130

Issue 110 | February 2015

110

pages of
inspiration and
techniques

n
+plus
g
i
s
e
D
e
l
c
i
h
e
V
s
t
ep
Paint fantasy
characters

Improve your color and

composition with a look behind
the process of Emily Chens image

c
n
Co

Mastering
colored pencils
Marco Mazzoni shares
his stunning flora and
fauna renders

10 of the best
digital images
Eytan Zana and Cristina Lavina
feature in this issues gallery
selection of our top 10 images

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Editors Letter
Welcome to 2dartist issue 110!

JESS SERJENT-TIPPING
Deputy Editor

If fantasy environments and cool characters are

your thing, youre in the right place! We interview
Paul Sullivan, art director of colorful animation The
Book of Life, and traditional artist Marco Mazzoni,
whos mastered the colored pencils just wait until
you set eyes on his stunning renders! Maxx Marshall
shares his comic book sketches, while Meg Owenson
demonstrates how to overcome a blank canvas.
Weve got useful tutorials for designing and rendering
concept vehicles, creating cool female characters, and
a beginners guide to set extensions not to mention a
gallery bursting with inspirational images. Enjoy!

KEEP UP TO DATE
WITH 3DTOTAL!

facebook.com/3dtotal
facebook.com/layerpaint
twitter.com/3dtotal
twitter.com/layer_paint
youtube.com/
3dtotalpublishing
vimeo.com/3dtotal
vimeo.com/layerpaint
pinterest.com/3dtotal
instagram.com/3dtotal
google.com/+3dtotalcg

Contributors

2 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

PAUL SULLIVAN
Paul Sullivan started as a concept artist in 2003. Over
the past ten years hes worked in film and console
game design, mostly as a visual development artist and
concept artist.

JESSICA ROSSIER
Jessica works for films, videogames, or advertising
companies by providing visual assets as a concept
artist and matte painter. In 2013 she launched
WARDENLIGHT studio with Bastien Grivet.

MARCO MAZZONI
Marco Mazzoni was born in 1982 in Tortona, Italy, and
is currently based in Milan. Marco only uses colored
pencils to create his artwork of female portraits, flora
and fauna.

MEG OWENSON
Meg Owenson is a freelance concept artist and
illustrator based in the UK. She is currently working in
the game and film industry. She guides you through the
creation of a fantasy environment in Photoshop.

MAXX MARSHALL
Maxx Marshall is a 2D/3D artist making videogame art
at Fun Bits Interactive. Maxx also freelances for comics,
trading cards, marketing adverts, illustration and other
random stuff.

EMILY CHEN
Emily Chen is a freelance Illustrator and concept artist
in the entertainment industry. Currently, she is studying
Character Animation at the Rhode Island School of
Design in America.

MATT TKOCZ
Born and raised in Poland and Germany, Matt moved to
California to study Entertainment Design at Art Center
College of Design in 2008. He went on to work in the film,
game and theme park industry.

SANDRA POSADA
Sandra Posada is from Medellin, Colombia and for
three years she has been a freelance concept artist
and illustrator specializing in character design. Sandra
has worked on projects for graphic novels and comics.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Deputy Editor
Jess Serjent-Tipping
jess@3dtotal.com
Sub Editor
Adam Smith
Graphic Designer
Aryan Pishneshin
Publishing Co-ordinator
Adam Smith
Advertising Manager
George Lucas
george@3dtotal.com
Studio Manager
Lynette Clee
lynette@3dtotal.com
Managing Director
Tom Greenway
Advertising
Media pack and rates are
available upon request.
Contact George Lucas:
george@3dtotal.com
International
Translation opportunities
and international licenses are
available. Contact
Melanie Smith:
melanie@3dtotal.com
Subscriptions
Subscriptions can be
purchased via
2dartistmag.com.
12-month subscription
23.99 ($38.99 US approx.)
To enquire about
subscriptions, contact:
support@3dtotal.com
Distribution
2dartist is an e-magazine
distributed as a
downloadable PDF and on
digital newsstands.

Magazine.
Your

Get the most out of it!

If youre having problems viewing the double-page spreads that we feature within
this magazine, then follow this handy little guide on how to set up your PDF reader!

Top tips for viewing

For optimum viewing of the magazine, it is recommended that you have the latest version of
Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can download it for free here:
To view the many double-page spreads featured in 2dartist magazine, you can set the reader
to display two-up, which will show double-page spreads as one large landscape image:
1. Open the magazine in Reader;
2. Go to the View menu, then Page Display;
3. Select Two Page Scrolling, making sure
that Show Cover Page in Two Page View
is also selected.

Jump to articles

In the Contents pages, we have direct links to all articles within the magazine. If a certain
article catches your eye, simply click (or tap on handheld devices) on the page number within
the Contents, and you will be taken straight to that article.

Download resources

Whenever you see this symbol, be sure to click it to

download free resources to accompany that article!

For lots more tutorials and exclusive articles, visit

www.layerpaint.com

Disclaimer
All artwork, unless otherwise
stated, is copyright 2014
3dtotal.com Ltd. Artwork that
is not copyright 3dtotal.com
Ltd is marked accordingly.
Every effort has been made
to locate the copyright
holders of materials included
in this issue of 2dartist
magazine in order to obtain
permissions to publish them.
Special thanks to 3DHype,
Hiperia 3D and Veegraph
for supporting 2dartist with
banners. Contact George
Lucas if you would also
like to show your support:
george@3dtotal.com

2dartist magazine is available as a downloadable PDF magazine. If you have an iPad or iPhone, you can drag your
magazine into your iTunes library it will automatically add the PDF to your bookshelf in your iBooks app!

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Contents Issue 110

006_ Bringing the dead to life

Go behind the scenes of the animation The Book of

Life with concept artist Paul Sullivan

020_ Mastering colored pencils

Marco Mazzoni shares his stunning female

portraits and flora and fauna renders

031_ Sketch comic art

Maxx Marshall shares his incredibly drawn

sketchbook pages

048_ The gallery

Eytan Zana and Cristina Lavina Roldan feature in

this issues gallery selection of our top 10 images

064_ Design vehicle concepts

Matt Tkocz shares his process for designing and

rendering a futuristic dune buggy

076_ Matte painting simple set extensions

Jessica Rossier guides us through a step-by-step
tutorial to extend a set

086_ Overcome a blank canvas

From a simple idea to a fully rendered

composition Meg Owenson shows you how!

098_ Paint fantasy characters

Improve your color and composition with a look

behind the process of Emily Chens image

110_ Create tattooed warriors

Sandra posada introduces the workflow used to

paint her Japanese woman

116_ Beginners Guide to

Photoshop Elements

Eric Spray demonstrates speed-painting an

exterior environment in Photoshop Elements

SAVE 30%!
Subscribe today
Go to page 074 for details
4 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Paul Sullivan

Bringing
the dead to life

Concept artist Paul Sullivan shares a selection of his

inspirational environment and character concepts and speaks
about his experiences as art director for The Book of Life

The Artist

Paul Sullivan
pencilprimate.com
Interviewed by:
Jess Serjent-Tipping
Paul Sullivan started in the
entertainment industry
as a concept artist in 2003
and since then has had a
wide range of experiences
working at different
companies and within
a variety of design style
aesthetics. Over the past
ten years hes jumped back
and forth between film and
videogame design, mostly
as a visual development
artist and concept artist.
Paul is currently working
on development with
director Jorge Gutierrez,
and freelancing for various
clients in the childrens
book industry.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Bringing the dead to life

Paul Sullivan kickstarted his career in the

entertainment industry as a concept artist in
2003, gaining experience in a variety of design
styles, and over the past ten years has worked
between film and game design. Paul took on the
role of art director for the animated film The Book
of Life in 2009, and is the man behind the great
visualizations that brought the characters to life.
We take a look at a selection of the inspirational
illustrations as Paul gives us an insight into the
experiences behind the The Book of Life...

Xibalba final character design painting, The Book of Life digital paint, Jorge Gutierrez
character design, Paul Sullivan

2dartist: Hi Paul, thank you for chatting with

2dartist! Can you firstly tell our readers a bit about
yourself and your journey into the industry?
Paul Sullivan: Hi! Thank you for the opportunity to
be featured in your publication! My journey into the
entertainment industry has been paved with bumpy
roads and highs and lows. I have always had the
attitude that anything worth doing is usually not easy
and my career path has been no exception. It all boils
down to passion and determination. I have always
been a hard worker and kind of a perfectionist. I put
this pressure on myself and always have.
So I believe my career path actually started a long
time ago, with my mother (who is also an artist)
always encouraging me to follow my heart and love
of drawing. She enrolled me in art classes at a very
young age and always encouraged and supported
my love for art by providing me with the necessary
tools and encouragement I needed to continue
falling in love with drawing and painting.
Visual Development of Afro perfect slice
concept traditional pencil and ink,
Paul Sullivan

2DARTISTMAG.COM

I have had struggles with a lack of passion or

confidence over the years and have many others to
thank for restoring that at different stages in my life.
Usually they didnt even know that they helped me,
they were also just finding their way and following
what they loved. In high school I met Jordan
Kotzebue and his amazing family of incredible artists.
They were an example of people who came into my
life at just the right time. They reignited my love for
art and design and inspired me to keep going.

2da: How did you develop the style you are

recognizable for today?
PS: I think style is just a collection of things you
like mixed with things you inherently do. There are
certain artists or types of art that I favor, and I have
my own way of interpreting and more specifically my
own way of making marks. If you practice over and
over, you eventually start to develop certain aesthetic
tendencies whether youre conscious of them or

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Character design sheet of a moat monster traditional hand-drawn and digital paint, Paul Sullivan

Concept art sketches and final digital paint traditional sketches and digital paint, Paul Sullivan

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Bringing the dead to life

Frankenstein made of different animals digital paint, Paul Sullivan

not. I think this is how you land on a personal style;

influence mixed with personal taste and practice.
My influences are all over the place. Growing up, I
loved comics and the art is usually what sold me
on which book to buy. So early on I was influenced
by comic artists. Later in art school I studied more
about different historical art periods. I loved the
renaissance artists and the baroque artists. These
two things led me to the intensive study of anatomy
and figurative art. I used this study as a foundation
for learning about other styles and dissecting what
makes them unique. After embarking on my career I
was influenced by my industry and co-workers. I had
more exposure to great designers and craftsmen and
this also influenced me a great deal.
2da: Which artists do you admire and how did they
influence your work? And what keeps you motivated
to work?
PS: Like I previously stated, in part, my influences
helped shape my style. They have a wide range from
2DARTISTMAG.COM

different times in my life. Some of my favorite comic

artists are Mike Mignola, Travis Charest, Frank Miller,
Chris Claremont, Art Adams, Frank Cho, Mark Schultz,
to name a few. I have always been intrigued by the
works of Leonardo and Michelangelo, Carravaggio,
Klimt, and Schiele. Also, illustrators such as Norman
Rockwell, Howard Pyle, Harvey Dunn, NC Wyeth, and
Dr. Seuss.
Current industry people that I love are Jorge
Gutierrez, Tim Lamb, Alexandre Puvilland, Paul Felix,
Paul Lasaine, Nico Marlet, and Nate Fowkes, among
many others.
My motivation for art has always been there, I love
it. I live a life dedicated to study and growth, it is
what motivates me. I am motivated by learning
and growing. There is always something to work on
with my own skill set. And there is always someone
else out there that is better at something than me,
so I draw inspiration from those people and work
on myself. But a big theme in my artistic growth
has always been variety. Whether its being inspired

by a different artist or even switching to a different

medium or analyzing a new style. It keeps things
fresh and the journey new.

PRO TIP
Adapt your process

Two things that are constant in

filmmaking and creating art for
entertainment 1) making changes
and 2) delivering on schedule. Work
on different processes that will allow
you to deliver your work on schedule
that gets to the heart of the matter
whether you have 5 days or 5 minutes.
Always focusing on the big picture is
important, and if your process allows
for your supervisor to ask for changes
along the way without messing you up,
it will be easier on both of you.

Lighting key for The Book of Life. Mary Beth explaining the Book of Life to Sasha in the first sequence digital paint, Paul Sullivan

Lighting key of the Sanchez family standing together with Manolo after he wins the bullfight for his life digital paint, Paul Sullivan

One of seven early development paintings that established the look of The Book of Life digital paint, Paul Sullivan layout, Simon Varela

PRO TIPS
Always focus on the
big picture

When designing, force yourself to

block in your shapes and foundation
elements before jumping into the
details. This keeps your composition
and design strong for your image to
look harmonious, and has the specific
elements fit together better. It will be
easier on both of you.

Stay loose!

I always remind myself to stay loose

while drawing and painting. If your
drawing or painting is laboriously done,
its laborious to look at. If you put your
own energy and confidence into your
work, people will respond with the
same energy. If you have no energy or
confidence, it is usually apparent in the
final product and falls flat.

Early development style frame for The Book of Life. One of seven original pieces that helped sell the look of the film digital paint, Paul Sullivan

Artist Timeline Pauls career so far

2003: BFA in Illustration emphasis in animation.
Studied under Larry Kresek at RMCAD in Denver, CO

2006: Concept artist at Crystal Dynamics Tomb

Raider Anniversary, Tomb Raider Underworld

2002: Lead designer with Alexandre Philippe for

Chick Flick: The Miracle Mike Story

2007: Concept artist at Namco Bandai Games

Afro Samurai

2003: First concept artist job with Activision Iron

Man and X-Men. Moved to San Francisco CA.

2008: Visual development artist at DreamWorks

Animation Megamind

2009: Art lead at Sony Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

2009-2014: Reel FX art director/ production designer
on The Book of Life
2013: Co-wrote The Art of The Book of Life
2014: The Book of Life hits theaters

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

2da: What is your creative process like? Could you

choose one of your favorite past images (that youve
created) and explain a little about its creation, and
why its your favorite?

to always step back during the process and force

myself to think about the bigger picture, analyzing
why I am making the decisions I am and what should
be my priorities.

PS: My creative process has been to start focusing

on shapes and design, then reference images to help
make those designs more solid and believable. I try

I feel this keeps the design and foundation strong

before getting into the details. Details are fun but if
the idea isnt there, details are worthless.

So for example, for the Land of the Remembered

painting, I started with a series of small thumbnails
showing the shapes I strongly wanted to be a theme
in the design of the land. In this case, circles and
spheres, skulls and hearts. So I designed the base
of the composition with those shapes in mind, and
then I referenced a lot of different elements that I
wanted to include in the piece.
13

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Bringing the dead to life

Final establishing environment design for the Land of the Remembered digital paint, Paul Sullivan

Early development concept painting of the Land of the Remembered digital paint, Paul Sullivan layout, Simon Varela

I justified my design with a story; in this case drawing

upon the history of modern day Mexican culture and
folk art.
The Mayan culture was conquered by the Spanish
and they built religious structures in place of Mayan
places of worship. So I used Mayan temples as the
2DARTISTMAG.COM

bases mostly, and added Spanish colonial elements

on top of these structures, inspired by that history.
I included the heart and skull iconography in the
windows and doorways, wrought iron and sugar
skulls or Calaveras. Once I got the design in a place
I was happy with, I did the same with the painting,
starting with broad strokes and color ideas based on

Mexican folk art, lots of complimentary colors and

contrast. Once I had a strong base, I worked on the
details later.
2da: Do you have any favorite software, tools and
techniques that you use to create your artwork? Any
that you would recommend to our readers?

Close up street concept for the Land of the Remembered digital paint, Paul Sullivan

This image was used as a Color Key and

environment design for La Muertes
2DARTIST
| Bringing
dead
castle
in The MAGAZINE
Book of Life.
In the the
end,
weto life
also ended up using it for matte painting
purposes as well, and projected most of
what you see onto simple models in the
final shot of the film

I intentionally incorporated
hearts, skulls and flower shapes
into this design, which was our
main iconography of the film

It also needed to look

and feel like La Muerte
and utilize all the design
language we had already
established for her and the
Land of the Remembered

PS: I use both traditional and digital mediums. As

much as I primarily use Photoshop and ArtRage, I still
love drawing as much as possible with pencil and
paper, brush pen and charcoal.

told me he had a fun project he just started on with

director Jorge Gutierrez; Simon was doing some
drawing for a pitch and they needed someone who
could paint and do first look imagery for the pitch.

A charcoal technique that I love is to cover the whole

paper with a light wash of charcoal and pull out
shapes with an eraser. Then I go back and, using a
pencil, I draw back into the shapes. This gives me a
strong foundation of value separation before I begin
adding detail.

After making the introduction, I started working with

the director and did a series of paintings (around
eight or nine) and this is what we used to pitch the
film to executive producer Guillermo Del Toro. He
would later become our partner in the production,
21st Century Fox.

2da: You have spent the past five years working on

the incredibly detailed animated film, The Book of
Life. Can tell us a bit about that journey and what you
experienced along the way?

At the time the team consisted of just the five of us,

Jorge and Sandra (Jorges wife) Brad (producer) and
Simon and myself. Simon and I were at the helm of
art department and creating the look of the film. We
hired our art team together and led them to create
all of the assets in the film, supervising and creating
along the way.

PS: My journey working on The Book of Life began

when my friend Simon Varela called me up and
2DARTISTMAG.COM

A big part of my job was to create the color script

and find the broad strokes that would later be the
foundation for our lighting and color, and telling
the story with color and mood. Half way through
production I ended up assuming both leadership
roles on the art side, production design and art
direction. I took the look of the film the rest of
the way throughout our final lighting and color
correcting, then later, helped to promote and discuss
our journey at various press events and interviews.
2da: What was a typical day like in the studio? How
did the process go for generating ideas for The Book
of Life?
PS: A typical day for me would start at 8:30-9am and
end anywhere from 8pm-12am. During the first 6-8
hours it was so packed with meetings, presentations,
giving feedback, doing draw and paint overs, and

I started this piece by

traditionally sketching the
castle design which needed
to represent the heart of
the Land of the Remembered
and be reminiscent of the
Mexican Tree of Life

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

I also took influences from

Gustav Klimpts Tree of Life
and Antoni Gaudis La Sagrada
Familia, which you can see in
what I like to call the organized
chaos of La Muertes world

This started as a small traditional

sketch of just the castle, which
I then blew up and fleshed out.
Then I brought it into Photoshop
where I digitally painted it along
with the rest of the environment,
but made sure the focal point
stayed on the castle as this was
going to be the first reveal of La
Muertes palace

running from one room to another, I sometimes

didnt get the chance to even use the bathroom.
The last hour of the day I used to catch up on notes
and feedback and doing my art for the show once
most people have gone home for the day. I lead
by example, and wouldnt expect anyone to do
something that I cant show myself. It really helps me
get a better idea of how to have answers to specific
questions by at least doing one myself. I would set
the bar and use that as something to point to and
have discussions about for the rest of the team. They
would take it from there and make it better!
2da: How do you spend your free time away from
the demands and deadlines of the creative industry?
PS: I love film, its a great way to relax and escape
from the stress of life. I watch a lot of movies and

television series. I also love to support my industry,

and all of the people who work so hard to entertain
the world. I also exercise to reduce stress and stay
healthy mentally and physically; jogging, rock
climbing and practicing martial arts.
Another thing I love to do is sketch! But for myself
which means I can draw and paint whatever I want
and not have to adhere to anything specific like I do
with work.
2da: If you could give emerging and aspiring artists
one piece of advice on working in the industry, what
would it be?
PS: 1. Work hard on yourself always. 2. Dont ever
feel entitled to anything, if you arent getting the type
of work that you want to do, refer to step 1 and you
will eventually get there. Be easy to work with; try

to re-frame your personal attachment to your work

when you get feedback from anyone to look at it as
a gift they are giving you to help you make your art
better. Have a good positive attitude always and
people will want to work with you. Sometimes thats
the thing that puts you over the edge or becomes a
deal breaker.
2da: Finally, what can we expect to see from you in
the future?
PS: I am hoping to develop my own content while
continuing to work on high profile films and possibly
games. I am currently developing my own IP and
production designing and character designing in
animation. I would hope to eventually work on live
action films in some capacity just because I love the
medium. But we shall see what the future holds. I can
only work on myself and keep trying to succeed.
17

Xibalba final character

design painting, The Book
of Life digital paint, Jorge
Gutierrez character design,
Paul Sullivan

THE BOOK
OF LIFE IS
RELEASED ON
BLU-RAY, DVD AND
DIGITAL HD 16TH
FEBRUARY

The Artist

Paul J. Sullivan
pencilprimate.com
THE BOOK OF LIFE 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Reel FX Productions II,
LLC. All rights reserved. Not for sale or duplication.

REE
F
S
U
L
P
VIDEO
NG!
TRAINI

Subscribe today
and receive 4 free issues!
A great source of inspiration and tips on how to improve your skills
and speed up your painting process. Besides very detailed step-by-step
tutorials, 2dartist magazine will also ensure there are a large variety of
topics covered as well.
- Blaz Porenta, illustrator

SAVE 30% SIMPLE, EASY PAYMENT

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE 12 ISSUES PER YEAR!
Click here for more information and to read the Terms and Conditions

The Artist

Marco Mazzoni

marcomazzoni.tumblr.com
Materials Used:
Traditional tools
Marco Mazzoni was born in
1982 in Tortona, Italy, and is
currently based in Milan.

T R A D I T I O N A L

S P O T L I G H T

Mastering colored
pencils

Discover the inspiration and techniques behind artist, Marco Mazzonis

stunning colored pencil rendering of female faces masked by flowers and
small creatures

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Mastering colored pencils

Artist Marco Mazzoni is based in Milan, Italy

where he works from his studio creating
amazingly detailed color pencil drawings.
A major part of his work is defined by his
beautifully rendered female faces; framed by
birds, butterflies and flowers. His masterful
renders are fueled by an interest in Italian
fairy tales, mythology and the extraordinary
women of history.
Its amazing what Marco can achieve simply
with colored pencils!
2dartist: Hello! Thanks for talking to 2dartist.
First off, could you introduce yourself with a bit
about your background and projects?
Marco Mazzoni: I started to draw when I was a
child with the paper in my fathers office. When I
was 20, I moved to Milan and after 4 years at the
Brera Academy, I focused myself to learn to draw
with pencils.
After a trip in Sardinia where I met with my aunt,
I began to understand the importance of human

TITLE: Aquarium II
MEDIUM: Colored pencils and ink
on moleskine paper
2DARTISTMAG.COM
DIMENSIONS: 21 x 26 cm

I try to create a circle where

the three subjects are on the
same plane/level, like a still
life
history. So I started studying all the stories about
extraordinary women who through their expertise
on plants, took care of entire countries. Then the
world decided that they were witches and this
has deleted the real matriarchal culture.
2da: What does your process involve when
working with colored pencils? And what is it
about the medium that has made you work
exclusively with it?
MM: I have always worked with colored pencils
and paper. My problem is that I have never been
able to use liquid colors, like oil or tempera.
During the years at Brera professors hated me for
this. This led me to concentrate on the pencils.
I realized that they were considered poor, but
when used with the painting techniques they can
give extraordinary results.

I started to study the chiaroscuro technique of

Caravaggios paintings and tried to apply it to
my pencil work. All my work is based on the Veil
technique beginning with the black-and-white
(and brown) and then getting to the color glazes.
2da: Can you tell us a bit about your chosen
subject matter and where you draw your
inspiration from?
MM: Im working on two different cycles: one
with moleskine paper, where I try to revive some
moments of real life or characters that happen to
strike me, through the use of animals as subject;
the other where I try to depict the so-called
mystical: the woman and her harmony with
plants and animals.
The animals in the images are always those that
carry pollen (butterflies and hummingbirds),
because I try to create a circle where the three
subjects are on the same plane/level, like a still
life, in an attempt to create a perfect harmonious
scheme where you take from nature without any
kind of violence.

TITLE: Here Comes The Pain

MEDIUM: Colored pencils on paper
DIMENSIONS: 30 x 21 cm

TITLE: Dysphonia
MEDIUM: Colored pencils on paper
DIMENSIONS: 30 x 45 cm

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Mastering colored pencils

TITLE: Atropine
MEDIUM: Colored pencils on paper
DIMENSIONS: 30 x 30 cm

My future plan is to try to

create a picture book with a
fairy tale written by a friend
of mine. It will be interesting
to try to draw something new
with a story behind it...

watching too many TV series (Im a TV series

maniac, I need to know what are the newest and I
must see them) and listening to too much music.

2da: How do you like to spend your time when

you arent creating beautiful art?

My work has allowed me to interact with some

of the heroes from my teenage years, such as
Jessicka Addams of Jack Off Jill and Scarling.
Near my studio there is a fantastic music bar
where I go every Saturday night with my girlfriend
Marta and my friend Diego.

MM: When I dont draw I spend a lot of time with

my dog, running in Milan, trying to cook drinking
too much beer or wine, reading a lot of books,

2da: Finally, what are your big aspirations and

inspirations? And what can we expect to see from
you in the future?

2DARTISTMAG.COM

MM: My biggest aspiration would be to be able to

live off my work as much as possible, and get to
know as many interesting people as possible... if
one day, for instance, I got to meet Kat Bjelland
(the singer of Babes in Toyland) in person, I could
die happy.
My future plan is to try to create a picture book
with a fairy tale written by a friend of mine. It will
be interesting to try to draw something new with
a story behind it...
Thank you very much for taking the time to
speak to 2dartist!

TITLE: The Junkies

MEDIUM: Colored pencils and
ink on moleskine paper
DIMENSIONS: 30 x 30 cm

TITLE: Danse Macabre

MEDIUM: Colored pencils and
ink on moleskine paper
DIMENSIONS: 14 x 18 cm

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Mastering colored pencils

2DARTISTMAG.COM

TITLE: Martyr
MEDIUM: Colored pencils on paper
DIMENSIONS: 50 x 40 cm

TITLE: Malalingua
MEDIUM: Colored pencils on paper
DIMENSIONS: 60 x 40 cm

l
l
a
h
s
r
a
M
x
Max

xx
ook, Ma d
b
h
c
t
e
k
tions an
onths s
In this m ares his inspira ok into
lo
sh
Marshall s, and we take a , ink and
ue
ncil
techniq
ley of pe
d
e
m
ic
ct
his ecle ations
cre
r
marke

The Artist

Maxx Marshall

maxxmarshall.tumblr.com
Maxx Marshall is a 2D/3D
artist making videogame
art at Fun Bits Interactive.
Maxx also freelances for
comics, trading cards,
marketing adverts,
illustration and other
random stuff.

Sketchbook of Maxx Marshall

Take a look inside Maxx
Marshalls sketchbook of
characters and creatures...
I am a 2D/3D artist and animator originally
from Detroit, but my art has lovingly taken me
to many of the places Ive dreamed of going.
Ive worked in Japan, England, California
and am currently in Seattle. Ive done art and
concept for games like Little Big Planet 3, God
of War PSP, Daxter, World of Warcraft, Okami,
and many others.

I draw constantly. I draw on the bus, at the

bus stop, at family functions, bars, pubs,
coffeehouses, and so on. My sketchbook
is filled with things that Ive liked over the
years. The thoughts and ideas are inspired by
random people, places and things Ive seen in
my travels.

32

2dartistmag.com

Inspiration and ideas

I am inspired by the people and places I see. Be
it a concepting job in Akihabara or a calming
vacation in Edinburgh with my family, I am always
on the lookout for new and interesting ideas. Im
a self-taught artist who grew up on comics, roleplaying games and videogames; these helped me
focus in on the type of artwork I wanted to make.
I like to sit back with markers, pen and pencil and
just sketch out random ideas.
Materials
I usually sketch on thick, almost Bristol paper and
I prefer very bright paper. I have 15 or so clear
plastic clipboards that I place my paper in as well
as a piece of Bristol card to stop markers from
bleeding through. Other than holding my paper
straight and tidy, the clipboard seconds as a
lightbox for when I want to iterate on an idea.

I have lead holders with 3H and HB leads for

pencil work. I use a mixture of Prismacolor and
Copic markers to add color to my ideas. When
inking, I always use Sakura Micron pens because
I like how they feel on the page. I like markers
because they are fast and an amazing production
artist tool, but Ive been getting into watercolor
more and more.
Sketching techniques
When starting an idea, I usually see an iconic
shape in my head that is based on the person
on the bus or character. That shape is quickly
and lightly drawn with the 4H. If Ive decided to

2dartist magazine | issue 110

use markers, Ill color at this stage with only the
lightest pencils so that there is no smearing or
smudging. If Im not adding color I then erase any
and all construction lines and start in with the HB
leads. Ill use the HB to find lines I want and lines
I dont. I will then go in with the pen and ink the
whole thing.

I like fun kinetic action. This was drawn

to capture a fast paced moment in
time. It started a series of schoolgirls vs.
monsters illustrations.
I like the thought of the orcs wearing
mismatched armor pieces, as it adds to
their chaotic nature.

33

Sketchbook of Maxx Marshall

I was thinking that a great game
environment section in a zombieapocalypse city would be a squatters tent
area. He and his friends would shamble out
and try to eat your brains... I have an actual
irrational fear of zombies... really...
My buddy Tom Burns and I are always
coming up with fun game and comic
concepts. This one was a story about a
baby troll king.

PRO TIP
Ink with conviction

With a good pen or brush, understand that the ink will get to the
page. Your focus during the inking stage is making sure your pressure
and control are on point. I was letting my daughter use one of my
pens a while back and she bent the tip from using so much pressure.
A good friend of mine later used a pen of mine during a drawing
session and bent the tip as well. A light touch will still get the ink to
the page; pressure aids in line weights, but excessive force can make
your pen bleed or worse.

34

2dartistmag.com

2dartist magazine | issue 110

35

While taking the bus to work in Sheffield,

I would draw the people around me as
zombies and creatures. One afternoon,
I was greeted by a bus full of kids who
pushed through one by one to look and
comment on these guys.
After some concept on God of War PSP, I
started learning about Native American
mythology. This guys legs were the basis
for the four seasons. In my head the player
finds him dead and the feet protect his
dead body in a boss battle.
I grew up on the Terry Jones and Brian
Froud Pressed Fairy Books. I never turn
down a chance to sketch tiny fairy folk. I
like the offset of this ones arms. It gives
him character and describes his species
a bit more by stating, Theyre a wonky
looking lot.

36

2dartistmag.com

2dartist magazine | issue 110

37

Sketchbook of Maxx Marshall

38

2dartistmag.com

2dartist magazine | issue 110

Fairy folk are beautiful but insanely creepy

to me. I love the thought of their societies,
but I am frightened by what they may look
like. Living just off the Peak District, I kept
hoping to see a few.
Anti-Grav pigtails. I like to pencil, go in
with my markers (Prismacolor in this case)
then toss in some inks. I usually choose
3-4 shades of cool gray markers for things
like this.

39

This guy was based on a biker in Irvine

California. He was sitting by us and his
outfit was so retro, that I just kept adding
and adding until he was what he is. As a
game character, I assume hes a sniper.
As an old-school pen-and-paper RPG
player, I always imagine wizards with these
giant tomes that housed their greatest
spells. I wanted this wizard to use his as a
shield. Hes battling big scary things with
his book companion.
When penciling something like this, I will
toss on my favorite music, and get lost in
the details. Every line, circle and crease
sketched translates to something as I set
out to color these guys.

2dartist magazine | issue 110

PRO TIPS
Teach and learn

While playing a game of Street

Fighter, an amazingly talented
fighter told me that he feels
part of his job is to bring more
people into the fighting game
community. I tend to see the
artistic community the same
way. I also feel that teaching
and learning from each other
is extremely beneficial to the
community as a whole. I was
recently discussing nail polish
with a make-up artist who gave
me a few great ideas based on
how she applies the coats of
polish and the overall effect.

All art is valid

Ive worked with many amazing

artists in the past people who
have made me want to pack up
my pens and shuffle off to flip
burgers. As time has passed, I
understand that my personal
loves and happy-button-pushing
imagery isnt for everyone. I
can talk for days with zombie
enthusiasts, but when at home
with my daughters respect the
artists on their favorite cartoons.
Our community is a creative
one; we wont all like the same
things. When it comes to art and
design, Beauty is in the eye of
the beholder still rings true. As
creators we need to remember
that intolerance towards certain
genres of artistic expression
doesnt help our community.
Embrace your fellow artists... or I
will send the Zerg after you!

41

Sketchbook of Maxx Marshall

Years ago my sister left her markers in

my care. Until five-six years ago I did all
my game concepts in grayscale. Since
opening her old markers and adding
color to everything, I feel I have grown
as an artist and production artist.
At the beginning of my time on the
Little Big Planet franchise, I used thick
charcoal pencils for my concept pieces.
I love the tight, tiny little fiddly detail
lines, but theres something to be said
sometimes for letting the eye do the
work for an artist.
Markers, markers, markers. Markers
with pencils, markers with black pens,
markers with charcoal, markers with
brown pens. I like to test what things
will look like. I recently bought pencil
leads from the Czech Republic because
I couldnt find them anywhere else.
Testing, learning and subsequently
showing my work equals bliss.

42

2dartistmag.com

Prismacolor people from buses, coffee houses,

vacations and more. As I get faster and faster with
markers and sketching I can capture the things I am
attracted to in random folks and keep these things near when I
need to make my next comic or game character.
Inks. I personally pull lines. Meaning, when inking, I start my hand/lines farther
away from me, and pull the pen towards me. I find that pushing for me tends to
create wobbly lines. In the end its your choice what feels best for you and gets you
the results you want.

Would you like to see your sketches

featured in 2dartist magazine?
Were 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 Jess at
jess@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!

 2014 NewTek, Inc. LightWave is a trademark of NewTek. All rights reserved. All other marks are the property of their respective holders.

Image - Lorenzo Zitta

Download the free trial at www.lightwave3d.com

Italian digital artist Lorenzo Zitta knows how to create thought provoking still
images with LightWave 11.6. Whether the still is computer-generated with
LightWave, an artful arrangement of digital photos, or a combination of the two,
the composition of the scene with its attention to detail and unusual merging of
objects demands a closer look.
Thanks to LightWave, I can quickly test many different approaches for my projects.
I love bringing models into Layout and switching on Radiosity, then start working
on shading and lighting, bringing in more elements, and testing and improvising
to get the look I want. - Lorenzo Zitta.

By artists for artists.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

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

Crystal Sarcophagus
G-host Lee
Software used: Photoshop
Web: g-host-lee.artstation.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

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

Child of Emptiness Advanced

Cristina Lavina
Year created: 2013
Web: cargocollective.com/cristinalavina
Done in Opus Artz Ltd. for Applibot, Inc./
Legend of the Cryptids

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Te Honunui
Dane Madgwick
Year created: 2014
Web: danemadgwick.com

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

2DARTISTMAG.COM

Little story
Kolobaev Mark
Year created: 2015
mous.squarespace.com
Mousart

53

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

The Outpost
Eytan Zana
Year created: 2015
Web: zanabrush.com
Eytan Zana

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

55

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Deep
Sylvain 'Tohad' Sarrailh
Year created: 2014
Web: tohad.artstation.com

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Tomcat series
Piotr Jablonski
Year created: 2014
Web: behance.net/nicponim

57

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Welcome to Neo-Amsterdam
Wouter Gort
Web: woutergort.blogspot.com
Wouter Gort

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

59

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | The Gallery

Tomcat series
Piotr Jablonski
Year created: 2014
Web: behance.net/nicponim

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Golden golem
Francisco Badilla
Year created: 2014
Web: badillafloyd.deviantart.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM

The Artist

Matt Tkocz

mattmatters.com
Software Used:
Photoshop
Born and raised in Poland
and Germany respectively,
Matt moved to California
to study Entertainment
Design at Art Center College
of Design in 2008. After
graduating in 2012, he went
on to work in the film, game
and theme park industry as
well as dabble in teaching at
various institutions.

Design vehicle concepts

Discover Matt Tkoczs creative workflow for designing and rendering a cool futuristic dune
buggy. Matt covers techniques and top tips for creating thumbnails, using photos and
presenting your concept

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Design vehicle concepts

Learn how to design and

render cool vehicles...
The brief for this tutorial was to share my
process when designing and rendering a
futuristic dune buggy in Photoshop. Like with
most of my design work, I like to separate the
process into two phases which should (for the
most part) not overlap:
1. Content
2. Presentation
When I speak of content I usually refer to
the actual design of the object/subject I am
developing. By presentation I mean painting,
rendering, 3D modeling anything to make
the picture pretty to help sell my content.
The reason for this separation is that I am
a sucker for pretty pictures and always get
carried away with rendering before nailing a
decent design first. Whenever Im developing
a design, I intentionally limit my tools and
perspective choices to the bare minimum to
not get distracted by cool reflections, fancy
angles, bounce lights and so on.
There are many artists and designers out
there who have the ability to work on both
simultaneously. They can produce a gorgeous
painting while at the same time generating
a strong design. However, Im not one of these
people, so I prefer to keep the process as neat
and organized as possible so I dont stumble
along the way.

something more original than I would just using

Google; because if everyone always referenced
the same images, the designs would end up
looking the same.

01

02

Thumbnailing: Almost always, my

first step is line sketching. It is a very
old fashioned way of approaching a design but
to me, drawing is still the most intuitive way of
communicating thoughts rapidly. When I do these
kinds of scribbles, I think of them more as notes
rather than drawings because their purpose is to
put down thoughts not to look pretty.
Another thing that I do in this step of course is
to look for reference images. The images I look for
can range from functional details like suspensions
or pistons, to more literal references of real world
examples of existing dune buggy designs. I always
try to find the obscurest possible sources for my
reference images in an attempt to stumble on to

If everyone always
referenced the same images,
the designs would end up
looking the same

2DARTISTMAG.COM

Design: When I feel like I cant come

up with any more sketches, I pick my
favorite few thumbnails and try to squeeze every
last bit of potential out of them by warping,
tweaking, stretching, combining them and so
forth. I try to make sure that I dont overlook
something valuable.
When judging a design I usually consider four
categories (in the order of importance):
1. Appropriateness
2. Believability
3. Aesthetics
4. Originality
Appropriateness is about context. Does it
serve the story? Is it appropriate for the target
demographic? Does the style match the rest of
the intellectual property? To me, this is the most
important need a design has to fulfill.

Believability essentially means functionality. Is

the designs realism convincing in the context of
the story? Does it look familiar enough so that
the audience will understand and accept it in the
context of the IP?
Aesthetics deals with how pleasing the design is
to the eye. Are the proportions, stance, silhouette
and composition attractive? Does it look badass
and fun?
Originality is for my money the least important
need a design has to serve. If the design is iconic
and unique thats great; as long as it doesnt
sacrifice points from the other three criteria.
And of course there are special circumstances
and exceptions, so feel free to take these notes
with a grain of salt.

Leave no stone unturned when figuring

out a design
This is the thumbnail that best serves
the needs of the design brief

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

67

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Design vehicle concepts

03

Environment: I compose a rough

placeholder environment from
photographs a friend of mine sent me from Chile.
The reason I start introducing an environment
at this early stage is that seeing the vehicle in
a context will hopefully inspire me with further
design decisions.
I very rarely present designs isolated against a
neutral background, because seeing something in
its natural habitat is an easy way to double check
whether or not it fulfills the design brief at first
glance, and a good way to sell your client on the
design as only few can resist the charm of a full
color illustration.

04

Block in: Here I begin to block in the big

shapes of the vehicle to get a better feel
for its proportions. I do this on a layer between
2DARTISTMAG.COM

PRO TIP
Double check values

Many designers and artists prefer to figure

out the values of their designs and paintings
before they jump into color. That approach
never quite worked for me as I have trouble
finding colors that match the previously
chosen value.
Instead I keep a grayscale adjustment layer
on the very top of my image so I can quickly
double check my value structure. Every once
in a while I just enable this layer to be able
to judge my values more easily. If I spot issue
areas, I disable the grayscale layer and deal
with the problem in color.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

the background and sketch layer. Looking at

it as solid shapes helps me judge the vehicles
proportions and visual weight easier. I dont worry
about the three-dimensional volumes of the
buggy as much as the two-dimensional graphic
read at this point. I can always figure out the final
shape later.
The other day I was at the Singapore airport
and saw those little golf cart-like buggies driving
around the terminal. When I saw their puffy little
wheels I thought those could look great on my
dune buggy. So I took a quick photo and dropped
them in my piece. I select the wheel in the photo
using the Polygonal Lasso tool and copy-andpaste it onto my image (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V), then
you can use Edit > Free Transform to scale and
skew to fit in with the image.

05

Refinement: I merge (Layer > Merge

Down) all the layers of the vehicles body

so I can work on it more intuitively and quickly.

And generally speaking I always try to work
with as few layers as possible to not overwhelm
myself. In this step Im fixing symmetry and
perspective issues, as well as refining the shapes
some more.
This is a tricky step in the design process. While
Im trying to fix some of the design flaws and
perspective issues, I must be careful not to
venture too far from the aspects of the sketch that
got me attracted to it in the first place. So as Im
tweaking the shapes and proportions I always
keep an eye on my original sketch, constantly reevaluating to make sure to maintain the gesture
and energy from the original thumbnail.

Giving the design context in the form of

an environment can inform upcoming
design decisions
Blocking in the big masses of the sketch
instantly helps to judge its proportions
and silhouette
Resisting the overwhelming urge to begin
rendering adds valuable time to the
design process and can save the design
Adding some drama to the environment
can help make the whole illustration
more dynamic and exciting

06

Integration: Im taking a break from

the vehicle design to spend some time
on the environment and its integration with the
vehicle. I push and pull the values of the image
69

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Design vehicle concepts

to increase the scale, depth and clarity of the

vehicles silhouette. You can do this by using the
Adjustment Layers and moving the sliders, or
altering the curves until you reach the desired
effect. Im not very happy with the mood of the
image, and try to push it to something much
more dramatic and less inviting by darkening the
sky and casting a big shadow on the mountains in
the background.
I cast a soft shadow on the foreground to separate
it from the middle ground and further increase
the sense of depth. The buggys cast shadow gets
some attention to make it wrap more realistically
around the rocky ground surface.

07

Volumes: Once Im more or less satisfied

with the two-dimensional graphic read of
the image, I begin to define the volumes. For that
I add a simple clear coat layer to the body of the
vehicle allowing me to sculpt the 3D shapes of
the design. I also changed the color of the vehicle
to red to make the cool tones in the reflections
pop more.
Another way to indicate 3D form change is by
adding highlights. I use them sparingly at this
point as I dont want to render just yet. I only add
subtle highlights to indicate form changes that
cant be indicated with a sky reflection.
Im adding secondary photo details such as
headlights and a driver, painting on top just
enough details to integrate them convincingly
into the illustration.

08

Details and effects: At this point I do

further subdividing and refining of the
big shapes, adding color and value variations as
well as cutlines and more photo details. When
adding cutlines, I constantly remind myself that

2DARTISTMAG.COM

The majority of the

important decisions have
been made at this point so all
thats left in the process is final
details, polishing and making
the illustration pretty
its not lines that I am designing but rather the
shapes of the surfaces by dividing them with the
added cutline.
The majority of the important decisions have
been made at this point so all thats left in the
process is the final details, polishing and making
the illustration pretty.

I also apply a dust layer to the vehicle in order to

ground it in its environment more. Finally I add
some effects like a dirt pass (added with a scatter
brush) and some blur to the lens (Filter > Blur >
Lens Blur).

09

Orthographic views: Whenever

making orthos, I usually start off with
the most descriptive view. In the case of most
land vehicles, that would be the side view. Once
I lock the main shapes in the first view, I project
out the hard points to the top and front view.
From here its usually a lot of going back and forth
between the different views; adjusting, detailing,
transferring, and re-adjusting.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

I dont go out of my way to stay 100% true to the

design I already figured out beforehand if I see
an opportunity for improvement Ill go for it and
adjust the illustration later on. I try to stay flexible
and work organically until the design is complete.

Adding a subtle hint of

reflectivity with clear coat layers
is all it takes to start defining the
three-dimensional volumes of
the dune buggy

Adding detail and areas of high contrast

selectively can help lead the viewers eye
Orthographic views ready to hand over to
a 3D modeler

71

The Artist

Matt Tkocz

mattmatters.com

130

Issue 110 | February 2015

110

pages of
inspiration and
techniques

n
+plus
g
i
s
De e
l
c
i
h
Ve
s
t
ep
Paint fantasy
characters

Improve your color and

composition with a look behind
the process of Emily Chens image

c
n
Co

Mastering
colored pencils
Marco Mazzoni shares
his stunning flora and
fauna renders

10 of the best
digital images
Eytan Zana and Cristina Lavina
feature in this issues gallery
selection of our top 10 images

SAVE 30%!
when you subscribe to

today!

Save a huge 30% the equivalent of

four issues
Hassle free no need to visit
the shop every month
Simple, easy payment options
with PayPal Subscriptions allowing
you to pay with your PayPal account
or credit/debit card
Never miss an issue and no need
to re-subscribe each year
Contemplated signing up for so long. Don't know why I waited
before signing up as this magazine offers an incredible insight
to the world of 2D art. Cant wait for next release.
3dtotal customer

Subscribe online at
www.2dartistmag.com/subscribe
Offers are available worldwide. You will receive 12 issues in a year. Minimum subscription term is 12 months. If at anytime during the first 60 days you are
dissatisfied, you can email us support@3dtotal.com and we will refund you any undelivered issues. The PayPal recurring subscription can be cancelled
at anytime. Prices and offers are subject to change.

Layered PSD files

The Artist

Jessica Rossier
jess-studio.com

Software Used:
Photoshop
Originally from Switzerland,
Jessica Rossier is currently
living in France. She mostly
works for films, videogames,
or advertising companies by
providing high-quality visual
assets, as a concept artist
and matte painter. Since
2008, she has worked with
Bastien Grivet, and in 2013
they launched WARDENLIGHT
studio in Montpellier.

Matte painting
simple set extensions
Learn how to create a set extension matte painting in Photoshop with
this step-by-step tutorial by Jessica Rossier

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Improve your matte painting

skills with these pro tips...
In this step-by-step tutorial, Ill show you
how to create a simple set extension by using
only photographs and basic techniques. You
will learn how to separate the foreground
of an image from the backgrounds sky by
using the channels panel; how to separate
all your elements and clean them up using
different forms of selection tools; importing
and adjusting new elements like the sky and
mountains; how to add depth to your scene by
using the same main image; and finally, how
to blend all your elements in the final result
with little color corrections.
In order to do this tutorial correctly, you
just will need Photoshop (at least from CS6
version) and if possible a Wacom tablet. I have
also supplied two PSD files containing the premasked mountains and of course, the PSD of
the complete scene.

01

Analysis and selection of the main

photo: First, to create a matte painting
I take the main photo where Ill create my
future universe and I analyze the details and
peculiarities of this picture (the perspective of
the buildings, the direction of the light, intensity
of lighting and so on). Then I choose several
elements that will fit into my scene.
From this analysis I will also choose what items Ill
keep or remove.

02

Remove the items: Now, as I know

what I want to do, I start by erasing the
sky from my scene. To do this you have many
options, but for this blue sky I choose to work
directly with the channels.

I duplicate the blue channel

because it is the one that
offers the most contrast
between light and dark

01a: The original main photo

01b: Analysis of the lighting direction
01c:Analysis of perspective elements
01d: Selection of the items to be removed

02a: Selection of the best channel (blue)

02b: G
 et the most contrast by using the
Curves panel

77

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Matte painting simple set extensions

First I duplicate my main layer then I select the

old one and open the Channels panel. I duplicate
the blue channel because it is the one that offers
the most contrast between light and dark. Now I
need to have a maximum contrast between the
sky and the roofs. So I press Ctrl+M to open the
Curves panel and I give as much contrast as I can
by dragging the first point down from the left to
the right.

03

Light and dark: To finalize a perfect

contrast between light and dark, I take
my brush tool (preferably a Hard brush) and I
paint all the bottom of the picture black. Then
I erase all the cables from my scene with white
(just paint over the cables and electricity poles to
make them disappear).
Once this is done I make my selection by pressing
the little circle at the bottom of the panel. I then
go back to the Layers panel (click the main scene
layer) and press the Delete key to erase the sky
and the cables.

04

Isolate the details: Now, I would like to

get back the cables and electricity poles
in the scene. So I start by isolating the cables and
electricity poles.
First, in the Layer panel I select my second layer
(Cables). Then I go back into the Channels panel
and I duplicate the blue channel again. By using
the Lasso tool I select the entire area of cables. I
create a high contrast between the sky and the
cables with the Curves panel (the same action as
before in step 02). Once I have defined the best
contrast, I deselect. Now I mask the roofs and
houses with my white brush tool.
At this point several zones of the sky are too dark.
Using the Dodge tool with a large Soft brush, I
softly paint the parts of the sky that are too dark.
Then I repeat the same action, but this time
with the Burn tool in order to strengthen the
cables. I paint using the appropriate pressure to
strengthen the cables.
Once its done, I press the little circle at the
bottom of the panel and go back to the Layers
panel. I click on the second layer (Cables) and
press delete.

05

Change and cleaning the canvas: Now

I have two layers one with my houses
and roofs without the sky, and another one with
the cables and electricity poles only. At this point I
need to do a first cleaning pass of the scene.
I choose to erase the lens flare effect on the left. In
order to do this I select a similar piece of the roof
2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

03a: Using the brush tool to paint the

white and black zones
03b: Press the little circle to create a
selection on the white zone
03c: The scene without sky and cables
04a: Using the Lasso tool to select the
cables and electricity poles
04b: Painting the roofs and houses white
with the brush tool
04c: Using the Dodge and Burn tool
to separate the cables and
strengthen them
04d: Press the little circle to create a
selection around the cables

79

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Matte painting simple set extensions

and duplicate it. I put my little piece of roof over the lens flare effect and
I adjust the size of it in order to fit perfectly with the rest of the roof. Now I
make that the man on the bike disappear with the Clone Stamp tool.

06

Add the new sky: As I have finished cleaning the scene, I

will now add the new sky. I import the picture named sky.jpg
(downloaded from www.cgtextures.com) and place it below all the
layers. I adjust the position in order to have the sun of the new sky in
the right direction (use the Warp effect on the layer Edit > Transform >
Warp to get a better composition of the sky in the scene).

07

Creating the extension and the depth: So, its time to come
to the main point of our work: the extension of this scene. The
purpose is to add more depth in the street.
First, I erase the end of the street (just after the little red road sign on the
right) to open it up. I use my Polygonal Lasso tool and carefully select
what I need to erase. (Tip: just before you delete go to the menu Select >
Modify > Feather and put 0.5 and press OK it makes a softer cut and it
gives a better transition). Now, I can delete it.
The next thing I do is to merge the layer with the cables (Cables) on the
main layer. I duplicate the main layer (with the houses and roofs) and
resize it so that its smaller and fits with the streets perspective. I then
place this new layer under the main one (Main scene) to have the first
extension of my scene. If necessary move it again in order to fit to the
perspective correctly.

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

I flip the canvas

horizontally to have from
my personal viewpoint a
better composition
The next step is to duplicate this extension layer
and repeat the process to bring more depth to
the street.

08

Add the background: In order to do

a creative matte painting, I import two
mountains to use for the background. I place
them in the background layer (behind my roofs
and house). I resize them and I use the Warp

effect to give them a satisfactory form. The layer

mountain background 2 should be below the
layer mountain background 1 in order to have
a good composition and a good impression of
depth. To finalize the scene, I flip the canvas
horizontally to have from my personal
viewpoint a better composition.

09

Clean and polish: As you have a

composition of different pictures, its
necessary to clean and polish details to have a
professional rendering.

Clean and remove the unwanted items

Using the Warp effect to adjust the sky
07a: Use the Polygonal Lasso tool to
select a part of the street
07b: Create an extension with the
main scene
08a: Import the mountains and
modify them
08b: Flip the canvas to bring a
new viewpoint

81

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Matte painting simple set extensions

First clean all the edges. I hold Ctrl and click into
the thumbnail of the layer (a small square will
appear) and all the elements of the layer are now
selected. I contract my selection then I feather
it. Now I inverse my selection (Shift+Ctrl+I) and
when its done I use my Eraser tool to erase the
dirty edge. I do this everywhere its needed and
I repeat this process for the other houses and
roofs layers.
For the cables (in case they are too light or thin),
I select the layer where they are and press the
little checkerboard (Lock transparent pixels) in
the Layers panel. I then paint on the cables with a
dark Gradient tool at 10%.
To create atmospheric depth between the
two mountains and the street, I put one layer
(ATMOSPHERE 3) above mountain background
2, one layer (ATMOSPHERE 2) above mountain
background 1 and the other layer (ATMOSPHERE
1) above main scene.
I go on the layer ATMOSPHERE 1 and create a
selection from the layer below and paint with the
Gradient tool at 10% using an appropriate color.
Repeat the process for the layers ATMOSPHERE 2
and ATMOSPHERE 3.
After that I distort the sky with the help of the
Warp effect to fit it correctly with the scene.

10

Final Touch: I darken the MAIN SCENE

layer to fit to the global light (keep in
mind that the closer your elements are to the
viewer, the darker the shadows will be).
To improve the ambience of the scene, you can
use several layer effects. The first I will use is a
Color Balance layer effect in order to warm up
the scene it gives us a good sunset ambience.
Then, I use the Curves layer effect, which helps
to darken the scene because we are reaching
the end of the day. So here we are with our final
matte painting with a simple scene extension.

09a: The process to clean the edges of

the elements
09b: Use Lock transparent pixels and the
Gradient tool
09c: Adjust the sky with the Warp effect
10a: Use the Curves panel on the main
scene to fit to the global light
and contrasts
10b: Work with the specific layers
effects: Color Balance and Curves

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

83

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Matte painting simple set extensions

The Artist

Jessica Rossier
jess-studio.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM

The Artist

Meg Owenson
lastsiren.com

Software Used:
Photoshop
Meg Owenson is a freelance
concept artist and illustrator
based in the UK. She is
currently working in the game
and film industry.

Overcome a blank canvas

Meg Owenson demonstrates how to paint a fantasy environment in this step-by-step tutorial
sharing useful tips and tricks to get you from an idea to a fully rendered composition

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Overcome a blank canvas

Create your own fantasy

environment with the
following techniques...
This tutorial aims to show you how I go about
painting a fantasy environment. By showing
you the steps I take, I hope to help you go from
a simple idea to a fully rendered composition.
I want to start by showing you that you dont
need to wait for inspiration or fear a blank
canvas. Instead, this tutorial shows you how
to collect inspiration, reference images and
expand your visual library.
I will then move on to how to mask and work
on sections of your image, and Ill show you
how to create areas of interest that will grab
your viewers attention. Ill demonstrate how
to create uniformity in the painting, and lastly,
Ill finish off by applying some effects and
adjustment layers.
2DARTISTMAG.COM

You dont need to wait for inspiration to strike,

you can make it happen! Start filling you head
with new visuals. For example, look at the
photographs from National Geographic, read
books, look at master artworks, ride the bus or
go for a walk do anything which allows you
to see new things.
If you can go take photos, these will be great
for both visual references and for textures
later on. Then pick maybe three or four
images/inspirations that you like and start
thinking about how you can work them into
a painting. My inspirations were a forest in
China and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in
New Zealand.

01

Just paint! You need to get the ideas

in your head out onto the canvas to see
what works and what needs developing. Keep it
simple Im only using three references for this

piece. This is so it doesnt look too disjointed. I

want a forest, a blue glowing lake and some kind
of ruin which a character could explore. I tend
to work straight in color, but this step works just
as well in black-and-white. It doesnt need to be
neat; this is the time to experiment. Dont worry
about textures or fancy brushes just pick one
brush and start painting.

02

Values: This is an important part of a

painting. A painting can have terrible
colors but so long as the values work the image
will read. The easiest way to see your values is to
place a Hue/Saturation layer above you work and
take the saturation right down to -100.
As objects recede into the distance they will get
lighter and lose contrast. Objects closer to the
foreground have more contrast and are darker in
value. The sky will normally be the lightest part of
your image.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

PRO TIP

Use photo textures

to aid your vision
not dictate it

It is so important to start with a

drawing or rough painting of what
you want to create. Even if you
arent confident in your painting
skills, do it anyway. Firstly it is good
practice and secondly it gives you
something to work towards. It is
a blueprint for your final image.
It doesnt matter if its terribly
painted; it will keep your whole
piece focused and stop you going
off on a tangent when you find that
perfect photo texture of a waterfall
or whatever else seems good at the
time. If its not in your blueprint it
shouldnt go in. Stay focused, when
you are using photo textures dont
let them dictate your scene.

Laying down the first sketch in color

Getting your values reading well is the
most important part of the process

Remember to keep
checking your values
because adding photos to
the image can alter them

89

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Overcome a blank canvas

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

03

Masking: Once Im happy with my

composition, I place a vibrant colored
layer beneath it, and start separating my image
into sections by erasing different parts. You will
need to duplicate your initial composition several
times to get enough layers for everything you
want to mask.
For example, I want the sky on one layer so I
duplicate the image and erase out everything
that isnt sky. The brightly colored layer beneath
allows me to see where Im erasing. I do this with
the entire image and then name the layers.

04

Basic texturing: This is when it is good

to take a lot of photos. If you dont have
a library of you own then you can get photos from
free sites such as www.freetextures.3dtotal.com
and www.cgtextures.com.
Once I have the images I want to use to add
texture and enhance my painting, I import them
into Photoshop and attach them to the correct
layer by holding Alt and clicking between the
layers. I then use the Transform tool to position
them. Using layer styles and lowering the opacity
helps settle them into the painting. Remember
to keep checking your values because adding
photos to the image can alter them.

05

More painting: This is the stage where

you can start refining the image. If you
are struggling with color you can get a lot of
color information from the photo textures. I dont
want the photos to stand out to the viewer, so I
paint over them until I am happy that the piece is
looking uniform.

Remember, the textures should be adding to your

composition not dictating what it contains. Dont
get carried away and lose sight of that initial
composition you painted.

06

Atmosphere: An overused but good

trick to gain atmospheric depth and
drama is to paint in smoke or in my case mist on
the lake. I have all my sections of the painting
separated so I can place mist layers behind and in
front of key objects, such as the huge ruin in the
center. This is crucial in order to keep the ruins
crisp edge. You can paint the mist with a big Soft
brush and by altering the opacity levels. A good
trick is to paint it on a Screen Layer and drop the
opacity to get that eerie glow.

Use a bright colored layer to see where

you are masking out your image
Begin to add photo textures at this stage
Blend the photo textures into your
image by painting over them
Adding in mist or smoke
creates atmosphere
Draw attention to your focal points by
adding more detail

91

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Overcome a blank canvas

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

If you refine only certain

key areas and keep the rest
of the image a little looser,
your eye is automatically
drawn to the areas

07

Refinement: Add a little more texture

or paint just in the focal points. If you
refine only certain key areas and keep the rest of
the image a little looser, your eye is automatically
drawn to the areas containing more refinement.
For this piece I need to place more detail around
the fires and the ruin itself. I also have smaller
areas of detail around my character and the stone
pillar to the left of the lake.

PRO TIP

The Puppet Warp tool

It will give you much more control over your textures. A handy tool when adding textures in
Photoshop is to use the Puppet Warp. By pinning down your image in certain sections you
can bend it carefully over tricky forms. This gives you more control than the Free Transform
or Warp tool. It is especially good when you want to add bark to a tree you painted or adjust
a limb on a character.

08

Flames/lighting: To get the flames to

really pop I got a reference image up on
a second monitor and studied the subtle color
changes from the hottest part at the center to the
flickering edges, and the soft brown colors in the
smoke. Then with a Cloud brush and a super Soft
brush I replicate the flames. I paint the smoke on
a Screen layer. Then using a soft brown/orange
brush on a Color Dodge layer paint the warm
glow along the side of the ruin.

09

Final adjustments: This is when I merge

my image down and start to play around
with some final adjustments. Remember to keep
a saved file that isnt merged just in case you
need to go back to a layer.

At this point the image seems a little light, so I

add a Curves layer over the top and play around
until I am happy with the way it looks.
I also add a little more saturation using the Hue/
Saturation sliders.

Use reference images to achieve

realistic flames
Use image adjustments such as
Curves to add the final touches

93

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Overcome a blank canvas

The Artist

Meg Owenson
lastsiren.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM

LayerPaint allows you to browse the gallery, interviews, news, tutorials and products all dedicated to 2D digital art. On top of that, we have
included a free custom brushes library that is available to everyone.
We wish LayerPaint to be a definitive resource for digital painting, creating a friendly and educational environment that not only helps
budding and experienced CG artists alike, but also showcases some of the best computer generated artwork in the world.

PARTNERED WITH 3DTOTAL.COM

LAYERPAINT.COM

FACEBOOK.COM/LAYERPAINT

TWITTER.COM/LAYER_PAINT

The Artist

Emily Chen

astripedunicorn.com
Software Used:
Photoshop
Emily Chen is a freelance
illustrator and concept
artist in the entertainment
industry. Currently, she
is studying character
animation at the Rhode
Island School of Design.

Paint fantasy
characters

Emily Chen reveals a look behind the process of her image

A Striped Unicorn, sharing her decisions on pose, color and
compositions along the way

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Paint fantasy characters

Discover top techniques for

painting dynamic fantasy
characters in Photoshop...
In this tutorial, I will go through the process
of creating my image, A Striped Unicorn
from start to finish. I will explain how I go
about making decisions for pose, color, and
composition. We will also look at finding
interesting shapes, and designing a cool
border/frame for a painting.
Before I start an image, I always like to think
about the mood/emotional impact that the
piece will have. Often, I do this by creating a
playlist of songs that have a similar sound. For
example, if I am doing an upbeat and happy
painting, I will often listen to country music.
If I want my painting to have lots of energy,
I will listen to electronic/techno remixes.
For this piece in particular, I listened to a
combination of classical and slow vocal music.
Being able to express your idea in every way
possible before you start is really helpful and
will save you a lot of time down the road. So
if music helps you visualize, I suggest you try
it out!
I began this image with the idea of a character
being lifted out of the image by a paintbrush.
Although at first the idea was a bit rough, I
learned a lot in the process of trying to flesh
out the concept. While painting, I ended up
changing my mind quite a bit.
But because this was a personal piece rather
than a commercial project, I was able to have
fun exploring more than usual. It is really
great when an illustration is able to have a life
of its own, even if it is not exactly what was
expected in the beginning. Sometimes it is
best not to fight it but rather work with it to
develop something that is much more magical
and exciting than the initial vision.

2DARTISTMAG.COM

01

Thumbnail: Creating small sketches is

an essential part of good planning. In this
phase it is important to focus on the main shapes
and not get caught up in details. Additionally, it is
best to do them in black-and-white, for the sake
of simplicity. I usually work in my sketchbook
to avoid being able to zoom in and waste time
rendering. The main point of thumbnailing is to

try to get a strong focal point. This stage is all

about good design. Also, make sure you explore
different possibilities I suggest at least three
thumbnails, but the more the better. I once had
a professor that assigned us to do 55 thumbnail
paintings of eggs in a day. Not surprisingly, the
ideas I generated later on were much more
creative and interesting than the first one.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 109

02

Block in values/composition: Once

you have a thumbnail picked out, it is
then time to start figuring out the main values.
For this painting I opted for a light character/
focal point against a dark background. The
dark background allowed me to control where I
wanted the viewer to look by making the points of
interest lighter in value.
In addition, the main light source was coming
from the right, so I wanted to make sure that it
stayed consistent throughout the image, in order
to maintain a sense of weight and structure.
Because I wanted the image to have motion and
dynamism, the composition was not balanced,
and most of the interest shifts towards the right.
Also, I put in a lot of diagonals and avoided static
horizontals to further push the unbalance. And
lastly, to strengthen the focal point even more,
there were many lines that served as arrows to
guide the eye to the important areas of light.

03

Basic pose/gesture: Now that I had the

basic values down, I could start to refine
the pose. A good way to decide on a pose is to
choose something that is expressive and tells a
story. Attending live figure-drawing sessions helps
a lot with this.
For this image I was going for a sense of motion,
so I made sure the pose avoided things that
looked static, such as right angles and parallel
lines. It also helped to find drawing reference
online for anatomy and proportion issues.
I used a Soft airbrush for the skin, and a Hard
Round brush for the edges. I always have my
brush opacity set to 100%. Occasionally, to add
form, I would create a new layer, set it to Overlay,
and paint with a black or white airbrush.

04

Face and expression: In character art

the face will always be the main focal
point of the artwork, so I needed to make sure
that it looked good. The viewer would probably
be spending most of their time in this area, so it
should be one of the most detailed areas.

I made sure I had the main structure and

proportion correct before I started adding the
facial markings and to refine things. I wanted the
expression to be positive and peaceful, so I made
her smiling with her eyes closed.
The perspective of the face was a challenge, and it
took me a couple of tries to get it to look correct,
but eventually I was able to settle for something
that fit in with the rest of the piece. The face was
not completely realistic and was a bit stylized. In
my opinion, stylization is far more exciting than
directly copying the model.

05

Costume: Painting cloth can be a

challenge, but it is a lot easier if you
understand the anatomy underneath the

These are the basic, abstract thumbnails

made for this piece. Emily ended up
going with the fifth option
This is the compositional breakdown
of the piece with many diagonal lines
leading to the focal point
This is the most basic gesture of the
pose. There is not a lot of detail, but
enough information to tell what is going
on in the figure
Here is a close up of the face, achieving
the main structure and perspective
before adding detail

101

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Paint fantasy characters

clothing. At the end of the day, its all about

understanding form and light. It also helps to
research the different kinds of folds and what kind
of form (cylindrical, flat, and so on) causes them.
Once the main structure and values were blocked
in, it was time for detail and refinement.
Detailing the costume had a lot to do with fashion
design and good research. In this particular case,
I drew from wedding dress designs via Google
images. However, I did not want the dress to be
too distracting from the face, so I darkened parts
to blend in with the background. I planned to
paint flowing ribbons to add more dynamic lines
later, in order to help guide the viewers eye to the
focal point.

06

Atmosphere and background: I started

to add dust and grunge to the bottom
and left areas of the image using a Cloud brush.
This created a sense of depth. I also decided to
add some small brushstrokes to lightly suggest
snow in the background.
However, I made the snow directional for
compositional reasons. This was a much better
alternative to just having a black background,
because it added space and made the entire
thing look more three-dimensional. To add more
atmosphere, I made the hair, ribbons and part of
the costume fade into the background dust. Also,
I blurred part of the extreme foreground for depth.
As a final touch, I brightened the areas of dust
that I felt were most important.

07

Color corrections: For final color

corrections, I like to merge all my layers
and go to Image > Adjustments > Color Balance.
From there, I shift the Highlights and Midtones to
the Cyan/Green/Blue side, and shift the Shadows
opposite. Another option is to use the Hue/
Saturation window for adjustments, but the
changes are not as detailed.
You can also create a color adjustment layer
and paint over the image like you are applying
a wash. This allows you to directly change the
colors without affecting the values. Or, if you
have a reference image with an interesting color
combination, you can try applying a color match
to your image by going to Image > Adjustments >
Match Color.
However, there are countless ways out there to
play with colors in Photoshop, and I suggest you
experiment and find what works best for you.
Some artists are even able to paint their original
image in black-and-white, and then slowly add
color via these adjustments!

2DARTISTMAG.COM

PRO TIP
Practice traditional art

Traditional art can really help you speed up the process of learning fundamentals. For
example, with digital painting, there is no need for color mixing. Every color you could ever
want or need is right there on the color slider. And wrong colors are easily fixable with hue/
saturation adjustments. However, this prevents you from learning the theory behind colors.
Taking the time to physically mix color gradients is a valuable exercise, and one of the
many benefits of practicing traditional art.
Another valuable aspect of traditional art is its lack of an undo button. As digital artists, it
is so easy to not think before we paint because nothing is really permanent. So, working
traditionally forces us to think about every brushstroke we make. It allows us to be more
aware of our decision making. Coincidentally, this also works the other way around
traditional artists can use digital as a way to loosen up and not worry as much. In the end,
it is all about finding the right balance.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 109

In my opinion, stylization is
far more exciting than directly
copying the model

08

Final details: The detailing part of the

process is probably the slowest part of
the image. It is very time consuming, so it helps
to know what parts need detail and what parts
do not. For this painting the most detailed areas
were in the light, and the darker parts were less
refined. I started by adding the flowers to the hair
and small jewelry. I also added hair strands to
make it look more realistic.

Sometimes it is good to vary the

materials in the costume to create
interest. For example, the shoulders
have fur while the lower areas of the
dress are very smooth
This step was right before adding the
snow. Although mist was put in the
background, you can already see the
difference it is making atmospherically
Here is what the color balance window
looked like while adjusting the colors for
this image

103

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Paint fantasy characters

Be careful not to over-detail though; if there is

too much detail in the wrong area, it could make
the painting look gaudy or hard to read. In this
step, I found myself zooming in a lot and creating
fewer new layers. In addition, I tended to stick to
smaller brush sizes.
2DARTISTMAG.COM

09

Designing the border: Creating the

border design for this painting was
probably the most challenging part of this piece.
It helped a lot to look online for examples of how
borders are used in artwork, and I decided to

go for rounded edges in order to create a more

digital/modern look. I also added tree branches
in order to integrate the white border into the
image more. However, the branches are stylized;
they are rounded so that the shapes are not too
disturbing or jarring.

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 109

Afterwards, I added white petals to create more

motion to the image and make the border seem
like a part of the painting itself. I wanted to make
sure that the border was a part of the painting
rather than just a picture frame. Also, I knew that I
was going to add a paintbrush on the right of the
image, so I added more space using the Crop tool.

10

The paintbrush and horn: The final

step was to add the paintbrush and horn.
First, I painted the calligraphy brush, and made
sure to add a cast shadow so it looked like it was
in space. It still seemed a bit out of place, so in
order to make it look more intentional, I added a
unicorn horn because it creates fun shapes.
In addition, I added watercolor-like brushstrokes
to the right side of the image. This was done using
a set of splatter brushes. The bottom-right side
of the image still seemed empty, so all I had to
do was add a mark/signature for compositional
reasons and I was done!

PRO TIP
Overcoming an art block

One of the most common questions I get asked is how to overcome an art block.
Personally, whenever I feel that I am creatively drained, I try to do something completely
new. For example, if you are a character artist, try painting an environment for a change.
It may also be fun to try out new tools such as 3D. You could even switch mediums for a
while and learn how to animate! In my opinion, an art block happens when you are not
having fun. So, the best way to fight it is to create interest and joy in the art-making process.
There is also much to be said about simply pushing forward with grit and determination.
Remember - you will get through this!

Although detailing can be tedious, it

really makes a huge difference!

The process of adding in the paintbrush

and water color marks

The rounded edges made a really big

difference in integrating the painting
with its border

105

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Paint fantasy characters

The Artist

Emily Chen

astripedunicorn.com

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 109

107

3dtotal presents the new issue of

3dcreative magazine, a downloadable
monthly magazine for digital artists for
only 2.99 (approx. $4.79/3.69).
Visit www.3dcreativemag.com to see a full preview of the latest
issue, subscription offers, and to purchase back issues.

Plus! Learn essential Marvelous Designer skills with Jeen Lih Lun...

Issue 114 | February 2015

Modeling
colorful
cartoons

Glenn Melenhorst shares the ZBrush

and Blender workflow behind the
delightful Monster Car

Becoming
a game
artist
Capcom veteran Naru Omori
speaks to us about his career
and projects

+plus

The art of darkness

Alien designs in ZBrush
10 of the best digital images
Macabre clay creations
and much more!

available

SCI-FI CARS
IN MAYA

3D sculptor Carsten Stben shows us how to create hardsurface designs with ZBrush and Substance Painter

Alexandr Novitskiy
demonstrates how to
texture and render a
sci-fi buggy

NOW
shop.3dtotal.com

3DTOTALPUBLISHING

These tutorials not only

provide interesting exercises

for the beginner to help build a
strong foundation for drawing
and painting, but also provide
important insights into the
mindset of a concept artist. Very
useful and inspiring!
Lois Van Baarle (aka Loish)
Digital concept artist & animator | loish.net

Following on from the highly successful Beginners Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop, this
latest title explores the popular techniques used in character design.
Beginners Guide to Digital Painting: Characters is a comprehensive guide for artists wishing to create convincing and detailed
characters. It features established artists such as Charlie Bowater (concept artist at Atomhawk) and Derek Stenning (freelance
concept artist and illustrator, with clients including Marvel Entertainment and Nintendo) who share their industry experiences by
covering such aspects as posing characters, choosing the correct costumes, conveying emotions, and creating suitable moods.
Comprehensive step-by-step instructions plus a quick tips section demonstrating how to paint elements that are integral to
character design and a glossary covering essential Photoshop tools make this an invaluable resource for those looking to learn
new skills, as well as those pursuing the next level.

The Artist

Sandra Posada

artstation.com/artist/
sandraposada944
Software Used:
Photoshop
Sandra Posada is from
Medellin, Colombia and for
three years she has been
a freelance conceptual
artist and illustrator
specializing in character
design. Sandra has worked
on different projects for
graphic novels and comics.
Currently, she is working
on her portfolio which
will allow her to learn and
practice the foundations
of art and develop high
quality images.

Create
tattooed warriors

Sandra Posada shares the creative workflow behind her image,

Japanese Woman. Sandra divulges useful tips and tricks for concepting
striking fantasy characters in the following step-by-step tutorial

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

Discover techniques to paint

your own female warrior...
My starting point for this tutorial was to create
a fierce and independent female character,
with a balance between beauty, intelligence
and cunning.
For this, I researched the Japanese culture,
warriors and the role of women in this topic.
After some reading on the subject, I found the
onna-bugeisha, a kind of warrior that belongs
to the Japanese upper class. Many wives,
widows, daughters, and rebels answered the
call of duty to participate in the battle, usually
with the Samurai men. This is exactly what I
want to create, but completely avoiding the
typical armor.

01

Concept sketch: Once I had the brief,

I decided to start sketching some ideas
based on my research. My main goal for this piece
was to highlight the character with the design of
the costume a tight fitting and bold costume
therefore I worked in previous silhouettes to find
the character that I want.
When I chose the one I liked, I defined the size
of my canvas. I recommend working with a
minimum size of 2,000 pixels to 300dpi, as this
helps to assure an appropriate amount of detail
that is shown in the final image.

02

Planning the composition: It was time

to define the position by making some
thumbnails to look at my idea, until I found the
one that I liked the most. In this case, it was not

PRO TIP
Research is very important

Your designs will only be as good as what you know, so for that reason it is important that
before starting an illustration, you must investigate everything you need this allows you
to get a more realistic result, and when you start to work, it will be much easier.

so hard due to the fact I had a clear idea in mind

and a defiant attitude.

Using silhouettes to figure out

the concept

After I had worked on the general idea, I had to

think about the composition of all the different

Sketching out thumbnails to visualize

the best composition

111

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Create tattooed warriors

PRO TIP
Volume

With the volume we create an

illusion of depth, therefore the
shadows, lights and reflections are
so important to get a 3D figure in a
flat drawing.

elements of the image, as well as the character,

background and supports.

03

Preparing the base: Once I had a clear

sketch, on another layer underneath,
I began to add some strokes with a brush with
a little texture to help me later; I added some
lighting effects, keeping it soft and without many
details. I chose desaturated colors to obtain
contrasts later. When I had the basic structure of
the body and costume, I started to add color; in
this case my color range was very simple.

04

Building up the detail: In another

layer on top I added details, such as the
folds of the outfit, the volume of the shoulders
and some little points of light that show the tight
stocking on the legs.

2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

I then added some blood in different parts of the

body red suggests anger, action and danger, all
the qualities that I wanted to show to the viewer;
in addition it helped to reinforce an atmosphere
of battle.

06

Adding atmosphere: Throughout these

steps I constantly jumped all over the
place in the drawing, and I gradually started to
refine it. I used a mix between the Blur filters, the
Smudge tool and the Soft brush to integrate the
character with the environment and create some
more depth.

07
When you have the details on a different layer,
it makes it easier to modify them. Its important
to keep in mind the different reactions to light
when you are simulating different materials; for
instance the skin, the kind of fabric, the steel, all
of them react in a specific way.

05

Refine: I like to spend a lot of time on

the skin hues. For this, I applied blue,
violet and red hues to create a warmer and
brighter aspect, giving the skin different volumes
generated by the main light source, and keeping
the chromatic consistency of the drawing.

edges on the right side, accentuating a slightly

more dramatic lighting. I used the Lighten tool to
make certain areas stand out and create volume.
Finally I added a fog effect to add atmosphere.
Dust in the air is always a nice addition because it
creates a fairytale atmosphere.
I made a copy of all visible layers and flattened
them. I added a sharpening effect to accentuate
more details, and I used the Lens Correction
tool to mimic photographic effects like noise,
distortion and chromatic aberration.

Last piece of the painting: I did not

want my character to be too generic, so
I decided to add tattoos (Oukoshisei/Irezumi),
which originally in Japanese culture meant
something spiritual and denoted social status. I
used some photos of tattoos that I had already
carefully chosen, then I changed the blending
mode to Soft Light and added noise.

Blocking in the base colors and

lighting scheme

For the background, I searched images about cold

forests. I put one in the background and applied
a little bit of blur and atmosphere, next erasing
where necessary.

Making use of Photoshop filters

and tools to add atmosphere

08

Finishing touches: As the final stages

of painting are to add all the details
that complement the work, I readjusted the
general light and color, and I darkened the image

Painting in the finer details of

the costume
Blending in the skin tone and
adding accents of red

Using photos in Soft Light

mode to add the tattoos and
transform them to fit the body
Making final adjustments to
make the image pop

113

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Create tattooed warriors

The Artist

Sandra Posada

artstation.com/artist/
sandraposada944

2DARTISTMAG.COM

NEXT MONTH
An insight into the career of an
industry professional
Improve your matte painting skills with
Jessica Rossier
Master the art of concepting vehicles
Learn how to paint a colorful stylized image
A sneak-peek into the sketchbook of a talented
digital artist
Amin Faramarzeyan reveals the secret to his
signature style
A project overview of one of the most popular
images online today
10 of the best 2D images from around
the world
PLUS MORE!

2DARTIST MAGAZINE |

The Artist

Eric Spray

Eric Spray

sprayconcepts.blogspot.
co.uk
Software Used:
Photoshop Elements
Eric Spray studied at
the Columbus College
of Art and design before
accepting a position at
Raven Software in 2007.
At Raven, Eric is a concept
artist and environment
art director specializing in
environment, character,
and prop design.

Beginners Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop Elements:

Speed Painting
by Eric Spray

Discover the process Eric Spray uses in Photoshop Elements to create

a speed-painting of an exterior environment

116 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

117

2DARTIST MAGAZINE |

For this tutorial Ill be using Photoshop

Elements to create a speed-painting of an
exterior environment. Compared to traditional
media, digital painting is very fast and efficient
there is virtually no preparation time and no
waiting for paint to dry, no mixing paint. For
those who are starting digital painting with a
background in traditional art, this will become
more apparent after a few weeks of practice.
Photoshop Elements provides a ton of tools
and resources that will speed up the painting
process as well.
First, for those of you who are just beginning
your journey into digital art, speed-painting
isnt about how fast you can paint. Speed and
efficiency will come with practice. If you rush
the painting process, or neglect the basics of
design (composition, proportion, and so on),
your painting will suffer in the end. Whats
most important is to enjoy the time spent
painting and not think of it as a race.
Before I start any speed-painting I make sure
I do a little bit of reference gathering. Even
with a fantasy-based painting I still want to
pull ideas from real-world references. What
you think you see in your head can only take
you so far, and you may come to a point where
you need some visual aid to help resolve part
of the painting. This can cause unnecessary
frustration that can be easily solved by a quick
online image search.

118 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

Eric Spray

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

01

Starting out: Before starting this

particular painting I decide to give myself
a general theme. I really enjoy other-worldly
landscapes with explorers wandering about. You
have to paint things youre passionate about
if you want to be motivated to paint. I love the
sci-fi horror genre so naturally Im going to paint
images of that type. Ill walk through my process
in a series of 29 images explaining the steps
to reach the final scene. I have a few tricks for
speed-painting in Elements that I will discuss in
full as well.
First, I create a new file and set the editing mode
to Expert. This mode gives you features like layers
and the necessary tools tab that youll use to
actually paint. With the file open, the first thing I
do is fill the white space. I hate looking at a white
void eventually all the space will be filled up,
so the Paint Bucket tool is immediately used to
address this.
My thinking is a dark interior setting, so I choose a
mid-dark, neutral color for the fill. Generally I will
start with a mid-value tone and introduce lighter
and darker tones from there. Be cautious of your
blacks though, as 100-percent black gives you
nowhere to go.

02

First marks: With the page filled, I feel

comfortable starting to sketch out the
composition. Keeping my brushstrokes loose
and the brush size large, I want to lay down my
broadest strokes first to quickly block out the
scene. I lay in basic shapes as a foundation, with
the intent of bringing in development details
later, and generally focus on how I want the eye
to move across the page thats the mentality I
always lead with.

03

05

Up to this point, I have not introduced any

textural or abstract brushes. I have a default set
of brushes (both custom and standard) that I
like to use that make it feel more like traditional
painting.

I use Soft Light layers more than any of the other

adjustment layers. It has a really subtle effect
almost like a soft glaze that wont radically alter

Massing shapes: Personally, I like to

think in terms of volumes, not lines,
when it comes to speed-painting.

04

Adding light: I am happy with the

shapes I massed out, so I move on to
pushing and pulling the lights and darks in the
image. I also want to introduce a primary light
source. Im going for dark and ominous so I
restrain myself from going too bold with the lights
at first Ill refine the light setup later.
When I started this painting, I knew I wanted the
image to have a kind of grim blue/purple tonality.
My personal art tends to be much more stylized
and color-amped than the paintings I create at
work. Im not shy when it comes to color, though;
usually I find myself having to pull it back.

Adjustment layers: When it comes to

adjustment layers I dont have a specific
point during the painting process where I use
them. In this instance, I just want to deepen the
darks and push the color a bit more.

Filling the void with an

appropriate color
Making the first shapes on the canvas to
define the composition
Adding a little color and adding volume
to shapes
Adding light and shadow to the scene
Using adjustment layers to add subtle
changes to the atmosphere

119

2DARTIST MAGAZINE |

your image like Hard Light or Vivid Light will do.

I recommend that you experiment and use the
adjustment styles, but try not to abuse them if
you can help it. You might be overusing them if
you have more adjustment style layers than you
do painted layers.

06

Brushes: Next, I move into the complex

brush sets. These are based on realworld references Ive found. I went into the
painting knowing I wanted to paint a cave, so
naturally I found some cool cave references.
I looked for images of caves that were a bit
more bizarre and unusual less typical of what
a standard cave looks like in my mind. One
particular cave reference I found had an almost
fungal quality. I liked how the shapes were more
amorphous than chiseled and sharp, and it
inspired quite a few ideas for my painting.

07

Creating a brush: I want to create a

brush from the references Ive gathered,
so the first thing I do is create a new file. I tend
not to create brushes on top of the painting Im
working on, simply for cleanliness.
So after setting up a new canvas, I open up my
chosen reference image and then copy and
paste the entire image onto a blank canvas in
Photoshop Elements.
After reviewing the image and defining the shapes
that stand out to me, I need to invert the areas I
want to turn into a brush. To do this I go to Filter
> Adjustments > Invert, as seen in image 07, or I
use the shortcut Ctrl+I. Inverting the image isnt a
necessary step, and is really only appropriate in
this instance.

08

Preparing the image: Then I apply

a Levels adjustment. Ive found the
best brushes are made in a high-contrast value
range: as close to black and white without
being distorted. This also allows for them to be
120 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

Eric Spray

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

used as special selection layers that will come in

handy later. I use this technique superfluously,
but to pull it off you need to have white space
surrounding your dark shapes.

09

Selecting the texture: Next, I decide

what part of the image I want to make a
brush out of. I use the Lasso tool to trace around
a specific section of the image, then drop down to
Edit > Define Brush from the top bar.

10

Finishing the brush: After naming

your brush, it will be readily available at
the bottom of the Brush set. I will create dozens
of custom brushes for individual paintings,
but consistently use the default Basic Brushes
throughout, as well.
I almost always apply brush settings to new
brushes I create. Fade, Spacing, and Roundness
are the ones I usually play with. For bigger, more
complex brushes I like to set the Spacing to be
very wide, so when I paint it lays down more like
a stencil. Also, Fade is a useful brush setting for
ghosting brushstrokes into the background.

11

brush to mark within the shape to introduce

a bit more textural character as well. It also
camouflages the stencil aspect a bit.

12

Using the custom brush: So going

back to the speed-painting, I create
a new layer where I start introducing the new
brushes. I lay down only a few strokes, which I
then distort using the Transform tool. I use it to
stretch the shape into a position to my liking. If
you made your brush with white space around it,
as a clean stencil shape, you can make a selection
that perfectly outlines the contour of the shape
by holding Ctrl and left-clicking on the boxed
preview window of the layer in the Layers tab.

Adding highlights: The painting is

very mid-value still, so I use a large,
soft-edged brush to pull out some lights. I set the
Brush mode to Color Dodge a very fast way to
brighten up a scene. Be conscious of the color
swatch youre painting with, though the closer
the value is to white the more drastic the Dodge
effect will be. To control the effect I choose a
color in a very dark range. From here I continue to
employ the same techniques over and over again
to build up the painting.

From the selection I just made, I am now free to

paint only within that shape. I use a very large

In Photoshop Elements you can even save

selections youve made to be loaded up later

Finding cave references to create a

custom brush
Preparing sections of the image before
making a custom brush
Giving the image a stark contrast to
make a crisp brush
Using the Lasso tool to select the
area needed
Applying Brush settings and naming the
brush will finish the custom
brush process
Making marks with the custom brushes
you have just made

121

2DARTIST MAGAZINE |

when you need them. Once you have a selection

made, go to the Selection tab and choose Save
Selection. Next time you need it just go to the
same tab and choose Load Selection.

13

Flipping the image: Another good

trick you could use to help give you a
fresh eye on your painting is to flip the canvas
horizontally. With traditional media, you have to
go old school and hold up a mirror to view the
flipped image, but with Photoshop Elements
its super convenient to be able to work on the
painting from both of the orientations.

14

Adding more highlights: I saved out

a layer selection earlier, which I decide
to use to erase out some parts of the reflection
and add a little more high-frequency detail. I then
follow this with another layer of Brush dodging to
pop even more light.
At this point I also realize that I need to reevaluate the composition again.

15

Characters: Its now time to introduce

some figures into the scene. Up to this
point, I have kept the composition a bit on the
simple side, knowing that characters and other
subjects might be introduced later. I wanted to
make sure they reinforced the composition of the
image and were not just dropped haphazardly
into the image.
I outline my ideas for the design in red. I set up a
hierarchy of character placement and size so that
one could lead as the dominant figure (the focal
122 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

Eric Spray

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

figure). This is a basic principle of design having

large, medium, and small shapes creates more
visual interest. In this case, they are also staged to
emphasize spacial depth and distance.

16

Blocking in characters: After blocking

in the figures I quickly realize that dark
silhouettes against a dark environment have
made it difficult to pick out the characters from
the background, so I decide to give them white
astronaut gear to make them pop out. This way,
they look more legible from a quick read.

17

Refining the characters: After adding

the characters in white, I feel confident

Adding highlights using either a softedged brush or the Lasso tool to

create selections
Flipping the image to highlight problems
Adding more detail and highlights to
the image
Adding figures strategically through the
piece to create depth
Making the characters stand out against
the dark background
Refining the detail on the figures in
the scene

123

2DARTIST MAGAZINE |

in fleshing the characters out a bit and adding a

little more detail to them in general.

18

Checking the image: I dont like to

finish one area of a painting and never
touch it again. I enjoy seeing all the parts of the
image develop together. The idea being that if
I decide I dont like a part of the painting, less
time will have been wasted than if I spent hours
modeling sections of it.
I am still a bit unsure about the astronaut designs,
so I make a mental note to revisit them later on
(possibly redesign them all together). At this stage
in the process though, the composition appears
to be working well from both orientations.

19

Adding atmosphere: All the elements

are in place, so its a good time to start
polishing some areas of the painting.
So after the flip, I start introducing some fog and
atmospheric effects. I have a few brushes that are
specifically designed for doing this, so it doesnt
take much time at all to drop some eerie mist into
the scene.

20

The foreground: Moving from the

background to the foreground, I continue
polishing areas around the figures. I take a peek
at some of the references I had gathered to get
some detailed information for fleshing out the
foreground. I mentioned earlier that the cave
reference had some characteristics of fungus. I

124 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

Eric Spray

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

decide to play that idea up here and aim for a

wet-and-spongy ground surface.
To help push the realism a bit more I drop in a
small section of a photo. When I incorporate
photos, I like to use them as style guides rather
than to fill the space up entirely. I will paint out
and over the photo so it blends in with the rest
of the painting. Painting over photos you drop in
keeps the image from feeling like a photo-collage
and more like a digital painting.

21

Adjusting lights: I continue pushing the

lights and darks and expanding the value
range up until the very end, although sometimes
I have to dial back the contrast range with an
adjustment layer if I push it too far.
I set my Brush tool to Dodge to quickly increase
the light influence from the background. If the
layer is merged, I will erase away areas near
the Dodge so that shadows do not become too
greatly affected.

layer to calm the intense contrast it creates. I then

make a Hue/Saturation adjustment (Ctrl+H), and
by setting the Hue/Saturation mode to Colorize,
I am able to choose a new tonality that will
influence the atmosphere of the painting.

22

23

Tone control: I feel that the chromatic

intensity of the painting has become
too intense over the course of this tutorial. The
purples appear exaggerated and are inching
towards the candy zone.
To remedy this, I copy and paste a merged layer
of the entire painting and switch it to a Soft Light
layer. I apply a Levels adjustment (Ctrl+L) to the

Again, flipping the image to check the

designs work well
Adding eerie mist into the scene after
checking its composition

Applying Soft Light: This is almost like

glazing in traditional oil painting. When
I set the layer style to Soft Light, it influences the
overall tonality of the painting and makes the
purple seem less aggressive.

Adjusting the fungus texture detail into

the foreground

This speed-painting is interesting for me to

see evolve. My focus for the first half of the
painting was purely on mood, atmosphere,

Toning down the hues to a more

appropriate level

Pushing the lights and darks to create a

greater contrast in areas of the image

125

2DARTIST MAGAZINE |

and composition, and the subject matter did

not come about until much later. It was almost
like building a stage for a play with no props
or characters in the scene. Once the stage was
constructed it was about placing subjects into
the scene that would support and strengthen
the composition. Keeping the composition fairly
simple in the beginning gave me the ability to add
complexity as the painting developed. It really
depends on the painting, but sometimes I will
paint the figure in during the block-out stage. As
long as youre always considering composition,
the order in which you paint is not something to
which you critically need to stay rigidly attached.

24

Creating a vehicle: The last element I

decide to add to the piece is a vehicle. I
block out the vehicle in a solid flat tone to begin
with. I will work with a big shape and erase and
paint around it until I find something I like. I go
through a few iterations of silhouettes before
locking it down.
From there, I create a selection of the shape to
confine my brush to. This allows me to focus
on massing out the vehicle in values and color,
without redesigning the overall shape.
Creating silhouettes is a really important element
of painting and its fairly easy to practice.

25

Integrating the vehicle: With an

established silhouette, and after
rendering shapes a bit tighter in the design, I hit
the vehicle with an atmosphere, fog, and steam
pass. This brings a bit of dynamism into the area,
which before, was an inactive space, so to speak.

126 | 2DARTISTMAG.COM

Eric Spray

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 110

26

Re-checking the characters: I decide

to revisit the spacemen for a final pass
and give them a quick quality check. I zoom into
the image a bit to clean up some edges and iron
out a few extra details.
With the characters a bit more fleshed out, I then
do a quick pass of fog to soften some of the edge
detail work I have just put in. At this point I am
satisfied with the figures and feel comfortable
leaving them as they are to the end.

27

Checking the whole scene: I can

now check the whole scene and review
from afar. Things I ask myself include: Are the
characters legible? Is there a clear foreground,
mid-ground, and background? Does the
composition move my eye around as intended?

28

More detail: I think its at a good point

to round off and call complete; however,
a few things bother me. The top half of the
painting is all pretty evenly dark. To a degree, this
is okay, but it needs some light information to
help draw the eye back down into the scene.
As a quick solution to this, I decide to introduce
some hanging cave spores to the upper righthand part of this scene. Placing them in position
above the dominant figure in the scene will
encourage the eye to one of the key focal points
of the composition.

29

Finishing touches: I finish off the

painting with a Levels adjustment layer
to maximize the range of darks and lights in the
scene. I still want the painting to be dark and
moody so I am conscious not to go too extreme
on the lights. Its very easy to over-exaggerate
these things when youre just moving a slider bar
back and forth.
With the last adjustment layer set I consider the
painting finished. Knowing when a painting is
finished is a difficult idea in general. You kind of
have to feel it in your bones when youre done.
With each sequential painting you create, youll
gain a more acute sense of this.
Along with digital painting, continue to work
traditionally. Fill up those sketchbooks! Really,
nothing beats paper and pencil when it comes to
improving your skills.
I hope this tutorial gives some good insight into
brush creation, layer selections, and painting
modes that will help with future paintings you
create. Keep practicing!

Applying the Soft Light layer to make the

purple seem less aggressive
Adding the silhouette of a vehicle to
the scene
Using the vehicle to add activity and
dynamism to the scene

Checking the detail on the characters

Making changes after reviewing the
painting from a distance
Redirecting the viewers eye by adding
new cave spores to the scene, and
checking it works with other elements
in the scene
127

The Artist

Eric Spray

sprayconcepts.blogspot.
co.uk

3DTOTALPUBLISHING

The Beginners Guide series is back with a clear and comprehensive look at working in Adobe Photoshop Elements.
In this sequel to the best-selling Beginner's Guide to Digital
Painting in Photoshop book, a new set of talented artists
break down the best and simplest techniques for creating
amazing artwork in Photoshop Elements. This fundamental
guide offers easy-to-follow steps that guide you through
setting up your software, working with brushes and basic art
theory, as well as chapters on creating certain artistic styles.
With a simplified interface and fewer variable parameters to learn than
its big brother, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements is an ideal tool for any
artists first digital adventure. This book is therefore a perfect resource for:
Newcomers to Photoshop and digital painting
Artists looking to switch from a traditional medium
Lecturers and students teaching/studying digital art courses
Hobbyists who want to learn useful tips

Available from www.3dtotal.com/shop