Professional Documents
Culture Documents
So sit back and enjoy the first of many issues 71 | The Robot Slayer
of total magazine. By Artur Sadlos
Simon Morse
Editor
01
03 | total 01 About us | 04
01
Interesting facts
about Tom: Tom
carves a mean
wooden spoon and
is a pretty gifted
flower arranger
02
Don’t mess with
the best coz the
best don’t mess
03
I’m not sure it’s that
kind of horse Mel
02
01
In this section of total magazine we will be life has been spent at a computer, but Tom On the right is Marisa. Marisa is a talented
telling you a little about our company as well likes nothing more than to retreat to his small artist and a great Editor. She manages
as showing you what we have been up to woodland and work on his rather impressive Graphite magazine as well as putting together
recently. As this is the very first issue of total tree house. We had a great day in Tom’s wood three books every year. Marisa is constantly
I thought I would start by introducing you to and made our own bows and arrows which trying to throw things at my face, specifically
the 3dtotal team and letting you know a little was a lot of fun. my large forehead (as she would describe
about the many other projects we’re working it). Immediately after this photo she hit the
on at the moment. In the foreground you can see (from the left) target, by imagining it was my face.
3 formidable archers (02) Adam, Rob and
Rather than doing a boring and to the point Marisa. Adam is our Publishing Co-ordinator Next you can see three more (03) of the team
“meet the team” article, I thought it would which means that he keeps the whole (from the right this time – just to keep you on
be fun to introduce the people that make operation ticking over. Adam is also a talented your toes) we have Imi, Joe and Mel. Imi is
3dtotal as amazing as it is (yes that’s right, fiction writer so if you like apocalyptic horror, our Lead Designer and does an outstanding 03
“amazing”) by sharing some of the pictures check out his book The Risen by Adam J. job of making our books look great. She also
from our recent team building day. So really Smith. keeps the other two designers Matt and Joe
I should start at the top with Tom Greenway. in check (those little rascals). Imi is the one is one of the newest members of the 3dtotal Joe leads a chorus of “Let’s get quizzical, keeps on top of a pretty mammoth workload.
Rob is an enigma. He spends most of his and only owner of a “full body bib” or as you family and is a great member of our design quizzical.” For someone as capable and intelligent as
Tom (01) set up 3dtotal in 1999 and has day hidden away sending parcels around the and I would call it, a towel tucked into the neck team. Every day Joe hosts a mini-quiz and Mel it is taking a remarkable amount of time
taken it from being a simple 3D resource globe. No-one knows how old he is. There’s a of her jumper. No-one really knows why she keeps a tally of weekly scores. He even has a On the left is our Lead Editor and newly for her to find Tupperware that doesn’t leak
site to a globally recognized website and chance Rob is actually 200 years old found needs that level of protection from her food, Quiz Master jacket and tie to make the whole appointed Assistant Manager Mel. Mel salad dressing into her bag every day.
publisher of quality art books and tools. the fountain of youth. This seems like the only but after all this time we’ve stopped asking. thing feel a little more authentic. It might always goes the extra distance to make sure
Maybe it’s because such a large part of Tom’s obvious conclusion to the mystery. The rose between two thorns here is Joe. Joe sound like I’m making this up, but every day that our books are as good as they can be and
05 | total 01 About us | 06
04 05
09
Tristan is not only one of the nicest a year and our magazine Character Design to make quality books and products. My job
gentlemen you’re likely to meet (04), but also Quarterly. Annie took to her role like a duck is made much easier because everyone else
boasts an eclectic collection of psychedelic to water and now manages all her work with is so good at theirs. I genuinely feel lucky
hats and jackets. Tristan must be at least fantastic professionalism. Annie wore blue to be working at 3dtotal and continue to be
twice as clever as the rest of us as he has wellies (wellington boots) with big boggly amazed at the team’s patience with me. My
four monitors and we all only have two. eyes to the wood, which are actually her least favorite pastimes include spending time with
Tristan keeps the website and systems up conspicuous pair of shoes. There’s nothing my family, art, football, and humor that only a
and running and helps me do all the tasks on that Annie doesn’t know about EastEnders, very small group of people find funny.
my computer that I struggle with, like opening she has recently taken up roller skating and
Word and finding the “on” switch. she was very graceful when I accidentally I hope you enjoyed that little introduction to
broke her mug. Sorry Annie. the team (09) and what we all do. We all feel
This cool character is Matt (05), the last very lucky to work somewhere that we can be
of our graphic designers and the longest Our Advertising Sales Manager Becky is creative and where we can fuel a community
standing member of the 3dtotal team. Matt the newest member of the 3dtotal team that appreciates our products, and we look
lays out our stunning quarterly magazine (07). Becky is excellent at coming up with forward to doing more of the same in the
GRAPHITE and always blows me away in advertising solutions and has come to future.
regards to how quickly he can come up with 3dtotal with some really cool ideas. Becky is
an amazing design. Matt is undoubtedly an from the south of the UK and has proven to be
incredibly wise man. There is nothing that a valuable resource when planning holidays
Matt doesn’t know about 3dtotal and he to Cornwall. 04 - 08
supports the greatest football team in history, Merry men
Manchester United. Last but not least you have me. My name and ladies
is Simon and I’m the Studio Manager (08).
06 07 08 Next we have the second of our editors Annie I’m here to make sure everything happens 09
(06). Like Marisa, Annie manages three books when it’s supposed to and that we continue The full ensemble
07 | total 01 About us | 08
What are we working on allows you to change the pose of the model publication has ever made me want to pick Books three and four! Keep your eye out for this one know a little more about the people behind
at the moment? as well as see muscle structure in more detail. up my tools and create something like this The most recent book we have put on pre- on pre-order in late July/August. 3dtotal. Before I go though I wanted to deliver
We are constantly working on the next issue This is our biggest anatomy reference to date magazine. Marisa and Matt do an amazing order is Mythical Beasts: An artist’s field guide one final dramatic bombshell to leave you on
of a magazine or putting together the pages and will prove to be a versatile reference for job of making each issue just as stunning (if to designing fantasy creatures (14). This is a In conclusion the edge of your seat and begging for more;
of our latest book. 3dtotal is a constant hive anyone working on characters. You can also not more so) than the previous issue. In issue really exciting title where each of the 30 artists So there you go; an overview of what we are
of activity so in this short section I thought see the two new planar head models here 4 we take a look at the breath-taking skills involved uses the description of a mythical up to at the moment. There’s so much I could 3DTOTAL IS BEING RE-DESIGNED AND OUR
I would show you one or two of the projects which are a great reference when you are of the guys at CreatureBox, check out some creature and real world research to design a add to this, but you’ve heard enough from NEW SITE WILL BE LAUNCHED LATER THIS
we are working on at the moment. working on the structure of a face. mind-blowing inking by Richard Anderson fantasy beast. I’ve never really closely looked me and are probably itching to look at the YEAR (drops the mic)!
and enjoy some jaw-dropping delights from at mythical beasts, but now I’m hooked and tutorials in issue 1 of total magazine. I hope
Anatomy Figures Magazines Eduardo Vieira (in case you haven’t noticed I can’t wait to suggest doing volumes two, you enjoy our new magazine and feel like you
A few months back we ran another Long time 3dtotal fans will be more than like hyphens).
successful Kickstarter project to launch familiar with our two magazines 2dartist and
some new anatomy figures that we’re really 3dcreative. Sadly each of those magazines Character Design Quarterly (CDQ) is riddled
excited about. Our anatomy figure range has became a victim to piracy. However we love with expert advice about designing unique
been really well received as it continues to to make the best out of a bad thing, so from and purpose made characters for illustration,
be a useful resource to help artists portray out of the ashes of our two digital magazines animation and concept art (13). As someone
accurate human anatomy. We now have piles arose 2 quarterly print magazines that we are that particularly enjoys this kind of art this
of boxes full of anatomy figures (10), being really proud of. In this image (12) you can magazine is a joy to work on. The cool thing
shipped around the globe and hopefully see the fantastic cover of GRAPHITE issue 4 about CDQ is that it doesn’t just include
putting a smile on the face of our backers. which is available now. In each issue amazing creative solutions and advice, but is also full
traditional artists talk about their inspirational of industry knowledge from well respected
The tall chap you can see in the middle here approach to creating unique concepts and studios and artists.
(10) is our new adaptable male figure which illustrations. I can honestly say that no other
10
All boxed up and 12 13
ready to go!
11
Our new anatomy
figures with an
existing model in the
background for scale
12
Issue 04 of our
beautiful magazine
GRAPHITE
13
Issue 01 of Character
Design Quarterly
14
A small taster of 14
what you might
expect from
10 11 our Mythical
To get information about any of the products you’ve seen visit our shop – shop.3dtotal.com
Beasts book
shop.3dtotal.com
Male half-skin/half-écorché
Female half-skin/half-écorché
Male écorché
Female écorché
Male skin
Female skin
Male planar
Female planar
Adaptable male
Featured in:
Designing
Droids eBook
Available at shop.3dtotal.com
13 | total 01 Designing a Repair Droid | 14
Hello, my name is Alex Iglesias and I am a Concept via long spider-like appendages ending in
mech art addict! In this tutorial we’re going Some people might picture some sort of pincers, tools, cutters, and so on. After a small
to go through the process of designing and anthropomorphic robot handyman; others bit of exploration of silhouettes, I decided
illustrating a repair droid. might imagine spiderbots working in unison, to depict the repair droid mid-work, sifting
or maybe some kind of ambulatory multi-tool. through wreckage while its allies converge
Now when it comes to the basics of mech In the case of this design, I pictured some on an off-screen fight in the background (01).
design, the first thing you want to ask yourself sort of battlefield engineer unit that follows
is, “What is this mech/droid supposed to do around combat units and patches them up, or As I looked at the initial sketch it became
and how is it going to do it?” In the case of this tries to salvage them if they are blasted apart. apparent that there were a few things that
design, the “what” was part of the assignment With that approach in mind I began making didn’t quite sit right in the image – it felt
and that was repairs. Now, to different people sketches exploring that idea. too static and lacked energy. The solution I
the idea of some sort of repair droid means found was to flip, warp and distort areas of
different things. At this point the idea of the “how” began to the image to make things appear just a little
form. It would fix up/interact with other droids bit more dynamic. Tilting the horizon a little 02 03
04 05
bit helped this too. Also I put more of a lean tone over the whole image and added some droid’s feet might have looked like (04).
into the repair bot’s pose, which added a little rudimentary shadows, in order to provide a
more implied weight to its form. bit of a background tone as I continued the For some reason I really enjoy bright yellow
rendering process (03). color schemes on vehicles. So in the case of
Defining shapes this repair droid, to help distinguish it from the
After I was happy with the sketch I started Adding color combat units and to make it associated with
defining the originally ambiguous shape from I began to add some color gradients to start industrial equipment, I applied an Overlay
the sketch into more specific surfaces. I also establishing the dusty atmosphere of the layer of a bright, school bus yellow! I didn’t
began experimenting with certain dark areas piece, and started to clean up the design add this yellow to the areas I wanted to leave
and aspects of lighting. However, it was still of the droid itself. I also began to establish as exposed metal. I also painted in some dust
fairly crude and more clean-up work and the forms of the background vehicles at this to show the movement of all of the droids in
refinement continued well into the process of point. I really wanted to give the impression the scene (05).
this piece (02). of some large mobilization consisting of a
combined arms force. Part of the reason for
01 Immediately after I was comfortable with the this was to give the viewer some rough idea
basic details and layout, I added a flat brown of what the blasted wreckage at the repair
15 | total 01 Designing a Repair Droid | 16
Adding contrast
I wanted to differentiate areas further, help
diversify the color scheme, and add even
more of an industrial flavor, so I made several
surfaces much darker and unpainted. The
caution strip was also added to several areas
as it’s a classic, easily identifiable motif that
helps cement the industrial aspect further.
In order to make the machine appear more
used, areas of chipping and fading in the
paint were added. Experimentation with the
color scheme via the Hue and Saturation tool
also caused the overall colors to become
brighter and more vibrant (06).
Foreground
The mech’s details were pretty much nailed
down at this point, so it was necessary to
move on to other aspects of the piece. In this
case the foreground. First and foremost I had
to come up with some convincing dirt! Using
the underlying color plus a texture, I found I
was able to create exactly what I was looking
for (08). After that I had to edit the overall
silhouette of the scattered debris, cleaning
up the shapes and adding form to them. For
added form and detail I used various metal
textures and grunge brushes at low opacity
to get the necessary amounts of metal
noise. The fires were essentially tweaked
and modified textures that I applied using
the Lighter Color layer style, which really
gives that sort of “flames in broad daylight 07 08
appearance.”
17 | total 01 Designing a Repair Droid | 18
10
09
With the foreground and focus point where in it. The texture was then merged, set to Final atmosphere
I wanted them it was time to finish off the Lighter Color and dropped in opacity (09). Although the image up to now looked dusty,
background. The attack units took a bit of it didn’t really look that acrid, scorched
work, namely in cleaning up or adjusting The end result was something relatively earth, type of dusty. I really wanted that
the individual silhouettes. But as they were minor, but it goes a long way to showing how “carcinogens in the air” type of smoke factor
relatively small, implied detail went a long much dust and distance there is between in my image. Using some textures of overcast
way here. it and the viewer. A considerable amount skies and various clouds, and some tweaking
of hand-drawn smoke clouds were also of layer types and opacities, I managed to get
Background involved. the amount of smoke desired (10).
The giant weapon platforms in the far distance
also got some measure of refinement and The image was now looking pretty solid Lastly it came down to adjusting the general
definition, but not too much as it would not to me, but it was still a bit too clean and color, hue, saturation and contrasts to finally
be conducive to conveying their far away flat. Something had to be done about that. make the image pop, plus a few general color
distance and immense size. Using some gray on a Color layer I opted overlays and gradients. After a fair bit of
to desaturate certain areas of the image tweaking the various image aspects I finally
My personal favorite part of the background to make the repair droid seem a bit more reached a point were I was satisfied with
though was the creation of the artillery muzzle worn. Also, finding the bare metal surfaces it. The air in the image looked so thick that
flash on the far left giant mech platform. themselves a little lacking, I decided to clean it could have been cut with a knife. Also the
Essentially it was just a sketched blob shape them up and contrast them a bit more, so as mech looked well-used and sturdy, which
that had some tweaked fire textures dropped to make those parts stand out. fitted the image perfectly.
Modeling a
Repair Droid
By Victoria Passariello
Web: victoriapassariello.com
Featured in:
Building
Droids eBook
Available at shop.3dtotal.com
21 | total 01 Modeling a Repair Droid | 22
Base mesh 04
First of all, I took my time analyzing the
concept, shapes, proportions, and his attitude.
I asked myself, where is he? What are all
those arms and what do they do? I ended up
making a little resume of his existence in time
and space, which is a good way of developing
an in-depth understanding of the concept of a
character (01). Once I had all this information
in my mind I was ready to start creating him!
In 3ds Max I imported the front, side, and
back drawings first as references and started
building piece by piece. I didn’t pay attention
to details at this stage; I only focused on the
main shapes and proportions.
05
The same method was applied to make the Remember that at this point, it was not Following this process with each area of the
leg. I created the main objects and placed important to add too much detail; the goal robot, I completed the full model (04 – 05).
02 03 them by following the references. Simple here was to end up with a strong silhouette
cylinders were enough to show the joints. for the character (03).
23 | total 01 Modeling a Repair Droid | 24
Note: Aiming for simplicity, creating general wanted the droid to look real and the more I was able to find interesting details that
shapes and establishing a strong silhouette details it had the more real it would look. But I applied to my model, like lines to divide
were the goals in this section. what kinds of details should I make? pieces or small holes – basically, details that
would suggest the droid had been made in
Detailing Well, this is when references took an some kind of industrial process.
Once the base mesh was done, it was time important role in the creative process. By
to make the details of every single piece. I looking at reference photos of machines, The details were made using more tools than 08
the basic shapes, including Edge Extrusion,
Chamfers, Bridge, Weld, and so on.
Next I am going to explain some tricks I used and with a combination of extruding edges, didn’t use TurboSmooth for this one; I got the
in specific situations. For example, one of arraying and welding vertices, I completed result I wanted by using polygon smoothing
the pieces in the torso had some elongated the entire section. groups (10). I used this trick for a good
holes. To make these, I started by building number of pieces (11).
some kind of pattern with the shape of the Finally, I selected the desired faces to extrude
hole. I then made some cuts in the respective them and applied a small chamfer to some
faces of the piece, following this pattern, edges to give the piece a smoother finish. I
13
10 11
14
Since the style of this particular droid has Texturing an Ambient Occlusion map to have a better
a sharp finish, I only used TurboSmooth on After the droid was completely detailed and contrast (13). The first thing I always do at
some specific pieces (like the shoulders and finished, I continued to unwrap and pose it. the very beginning of the texturing process
big joints); for the rest of them I used polygon I divided the droid into two maps of 4096 is to set up the main colors. I painted yellow
smoothing groups. Using smoothing groups x 4096 each. The way to divide the maps and gray in different layers and made some
can be very tricky. I generally set them to about is up to you; sometimes its better doing it adjustments using Brightness, Contrast, and
30 or 35 and press the Auto Smooth button, by materials or colors, and sometimes its Color Balance until I got the desired result.
but I really see the effect when rendering, so better by sections. In this case I decided At that point I also included the “burnt_05b”
I can always change any particular group to divide the maps by sections. I included map from the Total Textures V19 – Destroyed
12 manually in case I need it (12). the leg and all the arms in one map, and and Damaged DVD to give him a nice metal
the full torso in another one. I also baked feeling (14).
27 | total 01 Modeling a Repair Droid | 28
15
To finish, I rendered out some passes with Conclusion tutorial has offered you some useful tips for
V-Ray for post-production (18a – f), then in The repair droid has a very particular design, your future projects. Thank you very much for
Photoshop I played with blending modes and so it was very interesting to do. I really enjoyed taking the time to read this tutorial.
adjustments until I got the final image. making it, so I hope you like it and I hope this
18a 18b
18c 18d
18e 18f
A P RI N T E D QU A RT E RLY ART MAGAZIN E | SU BSCRIBE N OW F ROM JU ST £ 35
Sicarius
By Viacheslav Gedich
We see a mass of images like
this one submitted to our
gallery every week, but every
now and then an artist really
gets it spot on and comes out
with something original and
well presented. The design and
execution of this is great.
Best of
the 3dtotal
Gallery
Featured artists:
Viacheslav Gedich
Ben Filliat
Munkhjin Otgonbayar
Alexey Egorov
Marek Denko
Manuel De Jorge
35 | total 01 Best of the 3dtotal Gallery | 36
Sci-fi Environment
By Munkhjin Otgonbayar | Web: facebook.com/illiminato.forza
These sci-fi corridors are swiftly becoming a fashionable topic
for 3D artists and we see a lot of them submitted to the gallery.
I particularly liked this one because of its contrasting clean
and tarnished surfaces which give it bags of character.
39 | total 01 Best of the 3dtotal Gallery | 40
Blind Hunters
Near right
By Alexey Egorov
Web: behance.net/Air-66
Alexey is a regular contributor to our gallery
and has mastered the art of generating edgy
digital paintings. Within seconds of looking
at this your thinking about whom these
characters are and what are they hunting? It’s
a great way of engaging with your audience.
Submit
your
gallery
images!
Click here for details
Skyscraper
city
By Christopher Balaskas
Web: balaskas.artstation.com
Featured in:
Beginner's guide
to digital painting
in Photoshop:
Sci-fi and Fantasy
Available at shop.3dtotal.com
45 | total 01 Skyscraper city | 46
Separating elements
onto layers
The image is now ready to be refined into
layers. You can repaint every element on its
own layer above this image, or use the Magic
01 Wand tool to select them. The Magic Wand
tool is a selection tool that allows you to
select areas of consistent color – try it on a
A futuristic sci-fi style city demands an Finally, we will add smaller details and signs photo to see how it works! You can adjust the
accurate use of perspective in order to of life that will bring a sense of narrative, Tolerance on the Options bar to dictate how
convince the viewer to suspend their energy, and character to the environment. 02 wide the color range is that will be selected
disbelief, engage with the subject matter, I feel that the strongest artworks have the (03).
and let their imagination run free. A good fewest elements necessary to tell a little
knowledge of perspective, and its rules, is piece of a story. They let the viewer’s mind fill I use the Magic Wand tool to select each
a critical foundation skill for an artist, so in the blanks with their own imagination. With item. Since these are simple blocks of gray
I encourage you to explore and study the all this in mind, let’s start a new illustration! it is easy to click on them. Use Ctrl+X then
great wealth of information and tutorials Ctrl+V to cut and paste the blocks into layers,
available either for free or low-cost on the Thumbnail sketches keeping the foreground elements on the
internet or in books dedicated to the subject. Begin scribbling ideas down with small top of the layer stack and the background
If perspective is implemented incorrectly, it’s thumbnail sketches, around nine per page elements towards the bottom.
often the first thing that a viewer will notice, (01). Working at a small scale allows you 01
and the rest of the image (no matter how to produce a good deal of ideas rather Small grayscale After the layers are created you can fill the
polished or jazzed up with fancy effects it is) quickly without getting caught up in details. thumbnails allow background with white, and then clean up
will suffer. Use a simple square brush (which suits the you to focus on big the edges on each layer to get rid of any
architectural elements we want to draft) strokes, shapes, messy pixels, filling in any gaps left from the
In this tutorial we will go over the basics of and focus on the relationships between and composition cutting and pasting process as you go. Now
setting up a two-point perspective layout shapes and composition. Using only four you have a foreground, middle ground, and
which will serve as the guide to rendering grayscale values and a white background 02 background on individual layers with a white
a large, hi-tech urban area with ships easily establishes a sense of depth in the Copy and paste, backdrop. Your image is ready for figuring out
whizzing about its sky. In addition, we will space. The last of the group immediately then scale up the the perspective grid and guides!
address the need to convey depth by using appeals to me as a place to which I could add image to get started
atmospheric perspective. This practice human activity, so I choose this as my basic
involves increasingly fading objects into composition. I then select and copy it using 03
the distance by reducing their contrast and the Marquee tool. Set your layer
opacity. How strongly this effect is used structure logically
greatly determines the sense of scale and to avoid wasting 03
mood of a piece. time later
47 | total 01 Skyscraper city | 48
04
Don’t place the vanishing points too far out however, as this
will flatten your perspective greatly and reduce the sense of
depth, making the image look like it is being viewed through a 06
telephoto lens. A happy medium between the two works best.
The left sides of objects will recede towards the left vanishing
point and the right sides to the right vanishing point. 04 when you are happy with your placement; not distracting, yet are still visible enough,
Select a horizon you’ve now completed the perspective setup and begin to refine the building edges in PRO TIP
Creating grids line and two for your image (4)! accordance with the grid. Adding with a paint Be an explorer
The backbone of any drawing, especially one with architecture, vanishing points brush or subtracting with the Eraser tool Always try new things! Experiment
is the perspective grid and layout. An easy way to set up your Add as many lines to your grids as you feel where necessary, clarify the volumes (06). constantly with settings, layer modes,
perspective grid using vanishing points out of frame is to 05 are necessary. The more you have, the more new brushes, and so on. Many of my
create a new layer, draw a simple tick over your horizon line, On a new layer precisely you can render objects without Make sure that you have some rounded “eureka” moments in painting have
and then draw a series of lines converging to the vanishing use your vanishing guessing at the correct perspective. I should forms as well as linear, square shapes for a come while messing around like this,
point (05). Duplicate this layer using Layer > Duplicate Layer, points to draw a note that this is a very basic setup, and that pleasing variety of forms. In this manner you particularly with features I seldom use.
then hit Ctrl+T, right-click, and select Flip Horizontal. perspective grid it can get considerably more complicated. It can prevent the architecture from becoming Often you will discover a new painting
pays to be as precise as possible at this stage homogeneous in style. Take your time here technique by trying things you don’t
Now drag the flipped vanishing point to the right by using the 06 of the painting as it will save you headaches and think about how your volumes will quite understand, or never thought you
Move tool (V) and holding the Shift key until it is close to the Shape silhouettes in the clean up further down the road. appear when lit as you clean up and edit the would need to bother with.
right edge of the image (2). Hit Ctrl+E to flatten the two layers into perspective silhouettes.
into one, and press Ctrl+T again. Holding the Alt key down, grab by erasing and Clarifying silhouettes
the edge of the Transform box and drag outwards until both 05 painting with the Reduce the Opacity on the perspective
of your vanishing points are out of the frame (3). Press Enter grid as a guide guide layers down to 40% so that they are
49 | total 01 Skyscraper city | 50
08
07
Adding the ships art. Put simply: block-in the shape, clip a new Defining the forms
Using the perspective lines to guide you, layer, lay-in highlights on the new layer, then With your panel lines as a guide, you can use
quickly block in silhouettes of the ships using erase out shadow and details. Repeat this as more clipping layers to define the secondary
very basic round and square brushes with no often as you need to. shapes of the ships. Using Darken and
Opacity settings. Try to place your ships (and Lighten layers (being careful not to lose your
all elements for that matter) in a way that will Beginning rendering lines underneath), the shapes should be
help the eye flow around your image. Thinking This way of building up a silhouette is visually separated and the crafts given more
forward in the process a bit, I am going to certainly not the only method to accomplish depth and complexity (09).
focus on the top two ships and let the third be the rendering of an image (nor is it the one
less detailed, so I use a lighter gray to block I always use), but it is a simple process for
this one in. Each ship is on its own layer, and a beginner to pick up. You may find later on 07
I add a clipping layer to each one by creating that painting in line work on another layer Block in your silhouettes,
a new layer, then Alt+clicking between the rather than erasing out is more suited to your painting highlights
new layer and the ship’s layer. This will allow style of working. With practice you’ll find where the light will fall
you to paint in some highlights, defining the what suits you best. Regardless, continue the
forms without worrying about going “outside painting of the ship silhouettes with a soft 08
the lines,” so to speak (07). round brush, using the Eraser or a small hard Use soft round brushes
brush on the details until you are happy with on a clipped layer, with
Imagine that the light is coming from above the panel lines and the level of detail on each details erased or drawn 09
in the image. Paint in some white tone where ship. Occasionally add a bit to the silhouette with a small hard brush
the light would illuminate the shape using layer to make corrections to the shape’s
a soft round airbrush. Then create some perspective as you go. Once you are happy 09 By adding a slight reflective highlight towards shadows relatively soft. An irregular-shaped with their appearance. Take your time; there
details and panel lines by erasing out using with each ship’s look, select the clipping layer Use Darken, Lighten, the receding edges of the curved surfaces, Smudge tool helps to fade hard shadows into are no rewards for rushing things. The more
a smaller hard round brush. This is a very and press Ctrl+E to merge the highlight and and the Smudge tool the ships begin to appear more at home in soft ones which have a greater distance from time you spend rendering and thinking about
quick technique to establish form in your panel layer with its parent layer (08). on clipping layers to their environment. In this image, I’m aiming the casting edge. Repeat this and the previous how light falls on your objects the better your
silhouettes and is used quite often in concept define the ship further for indirect sky light so I keep most of the step on all three ships until you are satisfied painting will turn out.
51 | total 01 Skyscraper city | 52
10
14
PRO TIP
Creating custom brushes
You can create your own custom brush
quite simply with any black and white
image. With your newly created image
open click on Edit > Define Brush Preset.
Once you have done this a window will
appear giving you the opportunity to
name your new brush. Once you have
done this your new brush has been
created and is ready to use. If you look
at your Brushes you will most likely find
it at the bottom of your list.
Featured in:
01
02
I started sketching frequently again quite decisive with your designs and scribbles. 01
recently, in the last year or so. Previously Using a ballpoint gives you a confident line Military Land
when I needed to draw or sketch something and no going back, which is perfect for Vehicle. A practice in in some ways we are like children. You see My pencils differ: I mostly use 2B regular and some for quick, detailed designs.
by hand, I had always just used plain people who worry too much about a drawing perspective drawing. someone playing with an awesome toy and wooden pencils for loose sketching, a fat Recently one of my favorite methods has
sheets of paper rather than a sketchbook. and don’t focus on design more. Something more you want one too, but not his, you want one of mechanical HB pencil, and a few different been doing silhouettes in watercolor on a
Working on games easily removes you from light-hearted and your own. Another great source of inspiration sizes and softnesses of mechanical pencil bigger scale with a large brush, then detailing
traditional media, with digital tools being so Using different media and forgetting about a bit cartoony is a is books: sci-fi ones, classic or new, it doesn’t for detailing and small sketching. Ballpoint and figuring out design within the silhouette,
accessible and easy to use. But sketching undos for a while is really helpful, and in breath of fresh air matter – there are worlds inside that no one pen is harder to choose; I carry a lot of them, and then doing another watercolor pass to
is something else, so I got a few different my case really refreshed and restarted my once in a while. knows for sure how they look. mostly black and sometimes blue. shade and further develop the idea.
sketchbooks and started to sketch – mostly artistic drive, as well as actually giving me a
sci-fi stuff, since that is what I love most. few good ideas to quickly design and explore 02 Materials I use two different types of paper: one is the For thumbnail sketching I use a brush pen or
concepts in different ways. Digital sketches. As I already mentioned, I like to try different watercolor grade of Moleskine and the other a marker to draw small silhouettes and look
I re-discovered the wonders of watercolor, When you seem to materials and tools and also different is the soft, plain paper Moleskine, which is for interesting shapes. Then I try to make
brush pens and inks, ballpoints, and the one Inspiration and Ideas favor a scribble from combinations of them, such as watercolor, better for ballpoint-pen sketches. loosely shaded quick sketches of some of the
and only mighty pencil. I found out that a I find inspiration in lots of places: current, old, your sketchbook, pencil, colored water-based pencils, a brush scribbles using a brush pen or a ballpoint and
sketchbook is a wonderful sidearm for your or new machinery; advances in science and you can always pen, gouache, ballpoint pen, and black and Sketching Techniques brush pen using only opaque shadows.
inner artist, since it offers a limited canvas space; looking at photos from NASA; military explore it further gray markers. I use a few brushes that have I have found a few useful techniques
and a finite number of pages, and if you use technology; and, of course, looking at other digitally to see water compartments within them because for designing, some for early stages like
the right tools you easily learn to be more peoples’ art. Artists share a lot these days – where it takes you. it’s easier to carry them this way. thumbnailing, some for exploring silhouettes,
65 | total 01 Sci-fi Sketching | 66
03
03
This is a very old sketch,
done on a single sheet
of paper and lost, as can
be expected. I got tired
of drawing the same
leg and broke it off.
04
Nomad. Another very
old sketch, lost, because
it was on a single piece
of paper. Who doesn’t
like post-apocalyptic
worlds and mutants?
PRO TIP
Sketch quickly 05
When sketching, try to draw These are exploratory
as quickly as possible without sketches for a cargo
worrying too much about the transport mech, done
drawing and line quality. Try not in different sizes and
to erase a lot and don’t over- at different levels of 05
detail. Keep it simple – that’s detail. The large one is
why it’s a sketch. the furthest I’ve taken
the design, but having
these I can always
06
A few brush-pen
sketches, nothing
special, but a
very easy way
to put down lots
of ideas quickly, 07
without worrying
about details.
07
Another watercolor
sketch, this time
with suggested
environment
and scale.
08
Designs derived
from looking
for form inside
a watercolor
silhouette, utilizing
colored parts on
occasion; they’re
slightly refined,
with some function,
but still mostly a
visual exploration.
This technique is
mostly suitable
for exploring
visual styles, not a
particular functional
design or a well- 08
described task.
06
The humble sketch is the foundation of great art, where thoughts and concepts first
come to life as an image. The books in our sketching range bring you the chance to
see inside an artist’s mind and learn more about how and why they sketch.
Quick sketches 03
I usually start by doing series of small, quick Having fairly solid
sketches (thumbnails). I like to draw in the sketch will help you
good old sketchbook with a pencil or a fine 01 to paint better all the
liner. The traditional analog tools are the most elements. Drawing 02
natural way for me to work on ideas in the early is understanding
stages. I don’t feel restricted or overwhelmed as well. It’s an organic process combined with Proper sketch
by any software, shortcuts, lag or anything more sketching when a new idea is ignited by First I create a Levels Adjustment Layer over
else - just pure, streamlined thoughts laid a fresh find. When I find something cool that my value study layer. I decrease the black end
down directly on paper. The addition of too hasn’t necessarily crossed my mind earlier, of the graph in Levels to lower the contrast
much technology like tablets and software but fits the feeling I’m aiming for, I will try to and brighten the layer with my values (03).
could slow me down unnecessarily using up incorporate it into the initial sketch. It’s still Next, I create a new layer over it and call it
my time and energy. At this stage, I have no early in the process to make a lot of changes, “Proper Sketch.” This layer’s purpose is to
need of using any adjustment layers or even and since I’m operating with rough and quick create a more detailed sketch over what
Ctrl+Z (01). drawings, I’m not losing any important and I already have. Now I can carefully push
time-consuming work. the design of the whole thing with greater
Such rough doodles allow me to check accuracy and much more attention to detail.
out various solutions (like composition) Value study
quite quickly without bothering myself with Creating strong values is an essential step At this point I keep developing the initial idea
unimportant details. Usually, I’ll do several to (02). You can establish composition and without major changes the core of it. It should
a dozen of aforementioned sketches before contrast without worrying about the color enrich the basic sketch and not change
proceeding to next stage. Further parts of the for now. Block in all the crucial elements to the main course. I build up the complexity
process will require a lot of work, so it’s better have a good foundation that will hold the of forms based on the set of references I
to be sure what about what I want to achieve consistency of your artwork in place as you collected before. I’m trying out my options;
from the very beginning. progress. If your illustration works at this what works the best regarding the design I’m
stage, you can be almost sure it will also looking for? What does not? I consider this
References work at the end. Try hard to make this step step complete at the point where I’m certain
Once I’ve got a clear idea for the illustrations, as good as you can. Take your time and don’t that I have enough information for further
I’m going for a reference hunt. At first, I just rush forward if you’re not fully satisfied with work.
collect as much content as I can. I do a solid it. Solid values are critical and will almost
and wide-ranging search, as I’m trying to cover always guarantee a comfortable work
all the elements and aspects of the artwork, load to the very end, without unnecessary 03
not only items but light and color references troubleshooting along the way.
75 | total 01 The Robot Slayer | 76
04
I recommend doing
simple color studies
to set up mood
and light before
you go for any
heavy rendering. It
will save you a lot
of trouble later
05
When I don’t
understand
something, I draw
it. I don’t like going
to fight unprepared
06
I keep my image
small enough to
fit on the screen.
That way I can see
the whole picture 05
04 and avoid going to
soon into details
Color study the beginning that I wanted to have a sunset a pool of various designs, instead of forcing
There are two approaches that work for me at scenario in my painting, with the last beams myself to go with the first idea that pops up.
this stage. First one is to make a color sketch of saturated light illuminating the character’s
from scratch and the second one is colorizing figure, while the fallen robot is left in the Painting (finally!)
the value study I’ve made earlier. This time I shadow, catching bits of the faint overcast I usually start painting with more broad
went with the second option (04). light from the dark, blue sky. Classic move strokes to avoid getting into small things too
and it’s always effective. Sometimes there’s early, and then as I go on, I slowly get into
First, create a new layer with Blending Mode no need to reinvent the wheel, to tell the story more detail. I constantly keep my focus on
set to Color. I paint on this layer to add properly. Reach for the tools that work best. looking at the whole picture, trying to avoid
colors to value study below it. It’s a relatively concentrating on one little part for too long.
simple task at this point because the values Additional designs And when I say it, I mean it. Literally. I work
are already defined and adding colors to a When I feel like the design of elements in the zoomed out, I do not enlarge the image (like
well-done value block is a fairly manageable picture still need some figuring out, I spend on the screenshot), and I very rarely zoom in,
process. Additionally, I use Color Balance and extra time doing supplementary sketches, if ever (06).
HSB sliders (if you feel more comfortable with a purpose of exploring various parts
with some other sliders, you can go with of the artwork (05). I like to know what I’m Avoiding close-ups prevent me from going
them as well) with the support of Lasso Tool painting because it always pays off and into unnecessary details and help to keep a
for selection of specific areas for better color saves a lot of time later on. I tend to make healthy workflow. Going from bigger shapes
control. these sketches, even if a lot of the elements to smaller ones will let you keep better control
are barely visible in the final image. This gives of the image and save you a lot of time later
Finally, I start painting roughly, especially over me is more design confidence and a better on.
the areas that require a bit more precision understanding of the subject I’m dealing with. 06
and refinement. In this case, I already knew at It also allows me to pick the best option from
77 | total 01 The Robot Slayer | 78
Unexpected changes 07
Every once in a while, despite the careful There is never too
process of planning out the whole painting, late to change
I tend to break my rules and change some something. If you
parts of the image later in the process. In truly feel that it’s
this case, while going through the references the right thing to
(Orientalist paintings mostly), I realized do, don’t hesitate
that, instead of a fantasy style warrior boy to kill your darlings
in a dynamic pose, what I’m aiming at is
something more dignified and classy - 08
something that some egoistic monarch Now you can put
would hang on his wall in his palace; a proud your headphones
portrait depicting richness, splendor, and on and work on
accomplishments; one of those paintings the details. If you
that are supposed to make an impression on cautiously followed
visiting guests and build an aura of nobility the solid plan before,
and power in the room (07). then now it’s time to
take a benefit of it
Detail time
If you thoroughly followed all the previous 09
steps, at this point, you should have a pretty Establish a
solid image. What it needs now is major backstory with
polishing up, as well as adding a few details. details and make the
In this case, I have to remember to put my world believable
main focus on the character, because that’s 08
where the focal area is. He plays the lead role
in this painting, and it’s crucial to put some 07
extra work on him. I can leave the other parts of the picture
painted loosely to some extent, so the
viewer’s eyes stay focused on the most
PRO TIP important parts of the image. This is another
Simple shapes essential tool in the bag that allows you to
The composition can be broken control the viewer’s attention, supports the
down into basic shapes. narrative and lets the viewer’s eyes rest in the
Triangles, circles, squares. Try to areas with less information (08).
simplify your value study to the
possibly simplest shapes and Images with equally distributed detail density
see if it’s interesting. Maybe there throughout the image have a high risk of
is something you can tweak? If being uninteresting or chaotic. Use contrast
you struggle with simplification when managing the detail placement. Create
of your image, it might mean visual groups of detailed and less crowded
that your composition is overly areas to make it instantly readable for eyes.
complicated or your focal point 09
isn’t strong enough. Experiment Tribal motifs
with this technique to learn more The leading design inspiration for this image
about composition and layout. is African art and culture. The idea for robot’s building subtle back stories and bonds the world, and what the viewer is seeing, is only
design has originated from African patterns, world of the image together. By incorporating a small part of a vast universe. It inspires
masks, and wooden statues. A cohesive this layer of concept, I can suggest that this curiosity and makes the mind hungry for
design language fundamentally supports illustration is an integral part of a larger, rich more (09).
79 | total 01 The Robot Slayer | 80
Extra tweaks
Now, when I have my finished painting, the last
thing I like to do is make some subtle color
and brightness tweaks, using Adjustment
Layers and Camera Raw filter. I also display
my work on the second monitor to double-
check the way it presents in different settings.
It more or less simulates the way most of the
people, the audience, will view my work. My
second monitor is not calibrated and has a
lower grade display, compared to my Cintiq,
so it works well for that purpose. If you do not
have a double display setup, try checking your
work on your mobile or tablet and prepare a
version that looks possibly best on those
various devices.
Right
The finished image
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