Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec Chapter 01: Aztec Software Used: Photoshop
Introduction The Aztecs were a group of people in central Mexico who were prominent between the 14th and 16th centuries. Their civilisation accomplished some great artistic and architectural achievements, and their history demonstrated some rich traditions. Perhaps one of their most commonly know traditions is that of human sacrice, which can be seen illustrated in manuscripts from the time. In terms of nding reference material there are obviously no photographs from the period and so you can only rely on painted manuscripts and costume recreations. For the purposes of this tutorial I thought it would be interesting to create a semirealistic character that was part based on actual records and manuscripts, and combine this with an imaginary element.
Blocking In Due to the colorful nature of Aztec culture and society, together with the area that they once inhabited, I decided straight away that I wanted this painting to have a rich palette with lots of saturated colors. From looking at various reference images I got the impression of elaborate, exuberant costumes and beautiful, decorative jewellery. These were most likely used for ceremonial purposes; however I liked the idea of adorning my warrior in something similar to make him look more interesting. I therefore imagined a warrior who may be dressed up slightly for some form of ritual or ceremony.
The rst stage was to ll in the background with some vivid greens and a suggestion of some jungle foliage and ground. Fig.01 shows the initial block in using some textured custom brushes.
and uses a Dual brush. The other brush I used
As this background would be on a separate layer
can be seen in Fig.03. At this stage it was just a
to the character it didn’t matter too much if it
The brush I used to create the leaf shapes can
case of getting rid of the bland white background
remained vague at this stage as it could always
be seen in Fig.02, which has some scattering
and providing a base to work on.
be modied throughout the painting process.
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Chapter 01
Chapter 01: Aztec
Tribal Warriors
With the backdrop roughed in I started blocking in the warrior (Fig.04). I lled in most of the body in a single color which would be the midtone. Upon this base color I could work in the shadows and highlights.
Building the Detail Fig.05 shows the next stage in the process which now incorporated a third layer where I began to add some clothing and accessories. If you were working in the games industry it would be a good practice to separate your painting into layers in case you are asked to change anything. Having the clothing on a different layer to the character means it can be modied with
I roughed in a feathered headdress, which is
ease. Your art director may require changes to
something that seemed prominent in much
the costume and so splitting up elements can
of the Aztec art I found and was an aspect I
save a lot of time and headaches.
wanted to include. I also started to develop
the features of the face a little more with the light source being somewhere to the left of the picture frame.
Using a textured Chalk brush I started to build the anatomy (Fig.06). I also moved the character slightly up and to the right on the canvas as he looked a little squashed.
I added an extension to his ceremonial headwear, which can be seen in Fig.07. To create a highlight across the left side where the sun is hitting it I duplicated the layer this was painted on and then set the blending mode to Screen (inset 1). I then used the Eraser to delete the areas that weren’t directly in the sunlight, leaving just a small section (inset 2).
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Chapter 01
Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec
I wanted to add some war paint across my
the adjustment layer to the left-hand side of the
The overall lighting was another aspect that
warrior’s body and so created a new layer for
character (left image in Fig.09). You will also
was troubling me at this stage as it seemed
this so I could experiment with the color and
notice that I have added some extra decoration
dull and did not have the vibrancy that I initially
blending mode easily without it affecting the
around his neck and chin now, labelled “Layer
intended. To rectify this I merged the two
main image. I started with the face and in the
3” in the palette above tattoos.
previous adjustment layers with the character layer and then applied two more; a Curves
end chose Normal as the blending mode. To make sure the paint was consistent with the
I wanted to have a few tattoos across my
and a Brightness/Contrast layer. On the left is
lighting I used the Eraser tool to make the
warrior and so created a new layer in order to
the image before these were applied and on
highlighted areas semi-transparent (Fig.08).
experiment, as I’d done with the face paint.
the right is the effect of these along with their
The Overlay blending mode is probably the
settings. You can see now that the general color
The skin tones looked a little at and so in order
most suitable setting and using a chalky green I
scheme has been enriched and the light feels
to increase the contrast I applied a Brightness/
painted some shapes across his torso and limbs
much warmer and more tropical.
Contrast adjustment layer. I increased the
(Fig.10 – inset). You can see how these nally
values by around +30 in both cases and then
appear in the full image when the blending
During the painting process I realized that the
used black to paint into the mask and restrict
mode is altered.
right leg looked a little twisted and the curvature
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Chapter 01
Chapter 01: Aztec
Tribal Warriors
through the lower leg seemed exaggerated. I
Embedded along its edges were pieces of
In the case of the rst one I made a selection
decided to change it by making a selection area
obsidian (volcanic glass). This material was
area around the large foreground leaves and
from the knee down and then rotating it ( Fig.11).
naturally robust and sharp and made a perfect
then pasted these into the painting ( Fig.13).
You can, of course, opt to use the Warp tool
material for cutting and piercing.
Once both pictures had been pasted in, I color corrected each by reducing the contrast and
in Photoshop although this can sometimes distort the overall contours of the image. Either
Finishing Touches
also the saturation of the leaves in the lower
way works ne really; it just depends on your
The picture at this point was reaching its nal
image.
preference.
stages, although there were a few adjustments that could help improve things. Although I
I also found a useful image of some ground
Once the lower leg was duplicated I rotated
wanted to focus the attention on the warrior and
with scattered grass and earth and decided to
it and then used the Eraser tool to delete the
not the background I thought that some textural
overlay this across the jungle oor ( Fig.14). I
unwanted areas on the character layer as well
realism might help in the way of some foliage.
used the Transform tool to scale it vertically in
as blend any obvious seams. Here you can
I looked through the free library of photos
order to create a more accurate perspective and
see the before (upper left) and after results
available on 3DTotal and found the following two
then set the blending mode to Soft Light (lower
(right). After doing this I then rotated the ankle
images which were perfect for the task:
image).
http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/preview.php?i
I decided to increase the contrast in the Curves
mi=13022&s=c:Leaf&p=2&cid=17
adjustment layer and then added one nal
decoration on the clothing layer to match the new position of the leg.
layer which was some reective light across the
You will have noticed that I have also deleted the red feather headdress, which I felt was
http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/preview.php?i
warrior’s right side. With this the painting was
somewhat out of balance. I was quite keen on
mi=13018&s=c:Leaf&p=2&cid=17
complete.
this part of his costume and so replaced them with a smaller bunch (Fig.12).
Although our character is wearing some ceremonial clothing he is nonetheless a warrior and so I thought it only tting to supply him with a typical Aztec weapon: the Maquahuitl. This was a weapon that was somewhere between a club and a sword and was made from wood.
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Chapter 01
Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec
Richard Tilbury For more information please visit: http://www.richardtilburyart.com Or contact them at:
[email protected]
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Chapter 01
Tribal Warriors Chapter 02: Maori
Chapter 02: Maori Software Used: Photoshop
I usually start my pieces by using color to sketch out fairly abstract shapes using an approximate palette. Since the piece I am working on is set in a jungle scene it seems appropriate to use greens, blues and yellows (with some reds and purples to balance). I tend to use a lot of large brushes with rough edges at this stage so I can try and get some “random” shapes that might inspire ideas and help the concept along (Fig.01).
Adding some gures early on is pretty important
Creating eye movement is pretty important and
because it helps maintain a cohesiveness in
I try to do this by creating blocks of interest and
the colors and in the shape of the composition.
visual noise. I create the visual noise using
This part is usually pretty tricky because you
custom brushes. I like painting textures so this
must think about the composition, narrative,
stage is usually the most fun ( Fig.03).
scale, mood etc. I indicate the light direction and
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intensity in this part because I like to see the
When I want to really ramp up the amount
potential drama (Fig.02).
of noise in an image I create a new layer in
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Photoshop and make a lot of large choppy marks. I then create a layer mask and mask parts out using a smaller textured brush (Fig.04).
Since the guy in the middle (farthest to the right) is pretty centrally located and has a decent amount of contrast on him he’s basically the main character of the narrative, so I start eshing out his design rst ( Fig.05).
color schemes this way. I also have two hotkeys
I want the channel of light to split the group
set to ip the canvas; one ips vertical and the
of tribesmen to add a little depth and mood.
As I move forward with the piece I usually
other ips horizontal and this has been pretty
The light hitting the forest oor is also creating
play with color adjustments and levels just to
important in helping me to see errors in my
some much needed eye movement across the
freshen my eye. Sometimes I nd some nice
painting (Fig.06).
illustration. I add a spear to chop up some of
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Chapter 02
Tribal Warriors Chapter 02: Maori
the verticals and create some framing for the
or just causing unwanted noise. I also squint at
I want him to be really imposing so I use the
background guys. It’s a gamble to put the spear
my work a lot as it means I can see the forms
Lasso tool to select him and copy and paste him
in there and I’ll probably end up taking it out, but
without all the details (Fig.08).
into a new layer, where I modify his body and
it’s good to make these mistakes as they teach us more about ourselves (Fig.07).
give him the beginnings of a face ( Fig.09). I am starting to see the potential for this brute in the foreground. His frame and posture are going
I start ipping through my references at this
Whenever I start painting smooth surfaces
to become pretty important so I’ll be revisiting
point to make sure I am heading in the right
like skin or leaves I try to make as few strokes
him quite a bit too.
direction with the weapons and apparel. Oh and
as possible. I feel when I start going over the
tattoos – it wouldn’t be Maori if there weren’t
same mark I totally wreck what I am doing. I am trying to get into habit of making the mark and walking away, so to speak. As I am working the details of the piece in I am constantly zooming out to see if what I just painted is helping out
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Chapter 02
Chapter 02: Maori
Tribal Warriors
tattoos (which is a good point; whatever it is
stay away from leaf brushes as they tend to
I notice the scene’s light source is kind of losing
you’re illustrating nd the essence and make it
stick out like sore thumbs if not used properly.
its power so I create a new layer and set the
very visible) (Fig.10).
Besides leaves are fun to paint so why not do
layer to Screen. I then pick a yellowish orange
the fun thing (Fig.11)!
and airbrush my light back in. It’s pretty easy to
I nally get rid of the spear and add more leaves
get carried away when airbrushing light rays so I
and trees. A good and easy way to do leaves
I don’t like how the central guy isn’t really
is with the Lasso tool. It gives you nice edges
engaging with the viewer so I change him again.
and a lot of freedom to experiment while not
He also has a lot of over-painted marks, so I
For detail work I try and keep the brushes as
contaminating the rest of the piece. Generally I
want to start fresh with him ( Fig.12).
large as possible and edit the brush properties
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try and leave that for the end.
Chapter 02
Tribal Warriors Chapter 02: Maori
as needed. It also helps to gure out where the
ipping my canvas a lot more to catch anything I
smudge the transitions between the strokes to
eye is moving around the page and polish stuff
might have missed, now that I am almost done.
emulate (or try at least) fresh paint ( Fig.14).
on the way (Fig.13).
Moving around the page I can see that there are lots of little spaces where I can hide some more
The nal step is adding the last few touches and
I’m trying to resolve the key points to make them
color and noise. I use the Smudge tool a lot;
helping along the composition as best I can. I
readable with as little effort as possible. I’m also
usually I will do two or three strokes and then
do a few color and level adjustments at the end to separate the colors more. I also use a slight un-sharpen mask at the end to pop the edges a little more (I nd that the amount of sharpen is relative to the size of the image – e.g: bigger image = less sharpening ability). Adding the soft light rays and some dust particles should occur after sharpening and color adjustments because you want as much control over the light as possible. And I think it’s done ( Fig.15).
Chase Toole For more information please visit: http://chimpsmack.blogspot.com/ Or contact them at:
[email protected]
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Chapter 02
Tribal Warriors Chapter 03: Native American Chapter 03: Native American Software Used: Photoshop
It’s always a tricky thing depicting historical stereotypes when character designing. How much accuracy do I lend to the concept? Do I make it entirely historical or do I suspend some of it for artistic liberty so that instead I can render something I think is more engaging?
You also have to consider what might be offensive as the wrong depiction could cause
wasn’t too concerned with it just yet. I sketched
the character, grounding them to the piece. Yes,
some headaches. The last time I checked, few
this out in Photoshop and simply used a Hard
going about this image in the way I did resulted
people like headaches.
Round brush with Size Jitter set to Pressure
in some delightful hair tearing down the line
(under the Shape Dynamics options).
when I tried to get the warrior to t properly.
been part of Western culture for dozens of
I also attempted another more dynamic pose. I’ll
Speaking of the warrior, as you can see, I
decades now and has had its own road of
never know if it would have worked out better; it
worked up some volume and an early indication
evolution. Initially thought of simply as a wild
might very well have, but I already had an idea
of skin tone (Fig.02). I was mainly still focusing
savage, today’s Native American warrior is still
forming in my head with the former sketch and
on his posture though. I was imagining a scene
considered a brutal ghter, but also one of honor
kind of wanted to see it through ( Fig.01b).
in which he’s just killed a buffalo and he’s
The motif of the Native American warrior has
standing on his kill. I didn’t want him to look
and wisdom. They also have a connection to the land they live in and its wildlife. They are more
This is not the best way to go about starting a
arrogant, just raw, if that makes sense. Kind of
like introverted survivors than savages.
piece, at least from my experience. Usually,
like, this is who he is and this is his element.
if your character is going to encompass a Let’s see if I can do the subject matter justice.
full scene – background and all – it’s best to
There was something that wasn’t quite working
As with any historical subject it’s important to
establish the dominant colors and lights in the
at this stage, but regardless of this feeling I
start with plenty of references! Search pictures
scene rst. This means that one should start
moved on to quickly sketch out the buffalo, and
online of course, but don’t neglect books on the
with the background and then work on the
planted both of them on a surface ( Fig.03). I
subject. They allow for a more concise breath of
character, as this way some of the background
used some warmer colors on the buffalo’s coat,
knowledge since they’re usually accompanied
colors can naturally bleed through the colors of
which I wasn’t sure was the best idea as I didn’t
by captions or full-on explanations.
Also look at lms and documentaries. These are the best bet if you want to stay accurate, but if you’re looking for something a little more fantastical then a good epic drama on the subject matter will help too. Anyhow, on to the piece!
I generally like to start off loose so this sketch, although quick and dirty, was actually more focused that usual (Fig.01a). At this stage I tried to capture the posture and the attitude of the warrior. I also considered composition, but since I knew that I was going to be changing it soon, I
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Chapter 03
Chapter 03: Native American
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want it to feel warmer than the warrior’s esh as the buffalo was supposed to be reading as dead. I went for some vignette lighting here to add some drama to the scene. To paint the grass (for what it is) I used a Hard Edged Round brush, with the Dual Brush option clicked. I then bounced around the Dual Brush options depending on whatever secondary brush appealed to me at the time. Really, it’s a very poor example of how grass should be done – the only reason it works at all is because of the light and color, which is okay. I’ll be getting back to it though, don’t you worry!
I then think I worked out what was bothering me which was mainly the fact that he was standing on his kill. It looked kind of cool, but like I stated earlier, I was aiming for a non-arrogant but condent air. The character standing on a dead buffalo didn’t really project that, so as you can see, I lowered him in front of his kill ( Fig.04). It took away from some of the dynamic factor, but I knew I’d nd ways to work that back in later. At least now he didn’t look like he was gloating.
Finally, after hours of delay, I got around to establishing the rest of the background. I was thinking of a cloudy, tempestuous, windy day on the plains. I used the Round Fan Stiff Thin Bristles brush that’s native to Photoshop CS5. This is especially great if you have the Wacom art pen, since they preview the rotation of your brush, not just the tilt. On the negative side though they do have an annoying preview window that kept popping up no matter how many times I clicked off (Fig.05).
To recapture some of the lost dynamic I opted to tilt the whole piece about 20%. I simply grabbed all of the layers, went to Edit > Transform > Rotate and ddled. I also continued to work up the warrior, giving him a lean build. I decided I’d probably scale it back some though as it was a tad too ripped for me ( Fig.06). I also began focusing more on how to decorate him as I wanted to keep it simple, without too many adornments. That way the pose wouldn’t be
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Chapter 03
Tribal Warriors Chapter 03: Native American lost in a bunch of layers and nuanced details. I
detail, along with accent colors (the red straps
also worked up the buffalo, giving him a darker,
coming from his hair) that helped drive more
shaggy coat. I started considering whether or
focus to his face.
not to just entirely darken the eyes and take out the little glint because it was quite difcult to
Yep, back to a tilted piece ( Fig.08). I decided to
project him as dead.
stick with this as I was starting to dig the slight sense of vertigo. I went back into the sky and
Enter doubt! I rotated the whole piece back to
reworked it, using the previously mentioned
an even level. I wasn’t sure if I liked it more
bristles brush and the Hard Edged Round brush.
like this, but I was still trying to gure out the
I kept it all loose as I wanted to give the sky a
composition. Tilted it looked a little wonky, but
sense of motion to counteract the stillness of
a part of me still liked it because it pulled me in
the two subjects. Usually if you rene something
(Fig.07). Regardless of this I continued to add
you tend to make it look more static, which is
pretty logical if you consider the fact that in real life the quicker a thing is moving the blurrier it appears. I also introduced some rim lighting to add extra drama. All of this was done with the Hard Round brush. I also cropped the canvas as I felt like we were too far away from them before.
I also started to build up the grass. I began by using the Grass brush that comes with Photoshop and angled it in the direction I wanted it to go. I also varied the size and spacing. Once the brush was set I simply began to layer it over the ground. There’s not a big trick to this; you just have to study some grass references and gure out how much of it you want to accurately portray in your scene. I was going for semi-realistic, keeping it a tad on the fantastical side. After I was done with the initial laying in of the grass I grabbed a Hard Edged Round brush, set the Size Jitter and Opacity Jitter both to Control Pressure and went in to vary and touch up the grass some more. From this point onwards it was just a case of further rening.
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Chapter 03
Chapter 03: Native American
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Here we have the pseudo-nal piece ( Fig.09). I never really feel like my work is complete, and this example is no different. There’s plenty I’d still like to render, but for the sake of the tutorial and time this will have to do. I pretty much just went over everything and rened it further. I solidied the clouds just a tad more, and also detailed the bison a bit more, trying to push its sheer bulk. I got the clumpy texture look by setting my Hard Round brush to a speckled brush. To do this just enable the Scattering options in the Brush Options window and vary the sliders. Make sure to also play with the spacing option of your brush for better results. I also added some body designs, but nothing that would cover up the physic too much. I think a warrior’s greatest tool (after his mind) is his body; the better that is honed the more deadly he should be. For a quick and agile character like the one we have here, it’s important to see his build.
As for the grass, I copied the former layer, put it to Overlay mode to pump up the contrast and
then continued to paint on it. This gave it that
just to play around. I used the speckled brush
extra kick of light to dark. I also made an overlay
on a different layer, then used the Filter > Blur >
layer for the body and just painted lightly over
Motion Blur.
him with the earlier mentioned speckled brush, to give him a bit more texture.
After that I just went in and did some hands-on smudging and painting of raindrops in motion.
So there you have it, a rather loose take on the
Remember to keep them blurry!
iconic Native American. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and best of luck in your version!
Branko Bistrovic
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Note: Just for the fun of it, I also made a quick
For more information please visit:
version with rain in it (Fig.10). It is not quite
www.brushdreams.com/brankosfurnace.swf
accurate – the skin should be more glistening
Or contact him at:
and the lighting is much too warm now – but still,
[email protected]
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Chapter 03
Tribal Warriors Chapter 04: Viking Chapter 04: Viking Software Used: Photoshop
For this tutorial I was set the task of creating a concept illustration based on a Viking. I started by coming up with some keywords for myself. This helped me settle on the aesthetic style of the painting, along with the lighting and mood. I wanted the Viking to be very powerful and set against a foreboding and grim scenario. This helped me nd a pose and expression that worked. I used references at every step and listened to music that reected the feeling I was aiming for. I hope you nd this tutorial useful!
Blocking and Silhouette With this image I knew I wanted something that had a strong silhouette, and that the silhouette should be as “Viking” as possible. Viking horns were an obvious way to do this. Once I’d blocked in a rough shape, I started thinking about the other elements I would need to
doing. At rst I thought about having a wounded
If the Viking was chopping a tree down instead
develop the blobby scribble, such as indicating
Viking taking his last defensive strike. Then as
of a person, everything would be different, even
the arms and weapons. I blocked in using a
I continued blocking in and moving elements
though the pose and costume wouldn’t be.
standard Hard Round brush with Pressure
around (such as the sword) I thought it would be
Sensitivity turned on (Fig.01). I then used the
interesting to show the Viking as an executioner.
Another layer to the context was what the
same brush as my eraser to cut out the shapes I
The man with the outstretched arm immediately
characters were wearing. Putting the characters
wanted (Fig.02).
worked for me (Fig.03). Everything was in his
in the clothing of the time and place meant
hand gesture and combined with the obvious
researching what they would have worn, how
Contextual Design
striking angle of the Viking’s sword this gave
they made their helmets, the decoration on their
When I had the Viking design down as I wanted
real weight to the image. In this scenario
swords and shields etc. You have to absorb as
it I started thinking about what he was actually
contrasting elements help to dene each other.
much of the style as you can.
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Chapter 04
Chapter 04: Viking
Tribal Warriors
Atmospherics and Dynamics Once I was happy with what the image was doing and saying, I started thinking about how I could increase the drama. I didn’t want to get into the lighting of the scene yet, so I played around with losing edges and adding smoke and cloud effects to increase a sense of depth and
lines crossed at the exact same point, the
background was pure white, it could only go
motion (Fig.04).
composition would distract and annoy the eye. A
darker. Using the Multiply layer mode has a nice
good principle to study is “Informal Composition”
layering effect that builds the darks very well.
by Loomis (Fig.06).
I used large soft airbrushes and cloud custom
I did this by creating some custom brushes
brushes, focusing on establishing a lighting
sampled from clouds and using them along with erasers. Another thing to play around with is the
A good exercise for practicing your composition
gradient more than anything else. Then I erased
ow value, which will slowly build up the stroke
is to take three circles. Order them in a neat
out the areas on my characters where it had
and give your brushes a different look ( Fig.05).
and boring way in a frame. Then create a set
gone too dark. This was how I established the
of “mini-compositions”, with the most dynamic
mood and general lighting of the image ( Fig.08).
Composition Principles
combination of the three circles that you can
One thing that I was aware of at this stage was
(Fig.07).
that the composition was looking very “side
Fig.09 illustrates exactly what I did for the Viking image. I painted the base painting and
pattern with my characters to keep the image
Using Multiply for the Background
interesting. Negative shapes and composition
I intentionally left the background white in
design lines helped me nd interesting abstract
the beginning for two reasons. I wanted to
shapes, such as the negative shapes around
stay focused on the characters as much as
the axe and hands. I tried to make sure no
possible for the blocking in and I knew I could
Overlay, Color Balance and Hard Light
more than two of the composition lines ever
use Multiply to make it work later down the
Different layer modes are the way I would
crossed over at a perfect “X”. You can see in
line. So once I was happy compositionally and
usually apply color to a piece. For the Viking
the example the small triangle made by the
contextually with the image I created a Multiply
image, I applied a wash of blue with orange
sword hand, axe and arm/leg line. If all the
layer at the top of the layer stack. Since the
to get a basic idea of the color temperature
on”. I knew I had to create a strong graphic
then painted in a Multiply layer above it. Finally I deleted the parts of that layer that were in the highlighted areas.
(warms and cools). Then I used Hard Light in the darkest darks to paint pure red into areas. Overlay wouldn’t be able to do this as it doesn’t affect pure blacks or whites. Hard Light, however, brings the black point up really well. I then used a Color Balance adjustment layer to grade the image to a tone I wanted ( Fig.10).
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Chapter 04
Tribal Warriors Chapter 04: Viking
Fig.11 shows the interesting colors achieved
Studying sub surface scattering will really help
by using just one Overlay on top of a black and
you to understand how skin works and how it
white image. A good thing to do after this is
can look authentic. In Fig.13 you will see how
painting opaque (Normal layer mode) back over
sphere 1 has only one hue going from light to
the top. This gets rid of the obvious wash look.
black. Sphere 2 goes through many hues and
Skin Tone Sometimes when using Overlay and Hard Light
ramps up in saturation before it gets anywhere near true black.
layers the skin on characters doesn’t look right.
Pose Refinement
I settled on a slight position and rotation change
It’s very easy to make skin look dead in an
I continued to rene and add details specic to
(Fig.14). This increased the impression of him
image. This is usually because one hue has
Vikings such as leather straps, belts, studs and
swinging his sword. Every time you change
been used to paint the form of the character’s
armor all sourced from references. At this stage
something in a piece, question whether it dilutes
skin. Skin contains so many hues and saturation
of an image I always try to stop and take a step
or enhances the image.
levels it takes more to make it look believable.
back. I try to re-analyze the poses and make
It’s something that needs a lot of practice, but
sure everything is as good as it can be. With this
Particles and Finishing Effects
it is key to making character illustrations look
image I moved the peasant’s hand and head
I knew from the start that I wanted this image
strong. So I re-graded my image, focusing only
around, but decided not to change anything. T he
to have a lot of depth and visual effects. As the
on the skin. I had the previous version’s color
Viking’s head, however, was bothering me. So I
weather in the image seemed very dull and grim,
palette to go back to later. Once I felt the skin
lasso selected his head/helmet and used Copy/
I thought I’d try making the rain from one of the
looked natural color-wise, I copied them back
Merge and Paste to create a attened selection I
previous attempts work. Rain has a great mood
into the blue, grim lighting version ( Fig.12).
could move around. After trying multiple options,
and adds a lot in terms of reections, specular highlights, particles and things like water splash. For the rain, I created a custom brush using the standard Hard Round which I attened in the Roundness setting as much as possible. I then just played with scattering values until I thought it read like rain. I also used other particle custom brushes to add miscellaneous texture effects like grit and mud into the image. Applying a small amount of Motion Blur to these elements adds a lot of depth ( Fig.15). At the end I created a vignette to the image and blurred the edges whilst sharpening my focal points ( Fig.16).
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Chapter 04
Chapter 04: Viking
Tribal Warriors
Jon McCoy For more information please visit: http://www.jonmccoyart.com/ Or contact him at:
[email protected]
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Chapter 04
Tribal Warriors Chapter 04: Viking
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Chapter 04
Tribal Warriors Chapter 05: Fantasy Chapter 05: Fantasy Software Used: Photoshop
How do you paint a picture with well dened volume, depth and composition? I’m going to tell you how to work on the dynamics between the gure and the background, and also how to understand gures and handle light and shadows. My idea is to make it fun and easy to understand.
Let’s start dening the drawing’s details the best we can, so that when we switch to color it’ll be easier to model it. I’m naturally impatient and like to go directly to color, but this time I tried to calm down and set the picture a little better before diving into the swimming pool of color.
These are the subjects I’ve chosen to discuss:
- How to select base colors - Figure modeling and light direction - How do you make the colors match? - Final details - Bonus track
How to Select Base Colors To nd out what base colors we should use, we must keep in mind several things:
- Whether the scene takes place during day or night
- What we want to show in the painting and
- What kind of environment or scenery we
what is in the background.
to work out whether the selected base colors are right or wrong.
have (desert, forest etc) - How many characters there are in the composition
As you can see, there are three elements
In the rst example the color palette is cool,
in the drawing: an Indian, a wild pig and the
therefore warm colors stand out immediately
background (Fig.01). The warrior is the most
– in this case the wild pig. This is not useful
important part as he is what I want everybody to
because the warrior is supposed to command
look at (Fig.02). For this reason, we should try
the viewer’s attention.
to separate the character from other elements using colors.
In the second example, all the elements are warm, therefore nothing stands out and it is very
Curiously through colors you can say a lot of
difcult to guide the viewer around the image.
things. It is not foolish to plan which colors you
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are going to use from the beginning. Fig.03
Finally, in the third example we nd the best
shows three different examples you can look at
option. The warm background and the wild pig
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Chapter 05
Chapter 05: Fantasy
blend well, and the warrior in the blue color
that isn’t very realistic but it makes the image
stands out from the secondary elements. At the
look dramatic and interesting (Fig.06).
Tribal Warriors
same time the warrior shares a cold color range with the wild pig’s body ( Fig.04).
If you look at paintings from the Baroque period you will see clear examples of dramatic lighting
To put in your new color choices you simply
and contrast management. Rembrandt was one
need to set your sketch to Multiply and paint in
of the great masters of this movement. In his
the three colors (Fig.05).
work we nd great examples of the use of light
Figure Modeling and Light Direction
and shadow (Fig.07).
The next step is to start shaping the gure. To
To start painting let’s dene the strong lights and
do that you must rst understand the shapes,
The warrior’s head and face is composed of
shadows rst. At this point we’ll start to cover
and use the direction of the light to try to
several geometric gures. You may have seen
the original drawing’s line with color. To guide
understand how the character will look in the
these shapes used in diagrams thousands of
the viewer’s gaze I have chosen a theatrical light
light.
times before, but it is important to understand the shapes that make up the head as these will help you paint the head to make it look 3D. You can see how these shapes work on the face in Fig.08.
Using the understanding of the shape of the face that we now have, we can start to put color on the warrior’s face (Fig.09). In image 3 you can see that I have added some backlighting. This means that I have added some of the background colors to the skin of the warrior, particularly on the darker side. This is to make the character look as if it is standing in its environment.
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Chapter 05
Tribal Warriors Chapter 05: Fantasy
Making the Colors Match This part of the process is about adjusting the balance of the contrasting colors in the different elements of the painting. To explain this I’ve draw a blue apple on an orange background. It is always easier to demonstrate a point with simple gures. Remember that when you paint with colors you must cover the whole painting with one color. This is the base or dominant color. Then you should add local color for each element that makes up the composition. Always keep the base color of the bottom ( Fig.10).
If we look at the following boxes, we can clearly see the contrast between the blue object and the orange background. As we want this object to be integrated in the background, but at the same time separate from it, we have to control the amounts of orange and blue we use. If the object is further in the background it will have much more orange on it than blue. That is to create a greater sense of depth or distance.
Depending on the material the object is made from, the object will reect more or less light. This will allow us to differentiate a piece of cloth from a piece of metal ( Fig.11). you can add some interesting features that look
on it anymore. If you feel like this, it’s best to
Final details
visually appealing. Sometimes after working
stop working on it for several hours. When
If you already have the character and
on a image for a long time you can feel a little
you go back to it you can think about what you
background dened and the lighting established
bored of it and feel like you don’t want to work
would like to adjust or if you would like to work
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Chapter 05
Chapter 05: Fantasy
Tribal Warriors
on some of the main focus areas like the faces
things you can explore any style that suits you.
is that anybody can draw using any tool they
of the characters (Fig.12).
Don’t let anyone impose a style on you.
like. The truth is that you can paint amazing images with just one brush without using special
In Fig.13 – 14 you can see the points of interest
Here is a little gift for you. I have provided the
layers or effects. The most important thing to
that I adjusted.
brushes I used for this painting ( Fig.16). You
know is the traditional techniques and to paint
can download these brushes with this tutorial.
what you want to. Try to create a painting with
After some time I decided that I also wanted to
only two layers – the rst for the sketch and
do a cartoony version. You can see in Fig.15
Conclusion
the second for the painted color. You’ll see that
that the same principles apply whatever style of
In almost all the tutorials I’ve already written for
you can do it and that it’s fun. I hope you have
work you are doing. The other important thing
2DArtist magazine,
enjoyed my tutorial (Fig.17).
to remember is that once you understand these
programs, steps or special effects. My thinking
I’ve avoided talking about
Ignacio Bazan Lazcano For more information please visit: http://www.ignaciobazanart.com/ Or contact him at:
[email protected]
- Free Brush
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page 34
Chapter 05
3DTOTAL.COM Visit 3DTotal.com to see our full range of traini ng products
This eBook series will be split over six separate chapters, all sharing the common theme of a fantasy inspired medieval scene. Each will be undertaken by a different artist and draw upon a wealth of experience and skills perfected over years of industry practice. The authors will discuss their approach to di gital /concept painting, the tools and brushes they employ and treat us to a valuable look into their artistic process. The six installments will cover a different environment each chapter based upon the medieval theme and encompass a multitude of professional tips and techniques. Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: Photoshop, ArtRage & Painter | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF
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Futuristic cities and landscapes dominate digital art. They form the backdrop of countless lms and videogames and give artists an opportunity to explore the boundaries of their imagination. This is more than just a design based eBook though as each tutorial is lled with advice and tips that could help any artist develop and grow . This tutorial series is made up of six chapters, each tackled by a different artist, will be exploring the ways to design and paint cities of the future. Each artist will draw upon years of experience to demonstrate techniques and methods for creating original designs in a step by step way that can help any digital artist.
Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: Photoshop | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF
3DTOTAL.COM Visit 3DTotal.com to see our full range of traini ng products
This eBook tutorial series will revolve around the use of 3d as a starting point for digital painting. In particular we will explore the value of Google SketchUp, a free program enabling users to quickly build 3d environments using a set of intuitive tools. As a 3d package SketchUp is easy to learn and does not require hours of training and as an artist wishing to draw complicated scenes, this approach can prove a valuable starting point for producing a template on which to paint over. Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: Google SketchUp & Photoshop | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF
