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Tribal Warriors Creating Character Concepts using Photoshop

01

aztec by richard tilbury - Page 04

02

Maori by Chase Toole - Page 10

03

Native American by Branko Bistrovic - Page 18

04

Viking by Jon McCoy - Page 24

05

Fantasy by Ignacio Bazan Lazcano - Page 30

01 aztec

Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec Chapter 01: Aztec Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction The Aztecs were a group of people in central Mexico who were prominent between the 14th and 16th centuries. Their civilisation accomplished some great artistic and architectural achievements, and their history demonstrated some rich traditions. Perhaps one of their most commonly know traditions is that of human sacrifice, which can be seen illustrated in manuscripts from the time. In terms of finding reference material there are obviously no photographs from the period and so you can only rely on painted manuscripts and costume recreations. For the purposes of this tutorial I thought it would be interesting to create a semirealistic character that was part based on actual records and manuscripts, and combine this with an imaginary element.

Blocking In Due to the colorful nature of Aztec culture and society, together with the area that they once inhabited, I decided straight away that I wanted this painting to have a rich palette with lots of saturated colors. From looking at various reference images I got the impression of elaborate, exuberant costumes and beautiful, decorative jewellery. These were most likely used for ceremonial purposes; however I liked the idea of adorning my warrior in something similar to make him look more interesting. I therefore imagined a warrior who may be dressed up slightly for some form of ritual or ceremony. The first stage was to fill in the background with some vivid greens and a suggestion of some jungle foliage and ground. Fig.01 shows the initial block in using some textured custom brushes.

and uses a Dual brush. The other brush I used

As this background would be on a separate layer

can be seen in Fig.03. At this stage it was just a

to the character it didn’t matter too much if it

The brush I used to create the leaf shapes can

case of getting rid of the bland white background

remained vague at this stage as it could always

be seen in Fig.02, which has some scattering

and providing a base to work on.

be modified throughout the painting process.

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Chapter 01

Chapter 01: Aztec

Tribal Warriors

With the backdrop roughed in I started blocking in the warrior (Fig.04). I filled in most of the body in a single color which would be the midtone. Upon this base color I could work in the shadows and highlights.

Building the Detail Fig.05 shows the next stage in the process which now incorporated a third layer where I began to add some clothing and accessories. If you were working in the games industry it would be a good practice to separate your painting into layers in case you are asked to change anything. Having the clothing on a different layer to the character means it can be modified with

I roughed in a feathered headdress, which is

ease. Your art director may require changes to

something that seemed prominent in much

the costume and so splitting up elements can

of the Aztec art I found and was an aspect I

save a lot of time and headaches.

wanted to include. I also started to develop

the features of the face a little more with the light source being somewhere to the left of the picture frame. Using a textured Chalk brush I started to build the anatomy (Fig.06). I also moved the character slightly up and to the right on the canvas as he looked a little squashed. I added an extension to his ceremonial headwear, which can be seen in Fig.07. To create a highlight across the left side where the sun is hitting it I duplicated the layer this was painted on and then set the blending mode to Screen (inset 1). I then used the Eraser to delete the areas that weren’t directly in the sunlight, leaving just a small section (inset 2).

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Chapter 01

Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec

I wanted to add some war paint across my

the adjustment layer to the left-hand side of the

The overall lighting was another aspect that

warrior’s body and so created a new layer for

character (left image in Fig.09). You will also

was troubling me at this stage as it seemed

this so I could experiment with the color and

notice that I have added some extra decoration

dull and did not have the vibrancy that I initially

blending mode easily without it affecting the

around his neck and chin now, labelled “Layer

intended. To rectify this I merged the two

main image. I started with the face and in the

3” in the palette above tattoos.

previous adjustment layers with the character layer and then applied two more; a Curves

end chose Normal as the blending mode. To make sure the paint was consistent with the

I wanted to have a few tattoos across my

and a Brightness/Contrast layer. On the left is

lighting I used the Eraser tool to make the

warrior and so created a new layer in order to

the image before these were applied and on

highlighted areas semi-transparent (Fig.08).

experiment, as I’d done with the face paint.

the right is the effect of these along with their

The Overlay blending mode is probably the

settings. You can see now that the general color

The skin tones looked a little flat and so in order

most suitable setting and using a chalky green I

scheme has been enriched and the light feels

to increase the contrast I applied a Brightness/

painted some shapes across his torso and limbs

much warmer and more tropical.

Contrast adjustment layer. I increased the

(Fig.10 – inset). You can see how these finally

values by around +30 in both cases and then

appear in the full image when the blending

During the painting process I realized that the

used black to paint into the mask and restrict

mode is altered.

right leg looked a little twisted and the curvature

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Chapter 01

Chapter 01: Aztec

Tribal Warriors

through the lower leg seemed exaggerated. I

Embedded along its edges were pieces of

In the case of the first one I made a selection

decided to change it by making a selection area

obsidian (volcanic glass). This material was

area around the large foreground leaves and

from the knee down and then rotating it (Fig.11).

naturally robust and sharp and made a perfect

then pasted these into the painting (Fig.13).

You can, of course, opt to use the Warp tool

material for cutting and piercing.

Once both pictures had been pasted in, I color

in Photoshop although this can sometimes distort the overall contours of the image. Either

Finishing Touches

way works fine really; it just depends on your

The picture at this point was reaching its final

preference.

stages, although there were a few adjustments

corrected each by reducing the contrast and also the saturation of the leaves in the lower image.

that could help improve things. Although I

I also found a useful image of some ground

Once the lower leg was duplicated I rotated

wanted to focus the attention on the warrior and

with scattered grass and earth and decided to

it and then used the Eraser tool to delete the

not the background I thought that some textural

overlay this across the jungle floor (Fig.14). I

unwanted areas on the character layer as well

realism might help in the way of some foliage.

used the Transform tool to scale it vertically in

as blend any obvious seams. Here you can

I looked through the free library of photos

order to create a more accurate perspective and

see the before (upper left) and after results

available on 3DTotal and found the following two

then set the blending mode to Soft Light (lower

(right). After doing this I then rotated the ankle

images which were perfect for the task:

image).

http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/preview.php?i

I decided to increase the contrast in the Curves

mi=13022&s=c:Leaf&p=2&cid=17

adjustment layer and then added one final

decoration on the clothing layer to match the new position of the leg.

layer which was some reflective light across the

You will have noticed that I have also deleted the red feather headdress, which I felt was

http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/preview.php?i

warrior’s right side. With this the painting was

somewhat out of balance. I was quite keen on

mi=13018&s=c:Leaf&p=2&cid=17

complete.

this part of his costume and so replaced them with a smaller bunch (Fig.12). Although our character is wearing some ceremonial clothing he is nonetheless a warrior and so I thought it only fitting to supply him with a typical Aztec weapon: the Maquahuitl. This was a weapon that was somewhere between a club and a sword and was made from wood.

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Chapter 01

Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec

Richard Tilbury For more information please visit: http://www.richardtilburyart.com Or contact them at: [email protected]

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Chapter 01

02 maori

Tribal Warriors Chapter 02: Maori

Chapter 02: Maori Software Used: Photoshop I usually start my pieces by using color to sketch out fairly abstract shapes using an approximate palette. Since the piece I am working on is set in a jungle scene it seems appropriate to use greens, blues and yellows (with some reds and purples to balance). I tend to use a lot of large brushes with rough edges at this stage so I can try and get some “random” shapes that might inspire ideas and help the concept along (Fig.01).

Adding some figures early on is pretty important

Creating eye movement is pretty important and

because it helps maintain a cohesiveness in

I try to do this by creating blocks of interest and

the colors and in the shape of the composition.

visual noise. I create the visual noise using

This part is usually pretty tricky because you

custom brushes. I like painting textures so this

must think about the composition, narrative,

stage is usually the most fun (Fig.03).

scale, mood etc. I indicate the light direction and

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intensity in this part because I like to see the

When I want to really ramp up the amount

potential drama (Fig.02).

of noise in an image I create a new layer in

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Chapter 02

Chapter 02: Maori

Tribal Warriors

Photoshop and make a lot of large choppy marks. I then create a layer mask and mask parts out using a smaller textured brush (Fig.04). Since the guy in the middle (farthest to the right) is pretty centrally located and has a decent amount of contrast on him he’s basically the main character of the narrative, so I start fleshing out his design first (Fig.05).

color schemes this way. I also have two hotkeys

I want the channel of light to split the group

set to flip the canvas; one flips vertical and the

of tribesmen to add a little depth and mood.

As I move forward with the piece I usually

other flips horizontal and this has been pretty

The light hitting the forest floor is also creating

play with color adjustments and levels just to

important in helping me to see errors in my

some much needed eye movement across the

freshen my eye. Sometimes I find some nice

painting (Fig.06).

illustration. I add a spear to chop up some of

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Chapter 02

Tribal Warriors Chapter 02: Maori

the verticals and create some framing for the

or just causing unwanted noise. I also squint at

I want him to be really imposing so I use the

background guys. It’s a gamble to put the spear

my work a lot as it means I can see the forms

Lasso tool to select him and copy and paste him

in there and I’ll probably end up taking it out, but

without all the details (Fig.08).

into a new layer, where I modify his body and

it’s good to make these mistakes as they teach us more about ourselves (Fig.07).

give him the beginnings of a face (Fig.09). I am starting to see the potential for this brute in the foreground. His frame and posture are going

I start flipping through my references at this

Whenever I start painting smooth surfaces

to become pretty important so I’ll be revisiting

point to make sure I am heading in the right

like skin or leaves I try to make as few strokes

him quite a bit too.

direction with the weapons and apparel. Oh and

as possible. I feel when I start going over the

tattoos – it wouldn’t be Maori if there weren’t

same mark I totally wreck what I am doing. I am trying to get into habit of making the mark and walking away, so to speak. As I am working the details of the piece in I am constantly zooming out to see if what I just painted is helping out

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Chapter 02

Chapter 02: Maori

Tribal Warriors

tattoos (which is a good point; whatever it is

stay away from leaf brushes as they tend to

I notice the scene’s light source is kind of losing

you’re illustrating find the essence and make it

stick out like sore thumbs if not used properly.

its power so I create a new layer and set the

very visible) (Fig.10).

Besides leaves are fun to paint so why not do

layer to Screen. I then pick a yellowish orange

the fun thing (Fig.11)!

and airbrush my light back in. It’s pretty easy to

I finally get rid of the spear and add more leaves

get carried away when airbrushing light rays so I

and trees. A good and easy way to do leaves

I don’t like how the central guy isn’t really

is with the Lasso tool. It gives you nice edges

engaging with the viewer so I change him again.

and a lot of freedom to experiment while not

He also has a lot of over-painted marks, so I

For detail work I try and keep the brushes as

contaminating the rest of the piece. Generally I

want to start fresh with him (Fig.12).

large as possible and edit the brush properties

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page 14

try and leave that for the end.

Chapter 02

Tribal Warriors Chapter 02: Maori

as needed. It also helps to figure out where the

flipping my canvas a lot more to catch anything I

smudge the transitions between the strokes to

eye is moving around the page and polish stuff

might have missed, now that I am almost done.

emulate (or try at least) fresh paint (Fig.14).

on the way (Fig.13).

Moving around the page I can see that there are lots of little spaces where I can hide some more

The final step is adding the last few touches and

I’m trying to resolve the key points to make them

color and noise. I use the Smudge tool a lot;

helping along the composition as best I can. I

readable with as little effort as possible. I’m also

usually I will do two or three strokes and then

do a few color and level adjustments at the end to separate the colors more. I also use a slight un-sharpen mask at the end to pop the edges a little more (I find that the amount of sharpen is relative to the size of the image – e.g: bigger image = less sharpening ability). Adding the soft light rays and some dust particles should occur after sharpening and color adjustments because you want as much control over the light as possible. And I think it’s done (Fig.15).

Chase Toole For more information please visit: http://chimpsmack.blogspot.com/ Or contact them at: [email protected]

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Chapter 02

03 native american

Tribal Warriors Chapter 03: Native American Chapter 03: Native American Software Used: Photoshop It’s always a tricky thing depicting historical stereotypes when character designing. How much accuracy do I lend to the concept? Do I make it entirely historical or do I suspend some of it for artistic liberty so that instead I can render something I think is more engaging? You also have to consider what might be offensive as the wrong depiction could cause

wasn’t too concerned with it just yet. I sketched

the character, grounding them to the piece. Yes,

some headaches. The last time I checked, few

this out in Photoshop and simply used a Hard

going about this image in the way I did resulted

people like headaches.

Round brush with Size Jitter set to Pressure

in some delightful hair tearing down the line

(under the Shape Dynamics options).

when I tried to get the warrior to fit properly.

been part of Western culture for dozens of

I also attempted another more dynamic pose. I’ll

Speaking of the warrior, as you can see, I

decades now and has had its own road of

never know if it would have worked out better; it

worked up some volume and an early indication

evolution. Initially thought of simply as a wild

might very well have, but I already had an idea

of skin tone (Fig.02). I was mainly still focusing

savage, today’s Native American warrior is still

forming in my head with the former sketch and

on his posture though. I was imagining a scene

considered a brutal fighter, but also one of honor

kind of wanted to see it through (Fig.01b).

in which he’s just killed a buffalo and he’s

The motif of the Native American warrior has

standing on his kill. I didn’t want him to look

and wisdom. They also have a connection to the land they live in and its wildlife. They are more

This is not the best way to go about starting a

arrogant, just raw, if that makes sense. Kind of

like introverted survivors than savages.

piece, at least from my experience. Usually,

like, this is who he is and this is his element.

if your character is going to encompass a Let’s see if I can do the subject matter justice.

full scene – background and all – it’s best to

There was something that wasn’t quite working

As with any historical subject it’s important to

establish the dominant colors and lights in the

at this stage, but regardless of this feeling I

start with plenty of references! Search pictures

scene first. This means that one should start

moved on to quickly sketch out the buffalo, and

online of course, but don’t neglect books on the

with the background and then work on the

planted both of them on a surface (Fig.03). I

subject. They allow for a more concise breath of

character, as this way some of the background

used some warmer colors on the buffalo’s coat,

knowledge since they’re usually accompanied

colors can naturally bleed through the colors of

which I wasn’t sure was the best idea as I didn’t

by captions or full-on explanations. Also look at films and documentaries. These are the best bet if you want to stay accurate, but if you’re looking for something a little more fantastical then a good epic drama on the subject matter will help too. Anyhow, on to the piece! I generally like to start off loose so this sketch, although quick and dirty, was actually more focused that usual (Fig.01a). At this stage I tried to capture the posture and the attitude of the warrior. I also considered composition, but since I knew that I was going to be changing it soon, I

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Chapter 03

Chapter 03: Native American

Tribal Warriors

want it to feel warmer than the warrior’s flesh as the buffalo was supposed to be reading as dead. I went for some vignette lighting here to add some drama to the scene. To paint the grass (for what it is) I used a Hard Edged Round brush, with the Dual Brush option clicked. I then bounced around the Dual Brush options depending on whatever secondary brush appealed to me at the time. Really, it’s a very poor example of how grass should be done – the only reason it works at all is because of the light and color, which is okay. I’ll be getting back to it though, don’t you worry! I then think I worked out what was bothering me which was mainly the fact that he was standing on his kill. It looked kind of cool, but like I stated earlier, I was aiming for a non-arrogant but confident air. The character standing on a dead buffalo didn’t really project that, so as you can see, I lowered him in front of his kill (Fig.04). It took away from some of the dynamic factor, but I knew I’d find ways to work that back in later. At least now he didn’t look like he was gloating. Finally, after hours of delay, I got around to establishing the rest of the background. I was thinking of a cloudy, tempestuous, windy day on the plains. I used the Round Fan Stiff Thin Bristles brush that’s native to Photoshop CS5. This is especially great if you have the Wacom art pen, since they preview the rotation of your brush, not just the tilt. On the negative side though they do have an annoying preview window that kept popping up no matter how many times I clicked off (Fig.05). To recapture some of the lost dynamic I opted to tilt the whole piece about 20%. I simply grabbed all of the layers, went to Edit > Transform > Rotate and fiddled. I also continued to work up the warrior, giving him a lean build. I decided I’d probably scale it back some though as it was a tad too ripped for me (Fig.06). I also began focusing more on how to decorate him as I wanted to keep it simple, without too many adornments. That way the pose wouldn’t be

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Chapter 03

Tribal Warriors Chapter 03: Native American lost in a bunch of layers and nuanced details. I

detail, along with accent colors (the red straps

also worked up the buffalo, giving him a darker,

coming from his hair) that helped drive more

shaggy coat. I started considering whether or

focus to his face.

not to just entirely darken the eyes and take out the little glint because it was quite difficult to

Yep, back to a tilted piece (Fig.08). I decided to

project him as dead.

stick with this as I was starting to dig the slight sense of vertigo. I went back into the sky and

Enter doubt! I rotated the whole piece back to

reworked it, using the previously mentioned

an even level. I wasn’t sure if I liked it more

bristles brush and the Hard Edged Round brush.

like this, but I was still trying to figure out the

I kept it all loose as I wanted to give the sky a

composition. Tilted it looked a little wonky, but

sense of motion to counteract the stillness of

a part of me still liked it because it pulled me in

the two subjects. Usually if you refine something

(Fig.07). Regardless of this I continued to add

you tend to make it look more static, which is

pretty logical if you consider the fact that in real life the quicker a thing is moving the blurrier it appears. I also introduced some rim lighting to add extra drama. All of this was done with the Hard Round brush. I also cropped the canvas as I felt like we were too far away from them before. I also started to build up the grass. I began by using the Grass brush that comes with Photoshop and angled it in the direction I wanted it to go. I also varied the size and spacing. Once the brush was set I simply began to layer it over the ground. There’s not a big trick to this; you just have to study some grass references and figure out how much of it you want to accurately portray in your scene. I was going for semi-realistic, keeping it a tad on the fantastical side. After I was done with the initial laying in of the grass I grabbed a Hard Edged Round brush, set the Size Jitter and Opacity Jitter both to Control Pressure and went in to vary and touch up the grass some more. From this point onwards it was just a case of further refining.

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Chapter 03

Chapter 03: Native American

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Here we have the pseudo-final piece (Fig.09). I never really feel like my work is complete, and this example is no different. There’s plenty I’d still like to render, but for the sake of the tutorial and time this will have to do. I pretty much just went over everything and refined it further. I solidified the clouds just a tad more, and also detailed the bison a bit more, trying to push its sheer bulk. I got the clumpy texture look by setting my Hard Round brush to a speckled brush. To do this just enable the Scattering options in the Brush Options window and vary the sliders. Make sure to also play with the spacing option of your brush for better results. I also added some body designs, but nothing that would cover up the physic too much. I think a warrior’s greatest tool (after his mind) is his body; the better that is honed the more deadly he should be. For a quick and agile character like the one we have here, it’s important to see his build. As for the grass, I copied the former layer, put it to Overlay mode to pump up the contrast and

then continued to paint on it. This gave it that

just to play around. I used the speckled brush

extra kick of light to dark. I also made an overlay

on a different layer, then used the Filter > Blur >

layer for the body and just painted lightly over

Motion Blur.

him with the earlier mentioned speckled brush, to give him a bit more texture.

After that I just went in and did some hands-on smudging and painting of raindrops in motion.

So there you have it, a rather loose take on the

Remember to keep them blurry!

iconic Native American. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and best of luck in your version!

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Branko Bistrovic

Note: Just for the fun of it, I also made a quick

For more information please visit:

version with rain in it (Fig.10). It is not quite

www.brushdreams.com/brankosfurnace.swf

accurate – the skin should be more glistening

Or contact him at:

and the lighting is much too warm now – but still,

[email protected]

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Chapter 03

04 viking

Tribal Warriors Chapter 04: Viking Chapter 04: Viking Software Used: Photoshop For this tutorial I was set the task of creating a concept illustration based on a Viking. I started by coming up with some keywords for myself. This helped me settle on the aesthetic style of the painting, along with the lighting and mood. I wanted the Viking to be very powerful and set against a foreboding and grim scenario. This helped me find a pose and expression that worked. I used references at every step and listened to music that reflected the feeling I was aiming for. I hope you find this tutorial useful!

Blocking and Silhouette With this image I knew I wanted something that had a strong silhouette, and that the silhouette should be as “Viking” as possible. Viking horns were an obvious way to do this. Once I’d blocked in a rough shape, I started thinking about the other elements I would need to

doing. At first I thought about having a wounded

If the Viking was chopping a tree down instead

develop the blobby scribble, such as indicating

Viking taking his last defensive strike. Then as

of a person, everything would be different, even

the arms and weapons. I blocked in using a

I continued blocking in and moving elements

though the pose and costume wouldn’t be.

standard Hard Round brush with Pressure

around (such as the sword) I thought it would be

Sensitivity turned on (Fig.01). I then used the

interesting to show the Viking as an executioner.

Another layer to the context was what the

same brush as my eraser to cut out the shapes I

The man with the outstretched arm immediately

characters were wearing. Putting the characters

wanted (Fig.02).

worked for me (Fig.03). Everything was in his

in the clothing of the time and place meant

hand gesture and combined with the obvious

researching what they would have worn, how

striking angle of the Viking’s sword this gave

they made their helmets, the decoration on their

When I had the Viking design down as I wanted

real weight to the image. In this scenario

swords and shields etc. You have to absorb as

it I started thinking about what he was actually

contrasting elements help to define each other.

much of the style as you can.

Contextual Design

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Chapter 04

Chapter 04: Viking

Tribal Warriors

Atmospherics and Dynamics Once I was happy with what the image was doing and saying, I started thinking about how I could increase the drama. I didn’t want to get into the lighting of the scene yet, so I played around with losing edges and adding smoke and cloud effects to increase a sense of depth and

lines crossed at the exact same point, the

background was pure white, it could only go

motion (Fig.04).

composition would distract and annoy the eye. A

darker. Using the Multiply layer mode has a nice

good principle to study is “Informal Composition”

layering effect that builds the darks very well.

I did this by creating some custom brushes

by Loomis (Fig.06).

I used large soft airbrushes and cloud custom

sampled from clouds and using them along with



brushes, focusing on establishing a lighting

erasers. Another thing to play around with is the

A good exercise for practicing your composition

gradient more than anything else. Then I erased

flow value, which will slowly build up the stroke

is to take three circles. Order them in a neat

out the areas on my characters where it had

and give your brushes a different look (Fig.05).

and boring way in a frame. Then create a set

gone too dark. This was how I established the

of “mini-compositions”, with the most dynamic

mood and general lighting of the image (Fig.08).

Composition Principles One thing that I was aware of at this stage was that the composition was looking very “side

combination of the three circles that you can Fig.09 illustrates exactly what I did for the

(Fig.07).

Viking image. I painted the base painting and

pattern with my characters to keep the image

Using Multiply for the Background

interesting. Negative shapes and composition

I intentionally left the background white in

design lines helped me find interesting abstract

the beginning for two reasons. I wanted to

shapes, such as the negative shapes around

stay focused on the characters as much as

the axe and hands. I tried to make sure no

possible for the blocking in and I knew I could

Overlay, Color Balance and Hard Light

more than two of the composition lines ever

use Multiply to make it work later down the

Different layer modes are the way I would

crossed over at a perfect “X”. You can see in

line. So once I was happy compositionally and

usually apply color to a piece. For the Viking

the example the small triangle made by the

contextually with the image I created a Multiply

image, I applied a wash of blue with orange

sword hand, axe and arm/leg line. If all the

layer at the top of the layer stack. Since the

to get a basic idea of the color temperature

on”. I knew I had to create a strong graphic

then painted in a Multiply layer above it. Finally I deleted the parts of that layer that were in the highlighted areas.

(warms and cools). Then I used Hard Light in the darkest darks to paint pure red into areas. Overlay wouldn’t be able to do this as it doesn’t affect pure blacks or whites. Hard Light, however, brings the black point up really well. I then used a Color Balance adjustment layer to grade the image to a tone I wanted (Fig.10).

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Chapter 04

Tribal Warriors Chapter 04: Viking

Fig.11 shows the interesting colors achieved

Studying sub surface scattering will really help

by using just one Overlay on top of a black and

you to understand how skin works and how it

white image. A good thing to do after this is

can look authentic. In Fig.13 you will see how

painting opaque (Normal layer mode) back over

sphere 1 has only one hue going from light to

the top. This gets rid of the obvious wash look.

black. Sphere 2 goes through many hues and

Skin Tone Sometimes when using Overlay and Hard Light

ramps up in saturation before it gets anywhere near true black.

layers the skin on characters doesn’t look right.

Pose Refinement

I settled on a slight position and rotation change

It’s very easy to make skin look dead in an

I continued to refine and add details specific to

(Fig.14). This increased the impression of him

image. This is usually because one hue has

Vikings such as leather straps, belts, studs and

swinging his sword. Every time you change

been used to paint the form of the character’s

armor all sourced from references. At this stage

something in a piece, question whether it dilutes

skin. Skin contains so many hues and saturation

of an image I always try to stop and take a step

or enhances the image.

levels it takes more to make it look believable.

back. I try to re-analyze the poses and make

It’s something that needs a lot of practice, but

sure everything is as good as it can be. With this

Particles and Finishing Effects

it is key to making character illustrations look

image I moved the peasant’s hand and head

I knew from the start that I wanted this image

strong. So I re-graded my image, focusing only

around, but decided not to change anything. The

to have a lot of depth and visual effects. As the

on the skin. I had the previous version’s color

Viking’s head, however, was bothering me. So I

weather in the image seemed very dull and grim,

palette to go back to later. Once I felt the skin

lasso selected his head/helmet and used Copy/

I thought I’d try making the rain from one of the

looked natural color-wise, I copied them back

Merge and Paste to create a flattened selection I

previous attempts work. Rain has a great mood

into the blue, grim lighting version (Fig.12).

could move around. After trying multiple options,

and adds a lot in terms of reflections, specular highlights, particles and things like water splash. For the rain, I created a custom brush using the standard Hard Round which I flattened in the Roundness setting as much as possible. I then just played with scattering values until I thought it read like rain. I also used other particle custom brushes to add miscellaneous texture effects like grit and mud into the image. Applying a small amount of Motion Blur to these elements adds a lot of depth (Fig.15). At the end I created a vignette to the image and blurred the edges whilst sharpening my focal points (Fig.16).

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Chapter 04

Chapter 04: Viking

Tribal Warriors

Jon McCoy For more information please visit: http://www.jonmccoyart.com/ Or contact him at: [email protected]

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Chapter 04

Tribal Warriors Chapter 04: Viking

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Chapter 04

05 fantasy

Tribal Warriors Chapter 05: Fantasy Chapter 05: Fantasy Software Used: Photoshop How do you paint a picture with well defined volume, depth and composition? I’m going to tell you how to work on the dynamics between the figure and the background, and also how to understand figures and handle light and shadows. My idea is to make it fun and easy to understand. Let’s start defining the drawing’s details the best we can, so that when we switch to color it’ll be easier to model it. I’m naturally impatient and like to go directly to color, but this time I tried to calm down and set the picture a little better before diving into the swimming pool of color. These are the subjects I’ve chosen to discuss: - How to select base colors - Figure modeling and light direction - How do you make the colors match? - Final details - Bonus track

How to Select Base Colors To find out what base colors we should use, we must keep in mind several things: - Whether the scene takes place during day or night

- What we want to show in the painting and

- What kind of environment or scenery we

what is in the background.

to work out whether the selected base colors are right or wrong.

have (desert, forest etc) - How many characters there are in the composition

As you can see, there are three elements

In the first example the color palette is cool,

in the drawing: an Indian, a wild pig and the

therefore warm colors stand out immediately

background (Fig.01). The warrior is the most

– in this case the wild pig. This is not useful

important part as he is what I want everybody to

because the warrior is supposed to command

look at (Fig.02). For this reason, we should try

the viewer’s attention.

to separate the character from other elements using colors.

In the second example, all the elements are warm, therefore nothing stands out and it is very

Curiously through colors you can say a lot of

difficult to guide the viewer around the image.

things. It is not foolish to plan which colors you

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are going to use from the beginning. Fig.03

Finally, in the third example we find the best

shows three different examples you can look at

option. The warm background and the wild pig

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Chapter 05

Chapter 05: Fantasy

blend well, and the warrior in the blue color

that isn’t very realistic but it makes the image

stands out from the secondary elements. At the

look dramatic and interesting (Fig.06).

Tribal Warriors

same time the warrior shares a cold color range with the wild pig’s body (Fig.04).

If you look at paintings from the Baroque period you will see clear examples of dramatic lighting

To put in your new color choices you simply

and contrast management. Rembrandt was one

need to set your sketch to Multiply and paint in

of the great masters of this movement. In his

the three colors (Fig.05).

work we find great examples of the use of light

Figure Modeling and Light Direction

and shadow (Fig.07). The next step is to start shaping the figure. To

To start painting let’s define the strong lights and

do that you must first understand the shapes,

The warrior’s head and face is composed of

shadows first. At this point we’ll start to cover

and use the direction of the light to try to

several geometric figures. You may have seen

the original drawing’s line with color. To guide

understand how the character will look in the

these shapes used in diagrams thousands of

the viewer’s gaze I have chosen a theatrical light

light.

times before, but it is important to understand the shapes that make up the head as these will help you paint the head to make it look 3D. You can see how these shapes work on the face in Fig.08. Using the understanding of the shape of the face that we now have, we can start to put color on the warrior’s face (Fig.09). In image 3 you can see that I have added some backlighting. This means that I have added some of the background colors to the skin of the warrior, particularly on the darker side. This is to make the character look as if it is standing in its environment.

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Chapter 05

Tribal Warriors Chapter 05: Fantasy

Making the Colors Match This part of the process is about adjusting the balance of the contrasting colors in the different elements of the painting. To explain this I’ve draw a blue apple on an orange background. It is always easier to demonstrate a point with simple figures. Remember that when you paint with colors you must cover the whole painting with one color. This is the base or dominant color. Then you should add local color for each element that makes up the composition. Always keep the base color of the bottom (Fig.10). If we look at the following boxes, we can clearly see the contrast between the blue object and the orange background. As we want this object to be integrated in the background, but at the same time separate from it, we have to control the amounts of orange and blue we use. If the object is further in the background it will have much more orange on it than blue. That is to create a greater sense of depth or distance. Depending on the material the object is made from, the object will reflect more or less light. This will allow us to differentiate a piece of cloth from a piece of metal (Fig.11). you can add some interesting features that look

on it anymore. If you feel like this, it’s best to

visually appealing. Sometimes after working

stop working on it for several hours. When

If you already have the character and

on a image for a long time you can feel a little

you go back to it you can think about what you

background defined and the lighting established

bored of it and feel like you don’t want to work

would like to adjust or if you would like to work

Final details www.3dtotal.com

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Chapter 05

Chapter 05: Fantasy

Tribal Warriors

on some of the main focus areas like the faces

things you can explore any style that suits you.

is that anybody can draw using any tool they

of the characters (Fig.12).

Don’t let anyone impose a style on you.

like. The truth is that you can paint amazing images with just one brush without using special

In Fig.13 – 14 you can see the points of interest

Here is a little gift for you. I have provided the

layers or effects. The most important thing to

that I adjusted.

brushes I used for this painting (Fig.16). You

know is the traditional techniques and to paint

can download these brushes with this tutorial.

what you want to. Try to create a painting with

After some time I decided that I also wanted to

only two layers – the first for the sketch and

do a cartoony version. You can see in Fig.15

Conclusion

that the same principles apply whatever style of

In almost all the tutorials I’ve already written for

you can do it and that it’s fun. I hope you have

work you are doing. The other important thing

2DArtist magazine, I’ve avoided talking about

enjoyed my tutorial (Fig.17).

to remember is that once you understand these

programs, steps or special effects. My thinking

the second for the painted color. You’ll see that

Ignacio Bazan Lazcano For more information please visit: http://www.ignaciobazanart.com/ Or contact him at: [email protected]

- Free Brush

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Chapter 05

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This eBook series will be split over six separate chapters, all sharing the common theme of a fantasy inspired medieval scene. Each will be undertaken by a different artist and draw upon a wealth of experience and skills perfected over years of industry practice. The authors will discuss their approach to digital /concept painting, the tools and brushes they employ and treat us to a valuable look into their artistic process. The six installments will cover a different environment each chapter based upon the medieval theme and encompass a multitude of professional tips and techniques. Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: Photoshop, ArtRage & Painter | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF

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Futuristic cities and landscapes dominate digital art. They form the backdrop of countless films and videogames and give artists an opportunity to explore the boundaries of their imagination. This is more than just a design based eBook though as each tutorial is filled with advice and tips that could help any artist develop and grow. This tutorial series is made up of six chapters, each tackled by a different artist, will be exploring the ways to design and paint cities of the future. Each artist will draw upon years of experience to demonstrate techniques and methods for creating original designs in a step by step way that can help any digital artist. Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: Photoshop | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF

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This eBook tutorial series will revolve around the use of 3d as a starting point for digital painting. In particular we will explore the value of Google SketchUp, a free program enabling users to quickly build 3d environments using a set of intuitive tools. As a 3d package SketchUp is easy to learn and does not require hours of training and as an artist wishing to draw complicated scenes, this approach can prove a valuable starting point for producing a template on which to paint over. Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: Google SketchUp & Photoshop | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF

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This eBook series will be split over six separate chapters all of which will be dedicated to painting monsters suited to a range of habitats spanning jungle and aquatic to mountainous and subterranean. Each will be covered by a different author who will discuss their approach to digital /concept painting, the tools and brushes they employ and how to create a final image. We shall gain an insight into the thought processes of each of our industry professionals and the ways in which they develop an idea from concept sketches through to a finished work. Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: Photoshop & Painter | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF