Here are some cool PS tips for everyone from one of our friends/ readers, Petter Amland.
Dear Xia.
You're a nice guy and you blog is getting better and better along with you. :)
If you didn't know them already, here's some tips to finish up your artwork. Hope it can help:
Photoshop illustration tips for finishing up your image.
* Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. Using these sliders to give higher contrast and brightness to you images. You can also try using the Hue/Saturation sliders.
* Unsharp Mask.Go to Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. set the radius to about 1, and the amount to about 100 + -, all depending on the image. This will make the individual brush strokes clearer.
IF ANYONE HAS COOL Photoshop tips, short cut, and trick that you would like to share, FEEL FREE TO POST them below this post on COMMENT THEN I WILL ADD THEM TO THE LIST. LET'S BUILD THE PS TIPS ARCHIVE FOR ARTISTS (US basically). ;)
The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the richest of all the schemes because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four colors are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors.
Pros: The tetradic scheme offers more color variety than any other scheme. Cons: This scheme is the hardest scheme to balance.
Tips: 1. If the scheme looks unbalanced, try to subdue one or more colors. 2. Avoid using pure colors in equal amounts.
It is the last tip of how to create color harmony on your illustration or color sketch, I hope this is useful.
Thanks for all overwhelming e-mails guys!!! Due to the high volume of e-mails and questions, I apologized that I cannot usually reply to you within a day or two. I will try my best to answer them all personally and get all the questions answer either by Videos or Post.
** If you have any basic questions or specific please looked up Q/A section. Most of the time your questions has already been answered in Q/A.
If you need any help or support you can -post questions or comment on the post (seems to be the fastest way to get response) Peace,
Concept Artist in Video Game, Artist Job descriptions in general, tips on how and what to focus on if you want to get your foot into the Door as artist in Entertainment and Video game industry.
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in movies, video games, or comic books before it is put into the final product. This is a relatively new designation popularized by artists working in the automobile and video games industries. This term has been in use since the 1930's by the traditional animation industry who was describing drawn or painted images which illustrate the look, feel, design, colors, etc...of the animated movie to be made.[citation needed] Concept art is also referred to as "visual development" in traditional animation. The term was later adopted by the games industry. These illustrations became necessary for developed visual properties.
Concept artist is an individual who generates visual reference for an object (like weapons, armor and vehicles) or being (like a character or creature) that does not yet exist. This includes, but is not limited to film production, and more recently video game production. A concept artist may be required for nothing more than preliminary artwork, or may be required to be part of the creative team till the project reaches fruition. Concept artists are an enigma in the art world.[citation needed] While it is necessary to have the flair and natural talent of a fine artist, a concept artist must also be able to work to strict deadlines in the capacity of a graphic designer. Interpretation of ideas and how they are realised is where the concept artist's individual creativity is most evident, as subject matter is often beyond their control.
Basically nowadays, Concept artist can focus in three major areas. **Also depending on how big the company is, they might just have one guy or a few to cover all area.
Environmental Concept Artist: You have to be able to visualizing the richly detailed, beautifully imaginative environments of any given genre. You have to be able to work quickly from sketch to finished concept. You will be brainstorming with level designers and architects with the Art Director and Lead Artist, to help form a believable and awe-inspiring world. You have to want to work on a project that is going to dipping into the depths of your imagination. You will be painting, sketching and solving visual challenges for a living on a project that will stretch your visual muscles all day.
Other requirements include: - Second to none concept skills. - Create accurate, visually interesting, functional, stylistically accurate asset sheets for all levels. - Create colour moods that capture the feel of the locations. - Paint master concepts that not only show a general feel of a location, but also describe enough detail to inform an asset list. To be able to paint these master concepts quickly. - Able to work with level teams to help illustrate any areas that require development. - Work closely with the Art Director and Lead Artist to maintain aesthetic continuity across the levels. - Masterly color awareness. - Excellent spatial awareness. - Wild imagination capable of visualizing the fantastic to the everyday, giving equal importance, flair and aesthetics to either. - Fluent with either Photoshop or Painter. - Passion for the craft, able to revisit work without being too precious. - Solid understanding of all the different surface treatments one would expect to see in a detailed world and the ability to depict them accurately. - Passion for conceptual tasks. *Sometimes You will also be required to do props and object in details (Houses, Ships, Guns, Weapons)
Character Concept Artist: You simply draw and paint all kind of different characters (mostly human form or humanoid) all day. You'll be responsible for creating concept images from multiple viewpoints that are accurate and clear to understand, assembling reference images and instructional documentation which supports the concept designs, working with the Outsource Manager and Lead Artist in creating designs that are consistent with the art vision and assisting in the successful launch of the title.
Other requirements include: - Strong traditional art skills and good knowledge of human anatomy. - Excellent technical drawing and vector art work skills - Flexible with art style and can work in multiple genres. - Ability to take direction well - Motivated and driven to face challenges. - Ability to hit tight schedules as required - Ability to create detailed and believable visuals based on real world settings. - Produce art ranging from rough thumbnails to print quality images. - Strong focus on character concepts. - Ability to communicate effectively with member of all teams (design, programming, and art).
Creature Concept Artist: You simply draw and paint all kind of different animals and creature (mostly non-human like) all day. You'll be responsible for creating concept images from multiple viewpoints that are accurate and clear to understand, assembling reference images and instructional documentation which supports the concept designs, working with the Outsource Manager and Lead Artist in creating designs that are consistent with the art vision and assisting in the successful launch of the title. Other requirements include: - Strong traditional art skills and knowledge of different type of animal anatomy. - Excellent technical drawing and vector art work skills - Flexible with art style and can work in multiple genres. - Ability to take direction well - Motivated and driven to face challenges. - Ability to hit tight schedules as required - Ability to create detailed and believable visuals based on real world settings. - Produce art ranging from rough thumbnails to print quality images. - Strong focus on creature concepts. - Ability to communicate effectively with member of all teams (design, programming, and art).
Art Director - He will give a visual direction of the overall look and is a person who can do all this and on top of everything. Plus sense of humor.
There are more description of professional artists in Video Game world to come. These are just pre-production artist for movies and video games in general.
Manga Artist tips, shape and form learning how to see. Visually breaking complexity of form into simple shapes.
You have to be able to look at object, people, animals then rationally analyze if you can break it down into simple geometric shape or a group of simple geometric shapes. It is a lot easier once you realize what you really see are just combination of shape and form arrange in its own composition. Then you can start to look for value and color.
The process of drawing any subject becomes less intimidating when you understand how to see and break down proportions properly, and can draw the fundamental shapes of the various parts in their correct places.
1) When you see an illustration, sketch, or real life object.
2) Identify the simple geometry shapes within.
3) Break down the most simple 2D form. Sphere to cirle, cube to square ....(but don't forget to covey the depth or the mass or perspective of the object on 2d surface.) This process as follow allows you to draw things from memory or your head. You start with easy simple shape to a group of shapes arrange in their proper place. But the process will be reverse if you are drawing from life or object. You see complex shape, then you break it down however you comfortable with (what I show you is just how to think, not how to actually do it the exact same way.)
Thanks for all overwhelming e-mails guys!!! Due to the high volume of e-mails and questions, I apologized that I cannot usually reply to you within a day or two. I will try my best to answer them all personally and get all the questions answer either by Videos or Post.
** If you have any basic questions or specific please looked up Q/A section. Most of the time your questions has already been answered in Q/A.
If you need any help or support you can -post questions or comment on the post (seems to be the fastest way to get response)
Drawing Technique, Positive and Negative Spaces understanding silhouettes in concept design and composition.
Your ability to draw will be greatly enhanced when you know how to identify and create silhouettes or positive and negative space, visually measure distances, and apply the resulting information to your drawings.
A silhouette is a view of some object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior, with the silhouette usually being black. Or a two-dimensional representation of the outline of an object, as a cutout or configurational drawing, uniformly filled in with black, esp. a black-paper, miniature cutout of the outlines of a famous person's face.
It is very important in design, especially characters and creatures. Most of the time we want to make the character silhouettes being unique and distinctive.
Example: From just this silhouette alone, you can already tell that it is a female figure. It doesn't take much, just black and white some knowledge and accuracy....with a bit of imagination.
It's Negative space can also be useful in creating an overall composition of the illustration or color sketch.
Thanks for all overwhelming e-mails guys!!! Due to the high volume of e-mails and questions, I apologized that I cannot usually reply to you within a day or two. I will try my best to answer them all personally and get all the questions answer either by Videos or Post.
** If you have any basic questions or specific please looked up Q/A section. Most of the time your questions has already been answered in Q/A.
If you need any help or support you can -post questions or comment on the post (seems to be the fastest way to get response)
Triadic Color Scheme, tips and technique for artists, illustrators, mangakas and concept artists.
The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. This scheme is popular among graphic designers, photographers, and some artists because it offers strong visual contrast while retaining balance, and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious.
Triadic Color Scheme Direction Pros: The triadic color scheme offers high contrast while retaining harmony. Cons: The triadic color scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme.
This is somewhat the closet to Triadic color scheme with a little tweaking of the older version that I could find from my stash. :) * Mostly I like working in complimentary color scheme, triadic is harder. TIPS: The more colors you have to deal with the more difficult to balance them.
Tips: 1. Choose one color to be dominant element and used in larger amounts than others. The last two can be used as secondary and so on. 2. If the colors look gaudy, try to subdue them either by using the less saturate hue or push it back into the back ground.
Guide for choosing color in photoshop tutorial and tips for beginner artists and illustrator. Photoshop for drawing, painting Manga, Anime, comics, and concept art tutorial.
OK, I usually have my own palette whenever I work on a piece. But occasionally I will need to add some more color and hue to my new work.
Here is my color palette: It's not much, just a bunch of scribble paint of my favorite color range. As for finding value, digital make it easy or I can just use the basic gradation I have on there.
Though, the palette I have sometimes doesn't provide me with everything I need. But 90% of the time, those are all the color I basically can use all the way to finish illustration.
So...to find you color on your own here are the basic guide. I always use (most artists do) HSB scale window in Photoshop. It makes sense to us as a painter or artists more so than RGB.
Here is a HSB scale: HSB scale is very self-explanatory: You can pick rearrange three things that will produce you a result you are looking for.
H = Hue (Hue is one of the main properties of a color described with names such as "red", "yellow", etc. The two other main properties are lightness and colorfulness.)
S = Saturation (In colorimetry and color theory, colorfulness, chroma, and saturation are related but distinct concepts referring to the perceived intensity of a specific color. Colorfulness is the difference between a color against gray. Chroma is the difference of a color against the brightness of another color which appears white under similar viewing conditions. Saturation is the difference of a color against its own brightness.) Sample: Top (red) is 100% saturation, bottom (gray) is 0% saturation
B= Brightness [(also called effulgence) is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to emit a given amount of light. In other words, brightness is the perception elicited by the luminance of a visual target. This is a subjective attribute/property of an object being observed.]
Gray Scale (Brightness), very useful in illustrate black and white illustration or practicing value in painting. As for RBG and others, they have their own purpose. I just don't bother using them.
Thanks for all overwhelming e-mails guys!!! Due to the high volume of e-mails and questions, I apologized that I cannot usually reply to you within a day or two. I will try my best to answer them all personally and get all the questions answer either by Videos or Post.
** If you have any basic questions or specific please looked up Q/A section. Most of the time your questions has already been answered in Q/A.
If you need any help or support you can -post questions or comment on the post (seems to be the fastest way to get response) -follow me on TWITTER -forum.idrawgirls.comour community will be able to help you. peace!
How to set up canvas size in Photoshop for illustration and concept art for artist and illustrator. Basic tutorial for beginner.
Q: Please can you post someday the way you set up an illustration....for example the canvas size, the layers (rough sketch, detailed line drawing, colour layer etc...) and other main things.
OK, here are the step by step how to set up your illustration and concept art project from the beginning to the end. But really there is no set in stone rules, it's a preference. Each artist has different way of working progress, whatever they are comfortable with.
The BASIC idea of how to determine your image (canvas) size to work with is simple. I usually work 2 or 3 times the FINAL size.
1) Thumbnails stage: You scribble a bunch of idea out within the guideline provided. For example this one is "space marine light-fighter suit"
Or some environmental thumbnails
Usually at this stage I work really small. On 9 x 12 sketch page, I could fit in about 12 of these figures (three on each roll with four rolls vertical.). Or in Photoshop, I would create 350 x 500 px canvas. Then I fix four of them as shown above.
2) I will pick three final design candidates and blow each one of them up to 700 x 500 px. At this stage I will make another layer on top of it so that I can work on the detail a little more and possibly assign quick color and composition. (I believe I always talk about it on the vids)
3) Once I have the basic design with color scheme, I will once again blow it up to 1,400 x 1,000 px. At this stage, I will try to find basic value using layers: -Overlay (use dark gray if you want darker value, light gray for lighter value) -Multiply (use local color for darker value only, same apply to dark gray to black.) -Screen (use local color for lighter value only, same apply to light gray to black.)
Some of you ask me for my background canvas to use Here is it to download digital canvas background (bigger size)
4) I might use overlay again to accentuate more saturation and hue of some area, especially around the focal point.
5) Once I have these quality in place, I will process to bigger Check list: a) Readable Silhouette b) Lighting (over all value) c) Color balance d) Big detail e) composition that have define focal point
*Once you have all that goto 6)
6) I again enlarge the image for the last time to abour 2,400 x 2,000 or bigger **(traditionally, whenever you enlarge the image, you are basically re-draw, re-paint and reproduce the whole picture. Thanks to digital ages.) ***(for printing purpose if that apply, should consider a size of the assignment and set it at 200-300 dpi/inch.) I have never yet work on anything that is bigger than 3,500px and up. The bigger it is the better the quality, but keep in mind that it means more area you have to work on.
TIPS: Once your image is big, lot of beginners tend to zoom in 100% and work on little detail. Don't do that unless you must. It will deceive you when you zoom in. Constantly check the overall value of the whole image and color balance by zoom out. Check thumbnail often.
Below is my character concept for GuildWars 2
7) At this final size, I rarely use any special layers. There is no need because before you get there, you should already have all or most of the value you need to achieve the final illustration. Just paint on the actual layer or normal layer. I keep painting over using the establishing value and color until it's finish. *Tips: think clean up and simplify, not adding more.
8) Final touch up stage: I might add hot spot or increase color saturation here and there around the focal or necessary area.
FOR WEB PUBLISHING I usually base the format sizing on standard paper or illustration sizes are 5x7, 9x12, 11x14, 11x17 inches. Then I set it at the 72 dpi. So if my final size is 9x12 at 72 dpi resolution, I will have to work 2 times bigger. So it would be 18 x 24 at 72 dpi or 9 x 12 at 144 dpi
FOR PRINT, this will required a higher resolution. I usually base the format sizing on standard paper or illustration sizes are 5x7, 9x12, 11x14, 11x17 inches. Then I set it at 200 dpi. (200 to 300 dpi is best for printing resolution)
So if my final size is 9x12 at 200 dpi resolution, I will have to work 2 times bigger. It would be 18 x 24 at 300 dpi or 9 x 12 at 600 dpi
Basic Color Schemes for artist, illustrator, complementary color scheme.
The complementary color scheme is made of two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. This scheme looks best when you put a warm color against a cool color, for example, red versus green-blue. The complementary scheme is intrinsically high-contrast.
Here is a traditional Color Wheel: The opposite pole are the true complementary color. You can play around and have it slightly wider in range, it will possibly work out if you figure out how to harmonize them.
Here is digital color wheel. It is slightly different, but the principle remains. For precise accuracy of complementary, look at the traditional wheel.
When using the complementary scheme, it is important to choose a dominant color and use its complementary color for accents. Using one color for the background and its complementary color to highlight important elements, you will get color dominance combined with sharp color contrast.
Example: *This one is the closet to the complimentary color scheme I could find at the moment. It is somehow on the boarder line...it could be split complimentary because of the range of hue in the picture. But you get the idea...it's still in the same family.
Pros: The complementary color scheme offers stronger contrast than any other color scheme, and draws maximum attention.
Cons: This scheme is harder to balance than monochromatic and analogous schemes, especially when desaturated warm colors are used.
Tips: 1. For best results, place cool colors against warm ones, for example, blue versus orange. 2. If you use a warm color (red or yellow) as an accent, you can desaturate the opposite cool colors to put more emphasis on the warm colors. 3. Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows). 4. Try the split complementary scheme; it is similar to the complementary scheme but offers more variety.
*The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary scheme.
It uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary. This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary scheme. Pros: The split complementary scheme offers more nuances than the complementary scheme while retaining strong visual contrast.
Cons: The split complementary scheme is harder to balance than monochromatic and analogous color schemes.
Tips: 1. Use a single warm color against a range of cool colors to put an emphasis on the warm color (red versus blues and blue-greens, or orange versus blues and blue-violets). 2. Avoid using desaturated warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows), because this may ruin the scheme.
What kind of pencil is best for drawing and sketch, how to pick pencil for artist and illustrator. How to choose a pencil to draw for yourself?
Many people ask me what kind of pencil I use, well I really have no favorite, really. But if I recalled a few years back, it was probably a Clutch pencils (mechanical with big leads), then sometimes I would use thin lead mechanical pencil. But in life drawing session, I would use regular wooden pencils, or big thick graphite stick or charcoal sticks if I am drawing on a big pad. So really, it the matter of purpose or how I like them at time. Nowadays, I use what I can find around me pen or pencil doesn't matter as long as I can fit the proper lines and value in the sketchbook.
A lot of good professional artists I know have their own preferences, they use different kind of tool varies from person to person. One of the best artist I know can draw anything so great with just regular mechanical pencil with hard lead (2H, or H). But I probably wouldn't be able to pull that off, I love dark lead but not too soft. So it is really up to you to decide which will fit you.
There are many kinds of drawing pencils; here's an overview of lead hardness, line darkness, and varieties of pencils for drawing.
A good pencil is an artist’s best friend. No subject is beyond an artist’s rendering if they have the pencils they need. A good rule of thumb to remember what each pencil does is to remember that the softer the lead, the darker your line will be. Pencils with “B” in the name are soft. Pencils with “H” in the name are harder leads.
This is a list of pencils and/ or lead to help you determine what type you need for different purpose.
Grades of graphite. A word here is appropriate concerning the different grades of graphite. The grades range from numbers 2 to 9. There is a letter following that to determine whether it is hard “H” or soft “B”. In the middle where the two grades meet you will find things like HB, B, F (finepoint) and H. Hard pencils are lighter in tone while soft pencils are darker. So the actual order you will find it 9H 8H 7H 6H 5H 4H 3H 2H H F B HB 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B.
* 2H- This is a very hard lead pencil that makes light marks. It is good for drawing details and preliminary drawings that you may not want to be permanent. * 6B- This pencil makes dark, softer marks. The 6B shown in the example is a wide woodless, which is great for expressive drawing and sketching. * #2 or HB- You remember this pencil from school. Most of use started our drawing career using this beauty to doodle on homework. Its lead falls between soft and hard and makes a great all-around go-to pencil. Keep this one with your sketchbook at all times. * #2 Jumbo- Remember these monster-sized pencils from kindergarten? They have all of the benefits of a regular #2, but they have a very wide lead that is perfect for expressive drawings and thick lines. * 2B- Softer than the HB, 2B makes darker lines. 2B is great for outlining drawings.
A) Clutch or Lead Holder pencils. They use 2mm graphite refills which are the same size as the wood cased pencils. There is a clutch mechanism in the tip that is activated by the plunger which holds the refill firmly in place. This allows me to extend the graphite as far as I may desire as well as retract it for more detail work. Being 2mm, they also can cover the paper rather quickly when necessary. Creating a chisel point at the tip (by holding the pencil at about a 45* angle and scrubbing a flat spot) allows me to cover larger areas with the flat side but simply turning the pencil gives me a sharp chisel line for those times when I need that. Using it in this way means I do not need to sharpen the graphite very often. I am also very particular about the brand of graphite refill I use.
C) wooden pencils. The most common is F, the wood cased pencil. These generally come in sets of 9B to 9H and are what most new artists begin using. I would suggest a new artist begin with these but be aware that there are some negative things with them. First, they will change in weight and balance as the pencil is sharpened. I have found this to be annoying. Secondly, my technique will not allow a regular sharpening but requires that they have a good ½" of lead freely available to work with. This brings me to one of the largest drawbacks I’ve found. The graphite is not always centered in the wood so when you sharpen them the tip becomes off center and I often find myself trying to draw with the wood instead of the graphite. The last problem can be overcome with pencil extenders (I don’t have one so I can’t show it) but as they wear down to a nub, a certain amount of the pencil will most certainly need to be thrown away. These pencils require a traditional sharpener or a razor blade to sharpen.
D) mechanical pencils. Standard mechanical pencils can be found in several thicknesses. .3mm, .5mm and .7mm with .3 being a bit tricky to find. Many artists use these exclusively and are able to produce stunning work with them. I find them excellent for detail work but do not use them in the main.
Color Harmony: Analogous Color scheme, basic Color Schemes for artists, illustrators, concept design.
The analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color while others are used to enrich the scheme. The analogous scheme is similar to the monochromatic one, but offers more nuances.
Pros: The analogous color scheme is as easy to create as the monochromatic, but looks richer.
Cons: The analogous color scheme lacks color contrast. It is not as vibrant as the complementary scheme.
Example of Analogous Color Scheme & Harmony below
Tips: 1. Avoid using too many hues in the analogous scheme, because this may ruin the harmony. 2. Avoid combining warm and cool colors in this scheme.
Monochromatic Color scheme and its meaning. What is monochromatic.
The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant. Monochromatic colors go well together, producing a soothing effect. The monochromatic scheme is very easy on the eyes, especially with blue or green hues. You can use it to establish an overall mood. The primary color can be integrated with neutral colors such as black, white, or gray. However, it can be difficult, when using this scheme, to highlight the most important elements.
*Monochromatic is not Black and White (Gray-Scale values) which often mistaken. Black and white rendering is officially called Achromatic. Both are great for practicing rendering value, and contrast of the painting.
Pros: The monochromatic scheme is easy to manage, and always looks balanced and visually appealing. Great practice for values. Cons: This scheme lacks color contrast. It is not as vibrant as the complementary scheme.
Tips:
1. Use Values (tints, shades, and tones) of the key color to enhance the scheme. 2. Try the analogous scheme; it offers more nuances while retaining the simplicity and elegance of the monochromatic scheme.
This is monochromatic. This is acromatic. Hope that helps, my two cents.
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