"Penance" and "Blackout" WIPs

NOTE: Initially I had the image as a part of the article but it messed with the formatting, so to view it you'll have to right click --> view image to enlarge it. I hope this doesn't make it any more difficult to follow.
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From start to finish.

I painted this one on a singular layer, hence the background being complete before I jumped in and did anything else.

I used Opencanvas 1.1, a free [and very old] version of a popular painting program which is used alongside Photoshop. Although Sai appears to be overruling it's reign I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

When doing backgrounds the sky is normally the first thing I do. This is because it helps with the lighting and mood of the piece once I get to colouring the other components.

When I throw down flats it's generally really messy. And it should be. At this stage I really don't care how scribbled it looks, the refining gets to be worried about later.

I did chuck this image into Photoshop for the gradient effect on the lights in the background since OpenCanvas makes it near impossible to recreate an effect like that without a lot of fiddling around.

I added the red lights to kind of separate the foreground from the background. It would have looked really dull and flat otherwise.

Hands are always a pain to draw...I find it's easiest to block the bases without considering how hands should technically look. Think of them not as hands but a series of shapes. Really, everything you draw, should be looked at this way- but I find with hands especially it helps.

Started some soft shadows on Vaughan's [right] face and added detail to Dimitri's [left] face. I can't stress enough how important contrast is in art. Use dark shadows, people! And if not, at least use complimentary colours, to make it "pop." Otherwise it'll end up looking boring and...muddy.

I'm fond of imperfections like wrinkles and freckles. I don't like how glossed over a lot of digital art looks, making people look like anime characters or like they've been unbelievably airbrushed. Which given the primary use of Photoshop to cover faults in photos is understandable, but it's always been a pet peeve of mine. So here you can see I've defined both the freckles and creases in the skin on both characters.

Ahh hair...such a tricky one. I start with a dark colour and work up to lighter colours but make sure not to make the transition too subtle, otherwise it all kind of blends in together. As much as painting each individual strand is a pain in the butt it pays off in the end. It gives the hair body and weight, and makes it look more three-dimensional. I see too many pseudo-realism paintings where it's realistic looking until you get to the plastic looking skin and sephiroth hair.

After I'm done with the highlights I'll add some darker colours on top of it to separate it a little bit, give it more shape, and to avoid it looking flat. Hair falls in sections, remember, not just one big chunk.

Basically complete. This is what it looks like before I do any after-edits to colours and such. The visor was a royal pain, it's tricky to make something flat look 3D. I'm not very good at human faces, and having messed this one up a little I've learned some tricks along the way. Dimitri looks really flat compared to Vaughan, but, no matter!

I added some outlines to them, just to emphasize further the background/foreground difference here. I like to think of my backgrounds as a different picture all together. I like that feel...like they're actors on a set, or something.

I left some areas a tad sketchy- like the hands and the knife. But I'm always a fan of sketchy art.

Lastly, all the gradients and colour adjustments I do with Photoshop. It takes a lot of time and careful planning to get through this stage without destroying the image. I overlayed blue gradients, a sepia photo filter, adjusted the reds and yellows, adjusted the vibrancy, etc etc. Just to give it that atmosphere of war I was going for- and of course to emphasize the red light in the background. I adjusted the brightness and contrast to bring out those shadows even more.

Also, here's a Work-In-Progress of a drawing I did of my beloved blackout!

You can see a larger version if you right click --> view image.





The finished drawing can be found here:

BLACKOUTBLACKOUTBLACKOUT by =MachinesBleedToo on deviantART

Digital Painting tutorial

First and foremost I should state that this is not for beginners. There are a bunch of useful Photoshop tutorials that cover the basics. However, all you really need to know for this particular tutorial is how to use layers and brushes.

You will need:

• Photoshop. I use CS4.
• Preferably, A tablet. While this colouring method is doable by Mouse, it does tend to make things a lot more like slave-labour.
• To do some homework on colour theory. Every artist should have a basic understanding of it.

Lets get started then!

Step 1: Lines

The lineart here is from approximately 2006, but it's simple enough to warrant me using it as an example.

I don't normally colour underneath my initial lineart layer. I colour ontop of it. This makes smoothing out any errors easier for me.

A common error I see is that the colouring doesn't follow the lineart. I developed this method to prevent myself from falling into that trap.

Step 2: Flats

Using the brush Airbrush Pen Opacity Flow I map in the flat colours I want to use. Note how I avoid overlapping the lines in most parts? This helps me with the next step, basic shading. I work fairly small so I'm usually zoomed out all of the way.
Note: I paint entirely on one layer just to keep things simple.

Step 3: Basic Shading

I use the b setting in the colour picker [or a sometimes, I swap between them.] It makes blending colours smoother being able to see the transitions.

I block in the lighter and darker shades of every colour I have used here. Try and keep the values far on either side of the scale so you can work with the lighting more effectively later- the contrast will help you map out the shading later.

Step 4: Details

The most important step. This is to prepare parting your underlying lineart with the colours.

The left is the one with lines underneath it, and the right is without. Don't worry- it will get neater. Now you can smooth any kinks out. I swap between the aforementioned airbrush and a small hard brush to define details.

Next, I make a new layer and fill it with white. I move it between the lineart and colour layer. That way, the lines are hidden, and if I want to use the lineart as a reference point I can just hide the other layers.

Step 5: Touchups

using the hard brush again, I go over my soft shading and define it even more. Now with the lines hidden I can see what needs to be strengthened. I add highlights and detail [in the wood, hair, fur etc] and I add some depth by using a very dark blue for shadows and a light yellow for highlights.

This is where colour theory comes in handy. Using black and white for shadows/highlights is best avoidable as it gives a really flat, unrealistic look. Complimentary colours are the best option when shading this way. Experiment, see what works- it's all trial and error.

This last part is optional. I like to add black outlines to my painted art because it gives it an Illustrative feel. I don't outline the entire drawing [as you can see above, the hair, blood and bulb lack lines.] I outline hard surfaces and places that are most likely to be subject to darkest shadows. I'll add some white lines next to the black ones to make the image "pop".

If you do chose to add lines, by all means be messy. perfect, thick lines take away from this painting style in my honest opinion; it ruins the organic feel.

Finished!

I chucked up a quick background and added some after effects to give the image 'mood'. I use a lot of gradients on seperate layers, and I'll mess with layer opacity and settings to make them work. I also messed with the colours; lowered the vibrance and added Red, Green and Yellow to the whole picture via Image -> Adjustments -> Colour balance. I wanted a warmer, more sepia-like tone.

Additional notes

• Never be afraid to use dark shadows and light highlights. Too many artists are scared to venture into the realms of high contrast.
• Please feel free to go off on your own tangent with this. I did not design this tutorial to be a textbook. The style will not suit everyone, I developed it myself to fit my own artistic needs.
• Don't be timid with the tools photoshop offers you. Contrary to popular belief using gradients, burn tool, dodge tool and smudge tool is not a big no-no. However you mustn't rely on them, and you must not over-use them. It's all about knowing how to blend the elements together. I use dodge and burn and I paint over them to smooth out the shades.
• Practice, practice, practice!

If you have any questions, have found any errors [typos or otherwise], or would like to show me the art you have created using this tutorial, feel free to throw an e-mail my way.

Thank you! ♥

© R.E Morgan, 2009

The artworks here are not to be edited, reproduced, or sold without my written permission.