Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Illustrate with
Photoshop
The professional guide to mastering digital illustration
Head of Publishing
Aaron Asadi
Head of Design
Ross Andrews
Production Editor
Gavin Thomas
Design
Charlie Crooks
Cover art
2008 Hair review Andrew Archer/Art director Jill Thompson, Style Clip magazine
NY Times Dining cover illustration Luke Lucas
Design Week supplement Andy Potts/Design Week
Allure Chris Haines, Pete Harrison, Mike Harrison
Ignite Mike Harrison
Printed by
William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Distributed in Australia by
Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre, 18 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest,
NSW 2086. Tel + 61 2 9972 8800
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Illustrate with Photoshop Genius Guide Volume 1 2012 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1908955548
Part of the
bookazine series
IMAGINEER TEAM
OF THE YEAR OF THE YEAR
DANIELLE DIXON BOOKAZINES
Contents
128
ILLUSTRATION
FEATURE
18 Editorial Illustration
24 Editorial Artwork
8
30 Technical Illustration
34 Stylised Illustration
38 Sci-Fi Scenes
50 Top Tips 44 Limited Colours
for Illustrators 50 Striking Pastels
Get up to speed on the 56 Detailed Illustration
essentials and be 60 Vexel Vehicles
inspired by art
GRAPHICS
Chris Gould www.cgsketchbook.com
FEATURE
68 Professional Graphics
90 76 Pixel Art
82 Poster Graphics
86 Digital Collage
90 Shape Symmetry
94 Textures and Depth
98 Vector Layers
104 Abstract Graphics
60
108 Photoreal icons
112 Graphics and Photos
MIXED MEDIA
FEATURE
170 Applying Mixed Media
180 Digital Collage
184 Paint Textures
188 Fresh Style
192 Event Design
198 Type and Photos
202 Creative Design
208 Surreal Illustration
212 Photo-Illustration
218 Advanced Selections
98
202
Illustrate with Photoshop Genius Guide 7
50 Top Tips
01 GETTING STARTED
As the blank canvas stares back at you, knowing what to do and how to start can often be the hardest
thing to do. To get your creative juices flowing, try building on an existing image, like a scanned sketch from your art
book or a captivating stock photo. The main thing is to brave that all important first step and get the ball rolling.
Mike Harrison,
Pete Harrison
& Chris Haines
02 CONVERTING
TEXT
For convenience and compatibility,
Ian Jones, www.nonsense-
prophet.deviantart.com
03 TWO TOOLS
ARE BETTER
THAN ONE
always convert your text to a shape Wherever possible, create and add
layer before sending files to a press. bespoke elements to your artwork
The reason for this is simple: the by using and combing the tools at
recipient may not have the same your disposal. For example, you can
library of fonts as you, and as such create a range of interesting effects
they would not be able to see the simply and easily by just fusing layer
resulting artwork in the way that you styles and blend modes together, or
had originally intended. In order to do by using the warp text tool to mould
this, first select text layer, then go to interesting shapes. Be diligent,
the Layer menu and find Type, and however, and always keep an
finally opt for Convert to Shape. Your editable version of the text hidden on
text will now be a vector shape and a separate layer, in case you need to
does not require a font to be installed. make changes.
04 KERNING
ACTION
When you start using fonts in your
05 IMAGES OF A
FEATHER
When blending a variety of stock
artwork, it is a good idea to pay photos together it can be hard to
considerable attention to kerning. In make them fit harmoniously. To
essence, you should aim to fit the make the collection form more
same optical volume between naturally, note the light sources and
adjacent letters, as getting the directions that are used in each
kerning right can make the difference image as well as each colour palette.
between a balanced piece and a It will be easier to fit images together
shambolic one. There are many that are taken in the same light and
fantastic font families out there, feature similar hues and tones.
including a plethora of free ones. Failing that, using an adjustment
Take a tour of Font Fabric or Hype layer over the top of all the images
Chris Haines,
http://cargocollective.com/chrishaines/ For Type to get started. Alexander Otto, www.diftnorm.com will help to unite them.
SHORTCUT KEYS
THE ESSENTIAL TIME-SAVERS
or
16 TEXTURED TONES
To give pictures added depth, Photoshop
artists use textures to flavour the image. In this
image created by seasoned pro Chris Gould (www.
cgsketchbook.com), he has made the girls face by
taking a stock image, changing it to a grayscale
17 COLOUR CONTRAST
Colours dont always need to be
complimentary of one another.
Sometimes, contrasting colours can
culminate in more eye-catching results, such as
with the red and greens shown here. The conflicting
18 SIFTING THROUGH
THE LAYERS
Artists like Chris spend a lot of time placing and
moving the elements on an image to ensure that
the composition is as dynamic and eye-catching as
required by the brief (or the vision you have). By
vector in Illustrator, and then cropping and colouring hues help to inject a tension into the image that fits sorting through the layers, you will quickly discover
in Photoshop before finishing it off with gradients well with the narrative of this piece The Music In which parts work well in a composition and which
and adding the texture of paving slabs. You and helps it to stand out. ones dont.
21 COMPOSITTION IS
KEY
When composing a photo-illustration the
Neil Duerden, www.neilduerden.co.uk
20 INSPIRATION FROM
REALLIFE EVENTS
Use your real-life stories and situations to inspire
your art. Digital artist Chris Gould (www.
cgsketchbook.com) created this self-portrait to
22 SKETCHING SENSE
Spend some time sketching out
the designs in your minds eye
before heading into Photoshop,
as its important to have a solid and well-thought out
basis of an idea to minimise any time, resources
to create images more naturally and freely, but
some see it is as an essential tool for creating
matte-paintings or freehand elements. Moreover,
for fans of the Photoshop brush tool, a graphics
tablet offers an extension of the canvas and a more
natural way of creating artwork, with the result
illustrate how he felt during a bout of glandular and energy wasted at the proof stages. It is here that looking arguably more impressive than a drawing
fever. He created the head-splitting misalignment the form of what you want to achieve can freely take made on-screen with a cumbersome mouse.
effect by using channels to separate the CMYK shape, as you explore composition, texture ideas Wacom is one of the most popular brands of choice
components of the original photo. Other elements and colour schemes. for digital artists as they produce a wide range of
were composed using the vector tools, while the Many professional or enthusiast Photoshoppers graphic tablets, from the user-friendly bamboo
lightning bolt was generated by masking a collection invest in a graphics tablet to help them design their collection to the Cintiq family of professional
of halftone patterns he had previously composed. artwork at this stage. Not only does it allow artists models. Visit www.wacom.eu for more information.
PHOTOSHOP TOOLS
INSIDE YOUR KIT BAG
NAME : MOVE TOOL NAME : CROP TOOL NAME : EYEDROPPER NAME : ZOOM NAME : BLUR
SHORTCUT : V SHORTCUT : C SHORTCUT : I SHORTCUT : Z SHORTCUT : R
LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR
27 Its as simple as it
sounds, the Move 28 This allows you to
cut away a piece of 29 You can quickly
change your 30 This handy tool
allows you to zoom 31 As youd expect, this
tool blurs things. Use
tool allows you to grab, drag an image. Drag to select the foreground colour to any hue into an image. To zoom back it for a multitude of reason,
and then move layers around area you want saved; the rest or tone that you select with out again, hold down Alt such as blending contrasting
the canvas. will be deleted. the Eyedropper tool. whilst clicking the mouse. tones after cloning.
NAME : CLONE STAMP NAME : ERASER NAME : BRUSH TOOL NAME : MAGIC WAND NAME : GRADIENT TOOL
SHORTCUT : S SHORTCUT : E SHORTCUT : B SHORTCUT : W SHORTCUT : G
LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR LOCATION : TOOLBAR
38 RAM
If youre computer
42 43 44
shopping then it is worthwhile
choosing a model that offers a SHADE IN LETTER ART SMART OBJECTS
mighty dose of RAM; the more The slower the better when Photoshop artist Joplin When youre working with
the better. Photoshop is incredibly it comes to shading or highlighting Lefrandt created this image after being several different sized layers or you are
memory intensive and the larger too, for that matter. The easiest and inspired by his heros infamous I have using layers that are larger than the
your images become, the more most effective way to do it is a dream speech. To recreate this, find a document size, its a good idea to
resource heavy they are. incrementally, by using multiple layers portrait image (cut away distracting create a Smart Object to bind things
and playing with the opacities until elements) and use it as a background, into a single group. By duplicating or
theyre exactly how you want them. The then add in words from their speech, making changes to a Smart Object, you
45
background, as using a pure
white background can make it MANAGEMENT
harder to recognise contrast and ISSUES
deal with the subtlety of midtones When you are working with lots of
and shadows. layers, Smart Objects or groups it can
be a job to keep on top of everything,
Ian Jones, www.nonsense-prophet.deviantart.com
so organise your
40 ADDING TEXTURE
Add a little texture into
surfaces by experimenting with
layers by using
explanatory and
recognisable
brush shapes and dynamics, as it names and
can be a creative way to make groups. Not only will
your image more interesting. this allow you to
Masking or cutting a faint texture
keep on top
over surfaces can also help to
of things a
make brushwork appear
more natural. lot more
effectively, but
41 GRID LOCK
If youre struggling
if your work is
heading to a client or
recipient then the
clarity can help
46 PHOTO EDITING
When using Photoshop to
edit and improve portraits, one of the
47 CUSTOM BRUSHES
It is easy to customise your
own brushes and doing so will inject a
to create a dynamic best tools to use is the Spot Healing personal touch to your bespoke
composition, consider using a speed up the Tool. This handy little icon lives on the creations. Whats more, anything can
grid. You neednt tightly align workflow at Tool Bar and uses local textures, become a brush; from textures to
elements or focus on repetitive both ends too. colours and tones to blend away flaws pictures, from symbols to text if you
lines, but the underlying structure such as wrinkles, freckles, moles and can think of it, you can make it into a
Ozkar Arias
may help you to consider how (Ozkr331),
http:// blemishes. Use it with caution and set custom brush. Simply open an image,
the image works in terms of ozkr331. the hardness to around 50% for more select the part of it you want to use, go
quarters, golden sections and deviantart.
thirds.
com natural-looking results. to Edit and then Define Brush Preset.
48 TALENTED TYPOGRAPHER
Creating typography may sound a bit
advanced if youre chiefly illustrating in Photoshop,
49 EXPERIMENTATION
Learn through a process of trial and error
and youll soon discover for yourself what works
50 QUICK COLOUR CHANGE
To change the colour of text or images in
a flash, simply press Cmd/Ctrl + U to open up the
but it is good to have goals and creating your own and what doesnt. Tutorials can teach you the theory Hue/Saturation dialog box. Then, simply drag the
font could be one of them, as it draws on a whole behind what you want to achieve, but only through Hue sliders as necessary to effect a change in
range of skills. Many artists favour Illustrator for practice and experimentation will your creative colour. For the best results, you should make small
creating part or all of their typography, and that skillset swell and your personal style begin to really and incremental adjustments, and also remember
could be the next app you decide to investigate. take shape. to do this in a separate adjustment layer.
24 Editorial Artwork
38
Master the Pen tool via a zombie poster
30 Technical Illustration
Create a ghosted technical illustration
34 Stylised Illustration
Explore style, balance and harmony
38 Sci-Fi Scenes
Build a futuristic battle scene
44 Limited Colours
Get big impact from small palettes
50 Striking Pastels
Use filters and layers innovatively
56 Detailed Illustration
Examine line drawings up close
60 Vexel Vehicles
Develop realistic vexel artwork
24
44 56
34
50
30
Illustrate with Photoshop Genius Guide 17
Illustration
EDITORIAL
ILLUSTRATION
WE EXPLORE THE BEST INDUSTRY ROUTES AND WORKING
PRACTICES WITH OUR GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL EDITORIAL ARTISTS,
AS THEY REVEAL THEIR COMMERCIAL STYLES AND TOP TIPS
You might think editorial illustration is style. That course has changed [since I attended], graduation is just the beginning of the road, as
constrained by certain rules and but Im sure there are similar illustration or Andrew Archer (www.andrewarcher.com),
conventions, predetermined by clients and arts-based courses that would fit the bill. freelance illustrator from New Zealand, puts into
established templates. However, the boom of Caricaturist and member of the Society of perspective: I think its always been an entry point
various digital formats is redefining the terms. Illustrators NY, Jason Seiler (www.jasonseiler.com) into illustration, as its one of the more common and
Common sketch-based art is matched with richer did the same in a roundabout way. He self-studied fast-moving mediums within the industry. With that
visual devices and a multitude of illustrative styles and copied drawings produced by published artists, in mind I also think editorial illustration is one of the
are employed cartoon, mixed media, graphic such as Roberto Parada and C F Payne, which most difficult and challenging areas; it proves a
design and super-digital methods are all acceptable. extensively improved his appreciation of industry great test to see if you have what it takes out of [the]
Theres still a great respect, though, for the original styles. This was enough for him to get exposure school [environment].
art forms, with digital styles often replicating and paid work via smaller publications such as So how do you close this gap and reach out to
traditional application. Cracked magazine. While he openly admits to not clients? Our artists were again all in agreement that
One tradition that certainly hasnt changed is the having a definitive plan of action when starting out, exposure is the key, even if they go about this in
impact such imagery serves. Cover art still needs to he knew education was vital. At the age of 26, I individual ways; for instance, design blogs and
entice readers to pick up a book or magazine, with decided to attend the American Academy of Art in societies, personal websites and quarterly
artists needing to present a product or brands Chicago, Seiler says. I got a lot out of my newsletters with working updates are all endorsed
attitude and persona in one compact visual no life-drawing classes there; it was just the thing that I as good promotional devices. However, one thing
easy feat. All editorial artwork is used to capture the needed. The classes taught me a lot about values, they all have in common is agent representation,
personality and character of the publication, piquing colour and light. which can be a massive advantage in the
consumers interest and proving its worthy enough commercial arena. The Association of Illustrators
for them to pick up and, ultimately, buy. In this PROFITABLE AGENTS (AOI), dbut art, the Central Illustration Agency and
feature, we delve into what defines current So is education the only means to this end? Anna Goodson Management are just a few
commercial standards, delivering you in-depth Perhaps, as Seiler goes on to reveal: During my examples of who is out there. However, be as
industry advice to give you a head-start in your own third year of school, I went to New York City to careful in choosing your agent as they are when
editorial design career. attend the annual show of The Society of choosing you.
When it comes to making it as a commercially Illustrators. When I was there I met many big artists Our artists err on the side of caution as far as
viable editorial illustrator, it seems you can do it the and art directors all of them asking why I was agent fees are concerned. These can have a
easy way, or the hard way. Never to deter going to school. They all thought I should be significant impact on your yearly income. Taking
self-initiated careers which can be fruitful when working full time. The ironic thing was that I was upwards of 25 per cent of the commission, this can
coupling robust aesthetics with an enthusiastic turning down jobs so that I could do schoolwork, in be considerably detrimental when applied to all
work ethic following these blindly can result in order to get a degree in illustration, so that one day I projects, especially those with smaller editorial
misunderstanding a variety of practices fees. But Archer explains: The main
and conventions. Many of our professional
artists present a strong case for education, All editorial artwork is used to capture downside, obviously, is that they take a
commission of the entire fee which,
in order to really appreciate applied the personality and character of the depending on peoples opinion, can
techniques and working standards.
Renowned illustrator Andy Potts (www.
publication, piquing consumers outweigh its worth. I personally think if you
use your agents skillset and experience
andy-potts.com) is one such artist. interest and proving its worthy well, they definitely pay off in the long run.
Graduating from Portsmouth University, enough for them to pick up A good agent should know what youre
UK, with a BA in Illustration, he explains:
This Illustration course was ideal as it
and, ultimately, buy capable of what your strengths are, as
well as your weaknesses. A good agent
was tailored to answering editorial briefs works for and with you, to which Potts
and working to commercial demands, while could get work. It didnt make any sense! agrees: I have two: Good Illustration Agency in the
encouraging you to develop a visual language and Realistically, for most artists seeking a career, UK and Anna Goodson Management in Canada
001
covering North America. Having an agent brings very particular about using a combination of the Interestingly, Darren Hopes opens a whole new
great benefits in terms of increased visibility and latest trends, but most are dedicated to an entirely avenue of discussion. Believing the industry to also
workload, particularly abroad where it would be individualistic approach. We asked if one of these be in a state of flux, he infers: There are specific and
difficult to establish yourself without tapping into an approaches is more productive than another. noticeable trends perhaps they create each other
agencys client network. Im not really sure, says expert Seiler. Fads in through counteraction? In the Nineties there was a
An agents workload often goes unnoticed, but illustration come and go; I think the artists who stay surge of digital-looking illustration, due to the rise
this can determine how much time you have for for the long-haul are the ones who have strong of the technology and perhaps also reflected
creative pursuits; negotiating contracts, image drawing, painting and compositional skills, as well politics, looking ahead to the Millennium. Slick and
usage and chasing invoices, etc, can all take up a as humility and honesty about their own work a visually complex, this seemed to be then
sizable portion of your day. Professional mixed- willingness to grow and improve. Potts agrees: counteracted by a return to very basic mediums, at
media illustrator Darren Hopes (www.darrenhopes. There are always particular stylistic fads and trends least in appearance and skills; pencils and drawing
com) says: Editorial is fast turnaround work. Thats that capture the imagination only to be imitated into were back [if still through digital means].
one of the reasons I like it so much, Archers thoughts on this are less
along with the varied subject matter
so with any luck you spend most of
An agents workload often goes unnoticed, abstract: Styles and trends are forever
changing as are peoples perceptions
your time working. This means less but this can determine how much time you as to what is good or relevant to the
time for advertising yourself so its have for creative pursuits; time. Im not sure why, but I think its just
great to have that in the hands of a
dynamic group like the Central
negotiating contracts, image usage the natural evolution of anything visual.
The most noticeable style loop that
Illustration Agency; the team there is and chasing invoices, etc, can take rotates frequently is the whole computer
fantastic at coming up with ideas to up a sizable portion of your day versus hand situation. It seems that just
promote artists work in very when computer-generated images are
imaginative ways, which as an individual I would be a swift and unfashionable grave. I try to avoid cool, the whole thing flips vice versa and hand-
hard pushed to afford or have time to execute. stylistic pitfalls by stubbornly ignoring the zeitgeist drawn images come back in. Many styles emerge
and concentrating on my own visual approach. in tandem with software innovations, but more
STYLE CYCLES Possibly this is to my detriment, but at the moment recently there does seem to be a technophobia
Establishing that an affiliation with an agent can its a case of if it aint broke, dont fix it. In a bid to backlash against digital design and a growing
open you and your work up to global markets, this avoid any stylistic overlaps, I tend to look for fascination with handcrafted, more low-fidelity or
also means that your portfolio needs to be diverse inspiration outside the confines of the illustration retro-themed approaches. Thats not to say that
and comprehensive. But must this confine you to world generally; films, art, photography and music, artists arent amalgamating the two to get the best
solely contemporary styles? Some of our artists are and so on. of both worlds.
002
001 |
T-Pain
003
KING magazine asked me to come up
with the idea and so I did. I wasnt very
familiar with T-Pain, so I listened to
some of his music and felt that painting
him in space would be sort of cool
Jason Seiler/KING magazine
002 |
Draing
Illustration about draing and
slipstreaming techniques used within
triathlons
Andrew Archer/Art director Marco
Crisari, Triathletes World
003 |
2008 Hair review
Illustration for a review of the cool
mens cuts and trends of 2008,
featuring three of the top haircut
trends in one
Andrew Archer/Art director Jill
Thompson, Style Clip magazine
QUICK TIPS
MANAGING YOUR STYLE
Be aware of your limitations and use these
to your advantage simplifying workflows
when completing deadlines
FAMILIARISATION
When working with new clients, provide
them with an example of your process so
they understand how your roughs relate to
the final image
BE PUNCTUAL
Handing in your
work early can be beneficial. It calms your
nerves and you have time if the editor
suggests changes
INTERVIEW
WE DISCUSS WAYS TO DRAW REPRESENTATION WITH VICKY
HOBBS, STUDIO MANAGER AT LEMONADE ILLUSTRATION AGENCY
Lemonade is a multidisciplinary illustration Being part of Lemonade is a sign of excellence more than equipped to cover this but we always
agency, serving clients in all sectors and in all in itself, as the studio requires a certain quality look for the right attitude to the job as well as the
media, working in over 17 countries out of two and attitude from represented artists. Hobbs tells quality of the illustrators work.
offices. Studio manager Vicky Hobbs explains: us: Reliability goes without saying. Illustrators
Lemonade gives its artists access to a worldwide seldom understand that professionalism is just as
client database and the client often will take a risk important as talent. All our illustrators are
on a new talent because theyre with the agency. extremely talented, but what makes a successful
Editorial commissions generally come from a editorial illustrator is their ability to have ideas and
variety of clients with very tight deadlines to meet a conceptual imagination; style is not as
the next issue. We have supplied clients as important as the content of the images. The type
diverse as The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, The of illustration required varies from publication to
Guardian and more, explains Hobbs. publication and our large variety of illustrators are
INTERVIEW 004 |
Design Week
WE TALK TO SAM FREEMAN, ART DIRECTOR AT DESIGN WEEK supplement
Cover illustration for
links to websites, he explains. Design Weeks
A usual brief from Freeman will feature basic Interaction supplement,
part of a series of five
concepts, a full brief and samples of the artists illustrations.
work he particularly likes. Being a weekly, the Commissioned by Sam
turnaround time is often tight. At best, its a week Freeman
Andy Potts/Design
and at worst, its two days, he reveals. If its a Week
longer lead time, Ill request a rough after a
couple of days to ensure things are developing 005 |
the way I envisaged. If there are any changes, Ill Futurism 004
Design Week magazine, providing information request them at this stage. From that point on, Illustration for an
article on the futurist
on graphics, digital media, commercial interiors, its in the hands of the illustrator. Ray Kurzweil
product and exhibition design, regularly
commissions editorial illustration for its articles.
Asked which styles are currently emerging in
the industry, he says: A move away from vector
Andy Potts/
Independent On Sunday
005
Magazine; artistic
Art director Sam Freeman sources designers to more of a hand-rendered feel is evident. direction by Ben
both from agencies and extensive web searches. Collage illustration is something Im seeing Brannan
Illustrators are generally very good at self more and more of artists like Ciara Phelan,
promotion, so Im constantly getting samples in Chrissie Abbott and James Dawe are all great 006|
OCD Stairs
the form of printed cards, emailed PDFs and examples of this.
Work for The Sunday
Telegraph on Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder. I
007 |
006 007 Bad Bets Obama
was struck by the story
of a girl who was
The concept for this one was unable to go up stairs
basic. The art director for The Darren Hopes/The
Weekly Standard will Sunday Telegraph
sometimes do a rough sketch
to show what hed like to see
and then its up to me to bring Many styles emerge in
his idea to life
Jason Seiler/The Weekly
tandem with software
Standard innovations, but
more recently there
does seem to be a
technophobia
A large amount of editorial illustration is now the demands of the commercial client. Seiler
backlash against digital design
made up of hand-rendered elements, pencil lines or reinforces this point: Painting digitally saves a lot of and a growing fascination with
paint textures, adding life and spontaneity to stress and frustration when working on an editorial handcrafted, more low-fidelity
imagery. Many believe that there is no real
computer-generated substitute for such, yet digital
illustration. To work traditionally means that you
have to paint fast enough and finish with enough
approaches
media is essential in controlling and manipulating time for your painting to dry so that you can scan it. explore and others like to see what you can come
different media upon scanning. Hopes puts it into If there are changes that need to be made, forget up with. A good art director will give you guidance
perspective: I use Photoshop extensively, relying about it; too much to deal with and, in my personal and then trust you to deliver your interpretation of
on custom brushes I have created from real media opinion, magazines and books dont pay enough for the brief, explains Potts. Once you have built up a
to apply a more natural, painterly feel. I can work traditional painting. This is why I prefer painting body of work, clients can use your previous
very quickly and almost entirely in Photoshop if the digitally for my editorial work. If changes are illustrations to establish what theyre aiming for,
deadline is very tight. The beauty is the layer-based needed, its never the end of the world. It may take a which is useful, as long as they arent looking for a
nature of Photoshop makes tweaks and colour little while to get it right, but no where near the time carbon copy.
alterations quick and simple. if painted traditionally. With more blas directors, you have to learn to
New artists should prepare for amendments and be flexible, punctual and able to work with them in a
PROJECT RUNDOWN
WE RUN THROUGH A REAL-WORLD EDITORIAL COMMISSION
Most issues of Advanced Photoshop use editorial illustrators to
bring the features in the magazine to life. At the planning stage of
each issue, editor Julie Bassett and senior designer Sarah Bellman
sit down to plan a rough concept.
For one issue, they had the task of illustrating a feature on the
Adobe Photoshop Exchange. After deciding the editorial would run
as a series of mini reviews of the best resources, rather than
running text, they went to work laying out the basic structure to
see what space would be available for the illustration. They picked
Radim Malinic (aka Brand Nu, www.brandnu.co.uk) to illustrate
feature shown here to the right, as his online portfolio showed
many examples of high-quality work on similar projects. Malinic
was sent a full commission, detailing the concept of the illustration,
the editorial layout and the type of resources being featured.
After a few days hard work, they received the first draft of the
artwork, which had a fantastic style but required tweaks for it to
work effectively with the editorial. More progress shots were sent
in, until both Advanced Photoshop and Malinic were happy with the
final artwork.
EDITORIAL
ARTWORK
WE EXPLORE THE ART OF DESIGNING FOR EDITORIAL COMMISSIONS,
WITH THE CONCEPT OF A FEATURE ON ZOMBIE MOVIES
Zombies are still big business at the moment. There reveal how to use Adobe Illustrator to create realistic OUR EXPERT
are horde upon horde of them in contemporary graphical characters and, subsequently, Photoshop to add SIMEON ELSON
literature, cinema and videogames including texture and work up the final composition. www.simeonelson.co.uk
comic phenomena such as Marvel Zombies, DCs Blackest During this workshop you will learn how to master Simeon is a freelance illustrator and
graphic artist. He creates his work by
Night and TV series The Walking Dead. Coinciding with these Illustrators Pen tool in a simple but highly effective way, as fusing vectors with pixels, working
were the launches of the Red Dead Redemption, Dead Rising well as how to create dynamic visuals with powerful and mainly in Photoshop and Illustrator.
He has worked on flyers, posters,
2 and Left 4 Dead 2 videogames, all out in 2010. So, what intuitive Photoshop colour and layer effects. We have used a logos, websites and more.
better subject to focus on for grasping editorial styles? wide variety of stock images from two texture sites, Fotolia
For this tutorial, we set up a mock brief for international and iStockphoto, so you will need to download these SOURCE FILES
illustrator Simeon Elson, who shows you how to re-create beforehand if you want to follow the tutorial exactly; You will find links to all of the stock
an iconic and cinematic illustrative style which engages however, we recommend gathering your own zombie stock images that we have used on the
disc, but we encourage you to try this
viewers one which is as gruesome as it is cool. Well as originality is imperative to editorial design. tutorial out with your own resources.
USING ILLUSTRATOR
To create this particular style of editorial
design, we must make use of both
01 FILE PREPARATION
Open up Fotolias serious man rifle in
Illustrator, then change the mode to CMYK via
02 OUTLINES
Next select the Pen tool to draw the characters deepest
shadows. Before drawing each shape, set the Pen tool Opacity to
Photoshop and Illustrator. If you dont File>Document Color Mode. Double-click on the 0% this way you can see the shape youre drawing and the
currently have the latter app, then you can
download a free 30-day trial directly from photo in the Layers palette and call it Reference. photo below simultaneously. Try to create interesting abstract
the Adobe website (www.adobe.com) so Click the Lock tab, to prevent the image moving. shapes.
that you can follow along with all of this Create a new layer and call it Black Lines.
workshops steps.
In particular, Illustrators Pen tool is an
essential part of this tutorial, so take time to
familiarise yourself with it. Draw some
random abstract shapes to get used to the
click-and-drag motion needed to create
accurate curves, and also make some
shapes with sharp edges and corners, as
this will help you learn how to produce
more rigid elements.
Take time to learn the different elements
of Illustrators Pen tool too: the Add Anchor
Point tool, the Delete Anchor Point tool and
the Convert Anchor Point tool, etc. The most
important thing is to express yourself from
the get-go by creating interesting shapes
that are quite edgy and abstract to give you
a striking and graphical end product.
03 SKIN TONE
Select a flesh colour with the
Eyedropper tool if the colour is too dull
then tweak its values to brighten it.
Create a new layer and call it Skin
Base, position it above the Reference
layer and then draw out the flesh areas.
04 ADD DETAIL
Open a new layer and name it
Medium Contours for the midtone
QUICK TIP
Experiment when
using textures. Use
05 BLENDING COLOURS
Still with the Darker Contours layer active, open the Gradient palette, setting Type to
Radial. Place the Darker Contours swatch at 0% and the Medium Contours swatch at 100%.
different colours,
shadows of the characters skin. Repeat Opacity settings and Add another gradient slider at around 65%. Remove the Medium Contours swatch from the
this process to create the Darker blending modes and gradient and drag the swatch located at 65% to 100%.
go for it! Also, try
Contours layer. You should now start to
mixing various
see your character emerging. For a more blending modes
realistic look we are now going to blend together, for example
Screen with Hard
some areas of the face using gradients. Light can give a great
contrast in colours,
although you will
need to fiddle about
with the values to get
the best results.
06 BLENDING CONTINUED
Keep making the 100% location colour darker until you get an effective blend.
Apply this technique to any other shape that you feel requires a more realistic contrast. You
may find in some cases the darker 0% location colour needs to be made lighter.
QUICK TIP
Drawing stubble can
be very tricky. Pick a
tone or gradient
similar to the
gunmans eyebrows.
11 SWITCH TO
PHOTOSHOP
Now all of our characters
12 TEXTURE THE
CANVAS
We add in old paper texture
have been created, its from iStockphoto (link on the
time to jump over to disc). Stretch the texture so
Photoshop. Create a new that it fills the page, then
CMYK file and set your Edit>Transform>Rotate by 90
workspace to a multiple degrees clockwise. Set the
palette layout meaning blending mode to Linear Burn
you can see your Color and Opacity to 67%. Open the
palette as well. Open a main zombie image and the
new layer and then use gunman. Create a new group
the Paint Bucket tool to fill and call it Gunman Files,
it with a deep orange tone. placing the man inside it.
13 WOOD TEXTURE
Now we source a wood texture from CGTextures
(WoodFine001), rotate the image so its at a similar angle as the gun,
then set the blending mode to Lighten and the Opacity to 48%. Select
the gunman by pressing Cmd/Ctrl and clicking the layers thumbnail,
then invert the selection (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I).
14 MORE TEXTURE
Hit Delete to clear the selected area. Select the Eraser tool set to a 27px Brush (at
90% Opacity). Erase remaining texture around the wood. Select the man and wood texture
layers, then click the Link Layers icon so they move as one. We are now going to use
splatters to add a bit more edge to the gunman.
16 WORK UP
THE
BACKGROUND
17 TEXTURE CONTINUED
Duplicate this layer and then flip it vertically (Edit>Transform> Flip
Vertical). Drag the duplicated layer to the bottom half of the page so that it
Enhance the fits seamlessly with no visible joining point. Follow the same process
background by adding with another texture (we used Urban Dirtys glass frosted crack image),
in a new texture (we setting the blending mode to Soft Light at 51% Opacity and place this just
use the stone pebble below the main zombie.
texture from Urban
Dirty). Place it just
above the main zombie
layer and stretch it so it
fits across the top half
of the page, setting
Opacity to 40% and an
Overlay blending
mode. Add a layer
mask and select the
Gradient tool set to
black-white, and draw
a small gradient
starting just before the
halfway vertical mark.
18 JEEPERS CREEPERS
Create a new layer placed below the main zombie layer. Select a light green colour and, with the
Brush tool set to 34px, Hardness at 53%, 100% Opacity, colour in the zombies eyes. Add the Urban
Highway image (from iStockphoto), duplicate twice, setting the bottom duplicate to 100% Opacity and
applying a Overlay blending mode.
22 MORE ELEMENTS
Continue to build up
more detail by duplicating the
silhouettes and overlapping
them. Use blending modes
like Screen and Lighten, and
reduce the opacity if needed.
Also tweaking the positions
of the characters can make
all the difference to the final
23 FINISHING TOUCHES
Lastly, we need a bit more dynamism. Use
your splatter texture to add lighter areas around the
composition. Create another zombies. Reduce opacity in places; also use a large,
splatter layer with a yellow low-opacity Eraser to fade edges. After any final
Color Overlay set to Screen. compositional tweaks, were done.
TECHNICAL
ILLUSTRATION
OUR EXPERT
TONY LINKA
www.tonylinka.com
Tony Linka is a freelance technical
and scientific illustrator, based out of
Toronto, Canada. He also works as a
3D Lighter for March Entertainment
(www.marchentertainment.com).
REV YOUR CREATIVE ENGINES AND CREATE THIS GHOSTED
TECHNICAL ILLUSTRATION USING LAYER MASKS SOURCE FILES
You can recreate this image by using
the layered linka_progress_shot1
(LAYERED).psd line art file provided
on the CD or you can work from your
own sketch.
LINE DRAWING
This technical illustration starts out as
line art created from a basic sketch
If youve ever looked at a ghosted technical of every aspect of your illustration, while WORK IN
illustration and been amazed by the simultaneously keeping your original artwork PROGRESS
technique and how much information has intact. This means that if you decide that you FROM LINE-ART TO
been revealed in one image, then this tutorial arent happy with your ghosting on a specific FINISHED DESIGN
is for you. What was once done traditionally layer, then you can simply delete the layer mask,
using an airbrush, armed with an x-acto knife and and revert back to your original artwork, and
frisket film, can now be completed digitally, with start all over again.
the help of Photoshop. In this tutorial, you will This technique requires a little time and patience,
learn how to use Photoshops layer mask options, so work slowly and build it up layer by layer. You
along with the Magic Wand and Brush tools, to want the ghosting to be subtle and smooth so that
recreate this ghosted muscle-car illustration. The it feels like you can actually look through the cars Step 2: Create the layered line art
main advantage of this technique is that layer exterior and at its internal components. Thats the
mask settings give you full control over the visibility key to the illusions success.
You will learn how to use Photoshops layer mask options, Step 5: Paint the internal parts
along with the Magic Wand and Brush tools, to recreate this
ghosted muscle-car illustration. If you arent happy with
your ghosting on a specific layer, then you can delete
the layer mask, and revert back to your original artwork
Step 10: Start the ghosting effect
01 IT STARTS IN
THE SHOP
As with any technical illustration,
you should research before you
begin. Gather as much reference as
you can. If you cant see the vehicle
in person, you can always look for
photos online. Next, come up with a
plan. Decide which internal
components you want to show, and
sketch them on paper. This way,
you can break down the illustration
into separate sections for ghosting.
02 STARTING LINE
Once youve broken
down the initial sketch,
create separate line drawings
for each section of the
illustration. This can be done in
03 PIT STOP
Create a base colour layer in the folders
behind each internal components line drawing,
Photoshop, or by hand. Next, and an exterior base colour layer as the bottom
place the layers in order put layer. This way, the exterior of the car will be
the objects closer to the viewer revealed when you ghost the internal components.
on top, with their blending Before you move on to the next step, stop and
modes changed to Multiply. You double-check to make sure everything is
should be able to see all of the overlapping properly. The layer order is essential to
line drawings on your canvas getting this technique to work, and its much easier
overlapping each other. to fix any problems now rather than later.
04 BODY WORK
Since well be painting all the layers separately, its important to decide where your key light will be
coming from. Stick with that direction for all the layers this will hold the drawing together. A tip for painting
QUICK TIP
A graphics tablet is highly recommended
for this type of technical illustration.
Whether youre painting the exterior
a car with no background environment is to add a horizon line highlight along the body of the car. This, of your car or ghosting its parts, the
along with a cast shadow, will act as visual cues to the viewer that the car is sitting on a ground plane. tablets pressure sensitivity cant be
beaten. Hit F5 to go into your Brush
menu and then turn on Pen Pressure for
the Size and Opacity controls.
05 PARTS DEPARTMENT
Now, you can move on to painting all the
internal component layers. Remember to stay true
to the materials youre painting, whether its
reflective, matte, glossy, etc. Since you dont have a
background to reflect into your objects, you can
simulate materials like chrome by painting planes
facing up towards the sky a cool blue, and planes
facing down towards the ground a warm brown.
The Gradient tool is a very fast and effective way to
paint cylindrical objects.
10 BREAK IT DOWN
The next step is to reveal the exterior body. Keep a close eye on how the exterior and the internal
components relate to one another. You should let the exterior guide your ghosting, so break it down into
SLOW AND SUBTLE
To successfully achieve an airbrushed look takes time.
When painting your layer mask, use a large, so, round
brush, and keep your opacity low no greater than 20%.
sections fender, door, hood, etc and work on one sat a time using the Magic Wand. To reveal the exterior Use long brush strokes working slowly from the outside
more along plane changes and panel seems, let the drive train show more clearly in areas of the cars body. on your ghosted layers so there is a slow, gradual reveal
of the cars exterior. You dont want the ghosting to be
too abrupt or it will have
a cut-and-paste look.
Then, use a smaller
brush with a higher
opacity to reveal details
like the exterior cars
signal lights.
12 POWER STEERING
Before ghosting your steering column, add your
dash and trim layers, since theyll be overlapping
objects. Next, follow the same steps as with the front
seat (Step 11). Once you have it looking the way you
want, add an Outer Glow layer style by Ctrl/
right-clicking on the Steering Column Colour layer, and
going to Blending Options. Youll want to keep it subtle,
so lower the Opacity to around 24%, and increase the
Size to around 60px. This will help separate the
steering column from the background. Take your time
and experiment with how much you want to show.
13 SHIFTING GEARS
Add highlights to the windows. Use the
Magic Wand to select the window areas in the
14 FINISHING TOUCHES
To add finesse to your illustration, paint
some edge highlights for your cars exterior in
15 FINISH LINE
Press Cmd/Ctrl+0 so your canvas is resized
to fit the screen. Scan the entire illustration to get
Exterior Line layer. Create and rename a new layer front of your ghosted layers. This will help to bring an overall impression of how your ghosting has
below this layer, and paint in the highlight for the your cars exterior in front of the internal come out. If you feel that one layer is dominating
windows. Youll want to find a happy medium that components so they look like they are inside the the others, lower its Opacity in the Layers palette.
shows off a strong highlight, but also allows the car. Add panel edges and corners where the hood Try playing around with Outer Glows, whether
viewer to see the interior, so use a soft, round and side body meet. Use the Magic Wand to select black or white, to add more depth. Youll want to
brush with Opacity set at around 20-35%. Change areas on your exterior line layer, and paint the create the illusion that viewers can actually see the
your palette colour to near-white blue. highlights on a new layer below this. cars internal components.
EXPLORE STYLISED
ILLUSTRATION
FLIGHT FRENZY
Bex Glover is an illustrator and graphic
designer from the UK. Featuring in
START WITH
magazines, books and animation, her A PENCIL
stylised and vibrant urban-meets-ornate BUILD YOUR SKETCH
illustrations are generated using hand-
rendered and digital techniques, and are
influenced by nature, fashion and street art.
OUR EXPERT
BEX GLOVER SOURCE FILES
www.severnstudios.co.uk Sketch.
01 GRADIENT TONES
Gradients can help to add an extra
dimension to an illustration. Choose a background 03 REMOVE LINES
Create a simplified style by removing detail
and foreground colour and Edit>Fill the selected such as line work, leaving areas of colour and
area using the Gradient tool. texture mixed with negative space.
one onto its own layer. This allows more flexibility to organic lines here, but you may want to concentrate on
DEVELOPING STYLE move the various elements around. I have also broken a specific pattern for your own stylised approach. Think
Shape, pattern, line and colour all help to each bird down into a number of elements, including about the shapes you create between the lines, as
achieve a stylised look in an illustration. Using wings and bodies, using Layer>Duplicate Layer and these areas will be built up using texture and colour.
these elements consistently throughout will then rubbing out the lines that I dont need. The end Now for the colouring and filling. I have a selection
add an overall harmonious feel.
result is a library of bodies and wings, which can then of textures that I use frequently in my work saved on
be coloured and transformed in a variety of ways to my computer so I can call upon them whenever I need
create new birds in different positions but each with a to. These range from scanned material to watercolour
similar aesthetic. and paint effects. I find that using these textures in
I wanted to focus on capturing the movement of the digital work really helps to add more depth and give a
birds and their feathers in this illustration. To begin hand-rendered feel. Ive added a watercolour texture to
layering up lines, I first duplicated the wings and scaled the main body of the bird here, for example. Next,
In the first image I started to incorporate small
and rotated them slightly using Edit>Transform>Scale, create a flattened copy of all the line elements of your
birds from my library of elements. While the
birds all look similar in style, I felt like the and Edit>Transform>Rotate. The next step was to add bird drawing using Layer>Duplicate Group, then
colours didnt really work with the larger bird. some freehand lines. Create a new layer and then, Layer>Merge Group. You can now select areas of the
using the Brush tool, select a reasonably fine brush and wings using the Magic Wand tool and fill with textures
In the second image, I pulled out colour ranges
from the large bird and applied them to the start creating the detail. It really helps to have a and colours to build up the feathers. Keep the various
smaller ones, creating a much more cohesive graphics tablet at this stage as it allows you to draw colour fills and textures on separate layers to allow for
feel. Using a colour palette can be one really
useful technique in effective stylisation. more quickly and naturally. I have tried to capture the easy editing.
essence of feather shapes with a range of continual, Try experimenting with the blending modes found
01 USE A LIBRARY
Keep a file that contains a range of TREEHOUSE CAF MURALS
elements that you can reuse. This way you
can modify to create more variety, within a
consistent style.
02 HIGHLIGHT KEY SHAPES
Select spaces with the Magic Wand tool and Edit>Fill with
colour. The more contrast between textures and colour the better.
2010, Real media, Photoshop
Illustrated murals for the walls of The
Treehouse Caf in a London-based
department store, depicting a range of
flora and fauna together in an
enchanting woodland scene.
on the Layers palette to create effects that allow the how the various elements interact and aim for a SELF PORTRAIT IN MARCHESA
textures to show through the colours. Have a go at feeling of movement and energy. Its also a good idea 2010, Real media, Photoshop
adjusting the opacity levels as well (also on the Layers to play around with scale to help create a sense of Stylised self-portrait in a Marchesa frock.
This piece was created for a collective
palette) for some subtle results. perspective. I have made some of the birds smaller fashion book called Amelias Anthology of
I like to start simplifying the composition by and lighter so that they appear further away. Fashion Illustration.
stripping areas to leave simple shapes, minimal details I wanted this illustration to look as though the birds
and negative spaces. One good way to do this is to had taken off from the treetops and were soaring into
remove part or all of the initial line drawing. Before the sky, and adding in a background helped to tie
turning off the layer with your outline, hold down Ctrl/ everything together. I used a watercolour effect and
Cmd and click on that layer to select the whole line applied 30% Opacity with the blending mode set to
drawing. Select the layer where you created the main Overlay. Sitting just beneath, I added a layer with a blue
background of the bird and Edit>Cut the outline shape to white gradient fill. I created some flowers, leaves
from that layer. I have also added a simple red to white and blossoms with the same colour, textural and
gradient to the wing and body shapes, with a Multiply stylistic elements. Finally, take a large feathered brush
blend mode to give a cohesive tone as well as a sense in white and add some flowing swooshes across the
of shadow and a feeling of spatial depth. page on a new layer. By putting this above the others
Build up the scene with small birds from your and adding a Soft Light blending mode, you can THE MAGIC WATERING HOLE
library. Aim to create a similar style in colour and achieve some lovely, subtle cloud effects. 2010, Real media, Photoshop
texture for all the elements you add to ensure there is Reflect on your final composition and adjust Print design for collective Ink-dots Tonic
exhibition in Bristol. A zebra quietly sips the
a harmonious look to the composition. Think about elements to get the balance and style just right. magic water amid colourful, dancing fish.
SCIFI SCENES
BUILD A STRIKING FUTURISTIC BATTLE SCENE USING STOCK
OUR EXPERT
ROB SHIELDS
www.robshields.net
PHOTOS, TEXTURES AND YOUR DIGITALPAINTING SKILLS Based in Philadelphia, self-taught
digital artist Rob explores a wide
In the following tutorial we will take a traditional and knee joints, or if you are building a flying machine it variety of commercial and
cityscape and transform it into a futuristic battle needs to have elements that suggest thrust and lift. This self-initiated projects. To see his
latest work, you can visit his
scene using Photoshop. The goal of this doesnt mean your machine must abide by the laws of online portfolio.
walkthrough is to learn how to make stock images physics, but it should at least resemble an object that does.
conform to your imagination rather than the other way Its also paramount not to go overboard. Having an
SOURCE FILES
around. Some basic understanding of anatomy and a endless supply of imagery makes it tempting to try and We have provided a small version of
graphics tablet are recommended. find an image for every nut and bolt. However, this will lead the background image from
Another important thing to bear in mind is functionality. to a chaotic design that ultimately doesnt work. Note, iStockphoto, a set of textures for the
robot and the aeroplane, a cloud
When designing your machinery you should not only think when real machines are built, a designer often re-uses brush and a link to one additional
about how it will look, but also how it will work; for elements. Its smarter, more efficient and, aesthetically, stock image that we are unable to
example, if your robot has arms and legs, it needs elbow leads to a more cohesive object. include on the disc.
tempting to try
and find an 02 INITIAL SKETCHES
Our first sketches are going to
QUICK TIP
Painting the white
exhaust fumes
coming from the
robots feet is easy.
Use the same cloud
08
brush from Step 5.
Make the clouds more GET HANDS ON
concentrated around
the feet, widening and
fading them out at the
bottom. A very light
When painting hands even at this basic level it
helps to look at your own for reference. In order to paint the
right hand of the robot (which is holding the weapon) look at
09 WARP AND BLEND
Using the stock provided, begin to place texture on the largest
plane. Use the Warp tool (via Cmd/Ctrl+T) to make the stock conform to
Drop Shadow layer your own hand holding a similar-shaped object. This will the shape of your painting. Next blending options such as Soft Light, Vivid
style gives a bit more
definition. help you to decide exactly how much of the fingers will be Light and Linear Light are used to make a cohesive scene. There are no
visible and where the thumb should be positioned. strict rules here its just a case of what blends best.
13 RECYCLE TEXTURES
In this step, we finish texturing the robot by
adding only three new textures. Notice that the
chest plates texture also doubles as the kneecaps,
while the texture on the oblique muscles and inner
leg muscles are the same and the quadriceps
texture (a new texture) is used in various places
from the head to the forearms. Recycling saves you
lots of time!
14 CURVES HIGHLIGHTS
You may have noticed that the robot in Step
13 has more highlights. An easy way to do this is to
create a new Curves layer set to Color Dodge
(Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Curves). Brighten
the image by adjusting the Curves graph then hide
the layer by painting over it with black. Now paint
the highlights back in using white.
15 PAINT ON COLOURS
In addition to Curves, we also highlight various areas
of the robots body using a colour similar to #03f8f9. In order
16 EXPAND THE
EXPLOSION
To give the explosion more
to make the effect more subtle we paint it at an Opacity lower impact we enlarge the
than 50% using a small hard brush. Also apply a small Outer original image to cover the
Glow set to the Normal blending mode at 100% Opacity. entire building top. We also
extend the smoke and the red
highlights at the base of the
smoke. When painting the
explosions flares remember
to use white-yellow at the
tips and darker orange-red at
the base to represent varying
degrees of heat.
18 HEATWAVE
To create the heatwave effect coming out of the engine, first
flatten a copy of the image and isolate the area around each engine with
the Circular Marquee tool. Then use Filter>Ocean Ripple or Glass, as
shown here. Now place the new image back into the scene and erase
the edges with a soft brush as needed.
21 GUNFIRE
The bullet trails are painted with a soft brush in white and then given a yellow Inner Glow set to Vivid Light and an orange Outer Glow set to Hard Light. We
also paint ricochet sparks on the robot using a similar process. This time the Inner Glow is white and set to Screen blending at 50% Opacity with the Outer Glow
being yellow (also set to Screen at 50%).
23 FINISH ON A
HIGHLIGHT
The final highlights occur
in a few places. On the
right side of the robot
where the metal reflects
the light from the gunfire
we use yellow-orange
and set blending to Color
Dodge. On the left we add
a low-opacity white to the
GRAB ATTENTION
WITH LIMITED
COLOUR
WORK IN
PROGRESS
USE LIMITED
COLOURS TO GREAT
EFFECT
GETTING BIG IMPACT OUT OF SMALL PALETTES
Limited colour palettes have been used for is often informed by their subject rather than chosen on a
thousands of years originally because there whim, and this can actually be helpful in many ways it
was no option but to use pigments from nature. opens up the opportunity for the composition to take the
The earliest examples are in ancient cave paintings, which lead, and for highlights to really pop.
were typically depicted using only red or dark brown. The modern painter, both digital and manual, has
However, a natural palette doesnt necessarily confine an thousands of colours to choose from, so its important to
artist to muted earth tones. As far back as ancient Egypt, remember or intuit some basic rules of colour theory:
colours included a vivid spectrum derived from natural which hues harmonise, which cancel each other out, what
Step 1: Sketch start
elements and the technologies of the day. theyre associated with and how to place them next to each
As time went on, an industrial approach was taken to other. This last is perhaps most important when
creating palettes. The choice of base colours increased composing a painting. Ill be referencing these basic
tremendously, and artists might have found tone selection principles throughout the tutorial as I create a simple,
a daunting task. However, a master painters colour choice limited-palette painting.
02 DIGITAL PAINTING
Once in Photoshop, I set the sketch layer to Darken so I can still see it as I
paint on a layer beneath. My brushes of choice for painting are custom made: I
Step 16: Complement the colours
01
use the Dual Brush mode with either a square or round base brush, and a
SKETCH START scattered second brush inside. These are helpful for blending and creating the
I always begin with a
illusion of actual paint.
sketch, either manual or digital.
This one is a scanned pencil sketch,
which can be great because that
allows me to also incorporate the
03 SAFE
EXPERIMENTING
When Im happy with the
papers natural texture and colour. base shading (the most
It also helps me to define the prominent parts), I create a
lighting in the sketch, so that there new layer. This way I can
is less confusion during the experiment without making
painting process. permanent changes. Step 23: Final assessment
A limited palette
enlivens a painting
by allowing
the viewers
eye to rest as
it moves
around the
composition
OUR EXPERT
OLENA SHMAHALO
www.OlenaShmahalo.com
Olena, based in the USA, has
loved illustration both 2D
and 3D since childhood, and
has been working with digital
media since about the age of
ten. She likes to experiment
with new mediums,
techniques and subjects,
while applying extracurricular
learning to her work.
SOURCE FILES
A base sketch has been
provided on the resource disc.
04 BUILD UP SHADING
The painting is beginning to
get more detailed and defined, but
06 PLAY WITH BRUSHES
I change my brush depending on what I need to
paint: the square is better for rougher, more textured
Im still working in only two colours painting, while the round is better for blending or cleaning up.
in order to establish the shading. By increasing Spacing within the Dual Brush menu, I create a
brush that blends more easily while still looking natural.
05 BLOCK COLOUR
Here, Im starting to block out more of the body
and hair. I dont bother too much with the details yet, and
since the face is the main focus, these portions will be left
fairly flat to help them recede into the background.
09 ROUNDING OFF
Minuscule changes
(here, to the nose and lips) help
give the appearance of
three-dimensionality and also
help to get the expression right.
CUSTOMISE BRUSHES
Its helpful to change the brush size a lot while
painting. To shrink or enlarge the brush quickly,
press the [ or ] key. Also, save your favourite
brush adjustments (with the Brush tool selected
go to Brush> New Brush Preset) even if slight, so
theyre ready when you need to use them.
10 EXTRA DEPTH
Ive started adding more depth and shading to
the hair and neck. Sometimes I turn layers on and off 11 HAPPY MEDIUM
Neck shading can be difficult unless you have a
to see if Ive overworked something I was happy with good reference photo. Since Im not working from one
at a prior stage, and if thats the case then I can use a at this point, I had to find a happy medium between
layer mask to erase the unwanted changes. fading the neck out and forming its correct structure.
CONSTRAINED COLOUR
MEANS VISUAL IMPACT
12 HIGHLIGHTS TO FINISH
Finally, the neck is looking more
natural thanks to some minor highlighting.
At this point, Im pretty happy with the
monochrome and almost ready to move on
to the colour. 15 THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Im slowly adding more colour, but still only
working with orange, blue and green. Colour choices are
fairly arbitrary at this point; I let the subject and painting
itself inform me intuitively. I was partially inspired by
Matisses Lady With Green Stripe.
16 COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS
As the colouring progresses, Im
still tone-matching but now allowing for
WISLEY 1922
This poster, designed by
more vibrancy. The placement is getting a
BOOK TO Robert John Gibbings,
bit more strategic: complementary colours
HAMPSTEAD 1910 uses the classic
This lovely image by Charles Twenties device of
like red/green, blue/orange accent each Sharland looks dramatic silhouetted foreground
other, and I let highlighted areas go to the and full of life but relies on details against a more
the same colour harmony colourful backdrop...
warmer side of the spectrum; shadows are later used in Gibbings which is simply green,
cool or grey. Wisley piece blue, yellow and white
FINAL TOUCHES
A LITTLE SOFTENING AND SHARPENING CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
GRADIENTS
19 I lowered the background layers opacity and added a few
gradients to help wash the colour in. Another useful setting for
blending is the Flow slider. I slide it all the way down (sometimes
to 1%) for a softer brush that blends really well. Its a more
natural-looking, easier setting to work with than Opacity.
SOFTENING TOUCHES
18 PAINTERLY TOUCH
Another brush I like to use is a variation
20 The gradients were too apparent,
so I painted over and hardened some of
on one of Photoshops defaults: the Round the areas where this was the case. I also
Bristle 100 with Dual Brush on (and a filler of the pasted my greyscale painting over the
Scattered Leaves 199), with an Angle Jitter of colours and set it to Darken to enhance
about 65%. This is great for painterly strokes, and bring in contrast, while masking out
with added texture due to the bristle. unwanted parts.
VARIATIONS
COLOUR PLACEMENT
Remember that where and how
colours are placed is much more
24 SHARPENING
TOUCHES
The last thing I like to do
important than how many are used in
an image. If you arent intuitively sure is sharpen the image. This
of your placement, research colour can be done in different
theory or look at various master
artists works I would recommend ways, but here I felt that
Cezanne or Matisse. the Poster Edges filter
(Filter>Artistic>Poster
Edges) would look best.
With the Edge Thickness
and Intensity sliders all
the way down, this gives a
slight dark outline to
strokes, which not only
sharpens the image but
gives it a more natural,
gritty feel.
25 FINAL PRODUCT
Our portrait is finished! By limiting the colour range
to a few complementary colours and physically limiting the
amount of colour used, the image has more weight and
presence than one fully coloured. Try this with your next
painting. It works on pretty much any subject.
PROVEN TECHNIQUES
COMPOSITION AND MODELLING
Even with beautiful colouring, a painting
can fall flat because the drawing
underneath is no good. Burne Hogarths
books on drawing are helpful, as are Da
Vincis sketches. Good composition is also
an imperative.
STRIKING
PASTELS
USE THE POWER OF PHOTOSHOP FILTERS AND LAYER
FUNCTIONALITY TO CREATE ILLUSTRATIVE EFFECTS
While there are programs dedicated to creating illustrations, it is possible to replicate similar effects
using just the tools in Photoshop. Working from a photo stock base, we can use a combination of OUR EXPERT
layer styles, filters, gradients, layer masks and more to build up a mixed-media style that would look ADAM SMITH
at home as a fashion editorial illustration. www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk
The image is built up in sections, isolating key areas with the Pen tool and then using the techniques Adam is the Photoshop expert for
described in this tutorial to create that illustrated look. Doing it in this way helps us to build up and manage Advanced Photoshop magazine. In
this tutorial, he combine his passions
our artwork. Depth is added through shadows and highlights, as well as gradients, plus we have used for both digital and traditional styles.
texture stock photos and brushes to give a more tangible feel to the final piece. SOURCE FILES
Before you begin working on a project like this, it pays to get all of your resources to hand. We have On this resource disc you can find a
supplied you with some custom brushes and texture photos, and we reference further stock imagery and host of royalty-free assets to mimic
the effects in this tutorial. These
custom brushes that we have used throughout the steps. We have completed this entire artwork using free include a range of fabric photos, as
stock, except for the main model image, which we sourced from Dreamstime (image number 14999622.) well as custom brushes.
05
smoother facial surface.
ACHIEVE A PALE SKIN TONE
Relieve this effect slightly by
Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E to merge all the
dropping the layer Opacity to
Head layers. Select Image>Adjustments>
85% and working within a
Shadows/Highlights. Set Shadows at 65%, Tonal
selection of your head, so that
Width at 75% and Radius at 50px. Set the
there are no overlapping paint
adjustments Color Correction to -38. Once saving
edges. You can then edit
out, set the blending mode to Screen, apply a layer
highlights and shadows with
mask and invert this to black. Paint skin back with
two Curves adjustment layers,
a soft brush. Also apply a Hue/Saturation
painting to their respective layer
adjustment layer, with Saturation at -30 and
masks and emphasising the
Lightness at +10. Mask away cheekbone and eyelid
facial contours.
areas to bring back in contours.
10 MIXED-MEDIA TEXTURES
Once again make a selection of the legs and create a new 11 ALTER THE
ARMS
Open the Arms group,
layer titled Brushwork. Import the supplied Media brushes.abr,
selecting Marker 2 from your preset options. Open the Brush palette again making a
and activate the Brush Tip Shape options. Set Angle at -128 degrees selection of your
at a 1,800px Size, applying over the legs. Set this layers blending Arms layer and
mode to Overlay at 50% Opacity and apply Sharpen filters to create creating a new layer.
greater delineation. Continue to build effects with multiple layers Fill this selection with
using masks. a solid colour selected
from your subjects
neck area. Apply a
white to transparent
Gradient layer style.
Set Opacity at 64%,
Angle at -6 degrees
and Scale at 10%,
pulling this to the left
to create reflection
down your subjects
left arm. With another
active selection made
from your Arms layer,
create a new layer
titled Arm Edges.
14 PLACE ACCESSORIES
We need to simulate some sort of movement in what
is so far a static image, so well start with the bag element.
Create a new layer above the others called Tassels, painting
these in with the Marker 3 brush from the Media brushes.
abr file and using Transform>Warp to create a wind-swept
effect. Weve also applied a teal to transparent Gradient
Overlay, at 90-degree Angle.
QUICK TIP
Juxtapose your lined model ACHIEVE DEPTH WITH
illustration with elements ABSTRACT SHADOWS
that have a cutout style.
Weve applied the Pen Shape
tool to bunny stock (sourced
from www.sxc.hu, image
numbers 438073, 479659
and 1115471) and made
selections of butterflies. Copy
and paste from bright texture
stock to create an abstract
fabric example.
USE DETAIL IN
ILLUSTRATION
THE ISLAND OF THE FROGS
If you ever have the misfortune of being turned into a
frog, youll be banished to the island of the frogs, a
mysterious piece of land no one has ever been able to
find (although some say that it is just off the coast of France).
All the frogs hope that one day their princess will come and OUR EXPERT
give them that magical kiss to turn them back into a prince. MATTHEW ELLERO
Well, thats how I see it anyway. One of the toughest things www.matthewellero.com
about this brief was putting an original slant on the iconic A Photoshop and real
image of the princess holding the crown-wearing frog. The media expert based in
the UK, Matt describes
idea of a land of frogs for cursed princes fits in nicely with the himself as a shy,
fairy-tale theme and even the narrative the princess has to obsessive compulsive
who likes to create
find her prince among all the frogs, an added obstacle on the
intricate, cluttered
path to true loves transformation. illustrations, mixing
A Disney film released a couple of years ago relocated the various styles.
story to the swamps of New Orleans, giving it a fresh
perspective and relating it to the stories of voodoo curses I wanted to give the iconic
sometimes associated with that area of the world, fitting
nicely with what the narrative requires.
image of the princess and the
While the princess holding the frog is the focal point of the frog a fresh slant,
image, the surrounding forest is just as important. My brief placing the main
stated that there must be lots of things for children to look for
and find. In the spirit of Wheres Wally?, then, (or Wheres
characters in a unique,
Waldo? if youre American) see if you can find the following busy environment
elements hidden in the image: nine frogs, a mailbox, three
street lamps, two frog statues, a sleeping beauty, nine birdbox SOURCE FILES
numbers and six waterlillies. A creative pack is available.
Im kind of obsessed by detail. I want people to be able to
pick out different things every time they look at one of my
drawings. One problem with creating such busy imagery,
however, is making sure that the viewer isnt overwhelmed by
detail. Originally there was just going to be one deep forest
that bled off the page, however the composition started to
look too busy. It was getting hard to know where to look (see
the boxout on composition), so I pulled it back.
Little visual clues dotted around the drawing fill the viewer
in on the details. The frog statues, ruins and mushroom
village suggest that the frogs have been here for some time
and that they are no ordinary amphibians. It would be a bit
boring if frogs were the only inhabitants of the island. Taking
my cue from Pokmon, I used existing animals as a
springboard to create my own species. The Rabboon is a
cross between a rabbit and a raccoon, while the eerie ghosts
of the forest (towards the top right of the island) take their
inspiration from the minimalist creature designs in Spirited
Away and The Moomins.
On the subject of Spirited Away and Hayao Miyazaki films in THE BIRD TREE
general, Ive always admired how they ground supernatural The bird tree is one of the focal points of the illustration. It seemed an ideal solution to the
elements in a realistic world with familiar elements that we problem of having too big an empty expanse of leaves, and makes the forest seem more alive.
can recognise. This has had a big impact on my drawings and
helped me in the way that I approach any illustration brief.
The initial drawings take a few days; I sketch each object
individually on Winsor & Newton Bristol Board (250gsm
paper) before scanning them all in on the computer. This is a
long and slow process, but I like this way of working for a
number of reasons. First of all it allows you to have complete
control of the composition in Photoshop and because each
object is on a separate layer amendments and corrections can
be made easily. Second, you can create large-scale images
with lots of detail as the images arent limited by the size of
your scanner or support.
Although Bristol Board is expensive, I would highly
recommend it. Because the paper is so thick, you can press
hard on the pencil without fear of warping or creasing it. The
paper is also bright white so you dont have to worry too much
about altering the levels in Photoshop after drawings have
been scanned.
At this stage I use a 2H pencil, then go over lines in a HB or
2B to make them darker. I dont worry too much about rubbing
out the 2H lines. They are so light the scanner will often not
pick them up. I can end up with somewhere in the region of
50-100 A4 pages of drawings. These are then scanned in to
Photoshop at 600dpi greyscale, which allows me to play with
sizing without losing too much quality. I tend to draw at about
twice the size that they will eventually end up, enabling me to
work in detail easily. Although most of my work is done in
THE POND
I wanted the pond to stand out from the rest of the busy composition as an area of calm in a
pencil, sometimes I like to use other media as well, especially
busy image. Light pastels give the water a nice sheen.
when working in colour, to give it another dimension.
The brief mentions a pond, so to give the impression of still,
calm water I used black pastels, applying different degrees of
pressure to suggest water depth. Pastels are messy and I
really dislike using them, but you can get some lovely results,
and by using the Linear Burn filter in Photoshop they are
easily integrated into the pencil drawings. In this case, each
pastel layer is given 50% Opacity so that when placing multiple
layers on top of each other, tones are built up gradually.
Once the drawings are saved as TIFF files, I bring them into
Photoshop one by one, altering the levels and contrast until I
get a nice black line. Once Im happy with a set of levels, I
make a note of them (most of my drawings use the same
settings so its got to the stage now where they are stored in
my memory).
The first object that I bring into the Photoshop layout is the
image of the cobbled stones. These lead into the forest and
seemed an ideal starting point for the image. Shrubs and
ferns are brought in next to surround the path and I go on in
this way, building up the image starting point until I have
imported all of the items.
Over 100 scans, 900 Photoshop layers and lots of cups of
hot chocolate later, the image is just about finished. Ill print off ADD SOME PERSONALITY
a few full-size versions as Im working to make sure that One of the most important things in any illustration is making your characters unique. In my human
characters, the two aspects that I concentrate on are the eyes and the hair. One eye tends to be bigger
everything looks alright and then, once Im happy with the final than the other. I think this makes them look a bit kooky. The hair is extra detail and is really a character
product, Ill flatten the file, rename it, wing it across to the on its own. In the case of the princess, it is fairly over the top a bob would be far too ordinary for
client and wait for any feedback. Phew! fairy-tale royalty.
MEET THE GHOSTS OF THE FOREST THE PRINCESS INTRICATE ARTWORK FROM
I wanted them to be fairly unnerving, so I left the Rather than have the princess stand, I thought it MATTHEWS PORTFOLIO
design minimal and gave them a vacant stare would be nice to have her kneeling, bringing her
without noses or arms. I considered getting rid down to the level of the frog. I wanted to give her
of the black outline, but this didnt work out as an unusual hairstyle.
well as Id hoped.
GET TO KNOW ME
2011, Photoshop, real media
01 02
This was for the American charity Art With Heart who were
SKETCHES PHOTOSHOP LAYOUT putting together a colouring and activity book for
I start with a couple of sketches to decide After each individual object has been disadvantaged children. The dimensions I had to work to
were unusual and the drawing proved quite a challenge.
where I want the objects to go. The focal point is scanned in at high resolution I tend to go for
the princess holding the frog, so she goes into 600dpi I begin to piece the composition
the centre. together in Photoshop.
03 REFINEMENT
Im beginning to worry that the
composition is looking too busy, so I print the
04 DETAILS
After having my eureka moment, I
decided to use an organic white border and set
FOR THE COMMON WEALTH
2011, Photoshop, real media
A CD design for a band. They wanted a couple holding hands
image and look for ways to move the the image on an island. Now I add in details such I was worried it would look too cheesy but I think I just
composition around. as the boat. about got away with it.
VEXEL VEHICLES
WE SHOW YOU HOW TO USE COMMON PHOTOSHOP SELECTION OPTIONS
AND LAYERING TECHNIQUES TO MASTER REALISTIC VEXEL ART
OUR EXPERT
THIBAUT MAETZ
www.thibautmaetz.com
As a full-time mechanical engineer,
Thibaut is a self-taught Photoshop
artist. Virtually tuning his styles, hes
now fully grounded in vexel art. You
can see more of his design work on
his website.
SOURCE FILES
You will find the car reference image
we used from iStockphoto on the CD,
as well as a background image, but
feel free to substitute your own.
02 COLOUR MODIFICATION
Dont be afraid to change the
colour of your car. Make a duplicate of the
bodywork layer (Cmd/Ctrl+J) then make
an active selection of this (by Cmd/
Ctrl-clicking the layer thumbnail). Go to
Image>Adjustments and use the various
layers at your disposal such as
Brightness/Contrast, Hue/Saturation and
Levels. Use with caution to get your
preferred colour effects.
QUICK TIP
05 WORK UP THE
BACKGROUND
We have a pretty basic background at
If you do not see the
lines correctly traced
by your Pen Path
application then we
the moment that we can change to advise you to create a
bump up interest (were using new 100% solid white
background.jpg on the CD). Whichever layer, lowering Opacity
to around 40%, just
image you use, ensure that visuals are above your car. You
consistent with the shadows already will now see areas
that are already
on the car body. Properly integrate the
completed as well as
image with the windscreen; create a those which need to
cutout of the screen so we can see the be finished.
background and then place a new
layer with the same dimensions as the
cutout, fill with blue (#2e596b) and set
Opacity to 70%.
06 OUTLINE
With the car retouched and reshaped,
we can now begin the vexel work. Make an
07 INLINE
Now you must
create the internal
outline of your car with the Pen Path tool, contours that enable you
using the Ctrl/right-click>Stroke option from to define each element of
your Paths palette. When the outline is the car chassis for
complete, hit Ctrl/right-click so you can create example, the headlights,
a contour plot using the Pen tool. Set a 7px windscreen wipers, etc.
brush with the Hardness parameter pushed Create a new layer and
to the max then apply. apply the same process
as in Step 6, but with a
finer brush of 3 or 4px at
the same hardness.
Zoom in to around 200%
when completing this
step so all detailed edges
are accurate.
08 VECTOR MASK
Still using the Pen Path tool, we now make a clipping
path for each area (eg door, windscreen, mirror, etc) of the car.
This will define our future layers properly thanks to the vector
mask. To begin this process, create a path along the black
outlines previously created for the front of the car, for
example, close the path, Ctrl/right-click and hit Create Vector
Mask. Repeat for each part of the car on a new layer.
START IMAGES
For this tutorial we used a photo of a car that was shot
outside. It therefore has many reflections that can
09 FILL WITH COLOURS
Now that we have created our
vector masks, we can fill them with
complicate the implementation of a vexel process. But at paint. Always try to fill the mask with the
least with an approach like this youre prepared for the most dominant colour in the area. For
difficulties that may be encountered. If you dont feel like
taking on this type of image for your first stab at vexel art, example, fill the bodywork with a white
we recommend that you choose an image shot in a studio colour, but use a blue tone for the metal
instead, where the reflections are much less of an issue.
bumper and grey for the cars interior.
Once you have the basic method nailed then you can try
portraits. Portraits are more difficult because there are
11
very few uniform planes or well-defined sections of colour
like those found on a vehicle. There is also hair, which is a DONT RUN BEFORE YOU CAN WALK
constant source of problems, and it can take a very long Start by applying these techniques to the most simple body sections of the car; this is a great way
time to get convincing results.
to familiarise yourself with vexel techniques as often they will only require large, flat blocks of colour. You
can then move on to the windshield, lights, wheels and rims, which are elements that demand more
10 CLIPPING MASKS
Using clipping masks at all times will enable
you to create flattened colour without any unwanted
precision and therefore more layers.
12 COLOUR AREA
Go to the first layer just above
the layer bearing the vector masks, and
QUICK TIP
Put layers of each
main car section into
groups so you can see
start creating an initial colour area using more clearly what you
the Pen tool. Dont forget to gather up have produced and
where it should go in
colours of the same hue. For instance,
your layers stack.
dark tones should be on the same layer As soon as an area is
and the bright shades on separate complete, do it straight
away for your
layers. This makes it much easier if you convenience later on.
need to modify any colours later on.
13 FEATHER
EDGES
Once your selections
14 WORK THROUGH CAR SHAPES
Always start with the biggest sections of uniform colour to create the car
shapes, and work back down to the smallest. For example, begin by creating layers
are made, use for each tone of car paint and finish with shadows that fall over the bodywork and
Path>Make Selection to other more subtle details.
apply a selection then
go to Select>Feather
and add a 2px Radius;
this will better integrate
your edges with
colours beneath and
will also simulate
gradient effects,
disposing of hard-
edged sections. You
can then play with the
Feather parameter to
adjust the level of the
gradient. We tend to
use a 2px Radius, but
you can push it up to
6px if you desire.
15 LAYER LOVE
Do not deprive yourself of layers use as many as necessary to achieve the
most accurate finish. The more layers there are, the more tones you can apply to
faithfully re-create the original image. This will result in colour gradients that are much
more uniform and also make the rendering more realistic.
17 WHEEL RIMS
For the rims, make only an outline of the rim itself using the Ellipse tool
instead of the Pen Path tool, and also apply the Free Transform options to refine the
path. Once you are satisfied, create a clipping path and, utilising the previous
techniques, use as many layers as needed to achieve a result as close to the real
rims as possible.
18 BEGINNING TO TYRE
According to taste, you can create the tyre tread or not. This depends
on the overall visual that you want to produce. If you prefer a cartoony
rendering, apply only a flat black shade. You can also customise tyres by
applying colour tints to the edges; think The Fast and the Furious!
19 RADIATOR GRILLE
Trace the cars grille using the Pen Path tool by
following its different features. Ctrl/right-click on your
path, selecting Make Stroke. Create outlines with a 3px
hard brush set to maximum hardness and a brown/
grey tone (#181819). Duplicate this layer to create all
the grille bars and then merge them together.
20 FINAL TOUCHES
The bottom doesnt completely fill the canvas; fix this with a black band or a gradient. And here
you are with your first vexel vehicle! Free your imagination to further improve the result by customising
your car, or try out this workflow on an alternative source image.
68 Professional Graphics
Get the inside story from graphic illustrators
76 Pixel Art
Create epic isometric pixel art with flair
82 Poster Graphics
Advertise a product without using words
86 Digital Collage
Explore composition and colours
90 Shape Symmetry
Combine organic and geometric forms
98 Vector Layers
Master CS6s new Vector Shape tools
98
108 Photoreal icons
Illustrate realistic icons from scratch
112
90
94
104
Illustrate with Photoshop Genius Guide 67
Graphics
PROFESSIONAL
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
WE CHAT TO A HANDFUL OF GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATORS AND GET THE
INSIDE STORY ON HOW THEY USE PHOTOSHOP IN THEIR WORK
Jessie Ford, www.jessieford.co.uk
Every good illustrator has a bag of tricks and is a vital part of what she does. I use Photoshop to
for most, these days, that includes a trusty draw shape layers, she says. All of the animals or
program to work in. Photoshop may have characters I create are vector based, which allows me
started as the image editing member of the Adobe to make them as big or small as I need without any loss
family but it rapidly bulked itself out to include options of quality. When Ive drawn the shapes I can play around
and functions that give artists and illustrators with colours very easily by double-clicking on the shape
something to get excited about too. layer thumbnail in the layers palette.
Its proved to be a powerful tool for image creation as For effects, Jennifer finds that Photoshop has a
well as image manipulation, and has weaved its way variety of options to tinker with. I use gradients and
into the workflow of many an illustrator. Weve rounded inner and outer shadows on individual layers. There are
up a few such illustrators that count Photoshop among many, many options inside the Layer Styles dialog box
the tools of their trade. We ask them how they use it, and you can get some wonderful effects. I also use a lot
why they use and how we can learn to use it better. of texture in my work, so I scan in old books, add
From Photoshop natives to Photoshop converts, expert photographs and lots of my own scribbles on individual
users and illustrators that find certain basic functions layers and blend them at various opacities, she says.
vital to the way they work, we examine all angles of this This attention to detail is certainly evident in her work.
nifty program to see how it collides with the world of Jennifer created Animal ABC, a stylish book for tots
graphic illustration. coming to grips with their alphabets. The book is
Shaun Venish and Photoshop have a history. The available for a range of digital devices and her
Texas-based graphic artist and illustrator began using illustrations, such as that displayed below, show off the
the program in the nineties. I first encountered Adobe textured effects that she created in Photoshop.
Photoshop (v2.5!) in 1993, he says, and was really While some illustrators, like Shaun Venish, have had
taken by the airbrush tools and cloning. When Version 3 the program at their creative side for many years, >>
introduced layers, and Version 5 gave me real editable
type, it quickly became a natural place to work. Shaun
creates his illustrations for a diverse client base, which
include editorial pieces and logos (www.venish.com).
For him, inspiration comes from looking at a lot of
other peoples work across a broad range of mediums.
Theres always so much to learn, he enthuses,
perfectly capturing the way many illustrators feel about
this amazing piece of software.
Jennifer Farley (www.laughing-lion-design.com)
prefers to put the mouse down and go outside to find
some inspiration. Books, movies, photography and
travel are all great sources of inspiration for me, she
says. I think its very important to get away from the
computer and give yourself time to daydream and
relax. There is indeed a ton of eye candy online and you
can spend hours trawling through it, and its nice to see
what other people are doing, but getting out into real life
and experiencing it is the best way to get the ideas
flowing, for me.
Jennifers designs are bright, bold and she loves Jennifer Farley, www.laughing-lion-design.com
>> others have come to the fore more recently. Alice such as her poster for the Design Museum Ball looking at my work, its very evident of my
Lickens (www.lickens.co.uk) also has a penchant for (shown in the lower right), for a lot longer than shes background. Ive intentionally tried to retain the
childrens illustration, and her clients include Random been using Photoshop. I actually took to it fairly late hand-crafted feel to all of my images. Looking at
House and Pavilion books. Alice was chosen for the on, she says. I was thick-skulled about it, but then I the cover she made for The Go-Away Bird, we
2012 Sendak Fellowship and will be going to live and started to see all these beautiful images people were couldnt agree more. Once Jessie started to tinker
work at Maurice Sendaks residence later this year. creating and realised I was missing a trick. I started with the technology, she found that Photoshop could
Sendak was, of course, best known for creating using photoshop in my last year at university and I accommodate the way she worked. Time, money
Where the Wild Things Are. was appalling to begin with. I had some really patient and space, Jessie explains, all contributed to my
Alice has been creating breathtaking illustrations, friends who showed me the ropes and then it was a
lot of finding out how it fitted for me.
The way that Alice uses Photoshop demonstrates
the versatility of the program in its ability to offer
options to each type of illustrator, no matter what
their workflow is. While Jennifer Farley often creates
shapes directly in Photoshop, for example, Alice
goes right back to pen and paper. I have quite an
archaic process, Alice jokes, whereby I draw
everything out by hand, often using a lightbox to sift
out layers. My work is quite shape-based, so I then
photograph it all and digitally colour and add texture.
Then I start fiddling with it. As most people who
work in this way would agree, she concludes that
Photoshop is an incredibly handy tool and pretty
central to how I work now.
Jessie Ford (www.jessieford.co.uk) is another
illustrator who considers herself a convert from
purely mechanical methods, and who finds value in
Photoshop as a tool to add to her kitbag. At art
college, I used a computer about three times, she
explains. I was very against them more through
fear of the unknown than anything else! I spent all
my time producing collages with cut paper and in the
Alice Lickens, www.lickens.co.uk Jessie Ford, www.jessieford.co.uk
print room, working on silk-screen prints. I think that,
LAYER OPACITY AND THE POWERFUL PEN DODGE AND BURN CLONE STAMP LAYER MASKS
BLEND MODE TOOL TOOL IMPERFECTIONS Use Layer Masks to blend
These two work hand in hand The pen tool is an illustration The Dodge and Burn tools live AWAY between layers, manipulating
and are indispensable for essential if you create your in the left-hand palette. Use a A favourite amongst photo and removing parts of a layer
applying textures and blending own vector shapes or drawing combination of these tools to retouchers the Clone Stamp without actually removing
layers. Youll find both settings paths. Select the tool from the create light and shadow in tool is there to help tidy your pixels. Masks are easy to
under the layers palette. Try left-hand palette and specify your illustrations. Pay heed to work and get rid of unwanted adjust and you can come back
Screen and Hue blending its function and settings on the the source and direction of elements. First specify a and tweak isolated areas of
modes for texture work. top tool menu. light before using. source and then paint away. your piece without hassle.
EXPERT OPINION
PHOTOSHOP HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF ROB FULLERS WORK HE TELLS US WHY IT PLAYS A VITAL ROLE
OUR EXPERT
ROB FULLER
http://robblogstuffnow.tumblr.com/mywork
Freelance illustrator, designer and animator.
Digital painter.
The only time in my life that Photoshop was absent work. The other is, of course, the paint tools and out in Photoshop but they really do save my bacon. I
in my illustration work was when I used things like brush system, which is exactly what is needed for cant function if I dont use layers correctly. Often,
pencils and paint. I remember when I discovered that painting. The way I use Photoshop really depends on history is irrelevant when Im making hundreds of
a computer could be used for more than just what I am making. Taking a digitally painted poster brush marks. Splitting elements of the painting into
document editing and card games. Ever since I as an example, Photoshop has a very strong layers is essential for me. Duplication of layers is
realised what Photoshop was, and the sheer amount presence all the way through the process. With also very important; it becomes my history and my
of power it gave me, I havent really stopped using it. digital painting, the program takes me through the undo button.
Photoshop was the first Adobe program that I whole image preparation and painting process, Plus, the ability to mould and create the perfect
explored. I have since learned others such as making use of brushes, gradients and textures along brush is so incredibly useful, whether its with the
Illustrator, and found them equally as useful in the way. Brush tool itself or with an Eraser. I think that it is
different ways, but I always come back to Photoshop, I usually find that if I use Photoshop in conjunction very important to get to know your brushes. In the
especially with my more recent work shifting back to with other CS programs, its as a starting point, past, I would just import a brush and go with it. Now,
digital painting. In a way, Photoshop feels like home. finishing point or both. I often prepare work in once I pick it apart and understand how and why a
As long as Ive used a computer for illustration, Ive Photoshop or create some of the building blocks that brush is functioning in the way that it does, my
used Photoshop. will later be used to create the final outcome control and use of it improves. One tool that passed
In my opinion, Photoshop has two big advantages elsewhere. It is again just as common to bring me by for a ridiculously long amount of time is the
over other programs. Firstly, the photo manipulation something into Photoshop to give it that extra coat of Refine Edge tool in the Select Menu. Creating or
abilities and tools are perfect and so easy for creating paint or finishing touch. cropping the perfect edge to an image becomes a
reference imagery, which is so important in my Layers may seem like an obvious thing to point doddle when using it.
>> the paint to dry; if I make a mistake, the back elements and visualise what something will look like different programs, she says, but over time they
button is always at hand; and I dont have to rely on before committing to it. I use this program a lot, she have become more and more alike. There are now
consistent light, as my colour palettes are always laid says, initially translating a black and white sketch to many overlapping features between the programs.
down in saved files to work from. visualise how an image will look in colour. It is hugely The vector drawing tools in Photoshop used to be the
Phil finds that his favourite pieces to illustrate tend helpful to define my composition. I try out textures poor cousin to Illustrator, but with CS6, Photoshops
to arrive when working on very open briefs, which and colours to see how they will work together. I love vector tools are catching up dramatically. Theyre
allow him to push his idea generating abilities and playing with hue and saturation, the contrast and levels. both great programs.
drive the illustration into unusual territory. This only I then refine my painted samples, integrate textures Working on continuously challenging projects is
happens when commissioned by skilled, and fuse all my elements into the final illustration. one great way to force yourself to learn new skills
understanding and trusting Art Directors. All of the One of the obvious questions to ask is why and discover new tools to use. The job I did for
design team from the Guardian are brilliant to work Photoshop still finds such a vast illustration base Mears Direct was great fun and a huge challenge,
with and, subsequently, I have produced some of my when other Adobe programs such as Illustrator, as says Richard Deverell (www.richarddeverell.com).
favourite pieces of work for that newspaper, he says. the name would suggest, are built-for-purpose They wanted a brochure that showed everything the
Catell Ronca (www.catellronca.co.uk), shown illustration programs. Jennifer Farley thinks that the company could offer their clients, mostly housing
above, finds Photoshop useful not only in her two programs are not so very different from each associations, but without words until the very last
workflow, but also as a way to play around with other. Initially, Photoshop and Illustrator were very page. It started with a red on white pattern and, >>
WHAT NEXT?
YOUR CREATIVE JUICES ARE
FLOWING AND YOUR DIGITAL
CANVASES ARE FILLING UP, BUT
WHERE DO YOU TAKE THEM?
If youre creating work on commission then
its easy to know where your design will end
up once youre finished sweating over it. If
not, then youll need to think about how to get
the most out of your work when youre done.
There are a variety of paths to take when
selling your artwork and the internet, of
course, has opened up many more
opportunities for you to take advantage of.
The easiest way to get started is to sign up
to sites such as www.spreadshirt.com and
get your designs onto merchandise quickly
and easily, from the simple t-shirt to a variety
of other custom clothing. Websites such as
www.zazzle.com offer other options, such as
iPhone cases and bags. Another route to take
is to look at organisations such as The
Illustration Gallery (www.illustrato.rs),
whose website is a curated marketplace that
sells artists work directly to customers. Youll
have to apply if you want to be featured, but
the benefit of sites like this is that your work
is not just another design in a sea of
illustrations. Care is taken over whats sold
and youll be guaranteed to feature among
other quality artists. No matter which route
you take, having your sale items linked to
your own website is equally important. Make
it as easy as possible for visitors to buy your
artwork, whatever the format you wish to
offer it in.
Layers are our friends. Learn opposite note, he says, use Photoshop as just another
image making tool its your skill and imagination that
how to use them and their drives the package to produce your work, not the other
associated functions way round. Shaun Venish agrees, saying that it took
the layer effects, him a while to learn that skill is built up when you focus
on your art rather than on the tool.
blending modes and Develop better skills in the principles of design,
opacity. Also, learn composition, colour and so on, and dont get too caught
up in the gadgetry and complex add-ons and plug-ins.
the keyboard shortcuts for And finally, Jennifer adds, practice, practice, practice
tools you use all the time while having fun.
REDISCOVER
PIXEL ART
CREATE EPIC ISOMETRIC PIXEL ART WITH SOME
CANNY DUPLICATION AND A BIT OF FLAIR OUR EXPERT
CHRIS MALBON,
By the end of this workshop, you will think of the Duplicate Layer command as your new best friend. AKA MELBS
This image may look super complex at first glance, but look closely and youll see that its composed www.chrismalbon.co.uk/blog
of the same graphics repeated over and over. Each copy has a subtle colour change a different roof With 14 years experience,
Melbs works for some of the
or window, or an element thats been flipped but essentially its the same root illustration. If the thought of a biggest brands in the world. Now
pixel-by-pixel illustration sounds arduous and time consuming, it isnt; once again, all you have based in Bristol in the UK, enjoying
to do is draw a selection of horizontal and vertical lines and duplicate them. the freelance life with his young
family, he works for both local
Photoshop is the ideal tool for this because of the ease of use it offers with its layer, merging and and global agencies.
duplication functions. Overlooked basic tools like the Eraser and Magic Wand will also come into play.
Pixel illustrations are great for making computer icons, isometric images and even whole scenes, as SOURCE FILES
The artist has supplied an isometric
shown here. We wanted to give this illustration a twist, approaching it in a very graphic and abstract way, so grid and a few basic buildings,
it would be just as at home in a picture frame in the form of a print as it would be on a computer screen. vehicles and trees to get you started.
04 CORNER TO CORNER
One click at a time this is the most time consuming part of the process whenever changing the
angle of the line, make sure the corners are edge to edge. To achieve a perfect isometric line draw two
QUICK TIP
Remember to untick the
Anti-alias checkbox when
selecting inside your pixel
squares across and one down (see below); use your scamp as a guide to draw your lines. When your pixel outline; this will lead to a
cleaner and bolder shape,
drawing is viewed at 100% (actual size) the Pencil tool at 1px is very small, so you might find it hard to see with no overhang or blur.
and manipulate. A good idea is to enlarge the view to 800% so you can clearly see what youre doing. Pixel art needs to be clean
and precise.
06 COLOURING IN
Check all your isometric lines are
joined and that there are no gaps. Next, select
the Magic Wand tool, open your Options bar
and make sure the Anti-alias box is
unchecked and Contiguous is checked. Click
inside the shape with the Magic Wand, create
a new layer and place it under your lined
drawing, before selecting the Paint Bucket
tool and filling each side of the block with
colour. Keep tones similar and add some
highlights by drawing single key line strokes.
07 SKYSCRAPER DETAILS
Start duplicating your building layers. Now
that you have a base, its fairly easy to recycle the
08 CREATE SOME CARNAGE!
This scene is about destruction so be creative with your lines, creating black fills and placing them
over the tops of buildings to give the impression of holes and burnt areas. Use the Eraser tool to delete
same graphic and, by adding different details, each sides of your buildings, but remember to draw back in black outlines. Place black isometric spots across the
building gets its own look. We dont want to top of your buildings to give the impression of half-demolished structures.
overcomplicate the skyscrapers a few isometric
lines doubled up work great as a row of windows,
while some single white lines can serve as
passable reflections. You can also try applying
some subtle gradients as we have its up to you!
10 HELICOPTERS
Now youve got the hang of drawing edge
to edge, and creating isometric angles, its time to
get a bit more creative. Using the sketch we now
create some helicopters. Again, its fairly simple,
but it helps to duplicate your layers of lines to save
wearing out your finger with all that clicking! Draw
some simple forms first, like the cockpit, which is
a box with a steep, angled line at the front. The
blades are just an isometric circle coloured blue
with its opacity knocked back.
11 TANKS
For the tanks, much of the same applies as
previous steps. So long as you keep the pixels
12 BOATS
We dont want to use too many boats, but
its up to you. Again use your scamps for reference
13 ORGANISE YOUR ARMY
Now to place all these war machines, we
have inverted our scamp because white lines are
clean, you cant go wrong. Keep your sketch close (see, it pays to do sketches!) and the grid to create easier to see. Use roads as a guide for the tanks,
to hand, because drawing tanks, helicopters and your iso-boats. We decide to mix up the size of the boats will need to go on the sea, while helicopters
the like from memory is much harder than you pixels making up the boat; the pixels on the top can pretty much go anywhere. The ocean is just a
think. Create the tanks in a piecemeal fashion to half have a thicker line, giving the impression of a solid blue isometric square with single 1px lines
keep them editable; we need to flip them top-heavy control tower. And to continue the running over it to indicate the crests of waves.
horizontally to fill out the scene, but when doing recycling theme, we copy and paste guns from the Place some tanks and helicopters peeping out
this, remember to reposition the barrel of the gun. tanks, colouring them to match the boat. from behind buildings to develop depth.
14 GO IN WITH A BANG!
Explosions have no structure, they just
well, explode! So feel free to go a little wild when
15 PLACE THE EXPLOSIONS
It makes sense to surround the monster
with your explosions, also placing near the barrels
making these. You will need to do three or four of guns. You can crop the explosions and place
different sizes for some variation. Create them on them over the black holes on your buildings too,
separate layers and fill them with different colours; giving the impression of small fires. Once again, its
weve used grey, red, orange and yellow. Add some all about the Duplicate Layer command. Add some
pixel dots for shading and a few random 1-2px smoke for realism, which is just some flat bent
embers as a nice extra touch. lines with the opacity knocked back. When creating an illustration as hectic as this, its
best to keep all the elements in separate folders
within their own master file so you have a library of
graphics to refer to. To keep these folders even more
easily distinguished, you can colour code them, by
Shi-clicking on the relevant layer thumbnails in the
Layers palette, hitting Cmd/Ctrl+G and assigning a
colour. When you have placed all elements and are
happy, you can merge everything, but be 100 per cent
sure that youre done, as you wont be able to edit
anything from that point on.
16 PIXELA
Now lets create the star of the show. Start
with the scamp on its own layer and set it to
17 PIXELA 2: COLOUR
Once you have drawn your monster,
create another new layer and place it
Multiply blending; we do this so that any colour underneath your scamp. Go back to the pixel
used can be seen without interfering with the drawing and use the Magic Wand tool to select
sketch. Create a new layer for your pixel drawing. inside the beast, then fill the monster with a
Do your best to stick to your sketch, applying the colour of your choice. We opted for green as
same technique of edge to edge two across and our base colour. Now draw the rest of the
one down as best you can. It might look a little main features such as horns, claws, eyes,
messy to begin with but it will shape up! Key lines etc all on separate layers so that they are
inside the illustration also help give it a bold look. independently editable as we progress.
18 PIXELA 3: DETAILS
The monster details may look complex, but
they really arent. Theyre just a combination of
flush isometric lines, with the opacity knocked
back on different lines. Some areas of Pixela we
have coloured in darker, others lighter, and the top
of his head has been applied with the chequer
pattern from earlier. Theres nothing here you have
not used already. However, if youve got time, it can
be nice to create one or two bespoke patterns for
your monster, eg a reptilian scales pattern.
20 HORNS
The monsters horns are simple triangle
forms; its the shading that gives them the feel of
depth and form. Start by drawing a large horn
shape and duplicating it. On the duplication erase
away the bottom half, then redraw your black
keyline. Duplicate again and continue to do this
until you run out of triangle! Place the decreasingly
sized triangles along Pixelas tail.
21 TRAILS
We are now going to create a little
more negative space by giving our
helicopters some white exhaust trails; this
is a nice way to make the piece more
graphic and abstract. Duplicate the roads
created in Step 9 and fill with white. Place
them behind the helicopters and use the
Transform tool to flip them horizontally
and vertically to create zigzags. Again, its
a nice idea to have some trails vanishing
behind buildings for perspective.
22 THINK GREENERY
To create a tree, make sure your pixels are
edge to edge and create a half circle. Then copy
23 PLACING THE TREES
AND FIELDS
Fields are just your roads from earlier placed next
24 GLOW EFFECTS
Its not the done thing to add glares, or any
kind of effects over pixel art, but we like to break
and paste before going to Edit>Transform>Flip to each other and then filled with varying shades of the rules now and then to add a little oomph.
Horizontal, bringing almost flush with your other green. Start placing your trees around the fields Flatten your image and, on a new layer set to
half and draw a few pixels to join the top and and one or two here and there between the Screen blending, pick a medium-sized airbrush.
bottom. Fill in with a green colour and, using buildings to break up the skyscrapers. Of course, Use the Color Picker to pull out existing colours
single pixels, shade one half of the tree, as per the if you wanted to go on and create alternative and apply around flames and explosions to indicate
screenshot. Draw some simple 2-3px trunks in scenes with your pixel monster, you could reuse sparks and heat. Consider also using on Pixelas
brown underneath to complete the trees. any of these elements to save you time. teeth and eyes for an extra monstery glow!
POSTER GRAPHICS
POSTERS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ADVERTISING BRANDS, BUT
TRYING TO DO IT WITHOUT TEXT? THATS HARD BEYOND WORDS
OUR EXPERT
JOSH OVERTON
www.overtongraphics.com
Josh is a graphic designer based in
London, UK. He focuses mainly on
digital and print work and has
worked with a number of
high-profile clients. Hes currently
working at BaseKit.
SOURCE FILES
You will find a paper texture on the
CD. Everything else is created from
scratch during the tutorial.
UNDERSTANDING SKEW
In terms of geometry, a skew
polygon is a polygon which has
vertices that do not lie across a
single plane. Because they are
multidimensional, skew
polygons must have at least four
vertices. A regular skew polygon
is a skew polygon with equal
edge lengths and which is
vertex-transitive. The interior
surface (or area) of such a
polygon is not uniquely defined.
The vertex of an angle is the
point where two rays begin or meet, where two line segments join or meet, where two lines
intersect (cross), or any appropriate combination of rays, segments and lines that result in two
straight sides meeting at a single point.
ADVERTISING 101
Sometimes its good to go back to basics before
starting a project. In essence, advertising is a form
04 CHOOSE A GUIDE
We have used a
hand for this design but
of communication intended to persuade an anything, within reason, is
audience to buy or buy into a particular product, idea
usable consider what will
or service. It traditionally includes the name of the
product or service and how that item could benefit work for your advert. First
the consumer, to persuade a target market to find a good image to use as
purchase or to consume a specific brand. These
messages are usually paid for by sponsors and a guide for the shaping of
viewed via various media. Advertising can also the rectangles. Once you
convey ideas and principles in an attempt to incite a have your image, we can
certain way of thinking.
move on to its construction.
06 SKEW
Enter
the Transform
mode for the
rectangle (Cmd/
Ctrl+T) and then
Ctrl/right-click to
drag individual
05 HANDIWORK
The next few steps are the longest part of this process and require some
patience. First make a rectangle at any size and apply a default Drop Shadow style to
corners to line
up with the guide
image on the
it. We have used the starting colour #b10d4f. Next, we skew the rectangle and then layer below. Try
repeat the process throughout. to build it with a
3D head so we
can shade
certain shapes to
give the hand
more depth.
07 KEEP SKEWING
Continue building up the hand shape. The fingers can be a particularly tricky
area of this illustration to get right, so expect to spend some time redoing shapes;
however, finishing something this complex can be very rewarding. Continue with the
design until you are completely satisfied, then merge all the hand layers together.
however, finishing something this the tones of the hand. Repeat for the remaining three hands.
10 SHADOW
Select all
four hands and
then make a
merged copy of all
four by pressing
Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/
Alt+E. Put this
layer behind the
separate hands
and desaturate it.
Now we need to
apply a slight
Motion Blur at a
45-degree angle.
Finally, we
enlarge and rotate
this layer using
the Transform
controls in order
to create a
shadow effect.
12 ALL DONE
There we have it: a striking poster without words. A visual statement,
which functions like an advertisement, but which allows the viewer to make
their own interpretation.
DIGITAL COLLAGE
TECHNIQUES
Learn how composition, colours and attention to
detail can take an artwork from good to great
OUR EXPERT
EE VENN SOH
http://be.net/vennsoh
Ee Venn Soh works under the
creative identity of EIII. He is currently
based in New Zealand, and his main
skillset lies in coding and graphics.
SOURCE FILES
There is a gradient colour preset,
polka-dot pattern file and a colour
adjustment PSD provided on the CD.
03 FOCAL POINT 2
Were going to create the specularity aspect of
the rectangle now. Select the Pen tool (P) to create a
THE LITTLE DETAILS
If you have time, you could add more details to the 3D abstract
shapes. Apply a soft white Inner Shadow layer style to a few
shape layer; we are looking to draw the shadow and shapes to simulate a highlight. If you prefer, you could even add
highlight areas. Hit Shift while creating a new anchor a Drop Shadow to the shapes where they stack on top of each
point to constrain the angle. Fill the shapes using the other to create a sense of depth. Details make a good design
great, and although they can take up a lot of time, they are
gradient colours which were loaded in Step 1. usually time well spent. We also added a few gradient spheres
around the work for extra interest. These little visual
ingredients should work with the focal point, rather than
distract the eye; you are looking to create a harmonious whole.
05 PATTERNED SHAPES
Create a circle, rectangle and triangle using the various shape tools (U) and fill them with
#cab98b. Position them randomly around the edge of the largest rectangle. Add the pattern_polka.
psd file from the CD to the shapes and, finally, apply a Bevel and Emboss layer style using the settings
shown in the screenshot below.
04 SMARTEN UP
Group all the rectangle layers and convert
them into a Smart Object. Duplicate this object twice.
Scale the first object down to 66% and the second
object to 44%. Once again Maintain aspect ratio should
be activated.
06 TRANSFORMATION EFFECTS
Select the Rectangle tool and create a white rectangle.
Duplicate it and press Cmd/Ctrl+T to transform it. Move and
07 HEXAGON EFFECTS
Using the Polygon tool (U), create a hexagonal shape layer and apply a gradient with
the provided file. Rasterise it, then using the same transformation method from the previous
rotate the shape from the original values, then hit Enter. While still step, re-create the hexagon multiple times. Merge them all together and duplicate the layer.
on the same layer, Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+T multiple times to Flip the duplicated layer horizontally (Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal) and place in the main
transform it again and again. Try to be experimental with the merged layer.
rotation angle and the distance between each duplicated shape.
09 3D ABSTRACT SHAPES 2
Repeat the previous step as many times as you need to until you have an overall pleasing
composition. Try creating lots of abstract shapes in different sizes and colours, and place them
randomly around the canvas. You can duplicate some shapes and tweak their values to save some
time on bulking out the collage.
10 3D TRANSFORMED SHAPES
Select one of the 3D shape groups and merge it.
Repeat the transformation effect as demonstrated in
earlier steps. However this time you can set a reference
point and transform around that point. Repeat this step a
few times on various 3D shape groups until youre
satisfied with the composition.
11 STRIPS
Once more, use the Pen tool to create a shape layer; instead of a polygon, this time we will create a
smooth curved strip. Apply a gradient and an Inner Shadow layer style as before. Duplicate the layer, place it
12 GET SMUDGING
Make a rectangle with four different
colours in it. Click on the Smudge tool and change
behind the shape and nudge it just off its original position to create the shadow. Remember you can apply layer the settings to: Diameter 100px, Hardness 100%
masks whenever you want to cover up certain areas. and Strength 100%. Then select your Freeform
Pen tool (P) and draw a zigzag path. Ensure the tip
of the path is in the centre of the rectangle. In the
Paths panel, right-click on the path and Stroke
Path with the Smudge tool.
13 COLOUR SETTING
Next, we make the overall colour adjustments.
First we apply a Hue/Saturation layer followed by a
14 ADD NOISE AND POSTERISE
Create a new layer and fill it with black.
Apply a 400% Monochromatic Noise filter. Change
15 BEAUTIFUL DESTRUCTION
Select All (Cmd/Ctrl+A) and Copy Merged
(Cmd/Ctrl>Shift+C) and Paste it (Cmd/Ctrl+V).
Selective Color layer and then, finally, a Color Balance the blending mode to Overlay and drop the Opacity Select the Lasso tool (L) and make some random
layer. There is a colour_adjustments.psd file on the CD to 20%. Next, click on Layer>New Adjustment selections of the artwork and start nudging these
with the three colour adjustment settings if youd like to Layer> Posterize and set its Levels value to 25%. up or down and slightly to the right. Repeat this
save some time. In the PSD, drag the layer group and step several times, focusing on one area for
simply drop it into your project file. maximum effect.
16 FINAL FILTERS
This last step is a very
QUICK TIP
Play around with the
settings in the Gradient
Using the Lasso tool
experimental touchup so go with your
own instincts here. Using the Lasso tool
Overlay layer style.
While in the Layer Style
again, make
again, make some random selections panel, you can drag some random
and apply Pixelate>Mosaic, as well as
around the gradient in
the canvas to find its selections and
the Distort>Wave and ZigZag filters,
setting the values to taste. If you think
optimum position within
the shape. apply Pixelate>
you have gone overboard with a Mosaic as well
particular effect, you can just use the as the Distort>Wave and
Eraser tool (E) to take things back a bit.
ZigZag filters to taste
SYMMETRY
WITH SHAPES
OUR EXPERT
ADAM SMITH
www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk
Adam is a creative tour de force at
Advanced Photoshop magazine.
For this tutorial, he brings us more
of his up-to-date styles.
USE BOTH GEOMETRIC AND ORGANIC FORMS TO CREATE FRESH SOURCE FILES
AND UNIQUE SYMMETRY WITHIN YOUR GRAPHICAL DESIGNS Youll find a selection of iStockphoto
images, as well as free shape
resources and links to other stock.
Graphic designers are usually defined as have once been a static style, as well as showing you how Weve also included the wonderful
producers of form, who combine words, symbols to couple 2D and 3D forms. Cloud brushset, courtesy of designer
Creating such bespoke projects is never easy, but the Lee Pearce (http://para-vine.
and images to create a visual representation of an
deviantart.com).
idea or message. With digital techniques, solutions have common factor that does bind them together and ground
become more instantaneous, reflected in the custom-built them graphically is symmetry. This can be produced by
compositions and limited adoption of strict geometric matching up the forms of well-known shapes, creating
styling layering by eye and sensation is more prevalent. recognisable and structured geometry, which is then
In this tutorial we turn our hand to this contemporary individualised through the application of more
graphic style, using both freestyle and traditional shapes to personalised forms. Surprisingly when paired, these can
develop a balanced composition. Also included are several create dynamic and visually stimulating designs,
mixed-media approaches that add tangibility to what may appreciated by many modern-day digital creatives.
common factor that position. Next import the 1036239 human skull
image from SXC, setting a 70% Opacity Soft
does bind them Light blending mode. Position over converging
together is symmetry nebula layers to complete the main skull visual,
integrating with another layer mask.
04 SKULL SKYLINE 3
Copy and paste in the iStockphoto
2684253 close-up of the Orion nebula
QUICK TIP
Photoshop is adept at
creating both 2D and
05 COLOUR WASH
Copy Step 1s black layer, placing above
all others. Set blending to Screen, then apply a
SANDY SPHERES
Although used sparingly in our own design, the
sand sphere elements are highly contemporary
3D shapes. The fx within modern graphic examples. You can see how
image. Rotate 90 degrees to the left, options Inner Glow 120b91 blue Color Overlay (15% Opacity) and a layering affects these shapes from the examples
applying a Screen blending mode, then and Gradient Overlay, 90-degree violet-to-transparent Gradient on the disc. To create one of your own, apply a grey
as well as Bevel and eclipse shape, then apply Inner Glow to illuminate
rescale and position to the right of your Emboss, effects can Overlay. Copy and paste the 5260804 model edges, as well as a black-to-transparent gradient to
skull, extending from the right eye socket. be used intuitively to from the CD and scale down, rotating 30 create the 3D form. Paste in a sand section from a
Reapply blue and purple tones as before create a sense of the degrees to the right. Apply Image> desert/beach image and position over your sphere,
third dimension. Just then add a layer mask. Ctrl/right-click the sphere
via Hue/Saturation. Lastly, sharpen and experiment to get the Adjustments>Black & White, setting Reds at layer thumbnail and apply to your desert mask,
integrate with a layer mask once more. right look. -120 and Yellows at 75. isolating the shape of this layer to the spheres
edges. Now you can paint in sand contours and
sharpen to finish up.
06 HEADS UP
Position your model head layer as in the example. Duplicate this, resetting a 50% Opacity Multiply blending mode.
Grunge up the area by applying iStockphotos 10117876 and 4157951 watercolour layers from the disc, set to Color,
Linear Burn and Soft Light blending modes. Tweak opacity and saturation to taste, playing with orientation and editing
with layer masks. 07 ORGANIC FORMS
Lets offset the uniform shapes well
apply soon with more organic samples. Weve
used contemporary rustic stock. Open the
IMG_1655.jpg mountain image from the CD,
then use selection tools (eg Lasso) to draw
around sections of the mountain, inserting into
your image. Repeat several times, rescaling and
repositioning as you go. Drop shadows can add
perspective so play with these for best effects.
08 ADD 2D CIRCLES
To create more
personalised graphic effects, try
09 ADD 3D SPHERES
Weve varied the 2D circle
effects by applying Soft Light and
applying the Exclusion blend mode Color Burn blending modes,
to some of these mountain layers inverting some, as well as
and inverting (Cmd/Ctrl+I) to create alternating opacity levels. 3D
unique and interesting colour spheres have then been placed.
contrasts. Now start to apply your Specifically weve added in SXCs
first pass of regular shape circles. 1272764 moon picture, the Sun
Copy and Paste these in from the shape.psd (layer effects visible on
2D shapes.psd or make them the CD) and gloss spheres from
yourself with the Circle Shape tool. iStockphotos 9928486 image.
10 3D REALISM
As the sun layer acts as a light source, weve made sure this
affects the lighting of the surrounding elements. Weve painted to
11 TRIANGULATION
Hard-edged triangles offset smooth circles well. Weve strategically placed an equilateral triangle,
set to Linear Burn, showing through textures beneath, and a 58% Opacity violet equilateral triangle, set to
the moon layer directly using Dodge and Burn tools. Duplicate your Vivid Light; masking its edges to create transparent effects, weve also applied a white-to-transparent
gloss sphere, apply Hue/Saturation>Lightness -100, lower Opacity 90-degree Gradient Overlay. An extra line shape serves to unite circles and triangles.
to 20% and mask away edges where light would fall. Apply a Drop
Shadow layer style to the smaller gloss sphere.
12 SYMMETRICAL SHAPES
Adjust symmetry and tones of elements, complementing
with CD resources and blending. Apply diagonal and horizontal lines
to make a triangle, then a circle line using the Pen Path tool and
Ellipse shape option. Select Stroke Path within the Paths palette
14
with a 2px white hard brush applied to a new layer.
QUICK TIP GET A MOVE ON
13 BUILD UP SYMMETRY
Inside your circle line shape layer, insert
the sand sphere.psd from the CD, setting it to
Symmetry can be
easily achieved when
looking beyond the
Though acceptable with graphic design,
our image is quite static, so lets work it up with
subtle movement. Weve done so by applying
fitting of geometric
Multiply blending mode. Underneath this layer shapes and aligning the SXC 815479 watercolour image, set to
add a 335675 blue tone circle set to 50% Fill your own freestyle Screen blending mode, over our central shapes,
types with organic
Color Burn, and then on top, a white smaller structures and masking edges. Weve also thrown down some
shape (overlapping the sand shape edges) set direction built from smaller scattered shapes from the disc.
accidental overlaps
to Overlay. A small purple shape is placed
and converging edges.
centrally on top of all these layers. Be spontaneous to
15 IMAGE CUTS
When referring to image cuts, we mean
using selection tools to copy and paste from
guarantee
individuality.
USE TEXTURES
TO ADD DEPTH
LAYER PHOTOGRAPHIC TEXTURES AND OBJECTS TO BRING
YOUR GRAPHIC ARTWORKS TO LIFE OUR EXPERT
THOMAS BURDEN
In this tutorial well show you how to construct this seasonal graffiti-inspired image from elements www.therewillbeunicorns.com
drawn exclusively in PS. Well also show you how quickly and easily a flat image can be transformed, There Will Be Unicorns is the studio
moniker of illustrator, Thomas. He
by adding a more interesting aged look with just one texture and a handy free plug-in specifically has mixed a freelance career with
made for the job. Supplied by illustrator Thomas Burden, he uses this on his very own professional projects, longer, full-time stints as a designer
invented as an invaluable production device to halve the time spent creating and editing textures. at McFaul Studio and CRUSH Creative.
Rather than simply overlaying textures using the blending mode options, well be building up separate
SOURCE FILES
layers of solid textures manually. These are easily edited through colour adjustments. Well explore how to Icecream man.psd is the main
target and texture specific image areas using Photoshop gradient maps too, as well as how to detail image working file. Cutout is an editable
elements using Shape toolsets and the Pen Path Stroke command. Photoshop process application,
created for quickly keying out white
In its entirety this workshop offers the essential skills for a super-fast workflow for grunge-based from textures. Texture.jpg is the
illustrative styles. Once youve completed this image, why not try creating a piece based on another season? texture applied to this piece.
01
COLOURFUL DESIGN OPEN UP THE SOURCE FILES
Load the source files from the CD. Open
Icecream man.psd. The image is looking flat and
02 INSTALL THE PROCESS APP
From the disc drag the Cutout icon into
Photoshop (Applications>Photoshop>Plug-Ins).
missing a couple of elements. Were going to Mac users can also place this on their desktop to
create said elements and then texture all within an quickly drag textures as needed. This will become
inch of its life, using a single scanned image of a quick way of keying out white from textures, in
some old paint on glass (also supplied on the disc). order to keep them as easily editable solid layers.
04 CONSTRUCT A SANDCASTLE
Sandcastles and sand staircases can then be made quickly and easily in Photoshop, by duplicating
(Cmd/Ctrl+J) and resizing cubes using Transform>Scale. Using these as the basis for the image gives it a
QUICK TIP
A good texture library
is key to creating good
authentic grunge styles.
strong sense of composition and perspective, serving as guides when creating other elements. Their strong Get off the computer and
play around with inks,
uniform lines can really tie a scene together even when scattered. Try creating some elements of your own paints, old paper and
using this same process. anything you can think of.
Scan them in, then name
and file them so you can
quickly locate them in
the future.
07 ADD SPRINKLES
The paths can now be deleted. Once
the line layer and shape layer are merged (select
08 FILL OUT THE
COMPOSITION
Now weve got some of the
both and hit Cmd/Ctrl+E), the stick can then be more fundamental
treated as per other elements to give it a 3D elements created we can
perspective. Decorative sprinkles add more realism easily duplicate these to
and we utilise the Rounded Rectangle tool once begin fleshing out the
again, quickly duplicating (Opt/Alt then click and composition. Using uniform
drag), re-colouring and rotating sprinkles to cover angles and perspective in
the top portion of the lolly. this way means that
compositions and repeat
patterns can be executed
really quickly and to
maximum effect. Use some
of the elements
symmetrically and others
placed randomly to create
greater visual diversity.
Have a look at our
screenshot to get a good
idea of placement.
10 ADD TEXTURE TO
THE BACKGROUND
Copy and paste the selected texture area into the
Icecream man main image. Place the new layer
between the Icecream man layer and the
Background layer. Colour it however you want
using colour overlays; experiment until you get
something that you are happy with. For the texture
on the background weve used white, then
duplicated it, rotated it 180 degrees and changed
the colour to a dark blue.
QUICK TIP
04 PEN TOOL
The Pen tool is
by far the most reliable
Play around with the new
shape layer tools. Youll
find they are really handy to
master and with so many
tool for cutting images new additions they can
out, so once you have really form the basis of a
solid, unique illustration.
your cropped images,
cut the main subjects
out from their
background. This way
you have a series of
isolated elements that
you can come back to at
any time when working
on your composition.
Organisation is key, so
05 MAKE SHAPES FROM PHOTOS
Were now going to turn our isolated photo
stock elements into shapes for use in our artwork.
get as many photos and As we are going in an infographic direction with this
objects together as you piece, we plumped for some mechanical imagery.
might need at this stage Here we are tracing around a spanner using the
before moving on. We Pen tool set to Shapes. This enables us to create a
will now begin to vector shape that we can use the new Fill and
prepare them for use in Stroke options on (more on this later) to colour the
our illustration. elements and add extra effects to them.
07 START BLENDING
Bring in your treated photo assets from the
earlier steps we have got various tools, balloons
08 ADD A
BACKGROUND
We have decided that our
and pipes, but go for whatever suits your theme. plain white background
Despite working with a lot of flat colour in this could do with some
piece, its good to spruce up a few bits by using sprucing up to make the
blending options. Take this balloon for instance. We illustration work. Go to the
have added an Inner Shadow layer style, with Gradient tool (G) and select
Distance at 13, Choke at 15 and Size at 46, which two light colours, such as
gives it a slight 3D look and more depth. an off white and a pale
yellow; we have chosen
fbf1d9 and e2e2e2. Select a
Radial Gradient and line up
your cursor with the
middle of the page, then
drag down to nearly the
bottom of the page. The
colours of this gradient will
depend on your overall
colour scheme.
002 |
Try different options
like a Radial
Gradient or
Diamond Gradient.
You will find there is
a lot of potential
with this tool
003 |
The new Stroke
11 USE A STROKE
Add in a polygon from the Shape tool
options. You will notice in the top-right that there is
12 DASHED LINE
Once you have your stroke, lets move
along to the next box and give it a dashed line of
13 EXPERIMENT WITH STROKES
Now lets experiment even further with the
new options. Draw a new six-sided polygon and fill
now an option to choose how many sides you about 3pt. Experiment with this tool, as there are it and give it a Stroke of 3pt, selecting the circular
would like on your polygon. For this pick 6 and some great outcomes you can get. Increase the dotted line. Try changing the Caps to Round and
add a stroke as before. You can fill the stroke with point size to over 20 and you get some really Corners to Bevel, then click the More Options
a gradient, pattern or block colour and theres even interesting patterns. Whats more, if you increase button at the bottom of the dialog. Add Dash: 0,
a tab of your recently used colours. Try this effect the size of the polygon, the stroke will realign itself Gap: 2, Dash: 2. There is a lot of room for
with different shapes to see how it works. automatically, which can be a real timesaver. experimentation to achieve different effects here.
14 15
your work,
ADJUST THE BACKGROUND CREATE MORE ELEMENTS remember your
This is always a nice effect to use on an Keep a copy of your pattern, as this will be colour palette
image like this. Use the Ellipse tool again (U), useful going forward. For instance, using the is one of the
most important
making sure its set to Shape. Create a small circle original copy, take the Pen tool, set it to Paths and tools you have
and then, holding down Opt/Alt, drag and copy the cut out interesting segments, such as the clouds when creating
an illustration
circle. Use guides to line and space the circles we have created here. Once you have your shape, like this. With a free brief and a big illustration, its always
properly. Once you have done a few, group them Ctrl/right-click and choose Make a Selection, tempting to fly off and create a piece with hundreds of
and do the same again until you have a big pattern. ensuring that the Feather Radius is set to 0 and colours. But really, an even more exciting challenge is
limiting yourself and being more creative with a certain
Resize and stick it behind the computer screen. Anti Alias is checked, then cut out your shapes. amount of colour. For this piece, we have only used the
core colours that you can see in the triangle.
QUICK TIP
We will be duplicating many
layers in this tutorial, so its
lucky that this process is even
easier to do with CS6, all thanks
to the new ability to duplicate
layer groups. Simply highlight
your group, then hit Cmd/Ctrl+J
to copy.
18 SELECTIVE COLOUR
This may be a bit of an old trick, but its
always a good one to harness. Take the selection
of shapes we have just created, select part of the
shape, then create a Solid Color adjustment layer
and choose a corresponding colour. This will create
a new layer over the top of the old so you can
delete the layer underneath.
19 DUPLICATE LAYERS
Included with the many new features in
Photoshop CS6 are the new additions to the Layers
20 CONVERT TYPE TO SHAPE
Now that the illustration is really starting to
take shape, its time to add some type. Seeing as
QUICK TIP
The joy of abstract pieces is
that you can reuse elements
again and again, so make
palette, which are similar to those of Adobe After this is an illustration to celebrate the new features sure that you label and
group layers so that you can
Effects. You can now alter the blending mode, of CS6, we felt it only right to blend its name into the find elements again. In CS6
Opacity and Fill options for multiple layers in one piece. Lets pick a nice bold type such as you can search and filter
go. This is a really handy little trick to use when BaseTwelveSans Bold and work out ways of layers, so its even easier to
find what you need.
dealing with multiple layers. You can now also filter incorporating the type into the piece. A great little
through various effects by typing the required tool to aid in resizing is Convert to Shape. Go to
name into the new CS6 Search bar. Type>Convert To Shape to edit the type more easily.
21 CREATE A TEXTURE
Now that we are nearing the completion of
this piece, its time to work in more detail to really
bring the image to life. First of all, we need to
create some texture. Open a duplicate layer of the
original background gradient and go to
Filter>Noise>Add Noise. Set the Noise at around
12%, ticking Gaussian and Monochromatic at the
same time. Now set it to Multiply and change the
Opacity to around 34%.
23 FURTHER CURVES
There are some really great new
photo-editing tools with CS6 and with the new
24 FINISH
Select the layer
on top of your image
interface its even easier to really bring out a and set it to Overlay.
vibrant photo. In this case go to Adjustments and You dont want it to
then Curves. Use the graph to experiment and impede too much on
make the image have a real impact, bringing out your illustration, so
the threads and grains of the paper. take the Opacity right
down to around 34%.
Now well bring out the
background layer just a
little bit more. Use a
large soft-edged brush
on a new layer behind
the illustration, set it to
f2ead3 then go around
the laptop and main
pink triangles a bit
more to add to the
original gradient.
DESIGN ABSTRACT
GRAPHICS
LEARN HOW TO CREATE A DYNAMIC, VIBRANT AND APPEALING
ABSTRACT COMPOSITION USING SHAPES AND LIGHTING EFFECTS
OUR EXPERTS
In this tutorial we will create an abstract composition using tools exclusive to Photoshop. We will ANTHONY GIACOMINO AND
cover how to compose the image using two-dimensional and 3D geometric shapes, adding
HOWARD WINTERSON
http://agiaco.net and http://
additional unique elements to the scene and finishing it off with dynamic light effects. strangeprogram.deviantart.com
This tutorial is meant for Photoshop users with an intermediate knowledge. Its important for us to Anthony is a self-taught illustrator
familiarise ourselves with blending modes and practise using ones such as Screen, Color Dodge and and designer currently working in
the world of advertising. Howard
Overlay to see how they interact. Many shapes and light effects we will be using need specific modes in currently attends university and
order to blend properly with the surrounding elements and background. In this case, blending and creating enjoys experimenting with digital art
unity in the piece is vital. Understanding the techniques provided and experimenting with them even further in his spare time.
will yield more original and interesting results. SOURCE FILES
Photoshop enables us to create all of the effects and manipulate with ease. We can use the piece for just There are no files on the disc. You will
need to download two free stock
about anything, and it works as a great background or piece of artwork. In a collaborative effort we also aim images from sxc.hu, image
to give some insight into working with someone, as its important to find a partner who shares your style. numbers 5496 and 921435.
05 CHECKER SHAPE
In order to make the checkerboard shape
to the right of the image, we make a marquee
outline for a circle then use Fill Pattern to fill in a
shaded checkerboard pattern that we create in
Photoshop. Refer to tutorials online to create a
simple checker pattern. We Filter>Spherize the
pattern and use the Warp tool to craft it into a
desirable shape. We then shade it with linear light
and darks on the edges and inside to give a sense
of depth. Try creating a clipping mask layer and
using a soft brush at low opacity to shade. Add a
reflection of the checker in a clipping mask to the
nearby crystal and set it to Soft Light.
10 BACKGROUND LIGHTS
The lights in the background can be made
very quickly and efficiently. Decide on the
placement of these lights and dot them out with
large, subtle soft brush marks. Use the Eyedropper
to select common hues in the piece. We then put
the brush blending mode on Linear Dodge and
begin to brush in smaller, brighter lights. A
graphics tablet helps for this step, but a mouse
works fine as well. Finally we spherised the layer
of brushing at -100 to make it more appealing.
PAINTING
PHOTOREAL
OUR EXPERT
MIRKO SANTANGELO
www.mirkosantangelo.com
Mirko is an award-winning visual
ICONS
designer and Adobe Certified Expert
from Italy. He is passionate about
learning and teaching Adobe
Soware and discovering new
techniques for his graphic works.
SOURCE FILES
CREATE ILLUSTRATED ICONS USING PHOTOSHOPS You dont need any files to complete
this tutorial, as we will be creating
SHAPE, GRADIENT AND BRUSH TOOLS everything in Photoshop.
WORK IN Icons are fascinating graphic symbols. They graphical user interfaces. The criteria for design
PROGRESS represent the synthesis of a concept or an changes according to the specifications of
FROM BASIC SHAPES idea, but they differ from standard logos manufacturers, mobile devices or operating
TO FINAL RENDERING due to the amount of detail that is represented systems. These specifications need to be taken into
within them. In a certain sense they are somewhere account by the designers, as they depend on the
between illustration and logos. One of the most correct display of a finished work.
beautiful things about their design is the extreme There are many ways to approach icon design,
attention to detail of each item, replicating realism but those we will be using in this tutorial are based
through factors such as perspective and the design mostly on digital painting and masking. A cool
of material surfaces. Photoshop feature to apply to these projects is the
Icons are optimised to be viewable at different Gradient tool, which we will also explore and show
resolutions and sizes. They are created to simplify you how this enables you to create very special
Step 2: Basic shapes access to the functions of digital devices on effects, simply using the right styles.
QUICK TIP
Duplicate the crayon, convert
the group into a Smart Object
and apply a Hue/Saturation
layer adjustment through a
Clipping Mask, altering crayon
colour. Do the same for the
brush; apply a layer mask to the
Smart Object to alter the
bristles shape.
04 BRUSHES
Integrate white shapes using a black foreground set to Transparent Linear mode with the Gradient
tool, applying this to the shape layer mask. Set layer blending modes to Overlay. Draw a shape for the
metal part, adding a new layer set as a clipping mask and paint it to a Foreground set to Transparent
Reflected mode with the Gradient tool set to 40% Opacity. Alternate white and black foreground colours.
07 FELT TIP
The felt tips
are cylinder shapes,
between each of
which is a rim shape,
set with a white Inner
Shadow Layer Style
set to Overlay,
Distance at 0px, Size
at 5px and Choke at
06 PENCIL
The label is created with a simple black shape,
masking away the top parts to create a strip effect.
20%. Apply highlights
and create sharp
reflections with drawn
The pencil is constructed in the same way as the Rectangular Marquee
crayon, through individually drawn flat colour shape tool (M) strips. Fill
layers, adding the lights and shadows with the brush with solid white and
through your groups active selection layer mask. set to Overlay
Next Import a wood texture - weve used a sample blending. The ruler
from www.jammurch.deviantart.com applying it as starts as a rectangle
a clipping mask to the top of the pencil shape. Set an shape, with lighting
80% Opacity Overlay blending mode. Using a mask, using the Rectangle
blend the graphite with the wood parts to achieve Marquee tool in
smooth transition. separate layers.
09 FINAL TOUCHES
In a new layer add a gradient shadow, from the bottom part of the
pots hole. The metal parts of the brushes should reflect neighbouring objects.
Replicate this effect by creating a new Color blending mode layer, using a Soft
brush at a low opacity to paint corresponding colours where the objects
should be reflected. Using a Hue/Saturation layer adjustment, add a light
purple colour to the Background and input a shadow below the pot.
08 RULER
Draw a thin line with the Pencil tool (B) in a new layer, applying an Inner Bevel
and Emboss Layer Style at 1% Depth, 0px Size and 0% Shadow Opacity. Duplicate and
place this layer along the ruler, and finally add the numbers. Place all objects inside a
Group and add a layer mask to this, using this mask to hide unseen parts of the
stationery. In a new layer select a Soft brush at 20% Opacity and paint the shadows of
the objects inside.
BLEND GRAPHICS
AND PHOTOS
LEARN HOW TO COMBINE ILLUSTRATIVE, PAINTERLY
ELEMENTS WITH AN ENERGETIC PHOTO
OUR EXPERT
In this tutorial we will learn how to combine illustrative elements, such as paint-based textures and
traditional linework, with a highly energetic photo, creating a powerful, artful illustration. We dont MIKE HARRISON
www.destill.net
need to do any real preparation with this style of image. Just dive straight in because, like working
Mike is a multi-disciplinary freelance
with paint, the creation process needs to flow from start to finish. art director and designer based in
Inspiration for this kind of work comes initially from the photo itself, namely the high energy that it gives London. He uses an eclectic mix of
mediums and styles for global clients.
off. This should make us want to start playing around with effects such as paint-based textures and
traditional elements, which are a sure-fire combination for success. No wonder its a popular treatment for SOURCE FILES
On the disc you will find a
a lot of sports-related illustration. background texture and some
Photoshop is definitely the application of choice for this tutorial due to its flexibility, editing options and custom brushes. The start photo
used here is from Dreamstime,
the speed with which we can start seeing results. Well also be using a number of custom brushes that are
image number 18369570.
essential for working efficiently.
11 FOREGROUND
PAINT
SPLATTERS
To start blending the
subject in with the paint
effects weve already
added, create a new
group above the subject
layer and again, on a
number of different
layers, brush in some
white splatters. What
were trying to achieve
with these is to position
them around the contours
of the figures body. You
can also try and lower the
opacity of some of the
layers in case the effect is
too strong in areas.
Repeat until you achieve
relatively good coverage.
12 PLACE THE
WATERCOLOUR
EFFECTS
13 DRAW SHAPES FOR MOVEMENT
Now that we have a nice base of painterly effects, we can build
in more flow and energy by drawing some custom shapes. Create a
To blend the subject in with new document the same size as our main document and fill the
the painterly effects further, background with black. Creating new layers for each, start drawing
we need to apply shapes suitable to your subjects pose. Weve used a graphics tablet
watercolour texture over to draw them, but the Pen tool is also fine. Mix things up by changing
the top of it. Using a their colour and also by having some just as linework with no fill.
combination of brushes that
we used from the set we
loaded in Step 9, start
adding in paint to fit the
contours of your subject.
You will need to apply a
Warp transformation to
some layers by going to
Edit>Transform>Warp and
moving the anchor points to
fit. Continue building up
layers until youve covered a
decent amount of the figure.
QUICK TIP
When working with
painterly textures the
possibilities are endless
and every piece can have
a unique look and feel by
modifying each layer with
a combination of masks,
warps and transforms.
That way the layers where
youve used brushes will
always look different from
one another.
16 ALTER THE
SHAPES
In Step 13 we drew a
BRING OUT TONES WITH CURVES
number of filled
shapes, but also some
shapes that are just
line art. They are nice
on their own but, to
enhance and bring
parts more attention,
we will add some thin
The photo in an illustration like this, containing an
brushstrokes over athlete, can always benefit from colour adjustment and
them. Repeat the the enhancement of highlights and shadows. This helps
previous step, but give it more impact and drama, similar to a photograph
shot in HDR. This can be started by simply adding two
instead of applying to Curves layers. Move the graph pointer to the extremes
the filled shapes, apply of light and dark for each, then fill the masks in with
to the line art shapes black. Using a So Round brush with varying sized
brush tips and Flow/Opacity, apply to the athlete in the
instead. This step is all light and dark areas to enhance both. Dont forget to
about boosting the zoom in to apply this technique to smaller details; it will
really help boost the effect.
detail in the image.
18 FINAL LAYERS
The last step is to apply some adjustment layers. Create a new Brightness/
Contrast adjustment layer above all layers and increase the Brightness by around
five and the Contrast by around ten. Depending on your colours here you also may
want to add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and increase the saturation to boost
the vibrancy of the colours. If youre not happy with your colours, you can create a
Selective Color adjustment layer and play around with the sliders until you are.
140
128
132
154
144
158
Illustrate with Photoshop Genius Guide 119
Typography
001
001 |
This image was created exclusively for
Advanced Photoshop as a typical
example of Steven Bonners stylish
typography
Illustration by Steven Bonner
002 |
Why Buy a Copy: This was a type
treatment created for Nike, for use
on various apparel. The finished
piece was applied using a retro-style
glitter heat transfer
Luke Lucas
003 002
003 | 004 |
NY Times Dining cover A Penguin: Gold Award-
illustration: This illustration was winning typographic image
created for the Dining section of making a slobbering
The New York Times to go penguin from the letter a
alongside an article on the various for the jacket cover of The
characteristics of wine Art Book
Luke Lucas Steven Bonner
004
Pictorial lettering. As a term it seems almost a paradox. However, this is a doing so with lines, shading and texture within type in my own time, before
style that has been wholly embraced by the creative and commercial ever being paid to do so. Having had complete freedom to explore led to a
communities alike. This owes a lot to the fact that modern-day illustrators are couple of ideas that seemed fresh to people, which thankfully led to some
now able to tap into an art form once considered exclusive to specialists. This amazing commercial opportunities.
new inclusivity has drawn greater numbers to this discipline, and many see this Stefan Chinof (http://chin2off.prosite.com) shares his view: My own formula
as an extremely exciting time for typography. for success equates to experimenting plus curiosity times patience. Luke
This makes it all the more surprising to discover that many of the creatives Lucas (www.lukelucas.com) also reinforces this need to experiment. Thats
deploying these styles today arent aware of one definitive reason for doing so. the beauty of working with type, he explains to us. The slightest adjustment of
Our group of artists some with a formal art education, some self taught and a detail on a letter can transform it from being masculine to feminine,
others transferring skills from alternative disciplines provide a host of reasons aggressive to playful, fun to serious This can be anything from the shape of
why. Alex Varanese (www.alexvaranese.com) tells us: I spent a pretty big the basic letterform to the integration of more descriptive illustrative elements
chunk of my life in computer science and that left me with an instinct for rigidly within the type. The possibilities are relatively endless.
geometric designs that can be hard to shake sometimes. Orthogonal and This approach couldnt be more apparent than in the work of Steven Bonner
algorithmic thinking can be an asset in the world of type, of course, but theres (http://stevenbonner.com). His own digitally charged pictorial styles use many
so much creative potential to unlock by breaking the grid that I feel continually different techniques to achieve a particular feel, depending on the desired
compelled to try and overcome that reflex. outcome. He explains: In my Believe and You Shall Achieve piece (show on
To put it in one friendly soundbite, the real pleasure this style invokes in the opposite page), I wanted to reference a Path news-style screen title, and
creators and viewers alike is the chance to reinvent visual boundaries. Jordan so used a lot of grain and faux-3D while giving it a modern edge through the
Metcalf (http://jordan-metcalf.com) agrees: We can only ever push such stronger colours in the ribbon type. However, Bonner is looking to push
boundaries by allowing ourselves freedom to experiment. I spent a lot of time boundaries even further, revealing: I really want to take lettering out of the
005 |
Abject Diagonals: An
example of my Metrobloc
typeface. This particular
piece presents the
letterforms as diagonally
hacked-up metal type
Alex Varanese
006
006 |
Eat Drink and Be Merry:
This piece plays homage
to the great typographer,
graphic designer and art
director, Herb Lubalin
Luke Lucas
007 |
Break Fast: Personal
project and first try-out of
Motion Typo. Photoshop
CS3 photomanipulation
was applied to images,
using quick masks and 005 007
brushes Stefan Chinof
01 EARLY DRAFT
The first draft featured the word
going as part of the layout. I decided
02 LAYOUT
Here is the two-dimensional layout
of the final treatment which I put together in
03 3D RENDER
These are the 3D rendered objects
as portrayed right before applying materials,
that there were too many hoses and not Illustrator. I created all the pipes and hoses calibrating lighting and exporting as a raster
enough articulated plumbing, so in the as paths, which were later turned into file. After this stage, I drew the water and
end I eliminated the first word. splines in CINEMA 4D. By applying a Sweep foam and retouched everything in Photoshop.
NURBS effect, I was able to create the final
objects in exactly the same positions as in
the Illustrator file.
008 |
Down the Drain:
Down the Drain is my
graphic manifesto to
lost inspiration, says
Beltechi. Its about how
every artist needs to
capture and
manipulate their
creativity in order to
use it to its maximum
potential
Alex Beltechi
011 |
Believe and You Shall
Achieve: A promotional 010
image created for
Bonners UK agent, jelly
Steven Bonner
012 |
Idea: A mural design
commissioned by a large
South African financial
institution created to
communicate the core
brand value of creativity
Jordan Metcalf
013 |
Artistic Image: Advertising
agency brand development,
created through extensive
exploration of the Mesh tool
in Illustrator CS3
Stefan Chinof
014 | 015 |
013 Awards: The TDC holds two yearly type
competitions: one for the use of type and the
letterform in design and the other for typeface
design. The winners are reproduced in the TDCs
Typography Annual, which is published by
HarperCollins TDC
015
014
017
FLUIDTYPE EXPERIMENT emotional punch, subtle as it may be, was actually more important
to me than all the 3D and digital work that went into
EXPLORE THIS ELEMENTAL-INSPIRED TYPE ART, WHICH the city scene itself, Varanese says.
WAS MADE WITH A COMBINATION OF CG AND PHOTOSHOP Certain creatives still pride themselves on tradition, frowning
BY CREATIVE STUDIO SKYRILL (WWW.SKYRILL.COM) upon Photoshop use, finding it the lazy option that leans more
towards the frivolous side of type design. However, our artists
1. CREATE THE LETTERS believe that traditional and contemporary styles neednt be
We start by creating the letterform in 3ds
Max based on an existing typeface. The synonymous with each other. The strongest typography is that
letter was then extruded to give it a
certain volume, which would be enough
which fundamentally maintains the essence of language, while at
to work as a container for the particles the same time contrasts it with a visually striking execution so
that would re-form the letter. why should present styles be regarded any differently? I think that
creative illustrated type and standard type communicate in very
2. FILL IT UP different ways and serve very different purposes, and I think theyll
The letter was then imported into RealFlow,
and based on the letter, a number of coexist for as long as we have need for design and written
emitters were placed inside to fill it up with language, suggests Metcalf.
particles. The speed of the emitters plays a The two styles, while being perfect in tandem, will always have
key role in the final outcome.
their own place it seems, as Bonner adds: Traditional typography
needs to be legible for communication so type design will always
3. BUILDING PRESSURE need to follow a certain number of rules. Whereas pictorial lettering
Reducing and increasing the gravity and
pressure levels of the particles enabled them is different in that it wants the viewer to have another look and, in
to explode in a more natural way, and create
nice splashes once the original letterform
some cases, have to work to figure out whats being said. They both
object holding it was deactivated. communicate but in very distinct ways.
What our artists seem to be saying is that there are fundamental
4. MESHING laws that govern the legibility of the written word, but they are only
Adding a mesh to the particles was done in as relevant as the level of readability a particular brief demands, ie
RealFlow; a high Blend Factor and a low the grid, baseline and X height. However, typographic design is
Radius Size were crucial to good results. A
number of filters were also used at low predominantly concerned with communicating a message or an
settings such as the Relaxation filter. idea. Metcalf continues: I think the primary reason is that
typographic illustration is being seen more as a viable standalone
5. REFINE THE LETTER illustrative element as opposed to a supportive device for traditional
Using the Clone and Pen tools in Photoshop, illustration or design. This shift towards type being the medium and
new fluid shapes were drawn out in different
sizes and then blended with the original letter the message, as well as the increase in the number of creatives
in order to make the overall look of the final working in lettering and typographic art, has led to it becoming a
letter more natural. far more lateral and experimental movement.
Tone, emotion and personality can all be conveyed through
6. ADJUST LIGHTING treatment and typographic style even without strict letterform
Colour and lighting adjustments were done in
legibility. Most importantly the developments in the world of type
Photoshop using Color Balance, along with
Curves. The final image is made up of different arent putting off or baffling audiences quite the contrary, in fact,
layers put together using various PS blending as illustrated type looks set only to grow in popularity. As Varanese
modes such as Screen, Overlay and So Light.
finally says: The power of implicit form is one of the most
intriguing aspects of typography. Our minds are shockingly adept at
extrapolating entire worlds of detail from the slightest hints of
design, and that gives artists a lot of room to convey ideas in
challenging or even counter-intuitive ways.
Typographic illustration is
being seen more as a viable
standalone illustrative
element as opposed to a
supportive device for
traditional design
Jordan Metcalf, http://jordan-metcalf.com
STRIKING TYPE
EFFECTS
BLEND A SIMPLE 3D RENDER WITH MULTIPLE STOCK OUR EXPERT
PHOTOS TO CREATE STUNNING ARTWORK BARTON DAMER
www.alreadybeenchewed.tv
In this tutorial we will combine a basic 3D render and composite an entire wildlife scene in Photoshop Barton is a motion designer and digital
artist who creates under his studio brand,
using a variety of royalty-free photos. Your final image will probably look quite different from ours
Already Been Chewed LLC. For over 12
depending on what sort of photos you choose to use, but the steps you take to create your years, he has designed for a variety of
composition will remain the same. Its important to try to match your light source in the pictures you use. Most mediums including print, web and TV.
of the pictures used in this composition were taken on an overcast day where the shadows were very soft. If SOURCE FILES
you are able to find overcast shots, it will free you up to composite the pictures without having to be too There is a stock pack of nature photos
concerned about matching a strong light source and shadows. Photoshop is the weapon of choice and the app included on the disc that you can use to
create your own unique final design. The
where we will spend most of our time. We will also be creating a very basic 3D render of typography using images that we have used are not
Cinema 4D R12, however you can download 3D renders online to work with in your piece. available for the disc.
0129
Illustrate with Photoshop Genius Guide 129
Typography
06 RENDER SETTINGS
The Render Settings in C4D are a key part of
the final output. Before opening this dialog box, add a
Compositing Tag to your text and make sure Object
Buffer is turned on. Then you will be able to add an
Object Buffer to your Multi-Pass settings inside of the
Render Settings box. By including the Object Buffer
as a Multi-Pass image, you will have a separate
render of just the text so that you do not have to cut
out the background in Photoshop. You can also
control the size of the render to be really large for
print or other.
07 BACKGROUND COMPOSITING
Move into Photoshop now. The background
starts to take shape quickly when you have a few
08 COMPOSITING THE 3D TYPE
Open your full render and the Multi-Pass
render you set up in Step 6. The type can be
09 ISOLATE FOLIAGE
Choose a variety of foliage pictures to start
with. Again, think about lighting as you make your
strong photos. Use a soft-edged black brush on a isolated off of the background using the black and selection. Veer.com has a variety of foliage already
layer mask to gently blend the edges of different white alpha channel as a selection. However, you available on a white background. You can use Color
photos together. Your photo selection may require will want a copy of the full render with shadows on Range to make your selection and delete the
you to use the Pen tool and isolate specific objects. a different layer. Set the layer containing the background. In the Color Range palette you can
Youll probably need to adjust the Hue/Saturation shadow to Multiply in the Layers palette. Adjust the choose a Fuzziness setting, which will give you
in order to bring their color temperatures closer in transparency of the layer for darker or lighter more control over how much of that colour to
appearance. shadows to be cast across your field photograph. include in across the entire image.
FUTURISTIC
TYPOGRAPHY
USE ONLY PHOTOSHOP TOOLS TO COMBINE FUTURISTIC LIGHTING AND 3D TYPE
This tutorial is aimed at creatives who already how to incorporate great-looking lighting effects into any
know their way around Photoshop. artwork through nothing more than the native
Intermediate to advanced users shouldnt have Photoshop options.
a problem completing this tutorial, while for novices it Although the basic shapes of the letters could easily
might prove to be more of a challenge yet ultimately have been made in 3D software, we wanted to show that OUR EXPERT
its achievable with a little patience and perseverance. its just as easy to use Photoshop and that there are
THEO AARTSMA
In this workshop, well show you some techniques even benefits of doing so. The main advantage is that we http://cargocollective.com/
and an in-depth walkthrough on how to create your can keep our artwork more stylistic, achieving an theoaartsma
own 3D letterforms. Once the letters are complete we original look that wouldnt be possible in 3D, with a Theo is a 28-year-old full-time
freelance illustrator and designer from
will focus on the shading and lighting, which will help combination of special effects that use little more than
Holland. He is best known for his
you achieve styles associated with modern sci-fi epics shape layers, brushes and layer masks throwing in typographic illustration work.
such as TRON: Legacy and The Matrix a look that is some Gaussian Blur and blending modes just to make influenced by nature, fashion and
street art.
very popular right now. On top of this well show you the image pop at the end.
01 CONCEPT LETTERFORMS
We want to create the word virtual, so
we begin by simply sketching out individual
02 STRUCTURE LETTERFORMS
Once we have a nice shape for the
individual characters its time to structure them
QUICK TIP
To make a fast
selection of a layer
03 COMPOSE THE WORD
Create a new document
with the dimensions 25 x 25cm
cutout, hold down
letterforms. This can be done either traditionally so that they look as if they belong together. In Cmd/Ctrl+H, then go at 300dpi, and then copy and
or digitally whichever method you prefer to use. the example you can see the most important to the image thumbnail paste in the individual letter
in the Layers palette.
While sketching, you can start to develop your choices we made to structure the letters using This is very useful shapes. Once all the letters
concept. The idea behind these letters is that they Photoshops Pen Shape tool. Make sure to work when doing brushwork have been imported, you can
all consist of the same two rectangles that can be with a large canvas for this so you can later on masks such as start playing around with their
shading. It can leave an
manipulated to fit each character. rescale your letters as you see fit. ugly edge on your positions, trying to create the
selection, so it helps to best possible composition to fit
expand the selection
the space available. Keep
by 1 pixel (Select>
Modify>Expand). typographical rules like kerning
in mind when doing this.
04 3D TRANSFORMATION
Merge your letter layers and duplicate this layer. Reselect the original layer
beneath and move it right and up, as seen in the screenshot. By doing this, you
05 3D TRANSFORMATION 2
With all sides complete, delete the back side. Now we can start
basic shading. Decide on where the light is coming from; in this image its
create the back side of the letters, using space on the left as a reference for filling in the top-left on the front side. Then give every side a shade, starting with
the gaps. Work up the sides by opening a new layer, selecting sides with the the front side to set a midpoint. Use the Color Overlay layer style and go
Polygonal Lasso tool, and then filling them with a red colour for better distinction. through all the different layers this way.
06 EXTRA BLOCKS
We decide that we
want to have interlinking
We want to create the blocks connecting the letter
09 LETTER SHADING
To add extra shading to the corners,
select the layers holding Cmd/Ctrl+H and click the
relevant thumbnail in the Layers palette. Then, in
a new layer, fill this selection with black and, using
the Eraser tool, remove the centre before
lowering opacity. We did this for all of the letters
planes using a new layer whenever necessary.
10 COLOUR CHANGES
Until now we have done everything with the lights on,
so replace your background with a solid black layer. Make
11 GROUND REFLECTION
For ground reflections make copies of the
front of the letters. Then flip both these copies
12 GROUND REFLECTION 2
Merge the back and sides with the
front layer and apply a large soft eraser to
colour changes to the letters with the Color Picker, darkening using Cmd/Ctrl+T and Flip Vertical. Position one as fade out the reflection. First select the top
tones. To give the letters a little more shine select the front the reflection of the front of the letters and one for letters and, at the bottom left of the
side, create a new layer and apply a 25% Opacity transparent- the back. Use the Polygonal Lasso and Fill tools to selection, hold down the eraser and move
white to fully-transparent Radial gradient starting at the add in the side elements. Then use Color Overlay to it to the right. Once done, repeat this
centre of the letters and fading out to the edges. choose colours for the reflections. process for the letters on the bottom row.
13 REFLECTION ACCENTS
Next add the bright-coloured accents. Most of these
can be duplicated, moved and flipped to save time, though
15 LIT-UP EDGES 2
Add a new layer under the
Stroke layer and merge the two.
some may need a bit of editing with the Polygonal Lasso tool. Apply a soft eraser to parts of the
To tone down the reflection we use a 40% Opacity eraser to lines. Make a selection from the
brush away some of the brightness. Stroke layer. Create a new layer
(delete the merged layer) and apply a
hard brush to add different colours.
Use the Eyedropper tool to pick tones
from the image.
14 LIT-UP EDGES
Add lines to letter edges so it looks as if light is
almost breaking out of the type. Select all the side parts
of the letters using Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+H on the layer images
in the Layers palette. Then, on a new layer, fill this
selection. Open the Layer Style options, setting Advanced
Blending Fill Opacity to 0%. Next set the Stroke size to
10px and position to Inside within the same set of options.
16 GLOWS
Now its time to add some glows. This
can be achieved by duplicating the lines layer
17 SPOT LIGHTS
Add extra shine to the type by
making a selection of the front side of the
18 ADD MORE ELEMENTS
Here we add a series of 7px
lines and six-sided polygon shapes
from the previous step and adding a letters and adding Select>Modify>Contract in conforming colours on a new
Gaussian Blur. For the second glow we take at 10px. On a new layer, use a soft brush to layer on top of the letters. Use a soft
the standard soft brush and, on a new layer, add large light spots in the upper-left corner eraser to fade parts of the shapes
brush over the bright-coloured blocks. Use of each letter. After creating light spots and ends of the lines. Duplicate the
the Eyedropper tool for a coherent colour lower the opacity to match the scenes layer and use Gaussian Blur again
scheme. After brushing, play with the opacity lighting. Also move the layer a little to the QUICK TIP to give the items a nice glow. The
to control the effects intensity. left and down to better fit the perspective. Isometric 3D is the same technique is also used to
easiest way to
produce 3D on a 2D create the little glowing lines in the
plane. Its easier ground reflections.
because of how the
perspective lines
work. Theyre always
parallel to each other
and have the same
angle on the X and Y
axes. Isometric 3D is
used a lot in pixel art
so this is a good area
to look for a little
inspiration. For more
examples, check out
www.drububu.com
/tutorial.
19 INTENSE
HIGHLIGHTS
Finally we need to focus on
Add extra shine making the light effects
to the type by really pop. Achieve this by
making a adding a new layer at the
top of the layer stack. With
selection of a soft white brush in
the front side various sizes add spots
01
BUBBLY TEXT DESIGN FROM A TO B
Many PS users dont get Illustrator. For
some reason, they cant get their head around the
02 FILL THE CANVAS
You should have a surplus of swooshes
that can be used to fill the space around our type.
app. The beauty is most often in its simplicity so The main idea is to complement the movement of
lets start in that vein. Draw simple swoosh shapes the central message. We are trying to re-create the
and adjust curves for a smoother look. Arrange bubbly feel of champagne in vector form. Although
these shapes to create the word Fizz. it is abstract, focus on the fluidity of the design.
04 FINAL PREPARATIONS
Now we have the type and colour spectrum to work with, we need to build up some bubbles. There
are one or two methods we will use in Photoshop to cut down on time and the number of layers, but it
QUICK TIP
While were creating a fun design
that works well as an exercise
in typography, if you were
would be a shame not to prepare a few more elements in Illustrator while were here! Simple circles can be creating something similar for
a commercial project then you
given extra dimension via the Gradient Mesh tool (U) and adding lighter colour tones. Also make a couple of would need to ensure that the
copies of the main type element to use later in the main PS layout. typography is clearly legible.
Consider making the letters a
shade darker or lighter so that
they stand out better.
06 SHAPE OR VECTOR?
When pasting elements from Illustrator into
Photoshop you are always presented with four
options. However, for a non-destructive and
ultra-flexible way of working, we would recommend
always selecting either the Smart Object or Shape
Layer options. Both of these will retain the original
vector information, which means they can be scaled
and edited without most importantly losing any of
the quality. In this step, bring in just the flat vector
swooshes group as a Shape Layer and place it at the
top of your layer stack.
11 KEEP ON ADDING
On top of some of the circles we just made,
add orange dots around 75% in size of the
originals to create a button effect. You will not
need too many of these leave some space for
later. Next create a new layer (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+N)
and name it Top Bubbles. Hit B to call up the
Brush tool and press F5 for options. Enable Shape
Dynamics and Scattering, drastically decrease the
tip size and brush over the type and its immediate
vicinity in very small circles.
12 EYE-POPPING BUBBLES
From the AI file, import 3D spheres as
Smart Objects. As earlier, hold Opt/Alt to copy
14 THE YELLOW STAGES
During the process we have grown
accustomed to our colour spectrum. The question
shapes to speed up your process. The idea here is to ask come the end is: are the colours as strong
to emphasise the Fizz type with some bubble-like as they can be? The yellow tones might be okay in
effects. Once happy with the positioning, select one print, but we want them to really sing. So via a
of these spheres and attach a Drop Shadow style. Selective Color adjustment layer, under the Yellows
The shadow colour works best as a brownish tone, channel, we set Magenta to +5 and Yellow to +10.
for better blending. Copy the layer style and paste Next, on a Hue/Saturation layer, we bump up
onto all other spheres for consistency. Saturation to +15 and lower Lightness to -5.
13 WORK ON PERSPECTIVE
Next up, we will add a bit more depth to the
main type, once again to place more emphasis on
this focal point. Since our main shape is
transparent, put all spheres into one group below
the main type layer and make a selection from the
type only; now apply a Quick Mask (Q) to this
group. This will hide anything behind the type and
leave a number of spheres/bubbles peeking out
around the edges of the letters.
MASTER ELECTRIC
TYPOGRAPHY
LEARN HOW TO CREATE A STRIKING
TYPOGRAPHY ILLUSTRATION IN PHOTOSHOP
In this tutorial you will learn how to apply lighting effects to typography in Photoshop. This effect
could be used for a band logo, poster or album cover. We have chosen to start with the typeface
Museo Sans, modifying certain letters to create a logo-type. We will then build up layers of detail,
and bring in some perspective, reflections and shadows to give a 3D brushed metal effect.
By using mostly vector layer shapes we will keep all the flexibility of Adobe Illustrator, while utilising OUR EXPERT
some great lighting effects in Photoshop. Starting in black and white values, the basic principle will be to CHRISTOPHER HAINES
create layer shapes and apply Gradient Overlay layer styles, which will remain editable throughout the www.neondreams.com.au
I am a freelance designer
process. This enables you to edit parts of the illustration as you go, which would be difficult using standard from Perth, Australia. With
pixel layers. The techniques shown can be used to create whatever shapes you like around the typography. ten years experience in digital
media, my aim is to create
As a final effect we will be adding colour to the image and painting in some neon lights and reflections to striking and unique designs.
bring the illustration to life. If you dont have the typeface then dont worry, you can find vector text as a
starting point for this illustration online at http://blog.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/tutorial-files.
diamond shapes, use a (U) set to Paths create an oval, then add a
rectangle the same width to form a tube. Convert
large soft brush set this to a selection and draw a reflective horizontal
to white and low gradient. Create a new layer and draw another oval
to cap off the tube, then merge the layer. Duplicate,
opacity to paint a scale and move them to create an interesting pillar
slight glow in shape. Create a new ellipse layer shape above the
behind the object pillar and apply a Radial Gradient Overlay.
06 ADD OBJECTS
Duplicate your pillar shape and move a
couple around on the base plate to add some more
interest to the composition. Also put some pillars
in between each corner of the lower pyramids to
add to the structure. Repeat this process with your
sphere and diamond shapes throughout the
image. Behind the sphere and diamond shapes,
use a large soft brush set to white and low opacity
to paint a slight glow in behind the object. On
another layer paint in some soft shadows
underneath the objects in black.
09
finishing touch
TURN UP THE HIGHLIGHTS to the image are
On a new layer, use the Ellipse tool to draw a small white oval over one of the letter edges. Ctrl/ some flashing
neon lights, or
right-click the layer and rasterise it. Go to Filter>Gaussian Blur and set it to 4px. Add an Outer Glow layer electric rain.
style, set the Opacity to 65% and the Size to 24px. Duplicate this layer and arrange the copies around the Create a new folder just above the Background layer
edges of the letters to create some highlights. called Rain. Create a new layer and make a tall oval
selection using the Ellipse tool, with a light blue-to-
white gradient (white in the centre, blue on the outside).
Transform this layer (Cmd/Ctrl+T) so it becomes a very
thin oval. Go to Filter>Motion blur and experiment to
get the effect you want. Rotate this about 65-degrees,
duplicate and arrange throughout the image.
10 PLACE REFLECTIONS
To add some reflection to the base plate, we
need to duplicate all of the layers for the word Rain,
as well as the pillars and other shapes. Merge
these layers and select Edit>Transform>Flip
Vertical. Set the layer style to Overlay and Opacity
to 70%. Select Filter>Gaussian Blur and set to 4px.
Add a layer mask and paint out where the
reflection goes over the base plate. Continue to
repeat this process for any other objects sitting on
the base plate.
FOUND OBJECT
TYPOGRAPHY
CREATE A FONT UNIQUE TO YOUR PERSONALITY BY WORK IN
BASING IT ON A COLLECTION OF THEMED ITEMS PROGRESS
TRANSFORM JUNK
Sometimes we keep things just time letting me keep a balance between the OUR EXPERT INTO TYPOGRAPHY
because they might be useful. haphazard nature of the scraps that GEMMA HART
When clearing out a shed, I found appealed in the first place, and the uniformity www.rockgem.deviantart.com
some rusty old odds and ends; I took a closer needed for a set of letters. Digital artist Gemma explains the
look and began to see that these objects and Mixing traditional collage with objects and techniques behind their amazing
artwork Im a Wolverhampton uni
shapes still had something to offer, and with digital technology offered more practicality graduate with a passion for
a little imagination might fit together to make with the font, creating more uses and not creating; keen on combining
lettering and images. I tried forming basic limiting the number of times a shape or letter traditional media like collage with
digital effects in Photoshop. When
words and letter shapes, which quickly could be created and used, or restricting the creating pieces, I oen recycle the
developed into trying out the whole alphabet size of a letter. It also allowed development old into something new.
in both upper and lower case. From these with other images and textures without losing
rather crude beginnings, the Any Old Iron the original appeal. Step 4: Planning
lettering was born!
When clearing out a shed, I found some
I documented the found 3D objects with a
digital camera, which gave me more scope
rusty old odds and ends; I took a closer
and let me use some interesting scrap-
look and began to see that these
shapes many times. This helped tie the
objects and shapes still had
lettering together, so they were more of a set.
Putting the shapes into Photoshop pulled
something to offer, and with a little
things together even more, allowing slight
imagination might fit together
colour edits and resizing, but at the same
05 MAKE NOTES
04 PLANNING YOUR LETERING The thumbnails do not have to be that accurate, but when referring back to
Add a third layer and select a 5px Brush tool at 50% Transparency. them on a printout sometimes it can be be unclear what some of the sketchy lines
Using the shapes you have found in your scraps, begin to draw over the represent. I find it really helps to open a notepad document and jot down which
basic lettering shapes to create the thumbnails of how you might like each pieces of scrap you intend to use for each letter.
of the letters to look.
07 DECISIONS
Decisions can always be changed. If you find a shape that might be a better
the typography is that its made from junk; but try not to over-complicate the
shapes, otherwise the letter shapes start to become lost.
QUICK TIP
If you dont want to spend time
creating all 26 letters, obviously
some of them can be used more
than once. The letter N rotated 90
degrees right can become the
letter Z, or the letter V can be
duplicated and used to create a
W, which in turn could be rotated
180 degrees to create the M!
11 ENHANCE
I began the process with found objects that were rusted. They were the ideal way of
giving the old iron feel to the font - but this rusted look can be enhanced using the Photoshop
Variation tool, adding a little more red and yellow to the midtones.
16
remember to erase the little pieces of background in the gaps.
MAKE FEWER LAYERS AND
DOCUMENTS
Too many layers and documents open at any one
time can get confusing, so reduce them if you can
and put all your letters in one document. It helps
keep track of them far better with one document to
hand instead of 26 or more.
20 MORE PHOTOGRAPHS
Photoshop does have various crackle
effect filters, but as this typography is about
found objects, its only apt to continue with the
theme. As the lettering is made from scraps and
21 DEVELOPING THE
BACKGROUND
The background is something that can be
rusted metal and the font very much mixed experimented with. It could be left quite
media, I moved toward looking for found plain, but in order to fit in with the old iron
textures of rust and peeling paints that could be tehme aand effect of the lettering, I decided
adapted to be a background. to try and incorporate some paint and rust.
27 ADDING A BORDER
Using the Burn tool again set to a 300px soft round brush at 50% Pressure, go over
the selected area haphazardly and slightly unevenly, just to darken it enough to hint at a
border around the piece.
28 FINAL DETAILS
Using some of the photos rejected from creating the
initial letter shapes, add a scattering of a few nuts and cogs near
the edges. They can help frame the typography, almost as if
theyve rolled away from the main text.
QUICK TIP
This typography can work well in a
range of different colours - although I
chose to stick to the more natural rust
tones of the original found objects
used to create the typography. Dont
be tempted to oversaturate. Keep the
colours quite muted to prevent the
image from looking too garish.
29 NUMBERS
After creating the all lettering, I decided to sneak
the date into the corner. A few more found objects later,
30 LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Check over the final image. Make any minor
adjustments to the brightness and contrast or the hue
and numbers 1 to 9 are assembled - the zero adapted and saturation to suit your personal taste. Remember,
from the letter O, and the 6 and 9 being interchangeable. this typography is supposed to look worn-out.
CREATE
COLLAGESTYLE
OUR EXPERT
LUCA MOLNAR
www.lucamolnar.com
Luca is a freelancer from
Hungary. She has recently
TYPOGRAPHY
launched her own T-shirt
brand, Miss Future.
SOURCE FILES
On the disc is stock photography
and Lucas own illustrations that
she used for the typography.
These illustrations are copyright
IN THIS TUTORIAL WE WILL BE CREATING PERSONALISED to Luca and can only be used for
completing the tutorial.
COLLAGESTYLE TYPE USING ILLUSTRATIONS AND STOCK
In this tutorial, we will be creating three net/senongo). We are looking to create a similar style, WORK IN
collage-style letters and then organising the but using only the tools in Photoshop. PROGRESS
letters into a single layout in order to create a You will need to have a good knowledge of BUILDING UP ONE
final composition. For the letters, we will use our own Photoshop in order to get through this tutorial. LETTER AT A TIME
previously created illustrations and also some stock Another great thing about this style of typography is
photographs to make the typography even more the fact that we can make it very quickly. We will finish
varied and exciting. one letter in about an hour, which means that we can
This collage style of lettering is undergoing then finish the whole typographic illustration in three
somewhat of a resurgence, thanks to the popularity of to four hours.
the Mixel app for iPad (http://mixel.cc), which enables Photoshop is without doubt the best software to
users to build simple collages from their photos. There create a piece like this. All the tools youll need are laid
are some great examples of Mixel typography out out for you, so this is exactly the kind of project the
there, notably from Senongo Akpem (www.behance. program excels with. Step 5: Work with stock photos
QUICK TIP
Play with layer styles as
much as you can in order
03 ADD PATTERNS
Now for the fun part. Choose three or four
of your favourite illustrations, its best if you
to put some light in your
piece. There are so many choose works with the same or a very similar
of them, and different colour scheme. Open the first illustration and
layer styles can make
some interesting light drop it on the main document. Set the Opacity to
effects, taking your around 50% so we are able to see the letter
artwork to the next level.
under the illustration, which can make working
Were sure you will have
quite a few happy with it easier. You can resize the illustration we
accidents! just dropped on the main document if needed.
05 SPICE UP
THE TYPE
Our first letter looks
pretty cool already.
However, we can still
add some smooth
details. Open one of
the flower stock
images supplied,
select the Pen tool
and cut out the first
flower. Ctrl/right-
click, choose Make
Selection, then select
the Rectangle
Marquee tool, go
above our selection
and Ctrl/right-click,
selecting Layer via
Copy. After that
continue to cut out
three more flowers
06 MAKE A MOVE
The letter is a little too
static. We set the background
layers (first three layers) to
non-visible, Ctrl/right-click on a
visible layer and choose Merge
Visible. After this, Ctrl/right-click
on the merged layer and select
Duplicate Layer. Now place the
new layer above the others. Go
to Filters>Blur>Motion Blur, set
the Angle to 0 and the Distance
to 139. Select the Eraser tool,
choose a large soft brush and
delete some parts of the blurred
image until it starts looking nice.
07 LIGHT IT UP
We are going to add some
sparkling light to our work. First we add a
new layer and set the blending mode to
Overlay, which is a very good option if you
want to add some natural-looking light to
your work. Ideally youll have some
downloaded light brushes, but if you dont
have any then just choose a medium-sized
white brush. Click parts of the work that you
want to highlight.
USE THE
REPOUSS TOOL
OUR EXPERT
NIK AINLEY
www.shinybinary.com
FOR 3D TYPE
Nik Ainley is a digital illustrator
based in the UK. He has been
producing personal and
commissioned illustrations for an
array of clients for over a decade.
SOURCE FILES
The environmental HDR files used for
image reflections in this tutorial can
be purchased from www.aversis.
USE THE INFLATE SETTINGS OF THE REPOUSS TOOL TO be/hdri/hdri-collections.htm, or for
free for non-commercial projects at
CREATE BALLOONSTYLE LETTERING www.hdrlabs.com/sibl/archive.
In this tutorial youll use the Repouss tool Photoshop enables very quick, interactive editing WORK IN
(CS5 Extended) to produce 3D lettering that of 3D scenes compared to the process in other 3D PROGRESS
mimics the look of glossy helium balloons. applications. That usually involves editing without FROM FLAT TEXT
The bloated effect produced by the Inflate option being able to see the end result, rendering the TO FINISHED EFFECT
within Repouss, combined with the advanced image and then going back to editing, repeating
reflections the 3D system enables, work together until done. Photoshop enables you to edit
perfectly to achieve this cool look. The end result is parameters directly and see the results instantly,
something that couldnt be achieved at the same resulting in a much smoother workflow.
level of refinement without using this Photoshop 3D A decent level of understanding of some of
option set. Working with 3D in Photoshop has Photoshops more basic functions, such as layers
several advantages over dedicated 3D programs. and selections, will be essential in order to
One of these is familiarity with the way Photoshop complete this tutorial. Any experience with full 3D
works. 3D software can have a steep learning curve software or the concepts used in 3D graphics could Step 1: Start with flat type
and be daunting for beginners. also help, but isnt essential.
curvature you dont want them looking overly angular. Youll actually only be
dealing with the front of the letters, not extruded sides, so the letters need to be
substantial. Here we have used a font called EFF Albert (http://thefonts.com/M/
PageFr/Albert.htm).
04 CREATE CREASES
To add the dimples with helium balloon
surfaces, use bump maps. Here, black
represents low areas and white represents
high. Since youve split the meshes, you have to
treat letters individually. For each letter, create
an image that is basically just the flat letter in
white and draw in small shapes in black that
will become the dimples. Load these with Edit
the Bump Texture in the 3D Material panel,
adjusting the value to whatever looks best. The
U Scale in the Edit Properties of the map might
need to be adjusted so that the map aligns with
the letters properly. This value depends on the
size of the word, but weve set it at 5.
05 RENDER
YOUR 3D
Up until now youll
have been working
with the 3D render
settings quality set to
Interactive. This is
fast, but not suitable
for the final image.
You need to set the
quality to Ray Traced
Final. This will
produce the correct
reflections,
anti-aliasing the
letters. The process
of rendering can take
quite a while
depending on how big
your scene and how
fast your computer is,
up to hours at a time.
Youll see blue
squares appear over
your image while
rendering, which will
disappear when the
process has finished.
06 ADD REFLECTIONS
What this achieves is letters that reflect each other,
but nothing else. You need to add a texture to the material.
Environmental HDR images are best as these give a full
360-degree image to reflect. To have better control of the
reflections, add them on their own layers. Duplicate the
letters layer, setting their materials Diffuse colour to black,
adding environment texture. Reduce Gloss and Shine to 0 and
set Reflection to 85%. Change the blending mode to Screen.
Environmental
HDR images are
07 REFLECTION
FALLOFF
To affect the relative
best as strengths of the
WORK WITH
3D TYPE
CREATE BASIC 3D RENDERS IN CINEMA
4D AND INTEGRATE INTO A 2D SCENE
In this tutorial we will combine basic 3D renders along with photography from all different
royalty-free sites including iStockphoto, Wikipedia Commons and the Library of Congress online
archives. Your final image will probably look quite different from ours, as youll be using your own OUR EXPERT
images, but the steps you take to create your composition will remain the same. BARTON DAMER
Compositing images from different sources can often be complicated, but it doesnt have to be. Whether www.alreadybeenchewed.tv
Barton is a motion designer and
you are trying to match the light source across multiple photos or struggling with consistent hue and digital artist with 12 years experience
temperature values, a treated look to your image will help to unify your composition. Ensure you have the who creates under his studio brand,
Creative Suite we will be using CS5.5. Photoshop will be our weapon of choice. We will also be creating Already Been Chewed, LLC.
some very basic 3D renders using CINEMA 4D and Illustrator. If you have yet to incorporate a 3D program SOURCE FILES
into your design process, this exercise will be a great starting point. We are using basic geometric shapes Included on the disc is a CINEMA 4D
file with the main Spline Wrap active
and a deformer called Spline Wrap to create the typographic rollercoaster, our focus. Then we will build the so you can learn from some of the
rest of our scene in Photoshop by combining several photos and adding a vintage look. adjustments made in the tutorial.
02 ADJUST PATH
Within CINEMA
4D, we Merge (File>Merge)
the path we created in
Illustrator. Then we can
select a specific point from
Step 8: CINEMA 4D render
the path and adjust it
forwards or backwards in
Z space. This gives our
spline depth and prevents
our text from intersecting
with itself later. Each point
of the vector path contains
handles that we can pull to
smooth our path as we
move the vector points.
Step 14: Unify the image
07 LIGHTING
As we will be compositing images from
different sources and lighting, make note of the
08 TEXTURE
The textures we need
to create for this project are
light source in the images and see if you can come very basic, which is why this
close to matching them. Focus on the direction of tutorial is a nice introduction
the light and the types of shadows being cast. Will to 3D. The Material Editor
we be compositing into another picture that has enables us to customise all
strong daylight and hard shadows? Or more sorts of options. We simply
overcast and softer shadows? However, the need a bright colour for our
vintage treatment will help to unify everything. track since a lot of
rollercoasters are painted a
bright primary colour. By
default, the Specular is turned
on and we should leave it that
way unless we decide
otherwise. We dont want
reflections on our
rollercoaster track, so a basic
hue adjustment should be fine
for our purposes.
09 MODELLING THE
DETAILS
We can add details to our
typography by using basic shapes
within C4D, such as cylinders for
the legs and cylinders inside of an
Array for the bolts around the legs.
Just like Step 8, we can create a
new texture, choosing a colour that
will not compete with the
rollercoaster track so the two arent
confused. Once youve created one
set of legs, copy, paste and
reposition them around the type.
Choosing
photos that
have
softer
shadows
and a
light source that is
evenly lit will help us
to combine a variety
of images from
different sources
11 RENDERING SHADOWS
One thing to note about our Render Settings is the Ambient Occlusion feature. When you
enable Ambient Occlusion in the Render Settings, it renders more realistic shadows than if you were
to leave it off. It takes a little bit longer to render but the added detail is worth it. Since this is a print
piece, the render time really doesnt matter as if it were motion. Under Multi-Pass, in our Render
settings, we can enable Shadows and it will render them separately on its own layer. That way you
have some flexibility when compositing in Photoshop to darken your shadows as needed.
12 CHOOSE PHOTOS
One of the challenges in choosing photos to support our
typography is the variety of sources that have to be combined. Its
best to look for photographs that have similar lighting, if at all
possible. Choosing photos that have softer shadows and a light
source that is evenly lit will help us to combine a variety of images
from different sources. Look for all daylight, or all nighttime pictures
for instance. Alternatively, look for photos where the position of the
sun is very similar, or in the case of a nighttime shot, the position
and intensity of the moon.
14 MATCH VALUES
Begin matching the values of all the pictures by
adjusting the Hue/Saturation, bringing down the saturation of
QUICK TIP
There are different
Effectors that can be
applied to Mograph Cloner
each object, whilst not completely desaturating the images. objects within C4D. A
Random Effector can be
Adjusting the Levels will help as well. Try to increase the
applied to give variation
darks and brighten the whites until the images look similarly in the size, rotation and
toned. Next, use an adjustment layer over the entire canvas to position of the bubbles
used. This makes it very
decrease Saturation. easy to create a unique
cluster of water bubbles in
just a few clicks.
15 COLOUR TINT
We can now add some colour tinting on new layers and really
start to unify our piece. Using the Airbrush tool, choose a large brush,
a warm colour (brown) and paint over certain areas of the image.
Blending modes will do all the work for you. Try Soft Light or Overlay
and adjust the Opacity. Use multiple layers with a variety of colours
over select areas of the composition.
16 MAKE A SPLASH!
Using Color Range to make a
selection, we isolate just the white caps
BUBBLE REFLECTIONS
When creating a custom texture for the water bubbles,
youll want to use Transparency and add Refraction to
the settings. Reflection will help with realism as well.
of the waves. The Fuzziness enables you
In order to get some interesting reflections in the water
to control a range of values in the waves bubbles, youll need to add some sort of an environment.
you want to include. We can then copy, We can create a custom sky or background image or
use a third-party product called GSG Light Kit Pro (www.
paste, flip, rotate and reposition the greyscalegorilla.com). This plug-in for CINEMA 4D
same waves to create a group of them. comes with presets that include gradient backgrounds or
Or we can use several different photos studio backgrounds among others. Its a great way to get
some really nice reflections by simply dropping in one of
of waves to customise the direction the the gradient environments that come with the product.
waves are crashing in our scene.
17 SCREEN MODE
We can also add detail to our water and
bubbles by using photographs set to Screen mode.
There are a lot of great stock images available
including video clips online. Often, the stock video
clips are shot at 1,080p, which is a high enough res
for our needs. The water bubbles are pretty small
in the composition so a still grab from the video
works just fine. Desaturate your image and adjust
the Levels so that the darks are completely black
and dont show when the layer is set to Screen.
TYPOGRAPHIC
DESIGNS
OUR EXPERT
LUCA MOLNAR
http://lucamolnar.com
Luca is a 20-year-old digital artist
from Hungary. In the past few years
she has worked for MTV Networks,
Ogilvy Group and Universal Music,
COMBINE THE PEN TOOL WITH SOME INSPIRING WORDS TO CREATE among others.
01 DRAW
THE
LETTERS
02 CREATE THE LETTERS
Select the Pen tool and start redoing the letters. Choose a fun colour
and then Ctrl/right-click>Fill Path. Try to have a new layer for every letter, in
Often when case you want to change something on the type later. Play with the boldness
creating an and size of the letters to give them more character.
illustration, it is
best to start with
drawing out the
initial composition.
First we did a
quick outline of
the shoe with the
Pen tool in
Photoshop, then
printed it and
started drawing.
Try to figure out an
overall inspiring
message to get
across in the work.
QUICK TIP
When adding lighting to your
illustration always try to play
03 CHOOSE MORE COLOURS
We want to make it very vivid;
to achieve this choose three bright
with blending modes.
Choosing the right mode colours. We opt for pink, purple and
(usually Overlay or Screen) light blue, but you can select any
can be the key to a great piece.
However, be careful; if you add shades you want. Now keep creating
too many lights, it can turn the letters using the pencil sketch as a
your artwork into a disaster. template; be patient there are lots!
05 ADD HIGHLIGHTS
Merge a few layers to have one word or line
per layer, then go to Select>Load Selection and add a
new layer. Choose a lighter tone to the words colour,
select a large soft brush and start painting highlights.
04 HANDWRITTEN WORDS
You may choose to create some handwritten-looking words. Using the Pen tool, simply draw
the shape of the letters, then select a small brush (5px), plus the Pen tool again, and Ctrl/right-
click>Stroke Path. Experiment with settings to make the letters look as natural as possible.
06 WRAP UP THE
WORDS
Finally, its time to finish
07 ITS A SHOE-IN
Lets start putting together the sneaker now. Use
the Pen tool, choose white, redraw the shape of the shoe
the rest of the typography. and then Ctrl/right-click>Fill Path. Next Ctrl/right-click
Draw all the letters with the layer and choose Blending Options, go to Stroke,
the Pen tool and dont select a dark grey and set the Size to 8px.
forget to add some
highlights to each word to
make them consistent.
After youve finished the
words, read them a few
times to make sure you
dont have any typos.
10 BACKGROUND
Now that weve finished the typography and the shoe, the only
thing left to do is to put together a background. Select the Gradient tool
and choose two colours (white and light grey) set at 100% Opacity.
Choose the Radial gradient and apply it to a new layer, which is placed
under all of the other layers.
KEEP ON DRAWING
Dont get scared, were not suggesting that
you learn to draw like Da Vinci! However, it
11 GET EDGY
It all looks a little flat
now; to make the
can be very helpful to plan your illustration background look more
on paper, especially if you want to produce
dramatic, lets work up
a more detailed piece. Draw a sketch, scan
it, open it in Photoshop and then start edges. Add a new layer
working it up with the Pen tool. This can above the background,
help a lot, ensuring you dont get lost amid
all the possibilities in Photoshop and you select a 2,500px soft brush
can stay focused on the task at hand. This (dark grey) and then click
method can really save the day if you are on the shoe edges. If it
creating a detailed piece with lots of
different objects (flowers, animals and doesnt look right, try
flying lines) or if trying to fit a lot of text into using Filters>Blur>
an awkwardly shaped object, etc.
Gaussian Blur.
12 SPLASH OUT
We will now
add some water
splashes to the
background. First open
a splash image (see
the links on the disc for
the free stock images
that we used) and use
the Pen tool to cut
them out. Do your best
to cut edges as neatly
as you can. Now drop
the splashes into the
work, place under the
sneaker and duplicate
several times to taste.
13 MAKE IT SHINE
We have to add some lights to make the water more dynamic.
Add a new layer above the splashes, set the layer style to Overlay and
then select a soft brush, or any other brushes you use for adding
lights. Start applying accents to parts of the water, keeping a light
source in mind.
14 SEEING STARS
Only do this if you feel you need some more lights. Download a star brush; there
are plenty of these available for free online. Add it to your Brushes menu, add a new layer
and place some shiny stars. Be careful here though; add too many and the work could end
up looking tacky.
198
Explore the popularity of mixed media
212 Photo-Illustration
Add illustration to photographed scenes
188
208
202
218
192
Illustrate with Photoshop Genius Guide 169
Mixed Media
APPLYING
MIXED
MEDIA
ITS RAW, ITS REAL AND IT CAN BE
ROUGH, BUT MIXED MEDIA ART IS
BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR.
POZ WATSON INVESTIGATES
Mixed media illustrations are nothing new. In QUICK TIPS
the last few years, however, a wave of artists A graphics tablet is highly recommended
have brought to them a new level of for this type of technical illustration.
Whether youre painting the exterior
sophistication as well as a grounding of genuine artistic of your car or ghosting in its components,
talent. Whereas they were once thought of as a slightly the tablets pressure sensitivity cant be
beaten. Hit F5 to go into your Brush menu,
amateurish mishmash of elements the epitome of and turn on Pen Pressure for the Size and
the try-too-hard student or the over-eager Opacity controls.
photographer theyve now become a style thats a
force to be reckoned with, even competing with the Ink is the key visual signifier in the new
mixed media arsenal. Keep it washy and
ubiquitous slick vector look in its commercial appeal. spontaneous if youre scanning in inked art,
The inky, arty look has reached new heights as skilful or experiment with digital brushes.
artists from around the world have mastered blending
Texture is an instant signifier that the image
digital and non-digital elements, and mixed media has
has been created on or with real media,
been reborn. even if it hasnt. Several painting packages
According to Alexander Ovchinnikov who by day is will allow you to import and use a texture
effectively. Remember to lower the opacity
creative director of the Moscow-based creative agency of layers so it doesnt show through.
MILK this style has been around in its current form
for only two or three years. His personal work used to Found patterns add a nice touch to hybrid
focus on black and white comics, which has segued illustrations. Use them on layers set to
Multiply to darken them and make them
nicely into what he is now producing. And another more transparent. This will give you a
adherent of the style, Florian Nicolle whose 2009 fantastic silkscreen or lithograph look like
a traditional print.
image Goldfish graces this very page explains that: I
call this technique the Tradigital because it mixes
traditional art with digital art. It is characterised, in my 001 |
opinion, by the confrontation between two different Goldfish, 2009
worlds that of the real (paper, brush, ink) and the An example of combining digital
textures with typography and inking to
virtual (soware, graphics tablet), and the gathering of create a digital/traditional hybrid.
two different eras. Florian Nicolle.
001
002 003
002 |
Nebula, 2009, Photoshop
This Indian ink/Photoshop piece was created by Lotie for the So Natural exhibition at
le Cube, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Lotie
003 |
Butterflies, 2009, mixed media.
A combination of pencils, coloured pencils and inks with varying digital techniques
produces an organic look.
L Filipe dos Santos
As Raphal Vicenzi puts it, this style is: The bridge between the
hand-made approach and the benefits of digital tools. I think its where
the boundaries are blurred that makes it difficult to tell what is computer
generated and what is not. And as Portuguese artist L Filipe dos Santos
(aka Corcoise) sees it: I think I wouldnt call this a style but a technique, a
making-process. I know too many different styles made in this way to call
it a style. Anyway, if I had to come up with a name for it, maybe
organic-digital, binary-mess I truly dont know, nothing decent comes to
mind.
Rather than a style then, this new mixed media approach is more a way
of thinking about digital art. Its just art again, with different tools and
methods, sure, but the end result is what matters, rather than the
technological way it was produced. For Vicenzi, it is all about being
inspired. He lists graffiti artists, street art and collages as things he has
drawn from, noting that: I decided I might as well borrow from all the
genres I liked and put them all on the same canvas while adding a more
feminine element into it. For dos Santos, there was a more specific
light-bulb moment that led him down the mixed media path. He says: I
was a teenager when I first saw Dave McKeans work, and it definitely
pressed some buttons inside me I didnt know I had.
For Lotie, however, there never needed to be anything to kick-start her
interest in the mixed media world, since she has worked in this style since
the beginning of her career. She explains: I began by drawing only with
Indian ink. I scanned these drawings and I did colours in Photoshop. But
QUICK TIP
Create your own watercolours, doodles and drips, and keep a large library of
them available. If inspiration goes stale, you can make new stock images for
yourself. One single drawn element can liven up an entire illustration.
004 005
004 |
It is interesting to catch any situation - a scene, a pose of a Sit Down, 2010, Photoshop and Illustrator.
random passer-by - and transform the image into an artwork Her mix of vectors and photomanipulation has fused in
a very unique way
Jana Jelovac
gradually I looked for materials, for elements in the artwork. Its a part of my creative experiment. 005 |
photographs of magazines. Soon I made my own Erik Schumacher, who works in this mixed media Broken-hearted Heroes, 2010, Photoshop.
photos, to which I added textures and shapes mixes style but also produces straight digital paintings of epic The variety of styles and mediums on here is what
builds to give this piece of personal work strength.
to be made with my drawings. landscapes, does use stock photos for his work, and JRaphael Vicenzi
It is a similar jumping-off point for Ovchinnikov, who sees them as being no less creative. For his image
says that: If I work with photos I always use my own Crucifixion;, he searched for: A face that showed a
pictures (never from photo banks or libraries). He goes wicked, inscrutable expression that would catch the
on to explain that its the real world that he wants to viewers attention immediately. Aer that I enhanced
take into his illustration work, calling them, Photos the background of the portrait with some rough
without production, street photos, which I take on linework, and also overpainted the face for an artistic
Moscow streets or while travelling. It is interesting to and painted look. Corel Painter comes in useful while
me to catch any situation a scene, a pose of a random experimenting with various brushes and painting
passer-by and then transform the image into an styles. In the final steps I added splatter and textures to
INTERVIEW:
ERIK SCHUMACHER
Erik used this image to experiment with new
WEB: www.xkire.de SOFTWARE: Photoshop CS2, Painter X techniques in Painter
WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THIS STYLE? WHAT ARE ITS WEAKNESSES?
I can tell stories with my art, express my feelings. Using stock Having recourse to stock images is still important for the creation
photos instead of pure digital painting also saves a lot of time of this kind of work. The fact that this style is fairly easy to realise
Additionally, the techniques are very easy to learn, even for proves disadvantageous at the same time. Artists have to be
newbie painters, yet the result looks great most of the time. original in subject and concept in order to stand out.
Mixed
Media
WILD MOTHER
ARTIST: Raphael Vicenzi SOFTWARE: Photoshop YEAR: 2010
This piece, combining female elegance with animal that directed the image. He explains: The title and
power, was loosely inspired by the book Women typography came aerwards, while I just tried to
Who Run with the Wolves by Clasissa Pinkola Ests. keep the idea of wild animals and a feminine
Brussels-based illustrator Raphal Vicenzi explains: creative force. His work involves a lot of trial and
This is about the wild creative principle animating error adding layers, removing parts, playing with
living things. Its also about the wild things inside us, colours until it has depth. Its through this process
either prey or predator. that Raphal feels out just what an image is
The image wasnt carefully planned out before supposed to be and achieve: Sometimes it doesnt
Raphal began work on it, however. Rather, the end make sense until one element gives it a meaning I
product is the result of a few external impressions hadnt thought about.
QUICK TIP
006 Images in this style tend to be 007
roughly composed, almost sketchy.
Pieces are more atmospheric if not
entirely planned out.
d
a 006 |
Deer, 2008. Photoshop.
With this image, the clarity that mixed
media can achieve is clear
Tetsuya Toshima
007 |
Luna, 2010, Photoshop, Illustrator.
This required a ballpoint pen, coloured
ink, china ink and brush work before it
reached digital realms
Florian Nicolle
I try to keep the my composition to give the piece a rough and dirty
look, with action and a nice amount of detail.
but reveals: I always use my own brushes
and never the ready ones. Which is perhaps the
whole thing close to For Vicenzis image Despite All This Confusion, he perfect encapsulation of just what the whole mixed
what Id too started with the image of a woman, although this media approach is about.
009 010
010 |
Artists are free to concentrate on their art rather than Sis, 2010. Photoshop.
worrying about the latest clever techniques or the hottest I dont have a specific way of doing things. I prefer
to let subconscious impressions guide me
piece of kit Raphal Vicenzi
fusion of hand-made passion and digital convenience design updated with the digital. And the feeling is the
009 |
Bathroom, 2008. Photoshop.
means that the artists operating within it are free to same for all these artists. Working in a flexible way, using
Floating-in colour is a technique from concentrate on their art rather than worrying about the whatever elements interest them and ignoring those that
watercolour and inking, but you can latest clever techniques or the hottest piece of kit. dont, is less a deliberate choice and more like the obvious
use it with digital brushes too.
Schumacher explains that, for him: It is a very creative and natural way that an artist should work.
L Filipe dos Santos
style which gives you the opportunity to create sketchy For Lotie, it allows her to work on subjects shes
or even abstract pieces with a special traditional feel to interested in: I always liked taking photos of nature. Soon
011 | them, although they are entirely digitally made. And for I wanted to incorporate my drawings into these photos, to
Foreteller, 2009. Photoshop.
Nicolle: I think this technique has become popular intertwine the whole. Nature inspired my drawing, and
This images owes more of its visual
look to artisan printing techniques. because it opens doors to many new possibilities. therefore it was natural to incorporate her into my
Alexander Ovchinnikov There could be a return to the fashion of traditional drawings. And its the organic part of the compositions
that can make them so special. Nicolle says: This
technique can give a lot of expression and liveliness to a
011 composition, because it retains the richness of traditional
painting colours, gestures, accidents.
Jana Jelovac is another artist who creates work that
feels very natural. She says: Artworks I present are not
made to be pretty or ugly. In the process of developing an
artwork, Im not thinking Are people going to like it? I
just let it go and do everything that goes through my mind
in that particular moment. They are all spontaneous and
closely related to music.
INTERVIEW:
ALEXANDER OVCHINNIKOV
WEB: www.not-for-sale.ru
SOFTWARE: Photoshop
What inspired you to work in this style?
Im inspired by Frank Miller and Peter Maxs
012 works, as well as film and musical posters of
the Seventies, classic American comics, and
films by Tim Burton and Alfred Hitchcock. In
012 | classical painting I like Pablo Picasso,
stock images at least sometimes, which as well as My Nature, 2008. , Photoshop.
Hieronimus Bosch and Egon Schiele.
potentially restraining your creative impulses, can also Hand-drawn stuff is essential, but digital tools are also
unavoidable because of the wonders they can create
be expensive.
L Filipe dos Santos Will this style continue to develop, do you
Its also a style that results in very big images, which
think? Im certain this graphic design style will
can be a hindrance, albeit not one that should put an QUICK TIP continue developing. Nowadays many young
artist off. And while dos Santos points out that its most Hand-drawn elements can sometimes digital artists are turning to the use of various
dangerous weakness is the risk of an artist becoming come off too clean, so use Photoshop to
combine them with photographic live textures and elements and their
used to some kind of pre-formatted way of working, he textures and add realistic details. compilations in their works, so this style will
also notes that it can happen with any style or Blending modes like So Light, Overlay grow and develop.
technique. or Hard Light oen come in useful.
In artistic terms, working with mixed media seems
Are there any particular artists working in
to be all about the upside. Jana notes: This is the first 013 this style that you admire? I like to observe
time Im thinking about my styles weaknesses, and
what is happening in all the visual arts every
maybe it could be the bareness that it has, because all
day there are new artists rising up, changing
my artworks are very personal so that people can see
and improving the existing styles. I cannot
my exposed vulnerability.
name anyone in particular, but there are many
And as the slick vector machine has rolled on
of them in the world now.
without really producing anything new, the mixed
media look has become more and more popular with
clients as well as artists. As Lotie notes, it is perfect for
advertising because its tendrils can be wrapped around
a product, but its used in many other ways too. Nicolle
comments that it is popular because it is alive, while
Toshima reports that clients oen say that they have
never seen this kind of work. Vicenzi agrees that
clients want something striking, but also points out that
its unpredictability can be a downside. But if theres
anything that deserves to be unpredictable, then its art,
so perhaps this isnt really a downside at all.
013 |
So what does the future hold for the mixed media
F-Spirit, 2008. Photoshop. This image demonstrates the soness
artist? Erik Schumacher thinks there will be more and that mixing the analog and the digital can achieve.
more crossover between styles and techniques and Tetsuya Toshima
Mixed media guru Lotie has been added it to the photograph of the bottle.
combining her hand drawings with a From there, she worked on the colours
variety of digital elements since she in Photoshop.
graduated and began her career in 2003. For Paris-based Lotie, the beauty of
She finds that her floaty, dream-like take this approach is that it allows her images
on the mixed media technique is popular to be more organic and more real than
in particular with advertising clients, they would be if they were created purely
because its the perfect way to encase a digitally. She does work for clothing labels
product within a particular illustration. As such as Triiad and Undiz, as well as for
Lotie explains to us: A photograph or a magazines and advertising clients, and
video of the product in movement, the she sees no reason for her style to
whole surrounded with drawings, is change any time soon.
rather effective. As she points out: The mixed media
In the case of a print advert for look has always existed since the
Raspberry Absolut Vodka that Lotie beginning of the advertising industry. I
created in 2006, she traced the image on dont think that its out of date. The style of
paper first, and then drew the basics of the drawn environment can change
her illustration around this. Then Lotie according to the fashions, but I think, not
scanned the lot into the computer and this technique.
014
014 |
I think the final result is the Unicorn, 2010. Photoshop.
most important Here Alexander has used ink marks in a less traditional way
thing, no matter rather than exploiting the classic inky look.
Alexander Ovchinnikov
QUICK TIP what process was
Even when youve found a style that suits you, its good to keep involved in its
trying new styles and ways of working, even if its just in
personal projects
making
sources: These days it is almost mandatory to remain popular, but he also notes that: The scene
draw on other media to finish projects. Among has to develop to survive in the long term. The
matte painters the use of 3D programs such as quality of images is steadily improving, and also
3D Max or landscape generators like Terragen clients will expect more from artists. People have
is very popular. In manipulations and paintings, to come up with new techniques to refresh this
fractals from Apophysis are used frequently. style once in a while.
Erik tells us hes sure the style is going to
Lotie is one of many illustrators would like to see
015 the mixed media approach produce: More
intricacies between the media, more harmony,
more meeting between the reality and
imagination. She adds that mixed media has
always been around in some form or another: The
style of the drawn environment can change
according to the fashions, but I think, not this
technique. Jana Jelovac doesnt worry that the
style has an expiration date either, because she
says that she simply isnt interested in: So-called
trendy graphic design, and for me it really doesnt
matter what is selling on the market. Also, my style
is constantly changing, so I think something new
and fresh will always come from me.
Ultimately, the current passion for mixed media
does seem to be less of a trend and more a return
to art basics. As dos Santos sees it, people have
got too hyped up by what a computer can do:
Innovative soware was appearing everywhere,
and that was reflected in the pictures made back in
the Nineties. But then the fascination with what a
machine could do started fading to a more
balanced level, and finally the novelty is no longer a
novelty. Nowadays I think that the final result, the
015 |
Car, 2009. ink/Photoshop. final illustration, is the most important thing, no
Florian Nicolle matter what process was involved in its making.
MIXED MEDIA
DIGITAL COLLAGE
Mix your creative processes together to create stunning
digital montages with impact
Digital collage has been a popular art-form for professionals and amateurs alike for many years. Its
a lively, vivid way to express your creativity and great for amalgamating spare elements or for giving
OUR EXPERT
commissioned work a hand-made feel.
DANIELLE DIXON
All of the starting files are provided on this issues disc so begin by opening these in Photoshop. We are www.photoshopcreative.co.uk/user/
using Photoshop CS2 in this tutorial but the techniques used can be re-created in newer versions. Of all Dani Taylor
creative programs, Photoshop offers the most freedom when producing art such as this. Layers play an Aer graduating in Illustration, Dani
has been working in the publishing
integral role in this workshop and the layer effects, along with masks, make blending elements together
industry sampling many digital
seamless. Mixed media collages always look more complex than they really are as the same techniques and drawing programs. Photoshop is still
elements can be re-used throughout the artwork. her favourite for the high degree of
creativity it offers artists
We kick off the tutorial by running through correct scanning procedures so, if you did want to start the
illustration with your own resources, get your scanner warmed up. We then move on to the main bulk of this SOURCE FILES
There is a whole stack of files on this
step-by-step: creating the collage in Photoshop. The main tools well be using are blending modes and months free disc, ranging from
masks the must-know features for collage creation as well as considering how to use layers effectively. hand-drawn flowers to paint splatters and
ripped paper in fact, everything you need
to re-create this illustration.
07 MASKS CONTINUED
Decrease the brush size and Opacity to 30% as you work
along the ripped paper line. If you want to repair some of the
08 FLOWERS
Make the main flower visible and
position it where you want it. Select the Lasso
mask, simply switch the Foreground/Background colours to tool and make a loose selection around the
White/Black. Using masks to hide unwanted areas is a key flower. Add a mask to the flower layer and the
mixed media technique. By using masks nothing is permanently unwanted white background will disappear. If
erased. You can precisely cut around items with the Pen tool and the wrong part of the selection vanishes, press
delete onto a mask or use the Brush or Lasso tools. Cmd/Ctrl+I to invert the mask. Repeat this
process for the other lily.
You might be
suprised how the
tiniest specks/fibres
which the scanners
are able to pick up.
16 FINAL EMBELLISHMENTS
Use the Pen tool to trace some leaf shapes and
the Ellipse tool to create some circles. To finish the
The texture layers are woven in
among the vectors, hiding
circles, we decrease the shapes Fill to 0% and add a some areas, adding depth
Stroke, which can be found in the Add a layer style and complexity
menu at the bottom of the Layers palette. Nothing is
fixed, so you can play with the composition until youre
happy with it.
USING PAINT
TEXTURES
Josh Overton breaks down his popular Stoop to Conquer image
to show us how to use paint textures effectively
Digital painting and illustration has come a long way over the last ten years. It keeps becoming more and OUR EXPERT
more accessible to the public through the use of software such as the Adobe Creative Suite and Photoshop JOSH OVERTON
www.overtongraphics.com
CS5 in particular. It has reached the stage, with so many artists out there, that ideas come easily, but its
down to us to try and push our imaginations to come up with something novel as opposed to recreating styles that Josh is a graphic designer based in
the UK. He focuses mainly on digital
already exist. and print illustration and has worked
We are all aware that the majority of designs using paint splatters as the main element tend to consist of a person with a number of high-profile clients.
jumping in mid-air and either having paint thrown over them or becoming part of them. This can lead to a lot of
SOURCE FILES
portfolios comprising very similar work and if possible we need to avoid this. We need to fire up our passion for Included on this months disc is the
original design and encourage artists to have the confidence to set trends rather than simply follow them. Photoshop file of Stoop to Conquer at a
smaller resolution. Also supplied are the
This tutorial takes a look at just what can be achieved if we move away from traditional human subjects and various paint splatter textures which were
transform the paint splatter textures into something more tangible and integral to the work. used in the tutorial.
PHOTOGRAPHING PAINT
Its not that difficult to photograph your own
08 PREDATOR
For the purposes of this tutorial, we
are using a stock image of a bald eagle, but any
09 HEY PRESTO
The image should look fairly
complete, except that the eagles body in its
paint textures, and they come in handy for other bird of your choosing will suffice and natural state doesnt really fit with the
many kinds of projects. Get your hands on this choice can really affect the overall dynamic. extravagant wings. Now begins the fairly
some paint and splash it on white paper Carefully cut around the stock image using the detailed process of getting his body to blend
(which makes extraction easier when you
Magic Wand, Pen and Eraser tools. Work in with his wings. This involves a mash-up
bring the image to Photoshop). Get creative
particularly carefully around the head and body, of the wings over the black/brown body
with as many shapes as you can, then grab
your camera. Try to shoot in neutral lighting but dont worry about individual feathers. which we then blend.
and avoid shadows of yourself or the
camera on your paper surface. Set your
camera to its Macro focus mode to pick up
the detail at a close range and snap away. It
may take a few attempts to get exposure
and focus right, but building up a personal
stock library can really pay dividends.
10 MASH-UP
First make about three or four copies of
the eagle layer that we have cut out. Hide all bar
Shoot in neutral
lighting and avoid
one and set the blending mode of this to Overlay. shadows of
This should all-but look like the final image now. yourself or the
Now reveal another eagle layer (above the Overlay
layer) and cut off the dark body of the eagle,
camera on
leaving only the head and feet looking natural. your paper
11 EAGLE DRUMSTICKS
Feel free to darken the Overlay layer
with the Burn tool (use the O key). Work
12 GREEN BODY WINGS
For this step, we need to duplicate some wing
layers and then colour them in a faded green before
13 ONE LAST BODY PART
Here we simply repeat the previous step,
but this time creating a pink wing layer on the
around the legs and the neck as in the applying a Multiply blending mode. We can then begin body. Additionally, we have aligned this layer with
image for this step so it appears attached to using the Eraser tool in order to get this layer to fit within the legs in order to add some colour to this
the untouched head and feet. All thats left the eagles body shape. Show the eagle layers again to otherwise fairly bare area. All thats left for us to
to do is to add some of the paint splatters help with this step; we have just hidden the layers do now is show all the layers and apply the
from the wings. temporarily for the sake of the tutorial. finishing touches.
15 PEN TOOL
On a separate layer, using the Pen tool, click at the base of the first wing, then click and hold at the tip of
the wing and bend the line to align with the wing shape. In the Paths tab, we right-click the path and click
we have it a manipulated image using paint
splatters that doesnt involve someone jumping
through paint. Let your imagination soar, and see
Stroke Path, then select Brush from the dropdown menu and, lastly, enable Simulate Pressure. what you can create!
FRESH STYLE
FOR SPORTS
We show you how to reproduce this ultra-contemporary style, using
photo stock, Photoshop effects and your own illustrated elements
Andy Potts, Darren Hopes and Paul Holland are just a few of the commercial artists currently producing a
very distinct mixed-media illustration style, with photo stock playing an integral role in creating these
OUR EXPERT
visions, used as both a guide and as a medium unto itself, alongside art-worked elements.
ADAM SMITH
www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk/user/Adam
Such an immediate style has no right or wrong outcome, and is ultimately open to both approach and
application. However, there are a few techniques that will give you a strong starting point to realise an authentic With a BA Hons in Illustration, APs
reviews editor Adam Smith looks
interpretation, and this is what we set out to show you here. forward to a digital renaissance in
This step-by-step reveals many solutions, taken from both inside and outside our favourite image-editing app. style, and sets out to see if he still has
some illustrative flair to share...
Traditional textures and scanned sketch images meet PS blending modes for maximum diversity. We also reveal
how to apply intuitive blending and layer style options for rich tones to make your image pop, while layer masks
SOURCE FILES
help tie visuals together. But the real bonus of this style is that you dont need to be a pro you can really fly into This tutorial provides a host of sketch textures free
this with gusto and adapt the methods to meet your own needs. to apply in your own artwork. Building and cloud
photo stock, as well as the sign.psd image used to
produce the backdrop are included. The model
image is provided by iStockphoto, and there are
links to several other free stock images.
01 BASICS
Begin by opening your
document (235 x 302mm,
02 MODEL SELECTIONS
Cut out your model by tracing edges using the Pen Path tool, selecting the Paths
palette and Cmd/Ctrl-clicking the Path layer. Copy and paste the model layer into your
300dpi). Copy and paste a image document. Using the same process, select your models shorts and shirt, and
crumpled paper texture into import onto separate layers (Cmd/Ctrl+J).
your document, resize if
necessary, then decrease the
Fill value to around 40%.
Duplicate several times,
experimenting with Levels on
each layer to get the contours
and exposure to taste, before
opening the model image
(iStockphotos Runner).
03 COLOURED
SILHOUETTE
Cmd/Ctrl-click your model layer
thumbnail, making an active
selection. Select Solid Color from the
Create new fill or adjustment drop
The real bonus of this style is that you
options at the base of the Layers dont need to be a pro you can really fly
palette. Weve applied an orange
tone. Now duplicate your model
into this with gusto and adapt the
layer, place above your orange fill methods to meet your own needs
and decrease to 10% Opacity. Mask
out any facial detail.
04 COLOURED EXPOSURE
Duplicate your model copy layer,
place this at the top of the stack and set a
05 COLOURED EXPOSURE 2
Use the attached layer mask to erase and let through softer
orange tones from the model copy/Fill layers beneath, preserving only
06 DETAILS
This process will wash out a lot
of detail. To bring a bit back into our
Screen blending mode. Hide all layers bar the highlighted areas. Duplicate your new merged layer, delete the layer foreground leg, accentuating motion,
Fill and model copy types. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/ mask and change tones to purple using Hue/Saturation sliders. simply duplicate your original model,
Alt+Shift+E to create a new merged layer. Use Applying a new layer mask, erase highlighted edges and preserve place this above your purple model
Levels to boost exposure and get richer colours shadowed areas. layer, and integrate tones using Hue/
with Image>Adjustments>Variations>More Saturation and Variations options. Apply
Red. Apply a Soft Light blending mode to this a layer mask, and softly erase all detail
new merged layer. Delete/hide your second except the knee area and surrounding
model copy layer. muscle tension.
MIXEDMEDIA
DISTRIBUTION
By this stage you will have the
basic style established,
determining the form and focal
points of your image. Now you can
apply mixed-media textures freely
be expressive and dont be too
07 DETAILS 2
Merge all related model layers as in
Step 4. Select the shorts layer, Cmd/Ctrl+I,
08 MIXED-MEDIA SELECTIONS
Now resize this layer smaller and
place to the right. Apply a layer mask.
QUICK TIP
With all good
illustration, no matter
fussy. Experiment when applying
these with Overlay, Screen,
Multiply, Linear Light and Color
Dodge blending modes to shade
applying a Red Color Overlay from the Layer Open SXCs Canvas Texture 1 image, the style, it must have
context. Themes and and highlight certain areas.
Style options; set blending to Multiply. Cmd/ selecting painted elements with the However, when applying textures,
topics of inspiration
Ctrl-click the shirt layer thumbnail, activate your Magic Wand tool, then pasting into your will dictate and inspire try to find natural edges that
newly merged layer, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+I and image. Place over your models lower iconography and complement form and movement.
image visuals applied.
apply a layer mask. Combine your merged leg, Cmd/Ctrl-click the layer thumbnail, This helps create We recommend focusing on
model layer and shorts layer together into a then erase from your merged model interesting visual cues re-creating existing structure in
new layer. Now hide all others bar this one. layer mask with an 80% Opacity black instead of less relevant areas such as clothing, anatomy
elements, perhaps and hair; essentially this lends an
chalk brush. associated with more
surreal digital genres. air of seamless flow to your work.
to find natural edges your model, match the scale of your merged
model, and select Image>Adjustments> Hue/
that complement Saturation>Colorize, tweaking sliders to give your
form and movement duplicate model layer an all-over green tone. Set
10 MIXED-MEDIA EFFECT
See boxout to better understand how
to apply mixed media. Weve applied SXCs
11 GO APE
Create a stronger shadow by duplicating your previous merged
model layer, and resize and position using Transform>Distort. Press Cmd/
12 GO APE 2
Weve created the rest of the
ape using the Pen Shape tool, layering
Palette 10 acrylic texture rescaled and Ctrl+U, dropping Saturation and Lightness to -100, and set the blending one arm above the head layer and
oriented to the shorts with Screen blending, mode to Vivid Light. Now open the Baby Gorilla Walking and Clapping image applying mixed-media textures for
to the hind leg with Multiply, and to the head from SXC. Use selection tools to copy and paste into your main document, interest. We use the same Pen settings
and shoulders with Vivid Light, Linear Light duplicating, rescaling and positioning, as in the example. Also apply Hue/ to create the ribbons, making it look as
and Color Dodge. Weve added SXCs Saturation>Colorize to enhance blue tones. if our ape is holding back our runner
Untitled splat texture too, set to Luminosity, as he breaks through symbolic of
to imitate mud splats off our models foot. getting that monkey off your back.
13 BACKDROP DETAILS
Open the TudorHouse Single.tif
image, select and erase the sky, then place into
14 SKY EXPOSURE
Reposition and distort as you like,
then merge these two layers into a new
QUICK TIP
Typography can really add to
an Illustrative Image of this
15 SKY EXPOSURE 2
Create a new layer on top
with an orange-to-transparent
style. Experiment with font
your scene. Cmd/Ctrl-click this layers separate layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+E). types to add a unique gradient, from the top-right to the
thumbnail, making a selection. Create a new Weve integrated the bottom building edge aesthetic appeal - that runners left shoulder. Set an Overlay
complements shape and
layer, place behind your building layer and fill using a mask with a Linear Burn blending form or accentuates
blending mode and duplicate. You
with a grey-blue. Set Soft Light blending to the mode. Create a new layer on top, set the direction. Numbers and can create complementary texture
symbols can also be used effects by applying Screen, Hard Light
building layer (30% Opacity), invert, then select blending mode to Multiply and apply a 60%
as a form of iconography,
and erase white wall elements. For subtler dark grey-to-transparent gradient from the relating to running and Linear Light blending modes.
effects, boost Hue/Saturation>Lightness. top-left corner to your models right shoulder. metaphors or other themes. Weve used our own and SXCs
Untitled, psychedelic nature 12 and
painted wall 1 examples.
16 FINAL ADDITIONS
Weve created Pen Shape layers, set to Multiply blending, in order
to juxtapose textures. Apply more line layers and sketch textures. The
cloud is added as a crude cutout, set to 76% Hard Light and the light
falling on our model is a solid shape set to Screen, with masking. Import
sign.psd from the CD onto its own layer, position and scale.
STRIKING EVENT
DESIGN
USE PHOTOSHOP SELECTION TOOLS AND FILTERS
TO CREATE A VIBRANT MOVIELIKE POSTER
This tutorial looks at how to apply both template-based and creative skills to a movie poster design OUR EXPERT
including composition and type treatment. Above all it demonstrates just how imperative Photoshop
GRZEGORZ DOMARADZKI
is in creating highly detailed and precise photo-based portraits, in Domaradzkis signature vexel style, www.iamgabz.com
primarily using the Lasso tool. Lighting effects also feature heavily, showing you how to specifically apply the 32-year-old freelance illustrator and
Motion Blur filter and various layer styles to achieve energised effects. Deselect (Cmd/Ctrl+D) will be used graphic designer Grzegorz works in
frequently in this process; each time you fill the shapes created with the Lasso tool, youll need to use this Pozna, Poland. He specialises in
everything from portraiture to
shortcut to make your workflow smoother and more efficient. snowboard art and T-shirt designs.
Finding the right photo reference for the poster is fairly easy its much harder to find the right title. As this
is a fictional movie poster, weve come up with fictional credits and a real quote that fits the themes of the
SOURCE FILES
On the CD is a Small version of the
final piece. Before approaching this tutorial or indeed any type of design we encourage you to make at model from iStockphoto. There are
least a rough sketch of the general composition so youve got something to work towards from the off. also links to other stock used.
Courtesy of
iStockphoto
03 SHADING
Edit the photo
Opacity to 30%, then
create a new layer,
applying a clipping mask
to the main shape layer.
Start with blacks for the
darkest parts of the photo
and whites for the
brightest areas. Zoom in at
200% when creating each
of the Lasso tool shapes
and fill with the same
colour youre working on.
Remember that holding
Shift will add to a
selection, while holding
Opt/Alt will delete from it.
04 SHADING 2
With the specular
extremes now covered, its time to
QUICK TIP
Dont be afraid of using too
many adjustment layers,
erasing parts of them and/
turn our attention to the images or changing their layer
modes later on. It may
midtones. We dont want to use surprise you how many
more than six colours including the great effects they can
main shape, so create a new layer produce along the way.
underneath the black and white
layer, choose a dark grey and, using
the Lasso tool once more, fill all the
midtone areas where they appear
on the reference photo. Remember
that you can switch off the photo
layer from time to time to better
see how the work is progressing.
05 SHADING 3
Below the previous layers created in Steps 3 and 4,
create two new ones: these will be for two further grey tones
06 THINGS ARE
STARTING TO
GET HAIRY...
that you will be applying via several more Lasso tool shapes. Create a new
The variation in greys is crucial to building up depth in the non-clipped masked
models face. Place a lighter shade of grey above the main layer on top of all the
head shape. The other one should be tonally somewhere previous layers and add
between layers that are below and above it. Your character some extra thin flyaway
portrait is almost finished now however, do not delete the hair shapes to give a
photo layer, as we will be using it later on. more natural look; fill
these with the same
grey colour that was
used on the main head
shape. Note, they look
particularly good in
darker areas. From now
on, when using head
selections, dont forget
to add the selection
(Cmd/Ctrl+Shift-click on
the thumbnail) of these
extra hair elements.
07 SHOULDERS
AND SKY
Our main character
needs some shoulders.
Use the Pen tool to create
a path and, after, make a
selection (Cmd/Ctrl+
Shift-click on the path)
and fill with white. Now
open the Skies0220
image from www.
cgtextures.com, placing
09 MEDIAN FILTER
Lets go back to the photo we
used as reference. Switch it back on and
11 MOTION BLUR
Create a new layer, using a hard round
brush, graphics tablet and a light blue colour
move to the top of the layer stack. Apply (#44b3e6) to make a series of spontaneous marks
the Median filter with the Radius at 6px. over the head. Apply a Motion Blur with Distance
Change the blending mode to Soft Light pushed to its maximum and Angle to 90 degrees.
at 50% Opacity. Create a layer mask and Also switch to Hard Light blending mode. On
remove the hair and whole background, another layer make the same type of brushmarks,
so youre left with just the face. On but this time use a white colour, covering the
another layer, use a Linear white-to- shoulders and the added-in Lasso shapes. Apply a
transparent gradient, applying it left to 90-degree Motion Blur at 376px Distance to these.
right. Use a soft brush and layer mask to
remove it entirely from the background
and some parts of the face, then wrap
up with an Overlay blending mode.
10 IN THE PINK
On a new layer, add a Radial gradient with a pink colour
(#f05fa5) in the top-right corner with Overlay blending. Use a
soft brush and layer mask to remove it from the background
entirely, isolating it to the models head. Now lets add a Hue/
Saturation adjustment layer. Activate Colorize and set values to:
Hue 0, Saturation 64 and Lightness -7. Apply to a selection of
the main Lasso shapes ie shoulders and extra hair leaving
Colorize values affecting only the bottom of the background and
the top of the head.
12 MOTION BLUR 2
Create another new layer. Use the Eyedropper tool and a hard round brush to apply more colour
marks randomly over the image. The colour of each mark should more or less match the colours beneath
it. Apply another 90-degree Motion Blur at 376px Distance, with Hard Light blending. On a new layer apply a
yellow (#fbf49f)-to-transparent Linear gradient, from left to right. Use an Overlay blending mode and a layer
mask to remove effects from the background leaving them mainly on the left side of the face.
13 CONSIDER SATURATION
Add another Hue/Saturation adjustment
layer. Enable Colorize and apply: Hue 254,
Saturation 29 and Lightness 23. Erase from the
background using a soft brush; this adjustment is
to light up the right side of the models face. On a
new layer, add yellow (#f7f381) shapes drawn with
a hard round brush, along with some Elliptical
Marquee shapes at varied opacity. Lastly, apply a
90-degree Motion Blur set to 376px Distance.
COMPOSITIONAL ADDITIONS
ADD DIGITAL ELEMENTS AND TYPOGRAPHY TO COMPLETE THE POSTER
15 WORK UP TEXTURE
On a new layer add some red (#da2a2a) shapes applied with Motion Blur, using previous techniques. Open
the ConcreteBunker0698 texture from CGTextures and then go to Image>Adjustments> Threshold and set the
Level at 112. Now, using Select>Color Range with Fuzziness at maximum, separate the black from the white.
Move the selection onto the canvas and fill it with red (#da2a2a) on a new layer. We only need to use parts of this
texture, so scale, move and erase bits to get the best mixed-media results.
14 DIGITAL CIRCLES
Select the Elliptical Marquee tool and,
holding Shift, apply a few circles around, giving
each a 6px stroke and filling with
corresponding colours. Now apply a layer
mask. Open a grungy texture and go to
Select>Color Range, colour picking one of the
main image tones. Drag and use the texture
selection to erase parts of the circles.
16
MAGNETIC
DRAWING WITH
THE LASSO TOOL
LASSO STROKES
Create a new layer.
Activate the
Magnetic Lasso tool
and slide it along
the centre of the
artwork to get a
fine digital selection.
Go to Edit> Stroke
and apply a red When working on larger shapes, dont let your hand
(#da2a2a) 2px get tired too quickly just leave parts of the selection
stroke. Again, use a simplified. You can always make them more detailed
later. Either create each shape one at a time or use
selection of dirty the Shi key to add one selection to another, and fill it
texture to get rid of with colour all in one go. Sometimes a created shape
needs some correction aer being filled with colour,
some parts of the so simply use the Lasso tool where needed and fill it
stroke and place it again, hiding the unwanted parts. Applying ultra-thin
somewhere near shapes is a skill worth perfecting. All you need to do
is zoom in and practise. To add even more detail to
the eyes or already complicated shapes use the Opt/Alt key to
forehead. Repeat select and cut out areas from inside the shape.
the process on
another layer with a
white stroke, then
Motion Blur it to get
some more
light-strobe effects.
17 NOISE FILTER
Fill a new layer with white. Apply a Noise filter with an Amount of 24% Uniform. Desaturate the layer
(Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U), applying Multiply blending at 40% Opacity. At this stage the image needs greater
saturation. To fix this, add a new Hue/Saturation layer: Hue 0, Saturation 10 and Lightness -5. Since this is a
fictional poster you can now search for a quote and title befitting the work on the internet, or use the same
as we did.
BLEND TYPE
AND PHOTOS
MASTER THE SKILLS TO INTEGRATE BOLD TYPOGRAPHY
WITH KINETIC PHOTOGRAPHY OUR EXPERT
In this tutorial we shall combine typography and photography to create an engaging and bold JOSIP KELAVA
illustration. When looking at the dancer in the photograph you will see that the body parts intertwine www.josipkelava.com
Josip is a senior designer at
with the letters that, while hard to decipher, are an intriguing reference to dance movements and Clemenger BBDO in Melbourne. His
choreography. As dancing, like any art, can be interpreted variously by different people, we shall use this as style consists of playing with lurid
typography and balance, making his
inspiration to create this illustration.
work bold, confident and memorable.
We must remember that dance is an expression of movement, therefore we shall create the type to wrap
around the dancer, as if it were dancing on its own. One of the ways to create a striking image is to add a SOURCE FILES
On this disc you will find a layered
juxtaposition of elements. The dancer is meant to be quite sensual while the typography is quite rigid and
PSD of the typography we used. You
sharp. This enables the illustration to become more engaging for the viewer. will also need to download the start
Using Photoshop as our main editor for this demonstration is the best way we can play with colours and photo from Dreamstime, image
number 21231119 if you wish to use
frame our typography to best wrap around the dancer. Photoshop offers us a quick and easy way to contour the same image as us, or substitute
the typography and colour our dancer, through its masking features and editing capabilities. it with one of your own.
CREATIVE DESIGNS
LEARN HOW THIS AMAZING MECHANICAL BUG WAS PUT
TOGETHER USING STOCK IMAGERY, RENDERS AND
PHOTOSHOP KNOWHOW
OUR EXPERT
In this tutorial well be showing you how lighting, shading and details that will really help DEVIN SCHOEFFLER
to effectively combine a large number of sell the final image. You should have fairly good www.ds9creations.com
elements into one convincing scene. knowledge of basic Photoshop features such as Devin is a freelance web and graphic
the Transform tool, layer masks, blending options designer with more than seven years
Well do this by carefully blending them together professional experience and an
using a variety of Photoshop tools and and of managing layers. extensive list of clients from all
techniques. In addition well explore ways to use This workshop is based on several popular around the world.
brush presets to achieve more random, designs that fuse organic creatures with
mechanical parts. These types of projects are
SOURCE FILES
organic-looking features that will help bring life There are three renders and a brush
to our robo-bug image. great for fine-tuning your skill to blend images set included. All photos are from
In order to create a truly cohesive end result together and, more generally, can be an ideal iStockphoto and some are available
on the CD, with a list of links for the
well focus the majority of our attention on opportunity to push your imagination. others. You can use your own
mechanical stock or the ones in the
mechanical photo pack provided.
This workshop is based on several popular
designs that fuse organic creatures with
mechanical parts. These types of projects
are great for fine-tuning your skill to blend
images together
01 GETTING STARTED
Begin by creating a new image, 235 x 300mm, 300dpi in RGB. Create a new layer and fill it with
white (#ffffff). Open up the flying insect green beetle image (see the link on the disc) and cut it out from
the background using your Pen tool. Go to Image> Adjustments> Levels and enter 32, 1.09 and 239 into
the fields.
02 CLEAN UP
Our photo has a few flaws that may look off in
our final piece so we need to zoom in and clean them
up. Use the Spot Healing Brush tool with a Diameter of
55px and a Hardness of 0% to remove all of the white
chips from the carapace of the beetle.
04 ADD SHADOWS
Make another layer (name it Shadows) and set it to Soft
Light with 80% Opacity. Use a large soft brush coloured black and
QUICK TIP
When working with a
complex image, it can be
easier to group components
begin adding shadows to the image in the same way that we rather than naming every
added lighting in the previous step. You may wish to add extra single layer. Oen, you may
layers of shadow and light. Again, use the photo as a guide and find yourself adding and
deleting layers just to try
simply exaggerate the lighting and shadows already established something new and it can
inthe image. become extremely tedious
to label every one. Grouping
layers will help you
stay organised.
03 ADD LIGHTING
To give our beetle an ultra-realistic and slightly
unearthly look, we need to amplify the lighting and shading.
Add a new layer, setting it to Overlay with 60% Opacity. Use a
large soft brush filled with white (#ffffff) and apply highlights.
Use the photo as a guide for specular.
05 INSERT HAIR
In our first step we lost a bit of detail when
cutting out the beetle mainly the creepy insect hair that
covers the legs and back of our bug. To get that detail
back, were going to use a brush to reinsert it. Select the
default Dune Grass brush and use the Eyedropper tool to
sample a colour from part of the beetle. Use the brushs
default setting to carefully add hair to the back and legs.
07
some machinery to our beetle. Open COLOUR THE ENGINE
up the Jet Engine stock image and Isolate the blue of the engine and go to
cut it out from its background using Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. Set Hue
the Pen tool. Place this into a layer to -120, Saturation to -16 and Lightness to -24.
group and call it Engine. Go to Use the Eyedropper tool to sample colour and
Image>Adjustments> Brightness/ use a soft brush to paint over reflections. Then
Contrast and set the Brightness to go to Filter>Noise and add 1% Uniform,
+33 and the Contrast to +52. Monochromatic noise to the green paint.
08 ENGINE SEAMS
Since we painted over the engine seams well need to redraw them.
Make a new layer and set it to Soft Light. Set your brush to 3px at 100%
Hardness and #000000 for the colour. Use your Pen tool to make an arc on
the engine. Then go to the Path Selection tool, Ctrl/right-click the path you
made and select Stroke Path. Repeat this step, but stroke the path with a
white brush and place the two lines next to each other to form the seam.
10 GEAR UP
Grab the Metallic
Gear image and cut it out
11 SHADE THE GEAR
Go to Brightness/
Contrast. Set the Brightness to
from its background. Scale it +2 and the Contrast to +100.
and place it around the Next go to Hue/Saturation and
beetles neck. Once youre set the Saturation to -57. This
happy with its position, add it will help the gear to match the
to a new group and call it other metallic components of
Gear. Apply a layer mask to the bug. Just like the engine,
the group to hide the gear repeat Steps 3 and 4 with the
behind the wings and head of gear and add highlights and
the insect. shadows where appropriate.
12 BUILD THE
THORAX
Open the Ski doo and
QUICK TIP
Continuous blending is
necessary to bring all
of these separate
Mechanical concept in black/ images together in
white images from the links one convincing piece.
Youll need to
on the disc. Also open the experiment with the
Gear image at this stage. Cut Brightness, Contrast,
out the black plastic piece to Hue and Saturation of
every element you
the rear of the seat on the intend to combine in
snowmobile as well as the big order to give them a
metal skid. Cut out both gears cohesive look.
14 MORE GEARS
Open the Cog image and place it between the wings of the beetle.
Duplicate the gear twice and stack these behind one another. Tone the
Brightness, Contrast, Hue and Saturation to match the rest of the
composition and then apply shadows and light as previously.
15 ABSTRACTS
Now our bug is
starting to look pretty
16 WINGS
Open the wings.png image from the disc and
place them into the main image. Youll want to
mechanised. Open up duplicate the wing on the right and move it to the left,
the 3D abstract renders scaling it horizontally to help sell the perspective of the
(on the disc) and place image. Theres really no wrong way to place these
them accordingly. Youll more abstract elements; you might even try using a
want to place one of derivative of your favourite grunge brush to give them
them on top of the thorax a unique finish.
imagery we created in
Steps 12 and 13 and set
it to Linear Dodge
blending mode at 90%
Opacity. The renders will
help add a bit more of an
organic and chaotic feel.
17 MIX IT UP
Take one of the 3D
renders we used in Step 15
and place it over the head
of the beetle. Set the layer
to Screen at about 85%
Opacity. Duplicate that
layer and flip it horizontally,
applying it to the other side
of the head. Repeat this
step, applying a 3D render
to the jet turbine we
incorporated earlier; this
will serve as a reflection
for the shiny engine.
19 GLOWS
Make a new layer (0% Fill and Opacity) and add a ring around the centre of the top gear with
a hard brush (around 5px). In the blending options, add an Inner Glow set to Color Dodge (#fbe31a),
with Choke at 23% and Size at 174px. Now add an Outer Glow (#ff7800), with Choke at 11%, Size at
27px. Use these same techniques to apply various glows to the engines and exhaust pipes.
21 SHADOWS
Use a big soft
brush to add a main
shadow under the
bug. Once you have
that, draw a shape
with a marquee tool
from the end of each
leg back under the
belly of the beetle. Fill
it with black then go
to Filter>Gaussian
Blur and use a Radius
20 BACKGROUND
Make a layer group under the bug and call it
Background. Use a Radial gradient to fill the layer
of 9. Adjust the opacity
of these shadow
layers to get them to
from white (#ffffff) to a light grey tone (#bbbbbb). blend together.
22 COLOUR ADJUST
Place a Color Adjustment layer
over the background and floor shadows
and then set the Midtones to Cyan 0,
Green +43 and Blue +33. You can also
add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
of the entire image and tweak the
settings to help develop a more
cohesive colour scheme.
23 HIGH PASS
As a final step, merge the entire
image and Paste a copy on top (Cmd/
Ctrl+Opt/Alt+ Shift+E). Set this layer to
Overlay at 75% Opacity and go to
Filter>Other>High Pass and set it to
about 4.5px. You can also use the
random brush we used earlier plus a
Gaussian Blur to apply some depth-of-
field effects around the beetle.
SURREAL
ILLUSTRATION
HOW TO CREATE A COMPLEX DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION WITH BRIGHT
COLOURED ELEMENTS BUILT UP AROUND A CENTRAL FOCAL POINT
OUR EXPERT
In this tutorial we will run through how to create an exciting and vibrant illustration that is based GORDON REID
around a model focal point. You will learn how to easily complete a surrealist-inspired piece using a www.middleboop.com
range of objects, turning them into brightly coloured vector shapes created completely in Photoshop, Gordon started out in 2009, working
for clients in the music industry.
adding simple touches to really bring them to life. Current clients include Advanced
We will show you how to integrate rough and dirty background layers into the mix, properly tackle those Photoshop, Maxim, Malibu, Sprite
and 4AD. He is also editor of the
tricky tasks, like cutting out the hair from the rest of the model, and master the Pen tool quickly and easily. successful Middle Boop site.
In preparation for the tutorial, we would advise you to check out one of the many stock sites and find a
suitable model for this piece, preferably one with long hair as in our example. This will act as the main focal SOURCE FILES
point for the image and something that we can use as a starting point to build the illustration around. It will On the disc you will find a few handy
layers and vectors we have included
also be useful to spend some time researching various objects that you might like to trace and bring to life that will aid you in the completion of
through the magic of Photoshop. Our model is from www.dreamstime.com, image number 20956743. this tutorial.
04 DONT HAVE
EXTRACT?
If you dont have the Extract
QUICK TIP
Remember the basics when
creating a complex tutorial
with lots of layers. Name
filter and you are using CS5, your layers so you can locate
each piece quickly, save as
then you can use the Refine
you go and group layers or
Edge option instead. Make enter them into a folder as
sure that your selection is frequently as possible.
active and go to Select>
Refine Edge. Use the tools
here to alter the selection
radius and tick
Decontaminate Colors to
help get rid of unwanted
background showing through
05 CLEAN UP THE HAIR
Once you have gathered the elements of
the hair that you are happy with, add a black
the hair areas. You wont get background layer with the hair in the foreground.
a perfect result, the same as Now go around any unwanted edges using the Pen
with using Extract, but we are tool and a medium-sized Eraser set to around
going to work further on the 60px with the Hardness set to 0% to clean the hair
hair in the next steps. up. With the background set to black, areas that
require more attention are more easily seen than
on white. This is always a technique that is good to
keep in mind whenever you are making any
difficult cutouts.
07 GRADIENT
Now to experiment
with the colours for the
08 CREATE BESPOKE VECTORS
Now well create some vibrant shapes
made to look like different objects, in this instance
background. Ideally, for this were creating a lipstick. You can either trace an
piece we want a bright, existing photo or use the grids and rulers (Cmd/
cold-coloured background to Ctrl+R) to draw out your own. Use the Pen tool set
blend in with the model and to Shape Layers and create three simple
equally contrast with the rectangles using bold colours. Use the guides and
warm, brightly-coloured the grid (Cmd/Ctrl+) to line up your vectors and
elements we are going to add. make sure each object is straight.
Go through the colour
swatches and select Pantone
Solid Coated, then with the
Gradient tool selected (G),
create a straight line from the
centre of the piece going
downwards to the bottom.
Keep experimenting until you
find a gradient that fits the
piece and the style of image
that you are going for.
09
have dramatic effects
BLENDING OPTIONS on the outcome of the
Once you have created some of your flat vector objects, they can be spruced up a bit. Using the final piece. This is a good
habit to get into as the
lipstick from Step 8, merge the three layers then go to Blending Options from the Layer Style menu and pick results can really make
Inner Shadow. First edit the angle as to where you are hoping to place the vector. Once this is okay, set or break the image.
Distance to around 10px, Choke to 13% and Size to around 25%. This should create a shadow around the When following a tutorial its good to experiment and
make the artwork your own. Why not research some
image, giving a 3D effect. more shapes that you feel would look effective with the
sort of treatment weve given them here and try editing
them too?
10 INNER GLOW
Once your blends are looking effective, tick
the Inner Glow box, using a beige colour and set
Technique to Softer, Source to Centre, Size to
100px and Choke to around 13px. Set the Opacity
down to 75%. This should give off the effect of a
shine. There is no right or wrong way to set these
effects, as each object will require different
settings. It would also be beneficial to experiment
with the Outer Glow options if you want your
image to appear brighter and stand out from
the background.
COMBINE
PHOTOS WITH
ILLUSTRATION
DISCOVER THE ART OF COUPLING ILLUSTRATION
WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC SCENE
OUR EXPERT
GEO LAW
www.getaloadageo.co.uk
Geo has been freelancing as an
illustrator for the past three years,
with regular clients in his local city of
Sheffield, working with night clubs,
design agencies and fashion, using a
mix of hand-drawn illustration
with soware to finish.
SOURCE FILES
Illustrations and Photo
ARTIST SHOWCASE
WE TAKE A LOOK AT GEO
LAWS PAST WORK
APPLYING THE
ILLUSTRATION
MERGE YOUR ILLUSTRATIONS TO A
PHOTOGRAPH USING PHOTOSHOP
DELETE THE MIST Select the Mist layer and go to the Layers panel. Set the Opacity to 70% before deleting away areas that
interact with the photo.
02
abstract, consider how the illustration visually balances out
as a piece. You can always choose to crowd out the CHARACTERS The characters will be the
composition or focus on one hand-drawn feature. For this focal point of the scene, so make them lively.
tutorial Ive opted for a busy scene but not wanted to Deciding on the colour palette is also important.
overpower it with too much, as the photo itself will balance
the illustration.
COLOUR PALETTE I always hand-draw my illustrations in black pen, and use
Depending on the photo you choose programs to gloss and smooth over the rough edges. I use
to work with, always be mindful of
your colour palette when touching up
Photoshop to clean up excess dirt and redraw broken lines
the illustrations and photograph on the scanned work, then adjust the colour levels by using
itself. Its always important to the Magic Wand to select all black lines and make them look
balance the feel of the illustrated
areas with the photographic capture, darker. I then import it to Illustrator where I use the Live
so they dont look too misplaced with Trace function to convert the image into vectors, which gives
each other.
03
the work a smoother, cleaner line. If the scans have been
edited with darker lines this helps the Live Trace. Once this is
DELETE Once the illustrative parts are done,
flatten the layers into groups, in this case
done I save the file and import it back to Photoshop where I
Characters/Mist. Delete areas that correspond and
cut out the images Ill use as layers and then save as a
work around the scene.
high-res PSD file.
The colour palette is important, but it can depend on many
things the photograph or the context of your illustration.
You can choose whether to have the illustration clash and
stand out from the photo or have all the components in your
piece work together and merge. Again, this depends on the
look youre trying to achieve. I adjusted the photo first by
playing with the saturation levels and slightly dulling the
colour by going to Image>Adjust>Hue/Saturation.
Alternatively, you can adjust the colour balance and channels
PLACE CHARACTERS
Open the AI file where your characters are saved;
select them individually using the Lasso (L) to cut
them out, and drag into the photo.
according to how you want to execute your image.
Within the tutorial I considered the colour palette to have a
bright range but a more pastel tone. The photo itself has a
04 DETAILS Add colour and shadows to the
characters. Be mindful of the shadows its
important to merge the illustration with the photo.
1
2
5
4
DISSECT AN IMAGE
ART STRUCTURE EXPLORED
1 CHARACTERS IN THE MIST Once
the characters positions were decided,
their Opacity was dimmed to 70% so
that it was easy to airbrush away the
parts that were supposed to be hidden.
DELETE CHARACTERS Select each character and edit according to how they fit the scene. If some are standing
in the mist, they will need to be airbrushed by using the Eraser tool (E). 2 THE MIST Part of the mist was erased
to fit around features of the photo. To
make things easier, the Opacity was
nice excess of colour, so I chose to avoid any slight visual
dimmed to 70% to help pinpoint parts
clashes when applying colour to my characters and
that were to be hidden by the obstacles.
flourishes. I used the Paint Bucket tool on individual character
layers combined with the Magic Wand to isolate areas I 3 SHARPEN THE PHOTOGRAPH
wanted to colour fill. The same was applied to the mist Certain parts of the foreground were
illustration, where I used the Magic Wand to select the black given emphasis with the Burn tool, and
lines then adjusted them to a lighter grey to complement the a dimmed Opacity of around 80%, to
colours in the background. darken the areas in front of the mist.
When I work with an illustrated photomontage, I tend to
use Photoshop to piece the work together. All my characters 4 SHADOWS For more realism, shadows
were applied to the illustrated objects
are on separate layers, which I label, and once their position
by using the Burn tool at full settings
COLOUR PALETTE When applying is set I place them in a group folder in the Layers tab for easy
colour, use the Magic Wand (W), select and airbrushing over the background
access. I first positioned the mist drawing pieces over the
isolated areas (Contiguous On) and use layer to create added darker areas.
the Paint Bucket tool (G). scene according to how Id planned it in the sketch, then
merged them as a separate layer independent from the
photo. If you dont wish to merge the mist as one layer yet,
5 FOG A stock fog PSD file was dragged
into the document to soften up the
you can save the layers in a group folder just remember to illustrated mist layers. These images
label it accordingly. Once the layers have been merged, this were placed in front of the mist layers
makes it easier when you have to erase the parts that will and dimmed to around 75% Opacity.
play with the photos perspective and interactivity. Youll see
in the main image that some of the clouds and flourishes
hug and hang over different parts of the stone courtyard. The wish to start again. Use the Burn tool to paint on a dark wash
same will be done with the characters layer. Working from in your chosen areas. Dont overdo it shadows dont need to
my previous sketch, I chose areas where characters and the be pitch black in a photo; were looking for a subtle touch
mist would sit in front and behind parts of the photo. here. Ive applied shadows where the mist hangs in front of
When erasing or carving away bits of the layers, its best to the brickwork and where characters are within the scene.
lighten their opacity in the Layers tab so its easier to see the The mist illustration itself might look a bit too sharp
photo beneath or the corresponding layer. Consider how your against the photo, as its an imported vector file. To rectify this
illustration blends within the foreground and the background use a simple Blur filter in PS, which will soften the layer and
of the scene. make it look more translucent. Ive also added stock PSD fog
Once all the characters and flourishes are carved and layers, downloaded from www.officialpsds.com. These
temporarily in place, you can look at the details that will bring layers can be duplicated to place in front and behind the mist
the image to life. Adding shadows will connect your layer to create depth within the fog and mist, which is another
illustration with the photo, so darken areas where the mist or way of slightly softening the illustration. You can also play
BLUR EDGES At the moment, the
mist layer needs soening up, as it looks characters touch; consider where your light source is coming with the levels of opacity with these layers, creating a light or
too sharp against the photo. Select the from and duplicate the background layer (photo) in case you thick fog (whichever you please). It can also be a good way to
layer then go to Filter>Blur>Blur More.
I have applied
these simple
techniques
in a subtle
way
dull any colours that you deem to be a bit too sharp in the
photo background. ADD SHADOW Select the photograph and
The finishing touch requires the Burn tool to darken areas background layers to burn shadows behind the
layers. Use the Burn tool (O) and it will paint a dark
of the photo to make them more prominent next to the
wash that resembles a shade.
illustrated bits. In the main image you can see that where the
mist wraps around the bottom of the stairs and touches the
stonework is where Ive applied light strokes with the Burn
tool to give the photo a subtly sharper look. This tool darkens
the contrast and burns the colour, so be careful to not
overdo it with multiple strokes. Always pan out and have a
good look at how well the piece visually balances out
whether some bits are too subdued or more shadows need
to be added. Ive applied these techniques in a subtle way,
and looked for the images to merge into each other, but of FOG To add depth to the mist, drag in a fog PSD file and
course you can decide on the tone of your own work yourself. duplicate where necessary to give the illustration more life.
You can download stock files such as these from the web.
ADVANCED
SELECTIONS
OUR EXPERT
MIKE CAMPAU
www.seventhstreetstudio.com
Mike is currently the creative director
and lead digital artist at
SeventhStreet, a small, collaborative
design studio thats located in
EXPERT PHOTOSHOP ARTIST MIKE CAMPAU BREAKS DOWN HIS Birmingham, Michigan.
POPULAR SNOW JUNGLE ARTWORK TO SHOW US HOW ITS DONE SOURCE FILES
On the CD you will find some of
The inspiration and motivation for Snow how to create a dynamic scene that integrates Mikes own resources to help you
Jungle came about after finishing another colour type, multiple stock photos and some with this tutorial. A lot of iStockphoto
piece called Urban Jungle for Advanced hand-painted elements. You will not need any images are also used, and we have
provided most of these for you on the
Photoshops iStockphoto Create a Cover contest colour knowledge, as the colour type will be disc, plus links to a couple more that
(issue 65). Over the next five pages, we are going to provided for you. you will need to purchase or find
show you how to re-create the style for yourself. We will also be covering some basic masking alternatives for.
In this tutorial we will assume you already have techniques, how to use Calculations to isolate
a degree of Photoshop knowledge and we will be objects, how to incorporate hand-painted textures
bypassing some of the standard functions, such as into your scene and, finally, how to add finishing
how to create layer masks and use Curves and touches to your piece to help tie the whole
Hue/Saturation. What we will be focusing on is composition together.
03 CLEAN UP
YOUR CHANNEL
Use your Brush tool set to
04 SNOWBOARDER COLOUR
Our snowboarder is a little too bright and has some neon greens
that wont fit into our colour scheme, so use a Curves adjustment layer to
Overlay and start to black bring down the midtones, and Hue/Saturation to slide the green-yellow
out desired areas. Some colour into our orange colour palette. Once you are happy with the colour
areas may need a couple and tone, merge your layers and apply the layer mask.
of passes. Do the same
thing for white areas with
a white brush. When done,
make a selection from
your new channel and
create a layer mask for
your snowboarder.
06 BACKGROUND SCENE
Now we need to build our base
background scene. Open up the clouds
(Showing the way from iStockphoto) and
two mountain images (were using
Mountain and The Alps Mountains). Drag
all three images onto your new file. Scale
the images so they reach edge to edge and
give each one a new layer mask. Using a
large soft brush start to blend the hard
edges out and combine the three elements
into one scene. We dont have to worry about
being overly precise with our mask because
most of this will be blended or covered with
other elements.
07 3D TYPE
With our background roughed in and
our hero in place, its time to build the type.
This could be done straight out of a 3D
program, but for our example, well use PS to
08 TYPE ICE TEXTURE
Now for applying the ice texture. Open the image
of ice iStockphotos Semless frost (ice) and drag it
achieve the same effect. Open the supplied onto the type file. Use Free Transform on it to closely
type file (SnowJungle_3dtype.psd) and make match the shape of the type. Now make a clipping group
a selection with your Square Marquee tool using your type layer and set it to Overlay. You will need
just below the typeface. Use the Transform to duplicate the layer a couple of times to get the effect
and Warp tools to add drama and Liquify to we are looking for. Mask out any areas that get too dark
tweak any areas that dont quite line up. or too light.
10
SCENE
PLACE YOUR 3D
TYPE INTO THE 11 ADD MORE ELEMENTS
Our scene is looking a little sparse, so we need to add
more elements to help our snowboarder feel at home. Open up
Now drag your type image the image of the chairlift (iStockphotos Ski lift up a mountain),
into your scene file. Position ski lodge (Mountain Home) and pine trees (the two Winter
it so that it is behind the Scenics images). Using Calculations and layer masks (as we did
snowboarder and centre the in Step 1) begin to isolate the chairlift, trees and lodge. Once you
text over his head. The type is have them isolated, drag them onto your scene file behind the
a little dark for our winter 3D type layer and position them appropriately.
scene, so we will add a
white-to-transparent gradient
layer going from the bottom
to the top. This will help us
blend it into the scene as we
begin to add more elements.
12 FOREGROUND
SNOW
We want to add some
interest into the bottom of
the scene, and right now
the snow is too dark and
has some distracting
lines. So lets open the
stock photo of the snow
pile (snow on the
mountain #1 from
iStockphoto). Drag it into
13 BUILD THE HALFPIPE
Now its time to build the halfpipe that the snowboarder is
riding. Open the supplied stock (iStockphotos Empty Half-pipe).
your scene and place it at We want this element to be floating in our scene, so we will have
the base of the to cut out the curved portion and re-create the edges to give it
composition. Create a depth. Start by using your Pen tool to draw a path around the
layer mask and blend it shape of the halfpipe. Once complete, make a selection from
into the existing snow. your path, then copy and paste it into a new layer.
QUICK TIP
To use an object as
your transparency
mask when working,
simply hold down
Opt/Alt and then click
between the two
layers in order to
constrain the active
area of the top layer
to the base layer.
22 TIE ELEMENTS
TOGETHER
Its always a good idea to apply
an overall effect in work
composed from multiple
photos. In this case, we Copy
then merge the entire image
into a new layer (Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/
Alt+Shift+E) and duplicate that
layer. On the first copy merged
layer, go into Filter>Other>High
Pass and set the pixels to 2.1.
Now change the blending mode
to Linear Light at 50% Opacity.
23 FINAL CORRECTIONS
The colour seems too vibrant for a winter scene, so
using a Hue/Saturation layer on top of everything, desaturate
Do the same thing to the the whole image by -50. Create a new layer, set blending to
duplicated layer, but this time Soft Light and brush in some blue around the edges. Now
use 178.5 for the High Pass use Curves layers with masks to brighten some of the snow
value and set Opacity to 10%. and type and darken the snowboarder.
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