121

Issue 121 | January 2016

Photoshop
fundamentals
Brush up on your
Photoshop basics
with this guide to the
software’s interface


plus
• The beauty of tragedy
 • Powerful game environments
 • Harmonious sci-fi design
 • and much more!
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Editor’s Letter KEEP UP TO DATE

WITH 3DTOTAL!
Welcome to 2dartist issue 121!
Welcome to issue 121! 2dartist is now 10 years old, so
this month we’ve decided to take a look back at the
sketchbooks of some of our favorite artists who have facebook.com/3dtotal
facebook.com/layerpaint
appeared in the magazine over the years. We also
twitter.com/3dtotal
have a new feature starting this month, the Challenge twitter.com/layer_paint
gallery, a monthly competition where you can win a £60 youtube.com/
voucher and have your work featured in the magazine! 3dtotalpublishing
vimeo.com/3dtotal
ANNIE MOSS This month’s issue also features interviews with Bastien vimeo.com/layerpaint
Junior Editor
Lecouffe Deharme and Blake Rottinger and we see pinterest.com/3dtotal
how Przemek Duda created his harmonious sci-fi world
2dartist is now on Symbiont World. We also have 10 more inspiring gallery instagram.com/3dtotal
Facebook! images and tutorials on speed painting, Photoshop
fundamentals, sci-fi compositions and painting a google.com/+3dtotalcg

fantasy elf warrior. Enjoy!

3dtotal.tumblr.com

Contributors
BASTIEN LECOUFFE DEHARME JUAN NOVELLETTO
Bastien Lecouffe Deharme is a French illustrator and Juan Novelletto is a senior concept artist at NGD Studios,
digital painting instructor now based in the US. He developing the Master of Orion reboot, and art director at
has worked professionally since 2005 on numerous the indie games studio Nastycloud. He is based in Buenos
illustrations for books, magazines and games. Aires, Argentina.

BLAKE ROTTINGER VICTOR MOSQUERA

Blake Rottinger is a concept artist in the entertainment Victor Mosquera is a Colombian concept artist living in
industry specializing in environment design. He is based Toronto, Canada. His clients include companies such as
in Sydney, Australia and currently freelances for Crystal Ubisoft, Universal Music group, Volta, Tor.com and One
Dynamics game studio. Pixel Brush.

DANILO LOMBARDO PRZEMEK DUDA

Danilo Lombardo is a self taught freelance 3D artist from Concept and 3D artist Przemek Duda, based in Germany,
Palermo, Italy. He works mainly on light and environment started working for VFX companies after completing a
modeling but also designs vehicles and organic, or hard degree in 2009. He creates characters and worlds for films
surface props. and games.

WENDY YOON WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUBMIT TO 2DARTIST?

Wendy Yoon is a freelance concept artist and illustrator We are always looking for tutorial artists, gallery
from California, USA currently working in the film and submissions, potential interviewees, writers and more.
games industry. She specializes in creating character, For more information, please send a link to your work to:
creature, and environment designs. annie@3dtotal.com.

2 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Magazine.
Your
Junior Editor
Annie Moss
annie@3dtotal.com

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Adam Smith

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Aryan Pishneshin

Advertising Manager Get the most out of it!

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Contents Issue 121

008_ T
 he beauty of tragedy
Illustrator Bastien Lecouffe Deharme discusses his
emotionally charged work

020_ Powerful game environments

Discover the compelling work of concept artist
Blake Rottinger

031_ 2dartist sketching: A look back

Rediscover some of the inspiring sketches and
artist tips from the past 10 years

046_ T
 he Gallery
10 inspiring images from artists including Michael
Michera and Tamires Para

068_ S
 peed paint from real life references
Danilo Lombardo shows how you can create an
urban scene in only a few hours

080_ P
 aint an elfin warrior
Wendy Yoon demonstrates how to create a fantasy
scene with simple Photoshop techniques

090_ C
 reate a sci-fi composition
Learn the essential elements for creating a
successful sci-fi composition

102_ P
 hotoshop fundamentals
Brush up on your Photoshop basics with this
guide to the software’s interface

112_ H
 armonious sci-fi design
Przemek Duda shows how he created a visual
reference for his futuristic Symbiont World

124_ D
 igital Art Master: Jose Daniel
Cabrera Pena
Learn how to create an historical battle scene with
this look inside Digital Art Masters: Volume 9

SAVE 30%!
Subscribe today
Go to page 090 for details

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

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The Artist

Bastien Lecouffe
Deharme
deharme.com

Interviewed by:
Annie Moss

Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

is a French illustrator and
digital painting instructor
now based in the US. He
has worked professionally
since 2005 on numerous
illustrations for books,
magazines and games.

WARNING:
NUDITY

The beauty
of tragedy
Bastien Lecouffe Deharme explains how he has come to accept
the ‘dark’ label attached to his works inspired by tragedy and flesh
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

For five hours a week Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

sits with life drawing models and puts charcoal
to paper, honing his traditional skills before
embarking on his next digital project. It is this
dedication to traditional methods, his perpetual
return to what he considers the fundamentals
of art, which Bastien attributes his distinctively
traditional style of digital painting to. It allows
him to maintain the passion for art which first
brought him to a career as an artist, and in turn
has been the motivating factor in his works since.

With a powerfully recognizable style, Bastien’s

work often takes on a dark tone which features
elements of destruction or decay. The somber
tone of his work is indicative of his preoccupation
with the beauty of tragedy; an enduring theme
inspired by significant moments in his life and
the works of other notable artists and writers. In
recent years he has worked with clients including
Applibot, Random House, and numerous book,
magazine and paper publications.

Bastien combines his freelance work with

teaching digital art students at Shawnee State
University, Ohio where he is a digital painting
instructor. Looking back through his past works
and techniques in order to explain them to others
has been a learning process for Bastien which has
impacted on his work. Five years after the release
of his personal book project titled Memories of
Retrocity, Bastien is now preparing to revise his
work with the new skills he has acquired. This
month Bastien talks to 2dartist magazine about
his unusual work schedule, developing his work
through practicing traditional art, and why he
loves to teach new artists...

2dartist: Hi Bastien, thank you for talking to 2dartist!

Could you kick things off by introducing yourself a
bit to readers who may not be familiar with you and
your work?

Bastien Lecouffe Deharme: I am an illustrator,

specializing in dark science-fiction, or dark fantasy.
Really anything dark and a bit away from our reality
is in my range, even if my work always talks about
aspects of our reality, they are metaphors.

I used to refuse the appellation ‘dark’ because it is

absolutely not something I am after, but I learned to
accept the fact that yes, indeed, this is the way my
work is perceived. And there is a reason for it. I am
obsessed with flesh, smoke, rust, drips and verticals.
I like contrasts; spots of brightness in the dark, a
strong color emerging from the dark grays or a shiny
piece of gold. I have a taste for tragedies, and the
beauty of it. I express those things with digital tools,
pencils, charcoals and hopefully soon with oils.
Ink

9
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The beauty of tragedy

2da: What was it about the digital tools that made

Hecate
you want to pursue a career in the industry?

BLD: My will to pursue this career does not come

from the digital tool. I built all my fundamentals with
pencils and brushes, and I knew from a very young
age that an artistic career was what I was going to do
with my life.

This said, the discovery of the digital tools was a

fundamental highlight in this career process. Before
that, I used to switch from one medium to another:
drawing, painting, photography, collage. The
discovery of digital techniques was like opening the
door to a new dimension; I could finally combine all
those techniques and build some credible visuals
with it. I explored many directions at the time, with
this crazy tool called GIMP and I remember my work
being very criticized on illustration forums and online
platforms, because I was really not fitting the trends.
But I always thought that was more like a good thing
than anything else. Ten years later today, I make sure
that I am still in touch with this original ‘flamme’, and
I think this is the reason why a ‘traditional feel’ still
emanates from my digital works.

2da: Where do you draw your inspiration from? What

influences your work and motivates you?

BLD: I consider inspiration as an internal library that

you need to build for yourself, and perpetually renew.
If you want to be creative, ‘inspired’, you need to feed
your personal library with elements that have some
kind of echo for yourself. To my students, I often talk
about ‘personal code’: this code that defines yourself
and your work. All the bits and pieces of elements
that have some influence on your artistic production
and your life in general is a part of this code. We all
have a different personal code; a different personal
combination of specific elements that makes us
what we are and what we aren’t.

My personal code is mostly built on books, movies

and music, not so much on other artist’s visual
work (even if I am very curious and always looking
at images). My code is like a labyrinth where Terry
Gilliam and Sergio Leone meet David Lynch and
Fellini; where the sound of 16 Horsepower and Nick
Cave echoes with the depth of raw Black Metal. My
code is a labyrinth where the tears of Blade Runner
drips over the black and white faces of Bergman’s
characters. All those elements painted together with
a Pre-Raphaelite digital brush used to tide the hair of
a witch. Makes sense? I hope not!

2da: Your work often features dark tones, contrasted

with blasts of vivid red, gold or white. How do you
know when you have achieved the right balance in
your work?

2DARTISTMAG.COM
The Whore of Babylon © Applibot 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

11
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The beauty of tragedy

BLD: This is sensitivity. I cannot really be explicit

The Impaled Queen
about this. I spend a lot of time balancing everything.
Another reason why I love digital so much! I can
adjust everything to obtain the exact level of intensity
I want; soften some elements and sharpen others.
The canvas becomes a piece with infinite possibilities
of mutations and refinements. I always avoid the
spots of full blacks, or full whites, in order to stay in
‘natural’ ranges. I play with grays a lot, with values to
build volumes or the very flat parts of my images. I
like to stay somewhere in between two-dimensional
zones, full of vertical energy (architectures), and
places with more volumes and textures. I love to stay
in soft darkness with some strong spots of light, and
some desaturated tones with a few intense colors
calling for the eyes of the viewer. Those are the way I
compose; the ways I tell my stories and the symbolic
systems that my images contain.

2da: Do you think that instructing students in digital

painting at Shawnee University helped your own
creative development? If so, how?

BLD: When I started to teach I wasn’t expecting to

learn so much from it. I remember a specific class
when I explained this dynamic to my students. The
process of looking back to all those techniques I
developed for my personal work during my self-
taught years, and having to put them into words so I
could explain and communicate them to others, was
a very big step for me. It gave me a lot of distance,
made me question my own ways and find others.
It’s a great experience that I recommend to any
artist. Teaching is also a dissection of your own
work. An open look in your own guts. And this helps
understanding and progressing.

Today my freelance career is quite intense and I

barely have any free time. I have often considered
quitting teaching because I do not need it financially,
but I need it as a balance. It is a perpetual critic
overlooking what I am doing. I love giving a little
boost to my enthusiastic students, looking at the
awakening of their artistic dreams. I was them, not
so long ago.

2da: Can you tell us a bit about the idea behind your
personal project, and your graphic novel Memories
of Retrocity?

BLD: Memories of Retrocity is a novel I wrote and

illustrated. Not a comic book, but a 120 page,
hardcover book, with full pages of illustrations
If you could write a letter to your younger self, just starting
and texts. It’s the diaries of a cop in exile, in a city
from where you cannot escape, where humans
out as an artist, what advice would you give?
I could tell the young me to relax, to stop stressing over the doubts that hang over his head every day,
and objects are merging together, where androids
about his choices in life. It would definitely save him a lot of headaches, sleepless nights and probably
attempt suicide and the rain rarely stops falling. The
a few tears. But I think those headaches, nights of work and tears are a fundamental part of what made
book tells the tragic memories of a man who came
the person I am today. So, I will simply leave my young self alone, because he did well, so far!
there with no hopes and started to build some after
he realized he had no chance of ever getting out.

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

“To create good images, you

need to stay perpetually in Bastien’s significant artwork: The Black Queen
touch with the fundamentals. This image was created in 2010 and is still the piece in my portfolio that most people remember.
Sketching from life, studying; It is the first portrait I made of Whitney, my spouse, when she visited me in Paris for the first time.
this is part of my routine” It became the cover of Memories of Retrocity, my first book, published after I moved to the US to
I don’t want to say too much about it. I am waiting join her.
for the English translation, and I will have to rework
all the art for a future US publication, just because I
am not satisfied anymore with the visual work I did
five years ago. I would love to update it with all the
changes that occurred in my techniques since then.
But the story needs to be told again.

2da: How has continuing to sketch and create

traditional art benefited your digital art?

BLD: To create good images, you need to stay

perpetually in touch with the fundamentals.
Sketching from life, studying; this is part of my
routine. I love the possibilities of digital work for
pushing the images to a complex level of finish, but
as far as ‘daily practice’ goes, paper and canvas are
the best. I need to stay in touch with paper, pencils
and charcoals. For the feel, the quality of the lines
and a long list of reasons. I make sure I include at
least five hours a week of life-drawing sessions with
models. This routine is the strong foundation behind
the digital work that I produce.

2da: Which artists do you admire and how did they

influence your work?

BLD: I keep complete folders of references that I find

online or in museums, or books. I have folders full of
visual works, from old masters to current artists that
fascinate me. Rembrandt, John Collier, Alphonse
Mucha, John William Waterhouse, Phil Hale, Brom,
Ashley Wood, Mike Mignola and so many others. My
influences are pretty obvious for those who know
those works.
The Black Queen
I love and learn a lot from the works of great ones;
they are part of this personal code that I was defining
earlier. I do what we all do, grab some bits from here,
and pieces from there. Not stealing, but accepting
the echo that their work has on mine. Is there anything you think budding artists should try to avoid?
Trends. Don’t mind them. I am always very enthusiastic when I look at the growing community of kids
2da: What would your typical working day be like? and young adults dreaming of making a career with their artwork. But I am also very skeptical and
sometimes scared for them when I realize how much some of them are more obsessed with ‘fitting with
BLD: I usually work until the sun rises. I try to go the trends’ than with exploring new paths. It’s a very hard thing to find ‘your’ way.
to bed before the birds start singing. It is the most
nightmarish sound in the world. I love birds, I love It is essential to discover what your personal and unique place in this world is. If you simply try
to hear them, but I can’t take the sound of their to reproduce the cool work that you see online, posted by other artists, you are making yourself
morning songs screaming at my face: ‘Sun is coming, unnecessary and your work loses any interest. You must find this code, gather those influences and
go to bed or you will sleep through the entire day find what truly unique work can come from that. That is where you will find the artist in you, and that is
and not see the sunlight. Get yourself a normal life!’. what will make clients ask for you, and nobody else. I know it sounds like some kind of quest. A quest
Night is the moment when everything sleeps, and it consisting of finding your ‘self’ and trying to reconcile the visions you have with some unique ways to
is when I can truly focus on my work. express them. It sounds like a quest because it is one!

13
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The beauty of tragedy

Portrait of Melody The Magician of the Mountain of Death, the cover of Spectrum 22 © Applibot

I try to see the day, so I force myself to wake before before dinner, and then I take a break, spending time it, to stay on a normal schedule. Today I just embrace
noon, and usually go for a run. I balance my workflow with my spouse. And around ten or eleven starts the it and I have never been as productive. I am a work
with a lot of exercising and physical activities. serious work sessions, until 6 or 7 in the morning. machine, and the next step will be to allow myself
some breaks. To breathe, and dedicate more time to
That helps me to keep up with the amount of I always try to end my night of work at a satisfying some ‘unwinding’ activities that I truly enjoy and do
hours spent in front of a screen. I usually keep the moment; when the picture is at a good place to get not discuss much!
administrative part of freelancing for the afternoon, back to it the day after. If I stop the flow with things
when the world is awake. Emails, paperwork, phone that are not settled, I cannot sleep. This odd routine 2da: Do you have any tricks or tips to keep yourself
calls and stuff of that kind. I warm up with sketches was hurting me for a long time as I was trying to fight motivated on a difficult project?

Artist Timeline Bastien’s career so far

1993: Meeting with a very encouraging art teacher 2011: Publication of the graphic novel Memories of 2014: Contract with Magic: The Gathering
Retrocity
2006: Obtained a Master of Fine Arts 2015: Cover art for Spectrum 22
2012: Began working as a digital painting instructor
2007: Discovery of the digital tools Wacom tablet in the US 2016: Gold and Silver awards for Infected by Art
and GIMP
2013: First publication in Spectrum and contract
2007: First book cover for an Anthology of H.P. with Applibot
Lovecraft’s work

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Sentinel of the Eternal Watch © Wizards of the Coast The Fallen © Applibot

BLD: I have the chance to be able to refuse projects

that do not attract me. When I work on something, What do you think has been most influential
it’s because I find it interesting. One way or another. to your career success?
Today, most clients contact me because they want There are moments I like to think of, and people who have a specific place in that story. Benjamin Carré,
‘my’ work. So I’m rarely asked to fight against my for example, a great French illustrator whose work made me think that I could make a living out of those
own process. universes that I love so much. I wrote to him ten years ago asking for advices and was so surprised to get
an answer. Today I answer the kids who message me, as much as I can.
I sometimes accept projects that will take me in
other directions and a bit away from my comfort There are artist friends like Anders Lazaret or Johann Bodin, who always gave me strong feedback during
zone. This is a great way to learn. those early years. Today I still share my work with them when I need constructive criticism.

To answer your question, I don’t ever feel that I need There was the day I saw Blade Runner for the first time, as a kid. The day I finished the book La Horde
to keep myself motivated, because I only work on du Contrevent by Alain Damasio. The tears I cried at the end of Kagemusha, wondering why this was
things that motivate me! And this is my tip: don’t try touching me so much (the answer is, again, in the obsession I have for tragedy).
to go all over the place, and try to stay true to what
you do. Don’t do boring stuff, life is too short! And then there are stories with women. One that I had to leave to be able to focus on my artwork
without feeling guilty. Another that took me by the hand and asked me to tell her stories. And the one
2da: Are there any areas in the digital art world that that I crossed an ocean for, and who sleeps in the room next to my workshop while I answer an interview
you’d like to branch into (and why)? in the middle of the night.

15
The Cliff
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

“If I can find time to branch Because the Fox Barks

out, it will actually be ‘out’.
Out of digital and back
to actual canvases. Not
because I am tired of digital,
but because one feeds the
other, and this is what I
crave today”
BLD: There are aspects of the digital world that are
attractive to me, like 3D for example. I would love to
push my skills with that software, and I think it would
lead to great creative places. But I honestly enjoy a
kind of archaic relationship with digital, and this also
explains again why my work looks so ‘traditional’. I
use digital as a tool to mix my traditional techniques.
I create my own textures, and brushes to emulate
this feel, while still staying in touch with the unique
taste and possibilities that the medium provides.

If I can find time to branch out, it will actually be

‘out’. Out of digital and back to actual canvases. Not
because I am tired of digital, but because one feeds
the other, and this is what I crave today.

2da: What has been your favorite commission/

project to work on so far and why?

BLD: I have worked on so many projects that I

sincerely loved, that naming just a few would be
forgetting the others. Let’s just say that I have been
honored to create book covers for authors that made
me want – a long time ago – to become an illustrator.
Authors like Philip. K. Dick, Chuck Palahniuk, H. P.
Lovecraft, Clive Barker, and today I’m working with
DAW Books on the new publication of some Tanith
Lee books.

Working with Applibot for those past two years was

great, because they gave me total freedom and I
was able to develop my personal work while being
paid for it, and of course Magic: The Gathering!
When I was collecting those cards 20 years ago, I
would never have imagined I would become one
of those mysterious guys who create those dreamy
thumbnails. I was truly honored and surprised when
Jeremy Jarvis contacted me.

2da: Do you have any plans for future projects? Is

there anything exciting for us to look out for?

BLD: The English version/reboot of Memories of

Retrocity, an artbook to commemorate ten years of
my career, and many things that I am not allowed to
discuss here! But yes, look out for things to come!

Thank you Bastien for chatting to 2dartist!

17
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The Artist

Blake Rottinger
blakerottinger.com

Interviewed by:
Annie Moss

Blake Rottinger is
a concept artist in
the entertainment
industry specializing in
environment design.
He is based in Sydney,
Australia and is currently
freelancing for Crystal
Dynamics game studio.

Powerful game
environments
Discover how freelance concept artist Blake Rottinger creates his striking
environment designs for the entertainment industry
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Powerful game environments

Although freelance concept artist Blake Rottinger 2dartist: Hi Blake! Thank you for talking to 2dartist. BR: Style normally isn’t an issue (most of the time).
is relatively new to the digital art scene, over the Could you start by introducing yourself a bit to any When an employer comes to you, chances are
past few years he has been making an impression readers who are unfamiliar with you and your work? they’ve looked at your work and want you for your
with his absorbing environment designs. style. In concept art style is important but not as
Blake Rottinger: Hi! Thank you for taking the time important as creating a readable image.
Beginning his career as a fine artist, Blake has to interview me! And hello readers! I’m a Sydney
developed into a much in-demand artist for the based concept artist currently freelancing in the So adapting style comes sort of naturally, working
entertainment industry. With a hard work ethic entertainment industry. Right now I’m working with processes are a different bag though. You have to
and a fascination with art which leads him to Crystal Dynamics on an unannounced project. I do a lot of problem solving with the designs as well
explore new skills and techniques, Blake has mostly specialize in environment work but I also like as your art to meet them. I think it’s good to look at
recently been sought by AAA game companies, to delve into characters and props when I get the what sort of work the company has been doing and
seeing him work on projects for Eidos Montréal chance. And I’m always out to learn and practice my almost try to decrypt the image. Look at specific
and Crystal Dynamics. craft! Never stop learning! techniques and processes. Also look at a whole
variety of things in the same vein of what you are
We caught up with Blake to find out more about 2da: You have worked on a number of different doing. Movies, videogames, anything!
how he established himself in the digital art projects, from AAA videogames to industrial design.
industry, how he has developed his style and how How do you adapt your style and working processes 2da: How did you go about establishing yourself in
he manages his growing work schedule... for these different projects? the digital art industry?

A personal work created while Blake was relaxing

An artwork inspired by Dorje Bellbrook’s work

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

New Friends, a personal piece artwork

BR: Basically I just tried to keep my online presence Also do tutorials, I can’t stress that enough. These are MODO and Maya for 3D modeling. For brushes
updated. The rest takes care of itself. You get better days there are so many on Gumroad and Youtube again, I don’t use any special brushes. I have some
and you eventually get noticed. And if you keep from the professionals in the industry, they are free brushes and also I downloaded Kalen Chock’s
updating your work then it makes a big difference. literally giving you the industry secrets to become a brushes which I like very much. His are a compilation
It’s good to be on quite a few different avenues too, better artist. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback! of brushes he’s found, if you want to take a look you
Facebook, art forums and ArtStation definitely. But I can find it on Google easily enough.
would highly recommend having your own personal However remember that artists are all very different.
website when you are sending off job applications. Some prefer this technique over that and so on. So But you can download them from DeviantArt, his
Nothing beats a personal website. remember that when asking for feedback, if a person username is k04sk. The basic brush I probably use
you respect gives you feedback which you don’t the most is a rectangular textured brush which you
Another thing is to really get to know people all over agree with, sleep on it. Really think about it. Don’t can find in that pack. I use that for all my non-specific
the world. I get such good feedback from so many just throw it away. But also if you’ve thought about it painting tasks.
other artists I know over the web. It’s the best way to extensively, it’s also okay to disagree. These decisions
grow and you constantly meet new people from the are what makes us all unique. 2da: How have you developed your style over time?
people you already know!
2da: What are your preferred tools and methods to BR: I think I looked at a bunch of artists whose style
2da: Do you have any advice for readers who are just work with? Are there any brushes you find yourself I really liked and pretty much tried to mimic it. After
starting out in the industry? using again and again? a while you sort of tend to create your own style. As
I mentioned before, there are little forks in the road
BR: I would say to learn the fundamentals obviously; BR: My tools are pretty standard. Photoshop and throughout a painting and artists all make different
perspective, value, all those things. But it can be a Wacom Tablet are basically the crutches of any decisions. This makes us all unique. I would say not
boring at times, so remember it’s totally fine to just digital artist. I’m actually using the same 8 x 6 tablet to worry about style too much (unless you are going
do things for fun. Take 20 hours painting that mech I got for my birthday when I was about 16. So it’s into something like Disney) but you naturally evolve
you always wanted to! Things like that. very old now, but going strong! Other programs into your style. You don’t have to monitor it.

Artist Timeline Blake’s career so far

2011: First experimented seriously with art in late 2014: Completed his major work for university at the 2015: Worked with Cartel Artists, a Sydney based
high school end of his third year concept art studio

2012: Enrolled in a fine arts university 2014: Graduated with Bachelor of Visual Arts 2015: First AAA company gig working with Eidos
Montréal for four months
2012: First freelance job during first year of university 2015: First year out of university he worked with
Australian company Goodoil Films 2016: Currently working with AAA company Crystal
2013: First major freelance job on a post-apocalyptic Dynamics on an unannounced project
game for Xivisoft

23
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Powerful game environments

Blake often creates his personal works in lunch breaks

and the evenings in between client work

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25
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Powerful game environments

Christmas Alley, a twist on a festive scene

2da: Where do you look for inspiration? Are there any of bright colors and their painterly approach. I also motivating, even if they don’t pay attention to some
other artists you particularly admire? own many concept art books from videogames to of the things you painstakingly put effort into, that
movies. I chuck on some soundtracks and just look in itself is an accomplishment because nothing is
BR: I have so many artists I could name off but through them. Soundtrack music is a great way to jarring them out of the world. It’s all about creating a
the big ones are John Sweeney, Eytan Zana, Nick get into the zone and into a world. believable space and for some reason I love it!
Gindraux, and Aaron Limonick. All those guys work
with Naughty Dog actually. 2da: What makes a project fun for you? 2da: Do you have any tips or tricks to keep yourself
motivated on a difficult project?
I’m constantly inspired by the work that comes out of BR: Well I think painting most of the time is pretty
that studio! Also the work from One Pixel Brush. But fun in itself, however I enjoy really thinking in depth BR: I feel it’s good to remember that not every
the artists who inspired me from the very beginning about what I’m designing, especially the little things painting has to be super pretty and the next Mona
were Kalen Chock and David Holland. My style now like set dressing in a scene. Imagining the player Lisa. Creating a variety of works that the team
may be very different to them, but I loved their use walking through the thing you created is highly doesn’t like is also useful, because you’re all working

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together to figure out a direction. By doing that

you cross off other paths which would have led to
If you could write a letter to your younger self, just starting
nowhere. Nipping ideas in the bud saves a lot of time
for the whole project and team.
out as an artist, what advice would you give?
I would probably say to not get caught up in the ‘flashy lights’ of concept art; all the speed painting
and fanart. But instead look deeply into the really detailed pieces and really take your time. I was very
So if the project is difficult it’s motivating to know
caught up in trying to be fast; because that’s what a concept artist has to be. Now I would say to not
that even when you’re failing, you are making
worry about speed. That comes with time, which I learned when I started getting into more tutorials.
progress in the scheme of things. As I mentioned
before, imagining the finished product for me is
Tutorials are the golden goose, I should have gotten into tutorials a lot earlier, but instead for the first
extremely motivating, it gives you a solid end goal.
year I kind of tried to self-teach and ended up doing the same things. Obviously I was getting better, but
not as quickly as I could have been.
2da: Can you tell us anything about the projects you
are working on at the moment?

27
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Powerful game environments

A personal work created over one weekend

A piece exploring the use of more color

BR: I wish! But unfortunately not. I’m very excited to day how I want. If I finish work early then I don’t have BR: Normally I start to go on a research spree.
be working on what I am right now and hopefully I’ll to sit around an office until home time! I can go hang Just looking at images related to the subject,
get to show something soon! out with friends or anything I want. However I would reading up on stuff and taking notes. I try to get an
enjoy working in-house one day, unfortunately understanding then I go and create some pretty
2da: What do you like most about working as a in Australia our AAA games industry is pretty non- quick photo-bashed images. At this point I’m trying
freelance concept artist? existent. So freelancing is one of the better options to to get something close to what the client is looking
get into it if you live here. for overall. There’s not much into the detailing at this
BR: I think never being bored. I’m constantly working point because that comes from the back and forth
on new projects and with new people, so it’s pretty 2da: Could you describe your typical workflow for between me and my art director. It’s pretty rare to get
difficult for it to get stale! I also get to structure my us? How do you approach a new project? everything right the first try (at least for me).

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Blake’s significant artwork

I remember this image being the image which started off my whole passion. Looking back on it, it’s pretty bad. But back then, I thought it was great. I came
back to digital painting after a long time away from it and cranked this out. I thought to myself ‘wow, this is actually pretty good, you know I can do this!’
And once you get that you do another and another and get a little better each time, which fuels your motivation. This image gave me the self-confidence to
keep going and follow my dream.

My workflow throughout the day though normally

goes like this: have a daily sync-up Skype call with my
art director/producer and anyone else I need to talk
to. Then I get to work pretty non-stop until lunch. At
this point I’ve usually hashed out everything pretty
well so the rest of the day is normally detailing a bit
more and fixing things that need fixing. Not much to
it actually!

2da: When you’re not working hard on your art, what

do you like to do with your time?

BR: Oh a variety of things. I love riding my

motorbike, going for rides up north to the beaches.
Skateboarding which I am actually just getting back
into now from quite a time ago. It’s great fun learning
new tricks and finding new spots to skate. Games
and movies obviously; right now I’m playing Fallout
4 and Just Cause 3. And hanging out with my mates! A personal work; Anxious
Playing ping pong, going out partying. All that really
good stuff. BR: Right now my future plans are just to continue through my personal work, focusing on coming up
working freelance and try to make the best work I with more original ideas for my work.
2da: And finally, do you have any plans for future can. Hopefully that will lead onto new avenues for
projects? Is there anything exciting for us to look other companies and other projects. So get excited Thank you Blake for chatting to 2dartist!
forward to? for that! Also just continue trying to get better

29
*a selection of our alumni ’s achievements , c o n g r at u l at i o n s to them all .
 s k e t c h in g
2dartist
A look back
the
ough some of ars
thr ye
ke a lo ok back om the past 10 te
Ta fr a
piring sketches ow to incorpor
ins s on h
nd p ick up tip to your work
a in
al skills
tradition
 2dartist sketching: A look back

Rediscover some of the heard how sketching provides you with

inspiring sketches and artist opportunities to diversify your drawing
tips from the past 10 years... techniques and see your illustrations
from a new perspective. It gives you the
For the last 10 years 2dartist magazine has opportunity to practice fundamental skills
been bringing you some of the best digital such as perspective, shading, expression and
art from around the world. To complement anatomy. Crucially, we’ve seen that the variety
this we have also included insights into the of ideas you can quickly put down on paper
sketching and traditional practice of a wide can help to stimulate creativity, and improve
variety of artists to highlight the advantages the general quality of digital work.
of keeping in touch with traditional materials
and tools. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of 2dartist,
we take a look back over some of the sketches
Over the years we have discovered that that have passed through our pages and
sketching has many benefits for artists of reflect on the drawing insights from some of
all mediums; most significantly we have the best 2D artists around...

MICHAL KUS
Being creative is a prescription
Personally I think creativity is the most important. Sketch a lot and your flow of creativeness will turn into something that is a part of you as a
being. It is vital that you train your brain to see forms out of this world and arrange them in a different way. That is basically what creativeness is.
The challenging part is to pick up and see the forms from our world and arrange them in a cooler way, then execute it professionally by drawing
with confidence. Sketch a lot and your brain will adapt to it.

Flora, fauna, and some landscape sketches of a volcanic planet during the warm period

32 2dartistmag.com
LENA RICHARDS
Take a clipboard!
It used to be that I had actual sketchbooks, but I walk a lot and always take my drawing with me, and my sketchbooks got ruined. So I started
to carry around a clipboard with several sheets of regular office paper, which I can just leave at home later or give away to people if they like
something I draw.

An abstract landscape
 2dartist sketching: A look back

SABIN BOYKINOV
Embrace diversity
Try to have many diverse personal interests; don’t focus on painting and drawing only. Read a lot of books, research world-famous designers and
architects, and meet different kinds of people. Be like a child; keep your fascination with nature alive, and store an extensive visual library in your
mind.

Sabin
researches
different
characters
throughout the
ages

34 2dartistmag.com
 2dartist magazine | issue 1 2 1

MIKE BUTKUS
Not just paper
My favorite technique is drawing with black Prismacolor pencil and hard graphite on Dura-lene because the combination of these mediums
produces a smooth and creamy texture in the drawing. You don’t have to work hard to create the depth and value of your lines when using this
specific vellum.

This scary zombie was drawn on Dura-lene for Mike’s

How To Draw Zombies book

35
 2dartist sketching: A look back

AJ FRENA
Work with mixed media
There is something about holding your work in your hands, being able to see paint strokes and marks, which can’t compare to digital copies.
However I find myself working mostly in mixed media these days, doing a good chunk of the painting in acrylic/ink then finishing it up digitally.
This process is a lot faster so allows for me to finish a larger body of work.

Feed, an acrylic and ink drawing on paper

36 2dartistmag.com
 2dartist magazine | issue 1 2 1

MARK MOLNAR
Keep in contact with your materials
I think drawing is the fundament of any art form and I also like to have a close contact with the material that I am working with. In the age
of interactive pressure-sensitive screens, like the Wacom Cintiq, it’s becoming less and less of an issue, but the best tools for me are still my
sketchbooks and pencils.

Mark was amazed by the

chaotic shapes of this tree,
in contrast with the people
lying in its shade

37
 2dartist sketching: A look back

IVAN KASH
Capture spirit and ideas
It’s important when sketching to capture the spirit, silhouette and basic features of your character’s personality. Ideas and shapes are born in my
head in the process of drawing, so I try to transfer them onto the picture as precisely as possible.

Ivan wanted to draw something demonic

38 2dartistmag.com
 2dartist magazine | issue 1 2 1

ALEX ‘RHINO’ VOROSHEV

Start with a dash
Prior to working on the concept for any object, character or location, I always start with a dash, silhouette, blur, or just a few strokes to give my
imagination the impulse to create something new.

This concept was a rather complex character to design as it has a distinctive set of characteristics that are well known in myths of this kind, and if
you give up on them then you risk making the creature unrecognizable. My additions to the traditional interpretation were a muzzle of a predatory
ape-man, rather than a human face, spikes on the head, tail and paws, and I also invented a pair of odd Trichoplax wings for her.

Manticora combines well known

mythical characteristics mixed with
new additions such as ape-like features
and Trichoplax wings

39
 2dartist sketching: A look back

MAT MILLER
Loose sketching
The best technique for sketching is just to stay loose and be confident in your strokes. It’s not the end of the world if what you put on the page
doesn’t look exactly like what you are sketching. In terms of line quality, I’ve always been told to work through the line quickly and smoothly. Again
this comes back to confidence and being loose with your hands.

Land of the Sleeping Giants

40 2dartistmag.com
 2dartist magazine | issue 1 2 1

JEFF MIRACOLA
Start with the torso
Sketching is important to do all the time. I draw nearly every day regardless of whether I have an assignment to work on. Like anything else, the
more I do it, the better I get. My ability to sketch out ideas happens much faster now than it did 20 years ago.

When drawing figures or creatures, I often start with the torso. It generally has the largest surface area and becomes my foundation for the drawing.
I know that if I can get the proportions correct on the torso, then everything else will fall into place. Starting my drawings this way allows me to
plan better for the size and placement of the figure within my composition.

Sketched purely for fun, this

drawing emerged without any
planning. Jeff just put pencil to
paper and started drawing

41
 2dartist sketching: A look back

TRAN NGUYEN
Keep sketches small
My preliminaries are usually done on a small, intimate scale and the best surface for this is smooth Bristol paper. I generally prefer graphite when it
comes to sketching, from grade 8H to 9B, Tuff Stuff eraser sticks, and Prismacolor’s Magic Rub. For value studies, I’ll sometimes import the graphite
sketch into Adobe Photoshop to add a deeper level of lights and darks. Using a Wacom Intuos 3 tablet and the soft round brush, I can create a
more refined study for clients before continuing onto the final illustration.

This sketch illustrates Tran’s deep interest in nostalgia and distant memories, wandering off into nature

42 2dartistmag.com
 2dartist magazine | issue 1 2 1

WYLIE BECKERT
Draw from life
Drawing from life, even if it’s just a still life of a coffee cup, strengthens your observational skills. Even if I’ve seen an object a thousand times, I
don’t really understand it until I take the time to draw it. By really looking at an object and figuring out what shape it is and what details make it
identifiable and lifelike, I’m able to add it to a mental bank of specific, believable objects that I can reference for future work. Once you’ve noticed
how a coffee cup’s rim catches the light, or how its base sits on a tiny beveled edge, you’ll never draw it as a lifeless hollow cylinder again, and your
illustrations will be that much more compelling.

Working on plain white Bristol paper, Wylie

uses powdered graphite to build dark areas
and create a soft effect

43
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!

3DTOTALPUBLISHING AVAILABLE NOW!

A travel-sized artistic solution

to enable you to carry the tools,
inspiration, and advice you need to
keep a daily record of your life.

“I have received my kit and I

absolutely adore it. Thank you! I
just wish I had bought more
to give to friends!”
Kickstarter backer
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

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

Giedi Prime
Alex Tornberg
Year created: 2015
Web: alextornberg.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM
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Submit your images! Simply email annie@3dtotal.com

47
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Stuck on the ground

Bastien Grivet
Year created: 2016
Web: grivetart.com

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49
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Anomaly Cave
Sergey Musin
Year created: 2015
Web: samfx.com
© Sergey Musin
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

CTHULHU
Michael Michera
Year created: 2015
Web: michera.artstation.com

51
CREEPY SCAVENGER
Michael Michera
Year created: 2015
Web: michera.artstation.com
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

53
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Serene
Jacob Duncan
Year created: 2015
Web: jacobduncanart.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM
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55
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

The Chosen
Shahab Alizadeh
Year created: 2015
Web: shahabalizadeh.artstation.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM
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57
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Long Snouted Quill Lion

Tom Lopez
Year created: 2015
Web: tomlopez.artstation.com

59
Travelling Gear
Michele Giorgi
Year created: 2015
Web: michelegiorgiillustrator.com
© MicheleGiorgi
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

61
Decryptor
Tamires Para
Year created: 2015
Web: tamirespara.com
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

Alone in His Cave
Kris Jay Robinson
Software used: Photoshop CS6
Web: dialkris.wix.com/krisconceptartist
© Kris Jay Robinson

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Challenge Gallery
Each month 2dartist will give you a short
brief for a piece of artwork. Submit your
image and you can be in with a chance of
winning a £60 voucher and having your work
featured in the magazine!

See the first winner of 2dartist’s new

reader competition and details of the next
challenge! 65
 AVAILABLE NOW
SHOP.3DTOTAL.COM

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.
 Enter the next
challenge!
For the chance to win a 3dtotal shop voucher worth
£60 and see your work featured in our magazine,
challenge yourself to create an original artwork
based on the mini-brief below.

Once you have created your artwork, submit it along

with your contact details to 2dchallenge@3dtotal.
com with the title ‘Challenge gallery’ by 22th
February 2016 to be in with a chance of winning!

Mini-Brief: Design and paint an original time-

travelling character! (Remember, your image should
be entirely your own work and not use fan art)
 The Artist

Danilo Lombardo
danilolombardo.allyou.net

Software Used:
Photoshop

Danilo Lombardo is a self

taught freelance 3D artist
from Palermo, Italy. He
works mainly on light and
environment modeling but
designs vehicles and organic
or hard surface props.

Speed paint from

real life references
Discover speed painting in ArtRage with this tutorial
on creating a detailed urban scene using real life
references from Danilo Lombardo
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Speed paint from real life references

Get tips for painting a quick

color sketch using ArtRage...
In this chapter I will show you my method for
capturing fast environment sketches using
ArtRage. In 3D I usually work on environments
and sets, so lighting is very important to
me, because it allows you to add depth and
believability, as well as creating the desired
mood or suggest an emotion needed for
storytelling purposes.

I find quick color sketches vital, before lighting

a 3D shot, which is an expensive task in terms
of time and computing, and it’s necessary to
visualize the lighting earlier by doing some
preliminary 2D color keys.

Light was a major subject for the traditional

Impressionist painters, and they were trying
to depict the variety of nature using a vibrant
combination of tones and colors to suggest at
first impact the subject and what the feeling of
the particular lighting condition was like.

To realize a descriptive but quick sketch we

will use a synthesis technique where details
will only be suggested to the observer, using
fast strokes and the right tone combinations.
This was the technique used by Macchiaiòli
painters, whose paintings attempted to
capture natural light, shade and color.

They were the Italian counterpart of the

Impressionists and ‘macchia’ in Italian means
‘stain’, or ‘spot’. This exercise is good to study
how light behaves in real life and how it can
affect colors. The synthesis process will force
us to focus only on the primary shapes and
elements of the composition, and will improve
our perceptive capability.

01 Setting the document: The main

software used in this tutorial will be
ArtRage because I think it has some very nice and
easy tools and I will be using a mixed technique.
The reference is a photo taken by me in Palermo,
my native city.

First I set up my document in ArtRage with 7,000

pixels width and 3,900 height; multiple times the
02 Initial sketch: I find it useful to start
evaluating the image by doing a
preliminary sketch. This will become a guideline
The huge amount of detail can be represented by
abstracting the shapes in simple lines and marks.
On a second layer, I do a very quick shading
size of my photo reference, I set the document to place all the elements in the space. just to gain some information about the major
very large so I can work with a nice resolution and shadows, mid-tones and highlights using the
get an extra bit of definition when I will later resize I start by tracing a line to find the horizon and a Hard Shader pencil.
my image. quick mark representing my focal point. I use a

Using the reference panel I then import my photo

inside the software. I like to start by filling a layer
rough central perspective to draw all my principal
lines with the Hard and Dark pencil preset. It’s
important to modulate the line to give a sense of
03 Color blocking: At this stage I try to
focus on light, contrast and values. The
values are the range of brightness in an image,
with a flat gray. This allows me to have a better depth, so the foreground will have a heavier trait from dark to white. It’s important to not work
contrast between the colors and the canvas. than the background. at full size; to keep having an overview, and

2DARTISTMAG.COM
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

use broad strokes. I use the oil brush tool on a

separate level with 70% opacity. Instead of doing
a perfect representation of light we will use this
scale to represent a ‘feeling’ of lighting.

I start by deciding on my initial palette guide;

observing the reference to extract all the
important colors. Then I use these colors to paint
a simplification of the scene, looking in particular
at light and shadows.

04 Lighting and values: It is crucial to

observe and understand the right values
relationship between colors. When a ray of light
hits a surface it bounces all over until it stops, so
in terms of color everything is influenced by this
light bouncing; even the stronger shadows.

In this process it is important to not over saturate

the tones on strong highlights and shadows,

ArtRage has a nice, clean user interface

and you can hide it completely by right-
clicking any part of the screen

Here you can see the progression of

Danilo’s quick pencil sketch

Fast, broad strokes achieve this first

impression of colors. A limited my
palette at this stage helps with precision

Comparing the reference and the

painting there are details missing, but
the major color spots are in place

71
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Speed paint from real life references

“I introduce a stronger
contrast between the
foreground and the
background using shadows
and I paint more graduations
of color in the mid-tone range”
because this can distract our eyes, and make us
have less control.

Everything needs to transmit a sense of blending

as it is light that dominates color, so we can’t
always represent blue using blue or red using red,
under different lighting conditions. We have to
understand and study where the light is coming
from, and how and why it is reflecting in a certain
way on a certain surface, to be able to simplify it.
This image is made primarily of warm tones, but
we can introduce cold tones like greens and blues
to create vibrant and playful lighting. Instead of
using white for pure light I use a very light green.

05 Depth and contrast: To test the rough

blocking I have at this point, I start to
cut some elements from the background. On
another layer I paint only some of the major lines
and colors with the intention of adding depth
and contrast to the painting. I focus on some
secondary elements like doors and plants; I
start refining the cars and some buildings and I
introduce stronger shadows.

I also use a few dark, hard lines, to suggest the

shape of objects and to increase the depth of my
image. Using a diversification of intensity in the

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

lines, we can suggest the motion of the shapes

we are drawing. I try to use only those strong
predominant lines that will help me create the
07 Refining color blocking: At this point I
have used only the Oil brush, because I
personally like its behavior in this kind of sketch,
08 Tertiary shapes: My color sketch at this
point is very dirty, and it represents only
the major forms (primary and secondary shapes
illusion of depth. however ArtRage offers a wide range of tools and like walls, doors, windows, and ground and so
you should not feel limited from exploring more. on) but it’s missing all the details on the windows,

06 Glazing with layers and opacity: We

can uniform our painting by applying
some glazing to blend all the tones together. To
In my opinion the Pencil tool works perfectly
along with oils for my method. I create another
doors, and cables.

do this, I create a new layer on top of my stack layer and this time using the Hard Shader pencil Try to do the rough blocking as soon as
with an opacity set to something like 40%. I will preset I paint some correction on top of my work. possible, so you can evaluate if a sketch
need this to paint those elements that I want to will work
be on top of the first blocking, and to level all of Looking at the reference and working with a
my tones. zoomed out canvas I can gain that first impact The glazing layer and the result of it
and correct those things that keep breaking
I introduce a stronger contrast between the the uniformity of my painting. I introduce some The Pencil tool does a great job for
foreground and the background using shadows, shadows and lights to enhance depth, and paint making the colors uniform and adding
and I paint some more graduations of color in some more values trying to improve the ground more precision
the mid-tone range. On another layer (at 20% and the reflection effect on it. The goal here is to
opacity) I finish this kind of polishing by adding refine the ‘first impression’ of the painting and Once you have the bases, this is where
warmer tones. make it look uniform. the image details can finally come out

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Speed paint from real life references

We need to stay dirty, and not make all the and then I use the eraser to delete the upper parts To do research on shapes, colors, patterns,
individual details, but instead give some hints to of the texture. character design, and lighting, it’s important to
the viewer on how things are in a more complete, be able to explore as many variants as possible,
general way. Having all the primary shapes I do the same process to add a general light, a so speed is a tool you can use to communicate
sketched out will make it very easy to add many sort of fast glow on the upper part of the image, an idea quickly to yourself or your team. This was
details later (tertiary shapes). I accentuate some but this time my merging mode is set to Screen. just my method and my opinions and I hope you
strong points like the lines of the car silhouettes, On a separate layer I paint a fast ‘fog’ to separate will find it useful for your daily practice.
or on the sidewalk, to make some elements, and the buildings in the distance and I refine the
the space itself, more readable. ground reflection. My image is a little bit too red
so I add a Color Correction layer to adjust the This is how the image looks when zoomed

09 Sign and style: Even if we are just

copying from a photo, and I personally
look at it like an exercise to develop skills,
tones and saturation and make it more yellowish.

In my opinion the goal of practicing speed

in. It’s all made up by fast marks and signs

Layers of final texturing and highlighting,

understand light and be able to draw more painting is not to be a faster painter. Concept and the final result of the Color Correction
personal concepts, we can introduce our art is not about perfect paintings, but it is more layer complete the image
‘signature’ or ‘style’ embedded in the visual about design, about building a visual language to
language of the image. All the lines, dots, and communicate a story.
strokes, are pieces of the grammar of the painting.

Style is an important aspect to take into PRO TIPS

consideration when we are dealing with a fast Observe and learn
work like this, and we can use our stylistic choices As an artist you have to observe and contemplate the reality as much as you can. This
to be even more fast and dirty, while maintaining should be a constant process of analyzing and learning. Even if you are creating imaginary
a good aesthetic and keep the image interesting. worlds, our human reality is the biggest source of inspiration that could exist.

10 Photoshop and final conclusions:

In ArtRage, I export my image in PNG
format and then I import it in to Photoshop. On a
Classical or digital
Digital art is great and the possibilities are endless with computers. However, these are
tools, and it’s good to make some time to study classical masters, and draw from real life.
layer set to Multiply with 57% opacity, I import a These things are the ABC of doing any kind of figurative art.
‘grunge texture’ from www.textures.com. I use it
to add a universal shadowing on the foreground,

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

75
The Artist

Danilo Lombardo
danilolombardo.allyou.net
 121
Issue 121 | January 2016

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 The Artist

Wendy Yoon
wendyyoon.com

Software Used:
Photoshop

Wendy Yoon is a
freelance concept artist
and illustrator from
California, USA currently
working in the film and
games industry. She
specializes in creating
character, creature, and
environment designs.

Paint an elfin warrior

Freelance concept artist Wendy Yoon shows how simple techniques
for creating light can enhance the atmosphere of your illustrations
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Discover top tips for painting a

simple fantasy scene...
composition all the way through to the final
painting. Along the way, I’ll demonstrate
how light is used to describe the forms and
02 Simple line sketch: Now that I have
chosen the composition that I want,
I move on to creating a simple line sketch to
In this tutorial, I will be covering the basics of how values can be manipulated to make your use as a guide for painting. It is important
creating a fantasy scene featuring a warrior elf image read more clearly. By the end of this that the anatomy and perspective in this step
character in a woodland setting. Throughout tutorial, you should have a good grasp on how are accurate. Having a bad foundation can
my process, there will be an emphasis on light to approach your illustrations in a thoughtful undermine any great painting!
and color and how they are used to define and deliberate manner. I really enjoy creating
many elements within the scene. illustrations like this and I hope you will have I am using a small pixelated brush to describe just
just as much fun using light and color to enough of the scene which I can then use as my
Light doesn’t just describe form, but provides enhance your own work. Let’s get started! sketch overlay. I have most of the design figured
us with literally every bit of visual information out but it’s still very loose.
that surrounds us. The colors we see and the
properties that define materials all rely on the
influence of the light that is to be conveyed.
01 Loose black-and-white composition:
I am starting off with a black-and-white
thumbnail to find the composition of my painting.
I am also drawing in the background as well,
focusing on overlapping shapes to create visual
My goal is to divide the frame up in a way that interest. I want to ensure that the viewer’s eye is
I want to show you some of the many is both interesting and engaging to the viewer. constantly moving around the image. The worst
different ways you can use the properties Remember to keep it simple and loose as it’s easy thing you can do is leave open areas in your
of light to enhance your knowledge of the to get lost in the process of detailing things out. composition where the eye can ‘leave the frame’.
materials indicated in an artwork as well as
an understanding of how light behaves. I will I usually go through several different thumbnails Explore the composition and pose of the
also be showing you some of the tools and before I commit to any one of them in particular. character while placing an emphasis on
techniques that I use in Photoshop as well as Keep in mind that things can always be changed keeping the thumbnail loose and simple
some of the technical understanding I have later and you don’t want to be stuck with a bad
acquired over the years as an artist. composition. The pose of the character is also This line sketch that will guide you
extremely important in bringing the illustration through the rest of the painting, defining
We will be walking through my process to life. I want my character to be ‘caught in a the major landmarks in the scene
starting from the initial black-and-white moment’, so to speak.

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Paint an elfin warrior

03 Setting up the color palette: I set my sketch layer to the layer

mode Multiply and change the opacity to somewhere around 30%.
This allows me to see the sketch as I work. I create another layer below it to
set up the color palette for the painting and fill it with a warm base color.

I am starting with the background to help define the environment as it will

influence the character that inhabits it. I also create separate layers for each
element, starting with the background, tree elements, forest floor, and finally
the character himself.

I use large brushstrokes to lay in the sky, tree, and ground floor. I am also
using a variety of textured brushes to break up the clean feeling that the
painting is starting to have. It’s okay to be messy at this stage! Refinement
will happen later in the process.

04 Blocking it in: Now I have established the color palette, I start

blocking in the layers from the previous step. This is where I begin to
refine all of the individual elements that make up the scene. The background
is already mostly blocked in so I focus on the character, adding some
definition to his face and costume.

I quickly add in a couple of defining ‘elfin’ features such as pointy ears and
long hair. I also paint in some very basic values to separate the components
from one another. I am using values here to describe the relative position of
objects in the image. For example, the way in which the cloth hanging off the
character’s waist overlaps with itself, creating a sense of depth.

05 Painting the light: Now that I have blocked in some simple values,
it’s time to determine the light source and push the scene even

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

further. This is also where I figure out where my real skin. Skin is semi-translucent, allowing light work throughout the entire process so that I can
shadows and highlights go. I have settled on the to enter it and illuminate it. The glow that results be sure that the changes I’m making contribute
light source as being somewhere to the left of the of this is called subsurface scattering and is most to the painting as a whole. I want to be making
frame from behind the viewer. noticeable when you hold your hand up to a deliberate choices in where I place my values.
source of light such as the sun. The edges of your As you come to understand values better, you will
I also further refine the background, detailing in fingers become illuminated from the light behind
the foliage and the branches of the tree. Now that it and glow red.
this is established, I can define my light shapes
based on the environmental influences. Because In this scene, I want to show how the inner part Using large brushstrokes, lay down the
this character is in a forest, I think it would be of the character’s ear is thinner and allows more foundation of color to establish the
appropriate to use the effect of dappled light. light to pass through it, to demonstrate the overall palette and feel of the image
Dappled light is the result of sunlight passing effect of subsurface scattering and give it the
through the canopy of a tree, creating a ‘spotty’ red color. I also finish defining the rest of the Blocking in the rest of the painting by
pattern of light and shadow. This gives me the face, adding highlights to the bridge of the nose, focusing on a basic range of values will
opportunity to design the light shapes affecting the cheekbones, the tips of the ears, and the help to define form
my character and his environment. forehead. These areas are the high points that
typically reflect the most light. Determine the light source to nail down
In addition to the sunlight, we have other minor the placement of the highlights and
sources of light that we need to consider such as
fill light and bounce light. In this instance, the fill
light in this scene is blue from the light reflected
07 Checking values: Periodically checking
your values is important in preventing
certain areas of the painting from becoming too
shadows from the character and his gear

Illuminating the thinnest part of the ear

from the sky onto the shadow areas. This is why muddy and blending into each other. Values demonstrates the effect of subsurface
our shadows are never fully black but dependent are the lightness or darkness of colors. I create scattering caused by light penetrating
upon different sources of light. a Black & White adjustment layer in Photoshop the skin
and move it to the top of my layer stack so that

06 Rendering skin and subsurface

scattering: Now I take a look at the face
and see how it can be made to read more like
I can easily find it. This converts my painting
into a grayscale image, which helps me see the
values better. I toggle this layer on and off as I
Use the black-and-white adjustment
layer for a quick and easy way to analyze
the values of the painting

83
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Paint an elfin warrior

need to use this feature less often as using values

will become second nature. PRO TIPS
I don’t want all of my values to be in the same The importance of reference
range as the image would not have any contrast. The internet is convenient for providing thousands of images you can reference for a single
My goal for this piece is to have the character object. The difficulty is choosing which will benefit you the most. For example, many
separate from the background without feeling like photos are taken in artificial studio lighting so while this might be useful for designs, the
he’s floating in front of it. lighting information will be inaccurate.

08 Indicating materials: Armor and I frequently shoot my own references to get exactly what I’m looking for. I don’t have
fabric: I continue to detail out the rest swords lying around my house but I can easily take a butter knife outside and photograph
of the character, focusing on the armor and it in natural light so that the reference will be more accurate for my scene.
fabric for this step. I finish designing the rest of
the weapon, taking care to find good references Observing from life and studies
online to make it look believable. Pay attention to the world around you and observe how light interacts with your
environment. Go outside on a sunny day and see all the ways that light bounces around
I’m cleaning up some shapes such as the blade your environment. For example, look at the light bouncing off of grass and onto the side of
and his boots, giving them more definition. I also a house or the way a car’s paint reflects highlights.
punch up the values on the boots, making them
stand out from the background. Next up, I paint in Try to look for subtle differences in color across a variety of surfaces. As an artist, it’s
the fabric, such as the cloak and the sash around important to build your visual library of light and color. You should also do studies to see
his waist. how other artists approach different subjects in their pieces.

Fabric typically doesn’t have strong highlights

unless it’s something shiny like silk. In this case, area on the chest to create some visual interest. edge of the blade, therefore creating form and
it’s soft and diffused with smooth transitions Typically, elves are depicted as having very ornate dimension on the weapon.
between the light and dark areas. yet organic designs in their culture. In order to
illustrate those qualities, I also start detailing in This is also the point where I give the back edge

09 Indicating materials: Metal: I decide

to paint in a belt to break up the empty
some scrollwork on the blade as well as the metal
armor. I add a strong highlight to the cutting
of the blade a shadow as that part of the weapon
is not directly facing the light. I’m also thinking

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

about how the surface of the armor would be

worn down over time and lose its luster. The
rougher a surface is, the softer the reflection of
light will be.

10 Background refinement: The

background is looking a little bare so I
shift my focus from the character to the rest of the
scene. I create the illusion of a dense, overgrown
forest by populating it with additional foliage
and branches. I also punch up the value of the
sky to create contrast between the leaves and the
trees. I originally wanted a leaf strewn dirt floor
but I decide to change it to a lush, moss carpet to
emphasize the forest theme. This is an example of
how things can change throughout the process.
Don’t get too attached to your initial sketch or be
afraid to mix it up!

11 Aging and additional details: Aging

and battle damage are more details
that you can use to add an additional layer of
believability to your image. Important points to
consider are: Where is your character most likely
to get hit? Which parts of the armor or costume
will be subjected to the most wear and tear?

I paint in some fraying threads on the edges

of the cloak and waist sash, as those are areas
that would get caught on things like thorns and
bushes. I’m also considering areas where I can
add dents and scratches on the armor; most
notably the pauldrons, the chest piece, and the
vambraces. I paint in some splatters of dried
blood for fun; maybe my character had gotten
into a confrontation with a nasty creature. I also
notice a tangent between the right ear and the
blade of his weapon creating an area of visual
tension. I decide to extend the ears a little to
resolve it.

12 Creating atmospheric effects: Now

that the scene is finally coming together,
I add some quick, atmospheric effects using
some Photoshop features to further enhance

Finalize the armor and smooth the cloth

to look more realistic

Blade and armor detail emphasize the

elfin qualities

More vegetation to the ground and

canopy suggests a lush forest

Dirt, scratches, dents, and blood give a

sense of history

Atmospheric effects select areas of focus

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Paint an elfin warrior

the lighting. I use the gradient tool (specifically

the Linear gradient) at 18% opacity to do a quick
‘wash’ of light behind the character to cause the
14 Levels and color adjustments: These
are going to be some minor tweaks
and adjustments to enhance what I’ve already
give it that extra layer of dimension that I think is
missing. I’m also adding in an additional layer of
grass that I wanted this environment to have.
background to recede. I am using a pastel yellow done. Through this step, I’m going to use several
to bring back some of the warmth from the sun. different adjustment layers including Levels, The great thing is that all of my colors and values
Color Balance, and Gradient Map. have been established so I can sample from the
I change the layer mode to Soft Light and use areas that have already been painted. I really
an airbrush to erase out any unnecessary areas. Adjustment layers are a great non-destructive enjoy this step because I don’t have to think too
This effect also simulates the haze in the air. I way to make changes to your work without much about what I’m doing and I get to have fun
also use a speckled brush to paint in some of the permanently altering the original. I start by using coming up with all of the little bits and pieces.
dust particles that would be illuminated by the the Levels adjustment layer to fine tune some of The image is looking a bit too red, so I decide to
sunbeams piercing through the foliage. the contrast and to make the scene brighter. go back to my Color Balance adjustment layer to
dial it back a bit. For the final touch, I flatten the

13 Using Color Dodge: Color Dodge is an

easy way to add areas of illumination to
your image. I use an airbrush set to a low opacity
I now move onto the Color Balance adjustment
layer to remove some of the blue tint by moving
the red and yellow sliders over to make the image
image and use the Unsharp mask filter to sharpen
the details.

of about 30% to bring in some additional spots warmer. I use a red and teal Gradient Map on an
of light to parts of the armor and the weapon. I overlay layer mode at 8% opacity to push some Color Dodge is a versatile tool that can
focus on the areas that would receive the most of the reds. amplify the brightness on an already lit
light such as the raised parts on the chest piece, area such as the highlights
vambraces, and pauldron. I change the color of
the brush to a light pink and add some Color
Dodge to the area between his ear and cheeks.
15 Last minute fixes: We’re not done just
yet! This final step is where I’ll do some
minor painting to fill in some of the details that
Adjustment layers create an opportunity
to make non-destructive changes to
This pushes the subsurface scattering effect and I think the image is missing. The front boot and the colors, values, and tones that are
also adds in some more saturation. pants look a little flat so I paint them a bit more to already present in the image

2DARTISTMAG.COM
The Artist

Wendy Yoon
wendyyoon.com
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 The Artist

Juan Novelletto
novelletto.com.ar

Software Used:
Photoshop

Juan Novelletto is a senior

concept artist at NGD
Studios, developing the
Master of Orion reboot, and
art director at the indie
games studio Nastycloud.
He is based in Buenos
Aires, Argentina.

Creating a sci-fi
composition
Senior concept artist Juan Novelletto shows how to
compose a strong sci-fi scene
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Creating a sci-fi composition

Learn the fundamentals of sci- time, it is important that you iterate an idea so a concept, even from the first sketches, to have
fi concept art... that the end result is the best possible one. any idea of what you are going to do. Since we
are working on a sci-fi piece, we can take many
This is the first in a series of five tutorials In this case, I will show you one of the most liberties where we couldn’t in something like an
where I’ll show you my process to create a common processes and the one I use the historical concept.
piece of sci-fi concept art in its entirety; from most; generating small images (usually known
the management of the composition, values as thumbnails) with a few values, forms When we are facing the realization of a concept,
and perspective, to the finishing touches of and basic silhouettes. But before this it is various situations may arise: what you do may
special effects. This first tutorial aims to focus important to know some basic composition be part of a well known concept or you may have
on the composition of a concept, and will have rules; for example, that the scale of an object a design document showing you how you must
a large theoretical load with some Photoshop is correct, or that the viewer’s attention can be work each element. In this case I’m going to take
tricks. You will learn to generate compositions guided to exactly where you want it to, or that the liberty of making something from scratch,
quickly, without losing your concept objective. all the elements are in harmony on the canvas. but I want to convey in the same image several
In addition you will also see how the color things: a world with particular forms, an event
Composition is a fundamental way to convey palette can alter a composition, and can be that happened, the possible cause of this event,
an idea in a practical way; therefore it is varied, to generate different feelings. and generate some mystery. Playing with the
important that you can master it to be able to uncertainty is something that gives true dialogue
better communicate your idea to the viewer.
To get to a good composition, most of the 01 Idea elements: It may seem very simple
but it is important that before starting
to a concept, since in a way you are talking to the
person looking at the piece, making them ask

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

“With a frame type landscape,

and the rule of three, I have a
fairly classical composition for
a sci-fi environment”
‘what happened?’ So the elements which make
up this concept are as follows: a strange planet,
an unknown object (of large dimensions), a
crashed ship, and its pilot (unharmed luckily but
with some scratches!)

02 Examples of composition and frames:

As a first step, now that you have the
elements that compose your concept, choose
how you are going to frame this idea and what
kind of composition is the most appropriate.
There are many types of composition, such as the
iconic, the rule of three, or the golden rule, among according to its size and position. If we put are well visible. I leave darker values for the
others. Each has a purpose and a way to be our pilot and his ship in the middle, we should foreground, the mid values for the mid-ground
different. For example, in the iconic compositions locate also the weird object in the middle so it with the lighters for the background. In each of
(used especially in sacral painting) the human is all balance; if we imagine weighing scales, the these four thumbnails I try different things; in
figure is in the center of the image. In addition weight of this composition is all in the center. some of them the geometric forms are very clear
you also have the proportion and orientation while in others the camera is further away. I try
of our frame to consider, which can be portrait, You can play with different thumbnails to see how and iterate the composition many times to meet
landscape or square. the composition varies when you move and scale with compliant results.
the elements. If I locate the foreign object and
In my case, there are two elements that I want the pilot to the left, and the ship to the right, the
to stand out which are the ship and its pilot balance will give more weight to the elements of
on one side and the unknown object of large the left. If I move the driver to the right and scale Having the main elements of the
dimensions on the other, as well as showing a the ship, the composition will remain balanced as concept separated in layers will let you
large part of this weird world. With a frame type the weights are distributed in a balanced way in quickly play later with the composition
landscape, and the rule of three, I have a fairly the canvas.
classical composition for a sci-fi environment. Find an arrangement where both the
The elements that are at the intersections of the
composition lines are those that will have more
weight, but I will delve into that later.
04 Thumbnail creation: Thumbnails are
a quick way to try out different options
for a concept. While I have already chosen how
pilot and the planet stand out in
the composition

to locate elements on the canvas, I can still The same elements change the

03 Balance of the composition: The main

elements that make up the concept must
be located within the canvas in a way that does
change the angles and distances. I create four
options, but there are no limits to the number
you can create. In my experience between 6 and
composition simply by being moved or
scaled, making it either imbalanced or
in harmony
not generate an imbalance. Everything should 8 thumbnails are enough, but sometimes the
be in balance so that the composition works idea is clear with only three. I work thumbnails These thumbnails are basic but have a
correctly, and to do this we need to know that with only three values to keep a clear and simple visible composition that can be
each object within the canvas varies its weight composition, and also that the silhouettes used later

93
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Creating a sci-fi composition

05 Refining thumbnails: I continue

to work on the four thumbnails that
I did in the previous step. To work quickly in
better volumes and suggest an ambient light, in
a very vague way. Another thing I do is refine the
silhouettes and add more details such as small
it out of the composition. Remember that the
idea of the thumbnails is to reach the best
possible composition, and it doesn’t matter if
the silhouettes, it is important to use the Lock stones, or lianas vines in the case of thumbnail 2. in the process a part of our idea changes. The
Transparent Pixels option in each of the layers. thumbnails are beginning to have more shape,
With this I can make big brushstrokes without I try to be free without changing too much but still I need to define more dramatic lights, and
getting out of the silhouettes. To the three about the elements for example in thumbnail 4 focal points that I am going to use to guide the
original values I add new values to generate I transform the ship in a part of the land, taking gaze of whoever is viewing the concept.

TOOL GUIDE
Define the brush preset
Sometimes it is necessary to create a custom brush to give more detail to an area, or generate a pattern. In this case I want to create a few rivets
in the destroyed ship, and repeat it at some other place like the backpack of the pilot. I create an image in a new document, which must be in
grayscale, being white with has opacity 0% on the brush and black with an opacity of 100%. Once the image for the brush is ready, go to Edit and
then select the option Define Brush Preset, press OK, and it’s done! Then in the brush menu I can change some settings to define the brush.

2DARTISTMAG.COM
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06 Choose a thumbnail: I complete the

thumbnails process selecting one from
among all that I have made. Each of them have
PRO TIP
Use three values
something interesting, but the composition that
With only three values you can make up the image of a rather simple form, without getting
I like and I think that better reflects the idea that
crazy with lights and shadows, that can be added in a later process of the concept. To
I thought of previously, is thumbnail 3. The scale
each value I assign one for mid ground, one for background and one for foreground. The
of this thumbnail makes the contemplation of the
foreground is what will be closer in our scene, and therefore it is the most contrasted. The
object more epic, and we can see a wider view
background is the most distant, which tends to be little contrasted by the particles that
of the strange planet. Before continuing, I scale
exist in the atmosphere.
the thumbnail way more than its original size to
approach the final resolution. This is because
I will now work in more detail and need more
pixels so I can to be more precise.

The thumbnail ceases to be a thumbnail! I

scale the image but the elements are not yet
well defined, especially the ship. I now come
to improving it; working a little more on the
background, and the object that is floating. I
keep this whole process in values, and it is simply
one more step with a larger canvas, to give more
detail and definition to what we had previously.

Continue to work on the thumbnails

defining volumes and ambient light

The image now has more resolution and

The three values are on their own labeled layers to keep the composition organized
more detail can be painted, however
only on the elements of interest

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Creating a sci-fi composition

07 Guide the gaze: Part of the work of

creating an image is to know how to
guide the eye of the viewer to points where
you really want to. There are many ways of
achieving this, making the view travel just the
way desired through the canvas. These points are
called focal points, since they are the first place
where the eye is going to pause on the image.
In the composition that I have made there are
focal points given by the intersections of the
composition by rule of thirds. However, we can
also reinforce these points if we emphasize the
contrast. If I try to remove the contrast of the
entire image, taking it to a dark value, and add
a point with a very light value, then that point
immediately attracts the attention of the eye.

Another example of focal point is the detail. In

the previous point I devoted myself to giving
more detail to the image, but above all to the
three main elements: the pilot, the ship and the
strange object. Instead, I didn’t even touch the
background. This is important because it also
saves work, since the focal points are chosen by
us, we have to focus more on those parts, and
those which are not going to have much attention
may be left with less detail. I reinforce the focal
08 Lights and shadows: It is time to close
the image in values before starting with
color. It is almost ready, but I can still add some
I exaggerate the light cast by the strange object
and project the shadows of the pilot over the
terrain and ship, reinforcing the space.
points by adding a reflection to the ship, and a more details, such as lights and shadows. I add
projected light coming from the strange object, more volume to the mountains that are close to In the background I add more strange formations
and along the way, add some lights to the pilot the camera as being closer makes them more and repeat them, creating a pattern that gives
costume (and this is possible because it is sci-fi!) visible, and also make them bigger and darker. more coherence to the environment. With a light

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

TOOL GUIDE
Using gradient maps to color
There are many tools that let us provide base colors to a black and white image so you can try different palettes quickly. One of my favorites is the
option of a Gradient Map adjustment layer. It is very simple to use, just click on the icon to add a new adjustment layer, which is located at the
bottom of the Layers window. You can now access the Gradient Editor, where you can quickly select colors and see how they apply to an image. As
it is an adjustment layer it does not alter the original layer, so you can continue handling it.

rebound that comes from the ground, I generate are many types of palette you can use: pallets These examples show how the viewer’s
more volume to the central body of the ship, composed of complementary colors, warm and eye can be guided by altering the
making it stand out by contrast from the land. cool, just primary colors, and monochromatic composition’s focal point
With these last retouches I can begin to see how I colors, and so on.
am going to work the color palette. Working first with only values is not the
What I do is make three copies of the image in only way to deal with a concept, but it

09 Creating color palettes: I am going to

return to the thumbnails but this time to
focus on the color. The advantage of working on a
values, and to each one, assign a different palette
to view options. These palettes are general and
will not have detail, so I keep them in a thumbnail
serves to keep the composition
under control

sci-fi idea is that you can play a lot with colors. In size. In this case I find it interesting to try out Monochromatic palettes, in this case the
this case, the strange planet gives me even more three options: a palette of complementary colors, cold color, are usually quite boring and
freedom to experience the color palette. There another of warm and cool colors, and a third generally used very little

97
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Creating a sci-fi composition

palette of only cool ones. One of the things that

I like to do is use many colors in a subtle way, to
enrich the image, and avoid the possible use of
10 Finishing the concept: It is time to put
the finishing touches to the image and
to bring this first idea to a close. In general, and
The only thing missing is to add a few details,
such as some more tones and effects like floating
particles, smoke, lights and boards. The first
black and white to shade or light; so instead I do because I was very careful with the whole process, thing I do to finish off the composition is give
this with different tones. Of the three palettes, the I have come to this point with almost all of the more detail to the main objects that make up
one I choose is that of complementary colors. composition figured out. the concept. I then continue with the mountains,

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

The Artist

Juan Novelletto
novelletto.com.ar

adding more colors and some details like cracks So here I am with a sci-fi concept where the focus Maintaining the original idea and
and small stones to the floor of the scene. I is mainly on the balanced composition. The final working with attention to the
also add more sky and cloud tones, but not too touches help to lead the viewer’s eye around composition throughout has lead to a
much so as not to disturb the balance of the the image. This is the first image of a series of stronger image
composition. I don’t want to remove attention tutorials, and I’ll keep iterating so that the end
from what is important after all. result is really good.

99
3dtotal presents the final issue of
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125

January 2016 | Issue 125

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• Realistic smoke in FumeFX
insights into his career
• Rendering a spacecraft scene
• Creatures and characters in ZBrush
• Create dramatic smoke effects
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• Posing a character model
• and much more!
 A comprehensive human anatomy guide
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 The Artist

Victor Mosquera
victormosquera.com

Software Used:
Photoshop

Victor Mosquera is a
Colombian concept
artist living in Toronto,
Canada. His clients include
companies such as Ubisoft,
Universal Music group,
Volta, Tor.com and One
Pixel Brush.

Photoshop
fundamentals
Refresh your knowledge with this beginner’s guide to the
Photoshop interface from Ubisoft’s Victor Mosquera
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

Pick up tips, try new tools and

gain confidence...
Photoshop is one of the main tools used
today by industry professionals. It’s one of
the most powerful tools that I know. I’m
going to explain some basic concepts and
fundamentals about this software, as well
as some ways I personally use it, to make
the most out of it. But I want to say that at
the end the most important thing is that you
experience it for yourself.

I’ve been using Photoshop for more than 10

years, so I have enough experience with it to based on popular formats that have been used by for print and it’s a good place to start. This topic
make it work exactly how I want it to. I have different disciplines. is much deeper than this so I encourage you to
experimented with it, watched and read a experiment with resolution as well. Print your
million tutorials over the years, and got some What you want to do is create your own canvas own images and see what happens when you
tips from my artist friends. Even recently I based on your own needs. Just introduce a size play with different resolutions.
learned some new settings and even realized that you think is going to benefit your image the
finally what a button that I’ve seen all my
life does. So I really encourage you to just
experiment. Click every single button and
most. There is no right or wrong when it comes
to this. You can also change the units of measure
for inches or centimeters as well as some other
02 The tools panel: I’m going to break
the interface down in a way that’s more
related to you as a painter. I have outlined the
just see what that specific thing does. Over options. This is usually helpful when a client asks main sections of the interface in colored squares
time, these little pieces of knowledge will you to do a painting of a specific size, because (Fig. 02). I recommend that you look at Photoshop
start to connect with you, giving a stronger it has to fit a publication that has an already as a toolbox where you keep your paints and
understanding of the software (this also defined layout. brushes, especially if you come from a traditional
applies to painting too). painting background.
The tricky side of setting up a new canvas is

01 Setting up your canvas: Before

explaining the interface and the
tools, I want you to set up a canvas so you can
setting up a resolution. Before you set up a
resolution, ask yourself if your image is going to
be viewed online or printed. If your image is going
Create your own canvas by introducing
a size that you think is going to benefit
your image
experiment with the tools on it later. Go to File to be shown on a screen 72 pixels/inch is usually
> New. The new document window will appear. good. If you want to print it your image needs Your mark making tools: brushes,
On the Document Type present tab Photoshop to have enough resolution to get a good result selection tools, erasers and smudging
gives you some templates with fixed dimensions on the paper. 300 pixels/inch is very common tools are on the tools panel

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Photoshop fundamentals

I’m going to start with section A, the tools panel.

This is where all your brushes, selection tools,
erasers and smudging tools are; everything that
you might use to make a mark on a canvas is
here. I’m not going to explain every single one
of them because there are so many of them and
realistically you only need a handful of them.
Through this tutorial I’m going to explain the ones
that I use the most and the ones that I think are
key to getting ideas from your head straight into
Photoshop. Once again, I encourage you to just
try them all and see what they do.

03 The menu bar: Next we have section

B, the menu bar (Fig. 03). This is where
you can access basic functions such as creating
new files and layers, modifying selections and
managing your windows. The main things that
I use are File for creating new documents, Open
Recent, and Save. I also use Image > Image Size
which is very useful to resize images. This section
is pretty easy since it is the same format used by
the most basic software packages out there.

There are some tabs that I never use because they after using Photoshop for a while you might want panel. I always keep it at HSB (Hue/Saturation/
contain functions that I need often, so instead of to assign your own shortcuts to functions that Brightness) because it makes more sense when
bothering to open the tab every single time I just you use all the time. You can do this simply by approaching this from a painting perspective,
use the keyboard shortcuts. This is really useful if going to Edit > Keyboard shortcuts, then you can since it’s actually using terms that you will use as
you want to become good at Photoshop, as using type any combination of keys and assign it to a a painter.
shortcuts will make your workflow 100% more specific action.
efficient and faster. Photoshop gives you some You can also access a different kind of color
pre-determined shortcuts for basic functions like
saving (Ctrl+S, or Cmd+S if you are using a Mac) or
free transform (Ctrl+T).
04 The color panel: The color panel is key
in the process of creating a painting and
it’s simple too. You can see the color panel at all
panel if you go back to the tools panel and click
on the colored squares at the bottom of it. I
also use this one a lot since it works more like a
times in the upper-right corner. You can change traditional painting palette. It works the same
I recommend that you open every single tab in the settings to different options (RGB, CMYK) if way as the HSB sliders but the layout is different.
the menu bar and check all the shortcuts. Also, you want using the tab in the right corner of the On the big square you can go up or down to

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affect the brightness or left and right to affect the

saturation. Then you have the smaller rectangle
to the left of it which affects the hue if you go up
or down on it.

05 Brush presets: When you open

Photoshop for the first time, it might look
different to the one that I’m showing you guys
here. That’s because I re-arranged my workspace
a bit to make my workflow better. Under the color
panel I added the Brush Presets panel (Fig. 05).
You can add different windows and arrange them
in any way you want. You can do this by going to
Window and then check the tab or window that
you need, then just drag and drop it anywhere
in your workspace. I’m using the Brush Preset
window because it’s the easiest way for me to
pick up different brushes.

After this you can go to the tools panel and

select your brush or eraser, selecting different
brushes to get different effects and textures. Many
Photoshop brushes have been created to emulate
traditional painting, so you can have brushes
that emulate chalks, acrylics, oils and all kinds
of materials. I usually download a lot of brushes
from the internet or collect them from friends. You
can load brushes into Photoshop by going to the
small tab at the upper-right corner of the Brush
Presets window and click Load Brushes. Over the
years you will download, trade and hoard a bunch
of brushes, so there is no correct brush to use.
Just try them all and over time you will select and
keep the ones that you use the most.

06 The Layers panel: Understanding the

Layers panel (Fig. 06) is essential for
having a good workflow. The concept of layers is
not difficult but the way you use them is key.

When you add a new layer it’s like adding a new

transparent canvas on top of your image. You can
add as many layers as you want, and change their
properties to get different effects. This is one of PRO TIP
the main reasons why Photoshop is so powerful.
You can experiment by adding layers to try new
Use shortcuts!
Shortcuts are the best way to maximize your workflow. Photoshop allows you to customize
tools and settings without damaging your original
and create your own shortcuts. Take a moment and think about what functions in
painting. Changing the layer’s blend mode can
Photoshop you use the most, and then figure out what combinations of keys are easy to hit
achieve different results too. You can view all the
once you’re working. You can create your own shortcuts by going to the Menu bar > Edit >
blend modes by click on the tab that says Normal,
Keyboard Shortcuts.
which is the default mode for a new layer on
Photoshop. There are quite a few options in there,
so I’m not going to explain them all, but I will say
that I use the blend modes a fair amount. I will The File drop-down list on the menu bar Use the Brush Presets window to
give an example of how you can use them to add is where you can find essential options load a variety of brushes that you can
something to your painting later on. like Save experiment with

You will learn the layer blend modes better if The color panel allows you to work with Adding a new layer is like adding a new
you open a painting or photo of your own in different color settings and adjust the transparent canvas on top of your image
Photoshop. Add a new layer on top with another Hue, Saturation and Brightness

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Photoshop fundamentals

image and then start scrolling down the blending

modes and see how they affect the image. The
names are often self explanatory, so that helps a
lot too.

One last thing that I use all the time is the small
icons at the bottom of the Layers panel. If you
hover the cursor over the top of an icon it will
tell you what it does. You can utilize the icons to
quickly create a new layer or even delete it. The
options that I use 90% of the time are the Add
Layer Mask and the Create Adjustment Layer.

07 Layer masks: This is something that

you are more likely familiar with if you
have worked with traditional media before as
it works exactly as masking tape. A Layer Mask
is something you apply to a layer to control the
transparency of it on certain areas. Imagine you
have a layer that you want to hide; you could just
08 Adjustments: Adjustments are the most
important tools you have to edit images.
Once you have a painting going, but you need
painting and just see what it needs. Adjustments
are often really good for solving problems, but
you first need to realize what the problem is, then
delete it, but if you want to hide only half of it, you to edit certain aspects of it, you go to: Image > find the tool that will help you solve it in that
can apply a mask. Adjustments, on the Menu bar or you can access it specific situation.
creating an Adjustment layer via the Layer tab as
The way it works is, once you add it (using the
small icon at the bottom of the Layers panel), it
creates a white square to the left of the layer. That
mentioned before. There are a lot of adjustments
again, so please go ahead and try them all. The
ones that I use all the time are Levels, which
09 Painting: Now that I have given you a
quick walk-through of some of the tools
that are most common when you’re painting in
means that the layer is still visible. If you want to correct the value, Color Balance which is very Photoshop, I will show how these tools can be
hide a specific section of it, you have to paint in useful to make quick color corrections, and Hue/ put into practice. The software itself is massive
that square with any brush using black paint. Saturation which allows you to correct any area so there is no way that I can explain every single
of your image using the HSB sliders, just as in the button and tab. That is why I insist that the
Once you are painting on a layer mask you will color panel. way to go is taking the time to experiment with
see that the color panel will only allow you to use everything. However, I feel that with the tools
black and white values. Painting with white allows All the names are very self explanatory again so that I mentioned before you should be able to
the layer to be visible while painting with black it’s just a matter of trying them all. There are no understand what’s happening when you see
hides the layer. right or wrong adjustments to use. Look at your someone painting in Photoshop. I’m going to

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start creating an image from scratch, using all the some interesting looking silhouettes. I use a A Layer Mask is something you apply to
tools mentioned before and some new ones that I combination of brush and eraser when doing this. a layer to control the transparency of it
will explain as I go. I make a mark on the canvas with a Hard brush on certain areas
and then use a Hard eraser to refine the shape.
I start with a new canvas which is 2828 x 4000 I do this for all my main shapes. Since I use the Adjustments are the most important
pixels. I chose these settings because the image brush tool and the eraser tool so much, instead tools you have to edit images which can
I’m painting is made specifically for a book, of going to the tool menu I use the keyboard fix a specific aspect of your painting
so it already has defined dimensions. Also the shortcuts. I press B for the brush tool and E for the
resolution is 300 pixels/inch, because I know it’s eraser tool. Using a basic texture brush from the
going to be printed so I need a good amount of Brush Presets tab, cover the white of the
information in my pixels. Next I select a basic For this project I’m going to sketch a character. canvas with some basic tones
texture brush on my Brush Presets tab and cover I start with some basic flat tones to create a
the white of the canvas with some basic tones. poster-like version of my final painting. This will The best way to get interesting shapes is
be the backbone of my image and I will stick to by making bold brushstrokes and then

10 Brushstrokes: In this step I use a

hard edged brush, and start sketching
it through the entire painting. It’s very important
that you are organized with your layers. In this
refining them with the eraser after

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Photoshop fundamentals

case I have my main elements in separate labeled

layers. You can name your layers by double-
clicking on top of each layers’ name.

11 Selections: One of the most common

ways to get fast and clean shapes into
your painting is by using the Selection tools. They
are located at the top of the tools panel. There
are different kinds of selection tools, the most
common ones are the Rectangular and Elliptical
Marquee tools, and the Lasso and Polygonal
Lasso tool. As the name suggests you can create
rectangular selections and circular selections
with the first two. One trick that I use all the time
is holding the Shift key while creating a selection
with the Marquee tool to create perfectly
symmetrical squares and circles.

The Lasso tool allows you to create free selections

just by free hand drawing. It works particularly
well for organic shapes. For instance, I’m using it
here to block the main shape of my character’s
hair. Once you have a selection you can fill it with
color, or paint inside with a brush, like I’m doing
in this step.

12 Clipping Masks: After defining my main

shapes, I use Clipping Masks to add
information into my already defined silhouettes.
If you hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and
position the cursor over the line dividing two
layers in the layer panel, the cursor will change
to a blank square and an arrow pointing down.
That means you will be clipping one layer to the
one that is below it, which creates boundaries
for that layer. In this case my boundaries are
the shapes that I created on the previous step. I
can now paint freely and use bold and dynamic
brushstrokes without worrying about messing up
my initial shapes.

Using this technique I start to add my initial

values and colors to the skin and the clothes of
my character. You can parent as many layers as
you want to one specific layer. This allows you
to experiment easily with different brushes and
colors since you can always go back to your initial
images by deleting and adding new clipping
mask layers.

13 Painting techniques: Now I have a

solid base and have established what
my image is going to be, I can focus on painting.
I suggest you work this way every time and don’t
get caught up painting details in the initial stage.
You will have an easier time and your image will
be more successful if you go from big, broad
shapes and strokes to small and more precise
details towards the end. Something that I do all
the time to make sure that I’m not getting caught

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in the details, is to work with my canvas zoomed

out. You can zoom out or zoom in if you go to
the Menu bar and click Zoom in or Zoom out.
Since I use this feature so much I have a keyboard
shortcut which is Ctrl+(+/-).

At this stage I start to suggest some of the

anatomy and the design of the clothes. I do this
using all the techniques I explained before. For
example, all the shadows on the skin are done by
using clipping masks. I create the pink stripe on
the jacket by creating a basic selection with my
Lasso tool and painting inside of the selection
with some texture brushes. effects. I use it to add more interest to the I hope that you can get something from this
painting but you have to be careful with this one. tutorial; it’s a lot of ground to cover in a few

14 Details: As I mentioned before, I take

care of the details towards the end of
the painting process. It’s only at this stage that I
Be subtle with the color choices as too much
saturation and brightness runs the risk of over
exposing your image.
pages, but I feel that this is a good start if you
want to get into digital painting. Only with time
will you be comfortable enough with Photoshop.
zoom in quite a bit and start sculpting the form. Use it every day, experiment with it and watch
I’m using a texture brush here to suggest the Experiment with it to get a feel for what works videos of people using it. At some point it will
expression of the character as well as details or try this: grab a Soft brush, pick up a dark become second nature to you, I promise.
like accessories, subtle hue changes on the skin color and start glazing softly over your image.
and some details on the hair. I also add some If it’s not doing anything, pick a brighter color The lasso tool creates free selections
pink reflections on the clothes here to add more until you have the ideal results. Then I go to the
interest to that area, and also introduce some Menu bar > Image > Adjustments > Levels, and Clip layers together with a clipping mask
of the skin tones into the rest of the painting to tweak the values a bit more to make the image
make it more harmonious. pop out. Lastly I like to duplicate my painting. Add a pink stripe with the lasso tool, and
Flatten it (which you can do by going to the Menu texture brushes

15 Final adjustments: At the end of each

painting I always take a bit of time to
play with the adjustments and layer modes. First
bar > Layer > Flatten Image), then add some
noise to simulate a film grain. You will find the
noise option if you go to the Menu bar > Filter
A texture brush adds character
and detail
I add a new layer on top of everything and set it > Noise. You can play with the setting until you
to Color Dodge. This mode is particularly good find something you like. I usually add 1% with Adjustment layers and filters can make
to make quick, good-looking highlights and Gaussian Blur selected. the image more interesting

109
The Artist

Victor Mosquera
victormosquera.com
#100Hours
 The Artist

Przemek Duda
artstation.com/artist/
przemek-duda

Software Used:
3ds Max, Photoshop

Concept and 3D artist Przemek

Duda, based in Germany,
started working for VFX
companies after completing
a degree in 2009. He creates
characters and worlds for films
and games.

Harmonious sci-fi design

Concept artist Przemek Duda explains how he created a scene detailing designs for a sci-fi
world where nature and science combine for a brighter future
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Harmonious sci-fi design

See how one scene can be used

as a reference for creating a
whole universe...
The image Symbiont World is really important
to me. It is the first in an ongoing series of
images that I am developing. With my concept
I want to inspire and create hope. I wish for
all of us, and especially for my daughter, a
brighter future as there are already too many
negative forecasts for our world. This vision,
combined with my love for science fiction
and nature, was the driving force from which
the story and visual language from Symbiont
World evolved. My story is set in the far future,
and even though huge parts of the world
are destroyed by man-made disasters, there
is hope. Mankind has to use clean energy,
natural and renewable resources, and form a
respectful bond with nature. Using advanced
technologies humans try to revitalize the
world and make it inhabitable again for all attraction is a Bio-dome Complex, surrounded by could paint directly in Sketchbook Pro. To speed
life-forms. a Kaolinite pit, which holds thousands of plants up the process I started in black and white, so I
from different climatic zones. For me it represents didn’t have to deal with the right color palette yet.
In this tutorial I want to explain how to keep the perfect symbiosis of nature and technology. Even at this early stage you can already see the
in mind the bigger picture while creating a main components of the image; a girl cruising on
compelling image. I want to show how nearly For every painting I create mood boards, usually a vehicle through a rural environment with small
everything in an illustration can be meaningful between one and three. Selecting the right silo-like houses and renewable energy sources in
and add to the narrative. To achieve this all images is already the first step in designing the background.
available software, tools and techniques the fictional world. I always keep them open
should be used. This involves the creation of
mood boards, implementing photographs,
composition and design sketches, 3D asset
in a Photoshop window while working on my
paintings in case I want to pick a color or cut
and paste elements directly. On longer projects
03 A compilation of scribbles: At this
point I asked myself what kind of
transportation would be used? What type of
creation and rendering, and finally some good though, they will help me tremendously to stay technology would be fitting?
old fashioned painting. on course artistically.
I started with very simple sketches for the buggy,

01 Visions of a better world: Much of my

inspiration comes from my travels and
this time it came especially from a trip to the
02 Catch the idea: I try to get my vision on
canvas before it evaporates (and every
artist knows that happens a lot!) Fortunately I
the floating whale ships and the wind turbines.
I needed all my brainpower to focus on design
and not on establishing complex perspectives.
Eden Project in Cornwall, England. This tourist had my trusty Samsung Galaxy Note with me, so I Side view sketches are relatively easy to paint

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and perfect for this task. The most important rule

while sketching side views is to pick the side of an
object which describes the silhouette the best.

04 Building my world: By this point I am

sure Symbiont World will stay with me for
a long time, so I tried to create as many assets in
3D as I could. Once built I can reuse them in other
paintings so in the long run this speeds up the
development process tremendously.

I tried to incorporate similar design ideas into all

assets. The blades are made from solar panels.
The house has solar panels on the roof, and big
parts of the building are located underground,
using the natural isolation of the surrounding
earth. The flying ships have solar panels on
the wings and share the same propulsion and
levitation methods with the buggy.

05 The ride has arrived: I decided that

most of the vehicles use the same
clean energy source and propulsion method,
which does not harm the environment. The
buggy is fueled by redirected compressed solar

Start with research and preparation

It is important to collect ideas for later

Designs for the buggy, flying ship and

wind turbine

Each asset can be dragged and dropped

into the final scene

A functional design sheet helps to create

a believable world

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Harmonious sci-fi design

“Wide lens cameras (28mm

or less) create a sense of PRO TIP
magnitude, while close ups More than selfies
(more than 85 mm) create a Save up money and invest in a smart phone with the best built in camera you can afford.
more intimate atmosphere” The resolution and quality of the photos is great nowadays and you take your phone with
energy and the power cells are stored below the you everywhere anyway, so why not use it creatively?
driver seat. Also it has no wheels so it can not
destroy the ground. Instead it uses anti gravity Every day (while walking my dog) I take pictures with my phone that I use as references for
magnetic plates. They react to the ground plane light moods, material behavior, interesting composition, specific objects, and so on. I also
and keep the buggy stable and afloat. All those use them as textures in paintings, even as bitmaps in my 3D work. You can also use your
requirements and ideas dictated how I designed phone to ‘photo-scan’ your sketchbook drawings and further refine them in Photoshop.
the vehicle.

06 Compose the scene! After all the assets

are modeled I threw them together into
one scene. To speed up the process I didn’t create
Even though at first glance these four images
seem similar, the focus in each one changes a lot.
Wide lens cameras (28mm or less) create a sense
for the viewer to still be able to tell what type of
environment she’s in.

UV mappings or complex materials. After all this

was supposed to be fun right? Working in 3D gives
me the possibility to fine tune the composition.
of magnitude, while close-ups (more than 85
mm) create a more intimate atmosphere. I want
the driver of the buggy to be the main focus, but
07 Moving on to painting: Using soft
selections and the rotation tool I posed
a base mesh for the driver on the buggy. At this

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point I had already blocked in the composition, to the scene, and with the reflection pass I could would fit naturally. I also replaced the naked hills
all major assets, the light setup, and the resulting balance the glossiness of the objects. I was careful in the back with images of crop fields I took while
basic color palette. not to overdo it as I didn’t want my scene to look visiting Stonehenge in England.
like the much criticized Star Wars Episode I: The
Most of the design choices were made but my Phantom Menace. These views are 1) too static, 2) too
illustration was still ugly. Which meant that was close, 3) too close and intimate and
it for the 3D part. This is my base from which
everything else will be refined in Photoshop. 09 Smile for the camera! After the initial
composition was done I started adding
photos from my travels as textures or whole
4) perfect!

The final 3D output rendered with

08 Layer cake: If I have enough time,

I render my 3D scene in a very high
resolution. It’s the best excuse for having a lunch
elements. This was another big step. Everything
slowly fell into place. I searched for the photos
which strengthened my vision the most. A good
mental ray with a daylight system.
The ships in the background were
rendered separately
break! No painstakingly added details get lost example was the photo of the overgrown water
and I have the freedom to crop or downscale the tank, which I took in Vietnam. All the render passes in one image.
image later on at any time. Some of them are barely used in the
The right textures also added so much more final compositing
I overlaid all the render layers and used them to believability to the scene, and it was a fast way to
further describe the setting of Symbiont World. For get rid of the 3D render look. I tried to use pictures Most of the textures are in place and the
example, with the Z depth pass I could add haze with similar perspectives and lighting, so they image suddenly has a lot more soul

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Harmonious sci-fi design

10 The to-do list: Often while creating an

image I get sidetracked or lost in details.
Complex illustrations like this one also take more
than one session to finish.

At the top of my layer stack I had a reference layer

where I marked ALL the things I wanted to polish
in this painting. When I had finished working on a
specific marked part of the image I would go back
to my ‘to do’ layer and delete the corresponding
marker. It doesn’t happen often that erasing
something out of your picture feels so good!

This is another self-art directing technique. It also

helps for estimating how long it will take to finish
a painting. with the military, which is also important.
My goal was to create something unique, not a 12 Every blade of grass tells a story: With
all the major elements defined, my focus

11 We need a driver: I decided the color for

the buggy needs to be orange. It creates
a complimentary contrast to the sky, perfect to
stereotypical military shooter game or action
film scenario. Because of that I decided that my
driver must be a female protagonist, an intelligent
shifted to detailing. In addition to adding the
textures, I painted over everything to indicate as
much additional information as I could about my
draw the viewers’ attention. Additionally orange adventurer, eager to explore the unknown, and world. The pot is surrounded by high grass and
is mainly associated with utility vehicles, and not not a beefed up, trigger-happy, super-soldier. the blanket is torn and has tiny holes in it. There

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are no clear pathways leading to the house, and

the street is overgrown and the crops look mostly
untouched. All of the textured and painted details
14 Racing to the finish line: The image
was nearly finished. After taking a
long break I looked at it and decided to push
end and the only things left to do were placing
the final logo and signature; then go to bed
exhausted but happy!
make the environment look much more rural – the perspective and the storytelling. I reduced
tribal even. unnecessary details in the background and
got rid of the house on the left. It didn’t look Create a layer group with a Hue/

13 What’s with the face? Additional

details add believability. I painted a light
blue glow around the ‘wheels’ to make the energy
good anyway and most importantly it did not
contribute anything relevant.
Saturation adjustment layer with
Saturation set to 0 and a new normal
layer with red markings
inside the anti gravity plates visible which is more I added dust and grass dancing behind the buggy
understandable and plausible for the viewer. in the air to indicate the speed of the vehicle. Most tasks from the to-do list have been
Even details like the color of her boots matter. At completed but this does not necessarily
After looking at reference images of people riding first they were gray and looked too clean and Star mean the painting is finished
motorcycles I decided to change the face, so Trek like; brown boots are much more useful for
for that I integrated a photo of my girlfriends’ outdoor activities. The base render with added textures,
face. I reworked her silhouette slightly because color picking and overpainting
it was much harder to capture the elegant and
subtle proportions of a woman than a man on
canvas without becoming cartoony. The hair
15 Arrival at Symbiont World: For the
last color correction I merge the whole
image. I tried to find a reference image with a
Faces are natural focal points in
most paintings
also got repainted so it doesn’t look as stiff similar sky and with the same amount of haze
and unrealistic. Oh yeah, and I gave her feet. overall; a scene with a lot of flora to nail that look Details like the color of the boots give
Everybody could use a pair! I was aiming for. All the hard work pays off in the images extra refinement

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The Artist

Przemek Duda
artstation.com/artist/
przemek-duda
 3DTOTALPUBLISHING

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Digital concept artist & animator | loish.net

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 Do you struggle to get over a
blank page? Need a trick to help
you with perspective?
2dartist will be running a new feature in 2016
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Discount code: damv920

DIGITAL ART MASTER:

Montiel Battle
1369 aftermath
by José Daniel Cabrera Peña
See how the painting master developed his award winning image ‘Montiel Battle
1369 aftermath’ using Photoshop and Nik Color Efex Pro 3
 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

The Artist

José Daniel
Cabrera Peña
joscabrera.blogspot.com.es

Software Used:
Photoshop

José Daniel Cabrera Peña

is a self taught traditional
and CG artist. He creates
historical, fantasy and sci-fi
inspired illustrations, matte
painting and concept art
for games and animations.
project since 2011.

20% DISCOUNT CODE: DAMV920

125
2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Digital Art Master: José Daniel Cabrera Peña

This image illustrates the battle that took

place under the castle of Montiel during the
civil war of Castile in 1369. It was part of
the Hundred Years War in which French and
English monarchs sent troops to fight for the
sovereignty of Castile, now part of Spain.

The most interesting thing I wanted to show

was the diversity of the transitional armor
that was used during the second half of that
century. From an artistic point of view, the
challenge was to bring the Spanish sun light to
the scene and to show all the bright heraldry
colors without creating a pop art effect.

The main purpose of the historical illustration

is to give the readers a glimpse of the The purpose of sketching is to create single figures that could
historical context and offer a whole impression stand as a strong focal point by themselves
of the period which is as accurate as possible.
As well as historical accuracy, proper lighting, Bertrand du Guesclin, the general of the French On top of this I made a deep study of Spanish
color and artistry can also create the feel of White Company of mercenaries, and his coat of funerary effigies to try to get a sense of the local
authenticity, creating an enjoyable experience arms depicting a red mark over a two headed fashion taste, rather than just of fourteenth-
for the audience. black eagle, as well as the Castilian monarch century European knights more generally.
Enrique de Trastámara.
Historical reference gathering and sketches Setting the mood and base colors
I began by researching the period and the Also, a variety of bascinet helmet shapes with It was now time to set the mood of the scene and
historical events I was depicting. Something different visors could not be missed. Transitional define the background color. Doing this before
I didn’t want to miss here were the figures of armor is a central element of this illustration. coloring the main characters is the easiest way to

Work out a very basic composition with a cavalry parade

gathering after the battle to depict the aftermath

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blend the characters with the background and to

establish the color palette for the characters.

This is also key to building solid coloring for

metal materials. The polished armor reflects
the surrounding colors creating a miniature
landscape with its surface, including sky, skyline
and ground. At this stage I worked with traditional
looking brushes to add a bit of texture (Fig. 2a).

I wanted to create a strong backlight and highly

illuminated, almost opaque, fog-like feel so the
far background colors will be a wash of gray
tones. This is probably the hardest thing to
understand about color, as color variations are
very subtle and only detectable by color contrast
when two or more tones are seen together. I
would just use something like photographs as
reference to get the right mood.

Detail rendering and brush finish

I took a break after each four or five hours of work
to test post production alternatives and figure out
what I would be doing in the final stages to make
sure I was heading in the right direction.

After doing a color base under the figures, I did a

thick color covering to mask the line and polish
the detail on top of the figure drawings. This is
like a sandwich: color base under the drawing,
line drawing and color covering for polishing and
details (Fig. 3a).

The brushes I chose were simple and as primitive The traditional painting inspired brushes I used at this stage of the project
as possible to help to create visual consistency.
Chainmail textures were created using an Overlay the layer style options in Photoshop. This way and be lost. In this particular painting, I wanted
layer though. you can control transparency from both black to distort the distant colors in order to create
and white tones (Fig. 4a). Color burn, Screen, and atmosphere.
Correcting atmosphere and final decisions Soft Light and so on; each and every one of the
Now everything is in place, we can start adding blending modes are also useful. It was a real pain because the base colors I used
layers of atmosphere to help create depth from the beginning weren’t quite right for the hot,
between near and distant elements. I do this with It is important not to turn the sky completely dry environment that I waned. So I ran towards
all kinds of blending modes applied to new thin white, because of the image being for a magazine the Nik Color Efex Pro 3 plugin to experiment with
atmosphere layers and graduating them from which means that the colors could easily fade the filters (Fig. 4b). This is when the real challenge

Painting the background base colors and details. The main Rough brush strokes are enough to define the color base for the
shape of the figures remains as backlight reference main figures. I do this in a layer beneath the line sketch layer

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Digital Art Master: José Daniel Cabrera Peña

Post-production check with the basic color scheme. The goal was to
achieve a warmer light and a rather dry environment

The sandwich of layers: the color

base under the drawing, then the
line drawing and color covering

Color covering that masks the line and completes the detail for the figure

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 2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 121

began because until now, the atmosphere wasn’t

quite right.

Conclusion
I reached the final stage in the creative process
without having solved all the main challenges
this painting posed, which made the image one
of the hardest post-production processes of my
career so far, complete with self-doubt and a lot
of backtracking.

In the end, I came to realize the importance of

seeking the final mood from the beginning as
opposed to trying to create overall color balance
and hoping to achieve the desired effect at the
end. The search for the mood must be part of the
entire process.

On the other hand, as professionals we can’t

allow a creative process to lead to a dead end,
every piece has to be solved by any means. Blending modes such as Color Burn, Screen, Soft Light are all really useful

As a freelancer a single failed commission will were ultimately solved and the painting was award, and winning the CGHub gold award, as
immediately lead to a lost client. So, putting any successful, earning the history magazine editor’s well as being an editor´s pick and top image of
process errors aside, I have to say the problems approval, the 3dtotal/Layerpaint excellence the week.

Change the wet colors for warm and dry colors with Nik Effex filters and
using the layer blending options extensively

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129
The Artist

José Daniel
Cabrera Peña
joscabrera.blogspot.com.es
NEXT MONTH
10 inspiring gallery images

Sylvain Sarrailh interview

Get into speed painting

Design a sci-fi vehicle scene

Lively character drawings

Perspective fundamentals

AND PLENTY MORE BESIDES!