Table Of Content100 TUTORIALS, TRICKS & SECRETS FOR PHOTOSHOP
THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO
PHOTOSHOP
The ultimate tutorial collection
TECHNIQUES FROM THE WORLD’S BEST ARTISTS
WELCOME
TO THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHOTOSHOP
PHOTOSHOP’S
SECRETS REVEALED
elcome to the first in our brand-new
W series of Artist’s Guides – unlocking the
powerful tools of the creative suites you
use and helping you to produce your best art ever.
In this edition, you’ll discover techniques for
Adobe’s fantastic Photoshop application that will
allow you to develop your skills into new areas
– and learn tricks that will enable you to get
creative faster and with better results.
Brought to you by the same superb creative
team as Digital Arts magazine, our selection of the
best digital artists from around the world reveals
how they have created the incredible artworks you
see throughout this edition. Follow step-by-step as
they detail their favourite ways for producing art
and illustrations with a wealth of different looks.
Alongside these tutorials, you’ll also find
inspiring guides to the latest hot styles in areas
such as digital painting and photomanipulation –
plus a wealth of tips as artists across a wide range
of traditions disclose the secrets of how they come
up with their best ideas.
To help you’ve complete these tutorials, we’ve
compiled their project files into a handy resource –
plus given you over £750 of amazing stock images
and Photoshop video training. There’s far more
than could possibly fit on a CD, so we’ve created a
Download Zone just for readers of this edition to
gain access to these files. See page 162 for details.
The Artist’s Guide to Photoshop is your
handbook to becoming a better digital artist.
Get ready to be inspired!
To discover how Markie Darkie created this image see page 122.
THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHOTOSHOP 3
CoNTeNTs
iNside The ArTisT’s Guide To PhoToshoP
P8 dYNAMiC BACKdroPs P24 shAdiNG TeChNiQues P44 PoP-sTYLe GrAPhiCs
P12 ABsTrACT hAZe P28 TeXTured CoMPosiTioN P48 dreAMLiKe sCeNe
P16 GrAPhiC CoMPiLATioN P52 FAshioN-iNsPired ArT
P20 BooK iLLusTrATioN P56 PeNduLuM’s reCord sLeeVe
P74 eLeGANT sTroKes iN diGiTAL PAiNT
4 The ArTisT’s Guide To PhoToshoP
inside
CHAPTER 1 LIGHTING EFFECTS
8 Create dynamic backdrop lighting
12 Create a euphoric abstract haze
16 Lighting effects
20 Create a children’s book illustration
CHAPTER 2 TEXTURE EFFECTS
24 Learn gorgeous new shading skills
28 Texture effects for beautiful
compositions
P60 VINTAGE-LOOK COLLAGE
32 Organic smoke and spatter
CHAPTER 3
LAYERS & BLENDING MODES
36 Masters of collage
44 Master Photoshop’s layer effects
48 Master the Liquify filter
52 Fashion-inspired illustrations
56 Immersion in an underwater world
60 Vintage-look collage techniques
P64 MIX PHOTOS AND VECTORS P82 FIERY FORMS
64 Composite photos and vectors
68 Create a stunning pin-up collage
CHAPTER 4 DIGITAL PAINTING
74 Elegant strokes
78 80s airbrush effects
82 Master Adjustment Layers
and blending
86 Paint and layer a distressed damsel
P68 VINTAGE-STYLE PIN-UPS P86 DAMSEL IN DISTRESS
90 Draw inspiration from Chinese
propaganda posters
94 Brushes with genius
P78 ATHENA-STYLE FLASHBACK P90 CHINESE PROPAGANDA
THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHOTOSHOP 5
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 5
CLASSIC EFFECTS REIMAGINED
102 Vintage halftones
106 Stylish light effects in Photoshop
110 Create an abstract cube mosaic
P102 STYLISH HALFTONES P126 VECTOR PORTRAITS 114 The cyborg revealed
118 The lens flare reborn
CHAPTER 6
COMBINING PHOTOSHOP
& ILLUSTRATOR
122 Back-to-basics photo illustration
126 Turn portraits into stylish vector art
132 Retro poster style
136 Digital art remixed
P110 ABSTRACT CUBE MOSAIC P132 RETRO POSTER STYLE
140 Learn pro-level masking skills
144 Add vector flair to model shots
CHAPTER 7
PHOTOSHOP SECRETS
148 Secrets of the world’s best designers
156 20 tips for better art in Photoshop
160 Read our magazines on your iPad
P114 CYBORG INVASION P136 DIGITAL ART REMIXED
162 Download Zone
EDITORIAL PUBLISHING
Editor Neil Bennett Editor-in-chief Mark Hattersley
[email protected] [email protected]
Art editor Johann Chan Publishing director Mustafa Mustafa
[email protected] [email protected]
Managing director Kit Gould
With thanks to Jon Lysons
PRODUCTION SERVICES
ADVERTISING Printed by St Ives (Roche)
Group advertising manager
James Poulson [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS/BACK ISSUES
P118 LENS FLARE REBORN P140 PRO MASKING SKILLS Deputy group ad manager Call the hotline on 01858 438 867
Selen Sevket [email protected]
Sales executive Michael Fletcher ADDRESS
[email protected] 101 Euston Road, London, NW1 2RA
Tel: 020 7756 2800
Contact Digital Arts advertising Fax (ads): 020 7756 2838
on 020 7756 2835
MARKETING
Assistant marketing manager
Emma van Beurden
[email protected]
PRODUCTION
Head of production Richard Bailey
[email protected]
Deputy production manager
Fay Harward [email protected]
P122 BACK TO BASICS P144 VECTOR FLAIR
6 THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHOTOSHOP
chapter 1
Lighting effects
Master Light and iLLuMinate your iMages
MMAASSTTEERRCCLLAASSSS
HHOONNEE YYOOUURR DDEESSIIGGNN SSKKIILLLLSS WWIITTHH EEXXPPEERRTT TTEECCHHNNIIqqUUEESS
8 THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHOTOSHOP
LiGhTiNG eFFeCTs
> learn LiGhTiNG eFFeCTs
Create dynamic
backdrop lighting
Take your lighting effects to the next level, creating a deep,
rich background for this fantastic rising sumo wrestler image
small character can tell a
A
big story – but traditional
character art can be rather flat
and one-dimensional, tending towards
a cartoonish feel.
In this tutorial, Ricardo Ajcivinac
shows how to recreate our brilliant
cover image, and how to give your
character art extra punch by using
lighting and layer styles.
The principle of this tutorial is to
create a complex background with a
focal point that hints at a story behind P04 Go to bit.ly/412VkX and
E
T
a character. Once you’ve mastered it, S download the lightning brushes
it’s a highly versatile technique. created by *Adaae-stock. Load the
Light effects are very trendy these brushes and paint lighting forks around
days but you can avoid clichés by the area where you are going to set your
mixing them with something different P02 Download the cloud brushes character. Double-click on the layer in
E
and interesting; the result will ST created by JavierZhX on the Layers Palette to open the Layer Styles
always be an amazing image that deviantArt at bit.ly/5U9drV then load dialog box. In the Drop Shadow menu,
gets everybody’s attention. them. Create a new layer and use the set the blending mode’s opacity to 65%,
brushes to start creating some clouds in the angle to 120º, and tick both the Use
white and various tones of grey. Global Light and the Layer Knocks Out
Drop Shadow boxes. In the Outer Glow
menu, set the blending mode to Screen,
the opacity to 75%, the colour to solid,
and the range to 50%. The drop shadow
should be #ff7814, and the outer glow
should be #fffecc.
P01 Create a Photoshop document
E
ST measuring 934 x 1,280 pixels P03 Create a new layer, and
E
and fill the background layer with a ST download the nebula brushes
greenish grey (#bec7bb). Paint this with created by Matkraken from deviantArt P05 Create a new layer and set the
E
a large yellowish grey brush (#c9c3ad), at bit.ly/8Bjqlw. ST blending mode to Soft Light,
then create a new layer. Load the brushes as shown on the then use a round brush to add some
Set the blending mode to Soft Light palette and use the different settings to black in the corners. In a new layer, use
and paint with a black brush around make some stars in the sky. Next create an off-white brush to add some dots
the top right corner, and white brush for sofog around the central area where around the lightning, then copy the layer
the middle and bottom. we’ll be placing the character. styles you applied in step 4. >
The ArTisT’s Guide To PhoToshoP 9
P10 Create a new layer and
E
P06 Create a new layer and, using ST make some white lines at a
E
ST the polygonal lasso tool (L), 45º angle, using the Line tool (U) set
make a selection like the one you see to two pixels wide. As in step 6, hold
here – with one side straight at 45º. To Shift to make a straight line. Now the
do this, hold Shift and move the cursor to background is completed.
create a perfectly angled line. Now pick
a round white brush and brush a little
around the straight line.
P08 Create a new layer and, using
E
ST the Polygon tool (U) set to
three-sided shapes, create a triangle.
Set the layer fill to 0% and its blending
mode to Overlay. In the Layer Styles
palette set the values to those shown in
the screengrab. Repeat this three times to
get three triangles in separate layers.
P07 Repeat Step 6 until you have
E
ST a number of striking diagonal P11 Now open the Rise of Sumo
E
lines going across the image like the ST character from the project
example shown above. files, copy it and place it where the
Open the Layer Style dialog and in abstract lines are so that it’s above all
the Outer Glow menu, set the blending the previous layers. With the Magic Wand
mode to Screen, the opacity to 77%, P09 Open abstract lines.psd from tool (W) make a selection around the
E
T
the colour to solid, the technique to S the project files, and copy-and- character and invert the selection (Cmd/
Softer, and the range to 30%. paste these into the area where the figure Ctrl + Shift + I), create a new layer
The glow’s colour should be #ff0000. will be. Set the layer’s opacity to 17%. and fill the selection with black.
10 The ArTisT’s Guide To PhoToshoP
LIGHTING EFFECTS
P14 Create a new layer and set
E
T
S the blending mode to Color.
Add some red and blue around the
character’s head and the top lightning
with a round brush. In a new layer, set
the blending mode to Soft Light, and
P12 Set the layer fill to 0% and paint a little around the top right corner
E
ST open the Layer Style dialog. In with black. Create another layer and P16 Now open the JPEG file you
E
the Outer Glow menu, set the blending do the same, this time adding more ST created and download the
mode to Screen, the opacity to 75%, the black around all the corners and some free Actions set 50 Photoshop Postwork
colour to solid, the technique to Softer, around the character. Actions by Manicho from bit.ly/6700w9.
the size to 16 pixels, and the range to Experiment with these to get different
50%. The colour should be #c6faff. colour results: when you’ve found one
Set the Inner Glow palette’s settings as you like, you’ve finished.
shown immediately above, in #fefecc.
info RICARDO AJCIVINAC
> Designer and art
director Ricardo
Ajcivinac works at
TBWA Guatemala.
He combines
Adobe Photoshop
with traditional
illustration and
graffiti principles to create pieces that
jump off the screen. Ricardo is also a
graffiti writer and has a blog that he
uses to showcase street art from all
around the world.
CONTACT
•hemisferio-urbano.com/portfolio
TIME TO COMPLETE
P15 Create a new layer and fill it •2-3 hours
E
EP13 Create a new layer and use ST with black. Add some noise SOFTWARE
ST the Matraken Nebula brushes (Filter > Noise > Add Noise) and set •Adobe Photoshop
to add some stars and fog around the its opacity to 40%, then erase small areas PROJECT FILES
•Download the files from
character and the top. Add the layer around the character and the top and
theartistsguide.co.uk/
styles shown in these screengrabs (drop bottom lightning. Now go to File and downloads
shadow #ff570d, outer glow #fffecc). save your image as a JPEG document.
THE ARTIST’S GUIDE TO PHOTOSHOP 11
