117

Issue 117 | September 2015

The Art
of Loish
We interview Lois van Baarle
a.k.a. Loish about her first
art book and Kickstarter
campaign

+plus
• 10 of the best digital images
• Captivating Bungie environments
• Design an alien power source
• and much more!
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Editor’s Letter KEEP UP TO DATE

WITH 3DTOTAL!
Welcome to 2dartist issue 117!
This month’s issue features an interview with
videogame artist Sung Choi. We also get to speak to the
amazing Loish about her upcoming artbook and her facebook.com/3dtotal
facebook.com/layerpaint
successful Kickstarter campaign.
twitter.com/3dtotal
twitter.com/layer_paint
We also have tutorials on speed painting and photo youtube.com/
manipulation, while our ‘Altering environments’ series 3dtotalpublishing
concludes with a tutorial from Kristian Llana on how to vimeo.com/3dtotal
ANNIE MOSS paint the eye of a storm. You can also challenge yourself vimeo.com/layerpaint
Junior Editor
to create a sci-fi scene from a difficult perspective with pinterest.com/3dtotal
Pablo Carpio’s air vehicle tutorial.
2dartist is now on instagram.com/3dtotal
Facebook! There is also plenty of inspiration on offer from Zac
Retz’ amazing sketchbook, while young illustrator Leilei google.com/+3dtotalcg

Huang shows us her incredibly calming work. Plus, we

have our selection of 10 of the best recent images from 3dtotal.tumblr.com

our gallery. Enjoy!

Contributors
SUNG CHOI IOAN DUMITRESCU
Sung Choi (Sunghun Choi) is an award-winning concept Ioan Dumitrescu is a freelance concept artist from
artist from South Korea currently working at Bungie Romania. He recently worked on projects for Sony and
in Washington. He specializes in world design and Blur, and his work has featured in games, commercials
illustration for the entertainment industry. and on book covers.

FLORIAN AUPETIT KRISTIAN LLANA

Florian Aupetit is a French 25-year-old art director and Kristian Llana is a freelance concept artist and illustrator
3D generalist at the Parisian studio Monsieur K. He also originally from Albania, Europe. He is currently based in
works as a freelance illustrator and concept artist, and New York and works for companies in the entertainment
shows us some of his fascinating illustrations. industry, specializing in film and videogame art.

LEILEI HUANG / LINALIHUANG PABLO CARPIO

Leilei Huang is an award winning illustrator and graphic Since completing a Fine Arts degree, Pablo Carpio has
designer based in Edinburgh, UK. She recently graduated worked as a freelance artist based in Madrid. He loves
from a Master’s degree, and would eventually like to that the fresh style of digital art re-imagines the epic
create her own books. Romanticism of art.

LOIS VAN BAARLE (A.K.A. LOISH) WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUBMIT TO 2DARTIST?
Lois van Baarle, known as Loish, is a highly popular We are always looking for tutorial artists, gallery
freelance illustrator and animator from the Netherlands. submissions, potential interviewees, writers and more.
Since graduating in 2009, her artwork has gained a For more information, please send a link to your work to:
dedicated international following. annie@3dtotal.com.

ROSTYSLAV ZAGORNOV
Rostyslav Zagornov is an environment concept artist for
4A-Games Ltd., Malta. Originally from Ukraine, Rostyslav
first started creating digital art four years ago when a
friend sold him a Wacom tablet.

2 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Contents Issue 117

006_ Captivating Bungie environments
Bungie concept artist Sung Choi talks about
finding inspiration in the world around him

022_ Discover luminescent paintings

Explore the fascinating illustrations of the
talented Florian Aupetit

036_ Immersive illustration

Illustrator Leilei Huang shows us her beautifully
tranquil work, about loneliness and isolation

047_ Narrative digital sketches

Animator Zac Retz showcases the sketches which
inspire his narrative work

060_ The Art of Loish

We interview Lois van Baarle, a.k.a. Loish about
her first art book and Kickstarter campaign

070_ The Gallery

Sergey Pervukhin and Alexey Egorov showcase
their work in this month’s 10 of the best

084_ Photo manipulate a monster

Learn how to turn your self portrait into a chilling
creature with this tutorial

092_ Speed paint an ancient ruin

Ioan Dumitrescu demonstrates how to quickly
create an historic environment

102_ Step into the eye of the storm

Learn how to capture the eye of a storm in this
environment painting tutorial

112_ Play with challenging perspectives

Pablo Carpio designs a sci-fi airship from an
exciting perspective

122_ Design an alien power source

Sung Choi describes how he created an organic
sci-fi scene in his artwork The Heart

130_ Digital Art Master: Brian Sum

See how the videogame concept artist created his
image Working Droid

4 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

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5
The Artist

Sung Choi
sung-choi.com

Interviewed by:
Annie Moss

Sung Choi (Sunghun

Choi) is an award-winning
concept artist from South
Korea currently working at
Bungie in Washington. He
specializes in world design
and illustration for the
entertainment industry.

Captivating
Bungie environments
Sung Choi, concept artist at Bungie, talks to 2dartist about his latest project,
overcoming creative challenges, and how moving to the US has changed his work
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Captivating Bungie environments

The winner of numerous awards for his 2D work, lighting and mood. Some of my favorite illustrators,
including a Gold Award from Spectrum 22 and
“I always try to keep the like Phil Hale and Ashley Wood, were my biggest
third place World Champion at Fest Challenge
shapes from my initial inspirations who inspired me to study more.
2014, Sung Choi has fashioned a successful career
sketches that are done in my
as a concept artist from his life-long passion for
sketchbook or Photoshop While I was in Los Angeles, attending Otis College of
art. From early childhood drawings of monsters,
when I have to go through Art and Design, I had been spending most of my time
Choi has progressed to become an artist for AAA
procedural processes with on learning foundations such as opaque color and
videogame company Bungie.
certain tools” values, light, and design.
to apply to a high school where they taught 2D
His work is greatly inspired by his exploration of animation and drawings. Understanding the facts of lighting and color took
the outside world, and he has a background in me a very long time. However my work improved
environment design which he has successfully My life in high school was very inspiring with lots of much more as I kept on questioning what was
incorporated into his extensive body of talented friends. Also, that was the time when I first around me, and painting outside.
work. Here, Sung talks to 2dartist about his found out about game art. That’s when I first started
inspirations, the challenges he has faced and to make digital paintings. Although I wasn’t very The great part about studying in the US was I could
what makes a project fun. good at the time, learning new techniques excited find a ton of great artists I’d never known before. This
me and kept me going. experience made me broaden my visual library with
2dartist: Hello Sung, thank you for talking to us lots of inspiration.
today! Could you kick things off by telling us a bit 2da: You moved from South Korea to Los Angeles to
about yourself, your background and how you study, did you notice a big cultural difference? Did 2da: What are your preferred tools to work with? Are
became a concept artist? this move have an effect on the way you work, or there any brushes you find yourself using repeatedly?
your style?
Sung Choi: Hi, readers of 2dartist. It’s my honor to SC: I mostly use Photoshop, though it depends on
meet you guys though this interview. I hope you like SC: The most significant effect it had on my work the pieces I have to create. I also use MODO, KeyShot
my works and find this interview helpful. was on my understanding of foundations such as and others. I have a brush set that includes some
color and light, value, and composition. When I was from Jama Jurabaev, Jamie Jones, Maciej Kuciara,
My art driven life started with my sketchbook when in Korea, I couldn’t get a chance to focus on studying Eytan Zana, and five brushes I created. I have my
I was eight years old. I liked to scribble things I saw the foundations. All I did was draw something I favorite ones, but I always try to use as many as
in animations and films. It is hard to tell how this thought would be cool. possible to have a variety of touches.
happened but there was nothing more enjoyable
than drawing monsters and dinosaurs during that During that time, I was a big fan of some western When I have to visualize something complex such as
time. Drawing stayed as a hobby, until I decided traditional paintings that had rich color and realistic architecture or machinery, I use MODO for modeling,

A sunset in the hills © Sunghun Choi

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

texturing, and lighting. I always try to keep the

shapes from my initial sketches that are done in my PRO TIP
sketchbook or Photoshop when I have to go through
procedural processes with certain tools. Simplification
Simplifying the value groups in the highest contrast helps to create a legible composition.
2da: You have said in the past that you like to take Whenever I work on something, I use two values of black and white to sketch them out first. This
inspiration from nature. What is it about the natural helps me to find a clear lighting, focal point, and composition.
world that captures your imagination?
Value and contrast are very important in terms of creating a legible image. If the values are
SC: Landscape is deadly attractive sometimes. For working, it will be read no matter what color is put in. Simplicity is compelling and powerful in
example, when I see cool misty clouds scattering many ways. To create it, it’s great to use the highest contrast and minimize the use of values.
around the hills after rain, I feel that I have to capture
the scene by painting them. It is a living reference
and an inspiration. Plus, outdoor landscapes also
taught me how to draw.

It all started when I tried Digital Plein Air painting

during school. During that time I didn’t have a
proper outdoor digital painting class so I had to try
by myself.

Luckily I found Shaddy Safadi’s great tutorials for

outdoor painting, so gathering my toolset was much
easier. Then I went outside and tried to paint some
cool hills and clouds. Of course, it was super hard
at first.

I failed so many times to just paint the exact color.

It was sad that I couldn’t capture the beautiful shot My use of color has also seemed to improve from exactly how to imply emotion through my edge
that was in front of me, but as I kept on trying, I studying nature – I’ve learned more and more about control. Nature is very well designed. My goal is
learned about simplifying and how to make shapes temperature and chroma points. Studying Alla Prima to design something even better than nature has
more attractive. by Richard Schmid also helped me to understand achieved – not easy!

A rock hill in Malibu Canyon © Sunghun Choi

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The alien base on a destroyed city in New Earth © Sunghun Choi

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The swamp of Isla Solna island © Sunghun Choi

2da: Do you have any favorite places, like parks, such as Kenneth Hanns Park, Malibu Canyon, Eaton order to visit all of them. But as far as learning and
forests or beaches to gather inspiration from for your Canyon, LAX Airport, parking garages; sometimes practicing, you don’t always have to go to some well-
pieces of art? even my dining table over my monitor. known places. You can start painting things that are
surrounding you.
SC: When I was doing lots of outdoor paintings, There are numerous places that I want to visit in
I didn’t go too far. I preferred to go to near places the future such as Angels Landing in Utah, Alaska, 2da: Aside from the environment, where else do you
where I could minimize the time of commuting. the Yosemite National Park and Hawai’i Volcano look for inspiration? Are there any other artists you
So, most of the places I went were in Los Angeles, Park. Perhaps I should take an extra long break in particularly admire?

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SC: The way I get my inspiration is a bit abstract. there are some great painters. The artists I like to 2da: What do you find most challenging about
Sometimes they can come from a cool motion from check often are Calvin Liang, Mark Tennant, Isaak working as a concept artist?
a film, an advertisement, or music. Recently, I’ve Levitan, Roger Dean, John Harris and John Berkey.
been listening to lots of soundtracks from films. They For concept art, there is a list of my favorite artists PC: One of the most challenging parts as a concept
help me to get into the mood that I want to create in like Syd Mead, Jamie Jones, Dorje Bellbrook, Jama artist is to push the ideas. For example, designing a
my artwork. I wish I knew how to get inspired when I Jurabaev, Robh Ruppel, Ian McCaig, and so on. scene or an object that’s more unique and attractive
needed to be, but it all comes eventually through my Searching through lots of abstract graphic designs is really challenging. More so, since there are so many
research, or simply daily life. For visual inspirations, also sparks my imagination. great designs and storytellers that already exist, it’s

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Captivating Bungie environments

A griffin lair in the mountains © Sunghun Choi

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Captivating Bungie environments

Sunset Plein Air in Kenneth Hann’s Park © Sunghun Choi

The crash site of ARK © Sunghun Choi

really hard to create something striking and new. something that I wasn’t interested in. Of course, I
Many times, I have to push my idea way further than
“I believe good concept art can’t always draw whatever I want as a concept
my first instinct.
inspires the whole team and artist. The things that helped me the most in
makes their job much easier different projects were inspirational references.
Another challenging part would be communication.
and exciting”
It’s also my job to keep my team inspired on visuals 2da: Do you have any tricks or tips to keep yourself For example, if I have to design a cell animation style
and to create images to meet at a point where motivated on a difficult project? machine gun, I would spend as much time as I can
everybody is satisfied. I believe good concept art finding my favorite artworks in that style, because
inspires the whole team and makes their job much SC: I think it’s a matter of what makes the project they will make me try new things. It’s better to find
easier and exciting. To do so is very challenging. difficult. In my case, a difficult project was always a way to be attracted by a difficult project rather

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A face off between an ancient guardian and an explorer © Sunghun Choi

than producing less attractive works. In my case, new experiences in our game. Plus, it has always the shapes of value groups, and stylized my dragon’s
searching for inspirations from different genres helps. been exciting to work with the rest of Bungie’s super silhouette which is supposed to be standing out the
talented concept artists like Dorje Bellbrook and most. Since then, grouping values has been helping
2da: What makes a project fun for you? Jesse van Dijk, Joe Cross, Adrian Majkrzak, Ryan me the most whenever I had to work on the more
DeMita, and Patrick Bloom. Their brilliant ideas and complex environments.
SC: An early stage of a project where nothing is artwork have been inspiring me to keep pushing my
established yet gives me a great opportunity to creative boundaries. 2da: When you’re not working hard on your art, what
explore and push the idea. It also helps if the genre do you like to do with your time?
is what I’m mostly attracted to during that time; for 2da: Is there a particularly memorable project
example, sci-fi or fantasy, or post-apocalyptic. you have worked on, or an artwork that was a real SC: I always get scared of getting this question
turning point for you creatively? Can you tell us a bit because there are not many things I do normally. I
I prefer working with people who are from different about why it was significant for you? like to watch movies and game cinematics; meeting
disciplines such as programming, world art, and people. Usually when I’m not working on my art, it
level design. Learning from their point of view is SC: I used to be scared of making a busy piece that means I’m probably tired or drained of my creative
very inspiring and broadens my view on the project. had too many things going on, because I preferred juices. When this happens I try to do something that
Working with some great concept artists is also fun to simplicity in a way that shows what’s the most would get me inspired again.
push the ideas further. important part of the piece.
I like to keep a group of friends around who keep
2da: Can you tell us anything about the projects you Parade was one of the hardest tasks for me because, me inspired and motivated. Talking and sharing my
are working on at the moment? as the title suggests, it needed many people and thoughts with them on art and other things in life
fliers, dancers, and so on, to show the celebratory allows me to not just work hard on my art, but also
SC: I am currently working on Destiny, which is a mood in a town. I had to think a lot before I started focus on other important things in life.
co-operative first person shooting game. Destiny has some sketches for it. I did sketches over and over
a variety of aesthetics that are intriguing to people. to quickly come up with a solution to keep both 2da: Do you have any plans for future projects? Is
The visual realm sometimes goes beyond sci-fi and simplicity and complexity. there anything exciting for us to look out for?
fantasy which makes it super fun to work on.
This is when I found ‘value grouping’. Having a group SC: I like to have a consistent storyline for my
Our team works collaboratively to bring some of objects in a larger group of certain value range personal projects, and I am currently building
amazingly creative solutions that will give players helped me to organize them easily. Then I designed one. It’s going to be a series of illustrations but I

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Captivating Bungie environments

Marsh growl in an ancient forest © Sunghun Choi

haven’t decided the theme or genre yet. I have been Once everything is briefly established, I will start SC: Everybody knows that hard work is the way to
gathering some new inspirations such as master off with some black-and-white sketches. Indians, getting better, but it has never been easy. I think it’s
paintings and some comic books. dragons, a Necromancer – whatever excites me! very important to find what makes you work hard,
which for me is ‘excitement.’ Strong inspirations
It’s not easy to find something that intrigues me the 2da: And finally, do you have any advice for readers and masterpieces always excite me to work on
first time and then stays intriguing long enough. on how to succeed as a concept artist? something related to them.

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Once I’m really excited I draw or explore, that leads environment design. I also liked designing alien to some specific career paths. Most of all, we have to
me to work on and on. It is also important to find out worlds with high-tech human architectures, and that be excited about something we want to create next.
what you love to work on the most, as specifically as led me to build a portfolio with consistency in genre. Without being inspired or excited, it won’t help us in
possible. It becomes much easier when you know any way, though we try hard.
what you want to do for a lifetime. In my case, I love It becomes much clearer when you find your
painting landscapes which led me to specialize in speciality because that helps you to narrow down Thank you Sung for chatting to 2dartist!

19
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Discover
luminescent paintings
Florian Aupetit discusses his artwork, his progression in the digital art industry
and his upcoming animation
The Artist

Florian Aupetit
florianaupetit.tumblr.com

Interviewed by:
Annie Moss

Florian Aupetit is a French

25 year old art director
and 3D generalist at the
Parisian studio Monsieur K.
He also works as a freelance
illustrator and concept artist.
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Discover luminescent paintings

There are some artists who seem to have a questions. Well, I’m a young French artist currently hard with passion, and success will come. Don’t try
natural instinct for creating exquisite artwork, working as an art director and 3D generalist in a to copy other trending artists but make things for
and the up-and-coming Paris-based artist Florian Parisian studio called Monsieur K. I’m also working yourself and your work will pop out from the usual
Aupetit is certainly one of them. Although he is as a freelancer. I’m a 3D artist before a painter but the work we see everywhere on the internet.
still only in the early stages of his career, Florian first software I learned was Photoshop (version 7.0 if
has produced over the last five years a wealth of I remember) with my father at the end of elementary Another thing that students or new freelancers forget
stunningly evocative images. school. Then during high school I discovered 3ds Max is to sell their work and skills. You can be the greatest
software, but I really started to paint in 2014. artist in the world, but if you can’t sell your ideas or
His digital work includes emotive environments, paintings properly no-one will give you opportunities
endearing monsters and inventive concepts. 2da: As an artist and illustrator relatively new to to get a job.
However, he is skilled in multiple disciplines the industry, how have you managed to establish
including 3D and 2D digital art, speed painting, yourself so quickly? 2da: Where do you look for inspiration? Are there any
photography and he is now also learning artists that you try to reference in your work?
traditional painting methods. Added to this FA: A lot of people ask me how I established myself
Florian is currently working on a personal in the industry, but because I was a 3D artist before FA: I try to get interested in as many things as
project, an animation titled Father and Son I became a ‘2D artist’ I never thought about it. Until possible no matter the subject (animals, mechanics,
featuring his popular characters in orange suits. last year painting was just a kind of hobby – it was haute couture, engineering, architecture and so on).
a way to relax myself after work. But after a few But I particularly like painting and photography, so
His work has a luminous quality, coupling light months a lot of people around me told me there was I spend at least one hour per day, looking for new
and bright colors with shadowed environments something interesting in my work, and I should work pictures on the internet or in books.
creating an atmospheric tone reminiscent of more on my painting to develop it.
morning haze or the glow of sunset. This month I have a blog where I reference the paintings that
Florian talks to 2dartist about how he became a So I worked really hard during my free time on stand out (www.master-painters.tumblr.com) but I
digital artist, the narratives behind his work and personal pieces to fill my portfolio. And since that also try to visit as many museums and exhibitions as
experimenting with effects. moment studios started to call me for freelance work possible – living in Paris I am pretty lucky about that.
for illustrations or concept art.
2dartist: Hello Florian, thank you for talking to I don’t try to copy all these artists, I think it would
2dartist! Can you begin by telling us a little about 2da: Do you have any advice for readers who are just be wrong, but I analyze how they worked or their
yourself and your career? starting out as freelance artists? approach. The painters who marked me the most
are John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn and John
Florian Aupetit: Hi! First of all thank you very much FA: I’m also starting out as a freelancer so I don’t Atkinson Grimshaw for their use of colors and values.
for your invitation, I’m glad to be here to answer your have any technical advice for you except work really And if I had to pick three photographers it would be

Back of the garden is a research

of an environment design
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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 116

Concept art for Florian’s short film; it represents the awakening of the son

Brassaï for his use of lighting, Eugène Atget for the FA: I don’t particularly work on my ‘style’ I just try to paintings which are out of focus will have almost
loneliness we can see through his photographs and transcribe my vision of reality through the painting. no details and vice versa. So because of that, and
Edward Steichen. For example I almost never use blur in my paintings if it’s in line with the other rules, I can have ‘bad’
to recreate the depth of field because the blur is for brushstrokes in these parts of the picture. But in
2da: Your work has a very distinctive style, how have me a consequence of the use of a camera. So I prefer general I think you don’t have to find a style or copy a
you developed this over time? using the degradation of the details, the parts of my style, it will come naturally.

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Discover luminescent paintings

On this frame he focused on the mood. He wanted to recreate the atmosphere of the ocean

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27
Another concept artwork for Florian’s short
film, it was the first version of the kitchen

This is an
elevation
of the
kitchen
(the last
version)
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 116

2da: Can you tell us a bit about the creation of your

An old speed painting Florian did; the topic was ‘awaking soul’
characters in numbered orange suits? Is there any
significance to the numbers you use?

FA: It’s an important project for me because thanks

to those two little orange guys I’m able to earn a
living with my paintings. It started two years ago
when I wanted to try watercolor, so I painted a
couple of characters and landscapes. This type of
painting was too hard for me so I put the paintings at
the back of a drawer until last year. I found one of the
watercolors and I decided to paint it with Photoshop.
I found that so much fun that I decided to paint and
create them a story (and it gives me another reason
to work on my skills).

But after many paintings I thought the best way

to tell their story was through animation, so for
the last couple of months I have been working
on an animation short film. The script is done
and I’m currently working on the pre-production.
Unfortunately, I can only work on it during the limited
free time I have, so my progression is very slow.

And if you want to know the meaning of the numbers

it’s really simple, it represents how old they are.

2da: You have created some amazing speed

paintings, how does this work differ from work which
has a longer process? Do you find it a more liberating
way to work?

FA: I think speed painting is a great tool to increase

your productivity and your ability to share a story
because you have to tell more with less, and you
have to do this quickly.

It’s also a nice way to work on the moods of my

paintings with the lighting and colors I will choose.
But even with my other paintings I usually don’t work
for more than half a day, so it’s not a big difference
compared to people who work several days or weeks
on their paintings.

2da: How did you go about creating the characters

for your series of beasts and little monsters?

FA: I really like experimenting with Photoshop, trying

to find new effects or combining multiple filters and
these little monsters are, in a way, the final result of
these experimentations. I used to record the process
so you can see the video on my YouTube channel,
but it’s essentially mixing pictures or old paintings
with many blending modes, adding adjustment
layers, and distorting them.

The design of these little creatures are almost

random, I play with shapes and colors so the process
is different for each character; that’s why they are all
so different.

29
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Discover luminescent paintings

One of Florian’s latest speed paintings. The topic was ‘blue’

2DARTISTMAG.COM
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 116

31
2DARTIST hell, another
GreenMAGAZINE old speed
| Discover painting
luminescent paintings

2DARTISTMAG.COM
Water lily diver. Florian has great admiration for old deep sea divers so paint this in honor 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 116

33
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Discover luminescent paintings

King of the hill, another speed painting Florian completed recently

FA: Yes absolutely. I love photographs and especially I used to take a little part of each day to look at new
“There is a calm and
the old ones; many years ago photographers took photographs and store in my mind the lighting, the
quiet atmosphere in old
time to really work on their compositions and composition or the render. It’s my second passion so
photographs. I try to recreate
lighting, like painters in a way. I use my cameras (digital and analogue) almost all
this feeling in my paintings” the time, and especially when I’m traveling.
2da: You have also produced some photography There is a calm and quiet atmosphere in old
work. How has photography influenced your artwork photographs. I try to recreate this feeling in my 2da: What do you like to do when you aren’t working
and illustration? paintings. As for my old master painter’s collection, hard creating your beautiful art and illustrations?

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 116

FA: I’m always working hard haha! But when I’m doing it’s always something in relation to my passion Son, and it will be a mix of both 3D and 2D animation.
not I learn traditional painting (I started recently for pictures. I wrote the story with one of my friends, and we really
with gouache). Watching and studying both good took the time to work hard on it, so I think you will
and bad movies is another little pleasure I can have 2da: Lastly, what can we expect from you in the not- like it. I’m also working with Sense Collective, so I
during my free time. I also take a lot of pictures with too-distant future? will have many illustrations to do with their team
my cameras and when I can, I try to travel to discover available for viewing. To illustrate a children’s book
new countries and people. And as I said before I’m FA: I hope that next year you will see my animation is one of my goals, so if you need someone for that
working on my short film but no matter what I’m short film with my two little guys – it’s called Father & just call me!

35
 The Artist

Leilei Huang
leileihuang.com

Software Used:
Photoshop, PaintTool SAI

Leilei Huang is an award-

winning illustrator and
graphic designer based
in Edinburgh, UK. She
recently graduated with a
Master’s degree, and would
eventually like to create her
own books.

A R T I S T S P O T L I G H T

Immersive
illustration
Taking inspiration from literature, Leilei Huang’s pencil sketches quickly
develop into absorbing digital illustrations. She talks to 2dartist about her
deeply contemplative work
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Immersive illustration

Having recently completed a Master’s degree

at the University of Edinburgh, Leilei Huang
is poised to launch an exciting career in
illustration. Mixing a background in traditional
Chinese ink painting with a passion for visual
storytelling and digital techniques, Leilei
creates thoroughly compelling images.

Originally from southern China, Leilei now

lives in the UK where her work has been
shortlisted for the Penguin Random House
Design Award for her cover design of Jeanette
Winterson’s Oranges are not the only fruit.

In addition to this accolade, Leilei has been

a selected artist for the Macmillan Prize,
shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards
2015, and this year she has been selected to
take part in the annual Bologna Illustrators
exhibition in Italy.

Her work simultaneously achieves a simple

yet detailed look, often depicting sparse
open landscapes and isolated characters. Her
An image from the Deep in the Clouds series
beautifully evocative scenes are indicative

This series incorporates Leilei’s love of hiking

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Leilei’s work is often designed to show solitude A limited color palette provides calmness to each image

The most exciting ideas come to Leilei when she is running or hiking

Leilei wants to present in her work different aspects of being alone

Influenced by Chinese philosophies, these works place an The insignificance of humans is a recurring theme in Leilei’s work
importance on nothingness

39
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Immersive illustration

of her desire to present the insignificance of

individual people in such a vast world.

Here, Leilei talks to 2dartist magazine about

her work and her plans for the future...

2dartist: Hello Leilei! Thanks for talking to

2dartist. First off, could you introduce yourself
with a bit about your background and projects?

Leilei Huang: I was born in southern China, and

I learned traditional Chinese ink painting at an
early age. Later I trained as a science student,
enrolling in a geochemistry program in university.
Having tried several different paths, I was more
and more aware of my passion for visual art.

I applied for art courses after graduation and

came to Edinburgh, UK. My projects are mainly
about solitude, loneliness and everything
An image from the Go the Distance series
between them.

Leilei hopes her work will help to relieve the anxiety of loneliness

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Leilei’s work is heavily influenced by the artist Kaii Higashiyama Small figures in large open spaces are a common feature of Leilei’s work

2da: What first attracted you to illustration? And

what encouraged you to take it up as a career?

LH: I was fascinated by the narrative of

illustration. Besides drawing I like writing,
and I found that they were a perfect match to
express my ideas. I had been sharing my works
on my website for many years, and eventually
a magazine editor noticed me three years ago. I
have started to gain clients since then.

2da: What are your preferred tools to work with

and why?

LH: I use a sketchbook, pencil and mobile phone

to jot down any ideas that come to mind. Then I
work digitally with PaintTool SAI and Photoshop.
SAI is a small piece of software that does not slow
down or overheat your computer; it has a magical
anti-shake function that gives you smooth lines.

2da: Your work tends to have a very calm stillness

to it. How do you go about achieving this effect?

LH: I am happy that you feel this way, since

calmness is one of my goals. I want to represent in
my work different aspects of being alone, hoping
to relieve the anxiety of loneliness, a worldwide The anti-shake function of PaintTool SAI helps Leilei to create smooth lines
epidemic nowadays.
LH: My inspirations are mostly from literature, 2da: You often use a subtle range of colors in each
As regards creating the effect in the image I am a huge fan of books. My favorite writer illustration. How do you go about selecting a
itself, I guess the calmness comes from the soft is Haruki Murakami, because I identify with color palette for a new work?
color palette and distant view point. Everything Murakami’s heroes and heroines; those silent
becomes quieter and slower when seen from afar. urban dwellers. LH: Basically I follow my instinct; I like soft,
calming colors. Actually there are barely any
2da: Where do you turn to for inspiration? Are As for artists, I like David Hopper and Kaii bright colors in my daily objects; I find that they
there any artists you like to reference? Higashiyama, both of them create tranquil work. are an irritant for me.

41
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Immersive illustration

An image from Leilei’s latest series, Kafka on the Shore

2da: You leave a large amount of space in your 2da: What do you like to do when you are not LH: I will be working as a graphic designer, and
works, often drawing focus to small figures. Why is creating beautiful illustrations? keep on creating illustrations at the same time.
space so important to your style? I hope that one day I can make a living as a
LH: A lot of reading, running and hiking! Reading freelance illustrator and publish my own books!
LH: I was greatly influenced by oriental is my biggest inspiration, I enjoy the undisturbed
philosophies, especially Buddhism and Taoism. time with my books. Running and hiking give
Different from the enterprising western culture, me a break from the sedentary illustrator mode. The Artist
they emphasize the importance of nothingness, More importantly, some of the most exciting ideas
as well as the insignificance of humanity. come to me when I empty my brain while out and
about running.
This tendency could also be seen in traditional
oriental visual art. For example, traditional 2da: And finally, what are your plans for the
Chinese paintings often feature majestic future? What do you aspire to do over the next
mountains and tiny people. few years? Leilei Huang
leileihuang.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM
Literature is a great inspiration to Leilei

Leilei often uses pale colors as she finds bright colors to be an irritant The open spaces in Leilei’s work create a softer, quieter image

43
 IMAGE © LORENZO ZITTA

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 Zac Retz

ory,
oments in a st
ic m the
g specif es to be
Capturin onsiders sketch ting a new
zc ea
Zac Ret rtant part of cr rtist his work.
p o da
most im ere he shows 2
. H
artwork

The Artist

Zac Retz
zacretz.com

Zac Retz was born in

1991 in upstate New York.
He received his BFA in
illustration in 2012, and he
is now an artist working
in the videogame and
animation industry.
 Sketchbook of Zac Retz

See the sketches behind Zac I also sketch to develop ideas and to explore Character sketches develop the look of a
Retz’ animations... lighting, composition, and poses for a final character. It helps to find their personality
painting, and develop ideas for a story. in the drawing.
The sketch stage of any art piece is the most These exploratory sketches help me to see
important. It is where you come up with ideas the different possibilities of a specific story Spend time redrawing different poses with
and explore the visuals in your work. I sketch moment. As I’m sketching, I imagine I’m slight variations. If the character is going to
outside and in coffee shops to learn about real watching a movie. I close my eyes and imagine be seen a lot this extra work pays off.
color and lighting situations. I find it necessary what that scene would look like, and then I
to sketch outside and learn from the world we sketch it very quickly and loosely, trying to When sketching props, spend a lot of time
live in. Your imagination is built off of what capture the image in my head. Most of my experimenting with different shapes and
you already know and have seen, so the more paintings are done very quickly. This allows color variations.
you see and observe the better your ideas me to capture a moment in the story and then
will be. By painting outside you are observing move on and sketch out another idea. These are sketches based on the topic
how light and color works in nature. You’re ‘villain hideout’. Zac thought about what
expanding your knowledge so you can go Inspiration and ideas kind of hideout would a villain make? What
home and apply these principles to your more I’m inspired by nature and my own life kind of materials would he use?
imaginative work. experiences. I like to think about things that I

48 2dartistmag.com
 2dartist magazine | issue 1 17

PRO TIPS
Sketching characters
Showing the characters’ personality through loose sketches help to develop the look of a character. It’s also helpful to sketch the same characters
using different styles or methods. For example, I sketch the first half focusing on silhouette, then I switch over to sketching in line. You may come
up with something new in a different sketching method.

Values
Start with a two value sketch. This will help you make a strong lighting structure within your painting. You will have a more visually striking image.

Sketching from life

Sketching lighting and color from life has helped me to improve as an artist. By observing different lighting situations I am able to apply what I
learn to my own work, and not rely so heavily on references.

49
 Sketchbook of Zac Retz

have gone through in my own life, and explore about the materials I use in my sketchbook; it’s doodle. This allows for a more direct translation
these ideas in a more creative way. For example, not about the finished product, it’s just about from my thoughts to my canvas. Overall, being
I take an idea that is as simple as going on a walk capturing what I see in front of me quickly. For quick and loose is key!
through the woods and I expand on it. What if I my observational color studies I paint with acrylic
had a robot friend who went along with me on paints on watercolor paper (no specific brand) or
my adventures? What if we come across forest with my iPad using the Bamboo Solo Stylus and Once the story of a journey is figured out,
creatures and some are evil? That could be the the Procreate app. it’s just a matter of imagining the journey
start to a whole new story! and sketching out the correct mood, color,
Sketching techniques and compositions.
Materials Sketching for me is all about capturing the
All my professional work is done in Photoshop. overall feeling of a scene or exploring a design. Quick color key sketches of two kids going
While sketching on the go, I use just a cheap My sketches are very quick and messy. I squint on an adventure; Zac’s favorite sketch
sketchbook with a ballpoint pen, or pencil, a lot as I’m sketching so I don’t get caught up in which he will turn into an illustration.
and sometimes Sharpies. I’m not too picky the details. Sometimes I even close my eyes and

50 2dartistmag.com
2dartist magazine | issue 1 17

51
 Sketchbook of Zac Retz

Most of the time Zac will start with a two From the color sketch, he continues to Value sketches to figure out the
value sketch, so he can create a strong polish and turn it into a finished painting of lighting composition.
value statement. a moment from a story.
Adding color to a value sketch.
From the value sketch, Zac will start to Designing a cupcake shop.
block in the color.

52 2dartistmag.com
2dartist magazine | issue 1 17

53
 Sketchbook of Zac Retz

A quick story moment sketch, to

depict an emotion of a scene

Acrylic plein air sketches at only three

inches wide. The focus is to capture
the color and light of the scene

54 2dartistmag.com
2dartist magazine | issue 1 17

55
Sketchbook of Zac Retz

56 2dartistmag.com
2dartist magazine | issue 1 17

iPad color sketches. The focus

is to capture the color and
light of the scene

57
Would you like to see your sketches
featured in 2dartist magazine?
We’re always on the lookout for talented artists
and their artwork to adorn the pages of our
magazine. If you think you have what it takes,
get in touch!

To submit, simply email Annie at

annie@3dtotal.com with a selection of your
images or a link to your portfolio online, plus a
little information about you.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Artist

Lois van Baarle

(a.k.a. Loish)
loish.net

Interviewed by:
Annie Moss

Lois van Baarle, known

as Loish, is a highly
popular freelance
illustrator and animator
from the Netherlands.
Since graduating in
2009, her artworks have
gained a dedicated
international following.

The Art of Loish

Discover the work that has won the freelance illustrator and animator
Lois van Baarle (a.k.a. Loish) thousands of dedicated fans
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

If you are a keen 2D artist or hobbyist, then there

is a good chance that over the last six years,
you will have come across the work of Lois van
Baarle, or as she is more commonly known,
Loish. Since she completed a degree in animation
at the Utrecht School of the Arts, the Netherlands
in 2009, Loish has worked as a freelance
illustrator and animator.

Her projects have included work for high profile

companies, including The Leonardo Game for
CBBC, an animation with Psypop for Coca-Cola
and projects for LEGO.

Loish’s work has become highly popular, with

her blog gaining a following of nearly 900,000
fans, while her DeviantArt page has received well
over 8 million page views. In a relatively short
space of time, Loish’s stylized characters and
colorful designs have captured the imaginations
A series of cat studies taken from life
of many fans and fellow artists. To the delight of

A mashup of rough character sketches where Loish has played with her style

61
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Art of Loish

Loish’s work often features a soft glow

of light which provides her work with a
warm atmosphere

thousands of her fans, Loish launched her first

Kickstarter campaign this month with the help of
our parent company 3dtotal Publishing.

The project has been created to launch Loish’s

first ever artbook, The Art of Loish: A look behind
the scenes; a compendium of her artwork, with
insights into her progression as an artist. It will
also include tips on how readers can improve
their own work. The campaign has become an
instant success, with the project meeting its
target of £20,000 in less than two hours, and
being selected as a Kickstarter Staff Pick within
24 hours. At the time of writing, the project
has well over 5,000 backers, and the number is
constantly on the increase. The overwhelming
success of the campaign is a testament to Loish’s
stunning artwork, which we are lucky enough to
be able feature in this month’s issue of 2dartist.
Loish’s Kickstarter campaign has already been funded and was
Here we talk to Loish about how she feels about selected as a Staff Pick the morning after the campaign launched
the success of her campaign, what she has
planned for the book, and where she plans to go Lois van Baarle: It was totally overwhelming! I really That was unfortunate news, but at the same time
next with her artwork. didn’t expect for there to be this much interest in the incredibly exhilarating, because it means that the
book. We had to limit the number of signed copies response totally exceeded all expectations.
2dartist: Hi Lois! Congratulations on the incredibly within a couple of hours since the sheer amount of
successful Kickstarter campaign! What was it like signed books and prints would have been too much 2da: Can you tell us a little bit about what you have
seeing the response from your fans? to handle. planned for the book?

2DARTISTMAG.COM
Locks is a popular piece by Loish,
which captures her talent for capturing
mood and character
Loish blends realism with the abstract in this work, Clouds
The Art of Loish: A look behind the scenes will feature
remakes of old work including this remake of Summer
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Art of Loish

The book will show Loish’s progress as an artist, with

work from her childhood and school work like this piece

LvB: The book is going to address some of the things

that my followers have been asking about for a very
long time. They enjoy seeing my work but also want
to know a lot about my thought process, techniques
and how I learned to draw – basically, what goes on
behind the scenes. This book is going to delve into
these aspects and give a full picture of who I am as
an artist, as well as showcase my artwork.

I hope to make something that’s interesting for fans

who want to know more, but also appealing for
people who just want to flip through nice artwork.

2da: Is there a part of the project you are most

looking forward to working on?

LvB: I’m just so excited about writing the book and A mock up image of The Art of Loish: A look behind the
being able to go into more depth than I usually do. scenes, the subject of Loish’s Kickstarter campaign
I’m in the process of writing it now and I love seeing it
come together! I’m exploring a lot of beautiful settings and nature- LvB: I still want to finish an animation project I’ve
inspired decorative elements, which will show in the been working on since graduating animation school
2da: The book will feature some new artworks from exclusive pieces I have lined up for this book. in 2009. I’d need to set aside a lot of time to do it,
you – can you tell us a little about the inspirations which is proving difficult in my freelance career so
behind them? 2da: And finally, we know that you’re very busy with far. I’m still very excited to do it, and it would be a
the book and your Kickstarter prizes at the moment, welcome change of pace to work on an animation
LvB: I’d say my work has definitely taken more and but what are your plans for the future? Are there any project again, so I am definitely going to try and focus
more inspiration from nature in the last year or so. projects you can tell us about? on that for my next personal project!

2DARTISTMAG.COM
Loish likes to experiment with her style from time
to time, as can be seen in this personal work
C L I C K H E R E F O R D E T A I L S

Discover the delightful

work of popular artist
and illustrator Lois van
Baarle (a.k.a. Loish) as she
Kickstarts her first book:
The Art of Loish
An inspiring collection of drawings and articles exploring the
sketchbooks and artistic practices of 50 talented sci-fi concept artists.

Sketches and drawings are the foundations of great art, where thoughts
and concepts first come to life as an image. In Sketching from the
Imagination: Sci-fi, 50 talented traditional and digital artists showcase
their sketches, share their inspirations, and explain their approaches to
drawing sci-fi art. From doodles of robots and aliens, to concept designs
for spaceships and speculative life-forms, Sketching from the Imagination:
Sci-fi is a visually stunning collection packed with useful tips and creative
insights – an invaluable resource that will inspire artists of all abilities.

ONLY 17.99 (APPROX 29.99) | 320 PAGES | ISBN: 978-1-9094142-2-8

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Each issue the 2dartist team selects 10 of the best digital images from around the world. Enjoy!

Like tears in the wind

Efflam Mercier
Year created: 2014
Web: efflammercier.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Submit your images! Simply email annie@3dtotal.com

71
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Epic
Igor Braulio
Year created: 2015
Web: igorbraulio.com
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Floating in
a dream
Alexey Egorov
Year created: 2015
Web: alexegorov.
cgsociety.org
© Alexey Egorov
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Daily practice
João Andias
Year created: 2015
Web: facebook.com/andias.sketch
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

75
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Portrait of Arash
Ali Kiani Amin
Year created: 2015
Web: facebook.com/ali.kianiamin
Survival Voyager Spirit
Christian Benavides(Bighand Illustration)
Year created: 2015
Web: behance.net/BigHandIllustration
© Bighand Illustration

77
Return of the Evil
Jones Sousa
Year created: 2015
Web: artstation.com/artist/Jones

2DARTISTMAG.COM
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 116

79
Some concept
Sergey Pervukhin
Year created: 2015
Web: artstation.com/artist/lespol
War 1 : The Machine
Rupam Roychoudhury
Year created: 2014
Web: artstation.com/artist/Tiger_999
© Rupam Rc

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Trafalgar
Jose Julián Londoño Calle
Year created: 2015
Web: artstation.com/artist/handsdigitalstudio

Beached
Lewis Henderson
Year created: 2015
Web: lewishendersonart.com

83
 The Artist

Rostyslav Zagornov
artstation.com/artist/
attemme

Software Used:
Photoshop

Rostyslav Zagornov is an
environment concept artist
for 4A-Games Ltd., Malta.
Originally from Ukraine,
Rostyslav first started
creating digital art four years
ago when a friend sold him a
Wacom tablet.

Photo manipulate
a monster
See how you can turn yourself into a sinister, flesh-hungry creature
with Rostyslav Zagornov’s photo manipulation tutorial
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Follow these helpful tips for a

realistic image...
Today I will show you how I work with photo
manipulation and over-painting techniques to
create a character. Sure, it is possible to paint
everything, but when you are working under
a deadline, or when you need to complete
several tasks at the same time; you have to
use techniques which help to save your time.
Some people say that it is not an ‘artistically
honest’ way to create images, but I am on the
side of the rational use of time saving tricks.
So, I use photos and textures very often, and
sometimes I help myself with some primitive
modeling or sculpting in 3D. I am sure that no
matter how you get your result, the main thing
is whether your picture is interesting or not.

Today I will show you some techniques which

I use in my work. For this piece I decided to
create a horrible creature, using my own
photos and some free textures from www.
freetextures.3dtotal.com and www.cgtextures.
com. I will show you some ways to compose
different pictures into one, how to refine the
image, and add some details and effects.

01 The original photo: I start with an

original picture. I have never tried to do
something with my own portrait, so I thought
why not do it today? Okay, so after a little work
in Adobe Camera Raw, I give the picture more
contrast to create a more interesting shadow and
lighting effect. In future steps we will work with
the existing lighting, and it is very important not
to leave it, or we will leave the volume too.

02 Design the composition: As you can

see in the original picture, the face is
placed a little uncomfortably from the point of
composition, so I enlarge the picture to move
the face closer to the camera. After this, I remove
some details that I don’t want to see, such as the
wall, cabinet and my wife’s soft toys behind me. I
just paint over them with a black Soft brush. I also
decide to remove the hand, so I paint over it with
the same Soft brush, using the existing colors on
the chest and shoulders.

03 Create textures: Now, I decide to create

some shapes which can help me in the

Start with a photograph and adjust

the contrast to make the lighting and
shadow more interesting

Adjust the composition and remove any

unwanted background details

85
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Photo manipulate a monster

future. Sometimes you cannot find the required to the face. The very important thing to remember visible parts of the 3D face similar to the original
references or textures, so in this situation you here is the lighting. I use masks and a Soft brush in color and contrast.
have only one exit; to create them yourself. So, to manipulate the 3D face into different areas of
I do a very quick, more or less primitive face in
ZBrush and the same quick textures in Mudbox.
the original face.
06 Make it realistic: Now it is time to
change the original head and face
After 40-50 minutes I have a basic 3D shape with
texture, ready to use with photo bashing and
over-painting.
05 Adjust the face: In this step I use some
transform tools to fit some texture details
to the original face: forehead to forehead, chin to
shapes, to make them more closely resemble a
human’s. I use the Liquify tool for this process.
I try to work very carefully, changing the shape
chin and so on. I also remove the ears as they are of the skull and the front side of the face. I also

04 Add 3D to Photoshop: Now I open the

3D shape in Photoshop and begin to fit it
too ‘usual.’ I make some color adjustments using
Color Balance and Hue/Saturation to make the
make the creature’s nose flatter and make the
chin longer.

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

07 Add sinister eyes: Okay, so we can see

that we have a new creature. It is close
to human but now we also understand that it is
not human. I want to change the eyes, so I just
paint over the original with a Soft brush and make
them fully gray-white, giving them a ‘blind’ look. It
is actually an old trick, but it always works when
you need to make your creatures look a bit more
sinister. I’m careful to remember where the light
source is placed, and add some highlights to the
creature’s eyes.

08 Paint fine details: Here I bring back his

ears, but I deform them with the warp
tool and Liquify. Now, I use a small (2-5 pixel
brush) and begin to add some little extra details
to my creature’s skin, lips, eyes, and so on. I also

Use 3D software to design your own

references and textures

Fit the 3D shape to the photographic

face in Photoshop

Use transform tools to match the 3D face

to the photograph

Shape the face using the Liquify tool to

make it more realistic

Paint over the eyes to make the creature

more sinister

Add the ears and some fine details to

the skin

87
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Photo manipulate a monster

add some pigmented spots, some scars and

blisters. On top of this I add a texture of blood
splatter onto the creature’s face. It is really long
and accurate work, so don’t rush it.

09 Use texture for details: Now I am going

to add little details to the creature’s
head. These details, like spittle, beads of sweat,
and hairs, are the thing which makes our
character realistic and believable. I decide to add
some white paint on his forehead and upper lip,
something like face paintings for a tribal battle.
I use a texture, put it in a place, and check its
position with the opacity level. After this I use
masks and a sharp brush to show some parts of
the paint texture.

This effect, for me, can show that our creature has
bald for me. I do these with more or less the
same contrasts and color tones, and add some
blurriness because these textures look too sharp.
11 Final adjustments: I now start to add
the last details. Besides the little veins
and hair on the creature’s chin, I add spit. This can
some elements of civilization. It can suffer from make his look more hungry and dangerous.
mutations or degradation. I go on working with
little details, sometimes I have to paint even the
pores in the creature’s skin.
10 Draw on veins: Now I paint the smallest
details like veins or little hairs on the
creature’s cheeks. I use a Soft low-flow brush
I also think that his hand does not look very good,
so I decide to remove it. I take a photograph of my
for painting first, and then a sharper brush for chest and put it into the image, using the same
I add some blood splatter and grunge texture painting second. If the details are too sharp I techniques, tweaking the Brightness/Contrast
to the chest, because it looks too clean and make them blurrier. and Hue/Saturation settings.

2DARTISTMAG.COM
Now I want to add some objects to the front plan. 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

It can help to give some more depth to our image.

It can be something like metal grids or pillars,
whatever you like.

12 The finished artwork: For the final

stage, I give my picture a little more
contrast and add some soft noise. Now, we are
there! The finished piece!

Thank you to everyone for following this tutorial

and thank you to the 2dartist team for the
invitation! I hope this tutorial will help you to
push your skills. Good luck!

Create extra details with a

texture by using masks and a
sharp brush

Then add a grungy texture to

the chest

Draw in veins and small hairs

using a Soft low-flow brush

Make the creature look

hungry by adding spit

Use another photograph to

make corrections to
the composition

Add appropriate scene

objects to the image

The Artist

Rostyslav Zagornov
artstation.com/artist/
attemme
89
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 The Artist

Ioan Dumitrescu
ioandumitrescu.com

Software Used:
Photoshop

Ioan Dumitrescu is a
freelance concept artist
from Romania. He has
recently worked on projects
for Sony and Blur, and his
work has featured in many
games, commercials and on
book covers.

Speed paint an
ancient ruin
Learn how to create an interesting ruin
composition in only two hours with this tutorial
by Ioan Dumitrescu
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Speed paint an ancient ruin

Test yourself with this speedy

painting tutorial...
Hi guys, I usually start these speed painting
exercises with a couple of thoughts in mind,
and for this piece it is ancient times, fallen
civilizations and how I can show this central
meeting ground left to become dust after a
civilization has fallen!

I start this speed painting with the antiquity

of enormous amphitheaters, spas and historic
public buildings where people gathered
around to watch epic spectacles and cheer
their favorite gladiators in mind. Speed
paints are a great way to train your eye in
composition, light and color. Following a time
frame of, in this case, only two hours, makes
you think of what is important; conscious of
your decisions and think of what to do in order
to be on time.

01 Source references: First thing’s first,

as this speed paint is based on what
the ancient world built, we need to gather our
references so they can help us recreate the type of
architecture and constructions they used to build.
For this I reference my own photos taken on a trip
in Rome.

Try looking at how these huge structural elements

were built without any concrete pillars or metal
crossbeams, and so on. We can also see how in
time the buildings fell apart. Scale is to be an
important factor in this painting, and thus we
need to see how we can simplify things. Time is of
the essence.

02 Create basic color: Now we have

some references, we can lay in some
big shapes for our color sketch. I’m thinking of
those late afternoons that you get during the
late spring, with beautiful cyan skies and the sun
having a very clean light, so to say. My thoughts
are to make a coliseum-like structure with a huge
dome on top that has crumbled, with a lot of
ruins around where people might still dwell.

I put in a basic ground texture and adjust its

values and color to imply a shadowed land. I add
a few big ruins towards the foreground, making
sure I hit one with light so it connects with the
background dome. The whole scene inspires
me to take it towards a desert-like terrain, and
because of this I bring in a contrasting element of
boats ruined in the foreground.

This could be a reminder of a time when this was

lush, and have small docks along its side. Maybe
along the arena there was a huge market place!

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

03 Add some references: We can make use

of the photos we have by pasting them
in and adjusting the colors until they fit into the
play between light and dark is very important for
the composition.
Source references that fit with your
intended theme. They can provide some
interesting shapes
scene. I try to let the base color bleed through the I want to reach a painterly but real look, so I have
blues and yellows, it will give a more realistic look to cover most of the photos up. I can’t let my Quickly sketch out a composition
in the end. references decide for me what the image will be. including rough ideas of light and color

Now my concern is to start defining the I use the time constraints to my advantage and Adding references to your sketch is a
composition and spatial layout of things. The first try to create mystery to actually let the viewer fill quick way to build up the image
sketch isn’t epic enough so I just scale things up in the information. The ruins become paravants,
so they can take over the canvas and overwhelm showing only glimpses of what is behind them, a
the viewer. I’m trying to find cool shapes for the glimpse of what the world was and how beautiful
ruins, and with them create the shadows. The it must have been.

95
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Speed paint an ancient ruin

I certainly look for evocative images in my work, beyond it. I break up the mass on the right, so the the dome crash. Now I further refine the shape of
images that speak out to the viewer and rely on eye has a way of slowing down towards the edge the galleries, wanting to keep everything relatively
their emotions. of the frame, resting, and then going back using epic in scale. Once I incorporate the people it will
the shadow and light play. be more obvious.

04 Add interest: At this stage I flip the

image horizontally and vertically. I don’t
hold on to anything in it, I want things to come 05 Refine structural shapes: The chunks
of buildings I’ve put on the left, blocking
Regarding colors, I try to have lots of warm brown
in there, just to show off the ambiance it will get
naturally, and forcing my way in only to break the view of the background, are too flat for my from a streak of light on the ground, leading to
things up. So the scene is starting to build up, and liking and destroy the scale. They might have the structures on the right of the middleground.
I add more textures and play with the colors. I add worked in the end to show a round perimeter,
in a bit more red brick with dark saturated blues. I
also add columns and arches above the coliseum
hinting at multiple levels and what could be
but my intentions are different. So I decide to cut
through it and place three pillar-like structures
that might have supported the building before
06 Seek structural realism: The sharp
break in the ruin of the dome is defying
the scale and gravity a bit, so I quickly turn it into

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

edge of the middleground structure. I add two Add textures and play with the colors to
“With the help of the broken people in oriental clothing in discussion, like their create more interest
dome I keep focus on what surroundings are nothing special to them. Sadly
matters in the image” we humans have the tendency to not appreciate Add depth to the ruins and check the
something more massive. It now has real weight, the good that we have around us. scale of the image
so shows what extreme forces this building had
to support. Its very common throughout history I continue to add further detailing along the dome Build up the broken dome so that
to have domes collapsing, as it is an incredibly structure, tightening certain parts of interest while it looks like a structure that might
hard building technique to master, and they others recede into shadow. physically have existed. The red lines
only reached their full majestic quality through show how the viewer’s eye will travel
buildings such as the Pantheon, Saint Sophia,
San Pietro, and so on. 08 Finishing touches: As a last touch, I
think the image needs some spicing up.
The lit portion of the middleground structure is a
around the image

Adding two tiny people near the lower

I use the masts of the ships to further block the bit too equal with the background. I thought I’d right side of the image provides a sense
edge of the frame, and with the help of the broken make the light a bit more filtered, and use darker of scale
dome I keep focus on what matters in the image. red tones, as well as on the ground. It might be
You can see in fig. 06 how my composition follows from all the bricks turning basically into red dust. After some small adjustments to the
along the red line, taking the viewer’s eye along I think it separates things nicely and also gives middleground, light and color, here is
the whole image. more atmosphere to the piece. the final image!

07 Add people for scale: Now its time to

put in the tiny humans at the bottom
I hope you enjoyed the process and it will help
you with yours!

97
The Artist

Ioan Dumitrescu
ioandumitrescu.com
3dtotal presents the new issue of
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121

Issue 121 | September 2015

Ruben Alvarez shares an

insight into concept art for
the entertainment industry

available
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• Sci-fi creations in ZBrush
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• and much more!
 AVAILABLE NOW
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Embark on a sketching journey with the

inspirational Beginner’s Guide to Sketching:
Characters, Creatures and Concepts.

From gesture drawing and finding simple shapes to

mastering line quality and shading, Beginner’s Guide to
Sketching: Characters, Creatures and Concepts is a fantastic
companion that will teach you to sketch confidently while
helping you improve the way you design. Your journey will
begin with a look at drawing materials and techniques,
before moving on to essential warm-up exercises to help
you become familiar with the fundamental basics. Four
master projects by seasoned professional artists will then
take you from concept to final illustration, walking you
step by step through poses, designs, and costumes before
culminating in a final scene. Featured artists include Justin
Gerard, Brun Croes, and Sylwia Bomba.
Step into the eye of
the storm
Paint a storm in action in the latest chapter of our Altering
Environments series! Film and videogame artist Kristian Llana guides
us through his the process
The Artist

Kristian Llana
kristianllana.carbonmade.com

Software Used:
Photoshop

Kristian Llana is a freelance

concept artist and illustrator
originally from Albania,
Europe. He is currently
based in New York and
working for companies in
the entertainment industry,
specializing in film and
videogame art.
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Step into the eye of the storm

Whip up a storm with photo

bash techniques...
In this tutorial you will see step by step how to
create concept art for movies and videogames.
You will learn how to put together different
photos to create a cinematic scene painting.
The scene I am creating here is set in the
center of a storm on a modern American
highway. This tutorial will show you how to
develop a sense of motion by using photo
compositing techniques.

01 Find references and sketch ideas: It

is very important to look at real world
examples when you are beginning a new painting,
but I’m pretty sure that you must have heard this
from almost every artist out there by now.

As soon as the idea hits my imagination I start

to photo-research. Search engines are your best
friend here. All I am searching for are pictures
that come close to a real life storm. Use any
keyword that comes to your mind. For example,
I am searching now for: storm happening, storm,
hurricane, running storm, flying cars, and dusty
highway. Searching for references is useful not
only to pull up images you can bash later, it is
useful for a lot of things such as selecting the
color and mood of the painting. A slight change
in hue can change the overall feeling of the whole
painting, for better or worse. Sometimes you hit
the jackpot with the right plate image to start Now is the time to start thinking about your out. I’m sketching based on one of the photo
with, which is the best thing. composition. In this image for example, I am plates I got when I searched for references.
trying to create a cinematic scene. This will most
Once I have gathered all the references I need, I
start to sketch; although you will most probably
go back to your references throughout the whole
likely be a painting for a key frame in a movie
scene. At this stage I don’t really worry about
how the sketch looks because everything is going
02 Decide on color: After I’ve decided the
composition in my sketches, and I am
sure that’s the one I want to proceed further with,
process. I usually go for four sketches, but it can to be replaced with the references instead. It is I start looking for color examples. I already have
always be more depending on the project. meant to only be a rough sketch to get your idea an idea of what colors I want so I start looking at

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

“Photo compositing is one

of the most powerful tools
in concept art regardless of
whether it is for AAA games or
the VFX industry”
real life pictures close to the kind of color scheme
that I want.

This step really defines the mood of your painting,

and is no less important than the other steps
before. Like I said in step one, the research
you did will become useful at this stage, even
though you may still want to look for some more
examples. I decide that these colors (fig. 02)
will be my color scheme. This is exactly what I
had pictured in my head, so now I have a color
scheme I can always go back to.

03 A note on photo compositing: Photo

compositing is one of the most powerful
tools in concept art regardless of whether it is
for AAA games or the VFX industry. This step is
actually one of the main reasons we do photo
research; so we can later use the photos we
gathered. It is the best if you are lucky enough to
start with a photo plate; it’s going to make it so
much easier. 05 Adjust the tone: I decide that I really
need to tone everything down. I think
it will give a better impact on the viewer if the
Sketch out a rough idea based on your
reference images

04 Photo compositing: Now I am trying to

make the photo compositing efficient.
I like first of all to fix the value of the image I am
whole scene is made to be darker. I do this very
quickly by using the curves tab from the drop-
down menu, and I put it on top of everything so it
To define the mood of your painting,
create a color scheme based on your
ideas and references
trying to fit in and then deal with fixing the color. affects everything below the layer itself.
Photo compositing is one of the most
I use a black layer on color mode which makes
everything below black and white, this way I can
now tweak the image and make it fit in the value.
06 Color balance: Now I am using Color
Balance and the Hue/Saturation tool. I
realized that I need to go more towards the blue
powerful tools in concept art

Fix the value of your image then adjust

I am using the Curves tool, but you can use Levels end of the color spectrum. For some reason it the color to suit your composition
as well. Using dust is a good way to make things gives me a more dynamic impact. Don’t be afraid
fit in. to play with colors at any moment, as I have said Change the tone of the scene by using
the curves tab

105
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Step into the eye of the storm

“What I am doing now is

looking for ways I can improve
the painting – how can I get
my message through?”
above, a slight change in hue and saturation can
affect the whole image for better or for worse.
Let’s just hope you affect it for the better.

07 Paint more atmospheric drama: In

this step much is going through my
mind, as for me there is always room to make
something better. What I am doing is looking for
ways I can improve the painting – how can I get
my message through? I just realized that in order
to really show the storm happening I simply need
to add the STORM. As funny as it sounds, it’s true.

I need to create more drama in the scene, with

a lot of dust going up on the street. I create the
whole storm by using a Cloud brush, which
anyone who is even a little bit into concept art
and digital painting should have.

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

08 Over painting: After putting everything

together it is time to have some brush
fun. For this step I am using the Mixer brush tool
instead of something like sharpening, which is
just a personal choice.
Use Color Balance and the Hue/
Saturation tools to give your painting
more dynamic impact
and the Smudge tool. The last thing that I need to do is to click on
Create new layer, and set the color to neutral gray Adding dust with a cloud brush to
These two tools are the best ones to give a photo with 50% in the brightness slider. show the center of the storm creates
the painterly feeling I am after. This step really atmospheric drama
helps to unify everything in the scene and mix the I fill the layer after this by going to Filters > Noise
photos all together. > Add Noise and set the amount to 12.5% and the Use the Mixer brush and Smudge tools
distribution to ‘Uniform’. I click OK, and now I just to unify the image and give it a more

09 The very last touches: In this step I

create a new layer and then use the
shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E which is the SUPER
put that layer on Overlay mode, in 59% opacity.

All of this is to create a film grain, which not

painterly look

Add the final touches to the image using

MERGE. Now I am creating a copy layer of this and only makes the whole image unified, but blends super merge, reduce brightness and
I am going to: Filter > High Pass > set to 2.1, then everything together so that it is hard to tell the create a film grain
put the whole layer on Overlay mode. I use this brushstroke from the photo.

107
The Artist

Kristian Llana
kristianllana.carbonmade.com
 117

Issue 117 | September 2015

The Art
of Loish
We interview Loish, a.k.a.
Lois van Baarle about her
first art book and Kickstarter
campaign

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 The Artist

Pablo Carpio
artstation.com/artist/
pablocarpio

Software Used:
SketchUp, DazStudio,
Photoshop

Since completing a Fine

Arts degree, Pablo Carpio
is a freelance artist based
in Madrid. He loves that
the fresh style of digital
art re-imagines the epic
Romanticism of art.

Play with challenging

perspectives
Improve your design techniques with Pablo Carpio’s guide to creating an
eye catching air vehicle from an interesting angle
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

Tackle a tricky perspective and

advance your skills...
In this tutorial I will show the process of
creating an illustration of a spaceship seen
from below. From the beginning, you will
see how I make a difference between what
can be the concept design of a vehicle and
an illustration of it. The first will be more
related to the achievement of a functional
approach. The second one is more focused on
the aesthetic of the whole piece, including the
environment in which it is located. Because of
this, I will focus the tutorial on explaining the
painting techniques more than on the design
guides. I will tackle the perspective as the first
tricky point, and continue with the behavior of
color and light in hard surfaces. I will also give
some tips for details and effects to achieve an
epic mood and atmosphere.

In this type of work, in which the functionality

of the design is less important than the appeal
of the final image, I change the design itself
during the process, changing parts and shapes
while I paint. Plus, the vehicle in this case is
adapted to the perspective, which means that
I made it look good from this view specifically,
and it’s because of this that I decide to make
a vertical design, where the wing is the
protagonist of the composition.

My main objective is to show you a process

that you can use not only to copy something
similar to this image, but use for every other
piece. I hope to give you some tips and advice
that can help you achieve an attractive mood
and appeal in your work!

01 A brief brainstorm: The first step

consists of making a fast design of the
main piece for our illustration: the spaceship. I
do not spend more than twenty minutes when
making some sketches. At this point I don’t reach
a finished and detailed design, but I decide a
couple of basic ideas that will be developed in the
following steps.

In this case, those ideas are that the vehicle is

going to have two vertical wings, and it’s going
to be divided at the center by a ring that will
produce the energy to move it. This is more like
an exercise to start the ‘inspiration engines’ for
the next steps!

02 Sketching the composition: In this

step I continue to visualize how the
final composition is going to look. As in the first Fast sketch to get ideas about shapes, Always try to find guidelines in your
step, I make some sketches with different ideas, form and style. Create two basic key compositions, so the viewer can ‘read’
but as I already know that the topic is to make a points: the ring and the vertical wing easily all the elements of the image

113
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Play with challenging perspectives

spaceship seen from below, this process is easier

and faster.

After a couple of drawings, I make a final one with

the vehicle in the center of the image, surrounded
by buildings to emphasize the scale and the
perspective, with a boy at the bottom looking up
to it. I use the wing as a diagonal line to guide the
eye from the figure to the spacecraft.

03 Blockmesh design of the spaceship:

As I said at the beginning, my designs
change as I develop them during the different
steps. Once I know how I want the spaceship to
look in terms of basic shape, I make a fast 3D
model, just with some boxes, spheres and cones
in SketchUp. Honestly, this is almost the first time
that I have used this program, so don’t be afraid,
and experiment with it the same way I do!

When I do this kind of rough and random design,

I don’t stress if some vertices or planes are
distorted. I use this as a base to understand the
perspective and the point of light, and then paint
over it. So don’t panic if some parts look strange,
just have fun and find something that fits with
your taste. This is not even the final form!

04 The 3D composition: The composition

can be easily created using a conic
perspective with one or two focal points, leaving
the horizon line at the bottom of the image or
even outside of the canvas. However, I create a
brief design in SketchUp for the vehicle and the

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

buildings around to have a three-dimensional

base, and use it in the final image.

Using 3D programs at the beginning of the piece

can give us the opportunity to change the size,
place and form of each element of the artwork,
locate the point of view and the light focus, which
allow us to save a lot of time and gain a huge
range of perspectives and ideas very fast.

Now I have decided where everything is going to

be placed, it is time to export a 2D capture and
start painting!

05 Making the initial shape: Once I finally

have the blockmesh in Photoshop, it is
time to start painting the basis of the final shapes
of the spaceship, and the buildings, with some
strong strokes. As you can see, I already know that
the principal focus of light is going to come from
the right side of the composition (keep that in
mind for the rest of the painting!)

I keep a similar design to the one I made in my

previous artwork, An Angel. I opt for an ‘organic’
shape in the fuselage, bending the front part
down like a fish head. In fact, Fomalhaut (the
name of the spacecraft), means ‘fish mouth’ in
Arabic, and is the name of a star, in the Piscis
Austrinus constellation.

06 Texture the shape: In this step I’m

going to get rid of the flat color base to
start painting in a more detailed way. As I don’t
want to use any third-party images, I opt for
using my own work An Angel as a texture. Luckily,
this image fits well with what I want to achieve,
since the back view of the vehicle can be easily
relocated and deformed to adjust it to the new
spaceship perspective. I use it several times, using
the mode layer Clarify at around 50% opacity. At

Make a less compact design, more

stylish and with some details at the
back, like a couple of extra rings

As you can see, 3D allow us to reach

PRO TIP
a realistic perspective, including the Keep your portfolio sharp
distortion created by the angle of vision The only way to get noticed in the community is to keep constantly upgrading your work.
of the objective By posting only one fan art every three months, nobody will notice you. Draw every day,
during the night, in your spare time, whenever, but DO IT. The time you spend thinking ‘I’m
It is always important to find balance not going to reach that level’ is time that you are not improving.
between the storytelling and the design
of your pieces, so that everything has Show your work to others, get involved in the community and don’t stay hidden in your
its purpose room. But most of all, paint. Less than one year ago I was sitting at my desk without any
knowledge about a proper workflow or a professional technique to paint. Then I started
When using images as textures, try to painting seriously, meeting people and asking for feedback, and my journey had begun!
find shapes, forms and colors that you
find useful in your work

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the same time, this allows me to filter the strong black at the bottom of the
spaceship and the buildings.

Always be careful when using photographs in your work! It’s important to

have in mind the light direction, the perspective of the image, the angle of
the camera that has been used to take the picture, and even the resolution
of the image.

07 Final shape and details: Relax! It may seem like there’s a lot
missing between the last step and this one, but the main thing is
that this step is just about playing with the random shapes from the last step,
and painting over them to reach a detailed and symmetrical final form.

Here’s one of my favorite tips, and something that I always try to do in my

paintings: use the randomness as part of your workflow. Sometimes, we
need an ‘accidental phenomenon’ to use as a catalyst for the best designs
and ideas.

I spend some time finding different options and end with what is going to
be the final design. From my previous work, An Angel, I decide to make some
parts of the fuselage float around the spaceship, in order to look like some
kind of shield.

08 Color behavior and details: I will keep this step as an explanation

about how to understand color and light in this image. After finishing
the detailing of the final form, I add some color lines to enhance the realism
of the shadows.

To make the abstract yellow design, I use the layer in the Multiply mode, so
when it stays over a white zone, it keeps its original brightness and tone.
When it goes over the shadows, it changes automatically to a darker one,

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

mixing with the blue shadow below. As you

can see, the shadows are softly mixed with the PRO TIP
color of the sky, the same way that the ground is
reflected as a warm gray tone at the bottom parts.
Learn from the masters
Try everyday to look at your favorite artist’s works. Don’t feel overwhelmed looking at

09
those epic paintings, take a deep breath and try to understand how they work. When you
Making the holograms: I want to give
are in a museum, try to get as close to the paintings as the security guard allows you. Study
the environment a busy look, something
the brush strokes, the light, the color, the amount of paint, and so on.
inspired by the Shibuya crossing or Times Square.
For that, and to avoid leaving the buildings
In the same way, when I look at a digital painting, I try to zoom in as close as possible, to
without details, I fill their walls with shiny
understand every pixel. Try to analyze it closely and look for specifics that can make you
holograms, like if they were advertisements that
understand hidden tips. If you meet them some day, always be respectful, listen, and ask
change constantly.
specific and bright questions!

The process for doing this is quite easy: first I

make a simple design in a front view. After that, I
transform it using the distortion option, to make it
look in the same direction as our perspective. The
depth. I also add some contrails at the sky, to give
dynamism and increase the feeling of being a
busy place full of spacecrafts.
11 Adding glow and warm reflection:
This step, if well used, can give you
that ‘extra-point’ to make your drawings more
last part is about changing the mode to Clarify
or Soft Light, depending on the color we want to
achieve, and deform it a bit with the Smudge tool The design is complete. Don’t forget The blue-gray tone of the atmosphere
to make the interference effect. about the shadows, and try to think can give a feeling of depth, but also
three-dimensionally works as a photograph filter to unite all

10 Background, atmosphere and depth:

In this step I change the background
using a royalty free cloud texture. I change the
The color lines enhance the realism of
the shadows. It is always a good idea
the middle tones

The glow effect gives us not only an

levels and saturation to make it as similar as to add some details over the surface to opportunity to achieve realism in the
possible to the original blue tone I had before, explain the volumes of the objects light reflection, but also to merge all the
to make it fit with the tone of the shadows. After parts and colors of the illustration
this, I make another layer to apply a soft gray-blue For making the holograms you can use
color over the parts that are farther from the old personal pieces. You can experiment
point of view. With this, I enhance the feeling of with different designs and forms to
make new ones!
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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Play with challenging perspectives

attractive. It consists of finding the edges between lights and shadows, and
applying a soft stroke using the ‘intense light’ mode.

Use an orange tone in order to make a warm transition from the light to the
shadow. With that effect, we show that the light front is not totally white,
and that the surfaces reflect part of that light. I use this effect also on the
holograms. This trick may not always occur naturally, but it can give us an
interesting appeal.

12 Engines and energy generators: Now, I add the glow to the

ring-shaped energy generators of the vehicle and the engines. To
make this, I start by making a soft layer over the parts where the engines are
located, to tint everything near in a blue color. After that, I apply another
layer with a low opacity but stronger than the first part, and only to where the
light comes from.

Finally, using the ‘intense light’ mode, I make the final touches until the color
looks overexposed. After that, I make a copy of all the layers to merge them,
and distort the warm zone with the Smudge tool. To make the holograms of viewers gaze will always be ‘traveling’ all over the illustration, and not stuck
the spaceship I use the same process as in the color behavior step. on one focal point.

13 Design the character: I add a guy at the bottom of the image

looking up to the spaceship, increasing the scale of the vehicle in
the sky. To make it, I generate the pose in DazStudio, and export it from a
15 The finished work: Once I have the illustration finished, it is time
for some post-production. In this step, I adjust the levels to add a bit
of contrast. After that, I change the color balance to boost the warm tones
view that fits with our perspective. After that, I adjust the skin tone to make it (notice that the light comes from the right; if we think about it, it may be early
darker, since our character will be under the shadow of the buildings. Then, in the morning, so the light should be warmer than a midday light). Finally, I
I change the color to make the pants, apply some texture to the clothes and add a layer to darken the bottom, and some film grain.
finish making the hair. I add some white details to give more volume to the
folds of the clothes. The last step consists of merging it with the background
like we did in the background, atmosphere and depth step. All these overexposure effects, the glow and reflections can
achieve a great mood in your painting. But don’t abuse them

14 Making the final details: One of the last steps is adding some
vehicles in the sky to increase the sense of hustle. To make the traffic
lines and the big vehicle, I paint a rough shape, and add some glow and the
unless you want an old 80s sci-fi look!

It’s very important to have in mind the perspective, color value

same effect that I use on the engines. Don’t worry if they look flat and messy. and tone in case you add new images, characters or objects
during the process
I add some motion blur in the direction they are going, to erase the sharp
edges and make them look like they are moving. This is a great tip to use in Our illustration is almost finished! We could leave it like that, but
your images: use ‘subliminal lines’ to guide the eye through the image, so the there is still more we can do

2DARTISTMAG.COM
The Artist

Pablo Carpio
artstation.com/artist/
pablocarpio
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 The Artist

Sung Choi
sung-choi.com

Software Used:
Photoshop, MODO

Sung Choi (Sunghun Choi) is

an award-winning concept
artist from South Korea
currently working at Bungie,
Washington. He specializes in
world design and illustration
for the entertainment industry.

Design an alien
power source
Combining 2D and 3D software, Sung Choi created this dramatic
sci-fi scene inspired by the natural world. Here he describes his
processes for 2dartist
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Design an alien power source

See how you too can create a

dynamic alien image...
This project overview shows how to create
a conceptual illustration, starting from
gathering inspirations and sketching out
designs, to using 3D to help sell the idea.
The examples show you some of my thought
process when I designed an alien power
generator, and include the reference sheets,
sketches and renders I used.

For my personal project ARK, I wanted to

create an alien power source that runs a
gigantic alien ship. As one of my series of
illustrations, this image The Heart had to have
a consistent quality to match other images for
the ARK project. 01 Gathering inspirational references:
To begin a new piece, it’s always good to
have a brief art direction. I started to gather some
more realistic. Throughout the research, I found
that I liked the shape of the horseshoe crab and
its hard shell that covers soft organs underneath
First I gathered some images as a style guide inspirations from films and photos to find what it. The balance between two materials was well
that includes whatever inspires me for this kind of style I wanted to have on my alien power organized and pretty. During the search I kept
power source. It was hard to find references generator. What I liked from the research was the trying to analyze what I liked about the image and
from real life – it had to look like something designs of mechanics in the movie The Matrix; why I liked them because these questions will
not of this planet. So, I decided to design it the way they designed the robots to have very help me to keep the essence of my inspirations in
by mixing some cool essences from living organic outer shapes and complex mechanism my final image.
references such as horseshoe crabs and within the shells. The procedural liquids they have
jellyfish. These helped me to imagine what
the materials and shapes would be. I had it
in mind that since this piece was all about
on their joints were also really inspiring. Then I
narrowed down the style to be more organic but
with a hard surface.
03 An exploration on shapes: Once I had
some references and ideas in my mind,
I started off with some line sketches to see what
showing the mood and design of the power kind of design it would be. This phase is very
generator, the composition should be very
simple, so I decided to figure out lighting
and composition in 3D. It was a bit of a long
02 Finding existing references: After I had
gathered inspirational images for my
brief, I started to find some references that are
loose so I tend to do lots of rough sketches that
are from my thoughts. On this step I didn’t design
what the overall chamber would look like, but
process for me in general but it was great to go grounded in real life. Looking at real references thought what the actual generator could be. It
through step by step. helps me to come up with some ideas that are could be made out of organic shells covering

2DARTISTMAG.COM
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liquid alien materials, or it could be an egg that rough but shows some options I could choose. Inspirational references as a style guide
supplies energy through the ship. There were I used Wacom Cintiq for lines and added some
more rough sketches, but I have selected to show local tones on those designs. I thought that the References that exist in the real world
you some that were more presentable. These are interior could be made out of organic materials or
normally really rough. have some mechanism with a hard surface. I also Rough line sketches for the generator
tried to emphasize some simple shapes for when

04 Thinking as a whole: I started to think

about the whole chamber; where it holds
the generator in the middle. This step is also very
I designed the compositions. During this phase,
lighting came up as a question as well, but I was
starting to see some ideas narrowed down.
Sketches for the whole power
generator chamber

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Design an alien power source

05 Iteration of mechanical structures:

After I came up with four different ideas
for the power generator, I did some more in-
depth sketches of the generator with mechanical
structures. I thought the idea was interesting so
I did one more round of sketching out how that
generator could sit on the structures that are
surrounding it.

The first idea was making it as a heart that’s

expanding and shrinking. The second idea
was having some shells surrounding its main
power source. The last one was very similar to
the second one but more expanded with larger
shapes. I also decided the lighting should be
coming out from the power source.

06 Narrow down ideas: I stepped out

from the mechanical structure idea
and added another option, which was one of
my sketches that had more organic materials
overall. The ideas I took from my previous step
were lighting and floating shells. While I was
doing these sketches, I felt that having some
mechanical structures around the power source
would be a bit generic. So I developed the organic

PRO TIP
Export a rendered image
There are several ways to bring in a rendered image separately.
Depending on the complexity of my render, I use Surface ID or create a
render pass which allows you to set different renders at once. Surface ID
can be found in a Final Color output as an output option. I use this when
I have a scene that is very simple, so that I can easily color pick them in
Photoshop and pick the selection from my original fully rendered image.

I also prefer render passes because I can get a clear PNG image from
different objects in the scene. Also, I prefer adding item shaders to render
a background, having all the shadows from the objects. It would be much
faster if you could just search them in Google if you didn’t know about
Export rendered images by using render passes or surface ID
them before.

Constantly questioning and searching for the solutions are a good way to
learn and discover new skills. That’s how I learned all of my toolset.

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

idea by having strong angular shapes, which was perfect for some organic shapes I had. So I previous steps, it was now time to paint! I
help the composition and lighting by pointing at assigned some parts of the ground to be solid emphasized the lighting to be brighter so that it
the generator. Next to the floating power source, shell, and organic parts to have more specularity lightens the overall key. After working back and
I added another layer of shell which I brought and subsurface transparency. I normally tend to forth, I realized that I had an opportunity on the
from the idea of the horseshoe crabs. I decided assign as many materials as possible to make background to bring a more dramatic mood.
on having some hard organic shells instead of the scene more realistic. After I had the general Then I added some floating debris around the
mechanical structures. material arrangements, I reviewed them one ‘Heart’ that constantly storm on a certain level.
by one and carefully changed the thresholds to This also gave me a great chance to show the

07 Modeling in MODO: MODO is one of my

favorite tools. It has a great rendering
make it as realistic as possible. silhouette of the foundation structure. I also
painted some soft organic skins under the shell.
quality and it’s easy to learn. In this step, I
modeled the power generator based on the
design I chose from my previous step. Since I had
09 Painting in Photoshop: I rendered the
image in separate layers from MODO
then brought them into Photoshop (see my top
The character has to be well-posed, rather than
being a stiff character model I had from 3D.
to create organic shapes, I used a sculpting brush tip for details). After that, I started to add some Luckily I had a design in mind for the character, so
from the Paint tab. It has a better quality if you photos and effects that I had in my mind. all I did was get the pose from a photo and paint
turn on the Multi-res since it works as DynaMesh my character on top of it. After that I spent more
in ZBrush. It is very important to plan out what could and more time painting over the scene, but not
be done in 3D and what could be done in losing the details I got from using 3D, to sell my
I modeled a large shape first then started to carve Photoshop. If I wanted to make strange alien idea clearly.
them carefully to make it as I wanted. After setting effects in MODO, I would have spent more time on
up the environment color and fog, I added two just researching how to do it. Understanding what Iteration sketches for the
lights both on top and below the power source to can be done fast and easily will save you lots of power generator
experiment how the lighting would work. I chose time. It’s all a matter of understanding our own
the most stable angle where there was a clear pipeline which comes from experience. The last sketches to find out what
view of how the power source looks. the concept could be
So, I made the power source more transparent to

08 Adding materials in MODO: Once

I had a solid model and the camera
angle in MODO, I added materials and textures
show more strange movement of energy inside,
and added a green overwhelming energy to make
it more dramatic.
Modeling and sculpting the
power generator

on to meshes. I had to go through references Assigning materials on meshes

again to understand what materials they had. A
jellyfish’s skin has a transparency and slime that 10 Finishing the image: After getting
everything that I needed from my Adding effects can be done easily in 2D

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Design an alien power source

The Artist

Sung Choi
sung-choi.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

129
 20% OFF
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DIGITAL ART MASTER:

Working Droid
by Brian Sum
Discover how this light infused sci-fi scene was created in this sneak
peek from Digital Art Masters: Volume 8
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 117

The Artist

Brian Sum
briansum.com

Software Used:
Photoshop

Brian Sum is a game

concept artist based
in Montreal, Quebec.
He specializes in sci-fi
concepts and has worked
on titles such as Mass
Effect 2 and 3, Sonic
Chronicles and Shadowrun.
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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Digital Art Master: Brian Sum

Concept
I’ve always liked the idea of deep-sea exploration vehicles like the one
from the movie The Abyss and James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge. I
thought I’d try an exploration vehicle along those lines, but with a touch
of sci-fi.

This explorer would have mech legs so it could navigate hard to reach
places and smaller arms to sample minerals. I wanted this vehicle to
be able to explore alien environments as well as being an underwater
explorer, so it needed to feel solid and sturdy, and be able to withstand
all kinds of extreme conditions.

Blocking
Photoshop is the program of choice for most of the work I do. I’ll use 3D
programs sometimes to help block in elements in my scene, but when it
comes to the painting stage, Photoshop is my favorite. I began blocking in
shapes with a standard Round brush in grayscale (Fig.01).

Since this was intended to be a cover piece, I made sure I left room for the
title at the top. During this stage, I was mostly thinking about broad overall
shapes, composition and the flow of the piece.

I started throwing in rough colors at this point. I wanted my focal point to be

around the lower central position. The cockpit was facing downwards and
the larger outer navigational arms/wings were angled in a way that helped
direct the viewer around this focal area (Fig.02).

Once the main image was blocked in, I separated the images into their main
layers. I then divided the image into a background layer, a rock layer and
the main exploration vehicle layer, as this helped keep things clean and
organized when painting over each area.

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Color and detail define the shapes more, always aware of the Marquee tool and added a Stroke to it to get a
At this stage I decided that I wanted to limit my composition of the larger elements in relation to thickness, after which I transformed/skewed it
color palette to more blueish tones with some the overall piece. to get the correct perspective. I also enlarged
accent colors (Fig.03). So I started playing around the spherical cockpit a bit as I wanted to get the
with the Hue/Saturation and Curves tools to The round, bulbous cockpit in the center needed reflective details on the glass and make it an area
get the general tones I wanted. I then began to to be a lot more accurate, so I used the circular of interest (Fig.04).

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Digital Art Master: Brian Sum

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“All the essentials were there

now and the next step was to
go back in and start polishing.
I knew from the beginning
that I didn’t want this piece to
be photorealistic”
I then added in some rock textures and lights, and
could see things coming to life (Fig.05). I used the
Blend Options tool on the textures to make them
a little smoother. In the Blend Options tool menu,
I adjusted the black sliders on the ‘This Layer’
attribute, which gradually faded out any darks
that may have been on that layer. Alternatively,
moving the white sliders will fade out any lighter
spots (Fig.06).

I wasn’t happy with the shape of the rocks as

they looked a little too round, so I reshaped
them in a way that reinforced the general flow of
the piece (Fig.07). I also rearranged the lights to
highlight the focal area more, and added a lens
flare texture set to Lighten blending mode. I also
added an abstract texture layer set to Overlay
above most of my main layers to give the piece
texture and subtle color variation (Fig.08).

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Polishing
I was pretty happy with the overall color tones
and design at this point. All the essentials were
there now and the next step was to go back in
and start polishing. I knew from the beginning
that I didn’t want this piece to be photorealistic.

I wanted to retain some loose, painterly elements,

so I painted in areas that needed some more
texture. I often find that the reason some pieces
don’t feel very realistic is because the surfaces are
too smooth.

It was always my intention to have the arms

drilling something, so I eventually added this
detail. The different color tone further enhanced
this focal point (Fig.09). Finally, I added a
Brightness/Contrast layer with a mask, then
airbrushed in the areas that I wanted to remain
in shadow.

I have a habit of wanting to detail everything

in the image, but this usually destroys the
realism. It’s better to leave areas in the shadows
somewhat abstract to allow the viewer to fill in
the blanks.

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The Artist

Brian Sum
briansum.com
NEXT MONTH
10 inspiring gallery images

Aldo Katayanagi interview

Speed painting tutorials

Design a robot droid

Original sketchbook illustrations

Photo manipulate special effects

AND PLENTY MORE BESIDES!