Digital Painting Tricks & Techniques: 100 Ways to Improve Your CG Art

131 Pages·2011·11.86 MB·English

by  Gary Tonge

art technique
“Art is not about perfection
About the Author
all the time, but rather about
Gary Tonge is one of the UK’s
perfecting your expression.”
foremost concept designers
with more than 20 years D -page 98
experience as a digital artist. I
G
He currently works as Art
I Gary Tonge has achieved great success in the entertain-
100 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR CG ART
T
Director for electronic games, ment software industry. This book reveals the process
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behind this seasoned artist’s work—from his favorite
Swordfi sh Studios. Recent L
customized brushes to the little tricks he uses to speed

products he has managed include 50 Cent: Blood Unlock the secrets P things up, add polish and create great-looking fi nal
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pieces. Along the way, you will learn to develop your own
in the Sand and Operation Flashpoint: 2 and 3. He
I
approaches to computer-generated art while capturing
to digital art! N
also has a successful freelance business, Vision-
the imagination and attention of your viewers. Learn how
T
Afar, whose client base is as diverse as his art and to use your digital tools to:
I
N
includes the BBC, Vivendi, Capcom, Eidos, Sims
• Create loose and fast concept sketches
Direct from the frontlines of the fantasy and gaming industry, Digital G
Snowboards and National Geographic. He is a
Painting Tricks & Techniques will show you how to get more out of
• Combine a range of source materials (photos, pencil
regular contributor to Imagine FX magazine and Adobe Photoshop® and make the most of your digital artwork. T
R drawings, scans and model renderings) into one
recently launched a new website, Visionafar.com. I cohesive image
• State-of-the-art advice from one of the world’s leading digital C
K
art professionals
S • Experiment with a range of emotive atmospheric effects
by tweaking color fi lter settings
• Covers every aspect of computer-generated art—from brush &
modes, lighting and color basics to special effects, working with
T • Achieve an impressionist look using texture, image
layers, and speed and matte painting E
C noise and interesting brushstrokes
H
• Clear instruction, screen shots and striking annotated art make
N • Add movement, high-detail shading and highlights for
these tips and techniques immediately applicable I
super-realistic effects
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• 14 step-by-step demonstrations cover beginner, intermediate
E By applying the techniques inside, you’ll learn to create
and advanced levels so you can begin right away S
stunning work all your own with ease. At the same time,
you’ll discover the freedom to experiment with new ideas
With real-world perspective and a practical focus, this book offers
quickly, and tweak details freely, pushing yourself out of
solutions to everyday challenges and inspiration for taking con-
your comfort zone and into bold new territory.
cepts that extra step to greatness. It’s the ultimate kick-start for
emerging digital artists, and a powerful resource for established T
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artists wanting to step up their digital-painting skills. N
G
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(UK £14.99) US $24.99
(UCSAN $ $2245.9.999)
Y0056 (CAN $25.99)
Impact-Books.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4403-0909-0
ISBN-10: 1-4403-0909-4
52499
N
A
E
GARY TONGE
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Digital Painting
T R I C K S & T E C H N I Q U E S :
100 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR CG ART
BY GARY TONGE
CINCINNATI, OHIO
impact-books.com
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C O N T E N T S
4 Introduction 60 CHAPTER 6
Textures & Surfaces
6 CHAPTER 1
Brushes & Explore various surface types and textures and learn
how they affect lighting.
Brushstrokes
Demonstration: Add Image Texture Quickly
Demonstration: Add Organic Realism
Explore lines and experiment with brush effects.
Demonstration: Select and Paint Out
76 CHAPTER 7
Demonstration: Create Textured Brushes Scale & Proportion
14 CHAPTER 2 Use scale and proportion correctly to produce a cohe-
Reference sive image.
Use photos both as reference and within digital 86 CHAPTER 8
paintings. Layers
Demonstration: Photo Reference and Rotoscoping
Use layers effi ciently and explore various options like
Demonstration: Bring Diverse Mediums Together
using layers as masking tools.
Demonstration: Matte Painting and Merging Photos
Demonstration: Apply and Adjust Layer Styles
Demonstration: Adapt Photos for Use in Illustrations
Demonstration: Paint on Separate Layers
24 CHAPTER 3
98 CHAPTER 9
Color
Low-Detail
Review the color chart and complementary palettes, Painting
experiment with color mixes and push the boundaries
of color theory.
Cover fundamentals of painting in low-detail, brush-
stroke effi ciency, and how to use texture to create the
illusion of detail.
34 CHAPTER 4 Demonstration: Use Texture to Create the
Light Illusion of Detail
Demonstration: Create a Low-Detail Painting
Explore the relationship between light and matter,
learn to control light and shadow, and achieve
lighting balance.
112 CHAPTER 10
High-Detail
44 CHAPTER 5 Painting
Composition
Understand where details are best used, improve your
Bring together the fundamentals of perspective, draftsmanship and achieve high clarity with digital
scaling, framing and focal points to create a cohesive tools.
image. Demonstration: Balance Photos With High-End
Demonstration: Add Lens Bend and Paintwork
Perspective Distortion
Index
124
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Dedication
To the blessings and lights in my life Michelle, Jessica, Catherine and Ella.
And to you Mum, our light up in the stars.
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
Welcome to Digital Painting Tricks & Techniques: 100 Ways to Improve Your CG Art.
I’m Gary Tonge, a professional digital artist working predominantly in the
entertainment software industry. As with my fi rst book, Bold Visions, I have written
this book with the intention of helping aspiring and professional artists alike make
the most of their own talents and get more out of the software used to create
computer-generated, or CG, art. Where this book differs from Bold Visions is that
I’ve broken down the instruction into beginner, intermediate and advanced skill
levels, with individual techniques and tips that will hopefully inspire some new
ideas, offer solutions to your art challenges, and help speed up your workfl ow.
Primarily I use Adobe® Photoshop® to create my art, and it is the focus of this
book. While I often scribble a sketch onto a pad, or model a quick shape in a 3-D
package, I almost always return to Photoshop to fi nalize my images. Many of the
techniques explored within these pages are quite personal to me, so you will also
get some insight into how I go about painting my art and the tricks I use from time
to time to speed things up, add polish and create great-looking fi nal pieces.
Whether your goals are to update and improve your current skill set, make your
digital-painting hobby more fulfi lling, or just see how a professional digital
artist does things, it is my hope that this book will help you fi nd inspiration and
insight into CG art.
4
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5
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Chapter One
B R U S H E S &
B R U S H S T R O K E S
As you grow as an artist, you’ll start to form your own distinctive style. A portion
of this no doubt comes from things that infl uence and inspire you—nature, the
work of other artists, and your own imagination. However, one of the most defi ning
elements to any artist’s work is the way in which brushstrokes are applied. In this
chapter, we’ll explore some tips for creating Photoshop brushes and using them
effectively in your art.
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BBeeggiinnnneerr
Draw Straight Lines
Straight lines are as simple as it gets when working
digitally, and there are a number of good ways to
create them. (Please note: The red box and arrow you see
below are not part of the original screen shots. I have overlaid
them there to help with clarity of instructions.)
Draw Lines With the Line Tool
The most basic method for creating lines is to
select the line tool in the toolbox, set the width
and opacity of the line you want, then draw
lines as you wish.
Hold down the SHIFT To tighten lines up or
button while dragging bridge gaps in a line,
the mouse or pen to click a point on the
lock the brush in a page with the line tool,
vertical or horizontal hold down SHIFT, then
direction—great for click on another area to
creating horizon lines create a line between
or grids. the two points—also
known as the SHIFT-
Click technique.
Draw Lines With the Brush Tool
A faster, more organic way of creating lines is to hold the SHIFT key and
click with the brush tool from one point to the next. These lines were
done using a simple round brush with a hard edge.
Important!
If you are serious about progressing as a
digital artist, I strongly recommend invest-
ing in a tablet, if you have not done so
already. Many CG art techniques, includ-
ing several discussed in this book, are only
possible with the use of a tablet.
Get free downloads from Gary Tonge’s Bold Visions at impact-books.com/digitalpaintingtrickstechniques. 7
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Draw Curved Lines
Painting digitally helps make the process of creat-
ing accurate curved lines a little easier than it is in
traditional painting.
Practice Makes Perfect Curved Lines
If the curves haven’t come out exactly as you
want them to, keep your fi ngers on CTRL Z
or CMD Z, and undo and redo any erroneous
curves until you achieve the desired shape.
With practice, drawing fl owing curves will
become less nerve-racking and the outcome
will be much more fl uid.
Pencil and Brush Effects With a Tablet
With a tablet, you can make the brush behave in an
organic way. Set the brush shape and brush opacity
to pen pressure. The harder you press down, the wider and
more pronounced the line becomes—just like a pencil or
paintbrush.
Brush Effects
The squiggly white lines here were created with the
brush tool using the pen-pressure setting. This setting
Brush Dialog Menu
will work with any of the painting tools (clone stamp,
I use these settings the most in Photoshop. (Pink boxes are overlays
history brush, smudge, eraser, etc.), but you do need a
that I placed for clarity of instruction and are not part of the original
tablet for this technique.
screen shot.)
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Intermediate
Stay Loose and Confi dent
Now that we’ve looked at some basic brush settings, Go in Reverse!
let’s start sketching. Take a look at this loose drawing
If you fi nd the brushstrokes uncomfortable
of a car. I spent only a few minutes on it, using the same prin-
to create smoothly, try temporarily fl ipping
ciples and settings discussed in the previous section. the image. Working in the reverse direction
can help.
Be Flexible
Stay loose and fl exible with your ideas, includ-
ing line work. Paint your rough line ideas on
one layer, then work up tighter lines on a new
layer above. Focus on establishing correct
proportions. You can have fun tidying up the
lines later.
Create a Sense of Cohesion
A sports car is a perfect demonstration of the
importance of brushstroke cohesion. The lines
you lay down must give a sense of movement, tension
and aggression. Without these, the illusion will rapidly
break down.
Brushstrokes Communicate Form
Thick and thin brushstrokes tell the viewer
exactly what the shapes are doing. Very few
lines are needed to project the shape of this car.
The End Result
The car was lined out, then painted on a sepa-
rate layer. All the lines aim towards the ground
from the back of the car to the front. There is
a quick color gradient from light to dark on the
background layer. The sweeping brushstrokes
used on the background help add a sense of
movement to the image.
Get free downloads from Gary Tonge’s Bold Visions at impact-books.com/digitalpaintingtrickstechniques. 9
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