Fantasy Art Genius Guide 7th Edition PDF
Fantasy Art Genius Guide 7th Edition PDF
Fantasy Art Genius Guide 7th Edition PDF
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Welcome to
Publishing Director
Aaron Asadi
Head of Design
Ross Andrews
Editor in Chief
Jon White
Production Editor
Jasmin Snook
Senior Art Editor
Greg Whitaker
Designer
Alexander Phoenix
Cover art
Jungmin Jin/Dospi
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Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the
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Fantasy Art Genius Guide Seventh Edition 2016 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978 1 78546 373 0
Part of the
bookazine series
Contents
Concept
24
Character
46
Landscape
136
10
116
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
38
128
90
64
158
Use Photoshop
to create photoreal
concept art
96
156
Concept
Compose magical scenes
30
These
techniques are
used in the
OPLQGXVWU\
54
46
8 Fantasy Art Genius Guide
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
16
10
38
24
Fantasy Art Genius Guide 9
Concept
Build your
own dystopia
concept
Use digital painting techniques to create a photoreal
FRQFHSWLOOXVWUDWLRQIRUOPSURGXFWLRQ
Learn how to use Photoshop to
create photoreal concept art with
this tutorial. Use a photo bashing
WHFKQLTXHZRUNLQJIURPSKRWRVDQGOLWHUDOO\
EDVKLQJWKHPLQWRQHZIRUPVE\XVLQJGLJLWDO
paint to create a base to paint over. You will
DOVROHDUQKRZWRGHFLGHRQDFRPSRVLWLRQ
and where to position the focal points in order
to create an interesting concept that tells a
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PDQDJHWKLVSUREOHPDQGJLYH\RXWKH
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FRQFHSWVLQDVKRUWDPRXQWRIWLPH7KLV
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SURMHFWVDQGSXVK\RXU3KRWRVKRSVNLOOVWRD
QHZOHYHO7KHVHWHFKQLTXHVDUHXVHGLQWKH
IHDWXUHOPLQGXVWU\DVZHOODVLQVRPH
JDPHUHODWHGSURMHFWVVXFKDVThe Last of Us
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Tony Andreas
Rudolph
www.zulusplitter.de
Rudolph is a concept
artist and digital matte
painter working in the
IHDWXUHOPLQGXVWU\+H
has worked on projects
like Guardians of the
Galaxy, Jupiter
Ascending and Captain
America 2.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
QHDUO\DOOWKHVRXUFHOHV
needed for the tutorial,
from the base image to
all the added photos.
Concept
Concept
Prepare the background
Composite multiple images to create a base
Open the plate First, open the plate image that will be the base for your
concept. You can use the same one that was chosen for this image, which
can be found on the disc (IMG_3383.jpg). Start analysing the image to ensure that
anything you add follows the same colour grading and light direction. The image has
very diffused lighting, which means no directional light and no shadows. It has more or
less only ambient occlusion and contact shadows created by the objects in the scene.
01
Prepare the plate The next step is a small but important step
to save time in the future. Start to prepare the image by separating the
foreground from the background. You will use the building in front of the tree
for the cut. Create a new group. Now start using the Polygonal Lasso tool and
create a selection on the edge of the station. When you have done this, click
on the mask icon in the Layers panel to create a mask on the group.
02
Download IMG_0391.
jpg and IMG_0401.jpg from the disc. These will be added
on the left and right of the image. Make sure that the images
have the same diffused lighting situation as the plate. Import
the images by moving them into the scene with the Move tool.
Match the perspective of the image on the left slightly more using
the Cmd/Ctrl+T shortcut for the Free Transform tool. After that,
create a Checks group with a Hue/Saturation adjustment on 85%
Saturation. The check layers will help to match the colours better.
03
04
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
05
Station destruction
06
08
Add trees
07
1HDUO\QLVKHGZLWKSKRWREDVKLQJ<RXDUHQRZQHDUO\QLVKHGZLWKWKHSKRWR
bashing of the foreground. Go to Image>Image Rotation>Flip Image Horizontal. This will help to
give you a fresh look at the image and pick out any mistakes. Create a rule of thirds raster to plan the next
steps. Go to Image>Canvas Size, move the top anchor point to the middle and enter 2947 as the Height.
Only shrink down the bottom part of the image. Then create a new group over the background group and
use the same mask.
09
,QWHJUDWLQJWKHWUHHV Repeat the previous method on another tree for the scene. Now create
a new group. Hit the Opt/Alt key on the mask of the background group and then hit the mask icon
to add the same mask to the trees group. Move the trees to the position you want with the Move tool. After
that, create a Levels adjustment by clicking the circle icon. In Levels, push the blacks a bit more up over the
Output Levels area. Do the same with the background group to lighten up the industrial images.
Concept
Perfect the scene
Add in details for a balanced composition
10
11
12
13
14
15
Create a new
layer. This is what you will paint the new details
on. Paint the masks for the photo-bashed elements
as well to integrate them more into the concept. On
the Overpaint layer, start painting the roof collapse
and deleting the highlights from the tyre with a chalk
brush. Then create a new layer for the plants. Use
the Mixer Brush tool with Dry, Heavy Load and
Sample All Layers selected. Choose a plant brush
and pick the colour information from the tree from the
foreground you added before and start painting.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
16
17
$GGPRUHLQWHUHVWLQJHOHPHQWV Open a
rusted metal texture and move it into the PSD over
the Overpaint layer. Make it with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U grey, set
it to Overlay and move it over the painted roof from the step
before. Then go to the vegetation layer and paint again with
the Mixer Brush tool to create more plants on the left side
as well as on the rails. Pick on different areas on the tree to
create randomness. Then use the normal Brush tool with a
plant brush and paint plants on the roof on the right side on
the same layer.
19
20
([SODLQWKHFRPSRVLWLRQ The image is done. You should have three focal points:
the jet, the collapsed roof and the girl. The jet is a warmer colour than the background. The
collapsed roof has the most details and no fog, and the girl is the darkest point in front of a bright
background. You also have a simple one-point perspective that is leading to the girl. The girl leads
to the jet and the roof. If you look at the roof this is leading to the jet and the jet back to the roof. These
HOHPHQWVGHQHWKHYLHZHUVSDWKRIVLJKWDQGFUHDWHDQLQWHUHVWLQJFRQFHSW
Concept
Artist
Stefano Tsai
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Software
GV0D[95D\
Source Files
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
This craft is a kind of Chinese-style battleship, with the
wings, cannons and sails based on Chinese temples. I
imagined that there would be steam engines inside.
Concept
Create your sections
Clearly dene the different parts of your ships
01
%HHIFLHQW
%ORFNRXWWKHPDLQDUHDV Add the secondary blocking details on the hull and apply different colours to help differentiate each group. In my project,
I added the main bridges, master poles, extended the structure and added cannons. To make the process simpler, reuse assets as much as you can. For
example, the purple blocks in the image are all the same asset. Extend the secondary blocking on the main hull and like before, reuse the same models as much
as possible.
02
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
03
04
05
Place the planks on the ships With the main wooden beams and posts ready,
lets start placing planks along them. Remember that these sections need to be tiled,
so they cant be overlapped everything has be to placed inside their boundaries. We can also
add stairs and some windows frames to bring in the sense of scale. Its details like these that
really emphasise the sheer size of the ship. The bigger it is, the more imposing and impressive!
Concept
Stefano Tsai is a
concept designer and
3D artist. He has been
working in the game
and entertainment
business since 2001,
and is still excited by
his work every day
despite over a decade
in the business
Step back and check the design Its always advisable to check how the overall look is panning out
throughout the process. Reveal all of the middle hulls to see how everything looks together. If it looks too straight
and formal then the surface is continuing without a break. To add interest, take one of the upper decks, copy it and turn
it into a duplicate version. Push it out a bit further to make an extended structure. These new platforms are good areas to
place cannons, as they can get a better shooting angle.
06
Add functional mechanisms After checking all of the connected parts, go back to complete the
mechanical joints, including the mechanisms for both side sail wings and for the main sail wings. These need to
be connected with the mechanical parts and should lead to the central system. In this case, the central area will be the
ships keel. The keel area has plenty of equipment from the front to the end of the ship, so its essentially the nerve centre
of the ship. You want to add many details to make it feel functional.
07
Focus GHWDLOLQVSHFLFDUHDV
Car study 3ds Max (2013)
We cant put details everywhere on the ship, as itll get too noisy and itll take too much time.
Instead, we need to pick a few key areas. To do that, create highlight details for the chosen areas,
and in others dial the detail back you want the eye to naturally fall on your focal points. On my
ship, I spent time adding details to the stern tower, the bow, the propellers and master cannons.
These elements really emphasise the ships fantasy style.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Finish the rear towers For rear towers I wont be
creating a semi-open structure, so there is no need to
work on the interior parts of the ship for these elements. Instead, I
focused mainly on the exterior details of the towers. I used images
of Chinese temples as my reference for the shape of the towers. To
make them feel larger and more imposing, I created an extended
structure with parts that hang out. This way, the tower seems to get
bigger as it gets taller, and it gave me more space to add some
beautiful Chinese roof details. Remember that this is fantasy; while
we want things to feel believable, they dont always have to be
physically accurate.
08
Complete the bow Generally, this is the most armoured part of the whole ship
as it needs to be built for combat collision. For dynamics, if you want the shape to be
stronger, you need to keep it as simple as possible. As such I didnt got crazy with the design
KHUHWKHQDGGHGVRPHPHWDOGHFRUDWLRQRQWRLWVVXUIDFH6RPHWKLQJHUFHORRNLQJZRUNVEHVW
09
10
Concept
Include weapons 7KHUHDUHWKUHHFDQQRQVRQWKLVVKLSRQHLVRQWKHWRSGHFNDQRWKHURQHLVPRXQWHGRQWKHZDOODQGWKHELJJHVWRQHLVQHDUWKH
ERWWRPRIWKHVKLS/HWVIRFXVRQWKHELJJHVWRQHDVLWLVWKHPDLQZHDSRQDQGLWVPXFKODUJHUWKDQWKHRWKHUV,WFDQEHVHHQPXFKPRUHFOHDUO\DQGLWVKRXOG
EHWKHPRVWDGYDQFHGHTXLSPHQWRQWKHVKLS3XWWKHHIIRUWLQWRWKHVHELJFDQQRQVDVWKH\FDQEHVHHQPXFKPRUHFOHDUO\WKDQRWKHUWZR
11
12
Naturally it
makes sense
to have lots
of heavy
armour to
surround it
and to
protect the
high-ranking
ofcers
22 Fantasy Art Genius Guide
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
13
the ship as you did the back: it also needs to be ready for
strong impacts. I installed a few scattered structures for pre-crash
purposes, so that when it happens itll reduce the damage to the
main hull. The same goes with armour keep spreading the same
style of armour protection boards around the ship. You want your
ship to feel menacing and ready to take on whatever is thrown at it!
Try RXWGLIIHUHQWORRNV
Once youve built up the basic shape of the ship, dont be
afraid to try out other compositions. This is just the start of
the process and the idea is to explore your idea and to
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WRJREDFNDQGPRGLI\WKHPRGHOWRLQFOXGHLW
14
15
Render, lighting
and
materials
Concept
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
ZZZEHKDQFHQHW
PRHSLNH
Whenever I work on a
piece of art, one of my
main focuses is how the
different light sources
affect each of the
objects in the
composition. Depending
on the location of the
REMHFWWKHUHHFWLRQRI
the light is varied. If an
object is directly in front
of the light source, I
would brush around the
edges of the object to
create a rim-light effect.
Im a self-taught
freelance digital artist
and designer from
Yangon, Myanmar. I
started using Photoshop
in junior year of my high
school and started my
career in 2011. Ive had
the opportunity to work
with clients from around
the world including
international
corporations such as
Nike and Nissan. I am
currently developing my
skills at the Parsons New
School of Design in New
York City.
Construct
a robot with
your photos
Master the fundamental techniques to create a mechanical
robot using only photos
Before we begin the tutorial, close your eyes
and imagine a robot that has ninja assassin
skills. Its parts are made of bulletproof metal and
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OHDUQKRZWREULQJWKLVVXSHUFRROFKDUDFWHUWROLIH
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3KRWRVKRSWRFRPELQHDQGWUDQVIRUPSKRWRVLQWRDQ
RWKHUZRUOGO\DQGIXWXULVWLFFKDUDFWHU
:HZLOOXVHYDULRXV7UDQVIRUPWRROVEOHQGPRGHV
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NH\GHWDLOV
01
Draw an
initial sketch
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
On FileSilo youZLOOQGD
VPDOOFROOHFWLRQRIOHV
that have been made for
this tutorial.
02
Prepare
the canvas
03
Concept
Remain
patient
Creating a mech using photos
can be tedious because of
blending the different images
all with various lighting and
perspectives. Maintaining a
high level of patience and
attention to detail is key to
creating a slick and
professional-looking piece. It
is also really important to
spend time before you start
collecting enough stock
images to enable you to
complete the piece without
having to stop and start too
RIWHQWRPDLQWDLQ\RXURZ
04
07
06
Place the armour Placing the armour on top of the skeletal frame is similar to
08
&DUERQEUHSODWH
creating the internal parts, but we will be painting more and need to be more precise.
When cutting out stock photos, create a layer mask instead of deleting it so you can come
back later and edit it if you need to.
'RZQORDGDFDUERQEUH
pattern for Photoshop. Double-click
the armour plate to go into layer style
VHWWLQJV*RWRSDWWHUQVDQGFKRRVH
WKHFDUERQEUHSDWWHUQ&KDQJHWKH
blend mode to Overlay. Other values
can be tweaked. Always create a new
layer with Soft Light blend mode to
paint in shadow and light to blend the
armour in.
Creating a mech
using photos can be
tedious because of
blending the
different images all
with various lighting
and perspectives
26 Fantasy Art Genius Guide
05
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Study
anatomy
09
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DSSO\LQJWH[WXUHVDQGVKDGLQJWRWKHFXWRXWVZHZLOOGHFDOVWRVW\OLVHWKHFKHVWSODWH
10
&RQVWUXFWLQJWKHKHOPHWDFWXDOO\
XVHVWKHVDPHWHFKQLTXHVDV\RXDOUHDG\
XVHGZLWKWKHFKHVWSODWHEXWWKLVWLPHZH
ZLOOEHXVLQJFDUERG\SDUWVWRDVVHPEOH
WKHMDZOLQH0DNHVXUH\RXGRQWMXVWVLPSO\
FRS\DQGLSWKHSDUWVEXWWUDQVIRUP
WKHPE\XVLQJWKH:DUSWRRODQGWKH
3HUVSHFWLYHWRROWRDGGGHSWK,QRUGHU
WRFUHDWHURXQGSDUWVIRUWKHWRSXVH
)LOWHU!'LVWRUW!6SKHUL]H7KHQ\RXFDQDGG
VKDGRZWRWKHRYHUODSSLQJSDUWV
Creating a realistic
mech is not all about
looking good, but its
about how it functions
as well.
12
11
Make the arms and hands Create shapes according to the number of joints you can
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&UHDWHDOD\HUDQGDGGVKDGLQJWRHDFKQJHUWREOHQGWKHPLQ:KHQDGGLQJSODWHVWRWKHDUPVGRQRW
FRYHUXSWKHMRLQWVRIWKHLQWHUQDOSDUWV/HDYHVSDFHEHWZHHQHDFKDUPRXUSODWH
PDVNVWRPDNHVXUHWKH\ZHUHFXWFOHDQO\,ID
SDUWORRNVWRREULJKWWXUQLWGRZQE\DGMXVWLQJ/LJKWQHVV
YDOXHLQD+XH6DWXUDWLRQDGMXVWPHQWOD\HU8VHD6RIW
/LJKWEOHQGPRGHLQEUXVKWRFKDQJHWKHWRQHV*URXS
DOOWKHOD\HUVDQGFUHDWHDVPDUWREMHFW
Concept
13
14
15
on top of the mech. Select a soft, round brush with the midtone
colour of the explosion layer. Set blend mode to Screen and paint on
the border of the mech and the explosion. Create shapes between the
explosion and mech layer. Paint edges and contour with a small, soft brush.
$QG)LOWHU!%OXU!0RWLRQ%OXUWRFUHDWHGHEULVEHKLQGWKHPHFK
16
Add more details Create a new layer, then make a diamond shape and
rotate. Copy and paste it four times and place it on the helmet. Double-click the
layer and create an outerglow with the Opacity of 40%. Ctrl/right-click> Copy Layer
Style and paste it to other layers. After the eyes are set, create a new layer and paint thin
VWURNHVDWKRUL]RQWDODQJOHVWRFUHDWHUHVSDUNV7KHQDGG0RWLRQ%OXUZLWKD6FUHHQ
blend mode.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
17
Correct
the colour
adding light sources and sparks. Each blend mode has its own
properties, but sometimes each one comes with a nice surprise. So its
always much better to try out and experiment with different blend
PRGHV\RXUVHOIWRVHHZKLFKRQHWVWKHEHVWDQGFUHDWHVWKHPRVW
interesting effect.
Concept
01
02
03
Take
pictures
for
reference
Besides taking some
photographs for
general use for pose
references, also take
pictures for details, you
ZRQWDOZD\VQG
everything you need
online. For example, in
the case of the piece
used here, I took many
pictures of my hands
and feet to study the
reaction of the skin,
tendons and veins
when I adopted
positions similar to
WKRVHXVHGLQWKHQDO
piece. This is also very
useful with clothing
references, because it
means that we can see
how creases work with
different fabrics and
various surfaces.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Daniel Bel
www.danielbel.
com
Daniel has been in
the industry for a
decade having worked
as an animator for
Gameloft and currently
as an art director for
Waypoint Studios.
Software
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
the tutorial screenshots
DQGVFHQHOHVWR
complete this tutorial.
Concept
04
06
7KHUVWVWHSZHPXVW
take into account in order to start
working with muscles is to mark
certain bony protrusions, called
bony landmarks, that will work as
guidelines to sculpt every muscle.
2QFHLGHQWLHGXVHWKH&OD\
Tubes brush to sculpt each of the
muscles, taking into account its
shapes and volumes according to
the pose of the characters limbs.
To do this properly, we need to
use as many anatomy references
DVSRVVLEOH,WLVYHU\LPSRUWDQW
to know what our body is like and
how our muscles work, particularly
when putting a character in such
an extreme pose.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07
08
Add accessories
09
Concept
Concept
In this diorama I
wanted to depict the
strength, bravery,
heroism and anatomy
of a great character
such as Beowulf.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
10
$GGWKHQDO
GHWDLOV This last
11
FindWKHEHVWZRUNRZ
for you
From my own personal experience, this series of steps for
the creation of Beowulf is the most convenient way to do it.
However, it is not the only method you can use. I
UHFRPPHQGWKDWDOODUWLVWVWU\WRQGWKHLURZQZRUNRZLQ
UHODWLRQWRWKHLUVNLOOVDQGQHHGV=%UXVKLVDQDPD]LQJWRRO
for your creativity, so dont waste it!
12
'HFLPDWH\RXU
FUHDWLRQ In the case of
Concept
13
Export and import Once all our SubTools are organised and
decimated, use the GoZ All function (which is within the Tool panel) to
export all of the SubTools simultaneously. This tool exports from ZBrush and
automatically opens 3ds Max, importing all objects into a new scene. Once
the scene in 3ds Max has the full model ready, use V-Rays Mesh Export
IXQFWLRQWRFUHDWHSUR[LHVRIHDFKLWHPVRWKDW\RXFDQQDYLJDWHXLGO\LQWKH
Viewport. The proxies load just at render time.
Retopologise with
ZRemesher
Another method used to transfer all the details of a
SubTool with millions of polygons is the using
ZRemesher and the Project function. To do this, we
have to duplicate our current SubTool and apply a
ZRemesher to it, setting the parameters for a suitable
topology. Then, from Geometry, subdivide the
geometry as many times as necessary. Last, go to the
Project menu of the SubTool panel and click on Project
All. We will then get a tool with several subdivisions
and all the details of the original piece. We can then
extract the Displacement or Normal maps to export
them along with the low-res version of the model.
Set up the lights This process and the following one are as
important as all the previous steps, since through these we will
really emphasise and bring to life all of the modelling that weve already
done. Therefore, it is advisable to have some inspirational images to hand
WKDWZLOOKHOSWRLQVSLUHWKHQDOORRNRIRXUVFXOSW,XVXDOO\XVHVHYHUDO
VRayLights scattered around the scene along with HDR images. Test each
light separately to see how each of them affects the model before creating
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PDQLSXODWHWKHPDFFRUGLQJWRWKHORRNZHZDQWWRJHQHUDWH
14
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
15
Create the shader Well use just one material for Beowulf. The idea is to create a look
similar to a polished stone with some sparkles and some dirt diffused on it. The point of
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that and playing around with the lights can we get this effect for the project.
16
Get feedback
From my point of view, comments and constructive
criticism on your work are one of the best ways for
you to understand whether what youre doing is
working or not. Beyond our taste and personal style,
we must realise that other peoples opinions are
very important as well, whether they are a viewer or
industry outsiders, or a more experienced
colleagues insight. We need to learn how to take
criticism in a positive and productive way in order to
develop our work and grow as professionals.
17
Concept
Awaken a beast
with ZBrush
Model, pose and texture a monstrous creatures life
cycle and its natural setting
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
The aim of this project is to create a
detailed and expressive creature living in
its natural habitat.
Artist
James Suret
www.artstation.
com/artist/zerojs
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creature artwork.
Software
ZBrush, KeyShot,
Photoshop
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
the tutorial screenshots
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WKHVWHSVRIWKLVWXWRULDO
Concept
Start with rough designs
Dont worry about the ner details to start with
Create a rough bust First insert a
new sphere. Press T to edit the object and
click Make Polymesh3D, also activate Symmetry by
pressing X. Now with the Move brush set to a large
size (by pressing the ] key), push the shape around.
The idea is to quickly explore your ideas without
worrying too much about what the details will be. At
this point its sometimes useful to look at reference
images of the anatomy of real animals or insects.
01
02
EXWWKHPHVKLVEHFRPLQJGLIFXOWWRVFXOSWEHFDXVH
of its topology. We need to use the DynaMesh feature
to even out the surface of the model. We can continue
to pull out the basic form of the creature. When it feels
like the polygons are stopping you from adding more
detail, just use the DynaMesh feature again but with
a higher resolution. At this point the polygon count is
quite high and we can start using the Clay brush to
carve in smaller features such as the eye sockets and
skin folds.
Choosing
a full body
or bust
Sculpt the initial details The next step is to add character and realism to the model by sculpting basic skin
folds and muscle structure. Using the ClayTubes and Smooth brushes we can quickly create the look of skin folds
or wrinkles. The Dam_Standard brush is great for carving lines and wrinkles as well as carving out the mouth and nostrils.
During this stage you may need to use DynaMesh again to smooth the mesh out. Next, add the eyes by inserting spheres.
Then mirror the spheres using the SubTool Master plugin and move the eyes into place with the Transform tools.
03
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
04
05
07
Detail the face Now the large forms of the creature are complete we can focus on adding detail to the smaller areas. Using the Dam_Standard brush you
the SubTool using SubTool Master menu under Plugins, if you choose the
option to Merge into one SubTool you can then press X to enable symmetry on
the arms. Then using the Move and Clay brushes you can build up the anatomy
of the arm; consider where the joints will protrude and skin folds might hang from.
To complete the creature we can now add a new sphere and pull out the basic
shape of the lower half of the creatures body and tail. Now use DynaMesh to
prepare the SubTool for sculpting.
06
Use Insert Multi Mesh brushes Now that one set of arms is
sculpted you can add more by clicking Duplicate in the SubTool menu.
The new arms can then be resized and moved by making use of the Transpose
tools. To speed the modelling process up we can add some legs to the creature
by using a premade Insert Multi Mesh brush pack available for free at badking.
com.au. Once the brush set is loaded up you can then click on the side of the
creatures body and drag out the size of the leg that you want it to be. Then you
can use the Transpose tools to position it.
can create more skin folds and wrinkles. It is useful at this point to use DynaMesh again at a higher resolution to enable you to sculpt these smaller details. We
can also add in some teeth by starting with a sphere, pulling out the basic shape and then duplicating the SubTool as we did before when we were working on the arms.
Concept
James is currently a
games designer
Create the egg and baby The egg is created by inserting a sphere and
roughing out the shape with the Move tool. Then use DynaMesh and tweak the
shape further. You can use Alpha materials to quickly sculpt surface details. To create the
baby creature, make the basic skeleton from ZSpheres based on the anatomy of the original
creature. Then move the skeleton inside the egg and position the limbs. To move the ZSphere
model press W, hold Alt and click on the initial inserted ZSphere. After turning the model into
an Adaptive Skin, use sculpting brushes to add detail.
08
Oculus
Create the landscape Now we need to create a base environment for the creatures to exist in. Starting
from a sphere again we can rough out a rocky platform with the Move and Clay brushes; use DynaMesh to
smooth out the mesh after large changes. When the polygon count is high enough, use Alpha materials to add a
rough surface to the model. Then load the IMM Clod brush that comes with ZBrush and insert some rocks along the
surface. Use the Transpose tools to resize and rotate each rock as you are inserting them. You can now also duplicate
the SubTool containing the baby creature. It can be scaled up slightly and positioned near the front of the egg with
Transpose tools.
09
10
Nova-25
2013, Photoshop
O This is a futuristic character concept.
I sculpted this female cyborg character
in ZBrush, using FiberMesh to create
the hair.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Make the background Now that we have the creatures and the foreground ready
we can make a quick background for the environment. Start by pulling out a sphere with
the Move brush into a rough rectangle. Use DynaMesh and then pull a tunnel shape out of the
back of the model with the Move brush. Continue shaping the cave and using DynaMesh to
help sculpt more detail. You can also use Alpha materials to quickly add some texture but dont
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WRFUHDWHDGHSWKRIHOGHIIHFW
11
12
Posing forms
When posing organic characters you usually need to create smooth bends, for
example, the neck or knee. When you are painting out a mask you can hold
down the Ctrl key and lower the RGB opacity which will draw out a softer mask.
This will create smoother, more organic bends. You can quickly blur the mask
by using Ctrl+click several times.
13
Concept
14
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&OHDUWKHPDVNDQG\RXZLOOEHDEOHWRVHHWKHGLIIHUHQFHLWPDNHV
Use Photoshop
to composite the
layers After saving the renders
15
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
To create the
strands of slime
and saliva you
can draw a line
with the Line
Tool and then
use the Warp
transform tool
to make it look
more realistic
Concept
Artist
Pablo Muoz
Gmez
www.zbrushguides.com
This creature is
catalogued as one of the
most social subspecies
of the Lost Creatures.
However, their interaction
is restricted to other
species as they are
hostile to individuals of
the same group.
Software
ZBrush, Photoshop
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Render a furry
creature concept
Create a unique character design and build fur using ZBrush
+HUHZHDUHJRLQJWRH[SORUHWKHZRUNRZDQGPHWKRGWKDWLV
XVHGWRFUHDWHD/RVW&UHDWXUH In this tutorial we will be making
this creature to help us make a central character as part of an
illustration. This is an imaginary Lost Creature wandering the wild. The idea
was to capture a moment in the life of this furry character, showing his
curious and friendly side.
One of the most challenging things about designing characters is to
make them appealing, memorable and most importantly, believable. Its
important to make aesthetic decisions to give personality to our character.
Based on a rough 2D sketch and using ZSpheres, quickly build a versatile
EDVHPRGHORIWKHFUHDWXUH7KLVZLOOHQDEOHXVWRUHQHWKHFKDUDFWHUV
silhouette and proportions using layers. Well set up the model for
FiberMesh and a few techniques for getting some control over the creation
DQGJURRPLQJRIWKHEUHV
Along with a series of sculpting tips, youll learn to tweak and groom
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way the hair is shaped and placed on the model.
ZBrush will be the primary software used in this tutorial for the concept,
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01
02
sketches will help you visualise your character a bit better, whether you
want to pursue the original idea or not. Lets start by drawing a few thumbnails to
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would probably place the creature high in the social hierarchy and suggests a
certain age. Long arms and short legs suggests that he is not very fast, and he is
slightly hunched over due to the weight of his horns. You could also do a collage
with the references you collected to help you lock the forms, materials, transitions
and so on.
Fine-tuning silhouettes
with layers
Concept
*URXQG\RXUGHVLJQOnce you have created a few
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add a bit of structure to the design to build a solid base for the
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05
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
06
07
Concept
08
AutoGroup by normals
09
10
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
11
([WUDEUHVDQGUHWRXFKLQJWKH
hairstyle For the third pass well use the copied
12
Colour FiberMesh
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Materials and
lighting We are
Concept
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ideal for testing the render passes. To set up the document for
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increase the size. The next step is to frame the model roughly to
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rotate the model. Finally, increase the antialiasing quality by
changing the SPix (SubPixel) to a value of seven.
Render
passes 1RZWR
start generating
the render passes. It can
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passes to render, so start
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illustration you are after;
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Polypaint off and render
each light individually
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interest and as an element to support the action suggested by the pose.
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Crop to expand
17
16
Composite To combine the different passes, use Photoshop. Import your passes
and name them, well put the depth pass and mask at the top of the Layers stack and
hide them. The rest of the render passes can be added to one group, and we can mask the
whole group with the mask render pass so that we are able to see the background. With the
beauty or colour pass at the bottom, change the Blending Mode of the shadows and the AO
to multiply and tweak the opacity. For the light passes, change the Blending Mode to Screen
or Add, or use them as masks for new layers to have full control over the colour and intensity of
each light.
Final
tweaks Use
Concept
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Use ZSpheres to
sculpt a dragon
Combine a ZSphere skeleton and ZSketch to create a dramatic
render of a dragon with unique features
Making a posed and detailed dragon will require the rough form of the dragon to be built up using ZSpheres. We will also make use of
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adding lighting effects and textures. Finally, we will also cover how to export and render the model in KeyShot from ZBrush 4R7.
01
02
03
Concept
Develop the model using DynaMesh Now we
have a very rough form but the mesh is difficult to sculpt
because of its topology. The DynaMesh feature needs to be
used to even out the surface of the model and increase its
resolution. We can then continue to pull out the basic form of
the creature. Whenever it feels like the mesh is stopping you
from adding more detail just use the DynaMesh feature again,
but with a higher resolution. At this point the polygon count is
not too high and we can begin using the Move and Clay brushes
to work on the larger form.
04
05
06
Sculpting with
Alphas
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07
08
07
Concept
Rene the head One of the benets of using Insert Meshes is that
they will automatically have their own Polygroup. You can then hide the
Polygroup by holding Cmd/Ctrl+Shift and then clicking on the object. Now
concentrate on sculpting more detail to the face and the area around the horns.
You can build up the areas around the horns to make them seem much more
natural in appearance. A quick way to sculpt the eye sockets is to hold Opt/Alt
and use the Clay brush to dig a circular space into the head. The Inate brush is
good for adding gradual volume to organic forms.
09
Create the spines scales Insert a new sphere in order to create the
large scales that will eventually cover the spine. Then, using the Move
brush, you can pull out the rough shape of the scale. Use DynaMesh to smooth
out the mesh and increase the polygon count for sculpting all of the ner details.
Next, you will need to use the Transpose tool to draw out a line away from the
scale, hold Cmd/Ctrl and drag the transpose line from the centre point. This will
duplicate the object; you can do this multiple times and move or rotate them as
you do so.
10
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Create the wings We now
need to add more skin to the
wings as we only have the bone
structure. Insert a Plane3D SubTool,
then press Extract under the Extract
menu. Next press the Accept button
underneath and this will create a new
SubTool called Extract1. Delete the
original SubTool and select the new
one. Using the Move brush you can
now shape the plane around the
bones of the wing. When you have
nished with the shaping, click on the
SubTool Master menu under Plugins
and click Mirror to create symmetry.
Then merge the SubTool with the
wing bones SubTool and use
DynaMesh; this will weld the skin
onto the bones and allow us to
achieve a more organic look.
11
Pose
organic
forms
When posing organic
characters you need to create
smooth bends for the neck
or knees, for example. When
you are painting out a mask
you can hold down the Cmd/
Ctrl key and lower the RGB
Intensity which will draw out a
softer mask. This will help
create smoother, more
organic bends. You can
quickly blur the whole mask
by holding Cmd/Ctrl and
clicking on it several times.
The Masking menu has
options to shrink and grow
the mask too.
12
Concept
Create the base and posing Next we can create
a base for the dragon to stand on. Insert a sphere and
use the Move brush to shape the sphere into a rough rock.
Use DynaMesh to increase the polygon count and create a
more even mesh. The Flatten brush is good for creating the
at sharp surfaces of the rock. Now lets pose the dragon on
top of the rock base. By holding down Cmd/Ctrl and
brushing the model a mask will be created; clicking off of the
model will invert the mask. You can change the strength of
the mask by changing the RGB Intensity. Next draw out a
Transpose line and rotate from the transpose point at the
end of the line repeat this process for the arms.
13
14
Use
DynaMesh to
increase the
polygon count
and create a more
even mesh
15
Paint in 3D or 2D?
13
14
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Add effects and textures To create the background insert stock photos of clouds and water splashes.
Using the Clone Stamp tool you can paint these extra textures on different parts of the image quickly. A great
selection of free photo textures can be found at cgtextures.com. Finally, using a soft brush add some soft lighting and
glow effects to the crystals, eyes and claws. This emulates reected light and adds to the atmosphere of the image.
16
Relic Seeker
Render in KeyShot Rendering is now easier than ever in KeyShot with ZBrush 4R7. Simply load your model
as normal and click on the External Renderer button under the Render menu, then hit the BPR button. The
model and all of the textures and materials will be sent to KeyShot. If you want to create a realistic clay render you can
apply one of the clay materials that comes with KeyShot. For more realistic lighting load one of the HDR environments
and set the Background to Color and choose a light colour. You can also rotate the lighting by using the slider
underneath the Environment tab. When you are happy with it, press Render and choose your resolution.
17
Relic Scavanger
Tridecca
2013, Photoshop
O Clay render of an insect-inspired
creature. This was made in ZBrush
using DynaMesh and was created for a
personal project for practice.
Character
From magical to steampunk
64
70
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128
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108
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90
116
Character
Create a convincing
cartoon character
Render a charming cartoon pin-up, prepare a hairstyle and
complement a scene with organic ornaments and lighting
This tutorial covers a basic
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areas such as a basic way to start a
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FUHDWLQJKDLUWhile there are tons of
different methods, here we show you a
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01
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aspects so you can focus more on the
shape, silhouette and other creative
aspects. We will work with Maya,
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the technical aspects and all of the
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equivalent software.
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02
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head to create the neck. Using the Sculpt tool, smooth the new edges to get a round shape.
03
E\DGGLQJDIDFHORRSLQWKHQRVHDUHD7KHHDULV
modelled in parts, starting with a simple row of polygons
shaped as a spiral section. We dont need a fully detailed ear
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DQGWKHLQQHUHDULVHQRXJKWRJHWEHOLHYDEOHFDUWRRQHDU
By deleting some faces on the head and leaving the same
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attach it to the head using a Bridge operation.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
Artist
Carlos Ortega
Elizalde
carlosortega.
prosite.com
Software
Maya, Mudbox,
Photoshop
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
WKHGV0D[VFHQHOHV
and tutorial screenshots
to help you complete
this tutorial.
Character
04
05
06
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07
08
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Add the skirt and accessories The skirt is
created in two parts, the folds can be easily created by
using a cylinder and pulling out vertices to create the folds. After
extruding and shaping the bottom part of the skirt attach it to
the hips geometry that was previously extracted from the body.
The shoes are created using geometry from the feet, and then
building them around the foot. For things like earrings and hair
ornaments, model the elements and then combine them to create
each accessory, this adds a consistent style by having repeating
patterns across the model.
09
10
11
12
Character
13
Getting a
graceful silhouette
Learn to observe everyday life and how the human
body acts, balances itself and moves so you can
start to create natural and balanced poses that
pushes limits in a believable way. Here, the shoulders
tilt in the opposite direction to the hips to compensate
the weight. The pose is almost an S shape,
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WKHRZRIWKHVKDSHVRIWKHGUHVVLWFDQKHOS\RXWR
get a solid composition and guide the viewer from
the face, down to the fabric on the ground.
15
14
Pose the model Create a basic skeleton in Maya, drawing the joints from the hips up
to the tip of the head, then legs and arms. Using the Snap to Projected Center feature will
HQDEOH\RXWRHDVLO\FUHDWHWKHMRLQWVLQWULFN\DUHDVVXFKDVLQVLGHWKHDUPVDQGQJHUV:HELQG
the skeleton to the main mesh using the Heat Map option and Quaternion method, and since it
is a skinny character this option works well by default. We can then skin the clothes and copy the
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neck and knees. We subdivide the dress a couple of times,
VFXOSWWKHIROGLQJVLQWKHIDEULFDQG[LQWHUSHQHWUDWLRQVEHWZHHQ
elements. Most of the silhouettes of the objects were solved
with pure polygon modelling, so at this point, bake some normal
maps of the cloth to get all the folding details. Then export all the
elements with one level of subdivision to save some render time
and avoid the use of displacements.
Lay out the scene To complement the scene we will add some natural elements that
will suit the atmosphere and colour palette. We will add a simple terrain which we can sculpt
and detail in Mudbox. The tree can be quickly created in ZBrush we dont need to overdetail the
model, since the whole feel of the scene is smooth and more like a fake set rather than a realistic
VFHQDULR7ROOWKHJURXQGZLWKGHWDLOVZHXVHWKH3DLQW*HRPHWU\7RROZKLFK\RXFDQQGLQ0D\D
Bonus Tools 2015. Its ease of use will let you quickly grow some plants and throw some rocks on
the ground.
16
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
17
Materials in mental ray This scene uses the mia-material-X, the misss-fast_skin
shader and blinn materials. It is useful to start playing with the Scale Conversion option
on the skin shader to make it work, since the shader will depend of the size of your object. Plug
the textures and be sure to gamma-correct each texture or work your scene with the Color
0DQDJHPHQWRSWLRQ7KHIDEULFPDWHULDOXVHVVRPHUDPSVWRGHQHWUDQVSDUHQF\DQGFRORXU
so that it gets more transparent and is at a glancing angle. Use glossy refractions objects, which
will become blurred when seen through the fabric.
18
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PDLQVRXUFHRIOLJKWEDFNOLJKWVSRWOLJKWWRJHWVRPHKLJKOLJKWVRQ
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blurred HDRI.
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It can take a while to get a decent look with materials like the skin shader. A
suggestion for this kind of cartoon character is to not look for realistic results or
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VR\RXFDQUHSOLFDWHWKHPLQWKHIXWXUH
19
Finish the image Some useful layers to render during image compositing
are a good set of masks, a depth pass and in some cases a normal pass. In
Photoshop, use the depth pass, and add atmospheric elements such as fog and
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or exposure of different elements without struggling with selections. We can create light
effects by painting
with soft brushes
and setting layers
to a Screen or Add
mode. The dust
particles are just
brushes with high
scatter values
and different blur
settings for a
feeling of depth.
20
Character
Artist
Aldo Vicente
www.aldo
vicentecg.com
Aldo is a 3D generalist
based in California. He
currently works at the
Medical Tech industry
creating 3D
Visualisations for
Aurora Spine.
Software
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
the tutorial screenshots
and a video tutorial to
complete this tutorial.
Texture distinct
steampunk
characters
Master the creation of two technically different characters:
a steampunk machine-maker and his giant, steampowered mechanical marvel
In this tutorial well be taking an
overarching look at some 3D character
ZRUNRZV We will go through the process
of constructing characters, from basic modelling and
sculpting to building textures and materials, posing
and rendering. In this tutorial we will be creating a
steampunk scene with two characters that are both
very different from a technical standpoint. Each
character will present us with a distinct set of
challenges, which enables us to explore a variety of
WRROVWHFKQLTXHVDQGZRUNRZV:KLOHEXLOGLQJRXU
Guardian block-in Lets start with a quick, rough pass. This block-in gives us an early look at our characters overall shapes and its important since
our characters proportion, overall feel and personality will get lost between the concept art and the 3D model. By blocking in the full character as quickly as
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cleaning once our block-in feels like our concept.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Hard surface
parts can
create very
rigid-looking
forms, so its
important to
emphasise
the S-curves
in our design
Concept
I wanted to create a Victorian era machinist and his
creation; a giant steam engine, built for military
defence. The designs are steampunk-inspired,
with a heavy industrial emphasis.
Character
02
Build our parts library Now we can start looking at our overall
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03
04
Build the
anatomy ,QWKLV
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PHWDOVDQGHTXLSPHQW
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
06
mesh back into Maya, and make sure our character is at real-world scale.
Split up our model into the basic areas of our head, shirt, gloves, pants and boots.
We can repeat the process to create geometry for the vest, belt and harness.
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QHHGWRUHQHRXUFORWKHVPHVKHVWRDFHUWDLQSRLQWDVPRVWRIWKHFORWKLQJGHWDLO
will be done in ZBrush. We can use basic box modelling to shape the belt straps
and harness.
07
again that we have neat, even edge distribution. The majority of this
should have already been in place from our machinist anatomy model, but we
can use the Quad Draw tool in the Modeling Toolkit to quickly and easily make
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extrude our border edges, for the reasons listed in Step 4. We could do UV
layouts at this point, but it may be preferable to do it after sculpting as some of the
geo may change considerably, and our UVs may need to be redone.
Sculpting warm-up
exercise
Sculpting the wrinkles on a characters clothes can take a lot of
practice and iteration. Its about getting in the right mind-set rather
than any particular brush or technique. I recommend starting with an
exercise to help get a feel for cloth folding. Create a simple sphere on
a ground plane, with a plane right above it. Imagine the above plane
is a tablecloth, and try sculpting how it would land if you were to drop
it onto the sphere on the ground. Try this same exercise with more
complex shapes, and imagining different types of fabrics. This helps
us warm up and get a really solid grasp of how clothing and folds
actually work.
08
We wont be
sculpting in the
ne detail such
as the threading
and stitching of
the fabric, as well
be adding those
details via our
textures later. Its
good to have
reference of the
types of fabric each
piece is made of
Fantasy Art Genius Guide 73
Character
09
Image-based
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11
12
Unwrap the guardian Our guardian has a lot of internal and external parts, but we
can save a lot of time and UV space by using 3D procedural textures on the smaller, less
visible internal parts. Well only unwrap the outer metal plating of our guardian. Lets select our
plated parts, export them to ZBrush and run the UV Master plugin. Because of the cleanup and
double extrudes back in Step 4, our plates are essentially curved planes with structured border
edges. This makes them ideal for the UV Master algorithm. Almost instantly, we get a clean, evenly
scaled UV layout for all our plates.
10
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
13
EDVHGOLJKWLQJWRJLYHRXUPHWDOVVRPHWKLQJWRUHHFW8VLQJPLDBPDWHULDOB[BSDVVHVZHOO
SOXJLQRXU'LIIXVHDQG%XPSPDSV0HWDOVKDYHORZGLIIXVHZHLJKWV2XUPHWDOLVUHODWLYHO\URXJK
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14
15
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GXVWDQGJUXQJHWRQLVKRXUGLIIXVHWH[WXUH
16
Character
With the help of ZBrush
Polypaint, well colour
in the rusting and
scratching around
our equipments
nooks and edges
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
17
18
MIA energy
FRQVHUYDWLRQPDWK
The MIA materials are physically accurate, meaning
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19
20
Character
Perfect
colourised
characters
Apply
ratios
01
&RQJXUH\RXU
workspace Create
02
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Nicolas Delhelle
www.facebook.com/
ndelhelle
Nicolas Delhelle is a
French freelance
illustrator and a
decorator for Ankama
Games and Wakfu
anime. He has worked
alongside publishers in
both the book and
magazine industries.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
On FileSilo you will
QGWhe stock imagery
used to create this
artwork, including the
background and
Roman columns.
Concept
Character
04
03
05
KRWNH\V7KLVZLOOVDYH\RXDORWRIWLPHRQ\RXUZRUNRZDQGZLOOOHW\RX
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06
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7UDQVIRUP!3HUVSHFWLYH
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Pick
colours
with
handy
tools
07
08
10
09
Rays of light Go to the Paths tool and create a new path. Call it Trace 1. Here, highlight the path and
click on Trace1. Draw lines that start from the gate to the outside edge of the image. This tool is useful
when you have to draw many lines. Before going any further, select a wide brush with a paint effect. All these
lines are on a path layer, so Ctrl/right-click the layer, and then you can select Contour and the Brush tool.
Photoshops Color
Picker is very
useful, as it allows
you to preview
colours in several
variables of
luminosity, hue or
saturation. You can
attribute a hot key
to this selector to
always have quick
and easy access
to it and place it
where you want on
the screen. You
can do this via
Edit>Keyboard
Shortcuts. This is a
very useful trick.
LPSRUWDQWWKLQJLVWRQGDSRVHWKDWJLYHV
dynamism to the character. Here I chose an angel
LQLJKWFRPLQJWRZDUGVWKHYLHZHU<RXFDQXVH
model images as reference. I began by drawing a
female form, then added wings, hair, armour, a veil,
shield and sword. You can also draw each element
with different colours to give an idea of what you
want. Make sure you create a new layer each time
you add anything new.
Character
12
Light and shadow Once the outline sketch is complete, quickly paint in the shadows
and the light of the angel using only two colours. It is very important to determine a light
direction so the scene looks realistic. In this image, the light is coming from behind the valkyrie.
Always bear the light source in mind when integrating objects into a scene. Play with the areas of
light and shadow to give them an interesting shape. Also try building a hidden silhouette.
11
13
14
Sword and shield Research images of swords and shields on the internet to use
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
16
17
WKLVFOLFNRQWKH*UDGLHQW0DSLQWKH$GMXVWPHQWWRROEDUDQGFOLFNRQWKHFRORXUEDUWRJRWR
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WRDQGRQWKHULJKWPDNHLW2SDFLW\7KHQWLFNWKHRSWLRQWRLQYHUW'UDZWKHJUDGLHQWIURP
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Wings 8VHWKHVKDGRZDQGOLJKWOD\HUVWRJXLGH\RX
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15
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QLVK,FUHDWHGD/HYHOVDGMXVWPHQWOD\HUDQGPRYHGWKHDUURZVEHORZWKHKLVWRJUDPWRLQFUHDVH
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Using Brushes
18
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DUURZWRDQGWKHZKLWHWRWRLQFUHDVHWKHFRQWUDVW
Character
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Colour your
fantasy
composite
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Kevin Lohstroh
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Insert a
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03
out from the background. Create a path layer using the Pen tool, tracing
the contours of her body point by point. Once the path is closed and the shape
is correct, Ctrl/right-click and choose Make Selection. You need to invert the
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then press Delete.
04
the foreground layer of the image. Go to Layers at the top of the window,
then select Matting and Defringe to open an option box. Enter a number of pixels
to use for defringing. Photoshop uses the default value of one pixel for defringing.
Click OK. Open the Defringe option box if some pixels remain and enter
increasingly higher values in this box until no pixels appear in the image.
06
05
Remove details around the image Place your image in the middle of the landscape
background. Because of the dark background there will be some details left around the image
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that should be part of your mask. Turn off Quick Mask mode, then go to Select>Inverse Selection (Cmd/
Ctrl+Shift+I). Last but not least, copy and paste the model into your main composition.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
08
Use the warp ability Open AbstractFlower.psd. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T to enter Free
Transform mode or go to Edit>Transform>Warp. You will now see that your element is
divided into rectangles, meaning that you are in Warp mode. Click on a rectangle on top of your
selected element and drag it up, down, right or left. As you do this, your element will become
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dragging on the rectangles to further warp your image until you have achieved the desired look.
07
You should
balance the
weight of your
subject by
including other
objects of lesser
importance in
the empty spaces
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and effects to bring this image together. The focus is now on making this image complete.
09
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Apply curvy shapes The curvy shapes protruding from several parts of her body are
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
16
15
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18
Character
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Develop your
own mutant
Artist
Brandon
Cawood
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What if Photoshop had the potential
to deliver composite elements at the
touch of a button? What if you didnt
have to spend extra time shooting elements
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Not only has Photoshop given us the ability
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step further by not only using the Render Flame
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Mask the body The key to any great composite is having very clean
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04
03
Blur your
layers
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elements even further is
by duplicating the layer.
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to then add a Gaussian
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about 30 to give your
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glow. You can also use
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well as sparks.
06
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07
pop can really add emotion into the image. The key is to
keep it subtle but effective. Create a Curves adjustment layer on
top of all the other layers. When you do this it will have its own mask
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a white brush. Paint in the mask only over the pupils and iris. Now
you want to make an S shape on your Curves layers. On your graph
add a point about a quarter of the way up, one in the middle, and
one about three-quarters of the way up. Leave the one in the middle
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now adjust the opacity of this layer if the effect is over the top.
08
Having a vision is
crucial in executing
a well-balanced
image. Having a
plan will keep you
organised and on
track to creating
something special
09
Pay attention
to even the
smallest of
details. Even if
no-one else
notices, you
will sleep
better
knowing you
put everything
you had into
your work!
Adjust shadows and highlights If you feel that your highlights are too bright or not bright
enough you can adjust them without affecting your shadows. Add a new Curves adjustment layer
above all other layers. Adjust the RGB channel accordingly. This is just like Step 8 but we are using the
RGB channel instead of the blue channel. With your Curves adjustment layer selected go to Layer>Layer
Style>Blending Options. At the bottom of the window you will see two sliders under Underlying Layer. Hold
down Alt/Option then click and drag the right corner of the black slider all the way to the right. This will cause
the Curves to only affect the highlights in the image. Do the opposite for shadow adjustments.
10
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quickly and effectively and its relatively easy! For
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buildings in the background. Create a new blank
layer above your background. Grab the Pen tool and
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direction, the width, and much more. Choose the
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on its own layer. Turn the blending mode to Screen.
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12
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the layer you want it to be over and turn the blending mode to
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add fog and smoke. A great smoke and fog package can be
bought at www.phlearn.com. Use a Levels adjustment layer to
adjust the amount of fog or smoke.
94 Fantasy Art Genius Guide
14
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
16
15
17
Add grain Lastly add grain. Create a new layer above your sharpened image. Hold
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amount you use. Choose Uniform and leave Monochromatic unselected. Once you apply, hold
down Cmd/Ctrl+U. Then pull down the Saturation to -85%. Leaving a little colour in the grain will
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Visual help
18
Save it You can save the image several different ways depending on its use. If you are going to use a
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Character
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
David
Nakayama
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that a graphics tablet can give you is essential to
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It is Photoshops highly effective painting tools
and precise blending modes that can be fully
relied on for this sort of illustration, as they will
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simple tutorial will direct the use of layers and
brush passes to build up the character, adding
texture with clipping masks where necessary
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a freelancer for Marvel
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working in both digitally
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Software
Photoshop
From
sketch
to
colour
flats
Build up the base of your illustration before tackling the details
01
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Begin painting
Start eshing out your image by building on the colour ats
With design considerations
completed in black and
white, adding colour is the
second job, beginning with
line tints and at-colour lls
As painting
begins, its
important to keep
an eye on the
overall image and
ensure that the
gure contrasts
strongly with the
background, as
if it leaps off
the screen
Establishing a
strong composition,
a pose that
communicates
character and
eye-catching
costume design are
generally the rst
priorities in any
illustration
The majority of
time spent on this
piece will go into
lighting and
texture passes
that ultimately
give this
character
dimension and
a realistic
appearance
10
09
11
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12
With the
general lighting source established, add an
overarching shadow treatment to complement it.
Create two new layers at the top of your stack. In the
UVWRQHSDLQWDPDVWHUVZDWFKXVLQJDFRROFRORXU
of medium saturation purple, in this case. Switch
the second layer to Hard Light mode and use a soft
round brush with the swatch colour to tint any part
RIWKHJXUHWKDWEHORQJVLQVKDGRZ$OPRVWVWUDLJKW
away the character will seem more complete, while
bringing together the various colour groupings into a
XQLHGZKROH
13
Character
Detail the character
Conclude your piece with detailed rendering
Control the focus Rendering every part
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14
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16
Gather
texture assets
A little more on the topic of texture
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texturesDUHDQLQYDOXDEOHZD\WRJDWKHU
handy assets for your texture library. In
general, try to download the largest
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reduce the amount of Clone Stamping
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materials with brushes are readily
DYDLODEOHRQOLQHZLWKDVLPSOHVHDUFK
wZZJXPURDGFRP is another great
SODFHWRQGYDULRXVuseful tutorials.
17
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Now the fun part its nally time to add the bells and
whistles to make this image sing Finally, it wouldnt be
steampunk without some steam! Add a few puffs around
the gures brass backpack using a cloud texture brush
100 Fantasy Art Genius Guide
18
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Secrets of steampunk
Find out about the visual language of steampunk and how it is created
Victorian materials
are key to
steampunk. Brass is
a particular
favourite. Its opulent
golden colour adds
richness to
illustrations that
are often in a
limited palette any
object rendered in
brass look instantly
19th Century
Steampunk
clothing takes
inspiration
from both
Victorian
fashion and
more practical
clothing from
the time, such
as army
uniforms or
stereotypical
ensembles like
the classic
explorer outt
of pith helmets
and puttees.
Zips and
poppers are
out, but rivets
and carabiners
are in!
Advances in Victorian
technology meant that
those who travelled in
new inventions like cars
often needed to protect
their eyes from wind and
dust. Steampunks love of
reimagining Victorian
technology as more
powerful and more
advanced than it actually
was means that goggles
have become a must-have
accessory for any
steampunk character
Steampunk can be
produced in any art style,
the most common is
realistically rendered
digital paintings that
emulate the oil paintings.
Dont feel limited by
this though. As long as
youre hitting other
steampunk signiers, you
can introduce more
modern elements
Character
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Retouch a fantasy
sorceress
8VH3KRWRVKRSWRSURGXFHDQLPDJHWKDWFRPELQHV
standard retouching techniques with creative ones
When working on composite images,
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other. As you continue to manipulate the layers and
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looked good before may no longer match the
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The success of a composite image relies on the
artists ability to make changes and tweaks
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lighting effects, rather than a blank layer with a
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Artist
John Ross
ZZZ
7KH$UWRI5HWRXFKLQJ
com
Ross specialises in
portrait and composite
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worked in advertising
and editorial for 20 years,
and lives and works in
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Software
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Source Files
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that have been made for
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Go
smart
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2ULJLQDO0RGHO
Now Photoshop
CC can also
support linked
Smart Objects.
This means that
you can work on
a full size image
in great detail.
After saving, you
can then link it
to a different
document and
at whatever size
you want to do
so, all without
the need to
have to double
or triple the size
RIWKHQDO
composite while
working on it.
01
02
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Character
04
03
Prepare the model Create a new blank layer for your cloning and touch-up. Smooth out
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the Healing Brush, while others may prefer Dodge and Burn. You will make many adjustments later, but
VWDUWLQJZLWKDFOHDQLPDJHZLOOOHDGWRWKHEHVWQDOUHVXOWV
Use
shape
By using the
Brush panels
Shape
Dynamics, you
can adjust the
Size Jitter, Fade
Jitter, and
Roundness
Jitter. When you
paint with the
brush now, it
will randomly
change many
of your brush
settings as you
paint. Theres
also Scattering,
Texture, and
Wet Edges, as
some of the
many options
available.
Begin compositing Create a layer mask for the models Smart Object layer and loosely cut
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com/lxya5t8IURPGHYLDQW$57EHKLQGWKHPRGHO8VHWKH&DPHUD5DZRU&DPHUD5DZOWHUPHWKRGOLNH
before to make the colour and tonal changes. Place all these visible layers into a folder called Back.
05
06
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07
the Disk layer and delete them. All you want is the shape as
a mask the pixels will not matter. Use the FX icon at the bottom of
the Layers panel and enable Outer Glow with settings of Screen,
75% Opacity, Size 56%, and pick a blue colour. Next, enable Drop
Shadow with a black colour set to 75% Opacity, Distance of 10, and
Size of 5. All the other settings can remain as defaults. Click OK.
From the disk centre, use the Elliptical Marquee while holding
down the Shift key. Select a Curves adjustment layer. Move the curve up, and set to
Luminosity blend mode. This goes above the Back folder. Name it Disk Glow. Use Layer FX
to select Outer Glow, Precise, and Size of 81, with the rest default. Place Disk Glow into a new
group folder called Disk Glow Cutout. Add a white layer mask to the group, using a black brush
to stop the glow from crossing over the models legs.
08
10
Add texture Above the Back folder, create a new folder called Texture. Inside, place a textured
image layer of your choice like tinyurl.com/mrgl6fv from deviantART and cover it over the whole
image. Drop the Opacity down to 15% with a blend mode of Difference. This begins to add a painterly effect.
Add a layer mask, and paint black to remove the effect from the top half of the image, where you want to retain
the details. White will be on the bottom, revealing the texture effect.
09
Character
12
11
Add glow and star bursts Under the Retouched Model Top layer, create a new
13
Curves adjustment layer. Pull up on the middle of the curve to lighten over the image. Fill the
mask with black to hide the effect, then use a white brush to paint in a glow under the Top Model with
various brushes of different sizes and shapes. Create multiple Curves layers, with different settings,
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com/morelikethis/99002450.
LWFRPHWRJHWKHU\RXFDQUHDOO\VWDUWQHWXQLQJWKHOD\HU
masks for the two model layers. For the bottom model layer, you
should keep the body tight and let the gravel at the bottom fade
up into the sky. Mask the loose hair, and let the wispy parts blow
around. For the top layer, keep the parts you want the natural
colour and erase away, starting at the chest. You can continue to
clean these masks up later, as needed.
Add texture light Above the Texture layer, add a Curves layer if you want to lighten up
the image. With all these layers being added, the image starts to get too dark. This should
really start adding depth to the image, now that you have had a chance to play with the tonal range.
Remember, you want to see the details of the texture in the lower areas of the frame, as well as
ensure that the upper body remains the focal point of the image.
14
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
15
16
17
Duplicate geometric shapes Select the Curves layer with the geometric shapes
on it, and use Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate the layer. On the lower version, go into the Layer FX
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Focus on the
focal point
Add paint splatter Make a new Curves adjustment layer on top of everything. Bring
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EUXVKZLWKSDLQWVSODWWHUVIURPmouritsada-stock.deviantart.com/art/Brush-Pack-Splashes-OfPaint-94180220, you can add splashes of paint around the image. For variety, adjust the Opacity
of the layer, or arc of the curve. You can use one Curves adjustment layer, or several with different
settings. Also try some Layer FX like Outer Glow for added realism.
18
Character
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Maarten
9HUKRHYHQ
www.verhoevenmaarten.blogspot.
com
As an artist I have a
fascination for
horror-related work. For
the actual design I went
for a character without a
nose to start with, but
during creation more
elements were added. I
love to create characters
ZLWKDEDFNVWRU\JXULQJ
out where they are living
and moving in their own
universe.
Software
ZBrush, KeyShot,
Photoshop
,I\RXZDQWWRFUHDWHDQDOFRORXULPDJHRU
FRQFHSWSLHFHVXFKDVWKLV]RPELHEXVWWKHQ
WKLVWXWRULDOZLOOWHDFK\RXWKHQHFHVVDU\VWHSV
IRUWKLVZRUNRZ It shows you how to go from a very
low-poly base mesh to a high-resolution sculpt. This will give
you a step-by-step insight on how to approach sculpting,
using the basic tools and Alphas that are available in ZBrush
for 99 per cent of the image. We will demonstrate how to
work with the different SubTools and create the details that
are applied to the zombie. Well also explain how to create
extra SubTools, use FiberMesh and texture. As you will
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VLGHVWRKHOSXVUHQHHYHU\WKLQJXQWLOWKHVFXOSWLVGRQH
ready for texturing and rendering. In the last part of the
tutorial youll see how to set it all up in KeyShot very quickly
and create a great looking image. It will give you a good
result with out-of-the-box brushes and materials.
01
02
%XLOGVKDSHVLets start
03
0D[LPLVHJHRPHWU\LQ
VXEGLYLVLRQVStepping up subdivisions
Character
04
05
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
06
Break up the symmetry Now youll see how the symmetry is broken.
First go in with the Move Topological brush and open the mouth area. Pulling
the bottom lip down and inserting the upper, start adding the details around the mouth.
8VHD6WDQGDUGEUXVKDQGWKH,QDWHEUXVKRQDKLJK=LQWHQVLW\DQGDVPDOOGUDZVL]H
to add all the small irregularities. Also, try to create all the bigger open gashes around
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brush. This is also a good time to go over the teeth again, moving them around and
chipping off small parts with a Clip brush.
Sculpt by hand
I like to do most of the work by hand and later on use a variety
of Alphas to tie them all together in the sculpt, brushing out all
the hard lines. An overuse of Alphas often breaks up the
surface tension too much and it also starts to feel very
generic, as if its created by something instead of someone.
Try to keep it all as natural and irregular as possible.
07
Character
08
09
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
10
DGGHGRQDQDORYHUDOOVFXOSWLQJUXQRIWKHIDFHDQG
body. Rework all the small creases with the Standard and
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11
12
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ORRNLQVKDSHDQGGHVLJQ
Eyebrows
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Character
13
FiberMesh
Creating hair-like
strands is something
that works well in ZBrush
especially when its short hair
like on this character. Start
by masking off the area that
you want your hair to be on.
Then open the preview tab
in the FiberMesh (A) menu.
The things that need to be
adjusted are the MaxFibers
(B), ByMask (C) and Length
(D). When you click the tab
above the slider of each
subpalette, some text will
appear and reveal what the
VOLGHUGRHV,WVDELWRIGGOLQJ
around with the slider but
you can check your progress
under the fast preview setting
by clicking Fast Preview. If you
like what you see you can also
create a new SubTool from the
hairs by clicking Accept (F).
Maarten Verhoeven
is a digital sculptor
living and working i
as a concept and VFX
artist, specialing in
lm, commercials,
toys and 3D print.
He has a classical
art education and a
degree in animation
for lm.
Hellcat
14
selecting the Rgb tab otherwise with Mrgb you will also bake your MatCap. If you want to clean up your SubTool of
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only the Rgb setting turned on and begin with a bigger brush setting and a low Rgb intensity; build up your colours slowly.
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VWDJHVRISDLQWLQJ\RXFDQXVHVRPH$OSKDVRIKDQGSULQWVDQGEORRGVSODWWHUVWRDSSO\LQDUDQGRPRUGHURQWKHJXUH
just to make it all a bit dirtier.
Gorilla study
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
15
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16
Playtime
Working with KeyShot only really involves playing
around, and that you can achieve instant results with
simply clicking just a few buttons. The best thing
about it is that it is fast meaning that you can
quickly cycle through different HDR light
environments and see how you model reacts to it.
7KHPDWHULDOVWKDWDUHRXWRIWKHER[ZRUNQHIRUD
lot of things. As an artist its my favourite fast render
tool because you can use your high-resolution
model and you also wont lose any details. Its
perfect for stills and for creating concept art. The
only downside to KeyShot is that you can lose a lot
of time, because of the number of possibilities that
can be quickly achieved!
17
Character
Artist
Aaron Hunwick
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Software
0D\D=%UXVK0XGER[
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7RSR*XQ89/D\RXW
95D\3KRWRVKRS
Design an
Elven archer
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In this tutorial we will be covering the
crucial steps in the modelling and
texturing stages for creating a digital
character, as well as a brief overlook of lighting
and rendering.:HZLOOEHVSHFLFDOO\ORRNLQJLQWR
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Source Files
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VWHSVRIWKLVWXWRULDO
01
Create a
reference sheet
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02
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03
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Using Polypaint to
determine areas of
higher density like
the head, we can get
a good result quickly
with very little effort
Concept
I based this piece on the Dark Elves of the
Warhammer universe. These mystical fantasy
creatures are rich in character and have a
distinct style from any other Elves.
Character
Block out armour design In ZBrush, mask
out the area on your character where the armour will
sit. Then extract a new ZTool, convert to DynaMesh and use
this as a base to build out from. Slowly increase the resolution
while focusing on the form and silhouette, this will ensure you
dont get tied up in the details. Its good practice to block out
all of your armour pieces before moving on to the next step,
this way you can be sure that your shape language is clear
and all your amour pieces are working well together.
04
05
06
07
NQRZWKDWRXUQDOPRGHOLVJRLQJWRKDYHDEDNHGLQ
pose we can now use Transpose Master to pose our model.
Make sure you have plenty of anatomy references related
to the pose youre trying to achieve female-anatomy-forartist.com is a very good resource for this. If you have armour
that sits over a deformed area such as an elbow or knee, you
may want to hide it before using Transpose Master, and then
move it into the correct position after completion of the pose.
The power of
TopoGun
With access to automated software such as
ZRemesher we often forget the importance of
having complete control over our topology. Often
WKHTXLFNUHVXOWVQHHGWREHUHQHGIXUWKHUWR
ensure we get the most out of our geometry.
TopoGun offers us full control so that we are able
WRTXLFNO\GUDZDQGEXLOGYHU\VSHFLFHGJH
loops, which is especially useful for modifying our
facial topology. Areas such as the eyes, mouth
and nose will need extra attention and often more
edge loops than the rest of the face. This is
because they will need more polygon density to
be able to deform correctly.
08
Create hair using FiberMesh When you are working with long hair its critical to be
able to isolate and work with small clumps one at a time. Before you generate the FiberMesh,
EUHDNRIIWKHVFDOSLQWRPDQ\VPDOO3RO\JURXSVWKDWFDQEHXVHGWRGHQHWKHKDLUFOXPSV7XUQRQ
Brush>Auto Masking>Mask By Polygroups to ensure youre only manipulating one Polygroup at a
time. Use the GroomHairBall brush to clump your hair together. Then use the Groom brushes to style
the hair to your liking.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
0DNHWKHQHGHWDLOVDQGDFFHVVRULHV$GGLQJH[WUDOLWWOHGHWDLOVFDQUHDOO\
VHOODPRGHO)RUWKLVPRGHOKDQJLQJHVKKRRNVKDYHEHHQXVHGDVWKH\DUHDFRPPRQ
decoration on Dark Elves. These were simply modelled in Maya then exported to ZBrush for a
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ZKLFKZDVFUHDWHGXVLQJWKH(3&XUYH7RROLQ0D\D$QRWKHUJRRGWHFKQLTXHLVWRXVHEUHVWR
break up the edge of the fabric so just mask by edge and generate them from that.
10
09
11
12
Set up some
shaders
Character
13
Create seamless textures Now its time to take our model into Mudbox and
14
Set up lighting
use projection mapping to create some realistic textures. Mudbox is great because
it uses a similar layer and painting system to Photoshop, and you can easily move your map
between the two programs. To get your mesh from ZBrush to Mudbox there are multiple
methods, but using Decimation Master is the best because you are able to retain a lot of
detail while painting in a reasonably low-resolution mesh. Make sure you check the Keep UVs
option and decimate to around three to ten per cent of your high-resolution mesh.
15
16
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Character
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Fashion pro
key art
Learn how to create an epic videogame
key art to capture your audience
The entertainment industry
relies on the use of
powerful imagery that can
touch an audience emotionally,
and create memorable campaigns
IRUOPRUYLGHRJDPHODXQFKHV
Whether iconic, cryptic or a mixture of
both, key art pieces and posters have
the sole purpose of making a bold
statement to immediately connect with
fans across the globe.
Therefore, a good key art is
fundamental for a successful
campaign, and in some cases, it can
determine how well or poorly a
franchise will perform. Massive, slick,
iconic, epic these are all words that
should be kept in mind when creating
Artists
'DYLGH%LDQFD
Andrea
Mancuso
www.saizenmedia.
com
Davide Bianca is the
founder & Executive
Creative Director of
Saizen Media, based
in both Los Angeles
and Milan.
Andrea Mancuso is
the lead CG artist at
Saizen Media. He has
H[SHULHQFHLQ&*OP
videogame projects, key
art and illustration.
Software
Photoshop
Character
CREATE PRO KEY ART
Cinematic composition6HWXS\RXUZRUNDUHDDFFRUGLQJWRWKHVSHFLFDWLRQV$GGH[WUD
padding space around main elements to allow for cropping. Its useful to set up your layers in
groups, keeping characters, environmental elements, adjustment layers and the backdrop separated, to
easily readjust if needed. For this tutorial, we will be using a cinematic widescreen, double fold-out format
at 300 dpi a size big enough for posters and magazine inserts.
01
02
Blocking shapes in Create basic outlines for the backdrop. Keep in mind that the main
focus is on the character. However, the world a character lives in is what makes the scene
believable, as it provides a sense context and location for the events being depicted. Loosely block in
basic shapes and colours for the snowy mountains, skyline and foreground. Keep the colours and shapes
interesting, forcing the eye into the distance and conveying a sense of grand scale. You will use these
shapes as guides for detailing and texturing by integrating photographic assets.
03
04
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
05
06
07
Fine-tune lighting
When working with complex lighting, constant
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09
Create the environment At this stage, break away from your character and focus on the
environment that he lives in. Start by choosing a colour palette that makes sense, with the tone
and mood setting the scene that you are depicting. Fill in the areas that you outlined previously with
PRUHGHQHGEUXVKVWURNHVWRVLPXODWHWKHPRRQOLJKWERXQFLQJRIIWKHVQRZDQGFDVWLQJVKDGRZV
8VHSKRWRJUDSKLFDVVHWVERWKDVDUHIHUHQFHDQGDVWH[WXUHVWRREWDLQDSURSHUUHDOLVWLFQLVK8VHWKH
'RGJHDQG%XUQWRROVWRGDUNHQSRRUO\OLWDUHDVRUWRUHHFWPRUHOLJKW
08
Character
CREATE PRO KEY ART
$OWHUWKHGHSWKRIHOG Our brain processes imagery
based on colour, shapes and depth. So push the depth of
your image as far as possible in order to make it pop. Duplicate
your character group and merge its content keep the original
group disabled as a backup. Using the Blur tool, begin softening
the contours. Use a small brush with low strength. Next increase
the strength and blur the areas further away, while keeping the rest
sharp. This will direct the viewers eye to the focal points, simulating
WKHFLQHPDWLFGHSWKRIHOGRIDPPOHQV
10
Magic particles This is a fantasy game, so your character will, of course, have
supernatural abilities. Use a particle system as secondary focal point to counterbalance elements and guide the viewers eye across the piece. Use warm colours to contrast
the cool tints of the environment. Start with an orange tint and begin outlining your magical
DUHV6ZLWFKWROLJKWHUWLQWVLQFRUUHVSRQGHQFHZLWKKHDWVRXUFHV.HHSVKDSHVG\QDPLFDQG
interesting. Integrate a soft layer of smoke and an Overlay orange glow layer to add realism
and make the colours really pop.
11
Balancing Create a new group containing adjustment layers for Gamma Curves, Brightness/
Contrast, and Colour Balance, and place them at the top of your composite. These will serve as master
colour correction settings. Adjust the Gamma Curves until the image looks properly lit. Gamma Curves are
also helpful to remove possible artifacts resulting from Screen layers and compositing. Use Brightness/
Contrast to bring out highlights, and use the Colour Balance settings to increase Cyan and Blue on both
highlights and mid tones, as this will help blend elements seamlessly and unify tints.
12
Pay attention to
rolling surfaces or
sharp edges, and
add extra
highlights or rim
lights to increase
realism
13
14
A dark sky will set the mood and drive the eye
into the distance. You will want to create clouds that
form interesting shapes, low enough on the horizon
to create enough contrast to allow for easily readable
mountain tops. Use a large soft brush to paint
black on top of areas to simulate rarefaction of the
atmosphere and the light bouncing off. Ensure the
clouds and foreground fog dont clash.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
15
16
+LJKOLJKWVDQGOHQVDUHV Create
a new layer at the top of your character group
and set its blend mode to Overlay. Using a soft brush,
paint white hot spots over the areas that receive
specular light this will help to brighten those areas.
Pay special attention to edges and corners directly
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more light. For extra realism, consider integrating
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appropriately sizing them, adjusting their tints, and
setting them in Screen mode over the area of interest.
18
17
19
20
Final touches
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due to the natural ink absorption process on paper, there is a 10% Luminosity drop from screen to print. So if
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Gamma Curves.
Character
Artist
Damon Woods
www.dkwoods.
com
My name is Damon DK
Woods and I make
next-gen game
characters. Currently, Im
a professional character
artist in the videogame
and VFX industry. Im
also currently a character
art instructor at the
CGMA Academy.
Software
Source Files
Download all the
WXWRULDOOHV\RXZLOO
need from FileSilo.
The skin-tight
accessories were
created by
masking out the
shape of the
clothing on the
body and then
using extraction
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Render a cyberpunk
character
0RGHOWH[WXUHDQGOLJKWDKLJKVFKRROVWXGHQWIURPVWDUWWRQLVK
IRUDIXWXULVWLFF\EHUSXQNZRUOG
In this tutorial we are going to learn
how to create a funky, rebellious
cyberpunk teenager from the not-sodistant future. The inspiration for this character
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Concept
The rst step as part of any workow is having a concept.
I start by sketching out my character, making sure that
the details and forms are clear. This saves a lot of time
down the road.
02
01
Start at the basics In building up a character, its effective to start at the most skin-tight items and
work your way outwards. This helps us build a well-tting outt and helps reduce geopenetration
issues down the road. The skin-tight accessories were created by masking out the shape of the clothing on
the body and then using extraction. The skirt and glasses were created in 3ds Max.
Character
03
04
05
Add seams and stitches To add stitches, create a custom Curve brush with a
simple piece of geo to repeat. Making sure that Curves mode is on, start adding your
stitches to the areas around the edges of your clothing and anywhere that patches are
joined. As an additional detail, use the Dam_Standard brush to slightly indent the path of
the stitches. To create the seams on the jacket, use the CurveStrapSnap brush.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07
Create the patches Our hero is an accomplished athlete and shes not
shy about it. To adorn her with her various patches, we rst created some
custom Alphas in Photoshop. Then we import them into the Alpha palette and do a
mask extract like before. These meshes can get pretty heavy, so we suggest hitting
them with ZRemesher.
Size matters
When starting a project, pay attention to the real-world scale of your
character. In 3ds Max or Maya, use the measuring tools to make sure
your character is a realistic height. Programs like Marvelous Designer
and KeyShot use real-world scale to calculate things like gravity and
thickness. If your character is 70 feet tall or the size of an ant, it will have
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08
10
Create hair To create the curly frohawk, simply mask the area along the top of her head and go to the
Fibers tab in Lightbox. Select Curley_Hair1.ZFP. From there, go into the FiberMesh tab and hit Preview.
From here, you can adjust all of the parameters of the hair. You can see the settings that were used for this piece.
Once youre satised, hit Accept. The eyebrows were created the same way. Just mask off the eyebrow shape,
use a straighter hairstyle like Fibers160.ZFP and lower the length and bre count accordingly.
09
Character
11
Remember, nobody
is perfect and small
skin irregularities
really help add
realism to skin
texture. Add
birthmarks and
acne scars
Texture the skin Using the same skin
colour that we used as the ll, select Alpha
7 with Spray mode turned on. Make sure to turn
off Zadd and Zsub so you arent sculpting while
you paint. Now lightly brush across the surface to
add some irregularity to her skin tone. You can
also go back in and add smaller things like
birthmarks and acne scars. Remember, nobody is
perfect and small skin irregularities really help add
realism to skin texture. To add the tattoos, images
were turned into Alphas and added with Drag
mode. Use a dark green colour instead of pure
black to give the tattoos a more realistic tone.
12
Add eyelashes
Everyone has eyelashes, but not every
artist remembers to add them. The Curve
brush can be used to quickly and
effectively create eyelashes. First model
out a single lash and then orient the
camera so that you are looking at it from
the tip. Go into the brushes palette and
select Create Insert Mesh. Turn on
Curves mode and draw along the edge of
the eyelid. Keep in mind that the upper
eyelashes are fuller than the bottom ones.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Landscapes
Create huge fantasy worlds
168
144
136
160
134 Fantasy Art Genius Guide
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
156
166
150
Landscapes
Render a
fairytale castle
An image of a towering castle perched on the side of
a mountain, inspired by medieval architecture
For this image the inspiration
came from Romantic-style
architecture, to create a
towering building nestled on the side
of a mountain, surrounded by forests
and steep hills. Over the course of this
tutorial, we will explain how to go about
both making the castle itself, and then how
you can create the surrounding landscape.
Starting with Blenders ANT landscape
plug-in, well create some procedural
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
Artist
Ben Simonds
www.ben
simonds.com
Ben Simonds is a 3D
Artist at Gecko
Animation Ltd, a small
London-based studio
Software
Photoshop, ngPlant
Landscapes
01
Choose a site With the terrain in place, start looking for somewhere to situate
the castle. To do so, use Blenders Fly Navigation (Shift+F in the 3D Viewport) to
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need a small peak next to some larger mountains to place the castle on, so that itll have
the taller terrain as an impressive backdrop. With the site chosen, simply place down a
cube to mark the castles site for the time being, then placed a camera roughly where we
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02
Dynamic Topology
sculpting
03
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feature enables you to sculpt and have your mesh dynamically tessellated under your brush strokes.
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
04
use very rough shapes just to plan what parts the castle
will have. Add and scale cubes and cylinders for the towers
and use cubes with the top face pulled upwards to make a
peak for the main buildings. Play around with a few different
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like, while moving them around to see how they look from the
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06
Get an early render Maybe its good planning or maybe its just time wasting and
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the shadows falling on the castle.
05
Break up the castle To make working on the castle easier, break up its design into
chunks, with one for the front wall and gatehouse, another two for the two main buildings,
and another for the foundations and the bridge. Duplicate these chunks and place them on
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group, while working on them separately. Additionally this lets us work on the different groups in a
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07
Landscapes
08
Array0RGLHUWULFNV
7KH$UUD\0RGLHULVDJUHDWWRROIRUZRUNLQJZLWKGHVLJQV
that have repeating elements. It comes with several
different inputs for specifying how you want to duplicate
geometry. The Relative Offset setting is best for duplicating
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settings to automatically merge vertices between repeats.
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as it lets you use the transforms of an Empty to specify the
offset for repeats. This lets you rotate and even scale the
repeated elements. I used the object offset as an alternative
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wanted around the tower.
09
Add crenellations and towers Most of the walls and roofs of the castle
11
10
UV Unwrapping Unwrapping models is always a pretty tedious task, but Blender has
some pretty useful unwrapping tools. For each chunk of the castle, we should try to pack
HYHU\SDUWRIWKHPRGHOLQWRDVKDUHG89VSDFH8QZUDSSLQJWKHODUJHUDWWHUDUHDVRIWKHFDVWOHLV
easy just use the basic Unwrap Operator, or sometimes the Project From View Operator for large,
DWDUHDV)RUPRUHFRPSOH[DUHDVOLNHWKHFUHQHOODWLRQVVHOHFWDWDUHDVUVWDQGXQZUDSWKHP
(the Select Co-planar Operator is great for this press Shift+G in Edit mode with a face selected),
then pin those vertices UV coordinates, add seams to the model and then unwrap the surrounding
areas to get a passable unwrap for the more complex areas. As soon as the task of unwrapping
the models is done, we can move onto other, more creative aspects!
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
While the overall structure of the castle
is pretty unique from piece to piece,
there are a lot of repeating elements in
the design of the castle overall.
Especially for the windows, we only
need to create a few different designs,
which we then duplicate and place
around the castle
Landscapes
12
13
Set materials for the trees The materials for our trees are pretty simple to
accomplish, and entirely procedural. NgPlant does a good job of automatically generating
UVs for your generated trees and exporting them with separate material groups for each branch
or leaf level. For all the branches, simply apply a brown Diffuse material. For the needles, take
the UV co-ordinates of the long leaf meshes that run along each of the branches and manipulate
them with nodes to give a gradient out from the middle of the branches to the edge, and use
this as the overall Alpha of the material (by controlling the Mix Factor between a Diffuse and a
Transparent Shader node). Multiply this Alpha factor with a procedural Wave texture that breaks the
DSSHDUDQFHRIWKHZLQJVPHVKXSLQWRLQGLYLGXDOQHHGOHV$OWKRXJKWKHQDOWUHHZRQWVWDQGXSWR
close scrutiny, in a forest of thousands it looks the part.
Create a forest To make a forest out of trees, use a particles system. Add a new
particle system to our landscape with several-thousands of particles, all emitted on the
UVWIUDPH7KHQJURXSDOOWUHHVWRJHWKHUDQGVHWWKH5HQGHUPRGHRIWKHSDUWLFOHV\VWHPVWR
Group, and set the Trees group as the source. This populates the landscape with thousands of
trees. Add some randomness to them with the Size set to Random, and by randomising their
Rotation slightly. We can also use the Particle Info material node to convert the individual particle
trees indices into a slightly randomised green hue for the needles Diffuse colour. This will give
every tree a slightly different appearance and will make the forest look less homogenous.
14
15
Bake textures for the castle Returning to the castle, we have already unwrapped
each chunk to a texture sheet, so switch render engine to Blender Internal temporarily
(Cycles has only started supporting texture baking in the latest dev builds, so I stuck with BI) and
bake out a few maps. For each chunk of the castle, bake an Ambient Occlusion map, as well as a
few different seamless brick and concrete textures. As well as this, bake out a Groups map for each
chunk of the castle, assigning different colours to areas we want to paint with different materials.
This makes selecting different areas easier for texture painting and masking textures.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
17
16
maps, using the groups map to mask different areas of the texture with different base
textures (different kinds of brick or concrete). Next, multiply this with the AO map on a low Opacity
to add some basic grunge, then paint in some further variation and cloning in grunge from other
sources. The result for each part of the castle should be a nicely aged texture with a consistent
brick pattern that doesnt look too repetitive overall.
Create
clouds
We want to add clouds to
the sky, which can be done
using Blenders Cloud
Generator plug-in, as well
as some painting thrown in
ZKHQFRPSRVLWLQJWKHQDO
image. In a separate scene
ZLWKLQWKHEOHQGOHLQWR
which we linked our
landscape objects and
camera), loosely model
streaky clouds, then
convert them to clouds
with the Cloud Generator
tool. This add-on turns a
mesh into a cloud object
ZLWKDSUHFRQJXUHG
material for rendering in
Blender Internal. Render
the clouds as a separate
pass that we can eventually
FRPSRVLWHLQWRWKHQDO
image. For my image, it
didnt look amazing as just
a basic render pass, so I
did a fair bit of messing
about with it in Photoshop
later on.
18
Render passes)RUWKHQDOUHQGHUVSOLW
&RPSRVLWHWKHQDOLPDJH Using
3KRWRVKRSZHOOFRPSRVLWHWKHQDOLPDJH
Layer in the different render passes and combine
them with gradients, a slight vignette and some colour
JUDGLQJWRFUHDWHDQDOLPDJHWKDW\RXUHKDSS\ZLWK
Try painting in the odd wisp of cloud or erasing the
occasional stray tree by hand. You could also add a
slight bloom effect by creating a merged copy of the
layers, blurring it and tweaking its Levels before adding it
back onto the scene to create softer lighting in the scene.
19
Landscapes
Concept
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Construct a
landscape
from photos
Learn how to work with fragments of photos to create
a fantasy scene
Learn how to use Photoshop to
create a fantasy scene with this
tutorial. Well start with creating a sketch.
Try to experiment with different ideas and
choose the most interesting option. Its important
to think through all the details before you start
work. We will combine fragments of photos to
create a background and unique objects to
create a fantasy environment. Creating scenes
isnt easy when youre working with different
source photos. You will need to use colour
correction elements and effects so that the
image becomes attractive and convincing. You
will also learn how to manually create sunlight
Artist
Nadegda
Mihailova
www.nm-art.weebly.
com/tw
Nadegda Mihailova is a
digital artist and creative
retoucher from Russia,
specialising in
environment illustrations.
Milhailova is currently
working as a freelance
digital artist.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
all the images needed to
complete this tutorial.
7KHUVWVWHSLVWRFUHDWHDQHZ
document: File>New, set document size to 2,950x4,200px.
Then create a sketch. At this stage it is important to make a
decision on composition and the location of all objects in the
scene. Think through all the details before you start work; you will
need to decide on the overall colour of the image and light sources.
02
Make the
background
Landscapes
Add the sky Use images IMG_03-1.jpg - IMG_03-5.
jpg to create the sky. Cut out sky fragments and add them
to your scene. Then select Edit>Transform>Warp and change
their shapes as needed. Now make the sky more consistent by
selecting Curves and adjust the brightness, contrast, and colour
for each element. Use the Eraser tool with soft edges and Clone
Stamp tool to eliminate seams. Merge these layers and slightly
darken the upper portion of the image.
03
04
The landscape Insert the mountains from IMG_04-1, IMG_04-2 and IMG_04-3.
jpg to your scene. Add more blues using Color Balance and lower the contrast. Create
a new layer then draw some fog in the right of your scene using a light-blue Brush tool with
soft edges, on 10% Opacity. Paint the mountain edges and peaks with the same brush. This
should add more consistency to the entire scene. Add the forest (IMG_04-5.jpg), the bridge
(IMG_04-4.jpg), and the grass (IMG_04-6.JPG) in front of the mountains. Adjust brightness,
contrast, and colour for each element by using Curves, Color Balance, and Hue/Saturation for
the desired result.
Form the tower Create the tower shape out of stone textures by cutting stone texture
fragments from images IMG_05-1to IMG_05-4.jpg. Use Transform and Warp to change their
shapes and sizes. Make brightness and colour consistent among all the fragments. Now draw a
spiral on top of the tower. Merge these layers and heal the seams with Clone Stamp tool. Select
the Brush tool with soft edges, change the blending mode from Normal to Multiply, set Opacity to
10-25% and darken the bottom and left parts of the tower. Add the riverbank from IMG_05-1.jpg to
the right side, then select Hue/Saturation and reduce saturation and lightness.
05
06
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Top of the tower Create a new layer and draw
ridges (1). Take a colour sample from the stones.
Place the pattern from IMG_07-1.jpg under the ridges (2).
Then select Transform>Warp to change the shape as
needed. Adjust brightness, saturation and colour for all
added elements. Add shadows on the left and under the
ridges using a brown soft brush in Multiply mode with 1020% Opacity. Copy the small windows from the previous
step and place them on the tower (3) then add decorative
stone elements (IMG_06-4.jpg) to the tower facade.
07
08
Bottom of the tower Use elements from IMG_08-1.jpg to create columns and add them to
Add more
volume
Landscapes
10
Create some
small towers Create
Add Plants
11
12
/HQV)ODUHIURPWKHPHQXVHW/HQV7\SHWRPP]RRPDQGDSSO\WKHOWHU
Change the layer blending mode to Screen. Transform the layer by scaling it down and
VTXHH]LQJLWDOLWWOH3ODFHDDUHRQWRWKHWRZHUWRSWKHQDGGDUHVWRVPDOOHUWRZHUVLQDVLPLODU
way. To enhance the glow create new layer, set blending mode to Overlay, Opacity to 50-70%
DQGDGGVWDPSVDURXQGWKHDUHVRQWKHWRZHUVZLWKDELJOLJKW\HOORZVRIWEUXVK
13
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Final editing
15
14
16
Hide the
drawn
elements
with noise
Highlights Create a Brightness/Contrast
adjustment layer, set Brightness +60 and
Contrast +20. Invert the layer mask using Cmd/
Ctrl+I and paint darker areas inside it with a soft
EUXVKXVLQJZKLWH$GGDUHVWRWKHFHQWUDOSDUWVRI
the tower, tower tops, bridge, waterfall, landscape
on the right, and to the foreground. You can lower
the adjustment layer Opacity to 80-90% to make
it weaker. Add a new layer with blending mode set
to Soft Light and Opacity to 50-70%. Select a lightRUDQJHFRORXUDQGDGGFRORXUHGDUHVXVLQJ
a brush.
17
18
Landscapes
Composite a
fantasy landscape
Learn advanced techniques for compositing photos to look like
painted landscapes using adjustment layers and clipping masks
Here we will be creating a stunning landscape from different
photos. We will gather fantasy elements for the castle from fragments
of various buildings, and add a lot of detail. Well use a range of
Photoshop tools, from the colour correction tools (Curves, Color Balance,
Selective Color and more), to the Transform options, masks, adjustment
layers and blending modes.
This sort of Photoshop project demands time, patience and imagination.
Dont forget that any work should start with the ideas for compositions. Create
sketches before starting. Be decisive with the colour of the image and also
the source of light. Its important to think through all the details before you
start work. We will consistently add and edit the brightness, contrast and hue
of all the elements. Also, we will work with layer masks and clipping masks.
Layer masks enable you to add effects only to the desired area. Erasing
unnecessary areas on the layer mask lets you return to the appropriate part
if necessary.
Over the course of this tutorial you will also learn how you can manually
create sunlight and shadows, use blending modes and achieve uniformity
across all elements.
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Nadegda
Mihailova
www.nm-art.weebly.
com
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
some of Rudolphs
photos to help complete
this tutorial.
Landscapes
Using the
blend modes
For each task, make good
use of different blend modes.
When it comes to drawing
drop shadows and dark
areas, the Multiply blending
mode works well. To create
the highlights and light areas,
suitable modes are Color
Dodge, Screen and Overlay.
To change the colour of an
object try Color, Soft Light or
Overlay. Use the Fill Color,
Gradient and Gradient Map
adjustment layers at the end
with different blend modes
and a low Opacity setting.
Doing this adds more
uniformity to your work.
03
01
06
04
Bring in the mountains Open Lake1.jpg and Lake2.jpg. Cut out the
mountains with Lasso tool, place in the scene and scale accordingly. Use the
Clone Stamp tool to remove repetitive areas. Group the mountain layers. Create a Curves
adjustment layer with a clipping mask, lower the contrast, adding more blues and cyan.
02
05
07
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
08
09
11
13
14
12
10
Add more yellow and red in the midtones by using Color Balance. Add
the road from Road.jpg. Similarly, edit the brightness and contrast. Our goal is to
achieve uniformity of all the elements on the brightness and hue.
15
Landscapes
Correct the
elements
It is very important to
achieve uniformity of all
objects, which will probably
mean adjusting brightness,
contrast, hue and
saturation. Suitable tools for
this are Curves, Color
Balance, Hue/ Saturation
and Selective Color. Use
them as adjustment layers
with a clipping mask.
Clipping masks let you
apply a correction to the
selected object. You can
also fade the effect by
lowering layer opacity. The
main advantage of this
method is that the original
image remains unchanged.
16
18
19
21
17
20
22
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
23
26
Add sunlight Place rays1.png in the sky, and then set the blending
24
mode to Soft Light, Opacity: 40%. Then you need to insert rays2.jpg,
blend mode: Screen, Opacity: 35%. Erase the edges and then use a soft brush to
draw more rays and highlights on a new layer (blend mode: Color Dodge). Use a
light yellow.
27
25
using Curves. Add more yellow and red using Color Balance. Add Solid
Color and Gradient Fill adjustment layers. Use Soft Light and Screen blend
modes, Opacity: 5-30%. Try to experiment with adjustment layers to achieve the
best results.
Landscapes
Composite with
adjustment layers
Unleash colour adjustment layers and masks to create an
incredible surreal composition
In this tutorial well show you how to
create an incredible surreal
composition using colour adjustment
layers and masks. To begin youll create a
beautiful underwater scene, using several images
and masks to blend everything together. Use the
adjustment layers to change the colours and
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Daniel Sinoca
www.danielsinoca.
com/
I love working with
adjustment layers in
Photoshop. It is
incredible how powerful
they are. I can make
colour corrections, apply
gradients, create masks
and much more in just
few clicks.
I started to get involved
in the digital world more
than 10 years ago and
have been working as a
freelance artist ever
since, creating all kinds
of multimedia projects
and tutorial guides.
Software
ELEMENTS, Photoshop
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
some of Danielss
photos to help complete
this tutorial.
Landscapes
Keep it
organised
01
03
06
04
07
02
3ODFHWKHVHDRRU Go to File>Place
05
(PEHGGHG6HDRRUMSJ*UDEWKHPLGGOH
top handle and drag it down to squeeze the image
under the guide line, then hit Return/Enter. The tones
of the image need to be improved. Go to Layer>New
Adjustment Layer>Levels. Set the Input levels to 15,
0.90, 254.
Bring in the rocks Next you will need to place the Rock.jpg then go to
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
08
11
09
,QWURGXFHWKHVK Go to Place
13
10
14
12
create a clipping mask. Now hit Cmd/Ctrl+U. Check Colorize, then set Hue:
145, Saturation: 20, Lightness: 0 and click OK. Add a layer mask and use a soft brush
to blend the images.
15
Landscapes
Work with
matte painting
Learn how to create a realistic matte painting using
layer and clipping masks
Telling a story with a single image can
be a challenge, but this tutorial will
show you how to do just that. You will
learn how to create a photorealistic digital matte
SDLQWLQJWKDWFRXOGEHXVHGDVDERRNFRYHUOP
poster, on a website or any other media that uses
images that are not primarily moving.
3KRWRVKRSVUVWMREDIWHULWVFUHDWLRQZDVWR
FUHDWHWKHUVWGLJLWDOPDWWHSDLQWLQJVDW,QGXVWULDO
Light & Magic, and since then its photomanipulation
DQGSDLQWLQJIXQFWLRQDOLWLHVKDYHEHHQVWDQGDUG
procedure in VFX studios around the world. This
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Tony Andreas
Rudolph
www.zulusplitter.de
Rudolph is a self-taught
digital matte painter and
concept artist working in
the VFX industry. He has
contributed to projects
like Guardians Of The
Galaxy, Jupiter
Ascending and Captain
America 2.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQG
some of Rudolphs
photos to help complete
this tutorial.
Landscapes
01
,QVSLUDWLRQLVWKHUVWWKLQJWKDW
ZLOOKHOS\RXWRFUHDWHDXQLTXHLPDJH,WFDQEHIRXQGLQDOOW\SHVRI
PHGLDIURPRWKHUDUWWROPVDQGERRNV%URZVLQJ\RXURZQSKRWROLEUDU\
FDQKHOSWRR$GREH%ULGJHLVXVXDOO\WKHEHVWWRROWRGRWKLV,I\RXDUHLQ
3KRWRVKRSJRWR)LOH!%URZVHLQ%ULGJH
03
02
LPDJHWRFUHDWH<RXOOQHHGDJRRGVHWRIUHIHUHQFHLPDJHVDQGRIWHQXVLQJ
\RXURZQSKRWRJUDSK\ZRUNVWKHEHVW)LUVWFUHDWHDQHZGRFXPHQWDW[
SL[HOV)RUIDVWEURZVLQJXVH$GREH%ULGJH,WVTXLFNDQGHDV\WRXVHDQG\RXUHDEOH
WRJLYHHYHU\LPDJHDVSHFLFWDJ$IWHU\RXKDYHIRXQGWKHULJKWLPDJHWRVWDUWZLWK
DQGDQLQWHUHVWLQJOLJKWVLWXDWLRQRSHQLWLQ\RXUGRFXPHQW
First direction
7KHQH[WVWHSLVWRLQWHJUDWHDPRUH
LQWHUHVWLQJIRUHJURXQG7RFUHDWHDQLPDJHZLWKDVHQVHRI
QDUUDWLYHLWLVLPSRUWDQWWRJLYHWKHH\HVRIWKHYLHZHUDSDWKWKDW
WKH\FDQIROORZZKLFKKDVEHHQDFKLHYHGKHUHZLWKWKHSDWKRQWKH
OHIWKDQGVLGH0DNHVXUHWKDWWKHOLJKWGLUHFWLRQLVWKHVDPHDVLQ
WKHEDVHSODWH\RXXVHG7RPDWFKWKHFRORXUVXVHDFRPELQDWLRQ
RI&RORU%DODQFH/HYHOVDQG+XH6DWXUDWLRQDGMXVWPHQWOD\HUV
<RXZLOOQGDOORIWKHVHXQGHU,PDJH!$GMXVWPHQWV
Integration 1RZLWVWLPHWRLQWHJUDWHWKHWZRLPDJHVLQWRRQH,WIHHOVOLNHDVPDOO
VWHSEXWLWKHOSVWRPDNH\RXULPDJHEHOLHYDEOH&UHDWHDOD\HUPDVNFOLFNRQWKHOD\HU
PDVNLFRQLQWKH/D\HUVSDQHOWRVWDUWSDLQWLQJRQLW8VHWKH&KDONEUXVKZLWK3HQ3UHVVXUH
WXUQHGRQZKLFK\RXZLOOQGLQWKH%UXVKHVSDQHO$URXQGEUXVKZLOOFUHDWHDSHUIHFWHGJH
ZKLFK\RXGRQWZDQWEHFDXVHWKHUHDUHDORWRIWUHHVLQWKHLPDJH
04
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
05
Match
colours
When you want to
match the colours and
values of different
photos, its best to
create two major
adjustment layers: one
Hue/ Saturation with
Saturation at 89% for
matching colours, and
one Hue/Saturation at
-100% to match the
values. Put these on
top of all your layers.
09
06
6N\H[WHQVLRQ$IWHU\RXKDYHQLVKHG
07
6NHWFKLQJ All
the next steps will be
done using the current image
as a base. You dont want to
get into detailing the image
too quickly, so create a new
OD\HU/D\HU!1HZ!/D\HU
and use a Chalk brush with
Pen Pressure on for the
UVWVNHWFK%HJLQWRSDLQW
very roughly on the image
to create smooth brush
strokes. The result doesnt
have to look perfect. Its only
important to create realistic
VKDSHVZKLFKFRXOGWZLWK
the rest of the landscape.
08
5HQLQJ
the sketch
Landscapes
0RUHURFNVDQGPRUHGHSWK$WWKHPRPHQWWKHLPDJHVWLOOGRHVQWKDYH
HQRXJKGHSWK7KHFORXGVWKHSDWKDQGWKHPRXQWDLQV\RXDGGHGEHIRUHDOOKHOS
EXWWKH\GRQWFUHDWHHQRXJKGHSWKDQGPRWLRQLQWKHLPDJH2QDQHZOD\HUVWDUWWRSDLQW
WKHVKDSHVRIWKH\LQJURFNVZLWKWKH&KDONEUXVKDJDLQEXWWKLVWLPHPDNHWKHPDELWPRUH
GHQHGDV\RXZDQWWRXVHWKHVHVKDSHVGLUHFWO\IRUGHWDLOV\RXOODGGODWHURQ0DNHVXUHWKDW
DOOWKHURFNVDUHGLIIHUHQWVL]HVWRFUHDWHWKHGHSWK\RXZDQW
11
CopyLW
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10
12
7KHUVW
PRXQWDLQ
&UHDWHDQHZOD\HUZLWK
/D\HU!1HZ!/D\HUWKHQ
select the sketch layer
E\KLWWLQJWKH&PG&WUO
key and clicking on the
OD\HULQWKH/D\HUVSDQHO
1RZWKHVKDSHPXVWEH
VHOHFWHG7KHQH[WVWHSLV
WROOWKLVZLWKFRORXUXVLQJ
WKH3DLQW%XFNHWWRRO
1RZQGDPRXQWDLQRU
rock image and add it to
WKH36'OHWXUQLQJLWLQWR
DFOLSSLQJPDVN&PG
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,I\RXGRQWKDYHHQRXJK
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13
5HSODFLQJWKHULJKWPRXQWDLQ After
FKDQJLQJWKHPLGGOHPRXQWDLQQRZLWVWLPH
WRUHSODFHWKHVNHWFKRIWKHPRXQWDLQZLWKDUHDORQH
:KHQ\RXZDQWWRDGGRUUHSODFHVRPHWKLQJORRN
DWWKHGHWDLOVRI\RXUFXUUHQWLPDJH,QWKHFXUUHQW
SDLQWLQJWKHWUHHVFUHDWHDJRRGIRFDOSRLQW/RRNIRU
images with the same sense and form of the trees
\RXDOUHDG\KDYH7KHPRXQWDLQLWVHOIVKRXOGEHLQWKH
VKDGRZOLNHKRZ\RXZDQWLWLQWKHPDWWHSDLQWLQJ
Colour match
different images
together using
Color Balance,
Hue/Saturation
and Levels
adjustment layers
14
)LUVWVWRU\WHOOLQJHOHPHQWV There
LVDSLHFHRIRDWLQJURFNDERYHWKHULJKW
PRXQWDLQZKLFKEURNHRIIIURPLW1RZGRWKHVDPH
ZLWKWKHPLGGOHPRXQWDLQ*RWRWKLVOD\HUDQGXVH
WKH/DVVRWRROWRVHOHFWWKHSDUWRIWKHPRXQWDLQ\RX
ZDQWWREUHDNRII+LW&PG&WUO-WRGXSOLFDWHWKLV
DUHDDQGZLWK&PG&WUO7\RXFDQPRYHDQGURWDWH
LWDELW7KDQFUHDWHDQHZOD\HUXQGHULWDQGXVHWKH
/DVVRWRRODJDLQWRFUHDWHDVKDSH
Dont go directly to a
nal image. Use
simple shapes and a
rough idea to create a
clear view to your goal
15
WKHLGHDWKDWWKHURFNVDQGVWRQHVDUH\LQJ
WRZDUGVWKHVXQ&UHDWHDQHZOD\HUDQGXVHWKH
VNHWFKDVDEDVHEXWQRZ\RXZDQWWRDGGPRUH
VPDOORQHV&UHDWHWKHURFNVZLWKWKH/DVVRDQGWKH
%UXVKWRRO3LFNFRORXUVIURPWKHLPDJHWRPDNHVXUH
WKH\KDYHWKHULJKWYDOXHV7RDGGGHWDLOVFUHDWHD
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&WUO6KLIW*7RDGGUHDOLVWLFGHWDLOVXVHURFN
SKRWRVDQGXVHWKHPDVFOLSSLQJOD\HUV
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Now
its time to add more interesting
VKDSHVWRWKHLPDJH)LUVWDGGDHOGWR
the background mountain to make the
foreground mountain look a bit bigger.
7KHQPDNHDSDUWRIWKHPRXQWDLQ\WR
create a sense of movement. Last but
not least, break up the horizon with a
big rock in the foreground. For all new
changes, create new layers, and change
the shapes with a layer mask.
16
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17
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RISKRWRV The
19
5HQLQJGHWDLOV
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feeling. Then add some dirt and very small rocks to the rocks to suggest that they are coming directly from the earth. The very
ODVWVWHSLVWRDGGVRPHQRLVHWRFUHDWHDSKRWRJUDSKLFIHHOLQJ&UHDWHDQHZOD\HUOOLWZLWKDPLGJUH\DQGJRWR)LOWHUV!1RLVH!$GG
Noise, set to 400% and Uniform. Set the layer to Overlay mode and set the Opacity to 5-10%.
20
Landscapes
Artist
Andres Avaray
www.avaray.com
Andres Avaray is a
digital artist who has
worked mainly in the
videogames industry,
animation, short
OPVDQGLOOXVWUDWLRQ
He especially
enjoys conceptualising
mad and unique
fantasy ideas.
Software
Photoshop
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
01
04
02
05
07
03
&UHDWHDUVWEDVHOD\HUCollapse
the base colour, value, textures and
adjustment layers into a single one the base layer.
Place your sketch layer over this one to serve as a
painting reference from now on. Prepare a soft
EUXVKZLWKDORZRZDQGPHGLXPRSDFLW\
The Eyedropper tool is an ally at this step, because
now we proceed with picking up tones and painting
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Curves or Levels adjustment layers in order to
DFKLHYHQHFRUUHFWLRQV
06
3UHSDUHDJURXSRIPDVNOD\HUV
Apply depth
Checking depth is very easy in
black-and-white images. Place a Hue/
Saturation adjustment layer over all
your work. Set the Saturation slider to
-100. Make this layer visible every time
you need to check that the depth and
perspective are working.
Landscapes
MASTER PRO PAINTING TECHNIQUES
The painting process in depth
From base layer to a nished painting
Create depth with adjustment layers Traditional methods for creating depth require you to
individually stroke colours, varying saturation, hue and value until the correct depth is achieved. A far quicker
way is to use our recently created masking layers in combination with new Hue/Saturation and Levels adjustment
layers. This way you will obtain the colours that provide the correct depth. Do not hesitate to stroke rough details,
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08
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
13
15
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Final adjustments
17
ShadingHIFLHQWO\
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Landscapes
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Create a
landscape
with brushes
Artist
Paul Scott
Canavan
www.paulscott
canavan.com
@abigbat
Paul is the art director at
Scottish indie game
VWXGLR%OD]LQJ*ULIQ
and a freelance illustrator.
He likes dinosaurs and
weightlifting.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
On )LOH6LOR\RXZLOOQGD
VPDOOFROOHFWLRQRIOHV
that have been made for
this tutorial.
Texture
your art
You can really go to town on
the sort of textures you
import using Adobe Brush.
Dont be constrained by
pencils and pens. Try
photographing a ball of
scrunched-up paper, your
cats hair, a dinosaur toy or a
strip of tree bark.
02
01
Landscapes
04
03
&URSDQGUHQHThis screen allows you to clean up the photograph that you have taken.
)ROORZWKHLQVWUXFWLRQVWRFURSWKHEUXVKDQGWKHQSOD\ZLWKWKHVOLGHULQ5HQHWRUHPRYHDQ\
background that you dont want. Ideally, the brush should sit happily on a transparent background, but you
FDQUHQHWKLVIXUWKHULQ3KRWRVKRS
Other
uses
You can use your newly
created brushes for
more than just drawing
or painting. The Eraser,
Smudge and Dodge/
Burn tools can all be
pulled from the Cloud
Library too! Experiment
with different brushes
to give your smudges a
rougher edge or your
dodges a little more
randomization.
Import your brush Open Photoshop CC. Open the Window tab and select Libraries. You will
now see a new tab on-screen which links directly to your CC Library any brushes you have created
and saved in the Adobe Brush app will be available here. To get started, select your new friend in the library
window and itll be selected as your current brush. Open a new Photoshop document (Cmd/Ctrl+N), give
it a scribble and see what it looks like in practice.
05
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07
08
For a successful
change of colour, your
original hair should
always be light; if
dark, the Overlay
lter will not work
Start painting With the line art complete, set the layer to Multiply. This allows the dark lines to show
over any paint beneath them. You can lock this by clicking the padlock icon, so you dont accidentally
draw on this layer. Create a new layer below the line art and paint using a large brush. Focus on the overall
shapes and colours dont worry about details. Its helpful to zoom your canvas out to around 16.7%.
09
10
FDQYDVEORFNHGLQ\RXFDQVWDUWUHQLQJ
individual sections. The sky is often the most
important part of your painting, as it sets the mood
and colour for the entire piece, as well as the light
source. Study some cloud photographs and paint in
some rough cloud shapes using a big brush. Treat
clouds as chunky 3D shapes and let them interact
with the environment, passing behind and in front of
the mountains.
Landscapes
12
11
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you would a rock or a character the upper sections are hit
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very organic process, so work on a single area until you get
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foreground is typically a selling point as it can lead the viewer
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
15
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