to come together.

Step 04 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; I select a de-saturated yellow and start painting. This basically gives a glow effect and helps to enhance the mood of the piece.

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 would also be ideal to fix his right hand as well, because it looks somewhat odd. Lastly, I create an adjustment layer to adjust the colours slightly (Image > Adjustments >

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Colour Balance); 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! Hope you like it and thanks for reading!

Emrah Elmasli For more from this artist visit: http://www.partycule.com Or contact: [email protected]

“The machine was their only means of escape…” by Justin Albers & Emrah Elmasli

The machine was their only means of escape

Speed Painting: v3

Created In: Adobe Photoshop CS3 Hello everyone! First of all, I would like to let you know that this chapter’s speed painting will be an homage to English sci-fi painter, John Harris. When I first heard about the theme, the first thing that came to my mind was this scene, which is similar to one of John Harris’s paintings. I thought it would really suit this theme, so I decided to paint it. It will be very a simple and graphical composition with strong use of colour. So let’s get started.

Step 1 As usual, I’ll be using Adobe Photoshop CS3 for this tutorial. It’s going to be a vertical

composition, so I’ll create a new A4 canvas at 150 ppi. Firstly, I need to block the main shapes and colours in, so I’ll choose a textured flat brush and start to paint. I won’t be using any fancy brushes for this speedy, so that it’s easier for you to replicate what I do (hopefully). Anyway, I’m trying to create a silhouette of a spaceship with basic brush strokes; I’m trying 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

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Speed Painting: v3 The machine was their only means of escape spaceship and paint in some more details on the launch pad. Small lights add an illusion of life to them.

Step 3 For the next step I just carry on detailing (Fig.03). I paint the prominent areas on the Sun and add detail to the chromosphere (the Sun’s atmosphere). 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 spaceship to 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 during the painting process. 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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Speed Painting: v3 The machine was their only means of escape

Created In: Adobe Photoshop CS2

Step 1 This topic was a lot of fun for me to do – machines and robotic stuff are some of my favourite things to draw. There were lots of ways I could approach this topic, so I figure with those in mind I’ll just get to it and see what develops. Here I’ve opened up a landscape canvas in Photoshop CS2. For now I just start laying down some colours and shapes for the background, using a few texture brushes for interest. I’m thinking of having a relatively cool colour palette with maybe some warmer colours around whatever the machine ends up being to make that my focal point (Fig.01).

Step 2 Next, I start working in a really, really rough

the drawing insanely loose because I’m not

rough drawing. Then I deselect the layer and

ready to commit to a design just yet (Fig.02).

lock it so that I can keep the shape clean. I also determine that my light source will be coming in

drawing to start determining the form and

Step 3

silhouette of this thing. I’m thinking that the

Here I begin roughing in some colours and filling

landscape will be harsh and angular, so for

in the shapes and silhouettes. I decide to start

Step 4

contrast I’m going to make the design of the

out with a sphere so I make a circular selection

I’m starting to lock in the composition of the

machine more rounded and smooth. I’m keeping

and start painting inside the selection over the

piece – my thinking behind this piece is going

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from the top left (Fig.03).

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Speed Painting: v3

to centre on a post-apocalyptic theme. In the future, the Earth has been ravaged by a world war and all the cities are burning and dying out. The three figures in the painting are a father, mother and son hurrying to one of the last remaining ships leaving the planet for the temporary safety of space. I decide to make their clothing very ragged and makeshift, mixed in with some spacesuit elements. The machine is starting to look a bit more like a robot than a spacecraft, so I add in the gantry tower on the left and steam coming out of what I intend to be the engines and boosters to make it seem more like a ship waiting to launch. While painting, I use my navigator window to be sure the piece is reading from a distance (Fig.04).

Step 5 I’m still feeling out the details and trying to make the story come through in the painting. I add some incoming missiles heading towards the fiery city to add a sense of urgency to the situation. I’m also starting to finalise the design

and mechanical bits on top could be sensors

the foreground figures and detail them out. I also

of the ship – I picture this thing taking off, the

and navigation equipment. Overall, I’m digging

add some details to the burning city and fade

elevator at the bottom rising into the ship as the

the silhouette of this guy (Fig.05)!

it into the background. I kind of like the blue/

boarding hatch closes. The boosters on either

red combination of colours in the foreground;

side of the ship would fold down 90 degrees

Step 6

after lifting off to propel the ship into space and

I give myself a little bit more room on the bottom

foreground is working for me, so I’m going

the legs would fold under the body. The towers

of the piece and add more canvas so I can finish

to try to keep that. I’m also trying to tighten

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the red in the clothing and the blue light in the

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Speed Painting: v3 The machine was their only means of escape

the silhouette of each of the elements in the

right, and adjusted the legs and side boosters

few things I would like to fix or add, but to me

painting; I keep making selections and painting

accordingly (Fig.08).

if I can get the idea of the painting across to

inside them to keep my shapes all sharp and clean … at least for now (Fig.06).

Step 7

the viewer without having to explain it, then it’s To finish off the painting I continue to add in

successful; I can always go back in and develop

detail and texture and clean up the forms. For

it further into a finished piece.

presentation I shrink it down and run a Sharpen

I continue to flesh out the piece, adding in some

filter on it. At some point I decide to call it quits

Thanks for checking out this chapter and have

atmospheric effects to push the ship into the

… it’s only a matter of time before I overwork it

fun painting!

distance a bit. An airbrush would work, but I

and totally destroy everything! There are still a

prefer to add a little bit of texture in there so I use a light texture brush and take the opacity down until it looks right. I thought it would be cool if I added in one of those highway signs smashed on the rocks to the right. To do this I make a square selection and paint inside it, lock it, and add my details (Fig.07). After this I use the transform tool to work the sign into the painting. I flip the piece a few times to fix what looks wrong or off.

Step 8 It was brought to my attention that the machine was looking a little flat, since it’s directly facing the viewer. So I use the Transform > Warp tool to curve and turn the ship slightly to the

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Justin Albers For more from this artist visit: http://www.justinalbers.com/ Or contact: [email protected]

“The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare” by Justin Albers & Richard Tilbury

Speed Painting: v3 The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare


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 colours 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’m starting to scribble in some shapes and

defining my composition. I know I’m going to

it quickly starts to appear too busy. In addition,

want something in the foreground to denote

I’m beginning to finalise the shape of the rocks

scale. I’m also going to want some sort of

in the foreground (Fig.02).

ancient ruins or a sacred-looking building way in

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the back that’s being threatened by this insect

Step 3

invasion, and then in the middle ground I want

I decide to substitute the huge Egyptian

to show lots of sand. I’m toying around with

structure for a smaller, more rectangular building

the idea of having a huge Egyptian monolithic

that has some Middle Eastern influences in the

structure in the background with sand pouring

architecture. I still want to maintain a bit of a

out of it, but while this seems pretty cool at first,

fantasy element to it, so I’m making stuff up as I

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Speed Painting: v3

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

Step 4 I’m starting to refine the composition, often checking in the navigator window to be sure the piece is reading properly. I’m happy with the colour 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 colour 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 it looks

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somewhat like a natural swarm. I also alter the

the original bug that I painted and copy them a

Spacing in the Brush Tip Shape tab (Fig.06).

few times to create the swarm (Fig.07).

Step 7

Step 8

I’m trying out the new brush I made. It works

I’m happy with the swarm but it doesn’t feel

great and makes an easy bug swarm. I make

nightmarish or biblical enough! It feels like a

myself a few bug swarm layers and set the

bright sunny day in the desert with a couple

opacities at different percentages to make some

of annoying flies. To make this more exciting,

appear further away. I combine these layers with

I add more insects in the background so that

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Speed Painting: v3 The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare the swarm starts to blot out the sky. I also add

the world. So, I add in some scarabs attacking

a scarab or two into the foreground and blur

him, forcing him to defend himself. I also add

them out so that they appear close enough to

in the lightning, because lightning looks cool. I

be out of focus. I add an approaching sand/

darken the foreground to really put emphasis on

thunderstorm to the fray to help add to the

the swarm flying past and also lighten the area

chaos of the scene. My thinking is that this

on the rocks by the scout to add focus to that

tower has been cursed and is being subjected

little interest spot as well (Fig.08).

to a plague of carnivorous scarabs, sand and lightning storms that will eventually destroy the

Step 9 – Final

tower and its inhabitants. Also, the figure in the

I made a few more adjustments to the piece

foreground, who is a scout or lookout, looks like

after receiving some friendly critique. I made the

he’s just chillin’ on the rocks with not a care in

foreground rock formation smaller and added

in some ground details to open up the piece a little bit and make it feel less cluttered. Also, I ditched the building and added a huge insect hive; I felt it read better fictionally to have the swarm pouring out from this thing and I turned 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 added some grey 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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Speed Painting: v3 The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare

The first stage was to establish the composition, which in this case would be a panoramic view of a landscape from which would emerge an oncoming swarm over the distant horizon. I decided to tilt the angle of the view to add some drama and also create a dynamic between the horizon and the direction of the swarm. I used a standard hard round airbrush to rough in the landscape and a spatter brush with the dual brush function enabled to create some texture in the initial swarm (Fig.01). I duplicated the swarm layer and applied some motion blur to suggest a writhing mass of moving insects (Fig.02). The pattern across the landscape does something to suggest the scale of the swarm but I felt the image needed another component. I decided to add the uppermost part of some kind of fortress or structure in the foreground with a sentry overlooking the valley (Fig.03). This character would provide the scale. Due to the initial brush used, the scale of the swarm looked too small, so using a custom brush I painted over the area to create a better impression of more insects (Fig.04).

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The swarm was now looking much better, but

cooler hue leaning towards blue and green and

the foreground figure and landscape needed

also made the landscape look far more like lush,

refining. Using the hard round airbrush again,

arable land (Fig.06).

Speed Painting: v3

I added in evidence of trees and fields across the valley as well as a distant mountain range.

To help make the swarm more ominous I added

The sentry was also given some armour and a

a shadow across the landscape and foreground

helmet (Fig.05).

to convey its size and density. To enhance this

Using the same hard round airbrush I then

and suggest it is big enough to block out part

painted in some extra trees and detail across

To help the fields look less like a desert, I

of the sun, I extended it across the top of the

the fields to add more definition and tilted the

altered the colour of the landscape (Image-

picture and created a blanket effect. Swapping

sentry slightly to match the perspective. Here is

Adjustments-Colour Balance). This created a

the blue values for browns also helped (Fig.07).

the final image (Fig.08).

Richard Tilbury For more from this artist visit: http://www.richardtilburyart.com Or contact: [email protected]

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“The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting” by Justin Albers & Richard Tilbury


Speed Painting: v3

Created In: Photoshop The first stage was to try and decide exactly what I was going to represent in this image, as the title did not suggest anything to me immediately. I have recently finished a painting depicting a frozen wilderness and it is perhaps for this reason that the setting I ended up choosing materialised in my mind. I wanted to show a lonely explorer who has unwittingly set

up camp somewhere that has suddenly broken up into an ice flow overnight. He is now left stranded with no obvious means of traversing the sections of ice and getting back to the main landmass. Having decided on a subject I started by creating a gradient from dark blue to a slightly lighter shade (Fig01). This was going to represent the sea (lower section) and the sky along the top of the image. On a new layer, using a custom brush (Fig02), I began by blocking in the rough ice shapes as well as the distant land mass and horizon (Fig03). Once I had the general perspective and horizon in position I then used a hard edged brush as an eraser to sharpen the edges of the ice flow

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Speed Painting: v3 The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting and neaten up the shapes. I also refined the distant hills and sky, and on a new layer set to Screen blending mode, I added a white glow to the right corner to establish the position of the sun (Fig04). With the overall composition blocked in, I decided to add the focus of the scene: our explorer. I placed him in the foreground to distance him from the arctic base that I planned to paint in later. I also added some smaller pieces of ice floating around the main blocks in

The image was almost complete at this stage,

and scattered some snow along the base of the

order to break up the symmetry (Fig05).

except for a few minor refinements and the ice

tent.

station of course. The last important feature to add was the base

To enrich the image and add some variation to the water, I created a new layer set to Overlay

I enhanced the sky slightly to reflect the blue of

which the explorer is trying to signal (not much

mode at around 60% opacity and painted in a

the sea, as well as erasing some of the ice flow

chance of that!) My plan was to add a flare that

turquoise wash across the middle distance to

on the left of the picture. I added some subtle

he has fired into the air (hence the upright arm)

reflect the sunlight (Fig06).

reflections below some of the nearer ice blocks

to attract the attention of the base, which makes sense in theory, but didn’t work compositionally. As a result I scrapped the idea and left him simply waving, which does in fact make the situation feel far more desperate! (Fig.07).

Richard Tilbury For more from this artist visit: http://www.richardtilburyart.com Or contact: [email protected]

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Speed Painting: v3

Created In: Photoshop Many different possibilities and directions went through my mind with this topic, but I decided I wanted to do something character-based here. One of the things I thought of was this image of a girl who has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a faraway castle but has somehow managed to break free and has almost made her escape … except the open gate is being guarded by some kind of monster. She is armed with nothing but a small knife, yet she has no choice but to either sneak around the guard or engage him. I thought such an uneven match-up would prove a decidedly difficult task! I began by opening up a blank canvas in Photoshop CS2 and sketching out my initial ideas. I then put in my values in black and white, figuring that the main light source would be the

light coming from the open gate (Fig.01). I wanted the girl to be the focal point of the image, with the guard taking next priority, so I decided to put her close to the viewer and the guard in the background. Later I decided to add in the crow cage in the top of the piece, completing a triangular composition. Once I had a rough idea about my values, I began putting in some preliminary colours using the Colour and Overlay layer settings. My first impression was to create a damp, greenish, musty brown colour scheme, since that’s what I think of when I think of old castles and dungeons. Meanwhile the colours of the girl would be more saturated, vibrant and warm, since she’s the hero (Fig.02). I wasn’t quite happy with the size relationship of the figures, so I started experimenting with how close and how large the girl should be. My perspective was also wonky so I needed to fix that first (Fig.03). I made the guard smaller and set him back a touch by taking his values down. I also enlarged the girl, really putting her up close (Fig.04). At

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Speed Painting: v3 The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting this point, I decided I needed a fresh eye and so at work I talked to the concept guys on the Darksiders team for a few bits of advice. I then tweaked the composition a tad more to make the perspective better. I made the exit gate bigger and more substantial so that the guard was silhouetted against it and created a nice contrast against the dark, foreground wall. I also polished up the two figures to make them read better (Fig.05).

I kept tightening up the figures, checking my Navigator window and flipping the image horizontally and fixing anything that was off. I de-saturated the image a bit to match the dark, bleak mood I had originally intended, and I included a few details in the background on the other side of the gate (Fig.06). Here I fixed the features of the girl’s face and added in the cage and a few crows. I also used more texture brushes to start creating some interest in some of these elements (Fig.07). I painted a spot of red over the girl’s face and set it on Overlay to add some saturation, colour and life to her, and to make her stand out from the greens and browns. I also added a few minor details to the ogre, being careful not to take too much attention away from the girl. I found myself having to push him back into the background often with the airbrush.

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I then cleaned up the figures a bit more and added some interest to the floor in the foreground with a few textured brushstrokes. After a few final touches to the face and armour plates of the guard, I ran a sharpen filter on the painting and called it a day (Fig.08). The initial idea was there, after checking the Navigator window I could see that it read well from far away, and I could always go back and finish it another day. Thanks for reading!


“They looked through the window and what they saw took their breath away” by Levente Peterffy & Jesse van Dijk


Speed Painting: v3


Introduction For this chapter, the theme is: “They looked through the window and what they saw took their breath away”. With this in mind I want to create an image where we, as an observer, are watching with the characters – looking out through the window. I want us to see something extraordinary, and for this kind of concept we’re going to require a strong sense of composition. I would therefore like this article to focus more on the composition, rather than the technical brush aspects and colours. There are a couple of rules that can be applied to achieve good composition: - Rule of thirds - Golden section rule - Diagonal rule Personally, I don’t like to think of rules too much because they tend to keep you thinking in a strict process and can also limit your own thinking. But it’s still important – and also good – to be aware of these rules. There is also a good reason to try and break these rules, because they are very easily recognisable and hence can make an image appear dull. But it’s pretty easy to research about all of these rules – plus I’m sure many of you are familiar with them already,

so I will leave you to make your own research about these as you feel necessary.

Blocking & Placement Let’s take a look at the very first image of this tutorial (Fig.01). We can see a figure slightly left of the centre; I’ve intentionally left the centre open because this is our “window” looking out at our scene. This window area

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Speed Painting: v3 They looked through the window and what they saw took their breath away

is where the focus of the eye should be led. We

distracting in any way. Therefore, painting in the

full focus from our point of view, and at the

will become one of the party of characters that

periphery can’t have extreme values of colour or

same time have objects around it giving it visual

are looking out of the window, making us the

contrasting and strong shapes.

weight, but not extracting us from this view. We

“they” in this particular speed painting theme.

Finishing the Block Out

also have more definition to the shapes. The objects now read as the shapes of humans,

So as not to not disturb the central focus

A few more steps into the painting now, we can

boats, water, hill, sky and so on. Notice also

we must think of the surrounding area as

take a look at the next tutorial image (Fig.02).

that we are not exactly looking in the centre but

interesting, but not to the degree that it’s

Here I have filled the canvas where we have

slightly to the right of it.

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As we continue (Fig.03 & Fig.04) the shapes become clearer, sharper, more defined and also stay in the same colour palette. Remember to flip your canvas to check the composition is working well. Soon we will be able to see what’s so extraordinary outside that window!

Enhancing the Focus You can paint so that the eye follows a certain path to a strong visual point, but enhancing this point further can be achieved through the subject. And since I really love the Jaws movie, I decided in this painting to put the strongest focus onto a huge shark, painting it slightly smaller than the fishing boat. “That’s a 20-footer!” “25-footer, 3 tonnes of him…”

Painting the Rest Since the composition is set and there are no more introductions of new objects, the rest is about enhancing definition in the detail and colour (Fig.05 - Fig.09). Be careful not to paint to the level that it will distract – the smaller person in the image is close to that extent, but it lacks definition in shape making it more blurred and diffused.

Levente Peterffy For more from this artist visit: http://www.leventep.com Or contact: [email protected]

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Created In: Adobe Photoshop Working from topics is cool, because it usually forces you to think about the image before you actually start painting.

Idea generation Upon reading the topic, the first thing that comes to mind is sprawling landscapes, perhaps seen from a (flying) vehicle, or super-high, megastructure. However, I’ve got time to spare, so I allow myself to ponder over other possibilities for a few days. I’m usually sceptical of my very first idea - often, it’s also the most generic. Recently I’ve done a series of really quick sketches of some typically Dutch environments: very flat, mostly agricultural, nothing very dramatic outside of the overwhelming flatness of the land. I decide to use this as a context for my “out of the window” piece as well, as it will force me to think a little bit further than my very first idea. Taking an existing context for something I need to design is a technique I often apply as it

the “they looked out the window” bit of the topic.

ominous feeling of “we’re next” (Fig.02).

will save me design time. My “Dutch” sketch can

This means I’ll have to create a scene outside

However, it shouldn’t be a thoroughly nasty

be seen in Fig.01/

of the farmhouse that will “take the breath away”

scene, as I wouldn’t want to suggest just

of the people inside. There’s a real obvious

plain cruelty against animals. I’m aiming for

To kick off the painting, I start sketching a very

solution for this problem of course: I’ll have an

something a little more light-hearted. While this

generic farmyard, and I decide I’ll have people

invasion of huge, alien monsters harass the

is a very, very rough sketch, it allows me to

behind the windows of the farm to take care of

cows of the farm, giving the people inside an

judge the composition, basic lighting setup and camera angle. Seems like we’re okay for the moment.

Making the painting work A lot of the depth of this image is going to be achieved by fogging and atmospheric perspective (the gradual decrease in contrast as subjects move further away from camera). Because of this, and the relatively simple lighting scenario, I can introduce colour into the image at a fairly early stage. There’s really no point in drawing another grassy plain other

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than the one I’ve just completed earlier in another one of those Dutch landscape sketches I mentioned, so I simply copy/paste the ground from my existing sketch and add a bit of blue night atmosphere (for such occasions, Multiply layers are your friends) (Fig.03). I can get away with this as the original sketch was in daylight, and my out-of-the-window sketch is a night scene. Additionally, I also scale down the copied content vertically and non-uniformly. No one will be able to tell the similarities between my original sketch and my new one. Having the ground in there, with many subtle hue differences, will still allow me to mess around with the colours and lightness of the scene quite roughly. Anyway, back to the sketch. I apply a fairly straightforward local colour scheme: green-ish for the grass, blue-ish in the night sky, and primarily dark grey for the aliens (Fig.04). Next up is tidying up the background. I want to focus the viewer’s attention primarily on the creatures, so I can’t afford to spend too much time on everything else. I’m keeping the

creatures on a separate layer for the time being, and turn it off. My basic background is clear enough for now (Fig.05). Now I’ve got to worry about the main aspect of the painting, the creatures themselves. What’s a bit tricky about this is that I’ve got to design and visualise them in the composition at the same time. It’s supposed to be speed painting after all, there really isn’t time to do any further design studies. So to be able to tackle this problem, I save a new version of the image, desaturate everything, and start working on the creatures on a new layer. I will import this layer in my colour image later on and put in Luminosity blending mode to make up for the lack of colour information. But that’s all for later. First I need to

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better define these creatures. Working in black

Also, this is a good a moment to paint some

the cows just continue munching grass (which

and white is a little easier to design in, as you

more cows. The position and attitude of the

is unlikely at night, but I’ll take a bit of artistic

don’t need to worry about colours (Fig.06).

cows is important for the story. I want them to

liberty here to emphasise their disinterest), while

look uninterested mostly; this will take away the

the others can’t even be bothered to look at the

What’s important is that I want to keep the

notion that the creature will simply tear them

thing. Only the cow in the spotlight actually looks

viewer guessing at what he is really looking at.

to shreds, which I want to avoid. If the cows

up to see what all the light is about (Fig.07).

Are they mechanical? Organic? Or perhaps

are okay with such a crazy monster stomping

a combination of both? They need to be alien

through their farmland, then perhaps it’s not

Okay, now I’ve got one big creature looking

to us, so I’m not answering all the questions.

such an evil creature after all? So, some of

over the farmhouse itself, while the one close to camera is concentrating on the cow (Fig.08). Now let’s see how well they fit into the coloured background I did earlier. I drag my b/w creatures into my coloured PSD, and put them in Luminosity mode, Copy Merge the result, and Dodge here and there to underline some of the bright lights. I also add a few lights in the background to suggest it’s a whole army of these creatures that’s suddenly landed on Earth (Fig.09). Right. I’m not happy. Something is wrong, but at first I really can’t tell what it is. I let the picture rest for a bit; I’ll get back to it later. So much for this being a speed painting!

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Kill your darlings Looking at it the next day, I instantly see what I felt bad about: it’s the fact that the painting consists of two essentially unconnected scenes. There is one creature bothering the house, the other bothering the cow. Or to explain it visually, there are two separate visual loops, as shown in Fig.10. These two scenes could perfectly well be two separate images and since they are in one painting, that’s a problem. I want to send a clear signal to the viewer, not a confusing mess of two different stories. At this point, no matter how painful it is, it’s time to kill my darlings remember that “less is more”, etc. I remove the foreground creature altogether and see how that works (Fig.11). That’s a much stronger composition. It does affect the background story - it’s no longer a horde, but a single titanic alien, but since there is no hard brief I will choose a stronger composition over my original idea of an army of these creatures. Having fixed the composition, all major worries have now been taken care of. From this point on, it’s all a matter of detailing, and making sure

no detail is present where it’s not needed (which I find a lot harder than adding detail). The hand gesture is a very important aspect of the painting, so I want some reference for that. It needs to express anticipation on the part of the creature, a bit of menace, but not sheer bloodlust - I need something that also has a bit of curiosity about it. I take a few pictures (my aim is horrible, as Fig.12 shows) and of the several gestures I make it’s no surprise the one I like best is the most crappy, blurred photograph of the lot. However, the fact that it’s a bad photo doesn’t really matter, as it was never meant as a literal reference. I like how four fingers are all silhouetted against the sky, so I decide to leave

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the fifth finger out - hey, it’s an alien after all!

an almost cartoony degree (I’ll turn that down

people just slightly. Now for the very last (and

Time to increase the lighting consistency: warm

just a notch for the final image). To further

important step): some colour dodging (if you

from the farmhouse, cold from the world and

underline the cows’ lack of excitement, I add

use Photoshop) or Glowing (if you use Painter)

blue greenish from the eyes. I’m flipping the

half a cow on the right edge of the image. This

to make sure all the action happens in the

canvas constantly to look at the painting with

particular cow can’t even be bothered to show

mid tones, and not in the shadows. That’s it!

fresh eyes (Fig.13).

its face (Fig.14).

(Fig.15).

Almost there. I add the people behind the

Time to finish it off. I add shadows and light

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tutorial; visit my

window, and exaggerate their body language to

to the fence, and change the position of the

website for more of my works and tutorials!

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Jesse van Dijk For more from this artist visit: http://jessevandijk.net Or contact: [email protected]

“As night fell, the darkness came alive” by Ehsan Dabbaghi & Emrah Elmasli

Speed Painting :v3 As night fell, the darkness came alive


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 task (Brush.01). You can see the options selected for this brush in the palette (Palette.01); 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, 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.02). I believe that light is

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Speed Painting: v3

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 colour 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 grey 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.03).

Step 4 Here I add in the poor guys who are going to be facing the darkness of the night in this scene, and possibly also dealing with the fear of their own deaths (Fig.04).

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Step 5 I use an airbrush at this point to add some haze to the background and to help achieve a better feeling of depth. I also make the foreground darker – which isn’t too important at this stage as you can always do this towards the end of the painting (Fig.05).

Step 6 At last, I finally reach the colour stage! I start by creating a new layer in Colour mode. I like

the contrast between orange and blue, and so this is the colour scheme I choose for the base work of this particular scene. It also works well with the story of the sundown (Fig.06).

Step 7 I create a Colour Balance layer here and add some blue to the shadows. I also add more red and yellow to the highlights (Fig.07).

Step 8 Now it’s time to add textures. Using the colour of textures can prove useful; they can work very well when you get into thinking about colour in your painting. For the textures in this piece I use a Soft Light layer, from the layer palette mode. 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.08).

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Step 9 I use an Overlay layer here, which is great for creating nice colour effects – kind of like a glaze does with oil paint. Here I further detail the mountain area (Fig.09).

Step 10 Here 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 helps to focus the viewer’s attention on the people on the scene and assists with the story of the camp at dusk (Fig.10).

Step 11 Adding some light to the foreground and middle ground area here is a good move – it

further helps with the connection between the foreground and background, as mentioned before (Fig.11).

Step 12 This stage is all about helping to define the rocks and shapes, with some detailing brush work (Fig.12).

Step 13 Using a Colour layer is a really important trick to bring in at the end of a painting; you can create the colour 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 colour is important, as is the affect of applying a glaze to a finished painting – which is what I’m currently trying to develop an understanding of. With my Colour layer here, I try to imitate the affect that a glaze might (I

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assume) create on a traditional painting of a

(Fig.14); it’s important to use colours for shapes.

> Unsharp Mask and set the options as required

similar subject (Fig.13).

I’m very happy with the red that seems to look

to make a nicely sharp image. To achieve more

good in there, beside the shadow colour – I

depth on your scene it can also be a good idea

really like this part of the image.

to erase some areas, if needs be. This also

Step 14 Back lighting. I like it when there is light behind

helps to create more of a feeling of focus.

your camera; it seems to give more feeling to an

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

As a final note, be sure to enjoy painting and

image. To do this, I create a new layer in normal

drop them into a new layer (using the function at

be happy with your final outcome. Thanks for

mode and just paint with the colour I want.

the bottom of the layer palette to create the new

reading!

Take a look at the mountain in the background

layer), and then press Ctrl + E. I go to Sharpen

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Ehsan Dabbaghi For more from this artist visit: http://ehsand.cgsociety.org/gallery/ Or contact: [email protected]


Speed Painting: v3

Created In: Photoshop & Painter Hi readers! Once again, I’m back with a new tutorial. 2008 is now in the past and I feel that 2009 is going to be a really exciting year. Hopefully I’ll be doing more speed paintings for you all; I’ve got more coming up after this chapter, so don’t miss out! This chapter’s subject was quite challenging actually. It was hard to come up with a decent concept. But then I thought that it would be a good idea to paint a simple, yet effective scene. I used a strong yellow backlight for the main light source and a very pale blue for the secondary foreground lighting. It’s really surprising to see how a strong backlight can instantly create an effective mood. You don’t even have to render the figures because the silhouettes pretty much do the job. Okay, enough talking, let’s get started!

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Speed Painting :v3 As night fell, the darkness came alive Step 1 I start by firing up Photoshop CS3 and opening a new vertical page of 2200x1200 pixels at 150 ppi. This is pretty much enough for a quickie. Now, I select a main colour and fill in the canvas. I’m using a brownish colour (dark scenes don’t have to be blue!). I then choose a soft round brush and glaze the horizon with a lighter tone of the colour. This helps me to get a feel for the environment a little better (Fig.01).

Step 2 It’s time to brighten up the scene a bit now, so I add four lampposts to achieve this, which will be all blurred from the mist. Then I create a new layer and change the layer options to Overlay. I paint the first pass with a soft brush, using yellow. I then create a new layer and select Colour Overlay from the options. I do the same thing again but this time using a more saturated yellow. This gives me four really bright lights now, which are going to be my main light source (Fig.02).

Step 3 Okay, time bring some life into the scene. I paint in a couple of trees – maybe we’re in a creepy

these from scratch, though – it really doesn’t

to the scene. I decide to overlay a texture

park or something? I don’t know yet. Maybe

take that long (Fig.03).

layer on the top to make it look even moodier.

there’s a small path between the trees, curling

I basically select a textured brush, increase

and disappearing towards the horizon – that

Step 4

would look nice (hold on, I sounded like Bob

As the next step, I start to add some detail. I

then decrease the opacity of the Overlay layer

Ross then!). You can create custom brushes

also add the pale blue light coming from the

(Fig.04).

to paint trees even faster, if you want. I painted

foreground, which helps to add some depth

the master diameter and paint with it directly. I

Step 5 Now it’s time to put the characters in. I paint in a running female figure coming towards the camera. She’s softly backlit by the lampposts. I also paint in some weird creatures with red eyes. They are figuratively the “darkness”, or the “creatures of the dark”. They are also backlit – well, yeah, she’s escaping from them after all (Fig.05)!

Step 6 This is the “glazing” step where I create a few overlay layers and brighten up the scene with

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a couple of brushstrokes. It’s important not to exaggerate this step, though, otherwise the highlights end up being overwhelming (Fig.06).

Final Finally, and for a change, I take this painting into Painter, where I throw in a couple of brushstrokes using the palette knife (which is my favourite tool in Painter). This part isn’t essential; it’s just an extra step I chose to do to make the picture look more “painterly”. And I think it worked – done (Fig.07)! I hope you’ve enjoyed this latest speed painting. Thanks for reading!


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Introduction

The Matte Painting eBook is a 39-page guide showing you, over 5 parts, the basics of Matte Painting, whilst also giving some more advanced techniques in the final chapter. We asked industry professional, Tiberius Viris to take an interesting photograph and to create an easy-to-follow set of tutorials about how to add varying conditions to this – or any other – scene. This eBook is aimed at beginners, as well as those who already have some experience with matte painting – advanced knowledge of Photoshop is required in both cases. If you are not familiar with adjustment layers, layer masks or channels (RGB), you should read about these topics prior to starting this tutorial.

Chapter 1: Day to Night Chapter 2: Sunshine to Snow Chapter 3: Storm Chapter 4: Fire and Smoke Chapter 5: Tips and Tricks

Speed Painting - Digital Painting Tutorial Series Vol.3 - Zoo Publishing & 3DTotal.com Ltd. - (2009)[ChrisArmand]

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