Fantasy Artist Genius Guide Vol 2 PDF

A comprehensive masterclass
to becoming an instant expert
The essential
guide to
designing
& creating
stunning
fantasy art
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Welcome to
There’s no better way to express your creativity than through

fantasy art. If you’re tired of airbrushing, retouching, or being bound
by reality, it can be great to let your imagination run wild, and in this
book we will show you some of the best tips and techniques to help you take
your art to the next level. Whether you use Photoshop, Painter, ZBrush, MAYA
or any other number of creative programs, we have something for you within
these pages. From designing a steampunk-inspired portrait and creating
fantastical animals to painting matte landscapes and building fantasy
architecture, you’ll discover plenty of inspiration to help you with your
projects. We begin the book with essential fantasy art tips from industry
professionals, and include expert advice throughout every tutorial across key
fantasy genres. So put your creative hat on and delve into the magical world
of fantasy art.
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Fantasy Art Genius Guide Volume 2 © 2014 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1910155356
Part of the
bookazine series
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Contents
8
antasy
22 f
art tips &
tricks
46 84
90
Character
18 Create a magical witch
24 Norse character design
30 Paint a vampire pin-up
36 Paint a steampunk-inspired
portrait Creatures
40 Create an ice queen heroine 70 Master the art of creature
46 Sculpt fabrics for fantasy creation
characters 78 Design & model sci-fi creatures
52 Paint a colourful comicbook 84 Design a 3D alien
character 90 Develop fantastical animals
58 Design a Weta character 98 Master expert creature renders
64 Design a magical character using mental ray
6 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

WorldMags.netGeniusFantasy
Guide
Art
112
188
Landscapes
108 Paint a colourful terrain 130 Create a fantasy matte desert
112 Paint a fantasy snowscape landscape painting
118 Compose a magical 138 Sculpt an epic sci-fi terrain
mountainscape 144 Create fantasy landscapes from
124 Create space art photos in Photoshop
182
Concept
152 Build fantasy architecture 170 Sci-fi concept art
158 Concept art for a heroine 176 Build videogame concept art
character 182 Build matte paintings
164 Create dramatic lighting effects 188 Design robot mechs
WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 7
WorldMags.net
22FANTASY
TIPS & TRICKS
WE GUIDE YOU FROM CONCEPTION
TO COMPLETION WITH 22 TOP TIPS
FROM FANTASY ART EXPERTS
© Jack Zhang

Guide
Art
1. Contrast & Colour 2. Get Excited

Jack Zhang Alex Kintner
http://jackzhang.deviantart.com www.alexkintner.com
This artwork was created as part of an I find that the most important thing
online challenge. The brief was to make to have when you’re starting an
a steampunk character, so I combined image is a reason to be excited
two legendary characters from two by it. There’s nothing worse than
different cultures: King Kong and the creating a painting that you don’t
Monkey King. care about, or that you suddenly
lose steam with halfway through
OSoftware To make this legendary because it lacks the challenge or
character I used Softimage XSI and interest that you hoped it would
Photoshop. Working on it in daily four- have. One of the ways I avoid
hour shifts, it took me around a month to this is by sketching constantly.
finally complete. Clichéd, I know, but people say it
for a reason. Sketching is the best
OJuxtaposition This piece is way for visual people to dump
all about contrast, so it was my aim ideas out of their head and into
to attract the viewer’s attention to the the real world. So, when I was
factors that clashed in the image: big prompted to create a monstrosity
versus small, west versus east, brute that was 100 storeys tall, and
strength versus intelligence, and hot impossibly difficult to defeat, I
© Alex Kintner
versus cold in the form of the cold metal eventually arrived at the idea of
body of King Kong contrasting against tidal flooding and how dangerous rushing water can be in an urban setting. Then I kept revising the design to
his flaming eyes and mouth. express the idea that another civilisation shared the same fear, and that they were somehow able to harness and
restrain the water spirit that flooded their cities. However, the catch had to be that once it was no longer shapeless
OComposition The composition and free, it actually turned into something far worse. By this point, I was really jazzed about the design I had on
of the image is quite simple; it features paper and, because I was so excited to begin with, the whole process from then on went nice and smoothly.
a big main character that fills up most
of the space and a small supportive 3. Create realistic-looking textures
character in the foreground. Both are set Billy Christian
against a forest backdrop. The centre http://billcreative.deviantart.com
of the image, which grabs your initial
attention, is the flaming eyes and mouth I believe that every fantasy artist has their own style of dragons, so I painted a personal piece about an aquatic
of King Kong. dragon chasing dragon-riders. The first thing I did was make a few paper sketches to work out the strongest
composition. Once I had established the design I painted my illustration in Photoshop using a graphics tablet.
OReferences Most people will Even though I use tools like layers and blend modes, the process is the same as in most traditional paintings; I
know who King Kong is, but the Monkey paint from darker to lighter colours using round and chalk brushes, which help to make it look more realistic.
King is the iconic character from the The hardest part of any digital artwork is the texture, and here I found the textures of the waves and the dragons’
upcoming Hong Kong and Chinese film scales particularly tough to make. My advice for those in a similar position is this: don’t be afraid of using
of the same name, which tells the story references. Referencing is a good way for you to achieve a realistic-looking and believable painting. You can
of how the eponymous character rebels study and mimic how waves react and what scales look like, and then apply this to your artwork. Try not to
against the Jade Emperor of heaven. over-texture your piece, as it will make your painting look flat and you’ll lose points of interest. You can also create
The struggle and rebellious natures of texture by using colour and light to separate your focal points from the background; in my painting, the waves are
these two subjects is something I’ve less saturated and I have painted rim lights around the dragons’ and riders’ bodies to create depth.
tried to re-create in this image.
OColour combinations Colour

was very important in creating a sense of
impact, so I decided to give the smaller
character a bit of gold and red to make
him contrast with King Kong’s bigger,
cooler and blue-tinted body.
OImagination I engineered the

aggressive pose of Kong to give the
impression that something was about
to happen, especially when contrasted
against the defensive pose of the
smaller subject. This allows the viewer to
use their imagination to determine what
will happen next. © Billy Christian

22 Fantasy Tips & Tricks
WorldMags.net
4. Build a fantasy landscape 5. Composition: Work with curves

Alex Ruiz Irene Zeleskou
www.zeleskou.com
http://conceptmonster.net
I made ‘Procession’ entirely in Photoshop CS3, using custom Aurora, goddess of the morning, is usually depicted as a golden, beautiful female with wings,
brushes and matte techniques such as painting over the top of and was a great subject to experiment with as there are lots of curves in her pose, body
the photography. and wings to play with. Curves are the basic and most prominent feature of female beauty,
and suggestively create familiarity and comfort. Moreover, curves are very easy on the eye,
interesting for the viewer to follow, and associated with nature because of their organic feel. The
Golden Spiral is a fantastic composition guide because it embraces and follows this theory, so it
was natural that I should use it to compose this image of Aurora. The stars of the fading night sky
seen in the top-left corner slowly introduce interest in the spiral, which gradually curves around
to the main area of interest – Aurora – and, later still, the main point of focus: her arm and neck.
© Irene Zeleskou
OCreate the background Using custom brushes, I

chaotically threw down a lot of abstract shapes in a sepia tone,
then I placed a dominant shape in the right third of the image
using both basic and custom brushes. I introduced a weakly
saturated green to red/orange colour gradient for a moody-
looking scene.
OAdd details and texture Sketching freely, I

added some secondary areas of interest to the background
6. Colour considerations
and indicated ‘people’ with blobs of dark paint. A rule of
Sabine Rich
http://sabinerich.deviantart.com
environment design is to use lighter things at the back and
the darkest ones in front. The textures were Lassoed out from The character in this
photographs of trains and machinery. fantasy art creation
was designed to be
some type of warrior
pixie. When I began the
process of creating it,
I decided I wanted to
give it a natural feel; very
earthy and somewhat
tribal. As for how I created
this image: I first drew a
OFinish with figures Flags imply civilisation without
sketch on paper, then I
you having to detail the crowd, while large creatures push the scanned it in and put it
fantasy element. The fireworks are from photos, their layers set on the computer, where
to Screen to remove backgrounds. The flying ships, confetti I worked out all the lines
and flags add movement to the piece, and a Gaussian Blur on and got the design, size
foreground characters adds focus. and everything else right.
After that I shaded the
FINAL IMAGE whole picture in black and
white, then added colours
on separate layers set to
the Color blend mode –
this turns your black and
white shades into colours. © Sabine Rich
This is kind of nice,
especially when you want to change around any of the colour combinations, and it also helps
© Alex Ruiz
you to get your values and lighting sorted without having to commit to your final colours.

Guide
Art
7. A lesson in lighting 8. Re-creating oil paintings 9. Perspective grids

Edli Akolli Ken Barthelmey Kristen Buckner
http://edli.deviantart.com http://theartofken.com www.nightwinggalleries.com
I love the oil paintings of the old masters so I always try
One of my favourite images, Lady in the Forest is a to bring as much as possible of this look into my With most of my digital pieces, I create a grid to help
great example of one of the ways in which you can paintings. The first thing I do is sketch with pencil and me with perspective and distance scaling. This creates
create the illusion of natural light. While it’s easier, in paper before I start to work in Photoshop. To me, the a better sense of depth and serves to pull the viewer
some respects, to nail down forms in a forest, I feel that design of my creatures is more important than the into the painting. Another good piece of advice is to set
the chaotic nature of light can be harder to pull off in this painting itself, so I spend most of my time sketching to your background lighting and colours before doing any
setting as the light passes through countless leaves, come up with ideas. Here, I used references from real work to the main subject. This helps to create the
dispersing or bouncing from surface to surface and dinosaurs, insects and other animals. mood of the piece, so set your light sources and define
creating all kinds of nuances in colour. In this case I Afterwards, I scan the sketches into my computer where your shadows and highlights will be. In this
created the leaves using a square brush with the for colouring. The pencil gives my paintings a nice image the feathers were painted by blocking in the
scattering set to maximum, then played around with texture and a classic look, so they don’t appear too main colours, including the shadows, and then using
the brush settings to re-create the effect of sunlight digital. When you look closely at some of my works you the Smudge tool at 90% strength to draw the lighter
bursting through a canopy. The rays are reflected can see hatchings from the pencil – it’s a subtle, tell-tale colour over the darker and give the impression of
gradients with some light colours set to Overlay or trademark. The other thing I like to do is use different feathers. The fur was painted in much the same way,
Colour Dodge. The figure was brought in at the very end custom brushes to re-create that traditional, oil working from dark to light and using the Smudge tool
to add scale and contrasting colours to the composition. painting-esque style. at 40% to create the look of the guard hairs on the tails.
© Edli Akolli © Ken Barthelmey © Kristen Buckner
10. Establish workflow

Peter Oedekoven
www.oedekoven-illustration.com
If you use a logical process from start to finish,

the rest is easy. I always start with a good
idea, then create a strong, clean composition
that displays it in the best way. I do this with
greyscale sketches.
After finalising the composition, I decide
on the colour palette and start to block in
the colours. When adding texture, I am a big
believer in using your own brushes rather than
being tempted to cheat. Some artists use
photo referencing to make the painting easier,
but in my experience the more you reference
the less soul and originality your illustration will
have. So I build the picture little by little, and
gently go into more detail using my hand-made
brushes. Always use separate layers for each
foreground element so you can make accurate
adjustments and easily correct mistakes.
After the painting is done I adjust the colours
and the lighting to ensure the mood is right.
In my experience, I’ve found you can’t save
a badly-lit and miscoloured image just by © Peter Oedekoven
switching the tone.

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11. Watercolour effects

Susan Schroder
www.susanschroder.com
The best way to achieve this watercolour effect is to paint in blend

modes like Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light or Vivid Light.
OFrom girl to fairy To turn the young girl into a fairy, I made the
skin greener and the hair redder using the Overlay blend mode.
OA question of clothing The fairy is dressed in photos of
individual blades of grass and leaves that I transformed to her body.
To create the fairy’s clothing, I used the Transform tool to mould
some ginkgo leaves and form the base of her dress, then added
single blades of grass to complete the look.
OBuild a backdrop Next, I added background elements
using a separate rock layer and water photos, and then incorporated
a variety of plants and flowers to set the scene. To complete the
image I painted in some translucent fairy wings.
ODepth of field To create the illusion of depth of field I blurred
the elements in the background, which increased the focus on the
fairy in the foreground. I later included some blurred dandelions in
the near-foreground to take this notion one step further.
OCreating the watercolour effect I softened the overall
tone using the Overlay blend mode. Later, I painted in shadows and
highlights on and around the fairy to convey the sense of sunlight.
OSay no to stock art I like to compose a fantastical setting of
my own creation by using dozens of different photos that I’ve taken
myself. Personally, I get the most joy out of being the originator of all
the elements in my art, rather than using stock photos or art. © Susan Schroder
12. Creating thematic tension 13. Rendering is a virtue 14. Achieving realism
Alex Kintner Martin Faragasso Kate Redesiuk
www.alexkintner.com http://cargocollective.com/faragassomartin www.redesiuk.com
One of the challenges of narrative work is leading the
eye. We do this using tools like composition, value, This image was made using Zbrush, Cinema 4D and You can convey realism in many ways, but a lot of
colour intensity, characters and thematic tension. Photoshop. Time is precious to artists, and adjusting them come down to making studies from nature and
Since the brightest object is the torch, that is where lighting and colours in 3D renders can be really time- applying them to your art. If you nail at least one or
the viewer should naturally ‘start’. After that, the eye consuming. This is where Photoshop is a real treat, two aspects of your artwork, such as proportions,
is led to the woman’s face, as we naturally gravitate since I just render once. Using an additive process, colours, lighting or anatomy, your illustrations will be
towards faces. Then we follow the orange glow down I experiment in Photoshop with adjustments and more convincing and compelling. Achieving realism
the length of the arm, bringing our attention to the blend modes. I render a first pass; not too dark or too is easier in digital paintings with fewer layers, which
closest wolf which, shockingly, is next to where we bright, and in black and white. Then I render several are merged down for natural mixing. Here, I ended
started – this is the big reveal. I gave this scene more passes and add these on top of the render. I also up with just five background layers, three for the
tension by placing the torch in the Huntress’s line of experiment with a 3D pass – adjusting opacity and character and ghosts, and three adjustments. That’s
sight on the wolf, and having the dagger at the same Brightness/Contrast or Exposure adjustments – to enough to apply corrections without excessive work
height as the wolf yet the Huntress looking away. play with light intensity or the hue and saturation That while still keeping the file easy to handle. Try using
way, it becomes a non-destructive process. groups and clipping masks for fast, simple editing.
© Alex Kintner © Martin Faragasso © Kate Redesiuk

Guide
Art
15. Utilising Photoshop’s toolkit

Archan Nair 16. Bring your
http://archann.net imagination to life
Ken Barthelmey
http://theartofken.com
© Archan Nair
Before I start to even think about painting my
fantasy creatures, the first thing I always like to
do is envisage a background story for them. I
always push myself to make my creations as
realistic and believable as possible, so having a
background story in my mind helps me to reach
that goal.
I consider where they live, what they like to
eat and what they need to survive. So in this
image, for example, which I created as personal
project, I have designed a hybrid-like creature
that is somewhere between a reptile and a
monkey. It is called the Cantoris and it lives in
a tropical-style environment, high in the trees,
and feeds on insects. These creatures make
beautiful sounds and so they are known as ‘the
singers of the forest’.
To bring my creations to life I begin with pencil
I began Planquadrath with dark neon strokes, using a This represents a wormhole at the centre of the sketches that show the subject in an interesting
soft dual brush on the hair and outer edges. I created heart. Starting with an image of a human male body, pose, which I later scan into my computer. I
interesting shapes using the Lasso and a soft brush, I reduced its opacity and set it to Hard Light, then know a lot about anatomy and sub-surface
then shaded them in with three colour tones. I used added circular shapes with gradients. Using a dual scattering but it is always a huge challenge to
harder brush strokes to add bolder tones for a brush setting and by adding pen pressure, I spiralled paint colourful skin that looks believable.
dramatic effect. outwards to create a vortex. So, because I wanted to blend the visual
characteristics of a chameleon and a monkey,
I found several reference images from these
animals as a guide to help me get started. My
technique is very similar to classic oil painting in
that I apply colour through the shades from dark
to light. Also, by painting a suggestive depth of
field, I was able to accentuate the subject in all
its glory.
© Ken Barthelmey
I started with a monochromatic approach but soon introduced red and beige tones to add depth to the
landscape. I used the Pen tool to create a dynamic shape (though a Lasso works just as well), then used
soft brushes to make an interesting colour gradient. I duplicated the shapes several times, adjusting the size
and rotation to create the motifs and patterns that make the final structure and shape of the image.

WorldMags.net
© Alex Ruiz
17. Blending photography

Alex Ruiz
http://conceptmonster.net
I start a sketch with simple, abstract shapes, for an
understanding of depth, lighting and composition,
before I introduce the photography.
OPerspective I created a two-point perspective OPhotography I cut out cathedrals and temples
OSky I added a photographic sky texture to the grid to help me design the structures. I used the Pen with the Lasso to create fantasy-esque castles, using
background, as the sky colour has a huge impact on tool to create these grids as it allows me to go off clipping masks to ensure the photography adhered
the scene’s colours and you want to get it right early. I my canvas to easily find my vanishing points. I set to my blocked-in value sketches. I then tweaked the
also added the suggestion of a sun between the two them to different colours using Hue/Saturation and perspective of the photography according to my
structures on the left, done on a Screen layer. Colorize to help distinguish right from left. grids and added photos for the foliage and bridge.
18.Be eye catching 19. Creature creation

Sabine Rich Kate Redesiuk
http://sabinerich.deviantart.com www.redesiuk.com
I try to influence the viewer to focus on various parts This is my fantasy art depiction of the Jackalope. Since fantasy art is often connected with unnatural or
of my image, so that the eye flows through it and exaggerated lighting, I used it to my advantage to make my illustration vibrate with colours.
then back around to really take it in. Photographers
call this compositional tactic the ‘eye dance’, and if
you combine the lighting with the movement of the
composition you can really bring out the story of the
characters. Next time you create a piece of art, think
about how all the elements flow together and ensure
that the lighting brings your main characters and
the key parts of your design into focus. I started this
image in black and white so I could concentrate on
the general objects, light and shading first.
© Sabine Rich
© Kate Redesiuk
OCustom brushes Use
OFocus your attention dynamic brushes to quickly
Always roughly sketch out your OMasks Painting light and create busy backgrounds.
idea first. It’s tempting to just shadows onto objects or adding Scattering and dual brush
start painting and see what will adjustment layers is much easier options let you paint foliage
happen, but this often leads to with clipping masks. Layer masks without having to spend time
you concentrating on pointless are perfect for non-destructively on each leaf. Depending on the
details or a lack of focus. Mark refining shapes, while group image style, create a custom
your composition and key masks let you modify whole sets of brush with, for example, a photo
elements with simple shapes. objects and their visibility. of a twig.
14 WorldMags.net
Guide
Art
21. Work in 3D
Edli Akolli
http://edli.deviantart.com
To allow for different viewing angles of the same
© EverdreamSoft
library, I used a 3D rendition of the background.
© Irene Zeleskou
OViewing angle I didn’t worry too much
about texture and lighting at the beginning of
this piece – all I was concerned with was getting
the perspective right. After choosing the viewing
angle I wanted, I then started populating the
shelves with books, which was fairly simple
since many books can be represented just using
rectangular solid colours.
20. Colour connotations OOne-point perspective To make the

Irene Zeleskou books, I created a single group and duplicated
www.zeleskou.com it over and over again, changing the colours
I wanted the pale skin of the character to stand slightly each time using Hue/Saturation. I used
out, so I came up with these dark backgrounds. a simple one-point perspective grid to get
Different colours elicit different emotions in every the perspective on point, and then aligned
viewer. The teal conveys calmness, matches the the individual groups of books by using
character’s eyes and makes her stand out because Edit>Transform>Distort and then following the
of the warm/cold scheme. Technically, this is a split perspective lines.
complementary palette. The black provides the
OLight and details After laying down the
most contrast and would fit brilliantly if the character
objects I added life to the bland 3D rendering,
was more serious or dramatic. The purple connotes
introducing light and atmosphere as well as the
mystery, adding a haze to the image and a faded
character. I put a radial gradient at the top with
look to the character. The orange would be apt as it
a light blue colour set to Pin Light to emulate the
resembles the sunset, but the golden hues of the girl
light of the sky coming through the windows.
and dragon are lost.
22. The importance of layers OTransparent layer This initial

Irene Zeleskou sketch was created digitally in a new
www.zeleskou.com transparent layer in Photoshop. If the
I’ve found that one way of creating a magical atmosphere is to add composition is not right then I cut
effects in new layers over the initial image. Here’s how this particular elements from the lineart and start
magical image began. altering their position and scale to find
the best place for them.
OComposition I wanted to create

a dramatic look and emphasise the
relations between the three characters
on the scene; the centaur, the lady O3D perspective If I want to flesh out my
and the dryad. This was achieved by image more, or I don’t have a photo reference, I find
creating a big contrast between the that 3DS Max or Poser models act as a helpful guide.
light in the forms and by experimenting They help you get the basic perspective, lighting and
© Irene Zeleskou with composition. anatomy right, which also speeds up the procedure.

WorldMags.net
Character
From magical to steampunk
30
18 Create a magical witch 46 Sculpt folds and fabrics for Have fun
24
30
Norse character design
Paint a vampire pin-up
fantasy characters
52 Paint a colourful comicbook
when deciding
36 Paint a steampunk-inspired character your character’s
portrait
40 Create an ice queen heroine
58 Design a Weta character
64 Design a magical character
apparel
Guide
Art
58
46
Sculpt folds &
fabrics for a
fantasy
character
36

Character
WorldMags.net
Create a
magical
witch
The Prey Photoshop
Digital artists explain the
Jennifer Healy shows how to techniques behind their
amazing artwork
paint a non-traditional witch and
Artist info
her surroundings
Jennifer Healy Digital painter
When you think of a witch you tend to think of the
traditional character with a long pointy hat, a long
nose, warts, broomsticks and cauldrons. But in Jennifer Healy
fantasy, witches are so much more than that stereotype and
Personal portfolio site
can hold a great deal of magic and beauty. A fantasy witch is a www.beautifulburden.com
woman practising magic; sometimes black, but she can also Country USA
be aligned with good magic. Her practice involves varying Software used Photoshop
degrees of magic, shamanism, folk medicine and spiritual I have been painting digitally
since May 2009. I used to
healing, calling on elements and spirits, veneration of ancient be a pencil artist before that.
deities and the many forces of nature. This kind of witch can My art usually infuses the
beautiful and the ugly in a
have any appearance, but more often than not they are quite single painting. Each is also
attractive. Being tuned to nature can also mean they look a bit laced with a sense of
unkempt, too, but in a pretty way. wonder and mystique.
You can have a world of fun when designing your witch’s
apparel, keeping her sexy but also strong. Her expression
should be cool with a hit of mischief and you can add in natural
elements to her clothing to show that she uses nature in her
craft, further developing her character.
With fantasy images, you don’t really have to be practical The painting
when designing your armour or clothing; it all depends on your Sketch, tweak and colour your scene
personal preference. If you want your witch to be wearing a big
ÁXII\GUHVVZK\QRW",I\RXZDQW\RXUZLWFKWREHZHDULQJ Sketch the
heavy armour, go right ahead. She’s a magical character, after 01 concept With the
all, so mortal concerns like tripping over a hem just don’t apply concept in mind, sketch it all
to her! out to place everything before
Portraying the character and the narrative should be your starting the painting process.
primary objective, so make sure that you add in elements to Start with the background
indicate she is a witch and attuned to nature. This can include a and perspective so you
range of details like acorns, pine needles, berries, leaves and know where it’s best to place
so on, and techniques and effects such as lighting, blur and your character for maximum
varying levels of detail to give a strong sense of the occult. We impact. When you are ready to
will take you through the steps to paint this beautiful and start painting, add a new layer
unconventional witch. underneath the sketch.

Guide
Art
Source files
available
Start off your witch’s spell
with the sketch on the
disc provided
Begin with
02 lighting
Decide where you
want the lighting to
be and what colours
you want to use for the
overall piece. Use a
different layer for the
trees in case you need
to change something
later on. Start blocking
in the front trees and
work your way back,
gradually getting
lighter the further back
you go.

Character
WorldMags.net
Liquify You can add a little more detail to your trees if need be. Open the Filter menu and select
03 Liquify to move and distort your shapes easily for more intricate branches and limbs. Another good
method is to select the Lasso tool, Ctrl/right-click on the image and then select Transform. It’s not as free as the
/LTXLI\ÀOWHUEXWVWLOOZRUNVZHOO
)LUHÁLHV Now you can add some sparkle

04 WRWKHEXVKHVDQGWKHDLUZLWKÀUHÁLHVDQG
glowing berries. You can create a custom brush for
these by opening the Brush palette, checking Shape
Dynamics, Scattering and Transfer. You can go back
into the options to set how far apart you want the
scatter. You can also edit within the Brush Tip Shape
menu to set how far apart the dots will be.
Body
05 outline
Now it is time to
start on the witch.
Use a single colour
(we recommend
something pale if
your background is
dark) for the base
and a Hard Round
brush. Be careful and
clean when colouring
in your lines because
you want things to
be as smooth as
possible. It is best to
pick a dark shade for
the base so you can
work your way up to
the highlights. It helps
to keep your original Start the skin Now you need to duplicate the layer. Ctrl/
sketch showing at
06 right-click and select Duplicate, then select Create Clipping
this stage so you Mask to help you stay in the lines. Now select a Soft Round brush
know where things at 12% Opacity. This helps even things out as you paint. Pick a
are as you paint. midtone skin colour and begin to shade in her body.
Quick 07
Layer for detail
Even though her clothes
Tip will cover some parts, you
can still paint all of the skin
It’s okay if you decide to
change something from underneath. This helps a great
your original sketch. A deal if you need to move some
good example is if you
don’t like the way clothing or decide to redesign
something looks or you a part of her costume along the
decide something else way. Keep adding more layers of
will look better in its
place. As you go along, PLGWRQHVWRKHOSNHHSWKHÁHVK\
many things may be look, as sticking to one colour is
moved or switched
likely to render it lifeless.
around.

Guide
Art
Blocking in Go ahead and pick out the colours you

08 want for the clothing, hair and hair accessories. Now create Paint the stockings When you get to painting the stockings, create a clipping
a base for each just like you did with the skin, as this will help with
09 mask on top of the skin layer. This helps keep the stocking perfectly within the shape of
applying the shadows later on. Use a Hard Round brush at 100% KHUOHJV3LFN\RXUFRORXUDQGVHWWKHEUXVK2SDFLW\WR<RXFDQDOVRVHWWKHOD\HUWR6RIW
Opacity. Use a different layer for each different element. Light mode if it helps.
Shading Now that you have all your colours

10
Quick blocked in you can start shading the skin
Tip
more. It’s easier now since you can see where all the
shadows will be from the clothing. Keep adding tones
Don’t forget to check XQWLO\RXDUHVDWLVÀHGZLWKWKHRYHUDOOORRN<RXFDQJR
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another new layer, select
the Paint Bucket tool with
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canvas and then click on 11 OLWWOHÁDWDQG\RXDUHQRWFRPIRUWDEOHDGGLQJ
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now set this to the Color coloured paint over the shaded area, there is an easy
blend mode and this will À[$GGDQRWKHUFOLSSLQJPDVNRQWRSRIWKDWOD\HU
make changes easier. and set it to the Color blend mode. Use a low-opacity
Leave this layer so you
can toggle it on and off. brush and gently paint in the colours of your choice.

Character
WorldMags.net
Work on
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Guide
Art
Build tones For the hair, start out with

16 the darkest tones. Once you have the base
down you will have a better idea of where the bigger
strands will be. Pick a lighter tone and work in the
ELJJHUVWUDQGV5HSHDWWKLVXQWLO\RXKDYHÀQLVKHG
even the tiniest parts.
Highlights
18 Now you can
start applying your
highlights to the skin.
You don’t have to go
into too much detail
just yet, just enough
Robe and accessories Pick a colour to get the general
17 that is two shades lighter than the base of your mapping together.
robe. Use a low-opacity brush and start blending Try to match the
in the tonal values to create some highlights and a highlight colours to
sense of movement in the fabric. Do the same for the the background’s
rest of the clothing then start adding some patterning highlight. You can
and detail on her garments. Use a low-opacity eraser add more hues to
to remove areas and make it look more realistic. You make the skin seem
can also set this layer to Soft Light or Overlay. more alive as well.
Cat and sprites Use a base colour for the cat and then go through Colour and detail Go back and double-check your image. If a
19 the same process as you did for the clothing. The hair is also rendered in
20 certain area is lacking colour, use another layer set to Color mode to
the same way but using smaller strokes. For the sprites, use a soft brush with a À[LW$QGGRQ·WIRUJHWWRÁLS\RXULPDJHDVWKLVKHOSVSRLQWRXW\RXUPLVWDNHV,I
lighter colour and build up strokes to make them glow. HYHU\WKLQJORRNVJRRGWKHQ\RXDUHQRZÀQLVKHGZLWK\RXUZLWFKLPDJH

Character
WorldMags.net

Guide
Art
Norse character
design
Freyja 2011 3KRWRVKRS
Lili Ibrahim takes you step by step through how to paint
an army going to war and the Norse goddess watching
over them
/LOL,EUDKLP Illustrator
Rich and fascinating, Norse mythology death. Freyja is often depicted wearing a cloak of falcon
ÁRXULVKHGLQ6FDQGLQDYLDSULRUWR feathers with her necklace Brisingamen hanging around
&KULVWLDQLW\GXULQJWKH0LGGOH$JHV her neck. Freyja is also often seen next to her boar
VSHFLÀFDOO\WKH9LNLQJ$JHGDWLQJIURPWKHWKWR Hildisvíni (literally translated to battle swine) and the two
WKHWK&HQWXU\ Norse mythology has a lot of iconic cats who pull her chariot.
gods and goddesses who are well known thanks to The illustration in this step-by-step tutorial depicts
modern interpretations of the characters. There has Freyja with most of her iconic items. Her design is also
been a particular resurgence of interest recently with the LQÁXHQFHGE\YDON\ULHV²WKHP\WKRORJLFDOFUHDWXUHV
UHOHDVHRIÀOPVOLNHThor and The Avengers. RIWHQDVVRFLDWHGZLWKKHU9DON\ULHVDUHIHPDOHEDWWOHÀHOG
One of the better-known goddesses from these psychopomps, and sometimes Freyja is depicted as a
stories, Freyja, is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, valkyrie herself. The scene in the illustration is a war
6RXUFHILOHV war and death, and rules over the Fólkvangr, the scene, where an army moves across a landscape with
DYDLODEOH meadow where half of all soldiers slain in battle go after Freyja watching over them, waiting to collect their souls.
Study the sketch on
the disc to help pose
Painting Freyja
your character
Prepare your canvas for the goddess of beauty and war

techniques behind their
amazing artwork
Artist info
/LOL,EUDKLP
www.liliibrahim.com
Country UK
Software used Photoshop,
Zbrush, Maya, 3DS Max
Lili Ibrahim is a freelance
concept artist and illustrator
working from and living in 6NHWFK It helps to sketch out your ideas on paper before %ORFNRXWWKHEDFNJURXQG In
her London apartment. She 01 taking it into Photoshop. Keep this stage loose and, when
02 a background-heavy piece like this, I
LVDÀOPDQGJDPHV
enthusiast with a degree in you have found the idea and composition you want to, bring it into recommend getting this part done before the
illustration and animation, the program. Set your sketch to Multiply and roughly throw down character. Start blocking it out by playing around with
hoping to bring something
exciting to the industry. some greys on a layer beneath to get an idea of space. dark and light values.

Character
WorldMags.net
Paint the sky Switch off the silhouette of the character and start painting the sky. By
04 keeping the sketch of the character still visible, you can plan out the details in your clouds
and lighting to make sure they don’t clash with the shape of the character. The sky immediately
surrounding the character’s face and upper body has been left a bit less detailed than the rest.
Character silhouette With a neutral grey and using

03 WKH/DVVRDQG3DLQW%XFNHWWRROVÀOOLQWKHVKDSHRI\RXU
character on a new layer under the sketch. On a layer set to Color,
you can introduce some more distinct tones to the background.
These colours will help you convey atmosphere for your piece. At
this stage, try to keep to a limited colour palette for simplicity.
Paint the ground When you are starting to feel good Character values Switch on the character silhouette again and, on an new layer set
05 about the sky, move down to the ground. The colours of 06 to the Overlay mode, start adding values to it. By darkening and brightening areas, you
the hills are fading into the colour of the sky the further back into can start chiselling out the character. Remember that different surfaces will react differently to
the picture they are to show perspective. The closer ground is kept light. Metal will have very sharp highlights and shadows, while hair and feathers will have a softer
bright red and the contrast here is stronger as well. WUDQVLWLRQ7KHIHDWKHUVZLOOÀOWHUWKURXJKOLJKWWRRDQGJLYHDIX]]LHULPSUHVVLRQ

Guide
Art
07 Colour the skin On a new layer set to

Overlay you can introduce skin tones. The skin Quick
tone can then be adjusted by tweaking the colour
balance (Cmd/Ctrl+B) or the hue (Cmd/Ctrl+U).
Tip
Your visual memory can act
like a library to store
information about what things
look like. Depending on what
you have seen and done in
your life, your visual memory
will contain different
information that you can call
upon in your art. Nobody’s
visual library contains
information about every
single thing that exists,
though, and when you have
to illustrate something you
might not know much about,
research is vital!
More colours Colours can also be added by painting onto a layer set to Color. Play around with
08 WKHGLIIHUHQWOD\HUW\SHVWRÀQGZKDWZRUNVEHVWIRU\RX'RQ·WZRUU\DERXWEHLQJWRRFDUHIXOZKHQ
painting the initial colours. Use a fuzzy brush and make the colours bleed into the surrounding areas. Also add
a little bit of red blush to the skin. This is especially effective when added to legs, arms and faces.
Colour correction If the colours look $QDWRP\À[ When something looks

09 strange against the background, the colour
10 ZURQJÀ[LW7KHFKDUDFWHU·VWRUVRZDVD Contrast and colour You can use the
balance might be wrong. Merge the character layers OLWWOHRIIDWWKLVVWDJHDQGLI\RXFDQ·WSXW\RXUÀQJHU 11 Color Balance adjustment at any point to
and open the Color Balance dialog (Cmd/Ctrl+B). on exactly what it is that isn’t working it’s time for a further tweak the colours into a bluer tone. You can
This adjustment helped to pull the shadows in a research session. A bit of Liquify magic and some also add more shading to a layer set to the Multiply
colder (bluer) direction to even things out. PRUHPXVFOHGHÀQLWLRQLPSURYHGRXUJRGGHVV mode if needed.

Character
WorldMags.net
Keep
12 painting
Paint details by
picking colours that
are already present on
your canvas with the
Eyedropper tool (using
the keyboard shortcut
I and clicking). At this
stage you should avoid
introducing completely
new hues unless
you actually want to
recolour something
or add emphasis to
DVSHFLÀFLWHP3DLQW
tiny braids in her hair
this way with highlights
and shadow, and
design a spear with a
decorative feel to give
the impression of a
powerful and important
character.
Quick
Tip
7KHEHVWSODFHVWRÀQG
instant inspiration can be the
least expected. Take some
time browsing the internet
DQG\RXZLOOHQGXSÀQGLQJ
visual material you never
would have thought about
VSHFLÀFDOO\VHDUFKLQJIRU$OO
these things can and will
LQÁXHQFH\RXUZRUNDQGWKH
PRUHGLYHUVH\RXULQÁXHQFHV
are, the more dynamic your
art will be.
Cut the skirt If you haven’t 100% decided
13 on your character’s costume at the sketching
stage, don’t be afraid to adapt it. The skirt in this
design was made shorter, which revealed that the
legs were slightly disproportionate. Sometimes last-
minute changes can be advantageous!
Shield design When

15 designing an emblem,
it helps to do so in a separate
document and then transfer
it into your image – especially
if the plan is to distort the
perspective of the emblem.
Feather detail Detail the feathers on the You can easily distort images
14 character’s shoulder, using reference images with the different transformation
to get the look right. When working with small details options available. In this case the
like these, it is important not to forget to continually perspective transformation tool
zoom out to get a good view of what you are actually (Edit>Transform>Perspective)
doing in the image. was used.

Guide
Art
Adaptation:KHQEXLOGLQJXSGHWDLORUPDNLQJDQ\FKDQJHV\RXFDQ Start on the army Beneath the cliff, start sketching out the basic
16 XVHWKHFRORXUVWKDWDUHDOUHDG\DYDLODEOHWR\RXLQWKHEDVLFLOOXVWUDWLRQ 17 VKDSHRIDYDVWDUP\JDWKHULQJRQWKHÀHOG$WWKLVVWDJHIRFXVRQJHWWLQJ
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Smoke
19 DQGÀUH
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mountains to give a
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of some warriors to
give the piece more
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the army from their
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18 WKHGHWDLORIWKHDUP\+RZHYHUGRQ·WOHW back into the painting
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Final
20 tweaks
If you think it
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composition, enlarge
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Character
WorldMags.net
Working
Progress Paint a
Build a spooky
vampire image
vampire
pin-up
The Last Meal Photoshop
Step 04: Values
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Lili Ibrahim Illustrator
Vampires and their legends have a long and

detailed history, making them a joy to research with
plenty of information to inspire your artwork.
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changes
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Step 17: Chisel the IDPRXVÀFWLRQDOYDPSLUHRIDOOWLPHDOWKRXJKFRPSHWLQJZLWK
gravestones WKHPRUHUHFHQW&XOOHQIDPLO\«ZHKDYHSUREDEO\DOOFRPH
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Guide
Art

amazing artwork
Artist info
Lili Ibrahim
www.liliibrahim.com
Country UK
Software used Photoshop
Lili Ibrahim is a freelance
concept artist and illustrator
working and living in her
London apartment. She is a
ÀOPDQGJDPHVHQWKXVLDVW
who has recently graduated
with a degree in illustration
and animation, hoping to
bring something exciting to
the industry.

Character
WorldMags.net
Sketch the scene

Create atmosphere with gruesome details
Rough ideas No good painting starts
01 without some planning. Get those ideas
down quickly and create a selection of thumbnail
compositions and ideas to choose from before you
throw yourself into creating the proper artwork.
Sketched composition When you

02 have settled on a good idea you can start
sketching it out on a bigger scale. This lays the base
IRU\RXUÀQDOLPDJHDQGDOWKRXJKLWLVSRVVLEOHWR
crop further down the line, it is wise to start working in
WKHGLPHQVLRQVWKDW\RXZDQWWKHÀQDOSLHFHWRKDYH
Values By
04 working in
greyscale you take
control of the values at
an early stage in your
painting process. When
doing your value study,
keep in mind that they are
affected by perspective
and atmosphere. This
means that things close
to you have stronger
contrast, while things
further away from you
Clean it up Depending on how normally have less. The
03 loose your sketch is, you may or may thicker or foggier the
not want to clean it up a little for crisper lines. air is, the quicker the
Lower the opacity of the original sketch and contrast fades into the
draw on top of it on a new layer. Doing this will background.
enable you to look over the lines one more
time to make further tweaks and changes. Colour palette
05 Choose a colour
palette for your piece
Quick based on your research
Tip
and the kind of media that
you have been inspired
It can be very useful to keep a mirror on by. Instead of a typical
your desk. Sometimes, it is simply nighttime colour scheme
easier to pose yourself rather than
WU\LQJWRÀQGDUHIHUHQFHLPDJHRQWKH of blues and blacks, for
internet with the exact stance or angle example, you might want to
that you want. Keeping a camera ready go for warmer tones to give
is also useful for poses that you can’t
model and paint at the same time! a dreamy, alluring feel.

Guide
Art
Start painting Now you can start

07 painting details. Merge all of your layers into
DÁDWLPDJHDQGSDLQWRQDQHZOD\HURQWRSRIWKLV
EDVH0HUJHWKLVOD\HUGRZQWRRDVVRRQDV\RXDUH
KDSS\ZLWKWKHFKDQJHV\RXKDYHPDGH6WDUWZRUN
RQWKHJUDYHVWRQHVDQGDGGVRPHSODFHKROGHUVIRU
ZKDWZLOOODWHUEHFRPHÁRZHUV
Tweak the base By now the base for the painting is almost prepared. Spend some time tweaking
06 WKLQJVWKDW\RX·UHQRWFRPSOHWHO\VDWLVÀHGZLWK)RULQVWDQFHRXUYDOXHVWXG\VKRZHGXSVRPH
problems with the tone of her hair – the dark colour was weak. Other details such as the cross necklace and
WKHFDW·VUHÁHFWLYHH\HVZHUHWRRVPDOOVRZHUHJLYHQDOLJKWHUWRQHWREULQJWKHPRXW
08 Composition
changes
Quick
,W·VQHYHUWRRODWHWR Tip
PDNHFKDQJHVHYHQ Repetition is a good tool to make something
LIWKH\·UHUHODWLYHO\ELJ EXV\EXWQRWRYHUZKHOPLQJ7KHJUDYHVWRQHVLQ
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compositional ones. complicated and realistic without stealing the
Adjust the posture of your YLHZHU·VH\HDZD\IURPWKHIRFDOSRLQW
FKDUDFWHUIRUH[DPSOH
if you feel it isn’t working.
By making the changes
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can always compare
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toggling it on and off. It
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you see that your choice
to change it paid off.
Render the
09 character Where you
start rendering your painting is up
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good place to start. Warm up your 3DLQWWKHÁRZHUV Using pictures of
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10 SRSSLHVDVDUHIHUHQFHVZLWFKRIIWKHOD\HU
by painting some warmer colours with the red placeholders and start painting the
on a layer set to Hue. Changing ÁRZHUVSURSHUO\:KHQSDLQWLQJVRPHWKLQJ\RXDUH
colour is tricky when the palette is QRWIDPLOLDUZLWKUHIHUHQFHLVYHU\LPSRUWDQWRU\RX
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making too big a change. unreal or is incorrect.

Character
WorldMags.net
The cat 7LG\VRPHRIWKHGHWDLOVDURXQG

11 WKHJUDYHVWRQHGHÀQLQJWKHFREZHEVZLWK
a thinner brush and working on the vampire’s arm.
Render the silhouette of the cat more solidly with
a watercolour brush or one set to Wet Edges for a
nice effect.
Design the hair7KHRULJLQDOFRQFHSWIRUWKLVSLHFHZDVIRUWKHKDLUWRWXUQLQWRDVSLGHUZHEDVLW

12 stretched across the scene. Making her hair white is therefore an important aspect. Start painting little
webs connecting your vampire lady to the surrounding gravestones.
Details on the ground Next to the cat

13 in this composition is a selection of items.
When painting little objects on a big canvas, it is More red details Add more poppies to Add to the background7KH
easy to get carried away with minor details. Make 14 the background to balance out the ones in
15 background has been left very minimal in this
it a habit to zoom out every once in a while just to the foreground. Add in subtle elements to unite the SLHFH7RPDNHWKHLPDJHIHHODELWEXVLHUZLWKRXW
remind yourself of how much will actually be seen in piece, for example stains of blood on both the cross detracting from the focal point, add a couple of trees.
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something that won’t be visible! small so as not to distract or overpower. secluded from the outside world.

Guide
Art
Chisel the gravestones To make the gravestones more readable,

17 add plaques at the base and some words behind her. Give the two graves
closest to the viewer inscriptions for that added touch of detail. Paint shadows
onto the graves in the background as well to show the direction of the moonlight.
The stake Place the stake into your scene. Keep the colours fairly
Quick We all have favourite things to paint, but there is a risk
involved with lingering too long on the same part of your
Tip
painting. Try to continuously move around the painting
16 saturated, as it is a foreground object, and use strong highlights on the and paint a little bit of everything at each stage. Zoom
out and you will spot something that needs to be
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dark tones, and draws the eye. ORVH\RXUPRWLYDWLRQWRÀQLVKWKHUHVW
Final
18 touches
Go over the painting
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adjust any other little
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now noticed. Add some
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wind to make the scene
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19 and you are happy with your details, you can
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painterly. This is also an opportunity for some very
ÀQDOWZHDNVWRRYHUDOOFRORXUDQGFRQWUDVW7ZHDNWKH Fangs for the memory One of the most iconic features of vampires is, of course, their fangs. If
hues with a Color Balance adjustment layer and the 20 you have ever worn a brace you’ll know that larger-than-normal canines sit in awkward positions in the
values with Levels. jaw, much higher and further apart than normal teeth. Use this to emphasise your vamp’s grin!

Character
WorldMags.net

amazing artwork
Artist info
Ashley Walters
www.ashleywalters.net
Country US
Ashley Walters is an
illustrator with a love of all
things fantasy and sci-fi.
She currently works as a
freelance artist and spends
her spare time being a mum
to three kids and watching
Doctor Who.
Source files
available
Included on the disc, you
will find the Photoshop file
of the illustration as well
as corresponding texture
and pattern files to help
you replicate the steps
listed in the tutorial

Guide
Art
Paint a Steampunk-
inspired portrait
Steampunk portrait Photoshop
Once you understand how light interacts with your subject
matter, the possibilities are limitless
Ashley Walters Illustrator
The following tutorial is for those who wish to learn Once you understand how light interacts with your subject
the basics of digital painting and discover tips and matter, the possibilities are limitless.
tricks to add texture, luminescence and mystery to Learn how to pick compelling colours to establish mood, to
illustrations with simple Photoshop methods. paint different materials such as cloth, metal, and skin, including
Learn to sketch non-existent objects using basic perspective how to apply textures and patterns realistically using filters.
and visualise lighting so that you can add any element to your Finally, discover the secret to creating glow effects and glares
painting regardless of reference. Discover the difference using various layer blending modes. From start to finish, you will
between form shadow and cast shadow and how to effectively learn how to employ Photoshop effectively to create a
render both. compelling painting.
Working Back to basics

Progress Decide the aim of the piece and choose your reference
From start to finish
Progress 1: Sketch the

outline
Visualise your image Before starting,
01 visualise what you want to accomplish. In this case,
the goal is to paint a Steampunk piece which integrates
portraiture with mechanical elements. It’s meant to be
a dark, atmospheric image with lush colours to invoke
mystery and interest. Remember to download the
resources before you start.
Progress 2: Paint the image

Gather reference Paintings should be
02 unrecognisable from reference unless the material belongs
to you, so take liberties in deviating from online sources. The
easiest way to obtain reference is to take photos yourself, but
be sure that all of your images have the same light source or be
prepared to paint them differently to how they appear.
Start a new document Begin by creating a new document (Cmd/Ctrl+N). Set the image dimensions to 4800px by
03 6400px at 300ppi. Decide between RGB or CMYK for your colour mode (RGB can achieve richer colours while CMYK is
Progress 3: Add effects useful for printing). Fill it with a warm green tone in the middle-range of value (not too light and not too dark).

Character
WorldMags.net
Pick colours Colour defines the mood

05 of a piece. The key to having lush colours is
finding a balance between rich and dull. Too bright
and your image looks contrived and over-the-top.
Too dull and your image looks washed out. Lighter
colours should be less saturated and darker colours
more saturated. On a new layer, pick a basic flesh
colour, scribble and repeat, increasing the saturation
as you go darker. To help the image pop, add subtle
oranges and warm pinks for the eyes and cheeks.
Pale cyan works as a highlight colour to contrast
against warm shadows.
Quick
04
Sketch the outline Create a new layer named ‘Sketch’ (Layer>New>Layer). When sketching
your outline, think about the focal point to keep the eye moving within the image. Use your reference
Tip
Paint separate elements on their own layers so that
as a rough guide as you freehand the sketch using a dark burgundy colour. Keep in mind perspective as you you can lock the transparency and paint each one
draw objects without a reference as a guide, like the dragon and goggles. It helps to sometimes draw boxes without going over the edges. To do this, choose
in perspective with the rest of the piece and then chisel away at the objects inside to create angular shapes the corresponding layer in the Layers palette and
click the checkered square icon at the top next to
before finally rounding off the details. the word ‘Lock’.
Understanding light Form shadow Visualise where light falls When Create the Background Create the
06 (or core shadow) creates the illusion of form 07 creating an object without reference, it is vital 08 illusion of a light source just off canvas using a
and gives objects depth. It occurs when light fails to be able to picture in your mind where the shadow hard round brush choosing a pale yellow hue. Sweep
to completely wrap around the form of something would fall if you could see it. Sometimes it helps to the brush downward to emulate the glowing effect of
and is a gradual transition from light to shadow, picture the subject matter as if it were made up of light on a wall. Picking a dark green colour, sweep the
with softer edges (like the cheekbone, which at first several small geometric polygons. Look at each same brush along the edges of the canvas to push
catches the light and then curves downward into surface plane and ask yourself if the angle would the corners into darkness. Blend the colours with a
shadow). Cast shadow occurs when something catch the light or not, then translate that into your soft round brush as necessary. Note that the light will
(like the nose, for example), blocks the light, painting. Don’t forget to add in cast shadows of be brighter here and the change between values will
throwing areas below into darkness. It tends to have made-up elements to ground the work and give it a be more drastic near the top where the light is closest
sharper edges. cohesive feel. to the wall.

Guide
Art
Down to detail
Apply paint, add texture and create atmospheric effects
Start painting On a layer beneath the Shiny versus dull When painting Painting skin and hair When painting
09 sketch, paint the skin using a default round 10 matte surfaces like the cotton vest, do
11 skin, find a balance between matte and shiny.
brush. Keep your Opacity and Flow at 100%, and not paint highlights. Only two values are needed The skin will have sharper and brighter highlights if
rely on the sensitivity of your tablet to blend the for these – mid-tone and shadow – with gradual the face is wet (like around the eyes) or where oils of
colours. Make a clear delineation between light transitions between the two on occasion. When the skin reflect light (like on the nose and inner tear
and shadow. As you continue to refine, add the painting reflective surfaces like silk or brass, however, duct). If you haven’t already, add these specular
transitions between the two values using a soft brush exaggerate the drastic change in value by using highlights to create luminescence. When painting
when needed. Use your highlights sparingly for the sharp specular highlights in areas where the light hair, start by putting in the darkest values first, and
greatest effect. Merge your Sketch layer and your would logically fall and by using contrasting strokes. then add the midtones using a chunky round brush.
painting layer and gently paint out the sketch until all Remember to incorporate surrounding colours, as Gradually reduce the size of the brush until you are
the lines are gone. metal is highly reflective. painting individual strands.
More on pattern
Pattern should conform to the form beneath.
To create the effect of the pattern wrapping
around the silk shirt, paste the pattern on a
new layer above the painting. Create a quick
mask over your painting by clicking between
the two layers on the Layers palette and
pressing Opt/Alt.
Set the layer Blend Mode to Overlay and
reduce the Opacity to 30%. Go to the Liquify
filter (Filter>Liquify), and with the painting
layer visible beneath your pattern, use the
Forward Warp tool (W) to push the pattern
downward around the edges of the arm.
Do the same for the fabric texture above
the vest area.
13 Add atmospheric effects The last

Add texture and pattern Texture and step is to add subtle atmospheric effects.
12 pattern add realism to your work when done Create a glare on the highlight of the goggles using
correctly. To create the illusion of wallpaper, paste a soft round brush in a pale yellow colour on low
a damask pattern on a new layer and set the layer opacity. For the blur on the dragon wings, copy the
Blend Mode to Overlay from the drop-down menu wings onto a new layer underneath and use the
on the Layers palette. Reduce the opacity of the layer Motion Blur filter. Set the angle to 40 degrees and the
so that the pattern is not overbearing but still present. distance to 200px. Use a smoke brush for the dragon
You don’t want your image to be too busy or distract steam. To make it glow, on a new layer use a soft
viewers from the figure in the foreground. green brush set to Hard Light.

Character
WorldMags.net
After
Before

Guide
Art
Source files
available
On the disc you’ll find a
Create an ice
Digital artists explain the selection of the supporting
techniques behind their images used to create
amazing artwork atmosphere, the model
start image and a PSD file
Artist info
to speed up your process
queen heroine
Drew Lundquist Ice Queen Photoshop
www.drewlundquist.com
Country US
Summon a glow effect and engulf a
Software used Photoshop model within a glossy ice texture
A recent graduate with a
bachelor’s degree in Drew Lundquist Photographer
photography, Drew
Lundquist is one of the
premier artists at creative The following tutorial is not for the faint of who persevere through the thick and frustrating times will
support studio Elevendy Inc.
in California. heart, and is intended for those who are always take away more than those who are easily
obsessed with striving towards Photoshop shaken. Following our guide will support you.
euphoria. Assuming those following along have at least In short, you will discover how to summon a glow
a moderate understanding of Photoshop, we’ll attempt to effect from nothing but variations of a single image,
Working be direct and thorough without being redundant or

repeating ourselves.
engulf a model within a glossy ice texture, and ponder
not the ‘right’ way but a ‘different’ way to organise layers
Progress Knowing where things are within the program, as well
as having basic painting and masking skills, will aid you
and groups. We’ll also throw out some tips that you may
already know, but if you don’t, they could open up a
on the metaphorical road ahead. Some of these effects world free of rules that will allow you to maximise your
From gloomy to
glistening may appear intimidating initially, but fret not, for those ability to create iconic work at the level few have roamed.
Begin the transformation

Download the model stock image and set the colourcast
Progress 1: Getting started
Progress 2: Summon glow
Getting started Download the file ‘model_

01 cutout.psd’ from blog.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/ Set the colourcast Create a new Fill Layer
tutorial-files, which has the base model already cut out from
02 (Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color) and title the layer
her background. Keep anything you add to your model in ‘Blue’. Change the blending mode to Color, hit OK and select
a folder titled ‘Ice Queen (Cutout)’; that way, everything you your colour, or alternatively enter #5b7ca4 and hit OK. You’ll
add to the model will automatically be masked to the cutout, want this colourcast to affect the entire image, so move it
Progress 3: Final eliminating the need for clipping masks. above the cutout group mask to the top of the layer menu.

Character
WorldMags.net
Blending madness To create the model’s glow, you’re going to use many versions of the two
04 layers you just created. Within a new group titled ‘Blending Madness’, duplicate a mixture of the Normal
and Inverted layers of the model as you see fit. Using layer masks, vary the brush Size and Hardness to blend
or paint in areas of the model that you’d like to appear glowing using the Inverted model layer, or where you’d
like to maintain highlights and shadows using the Normal model layer.
Duplicate the base layer Duplicate

03 (Cmd/Ctrl+J) the ‘Model (Base)’ group and
flatten it (Cmd/Ctrl+E), then duplicate the copy layer
and invert it (Cmd/Ctrl+I). Title each respective layer
‘Normal’ and ‘Inverted’. These two will be your go-to
layers, as you’ll duplicate them many times, but for
now, turn the layer visibility on each of them off.
Experiment with blending modes You should

05 now have a cluster of Model (Base) layers, both inverted
and not, to achieve that perfect glow. It’ll need a lot of tweaking and
refining to reveal that perfect combination of blending modes that
ultimately make the model feel incandescent. Each mode acts
differently, exaggerating or excluding some tones while maintaining
others. This is a major experimentation phase. If you’re really
having trouble with it, move past this step and continue from the file
‘blending_madness.psd’.
Multiply and Screen You’re now going to adjust the

06 highlights and shadows of the model. Create a folder above
your Blending Madness folder, add a Black & White adjustment
layer within it and set the blending mode to Multiply. Now, with the
layer mask on your adjustment layer selected, hit Cmd/Ctrl+I to
Using multiple texture layers scaled and warped differently can add invert the mask, making the Multiply effect invisible. Paint in the
Quick believability to an image and be a deterrent against flat surfaces.
Using Perspective and Distort to mimic the surface you’re texturing
areas you’d like to see darkened, varying in brush opacity or fill. To
lighten, repeat this step, but instead of Multiply set your blending
Tip can really sell some depth. No one’s fooled when one flat rock
texture is over the model’s entire face. mode to Screen.

Guide
Art
Skin frost Now it’s time to grab the frost texture. You can use image #5179760 from www.
07 depositphotos.com, which will work perfectly. Be sure to select ‘Advanced Search’ on the site or it
won’t show up. Position the texture over the model’s chest and set the blending mode to Overlay. Use a layer
mask to hide and feather the edges of the texture image so there aren’t any harsh lines (seams) all over the
image; you want seamless transitions between textures. Group this texture and title it ‘Skin Frost Texture’.
Shape the skin texture You’ll need

08 to duplicate and reuse this texture all over
the model’s skin using at least one texture image
over each feature, ie one layer covers an arm, one
her face, and so on. Use Transform (Cmd/Ctrl+T)
to resize texture layers and place them on different
parts of her skin as needed. Use Warp to mimic
areas of the skin that curve, like the model’s shoulder,
and a layer mask to keep texture contained to the
model’s skin and off things like her dress.
Step back and admire your work Getting this far is not easy considering how much
09 experimentation this image requires, so pat yourself on the back, stand up, stretch and then buckle
down because you’re not out of the woods yet. Let’s take a look at what’s been done so far…
01 10 Lay down some ice Similar to steps 9

02 and 10, you will need to add extra texture the
model’s dress to make it appear as though she’s
engulfed in ice. Go back to
depositphotos.com, grab image #5179582 and
drop it into your composition. Use the Transform
tool to manipulate multiple duplicates of this texture
to cover the entirety of the model’s dress and lower
exposed leg.
03
11 Divide the ice into sections Divide

chunks of ice into sections of the dress to give
the end result dimension so it doesn’t look so flat.
Each section of the dress should be its own layer.
ADD GLOW UP THE CONTRAST TEXTURE THE Use masks to isolate and shape each chunk on the
01 Experiment with normal
02 Use non-destructive
03 SKIN Overlay snow dress. Set each ice texture layer to Screen or Overlay.
and inverted layers using adjustment layers to paint in textures on the skin to manipulate With the toning you did before (based on how dark
blending modes to create highlights and shadows to further the model into looking like a cold- your image is), blending modes may vary, so feel free
alternate lighting and glow emphasise drama hearted… princess to experiment.

Character
WorldMags.net
Quick Layer organisation is key when working with so many duplicates of the
same layer, or just an extensive amount of layers in general. It will
Tip simplify your whole experience in Photoshop if you use a group mask
as a cutout rather than applying 16 clipping masks to one layer.
Create the glass texture Once you have grouped

13 the dress layers together, you can add a glass texture to
them. With the current single layer in your Dress Ice group, go to
Filter>Filter Gallery and under the Distort tab, select Glass. Set the
Distortion to 20, Smoothness to 15, Texture to Frosted and Scaling
to 200%, then hit OK. Duplicate that layer twice so that you have
Duplicate and flatten Once you have your dress’s ice textures all set, group all three layers in total in your Dress Ice group.
12 those layers together. Title the group ‘Dress Ice Original’, duplicate it and then flatten it.
It’ll look different initially, but that’s okay. Create a new group with the layer you just created and
name this group ‘Dress Ice’. Keep the original group folder in case you’d like to go back and
tweak your ice, but turn the visibility of that group off.
Create the ice throne Head back over to

15 depositphotos.com, purchase image #13470132 and
drop it into your composition above the Ice Queen (Cutout) group
14 Blend ice texture Change the blending modes of all three layers, from bottom to but below the Blue layer. Cut the bottom of the iceberg out, title the
top, to Linear Burn, Soft Light and Hard Light. Set the Linear Burn layer to 80% Opacity, layer ‘Bottom Ice’ and place it in its own group also titled ‘Bottom
add a layer mask and invert it, effectively hiding the layer, at which point the ice effect will get Ice’. Use the Transform tool to scale and rotate it 180 degrees. Place
a little brighter. Paint in where necessary to darken the ice around the dress. Play with adding it at the bottom of your composition, just under the model and
more ice texture or revisiting your Dress Ice Original group. apply the same Filter Gallery effect from step 13 to this layer.

Guide
Art
Mask the model to the throne You

16 now need to fuse the ice queen to her throne.
Duplicate the Bottom Ice layer. Change the blending
mode of the top one to Hard Light and the bottom
to Lighten. Select the Ice Queen (Cutout) and group
that group. Add a mask to the new group, right above
the old one. Use your Brush tool with a super soft
edge and paint away any hard edges you see. Do the
same with the Bottom Ice layer – paint away the top of
the ice so that the dress and iceberg blend together.
Add ice spikes Snag image #8159693 from Depositphotos and drag it in above the Bottom Ice
17 group, into its own group titled ‘Ice Spikes’. Cut the ice from the sky. Shape and place the layer just
above the Bottom Ice group, slightly lower on the model, surrounding her with ice. Duplicate it three times.
From bottom to top, change the blending modes to Pin Light, Color Burn and Hard Light with an inverted black
mask, and leave the top layer at Normal with an inverted black mask. Paint in Normal and Hard Light layers.
Blending
modes
Combining blending modes can become a

Final adjustments The last thing to tedious process. There’s typically one
Add some atmosphere Grab the
19 do with every image is to tone-manage over blending mode that will achieve what you’re
18 ‘snow’ and ‘fog’ images provided in the everything the same way you did at the beginning of
looking for, but with the amount of options
at hand, it can be difficult to find. Using
tutorial files and pull them in as needed. Keep most this tutorial. Create a group just under the Blue layer adjustment layers combined with various
of it behind (below) your Ice Queen (Cutout) layer and title it ‘Overall Adjustments.’ In here, create two blending modes can have the perfect effect
and only some snow layers in front (avoid covering Black & White adjustment layers and again set them on your image, while the inverse can
her face) to give the image depth. Change all these to Multiply and Screen and invert the layer mask destroy your tones entirely. For future use,
it’s wise to become familiar with what each
layers to Screen. You’ll still have to mask the edges of (black). Paint the tones in with a soft brush on each mode does to an image as well as what
each image with a soft brush to avoid those ‘seams’. layer. Multiply will darken, Screen will lighten. Add as each does to each adjustment layer.
Vary these assets in size with the Transform tool. many as you need.

Character
WorldMags.net
3D artists explain the

techniques behind
their amazing artwork
Artist info
Concept
The idea behind this
Andrzej Kuziola illustration is to create a
unique fantasy character
Personal portfolio site – I’ve decided to
www.kuziola.com concept a female spirit
Country Edinburgh, UK of a tree. I want to
Software used ZBrush, achieve a very
Photoshop sculptural, stylised look
Andrzej Kuziola specialises to the image, inspired
mainly in character creation, greatly by ancient Greek
from concept to render, and mythological character
detailed 3D model creation sculptures.

Guide
Art
Sculpt fabrics for

fantasy characters
Dryad – Spirit of a Tree 2012 Photoshop, ZBrush
The goal of this image was to create a stylised, sculptural,
fantasy character with a focus on showcasing the dress folds
Andrzej Kuziola Illustrator
In this tutorial we will explain the design and This tutorial will explain how to design and create a
creation process of a fantasy character character from scratch, showing important considerations
showcasing the features in ZBrush. We’ll explore along the way while explaining the workflow and various
various ZBrush tools and show how helpful they are to techniques used. We will focus mainly on sculpting the fabric
visualise ideas and achieve great effects. ZBrush gives the of the dress, the character’s hair and some stylised tree
freedom of creation in any workflow, enabling you to branches to finish, but also show you how to create the body
experiment and visualise ideas. and establish composition.
Create the body with ZSpheres

Let’s begin by creating the character in a neutral pose
Face detail Switch the model
Model the 03 to a high subdivision level, sketch
whole the shape of eyes and lips with the Pinch

brush. Create eye sockets with the Clay
body brush and shape an interior with the
Smooth brush. To sharpen eyelid edges
I’ve chosen to create use the Pinch brush with a very small
whole body anatomy Draw Size. To create eyeballs, append
– even though most a sphere as a SubTool, adjust its size,
of it will be covered
with cloth – for two position and then mirror it to the second
reasons. The first is eye socket. With the character base
so I can reuse the mesh active, use the ZProject brush on
model in my future the eyeballs. We’ve now got spheres
projects. Keeping a
repository of base projected into the eye sockets, so we are
meshes and models able to delete the eye SubTools
gives a huge
advantage when a Sculpt the body Modify
deadline is short and 02 the shape of the mesh with
you don’t have
enough time to create the Move Topological brush and
something from start defining masses with the Clay,
scratch. The second Clay Tubes, Simple and Smooth
reason for creating Establish your base mesh brushes. Work gradually from the
the whole body is that 01 Using ZSpheres, create an initial lower subdivisions to the higher
the clothing process
is much easier with armature and block in the shape of the levels, subdividing the mesh when
body armature character. In these early stages we won’t draw necessary. Focus mainly on the
underneath. Besides ZSpheres in place of the eyes and mouth. We’ll head and hands, because the rest of
these, it’s always focus on proportions, as this will give us more the body will be covered with clothes.
good to practise
sculpting human design freedom in the later stages. When happy We’re creating a stylised character so
anatomy when you with the result, change the rig to Adaptive Skin, change proportions by exaggerating
have the opportunity. then press the Make Polymesh3D button. the head and elongating the limbs.

Character
WorldMags.net
Design and composition

Establish composition and block general forms for further development
Pose the character The dress base To
04 Pose the character with
05 create the base for a dress
the Transpose tool and then use DynaMesh. We want a mesh that
fix deformations with the Move matches the shape of the legs as
Topology, Clay and Smooth much as possible to help us establish
brushes. We don’t need to interaction between the fabric and
adjust body distortions in some the body later. First, duplicate the
areas due to the fact that they character, then extract the bottom part
will be covered with a dress, but of the mesh by partially hiding it with
we’ve done it for the purpose of Cmd/Ctrl+Shift, the Delete Hidden
the tutorial. We want to create a and Close Holes options. Convert it
neutral, balanced and relaxed to DynaMesh and reshape it with the
pose. This is a framework for the Move Elastic brush. For smaller areas,
cloth anchor points and will help use the Move Topological brush. Use
us establish interactions between the Standard brush with a large Draw
the body and the clothes. Size to sketch the direction of the folds.
Refine the dress

06 Activate the DynaMesh
function by clicking its button. This
creates a new uniform topology
with the density defined by the
Resolution slider. Always start with
a lower resolution and then adjust
it to achieve the desired result.
Each time polygons become
stretched after adjustments to
the mesh, recalculate DynaMesh
by hitting the Cmd/Ctrl key and
dragging the cursor onto an
empty canvas.
Principles
of good
design
There are a few golden
rules that you need to
follow if you want to create
a really impressive
illustration. First of all you
need an interesting focal
point to pull in the viewer’s
eye. You also need to
design and place elements
in your image in such a
way that the viewer’s eye
will flow around the various
details. Creating rhythm
and variety in your image
to keep it balanced is
important. Always think
about positive and
negative space, and also
about the relationship of
light and dark.
We want a mesh that matches the shape of the legs as much as possible. This
will help us establish interaction between the fabric and the body later
Guide
Art
Move to the top To create the top of the dress we’ll use DynaMesh
07 again, but in a slightly different way than previously. Mask the area that Design the tree Create a curved tree trunk with ZSpheres, adjust
you want to use for a new SubTool. Go to SubTool>Extract, adjust Thickness
08 its shape with the Move Elastic brush, then transfer it to DynaMesh and
and choose Accept Extraction. This is a good way to create a mesh around start adding branches with the Curve Multi Tube brush. This is a great tool for
a complex shape. Now start to reshape a new mesh, using the Move Elastic, elongated, tentacle-like structures. Re-calculate the mesh often and also use
Move Topological and Standard brushes to add volume and block large folds. the Inflate, Smooth, Move Topological and SnakeHook brushes. This sketch-
Remember that DynaMesh needs some thickness. When you get artefacts after like workflow is a good way to create designs and develop ideas straight in 3D
re-calculation, undo the action and work on the area with the Inflate brush. without an initial sketch.
Sculpt the hair Now we can start sculpting the hair with
10 a modified Slash 2 brush. Sculpt the hair strands with loose
and smooth strokes on a separate layer. Our goal is to create an
effect of hair filling the background and turning into it. We also want
the hair to be tangled with the branches. At the end, decrease the
Create the background Now we’ll add a background that will play two roles. layer’s intensity and gradually work with the Morph brush to create
09 First it will show the final image proportions that will consequently help establish an a smooth transition between the strands and the background
effective composition. We’re also going to use the background plane as a basis for the hair material. For the loose hair strands, append a sphere and move it
– but first we need to add some dimensionality to it. Use the Move Elastic brush to create a to the head area, also using the DynaMesh and Curve Multi Tube
recess behind the character, then move a part behind the head towards it and the bottom brushes. After that, flatten the strands with the TrimDynamic brush
edge towards the viewer to create some ground. After that, sculpt the whole plane with the Clay and finish with the Standard brush with Alpha 38 and Lazy Mouse
Tubes brush, then equalise it roughly with the TrimDynamic brush and Morph Target. options turned on.

Character
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Add the fine details

Create a winding tree and realistic cloth elements
Add some wrinkles Start sculpting wrinkles and

12 folds on the bottom part of the dress. Begin working with the
Standard brush without any Alpha loaded and with Lazy Mouse
11 Detail the tree Go back to the tree and develop it further. Use the Curve Multi Tube mode turned on. Begin to add volume with the Inflate brush,
brush to add roots and vine-like structures. The Draw Size determines the diameter using it lightly with low pressure. Also adjust the brush’s Gravity
of tubes created by the brush, so work here with a smaller size. When a tube is painted you Strength and start using Alpha 38 for the finer wrinkles. Work with
can adjust its location and shape. It’s possible to draw multiple tubes at once but it’s handy to smooth, loose brush movements, relying on your own intuition and
update DynaMesh after each added tube. Also increase the DynaMesh Density to keep all the experience. During this process, smooth and sculpt again until you
new details. When you’re happy with the form of the tree, quit DynaMesh and start detailing with get the shapes you want. You can also switch between ZAdd and
the Clay, Clay Tubes, TrimDynamic and Dam_Standard brushes. ZSub modes.
13 Refine the curls

Crinkle and Now move to the top
fold effects part of the sculpt. Initially the

workflow and brushes are the
same as in the previous part, so
To create believable wrinkles or create some horizontal folds with
folds you need to keep in mind
a few factors such as the the Standard brush. Mainly use
interactions of folds and the Alpha 38 here and turn Gravity
forces generating wrinkles like on and off in the Brush>Depth
kinetic energy and gravity. You menu to check your work. To
need to know where to place
create vertical patterns, use the
anchor points – areas of
retention on a body – where Clay brush and then develop
wrinkle systems will originate. I it further with the same Slash 2
highly recommend the book brush used earlier. Refine the
Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery shape of the curls with the Move
by Burne Hogarth, where you
can find all this information. It’s Topological brush. Add some
also a useful source for great more volume to the horizontal
references. folds using the Inflate brush.

Guide
Art
Finishing touches
Finalise the model and render it for illustration
Facial expression AOur goal is to show that our Dryad enjoys the presence of
Complete the dress Add more volume to the folds 15 a tree (she’s the spirit of a tree, remember). To change her neutral facial expression to
14 with the Inflate brush and pull down some parts that are something with more character, firstly re-sculpt her eye a little to a half-closed, sleepy shape.
lacking in gravity. Fine-tune the creases with the Standard brush Mask the lower lid and lower half of the eyeball with the Layer brush and then work on upper
and Alpha 38, then use the same brush with a very small Draw parts of the eye with the Clay brush. When the upper eyelid is lower, use the TrimAdaptive and
Size to add some texture to the fabric. Work with different Gravity Smooth brushes to create the correct curvature of the lid. To finish, use the Pinch brush to
settings and adjust interactions between the wrinkles. See how sharpen the edge. To create an elusive smile, decrease the model’s subdivision and use the
they react to kinetic and gravity forces and tweak the overall flow. Move Topological brush to move the corners of her mouth slightly.
Apply materials I’m going to re-create materials

16 from a similar, older illustration. Before we start sampling
information we need to prepare our tools. Choose a Plane
primitive, convert it to Polymesh3D, draw it on the canvas and
enter Edit Object mode. Choose a Flat Color material, then in the
Texture menu import an image to sample information from and
add it as a texture to the Plane. Drop it on the canvas and choose
a sphere – an object to check the new material. Draw it on the
canvas in Edit mode beside the Plane and choose MatCap
White Cavity material from the ZBrush library. Pick the MatCap
tool and start sampling from the illustration reference. Click the
image and drag the cursor until a red arrow points outwards.
Repeat this several times, bearing in mind the direction of the
facing surfaces. When happy with the colour, hit Cmd/Ctrl and
start grabbing the highlighted areas. Doing this we can create
specular highlights.
Create illustration
Practise 17 Use Best Preview
Render to render the image in a
makes perfect few separate passes: different
MatCap materials, Ambient
At the beginning, without Occlusion and Shadow from
knowledge of fabric dynamics, it is one main light source. Fill each
very difficult to sculpt believable SubTool with a different colour
folds. I recommend studying as
many references as possible, and render it with a Flat Color
observing different kinds of clothes, material – it will be the mask
studying sculpture works – even for easy separation of each
taking photos of varied fabrics in SubTool for post-production. In
different configurations and then
Photoshop, apply a layer mask
trying to re-create them digitally.
The more you practise, the more to each rendered MatCap layer
believable your effects will be. When and experiment with different
you understand folds you can material configurations. To
create any fabric without relying on finish the illustration, import a
references. It’s vital not to focus on
one area at a time; first establish Shadow pass and Ambient
larger folds, their direction and Occlusion and set them to a
placement, and keep in mind fabric Multiply blending mode with
qualities and gravitational forces. customised opacity.

Character
WorldMags.net

amazing artwork
Artist info
EMILIO J LOPEZ
e-man.deviantart.com
Country US
Emilio has worked in almost
all aspects of the
entertainment industry, from
animation to licensing art,
comics, card games and
video games. Some of the
more notable properties he
has worked on are Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles and
Justice League Beyond.

Guide
Art
Paint a colourful
comicbook character
Working Comicbook heroine Photoshop
Progress high-impact
Use Photoshop’s brush styles and other tools to create
comicbook imagery
From sketch to
finished comic art Emilio J Lopez Animator
Photoshop is quite capable of being utilised to results, which simply can’t be found in real-world media or
the same effect of more-traditional mediums. many programs other than Photoshop.
Brush styles can simulate markers, coloured The techniques covered in this tutorial don’t require any
pencils, watercolours and even oil paints. Like any artistic additional tools that aren’t already available in Photoshop.
format, the best way to become familiar with such options is All the effects and techniques covered can also be applied
by experimenting with them. using older versions of Photoshop. We’ll be exploring how to
In this tutorial you will learn how to accomplish target image areas using Lasso controls and the Magic
comicbook styles using Photoshop from start to finish. Wand tool, then using standard brush presets to paint to
Digital illustration is at the heart of this approach, because it these specific areas. We’ll also look at ways in which filters
Step 01: Concept design enables a great amount of control to create such stylised and blending modes can enhance your image.
Character concept
Simple thumbnails and block colour using Lasso controls
Map your ideas First we’ll
01 design our comic character
– in this case a comic heroine. One
rule to remember is that audiences
Step 04: Colour fill
should be able to recognise your
character even if it’s silhouetted.
Also, if the character has any logos or
symbols, we should include them on
the design.
Make thumbnails Make

02 multiple drawings before
settling on any single composition.
Use the default round brush with
Shape Dynamics and Transfer turned
Step 07: Paint character on. Set the Control options to Pen
Pressure, as this will enable us to
create thick, thin, light and opaque
lines, which is great for sketching.
Finish the Sketch Once you’ve

03 settled on a thumbnail concept, start
to refine your sketch. Use multiple layers to
separate drawn elements, for example in
the foreground, midground, background
and other elements such as the visor of
Step 17: Special effects our heroine’s helmet. This will keep things
organised later on.

Character
WorldMags.net
Magic wand colour

04 fill Make sure to lock the
Opacity of each of your drawn
layers and ensure each one has its
own colour layer underneath. Now
we select the Magic Wand tool,
turn off Anti-Aliasing and set it to
Contiguous and Sample All Layers.
Select the empty area around
your line art and hit Shift+Cmd/
Ctrl+I to invert your selection. Next
choose Select>Modify>Constrict,
repeating application until the
selection inside reaches the edges
of your line art. Hit Opt/Alt+Delete
to fill the image.
Select with the lasso There are two types of Lasso tool controls: Freehand and Polygonal. You
06 should use the Polygonal Lasso to apply straight edges to areas such as the flame jets coming from
her feet and her trail, which signifies momentum. Use the Freehand Lasso tool to make selections of oval or
rounded shapes, such as the lips or eyes. We can toggle between the two while applying live by holding the
Opt/Alt key and releasing the mouse button or lifting your stylus pen off the tablet surface.
Expand
and
contract
Make more fills Now the image is filled,
actions
05 lock the Opacity of its colour layer and use
Instead of choosing
Select>Modify to Expand or
the Magic Wand tool to select inside the line art. Contract selection edges, you
Once selected, go to Select>Modify>Expand. Colour holding Using the techniques we’ve just covered, can create an Action from
Sometimes, because of unclosed or incomplete
07 continue to apply selections and flat colour throughout the
these functions. First make a
selection then go to Actions
line art, the Magic Wand will bleed out into areas you image (see the supplied example). Once flat colours are spread, and hit the Record button.
duplicate them and the line art. Now we’ll make sure that our line Choose
don’t want to colour. We can clean up our flat colour
Select>Modify>Expand, add
areas by using the Lasso tool, applying flat colours art’s Transparency is locked and proceed with colouring in the lines a value of 1 and stop
and detailing areas. We can also use this tool to themselves. This is referred to as a colour hold or self line. When our recording. To finish, name
your action, give it a hot key
target the areas we want to select., but remember to colour holds are complete, we will merge our copied line art with these
and repeat to gradually
deactivate Anti-Aliasing. new coloured layers, with the exception of the visor. contract selections.

Guide
Art
Background painting At this point

08 it’s time to hide all the foreground layers
but not the background. Painting this before any
Paint your character
other special or rendering effects helps, as it’s the Use preset brushes to ev0lve contour and texture
focal point for lighting in our piece. We’ll paint the
Review your progress We’ll start by selecting our flattened character colour layer. Use Chalk
background using our preset Photoshop brushes. 09 brushes to lay down the first indication of light and shadow in the contours of the character, then try to
Select the Round Fan Stiff Thin Bristles brush in the
work with the whole figure at once to get a full sense of the lighting in the piece.
options and activate Shape Dynamics, Transfer and
Wet Edges. Set the Control Options to Pen Pressure,
as this gives us a more natural, painterly look.
Use references of
clothing and materials
to see how light
reflections can vary
Use reference
imagery to help
with lighting,
examining how
Apply to the face Select the flat colours light and
10 of the face and use the Splatter brush with shadow react
the preset options mentioned to render contour. To
better render faces you can make a bespoke oval-
shaped brush by going to the Brush Preset options
and selecting Brush Tip Shape. Now adjust the
Roundness values to edit the existing brush shape
into an oval. You can adjust the direction of the brush
Choose a pose that
as well as the spacing to create different effects. Any
brush can be distorted in this way, so experiment and
engages the
see what works best. viewer and offers
maximum impact
Build up hair
11 and clothing
Select the hair from your flat
colour layer. When rendering
the hair, use the oval round
brush we created in the last
step and pay attention to
your light source and the
direction it falls. Splatter and
Round Fan Stiff Thin Bristles
brushes work really well
when applying hair. When
rendering a shiny outfit you
should remember that it has
a reflective surface and will
pick up any stray light in the
environment, often including
hot spots.

Character
WorldMags.net
Focus on the details Use a small round brush for Create the visor Now that the initial painting is done, we can begin work on the
12 minute details and tighten up any loose lines, like on her 13 visor that lies over the face. Turn off all of your layers except your character line art.
hands or the logos on her arms. Add hot-spot highlights and If you haven’t already added a colour flat of the visor, do so by using the Magic Wand
reflections, then use a round soft-edged brush to lightly smooth out selection techniques discussed in Steps 4 and 5. Duplicate your line art and your flat colour
her uniform and face. Don’t overdo the feathering in this brush style once more, but this time don’t merge the line art with it, as we’ll need the line art to do some
as you’ll want to soften the surfaces, not totally blur them. You won’t colour holds later.
want to lose your strokes and detail, so try setting the brush Opacity
to 40% to soften the effect.
Add finishing touches and effects

Use Photoshop blending modes to create your character’s visor
Visor tint and shadow Now the visor is flat-coloured, Add colour holds to the visor Set your amber-tinted visor layer to Multiply and
14 make sure that the Opacity is locked and use a feathered 15 lightly paint the eye area white using a feathered brush. This will enable the colour of the
brush to colour it in. Try using bright- and dark-amber tones to eyes to show through the tinted visor. Go to your duplicated visor line layer and paint lines based
indicate light. Next we’ll create shadow on the face created by the on the background lighting. Now create another layer under the line art layer, so that we can
visor on a separate layer. Make sure that this shadow layer is under create the indication of raised glass. Use a small round brush for this.
the main visor flat colour, again using the Lasso tool. Once the
shadow is drawn, set the layer to Multiply.

Guide
Art
Quick 16
Insert more
highlights
Tip Duplicate your flat colour
again and make sure the
Switching through different-
sized brushes can be a bit
Transparency is locked.
cumbersome, especially if you Place the layer between
want to quickly change to a the detail layer and your
smaller version of a brush
you are using. Try using the amber-tinted visor layer. Fill
square bracket keys ([ and ]) the new visor with black,
to expand or constrict your then paint the details
brush sizes.
and shines based on the
background and previously
established lighting. Use
an oval-shaped brush and
a feathered round brush
to paint light shines. When
you’re done, set your layer
to Screen.
Bring in the special effects Create a new layer and set it to Linear Dodge Add. Use grain Create a new layer and fill it with grey, making
17 Take a feathered brush and start painting on top of the blue tones in the image’s blue 18 sure it’s not too dark. Go to the Filter options and select
lighting and energy effects (see the example) to improve the glow effects. On the same layer, Texture>Grain, setting Intensity to 27 and Contrast to 25. Hit Cmd/
colour pick from the background and apply similar glow effects here. Create another layer set Ctrl+Shift+U to make the grain into a uniform grey. Now set the
to Multiply, adding dark gradients on the left and right side. Apply the oval brush on a new layer layer to Overlay at 47% Opacity. This layer serves two purposes,
to create a lens flare from the glowing hand. Use an electric, blue, small round brush to add adding a bit of texture to our piece, but also lightening the whole
accents to the heroine’s suit. composition slightly.
Good
advice
The simplest of features can say a lot about a
person, from the shoes they wear, the look on their
face, or even simply how they present themselves
in public. If you look hard enough you will find that
everyone wears a story on the surface. As an
illustrator you need to pick up on these subtle
things and apply them to your own work. Every
little bit counts toward the believability of your
character no matter how fantastic it is. Observe the
world around you and let it inspire you to create
worlds of your own.

Character
WorldMags.net

amazing artwork
Artist info
Andrew Baker
www.andbakerdesigns.
blogspot.co.nz
Country New Zealand
Software used ZBrush,
Photoshop
Andrew Baker creates and
conceptualises characters
and creatures for physical
and digital pipelines
Using DynaMesh
Use DynaMesh wisely. I start using DynaMesh on a very low
level. In this case I have it set to 48, but depending on how
large your model is the resolution will differ. At the early
stages it’s almost like what you do with sketching: blurring
your eyes to start visualising where the forms are, and
quickly laying down broad strokes to find the design.
DynaMesh is extremely useful at this stage and can be used
in the entire sculpting process. However, I prefer to use it as
a base generator and subdivide further. Later I want to be
able to drastically pose this character, so having a lower
subdivision level helps with this.

Guide
Art
Design a Source files

available
Weta character
The Satyr 2012 Photoshop, ZBrush
Find tutorial files on
the disc
Concept
The aim of this tutorial
Learn to use ZBrush to create a fantasy character portrait, is to create a fantasy
satyr-type character. I
following Andrew’s Weta workflow want to create an
overly stylised face for
Andrew Baker Digital artist a fantasy genre that
can be rendered
realistically and create
A bust or portrait is always a great place to Without getting too focused on the technical aspects in the impact.
start visualising a character. TZBrush enables us 3D process, I’d like to show how I generally start
to conceptualise an idea to an extremely high level conceptualising a character by creating a bust and portrait.
relatively quickly as well. We no longer have to go through an Due to the speed at which I execute such refined work, this is
arduous technical process to create an effective, realistic- where I begin the conceptual stage of my project – often, in
looking 3D character. essence, cutting straight to the point.
Conceptualise with digital clay

Get started on the sculpture in ZBrush
01 Use primitives to establish a base

Traditionally, it used to be quicker to start a 3D sculpture
from a base mesh you had already created. I’ve always found
02 Design considerations I create several lines to
this process a bit limiting on a conceptual level, though, as highlight relationships on the face. The ears line up with
you are technically pushing and pulling a volumetric shape – it the eyes to the point of the nose and from the nose outwards
feels constraining. All of my design sculpting now starts from to the edges of his jaw. I generally think of character faces in
a sphere. With the use of Insert Mesh brushes and DynaMesh triangles that are largely based on humanoid configurations.
I can experiment with different shapes before locking into the This can be pushed as far as you like – for example huge noses,
base I’ll use to finish the sculpture on. Once I’ve got enough tiny eyes, massive chins. It’s a game of consideration. Be aware
primitives there to manipulate, I use DynaMesh at a low level of of what’s working and what isn’t. This will be the design base for
48 and start sculpting. the following steps.
The right geometry With this sculpture

03 we’re trying to be fast, but effective. My goal is
not to create a production model; however, ZBrush still
enables you to create a high-res sculpt really quickly,
so it’s worth having enough geometry to get you there.
I find it’s essential to get as much information in the
lowest subdivision level before subdividing, so that I
won’t need DynaMesh again. I keep design elements
like horns and eyes on a separate SubTool to move them
independently if I need to. I subdivide twice at this stage
to begin sculpting further.

Character
WorldMags.net
Form, texture and pose

Let’s get the character into pose and refine the sculpt
Build the forms Now, with

04 some extra subdivision levels,
I build up some of the forms. Using
the Clay Buildup brush I want to create
direction for the surface and build
up some secondary forms. Doing
this on one of the lower subdivision
levels can create some nice organic
effects on the upper levels. I often
switch between the lower and higher
subdivisions at this stage to play with
the options a little. I want to create
a drastic pose for this character,
looking over his shoulder, so I don’t
want to get too precious about any
forms at this stage, but rather block
out the basis for his personality.
Put the character

05 into a pose As our
end goal is not a symmetrical
production model, I want to
pose it right away. I have a
clear idea of how I’d like to
present this character, having
him look over his shoulder to
create an asymmetrical bust
and an interesting view for the
portrait. I use Transpose Master
to generate the pose. Be as
bold as you can! It’s important
not to marry to any forms at
this stage and let it come out
in the posed maquette. I also
sculpt into the mesh while
transposing, trying to fix any
broken anatomy as I go.
Tighten up the forms

06 Now that the model is Quick
posed and I have some higher
subdivision levels, it’s about
Tip
refining those secondary forms, Using different shaders is
a great way to tackle
like the cheekbones, lips, brows, certain aspects of your
eye sockets and so on. For me, sculpting and colouration.
there’s no better brush than the For my primary forms, I
prefer to use a shader like
Clay for this. It creates very nice MatCap Grey, which
crease lines, which can start as shows the forms off really
well. When I start my
the base for our wrinkles. I find secondary forms, I turn on
the Clay brush, if treated right, the Blinn shader, as this
can give some nice results to has a nice general
specular highlight, which is
the higher subdivision levels, also good for showing the
using the Smooth brush to detail. I flick between that
soften where needed. I also and MatCap Grey. The
Skin Shader default is
play with the shape of the horns, awesome for colouring
considering how they affect the flesh-toned characters,
and I use this a lot for my
overall silhouette more, now concepts as it displays
they’re on the posed character. really well.

Guide
Art
Detail and texture I am now happy with Pores and extra

07 the secondary forms and can start to see
08 texture To create
where my detail needs to go. DamStandard is my another level of focused noise
new favourite brush for going into these soft forms in areas, I use the Standard
and giving them some sharpness. They fold into the brush with a Scatter effect and
surface and create a pinched, V-shaped crease, a very small Point Alpha. I turn
instead of a U-shaped crease like the normal the Z Intensity slider quite low
Standard brush makes. I also add a noise pass to and increase the size of the
create the pore effect on the surface. Playing around brush and intensity as needed,
with the scale and intensity of the noise function especially on the shoulder
can create awesome pore- and skin-like textures. and chin areas or anywhere I
Experiment with this feature to really get a grasp of think a specular highlight might
just what it can achieve. appear on the final piece. I also
use DamStandard with a really
low intensity to create very fine
wrinkles, going in the direction
of the skin compression.
09 Add some colour As colour will greatly affect how our texture is shown, I want to start
adding that in, treating the detail of the surface and colour now at the same time. I start
10 Refine detail with colour Because ZBrush enables
off by adding a very light base colour, covering the whole model. I use the default skin shader us to affect the form while adding colour, I go back to my
as this shows up colouring for skin very well – and all in real-time. I layer up the model with reds, DamStandard brush, turn the RGB down very low with a brown
blues and yellows for the underlying blood vessels to wash with a flesh colour and soften in colour and start to tighten up some of the wrinkle details. I also use
areas. I also mask out the cavities to add some dirt. the Inflate brush to push all the details tighter together.

Character
WorldMags.net
Final touches and presentation

Finish the painted sculpt and get it ready for maquette presentation
11 Add the hair

Another hugely
innovative tool from
ZBrush is FiberMesh.
This is a great addition
to the process as things
like hair really add a nice
touch to a character like
this. By simply masking
off areas where I want
there to be hair, I turn on
the FiberMesh button
and begin to adjust to
the different hair I’d like
to add. I want some
variation in the hair
around him, but I want it
to be quite thin,
sparse and wiry.
Get creative Without going too far and crashing your

12 machine, you can have a lot of fun creating different hair
around the face. Masking areas like the tips of the ears is a nice
touch, I find, while creating some scraggly sideburns can also
be effective. There are lots of options to play with, so I suggest
spending some time to get used to what’s possible. I always take
time to manipulate with the brushes afterwards, so I can be sure to
create a much more effective look.
Quick
Tip
Depending on how long I have to get an image done, I sometimes
spend a bit of time playing with the hair and positioning tattoos.
These are often things that can be explored in 2D for conceptual
13 Give him some ink I want to add another element to this character that isn’t
pieces, but it never hurts to have something 3D there for the final
render. All of what’s been done so far has been done very quickly necessarily a costume accessory. I’m thinking of a large religious-style tattoo on the
without getting too consumed with technical aspects. If it’s not character’s back. I create the tattoo in Photoshop as a flat template then use Spotlight in ZBrush
working in 3D, solve the idea quickly in 2D by doing paint-overs to project it onto my character. Spotlight is another great way to project any other further texture
before committing to the 3D render. This can also be really handy
to show a client for variations. onto your characters.

Guide
Art
Compose the final image

Render and capture the essence of the sculpture in post
14 A perfect comp
Having the composition
Quick
in mind from the beginning
will certainly help you get
Tip
It’s vital to experiment with
to this stage quickly. This different shaders and
way there’s no unnecessary effects in ZBrush. There’s
sculpting and the entire no limit to the variation of
process is geared towards materials and textures you
aiding what we want to show. can create in ZBrush
without the use of photos
I aim to create an interesting
or alphas. Designing and
pose that isn’t front-on to the creating characters in 3D
character, thereby enhancing and getting realistic
his silhouette a little. Having results doesn’t have to be
the sculpt turned to a grey a laborious process
shader (Blinn, in this case) and anymore. Also, keeping a
library of references will
doing some quick BPR renders always aid the creative
with the main light source will process and arm you with
also help us judge how best a catalogue of ideas.
to compose the character. I
create my document in portrait
at about 1,310 x 2,050 pixels,
which will be the final crop.
Render out
15 layers for post
Once I’ve established my main
light source, and the shadow
that is created by looking at
the BPR render passes, I start
to look at what else I can take
to Photoshop to help this
image along. I render out a lot
of different light passes on the
various standard shaders turned
to black. I use the BPR render
passes, a cavity and reflection
pass. For SSS I use a standard
shader set to red and amp up the
ambience. Then I just need any
shader that looks like it might
do something interesting in
Photoshop.
The final composition I generally experiment a Post-production Once I’m happy with the blended
16 lot with blending options on the passes I’ve rendered out. 17 layers, and they’re all doing what I want, I can really start to
Because this guy has human skin and I’ve painted the model, the have some fun. A background can be used to make the image look
initial render gave me a lot to work with. This is the great thing about more of a studio shot or something more photographic. As this
this process and leaves us a bit of time to spruce up the image. Using image could be used as the base for many design passes, I’m not
the Z-Depth map and changing the colour while turning it to Overlay shy about painting over areas that need further attention – even
can create some nice depth effects. Reflection and Light maps can using photographs – although I only ever use photos to add noise or
be used to create interesting effects for the eyes, too. At this stage, be textures where I can. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but if I’m sculpting
experimental and have fun. a character like this, there’s really no need.

Character
WorldMags.net
Design a magical
character
Quinnv Photoshop
Paint a fox spirit, taking inspiration from scenes in martial arts
movies and model references
Zhonglu Zhao Digital artist
My aim is to highlight what I wanted to design ideas too. In the novel, a fox possessed Daisy. Her
achieve with this illustration of a fox spirit, as coquettish beauty captured the heart of the king, and the
well as my concept art and design process in country was paralysed. In the East, charm and magic are
general. As a professional concept artist, I start every often symbolised by the fox in this way, and legends of fox
piece with a picture in mind of the artwork I want it to be, spirits are also found in Chinese, Korean and Japanese
but it does change and evolve throughout the process. folklore. Fox spirits can change their shape at will into
My advice to anyone going into concept art is to watch a beautiful women and live for hundreds of years. Their
lot of movies, look at a lot of art and read a lot of books. myths are similar to English stories of fairies; they can cast
Other media is full of things that can influence and help illusions over places and take people out of time.
you realise the kind of character you want to create. I was Sometimes evil, sometimes good; but fox women are
influenced by martial-arts movies, Asian folktales and always beautiful and clever. I wanted to bring this into my
novels, as well as an underwear fashion show while piece of concept art to give it a distinctly oriental flavour.
creating this character! Don’t be afraid to draw from many Fox women feature in some manga too, so I was
different sources, because the way you put them together confident that Western viewers would at least be familiar
makes something that is uniquely yours. with them as an Asian art staple.
I wanted to create a sexy oriental woman who was At the beginning of the drafting stage, I placed the
attractive but lethal at the same time. I therefore looked at image of the fox into the design, positioning it on the
fictional characters that exemplified this. The inspiration shoulder like a fur coat. I also developed the eyes to look
for her design was derived in part from the character of out at the viewer. In the final draft, though, I removed the
Snow (played by Brigitte Lin) in the martial-arts movie shoulder design and gave her fox ears instead. When
Deadful Melody (Liu Zhi Qin Mo). The central character creating concept art for a character, the viewer must focus
has to protect a powerful and beautiful Chinese musical on one thing, and that’s the character. I felt the fox’s eyes
instrument, known as the magic lyre. Inspired by this, my were distracting and pulling focus away from my woman,
character stands with her hand on a lyre-type instrument, so they had to go. Pay attention to what an image tells
known as a zither in the West and a guqin in China. you even at the sketch stage. If it looks too busy, the Digital artists explain the
The role of Daisy in the ancient Chinese novel shapes don’t look right or the eye isn’t drawn to where amazing artwork
Investiture of the Gods had a profound impact on my you want it to go, then you need to change something.
Artist info
Zhonglu Zhao
fireluzhao.cghub.com
Country China
I live in Shanghai, where I
majored in printmaking.
After graduating I have been
engaged in the game
business. I love this career
Determine her action and structure with a simple silhouette without going into too much detail. At this stage you should and hope I can create my
ultimate job within it.
have a clear design direction

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Art
Working
Progress
Use coloured layers to
build up vibrant art
Progress 1: Silhouette
Progress 2: Use one brush
Progress 3: Alterations

Character
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Pay attention
to what an image
tells you at sketch
stage
Zhonglu Zhao shows us

his other masterpieces
She and I
2011, Photoshop I meticulously painted the Chinese musical instrument,
O The idea behind this picture is the added a ponytail for my figure and she was basically
relationship between my wife and I.
Although the wall has been damaged complete.
and the roof is leaking, I hope that no I gained a lot of inspiration from watching a Victoria’s
matter what, I will be able to protect this
loving environment Secret video. I drew two sketches very quickly and chose
the one that I felt best conveyed the effect I wanted.
naturally have frosty-white hair, keeping them youthful

and unusual.
In my early sketches I experimented with making my
character’s hair accessories look like the tail of a
scorpion. This made her look definitely evil, rather than
the sense of ambiguity I was aiming for. Once I started
to incorporate the fox ears, the scorpion design looked
out of place so I removed it. It’s important not to fight
with an image. If something isn’t working, change it!
The fox ears became the focus of her accessories;
they’re what make her face stand out and grab
Once I’ve roughed out the pose and silhouette, I focus attention. I used a lilac-toned white for her hair, so the
on the head and face, where most of us look first. eye is automatically drawn from the tips of the ears
Designing the head, I thought of the movie The Bride down to the face.
Comfort with White Hair, and the role of Bingbing Li in The The design of the clothing was meant to be a
2010, Photoshop
O In this piece I aimed to create a Forbidden Kingdom. I therefore gave her white hair. combination of loose and tight, flowing and clinging, to
harmonious atmosphere taking visual The risk is that this can make a character look too old, really emphasise her sexiness. The sleeves are tight
inspiration from birds and crocodiles. so think carefully about how you’re going to render it. fitting but then flare out, while the skirt skims her body.
Instead of presenting two opposites or
a frightening monster, they are in Casting it with yellow or grey will make your character The exaggerated high heels make her more
coexistence. I wanted to express the look like they have aged white hair. Casting it with faint statuesque. This heightens the perception that she’s
themes of love in life in this work
notes of blue, platinum or purple makes it look like they very slender, giving even more of an impression of an
Materials and light

Strengthen contrast and add detail
Keeping a strict light source in mind, I added realistic
Before shadows onto her chest and collar. In the strongly lit
areas I added more detail, and toned down the detail
Syracuse in the dimmer parts. Remember that not every material
2010, Photoshop
O I painted the scene as a futuristic will reflect light in the same way. Silk, for example, is
vision of the city Syracuse. It looks very smooth and transparent, but the reflections on metal are
grand and sturdy, even though it was much stronger. I also added a backlight to make the
rendered in a rather relaxed style. I tried character seem more three dimensional. Finally, I
some new techniques to create a added a hint of texture on the fabric of the sleeves After
heavy feeling and chest to complete this portion.

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Art
I painted over the original

design according to my new
sketch to tweak the pose and
Develop the
some of her garments.
head
How to paint the head from
sketch to final render
I felt that the piece needed

an overall boost of contrast.
I used Photoshop’s Curves Rough sketch I drew a simple silhouette and
adjustment for this and began 01 lines to show her outer contours. The corner of
working seriously on the the eyes are tilted, chin sharp and the hair colour black.
highlights and shadows.
otherworldly, magical character. The overall pattern is

moiré, a double-overlaid grid that creates a shimmering
look, adding to the magical element.
I changed this design several times. One thing I added and
then removed was a lantern. Fox spirits are often
02 Overlay colour I used overlapping to colour,
associated with them so I initially placed one on her thigh then built another layer for the light source. The
underneath her sleeve, but quickly decided that it was too hair colour changed to white and her mouth open.
eye catching. The effect was beginning to
I spent time watching a video of models posing for a get slightly muddy, so I drew
lingerie company so I had more of a sense of how women out more details and made
move when wearing these kinds of clothes. As I looked at further adjustments to the
the way the garments fell, I introduced more flowing shapes colour tone.
and asymmetry in order to make the image feel more
energetic and elegant.
Most of my effort went into the design, so production
methods were relatively simple. I added new techniques Create a
into the more complex or improvised parts; some to
achieve the shimmering, painterly effect and others just as character
personal exploration. I’ve become used to painting with one
03 Add details Saturating colours in the lighter
of Photoshop’s preset brushes from start to finish, always During any creative parts made highlights and shade more apparent.
with the Wet Edges setting. Using just one brush is good process, the I also added smoky eyes, a beauty spot and earrings.
practice as it helps create a more uniform image. Simply temptation to give up
can be strong. This is
change the colour you use, or modify the settings to make
often the case if you
the brush effect wetter or drier. Using different layers or feel the design is
modes like Screen or Multiply, or even using the brush as moving too far away
an eraser, can reveal underlying colours, deepen or from your original
brighten them. If you’re used to using different brushes this concept. If you spend
time studying
can be a hard technique, but with practice you will master it references and styles
and create some skilled renderings. early on and modify
I think concept artists should stick to no more than three the design at the
main hues. This image is magical and otherworldly so concepting stage,
you will be much
makes use of purples, reds and yellows. Other colours Modify and complete Adjust proportions,
should only be used for embellishment. Follow this advice
happier with the
result and less likely
04 lighting and detail. Her earrings became blue,
and you’ll be creating magical concept art in no time! to give up. and headgear design changed to the fox ears instead.

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Creatures
Bring mythical beasts to life
70 Master the art of creature creation
78 Design & model sci-fi creatures
84 Design a 3D alien
90 Develop fantastical animals
98 Master expert creature renders
When
designing a
creature, a good
place to start is
the head
70
90
84
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Art
70
73
98
Master expert
creature
renders in
mental ray

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amazing artwork
Master the art of
creature creation
Artist info
Terrorfish – Leviathan 2014 Maya, ZBrush, MODO, MARI, Photoshop

Benjamin Erdt The idea behind this project was to create a highly complex and
Personal portfolio site detailed sea creature, from concept to model and final render
www.ben-erdt.de Benjamin Erdt Professional 3D artist
Country Netherlands
Software used Maya,
Modo, ZBrush, MARI, This sea monster was created so I could texturing and composition. The following steps will
Photoshop
Character and creature
practise creature modelling and texturing at a demonstrate how the model can be built, textured and
artist, utilising a range of large scale. The following tutorial will guide you rendered. Furthermore, we will take a closer look at how
techniques and styles. through the processes I learned, from inspiration through to such a huge and daunting task can be approached and
final render. By the end you should have developed an executed efficiently. This project helped me to gain
understanding of how Maya, ZBrush, MODO, MARI and experience in the creature modelling and texturing field.
Photoshop can be used to tackle such a project. The Hopefully by exploring the process of creating the Leviathan,
Leviathan was a very complex task in terms of modelling, you’ll see how this workflow can benefit your own projects.
Concept
We’ve only explored a relatively small part
of the sea, so I can only imagine what else
might live down there. Due to my
fascination with sea-life – especially
deep-sea creatures – and inspired by
monster myths, I wanted to create my own
interpretation of a Leviathan beast.
Source files
available
Tutorial screenshots

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Art

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Inspiration and research

Develop your ideas and gather reference
Set your goals For this project I conceived the Start designing It’s the head that will define the whole character, so let’s start
01 Leviathan as an enormous creature living in the ocean. To
02 working on this first. To make our beast look more aggressive, double his lower jaw into
get a sense of the scale, I imagined that an aircraft carrier would an inner and an outer one. We can also add four individually sized eyes on each side. Based on
be a little toy compared to its size. The song lyrics of a well-known the anglerfish, we want to give him fluorescent tips that illuminate his face. This will help to draw
pirate metal band describe the hunt for a Leviathan as well as the viewer’s eye to the creature’s head in the final image. To support the transformation from a
the fight, which were the initial sparks of inspiration to design and rather humanoid upper chest into a whale-like design, let the limbs morph into fins as they go
create the beast in 3D. We want to make a creature that is a hybrid down the body. In order to add more continuity and consistency to the overall design, make the
between several aquatic animals with an emphasis on deep-sea tips of the large back fins elongate until they become long tentacles.
fishes. Gather reference images – for this project, I went for images
of viperfish, anglerfish, squid, sea snakes, whales and prehistoric
sea creatures as well as reading articles about recently
discovered species. When gathering animal reference images
it’s worth visiting sites such as www.thefeaturedcreature.com.
Along with a large database, it is updated weekly with images
and scientific information about bizarre, beautiful and recently
discovered species of the animal world. Compile your image
references and print them out so you don’t have to repeatedly load
them up while working.
Keep it
simple
When learning how to sculpt
or draw a skull, a general idea
is to break it down into simple
planes and primitive shapes.
It’s worth referring to Eliot
Goldfinger’s Human Anatomy
for Artists to look for examples
Work on overall shape When combining of this. Tweaking the
03 your varied sea creature reference elements proportions and silhouette of
the design is also an easier
into an overall form, make sure that the Leviathan looks task when dealing with simpler
convincing for life in its habitat. When straightening shapes. Applying this process
the body from tip to tail, the overall shape still has to be to your designs is important to
make even the most
dynamic and functional for proper swimming. Check bizarre-looking creatures easy
the image for step 3 supplied with the disc – it shows the to read and acceptable to the
straight body from a top view and compares the detailed human eye. The ways that I
check design readability are
body with a blurred version. You can see that even with its by squinting my eyes and
enormous size and complexity, the shapes of the creature blurring the image, or having a
copy of the viewport window
can be broken down into a simple fish. This is important for that shows the model from a
readability and therefore a believable design. greater distance.

Guide
Art
Benjamin Erdt
I have been fascinated
by Sci-Fi universes and
fantasy movie creatures
since I was a child, so I
trained myself in CG art
so that I could make my
own. Here are two other Saric/Killzone: Shadow Fall Maya, ZBrush, Monster Concept Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop
projects that I have MODO, Photoshop (2013) (2013)
O For Killzone: Shadow Fall I worked on Saric’s head, O One of the monsters that managed to make it from my
invested a lot of time in. creating the high-poly, game mesh and textures. sketchbook into a final 3D render.
Model the creature

Start building the beast’s head and model the body shape
Model the eyes Most of my creature
04 projects start with the head, as it is the
most important part of the figure. The best place
to start is with the eyes. My reference for the look
of the eyes was the prehistoric fish known as
Xiphactinus. Using Maya, create a PolySphere
for the fish eye, flatten it a bit and start building
the eye socket around it with standard polygon
modelling techniques. Starting with a single
polygon, work your way around the eye by
extruding edges, adding edge loops, cutting
faces as well as pulling and pushing components
into shape. Repeat this process for each of the
eyes. Keeping the eye sockets separate will make
it easier to tweak their relative positions.
Develop the head The head is

05 obviously very complex, so we need to
spend a good deal of time tweaking to make
it accurate. We should start by blocking out
the parts that contribute the most to the overall
shapes and silhouette. In this case these are the
eyes, the glowing antennas, the placeholders
where the scales will be, the tentacles surrounding
the head, the teeth, the jaw lines and the basic
layering of the skin around the cheeks. Keeping
these parts separate makes it easier to adjust the
silhouette. Once we’re happy with the silhouette
and shapes, fill in the spaces in between and
stitch the parts together.
Create the body and limbs The

06 body is created in much the same way as
the head by modelling very rough representations
of the features. Lay down the basic foundation for
shapes, silhouette and volume. Once the correct
proportions are established, continue adding
more definition and detail. From time to time we
should take a break from working so that we can
look at it with fresh eyes when we come back. This
helps to spot any proportional issues.

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Add scales Most of the scales are
07 separate objects and are not modelled into
the body geometry. By approaching the scales this
way, we can give them individual UVs and therefore
greater texture resolution and detail. Four different
types of scales should be created as a starting
point – bigger plate-like scales to go along the tail,
medium-sized scales for the back and shoulder
area, U-shaped scales going from the chest down
to the belly and smaller scales to be used as t
rims to create a transition to the skin. All of these
different scale types should be copied,
transformed and tweaked by hand across the
body. This is a very time-consuming process,
but it will give you the cleanest and best results
for both the design and articulation.
Tidy up the scene

Clean up the scene and import into MODO to create UVs
Clean up After the modelling is complete,
08 clean up the scene to prepare it for creating
UVs. This includes deleting the history of all objects,
snapping their pivot to the world space centre,
freezing transforms, checking for flipped normals
and deleting unused nodes and empty groups.
Naming all objects properly helps to maintain the
overview of the model. Proper naming can also
reduce issues with scripts that need to iterate through
your outliner. After the clean-up process, the entire
creature model is organised and ready for export into
MODO. The same hierarchy in our outliner is going to
be the folder structure for the OBJ files. Each OBJ file
has the same name it has in Maya to make it easier
to rebuild the outliner hierarchy inside the MODO
item list.
Stay
clean
When working on a large
project like the this, think
about what could be done in
advance to stay organised
and efficient in later stages.
Before creating any polygons,
start thinking about the
targeted geometry resolution,
which pieces are going to be
separate, which parts are
visually more important for the
later render and which need
extra attention. During the
modelling process we’ll be
working towards these
specifications. Having a
proper naming convention is
helpful to maintain the
overview of the scene as well
as the project folder and to
quickly track down objects
Unwrap in MODO Before creating UVs, think slowdowns while painting. The torso is the largest object and
09 about where we want the texture seams to be and therefore it needs to be split into nine individual UV patches.
that could cause errors. It also
makes it easier to transfer
which objects are going to share the same UV space. I The scales are packed together with eight to 20 scales in each objects between applications
and ensures a smooth
decided to go for a maximum of 4096x4096 texture maps as group, depending on their size. Here a texture resolution of texturing workflow for the
they have enough density for the targeted render resolution. 2048x2048 per group is enough to reach the desired detail 100+ parts that the creature
level. Unwrap and import back into Maya for the next step. model is built out of.
Larger texture maps would lead to longer loading times and

Guide
Art
Sculpt finer
10 details Use
ZBrush to sculpt surface
details. Each OBJ of the
creature model will be
imported as a separate
SubTool into ZBrush. For
objects like the torso, which
has multiple UV patches,
use the UV Groups option
in the Polygroups palette to
assign a Polygroup to the
parts of the mesh that share
the same UV patch. This
is going to be important
for baking Displacement
maps. In this project, the
brushes that I frequently
used for the model were
the Standard brush, Clay
brush, the Slash brushes,
Dam Standard and Inflate.
To keep the sculpted details
consistent, stick with one
type of detail and finish it on
all parts of the model before
introducing new detail
patterns. In areas where
the pre-modelled scales
needed to blend smoothly
with the underlying skin,
sculpt in scales to create the
desired transition.
Texture painting
Use maps and layers to texture the Leviathan
11 Create additional Bump

maps The Displacement maps Cavity
provide the necessary detail pattern and maps
density when looking at the model from a
distance. To visually support the huge size To have a guide while texture
painting and so that you can
of the creature with an appropriate detail bring some detail back into
hierarchy, it’s worth adding a Fine Detail layer the individual textures, create
a Fine Cavity map in ZBrush.
on top using additional Bump maps. When The method that I use is quite
zooming in closer to the creature’s body, the old but still very effective.
Bump maps reveal the little details like pores, Choose the stock ZBrush
MatCap SketchShade4 and
barnacles, wrinkles and other patterns. First, import the particular
create a set of tiled grey scale maps using Displacement map as an
Photoshop. In MARI 2.5, the Tiled Procedural Alpha. By using the Crop and
Fill Function (Alpha>Transfer>
layer should be used to spread the maps CropAndFill), ZBrush will
across the model. By painting on the layer generate a flat map based on
the height information of the
mask we can control the strength and Displacement map and the
visibility of the details. This process was used MatCap. This method tends to
to create five different types of skin detail, work best if the Displacement
map is configured to have
which were then combined together into one around 50% grey as
Bump map. no displacement.

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Block out colour After importing the
12 creature into MARI and setting up all
shaders and layer stacks, begin roughly blocking out
the basic colours for the creature. As the beginning
of this texturing process is very experimental, don’t
use more than three different colours. The goal is to
find a fitting colour scheme, pattern and hierarchy.
Instead of painting on empty layers, use colour
constants with masks, which will enable you to
edit colours and patterns separately. Along with
MARI’s masking and adjustment stacks, the colour
blocking process will become very flexible and less
destructive. Once satisfied with the basic layers,
move on to the next level of detail. We’ll work with
the tones of the existing colours and use a variety of
organic brushes and MARI’s procedural layers to
add more variation to the skin and to blend between
different colours and patterns.
Take it into Photoshop For

13 final texture edits and creating maps
like Roughness, Reflection, Normal/Bump
and SSS layers, set up a PSD work file for
each piece of the creature model. The image
to the right shows the Photoshop hierarchy
of one of the arm textures. The MARI pass
is the base, while all additional texture edits
are added on top in a group called Painting.
Use the previously generated Bump maps
as masks for more texture detail and to make
them pop out more in the final render. To bring
back details of the high-res sculpt, we will
generate a Fine Cavity map in ZBrush and
blend it very lightly on top of the Diffuse.
Final rendering
Pose and render the final composition
Pose the creature We’ll now create a low-resolution Set the scene in MODO The model consists of 100 parts. Each
14 representation of the model to be used as a rig mesh and as a driver 15 has its own material, which is named after the object it’s assigned to.
of the high-resolution geometry. This will make posing a lot faster as we This helps to control the overview of the large Shader Tree. Before loading in any
won’t have to deform a multimillion polygon model. After posing the low-res Diffuse, Roughness, Reflection or other maps, do some test renders to check the
mesh, switch to the high-res geometry to see the results. The rig consists Displacement and Bump maps. Regions with UV seams need extra attention as they
of a simple FK driven joint hierarchy, which is sufficient enough to pose the can cause artefacts when displacing, or show cuts in the Bump or Normal maps.
Leviathan for the render scene. Once happy with the pose, export all objects Once the Displacement and Bump maps render cleanly, continue adding other texture
into MODO using a Batch Export script. In MODO, polish the pose by fixing maps. For lighting, use an HDRI to provide the lighting information of an ocean storm
deformation issues and distortions caused by the skin weights of the rig. For scenario. To create the rim light effects on the creature’s left side, add an area light at
this task, MODO’s Sculpting tools will come in handy. the appropriate position. Another area light can be added to emphasise the specular
highlights caused by lightning..

Guide
Art
Render passes When

16 working on the final composition,
it’s important to be able to edit individual
objects through masks, so you can
adjust highlights, reflection and depth,
or to tweak intensity and brightness of
each light. In order to gain full control
over the features of the final image,
render out a number of passes. Next to
the standard ones like Beauty, AO and
Depth, render a pass for RGB Lights,
Object Space Normals, Reflection,
Specular, Shadows, RGB Masks,
Fresnel and fine AO. By disabling all the
Bump maps, we’ll render an additional
Specular pass of the highlights only
caused by the Displacement maps.
This will enable us to adjust the bigger
highlights of the skin and scales. The
image above shows some of the passes
I rendered for the final composition.
To
end
Working on a project of this
scale can be quite a
challenge, but it’s also good
training as it covers multiple
disciplines of the design
process, from modelling,
sculpting and texture painting
to shading, lighting and
rendering. You also learn how
to stay organised and think
ahead. Breaking this project
down into smaller steps made
it easier to plan and was
therefore more feasible.
Tweak the final composition Using the previously

17 rendered passes and adjustment layers for colour correction
like Brightness/Contrast, Color Balance, Hue/Saturation, Curves and
Levels, we’ll end up with a base version of the composed image. This
is going to be the starting point for the final touches in Photoshop. The
background is based on Cloud layers in combination with Custom
Cloud brushes. For the water splashes, experiment with different types
of Noise layers as well as Water brushes. Render passes allow for a lot
of experimentation when creating effects and tweaking the image. The
Depth pass can be used to create a depth of field effect or as a mask
for a Saturation adjustment layer. The fluorescent lights can be used
to draw the viewer’s eye to the face, as they are the only objects with a
glowing turquoise colour. Flipping the image horizontally from time to
time is a good way to refresh the eyes and to spot composition issues.

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Design & model

sci-fi creatures
amazing artwork Lukruk – The Thelarian Elite 2012 Maya, MODO, ZBrush, MARI, NUKE
Artist info
Here I’ll discuss how I created a highly complex and functional

armoured alien character, from concept through to final vision
Ben Erdt Professional artist currently working at Guerrilla Games
Lukruk is an armoured alien character I rigging and animation in mind, without compromising the
Ben Erdt created as an exercise at Vancouver Film original design intent. I’ll also share my approach for
School. During this process you’ll get an insider’s keeping clean topology for efficient subdivision, rigging,
Personal portfolio site view of his creation from the first spark of inspiration texturing and rendering.
www.ben-erdt.de
Country Netherlands to the final render. By the end of the steps you’ll have a full This project was a great learning experience for me in
Software used Maya, 3ds understanding of how Maya, MODO, ZBrush, MARI, fields such as design, modelling, texturing, rigging,
Max, MODO, ZBrush, Photoshop and NUKE can be used. animation, rendering and VFX, as well as how to
MARI, NUKE, Photoshop
Lukruk was a very complex project from both a design collaborate with other disciplines. I hope the little nuggets
Concepting and producing
both hard-surface and and technical point of view, so here you can get a closer of experience shared here will help and inspire you with
organic models. look at how to design and build complex characters with your own characters.
Make a concept
Develop who and what your character is
Turn inspiration into a concept I imagined a futuristic knight

01 standing on a high platform. Since he’s extra-terrestrial, I wondered what if
an alien race – after their first contact with mankind – became inspired by human
history, especially by stories about the Knights Templar and the samurai. If they
used their superior technology and created their own group of protectors, what
would a member of this group look like? I imagined them as characters who are
spiritual, intelligent and serene but also as powerful and unpredictable creatures.
Only their strongest hatchlings are selected and Lukruk was one of the chosen.
In-depth design As the head is the

02 focal point of the character, I wanted to
make sure Lukruk had a very expressive face and The body and armour Lukruk’s armour was designed to be
attitude. I wasn’t happy about the first iteration, 03 functional and built for protection, but it’s also supposed to have a bit of an
because he didn’t look as powerful as I wanted elegant and ceremonial touch that comes through the curved lines and shapes.
so I made his head more angled and sharp along Because I imagined the model having lots of detail, I figured a more humanoid
the jaw. The argus monitor lizard was a great silhouette would be better to read. When putting on the armour, the longer tail
reference for this. The elongated cartilage tips was supposed to be a mechanical extension that could be used as a weapon.
on Lukruk’s chin further helped to emphasise As a reference for his facial expression and attitude, I referred to heads of birds
the shape of the head. To counter the aggressive of prey such as eagles and hawks. For the hard-surface parts of the armour I
features of his design a little, and add some collected images of sports motorcycles, CNC machine parts and landing gear –
conflict, I gave him two small ears. incredibly useful reference when approaching design as functionality.

Guide
Art
Source files
available
VËË7ajËÍÖÍÁ?ËwËM?~Ë

?ÜÍßË?¬ÄËË ##Ë
VËË7ajËÍÖÍÁ?ËÄÝ~Ë
Í¬ÄËwÁËÄßjÍÁW?Ë
aj~ËË ?ß?
VËË7ajËÍÖÍÁ?ËËÁ~~~Ë
MßËÁË-j
Concept
Inspired by the unpredictable-looking
reptiles such as tegus and iguanas, the
spiritual feel of Gregorian chant, the armour
of the samurai, as well as the Knights
Templar, I decided to create Lukruk, an
armoured alien lizard knight.

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Work on the model

Begin sculpting in Maya
Work on the head Starting out in Maya, I always begin modelling the
04 head because it’s the most important part of the figure and can determine Refine the head After blocking in the eyes, I move over to the mouth,
the look and feel of the character. For example, a bulky head with a fat neck would 05 ears, lips, the jaw and the bony structures around the head. The goal is
make me expect an appropriate body to support it. I start with the eyes first, to create the individual facial features first and stitch them together at the end.
placing a polySphere at the position where the eyeball sits and scaling it to fit. When they are separate, it’s easier to move them around and adjust the head
For shaping the eye socket, I usually start with a single polygon and work my way proportions. With the eyes filling the spaces in between, you can already see what
around the eyeball. When beginning work on a model, start simple, as too many the proportions and volumes are going to be. Above Lukruk’s eyes I created a row
polygons can make any fixes later on rather difficult and time-consuming. of eyebrow-like scales, which help when conveying emotion.
Model the body When modelling the body I followed the same approach as for
06 the head. I started modelling, then tweaking very rough representations of the features
to build the correct silhouette, shape and volume. In order to manage the amount of detail in
the original concept art, I broke it down to primary, secondary and tertiary shapes using colour
coding. During the modelling process, I needed to determine the large and small shapes, as
well as where they join or overlap one another without constantly referring back the original
concept work. The chest was one of the more complex pieces, so I wanted it to fit as neatly as
possible. Since everything else was proportionally correct at the end, the chest was very easy
to add in.
Efficient topology To avoid inefficient geometry, the topology was created to

07 look nice and smooth, with a maximum of two subdivisions, though most of the pieces
needed only one. The overall rule was to have complex forms and shapes with a decent amount
of polygons for each object. In effect this made life a lot easier for later unwrapping and texturing
all the pieces. Always try to stay as clean and efficient as you can and it’ll pay off later on.

Guide
Art
The model versus the rig Making sure that

08 Lukruk wasn’t only functional in design but also in terms
of articulation was a challenge, so I gave extra focus to areas that
were most visible and complex. One of the more complicated Sculpt skin details ZBrush was used for detailing the head. As for reference, I chose
parts was the waist, as the tail, shield flaps and legs all come
09 images of crocodile skin to create a smooth transition between the separate scales and
together in this region. To avoid individual armour parts touching skin. Greek turtles have a noisy scale pattern on their neck that I used for inspiration when sculpting
or interpenetrating one another, I used a basic proxy rig while the softer skin parts on the character’s face. I used the Clay brush to block out scales, then while
modelling to ensure any changes made improved deformation sculpting in the surface details I kept the design of his head in mind, making sure the details didn’t
as well as design. Instancing geo here also served to improve overwhelm the overall aesthetic. The Slash2 brush was used to sculpt in some overlapping scales,
iteration times. To make the tail believable and to maximise the while the Slash3 and Dam Standard helped to emphasise the crevices in between. The Inflat and
range of movement, its inner core was based on a row of single Standard brushes add more volume to the fleshier areas, while hPolish was used to break some of
vertebrae inspired by the chameleon – one of the few lizards that the hard edges of the scales. Once happy with the result, I rendered the Displacement map inside
can completely roll their tails. This dynamic tail is key to Lukruk’s ZBrush. Here I chose an 8,000 pixel-sized map to have an opportunity for a higher-res detail pass
personality and body language. in MARI.
Sculpt skin details

10
A clear end goal Before jumping into MARI I
wanted to make a colour concept for
It’s important to know the end purpose of your the head to get a better idea of the
creation. In this case the character was a production possibilities therein. I rendered out
model for a short movie. At the end we were going basic passes – AO, Depth, Shadow
to need many high-res textures, as well as a and two Light passes – using the BPR
complex mesh with lots of individual pieces that
were going to be rigged and animated, but we also Render in ZBrush, just as a base to
wanted to keep the render times as short as paint on in Photoshop. Once they
possible. I thought about what could be done in were composited I started to build up
advance in order to stay efficient without the skin, while each group and layer
compromising quality. For example, adding simple represented a paint step for the skin.
colour shaders while modelling can help to get a
better overview of the shapes and details. Also step As a result I had a clean layer structure
back and see if the model still fits the concept art. that was going to be rebuilt in MARI to
achieve the textured look.

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Clean up the scene

Prepare and unwrap the geometry for the next stages
Complexity demands
organisation
Lukruk has an extremely complex hierarchy. Counting meshes alone, around
1,800 different objects needed to be named, grouped, organised, unwrapped and
laid out efficiently in UV space. A clean scene is vital to making your life and those
of your colleagues easier. Clean UVs within a good layout are half the texture job
and even riggers can benefit. I decided to unwrap everything in MODO because I
was going to bake Cavity, Flat, Diffuse and RGB maps in it. Switching applications
also brought a bit of variation into this tedious process as I like using a Cintiq when
working inside MODO. When it comes to polygon-modelling, especially, this is one
of the most artistic methods I have found.
Sort and name the pieces In order keep the

11 amount of potential issues low later on, it’s important
to keep a clean scene. I went through the scene hierarchy and
deleted nodes such as empty groups, duplicates, unused nodes
and so on, to make sure there was no excess left that could cause
12 Unwrap all the pieces I exported the pieces as individual OBJ files for UV-
problems at a later stage. All geo objects were sorted according to generation, plus the MTL file to keep the assigned colour shaders inside MODO for
the design hierarchy of the character. For example, everything in later texture-baking. The tools I predominantly used were UV Unwrap, Relax UV and UV Peeler.
the left arm was contained in a Group node. Individual objects were Unwrap and Relax are helpful for generating and refining UVs of shapes that are more organic
then grouped separately according to their visibility, size and shape and curved. The UV Peeler is a fast tool to unwrap pipes and hoses. For simpler shapes that are
hierarchy. Each group represented one quadrant in UV space, more cubic, spherical or cylindrical, I used the UV Projection tool as a starting point, as it offers
which was the foundation for the UV-layout and texturing process. appropriate projection types. The screenshot shows the finished UVs for a part of the foot.
Collaboration is key
This project was a shared effort between several
people, with Amir Ronen performing rigging and
secondary animation, Colin Giles completing primary
animation and myself responsible for design, modelling
and texturing. We shared and referenced the main rig
as a master file that was frequently updated with rigging
information by Amir.
When Colin, the animator, started blocking out the
animation, I could work on the textures and shaders. In
order to stay on course, we had regular meetings to
discuss our progress, the next steps in the work, and to
discuss any current issues that might have arisen.
Supplied with your free resources, you’ll find several
video tutorials from Amir Ronen (www.amirronen.com)
who generously provides an in-depth look at his own
rigging workflow.

Guide
Art
Prepare textures
Enhance and refine the character
Begin authoring textures After unwrapping the

14 entire character model, I ended up with almost 50 sets of
four to five textures, so it was important to maintain a consistent
Cavity/Convexity maps in MODO Since I was going to texture the actual workflow. The hidden Plain Diffuse layer was used as a selection
13 high-res character mesh, I used Cavity maps as a guide for painting textures. These guide. The Dirt Effects group slightly broke up the flat colour among
were baked inside MODO using the Occlusion shader. They also helped to bring back some all the textures and added overall dirt and grime to the character.
detail into the Diffuse texture. In MODO I added the Occlusion shader to the Shader Tree and The MARI group consisted of object-specific layers that were
set it to Concavity with a Max Distance of 60cm and a Spread Angle of 45 degrees. I created painted in MARI 1.4, although this workflow was improved thanks to
another Render Output, set it to Diffuse Coefficient and made sure the Diffuse Amount inside MARI 2’s full PSD support. Additionally, to make the final character
the base material was at 100%. The desired texture resolution for the particular object was design easier to read, I made his feet more muddy, while reducing
set inside the MODO Render Properties. Remember, baking these maps in MODO using the this effect higher up his body. This resulted in a light colour gradient
Occlusion shader takes some time. On your disc you’ll find a step-by-step video guide for from bottom to top. I also focused more on areas that look worn-out
baking Cavity maps. and used in order to add a bit more history to his armour.
Render and post-production

Finish with tiny details and complete render passes
Render out passes The screenshot shows the passes that an

16 average shot required. My friend and colleague Andrew Paxson (www.
andrewpaxson.com) was in charge of compositing and adding VFX inside NUKE
and he did an amazing job. I wanted to give Andrew as much control as possible
Include dirt and paint chips Alongside some hand-painting, over the shots, so to give us the opportunity to tweak the blue parts of the body
15 I also used photomanipulation for texturing Lukruk – something that armour, I took the flat colour textures that I baked before texturing and created
increased his sense of believability. A great source for photo textures is www. simple RGB maps. The result was a pass in which R represented the metal types,
cgtextures.com. In order to add paint chips to the character, I chose a texture G represented pieces that could cause potential artefacts and noise, while B
with a high contrast between the paint and the areas where it had faded. I represented all the blue parts of the armour. Staying clean and organised like
created a selection using Color Range and used it as a mask on a solid colour this from the very beginning saved us a lot of time during lighting, rendering and
layer. This enabled more control if I needed to change the hue, saturation or composition. There was one case during the first render test in which I had a bad
brightness. Back in MODO I then baked an additional Cavity map with a lower polygon causing the Subdivision Approximation to crash mental ray. However,
range, as well as a Convexity map that was used to emphasise the edges in the because the character model had an elegantly structured hierarchy, the bad
roughness texture. piece could be tracked down and quickly fixed.

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Design a 3D alien Source files

available
Free tutorial files on
the disc
The Wraith 2013 Photoshop, ZBrush

Learn how to create 3D cinematic concept art that’s good
enough for the movies Digital artists explain the
Justin Fields Concept artist amazing artwork
Artist info
Over these steps we are going to be jumping We’ll use DynaMesh along with standard ZBrush tools to
into ZBrush with plenty of reference to create a build up all the creature’s kinks, wrinkles, muscles and other
cinematic creature concept. Within production, details. The point of interest of The Wraith is its menacing
ZBrush is an extremely valuable tool. By spending head, complete with a sizeable set of teeth, so we’ll only
time creating a sculpt, rather than drawing, you’re able to focus on this once the easier main body
create an asset that can be reposed, textured and altered is complete.
very quickly and easily. This results in multiple angles and ZBrush is also a great tool to use in conjunction with Justin ‘Goby’ Fields
visuals all within a single 3D package and means you’re Photoshop, where you can achieve great-looking results by
able to produce an orthographic view in seconds, rather painting on top of your renders. This is where we’ll complete www.justingobyfields.com
than days. post-production work on the model. Country USA
Photoshop
Concept art for films and
games, including creatures,
characters and
environments.
Establish a base
Build your concept using simple shapes & ZSpheres
Reference
02 is key Keep
a collection of images
on another monitor to
constantly refer to and
keep the design in check.
Nature is the greatest tool
in any artist’s arsenal, so
spend some time studying
photos. For this project,
observing insects and their
body parts is useful.
Use ZSpheres as a starting point After

01 gathering reference and figuring out what the main
goals are for the concept, we’ll start building the creature using
ZSpheres. Sometimes in production it may be faster to begin
with a preset base mesh from a previous sculpt, just to speed
things up. Here we’ll be starting from scratch to see what the Don’t rush things We’ll need to spend a lot of time detailing the head, so we’ll save this
overall look will be. Once we have the proportions right, we 03 until last. At this stage, staying at a lower subdivision level will help us make major design
can break the work into separate SubTools and then move to changes fast without the sculpt getting too loose. Try to keep major elements as separate SubTools
DynaMesh. so you can really subdivide and get some great details.

Guide
Art
Concept
With The Wraith I wanted
to focus on an insect-style
monster with elongated
limbs and a multi-jointed
mouth to give him some
intimidating features.
Adding more aggressive
shapes also helps create a
frightening alien concept.

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Create a dynamic concept

Take your time, choose your plan of attack and stick to it
Tighten up the graphics Now that we have a lot

05 more digital clay to push around, we can really dive into
some serious detail. Using some of the same techniques from
the previous step, we’ll continue to refine detail and define the
interesting shapes. We can also start laying the groundwork for
Develop shapes & form Going up in subdivisions now and looking at the wrinkles, edges, creases and apexes. The final pass of detail will
04 references, we’ll use the Clay Buildup brush to establish the broad outline of the creature. make your work much easier.
Once this is done we can really start to plot out the concept, and smooth and cut into the flesh of
the model. When working as part of a team, make sure you consider the artist you’ll be handing
over to. Digital is limitless, but it’s worth keeping in mind that someone else may need to fit inside
your design. For most of the organic sculpting we’ll use variations of the Dam Standard brush
Sculpting heads
plus various stock Alphas in ZBrush. You can also use the Standard and Clay Buildup brushes
at a very low pressure to blend in and out of shapes. Depending on the concept, I like to wait and leave
the detailed sculpting of the head until last.
Sometimes I also take what I have so far, drop it in
Photoshop and do quick paint-overs to get a few
variations. This way I can see which direction I want
to take the final sculpt in.
06 Begin work on the head After adding the head we’ll use DynaMesh and the
SnakeHook brush to pull out some interesting shapes. Following the same steps we used
on the body, quickly lay out the shapes and detail them. We can add eyes early on, then test
different shapes and sizes to see what looks best. After these are in place, make sure that the
underlying shapes support the sockets to give the head a bit more character.

Guide
Art
Build up the features

Apply details & choose an active pose
Layer on textures & fine detail Try to keep your design grounded with areas of Play with tonality Colour can drastically change
07 rest and subtle textures. Experimenting with stock Alphas and different brushes in ZBrush, 08 how your design is perceived. Try choosing a flat colour
as well as pressure, is a really great way to learn just what the tools can offer a project. Using and airbrushing variations in to slowly build up the tones.
LightCaps to see how light is affecting the surface of your creature may also affect some of your Masking out the cavities and adding some dirt always helps to
design decisions. make your designs ‘pop’ as well.
Colour can drastically Save time with Alphas

change how your design is It’s worth spending time making and collecting Alphas. Pixologic has built a large
collection of stock Alphas into ZBrush to choose from already, but it’s also very easy
perceived. Try choosing a to use Photoshop to build up your own collection for your personal sculpting needs.
To create Alphas in Photoshop, simply create an image at 1,024 x 1,024 pixels and
flat colour and airbrushing desaturate it to get a high-contrast, black-and-white image. If the image has edges,
you may want to darken these gradually with a soft round brush – this will make it
variations in slowly easier to work with in ZBrush. Simply save your Photoshop image as a JPG or PSD
and import it into ZBrush through the Alpha palette.
Pose the character Since a stagnant pose is

09 a good way not to get your design picked by clients,
we’re going to add a slight variation. Usually it’s a safe move to
turn the head slightly and shrug the shoulders to mimic a bit of
action. Using the Transpose Master plug-in here is a godsend, Turn off Symmetry
as this will keep all your SubTools in line with the model while 10 At this point we can add further detail without the Symmetry function turned on to give the
you pose it. Hit the TposeMesh button, then after posing hit the design some love. Get in there and add various details and wrinkles. This step helps make your
Tpose>SubT button and ZBrush will align all of your SubTools design unique by adding variation, so take the time to really consider what you’re applying where
with the posed mesh. and always keep your goals in mind.

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Choose your angle Get ready to start the composition by finding your favourite
11 angle and locking that in the camera view via the ZAppLink properties. Some of your
details will inevitably get lost in the view that you choose. However, if you need a different pose,
DynaMesh
all you have to do is repose and re-comp, rather than go back to re-sculpt detail that isn’t there.
Having detail in there and not needing it is better than needing and not having it.
means freedom
Using DynaMesh in conjunction with extractions frees
up a lot of technical modelling issues and enables
limitless creation possibilities. Pixologic has really broken
the creative barrier with this solution, as well as the Insert
brushes. Using these in production has made me a
faster artist and has provided assets for the pipeline that
can be used again. Seeing how a practical design studio
builds and replicates props has really opened up the
worlds of kit-bashing and production modelling to me.
Render your creature After establishing the lighting

12 and BPR settings, we’ll begin rendering out the passes for
post. We’ll get the basic passes out of the way so we can play with
some options for use in Photoshop. After this we’ll get various light
passes for fill and rim lights.
Bring it to life in Photoshop

Move to post-production and refine your creature
Add some atmosphere Painting in Photoshop now, this is

Final composition When you have all of your render passes, take 14 another fun stage of the process. In this step we can drop in a few gradient
13 them into Photoshop and lay them on top of one another. Putting the flat spotlights to mimic the light setup and blend the alien into the background. At this
model pass first, we can begin experimenting with blending layer options. This stage you can also opt to drop a photo into your backdrop – just remember to
can vary with every piece, so use your artistic eyes and see what works best. match the perspective of your character.

Guide
Art
Adjust with layers Being confident in Photoshop will help at this point as it’s key
15 to make changes in a non-destructive way. Using masks and adjustment layers is vital
in production, as this way the changes aren’t permanent and each can be developed to suit
your art director’s various demands. Another valid concern is that you may not be the only one
working on the piece, so make it easy to edit, label those layers and keep it clean. Because you
have to keep things organised and non-destructive, you will probably end up with a few hundred
layers while building up your post effects and painting on top of your render.
Add final details Now we can start painting in some

16 detail work using photo overlays of textures. Complete
some final touchups and effects, but take the time to blend
everything properly. The time you spend at this level really ties the
piece together.
Because you
have to keep things
organised and non-
destructive, you
will probably end
up with a few
hundred layers
Make the finishing touches Now we can add in a small vignette and a little chromatic
17 aberration to help prevent the creature from looking like a 3D render. We can also add a little noise to
break up the image.

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amazing artwork
Artist info
Danail Nikov
http://didom.cghub.com
www.behance.net/didom
Country Sofia, Bulgaria
ZBrush, 3ds Max, V-Ray
Danail Nikov is a freelance
3D artist working in
advertising, for movies and
on personal projects
Concept
I’ve always been interested in
the nature around us. Why do
hummingbirds fly backwards?
Why do flies have compound
eyes? How come sharks don’t
have bones?
Nature is a mystery that
inspires my work. With this
project, my goal was to create
a nonexistent animal,
combining the characteristics
of three different creatures
already present in our natural
habitats. Even though they are
all completely different, they
all, rather remarkably, share
something in common.

Guide
Art
Develop fantastical
animals
Chagirro 2012 Photoshop, ZBrush, 3ds Max, V-Ray, UV Layout
Source files
available
Tutorial files on the disc
Learn how to create hybrid creatures, combining various species

from the animal kingdom
Danail Nikov 3D artist
The concept of cross-evolution is a great area flowers attract insects; while a giraffe can catch food with its
for provoking and inspiring your imagination in extraordinary tongue.
your 3D art and design work. The animal I’m In this tutorial you will learn how to combine objects,
creating for this tutorial – using ZBrush, 3ds Max, V-Ray, compose a scene, retpopologise in 3ds Max and pose
UVLayout and Photoshop – is a mix of a chameleon, a using animation tools.
flower and a giraffe. I’ve chosen this bizarre combination So let’s experiment with some different objects and
because a chameleon is adapted for climbing and hunting; methods to create a fantastical hybrid creature.
Establish a concept 3ds Max Retopology

Forge a surreal idea in your mind For retopology work in 3ds Max I tend to use Graphite
Begin tools, which are very easy and convenient. Simply go
01 modelling to the Freeform tab, choose Surface and select the
high-res model, where you can put the new polygons.
It’s good to work with Use Offset to control the distance to be glued on the
simple objects at this model. Pull the polygons with Extend and make use of
stage as they are easy materials for better visualisation of your topology. For
to manipulate and will the high-res model, choose a Standard material with a
darker colour. Use the Standard material for the new
provide more freedom topology. Tick Color in Self-Illumination and choose a
to make changes, which bright colour – orange, for example. Tick Wire in Basic
is why I use ZSpheres Parameters so that you will
for the body and the have better visibility of your
tree. To model the other
new topology. This method
refers only to the Default
objects I start from Scanline Renderer setup.
spheres, leaving them I also use Wrapit, which is
as separate SubTools a very useful and
at the beginning. This convenient plug-in for
retopology, available for free
helps me manipulate, at www.matt-clark.co.uk/
transform and change wrapit.
them quickly.
Combine the objects Retopologise

02 Once happy with the results of my
03 your model For
sculpted objects, I can start combining the retopology process I go
them to form more complex shapes using into 3ds Max and also open
the DynaMesh option at a low level. When Decimation Master. Set
combining the objects, you not only have the number of polygons to
to think about how to merge them, but also 50,000 to avoid navigational
keep in mind that as a complete object problems. Retopologising is
the total number of polygons will be much simple since the model is only
bigger. There’s no right or wrong way going to be used for a static
to do this, so duplicate the objects and image. I don’t need specific
experiment. For static images it’s better to topology, but it should be
keep your elements separated, as this will good enough to make the
make it easier for you to work on the details. pose of the model.

Creatures
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Add detail & establish a pose

Once your topology is clean you can start to add more details
Give the model some
04 shape NSince I’m not
too familiar with the anatomy of
chameleons and giraffes, I have
to use references to make sure
I get accurate results. Using the
Project feature in ZBrush, I can
add the details that I want to save
onto my new retopologised object.
For modelling, I mainly use the
Clay Buildup, Move, Standard and
DamStandard brushes. I would
certainly advise taking your time
over the details and gradually
increasing the resolution as you
progress. Following this process
ensures the model stays concise,
organic and consequently much
more believable.
Pose your creature I

05 already have in mind what
the final pose of the model should
be. When considering this, try to
imagine your creature in its natural
environment, how it would interact
with its surroundings and so on. I’ll use
Transpose Master to work the creature
into a position and choose the Move
and Smooth brushes to repair any
broken areas, where necessary. At this
stage you don’t have to be afraid of
destroying what you’ve already done;
the model is saved, so be brave and
experiment. Once I like the pose, I can
import it into 3ds Max to see how it will
look in front of the camera.
Finish the
06 details For the
final details I need lots of
polygons, so I’ll use HD
Geometry. I can choose
between two methods: the
first is using Stencils with
standard sculpting; the
second is using Stencils with
Projection Master. Both are
identical, but personally I feel
the latter is better – I’ve found
it very useful while making
this creature.

Guide
Art
Make some lunch To make some lunch

07 for the creature I shape the fly using the same
techniques – modelling the basic shape using the
standard primitives of ZBrush, shaping with DynaMesh,
retopologising with 3ds Max and adding final details in
ZBrush. Since the insect isn’t the main character I don’t
need too much time detailing it. Adding some simple
hair helps with the realism without too much effort. I
create a few hairs in 3ds Max and apply them to the
model using the Insert Brush.
Stencils
Here’s how to use Stencils using
Projection Master:
VË¬ÁÍËßÖÁË¬?±
VËËÁËÍjË¬?ËjÖË
WÄjË ?jË.ÍË?aËßÖÁË
.ÍjWËÝË?¬¬j?ÁË®Ë¶ÖWË
ÄÁÍWÖÍËÄËÍËÍË#¬ÍÊÍ´Ë
to turn the Stencil on and
ww^ËÍjËaËÍjËÄ¬?WjM?ÁË
ÍË?Ü~?ÍjËÍjË.ÍjW¯±
VËË jwÁjË¬ÁjWÍ~ËÍjËajÍ?Ë
Í¾ÄË~aËÍË?jËÍjËÁ¬Ë
Í?Á~jÍËÄËÍ?ÍËÍËÝËMjËj?ÄjÁË
ÍËWj?ËÖjWjÄÄ?ÁßË¬?ÁÍÄ±
VËË+ÄjËÍjËajË?ÄËÍ¾ÄË
WÜjjÍËwÁËßÖË?aË
¬ÁjÄÄË+ÁjWÍË ?ÄÍjÁ±Ë
0jËWÄjËjwÁ?ÍË
Á¬Ë!Ý±
VËË8jËßÖË?ÁjËÁj?aßËÝÍË
the details, clear the
Detail the environment To detail the tree I’ll mainly use the Clay Buildup brush. On a lower
ÖjWjÄÄ?ÁßË¬?ÁÍÄËÝÍËÍjË
Á¬ËMÁÖÄ±Ë
08 level I make separate lines following the shape of the tree. It’s not necessary to smooth these
VËËÍ¾ÄË~aËÍËÜ?ÁßËÍjËjwwjWÍË features, as after increasing the level of polygons they will make a great base for smaller details. Next I
MßË?¬¬ß~ËÍjËzË?ÍËÁË
use several Alphas for larger elements and finish by adding the colour texture to the tree. I do this with the
?.Í?a?Áa±Ë
VËË0jËÄÍËawxËWÖÍË¬?ÁÍËÄË Spotlight tool in ZBrush, then duplicate the texture, use it as a mask and add details using the Inflat brush.
jÁ~~ËawwjÁjÍËjjjÍÄ^Ë I decide to use 3ds Max for the leaves, starting with a plane and continuing with the Shell modifier. Keep
MÖÍËÍËÄË¶ÖWË?aË laying on finer elements and texturing them in ZBrush. The leaves are thin objects, so you should switch on
WÜjjÍ± Back Face masking for brushes, including the Smooth brush.

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Texturing tricks
It’s time to map and texture our model to bring the creature to life
Create your UVS All
09 If you’re not sure about
Map extraction UVs for the models are created
using UVLayout (www.uvlayout.com).
the final model you can
Before you start Personally, I find this to be one of the best
Before you it’s start
texturing
texturing
good it’s to
practise
tools for creating UVs, as it’s very easy
and convenient to work with. You can find
always make different
good practise
extract
to extract
Displacement
the
a helpful tutorial on how to use this tool on variants and experiment to
the Normal
and
Displacement
maps from
the 3D Artist website at http://tinyurl.com/
perfectUVs.
optimise the result
and Normal
ZBrush. For the
maps from
Displacement
ZBrush.
map I set For the Displacement
Adaptive and DSubPix atmap 1 I set
Adaptive
and extractand DSubPix
16-bit maps. at 1 and extract
16-bit
For the maps.
Normal map I use Tangent,
For theand
Adaptive Normal
Smooth mapUV.I For
use3ds
Tangent,
Max
Adaptive
you must checkand Smooth UV. For3ds
FlipG, because 3ds Max you
mustreads
Max check theFlipG,
Normal because
maps this 3ds Max reads
way.
the Normal
You can also mapsextractthis way. map
a Cavity You and
can also
extract
an Ambient a Cavity map map
Occlusion and to angive
Ambient
a
Occlusion
good base for map to giveChoose
texturing. a goodMask base for
texturing.
by Cavity from Choose Maskmenu,
the Mask by Cavity
then infrom the
Mask menu,
Texture then inthe
Map choose Texture
New fromMap choose
the Newoption.
Masking from Masking option.
It’sgood
It’s good to to
keepkeep in mind
in mind thatthat Ambient
Ambient
Occlusionmasking
Occlusion masking forfor models
models withwith more
than athan
more million polygons
a million polygons takes tootoo
takes much
time. The
much time.program
The program could crash,
could so it’s good
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to it’s
so save thetofile
good savefirst.
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first.Max, all maps
For 3ds
extracted
Max, all mapsfrom ZBrushfrom
extracted should be V-flipped
ZBrush
in advance.
should be V-flipped in advance.
Start PolyPainting The main texturing

10 of the creature will be completed in ZBrush.
First you should try using a trick I’ve learned to save
time: When you have the UVs of your model and the
Displacement maps are ready, open your model in
Photoshop and get your colour tones established.
Save this as a new file and then open it in ZBrush.
By following this method you’ll have a great base
for adding the model’s colours. If you’re not sure
about the final model you can make different variants
and experiment to optimise the result. If you have
separated large areas it’s good to make them in
black and white, then save them on another map so
you can remove or repeat later, where needed.
Texture with
Spotlight
To texture the tree I use Spotlight. Open
the textures you want to use from the
Texture menu, then bring them in via the
Add to Spotlight button. Turn off ZAdd and
turn on RGB. When the Spotlight circle is
visible you can edit the texture. By hitting Z
on the keyboard you can switch from Edit
to Drawing mode and apply your texture.
Shift+Z will turn Spotlight on and off.

Guide
Art
Apply lighting & shading

Perfect the final look of your scene & set the right mood
Shed light It’s good to start with just one light and continue only when satisfied with the
11 position. My setup contains three lights: two VRayLights and one V-Ray Dome light with
an HDRI on it. To light your scene with an HDRI in V-Ray, it’s always good to use a Dome light. The
main light comes from the front lamp, which has Temperature set to 5,300, Multiplier to 130 and a
Size of 10 x 10. This is placed slightly above the camera and directed towards the creature’s head.
The other lighting comes from a Dome light with a forest HDRI and a few modifications to achieve a
darker mood. This back lamp doubles the effect and has Temperature set to 7,000, Multiplier set to
20 and a Size of 60 x 60. This produces ambient lighting coming from the environment.
Set up your shader With this scene I’m mainly

12 using VRayMtl and VRayFastSSS2. When setting up
materials it’s often necessary to go back and forth between
Photoshop and 3ds Max to adjust your textures. I use Normal
and Displacement maps extracted from ZBrush, but the others
are painted within it. For the Scatter Radius and Glossiness I
also use textures painted in ZBrush, but this time black-and-
white ones. I combine these with a VRayColor map using a
Composite map in 3ds Max to give me better control over the
final result. Using a VRayColor map as a base, with black-and-
white textures, makes light and dark areas stronger with Multiply
or Screen in compositing. You can also adjust their Opacity
levels. When I use FastSSS2 in V-Ray, I create a black map with
many small, white spots painted in ZBrush using the Spray and
Alphas with points. I combine this with the Normal map using
VRayCompTex for the Bump. I also use the same texture in the
Diffuse Amount texture and use this as a filter for visualising the
diffuse colour. This way I can achieve a scaly effect and dead
skin cells, which are paler and lighter.
Set up your lights

To texture the tree I use Spotlight. Open the textures
you want to use from the Texture menu, then bring
them in via the Add to Spotlight button. Turn off
ZAdd and turn on RGB. When the Spotlight circle is
visible you can edit the texture. By hitting Z on the
keyboard you can switch from Edit to Drawing mode
and apply your texture. Shift+Z will turn Spotlight on
and off.
The composition of
your scene has a great
impact on your audience’s
reaction to the piece
Shade skin For VRayFastSSS2 I use a Subsurface Color map, which I make in ZBrush;
13 a Specular map for Specular Amount; and a Glossy map. One of the key settings of SSS2 is
Prepass rate, which defines the quality of the effect to a great extent. How strong or weak the effect
will be depends on Scale and Scatter Radius which are connected with the size of the object. Start
from standard settings and apply them in accordance with the object.

Creatures
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Rendering & compositing

Experiment with your settings to reach the ultimate result
The basic rendering
14 setups Setting up the
render of your scene will also
include adjusting and lighting the
materials, which may take a little
time. I find it’s best to keep the
V-Ray settings low to keep things
operating smoothly. Go to Image
Sampler and choose Adaptive
DMC. I find this is the best sampler
for photoreal scenes like this and
does a good job. You can keep
the default settings in the Adaptive
DMC Image Sampler as you find
them. From the Settings menu in
the sampler, choose 1 and adjust
Min to -1, Max to 50, and 0.008
for Noise Threshold. You’ll now
be able to produce a test render
without losing too much time re-
rendering the entire scene.
Use Render Elements Render Elements are

15 key for rendering, as the right combination will give
you executive control of the final image. Using them you can
decrease or increase the lighting effect as well as the reflection.
For my scene the elements that I render separately include:
VRayFastSSS2, Shadow, Reflection, Specular, Z-Depth,
Bump Normals and Ambient Occlusion (AO), for which I use
VRayExtraTex with a Dirt map attached to it. I also want to
separate elements for the light effect that I’m using in my scene – I
can do this with VRayLightSelect. I find it’s only necessary to set
up VRayExtraTex, VRay ZDepth and VRayLights:
VËËÁË#ËWÄjË7-?ßÁÍËwÁËÍjËÍjÞÍÖÁj±Ë.jÍËÖ¬Ë7-?ßÁÍËË
accordance with the objects’ sizes. For my scene, a Radius of 2
and Subdivs at 60 create good results.
VËËÁË7-?ßË=j¬ÍËÖÄjËÍjËÁÖjÁËÍËj?ÄÖÁjËÍjËaÄÍ?WjË
between the closest and furthest object from the camera.
These indexes should be put in VRay ZDepth Min and Max.
VËËÁË7-?ß~Í.jjWÍËWÁj?ÍjËÄj¬?Á?ÍjËjÄËwÁËj?WË~ÍË?aË
name them differently (FrontLight, BackLight and so on). Add
each lamp through Add in the VrayLightSelect menu.
I often use the free script, RenderMask, which saves a lot of time
and is a very useful rendering tool for different elements (www.
tepavicharov.com/scripts.html). To composite the different render
elements I use Photoshop. There are basic rules for compositing,
but when you’re creating an unrealistic creature you can feel more
free to experiment. This way you might achieve some unexpected
results. I experiment a lot with blending options; VRayLightSelect
elements are great for enhancing/reducing your light effects.

Guide
Art
Begin compositing The

16 composition of your scene has
a great impact on your audience’s
reaction. Even a perfectly modelled
creature can look poor with a bad
composition. The main guide to follow
at this stage is the rule of golden
proportions. This just requires you to
mentally divide the frame into three
vertical and three horizontal parts. The
points where the dividing lines cross
are the most important. Your focus
should be on one of these points – the
meaningful centre of the picture.
Masks in
Photoshop
The Bump Normal Render
Element can help you to
generate masks for
different adjustment layers
in Photoshop. If you want
to darken or tone the Final touches When I’m happy with how the
bottom of your image, 17 different rendered elements are working together, it’s
choose the layer that’s time to add a background image. It’s always possible to use a
your Bump Normal pass. photo, but I want this final result to look a little more fantastical.
Pick Color Range from the
Select menu, grab a tone I’m going to make my background in Photoshop, first by
that suits the correction adding some basic colours. When I’m content with the results,
you want to make and I add some fog and air particles, also painted in Photoshop.
then choose your This unique background really gives unity to the image and
adjustment layer.
helps define the overall mood. To create fog and air particles
I use Photoshop brushes that I normally make myself. Create
a new document at 256 x 256 pixels and fill it with white. Paint
different spots and particles using a normal brush with soft
edges, but be careful not to go out of the image’s frame. When
you’re ready, select the whole image and pick the Define
brush preset from the Edit menu. All that now remains is to
change the settings of your brush and save it. For air particles
it’s good to increase the Spacing and Scatter size of the brush,
then increase the size and apply a few spots to the image.
Create a new layer and paint a few more spots with different
sizes there too. Now you can start experimenting with different
blends between the layers – rotate them, change their opacity
and so on.

Creatures
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techniques behind their Why set up a
amazing artwork
wide area for the
Artist info
camera?
Concept The main focus is the open mouth. We
The idea behind this want to accentuate the roar. However, in
image was to create a the process of creation, changes can
dinosaur that, despite occur, and the composition might shift
Iliya Atanasov from your original intentions. Therefore,
its scary look, also
Personal portfolio site expressed character. a good rule of thumb is to make your
www.pixelhunters.com This was because in camera frame as wide as possible, so
Country UAE the original animation you can keep the information from the
Software used Maya, (tinyurl.com/ image’s sides if you decide to re-
mental ray, Fusio PixelhuntersRoar) it composite the image later. In this case
Expertise A CG generalist sings Carmen by you can also set up a larger render
who focuses on ideas, art composer resolution, and crop out sections you
direction, lighting and Georges Bizet as it want to focus on without losing any of
compositing roars. the quality.

Guide
Art
Master expert
creature renders
Singing with dinosaurs 2013 Maya, mental ray, Fusio
Source files
available
7XWRULDOÀOHVRQWKHGLVF
Here we will discuss the process of lighting and

rendering in mental ray, for images that will really burst Working
off the pages of your portfolio Progress
Iliya Atanasov Studio director and lead artist at Pixelhunters Rendering using
In this tutorial we will discuss the lighting and mental ray for Maya. There will be several passes rendered,
Learn how to
mental ray
UHQGHULQJSURFHVVEHKLQGFUHDWLQJDÀQLVKHG LQFOXGLQJWKHVHSDUDWHFRORXUVSHFXODUUHÁHFWLRQIRJ Light and composite

piece of artwork, ready for your portfolio. The subsurface scattering, ZDepth and so on. These elements finished artwork
tutorial will mainly focus on rendering in mental ray, lighting will then be assembled in eyeon’s Fusion tool for Prepare the model inside a
CG forest
and compositing, but we will also discuss some of the composition. Finally, we will experiment with different colour Choose composition, pose,
starting stages of the project. We will cover tips on how to FRUUHFWLRQVWRDFKLHYHWKHÀQDOORRNDQGDGGH[WUDHOHPHQWV and prepare the elements
Step 01: Set up your
prepare the dinosaur for the forest scene in Maya; the to bring life to the overall image. If you follow these steps in Modelling
dinosaur of the small
model
elements such as trees,
process of creating the materials with textures; how to create \RXURZQSURMHFWV\RX·OOKDYHVRPHJUHDWORRNLQJZRUNIRU shrubs and rocks
the light rig; and learn some useful tips and techniques on your portfolio. Prepare the lighting for
the scene
Composite the final
render passes
Prepare your models Step 05: Set up different

materials using mental ray
Place your object in the base pose
Step 08: Prepare a

basic light rig for a
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Set up the
01 models
This dinosaur was
Step 11: Create the beauty
PRGHOOHGE\0LNH and ambient occlusion
Semionov in Softimage pass using mental ray
and textured in ZBrush
and Photoshop.
Rigging, animation,
muscle simulations
and particles were
completed by Anton Step 15: Combine your
Gonzalez in Maya. dinosaur passes
After the animation
and simulations were
ÀQLVKHGWKH\ZHUH
EDNHGWRWKHJHRPHWU\
cache so it was easy to
scrub through the Maya Step 17: Brighten the top
timeline. part of the background

Creatures
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Create the
02 environment For the
forest scene we created several
bushes, trees and lianas. We created
the lianas using simple primitives
from Maya, extruding, scaling and
moving the vertices. The leaves are
polygon planes with a few spans
with changed vertices to achieve
the desired shape. We used Bend
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FUHDWHWKHÀQDOVKDSH)RUWKH
rocks, we created polygon cubes
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ÀQDOVKDSH:HXVHG0D\D3DLQW
Effects and Xfrog to create the trees
that populate the scene. Wood
mushrooms were placed on the tree
bark, with shrubs and small rocks
covering the ground. We grouped
the objects and duplicated them
using Transform to populate the
environment with foliage.
The texturing process To create a dinosaur you need several textures, but depending on the render engine and the type of materials, only some of these
03 can be used. The most important ones are the Color texture and the Displacement texture. As we are working with a large render with close-up shots, textures must
be a large resolution – 8k for Color textures and a 32-bit Displacement map for the dinosaur body. From the Color map you can extract the Bump, Specular or even the
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the tree bark. For the leaves, procedural ramp textures can be used or real leaf textures with an Alpha channel for the transparency. For the ground we used a photo texture
of rocks and gravel.

Guide
Art
Materials and textures

Achieve the right look for your creature
Body language and composition Dinosaurs have rather large heads but, in
04 contrast, very small eyes. That’s why we’ve rotated the head in such a way so that the eye
area is more visible to the viewer. Remember that good eye contact always makes for a more
exciting render! Later on in the process we will also increase the brightness of the eyes to increase the
impact. You may also decide you want to see more of the dinosaur; not just the head with the teeth. If
this is the case, you can raise the tail to twist behind the head, which gives you a better sense of the size
DQGSRZHURIWKHFUHDWXUH²VRPHWKLQJHOVHWKDWZLOOPDNHWKHÀQDOUHQGHUSXQFKRIIWKHSDJH:HDOVR
need to consider the shadowy, dark forest, and where sun rays will pass through the branches, making
some parts better lit than others. For example, when we come to lighting in a few steps we will increase
the visibility of the tail in order to better communicate the creature’s massive size.
Decide on materials Since we will render using mental ray, the very best method
05 IRUPDWHULDOVLVQDWXUDOO\WRXVHPHQWDOUD\PDWHULDOVDQGVSHFLÀFDOO\WKH0LDPDWHULDO;
VKDGHU:HZLOOQHHGWRVHWXSGLIIHUHQWPDWHULDOVIRUWKHERG\H\HVWHHWKDQGQDLOV/HW·VVWDUWZLWK
the body. Attach a colour texture to the colour attribute of the shader. Connect the Bump map
WRWKHRYHUDOO%XPSVORWZLWKVPDOOYDOXHRI$GGVRPH5HÁHFWLYLW\WRWKHPDWHULDODW
and a strong Glossiness of 0.654. This will create some nice specular areas over the body of the
creature. Since we are aiming for a darker forest environment, this will help a lot to exaggerate
some of the body scales, especially on the darker areas of the skin. You can try to use a Gloss
map with different dark and white splotches, but your rendering speeds will increase if you decide
not to apply this texture. You can leave the Glossy Samples on 8 for static dark images such as
this, as that will be more than enough. In the shading group node add the Displacement map to
the Displacement mat. Now you are able to experiment with the settings of Alpha Gain and Alpha
Offset. In this case the rule of thumb is to set up the Alpha Offset at a negative value, with the
number itself half that of the Alpha Gain, so in this case you would use the following: Alpha Gain:
$OSKD2IIVHW0DNHVXUHWKDW$OSKDLV/XPLQDQFHLVWXUQHGRQ<RXPLJKWQHHGWRFKHFN
the placement Texture node if it’s necessary to mirror the UVs. It’s also important to note that the
values are very dependent on the scale of the scene. For the teeth material, once again use mia_
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Creatures
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Materials for the foliage For the plants it’s recommended

06 that you use the subsurface material, because you can easily achieve
great translucent results with this. Simply place the Color texture map on the
diffuse colour attribute Epidermal Scatter Color. On the Subdermal Scatter
Color, make sure you use a highly saturated version of the same texture. For
the Back Scatter colour, use the following RGB values: 58, 220, 26. This will
assure a nice green back scatter when we light the scene from behind. Bear in
mind that the settings for the Back Scatter Weight, Radius and Depth are very
dependant on the scale of your scene, so you will need to experiment with
different values when you get to the rendering phase. Also keep in mind that
SSS shaders take a bit longer for calculation than general materials, so you
might decide to use SSS only for very visible/close-up elements in the shot.
For most of the small leaves we will use the normal Blinn material. Add a Color
texture map to colour attribute (if you have an Alpha in the TGA or PNG or TIFF
image it will automatically connect to the transparency attribute). Add some
bump to the leaves with a small value of 0.2.
07 Texture the trees and rocks We are going to use standard Maya
materials for this step. Use a Blinn shader. Set the Bump Map value to 1 and
lower the Diffuse to 0.341 so that the texture is not too bright. Set the Eccentricity to
0.3 and Specular Roll Off to 0.285. Specular Color itself is good with RGB values of
24, 24, 24. This will assure a subtle, bright specular feeling over the cylindrical shape
of the tree trunks. Also, try adding some displacement over the bark. Use a fractal
procedure with Alpha Gain set to 2 and Alpha Offset set to 0. Once again, you should try
playing with these settings depending on how close to the camera the object is. As the
number of trees in our scene will be high, it’s useful to duplicate the material, delete the
displacement connection and then apply it to the trees further from the camera. This will
really help to speed up rendering time. The approach to the rocks is very similar. Use a
Blinn material with slightly higher Specular value than that of the trees: Eccentricity: 0.3,
Specular roll off: 0.203. Again, if you would like to make the ground darker, you could
reduce the Diffuse parameter to 0.5 or more.
Quick
Tip
When creating a stunning
render, you must think like a
true photographer. Imagine
you’re shooting an actual
image of a dinosaur. In this
case you might need to use a
big zoom lens – try it with
200mm. With such a long
lens the head will look very
big, and the neck and rest of
the body will look thick as
well. This will contribute to the
impressive, domineering look
of the character. You can
compare this to the look of
using a 35mm. Using this
type of lens we will get a
sharp foreground element –
the dino head – with blurred
background elements.

Guide
Art
The lighting phase

Prepare a basic light rig for a dramatic final scene
Create the key, rim and back lights In this instance,

08 the lighting we’re aiming for is that of a daytime environment, but
shrouded in dark by the canopy above. There are both shadowy and lit
areas, and lots of volumetric rays that are cutting through the forest trees.
We will start with a directional light behind the dinosaur’s head with an
Intensity of 0.9. Add a bluish tint by using RGB: 170, 208, 255. Smooth the
shadows with a Light Angle of 5 and Shadow Rays at 5 to ensure a bluish
rim around the edge of the creature. Use Spot Lights to light the front of the
dinosaur. Place a Spot Light with a Cone angle of 34 facing the dinosaur
head with an Intensity of 1 and RGB colour tint of 255, 241, 200. Use smooth
Ray Traced Shadows with a Light Radius of 5 and Shadow Rays at 5 again.
This will create the sense of yellowish highlights from the Sun. Repeat this
procedure for the back of the body. For the tail add the same spot light but
with a stronger Intensity at 6 and place the light just behind the tail facing
towards the camera. This will light the top scales over the backbone and
will offer a contrast with the surrounding darkness. Make another small
Spot Light with a short Cone angle of 15 and Penumbra angle of 10. Set
the Intensity to 1 with a pure white colour and No Shadows turned on. You
can use this light to control the brightness of the eye by placing it so it points
directly into the eye. Finally, put one big Area Light behind the trees with
a small Intensity of 0.1 and the same bluish tint. This will add some wider
column shadows on the back of the tree trunks.
Image Based
09 Lighting Following
a test render, you’ll see that
the shadows of the picture
are still too dark. To equalise
this, let’s add Image Based
Lighting. There are two ways
RIGRLQJWKLV7KHÀUVWLVWR
go to Render Settings and in
Indirect Lighting click Image
Based Lighting. The second
way, which enables more
control, is to create a simple
poly sphere, scale it up to
cover the whole scene and
press Attribute Editor. Open
the render stats and turn
off Cast Shadows, Receive
Shadows, Motion Blur and Render in mental ray Open render settings and click Renderable cameras. Check
Primary Visibility. This will
10 the boxes for both Alpha channel and Depth channel. Set up the resolution at 4,957 x 6,500
ensure that the sphere will on 72dpi. Under Quality>Raytrace/Scanline Quality use Adaptive Sampling with Minimum Samples
not block the rays from Level 0 and Max Sample Level 2. You can leave Anti-aliasing Contrast to 0.100 as we are creating a
the directional lights and it FORVHXSSRUWUDLWDQGEOXUUHGEDFNJURXQG8VHD0LWFKHOOÀOWHUXQGHU0XOWLSL[HO)LOWHULQJZLWKD)LOWHU
will not be rendered from Size of 4. This will slow down the render, but you will get sharper results. Under Raytracing reduce
mental ray. Let’s apply a WKHLWHUDWLRQRI5HÁHFWLRQVDQG5HIUDFWLRQVWRDQGVHW0D[7UDFH'HSWKWR7KHPRVWLPSRUWDQW
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HDRI image to Out Color Changing the colours, brightness and contrast later in compositing is better using 32bit, but for this
parameter. You can use SXUSRVHWKHVHVHWWLQJVZLOOEHVXIÀFLHQW8QGHU,QGLUHFW/LJKWLQJXVH)LQDO*DWKHULQJDQGQR*OREDO
whatever HDRI images you Illumination. As we are rendering a static frame let’s leave the Accuracy setting at 50. As for secondary
prefer, but if the render is too bounces, they will slow down the render a great amount and due to the many dark and colourful
bright, just reduce the Color pixels in this image they will add little, so leave them set to 0. An important parameter to change is in
Gain using Maya, as we WKH)LQDO*DWKHULQJ4XDOLW\WDE7KHÀOWHUPXVWEHVHWWR7KLVZLOOVPRRWKWKHVHSDUDWHVSORWFKHV
want to have a rather dark spots and with a small Accuracy setting we can achieve a nice blur around the edges of the objects.
and shadowy environment. Under the tab Custom Entities you must also turn on Pass Custom Alpha Channel.

Creatures
WorldMags.net
Render passes
Create various passes for compositing
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UD\VDQGMXVWSODFHWKHPRQ'SODQHV%RWKPHWKRGVDUHIDVWIRUUHQGHULQJ EXWFKDQJHWKH$PELHQW&RORUWR

Guide
Art
Composite your layers

Combine your various layers using Fusion
Add passes Inside eyeon’s Fusion create a background layer and, using the Merge tool, add
15 the rendered environment background layer. We rendered our dinosaur passes separately from the
background so we could better blur the environment. Use the Defocus tool with Lens Filter and change the
Bloom level to 0.057. There is not a great deal of depth in the composition, which is why we are not using ZDepth
to blur the background. The focus will only vary slightly over the creature, while the background is all out of focus.
Next let’s composite the passes of the dinosaur. First add the beauty pass, then the shadow pass on Normal
with a Blend of 0.4. Now add the SSS passes of the skin – we have both Specular and SSS information in this
pass, so put them on screen with a Blend of 0.3-0.5. If you need to you can take out some of the speculars or
parts of the hands with masks, as they were also thin tissues and might also have a reddish tint from the SSS. Use
the Boolean Channel tool to enable extra channels, enabling you to plug the foreground Z-Buffer from the beauty
SDVVWRWKH%RROHDQ&KDQQHOWRRO=%XIIHU='HSWKLQIRLVLQFOXGHGLQWKH,))ÀOHVZHUHQGHUHG$GG'HIRFXV
and Depth Blur to the dinosaur so the focal point will be the eye on its head, while the tail at the end will be slightly
EOXUUHG$GGDQRWKHU0HUJHRQWKHEDFNJURXQGWRSODFHWKHFUHDWXUHRYHULW
Add more passes Use the Merge Node

16 on Multiply to compose the ambient occlusion
SDVVRYHUWKHRWKHUSDVVHV$VWKHEDFNJURXQGLVRXW
of focus, you can mask only the dinosaur. Next is the
rays pass. Put it on Normal with maximum Opacity.
For the specular pass, put it on screen and it will
add specular to the inside of the mouth, around the
head, and on the rest of the body. For the fog pass,
Colour grading Your image will likely still look a little uneven from top to bottom. In general the top use a small Blend of 0.18 to separate the back from
17 needs to be brighter than the ground, so use a soft glow with simple polygons to brighten the top part of the foreground and colourise it to make it a green,
the background. You can also increase the midtones of the Green channel to add a more lush and vivid feel to GHVDWXUDWHGFRORXU$GGWKHWHHWKSDVVRQWRS7KH\
WKHJUHHQHU\6DSSKLUHÀOWHUVFDQKHOS\RXIRUWKHÀQDOWRXFKHVDGG6BGLVWRUW5*%WRGLVWRUWWKHWKUHHFKDQQHOV used an SSS shader, so it will add some shadows
DURXQGWKHHGJHVDOLWWOH1H[WXVHWKH8QVKDUSPDVNWRROZLWKDYDOXHRIWRVKDUSHQWKHLPDJH$VWKH over the teeth. Put them on Normal mode with 0.8
creature is roaring and the mouth is wide open it will be good to try to picture the effect of the roar somehow. You 7UDQVSDUHQF\$GGWKHVSLWVSLOOVSDVVDQGXVH6FUHHQ
can use the Displace Filter and Drip Filter tool with a simple polygon mask around the mouth, which will create a mode with 0.5 Transparency. Finally, place some
smear effect to create the sensation of a roar. Finally, add some grain to the picture with a Power of 2 and small particles on the screen for extra effect. You can do this
5HG*UHHQ%OXHGLIIHUHQFHVRI7KHRYHUDOOUHQGHULQJWLPHRIWKHEHDXW\SDVVZDVPLQXWHV7KHLQGLYLGXDO using a simple dot emitter in Fusion with some blur
render passes varied between two minutes and ten minutes per pass. added to them.

WorldMags.net
Landscapes
Create huge fantasy worlds
108 Paint a colourful terrain
112 Paint a fantasy snowscape
130 Create a fantasy matte desert
landscape painting
130
118 Compose a magical 138 6FXOSWDQHSLFVFLÀWHUUDLQ
mountainscape 144 Create fantasy landscapes from
124 Create space art photos in Photoshop
144
118

Guide
Art
112
Paint a surreal
fantasy
snowscape in
Photoshop
124
It’s important to base your
fantasy landscapes on the real
world or careful reference study
108
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Paint a Digital artists explain the

colourful
amazing artwork
Artist info
terrain Joe Cummings
cummingsillustration.com
The Warrior’s Country UK
Software used Painter,
Departure 2012 Painter, Photoshop, GroBoto Photoshop, Illustrator,

SketchBook Pro
I have been a long-time
traditional illustrator,
It is tempting to think that anything producing artwork for
magazines and
goes in fantasy but that would be a newspapers. I like to explore
different styles and media.
mistake. The best fantasy artists base The abundance of digital
drawing programs and 3D
their ideas… on the real world applications offers more
avenues for exploration.
Joe Cummings Illustrator
I’m sure we all have a clear image in our

minds when we think of a fantasy
landscape. The types of landscapes are almost
infinite but no doubt they will include soaring cliffs and
plunging waterfalls, twisted, alien rock formations,
mysterious fortresses, floating islands and sharp
horizons. It is tempting to think that anything goes in
fantasy but that would be a mistake. The best fantasy
artists base their ideas, no matter how wild or abstract,
on the real world and careful reference study.
For this tutorial I tried to emulate, in part, the style of
Roger Dean, whose posters were both loved and hated
by fellow students when I was studying at art school.
Unlike the moody fantasy landscapes we often see
today that are linked to games and film, Photoshop
speedpaintings and 3D-based renders, Dean’s
landscapes were much simpler, portraying monolithic
rock formations painted in bright, complementary
colours, often without figures.
Looking back at Dean’s work, I was reminded of the
rocks and cliffs of the Arizona and Nevada deserts that I
saw when on holiday some years ago, especially the
high sandstone arches. This helped me to quickly
establish a scene. Painter and Photoshop are my main
tools here. I decided against jumping straight in alla
prima but painted it initially in greyscale with the intention
of using Photoshop’s powerful adjustment tools to
quickly add colour.
To speed up the process I also created a couple of
custom brushes, one in Photoshop and one in Painter.
With these aids and a little pre-planning, the job of
creating a striking fantasy landscape can be a quick,
fun and immensely satisfying artistic process.

Guide
Art
Source files
available
Sketch, value study

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Develop your scene

Add complimentary colours and use custom brushes to build your landscape
Make a brush An effective way to paint rocky structures

Sketch and sketch again This is the moment to let your imagination run 02 is to use a rocky brush. In Photoshop I painted a basic
01 riot. Look for a good combination of realistic and unlikely structures as well as strong shape with cracks and fissures on a white background. I then
verticals juxtaposed with elegant ellipses. This is fantasy, but don’t be afraid to use the dragged a rectangular marquee around it and defined it as a brush
marquee selection tools as rulers. Getting it right here enables you to move at speed with the preset using the Edit menu. I added some scatter and size jitter in
rest of the painting. the brush controls.
Try modelling
05 The dwellings on the
rocky outcrop are quite small
and the architectural shapes
could simply be suggested
with a few brushstrokes. But
it only takes a few minutes
to construct something
appropriate in Google
SketchUp or, in this case,
Braid Art’s GroBoto.
Painting rocks
03 With my main rocky
structure defined within my
canvas on its own layer, I
locked the transparency and
then painted in the rocks on
04 Use Painter’s brushes I opened
the file in Painter in order to utilise its Framed by trees I placed the 3D
top, remembering to reduce superior Bristle brushes. I used the Variable
06 image in the Painter file and continued to
the brush size as the rocks Round Oil option that has a nice bristle density blend in all the elements. The twisted, sinuous
receded. This was simply and can be easily tweaked via the Feature tree was painted in to add variety but it also
a base for further painting adjustment. I continued to paint in highlights helps to frame the city and floating islands, and
where I would add highlights and shadows, paying close attention to the draws the eye to what is, at this stage, the main
and shadows. values for foreground and background rocks. point of interest.
Add colour The

07 greyscale image is
ready to be transformed into
colour. In Photoshop we can
use an adjustment tool called
Gradient Map. Select the rock
layer and open the Gradient
Map dialog then click on the
Gradient window. This opens
a further dialog where you can
select colours for highlights,
midtones and shadows. Save
your choices.

Guide
Art
Colour
09 adjustment In
Painter I began to build upon
the colours, adding texture
and detail to make a more
natural-looking landscape.
The colours in the foreground Painter’s nozzles I made a nozzle for the Image
Complementary hues Roger Dean liked to stick needed to be warmer and 10 +RVHIRUWKHÁRZHUVWHPV7KLVLVGRQHE\SDLQWLQJ
08 to a simple colour palette, generally comprising one stronger in value, with those in several stems, each on their own layer, and then grouping the
or two closely related hues and one complementary colour. I the background being much layers. From the Nozzle panel’s drop-down menu, select Make
chose mainly yellow and orange, and jumped straight across to fainter, picking up the ambient Nozzle from Group and name it. The select a brush from the
the other side of the colour wheel for blue shadows. The saved VN\EOXHDQGWKHUHÁHFWHGOLJKW Image Hose category and choose Load Nozzle from the drop-
gradient can be used and adjusted on other layers. from the sea. down menu.
Flower beds ,ÁDWWHQHGWKH

12 stems into a single layer and, on
Random stems The Nozzle brush a new layer above, painted in some very
11 will paint the different stems randomly VLPSOHÁRZHUVZLWKDKDUGEUXVK6LPSO\ More custom brushes With the rocks and islands
but the appearance can be adjusted using daubing blobs of colour randomly will not
13 QHDUO\GRQH,FKHFNIRUPLVWDNHVE\ÁLSSLQJWKHFDQYDV
the brush controls. I painted rows of stems in ORRNULJKW0DNHVXUH\RXNQRZKRZDÀHOG horizontally and vertically. I keep these functions on a custom
different layers and locked the transparency so RIÁRZHUVDSSHDUVLQWKHUHDOZRUOGE\ palette for easy use. I also call upon another custom brush, this
I could colour without destroying the shape. paying attention to reference images. time in Photoshop, for the tree foliage.
Quick
Tip
If you struggle to select
colours for use in your
painting, try a gamut mask.
Final details With all the hard work This is simply a way of
Treetops Although the tree is in the foreground, the 15 FRPSOHWHGWKHÀQDOVWHSVDUHWKHPRVWIXQ7KH masking off large parts of the
14 leaves can be painted loosely with the custom brush on inclusion of a tiny horseman gives the whole image a
colour wheel to reveal a few
harmonious colours. A
a few separate layers, coloured and blended accordingly. I can sense of scale and, like all good fantasy landscapes, brilliant free online tool can be
then use an eraser to sculpt out a pleasing shape. The tree trunk suggests a story. A few more fantasy motifs – such as found here: www.
livepaintinglessons.com/
also needs texture to give it volume and enhance the twists. the daylight stars – and it’s done. gamutmask.php.

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amazing artwork
Artist info
Eduardo Lopez
Mustaros
@edlo747
Country Mexico
Lopez is a profesional matte
painter and art director
working at Epics FX Studios
in Mexico City. He now has
two European movies under
his belt, plus several TV
shows.
Source files
available
Tutorial images are
supplied on the disc

Guide
Art
Working
Progress
Base image to render
Paint a fantasy
snowscape
Surreal landscape Photoshop
Progress 1: Extract images
Create a digital matte painting of a frozen bay in a striking

fantasy environment in Photoshop by following Eduardo’s
simple techniques
Progress 2: Screen the lights
Eduardo Lopez Mustaros Matte painter
Let us transport you to the furthest, coldest elements will create a foreground presence, which you
places with this fantastic matte painting can then use as a composition tool to build up and add
tutorial, which shows you how to create a to the base image. You will also learn to detail your piece
digital illustration of a frozen bay in a surreal and refine your painted sections to minute detail.
landscape. This tutorial will show you how to manipulate On the disc you’ll also find stock images and the
images over a base render to build up your scene using original PSD file which will help you to compose your
painting techniques, and then use a graphics tablet to scene. You need a strong knowledge of Photoshop in
paint in the detail on the ice. You will use masks and order to complete this tutorial to the standard seen here,
adjustment layers extensively to blend the different but don’t be afraid to try out the techniques whatever Progress 3: Create
images and achieve photoreal, dramatic results. Different your level.

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Build up the
01 foreground
The first stage is to find all
the images needed for the
scene, but we’ve already
taken care of this for you by
supplying them on the disc.
These include the mountain
JPEGs and ‘bay.jpg’. Your
job is to extract the sections
you need and start placing
them roughly on the base
image provided to find a
good composition. Make
sure that the different sections
are placed in a realistic
manner and you don’t have
weird mountainsides going
nowhere, or in a position that
doesn’t agree with the overall
illumination of the scene.
A brilliant tool at your disposal

is the use of the layer masks to
quickly cut out sections
Layer Masks A brilliant tool at your disposal is the use of layer masks to quickly
03 cut out sections and make them sit on the image, to give you a sense of the look and
composition quickly. However, as these masks are non-destructive, you can edit and refine
them as much as you need without worrying about having to go back and extract the same
image again, or about little mistakes in the extraction process. Instead, be creative and use the
masks without fear of messing anything up.
Adjustment and blending A very important step

02 that you need to do right away is to blend the images to the
environment, both through colour and shading. This allows you
04 Blending modes The use of blending modes, in this case the Overlay mode,
to get a good feel of how the different sections are sitting on your allows you to paint in simple layer highlights or shadows as needed, taking you one
image and which areas could do with filling in. This also helps to step further to merging the different pieces with the base plate. Simply sample colour from the
avoid any distracting inconsistencies. Once you have adjusted highlights in the plate and apply them where needed, to increase the brightness of a surface
each section at least roughly to the plate, it’s much easier to go and make the light direction more apparent in the selected region. This is also a non-destructive
ahead and find a good composition and keep the creativity flowing. process that can be fine-tuned or reduced in opacity as needed.

Guide
Art
Screen and mask Set the layer mode for

06 your lights to Screen so that all the black is quickly
discarded, and then create another layer mask to get rid of
Town lights Once you have the base of your landscape laid out, you will now use an image what you don’t need, effectively placing your lights across
05 of a night city scene to quickly build up the appearance of a town on your bay. Copy the image the bay. Make sure there are no lights where it would
‘night_town.jpg’ from the disc into your Photoshop document and then scale it down. You will need to seem unlikely for a structure to be built, such as on steep
rotate it a bit so that it matches the angle of the surface below. Also make sure that the size of the town hillsides. Mask away until you have all the light following
corresponds to the image’s perspective. the coast and placed on the land for the base of your town.
Quick A non-destructive workflow allows you to create your artwork freely without
having to worry if the next step will be a problem further down the line. It also
Tip means that you can decide later if you need to adjust or readjust any aspect
of your image, rather than having to make decisions on the spot. With
non-destructive editing, creativity and experimentation are always welcome.
Light levels You should now have your city

08 dispersed around the edges of the bay. At this
point you can adjust the light levels of the town by using a
Levels layer clipped to the main lights. Adjust the Levels
Extend the town Now you want to extend the town beyond what you have already placed, to increase the contrast and bring out the highlights, yet
07 so do this with the help of the Clone tool and a small brush. You can also use the Clone tool to at the same time increase the blacks. As you have this
choose interesting, varied sections of the lights and eliminate those that are not very interesting; just be layer in Screen mode, it means that the blacks are hidden
sure to set your Clone tool to Current Layer in the top settings bar. Then clone all around the bay to extend even further and the bright lights get boosted even more,
the town out from the main area and into the surrounding land. consistently giving a better look for your town.

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Quick
Tip
Solid colour layers in different overlay modes
are a great way to add drama and contrast to a
scene, giving you the freedom to mask and
reduce the opacity as needed, and even
combine them to get interesting results. Don’t
hesitate to experiment with them.
Ice base Create a new layer and sample

Light hue To fine-tune the city’s lights even further, you can now apply yet another adjustment layer.
10 a light blue-white from the image ‘snow.jpg’
09 This time go with the Hue/Saturation adjustment, and reduce the Saturation slightly to get rid of the on the disc, then start painting in the base structure
orange and red excess. You can then use a small amount of blue tint to make the lights appear somewhat for what you envision to be the ice covering the bay,
colder in order to match the rest of your scene, yet once again keeping control of the non-destructive workflow. painting in the smaller sections that break off as the
This means that you can go back and adjust the lights at any time. ice sits further into the water.
Add Texture Use the ice image on the

12 disc to add extra texture to the frozen bay.
Copy ‘ice.jpg’ onto a new layer and scale and distort
it into place and perspective over the ice. You can
duplicate or clone it several times to cover the entire
Increased ice detail Once you have the base, you can go in with an increasingly smaller brush bay, and use a dirtier texture for the shaded areas.
11 to start adding detail, getting rid of all the obvious paint strokes, refining the shapes and making them Then just clip it over the ice layer and reduce the
more solid as you go. You can also start sampling darker shades to add shadow over the ice, taking into Opacity to about 68%. After that you can spend a
consideration where the light is coming from. Add another level of detail to the ice surface by refining what the bit of time refining all of the other layer masks and
base has provided for you, eliminating the rough strokes or following them if needed. making sure the edges are clean.

Guide
Art
Mountain highlight and boat You Mountain reflection You now need to duplicate all the layers for the background mountains and
13 will now use the technique you used earlier
14 then flatten those layers to use them as a reflection in the water. Once you have done this, flip it upside
to paint some highlights onto the background down and place it as a mirror image below the mountain range; then when it is in position, once again use a
mountain. Make sure they are in keeping with the mask to get rid of everything that is not over the water. Reduce the opacity of the layer, and adjust the Color
direction of the scene’s light source and do them Balance so it has a colder hue.
on a layer in Overlay mode. Then extract the image
of the boat from ‘boat.jpg’ to add a bit of action to
the middle of the bay, and again use a couple of
adjustment layers to shade it and adjust the tone to
match the image.
Final look To finish the matte painting off, add several colour and toning layers on top to add more
15 drama into your image. Cool off the shadows and increase the warmth from the sun so you have a nice
contrast of colours and shades to frame your scene. On each layer, use a soft brush and masks so the effect is
applied only where you need it. Be sure to take a look at your PSD file and study each layer setting.

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Source files
available
A selection of stock
images on the disc
Compose a magical
mountainscape
Magical snowscape Photoshop
Create a lord of the rings-inspired scene using
photocomposite techniques
Tobias Roetsch Digital artist
The following techniques will teach you to footage for your mountains in order to avoid repetition. By
create a moody and ominous fantasy reading this tutorial, you’ll learn how to combine different
landscape. The world of J. R. R. Tolkien (author of photos to create new mountainscapes and add that little
The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit) easily provides bit of magic to your scene. Special focus is given to
inspirational context for countless images of this sort. The working with composition and how to create depth of
only things you’ll need are Photoshop and the field, using Photoshop gradients and the right cloud and
opportunity to take your own stock photos. Third-party haze effects. Last but not least, you’ll learn how different
images almost work as well as your own photos, but adjustment layers help to push your image to a whole
might limit your possibilities in certain situations. Before new level aesthetically. It’s also beneficial but not
you start with your image, think about the key elements absolutely necessary for you to use a drawing tablet
that should be present. Be sure to have enough stock when performing this tutorial.

Guide
Art

amazing artwork
Artist info
Tobias Roetsch
www.gtgraphics.de
Country Germany
Roetsch has been focusing
on space and science
fiction-based images as
long as he’s been doing art.
He improves his skills
step-by-step with a lot of
patience and effort.

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Working Getting started

Progress Begin composing your mountainscape
Create a
From reality to fantasy
mountain scene
01 concept It’s
always good to start with a
rough concept sketch to get
your composition right from
the start. You don’t have to
be an experienced painter
to do this. A medium-sized
hard brush is sufficient for
this task. Just start laying
down mountain silhouettes
here and keep an eye on
Step 02: Compose scenery
the rule of thirds.
Step 08: Add clouds & fog
Scattering
smaller
clouds
between your
mountain
layers is a
great way to
Step 15: Finishing touches
add depth
Get started Create a new document at 7000 x 4375px with a white, Place the foreground Open ‘IMG_6423.jpg’ and ‘IMG_6402.jpg’
02 solid background. It’s useful to work with sky colours in the background, 03 and add both to a new layer in your image. Transform (Cmd/Ctrl+T) the
so it’s easier to combine your mountain stock in the next steps. Add a new layer IMG_6402.jpg image layer and enlarge it by 240% of its original size. Move it to
and use the Gradient tool. In the Gradient Editor, set three colour stops at 0%, 50% the bottom-right corner. Repeat this with the other IMG_6423.jpg image layer
and 100% with the colours #05355a, #115992 and #64a2d0. Place the gradient and transform it to a size of 155%, flip it horizontally and place it in the bottom-left
from the very top to the very bottom of your layer. Now you can start adding your corner. Now take the Lasso tool (L) and make a selection of the parts you want to
stock images. cut out in both of these separate layers.

Guide
Art
Extend the landscape The two layers still contain

05 undesirable elements, such as signs and skiing tracks. The
foreground isn’t complete either. Activate the Clone Stamp tool (S)
and sample the surrounding snow areas. This tool’s size should
Detailed edge The rough selection made with the Lasso tool means that it’s be around 30px with Hardness set at 80% to keep the details.
04 necessary to work with the edges of the trees a little more. Add a new layer mask to Alternatively, use the Healing Brush tool (J), especially when it
your IMG_6402 layer and select a small hard black brush 5px in Size with 85% Hardness. Go comes to replacing smaller elements. For the missing areas, make
to Brush Settings>Shape Dynamics and change Control to Fade, set at 50%. Set Minimum a flat selection around the closest snow and copy and paste this.
Diameter to 0%. Now you can create a new edge for your trees, stroke by stroke. Make sure you Select Edit>Transform>Warp and edit the snow sample until it fits.
are working at 100% zoom. Use the Clone Stamp tool for transitions.
Create a
06 Midground The other
mountains are created using
the same techniques as were
used in Steps 3 to 5. Open up
the file named ‘IMG_6405.jpg’,
flip it horizontally and place it in
the middle-left of your image.
The other mountain photo stock
supplied, ‘IMG_6413.jpg’, is quite
a good choice for the right side.
For organisational purposes,
move both images to a folder by
selecting the layers and pressing
Cmd/Ctrl+G. Now, remove the
sky and undesired trees like
before and carefully work with
the Clone Stamp tool to extend
your mountains. Freely define
your mountain shape. Copy and
paste parts you like and cut out
parts you don’t.
07
First improvements When your initial
midground layers are complete, merge them
Quick
by selecting both and pressing Cmd/Ctrl+E. Now Tip
it’s time for your first colour and contrast edit. Go to It’s essential for your artwork
Image>Adjustments> Brightness/Contrast and set to work with the right material.
You can download countless
Brightness at -50 and Contrast at 50 with Use Legacy resources from countless
deactivated. Press Cmd/Ctrl+B for Color Balance and websites. At the end, it’s the
set Shadows to -20, -5, +25; Midtones to 15, 0, -5; and quality of the resources, next
to your own abilities, that
Highlights to 20, 0, -5. For a softer edge, make a selection of decides the final quality of
your layer (Cmd/Ctrl-click layer), choose Select>Modify> your artwork. Two good
websites for an early resource
Contract at 2px then Select>Modify>Feather at 2px. Invert hunt are www.deviantart.com
your selection (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I) and then press Delete. and www.cgtextures.com.

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Build background & foreground

Create clouds and fog, and add a focal element
Quick
Tip
When it comes to adjustment
layers, less is more. Color
Balance, for example, should
be used with only minor
changes. If you’re overdoing
it, the image immediately
looks fake. Deactivate and
reactivate adjustment layers
individually to check if they
add something to your
Final mountains It’s time to
09 replace your blue background. Open
scene.
‘IMG_1756.jpg’ and apply it behind your

mountain layers. You can warp and transform
it to your liking, but make sure that the light
Clouds and haze There still isn’t any real depth in the image, so still comes from the left side. Add several
08 add a second midground mountainscape behind your previous one and layers for distant haze as already described
make sure it’s covering the left and centre of your image. Remember the rule of in Step 8. In case you aren’t sure what opacity
thirds and your initial concept. You want to create a valley on the right side. Make to choose for your gradient, just go with
a selection of the layer and place a Foreground to Transparent #223857 colour 100% and play with the layer opacity controls
gradient (G), applied from the bottom to the top of a new layer at 50% Opacity. afterwards. Good colours for your haze
Repeat everything, but use a stronger gradient. gradients are #5d7188 and #8c9db5.
Smaller midground clouds

10 You’re now in need of a good,
organised layer structure. Scattering smaller
clouds between your mountain layers is a
great way to add depth. It’s even easier when
your mountains are on separate layers, like
here. These clouds can be created by using
stock images or by painting them. Dan LuVisi
offers some great cloud brushes, available
at http://danluvisiart.deviantart.com/art/
My-Brush-Pack-118954791. Cloud colour
should be a bright grey, applied at a low
opacity and brush size.
Magic cloud trail Now comes the fantasy part of

11 your image, which can be completed with the help of the
brushes mentioned in Step 10. To create the cloud trails, activate Foreground hazel Repeat Step 11 for a second trail, which should come from
Brush Settings and Shape Dynamics. Switch Control to Fade set at 12 the bottom-right corner. Steps 11 and 12 might need some perfecting. Just pass over
100 and set Minimum Diameter at 20%. The brush size should be layers several times and play with settings such as brush size, opacity and colours until you get
around 600. Paint a curve from the middle-left to the centre of your a satisfying result. The placement of the trails is indicated by the red marker you can see in the
valley several times, with several gradual opacity settings. Don’t screenshot. This gives you an idea as to how you will create effects that replicate a mage’s ability
forget to add darker cloud shadow as well. to play with the forces of air.

Guide
Art
The mage The image still

13 needs a focal element, so
here you’ll add a mage character. It
will depend on your own abilities if you
choose to work with stock images
or try to paint your mage by hand. A
combination of both is possible as
well, of course. If you decide to paint
your character, go for a small-sized
hard round brush. Raised arms are
good to symbolise that he is actually
doing something. To better visualise
his powers, simply add some semi-
transparent strokes above him. Take
the Smudge tool to these, making
them softer.
To better visualise your character’s

powers, simply add some semi-
transparent strokes above him
Snow effects Now add some snowflakes to your scene. Add a

14 new layer above all others, take a 5px hard round brush and paint some Finishing touches Apply a white, semi-transparent gradient to the
random dots. You might want to change the opacity of your brush every now and 15 very bottom part of the foreground. Adding large, blurred snowflakes is
again. Duplicate your snowflake layer (Cmd/Ctrl+J), rotate this copy layer by 180 also a nice touch. But the most important things are the adjustment layers you’re
degrees and size it up by 130%. Repeat this until you have enough snowflakes. going to add now. You’re basically going for Color Balance and Brightness/
Merge all snowflake layers. Now go to Filter>Blur>Radial Blur, apply an Amount Contrast changes. For selective effects, use layer masks. Check out the PSD file
of 10, change Blur Method to Zoom and move the Blur Centre to the right side. on the disc for the individual layer settings and mask layouts.

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amazing artwork
Artist info
Sebastien Hue
www.shue-digital.com
Country France
Sebastien Hue is a
self-taught artist who
started using Photoshop
when making logos. He
rapidly turned his attention
to sci-fi environments and
matte-painting techniques
that let his imagination
run wild.

Guide
Art
Create space art

Nebula Photoshop
Enhance depth, lighting and texture to
build a unique 3D scene
Sebastien Hue Digital artist
This tutorial is going to show you how to create textures and blending modes to enhance contours and
a space scene using elements traditionally composite 3D elements to augment our image’s realism. Source files
associated with Sci-Fi. You’ll be combining Layer Style options are essential when producing available
asteroids, planets and spacecraft to create a truly dynamic believability, while Inner Shadow, Inner Glow and Outer Glow On the disc we have supplied
and unique composition. will all also feature. personal stock and 3D renders
and you can download
We’ll be exploring how to use Photoshop to create all of Here you’ll also discover how to build an entire nebula free-to-use stock from http://
visibleearth.nasa.gov.
these assets and essentially an eye-catching spacescape from scratch by working with textures in Photoshop, then
full of depth and awesome lighting. The Photoshop tools letting your own creativity and intuition do the rest. This
we’ll use to do this are pretty standard and we’ll personalise workflow will enable you to experiment and produce
the exposure by painting effects manually. We’ll utilise interesting shapes and ultimately an epic sci-fi scene.
Working
Progress
The concept stage From empty space to a
sprawling scene
Consider your backdrop and environment in initial sketches
Progress 1: Gather elements
Progress 2: Add and refine
Sketch your composition It’s always good to figure Add in a planet Create a new layer at 4,000 x
01 out a decent composition by sketching your ideas in several
02 4,000px 300dpi with a black solid background, then
layers. Try to remain flexible throughout the process and play define the centre of your document by applying two guides.
around with your elements, especially any included planets. Use a We’ve imported and used the high-definition texture file
hard round brush with Brush Presets>Shape Dynamics activated fontenellefire_ali_2012186_lrg.jpg from http://visibleearth.
to vary the opacity control of your Pen Pressure. Outline your nasa.gov. Hold Shift+Opt/Alt and apply the Elliptical
composition roughly in greyscale, including the main elements, Marquee tool from the centre to the border to get a perfect Progress 3: Boost effects
then define the scale, depth and light. circle. Next, apply Filter> Distort>Spherize twice, at 100%.

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Quick
Tip
Take your time to clearly define the light source in
your scene, as it’s a crucial element when creating
believable worlds and will save you a lot of time in
the later stages. This essentially directs the
orientation of a planet in accordance with its light
and shadow.
Pick your colour scheme Create

04 a new document at 2,950 x 3,800px 300dpi
or higher with a solid black background, then
activate the Lasso tool to make a selection. Select
colours from bright to dark, creating a spectrum in
the Gradient Editor. In our example we’ve applied
Color Stops using #ffffff, #d599d8, #5a8eaa and
#37667c. Apply this gradient to your selection from
the centre at an angle, then deselect and apply a
Gaussian Blur. You can use this same method for
other similar selections.
Apply a 3d effect Add a vector mask to create a textured circle, then insert a new layer and apply
03 a horizontal gradient from right to left, with a black-to-transparent style. Next, highlight the left borders
with your selection still active and use a soft white brush to simulate a horizon lighting effect. With your selection
still active, create a new solid black layer above your planet layer, set to Screen blending mode. Add a cyan
(#bbe6f2) Inner Shadow Layer Style at 40% Opacity, with Distance set to 40px, Size at around 250px and
Angle at 170 degrees. Next, apply a bluish Outer Glow at 65% Opacity, with a Size of 50px and a Range of 55%.
Add a bluish Inner Glow at 75% Opacity, with Size between 100 and 120px.
Emphasise relevant details When

06 you’ve achieved satisfying results, duplicate
your texture, hit Cmd/Ctrl+T and descale towards
the focal point of your choice – this should produce
more depth and detail. Create smooth transitions by
Create shapes using stock Import the supplied ‘Jordan_Marble_texture.jpg’ and invert softly erasing the textures and elements created in
05 it (Cmd/Ctrl+I) to create a nice contrast and a green tone. You can do this with any texture to reveal Step 4, using applied vector masks. Apply a black-to-
interesting shapes when inverted. Continue to play with your Levels adjustment layer to define the texture’s transparent gradient or a soft brush on these masks
contrast, then apply a Soft Light or Overlay blending mode between 50% and 60% to this layer. Hit Cmd/ to emphasise relevant details. Feel free to paint
Ctrl+T, to transform the texture with the Warp tool to match the contours you made earlier, then play around to highlights and shadows on a new layer to define your
optimise the positioning. nebula textures further.

Guide
Art
08 Focus the lighting Creating a definitive

light source in your scene is another crucial
step when producing believability. We’ll begin by
importing the planet we created in Steps 2 and 3,
duplicating this and placing the new layers in other
No stars, no space What’s a spacescape without bright stars? These are elements that will areas of the image. If you want to vary the look of your
07 improve your image’s authenticity. To add them, begin by creating a new solid black layer and apply planets, we suggest creating a file full of alternative
some white dots at varying opacity and sizes. Duplicate your new star layer, size it up or down, rotate it and textured globes and importing from this selection.
reset the Opacity to 80%. Merge the layers, duplicate this new layer, rotate it again and add bigger painted The sunlight that’s represented here by a large white
dots with associated star colours. Repeat these techniques until you’ve created a believable spread of stars. dot will define the position of your planet’s lighting.
Essential
software
To make your composition even
more realistic, interesting and
original, you can use cross-
platform software. Study and
understand the capabilities of
such software to augment your
own process and the results of
your work. 3D packages, such
as 3ds Max or CINEMA 4D, are a
great starting place to get to
grips with creating CG assets
and understanding the working
of the third dimension. You’ll
become less restricted to a
single plate photograph, where
drastic perspective changes
become quite difficult. After
Effects is also an interesting
application, as it comes with
many plug-ins that could serve
your 2D images, like the Optical
Flares plug-in used here to
enhance the Sun.

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Add more elements

Enhance realism and 3D elements inside Photoshop
Apply motion blur The elements here

10 look a little too static, so we need to imagine
how all the scene would look if animated. Picture
this in your mind’s eye and try to think of the global
movement of asteroids in space, for example. Select
Use 3D files Import the supplied ‘Spaceship_model_render.jpg’ and ‘Asteroids_render.jpg’ several asteroids, apply Filter>Blur>Motion Blur and
09 into your scene. We need to correct hard edges or pikes generated by the 3D program, so take the simulate this movement with an applied Angle of -53
Lasso tool with Feather Radius set at 1px and redefine the edges of the asteraoids by erasing from the edge degrees and a Distance of between 4 and 6px. Try to
selection. This method is manual and offers a better degree of control when refining edges, however, you be coherent when relating the motion of one element
can save time by using the automated Refine Edge tool. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+R to activate. to the next.
Refine the ship Any spacecraft to be Add adjustment layers Use a Hue/ Final sharpening Import the supplied
11 included deserves special care, so we’ll want
12 Saturation layer with Saturation at +45, then
13 ‘SUN FLARE.psd’ and set this new layer’s
to draw the viewer’s eyes to it by moving towards a Brightness/Contrast layer on top with Contrast set blending mode to Screen. After including a couple
our sunlit focal point. Add surface details with metal at 45 and layer Opacity at 60%. Paint hints of purple of red comets in the background and adjusting
texture stocks, sci-fi textures, or any other royalty- (#d293d2) using a soft round brush to a new layer all the layers, we can start sharpening. Flatten
free stock applicable, then warp them like in Step beneath these adjustments. Apply with a soft round your image by hitting Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Opt/Alt+E
5. Ctrl-click your layer and select Create Clipping brush set to Color blending mode, at a low Opacity then select Filter>Sharpen>Smart Sharpen. Set
Mask, then paint in typical sci-fi lights using a soft of around 10%. Add a Curves layer, setting the RGB Amount to 70%, Radius to 0.6px and activate More
white brush. Just as in Step 3, add an Outer Glow Curves Output to 65 and Input to 95. Set the Green Accurate. Duplicate the layer and select Other>High
with 100% Opacity, 0% Range and 12px Size set to Curves Output to 55 and Input to 80. Last, set the Pass, setting the Radius at 3px. Set this new layer’s
Overlay mode. Blue Curves Output to 90 and Input to 60. blending mode to Overlay at 50% Opacity.

Guide
Art
Texture in 2D
Create the illusion of 3D space using two-dimensional photo stock
The difficulty when working in three dimensions is
understanding how your three axes are actually defined in your
scene. However, your favourite 3D program will normally work this out
for you, which is very convenient. The program will usually calculate
everything according to your XYZ axis and once you apply the texture to
your object, the perspective will readjust wherever you move your object
or camera.
However, what if you’re applying outside of a 3D program? Problems
can occur when you try to translate a 3D object into 2D space. Never
fear though, because luck is on your side if you’re at least starting with a
3D-rendered object, such as our spacecraft. This render will give you
clues as to the actual perspective required, but it’s still up to you to
define it correctly, corresponding to the proper perspective when
painting or texturing stock in post-production. Here we show you the
best ways to tackle this creative conundrum and get plausible effects.
Before After
Use a perspective grid Activate the Add blending modes Once you’re
14 Line tool set to a red and apply vertical lines, Apply texture accordingly Take a
16 satisfied with your transformation, reset the
holding the Shift key to approximate symmetrical 15 cool sci-fi texture that has defined shapes Opacity of your texture layer to 100% and experiment
spacing. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+E to merge all your line with clear angles, then apply a low Opacity value. with different blending modes according to the
layers, duplicate your layer and rotate it 90 degrees Distort this using the Transform tools, matching your effects you want. We advise sticking to the Overlay
to fashion a square grid. Merge these two layers and grid lines while transforming and making sure you’re or the Soft Light types, which are very effective for
select Edit>Transform>Distort to define perspective, compliant with the correct perspective. This may soft texturing. Finally apply a layer mask to erase the
matching the lines of your spaceship. take time, but worth doing right to get the best effect. areas you don’t want.

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amazing artwork
Artist info
Eduardo Lopez
Mustaros
www.edlostudio.net
Country Mexico
Ed is a professional matte
painter currently working at
Epics Fx Studios in Mexico
city. He started a couple of
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industry and now has two
European-Turkish movies
under his belt plus several
TV shows for the History
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channel.
Source files
available
2QWKHGLVF\RXZLOOÀQG
WKHRULJLQDO36'ÀOH$OO
stock images used are
free to download, please
VHHWKHGLVFÀOHVIRUWKH
links to each individual
image referenced in the
steps.

Guide
Art
Create a fantasy
matte painting
Desert Photoshop
Learn how to work with images to achieve a matte painting,
using the process of cutting, painting and blending
Eduardo Lopez Mustaros Digital artist
In this tutorial we will embark on a matte-
painting adventure to achieve a fantasy image the same results. However, bear in mind some items and
setup in the desert. We’ll start with a basic image, settings might have different names. As you progress, it’s
then paint detailed rock structures and use several images recommended that you go through the videos to catch the
to convert a simple background to a fantasy environment, all action and details, as they can provide a better
while maintaining realism. Here we will need to use a pen understanding of what is being done and clear up any
tablet, since there is quite a bit of brushwork involved. You doubts you might have before tackling the steps.
can try to use a mouse, but the process will be much more In order to successfully complete this tutorial you’ll need a
GLIÀFXOWWRDFKLHYHWKHUHVXOWVZHQHHG strong practical knowledge of Photoshop, since basic
The tutorial is completed with Photoshop CS6, but you operations like accessing a menu, utilising the Brush palette
can use almost any version from CS2 onwards to achieve or using a layer clipping mask are not explained.

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Balance the colour The

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Guide
Art
Highlight the walls Now

05 that we have a section shaped,
we want to start considering the sun
or main light source, so we can start
getting the feel for the volume in these
rocks and how highlights change
depending on the distance, as well as
the shadows. Start sampling highlight
colours from the plate according
to the position on the landscape.
Adding simple highlights gives the
appearance of volume on the rock
walls, with the variations applied
according to depth providing a greater
sense of distance.
Quick
Tip
Painting, whether digital or
not, is a process that takes
several stages to get the
right effect. Whatever the
SURMHFWVWDUWELJE\EORFNLQJ
the overall shape. See how
that looks, then add furhter
GHWDLOE\LQFUHDVLQJWKH
zoom and decreasing the
size of the brush.
Focus on the details

06 Once we have a base structure
GHÀQHGDQGZHDUHKDSS\ZLWKWKH
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time to zoom in a bit closer, reduce the
brush size and start adding detail in
WKHVDPHZD\ZHKDYHEHHQSDLQWLQJ
Now that we have the overall light
direction and depth dialed in, we can
FRQWLQXHVDPSOLQJDQGUHÀQLQJZKDW
we have done so far, adding one more
level of detail. This process has several
levels or stages to it, depending on the
detail we want.
Add some buildings1RZLW·V

08 time to add some man-made structures
to our image. Download and open image
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KD]H(QVXUH\RXSDLQWPRUHLQWKHGLVWDQFHDQGOHVVLQWKHIRUHJURXQG brush, mask off at the base so it sits on the sand.

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Lighten the building For the highlights

10 we need a new clipped layer on top of the
building stack, set to Normal or Overlay blending
mode. Make the Chalk brush very small, to around
1-2px, and sample highlights from the sky to paint in
Use blending and shadow We will now add Color adjustment, Levels and Hue/Saturation the shimmers on the walls and roofs of the building.
09 layers all clipped to the building layer. What we are looking to do is match the overall shade and colour Remember to always keep in mind the light source
RIWKHEXLOGLQJVRLWÀWVWKHODQGVFDSH2QFHZHKDYHWKHEDODQFHVHWXSZHZLOODGGDQHZOD\HUEHORZWKH and apply the highlights just where the sun would hit
base building. By sampling colour from the plate we can paint in a shadow for this building over the sand. the structures.
Place a foreground tower Add more buildings to the

11 left and right of the image, using exactly the same technique as
before. However, the foreground tower represents a bit of a challenge,
since it’s much closer. Open up the link to the tower image ‘667214’ and Apply tower shadow To get a nice shadow we’ll use the same tower, so
extract it with a mask. Add a Levels layer to lift the blacks and darken the
12 duplicate all the tower layers, adjust the levels so it becomes black and then merge
whole structure, then a Color Balance layer to match. Add the Highlight all these duplicated layers down. We will position this layer below the main tower layers and
OD\HURQWRSWKLVWLPHLQ2YHUOD\PRGHDQGVWDUWGHÀQLQJWKHKLJKOLJKWV use the Distort command to place it over the sand. Always keep in mind that the shadows
Make sure you are constantly checking if these changes make sense will project perpendicularly in opposition to the light source. To add some surface distortion
with the sun’s position, as this will be key to achieving the desired effect. we can also use the Warp tool a bit.
Bring in shadow
13 blur and highlights
A new feature in Photoshop CS6
is the Field Blur. This is a brilliant
tool if you want to control the blur
over distance or shape using
anchor points. In this project we
need less blur close to the tower
structure and more further from
it. Set the layer mode to Overlay
and reduce the Opacity to 75%.
For the highlights, mask off the
Levels layer with a 1px brush to
reveal the original brightness
that, in direct combination with
the main Highlight layer set to
Overlay, will give us a far more
dramatic result.

Guide
Art
Insert the background mountain Download and insert the Extraction and adjustment layers We will extract the statue
14 back mountain image from the link on the disc (‘1234175’) and paste 15 ZLWKWKH0DJLF:DQGDQGUHÀQHWKHVHOHFWLRQWRFUHDWHDPDVN)ROORZ
it onto a new layer. Now we’ll again use a mask to carefully extract the main a process similar to the foreground tower, using the mask to hide the bottom
mountain, so we just keep what we need. Now, as with the buildings, apply section following the mountain shape so it sits nicely on top of it. Next add Levels
Color Balance, Levels and Hue/Saturation layers to make it match the overall and Color Balance layers so it blends with the mountain and landscape at that
ODQGVFDSH6WDUWZLWKWKHOHYHOVRIWKHLPDJHDQGÀQLVKXSZLWKVRPHGHVDWXUDWLRQ distance. Add a new layer, also clipped, then set it to Overlay and start painting
to blend nicely. the highlights.
Highlight detail and dirt Next insert

16 another Highlight layer, also on Overlay, to
SDLQWLQPRUHKLJKO\GHÀQHGKLJKOLJKWVZLWKDVPDOOHU
brush. We’ll then follow with another layer, also in
Overlay mode, to start adding dirt, wear and cracks
onto the sculpture. Use the 2px Chalk 23 rock 1 Use extra texturing Use another layer with a layer style texture applied to it, so we can increase
FXVWRPEUXVKLQFOXGHGLQWKHEUXVKÀOHVZKLFKZLOO 17 WKHDPRXQWRIGHWDLOWKLVVWUXFWXUHKDV$GGWKLVQHZOD\HUDOVRFOLSSHGWRWKHVWDWXHDQGÀOOLWZLWKD
help add in random detail in a shorter time. Again medium-grey tone, enable the Pattern Overlay in the Layer Style dialog and load the rock pattern. Reduce
be sure to keep in mind the light source position and the Scale a bit and move the texture so we get it in position. Rasterise the layer, set it to Overlay and reduce
also where the dirt would accumulate. the opacity.

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Cut the statue We will now cut some pieces off the Enhance the sand Now we’ll paint in some sand that piles up to the mountain.
18 statue to add to the ancient look we want, then add a new
19 Find the mountain layer and create a new layer on top. With the Chalk 23 brush, at about
layer where we can paint in some volume and highlights that 1-2px size, start painting in sand over the lower part of the mountains. Remember, we always
correspond to the missing pieces. Continue using the small Chalk do our painting with Transfer enabled, controlled by Pen Pressure. Follow the shapes of the
brush and just sample colour from the statue itself. Remember how PRXQWDLQVDQGSLOHXSPRUHVDQGRQWKHÁDWWHUVXUIDFHV
you have painted these volume and highlights so far and always
keep the light source in mind.
Apply some drop shadow

20 to the mountain element
We need to paint in some huge shadow
for the mountain all over the left of the
landscape. To have complete control over
this process we will use a Levels layer. On
the mountain stack, create a new Levels
layer and start by bringing everything
down darker. Fill the layer with black so
it’s all gone and paint in with white only
where you want the shadow to fall. Again,
always keep in mind the position of the
light source.
Adjust the shadows Once we have the shadow where we want it, Complete the mountain Once we have the shadow, we’ll repeat
21 we will adjust the Levels layer to change the hue and depth so they match
22 the process on the mountain itself so both the landscape and the rocks
the rest of the image. We will accomplish this by adjusting the levels of the colours have matching shades of shadow. We’ll create another Levels layer for the
separately. So, if we go into the Yellow channel we can play with the blue/yellow mountain and repeat the same process of masking and carefully adjusting the
amount our shadow has and if we go to the Green channel we can adjust the levels so that both shadows are the same. We can paint some more sand in the
JUHHQPDJHQWDLQÁXHQFHRQWKHVKDGLQJ shadow area on a new layer, sampling colour from the closer shaded areas.

Guide
Art
Include live elements To add some new elements to our image Placement and shading 2QFHZHKDYHWKHÀJXUHVSURSHUO\
23 we will use another of the image links found on the disc. Download, open
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VDPHZD\DVZHKDYHGRQHZLWKWKHUHVWRIWKHHOHPHQWVXVLQJDPDVNDSSOLHG in the original layer. We will then scale them into position and apply to each our
with a selection or a combination of both. We only need this camel and man for technique of adjustment layers to bring the colour on par with the rest of the
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Paint tiny features 7RÀQDOLVHRXUSDLQWHGGHWDLOVPDNHVRPH

Insert detailed shadow 26
25 We will go about this the same way as we tracks for the camel, sampling a darker shade from the plate close by
did the tower, adding shadow using the camel layer itself then duplicating, and painting in a trail of prints. Then we will go back to the highlights in our tower
darkening and distorting it into position. Finalise it with a bit of adjustment from the DQGDGGVRPHWLQ\GHWDLOWRWKHIHDWXUHV0DVNRIIRQWKH/HYHOVOD\HUWRUHYHDOWKH
Warp tool, set its mode to Multiply and reduce the Opacity to about 46%. Finally EULJKWRULJLQDODVZHKDYHGRQHEHIRUH7KLVWLPHDSSO\WRLQGLYLGXDOEULFNVDQG
adjust the colour balance directly so the shadow is a bit colder. sections of the tower.
Finish your adjustments 7RÀQDOLVHWKHORRNRIWKHLPDJHZH·OODGG

27 WKUHHQHZOD\HUVDOOWKHZD\WRWKHWRSÀUVWD/HYHOVOD\HUMXVWWRGDUNHQWKH
ZKROHWKLQJDELW\HWZHZLOOPDVNLWRIIFHQWUHZLWKDKXJHVRIWEUXVKWRFUHDWHDYLJQHWWH
HIIHFW$OVRDGGD&RORU)LOOOD\HUZLWKDGDUNEURZQLQDQ2YHUOD\PRGHDQGUHGXFHG
RSDFLW\)LQDOO\DGGD&RORU%DODQFHOD\HUWRZDUPHYHU\WKLQJVOLJKWO\:HFDQHYHQJR
to the mountain and statue layers and increase the warmth on these separately.

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Concept
The concept was initially
created on a sheet of paper.
I later took a photograph
and continued working on it
digitally. At first I thought it
would be a horizontal work,
but it turned out that it
would look better in a
vertical position.

Guide
Art
Sculpt an epic Digital artists explain the

amazing artwork
sci-fi terrain
Artist info
Secret place 2012 Photoshop, Zbrush
Work exclusively within ZBrush to build all the object Tomasz
Strzałkowski
elements, then move on to Photoshop to perfect your render
Tomasz Stralkowski Digital artist www.tomstrzal.com
Country Poland
The idea for this project was to create an In this tutorial I will explain how to create an Photoshop Modelling,
texturing, lighting and
alien landscape. One evening I was making otherworldly landscape using only ZBrush. With this one rendering.
sketches on a sheet of paper when I came up program you can complete the modelling, create your
with an idea of a deserted spaceship, or maybe only its own alphas (used to model the scene by texturing),
engine. In fact, it looks like a skeleton of a gigantic, create materials, set up the scene, choose an effective
extinct animal. Was this animal specially adapted for the perspective and lighting, and even make your final
creation of a huge machine or was it a product of render. The compositing and colour correction will be
evolution? Or maybe it’s something else? I prefer viewers finished up in Photoshop. Read on and follow the tutorial
to make their own minds up. to find out how it’s done so you can create your own.
Model the foundations

Start with a very basic outline of the whole scene, using simple models
Build the basic models Now we’ll

Create a base mesh First we will 03 create the models for the rest of the objects.
01 make a base mesh. The first of these is a Shape the inner circle The base of the circle is modelled with the Clay
model of an exterior object similar to skeletal ribs.
02 In order to get a better 3D preview, try to put Buildup brush and the DynaMesh tool. Add a flat
Use a torus as a base mesh, then the Clay Buildup together most of the main objects of the scene in the box, emulating the ground. Now we need to think
brush and the DynaMesh tool in ZBrush. Try to early stages. Next create the inside of the circle. Use over how many parts the main model will be made
make a structure similar to that of the concept. At the concept to create an alpha with the shape of the up of and divide those models in order to get the best
first it may all look clumsy, but the main idea is to interior, then the ZBrush tool ShadowBox to get a flat quality. It’s also crucial that the base is joined with
create some base meshes that can be used later to object, which is a great basis for further modelling the ground to have a better and smoother transition
construct the scene. later on. between the main structure and the ground.

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Add some alien detail

Distribute your key features to convey the image’s story
04 Make broad sculpts The main element, which looks 05 The mechanical inner circle After confirming the shape of the exterior object,
like a spine with ribs, needs an appropriate scale with the it’s time to add details to the interior object of the structure. We want the object to have the
thickness of the ribs. It’s also important for it to look good in the right thickness and for it to consist of several layers. It needs to look like a corroded and crushed
target perspective. It could be that the ribs of the structure contain interior of an engine. First paint a mask on this object, which is needed to extrude its thicker
engines to propel the ancient ship, so they need to be strong and sections. Next, use the DynaMesh tool to improve the topology. Add medium and small detail
have a secure physical connection to the main spine. using the prepared alpha base and hand modelling.
Duplicate models
06 to check scale
When we have the shapes
we want, it’s time to copy the
objects and put them in a scene,
taking the perspective, camera
and layout of the objects in
relation to one another into
consideration. This enables
us to tell whether the applied
changes are good enough and
if the main shapes are close to
what is needed. This is a good
habit to adopt, particularly when
making epic scenes like this.
Detail, composition
and the right view
In all my work I keep all the used elements, such as alphas
modelled in ZBrush, which I can use for future works. I also
create the alpha and brush bases. I try to put together the
scene as quickly as possible and do the rendering so I can see 07 Model detail and create more alphas Now
how particular shapes look. This way I can also see the details the main shapes are sorted, it’s time to apply more detailed
in the composition as a whole. In the early stages I try to put modelling. Alphas that we can extrude in the object will be very
the camera in the right position and choose the best helpful. You can make them yourself very easily within ZBrush. All
perspective in such a way that I can see how much work is
needed for each element. Frequent rendering helps me see you need to do is model a suitable shape: go to Projection Master,
the whole picture and enables me to decide whether I’m going use the MRGBZGrabber tool and you will have an alpha ready to
in the right direction. add to your main model.

Guide
Art
Unify your elements

Join your terrain and alien craft, testing all the way
Begin to blend the sections The base will also

08 need the right shape and ratio; the initial concept was to
have the base flatter, but as you can see both the terrain and the
base both ended up being slightly raised. The base has to be
constructed in a way that will enable us to join it with the rest of the
terrain in the foreground later.
Connect the wide terrain Despite having quite a precise idea about the work
10 as a whole, we should still look for the best shapes and details. Constantly make tests
of your progress to ensure every element is working. A good example is the elements on the
edges of the exterior objects or the details of the terrain joined to the base of the construction.
Adding a few figures at the base of the object can show off its scale in an impressive way.
Stick with the

09 Test the lighting process
and colours The
lighting and the climate of the
work are very important, which Usually the first steps go very quickly if you
have a vision, idea and a concept you’ve
is why during test rendering you drawn yourself. Unfortunately, making the final
should always consider their decisions requires many tests and changes.
direction, colour and brightness. Most difficult are the details and their layout.
The background is also crucial, It’s often the case that a considerable part of
the work is inadequate and you have to start
especially its colours and in
all over again, but this is what the creation
this particular case the fog that process is all about. When you finally achieve
occupies it. This fog’s thickness the expected outcome, it’s very inspiring and
and colour has a great influence gives you the energy and motivation for
on the whole work. further work.

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Form the surfaces

Inject mood and atmosphere
Tomasz Strzałkowski Test BPR rendering and
11 composition
Having modelled the whole work and a
series of initial simple renders, we now
need a more accurate render with the
right camera position and perspective.
At this stage, try to choose the optimal
direction of the main lighting and select
the best rendering values. Thanks to the
rendering being completed in layers, we
can create a file in Photoshop where all
the layers can be put together properly.
12 Begin texturing with

the Spotlight tool When
the objects are ready, begin to texture
Tree ZBrush, Maya,
2009, Photoshop using the Spotlight tool in ZBrush.
OIn this image Tomasz wanted to Obviously, even after the texturing,
combine mechanical shapes with tree
shapes. He made the main model in some changes will need to be made
ZBrush. After this I rendered it with a to the model, though hopefully these
Displacement map in Maya will be minimal. We’ll use several
textures that will be manipulated to give
us complete control and introduce
some quick changes, even if there
are changes made to the geometry.
Always
Roots ZBrush, Maya, Photoshop test the
project
2009, Photoshop
O In this image he continued the idea
of Tree with a combination of
mechanical and organic shapes, but
with a different point of view. This main
model was created in Maya Frequent testing in the
target environment and the
climate of the work is key. It
means arranging and
rendering layers with the
lighting, shades, depth and
colours in Photoshop. You
also need to find the right
climate. It’s often the case
that even the smallest
changes have a very big
influence on the whole
work. When I am
approaching the end of a
project, I often take a long
and careful look at the
image, trying to find
mistakes and thinking
about how I can improve it.
Any changes made from
now on are very thoroughly
thought over. It’s a difficult
Tree Branches ZBrush, Maya stage of the project Modify materials Now we’ll begin selecting the materials. The
2010, Photoshop because you have to know 13 materials of the main structure, the terrain, some technological elements
O Tomasz had many parts and models when to stop and finish it,
from Roots that he wanted to use rather than forever making inside the main circle and on its edges are all a little bit different. In order to
again. Here he used the same
techniques that he learned creating hundreds of small increase the details, add noise on the terrain in the foreground and try to select the
Roots changes. right values, such as Specular, Ambient or Light Cavit.

Guide
Art
Work towards rendering

Refer to your concept and reflect on your aims
The best shapes

The outline of a concept created by our imagination is often the right
one, but it’s very difficult to find the best way to implement it. On the
other hand, it’s a very exciting process because it requires you to
fulfil a vision that comes from within. Until you find the right version,
use one that will make you feel satisfied, at least for a short while.
Although the picture in your imagination is vague and it often
changes, you will finally find the right shape and you will feel it. It’s an
inspiring moment!
Adjust the main lights

14 The primary lighting, the complementary lighting and the ambient lighting
should all be rendered separately and only then combined together in Photoshop.
In ZBrush you can get a very nice ambient lighting by loading an HDRI map and
clicking the LightCap icon. This way we can get the collection of lights arranged
in the space, the same as in the HDRI map. You can edit each one of these lights
individually in order to get the exact mood you want.
15 Begin the rendering

step
After frequent rendering tests it’s now
time for the final rendering in high
resolution. In order to do it, first create a
ZBrush project, save all the rendering
values and put the camera in the right
position with the perspective you are
aiming for. Next, load the object. As
mentioned before, we will render in
layers, which enables us to put them
all together in Photoshop. There are
several separate layers for the lighting:
Ambient Occlusion, Mask, Depthmap
and finally the Light Cavity.
Move to
16 Photoshop for
the compositing
Final thoughts
Photoshop enables you to put
all those different layers into
As is often the case when creating original
one final picture. Manipulation images, I came across many problems, and while
of the layers gives you a I was looking for solutions I learned a lot of new
range of great composition techniques. If you want to achieve a desired
possibilities. You can also effect, you have to go for that goal whatever the
problems – technological or inspirational – you
create and add a background, may face. With the right amount of work and
fog effects, as well as correct involvement, most problems can be solved and
the colours. This is the stage each and every obstacle you overcome will teach
when the work acquires the you something new and increase the range of
your skills. I hope you’ve enjoyed the tutorial and
right climate, and is finally
take some inspiration from it.
refined and finished off.

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amazing artwork
Artist info
Jennifer Cirpici
www.breaking
canvas.com
Country Netherlands
Jennifer is a self-taught
graphic designer and
illustrator from the
Netherlands. She studied
graphic design, has worked
for several big agencies like
Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo
Burnett, and is currently a
freelance digital artist.

Guide
Art
Create fantasy
landscapes
from photos
Fantasy World Photoshop Source files
available
Jennifer Cirpici takes you through the process of creating this Use the photo set to
Hollywood-inspired environment create fantasy worlds
Jennifer Cirpici Digital artist
Working
What you will learn in this tutorial are several
basic but essential techniques like blending,
combine real and painted elements (the essence of matte
painting) in depth. Progress
colouring and painting over a scene comprising Over the course of these steps we’ll also look at how you
multiple photos. This workshop is fundamentally inspired can blend stock easily and how essential colouring is when Use coloured layers to
by the lush mountainous scenery in the movie Avatar. The it comes to setting an atmosphere. This guide will not only
Zhangjiajie Mountains, located in China, inspired the makers help you to create these Avatar-esque floating mountains,
of Avatar to create the floating Hallelujah Mountains; they but also to improve your future photomanipulations. Unlike
also inspired us for this tutorial and we used stock imagery the scenes created for the film, we will only be using
of this range to create this artwork. We’ll go into how you can Photoshop to achieve these effects.
Create a lush environment

Manage your stock, colours and blending
Step 01: Stock search
Step 08: Shadows and

accents
Stock search The first step is to find some high-quality Bring in some colour For a green tint, create
01 mountain stock images to begin your piece. The sky is white
02 a new layer filled with #f6f6e5 and set to Multiply.
in our image and we want to add some clouds, so we search for Now create a new layer set to Multiply, but fill this with a bluish
good sky photos, paste them over the landscape, then blend using gradient at 36% Opacity. Use Curves to up the contrast and
layer masks as well as the Overlay, Multiply and Normal modes. tweak the greens with a Color Balance adjustment. Step 17: More mist

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04 Floating mountains With the help of CGTextures

(www.cgtextures.com), we source some free landscape
stock images and blend them together to produce a mountain
reminiscent of those in Avatar. This is very much a matter of
artistic licence so you will have to decide on the scale, shape
and which materials constitute your mountain when you come
to constructing it. As previously demonstrated, use layer masks
to bring elements together, as this will help to blend effectively
using black and white brushes. Also, make sure that when you
are using these brushes you are working with a low Flow value
as this will help to achieve a smooth blend.
03 Mountains and birds We now add in some mountains from another stock photo.
Set the layer’s blending mode to Multiply with an Opacity of 68%, then make the mountains
a little greyer so that they all blend well together. Blur the mountains using the Gaussian Blur filter
set to a Radius of 5px because they are further away and this will create a greater sense of depth.
Finally, find some nice bird images and paste them into the composition, using the Edit>Transform
options to match the scene’s perspective and scale.
05 Gradient shading Select the floating mountain

and, with a black-to-transparent gradient, create a
shadow at the bottom of the scene, fading out towards the top of
the image. Lower the Opacity to 28% and repeat this step. Select
parts of the mountains from the background and paste into the
bottom to give it more texture. We’ll go into more depth with this
in a moment. At this stage, it’s a good idea to take a final look
Quick and check you’re happy with the composition. To do this, go to
Tip Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal.
You may find that you get

stuck sometimes, and lose 06 Depth and highlights To create depth and
inspiration or motivation to highlights, we use a small, hard brush, painting with
continue with your artwork. black where we want to generate a bit more shadow. We set this
Some of the best solutions
are to either sleep on it, take layer to the Soft Light blending mode and lowered the Opacity
a couple of steps back from to around 70% with the brush Flow at 70% too. Follow the same
your screen or, as we did in process with a hard white brush, this time creating highlights with
this tutorial, just change the
perspective by flipping the layer set to Overlay. You can use this technique with all your
it horizontally. photomanipulation projects to great effect.

Guide
Art
Make the fantastical real

The secret is in the details
Shadows,
08 accents and
eerie mist
As this project goes on,
and the more that you
work on the mountain,
the more likely you are
to notice that it requires
more details. At this
stage, for example, we
decide that this image
needs more shadows
and highlights. Repeat
step 6 and go into
more detail using a
smaller brush. It’s time-
consuming work, but this
effort will pay dividends
when it comes to the final
result. To generate a mist
effect, take a soft brush,
07 Add some clouds To add realism to the floating sample the colour from
mountain and to establish its significant scale and the background with the
airborne position, we imported some clouds, placing them Eyedropper tool and
around the bottom of the mountain. Render the clouds with brush over the mountain
channels, put them on a new layer and then invert it (Cmd/ and background before
Ctrl+I). Now select the black parts (the clouds) with the Magic switching to Soft Light
Wand tool and erase the rest. Blur the clouds with Filter>Motion blending.
Blur to lend them a greater sense of movement.
Add some plants In Avatar, the floating islands have long vine-like plants to help
09 people move from one island to another, and we’re also creating these in our scene. Take a
hard brush and draw some simple lines to get the basic plant forms from one mountain to another.
Then, with a green colour, add more lines over the first set and then a final group of lines in a lighter
tone for shading. You can also set some of the lines to Overlay.
Mountain vegetation We are now going to add

10 some shady plants to the bottom of the scene and
around the base of the floating mountain. You can do this very
simply by taking the hard brush again and, with a grey colour,
drawing in plants that are hanging down. The trick is that they
don’t have to look exactly like plants when zoomed in, but when
you zoom out they should look convincingly like the silhouettes
of trees or shrubs. You only have to make these plants as
complicated as you want to.

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The final touches

Wrap up your fantasy world
12 Mountain
edges
Because we could
never have rendered
the rock in a way that
made the plants at the
edges look good too,
we need to add our own
flora to the mountain
edges. This will better
blend the mountain into
the sky and reduce that
copy/paste feel. Again,
you don’t have to paint
Additional highlights We come again to a point the plants or leaves very
11 when we’re adding more highlights – you can never get realistically as they’re
enough of them! The more you have, the more detail there will in the distance and
be in your scene and the better it will ultimately look. We’re also shrouded by mist. Make
adding a bit of green here and there with a hard brush. By doing sure not to use
this we are giving it a more digitally painted feeling, but don’t one colour – always add
forget to make sure that everything blends well together, with no in highlight and
one area stealing the show. shadow tones too.
Splash out Before

13 making a waterfall,
look up some references
to get an idea of the basic
structure. As you will see,
there isn’t too much detail in a
waterfall – it’s basically a white
cloud. Take a soft brush at
around 150px, brush a thick
line in white and then apply
Soft Light blending at 25%
Opacity. This is the start of the
waterfall and shows how it’s
floating. We now add a couple
of finer lines either side of the
waterfall to serve as edges.
15 Rainbow effect
Waterfalls can often
be seen with a rainbow near
them due to light refracting
through the moving water.
Create a subtle rainbow with
your hard brush, as per the
screenshot, lowering the
Opacity to 80%. Change the
14 Waterfall details With a soft brush sized around layer to the Soft Light mode
500px, brush once more into the waterfall, but lower the and apply a Gaussian blur so
Opacity to 28% and set the blending mode to Soft Light. For that the rainbow doesn’t draw
details, zoom in and use a hard brush to make a couple of small too much attention. With the
strokes and then, on a new layer, add a series of lines. If they look soft brush set to the Soft Light
too hard, you can blur them a bit. Add vertical lines until satisfied mode, add a little more mist
then apply some smoky mist underneath the cascade. coming off the waterfall.

Guide
Art
16 Mountain shadow Because it’s a floating mountain, we need to

add its shadow to the area it’s suspended over. We decided to put some
Quick
shadow on the rocky column closest to it and on the ground using the soft brush Tip
set to black at a lowered opacity. Make sure you never do just one shadow – for For this tutorial we didn’t just
realism, apply several layers of shadow that become darker the closer they get use Photoshop’s standard
hard and soft brushes, but
to the object. Don’t mess too much with the blending options when it comes to we also used a brush set
shadows, either, as they need to be almost completely black. from one of our favourite
artists, Dan LuVisi, who is
also known as adonihs. You
can download the set for
free from his deviantART
gallery at tinyurl.com/
adonihs. Do read the usage
instructions before you use
them though. LuVisi is a
great artist and this is a
fantastic resource, so they’re
worth downloading when
working on a matte-painting
project like this.
17 More mist As one of the final steps, we are going to add yet more mist
around the floating mountain and make the vegetation around the edges
a little greener. The mist will help the mountain merge seamlessly with everything
else in the scene and it also enhances the surreal and mysterious mood we want
the image to have. Never make your mist too white, though. Instead use a colour
in the same shade as the background, so in this case give it a green tint. Switch
the mist layer to the Soft Light blending mode and set the Opacity to 30%.
18 Final touches
Now you can play
with Brightness/Contrast,
Levels and Curves
adjustment layers. To
get focus in this artwork
you can also create a
black-to-white radial
gradient on a new layer
set to Soft Light and 30%
Opacity. The white circle
goes wherever you want to
draw focus. Create a new
Quick layer, fill it with black and

go to Filter>Noise>Add
Tip Noise (12.5% and
When you digitally paint, you
Monochromatic). Set this
can use the Rotate View tool layer to Soft Light and just
to navigate your whole 5% Opacity. Last but
screen. This way you can
paint more detailed elements not least, wrap up the
without having to turn your image with a Smart
head. It makes everything Sharpen filter.
much more comfortable.

WorldMags.net
Concept
Compose magical scenes
152 Build fantasy architecture
158 Concept art for a heroine
182
character
164 Create dramatic lighting effects
170 Sci-fi concept art
176 Build videogame concept art
182 Build matte paintings
188 Design robot mechs
The viewer
should be
convinced that
the world could
actually exist
176
Guide
Art
164 188
152

ConceptWorldMags.net
Source files
available
Tutorial files on the disc
Build fantasy
architecture
Blood Temple 2012 Photoshop, Painter
Alexander teaches you how real-world references can inspire
your fantasy buildings and scenes
Alexander Thümler Digital artist
In the field of entertainment design and styles. As long as the elements hang together in a way that
illustration, you are almost always faced with is physically possible (even if the physics are based on
the prospect of creating virtual worlds that magic), the viewer has to believe that what he or she sees is
include some kind of architecture, or even whole real – even if it is not. Natural patterns, random abstract
infrastructures. Whether it is science fiction art or a classic shapes or objects you might never have thought of using as
medieval fantasy image, from the very first second the building blocks before can also inspire a scene, but
person looking at this kind of illustration should be nonetheless physical functionality is the most important
convinced that the world he or she is observing could aspect of making fantasy scenes seem possible.
actually exist. Even if there is magic going on or you can see In this illustration, we take inspiration from exotic ancient
floating buildings in the air, if the artwork contains a architecture. Old, lost civilisations like the Mayans and
consistent visual style then every kind of architecture in every Aztecs can be truly inspiring when it comes to creating your
kind of environment will work. own fantasy architecture. Explorers are still finding
That is why it is so important to be inspired by actual undiscovered ruins to this day, and the fact that we know
civilisations, both ancient and modern. Fantasy architecture, little to nothing about their use makes the Mesoamerican
for example, is often inspired by gothic elements like castles motifs that they use a visual shorthand for mystery and
and cathedrals. You can create a new fantasy scenario by magic, while allowing us to integrate fantasy elements into
combining more than one civilisation and their architectural something that’s conceivably from the real world.

Guide
Art

amazing artwork
Artist info
Alexander Thümler
www.minzketchbook.com
Country Germany
Painter
Alexander is a concept artist
and illustrator, studying
design in Nuremberg. He
does live paintings with an
audience or on the internet
via Livestream.

Explore ancient ruins

Develop your idea from sketch to finished piece
Basic sketch Start to paint some very simple shapes and silhouettes with a big
01 rough brush to find a composition that works for you. It’s not necessary to care a lot
about the architecture or even the perspective – just try to find a way to place all the elements
you want to show.
Shapes Once the basic sketch is done, start thinking

02 about the general perspective and architectural
elements you want to use in the painting. Pick a thinner brush to
define the shapes with a bit more detail and bring a little more
design into the abstract structure.
It’s important to bring out focal points

as soon as possible, as they lead the viewer
through the whole image
Value It’s important to bring out focal points

03 as soon as possible, as they lead the viewer
through the whole image. Use a large soft brush on
a layer set to Overlay to define dark and light areas
and work out the basic values of the painting. This will
give the painting a visual guideline.
Mirroring
During the process of creating your digital
painting, it often happens that you get too
used to your image and overlook mistakes
in the composition. It’s important to flip the
canvas horizontally and vertically as often
Mirror Start sketching in more details of the architecture and the plants growing around the structure
as possible during the whole working
process to get a renewed perspective of
04 to work out the scene. Flip the canvas horizontally and vertically in order to check out the composition
the painting. and the general tilt of the image from time to time.

Guide
Art
Finished thumbnail Don’t spend too much time rendering the

05 thumbnail, as this is just one of many thumbnails that you can draw
before starting the final illustration. Bring in some last-minute details to refine the
composition and highlight focal elements by using fast and loose strokes.
Line art Now that the architecture and perspective are roughed
06 out, you can draw a simple perspective grid with one, two or even three
vanishing points and begin to draw the architectural line art on a separate layer.
Constructing three-dimensional objects is not easy, so take your time.
Colour In this step you have to think about the atmosphere and general
07 lighting of the scene to figure out how these things affect the material the
temple is made of. Once you’re happy with your idea, start painting in the basic
colours of the temple and the shadows underneath the line art.
Saturation Light direction Now, drop the line art onto the canvas and start to
08 paint over it. Always keep the angle of the light in your mind to prevent
To maintain balanced values, it’s important to hide the colour of an
image from time to time and see it completely desaturated. The mistakes from occurring. Create some rough brushstrokes as a raw base for the
perception of tones is often influenced by colour overstimulation and foliage of the trees and bushes growing around the temple. A low-lit, evening
the colour contrast. angle for the lighting adds mystery and menace.

Develop Destroy the temple Once you’ve rendered the
09 depth 10 surfaces, you can start destroying the architecture.
Continue rendering Paint some debris, broken walls and statues. Add some
the architecture as colour variety to the boulders to make them look old and
subtly as possible ruined. Remember, you’re aiming for the look of somewhere
and bring depth into that has been lost for thousands of years.
the image by painting
faded trees or other
parts of the temple
into the background.
Make use of the lighting
angle and atmospheric
perspective in order
to enhance the eerie
atmosphere of the
overall scene.
Refine the details Use a thin brush to draw

11 reliefs, gaps and cracks on the walls to make the
whole building look ancient and ruined, and add some more
leaves and roots to show that this is an abandoned place.
You will want the viewer to wonder what happened to the
original inhabitants and feel vaguely unsettled.
Make use of
lighting angle and
perspective to
enhance the eerie
atmosphere...You
want the viewer to
wonder what has
happened here
Step back
It’s often easier to improve the composition
of a painting by looking at the image in a
very small format. Because there is a loss of
information due to the scaling on the screen
and the fixed number of pixels, it’s
advisable to view the image on the whole Build up the story To help the viewer get into the scene, add some story elements. Here,
screen and step back from it. In this way, 12 explorers are shown making their way into the dark doorway at the heart of the image. We put them in
even the smallest details contribute to the
overall image. with the image flipped to check that they read correctly.

Guide
Art
14 Hint at a terrible secret Another detail often seen

in ancient ruins and temples is art itself. Temples often have
a lot of murals, reliefs and statues to show rituals and other events
that happened in the past, or prophecies that will influence the
Accents Bring more life into the scene by adding additional trees, grass, bushes, future. Draw in some relief details on the walls – these details feature
13 flowers and ferns. Accentuate some elements of the ruined temple by adding a little bit giant, magical figures demanding worship and sacrifice from
more saturation if they merge too much with the whole structure. smaller, more human-looking ones.
Use a layer set

to Overlay to
highlight the focal
points, bringing
out the contrast on
the stairway, 15 Last-minute values To finish the painting, use a Color Balance adjustment layer to make all the
colours mesh with each other perfectly. Finally, use a layer set to Overlay to highlight the focal points once
figures etc again, bringing out the contrast on the stairway, door, figures and temple artwork.

Working
Progress
Step 04: Design theme
Step 11: Light in greyscale
Step 14: Render the

character

Guide
Art
Concept art for a

heroine character
Source files
available
Discover the line art for
this heroine and render
your own
Playing with Firepower Photoshop

Find a suitable design and create a rendered painting for a
strong and beautiful videogame heroine Digital artists explain the
Simon Eckert Illustrator amazing artwork
Artist info
If you want to succeed in creating a good To create such visual appeal you have to know what the
design for a female videogame heroine that character is about, her role in the story and her skills and
appeals to all, there are some important function in the game. Another important aspect is that your
aspects to keep in mind. First, she should look strong and design isn’t too difficult to translate into a 3D model in order
capable of dealing with any obstacle. Second, she should to be animated. Thus it shouldn’t incorporate too many
be beautiful and sexy, though you should avoid trying to protruding and detached accessories like flowing ribbons, Simon Eckert
achieve sex appeal through too much naked skin. Strength feathers or long cloaks. The latter are particularly
and capability paired with a beautiful, stern face don’t need unfavourable for figures mostly seen from the back during www.holysquid.de
a chain mail bikini to create a sexy and believable design. Of the game, as they obscure any shape that might make the Country Germany
course, she’s still a heroine, so may well possess a character unique. Software used Photoshop
superhuman physique or otherworldly beauty. Key features for the heroine in this piece are as follows; I’m a freelance illustrator
More important than her physical appearance is that your she will be a professional thief or mercenary, hunting and concept artist with a
background in graphic
character has a unique look that makes her memorable and treasure and rare artefacts in the catacombs beneath the design. I live and work in
outstanding. That look should primarily be achieved through surface of a steampunk-inspired world. She’s tough, agile, Berlin. My expertise ranges
from creating illustrations for
a distinct and interesting silhouette and via engaging design ruthless, a little bit flamboyant and of course a radiant board games and
of her clothes and weapons. The audience must be beauty. She uses a master-crafted multi-barrelled handgun, role-playing games to
convinced at first sight that they want to play as that which needs to be loaded with power cells. With those key graphics for browser games
and character concept art
character to draw them into the game. features set, we can start designing. for MMOs.
Design the heroine

Start Photoshop and sharpen your pencils
Look at Preliminary
01 references 02 sketch Begin
Before you start to actually with a digital sketch made
design something, be in Photoshop, because
it in a realistic or fantasy this way you retain the
setting, you should possibility of making quick
look at photo and style changes and don’t have to
references to gain cope with a lot of erasing
inspiration, knowledge and smudging in a messy
and understanding of the pencil sketch. You can
subject matter. For the also flip the canvas at any
steampunk setting used time to check that you
in this piece, elements like have the proportions right
antique pistols, Victorian- which is invaluable. This
era clothing and jewellery step is very important as it
are relevant accessories sets your road map for the
to the genre. entire image.

Create a Design theme To give the character a consistent look, you should
03 silhouette Our
04 try to find a theme that’s used throughout every part of the design. An
videogame heroine needs overly eclectic look will, in most cases, result in an image that is weaker and less
a good and recognisable memorable. This piece encompasses a wing theme because it’s suitable for
silhouette that makes her making variations for different shapes of the costume and fits her character.
unmistakable. You have to
consider the shape from all
angles but especially from
the back, as the character is
most likely to be seen from
that perspective while people
are playing the game. Forms
that are too extreme might be
difficult to animate.
Colourise your sketch When you’ve completed your sketch,

05 create a new layer above it in the layer stack, fill it with 100% cyan and set
the blending mode to Screen. Now create a new layer under your sketch layer,
fill it with white and reduce the opacity of the sketch until it’s very light and barely
visible. Print your sketch on the drawing paper of your choice. You should now
have a light-blue sketch that is ready to be refined by hand.
Draw the
06 line art
Though the digital
medium is great for its
versatility and is ideal
for most colour work, it
is a good idea to make
a traditional pencil
drawing before starting
to paint. By using this
digital-traditional-digital
workflow you are more
likely to achieve an
individual and dynamic-
looking piece. Having
the sketch printed in
blue will give you a solid
basis for a clean pencil
drawing of the details.
Scan your
08 drawing
Using a The final drawing
reference should be scanned

at 300dpi (at least)
to retain as much
Final design Now you have to information as
The inspiration for the
accessory on her head
07 create the real design including all of possible. At this
came from a Victorian the intricate elements. Refine the ideas you stage, flip the
hairpin. You should put down in your preliminary sketch, look at scanned image
never underestimate and correct any flaws
references again if you’re unsure about how to
the power of using
references. draw anything and bear in mind that someone in anatomy
will have to model your design in 3D later. or proportion.

Guide
Art
Style
School Some classic
Art genres in
a nutshell
CG heroines
These classic games heroines
demonstrate the visual power
of a female protagonist
Male protagonists are common in videogames, but
Shapes and selections
10 Create a new layer under the line
some of the most well-known and loved gaming
Transparent line art Go to the characters are female. Whether they’re the main player
09 Channels window in Photoshop and check in art layer and use the Lasso tool to select
character or the driving force behind the story, these
which of the three (RGB) the image looks cleanest. the shape of your character. Save the
three characters demonstrate how an iconic design
Select that one and remove any remnants of the blue selection (Select>Save Selection) and
combined with individual beauty and a sense of
print using Image>Adjustments>Levels. Now copy fill it with grey. In this manner, you can go
personality combine to create memorable and much-
that channel into the other two. Create a selection on selecting and saving the shapes you
loved characters.
by clicking on the RGB channel while holding Cmd/ think could be useful later, for example the
Ctrl. Invert that selection (using the shortcut Cmd/ main colours of the clothes, to create a
Name: Princess Zelda
Ctrl+Shift+I) and fill it with black on a new layer. complete (if basic) value study. Game: The Legend of
Zelda series
Date: 1986 – present
Games Company:
Nintendo
ONamed after novelist F
Scott Fitzgerald’s wife,
Princess Zelda has
appeared in different
incarnations across the
LOZ series. The classic
blonde, blue-eyed elven
Quick beauty started out as a
princess who needed
Tip rescuing and has
developed into the brains
Use the Elliptical Marquee behind the throne of her
tool to create geometric kingdom, with sideline
things like the gun barrels. careers as a ninja, pirate
Such objects need to look and even, on occasion, as a goddess.
correct in regards to
perspective or they will not be
convincing.
Light in greyscale Depict a lighting situation, but

11 be careful not to make it too dark, as all the detail should
be readable for later modelling. You can also define the light and
dark areas of the costume to create a unique pattern. In the case
of this piece, this image of the character has a bit of background,
so add backlighting to create a three-dimensional atmosphere.
Name: Samus Aran

Game: Metroid series
Date: 1986 – present
Games Company:
Nintendo
ONintendo’s action Name: Lara Croft
adventure had a great Game: Tomb Raider series
reveal at the end of the Date: 1996 – present
first game in the series, Games Company: Eidos,
Colour scheme One of the when the exoskeleton- Square Enix
12 most powerful tools to make your Blend the hues Colourise your clad protagonist doffed OThe curvaceous brunette Lara
character stand out is to establish and

13 image by using blending modes. Start
their robotic suit and was
revealed to be female.
Croft was created like a female
Indiana Jones. With her luscious
work within a strong colour theme. Try using layers set on Soft Light to define the basic Statuesque Samus looks, she was based on a
colours and move on to Hard Light to bring out Aran is arguably the first combination of pop singer
to create a working scheme using only Neneh Cherry and comic-book
female videogame
one or two bright key colours and leave key colours. You can experiment with blending protagonist. Infused with character Tank Girl, designed to
the rest unsaturated. Using too many modes but try to avoid an overall look that is too alien DNA and packing a counter stereotypically delicate
saturated. Merge everything down before you suit that would make Iron female characters. The actress,
bright hues will quickly result in a chaotic, Man jealous, her look is Angelina Jolie also played her
random and cartoony look. start rendering. based on Kim Basinger. twice on the big screen.

Render the character Now with Brush techniques Create a new layer
14 all the information set, you can start 15 over your basic colours. Use the round Painting surfaces Differentiate between soft
rendering the image. This is the most time- hard-edged Airbrush tip (with Opacity set to 100%) 16 and reflective surfaces by painting harder highlights
consuming part, but a fully rendered artwork to render most parts, and the soft-edged Airbrush and more contrast into metallic or shiny parts and softer
will make it easier for the modellers to translate set on low opacity to smooth down areas where rendering for skin or leather. Avoid using pure white or black
your ideas into 3D and is also much more a softer look is wanted. Try to keep your strokes – you can always emphasise shadows or highlights later on.
convincing to look at. A poor design with a as dynamic as possible in your line art and pick When I use custom brushes or textures, they only provide the
boring shape and confusing colours won’t get colours from your image, especially the halftones basis for further painting, as they tend to make the artwork
better no matter how well it is rendered. created by the line art over the colour sketch. look too digital. Merge everything down again.
Clean the
18 outlines
Make a selection from
the path, invert it,
duplicate the image
and delete everything
around the character.
Invert the selection
again and fix any small
flaws that you notice on
the silhouette. You now
should have a smoothly
rendered character
with transparent
background on one
Select with paths With the main rendering done, we can make a layer and a background
17 final selection to separate the character from the background and define layer below.
the final shape. This wasn’t done earlier to retain the ability to alter the silhouette
until the design is finalised. Use the Pen tool set to Paths to get a smooth look.
Paint the
19 background
Character concept artists
Break the often don’t particularly

like painting backdrops,
silhouette but a little bit of scenery

can really convey some
of the background
I used the wing design story and produce a
on the armlet as a much more finished
means to break up the and elaborate piece, as
human silhouette and you can see here. Use
make it more jagged
and dangerous the Gaussian Blur filter
looking. Though they over your background Finishing touches The last step is to
are a decorative to add a sense of depth 20 tweak the colour and contrast in your piece. Use
element, they still don’t to the image and to a Soft Light layer with a warm colour (at a low opacity)
look like they’d
also achieve a more to bring out the heroine against the background, which
encumber the wearer.
realistic in-game look. you can also make darker with Levels.

Guide
Art
Key techniques
01 Designing details I stuck to the
wing theme throughout the design; you
can find it on her clothes and even on the
pistol holster. Putting thought and effort
into such intricate details is something very
enjoyable and ultimately leads to a more
convincing result.
02 Asymmetry I chose to make her

hairstyle asymmetric to make her
costume more visually dynamic and to
give her a more individual look. Asymmetry
can be a very useful way of creating a
distinct silhouette.
03 Firepower The steampunk setting

just screams for a special and unique
weapon. Something futuristic and powerful,
yet keeping the antique look. When
creating the design I drew inspiration from
real antique pistols and Gatling guns,
and combined them with a fantastical yet
functional-looking aspect: the glowing
power cells.
04 Dramatic tension Not amused

at being disturbed during a successful
raid, the heroine is reaching for her gun.
I chose to go for a dark background with
the eerie greenish light emanating from
the power cell to emphasise the tense
atmosphere.
05 Drop bad ideas The initial

design incorporated a lamp hanging
somewhere in the background to provide
a source for the backlighting, but when
rendering the background it was clear that
this didn’t work. The lamp simply distracted
too much from the character and had to be
removed from the scene.


amazing artwork
Artist info
It’s wise to make

sure you have
everything defined Marco Nelor
clearly before moving Personal portfolio site
marconelor.tumblr.com
on. A little spontaneity Country US
will prove handy, but Currently living in Chicago,
concept artist Marco Nelor
not as handy as a solid spends his time listening to
music, drawing and
base painting.

Guide
Art
Create dramatic
lighting effects
Vibrant Flight Photoshop
Learn essential brush techniques to create dramatic Source files
available
lighting and vibrant colour On the CD, you will find
Marco Nelor Concept arist all the brushes needed to
replicate the effects learnt
in this tutorial. Simply
upload the advanced
Fantasy paintings are ever so popular, with Of course, this is all made possible using Photoshop tools photoshop.abr file by
many digital artists plying a profitable trade and options. Custom brushes have been supplied on the double-clicking it
from a range of different styles. With the right skill disc so that you can make the marks seen in this tutorial.
set and techniques, you too can create concepts for multiple You’ll also discover ways to layer these new brushes, using
parties within the entertainment industry. This tutorial aims to
give you a head start.
the power of Photoshop’s blending modes to produce
exciting lighting effects.
Working
You’ll begin with the sketch phase, drawing out some
rough ideas in Photoshop, then you’ll discover essential
Brushes are used to paint texture and detail, with Lock
Layer and clipping mask controls letting you shape your
Progress
ways to add colour, detail and cohesive lighting to your final design exactly as you want it. Ways to introduce tonality Use coloured layers to
images. Special effects will breathe further life into these and colour temperature, again enhancing atmosphere, are build up vibrant art
designs, mainly through the use of dramatic lighting effects also taught. By the end of it all, you’ll be able to tackle your
that enhance atmosphere. very own distinctive fantasy paintings.
Getting started
sketch within photoshop
Start your sketch Begin sketching
01 the figure very loosely inside Photoshop
on a new layer. This is so that you can visualise the
Progress 1: Rough sketch
proportions and composition you need. A three-
quarter view of an owl moving towards the viewer
has been chosen here. This example is the best
design from a set of thumbnails, as it made sure all
of the needs of the piece were met early on.
Progress 2: Add
background
Separate the sketch You’ll want to make

A clear course of action Begin tightening up your 03 sure that your bird is on a separate layer without
02 line work and organise the shadows and lights. Eliminate any loose or extra strokes. Check for such artefacts by
scribbled brush strokes, as a good, solid direction early on will creating a layer beneath the sketch layer and fill it with a
dictate the difficulty of a piece. It’s also wise to make sure you have pink colour. This reveals any stray white and grey brush
everything defined clearly before moving on. A little spontaneity will strokes in and around the sketch. If there are any in your
prove handy, but not as handy as a solid base. image, you will need to erase these. Progress 3: Create lighting

Quick
Tip
The secret to applying textured brushes
successfully is to build up gradual details using
consistent strokes. Keep your textures and
textured brushes from getting too messy, as
they may begin to lay down too much texture
and overpower the entire effect.
Copy and paste A useful trick when

05 creating similar features like the talons is
to use a copy and paste. Since the shapes will be
painted over later, you won’t run the risk of each
04 Add texture Early on in a painting, it’s good to add a little texture to certain areas. Later, these earlier talon looking too similar. Select a talon with the
signs of texture may show through and help to pick out subtle shapes, giving the painting a bit more life. Marquee tool (L), then press and hold the Cmd/
Upload the advanced photoshop.abr and select the brush labelled ‘20’. Paint texture near the light areas of the Ctrl key as you drag the selected area to another
talon. Be careful to not to paint too brightly this early on, however, as increasing the contrast too soon will make location. Doing this creates a duplicate of the
areas seem overly bright or blown out later. selected item.
Form shadow Getting comfortable Paint feathers It’s time to start painting
Create atmosphere It was decided 07 with the Selection tool? Good, as you’re 08 feathers. To do this, select the brush labelled
06 that the head would read better if it were in about to practise that same technique here by ‘700’, which closely resembles the hackle you can
front of the far wing, so you need to add a little bit of carefully selecting the legs of your owl. Now press find in owls and other birds. Take care to not add
atmosphere. Using the Marquee tool once again, Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+I to invert your selection. This strokes too wildly. Instead, apply in a uniform manner,
select an area outlining the owl’s face and a portion effectively lets you paint behind the selected area. tracing the existing contour in your owl’s form. This
of the wing behind it. Select a rounded brush with soft Use another soft brush in order to paint in some means you’ll create a more authentic appearance.
edges and begin stroking in the lighting from the top shadow behind the legs. Again, take care not to paint Studying a real-world reference to get the right look
down, as your light will likely be a top-down lighting. your marks too dark. isn’t cheating.

Guide
Art
Detailed blueprint
Lay the foundation for focal points, texture and form
Add blacks Up until this point, the image Hide selections You’ll have made Build feather textures Continue
09 will be rather grey. But this is fine, as it has
10 quite a few of these by now and they can be
11 painting your bird and refining your form and
allowed you to make sure that the focal point is yet distracting. With an area of your painting selected, shapes. Uniformly paint the wings, slowly building
to be decided. Usually, you’ll want your focal point to in this case the eyes from the previous step, press colour until you create solid-looking results. Try
be your subject’s face. So it’s here that you’ll apply Cmd/Ctrl+H to hide your selection. Sometimes to stay within the appropriate tonal range. Do this
your first solid black to create the owl’s eyes. Use a doing so will help you see what you’re doing more on a new layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+N). The
Selection tool to draw out a good shape for these, clearly. With your selections hidden, you can begin smoother you keep your forms now, the cleaner your
then fill your selection with a solid black. This makes detailing the eyes, which is done using a soft grey painting will be later. It’s not until the very end, when
the eyes the darkest point of your piece and therefore brush on the outer area and a sharper white brush for bringing all your painting marks together, that you
your point of focus. the reflective highlights. start to fashion feathers with your strokes.
Begin detailing the

eyes, which is done
using a soft grey brush
on the outer area and a
sharper white brush
for the reflective
highlights
Paint long feathers Now that you’re

13 done with the smaller feathers, you need to
paint a larger one. First, create a new layer (Cmd/
Ctrl+Opt/Alt+N), then use the Marquee tool (L)
to create a long, feather-like rectangular shape.
Render feathers It’s a good idea to layer your painted feathers. Start with smaller feathers near Use a soft round brush to paint one side dark and
12 the top of the wing and paint three rows. Begin with the bottom row, painting in loose feathers. Add another side a bright grey, manually creating a
a layer on top and paint values that create the shadow from the feathers that will be above that. Then paint gradual gradient. This gives the illusion of a single
those feathers in on a new layer above your shadow layer. Working backwards in this way makes the feathers feather, which is longer and thicker than the rest
appear to be casting shadows. you’ve just added.

Render your look

Create dramatic lighting, contour and detail in your image
Copy and paste feathers Using Break up repetition Build upon the Uniform lighting Now that you’ve
14 what you’ve learnt about the Marquee tool 15 last steps by repeating their processes,
16 created your feathers, you will need to add
and the duplicate technique, you now implement a painting and placing feathers in the owl’s opposite larger shadows. First, merge down your owl layers,
combination of the two. Remember the long gradient wing. Make sure you follow the right direction for an then make sure that this new layer is locked by
feather you just painted in the last step? Well, now authentic look. To break up the monotony of some clicking on the Lock icon located at the top of the
you’re going to copy and paste this into a new layer of these feathers, erase parts of the edges in some layers tab. Now, apply a large, dark grey, soft round
and slightly enlarge it. Place it so it overlaps the of your layers. Also elongate some of them slightly brush and lightly add some shadow to the rounded
original large feather layer. Continue to copy, paste and skew the shape of others a bit. This allows you parts of the top of the wing. This makes sure your
and place a few dozen times until you have a long to create the beginnings of a very interesting wing wings are being lit by the same light source as the
row of feathers. pattern for your owl. rest of the image.
Start the background Since your

17 owl is on its own layer, you can create a layer
beneath and begin the background. This image
Mastering
will eventually reveal a bright scene with sparks
and cinder flying from a fire. However, to make
sparks
these effects workable, you need a dark, muted
You’ll see that spark effects were added to
background full of dark purples, dark browns and the final image. You can recreate this effect
dark reds. While it seems dark now, adding your by using several layers and a very easy
effects later will help keep the focus on your owl, Secondary light Since the plan is to technique. Create a new layer, set its
rather than spreading the focus around haphazardly. 18 have your main light source closer to the blending mode to Color Dodge and scatter
viewer, a secondary light source can be established
in some simple sparks with an orange-
coloured brush. Now duplicate this layer.
– in this case, the moon behind the owl. On a Duplicating a Color Dodge layer into itself
Quick separate layer, draw a circular selection with the will make the sparks glow even brighter
than before. Now you must copy, paste and
Tip Elliptical Marquee tool. Set this layer’s blending
mode to Color Dodge and paint in the moon with a place your sparks around the image by
selecting the Move tool, holding Opt/Alt and
When painting to a Color Dodge blending mode few large strokes, using a neutral grey colour. This
layer, using a grey colour will create a very natural dragging them to other locations. Create
and even glow. Painting with a saturated colour
gives the moon its glow effect. Also use the same depth of field effects, making some seem
gives a glow similar to that colour. brush around the moon to give it a halo effect. close up, others further away.

Guide
Art
Quick
Tip
Now that your major elements are completed, go
over everything you’ve done and detail your brush
strokes and lighting. Keep taking a step back to
check your progress. This will ultimately help push
the piece to final completion.
Reflective lighting Using the same

Clip layers Back with your owl and it’s 20 method outlined in the last step, create Bring it back Since the layer below this
19 time to add a little colour. At this stage, it’s best another layer, except this time set its blending mode 21 new light layer is a dark brown colour, it’s
to keep everything simple – and in this case dark. to Color Dodge. Link the layer again. Even though possible to bring back shadows – just erase areas
Create another layer above the owl layer and link it appears to be linked to the last layer, they’re both from the Color Dodge light layer above. Create
the two by hovering your mouse between the layers actually linked to the owl layer. Use this layer to add dramatic shadows in the feathers by using the
while holding Cmd/Ctrl. Click and it links the layers. both blue rims of light in the edges of the wings and Marquee tool to make selections like in the example
This will ensure that anything painted on this layer will yellow lighting that emulates reflection from the fire. shown, then delete from these. This method is much
only affect the layer below it, which will be your owl You can also erase lighting and reapply until you’re better than painting with more black because the
layer and not the background. satisfied with the effects. darkest colour has been established at this point.
Final details In the same way as you’ve

24 done in previous steps, create another layer
and lock it to the armour layer. Set the new layer’s
Back and forth At this point in your Add armour Now that the hard part is blending mode to Color Dodge and choose a
22 painting, it’s important that you start to flesh
23 over, you can begin to make some armour saturated orange colour. Paint this on the side of the
out your colouring and continue to tweak your image that fits with your image lighting. Use a solid colour armour that you feel should receive the most light,
lighting. You could also add more subtle hints of that outlines the entire shape of the armour on a new with the brightest parts nearest the crease. This gives
colour, perhaps some purple or pink hues. Always layer, then lock it. This allows you to paint evenly over you a balanced exposure, and good shadow and
remember that if you want to add more lighting, then the entire shape, rather than painting each piece light separation. Repeat the same process for the
you do this specifically to your Color Dodge blending individually. Doing the latter has a higher chance of trimming. Use the Hair brush (brush 125) to zoom in
mode layer. You can take this away by simply erasing throwing off the balance of the armour. Do the same and add more detail to the face, working your way
it to show the layer beneath. for the armour’s trimming. outward from the focal point and detailing as you go.

Sci-fi concept art

Another World Photoshop
Discover how to use a dull 3D render plate to
create a striking sci-fi scene
Christian Hecker Concept artist Illustrator
Artists, in every artistic field you can think of, The advantage to using this is that there is a lot of
have different approaches to realising ideas. information on it. Things like highlights, shadows, colours
When it comes to concept art, you have to work and atmosphere can easily be sampled off the plate image,
quickly to create something that mirrors the initial idea and which can help you to find a starting point. In this tutorial,
creates mood and atmosphere. It’s not so much about there is a 3D plate that serves as a base. You will then use
creating a pixel-perfect painting. One approach would be to painting techniques to add more depth. You will also use
start with rough brush strokes that become more and more photos, with the help of blending modes and textures, to
detailed over time. A different approach is to use a plate suggest more detail. Last but not least, take a look at how
picture, which can be from a photo or a 3D render. In this filters can give it a stylised look. Now, it’s time to see how to
case, it’s a plain 3D render. bring some life into a dull scene!

Guide
Art
Source files
available
All textures used and the
complete PSD can be
found on the disc. The
PSD contains extended
layers, showing how the
different elements can
be used

amazing artwork
Artist info
Christian Hecker
www.tigaer-design.com
Country Germany
For the past few years, I
have focused on creating
environmental concept art
and illustrations using digital
matte painting techniques. I
learnt everything in an auto
didactic way, and I now
build my own techniques to
create fantastic landscapes
for practically everything,
from book covers to games
and movies.

Working Build the plate image

Progress Replace the sky and add detail
Progress 1: Room for detail
Preparing the sky replacement

02 Open ‘sky_a.jpg’ and load the image into
Photoshop. Hold Cmd/Ctrl while dragging the
picture onto the ‘plate.psd’ tab in the upper-left
Progress 2: Create a rough corner of the screen. Hold your mouse there until
painting
the ‘plate.psd’ appears. Then, move your mouse
The plate First, go onto the disc and gather up all of the onto the picture and release the mouse. Repeat the
01 resources. Load the ‘plate.psd’ file into Photoshop. Immediately procedure with ‘sky_b.jpg’. Double-click the layer
take a look at all the space available to you for extensions, specifically in name in the Layers palette to change the names of
the sky region. That is what you should focus on right at the beginning; the imported photos to Sky_a and Sky_b and put
adding in a sky replacement. them into a new folder titled ‘Sky’.
Masks are perfect tools for non-destructive

work, and allow you to go back at any time to fix or
Progress 3: Build a
dynamic scene adjust things
Channelling the sky Next, open the Channels palette. If not active Fixing the mask Near the horizon, you will see a few small holes in
03 already, it can be found via Windows/Channels. Hold Cmd/Ctrl and click 04 the mask. First, release the selection. Hit M and click somewhere on the
the small preview thumbnail of the Sky channel. A selection should appear. Switch picture. With the mask still active, use the Eraser (E), Ctrl/right-click and select a
back to the Layers palette and click the Sky folder. To apply the selection as a small standard round brush to fix the areas. The colour white closes the hole and
mask, click the square and circle icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. Notice black opens areas in the mask, and you can easily switch between them using X.
that the mask is inverted. Just click the mask thumbnail next to the folder and Masks are perfect tools for non-destructive work and allow you to go back at any
correct it with Cmd/Ctrl+I. time to fix or adjust things.

Guide
Art
Replacing the sky #1 Click on the Replacing the sky #2 Toggle Sky_b
05 eye symbol left of the Sky_b layer to toggle it 06 visible and do the same as before, but move Blend the sky With the mask selected,
invisible and select Sky_a. Since it’s far too big, use the right side more into the picture. Now set Sky_a to 07 use the Eraser (E), Ctrl/right-click and take a
Cmd/Ctrl+T to transform it. Make the bottom part of Vivid Light at 66% Opacity and place the layer above soft round white brush at 277px and 0% Hardness.
the image align with the horizon. Go to the upper-left Sky_b. This gives a bit of extra texture to the clouds. Now add some aerial perspective by painting along
point, click, and move it to the upper-left corner of Now, set the Sky folder to 70% Opacity to make it the horizon line as well as softly reducing the impact
the workspace. Do the same for the right side. Use blend a little more with the overall scene. To fix areas of the overlaid photo textures around the sun. Be sure
squashing and stretching to make the sky fit the around the sun and horizon, click on the Sky folder to have Opacity set to Pen Pressure, under Transfer
perspective and sit nicely in the scene. mask again. in the Brush settings (F5).
Quick
Tip
To add a little bit more detail to your brush strokes,
open Brush Properties (F5). Check Scattering and
set it to 133%. Transfer should also be active, with
the Opacity set to Pen Pressure. This is an easy
way to suggest more detail when painting simple
things, especially if using a tablet.
Looking for detail Now it’s time to Painting detail Painting highlights onto City background extension
08 focus on the city. While there is great depth 09 the edges of certain structures adds more 10 Create a new layer via Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N
and nice silhouettes, it could still do with a little more detail and depth, but accuracy is not too important and name it ‘Back City’. Now create a hint of city far
detail. For orientation, open and import ‘specular. right now. First, make the Specular layer invisible, in the distance by sampling (Opt/Alt) a darker colour
jpg’. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+A, switch to the Move Tool (V) and hit Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N to create a new layer and from the foreground. Again, use a hard round brush
use the buttons in the tool bar to align it horizontally name it ‘Painting’. Use a round brush at 6px Size with a size of 22px. Hold Shift while painting short,
and vertically. Rename the new layer ‘Specular’ and and 90% Hardness and start to paint along some of straight vertical lines into the background. These
set the blending mode to Screen or Color Dodge. the edges of the buildings. Hold Opt/Alt to switch to don’t have to be accurate, since you only want to
This will give you an overview of the areas (marked the Color Picker and sample highlight colours right suggest detail. Last but not least, set the Opacity of
white) that need a little extra detail. off the picture. the Back City layer to 75%.

A plate of light #1 To bring in lights,

11 create a separate picture that will serve as
an additional plate. Cmd/Ctrl+N creates a new
file. Make it 3000px wide and 1650px high. In the
new picture, fill (G) the background black. Press
Cmd/Ctrl+J and name the new layer ‘Point’. Hit the A plate of light #2 Create a copy (Cmd/Ctrl+J) of the Point layer and name it ‘Spot’. Turn the
Marquee tool via Shift+M until the round selection 12 Point layer invisible and move (V) the Spot layer to the right. Run Filter/Noise/Median with a radius of
is active. Hold Shift, draw a circle selection and fill 24px to avoid artifacts. Hit Shift+M until the square selection tool is active again and create a selection right
it black as well. With Filter/Render/Lens Flare, 100 through the centre of the light. Via Cmd/Ctrl+T, stretch the light to the left. Ctrl/right-click to select Perspective,
Brightness and the 105mm Prime, try to locate the click the upper-left corner, drag it down and hit Enter. This results in a light beam-like shape. Save the image as
centre of the flare and execute the Filter. ‘light_plate.psd’.
Adjusting the lights Scatter lights by

Make it shine Now it’s time to bring the
14 holding Alt Gr. Easily vary the light sizes with Texturing #1 First, create a new folder
13 lights into the city. Press Cmd/Ctrl+A and Cmd/Ctrl+T and the colours with Hue & Saturation 15 and name it ‘Textures’. Open ‘IMG_1561.jpg’
then Cmd/Ctrl+C. Switch back to the city, paste (Cmd/Ctrl+U). This results in a ton of layers. If it into your project, put it into the Textures folder, name
(Cmd/Ctrl+V) the beam in there and change the becomes too much, just hold Cmd/Ctrl, select all the layer ‘Lights’ and set its blending mode to Lighter
layer’s name back to ‘Spot’. Do the same for the Point the Point layers in the Layers palette and press Colour. With Cmd/Ctrl+T, reduce it to a third of its
layer. Put them into a folder named ‘Lights’. For now, Cmd/Ctrl+E. Set the blending mode back to Linear original size and turn it 90 degrees. Now place it on
toggle Spot invisible, click the Point layer and set it to Dodge. The same procedure can now be used for the facade of the right building. To remove unwanted
Linear Dodge. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T, reduce the size by the spotlights. Playing with parameters like size, parts that still are visible, go into Levels (Cmd/Ctrl+L)
holding Shift, find a spot to put it and hit Enter. colour and opacity help to add variation to the lights. and change the middle value to 0.75.

Guide
Art
The other side Now, toggle the Facade

Texturing #2 Detail is all about variation. Make it sit While you are allowed to be a 18 layer visible again. Select the layer, hold
16 Load ‘IMG_0903.jpg’ and treat this texture the
17 little sloppy, you should still keep perspective Cmd/Ctrl and move it to the tower on the left side.
same way as in the previous step. Press Cmd/Ctrl+J in mind, especially when applying textures to Again, transform (Cmd/Ctrl+T) this texture, make
to create a copy. Name one copy ‘Lights B’ and the buildings. The lines of light in the Lights B layer do it smaller and turn it 90 degrees. Set it to blending
other copy ‘Facade’. Toggle Facade invisible and not exactly match the building. To fix that, use Cmd/ mode Lighter Color and 24% Opacity. Create a copy
click the Lights B layer. Press V and move the layer Ctrl+T again to go into transform mode. Reduce the (Cmd/Ctrl+J), transform to squash it a little and
to the right building again. Use 28% Opacity and size and make it sit better by adjusting the upper and move it down. Now you have a few textures to copy
the Color Dodge blending mode. Different blending lower-right corner points. Hold Cmd/Ctrl+Shift while and paste onto other elements. Use the Eraser (E) to
modes help to create variation in the lights. dragging the points up and down. remove parts you don’t need.
Sampling details These textures can

19 also serve as plates. For example, to get more
detail into areas that still look a bit empty, just click
the Lights B layer and choose the Clone Stamp (S). A
simple round brush does the job fine. Be sure to have
‘Current Layer’ active. Check and uncheck ‘Aligned’,
depending on whether you want to sample a light
over and over again or if you want to paint an area.
This is an easy way to duplicate windows and lights.
Additional touches After adding/extending textures and lights with the techniques explained
20 above, it’s time for the additional touches. Hold Cmd/Ctrl, select all layers, press Cmd/Ctrl+J and
Cmd/Ctrl+E to create a copy and merge them down. In Filter/Filter Gallery/Artistic, select Poster Edges. Use a
Thickness, Intensity and Posterization of 2. However, art is all about personal preference. If you wish to create
Quick a more realistic image, as seen on the first pages of this tutorial, don’t apply the filter and instead add in detail
Tip like the lighting bolts.
If you are working in a newer version of Photoshop,

you can easily import images by dragging the file
from your desktop into the Photoshop workspace
Playing with parameters like size,
of your current open project. It will automatically
create a new layer. Be sure to uncheck ‘Place or colour and opacity help to add variation
Drag Raster Images as Smart Objects’ in the
Photoshop Preferences. to the lights
Build videogame
concept art
Troll Photoshop
Learn how to paint a Skyrim scene using Photoshop tools with
Ray’s easy-to-follow tutorial
Ray Lederer Concept artist
Photoshop has forever changed the landscape of

possibilities for artists. The software provides an
ever-increasing toolset that has a wide range of use. As
digital painters and illustrators, we use a focused bandwidth of
tools on a daily basis to create new worlds and ideas.
Sometimes we’re asked to create a unique piece that has a
specialised goal and in this tutorial you will see just that, as we
take you on an unorthodox yet simple path to the final product.
Here we’ve frozen a moment in time in a pre-alpha Skyrim
scene and then painted over it to visualise what we really
wanted it to look like. This painting was originally designed to
be video-captured, used as inspiration for, as well as part of,
an internal sizzle reel for our company, then later released to
the public for marketing.

amazing artwork
Artist info
ray lederer
www.raylederer.com
Country USA
Ray is a concept artist at
Bethesda Game Studios in
Rockville, Maryland USA.
He began using Photoshop
professionally in 1998 for his
first videogame job as a
character modeller/texture
artist/animator. Since then
he’s learned to use
Photoshop as an
indispensable illustration
tool for the entertainment
industry, as well as books
and other projects.

Guide
Art

Lay the foundations

Block in forms and establish a base
Get started Sometimes in concept art you are asked to do a paint Block in forms Begin with your source image pasted on its own layer
01 over, which if you haven’t guessed already is a painting over a pre- 02 separate from the backdrop, leaving the Background layer neutral. Start
existing image to further visualise an idea for the rest of the team. Photoshop is roughing and blocking in your subject with your choice of brushes. Here we’re
the perfect tool for this kind of work as it enables you to iterate on top of source using a round brush set to 60-80% Edge Hardness with Opacity set to 80%. You
images to create anything you like, without some of the headaches of having to can use the lighting in the scene to guide your tonal choices or come up with a
start from scratch. new scheme.
03 Adjust the figure Painting

Quick on layers can be an essential
method for composing an image. Don’t
Tip be afraid to use your Free Transform tool
(Cmd/Ctrl+T) for quick adjustments to Adjust the foreground character Don’t neglect certain tools
A general rule of thumb is
that objects in shadow or your figures. You can use the Lasso tool to
04 for the sake of artistic purity, as you can bet da Vinci would’ve been all
intense brightness tend to select portions of pixels to move or rotate. over these tools if he lived in our time. Experiment by roughing in quick studies
lose definition and edges, so
play with soft edges and low You may also need to scale a hand that’s of figures in separate layers to see what works. Use sloppy brushes to fill in large
detail in the shadowed areas. too big or a leg that’s at the wrong angle. spaces and capture the energy of the pose.

Guide
Art
Make loose sketches Try drawing your figure naked and then
05 drape it with clothes. This will give you the topology to know where
clothes fold and fall away from the body. Understanding anatomy is essential to
achieving realism, especially if you’re working from your imagination. Try using
Photoshop to display all of your reference images on a second monitor, so as
to leave your primary monitor free to paint with. You can arrange your images
separately or within a single layered file to maximise your workspace, without
sacrificing space for tools.
Commit to a shape Once you have Apply selections Select your canvas, Work out the details Now it’s time
06 gone through several iterations of figures, it’s
07 hold Ctrl then press the left arrow key once.
08 to become a leatherworker, armourer and
time to decide which is going to work best. Now you This will snap your selection around every pixel on seamster. We want to sell the world of Skyrim as a
can start lighting and detailing your figure. Create that layer. It will also move everything over one pixel tangible experience for the player, so it’s time to start
a new layer to paint on top of so you can make to the left. While still holding Ctrl, press the right arrow painting details. Once the basic forms are laid out
mistakes freely. It’s advisable to keep your layers key once to return everything to its original position. you can start focusing on the details like studs, fur
minimal, as it’s easy to get lost and forget which Now you have just the pixels of that layer selected and engraved designs. Use a combination of hard
layers have what information in them. Failing to to do whatever you like with. This may sound round and chalk brushes with varying opacities and
organise layers will result in more maintenance and a complicated but after repeating the method you’ll Edge Hardness settings. There’s no right way to do
prolonged painting process. quickly adapt. this, so just experiment.

Build up the details

Add more features to your character concept
Begin unifying your values Don’t worry about the extremes of your value and colour gamut Take stock of your progress
09 yet. Let’s get your elements feeling like they’re occupying the same atmosphere and light, even if it’s
10 Spend some time looking at your image
not correct yet. You can use a variety of tools in Photoshop to achieve this. Cmd/Ctrl+L will bring up your Level objectively. Write notes to yourself in a separate layer
graph, which is quite useful for crushing ranges of value into just a few manageable key values. You can also if there are areas in your picture that need addressing
rein in hotspots and black shadows by using the Dodge & Burn tool (Cmd/Ctrl +O). later. It’s easy for things to fall by the wayside if
you’re not careful. Now it’s time to start painting your
background on a single layer with simple hard round
and soft round brushes.
Bring in colour Create a new layer,

11 fill (Shift+F5) a single tone to be your base
atmosphere and set this to Multiply. This is why you
want to keep your value range in the midtones, as
if you stray too far out to the extremes, the Multiply
setting will blow them out even further. The further
you are away from a neutral value (50% grey) the
more exponentially blown-out your values will be.
Add tones to the figures Now it’s time to start colouring the figures. If you have crushed down Paint details Get in tight and start
12 the B/W paintings into single layers, you can use clipping masks to paint on top of your individual B/W
13 fleshing out details on the troll. Try to hint at
layers. Clipping masks are extremely powerful and you can layer many of them on top of a single raster layer. If blood vessels around the soft thin skin, particularly
you’ve never tried it, simply create an empty layer above the layer you wish to paint on, Ctrl/right-click that layer in the eyes and mouth. Using clipping masks, you
and select Create Clipping Mask. Set your clipping mask layer to Multiply (or whatever suits your needs) and can paint roughly around the edges and not worry,
start painting on top of your B/W layer. because you’re under painting will act as a mask.

Guide
Art
Complete your concept

Add more features to your character concept
Insert adjustment laye You can Chip away to refine There’s really Polish and tweak Most of the hard
14 use adjustment layers to affect any part of
15 no secret sauce here, it’s all about picking
16 work is done in the B/W value study, so now
your Layer Hierarchy you like. Now can be a good colours and chipping away at the image. Use a it’s time to enjoy tweaking and wrapping up. Use
time to place one on top of your layers and adjust chalk-style brush for applying, pushing out flinty your adjustment layer to settle on what you feel is a
with the sliders to balance your Hue, Saturation and shapes and contours like rivet highlights and seams. well-balanced picture, then paint in your highlights
Lightness. You’ll also need to bump your Saturation The way light catches those details in your image will and dark shadows on a separate layer on top of
up to +20 or so. help to sell the 3D effects. everything else.
17 Final touches Now it’s time to commit. Flatten your image, copy and paste it onto a separate
layer and paint any tweaks or experiments with Dodge & Burn for even higher-contrast highlights and
Quick
shadows. This is also a great way to get even more subtle lighting cheaply onto your picture. You can paste a Tip
flattened version of your image on top, then change its Hue/Saturation or any other values to create hotspots Flip your canvas often to check if your composition
or focal points by erasing away pieces of the altered top layer. is working. If it feels balanced when reversed, it’s
likely a good composition. You can set this up as a
hotkey using Actions. Go to Window>Actions and
create a new Action, press the Record icon at the
bottom of the Action window, then open
Image>Image Rotation>Flip Canvas Horizontal.
Toggle the recording off by pressing the Stop
button at the bottom of the Action window. Assign
a hotkey to that action and you’re good to go.
Print ready Sometimes it’s good

18 to use a Gamma and Exposure
adjustment to correct for printing or different
temperature qualities on cheaper screens. Go to
Image>Adjustments>Exposure and use the slider
bars to correct as needed for whatever output
you are targeting. You will find that every printer is
different but a general rule of thumb is to print the
correct gamma right around 1.10-1.20. Bumping
up the Exposure setting by around 20% can help
increase the saturation without crushing your high-
value fidelity, but make sure to save multiple versions
just in case.
Clipping masks
Crush the B/W paintings into single layers so you can
use clipping masks to paint on top of your individual B/W
layers. You can layer multiple clipping masks on top of a
single raster layer. Create an empty layer above the layer
you wish to paint on, Ctrl/right-click on that layer, select
Create Clipping Mask and start painting on top of your
B/W layer. You can treat your clipping mask like the layer
beneath and it’ll mask any other layer you create.


amazing artwork
Build matte
paintings
Artist info
Neverland 2013 Photoshop, Vue Infinite

Dark Hoffman
Here we will look at how Vue and its various
www.darkgrafix.com options can be used to create matte paintings for
Country USA
Software used Vue Infinite,
film or TV
Photoshop Dark Hoffman Concept artist
Concept art, designing
props, environments, matte
paintings

Guide
Art
I’ve used all different types of software for my digital

Source files
available Concept matte paintings, but Vue is the go-to program that I use
when I can’t find the right landscape, mountains, skies
VËË0ÖÍÁ?ËÄWÁjjÄÍÄ The image of Neverland is an or foliage.
iconic one used in film, ËÍjËwÝ~ËÄÍj¬ÄËËÝËjÞ¬?ËÝËËÖÄjË7ÖjËwÁË?ÍÍjË¬?Í~Ë
television and on the stage. ¬ÁjWÍÄËËÍjËxËË?aËWjÁW?ËaÖÄÍÁjÄ±Ë¾ËÁjÜj?ËÝËÍËWÁj?ÍjË
The purpose of this exercise is
to create a look for the island ÍjÁÁ?Ä^Ë?ËW?ËWj?Ë?aË?ËjÞÍjajaË?aÄW?¬jËWÖa~Ë
that can be used as a matte jÍ?MMÄ±Ë
painting for a blockbuster or a 0jËÖÍWjËWÖaËMjËÖÄjaË?ÄË?ËjÄÍ?MÄ~ËÄÍËwË?ËÄ?aËÍË
TV series. First we will create ÄÝËÝjÁjËÍjËjÞÍËÄWjjËÍ?jÄË¬?Wj±Ë2ÄÖ?ßËÍjÄjË?ÁjË¬ÁjÍÍßËÄÍÄ±Ë
the look of the island in Vue ÄËÄÖW^Ë?wÍjÁËÍjËÄWjjËÄËÁjajÁjaËwÖßËË7Öj^ËËÝËÍ?jËÍËÍË
and then take it into
Photoshop for post- +ÍÄ¬Ë
.ÉË?aËÍÝj?ËÍjËWÖÁ^Ë?jË?ËjÜjÄË?aÖÄÍjÍË?aË
production work. ?aaË?ßËÄ?ËxËÄ~ËÍÖWjÄËÍË?jËÍËÁj?aßËwÁËÍjËxË?ËÄÍ±

Design the layout

Establish the broad shapes of the new island
Find reference To make an impressive island you need to know

02 what it looks like in terms of shape, texture and colour. You also need to
01 Create a new world The first thing that is needed to create an decide what the look of the environment is, which includes atmosphere, time of
environment is an idea. Usually the production designer gives the art team day and where the ice will be placed in the scene. In our case, the script calls for
the proper artwork to show what the world looks like. Colour, layout and a theme ‘an overall aerial view of Neverland as we fly towards it through the clouds. It’s a
are very important to start a matte painting. Also we are normally given a plate or a tropical-looking island with coves, waterfalls and a snow-covered mountain in the
frame of the film to start with, but sometimes we have to start from scratch, which centre. Captain Hook’s ship sits silently in Cannibal Cove.’ We can start creating
is what we will be doing here in Vue. We’ll lay in terrains from the Vue Library and the terrains by bringing in set terrains from the Vue library. We will then start laying
edit them so they represent islands and mountains. out the central mountain and background with the terrain tools.
Set up the building

03 blocks To help with the
render time and to work with the
scene in an easier fashion, we will
open a default scene before we
add an atmosphere. In our scene
we’ll start by bringing in a simple
procedural terrain.
To make an
impressive
island you
need to know
what it looks
like in terms of
shape, texture
and colour
Guide
Art
Set the scene

Unlock the beauty of Vue’s evolution
05 Group the shapes With the structure of the rock built, hit the
04 Work with Hyperblobs The next stage in the new version of Vue Hyperblob button. This will group your shapes and create a blobby
is building with Hyperblobs and Hyperterrains. You can stack these in shape, one that looks closer to an actual rock shape. Double-click the Material
any formation and any configuration of simple geometrical shapes and then Editor and hit the Bump tab. Select the ball and another box will open, which
simply select the Hyperblob tool. Pick the right Bump map and you have yourself offers options relating to which Bump map you can use. Here we’ll use Complex
a realistic-looking rock structure. Any material can be added for an even more Sedimentary Layers, although you can try all the options if you wish. With your
photorealistic feel. You don’t have to follow this shape exactly to build the rocks, Bump map applied, change the scale so the arch appears larger and closer to
but make as close a match as you can. the scale we need.
07 Apply materials The centre of Neverland has a mountain with snow that goes down to
grass and rock using a mixed material. You can play with which material you want to be used
most. Here I made one island that I then used for various areas of the main island, meaning I didn’t
have to populate the main terrain with an EcoSystem and slow down the render. I named this island
‘Neverland Cove’ and saved it as a separate scene so when I need it, I can merge it into the main
scene. Be sure to delete the Sun and ground that won’t be needed.
06
Shape the mountain Start adding terrain from
the Terrain Library. When you’ve brought one into your Painting with plants
scene, double-click the object and a new window will open
where you can edit the terrain model. Click the left-hand buttons, If there are certain areas that need to be populated with plants, you can just paint
them in. Painting the flora will create a separate layer so it won’t be attached to the
jumping from dunes to mountains until you get a good shape.
terrain. Hit the Eco Paint button and choose which plants you want to paint. You
In the EcoSystem editor I also added three default plants – date can change the size of the brush and the scale of the plants to suit. The brush
palm (25% Presence) old eucalyptus tree (25% Presence) and a paints directly on any areas of the terrain, no matter its shape. This is a great way to
coconut tree (50% Presence). add exactly what you need, where you need it.

The ocean and beach

Build up a tranquil ocean and a sandy shore
Include MetaWater and scenic beaches
08 Adding an ocean is just a click away in Vue and editing it
is now even easier. Essentially we want shoreline foam, so start
by selecting a MetaWater with Foam. To add a beach, select a
simple terrain and flatten it, then add a sand material and make
sure it comes through just enough to form a beach before sinking
into the water. You can adjust how much of a beach you want, but
in this example we just want the most sandy areas around the
cove. Duplicate this and add it around the perimeter of the island
where you want to see beaches and have them trail out into the
ocean, so there’s some overlap. This may take a bit of adjusting,
but the results are fantastic and will really help to sell the realism of
the scene.
Add planets This is probably the easiest part of the

09 process and a lot of fun. On the left of the interface, in the
menu bar, you’ll find a thumbnail of Saturn. This is the Planets
button. Click it and a planet will be added into the sky automatically.
To edit this, go to the top-right of the screen and you’ll find a drop-
down menu from which to choose the planet you want, as well as its
phase, colour and brightness.
Render time Now we’re into the final stage of the Vue
10 process. To keep the render time down to a minimum, turn
off anything you don’t really need, as well as anything that can be
completed in post-production using Photoshop. Try to maintain a
good balance between keeping render times down, while hanging
on to everything you need.

Guide
Art
Final touches
Input the finishing elements and move to post-production
Add Hook’s ship For the pirate ship I added a model Take the image into Photoshop Now you can bring in the image rendered
11 of The Golden Hind from Poser. You can use any ship from
12 out from Vue and do some retouching in Photoshop. First let’s play with the levels to
Cornucopia 3D or Poser, or any 3D model you have access to. bring some of the blacks in and help with the contrast. Desaturate the image a little, about 25%,
I brought it in with textures and baked it, so it was compressed, then add a bit of colour back, mainly the blues. Following this, add a dark vignette around the
then placed it in the cove. This is the only element in the scene that image to add some depth and make it feel like it’s out in another universe. All this will help sell the
wasn’t created in Vue. It can also be added later with Photoshop. fantasy element of your image.
40hours
Place more elements Since we can see planets
creation time
13 Resolution:
surrounding the island, we also need stars in the sky,
which will be reflected in the ocean. I have a personal collection of 5,500 x 3,700
starfields, but you can grab plenty for free online or paint them in
yourself. I recommend you download a few and try them out. Pop
them in the file and screen, then add a layer mask and paint out any
stars over the island and the planets.
Final details For the final touches I added foam

14 around the shores, as well as little waves. Vue can add
these to the scene for you, but since our camera angle is so high it
would be hard to see. I also added some small waterfalls around
the island as a nice finishing touch. There you have it: a realistic
image of Neverland.

Design robot mechs

Tex Mechs 2012 Photoshop
Israel A Carrion paints a sci-fi mech illustration, taking inspiration
from classic Western movies
Israel A Carrion Illustrator
The first thing I always ask myself process, my hero goes from a human or a cyborg at the book Mechanika by Doug Chiang, one of
when creating a sci-fi illustration is to another big mech controlled by a human my favourites for this subject.
how I can make this stand out from inside, and the enemy appears in different sizes, Looking at how other designers solved
the other work that’s out there. Mixing two too, with the bigger version more intimidating. problems like joints and weapon integration is
themes is a great way to create something familiar There are different possible moments of action useful as well. Classic Japanese mechs are a big
but unique at the same time. For this sci-fi and storyline here. Did the attack over the town inspiration for this particular piece, but they have a
illustration I’m going to add robot mechs to the start first, so we can see people running away? very unique style so I also look at mechs from the
Wild West. Both of these genres are popular at Or are the two robots fighting and the town’s just West to make sure my image has a unique twist.
the moment and both have strong good-versus- unlucky enough to be in their way? I prefer a For the final illustration I start the sketch by
evil narratives. deserted street anticipating the action as this looking at my favourite composition thumbnails.
When I think about Western movies, the classic creates more tension so the viewer can imagine To add more dynamism, my composition has a
scene where the good and the bad (and what is going to happen later. rotated horizon so the verticals are rotated too. I
occasionally the ugly) face each other before they Once I know what I want for the illustration I keep the grid on a layer to check it if necessary
pull out their guns comes to mind, with plenty of start the research for the mechs. I know I don’t and I even rotate the image to bring it back to
tension and expectation. But another inspiration want anything too stylised with curves or organic horizontal if I find the angle of my composition too
for this piece comes from the classic sci-fi scenes shapes, as I want to keep them a big mass of awkward to draw something correctly or in a way
of giant robots fighting or a huge creature metal with straight shapes and old, rough that’s comfortable. I then quickly add some more
attacking a city – think of Transformers, Godzilla textures. To understand the functional part of the values at this stage too.
or Thor versus The Destroyer. robots, it is very important to look at the real world. For the hero design I go with a light body,
I have three main elements then; the hero, the Segmented insects or other animals can provide humanoid on top but with an animal aspect to the
villain and the town where the action takes place. great references for the way robots and imagined legs to make it more interesting and robotic. I add
First I paint thumbnails in Photoshop to explore machines might move. A spider excavator, for the holster for the gun on the right leg. For the
different compositions. During the development example, is a fantastic reference. I also take a look head I draw a shape to remind the viewer of a
I draw some mech sketches, giving them a Western look, sometimes even Composition studies are sometimes drawn as just linework, but I find that using values
pursuing a direction I didn’t have in mind initially makes them easier to read

Guide
Art

amazing artwork
Artist info
Israel A Carrion
www.isrartistic.com
Country Barcelona
I live in Barcelona but
frequently work for
companies in other
countries, specialising as a
concept artist for the
entertainment industry or as
an illustrator telling stories
through my work.

cowboy hat. I place its legs on either side of some This is the sketch with values, before adding colours
giving the structure and distribution of tones
houses to give a sense of proportion and scale.
Showing a mech alongside humans and
human-sized structures instantly shows the viewer
how big it is, making it even more impressive and
Israel A Carrion’s shows intimidating.
us his other masterpieces The design of the enemy is harder; it has more
prominence so it must be even more visually
interesting and lead the viewer’s eye up to his
head. At first I think a robot with a scorpion look
would be cool, to represent the desert and totally
contrast with the hero, using a big cannon on the
tail to shoot. But the sketch doesn’t convince me
so I go for a four-legged, two-armed robot
holding a giant Gatling gun.
I start colouring the background on a new layer.
To emphasise the drama I set the scene just
before sunset with the warm colours of twilight,
really bringing out the Wild West landscape.
Monument Valley in Colorado is a good reference
for this. The colour variation in the sky is
Living Statues, Fighting Statues challenging, but I can use a very common
2012, Photoshop custom brush to paint in the clouds. I add a big them if necessary. Then I add another one for the
O An illustration for a Crimson Daggers
challenge with ‘living statues’ as the theme. I love moon to give a sci-fi look. road. Make sure the textures match the
the statues you find in Asian temples so I painted I can now add the main colours to the rest of perspective by using the Transform tool to warp
a little fantasy story with the main creature being the piece with Color or Overlay layers, then them into place. The design of the town is fairly
a hybrid inspired by these.
continue painting on normal layers. I paint with a standardised, based on my research of real
Charcoal, a Chalk and a ragged custom brush 90 Western towns, to avoid distracting the viewer
per cent of the time. The Size Jitter is set to Pen from the two mechs. The cast shadows and the
Pressure for the Charcoal variant, but for the other values over the walls are very important here to
two it’s set to Opacity Jitter. get the mood of the piece right.
I use 10-20 layers and frequently merge them Then I work on the giant mech. The process
as this keeps my workflow organised and also here is similar to the hero’s mech, but this design
keeps the file size down, but complex pieces like is more complex. As I work it up I add some fog
this can require me to use quite a lot at one time. and use lighter values to give a sense of depth.
I paint the mech in the foreground mainly with The light source is on the right of the scene so,
City Attack
2012, Photoshop red and add some colour variation with warm with Overlay and Color Dodge layers, I highlight
O This environment design was painted for a hues keeping the values dark to give it impact. the right side of the mechs, especially the faces,
course instructed by James Paick. Sci-fi is one of For the town environment, first I paint the basic arms and weapons, because those are the focal
my favourite subjects and adding some
storytelling with the huge creature made it an shapes of the buildings and then add some points. After a break to refresh my eyes, I notice
even more fun process. textures of wood on Overlay layers and desaturate the big robot’s silhouette is not interesting enough.
It’s good to be open to changes in your work so if

there is something wrong or something you don’t like
you can just redo it
Create metallic effects and paint

realistic surfaces
I want my mechs to look worn out as if they were
built from scraps of old metal found in the desert
long ago. If you don’t feel comfortable painting a
specific surface, you can make studies from the
real world. I paint with dirt and rust brushes in
desaturated colours on an Overlay layer. The metal
Goldilocks should shine where the light hits, so I paint on a
2011, Photoshop
O I made my own version of the tale of the three Color Dodge, Overlay or a Curves adjustment
bears set in the future with robot bears and an layer. I use a soft brush for large areas and a hard
adult Goldilocks. This painting is going to be brush for tiny highlights. I paint some scratches on
included in an art book featuring Spanish artists. a Normal layer and add the last details.

Guide
Art
I keep adapting the big villain robot,

looking for a bigger and more dynamic
design. It’s always good to be flexible
Develop
the body
How to render the larger
mech, from sketch to
detailing
It’s too static, so I start thinking logically about it

and how I can improve him. He is holding a huge
Gatling gun that looks hard to reload once it is out
of ammo, so what will he do with such a big,
useless thing? It’s good to be open to changes in Rough sketch First I draw a rough
your work so if there is something wrong or 01 sketch to define the basic lines of
something you don’t like you can just redo it! the robot. If I have problems drawing in this
I draw a new sketch over the big robot, change perspective I rotate the image.
the pose to give it a more interesting silhouette
and integrate the Gatling onto the arm, which is a
common design in sci-fi pieces, but works better.
With the right arm I balance the contrast for the
To give a greater sense of depth, mood and scale, the heavy weapon, and now the four legs are more
robot needs to be lighter. Use the Navigator and a
Saturation layer filled with black visible. One of the reasons I failed with the
previous version is because I was too concerned
with the strict perspective. Now I try to be more
flexible and go with what looks best. I pick the
colours from the previous mech and keep
painting with my three most-used brushes on just Block colours I paint the very
a couple of layers.
02 basic shapes over the lines; it gives a
I add textures to both mechs using custom 3D aspect when working with cubes. I clean
brushes I have created for dirt and rust. For me the contours and erase outlines.
the best way to do this is to paint sporadically
here and there without fear on a new Overlay
layer, then add a mask, invert it and paint with my
Charcoal brush on the areas where I want the
texture to be added.
To finish the design of the mechs, I add a few
To add more depth, I paint in fog or smoke (with a
cloud brush or soft brush) between the objects in the more elements to give a sense of scale and detail,
distance like labels and stickers on a new Overlay layer. It is
important to keep the worn-out look to tie in with
The shotgun on the left shoulder emphasises the overall theme and really nail the concept.
the vertical lines in my composition, but I With the design finished, I work on the sense of Add details In this sketch I use lines
lighten the values so I don’t distract the
depth and atmosphere. I make a Levels
03 again to draw the new shapes and start
viewer with such a strong shape
adjustment on the big robot to lower the contrast, adding design elements. It is exactly the same
add more fog between the different elements on process for the gun.
the sky and the road and add a few more
highlights with a Curves adjustment and a Color
Dodge layer.
Make it work
In order to understand how to build a robot
and make it functional, it’s good to think in
the most basic shapes – cubes, cylinders
and spheres.
Push the design I look at old
Once it works you can add designs to 04 locomotives and include iconic
those shapes. Action figures or model kits
can be helpful, too, as they can help you to elements like the cylindrical shape and the
understand how they are articulated. lights. I add the cables to create scale.

of al
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There’s no better way to express your creativity than through

Imagine Publishing Ltd

Senior Art Editor

Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by

Distributed in Australia by:

Fantasy Art Genius Guide Volume 2 © 2014 Imagine Publishing Ltd

6 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

8 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

1. Contrast & Colour 2. Get Excited

OColour combinations Colour

OImagination I engineered the

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 9

4. Build a fantasy landscape 5. Composition: Work with curves

OCreate the background Using custom brushes, I

OAdd details and texture Sketching freely, I

10 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

7. A lesson in lighting 8. Re-creating oil paintings 9. Perspective grids

© Edli Akolli © Ken Barthelmey © Kristen Buckner

10. Establish workflow

If you use a logical process from start to ﬁnish,

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 11

11. Watercolour effects

The best way to achieve this watercolour effect is to paint in blend

© Alex Kintner © Martin Faragasso © Kate Redesiuk

12 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

15. Utilising Photoshop’s toolkit

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 13

17. Blending photography

18.Be eye catching 19. Creature creation

20. Colour connotations OOne-point perspective To make the

22. The importance of layers OTransparent layer This initial

OComposition I wanted to create

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 15

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 17

18 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 19

)LUHÁLHV Now you can add some sparkle

20 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

Blocking in Go ahead and pick out the colours you

Shading Now that you have all your colours

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 21

22 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

Build tones For the hair, start out with

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 23

24 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

Prepare your canvas for the goddess of beauty and war

Digital artists explain the

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 25

Character silhouette With a neutral grey and using

26 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

07 Colour the skin On a new layer set to

Colour correction If the colours look $QDWRP\À[ When something looks

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 27

Shield design When

28 Fantasy Art Genius Guide WorldMags.net

WorldMags.net Fantasy Art Genius Guide 29