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DAM Vol 8

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Phương Trần

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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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Digital Art Masters

4
3DTotal Publishing

Correspondence: [email protected]
Website: www.3dtotalpublishing.com

Digital Art Masters: Volume 8. Copyright © 2013, 3DTotal.com Ltd. All right
reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior written consent of the publisher.

All artwork, unless stated otherwise, is copyright © 2013 3DTotal.com Ltd. All
artwork that is not copyright 3DTotal.com Ltd is marked accordingly. Every effort
has been made to ensure the credits and contact information listed is correct.
However, if any errors have occurred the editors and publishers disclaim any
liability and respectfully direct people to our website www.3dtotalpublishing.com
for any updated information or corrections.

First published in the United Kingdom, 2013, by 3DTotal Publishing

Softcover ISBN: 978-0-9568171-8-1

Printing & Binding
Everbest Printing (China)
www.everbest.com

Editor: Emalee Beddoes

Sub-editor: Jo Hargreaves
Design and Creation: Christopher Perrins
Image Processing and Layout: Aryan Pishneshin

Visit www.3dtotalpublishing.com for a complete list of available book titles.

Abs Man © Marat Ars

5
Digital Art Masters

Introduction digital art is still very much under appreciated. changing entity that shows massive growth from
I came to 3DTotal after the judging of Digital Art The non-manual and pre-programmed nature of one year to the next. This is the charm of this
Masters: Volume 8 had already been done and digital art shapes some people’s perception of book; it not only showcases great artists, but also
so all I inherited was a list of names and titles. its artistic worth. But the patience, forethought, gives them a platform from which to discuss their
Amazingly, thanks to the time and dedication of technical understanding and labor hours current methods and inspirations. These tutorials
nearly 80 people (by my count), that list is now necessary to create great 3D artworks could be are written by artists, for artists. They document
the visual feast that is Digital Art Masters: Volume compared to the efforts of figurative painters and a digital community and record, for posterity, the
8 – I would even argue that it is the best one sculptors from Jan Van Eyck to Gerhard Richter, art works, artists and cutting-edge technology
yet, but I am rather biased! Although I am more and Auguste Rodin to Anthony Gormley. of this fleeting moment in an ever-growing and
accustomed to working on art history than digital constantly changing art world.
art, usurping Simon Morse as editor has been a While digital painting does offer speed and
brilliant, and at times perplexing, education in simplicity in comparison to traditional painting, All of the works in Digital Art Masters: Volume 8
the world of digital art. good digital painting still requires the same level have been selected by a panel from the hundreds
of conceptual and compositional skills. It also submitted. They represent a cross-section of
Digital art is probably the most present and enables the artist to create a remarkable collage brilliant art from both established artists and
pervasive art form in the world. It surrounds of sketch works, simply as a “warm up” before talented amateurs. We hope that the Digital Art
us in film, television, games and advertising. At moving on to larger projects. Most importantly, Masters series is a showcase, a record and, most
the heart of these images that become part of digital art offers an exciting and accessible future importantly, an inspiration for artists for years to
cultural consciousness are great artworks created for painting. come.
by talented artists.
Because of the constant improvements in
However, as we have recently seen with the technology and the focus on teaching and Emalee Beddoes
Rhythm & Hues scandal, outside of its own world learning in the digital art world, it is a rapidly Editor – 3DTotal

6
Foreword

Foreword This book also provides an insight into their offers not only the technical aspects of what that
The Digital Art Masters series from 3DTotal has, thoughts as they were creating the image, which will require, but more importantly, will inspire
in my opinion, been the very best collection of may actually be the most valuable component! you to do so!
books to educate and inspire today’s amateur
and professional digital artists. With current technology and the changing ways I hope you get as many new ideas from this
the population enjoys its entertainment, digital book as I have done. Also, and probably more
Digital Art Masters: Volume 8 pushes the bar artists will have to adapt and continue to learn importantly, I hope it inspires you to create
further still by going into great artistic and as much as they can. With the limitless power to something completely new, which may end up in
technical knowledge depth to show the level of create any conceivable image in a film, and with a future volume of this series!
skill needed to create such imagery, whilst also the next generation of games consoles on the
explaining how. horizon, a greater demand for high quality art will Jon McCoy
be desired. This is an incredibly exciting time to [email protected]
The range of digital art in today’s world is covered be an artist, digital or otherwise, and this book http://www.jonmccoyart.com
in great detail, from expressionistic painting,
all the way up to highly refined and technically
detailed sculpture, by way of abstracted,
illustrative imagery, and photorealistic 3D scenes.

A modern digital artist intending to succeed

in the entertainment industries would do well
to have as complete an understanding of as
many of these areas as possible. Being able
to communicate verbally as well as visually
with other areas of a project workflow – be it © Jon McCoy
art directors, animators or programmers – is
completely vital to an artist’s success. But not
only that: an idea or understanding of how an
artist from a different discipline would approach
or tackle a specific task may help you consider
other possibilities in your own work.

Most of my personal understanding of light and

materials actually came from studying lighting
and rendering in a 3D program! Digital Art
Masters: Volume 8 shows you the complete cross-
section of some of the best artists’s workflows. © Jon McCoy

7
Digital Art Masters

Contents

12 | Under the Southern Highway 18 | Nightclub 22 | Rider 28 | New York Street

by Marek Denko by Michał Sawtyruk by B. Börkur Eiríksson by William Wu

168 | Perpetuum Mobile 174 | Fate 178 | Into the Abyss 184 | Snowfall
by Gediminas Pranckevičius by Piotr Jabłoński by Rasmus Berggren by Thomas Scholes

8
Contents

34 | Customer 40 | Simplicity 46 | Game of Life 56 | Casual Guy Portrait 60 | Bruce Lee

by Michal Lisowski by Alberth Costa da Silva by Hu Zheng by Mathieu Aerni by Alexander Beim

146 | A Kind Soul 152 | Juezhan 158 | Boston Common 162 | Stare
by Esben Rasmussen by Fenghua Zhong by Gilles Beloeil by Levi Hopkins

9
Ancient
Sky M Area
a cNetwork
h i n a © Cornelius
M a r c Dämmrich
Brunet
Scenes

What makes a scene an

Scenes
artwork? You may find
yourself in a room, filled
with everyday items, where
everything in its place,
perfect and neat. On the
other hand, you could find
yourself in the same room,
but the expensive chair in the corner has been
smashed across the floor as a “sign of life”. One of
these scenes is easily forgettable, while the other
creates a story. In creating a scene, you also have
to tell a story, which is where the difficulty lies.

A good story can be told in one sentence. The

concept of a really good movie, for example,
often starts with a “what if...?” and at the end you
should see yourself confronted with an idea that
makes you see common things in a different way.

For me, scenes combining things that have

nothing in common create interesting stories.
This may be the wonder of birth in an abandoned
space station or the nerdish weekends of my
youth taking place in an old, precious house at a
time traveller’s LAN party.

Creating scenes that tell stories is all about the

decisions you make and how well you observe
in day-to-day life. You are the storyteller, your
medium is the image and you have to choose
what you will tell.

Cornelius Dämmrich
[email protected]
http://eimer.cgsociety.org/gallery

11
Digital Art Masters | Under the Southern Highway

By Marek Denko
Software Used: 3ds Max , V-Ray, Photoshop, eyeon Fusion

Story and Inspiration The textures were created and adjusted in Adobe primitives to block out the composition and set
My intention was to capture the grayness of life. Photoshop, whilst the color corrections were up the temporary lighting and mood (Fig.01).
Getting older and older, we start to slowly burn done in both Photoshop and eyeon Fusion. After establishing the camera angle, I started to
down, tired of the world and its overwhelming work on the elements.
futility. But as life goes on and priorities change, Modeling
we see things that we have never noticed before To begin with, I created the base scene with proxy While creating the proxy scene, it is very
and life has new meaning. geometry including boxes, cylinders and other important to maintain the correct proportions

The main inspiration for this work was a

photograph I took on a trip to a beautiful castle
near Prague. Using this image I did a quick
paintover in Photoshop, adding the bridge and a
few other elements.

Software Used
The main tool I used was Autodesk 3ds Max 2012.
For the rendering I used Chaos Group’s V-Ray. 01

12
Scenes

Under the Southern Highway © Marek Denko

02 03

and give the composition depth, which was my Deform modifiers on the upper main bridge The fence was quite an easy model to create.
main concern – I wanted to create something structure and placed the columns equidistantly. I started with a few primitive objects and then
static and hypnotic. Creating details was straight forward using lots copied them, using a lot of Boolean operations to
of displacements to create a rough, aged look. I create the detailed damage around their edges.
Bridge and Fence also used numerous Boolean operations to give I tried to avoid repetition and so created a lot of
I dug out some reference pictures from Google the column edges and main structure a damaged uniquely destroyed fence elements (Fig.03).
and then moved on to modeling. I used Path effect (Fig.02).

13
Digital Art Masters | Under the Southern Highway

04 05

Grass and Plants

I created several types of grass clumps using
different techniques. For some of these I used
HairFX, replacing hair strands with simple plane
geometry and then brushing them into the
desired shape. Another technique I used was to
model a few simple strands using straight, bent
or twisted shapes and then paint these onto
deformed hemispherical surfaces to create nice
variations (Fig.04).
06

In the final image

the trees are mainly
in silhouette and
you can’t see much
of the wood, so
creating a good
variety was necessary.

Then, using Advanced Painter with a brush used

to paint source objects (grass clumps) onto
geometry (ground surface) with randomized
transform values, I painted/scattered grass
07
clumps across the appropriate areas.

I also added some custom grass strands to

enhance the overall variety (Fig.05 – 06). I then
combined these to create quite a dense grass
surface, which mimicked real grass (Fig.07).

I used a tree generator called OnyxTREE, along

with additional enhancement in 3ds Max. Using
Scattering, I spread several different types of
leaves and small branches across the generated
tree to make them look more realistic (Fig.08). In
the final image the trees are mainly in silhouette
and you can’t see much of the wood, so creating
a good variety was necessary. 08

14
Scenes

Castle Wall
Creating the castle wall was quite fun. Some parts
were built brick by brick, using a lot of variation
within the texture and geometry detail to achieve
the best results (Fig.09). Again, I destroyed
several parts of the wall with Boolean operations.
I also applied hue and saturation variations on
the brick textures, which helped.

Woman
The main reference for the figure was my wife,
who was kind enough to pose for me with our
baby buggy. I used 3ds Max to create the model
and photographic textures for displacement,
which worked out pretty well in the final pose
(Fig.10).

Textures and Shaders

Most of the textures were downloaded from
CGtextures.com, which really is the best texture 10
resource I’m currently aware of. I also created
a lot of custom textures using my own photos,
mainly for the bridge, the dirt on the ground, the
tiles, grass and bricks (Fig.11 – 12).

Using V-Ray as a render engine gives limited but

powerful options for base shaders. I mostly used
VrayMtl shaders and standard stuff like masked
reflections, fresnel and bump maps, etc. I also
used the vray2side material for the grass to give it
a translucent look, but that’s pretty much it. 11 12

15
Digital Art Masters | Under the Southern Highway

Lighting and Rendering

As it is an exterior scene with lot of fog, I used
a directional light with very soft shadows to
simulate a foggy, overcast, early morning light.
I set the color of the sunlight to a saturated
orange, which I balanced out later during post-
production. Another obvious source of light is
the sky itself and for this I used a Skylight dome
with a slightly blue tint. To create the foggy
atmosphere, I used V-Ray fog, which was quite a
14
challenge and cost a lot of render time.
took about 15 hours. I used a distributed render I used Fusion for the first step of post-production
Finding the correct balance of visibility, light on four machines so the test renders and final as it has better tools for color correction with
intensity and light angle in the fog was quite a renders were done pretty quickly. The final render 32-bit formats. As I was doing lots of corrections,
drawn-out process, as every time I changed one was saved as 32-bit OpenEXR format. No extra I needed to keep the color information perfect
of these parameters everything was affected. It render passes were used. without any bends and washed out, clamped
was all about how light travels through fog, how areas. I then finalized the image in Photoshop,
different angles impact upon this and how light Post-production Touches making slight color changes as well as adding the
intensity is affected. The raw render seemed washed out (Fig.13), but sky layer.
this was easily fixed in post-production by adding
I used V-Ray as my render engine, as well as color corrections to the sky and some light rays It took me a few months to finish this piece as I
an irradiance map and Light Cache for global using both Fusion and Photoshop. The Fusion was busy with other aspects of life, but I always
illumination – so nothing special to mention output can be seen in Fig.14. The Photoshop enjoy working on my personal artworks. Thanks
here. I rendered the image at 5000px wide, which version, which became the final image, is Fig.15. for reading!

16
Scenes

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Marek Denko

17
Nightclub © Michał Sawtyruk
Scenes

By Michał Sawtyruk
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
I’d had the idea for this painting for some time
before I finally decided to make a few sketches
and bring it to life. I’m a fan of Neil Campbell
Ross and Nightclub was inspired by the simplicity
and balance of his work. I didn’t want to create a
polished image, but rather something light and
simple.

Looking through online portfolios and galleries,

the same topics are often repeated and so I
wanted to come up with something different for
my portfolio. I planned to create an atmospheric
piece using loose and sketchy painterly effects.

I draw a lot of
sketches from
life and will even
take pictures with 01
my cell phone if
I see something
interesting.

Collecting references like photographs and

sketches is an essential step in my working
process, especially for illustrations with strong
modern, industrial themes. References and
sketches help develop a subject and are crucial if
you want to make your paintings believable.

Sketches
I draw a lot of sketches from life and will
even take pictures with my cell phone if I see
something interesting. Before I start to paint, I
collect this stuff together and find it helps me a
lot during work (Fig.01). I also find pen sketching
a great exercise, as it creates confidence in
painting, especially using hard brushes.

I don’t employ any elaborate schemes and my

workflow can often be a little bit messy. When
painting for myself, I try not to over-deliberate
and just have fun exploring new things. I don’t
plan everything from the beginning as I like the
work to evolve naturally. Digital painting offers
this advantage over traditional mediums as you
can change the composition whenever you wish. 02

19
Digital Art Masters | Nightclub

The line art for this painting was very simple. I

wasn’t focusing on details, but rather wanted to
create a guideline for creating the shapes and
composition. Instead of painting in grayscale, I
started doodling with colors.

Composition
At this point I was focusing only on the
composition, so I zoomed out and started playing
with shapes and colors. I mostly used a regular
Hard Round brush, as well as some custom
brushes, to form random rectangles, using the
Lasso tool for edges (Fig.02). To speed up my
03 04
coloring stage I sometimes merge my sketches
with textures from some of my other paintings by
mixing layers. I find this is a quick way to get new
ideas and interesting effects.

I decided to make a change by expanding the

field of view and adding one of my scanned
sketches to the first composition. I made some
simple shapes of people and a tree outside the
building on a separate layer to make everything
look more natural (Fig.03 – 04). It took me some
time to finally get a result that I was happy with
at this stage, bearing in mind that I didn’t want to
complicate the image too much.

After settling on the composition and a basic

color palette, I made some minor corrections to
the perspective and started adding a few details
05 06
whilst retaining the simplicity. I focused on the
lower part of the image as this is visually the most
important.

Glass Surfaces
The glass surfaces were pretty tricky as they had
to be glossy and sharp, but maintain the overall
sketchy style. Fortunately, I managed to capture
the impression of movement in the foreground in
the initial stages. I then used the custom brushes
to highlight the leaves, before using the Smudge
tool and some standard brushes to create smooth
transitions. Throughout this process, I made
small changes to the palette by adding new colors
(Fig.05 – 06).

Tweaks and Corrections

I made a couple of final tweaks, like a few small
details and color corrections (Fig.07). I also
removed one figure from the foreground to 07

20
Scenes

Happy with the

image, I took a break
from working on it
for a day. I find that
this gives me a fresh
perspective and helps
reveal mistakes.

expose what was happening inside the building

as I think this is the most interesting part. I then
copied all the layers into one (Ctrl + Shift + C), put
this on top and made a couple of color variations
using Image > Adjustments > Variations (Fig.08).

Happy with the image, I took a break from

working on it for a day. I find that this gives me a
fresh perspective and helps reveal mistakes. I also
sent the finished version to a couple of my friends
and asked them what they thought about it.
08
Everyone perceives things differently, so getting a
second opinion can help improve your work. forget which way is correct! In the end what better, like including more detail and planning
matters is the final effect and this method really more effectively to save time spent changing the
I’m still learning and I improvise along the way, makes a difference. composition, this was nevertheless a successful
mostly with colors and composition. One thing experiment and I’m happy with the final piece as
I recommend is flipping the image horizontally Conclusion I feel it achieved the desired effect. I hope that
as often as possible. By doing this, I occasionally Although I feel I could have done some things others enjoy it too.

Artist Portfolio

21
Rider © B. Börkur Eiríksson
Digital Art Masters | Rider

By B. Börkur Eiríksson
Software Used: Photoshop

Getting Started
It’s usually a good idea to start with a simple
sketch or a thumbnail to give yourself some idea
of what you’re doing, even if it’s just a quick
sketch for yourself. Everyone has their own way of
getting their idea down; some do line drawings,
others do black and white value sketches or
color sketches, and these are probably all good
methods.

I happen to like doing simple value thumbnails

(sometimes color) because they give me an idea
of how the general composition will end up. This
one was nothing special, but it was enough for
me to see the larger shapes and values (Fig.01). If
I had done this for a client then I would definitely
01
want to take this a step further so it doesn’t
stretch the imagination.

I was mostly
concerned with the
general impression
of the image at this
stage. With the
silhouettes in place
and the temperature
sorted, the piece was
sort of working.

Composition
I started with blocking in the background and
trying to find the general tone of the image. All
I knew at this stage was that I wanted it to be
02
warm and desert-like. For some color separation
I picked yellows and blues as starting colors, and
then layered these using some generic brushes
and the Smudge tool with some textured brushes
(Fig.02).

Next I added the main silhouettes. I used a mask

layer to keep them separate from the background
and to keep things simpler for myself. I was
mostly concerned with the general impression
of the image at this stage. With the silhouettes in
place and the temperature sorted, the piece was
sort of working (Fig.03). 03

24
Scenes

Color and Details

You might notice that the colors and values are a
little dull here; this is a constant struggle of mine
as I often like to fade in my colors and shapes, so
my work often looks a bit dull during the early
stages.

To fix this I added some definition to the

riders, worked some color variations into the
background and started to think about what to
do with the ugly foreground plane (Fig.04). This
is where the problem-solving phase starts and it
can go on for some time.

Because the values

are so close
together it’s easy to
04
move them around
and change things. this stage, the better the image will end up. With but it doesn’t usually work if there is too much
I usually find that this one I didn’t spend too long on this phase; it’s contrast. I felt that the red/brownish hue was an
the more time I spend just a personal image and I was trying to have fun improvement as it created more contrast, which
during this stage, with it. However, the worry that the colors were definitely helped the background, but I was
the better the image off and uneven was constantly nagging at me. unsure about the foreground (Fig.05).
will end up.
Contrast To create more contrast and to create the
Because the values are so close together it’s I added some different colors using just the impression of the sun shining, I increased
easy to move them around and change things. Levels, Curves and Hue tools. Soft Light can the lighter tones behind the figures, which
I usually find that the more time I spend during also work wonders when glazing an image, also helped define them more against the

25
Digital Art Masters | Rider

background. I also worked on the little things

bothering me, like the bush in the foreground and
the hat on the near figure (Fig.06).

Although the picture was coming together it

still felt too monotonous. I tried several color
variations to resolve this until I finally settled on
a color scheme that felt better to me. I added
some green to the blue in the mountain and sky,
as well as changing the red and black to a more
yellowish-brown tint, which seemed to do the
trick as it had previously felt too pink. I used the
Dodge tool to add some of the more obvious
highlights, like the sun across the plain in the
background and on the riders. I also added some
extra texture in the foreground and some light
glinting off the stones, just to break it up a bit
(Fig.07).

It still looked rough, but felt finished somehow

– like a finished sketch. I could have picked at it
for longer, but usually once I’ve solved most of
the big problems I will lose interest in an image,
especially if it’s just a small thing I’m doing for
myself. All in all, I think it turned out alright. 07

26
Scenes

Artist Portfolio

All Images © B. Börkur Eiríksson

27
New York Street ™ © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved
Digital Art Masters | New York Street

By William Wu
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
Working as a concept artist for the video game
Assassin’s Creed 3, I was asked by my director,
Chinh Ngo, to create a scene depicting 18th
century New York. This environment would
appear arid and dusty, in contrast to the Boston
scenes used elsewhere.

Research
Before jumping into any painting I will spend
a couple of hours researching the architecture
and people of the period. I look into details like
the type of window frames that would be used
and the styles of decoration and clothing, for
01
example. Doing this helps you focus on painting
and will save you the time of having to go back Color Palette not be larger than the size of a business card – if
and forth to figure things out. Once I have a basic idea in my head, I begin to the image is readable at that size, then the final
think about the color palette that I would use to image should not have any problem selling that
To accommodate for heavy crowd traffic, the illustrate the dry, dusty streets. I choose warmer idea.
streets would be vast and wide. The terrain would hues of red and yellow to convey this atmosphere
be rough and filthy as horses were integral to (Fig.01). Perspective and Light
transportation during the period. The image also My next challenge is to create a symmetrical
needed to show the bustle of the 18th century Once I have decided on my color palette, I start perspective without having the focus placed
New York streets, with market stalls and vendors on a small and rough thumbnail sketch of the directly in the center (Fig.02). To guide the
and residents wandering around. scene, which I check with my director. This should viewer’s eye, I apply the rule of thirds in

30
Scenes

photography and place the area with the highest Without a strong sense of light, it would be more contrast in light or shape when I paint, as this
contrast along one of the overlapping points on difficult to know where the focus of the image creates a much stronger, more interesting look.
the grid (Fig.03). This method can be very useful is located. In this image, I have decided to place
for beginner painters who have trouble initially my light source on the left behind the shadowed Adding Detail
with composition. This rule doesn’t only help with architecture. I continue to compose the image and break it
finding the focal point, but can also be a useful down into three sections: first, second and third
guide as a cropping tool to remove unnecessary This light source gives me the opportunity to (Fig.04). The first holds most of the detail and
areas. create a strong silhouette and a bright focal area. contrast. I spend a lot of time on this, carefully
I tend to enjoy using later afternoon sunlight, painting each window, door and all the other
Lighting is a very crucial part in any painting. It simply because it allows me to play with the objects, as it is this layer that the audience will
defines forms, shadows, and strong silhouettes. shape of the shadows. I always think about scrutinize, so if these details aren’t clear enough,

2 1

31
Digital Art Masters | New York Street

Atmospheric fog
is also great for
creating depth and
giving an air of
mystery – it makes
the audience want to
explore more.
it can undermine the rest of the painting. The
second section contains less detailed elements,
which are not as important, but still add interest.
Finally the third section is much less detailed and
demands less time.

In order to create a sense of depth, I try to add as

many overlapping elements as possible, placing
dark shapes in front of light shapes and vice versa
(Fig.05). Atmospheric fog is also great for creating
depth and giving an air of mystery – it makes the
audience want to explore more.

05
Now the environment is established, I focus on
the crowd and making the scene more exuberant
and involving (Fig.06). Creating a sense of
motion can illustrate scale, activity and narrative.
Similarly, depicting smoke and wind can also add
life to the image (Fig.07).

Finally, I check my values to see the range I have

used and check if it could be pushed any further
(Fig.08). I tend to have the widest range on my
mid-tone value, while the darkest and lightest
areas are used more conservatively, as the image
begins to lose realism when pushed too far. Now
happy with the values, the image is complete. 06 07

32
Artist Portfolio

Artist Portfolio

All Images ™ © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved

33
Customer © Michal Lisowski
Digital Art Masters | Customer

By Michal Lisowski
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
Big cities have their secrets; dark places that
become crime scenes. This work shows part of
this underworld where prostitutes wait under a
bridge for clients. One of the girls gets into a car,
while in the background normal life goes on.

Composition
In my opinion, the best way to achieve a good
composition and correct perspective in a
cityscape is to use some 3D elements. I built
and arranged a few boxes, placing some low
buildings in the foreground and the tallest in
the background to add depth and create visual
interest. I placed the camera between these and
played with it, looking for an interesting shot and
01
field of view (Fig.01).
The boxes weren’t very detailed, but what was finished piece but realize that the composition
Robh Ruppel claims important at this stage was to try to find at least isn’t right, or that your story is unreadable, the
that “the real art two or three shots so that I could choose the best only thing you will be able to do is save the image
comes from the one. Robh Ruppel claims that “the real art comes in your “Unfinished” folder.
choices you make, from the choices you make, not the technique”,
not the technique”, so I try to give myself the opportunity to paint the Color and Detail
so I try to give myself best picture I can. Once I had my 3D clay render and had picked
the opportunity to my favorite shot, it was the time to paint it in
paint the best picture This decision making process is a key part of Photoshop. I chose a color palette of brown, pink,
I can. working effectively. If you have created a detailed, purple, violet, blue, cyan and green (Fig.02).

36
Scenes

I decided to separate the background by using a During this process I also tried to enrich the color In order to bring the city to life I started to paint
different range of values. I wanted to create the palette. Some artists find it hard to introduce new in details such as cars, lamps, cables, billboards,
impression of looking out from a dark cave. To colors when working with a desaturated palette, neon signs and people walking on the street
establish this effect, I used a lot of dark colors but I recommend courage when experimenting (Fig.04). In my opinion, details aren’t what
in the foreground, but had I used colors with a with color. It is much easier to break down the make the painting, but are really important
similar value range in the background then the color when you already have a rich palette on when it comes to polishing and finalizing a solid
readability of the whole picture would have been your canvas. foundation.
unbalanced, allowing the eyes to wander.

I recommend
courage when
experimenting with
color. It is much
easier to break down
the color when
you already have a
rich palette on your
canvas.

I decided on a right-hand light source to create

a shadow play and help emphasize the contrast
between the silhouettes in the middle of the
tunnel and those in the background. This
effectively created some kind of focal point.

Once I had an idea of where I was heading with

the composition and color, it was time to add
detail to the building facades (Fig.03). I used
hard, mostly square-shaped brushes and a few
textures. As I said, it wasn’t important to paint
every brick on the buildings. 04

37
Digital Art Masters | Customer

There is still time at this stage to make changes

to enrich the story and the artistic value of the
scene, but if I feel the image isn’t looking right, I
have to resist the draw of the Delete key.

I took some time to assess my work and see

what I could add or change to improve the
image. I wanted to create the affect of rush
hour, whilst avoiding the impression that the
scene is set downtown. I also added another girl
in the tunnel, as I decided that a group would
communicate the story more effectively (Fig.05).

Final Touches
Once I was happy with the composition and
confident that the image was working, there was
nothing left to do but finish the detailing and add
some final touches (Fig.06). I find this stage to be
quite relaxing.

Do not ignore
the importance of
composition and
do not accept poor
design by concealing 05

it with detail.

Whilst refining the picture by adding details, it is

important to work across the whole composition
and insure that you don’t accidentally create new
focal points through unnecessary concentration
on specific details.

Finally, I flipped the canvas horizontally to check

that everything was fine and then the only thing
remaining was to sign the work.

I hope this tutorial has helped you to understand

the importance of the early stages of the painting
process and how important it is to have control
over the whole composition. Do not ignore the
importance of composition and do not accept
poor design by concealing it with detail.

38
Scenes

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Michal Lisowski

39
Digital Art Masters | Simplicity

40
Scenes

Simplicity © Alberth Costa – Uchimata

41
Digital Art Masters | Simplicity

By Alberth Costa da Silva

Software Used: 3ds Max, V-Ray

Introduction
With CG work, specifically with arch-viz, I always
spend a while on the internet searching for
references – I think that this is the first step
towards creating a good image. For both personal
and professional pieces I will spend hours
researching and finding inspiration, as I believe
that good planning is important for any job.

To develop this environment, I researched

a Scandinavian style as I wanted to create a
minimalist space with a sense of tranquility.
I searched for hours trying to find something 01

that was suitable. Eventually, I found several

references and used these to create a concept for
the image.

Modeling
Modeling the scene wasn’t terribly challenging,
in fact this whole scene is quite simple. I began
by modeling a basic room with a wooden floor
and ceiling using 3ds Max (Fig.01 – 03). As you can
see, I did not spend much time on this stage.

However, working out the composition took much

more thought and I spent quite a while trying
different variations. Initially I tried compositions
with more objects, but none of these had the
effect I wanted. It wasn’t until after numerous
tests that I found the result I had hoped for. 02

42
Scenes

04 05

I received several
emails asking me
specifically about
the wall and bed
fabric. I used a bitmap
texture with diffuse
reflection and
glossiness, and just a
few tweaks.

Texturing
I received several emails asking me specifically
about the wall and bed fabric. I used a bitmap
texture with diffuse reflection and glossiness, and
just a few tweaks, nothing very specific.

06
The wall was created using this principle, using
a normal material from V-Ray with a bitmap in
the diffuse channel before being copied to other
channels and used as a reflection bump with a
value of 20 (Fig.04 – 05).

The only difference in the way the fabric was

made is that I used a color correction map to get
the tone right and within that, a further bitmap.
I then applied a V-Ray displacement with a very
simple configuration (Fig.06).

Lighting and Cameras

I wanted a subtle, natural lighting with diffuse
shadows. To achieve this I used three lights
arranged in a dome formation (Fig.07) and
two V-Ray lights. One of the V-Ray lights was
positioned toward the door with the Temperature 07

43
Digital Art Masters | Simplicity

set to 6500 to create a bluish tint, Multiplier set to

20 and Subdivs to 24.

The second V-Ray light was the same shape, but

with different temperatures. The internal light
worked with a slightly warmer temperature of
around 4500, a Multiplier of 5 and Subdivs set to
24.

For the camera, I slightly altered the default

setting to improve the lighting since it does not
work with the Linear Work Flow (Fig.08).

Render
For rendering, I used the V-Ray render because 08
my machine parameters yield more with the
simple configuration shown in Fig.09.

Generally I tend to use Reinhard color mapping,

but for this scene I used Exponential mapping
as the tests gave a result that I felt was more
suitable.

Post-production
During post-production, I used a few Curves and
made some adjustments to the color, brightness
and contrast. I also used some passes to assist
in post-production, such as reflection, refraction
and GI (Fig.10).

I am very happy to be part of this publication.

Firstly I would like to thank God. I’d also like
to thank my parents, brothers and nephews,
my loving wife, Jaqueline, and especially my
daughter Laura who is my great inspiration.
Thank you all. 09

44
Scenes

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Alberth Costa – Uchimata

45
Game of Life © Huzheng
Digital Art Masters | Game of Life

By Hu Zheng
Software Used: 3ds Max, Maya, Mudbox, Photoshop, V-Ray, ZBrush

Introduction
The creative drive behind this work, Game of Life, 1 2 3

came from my desire to appreciate people and

things that are close to me, and to live a more
meaningful, fulfilling life.

Game of Life intends to inspire an interesting

and amusing way of thinking about life and the
afterlife. Perhaps our lives and all the things
precious to them are part of a game between
supreme beings, where questions of life and
death, heaven and hell are reliant on the luck of
the cards in a game between an angel and Death.

4 5
The angel’s
expression is serious
with a touch of
sadness, implying
that his chances of
winning are slim.
Death is relaxed, his
right hand holing a 01

cigarette whilst his

other holds the last
Joker

With this concept, I meant for this image to

remind us to enjoy every day, regardless of where
we go in the future.

Composition
After cementing the concept, I started to sketch
out ideas and decided on the fourth composition
as my final choice (Fig.01). The scene occurs in
the hospital, where an aging man, on the verge
of death, lies on a bed inside the ICU room as an
angel and Death play cards to decide his fate .

The angel’s expression is serious with a touch of

sadness, implying that his chances of winning are
slim. Death is relaxed, his right hand holding a
cigarette whilst his other holds the last Joker.

Working Process
Before you begin an image, I recommend making
a plan of the work process. I do this to keep track 02

48
Scenes

of every stage and to keep things clear in my

head. This process is divided into nine stages:

1. Concept
2. Collecting references
3. Blocking
4. Topology
5. Unwrapping UVs
6. Detailing the high resolution model
7. Texturing
8. Lighting and materials
9. Hair and compositing
03

Collecting References
The first stage of my work is to build the concept
by collecting references. For this project, I
roughly categorize my references into characters’
personalities, facial expressions, clothing texture,
ICU interior, furniture and medical equipment
such as medical papers and forms, etc. Then for
each of these, I created and collected images
that complimented the feel of the work and put
them together as my final modeling references
(Fig.02 – 03).

Basic Model Blocking

I began the design process by modeling the aging
patient’s head. The dying man’s facial structure
04
is defined and highly wrinkled, which means
creating a high quality mesh with good topology working on and the mesh of the subtool is work you need to ensure any changes have been
is necessary. Creating a basic, rough model for retopologized, resulting in a nice, uniform mesh. made on your mesh first, which just involves
making topology at this stage will be helpful. clicking on it.
As a personal preference, I use ZBrush for the When Project mode is activated, it automatically
character model blocking. projects details of the model onto the DynaMesh, In ZBrush, begin with a basic shape: a cube or a
converting it to a higher resolution mesh. sphere, for example. In this case, I chose a sphere
DynaMesh DynaMesh allows you to control the level of the as my starting point (Fig.05). I like to sculpt big
ZBrush4R2 has a new tool called DynaMesh, mesh resolution to create denser poly meshes. shapes first, slowly moving from the basic shape
which makes character blocking and sketching to those I want while sculpting the mesh.
very convenient. It is located under Tool > To increase the poly mesh, hold down the Ctrl
Geometry. When selected, ZBrush will recalculate key and left mouse button (LMB) and drag on any Be bold and don’t be afraid of making mistakes
the topology of the subtool you’re currently empty space in the document. But to make this while sculpting. In ZBrush, you can easily

49
Digital Art Masters | Game of Life

smooth away anything you don’t like. Relax

and experiment with the mesh. Like when you
toy with clay, you don’t need to be too precise.
During the blocking stage, just focus on the
interesting shape, correct proportion and
structure without adding detail.

Topology
Before creating topology, you need to study the
topology of the face (Fig.06). Good topology will
allow for more detail to be added to your model.

After clarifying the positioning of the character’s

facial topology, I used the Wrapit plugin, which
provides lots of tool options to use whilst creating
the topology. To activate Wrapit, firstly click on
the High Poly button. A Select Target Objects
dialog box will appear; click on the high res mesh
and finally, click Add.

The number next to high poly and the slider

control the transparency of the high res mesh
(Fig.07). Transparency makes it easy to observe
06
the high res mesh when the low res mesh
wrapping is on top of it. To create a simple face
poly, click Low to pick the face you just created
and it will become the low res model (Fig.08).

Next, click AutoWrap Off to turn on the auto

wrapping function, which conforms the low res
model with the high res version, and bruteforce,
which forces the low res model grid to snap onto
the high res model surface (Fig.09). 3d Max tools
07 08
can now be used to create topology, including
moving edges, vertices, poly extruding and
adding loops, etc.

If you click Graphite Modeling tools inside

Freeform, you can find Extend (Fig.10). To use
Extend, hold the Shift key and the LMB, then
drag along the line you want to extend. Each
drag can only extend one face as you will see
in image 1 of Fig.11. Using the LMB to drag
diagonally from a vertex can also extend a face, 09 10

as shown in image 2. Holding Shift, Ctrl and the

1 2 3 4
LMB, then dragging along two connected lines
can extend a connected face, illustrated in image
3. Holding Ctrl, Alt and the LMB while dragging
from one edge to another, will make a bridged
face between the two edges – which is shown in
image 4. 11

50
Scenes

To insert a loop, select the Graphite Modeling

tool then Swift Loop. This will make a white loop
appear when the mouse hovers over faces.

To use the Relaxing tools, first select the vertices

that you want to relax. In the Wrapit control
panel you can find Selection under Relax. Click
to activate it, and then click on the previously
selected vertices (Fig.12). Each click relaxes the
vertices slightly, so keep clicking to average out
the spaces between them.

12
Once the topology is finished (Fig.13), you can
close down the Wrapit plugin and delete the
high res mesh as Wrapit supports most of the
modeling tools provided by 3d Max.

UV Cutting and Layout Rules

I’m often asked about how to cut and layout UVs.
There is no steadfast rule, but I recommend these
methods:
13

• Begin by cutting UVs based on their

stretching condition. I prefer cutting to
stretching because seams can be fixed, while
stretching cannot. Next add more UV spaces
to detailed areas, but ensure you avoid
overlapping (Fig.14).

• Keep in mind that UV seams will be hidden

from the render camera, and visible seams
can be fixed using ZBrush and Mudbox
projection, so there is no need to worry
about them at this point.

14 Adding Details to the High

Resolution Mesh
After the UV unwrap is completed, the model
can be imported into ZBrush ready to add more
details to the high res mesh (Fig.15).

Basic brushes can be used to finish the work.

I used Standard, ClayBuildup, Move, Flatten,
Pinch and the Inflat brush most of the time. With
constant adjustments of size and strength, these
brushes can sculpt all the structures and details.

ZBrush projection was used to add textures that

could then be exported into Photoshop to fix the
seams. I also used Mudbox to paint the textures
15 and add more color variation.

51
Digital Art Masters | Game of Life

Preparation Before Projection

When sourcing projection images, higher
resolution examples are preferable. These should
only demonstrate a subtle variation in color and
lighting, and any highlights should be omitted.

I used Spotlight in ZBrush to project the texture

images. To finish the texture projection, repeat
the above steps and then fix the seams (Fig.16).

Using ZAppLink
ZAppLink was a plugin preceding ZBrush 3.1, but
is now included inside ZBrush. It forms a bridge
between ZBrush and Photoshop, and allows you
to use Photoshop to fix or enhance textures that
are created inside ZBrush. ZAppLink can then
import the fixed texture into ZBrush. This makes
16 17
changes in a flash and saves you from having to
keep importing and exporting texture images.

To make these textures look realistic, you need

to continue to enhance the projection texture. I
used Mudbox to enhance the warm and cool color
changes of the skin tone, before adding more
details like veins, spots and blood vessels (Fig.17)

Lighting and Materials (V-Ray)

After the texturing process, it is time for the
lighting and material texture testing, as well
as adjusting the diffusion color of the textures
according to the lighting and materials. Although
these require painstaking effort, they really make
a difference to the final result.
18

Using V-Ray for rendering, I was able to test the

lighting and try different lighting effects before
setting the three, final V-Ray area lights (Fig.18).

Composite
For the final render, I rendered out an RGB
channel, ZDepth channel and three SSS layers,
etc.

After some trial and error using Photoshop for the

final compositing process (Fig.19), I settled on a
warm, greenish tint.

52
Scenes
Artist Portfolio

53
S k y M a Female
c h i n aTrooper
© Ma ©rMaciej
c B rKuciara
unet
Characters

Almost every story in the

Characters
world has its own characters.
Whether they are human,
creatures or just objects, they
are the most important part
when it comes to making
stories interesting.

Figuring out the way your characters will look

and act is definitely not an easy task. You have to
consider what shapes, lines and values will define
their silhouettes and what texture and colors will
fulfill their designs. Each of these cues correlates
with one another and great character design
relies on their balance, which can make or break
the creative process.

It always takes a great effort to reach a harmony

of shape, value and hue, but the outcome is well
worth the hard work. Brilliant stories can be built
on the back of great character designs and a great
story backed up by beautiful designs is always a
winner in the viewer’s eyes.

Maciej Kuciara
[email protected]
http://maciejkuciara.com

55
Casual Guy Portrait © Mathieu Aerni
Characters

By Mathieu Aerni
Software Used: ZBrush, 3ds Max, V-Ray

Introduction
This image started as an improvised sculpt in
ZBrush; a portrait without a model or references.
During the early stages, I didn’t have a specific
idea about the final outcome, but I had a very
casual portrait in mind of someone unnoticeable,
without distinguishable features, who could just
be another face in the crowd. I moved away from
the mannequin or caricatured type of person as I
was looking for something subtle and ordinary.

Sculpting
Sculpting can be broken down into primary,
secondary and tertiary forms. Due to the primary
forms making a character believable, I tried to put
a lot of emphasis on the basic proportions and
volumes. When I started blocking in the character,
I didn’t look at any references because I wanted
to practice my improvisation skills.

I used the Move brush and the Clay Tubes brush

to establish the broad shape at the lowest
subdivision levels. At that stage, I tried to pay 01

attention to the critical planes, structures and

inflections of the skull, as well as to the fat and
muscles that would cover it. Fat is probably
more important than muscles in the human face,
at least in relation to surface forms, and I tried
to keep that in mind throughout the sculpting
process.

For the secondary forms created by fat, cartilage,

folds of flesh and muscles, I moved to subdivision
levels 3 or 4 and used the Clay Tubes brush in
conjunction with the Smooth brush, both with
low values. I alternated between those two
brushes, using the Smooth brush as a polishing
tool to reduce the hard edges and refine the
transition between forms.
02

It was a very repetitive process, but it ended up stage I often stepped down to lower subdivisions became very important for my final render. I used
giving me a natural-looking sculpt with a nice to modify large forms. very specific references, like detailed pictures
fleshy feeling. I also used the Standard brush with of facial features, to make sure my details were
Lazy Mouse to cut in some finer details like the For the tertiary forms, I really wanted to include accurate. I sculpted all of them with the Standard
infraorbital (the bone below the eye), the lower as much detail as possible in the sculpture rather brush. In addition to the pores and wrinkles, I
eyelid and the nasolabial furrows (smile lines), than in the color textures. In that regard, the added less common skin details, like subtle acne
which helped me define the character. During this wrinkles, skin pores and high frequency details scars, on the cheeks (Fig.01 – 02).

57
Digital Art Masters | Casual Guy Portrait

Reflection SSS Color Scatter Radius Displacement 03

In reality, wrinkles as opposed to a photo-projected texture. My This project was my first foray into the V-Ray SSS2
and skin pores are intention was to reduce the baked-in texture material and I really liked it. I obtained interesting
three-dimensional look. In previous projects, I have achieved results with a fairly simple shader. I used a V-Ray
and so I decided to interesting results by relying heavily on texture, Blend material to add an extra layer of reflection,
restrict these to but compression could always be felt a little, which gave me more control over the final look.
displacement and which can give the impression of relatively simple
exclude them from geometry that has been photo-mapped. At the rendering stage, I had to return to the
the Color map. sculpt and adjust small details because the SSS
In reality, wrinkles and skin pores are three- shader and lighting conditions in the scene made
Texturing and Shading dimensional and so I decided to restrict these to things look different to the ZBrush viewport.
My approach to the texturing was to go with a displacement and exclude them from the color
very detailed displacement map and a simple map. The displacement map was rendered from The hairs were done in 3ds Max using Onatrix
color map, with all of the final details in the final ZBrush at 6k, while the other maps were painted (Fig.04). I did a simple, three-day beard with very
render being generated from the ZBrush sculpt in Photoshop at 4k (Fig.03). short hair on the scalp.

58
Characters

the freedom of Key Rim

improvising without
references is always
very liberating.
Lighting and Rendering
The scene was rendered in V-Ray using one planar
V-Ray light as a key light and one small spherical
V-Ray light placed behind the character as a rim
light. I placed the key light above his head at a
sharp angle to create a dramatic effect (Fig.05).

The rendering settings are quite straight forward,

with everything rendered in one pass within
3ds Max. I did some fine tuning afterwards in
Photoshop, which included playing with the
Curves and Color Balance to set the image in a
specific tonal range.

Conclusion
This project was a great experience for me. Most
of the characters I create in my professional work
have to precisely match real actors or concepts.
This is nice, but the freedom of improvising
without references is always very liberating. 05

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Mathieu Aerni

59
Bruce Lee © Alexander Beim lotusart.de
Characters

By Alexander Beim – Lotus Art

Software Used: ZBrush, Maya

Introduction
I have always been a huge fan of Bruce Lee
and I was, of course, very sorry that he passed
away prematurely. With the development of
3D technology, it isn’t hard to imagine that one
day live actors could be replaced by realistic 3D
characters. If this is possible, it is also possible
that actors who have died could star in the films
of the future. This concept inspired me to try and
create my first portrait of Bruce Lee, hoping that
in the future I will be able to create an animation
with him.

I like to work
intuitively and,
thanks to DynaMesh,
I don’t need to know
in advance what I
want. I can change
shapes as I see fit
throughout the
process. 01

References
I started by collecting photographs of Lee. When
making a recognizable character, accuracy is
very important; even a millimeter out on the
eyes or the nose can make a big difference.
Unfortunately the quality of photography in the
1970s made it difficult to find a large and sharp
enough picture, so I had to rethink my approach,
combining images to create a mental image of his
characteristics instead.

Making a Rough Model with

DynaMesh
I like to work intuitively and, thanks to DynaMesh,
I don’t need to know in advance what I want. I can
change shapes as I see fit throughout the process.
To make the model, I started experimenting with
DynaMesh until I had a shape I was happy with.
That is not to say I ignored creating a model with
regular topology and indeed, I decided to create
good topology suitable for facial animation
(Fig.01 – 02).

61
Digital Art Masters | Bruce Lee

03 04

Making the Low Poly Model result. When I came back to it the next day Adding the High Res Details
with Good Topology and UVs however, I felt that it was missing something. I and Deciding on the Pose
I made the mesh and generated the UVs in continued working on elements that also have a I made several layers for pores and wrinkles, and
Maya (Fig.03 – 04), creating a topology suitable significant impact, such as lighting, texture and then created the alpha in ZBrush Alpha Grab.
for future animation. It has taken a lot of trial material. When the basic symmetrical model Once this was ready, I created a layer to add
and error over the years to learn this skill, but was ready I started to add details like pores and wrinkles, imperfections, moles and stubble, etc.,
it was worth the effort in the end. With the wrinkles (Fig.05 – 06). as well as a layer of noise (Fig.07).
model finished, I exported the mesh and texture
coordinates into ZBrush.

Transferring the Model

Layout to the Low Poly Base
I used the Projection tools in ZBrush to add detail
and then increased the level of detail to 7, but
unfortunately my computer could not cope with
this as ZBrush still doesn’t support 64-bit. I have
also experimented with HD Geometry, but I don’t
like the fact that you can’t work with layers. In
the end I worked with the model that I created in
Maya. 05 06

Creating Reference Views

I used both profile and portrait photographs of
Bruce Lee to develop an accurate anatomy of
his face in Photoshop, outlining basic features
like the line of the eye, mouth and nose. I then
imported these into ZBrush as reference planes.

Finalizing the Base Model

I refined his features using the photos and
different angles until I was satisfied with the 07

62
Characters

I created a few more layers, including one for the

final pose. I decided on a pose with Bruce turning
his head slightly with an askance look to the right,
imitating his classic look as he prepared for battle
(Fig.08).

Making the Textures

I made the textures in ZBrush with PolyPaint,
using Displacement, Normal, Color, Cavity and
08 09 Ambient Occlusion.

I exported the two models: one with three levels

of detail and one low poly version along with
the textures (Fig.09 – 10). I needed the low
poly model for the final rendering, and used
the detailed mesh to make the eyebrows and
eyelashes. This meant I was aware of the model
boundaries for the final rendering.

To finalize the textures, I adjusted the colors and

contrast in Photoshop. I also created texture
maps for the following: Reflection, Specular,
Diffuse, Epidermal and Subdermal layers (Fig.11
– 12).

Importing to Maya
I was now ready for further work in Maya, so I
imported the first high poly model and started
with the lighting. I used three area lights: one at
the front, one in the top left and one to the rear. I
10 repeated this for the FG and used a HDRI map for

11 12

63
Digital Art Masters | Bruce Lee

the reflections. Once content, I started making

the skin using the low poly model in conjunction
with a Displacement and a Blinn Bump material.
After setting up the basic parameters of the
material, I played with the texture until I was
happy with the skin (Fig.13).

Hair and Eyes

14
As Bruce’s hair is a deep black color, I decided not
to use the plugins and try Maya Standard Hair
first. I started with his eyelashes. I created Nurbs
curves on the eyelids, which is found under Maya
Hair. I changed the color to black and created
the final configuration. The eyebrows were made
using the same principle. Once the hairs had been
established, I was still able to adjust their shape
by changing the vertices on the primary Nurbs
curves.

13 15
I probably spent as much time creating the hair
as I did on the entire head. I tried many methods,
but always returned to creating the basic shape of
the hair with Nurbs. I selected adjacent isoparms
and transferred them to the Nurbs curves. In
addition to these, I created Nurbs planes so the
hair had some thickness and uniformity.

After hours of configuration and test renders, I

finally felt the hair was finished (Fig.14 – 15) and
moved on to the eyes. I made the outer and inner
parts separately, using the same basic material in
Maya Skin (Fig.16).

16
Making of Final Rendering
It was now finally ready for rendering! As the
resolution of the hair was two thousand pixels,
the i7 processor and 3930K picture took nine
hours to render. When this was done, I began the
final amendments in Photoshop.

Final Fine-Tuning of the Image

Using ZDepth Depth blur, I created a background
before adjusting the contrast, color, and so
on. Finally I signed my name – one of the most
enjoyable parts of the working process! I was
pleased with the result and I must admit I was
pleasantly surprised! I hope you like it too
(Fig.17).

64
Characters

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Alexander Beim lotusart.de

65
King of Fools © Patrick Evrard
Characters

By Patrick Evrard
Software Used: ZBrush, Maya, mental ray, Photoshop

Introduction
I am a 3D artist working in motion graphics and
product visualization. In my spare time I like to
use these skills to visualize characters. King of
Fools is one of my latest personal works.

Concept
The concept behind King of Fools is a weird
combination of Japanese animation and a
Babyshambles song. It started with a simple
sketch, which I wanted to try out in 3D. I wanted
to make a stylized figure, cartoony but not
childish, that could easily be rigged and rendered
at a high resolution.

The character is wandering through a thick,

dark forest on the hunt for an ancient artefact. I
wanted him to be covered in tattoos as I like to
integrate different styles into my drawings. He
wears lots of accessories, which also help define
him as a character.

Modeling
When working without a specific end goal, I start
in ZBrush with a DynaMesh, as this allows me to
work in a loose, experimental way. Working like
this means I’m not dependant on the topology
and don’t really have to think about it.

For the head, I start with a DynaMesh then

duplicate a part to make the hat. As this is
my starting point, I pay a lot of attention here
because this would define the style for the rest of
the body.

When I have defined the basic form, I use the

Decimation Master (ZBrush plugin) and send a
fairly high resolution mesh over to TopoGun for
retopologizing.

When I want more control of the different vertices

for elements like cloth, I work in Maya. Once I
have a solid base model I will go to ZBrush to
sculpt the details (Fig.01).

When I no longer have to worry about

deformation, UVs or the poly count I will use 01

67
Digital Art Masters | King of Fools

the decimated model from ZBrush. Small parts

like the jewelry, belt and rock are all decimated
objects and have a very high poly count. As they
will not be deformable or used in a game engine, I
need to make a low poly version of them.

Texturing
To start texturing I begin by making UVs, although
I really don’t like this stage. ZBrush’s UV Master
and Maya’s Unfold made it a lot easier, but it is
still something that has to be carefully planned.

There are a lot of things to consider whilst

making your UV layout. Firstly, how you can use
UV space efficiently and which model parts can
be combined on a single template (Fig.02). At
this stage it is important to take into account the
Photoshop painting; if you have to texture a belt,
for example, you will want it to be straight and
not bent or skewed.

Another important consideration is scale. If you

use a tileable map there will definitely be a visible
issue. I always try to maintain a consistent scale,
except for the parts that won’t be seen which I
02
will make really small so they don’t take up any
significant areas of UV space.

Finally you have to work out where to place

the seams. Most of the time you will have to
cut the UV layout and it is best if you can do it
somewhere hidden or in a logical place. Once all
this is done, I usually start in ZBrush, applying
some textures using Spotlight. I will then export
this into Photoshop and combine it with a baked
occlusion map as this gives me a good sense of
shape in Photoshop (Fig.03 – 04).

Shading
For shading I tend to use mental ray’s mia_
material_X most of the time. Occasionally I will
use Blinn because I like the SSS templates it has.
To save time, I would suggest only rendering the
object you’re working on in a different render
layer.

Posing
Now the textures are finished I want to pose him.
The posing of a character communicates a lot
about them, so finding the right pose can be a
challenge. I want this character to look both self- 03

68
Characters

confident and a little foolish. Once I am happy

with the pose I’ll move on to lighting.

Lighting
I use two big portal lights for the main lights and
one directional light (Fig.05). I also use HDRI to
give some color to the portal lights. Alongside
this, I always use a photographic lens shader on
my render camera as it helps to quickly change
the overall mood. I then test my lights on a
different render layer.

By replacing all the color information with basic

white I find it easier to judge the lighting. It also
provides me with a nice clay render that I can use
04
when I am compositing the image.
ensure I don’t have to overpaint too much as this already working on Queen of Fools. I think it will
Compositing can’t be seen in a turntable or animation. be a challenge to create a female version, but I
Once done, it’s time to go into Photoshop to make look forward to seeing them both together.
little tweaks to the color, hue, contrast, Curves Once the final turntable is uploaded I consider
and to add some post effects. I use my Photoshop it done and I am ready to evaluate it so I can I’d like to thank the folks at 3DTotal for giving me
layers as a guide for my After Effects file, so I try to find things to improve for the next project. I am the opportunity to publish my work.

Artist Portfolio

69
Angel Fight © Capcom Co., Ltd. 2013 All Rights Reserved
Characters

By Alex Tiani
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
This image was an early concept for Dante, the
protagonist in our latest game DmC: Devil May Cry.
I wanted to portray the atmosphere of the whole
game as well as the personality of the character.
Dante is young, rebellious and doesn’t have a
care in the world. Angels are perceived to be pure,
innocent and beautiful, but even these higher
beings are not beyond Dante’s rebellion.

The image is intended to challenge perceptions,

mixing classical art with modern, sexualized
themes. The original image included elements of
violence and nudity, with Dante pointing a gun at
the angel in front of him.

For an image to
work, it has to have
a focus where you 01
want the viewer
to look. This focal
point should then
lead the viewer
around the rest of
the image.

Before public release the piece had to be

censored, for obvious reasons. We had to think
carefully about how to censor the image without
spoiling it. We thought it would be good to set the
scene in a modern night club environment and
play on the ambiguity of not knowing whether
the angels are real or just normal girls in fancy
dress.

Composition
02
The intention was to create the look of a classical
painting, so I researched the work of painters His hand gesture leads the eye to the angel below, In Photoshop, I added definition to the
like William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I then started who then leads you to the other two angels on composition by drawing pencil lines. Once the
with a sketch in Photoshop, trying to establish a either side. This journey should lead the viewer’s composition was finalized, I made a mental note
classically-inspired composition. eyes around the entire picture. Usually, I paint the of the areas where I needed to add further detail
main character looking directly at the viewer to such as the faces, the wings and Dante (Fig.01).
For an image to work, it has to have a focus where create intrigue, but in this case it’s the action that
you want the viewer to look. This focal point creates interest. If your attention is initially drawn Using Photographs
should then lead the viewer around the rest of the to the angel’s gold hotpants, your gaze is then As I wanted the characters to be realistic, I found
image. In this case, Dante has to be the focus of lead straight back to the action as she is looking the best technique was to photograph a model
the image, drawing attention to his action. directly at Dante. in the same pose and use that as reference

71
Digital Art Masters | Angel Fight

(Fig.02). I then positioned the photograph over

the painting at roughly 50% opacity to create
realistic-looking skin.

I used the same technique for the wings. I found

that images of swan wings best matched my
vision of angel wings (Fig.03). I found suitable
photographs and overlaid them with the picture. I
then painted over the image using the Photoshop
Smudge tool. To give the skin a realistic, warm
fleshy effect, I added shadows in a light red color
set to Overlay (Fig.04). 03

Usually when I start an image I have a vision in

my mind of how the final piece will look and
every step I make from that point on contributes
towards this realization. However, as I paint the
image it rarely has the contrast that I want.

As a remedy, I have found that copying the rough

image and then pasting it back on top of itself
creates multiple layers and gives the image a lot
more contrast and intensity. I usually multiply by
around 50% as everything is made slightly darker
through this technique. I then paint the spotlights
over the top.

I have two techniques for this: I either mask the

Multiply layer and erase the dark layer to bring
04
the lighter layer through, or I put a black layer on
top of the image and with it set to Color Dodge
to make it transparent, I then paint on top with a
light color to create nice lighting. (Fig.05)

As a final stage, I added a texture over the image

to give the impression of an aged painting. One
is a canvas texture and the other a cracked paint
texture (Fig.06 – 07). You have to be careful not
to make the image too dirty using this technique:
smooth the textures in the focal areas to avoid it 06
becoming a distraction.

Conclusion
I think using classical painting as a reference can
help people to understand a picture because they
already have a culturally ingrained familiarity
with this type of image. It is similar to basing
a fantasy creature on a real animal to give the
viewer a strong point of reference.

05 07

72
Characters

Artist Portfolio

73
Digital Art Masters | Music Box

Music Box © Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

74
Characters

By Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

Software Used: Photoshop

Creative Process
The picture Music Box is a personal piece,
illustrating a short story taking place in the
universe of my graphic novel, Retrocity. For this
work, rather than focusing on specific digital
painting techniques, I decided to concentrate on
the aspects I feel are essential when it comes to
creating a good illustration and bringing an image
to life: narrative, composition, symbolism, mood,
references and materials.

Storytelling
The term “illustration” is commonly defined as
a picture meant to tell a story. The story behind
the image is like the foundation of a house –
providing a base to be built upon. Without stories
and meanings behind the graphic language,
even the best technical skills can only achieve a
beautiful but lifeless image.

Music Box describes the awakening of a young

woman after a “total” surgery conducted secretly
in an abandoned building in the city’s darkest
neighborhood. This surgery alters the subject,
leaving little of her human self.

The scene depicts the moment the surgeon

uses powerful lights that mimic sunlight and a
music box to wake her after the procedure. These
stimuli are designed to connect her with what is
left of her human senses. If the awakening is a
success, her humanity will be returned. If it is not,
she will remain an empty carcass.

Sketching and Composition

After the initial brainstorming, I start to sketch.
I begin with a series of rapid thumbnails to
determine a composition (Fig.01). Next, I will
block a final sketch as a base for the final
illustration. I prefer to use a digital sketch when
working with values. For “Music Box”, I created
the thumbnails and the sketches directly within
Photoshop.

The composition is designed to create focus on

the character. The strong vertical lines in the
background create weight and gravity whilst the 01

75
Digital Art Masters | Music Box

lamps, floor pattern, light rays and posture of the

figure create perspective lines that direct the eye
and establish the face and listening ear as the
focus of the composition (Fig.02).

Resources and Materials

The third step is about gathering materials that
will creatively set the scene. When the story is
interesting this step is usually pretty easy and
fun. I will search for references all over the place,
including going out into the world with my
camera. One of my favorite places to hunt for
inspiration is antique shops, which are always full
of the strangest items, shapes, and textures. For
anatomy reference, I work with live models, and
take my own reference photos.

I always make sure the references I use are

relevant and serve to increase the meaning of the 02

story. With “Music Box,” I focused my search for

resources on musical instruments and typewriter
elements.

Smudge
When imagining the powerful lamps that will 100%

awaken the character, I decided that the light

should be contained behind very strong doors
with a wheel to control the lights. With this in
mind, I approached a local museum and asked to
take pictures of their vault.

03 04
Building the Picture
From the original sketch, I start the painting
process. I merge the painting work with
photographic or textured elements (Fig.03 – 04).
I try to keep my workflow open allowing for any
happy accidents or inspiring surprises.

I always merge the layers as early as possible to

make sure I can’t go back. It’s important to make
decisions and stick with them. Too many layers
and history steps can present so many options
that it becomes difficult to know when the image
is complete.

I use flat brushes as a painting knife, with a pencil

and Smudge tool (Fig.05), alternating between
these tools during the entire process. I find that
importing elements, painting, smudging connects
me to the way I used to work on canvas where I
would combine drawing, collage, and painting
(Fig.06 – 07). 05

76
Characters

77
Digital Art Masters | Music Box

Overlay

07 08

I work in the colors along with the overall

Gradient
workflow. As the picture evolves, I keep modifying
the colors, working on different zones, making
Normal Soft Light Soft Light
sure that essential elements like the music 100% 50%

box stand out. I always pick the colors from a

photo reference and work the rest of the picture
according to this. Working from a document
helps me to keep a logical consistency during the
process.

When everything is blocked and the picture

almost done, I merge all the layers and start the
final step. I create a new layer in “Soft Light” or
“Overlay” mode and start to add bits of light,
color and detail into the picture (Fig.08). I play
with the opacity, merge the layers, and repeat
these stages over and over.

I often finish with overall adjustments, tweaking

contrast, values and soft color gradients (Fig.09).
To obtain the photorealistic noise that I like, I
duplicate the final picture and apply the Smart
Sharpen filter to that top layer. I then erase areas
and keeping the sharp effect only on the spots I
want the eyes to focus on.

It wasn’t so long ago that I was reading books

looking for tips, so I am pleased to be able to
share these. Time goes by fast, so work hard!
09

78
Characters

Artist Portfolio

CHECK OUT
MORE FROM
BASTIEN LECOUFFE DEHARME
IN
SKETCHING
FROM THE
IMAGINATION:
DARK ARTS

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

© Bastien Lecouffe Deharme

79
Zoe © Jose Lazaro
Characters

By Jose Lázaro
Software Used: ZBrush, Mudbox, 3ds Max

An Open Process
Embarking on a project of this nature from
scratch allows you to develop yourself as an
artist. At first, this may not seem necessary, since
you get paid in the most part to do a specific job
(modeling, texturing, programming or whatever).
However, you learn from firsthand experience of
other problems relating to the pipeline and how
to fix them, which is worthwhile.

The process of this project has been a rather

torturous one as I didn’t follow the correct steps
to complete a CG illustration. It is well known that
best the way to start a CG project is with a good
pre-production base, either through the help of a
concept or a good photo gallery.

There is a saying, “You should not put the cart

before the horse”, but I’m a bit masochistic (who
isn’t in this profession) who works long hours,
often at the expense of enjoying the company of
my loved ones.

I like to challenge myself, so for this project I

chose to follow a different path. I started the
project without any solid final idea and ended up
choosing the wrong theme and repeating myself
01
to fix this.
there are so many people who are passionate straight into poly modeling – the old and
On a positive note, this type of process is much about it. If your work is mainstream it could, in powerful system that most modelers use today.
more creative and instinctive. You can change the theory, be enjoyed by lots of people, but I don’t
idea, testing and experimenting while you make think working in this way is honest. Once I was happy with the blocking-in stage, I
the model, although it is also very dangerous to used ZBrush to add more details such as the fat
do this because you can throw many hours away. As a result I started the project with a popular mass, muscles and the occasional peak where
This is what I ended up doing and I would not Star Wars character, Aayla Secura. Unfortunately, we see the shape of bone through the skin. At
recommend it to anyone. I could not finish it due to my weariness spent the same time, I tested the poly mesh to find any
doing something that I didn’t love. “pinches”.
Star Wars Fan?
I started this project doing one thing that I After a while, I completely changed the idea and I use mainly X symmetry for sculpting, but the
wouldn’t recommend as it can prove boring: I began doing some costume tests with a human final aim is to break the symmetry. Although
creating a project that you don’t love and aren’t version of the model. Although she still adhered people are anatomically symmetrical in the
passionate about. If you are getting paid that’s to the world of Star Wars, the project had evolved sense that most are born with two arms, two
okay because you are a professional doing a job, into something more creative and interesting. legs and two pairs of eyes, the position, length
but when you devote your spare time to personal and even color usually varies slightly. This is the
projects, follow a golden rule: do what you enjoy Modeling natural asymmetry we should afford our models.
most. Unfortunately, I discovered this too late. I began my new pre-production process by On this model, for example, the mesh is slightly
I chose a Star Wars theme as my inspiration, as designing a new version of the dress and got asymmetrical in the navel area (Fig.01).

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Digital Art Masters | Zoe

A beautiful face is mostly symmetrical whilst a

less attractive face is asymmetrical. As I intended
my model to be an attractive woman, the
asymmetry is only subtle.

If I don’t start a model from a 2D concept, I use

ZBrush with DynaMesh to create a 3D sketch or
final model. You should become familiar with this
02
technique because in my opinion, it is the future
of digital modeling.

The DynaMesh results aren’t suitable for

animation because they are dense and quite
difficult to move in programs like 3ds Max. I
mainly sculpt rigid parts with this system so I can
use Decimation Master to maintain detail and
reduce the density (Fig.02).

Texturing
My texturing process may be a bit weird, but it
works for me. As I sculpt in ZBrush, I could also
texture the modeled pieces here, but I find ZBrush
texture tools are a little rudimentary. Instead I
switch and export the pieces into Mudbox.

Mudbox has an excellent set of texturing tools

03
(Fig.03). I don’t mean to upset fans of either
package, but simply use the one that best suits
my needs.

I have a large collection of photographic skin

textures from 3d.sk and the rest are from
CGTextures.com. Normally I combine them

or paint over photo textures to remove lights who better to brandish Celtic-style tattoos to add
or shadows. Alternatively, I sometimes just a touch more aggression? I did, however, follow a
use painting tools in Mudbox rather than slightly different pattern to traditional tattoos as
photographic textures. Texturing is a huge world! mine were cleaner, with a mechanical shape as
though a robot had designed them (Fig.04).
For this project I undertook a lot of work to make
the textures seamless in Photoshop, a program Rig
that is infinitely more comfortable than any other. I usually use a basic rig in 3ds Max or Maya to try
different poses, but in this case I used 3ds Max
The tattoos were an afterthought. I had the idea (Fig.05). I tried a number of variations including
05 that because I was portraying a redhead, then feminine and warrior-like poses, but eventually

82
Characters

chose a simple, dramatic pose, as this was more

effective in communicating the personality I
wanted the character to have (Fig.06).

Lighting and Rendering

I used V-Ray for the final rendering. I prepared
a set of lights for the model and a different set
for the background because with the character
lighting set, the background would be completely
black – a curious fact that shows the versatility of
computer graphics.

Post-production
For me, this is the best part of the whole process!
I enjoy it for various reasons. In post-production
you know the end is near and after so much work,
06
that’s always appreciated. I also enjoy it because
you can add the finishing touches to the final models for animation (even the render) in case a When you’re doing this, it’s really handy to have
artwork. Although if you aren’t prepared, you can reason emerges to rig and animate it. the render divided into passes as it offers more
easily destroy the sense of the project, so it is an control, particularly because rendering can be
important stage. This is a common pipeline used by the most very expensive and time-consuming. But with
important film companies. Rendering is divided passes, you can easily reduce the specularity or
Perhaps it isn’t normal to use a program like into passes and each of the layers contains even change the main color without re-rendering
Eyeon Fusion for a simple illustration when you different data from the rendering. Later, they are (Fig.07).
could use Photoshop, but I always prepare my blended to create the beauty pass.

83
Digital Art Masters | Zoe

Despite the
slow start, this
complicated process
helped me to focus
on my work and
has taught me
the importance of
starting a project
properly.
It is also very important to use a little Color
Correction and to add VFX effects like smoke.
Here you can see the different render passes
obtainable with V-Ray, plus the final color
correction and glows to simulate a powerful
source of light (Fig.08 – 09).

Conclusion
Despite the slow start, this complicated process
helped me to focus on my work and has taught
me the importance of starting a project properly;
something familiar to 2D artists and Creative
Directors, but which should also be considered by
modelers. The conclusion to this project is that I
felt as though I grew as an artist.

Each project helps me to improve my

understanding of different technical processes
such as texturing, rendering or even composition,
and I believe that if you understand a colleague’s
job you will be able to perform your own role
better.

Finally, I would like to thank the whole team at 08

3DTotal for always supporting my work and for

giving me the opportunity to be part of Digital Art
Masters: Volume 8. The drinks are on me!

84
Characters

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Jose Lazaro

85
Mafia Man © Siamak Roshani
Digital Art Masters | Mafia Man

By Siamak Roshani
Software Used: ZBrush, mental ray, Photoshop

References
For this project I began by searching for
references as I think this is essential when you
want a realistic affect.

Sculpting
I then started to sculpt using a simple Sphere
tool and ZBrush DynaMesh for the basic forms. I
always turn on Lazy Mouse and set the radius to
around 20 to 35. For this project, I used various
brushes including the Standard brush, Clay brush,
01
and Move brush. At this stage I was only working
on the form, but I also added a few details to just
check the overall look (Fig.01).

After I finished with the forms and was happy

with the overall look, I used ZBrush to resurface
a clean mesh to use for the rest of the project.
I usually follow the anatomical shapes for my
resurface, which would be ideal for rigging
(Fig.02). I also sculpted his suit, hat and cigar in
ZBrush and quickly resurfaced them.

I then projected the sculpt over my new mesh

and started to add the small details like the pores
and imperfections (Fig.03). I usually use an alpha
and my Standard brush for detailing, as well
as ZBrush NoiseMaker, which is really great for
adding random details on the skin and is easy to
use. Next, I tidied up these details by sculpting
over some of the pores and wrinkles before
setting his expression and posing him. 02

88
Characters

It was now time to do the UVs and for this I used Diffuse Epidermal
ZBrush UV Master, which is really great. Then
I moved the lower resolution mesh into Maya
to clean the borders and unfold some parts to
achieve the result I wanted for the UVs.

I used ZBrush to create the base of the texture

and to add color. I also used ZBrush to create
the bump map, which is a really quick process.
This model is about 13 million polygons, so the
resolution was high enough to be able to use
ZBrush PolyPaint. I then took the texture into
Subdermal BackScatter
Photoshop, did some over-painting and made the
other layers for the SSS shader (Fig.04).

Hair
I didn’t need to put a lot of effort into the hair,
stubble and eyebrows, as I used Shave and
Haircut. However, I turned them into a mesh in
the end because I had some problems when I was
rendering them. They were rendered in a separate
layer and composited in Photoshop (Fig.05).

04
Textures
The textures on his suit and hat were made in
Photoshop and are really simple. I used a tileable
texture for everything and added some other
layers to get the results I wanted. For the dust and
bits on his clothing, I used Maya Fur with different
layers for the larger and smaller bits to create a
random look. Maya Fur is great and the results
were exactly what I wanted (Fig.06).

Next, I started the lighting and shading. I used

three mental ray area lights and a portal light
shader, as well as a black body light so that
I could control the colors based on the light
temperature. I tested various combinations of
light and skin shades, making lots of adjustments 05
to find a good balance (Fig.07).

When I had finished the rendering, I took it

into Photoshop for compositing and to add a
background. Here I started to render some extra
layers like reflection, specular, other lights and
so on to make it look better. I also made a lot
of color corrections and did some background
painting to create the overall look.

Finally, I composited the smoke and fire effect in

Photoshop, which you can see in the final result. 06

89
Digital Art Masters | Mafia Man

90
Characters

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Siamak Roshani

91
Room of Memories © Rouhollah Toghyani
Characters

By Rouhollah Toghyani
Software Used: ZBrush, Softimage, Photoshop, 3D-Coat

The Idea
The initial idea behind this work came to me in a
museum whilst looking at photographs taken in
my country, Iran. Most of these photographs were
of the royal family and important politicians. I
was inspired by the antiques surrounding them
and their formal poses.

As with any other project, I began by gathering

some references. Because of my 2D background,
I like to do a number of sketches before diving
into 3D as it helps me to find some pleasant
likenesses, and define the characters and overall
composition (Fig.01).

Modeling and Sculpting

I started by sculpting the head using a sphere
with DynaMesh. Once the major form of the head
was established, I created a new mesh using
QRemesher, the new quick retopology tool added
in ZBrush 4R4.

I then projected the sculpted detail onto a new

mesh and did some further sculpting to add the
skin detail. I use the Clay Tube brush frequently in
my sculpting process, especially for organic forms
like the human body. The underlying irregularities
formed by this brush help to create a realistic skin
rather than a sleek, soulless model.

I moulded a base mesh in Softimage for the hands

and then sculpted them in ZBrush. The uniform
01
was poly modeled in Softimage, then I joined the
head and hands to the body and posed them all
in ZBrush (Fig.02).

The character has a lot of props, most of which

were poly modeled in Softimage. Modeling the
Fourragère (military award made from a braided
cord) was somewhat tricky as I made two objects
in Softimage and then imported them into ZBrush
as a single object.

I then created an Insert Mesh brush with that

object and activated Curve mode. With some
testing and modifying of settings, I came up with
a brush for drawing a chain of said object over 02

93
Digital Art Masters | Room of Memories

another object. I also used these techniques for

creating the decoration around the collar and
sleeves. All the other objects in the room were
poly modeled in Softimage.

Unwrapping and Texturing

I quickly unwrapped all the objects using the
Unfold plugin in Softimage. With models such as
the Fourragère and others that use a repetitive
motif along a curve, you need only unwrap one
set of objects from which you can then copy the
UVs for the others as overlaid UVs. This will also
speed up the texturing process.

I prefer to hand-paint the skin textures instead of

using photo projections as I find it more flexible,
03
creative and fun. I polypainted the head and
hands before exporting the different textures
needed for skin shaders during the painting
(Fig.03 – 04). My painting technique is like that of
a real sculptor, using several passes to add detail.

I often use tileable textures as either a base

for detail or as a final texture. In this project, I
textured costumes using a tileable map and then
baked the texture into a map to add other details
like stitches and dirt in 3D-Coat.

04
Wooden objects like the clock and furniture, were
similarly textured using procedural wood textures
from Softimage, then baked into a texture map to
add other details and variations (Fig.05).

Materials and Hair

I used the Cook-Torrance shader for all of the

Baked texture edited in 3DCoat Final texture

objects apart from the head and hands, which comparison between your ZBrush model and
were created using skin shaders. The Cook- rendered displaced mesh. I use a double shader
Torrance shader is very simple and behaves for creating the energy conserving material in
closely to physically correct shaders. ZBrush (Fig.06).

When using ZBrush materials, always create The character’s hair only consisted of the
and use an energy conserving material for your moustache and some other facial hair. I divided
sculpting. It creates a better understanding of the moustache into left and right sections, with
06 your actual form and also generates a closer one hair system for each. I used density and cut

94
Characters

maps, as well as some strand brushing, to get the

style and a color map to yellow the middle part
because he is a smoker. Portal Light

Lighting Rendering and

Compositing Spot Light
(Photon Emitter)
The lighting setup consisted of one portal light for
the window, five point lights for the chandelier
and another point light at the corner of the
room. I also used two spot lights just for emitting
Point Light
photons into the scene (Fig.07).
(specular)
Point Light
(specular)
I set up the render for a full shot, a HD wide-
screen close up and several different passes for Spot Light
(Photon Emitter) Point Light
use in compositing including the main pass, (specular/Diffuse)

direct light, indirect light, specular, reflection,

Point Light
depth and object label. (specular)

Finally, I opened all of the passes in Photoshop Point Light

(specular)
and worked on them until I reached the desired
look. Then I made some color corrections and
DOF effect using a Lens Blur filter, as well as
adding a vignette effect and a little noise to
replicate the effect of real photographs. And now
I was ready to submit the image to the 3DTotal. Point Light
(specular/Diffuse)
com gallery. 07

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Rouhollah Toghyani

95
Digital Art Masters | Alexandra Potter and Tentacle

Alexandra Potter and Tentacle © Serge Birault

96
Characters

By Serge Birault
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
Strangely, I don’t like painting robots. I’m a fan
of Hajime Sorayama and I like painting metal,
plastic and shiny stuff, but robots hold little
interest for me. When I saw some photos of
Alexandra Potter wearing a white, latex robot suit
it inspired me to make a “techno” image and give
robots a try.

Alexandra is a model from Cologne who wears

ballet heels, which would seem impossible to
walk in but somehow she can. George Petty, who
painted pin-ups in ballet shoes, also inspired this
work, particularly the pose.

I was influenced by
my friend Hubert de
Lartigue, the French
airbrush artist. He
works with very
soft lights and very
interesting tones...

Sketch
I worked on an A3 format canvas at 300 dpi. When
working at such a large scale, you need to be
precise. I work in quite a chaotic way and I did my
sketch very quickly. I focused on the composition,
which is quite simple and, as I mentioned before,
inspired by George Petty.

The Face
I searched for photo references of Alexandra’s
face. I usually work with strong light and contrast,
but for this image I was influenced by my friend
Hubert de Lartigue, the French airbrush artist. He
works with very soft lights and very interesting
tones and I wanted to emulate this.

My technique is always the same: I begin by

putting my sketch on a Multiply layer and
decreasing the opacity. I then create a flat area
tinted with basic flesh tones on a layer under the
sketch. I add more layers above this one, creating
volume with the Soft Round brush at a very low
opacity (Fig.01).
01

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Digital Art Masters | Alexandra Potter and Tentacle

The Soft Round brush is great for creating

gradients and soft blending, especially if you
work at a very low opacity (0-20%), making it easy
to obtain smooth results.

My palette was very basic. I first chose a

background color that would work as an ambient
light and then next I chose my skin tones.
Realistic flesh needs more than two colors and
a single gradient. I added a little bit of yellow
on the brightest tones and a bit of red on the
darkest.

The most difficult thing to deal with when you

want to achieve a realistic rendering is the
contrast, which isn’t easy with soft lighting.
Finding a good balance is something that takes
time.

There’s no formula
for painting latex
and vinyl but
you have to define
your volumes first
and then you
can create the
reflections

The hair looks quite simple, but it was very time-

consuming. To create a convincing result, I used
quite a large palette again, adding yellow, red,

02 03

green and other colors that you wouldn’t expect. Once again, the contrast is the biggest problem.
Each hair was painted individually; when doing Some of the gradients are very light. As the light
this it’s important that you always use the same is soft, the latex doesn’t have to be too shiny.
sized brush. I then painted the reflections on a There’s no formula for painting latex and vinyl,
separate layer using the Soft Round brush with a but you have to define your volumes first and
low opacity. then you can create the reflections.

The Body Alexandra told me that her feet needed to be

As I said, I wasn’t sure of the pose so I tried taller, so I made some corrections (Fig.03). The
different things. Latex is not too difficult to paint; final silhouette is thinner than I had in mind and I
you just have to be organized and work in logical made changes to the proportions several times.
steps. On the first layer, I simply painted the
whole body in black and I added the details on To add more interesting colors, I created several
different layers, painting in the reflections using layers on top for adjustments, including a fully
04 the background color and white (Fig.02). painted blue layer with a low opacity (Fig.04).

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Characters

The Tentacle
Adjusting the size of all the different parts of the
tentacle was quite difficult. Next time, I will use
3D software to do the sketch. It doesn’t look too
complicated, but believe me, I spent a lot of time
on this part.

I duplicated the first white part several times in

order to fix the shape, after which I did a lot of
copy and pasting, before painting the light and
reflections over each part (Fig.05). This was quite
boring, but I think the final 3D-style tentacle isn’t 05 06

so bad (Fig.06).

The white plastic had to reflect the environment,

so I added the background color to my palette
and painted the gradients with the Soft airbrush.

The Adjustments
I kept my adjustment layers on the top and just
changed the opacity of some of them. Finally, I
merged all of my layers, fixed a few things and
then I was finished (Fig.07). Alexandra liked the
picture, so I had done my job. 07

Artist Portfolio

CHECK OUT
MORE FROM
SERGE BIRAULT
IN
SKETCHING
FROM THE
IMAGINATION
All Images © Serge Birault

99
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
Piratess © Michel Donze
Characters

By Michel Donzé
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
This illustration was made when I entered one of
CGHub’s online challenges: CharacterForge2d,
which focuses on character design and
personality.

The brief was to design a pirate ship captain

from the distant future. She had to be between
thirty and forty, set on a future Earth filled with
brigands, armies and mercenaries. She had to be
crafty, smart and resourceful, and have a good
body: “She has had a hard life living in space, but
she always gets what she wants.”
01

I made a first
draft on paper,
trying to work out
proportions for her
body and give her a
strong self-affirmed
pose.

I thought she would look great with a costume

that had a slight military look – hand-crafted and
asymmetrical. Like all good captains, she has lost
a leg and an eye in battle, only to be replaced by
futuristic prosthetics. I was heavily influenced
by the art of the game Rage for the details and
combination of mech parts with an organic
quality.

Concept Sketch
I made a first draft on paper, trying to work out
proportions for her body and give her a strong,
self-affirmed pose. Then I kept switching from
ArtStudio on the iPad to Photoshop, developing
the design while trying to maintain a good
balance of details (Fig.01). The first sketches
seemed a bit weak, so I chose a lower angle view
and got rid of the cape that was making the pose
harder to read.

Clean Sketch
I usually place a white, semi-transparent layer on
top of the concept before cleaning, and use a very
basic brush with Pen Pressure set to Opacity and
Flow (Fig.02). 02

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Digital Art Masters | Piratess

The hat looked too high and unbalanced the

grounded, heavy appearance I wanted, so I made
a few tests for the top of her head and decided on
a design for the lost eye device (Fig.03). Her hair
also became white in the process as this felt more
futuristic and individual.

The concept sketching and cleaning processes are

the most important for me. These lay down the
foundations for everything that follows, so I try to
spend as much time as I can experimenting with
the design. I also try to get the point of view of
friends and do not hesitate to restart from scratch
if necessary.

Ambient Occlusion Painting

AO is a 3D rendering technique, often used in
VFX and animation rendering workflow to add
realism. It creates the effect of a very diffuse
white lighting. The closer two surfaces are to 04

each other, the less light they will receive with the
overall effect being similar to that of an overcast
gray day.

For this piece, I experimented by building the

picture in a 3D style, akin to compositing passes
(Fig.04). I painted an AO pass from scratch using
a very soft brush, selection tools and an eraser,
which took a few hours.

Preparing the Base

I first made a rough background using custom
brushes and Free Transform to create the
perspective on the ground. I also decided on the
lighting: the key light would be a spot pointed at
her head, with another light coming from beneath
the grid (Fig.05 – 06). 05 06

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Characters

At this point I started blocking out the flat colors

for each material, separating them by layer so
that I could quickly test the color harmony using
the Hue/Saturation adjustment. It also allowed
for easy selection later by Ctrl + clicking on the
layer thumbnail (Fig.07).

The final key light was repainted with a big, soft

Radial gradient and then I used a mask to paint
the shadow areas (Fig.08). The areas of flat color
made previously proved useful here to quickly
select parts. This made it easy to select the rifle,
for example, and then paint a very soft, rounded
shadow with a big blurry brush without affecting
the nearby arm and thigh.

I used basic passes in terms of a 3D approach:

diffuse color, ambient occlusion and two light
sources. I added a darkening layer on top of the
flat colors and the AO to create the fully shaded
07 08
version.
The two lights were added using the Color Dodge Repainting
The AO was separated into skin and non-skin blending mode. This is a good way to add light The next stage in the painting process involved a
(using a quick selection on the flat colors to make whilst retaining the contrast, whereas Lighten, mix of using textured brushes, set to Soft Light/
the mask); the skin being less pronounced and Screen and Add would wash out the model. Overlay layers, to add dirt and texture to her
redder. They were then colorized using Hue/ Finally the line sketch was reintroduced in costume and mechanic leg. The rest involved
Saturation adjustment layers with Colorize Overlay mode, with a red tint and a mask to hide basic painting including highlights, refining the
checked. areas exposed to the light (Fig.09 – 10). skin shading and adding soft reflections across

09 10

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Digital Art Masters | Piratess

the cloth (Fig.11). Finally, I spent some time

painting the head: the main focal point (Fig.12
– 13).

Final Touch-ups
I used Curves to make her a little greener so that
she would stand out against the red background.
I then added the stereotypical, futuristic
incandescent lines on the mechanic leg and guns
(Fig.14). To improve the composition and mood
I also added smoke rising from the ground, a
foreground element and a few color-correction
layers to adjust the contrast and hues.

Conclusion
I was happy with the result and it seems the
11 12
people who voted for me to win the CGHub
challenge were too, I guess! As for the technique,
the 3D workflow approach for rendering a
2D concept was very useful. Considering the
amount of detail I was going for, this approach
made painting everything and getting a realistic
rendering faster and easier. However working this
way felt very technical and academic, and not as
artistic and spontaneous as I would like my work
to be. 13

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Characters

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Michel Donze

105
Digital Art Masters | Alien

Alien © TNT – Luca Nemolato – The Aaron Sims Company

106
Characters

By Luca Nemolato
Software Used: ZBrush, Photoshop

Introduction
This is one of the concepts I did at the Aaron
Sims Company for the TV show Falling Skies. I
really enjoyed working on this because I love to
design aliens. In this tutorial I will focus on the
photo-bashing technique I use in order to achieve ZSphere Base Mesh Base Adaptive Skin

photorealistic concepts. Starting from a ZBrush

sculpt, I will show you how I fuse photos on top of
a rendering using Photoshop.

Modeling
I usually start working in ZBrush from a ZSphere
base mesh, creating really simple shapes to
start with. Working directly in ZBrush means I
need to think and act fast in order to express my
ideas. Giving the model a strong gesture from the
beginning is really important. For the modeling
process I use just a few brushes, as using too
many slows down the modeling process (Fig.01).

When the basic forms are all blocked out, I use

DynaMesh in order to create holes in my mesh,
as my initial idea incorporated holes in his neck,
stomach and arms. Once I have finished with
DynaMesh, I export a low poly OBJ of my model,
01
then import it back into ZBrush and start to
sculpt on top of this new mesh. Working this way all my forms are in the right place, I start to Photo-bashing
means that I will avoid the problems that often add the final details with the Standard brush After the modeling process is ready, I quickly
occur when using Subtool Master with DynaMesh. using some standard and custom alphas with a polypaint the model using simple earth tones.
rectangle stroke. At this stage it’s important to Now I’m ready to go into Photoshop. Here I
I use just two brushes to create the hard surface use plenty of details, but not too much or the compose my different render passes in one image
parts: the Hpolish and the Dam Standard. When model will look too busy (Fig.02). to use as a base for my photo-bashing.

Standard Alphas

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Digital Art Masters | Alien

At this stage I go in
a totally different
direction with my
concept. I decide to Photo on
fill the hole of the normal Layer

neck by copying and

pasting some parts of
the render.

On my base render I overlay photos integrating

them with model to make it feel more realistic.
For this image, I’m using a photo of three roots
Photo on
for the neck and a human brain for the head. At normal Layer
this stage I color correct the photos I have chosen
so they blend better with my render (Fig.03).

When the photos are in the right place I often use

03
a Soft Light layer so they blend with the render.
If I am photo-bashing using human features I Photo on normal Layer, 100% opacity
usually just overlay photos on top of the render,
using them in a Normal layer with low opacity.
With some color correction they blend easily into
the render (Fig.04).

At this stage I go in a totally different direction

with my concept. I decide to fill the hole of the Photo on normal Layer, 35% opacity

neck by copying and pasting some parts of the

render. Then using Liquify, I’m able to change the
expression of the creature. I also start to integrate
my simple eye renderings into the image (Fig.05).

The next step is one of the most important. I 04 05

create two new layers on top of everything: a

Before
Paint layer and a Soft Light layer. The Paint layer
is set to Normal with 100% opacity and using a
standard brush, I add detail and break up some
forms. The other layer is set to Soft Light blending
mode with 100% opacity. Here I add highlights
and shadows to create consistency, and help the
Paint on normal Layer, 100% opacity
photos blend with the render (Fig.06).

Next are the eyes. These are another important

element of the composition as they convey
emotion and engage the viewer. I usually use
a combination of renderings and photos: here
Paint on Soft Light Layer, 100% opacity
I overlay a photo of a cat eye onto my render.
I change the color of the cat eye with color
corrections and then set the photo on a Soft Light
layer so it blends with the render underneath.
To complete the eye and give it more life, I add
a bright highlight to the left of the pupil. I copy 06

108
Characters

and paste this from another photo, using paint to

blend it into the rest of the image (Fig.07).

The final stage is integrating the creature in an

environment. Here I usually find a photo with the
same lighting as my render, then blur it to create
a sense of distance and complement the size of
the creature. With some color correction, I’m able
to separate the background from the creature in
the foreground. I also add some vignetting to the
image in order to focus the viewer’s attention on
the creature (Fig.08).

Conclusion
I also worked on another version of this alien, but
this image was particularly fun and quick to do.
When used in the correct way, photo-bashing is
a great technique for speeding up concepts. I’m
happy with the results, especially considering the
image took me just a day and a half. 07 08

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Luca Nemolato

109
Digital Art Masters | The Blind Ones

The Blind Ones © Jerad Marantz

110
Characters

By Jerad Marantz
Software Used: ZBrush, Photoshop

Concept
The concept behind The Blind Ones is an idea that
has been with me for a while. I’ve always wanted
to see a classic gray alien in a dark, Hellraiser-
style costume. Gray’s are always depicted with
large eyes and a hyper cephalic head. I wanted
to find a way to do it differently whilst still
maintaining a sense of the alien’s classic, stoic
sophistication.

I began by sculpting the head (Fig.01). I try to

have about 60% of the design resolved in my
mind before jumping into ZBrush. This allows
me to go through the process with a few happy
accidents along the way. I find that if I completely
resolve the design before executing it, the process
can become a bit boring.

In order to create a
convincing
creature, design
patterns and
textures established
in the head
must be repeated
throughout the rest 01

of the body, as in our

own anatomy.

When designing creatures, I start from the head

down; once the head is figured out, the rest of
the design falls into place (Fig.02). In order to
create a convincing creature, design patterns
and textures established in the head must be
repeated throughout the rest of the body, as in
our own anatomy. Within the human body, very
few materials aren’t repeated, with the exception
of our teeth and eyes, which are isolated.

If I ever get stuck on the design, I will often take

screenshots of the sculpt in progress and bring
it into Photoshop to explore options quickly
(Fig.03). Changing the way you work like this
can help to break through a mental block and
encourage fresh ideas.

02 03

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Digital Art Masters | The Blind Ones

Modeling using a ZBrush feature called DynaMesh. I prefer

This concept was modeled in ZBrush. At this to use DynaMesh as you can modify the mesh
point, I was only concerned with seeing the front however you want and it corrects the topology by
of the characters and so I didn’t sculpt the back itself. ZBrush is becoming more and more artist-
view. As a designer, the final image is all that friendly with every update.
matters to the client.
To sculpt the body I mainly used the ClayTubes,
Speed is a factor and because the illustration is Clay, Standard, Dam Standard and Smooth
usually just a concept, I want to get through it as brushes. When working with any program it’s best
quickly as possible. These days, it’s very common to limit the amount of tools you use as it is much
for the Visual FX department to request models more efficient.
for reference, so once the design is approved, I’ll
often go back into the sculpt and tighten it up I extracted the costume from the body and by
(Fig.04). using alphas and masking off sections I was able
to create intricate patterns (Fig.05). When I begin
I created the body using ZSpheres. My techniques to sculpt hard surface objects in ZBrush I do as
have changed a bit as I now do all of my sculpting much as possible by simply masking and moving 05

112
Characters

sections with the Move Transpose tools. To get

the detail in the armor bevels I used the Dam
Standard brush.

To create the other two background aliens, I

simply saved out my model and altered it twice.
I squashed the head, tweaked the armor and
added a second set of arms on one of the models
(Fig.06). For the other, I simply elongated the
body using Transpose Move (Fig.07). These aliens
were to be situated towards the back of the scene
and would be obscured by the atmosphere in the
final image, so I didn’t have to worry about their
details.

Rendering
Once the sculpts are at a high enough level of
detail, I will often do some test renders. There are
rendering options in ZBrush, but I prefer to render
outside of the program. Rendering packages
such as mental ray, V-Ray and KeyShot are my
favorites. You can simply import the OBJ into
these programs and render the model in different
materials (Fig.08).

For my test renders I used many materials such

as skin and various metals to explore my options
(Fig.09). Depending on the materials you choose
to render your model in, you may find that the
sculpt doesn’t require much refining. A lot of skin 06 07

113
Digital Art Masters | The Blind Ones

114
Characters

materials come with their own bump and texture

maps, so it may be unnecessary to sculpt every
pore in your model.

Photoshop
In Photoshop I put all of my renders into the
same file. With the renders layered on top of each
other, I can simply erase away and composite the
materials to get the design 90% there. For the
final details, I’ll then use an airbrush to paint in
areas that I want to tighten up.

For the final image, I used a lot of atmosphere

and light erosion to create an obscured
environment. I wanted to capture a cinematic
moment during which the creatures reveal
themselves in front of a blind, white light (Fig.10). 10

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Jerad Marantz

115
Digital Art Masters | Alien Creature

Alien Creature © Nils Meyer

116
Characters

By Nils Meyer
Software Used: ZBrush

Introduction
My goal for this personal project is to create a
finished, quality image in less than 16 hours. Time
is such a valuable asset considering the tight
deadlines in our industry that it pays to be quick
in your work.

I want to create an alien scout at the forefront 01

of an invasion; a threatening, but not brutish,

creature that is agile, with a thin frame, sharp
teeth and claws.

The Modeling Process

I turn a primitive object into a DynaMesh object
and work like this until I’m about 70% done. I
then use QRemesher, do the UV unwrap and add
texture within ZBrush.

I sculpt a cylinder for the head and shoulders

02
(Fig.01). This is the most important part of a
character; it defines personality and gives an idea
of anatomy and posture. I then use DynaMesh to
re-mesh the model. The only setting I change is
turning the Blur slider to 0.

This initial phase is done with Symmetry on and

using the Clay BuildUp, Dam Standard and Move
Topology brushes.
03

After working on big shapes, I cut in lines with

the Dam Standard brush to add definition. At this
point, I simply hint at detail, as they will probably
be changed and blurred (Fig.02).

I repeatedly run the Buildup brush in a zigzag

pattern along major shapes to pull or push the
form, gradually detailing the surface (Fig.03).

Refining the Body

The shoulder joint is created by pulling out a
geo with a short stroke and re-meshing it. The
arms are pulled from those shoulder joints with
the Snake Hook brush. This long brush motion
creates thin tubes of geometry ,which I thicken
with the Inflate brush (Fig.04). I repeat this
process many times until I finally leave DynaMesh
mode. 04

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Digital Art Masters | Alien Creature

Next, I work on the skin and the muscle mass

using the Clay BuildUp brush, manipulating
form and creating surface detail simultaneously
(Fig.05). If you had to create all of the surface
detail on a completely smooth mesh, you would
have to use the Pore and Skin brushes, which are
mostly very recognizable, and look mechanical
and repetitive.

05
At some point during the modeling process, I’ll
try a first color pass. This helps me to get an
idea of how the figure will look; it also helps to
differentiate different parts of the model (teeth,
eyes, etc.).

I usually just use the PolyPaint feature at first

without worrying about the UVs, and mainly use
the Standard brush with a Spray stroke.

A great way to enhance the texture is to create

a mask from the cavities in your model, invert it
and paint darker colors into the crevices, which
also makes the object look more 3D.

Posing
06
To prepare, I rebuild the topology. I do this firstly
because it makes it easier to add small details QRemesher then calculates a new mesh with Now the model is done it’s time to tackle the
without having to deal with any artifacts created clean geometry. I then subdivide this mesh to UVs. My plan is to bring the mesh into 3ds Max for
by the DynaMesh tool. Secondly, I need a low poly allow for the detail from the previously made rendering layers, which I then use to create the
mesh for the unwrap. Finally, I want symmetrical copy. final composite in Photoshop.
geometry that will allow me to use poseable
symmetry. Before starting to pose I always add a layer, With the ZBrush Unwrap tool, I don’t worry
which is essential if you want to modify both about being efficient with texture space. All I am
I make a copy of my model, select the Topology sides simultaneously. Poseable symmetry concerned about is getting my PolyPaint data
brush and draw lines along the major anatomical usually works on a posed model, but I like to be from ZBrush into the rendering package (Fig.07).
landmarks determining the edge flow. able to return to my “T-Pose” because poseable
symmetry doesn’t always seem to work reliably. Texturing, Rendering and
Compositing
I now use the Transpose tools to pose my I paint the texture in ZBrush, adding a purple
character; I want him to lean forward, ready to tone for the shoulders and brighter, fleshier tones
jump at his victim (Fig.06). Keeping the rules of for more vulnerable areas. I mainly use the SSS
thirds in mind, I set up a camera. render for these parts, before adding color noise
to break up the big surfaces.
After the pose is done, I have to fix some of the
joint areas to reflect the updated tension around Now I turn the PolyPaint into a texture by creating
the muscles. a normal map in ZBrush and using my diffuse as
the source for the spec. I start up 3ds Max and
I use one more division level to add to the final import a mid-level version of the mesh.
skin detail in those areas. The Dam Standard
brush works wonders in combination with the I create a scene and render it with a similar
07 random Clay BuildUp brush detail. camera setup to the one in ZBrush, and find a

118
Characters

night-time HDRI image on the internet to use for

an image-based light setup.

In total, I render four different passes, including

a spec pass, a rubber material pass and, most
importantly, the fast SSS skin pass. These are
then blended in Photoshop (Fig.08).

Features
For the eyes, I aim for dark, wet, shiny and
translucent. The texture is simply a blurry red
circle on a black background, but I pay a lot of
attention to getting the shaders exactly right. I
blend the layers to get the translucency by using
the SSS render combined with the high spec
render. I then make sure that the eyes work by
08
doing a lighting test. Finally, I add a little bit of
moisture by painting the mask for the high spec
render around the eyelids (Fig.09).

I create the tongue by selecting a sphere

primitive mesh, and adding it to my main shape.

I position it, turn it into a DynaMesh object and Background

with Symmetry on, I extrude the tongue into an I find a picture of ruins and modify it for the
S-shape and quickly add an indent along the background. I then blur the harsh edges of the
center. I add some detail and volume, then just render to synchronize the character and the
unwrap it, add a quick color pass and export into background. Finally, I’m done and pretty happy
10 3ds Max (Fig.10). with the result. I hope you like it!

Artist Portfolio

© Nils Meyer Frankenstein Sketch © Nils Meyer

119
Trooper © Renato Nicolas Gonzalez Aguilante
Characters

By Renato Gonzalez Aguilante

Software Used: Maya, Photoshop

Introduction
A while back I started work on a new personal
project: a short film with droids, robots, guns and
machines. That’s what gave rise to this character.

In order to make the character, I started looking

for references and then spent time studying
these, as understanding references is an
important part of making a credible character.
I looked at robots made by a number of artists,
including Josh Nizzi, whose work inspired me to
create a droid with very light armor.

Concept
When I make a 3D model, I usually start by doing
a very basic sketch in Photoshop so I can try out
different variations of the same idea (Fig.01). At
this point I don’t spend much time on the details,
01
as I’m only interested in finding the basic shape
of the character and a strong silhouette.

In the early concept the helmet was quite

detailed, which caused problems when defining
the shape of the head. Things like this are why
concept drawings are such an important part
of the workflow as they help identify errors and 02

improve the composition.

Modeling
To make the model, I used the standard polygon
method in Maya. I needed hard surfaces, so I
started blocking in shapes first to get something
similar to the initial sketch. During this stage I
also like to work with an instanced duplicate to
create the symmetry.

Once I was happy with the overall proportions, I

started to crease the edges to get a nice surface
and to make the shape look more like the original
design. Later I added the details such as the
screws, wires, grids and little lights, etc (Fig.03
– 04).

Shaders and Textures

In terms of shaders, the character is basically
composed of just two materials: metal armor and
a skin shader for the body. 03

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Digital Art Masters | Trooper

To have control over the specular reflectivity and

refraction within the skin, I used a mia_material x
pass, which manages the parameters completely
independently.
Diffuse Scratches Specular Diffuse Specular normal Map

Normally I generate textures as well as normal

and displacement maps in ZBrush, but in this
case I only wanted to work with Maya and
Photoshop, so I created all of my textures from
within these two packages.

I was looking for realism with this model and the

two most important materials were the metallic
04 05
shader and the suit shader. With the metallic
shader for example, I created a specular map
from the diffuse map (Fig.04 – 05) and worked
with the scratches masked in an empty layer. This
made it easier because it allowed me to change
their color, brightness and blend mode.

Lighting and Rendering

To create a sense of realism in the illumination,
I worked with image-based lighting to add
reflections across the model. However, I found
that this wasn’t enough, so for my final lighting
setup I used three area lights with high intensity
and quadratic decay rates, two volume lights for
the wires, and point lights for each light detail on
the character (Fig.06).
06

I gamma-corrected the scene with color

management to fix any issues (Fig.07).
Alternatively I could have attached the mia_
exposure_simple (Gamma = 2.2) to the camera.

Post-production
The final presentation is a very important part
of any work and can help to add realism to a
character. Firstly I applied a Sharpen filter to the
image in Photoshop (Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen),
which instantly increased all the details in the
scene.

Next I simulated the chromatic aberration,

which is a common optical problem that occurs
when a lens is either unable to bring all the
wavelengths of color to the same focal plane,
or when wavelengths of color are focused
at different positions in the focal plane. This
“problem” can be simulated in Photoshop using
a Lens Correction filter (Filters > Lens Correction). 07

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Characters

I changed the parameters under the Chromatic Without Chromatic Aberration With Chromatic Aberration
Aberration settings to get the right color variation.

Finally I added some noise (around 1-3 px) and

a color correction with Levels to change the
atmosphere in the scene (Fig.08).

Conclusion
The hardest part of this project was the modeling
and the shading. Modeling everything in Maya
without the help of ZBrush was sometimes
tedious.

Finding a way to blend a mia_material with a

skin shader to get the best results was also time-
consuming, but in general it was fun and I really
enjoyed working on this character. 08

Artist Portfolio

© Renato Nicolas Gonzalez Aguilante

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Digital Art Masters | Koala King

Koala King © Rodrigue Pralier

124
Characters

By Rodrigue Pralier
Software Used: ZBrush, Photoshop

Introduction
For this piece I had two goals in mind. I wanted to
do a koala version of Monkey King and I wanted
to try rendering in ZBrush. I usually use 3ds Max
with V-Ray, but wanted to develop my skills in
polypainting and test the BPR render in ZBrush.

Initial Thoughts on The

Character
I wanted the Koala King to suggest a reference to
the Monkey King, but as he is a koala I didn’t want
the character to look too aggressive or warrior-
like. I wanted to depict a humanoid with a gentle
face that would project a sense of compassion
and security.

Creating the Basic Structure

I used one of my human models for the body,
and then detached the head and converted it
into a DynaMesh to start sculpting the koala
features, particularly focusing on the ears and
nose (Fig.01).
All props made from extracts and
Head DynaMesh 01 primitives in ZBrush 02

I needed to begin
considering the
details of the design
in more depth, so I
began taking quick
screenshots of the
model and testing
paints in Photoshop.

Once I had sculpted the overall features on the

face, I re-attached the head and turned the whole
form into a DynaMesh. I then started masking
specific areas of the body and created new
geometry from extracted parts to start building
the different props. I continued masking and
extracting parts, and also used some primitives
like spheres and cubes to create the smaller
elements such as the jewelry (Fig.02).

Sculpting the Detail

At that point I felt that I needed to begin
considering the details of the design in more
depth, so I began taking quick screenshots of the
model and testing paints in Photoshop (Fig.03). Refining the design in Photoshop 03

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Digital Art Masters | Koala King

Leaves made and placed in Base props made in 3ds Max and then
3ds Max converted in DynaMesh in ZBrush

As the leaves were more complex, I transferred

the model to 3ds Max and placed them on
individually. I also used 3ds Max to build
base meshes for the necklace pieces and arm Posed with transposed
color and shaders done
adornments, converting them into a DynaMesh with polypainting, and
refining the
in ZBrush in order to have more freedom when design one more time

manipulating the shapes and detail (Fig.04).

I then started polypainting all the pieces with the

Standard brush with the RGB mode on. I used
basic materials from the ZBrush website to apply
the metal finishes to all the props. I found that the
C key shortcut that selects the RGB color under
your cursor was particularly useful when working
on the face.

For the posture, I first posed the body individually

and then moved each piece separately to fit
with the new body shape. I could have used the
Transpose Master, but I preferred to do it this way
as it gave me more control over the deformation
of each piece. I made some changes by replacing
my own belt rope model with an insert mesh I
found on ZBrushCentral, although I still was not
fully content with my design and so once again
acquired some quick screenshots and refined the
character in Photoshop (Fig.05). 05

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Characters

I also changed the

eyes based on advice
from Yue Wang, who
suggested black
eyeballs (she is an
awesome concept
artist and co-
worker!).
For the prop markings I used alphas previously
made in Photoshop, then used Deformation
based on prop textures with existing UVs before
being converted into DynaMesh. For the other
06 07
DynaMesh pieces with no UVs, I used the standard
DragRect brush with my custom alphas (Fig.06).

For all the metal pieces I used the same two

alphas I made some time ago to achieve a light
hammered/scratched look. These were extremely
useful in making my objects look “used” (Fig.07).

I then used the OK_CALLI brush for sharp lines,

the Dam Standard for smaller details, and Inflat
and Standard brush for the simpler details. I used
these same brushes for the rest of the model and
then added more props. I also changed the eyes
based on advice from Yue Wang, who suggested
black eyeballs (she is an awesome concept artist
and co-worker!). After that, I simply needed to
refine some of the polypainting (Fig.08 – 09). 08

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Digital Art Masters | Koala King

Rendering
For the most part, I used the standard settings on
BPR to generate all the basic rendering, and only
changed the shadow and AO resolution to 1024
and the rays to 40.

I had around four lights in total, and created

one render per light: the blue light from the orb,
backlights to the left and right, and a floor bounce
light. I then used two or three shiny material
renders to create more of a specular effect on my
metal props (Fig.10).

The next steps were all done in Photoshop.

I compiled all the different renders together,
using either Lighten or Screen mode for the light
and Multiply for the AO pass. I then added skin,
leather and fabric textures for a more realistic
look, painted a few hairs around the face and
legs, and used some smoke effects for the blue
orb surroundings (Fig.11 – 12).

The Background
Finally, I added some simple ground geometry 10

made in ZBrush (Fig.13). This was formed with a

few cubes grouped together and DynaMeshed. I
created the large cracks with the ClipCurve brush
and the smaller cracks with the OK_CALLI brush,
using my inverted metal alphas to create the
bumpy effect. In Photoshop, I painted some grass
between the rocks to provide an outdoor look
and some blurred shapes behind the character.

The final touch was to insert the title “Koala King”

in Chinese characters (Fig.14). 11 12

13 14

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Characters

Artist Portfolio

Image created by Rodrigue Pralier for 3DTotal’s 3DCreative magazine

129
Orchid © Pascal Blanche
Characters

By Pascal Blanché
Software Used: 3ds Max, ZBrush, Photoshop

Elements in 3ds Max

For this particular work, I wanted to create a
female figure in a spacesuit. After all these years
of creating illustrations, I have made a huge
collection of objects and models, so I don’t need
to start from scratch.

I usually start by browsing through my bank of

resources and always come up with a new way
of using them. These elements are what will
define the rhythm and the silhouette of the whole
composition, so I make my decisions with this in
mind.

Details in ZBrush
After setting up the pose of my character and
deciding on the elements I wanted to include, I
created a spacesuit resembling something built
from scratch. 01

Fortunately,
ZBrush is a powerful
sculpting tool so it
wasn’t long before
I realized that I was
going in the wrong
direction.

Next I exported everything into ZBrush separately.

The first thing I did in ZBrush was to rework the
details and proportions of my main character,
using tools like the Move brush, the Clay brush
and the Standard brush to redefine the muscles
and reduce all the little defects and deformations
in the rigging (Fig.01 – 02).
02

Try Outs and Reworks

I wanted to create a kind of surreal head that
merged a female head and a flower. My first
attempt was too drastic (Fig.03), but sometimes
this is the best way to do things. To develop your
idea you need to understand its defaults and
learn from your mistakes.

Fortunately, ZBrush is a powerful sculpting tool

so it wasn’t long before I realized that I was
going in the wrong direction. To correct this, I 03

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Digital Art Masters | Orchid

isolated the bust and started the whole process

again. I began with basic shapes to create the
composition and then merged all these elements
with one brush, using DynaMesh to allow me to
sculpt them together seamlessly.

Rendering
When the elements were refined enough, I
exported them all back to 3ds Max for the
texturing, lighting and rendering. With all the
details from the ZBrush models, I like to let the
reliefs talk for themselves and so I created a
shader to take advantage of this, as it allowed me
to use complex, layered colors, similar to the dry
brush effect on figurines.

For me, it’s

important to be able 04

to play around with

tones and values
separately so I can
experiment a bit.

Another trick I like to use is to disable the

specular option from the light, allowing only the
diffuse to be highlighted, as I find that this creates
a more realistic effect, like a statue made of pure
colored clay. For prints, I always render in high
definition, at least 3000 pixels wide (Fig.04).

Five Colors
Once the rendering was done, I moved on to the
last and most enjoyable step: Photoshop. First I
isolated the values and shadows of the picture on
different layers. I used the color selection to do
this, but you can also make a multipass rendering
in ZBrush.

For me, it’s important to be able to play around

with tones and values separately so I can
experiment a bit. Sometimes I will completely
change the colors of the original rendering just to
see the result.

I like to use complementary colors so if the main

tone of a subject is green, I’ll go for more brown
and orange shadows, or orange highlights with
blue shadows, depending on the mood and
results (Fig.05).

132
Characters

Destroying the 3D
When the colors were right, I flattened the layers
and started to make copies of the image to add
effects and gradients. I like to merge a realistic
and painterly feel in my work and make it less
obvious that it was rendered with 3D software.
The filters I use most in Photoshop are Cutout,
Dry Brush, Paint Daubs and Poster Edges.

Once I got the correct settings on a layer, I simply

faded the effect with an Erase brush, bringing
back the important details whilst leaving some
areas less defined. Doing this created a focus
on what really mattered in the subject and took
away all the noisy detail (Fig.06).

Final touches
Last but not least, I added some final polish to
a few details by using textures to add depth,
reworking tiny details by hand – such as the
eyes – and rebalancing the general tone. Finally I
added the framing and voila! 06

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Pascal Blanche

133
Abs Man © Marat-Ars
Digital Art Masters | Abs Man

By Marat Ars
Software Used: 3ds Max, V-Ray

Introduction
Greetings to all. First of all, I’d like to say thanks
for choosing my work for this issue of Digital Art
Masters. I’m really proud and appreciative.

Concept
The idea was to redesign The Absorbing Man, a
Marvel character. I wanted to send this character
to Chernobyl, a nuclear risk zone in the Ukraine,
where he would absorb radiation which could
affect his appearance.

I didn’t make any concept sketches; I just worked

from my understanding of Marvel’s character. I
started by creating the base mesh for the torso
in ZBrush. After that, I decided on the pose and
exported it straight to 3ds Max to create the outfit 01
and so on (Fig.01).

Base Mesh, Outfit and

Accessories
At this point I started modeling the other parts
such us the trousers, belt, boots, helmet, chains,
ropes and wires, etc. Once a medium level of
detail was complete for the main components, I
started to make the weapons and other things.
I wanted a lot of armor and massive primary
weapons including a cone gear-shaft, rail hook
and a large knife (Fig.02 – 03).
02 03

I made the garbage with NVIDIA physics and then I wanted the objects to look like products of the Sculpting
created the particles using the Particle Flow USSR, except the MP3 player and headphones I then exported the meshes back into ZBrush
system to simulate some radioactive artifacts. I which I added for a bit of humor to brighten up for sculpting. I used QRemesher for some of the
made the fishnet using NVIDIA mCloth and also the gloomy atmosphere. At this stage I made larger parts of the model. It worked fantastically,
made a video of the process, which you can find an environment, created studio lighting and was really fast and I was impressed with the result
on my YouTube channel. cameras for the final render (Fig.04). (Fig.05 – 06).

04 05 06

136
Characters

Lighting and Materials

When the high poly model was finished, I used the
Decimation Master and exported everything back
into 3ds Max so I could create the final render
using V-Ray. At first I wanted to use mental ray, 08

but in the end I chose V-Ray for speed (Fig.07).

As you can see in Fig.08, I created a clay material

and started rendering. I set up native DOF, which
took a bit more time in rendering, but I was happy
with the result. It isn’t high quality rendering
though, as I was in a hurry to meet the deadline.

Post Effects
For the final image, I created some post effects in
After Effects. I also used plugins like Magic Bullet
Looks and Video Copilot Optical Flares, which are
my favorite plugins for After Effects Fig.09.

That is all. Thanks for reading, I hope you like it! 09

Artist Portfolio

137
S k y M a c h i n a © Sitting
Marc © Theo
B r u Prins
net
Fantasy

For me, the fantasy genre

fantasy
is less about subject
matter and more about
the mentality with which
paintings are created. Most
of my work that would
be considered fantasy art
was created in the spirit of
exploration and child-like wonder. It has always
excited me that it’s possible to sit down, start
painting and after a number of hours I find myself
starting to peak into a new little world. In the
end, the true value of fantasy art is that it allows
me to connect with and inhabit the places in my
imagination.

Theo Prins
[email protected]
http://www.theoprins.com

139
Death © Mariano Steiner
Digital Art Masters | Death

By Mariano Steiner
Software Used: ZBrush, 3ds Max, Photoshop, V-Ray

Inspiration
The original idea for my project Death was 1 2 3

inspired by a real-life situation I experienced

during a trip to Frankfurt with some friends. We
were walking through the city streets and saw
a homeless man crouched on the pavement.
He was dressed in a long, black, hooded robe
that exuded an evil aura and cast a shadow over
his face. He sat still in that same pose for hours
without moving.

My final idea: A
female body in a
“story-telling” pose
that embodies the
concept of death.

I was immediately inspired to create an art piece

based on this figure, and so when I returned
home I began to develop the idea. 01

I had already begun thinking about practicing

sculpting feminine gestures and the female form,
and saw this piece as an excellent opportunity to
push my skills in this area. My final idea: a female
body in a “story-telling” pose that embodies the
concept of death.

Sculpting the Female Form

From that point, the process of form development
was fairly straightforward (Fig.01). I set up a
previously-made human base mesh and began
filling out the body contours and proportions to
create my basic female figure (1).

I developed this basic female form further by

refining the rougher areas on my gridded form
and rounding out some of the edges (2). At this
02
point, it was crucial to have as many references
as possible for the topic. I found many images Refining the Female Form During the sculpting process, I exported the
of body shape, structure, skulls, hands, feet and With the basic anatomy blocked in, I began decimated model into Photoshop to test my
general poses to help make my image more to pose the character and refine the details in lighting and composition (Fig.02). This was useful
realistic. texture. I found that much of the anatomy had as it allowed me to see evidence of proportion
changed after the model was posed, so I had errors, shot silhouettes and other areas that are
My final first draft was smoothed out and polished to rework some of the asymmetrical areas to not as visible in sculpting mode.
to more closely resemble the skin texture (3). achieve a more natural look.

142
Fantasy

I used the
Clay brush with
the sSray stroke to
paint the majority
of the surface and
subdivision levels;
this helps create a
good quality skin
effect.

After fixing the highlighted errors and after some

useful feedback from friends, I decided to change
some elements of the posture (Fig.03). To me, the
figure seemed too expressionless, so I twisted the
torso and tilted the head angle a little to achieve
a more “uncomfortable” pose.

Color
When the sculpture had been largely completed,
I began to set up a color palette. I used the Clay
brush with the Spray stroke to paint the majority
of the surface and subdivision levels; this helps
create a good quality skin effect.

To inject a little more detail, I also added a

few alphas and adjusted the color variations
to provide a mix of skin shades (Fig.04). I have
noticed from research that there are subtle 03

143
Digital Art Masters | Death

variations in color depending on the bodily

region. For example: bony regions are whiter,
fatty regions are more yellow and most of the
body ends are tinged red.

To make the color map, I unwrapped the model

using UV Master and baked the color and normal
maps. I was then able to improve the color maps
in Photoshop by adding some dirt and pictures of
skin, color corrections and normal map blending
(Fig.06). All this enhanced some of the sculptural
details.

05
Lighting
Having developed my image to the final render,
I decimated the model and sent it to 3ds Max to
work on the lighting.

Using the previous testing scenes, I knew which

settings to use on the shaders and how to adjust
the lights to fit the atmosphere of my scene
(Fig.06). This was a particularly time-consuming
task, as the render process was slow and I often
tested the renders in Photoshop to see if they
would work faster than 3ds Max.

there are so many

possible variations 06
that the final image
could adopt and
each decision could
completely change
the atmosphere you
want to create.

My lighting was a simple set up of three large

V-Ray lights: a main, a back and a fill. These
helped give softer shadows to the form.

I also used a dark sky environment using high

dynamic range imaging. I think using HDR images
are important in complementing the lighting in
these instances. As for the shaders, I used the
incredible V-Ray SSS2. I like this program as it’s
07
easy to set up and it gives you realistic results.
completely change the atmosphere you want to can get good feedback from people I know well
Finishing Touches create. For my image, I used the main render, a and who reveal unforeseen errors on my part. I
Most of the finishing touches were focused on specular pass and the ZDepth render. find that monitor contrast is a common error, so
color correction. This is one of the hardest parts receiving feedback is a great way to fix that.
as there are so many possible variations that the I then sent the final render out to my friends Once these minor errors were corrected, the
final image could adopt and each decision could for an initial review. I find this really useful as I image was complete (Fig.07).

144
Fantasy

Artist Portfolio

145
A Kind Soul © Esben Rasmussen
Digital Art Masters | A Kind Soul

By Esben Rasmussen
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
I am a student at The Animation Workshop
in Denmark, undergoing the last year of my
bachelor’s degree in CG Art. I mainly work with
conceptual art, character design, illustration
and visual development. My goal is to become a
very versatile artist, capable of working in a wide
range of styles.

Concept
Before starting a piece, it is important to have a
clear idea about where you are going. Firstly, ask
yourself, why are you making it? For this piece, I
wanted to tell a story and create a high quality,
detailed piece of work to add to my portfolio.

The creature steps 01

into the light and

she realizes that it is
some kind of giant,
humanoid tortoise.

The story behind this work is about a girl who

gets lost in the dark forest. When trying to find her
way out, she spots a creature looking at her from
the shadows and runs away in panic. The creature
follows quickly behind her, wreaking havoc in
its path. She trips and whilst gasping for air, she
notices the creature slowly approaching her.

The creature steps into the light and she realizes

that it is some kind of giant, humanoid tortoise. It
carefully bends down and looks at the girl, trying
not to scare her and apprehensively hands her
02
a red scarf that she dropped when fleeing. Even
though she is afraid, she reaches out for her scarf This is in the essence of what we do when we primary light source comes from the top and is
and notices that he is badly hurt. paint or draw; we create pieces that evoke reflected by the snow on the ground. The palette
feelings. I wanted to convey a calm, slightly is limited and desaturated, as I wanted to create
At university, I was taught by Daniel Cacouault for nervous form of beauty – a concept which would the effect of a grotesque and sickly forest (Fig.01).
a week and during this time he made me think rely on depicting the creature’s nature.
more about light, composition, mood and colors. Whilst developing the sketch, the aspect I
This prompted me to consider what I wanted Composition changed the most was the scale. Creating a
from the piece and what I wanted the viewer to The composition is very simple: a flat side view contrast in size between the characters made the
feel. With A Kind Soul, I wanted to create some with a foreground, mid-ground and background. creature seem more threatening and added more
sympathy for the creature and involve the viewer The background is also flat so the focus leans interest to the piece (Fig.02). I also added the
in the story. towards the characters rather than the forest. The small branch on the tree to create compositional

148
Fantasy

balance and the sense that, even though the tree

and the girl lean away from the creature, they are
reaching out to him.

You shouldn’t be afraid to be bold and make

big changes. One of the advantages of working
digitally is that you can change things quickly.
I added his shell as well as some rabbits in the
foreground (Fig.03), but later decided that the
rabbits were a too sweet and possibly a bit
clichéd, so I removed them (Fig.04).

Patience is key. Slow down, think and remind

yourself that it is a learning process. As you
work ask yourself, why are you putting that
stroke down? This piece was painted using two
03 basic brushes: one soft and one hard. Specialist
brushes aren’t important and it is best learn to
use the basic ones first. I worked with a maximum
of five layers and merged often – you can quickly
paint over them and do a better job.

The foreground was still not working for me at

this point and so I experimented by including
some mushrooms, which didn’t seem to work
either (Fig.05). I also added a small Easter
egg behind the tree and three small creatures
watching from the darkness. I enjoy adding small
“surprises” in my work and hope they feel like a
small reward when you find them.

I realized that as the ground was covered by

04 snow, logically the tree should reflect this. I also

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Digital Art Masters | A Kind Soul

felt that the creature’s head wasn’t working, so I

widened it and increased his general size, again
to create more contrast (Fig.06).

The work was coming together, but I still noticed

a few problems. The scarf wasn’t the right size to
belong to the girl, so I made it smaller in order
that it became clearer that he is returning it to
her. I was still working on the foreground so
experimented by including a couple of weasels,
but these drew too much attention so I also
removed them (Fig.07).

I then realized that I had foolishly forgotten to

07
bounce the light up from the snow. I had looked
at it for too long, which can sometimes render
you blind to problems. If possible, take breaks as
you will return with fresh eyes and a fresh mind.
Finally, I added the last couple of touches and a
small turtle in the foreground, which resolved the
problems I’d been having there (Fig.08).

I learned a lot throughout the making of this

piece and I hope that you have learned something
from this walkthrough too. Remember when you
are painting or drawing, expect a struggle and
embrace it as it will only help you improve. As
Yoda put it: “Patience, young Padawan”. 08

150
Fantasy

Artist Portfolio

All Images © Esben Rasmussen

151
Juezhan © Fenghua Zhong
Digital Art Masters | Juezhan

By Fenghua Zhong
Software Used: Photoshop

Starting a New Image

When starting a new image, my goal is to convey
the mood that I have imagined into a painting.
Juezhang is a piece I made for a Chinese game
called Sword Heroes Fate. I was given a rough
description of how the image should look. The
idea was to paint an epic final battle ending a
long, bloody feud between factions of an ancient
Chinese martial arts society.

I started by brain storming words and phrases

that would fit the scene, like “bloody”, 01
“ancient vendetta”, “a corrupt imperial court’s
exploitation”, “faction’s last resort “, “total
annihilation”, etc. I then found a common thread
running through these in order to find a story for
the image.

Whilst in the process

of finding the right
colors, I considered
the composition of
the image. Since this
was the final battle,
the scene needed
to be hectic with
a lot movement in
different directions.

The story grew into a tale set at a breaking point

in society, where powerful, ancient martial arts
factions have joined together to rise up against
the corrupt imperial court. However, the imperial
court has exploited old vendettas between the
factions to create internal conflicts, crippling
the uprising by using their power against them.
The image depicts the conclusion of the conflict,
02
when the factions and the imperial court have put
an end to all of the hatred. When painting the details, I varied the hues in Whilst in the process of finding the right colors, I
the colors in order to age the objects like the considered the composition of the image. Since
Color and Composition clothing, to suggest that the fighters have been this was the final battle, the scene needed to be
During the initial stages, I started to paint in color through many battles. Varying the hue, saturation hectic with a lot movement in different directions.
blocks to find the overall mood of the painting. and brightness of colors also makes the overall
I chose a warm palette of reds, oranges and painting richer. For the background, I employed I used angles within the image to create
yellows in the clothing and environment to create a cooler palette composed mainly of blues, movement and show the volatile nature of the
a sense of pressure and anxiety (Fig.01). suggesting the desolate, cold reality of the battle. battle (Fig.02). These also created spiritual

154
Fantasy

connections within both the imperial court and guillotine (Fig.05) creates momentum and a Qing dynasty was the flying guillotine, as it is
the assembly of martial arts factions, who were connection between the two forces in battle, as agile and suits the image of an assassin.
now unified (Fig.03 – 04). well as guiding the eye of the viewer.
As they are from the imperial court, their clothing
I also took the power disparity into account when Detailing is made of expensive materials like silk and
deciding the composition. Facial expressions I designed the imperial fighters as assassins, is more uniform, demonstrating that they are
and body language show who is the aggressor wearing light clothing and armor for agility and trained professionals. The colors they wear are
and defender, while the direction of the flying mobility. Their weapon in the legendary Chinese dynamic and restless as they are the shadows

04 05

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Digital Art Masters | Juezhan

of the imperial court, masters of sabotage,

assassination and open combat, employed to
suppress the discords of the rebellion.

On the other hand, the rebels are amassed from

different martial arts factions. I depicted this
diversity by varying the design and color of their
clothing and weapons, and the weight of their
armor (Fig.06 – 07).

Once I had figured out the main composition and

color of the piece, I considered the lighting. I tried
to direct the eye of the viewer to a specific area. In
this image, I used the strongest areas of lighting
and contrast to accentuate the subjects.

Conclusion
I feel that there are areas which could be
improved upon. The overall color palette could be
more balanced for example, and the composition
of the subjects could also potentially benefit
from more balance to add rhythm. On the whole,
I enjoyed painting the piece and learned more
about painting light in busy scenes. 06

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Fantasy

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157
Digital Art Masters | Boston Common

By Gilles Beloeil
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction the camp near the tents. This worked in terms so I chose colors from various photos and started
The goal of this concept was to help the level of action, but being too close to the character blocking them in (Fig.01). I then continued mixing
artists to make this area of the game interesting meant I wasn’t able to describe the organization in some photos, textures and paint to find some
to look at, as at this stage they only had a flat of the camp. So my only option was to set a interesting shapes.
area covered with an alignment of military tents. higher point of view. Initially, I intended to show
The challenge was to create a varied and organic Connor planning his infiltration while observing It is a very fast process at the beginning. I paste a
look without killing the feeling of military order. the camp from a tree. photo, a texture and/or a concept and play with
it, blending, then picking colors and painting over
I began by doing some sketches. My first idea was Painting it again, experimenting until I find a composition
to show the main character, Connor, infiltrating I wanted to recreate the feeling of morning light, that inspires me.

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Fantasy

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Digital Art Masters | Boston Common

I had an idea in mind but it wasn’t precise, so I

let the flow of shapes talk to me. To work like this
you have to stay focused, but relaxed at the same
time. It’s a fun way of working and can be efficient
if you don’t have a tight deadline.

Lighting
At this stage, I wasn’t very happy with the
03
lighting. The foggy atmosphere looked kind of flat
and didn’t add any interesting volumes. I decided Corrections to change the point of view. This is very time-
to introduce a stronger key light with sharp I was concerned that the players would be consuming in 2D, as when the overall perspective
shadows, which improved the scene (Fig.03). I unsure that Connor was looking at the camp, and changes, you have to repaint (or readjust) almost
liked the way this sunlight warmed up the grass confuse this with someone at the bottom of the everything. But fortunately at this stage, it was
and added a nice flicker across the water. tree. I also didn’t want a tree in the extreme left still very sketchy without too much detail.
foreground with another on the right, as having
I was also able to get a stronger silhouette for the two shapes so similar weakened the composition. After this correction, the overall composition
main character thanks to the bright area behind was improved and the image became more
him. Something still bothered me though; the I needed to reconsider my overall idea to create interesting. The organic shapes of the tree on the
tree supporting Connor seemed in the middle of some variety. I thought of adding a building on left contrasted with the very straight silhouette of
the main road which didn’t feel right. the right side to perch Connor on, so I decided the church added on the right (Fig.04).

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Fantasy

It was now much clearer that the main character

was looking at the camp and he was still
silhouetted (not quite enough yet, but I decided
to manage that later). I was also happier with the
setup of the camp, although the ground needed
some more work because it looked too clean.

I then went on to change the pose of the main

character to detach his silhouette from that of
the church. I also changed the ratio of the image
05 06
to add more sky and create contrast between
the busy ground area and the flat region of sky It’s a common mistake to add details too soon For the final touches, I added a camera tilt to
(Fig.05). in production because we think it will save our increase the sense of vertigo and changed the
painting when it’s looking unresolved. Always shape of the tree on the left, because I didn’t
Detail bear in mind that if your image doesn’t balance want to block the view on both sides (Fig.07). I
For a composition to work, the viewer’s eye well without details, it won’t with them – you also softened the edges on the horizon line with
has to be able to rest on targeted parts of the have to be patient and work with big shapes first. the Smudge tool to make it more interesting and
image, because if every part is very busy, it can to avoid very sharp edges in an area that doesn’t
be difficult to focus. It is always best to create Now that it was time to add detail, I incorporated require them.
balance in each area, contrasting busy with calm, smoke, mud and further refined the main
light with dark, organic with straight, etc. character (Fig.06). I warmed up the light on I also painted a layer of fog behind the character,
his hood because of the way it bounced off the which helped to further separate him from the
I added details, foliage, a crowd, soldiers, boats, church behind him, which helped add realism. background. To finish the piece, I took care of
etc. I painted at a slower pace at this stage as I The rim of light around him also creates a strong more edges, which is my favorite part of the
knew that my overall design was in place and contrast with the dark background and helps painting process as it truly adds to the overall
so was not afraid to spend some time adding all ensure that the viewer’s eye focuses on Connor quality of a painting.
these things. first and then on the military camp.

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161
Stare © Levi Hopkins
Digital Art Masters | Stare

By Levi Hopkins
Software Used: Photoshop, 3ds Max

Introduction
I often find that commissioned work does not
give me enough time to explore experimental
techniques due to the strict deadlines and very
specific design briefs, so whenever I get a break
from work, I like to test out interesting techniques
in my concept art. As this example was one of my
own experimental pieces, I was able to start it
with a different mindset.

When starting this piece, I had already decided

that I wanted to describe some ruins in a
landscape; however, I wanted to avoid the generic
castle covered in vines. So I first gathered some
01
references of various buildings, objects or color
palettes I liked, to get the creative juices rolling. rendered out a standard gray material on the ground plane and adding more ruins in the
object and went straight to Photoshop with the background. I treated my layer with the original
Using 3D render. Next, I applied some basic colors and render from 3D as a custom shape and just
The next step was to use a 3D package to model brush strokes to the object and background placed it in the background a number of times.
out a basic block of geometry. I knew I wanted (Fig.01). I then moved, shifted, skewed and distorted the
a shape with concentric circles repeating in an background objects as necessary to nudge them
abstract shape, so I went ahead and did some With this solid object in place, I slowly started into perspective and create a good composition
basic modeling to achieve that. I then just fleshing out the scene, providing a simple (Fig.02).

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Fantasy

Painting the standard clichéd birds for scale was obviously later on and go back to a prior state. I never fully
I wanted to create some contrast to the over- necessary at this point too. I also added an commit to anything in a painting, which allows
powering horizontal planes created by the main adjustment layer at this point to push back some me the flexibility to change things on a whim.
chunk of ruins, so I added some standing columns of the saturation and create a more cohesive
in the background to distract the eye with vertical palette (Fig.04). At this point I realized I wanted to add a
elements. foreground element and bring the scene closer
I continually used adjustment layers during the to the viewer, alongside some more elements to
I painted in more painting process. The nice thing about these convey scale. I quickly blocked in the silhouette
details by jumping is that I can just turn them off or delete them of a simple character riding some sort of animal
around the canvas
with no real plan in
mind. Adding in the
standard clichéd
birds for scale was
obviously necessary
at this point too.

To do this, I laid down some simple brush strokes

in order to find an arrangement that worked for
me. Following the idea of custom shapes, I next
duplicated the layer containing the main ruins
and rotated it vertically. I then just resized it,
which transformed it into the correct alignment
(Fig.03). I save a lot of time painting just by
reusing certain chunks of the painting I’ve already
established.

Next, I painted in more details by jumping around

the canvas with no real plan in mind. Adding in 04

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Digital Art Masters | Stare

(Fig.05). Now, stepping back from the painting I

realized I was too closely focused on the scene,
so I simply used the Crop tool and expanded
the canvas horizontally. Once the canvas was
widened I went ahead and started adding some
more atmospheric elements: clouds, haze,
and floating particles (Fig.06). By adding these
elements I was able to start separating individual
06
elements of the painting and really accentuate
the depths between the foreground, mid-ground,
and background.

Now that the image was almost entirely blocked

in, I started adding small details that I hadn’t
considered before. I didn’t detail the whole image
to the same extent across the canvas, but rather
picked and chose areas that I wished to attract
the viewer’s attention.

At this point I added some more detail and ruins

to the foreground and a few more sections of the
07
ruin to the mid-ground (Fig.07). I also included
a small pool of water near the large ruins to add
some reflections across the ground plane. I did
this by simply duplicating the entire painting,
flipping it vertically, and then erasing out areas
until I revealed the pool of water I had envisioned.
Then with a simple flat angled brush, I indicated
the edges of the water with a bright white color.

Completing the Scene

The final step in this process was to tweak the
settings for the adjustment layers. I tend to
use Curves, Color Balance, and the Channel
Mixer (Fig.08). I can sit in this phase for hours,
altering or modifying almost everything about
the painting. However, at some point you have
to declare a piece complete, even if it’s just a
personal piece done for fun. If I’d never pulled the
trigger and stepped away from this piece, I’d still
be messing with adjustment layers to this day!
08

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Fantasy

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167
Perpetuum Mobile © Gediminas Pranckevičius
Digital Art Masters | Perpetuum Mobile

By Gediminas Pranckevičius
Software Used: Photoshop, 3ds Max

Introduction
A little art gallery in the small town where I grew
up invited me to participate in an art exhibition
and submit my drawing, Perpetuum Mobile.
Translated from the original Latin, perpetuum
mobile means “perpetual motion”. For me the
most interesting impetus is man’s desire to
create. When trying to visualize this concept it
wasn’t very clear initially, but after thinking about
the subject for some time, I came up with the idea
of a watermill on an island.

Within one’s
imagination, images
aren’t defined, 01

holding infinite
possibilities which
are instantly
tangible.

Sketching
Before starting a new project I try to remind
myself not to rush things. The best way to start is
to draw a few little sketches. This helps determine
the most suitable viewpoint, composition and
lighting in line with your idea.

Within one’s imagination, images aren’t defined, 02

holding infinite possibilities which are instantly

tangible. However, despite this fluid process,
concepts are impossible to capture and therefore
sketches are important to translate these images
from your mind into reality.

My concept wasn’t too difficult to visualize

(Fig.01). I rotated everything to capture various
viewpoints and clarify the image. I thought I’d be
able to draw a watermill from scratch, but after
some time I turned to Google. To avoid technical
drawing, I used 3ds Max and quickly made a
simple model of watermill (Fig.02). After finishing
the model, I took a screenshot and pasted it into
Photoshop to develop my sketch (Fig.03)

Shading and textures

The next stage involved playing with the 03

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Fantasy

shadows. I began with the building and in

Photoshop, I used the Lasso tool (L) to select the
roof, then made a new layer and pressed Alt +
Delete to fill the area with the color. Next I held
Ctrl, selected the appropriate layer and used the
Soft Round brush to start adding shadows where I
imagined they would realistically be (Fig.04 – 05).
I then repeated this process on the other areas
such as the wall and smaller roof.

On a separate layer, I used various custom

brushes for the roof and wall texture. To add
these, I selected the layer by holding Ctrl, then
hit Ctrl + Shift + Alt + C to copy it. Next, I held Ctrl
+ I to select the intended layer and pressed Ctrl
+ Shift + Alt + V to paste and create a layer mask.
After pressing Ctrl + T I could position the texture
to create the correct perspective.

I used a hard brush to draw the gaps between

the boards and windows, as well as any other
gaps. During this stage I didn’t get too involved in
the details because I knew things might change
later. Using this workflow, I rendered my picture,
building it up bit by bit (Fig.06). As the work
progressed, extra details become necessary.

Adding Color
When everything is close to being finished, I
merge everything into one layer and add color
04 using Color Balance (Ctrl + B), and sometimes

171
Digital Art Masters | Perpetuum Mobile

Curves. I create a layer with the blending mode

set to Color or Overlay and use the default Soft
brush to add color. For this piece, I decided on
a brownish color palette (Fig.10). I added the
glowing text later whilst adapting the picture for
another purpose.

“If you don’t make

mistakes, you’re not
working on hard
enough problems”.

When playing with light, using a brush with the 06

blending mode set to Color Dodge can be very

useful – just be sure that your image is merged
into one layer. If you prefer using separate layers,
you can press Ctrl + A, then Ctrl + Shift + C and Ctrl
+ Shift + V, which allows you to create a new layer
of the visible picture.

I had wanted to play with the color a bit more, but

the deadline for the exhibition was approaching. I
think this may have been for the best however, as
it meant the piece wasn’t overworked (Fig.11).
The final piece of advice I would offer is a quote
once spoken by a famous physicist: “If you don’t
make mistakes, you’re not working on hard
enough problems”. 07

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Fantasy

Artist Portfolio

173
Fate © Piotr Jabłoński
Digital Art Masters | Fate

By Piotr Jabłoński
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
In my opinion, the first stages of creating an
artwork are the most important. Before I start
working in Photoshop, I give some thought to the
mood and emotions I want to convey. Then the
next step is to do some research and compare
this idea to existing artworks, photos or movies.

The image will depict a destroyed city bathed in

delicate morning light spreading across the tops
of the buildings. I’ve chosen this as a symbol of
new beginnings or perhaps of a better future
(Fig.01).

I start by drawing the basic perspective lines. 01

Then I choose a fairly large brush and paint the

base color to create the mood. I have never found
the black and white method right for me, as I
believe that color creates the mood of your art.

The next step is to define the composition. I draw

basic shapes and ignore the detail for now. I set
the proper light direction and intensity to check
how it works in the scene. At this stage I also
check color variations by using the Color Balance
tool or Channel Mixer.

Sometimes I use a reference image or one of my

previous images in an Overlay layer with reduced
opacity to see how it looks. This diversifies the
02
color palette and sometimes it gives your image
an interesting direction. At this point, if I feel that
the image is looking good, I usually merge the
layers (Fig.02).

Details
This is the longest and most laborious part
of painting, but watching the progress is very
satisfying. I don’t use many brushes; usually I
choose five or six and tend to use the same one
for about 90% of the painting. I add windows and
roofs to the buildings and try to add interesting
details to the lower floors (Fig.03).

Next I identify the shape of the sculpture that

is in the main square. For the tower in the 03

176
Fantasy

background, I use a texture from an Evermotion

VFX concept. I don’t generally approve of pasting
in photos, but when doing commercial work
I know that time and the result are the most
important thing. You need to practically repaint
the element entirely, of course, but this method
still saves you a lot of time.

The work is now 70% complete so I merge the

layers, then create a new one to add more detail. I
change the mountains in the background, adding
mist, fog and smoke to create depth (Fig.04).

Finishing Touches
At this stage the image is almost finished, but
you can always try to make something more
of it. I find this is the most enjoyable part of
04
the process. For this work, I experiment with
different color layers, using Color Balance and
the Channel Mixer. I also adjust the contrast and
check the gradients to see and how they work
when blended (Fig.05). It is quite easy to mess up
the image at this stage, so I keep the output on
a separate layer in order to check it from time to
time to see if my direction is still good.

It is a good habit to leave your image for a day

or two and then take a “fresh look” at it, as this
can reveal previously unseen mistakes. Seeking
a friend’s opinion can also be very helpful – it
doesn’t necessarily have to be an artist, it’s just
good to know what people think about your
work. 05

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Image Created For Tomek Bagiński Project © Piotr Jabłoński

177
Digital Art Masters | Into the Abyss

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Fantasy

Into the Abyss © Rasmus Berggren

179
Digital Art Masters | Into the Abyss

By Rasmus Berggren
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
My initial idea began with a rough ink and marker
pen sketch on a small 8.5cm piece of paper
(Fig.01). I find that the small format works well at
this stage as I don’t get lost in the details from the
beginning and so my creativity is uninhibited.

Composition
The next step was to import my sketch into
Photoshop and start a grayscale image (Fig.02).
I always find grayscaling is a good foundation
to help with the value of the image, and in this
case it highlighted a couple of issues with the
arrangement.
01

In the first sketch the travelers were moving

towards the opening, but I found that in this
layout the eye was led directly to the opening
and then left the image. I found it much more
intriguing to have the travelers descend into the
darkness of the temple. This makes you dwell on
the content of the picture and also develops the
adventurers’ story.

I then started to make adjustments to the

composition of the original sketches. When I
chose to change the character placement it
made sense to flip the canvas as we read from
right to left. At this point it’s important to have
a strong basic composition as a lot of good
02
detailing later can’t save a poor composition.
This rearrangement gave the characters
more movement and enhanced the feeling of
descending (Fig.03).

Color and Perspective

I then began work on the color and perspective.
Initially, I made a new layer set to Overlay and
used that to paint on top of the grayscale image.
As the Overlay blend mode uses the value of the
layer underneath I was able to achieve a good
color foundation. I then worked with a basic
Chalk brush in Photoshop to block out the colors.

The party of travellers are coming in from the safe

world outside and entering a mysterious, dark 03

180
Fantasy

void, so I wanted a clear definition between the

exterior and interior worlds. Because of this, I
found the color palette too monochrome and so
began to change the tones and hues.

As you can see in this image, the similarity

between the exterior light and the torches
inside made the image look a little flat (Fig.04). I
eventually succeeded in defining a warm exterior
and a cool interior, broken up by the warm light
from the torches.

I made an effort
to show the dense
jungle outside,
overgrown rocks
and hanging roots.
I think this helps
the viewer get more
involved in the
illustration.
04

I also wanted the light from the outside to fall To help my final color, detail and texture choices, hanging roots. I think this helps the viewer get
through the opening, so there would be a lot I researched Mayan architecture and looked more involved in the illustration (Fig.05).
of nuances to use in the bounce lights. At this at images from a trip to Mexico, where I visited
stage, I also tightened up the perspective as I ancient temples. It inspired me to make faces and Details
thought that the temple ought to feel epic and rock formations. It‘s important to me to indicate I wanted this piece to feel dense and contain
overwhelming, and scaling the characters down location in an image, so I made an effort to show numerous areas of interest. As the viewer’s
helped achieve that feeling. the dense jungle outside, overgrown rocks and eye will primarily focus on the exterior and the

181
Digital Art Masters | Into the Abyss

traveling company, I thought it was important Final Adjustment To make atmospheric perspective simpler,
to make these areas detailed and interesting. Atmospheric perspective describes how the I sometimes use Photoshop to make a new
I colored the torch-bearer’s shirt with a lighter appearance and placement of an object is layer on my image and color-pick the sky. After
color as this allows for a greater reflection of light affected by the atmosphere. I have found that adjusting the opacity of the layer, I then paint
compared to a dark, silhouetted figure (Fig.06). objects usually get lighter and less detailed as the over objects that are furthest away from the
distance from the viewer increases. The objects viewer to add that extra level of atmospheric
I made the figure descending into the darkness also seem to blend towards the color of the sky. perspective (Fig.07).
cast a long shadow, which enhanced the
atmosphere by making the descent more To imitate this, I lightened the entrance a little Comparing the last image to the final piece,
dramatic and foreboding. It’s these small details and indicated small holes in the ceiling that it is clear that there is a greater depth and
that create an eerie feeling in the illustration. project light-beams. atmosphere evident with these techniques.

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Fantasy

Artist Portfolio

183
Digital Art Masters | Snowfall

By Thomas Scholes
Software Used: Photoshop

Reclamation back this energy as the catalyst for new work, but value was not the end result but the many things
I think as artists we give the majority of our we gain another opportunity to answer questions learned throughout (Fig.01). I’ve got dozens of
energy to our work and as such, we lament our left unresolved, to pick up where we left off with these dead-ends lying in wait, few with enough
failures and all wasted energy. Therefore, not the benefit of a fresh perspective and frame of value to share on their own, but each with
unlike those that live paycheck to paycheck mind. elements worth saving and re-examining.
financially, we must take great care with our
motivational budget. Each dead-end, though The image in question was born in this manner Exploration
it has returned much in the form of knowledge and is similar to much of my work. In this specific Having little to no expectations at this stage, I
gained, still represents a significant investment example the image borrowed was a simple am free to explore the potential of what I have
left unclaimed. In its reuse, we not only claim sketch, a fairly unremarkable dead-end whose before me. By employing this process of unbound

184
Fantasy

Snowfall © Thomas Scholes

185
Digital Art Masters | Snowfall

Free from the

personal desire for
finished work and
the pressures of an
updated portfolio,
the mind is allowed
the bliss of painting
for the sake of
painting.

discovery I am consistently presented with new

03
questions to answer and knowledge to be gained
through minimal effort relative to a more direct
manner of study (Fig.02).

For this image, I transform and distort the entire

image on a few Lighten layers, creating new,
abstracted planes of perspective and in doing so,
create a spatial scaffold on which to build a new
piece. With these first few discoveries, the tone
of the image has become manifest and from here
on out it starts to become more work than play
(Fig.03).

Although the framework is present, I am still

careful not to attach any additional expectations
to the image. Free from the personal desire for
finished work and the pressures of an updated
portfolio, the mind is allowed the bliss of painting
for the sake of painting. I believe that it is through
this process the best works can be created
(Fig.04).

The light colors borrowed from the sky and now

lying abstracted upon the ground conjure up 04

186
Fantasy

the impression of snow, so I adjust the palette the preceding process. This may seem counter- can be as simple as trimming or augmenting
and add a bundled up figure (Fig.05). It is no intuitive, but it’s a worthy investment that greatly a few angles or as complex as transforming
coincidence that this contrasts not only with the amplifies the larger statements. and distorting entire regions into place. As the
mood of the original sketch, but also with the structures in this image are rather organically
palette of the other paintings I am working on at Confident that the subject, mood and constructed as well as a bit worn and sagging,
the same time. composition are nearly finished, I decide to I don’t feel it necessary that each component
backtrack a little and unify the perspective. This should share the same vanishing point (Fig.07).
This variety is necessary as I’ll often find myself
asking the same questions, and though solving
these problems is a worthy endeavor, it is often
through shifting focus and answering new
questions that old issues are resolved.

Confident that the

subject, mood and
composition are
nearly finished, I
decide to backtrack
a little and unify the
perspective.
06

Refinement
The structure of the image is now almost resolved
and from here on most changes are just cosmetic.
There is a constant back and forth of massaging
the small shapes, angles and brush work to
enhance the potency of the overall composition
and readability of the image (Fig.06).

Though this stage of adding detail and refinement

represents an insignificant portion of the
canvas, it takes far more time and effort than 07

187
Digital Art Masters | Snowfall

The illusion only requires a general conformity

amongst the majority of masses, as well as some
reinforcement in the details (Fig.08). Overall
when presented with the choice of aesthetics
versus technical exactness, I will most often
choose the former. I do not wish to dismiss the
importance of correct drawing however, but
rather emphasize efficiency and economy of
effort. It is best to know when to pick your battles.

I feel it’s necessary to

move on and be able
to forgive an image’s
flaws in order to
stay motivated and
keep painting

At this stage, it is often helpful to walk away for

09
a few hours or even days. I find a great deal of
energy and patience is gained simply by taking
a break. It can also help push an image further,
reveal flaws you had overlooked, as well as
present new ideas and directions; the sort of
things you’re often blind to when working for long
periods of time.

In the end, I have left a few things unfinished,

loose and unrefined; some by design and others
because the investment wouldn’t have been
worth the cost (Fig.09 – 10). I often find myself
trapped near the end, spending a great deal
of time with little to no improvement. I feel it’s
necessary to move on and be able to forgive an
image’s flaws in order to stay motivated and keep
painting. It’s often a good strategy to start work
on a new painting and use its momentum to pull
you away from the last one. 10

188
Fantasy

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189
Alien
Sky Mach i n aForming
© M a©rAndrew
c B r uBaker
net
Sci-Fi

When I was asked to

Sci-Fi
introduce the science fiction
section, so many things
came to mind about this
genre. It really allows the
artist to explore infinite
possibilities and imagine a
number of fates that could
await our future societies. The great well of our
imagination is able to use the world and universe
around us to create different worlds, creatures,
technologies that could possibly sit in our own
world, or in a world completely conceived by
artistic imagination.

We can also explore the potential consequences

of our technological advancements, future
breakthroughs or a past from another dimension.
All of which may inspire our journey in this life.
Science fiction has inspired the world around us
and how we live, whilst allowing us to escape
to an entirely different one. Captured here are
some amazing artistic portrayals of all of these
possibilities – looking through them can only
inspire one to imagine.

Andrew Baker
[email protected]
http://andbakerdesigns.blogspot.com

191
Repairs © Andrzej Sykut
Digital Art Masters | Repairs

By Andrzej Sykut
Software Used: 3ds Max, V-Ray, ZBrush, Wings 3D, Photoshop

Concept
I have always found images of things being built
fascinating. I love those “cutaway” illustrations
that show the insides of ships and planes – I
can stare for hours at them. Seeing the feats of
human engineering like a big ship or a space
shuttle from the inside always stimulates
something in my head.

On a purely visual level, these images have a lot

of interesting shapes, textures, light patterns,
surface definitions and details. Next, you notice
contrasts – of which there are many – but for
me the biggest one is between the vehicles’ 01
outward appearance of sophistication and
sleekness compared to the very utilitarian, often
surprisingly crude-looking, structures that make
them work.

Within a shuttle,
there are contrasts
within contrasts:
old computers mixed
with cutting-edge
tech, held together
with duct tape.

The shuttle is a great inspiration on many levels.

Aesthetically pleasing from a distance but, as
you get closer, you’ll notice that it’s amazingly
complex and not smooth and shiny as you might
expect. Parts of the surface look surprisingly like
fabric. Although it seems so old-fashioned, the
fabric is actually an efficient, modern thermal
shielding.

Within a shuttle, there are contrasts within

contrasts: old computers mixed with cutting-edge
02
tech, held together with duct tape. That’s the
spirit I wanted to capture here (Fig.01). compatible and had to be fitted asymmetrically, but was simple enough to build quickly and
creating a sprawling, almost organic shape. modify without too much impact. After the first
I wanted the scene to depict a protagonist trying iterations, the composition began to unfold and
to fix his broken ship. The scene shows that Composition the scene became more and more complex.
the ship is not much bigger than the engine I started, as usual, with a simple scene mock-
that powers it, which has come from a bigger, up, a camera, and some light sources. This gave Next I started to focus on the shapes and the way
more powerful, machine. The engine is barely me just enough complexity to depict the scene, the lines lead the eye around the image (Fig.02

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Sci-Fi

– 03). All the seemingly random wires hanging

everywhere were actually far from random, as
a misplaced wire could have had a surprisingly
negative impact.

Since I was lighting, modeling and eventually

texturing simultaneously, it was easy to see where
I needed to add detail and where something more
generic would do. As complex as this image looks
(and is, if you count the polygons), the actual
library of elements used is quite small and fairly
simple (Fig.04), not to mention the many recycled

03
components from other projects.

The principal objects are also simple, with some

minimal texturing. I think there was a moment
when I found it hard to add any meaningful
details anymore, so I focused on the textures
and shaders. Texturing proved to be both simple
and quite tricky. It was simple in the sense that I
mostly used tileable or generic maps with some
photo-sourced details, but at the same time
it was tricky not to overpower the scene with
noise, which was important. I spent a lot of time
simplifying and balancing them in relation to
each other. The main detail was mostly hand-
painted, whilst the smaller stuff was an overlay
of photo-sourced textures that were carefully
chosen to be interesting, without causing too
04 much contrast or noise.

I highlighted some of the edges to compliment

certain objects; mainly to emphasize the shapes
rather than to suggest wear and tear. I prepared
bump, specular and shininess maps only where
necessary, but not every shader has a full set
of maps as there was no need for such extreme
measures.

As mentioned, I was lighting the scene from the

outset. At some point, the lights inspired me to
add some plants to the sunlit part, which led
to further subtle lighting tweaks. The lighting
supports the theme of contrasts, with strong
light against dark shadows and the warm orange
of the new engine against the cold, gray of the
original structure.

The contrasting light and colors make it look

as if it is made from two separate images, with
05 a dividing line running vertically through the

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Digital Art Masters | Repairs

center of the image (Fig.05). This came about

subconsciously, I think. Technically, the scene is
lit by one directional light, some spots, a bunch of
area lights, and some GI, but it took a lot of work
to make them work together nicely.

Much of the final look came from the compositing

stage where I added lots of little 2D texture details
such as labels, texts, stripes, etc (Fig.06). Most of
that stuff was photo-sourced to save time.

The atmosphere is also 2D as it’s much faster

to do it this way for a still image. I added layers
06
of sparks, smoke and particles, mostly sourced
from real photos (Fig.07). I really like the way the
smoke on the right-hand side turned out.

My favorite part of
the image is the duct
tape. In reality, it is
used to hold things
together in even
the most unlikely of
places.

A lot of post work was devoted to removing

unwanted highlights, bright spots and jagged
shapes along the edges of the image. I kept an
eye on these throughout the process, but new
ones always spring up and sometimes it’s faster
and easier to fix them during post-production
instead of hunting down which of the many lights
was producing the highlight and excluding it.

Finally, I did quite a bit of color correction, some

07
vignetting and graining, etc., to take the CG edge
off (Fig.08).

My favorite part of the image is the duct tape.

In reality, it is used to hold things together in
even the most unlikely of places. In this image, it
communicates the haphazard nature of the whole
contraption our hero is trying to fix.

I don’t make this kind of image often, but when

I do, I like them to be related to my series,
The Journey, in some way. From the character
through to the shape and layout of the ship, this
scene would fit into that world. I like to work with
a wider background and story in my head that
reaches beyond the borders of a single image. 08

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Artist Portfolio

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Industrial Rust © Andrew Averkin
Digital Art Masters | Industrial Rust

By Andrew Averkin
Software Used: 3ds Max, V-Ray, After Effects CS5

Concept
I’ve always been fascinated by sci-fi, robots and
mechanical objects from movies, games and real
life. I’m also a big fan of industrial and post-
apocalyptic themes, so I’d had a rough vision of
this image in my mind for some time.

So, combining all of these into one, I decided to

make a rough stop-frame based on a simple and
uncomplicated post-apocalyptic movie. My final
idea was to create the image of an old, rusty war
droid aging at an abandoned factory. I wanted to
show that even robots are able to grow old.

In order to make 01

the work process

easier, I realized
that it would be
quicker and easier
to build both large
and small modular
components, forming
a base construction
set.

Modeling I initially created a small collection of industrial

For the basic modeling, I used 3ds Max 2012. All parts such as bolts, screws and electrical panels
the objects in the scene were made with Editable from the standard cylinder primitive (Fig.01). I
Polys, which in my opinion is quite flexible and then used the same hard surface technique to
easy to use. I started with standard primitives create a variety of water pipes, which formed a
that I later modified into appropriate forms. large part of the scene (Fig.02). The larger items
These were then refined using TurboSmooth, a such as air conditioners, generators, ventilation,
hard surface modeling technique used to make and other mechanisms simply consisted of a
objects smoother and more realistic. basic box primitive with textures.

In order to make the work process easier, I These smaller individual pipes and panels were
realized that it would be quicker and easier to combined to construct several larger mechanical
build both large and small modular components, forms (Fig.03).
03 forming a base construction set.

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Sci-Fi

For the armature, I modeled three different

sections – the cap, mid and lower part, which
allowed me to produce any given length. After
creating several different sizes, I decided to give
them more curved and damaged forms by way of
Soft Selection within Edit Poly.

The walls, windows and floor were the simplest

forms being made from a basic plane, modified
as an editable poly (Fig.04). The floor consisted
of two layers: cracked tiles and broken pieces of
concrete wall. The cracked tiles were made from a
primitive box and the RayFire plugin. This plugin
allowed me to quickly make cracks or break any
geometry into pieces. 04

For the broken blocks of concrete wall, I created

simple forms from boxes and applied a variety of
different modifiers such as TurboSmooth, Noise,
Vol. Select and Displacement with procedural
maps like Noise and Cellular. This gave me the
opportunity to change the structure and shape
05
of each broken piece to create a more realistic
stone surface. The stone steps were created in
a similar fashion using a box primitive, though
I edited those in ZBrush to create a finer detail
(Fig.05 – 07).

06 The model of the

robot was one of
the most painstaking
stages of this work.

To create the war wire, I created two circular lines

and set guidelines for them with the Loft modifier.
I then played with the Loft settings to generate
the rotation. The spiked wires were made using
the same guideline, with an added Path Deform
modifier, and spaced at intervals along the wire.

The model of the robot was one of the most

painstaking stages of this work. I had no specific
idea about the details in the final image of the
robot, so I thought the most productive way
07
to construct him was to create a variety of
mechanical details and combine them into one.

Modeling the small details did not take long.

None of the parts were particularly complex,
and were all formed from simple pre-formed
primitives such as the cylinder and box, and given
08 various modifiers using Edit Poly (Fig.08).

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Digital Art Masters | Industrial Rust

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Sci-Fi

Due to the range of detailed parts, I was able to

come up with a number of variations of different
robots. After the long process of decision making,
I chose my favorite structure to develop to the
next stage (Fig.09).

Texturing
I gathered many of my textures from graphics and
specialist websites to build up a decent range in
my portfolio.

As I was trying to
create an abandoned
atmosphere, I used
VRayDirt to draw a
cracked texture on 10

the objects en masse.

Most of the objects in my scene were given

a simple texturing using UVW Map Modifier. I
usually try to avoid the unwrapping process,
but for my stone steps and procedural pieces of
concrete on the floor, I unwrapped the objects
with UV Layout. I then transferred them to
Mudbox to add a little texture painting, and then
baked the normal maps in 3ds Max (Fig.10).

For the walls, I used a blend material with a mask;

this enabled me to mix textures of old concrete
walls and green paint, and create a convincing
wall texture. To enhance this, I made a series
of normal maps with PixPlant that would add
volume and texture to my object.

I always try to make the same scheme for all

materials. This scheme consisted of several slots:
diffuse, specular, bump or normal bump. As I

was trying to create an abandoned atmosphere, Lighting

I used VRayDirt to draw a cracked texture on In this project I used V-Ray 2.0, which in my
the objects en masse. To set this up, I created opinion is very flexible and easy to use. I always
several types of paint, concrete and rust for the try to set up lighting in the early stages of my
environment, and some VRayBlend paint and rust work as it allows me to see how the light falls on
materials under the VRayDirt map for the robot objects, how they react to each other and how
12 (Fig.11 – 12). the scene will look as a whole.

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Digital Art Masters | Industrial Rust

I wanted my main source of light to be sunlight

streaming through the windows, and found the
most effective way of showing this was using the
VRaySun system with VRaySky in the background.

I used Gamma 2.2 to remove the contrast in the

shadows and to make the lighting a little flatter.
Using these settings made it easier to play around
with the picture contrast in the post-processing
stage.

Post-processing 13
I found it easier to do post-processing entirely in
After Effects CS5 as this allowed me to manipulate
layers, effects and sequencing more easily. The
final picture resolution is 5000 x 2146 pixels,
which took around five hours to render (Fig.13).

I used two render elements: VRayReflection

and VRayZDepth, and several plugins in After
Effects, such as Magic Bullet for color correction,
Frischluft Lenscare for a depth of field effect and
Optical Flares for lens effects. I complemented
these with scanned textures of dust and scratches
to achieve a more realistic effect (Fig.14 – 15) 14

I then used the reflection pass in Screen mode

to make all the paint and metal materials more
glossy and reflective, and added the bokeh,
dust and scratch effects for a damaged film look
(Fig.16).

For the final touches, I used ZDepth to create a

depth of field in the background, and also created
three adjustment layers for color correction,
chromatic aberration and a lens flare effect.
These added an extra depth to my image and
made it appear more authentic (Fig.17). 15

16 17

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Sci-Fi

Artist Portfolio

By Evan Lee
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
I’m Evan Lee and I’m really excited to have the
chance to share my workflow with all of you.

I graduated from a renowned art school in

Taiwan, where I was trained in classical fine art.
Back then I had only worked with traditional
mediums and I can still remember the uneasy
transition to digital painting. The truth is, as long
as the final product reflects my initial idea, it
doesn’t matter if I’m working on a digital tablet
or an actual piece of paper – the only difference
is the tool.

Before I start to
render my sketch, I
usually divide the
image into several
layers according to
graphical elements,
from foreground to
background.

Photoshop is currently the most widely used 2D

painting software in the world, and it also has a
huge amount of online resources that provide a
wide variety of customized tools and brushes. In
01
recent years, I’ve found that the majority of digital
work today has been created using Photoshop. some of my thoughts before I start a sketch. This preserve the rough, painterly details. This is a
is a very important stage for me to grasp the specific trait in my style. I believe the effect of this
My Creative Process general direction of the project. If need be, I will makes it feel closer to traditional painting, and
For starters, as a general rule, I always have a also provide a rough color scheme for the client. so people who have trained traditionally like me
short discussion with my client where I present Usually they will provide some feedback before would appreciate this technique.
the sketch is approved and finalized (Fig.01).
Color
Before I start to render my sketch, I usually Normally in a project, if the object is based on a
divide the image into several layers according specific subject, I will focus on coloring it first.
to graphical elements, from foreground to This helps ensure that the overall lighting and
background. These layers help me restrict and color scheme will be as expected. For instance,
create masked areas to apply color. It also makes this image is based on a sci-fi theme, so there will
it easy for me to adjust the colors if necessary. be a lot of mechanical components.

I’m used to creating masks with brushes instead If the image is not intended for 3D modeling
of the Lasso tool. In terms of favorite brushes, purposes, I won’t clearly specify how the parts
I personally prefer the ones that are similar to are constructed during the early sketch phase.
dry oil brushes instead of loaded brushes that Instead, I will randomly block in areas during the
02 have hard, crisp edges because I will purposely coloring phase (Fig.02). By doing this, I usually

207
Digital Art Masters | Naomi, War Machine

03 04 05

come up with some happy accidents that I I believe that heavy industrial styles have a lot in the foreground. To be honest, I don’t like to
would then further detail out. I really enjoy this of pipe elements; therefore the inspiration for spend a lot of time on unnecessary details. The
way of working; it makes designing much more this base came from public parking structures, overall feeling of the painting is more important
interesting and presents unlimited possibilities. especially the venting pipes that hang from than the tiny details.
the ceiling. I added some cables and storage
Texture and Surfacing containers in the background to depict the I want every element in the image to feel like
Regarding the choice of material and how the preparations being made in the base, paired with it naturally belongs there, and try to avoid
surface texture is indicated, we need to be the pilot getting ready to operate the combat inconsistencies. I believe a good sci-fi piece needs
cautious of the level of reflection in order to machine (Fig.06). to portray a convincing futuristic theme. The
portray different types of material. For example, audience should be able to see what the artist
most of the surfaces in this image are metallic, As opposed to rendering the distant background, is trying to convey just by looking at the image.
and so in order to achieve good results I need to I’d rather spend more time on the foreground, The truth is; this has been a goal that I have
differentiate the amount of reflection on each using highlights to exaggerate the sense of space continuously been trying to pursue as well.
separate part. I tend to use high contrast colors
and subtle color shifts to diversify the appearance
of the main feature (Fig.03).

A lot of people overlook the importance of

lighting, resulting in a flat image, or an overly
chaotic composition lacking a focal point. My
advice is to pay more attention to the contrast of
coloring; this is always a key point to creating a
good art piece (Fig.04 – 05).

The Background
The final step is to create the background. The
visual effects used in this instance are to enhance
the atmosphere of a sci-fi theme. 06

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Sci-Fi

Artist Portfolio

By Brian Sum
Software Used: Photoshop

Concept
I’ve always liked the idea of deep-sea exploration
vehicles like the one from the movie The Abyss
and James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenger. I
thought I’d try an exploration vehicle along those
lines, but with a touch of sci-fi.

This explorer would have mech legs so it could

navigate hard to reach places and smaller arms to
sample minerals. I wanted this vehicle to be able
to explore alien environments as well as being
an underwater explorer, so it needed to feel solid
and sturdy, and be able to withstand all kinds of
extreme conditions.

Blocking
01 02
Photoshop CS6 is the program of choice for most
of the work I do. I’ll use 3D programs sometimes
to help block in elements in my scene, but when
it comes to the painting stage, Photoshop is
my favorite. I began blocking in shapes with a
standard Round brush in grayscale (Fig.01).

Since this was intended to be a cover piece, I

made sure I left room for the title at the top.
During this stage, I was mostly thinking about
broad overall shapes, composition and the flow
of the piece.

I started throwing in rough colors at this point.

I wanted my focal point to be around the
lower central position. The cockpit was facing
downwards and the larger outer navigational
arms/wings were angled in a way that helped
direct the viewer around this focal area (Fig.02).

Once the main image was blocked in, I separated

the images into their main layers. I then divided
the image into a background layer, a rock layer
and the main exploration vehicle layer, as this
helped keep things clean and organized when
painting over each area.

Color and Detail

At this stage I decided that I wanted to limit my
color palette to more blueish tones with some
accent colors (Fig.03). So I started playing around 03

211
Digital Art Masters | Working Droid

with the Hue/Saturation and Curves tools to

get the general tones I wanted. I then began to
define the shapes more, always aware of the
composition of the larger elements in relation to
the overall piece.

The round, bulbous cockpit in the center needed

to be a lot more accurate, so I used the circular
Marquee tool and added a Stroke to it to get a
thickness, after which I transformed/skewed it
to get the correct perspective. I also enlarged
the spherical cockpit a bit as I wanted to get the
reflective details on the glass and make it an area
of interest (Fig.04).

I then added in some rock textures and lights, and

could see things coming to life (Fig.05). I used the
Blend Options tool on the textures to make them
a little smoother. In the Blend Options tool menu,
I adjusted the black sliders on the “This Layer”
attribute, which gradually fades out any darks 04

that may be on that layer. Alternatively, moving

the white sliders will fade out any lighter spots
(Fig.06).

I wasn’t happy with the shape of the rocks as they

looked a little too round, so I reshaped them in a
way that reinforced the general flow of the piece
(Fig.07). I also rearranged the lights to highlight
the focal area more and added a lens flare texture
set to Lighten blending mode. I also added an
abstract texture layer set to Overlay above most
of my main layers to give the piece texture and
subtle color variation (Fig.08). 05

06 07 08

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Sci-Fi

Polishing
I was pretty happy with the overall color tones
and design at this point. All the essentials were
there now and the next step was to go back in
and start polishing. I knew from the beginning
that I didn’t want this piece to be photorealistic.

I wanted to retain some loose, painterly elements,

so painted in areas that needed more texture.
I often find that the reason some pieces don’t
feel very realistic is because the surfaces are too
smooth.

It was always my intention to have the arms

drilling something, so I eventually added this
detail. The different color tone further enhanced
this focal point (Fig.09). Finally, I added a
Brightness/Contrast layer with a mask, then
airbrushed in the areas that I wanted to remain
in shadow.

I have a habit of wanting to detail everything

in the image, but this usually destroys the
realism. It’s better to leave areas in the shadows
somewhat abstract to allow the viewer to fill in
the blanks. 09

Artist Portfolio

By Donglu Yu
Software Used: Photoshop and ArtRage

Composition and Sketch

Normally I make around 6-10 black and white
thumbnails to explore the composition of an
image. But for this one I had a very solid idea in
my mind from the beginning so I quickly crafted
the original composition, which gave me more
time to spend exploring the mechanical details
that I wanted to later incorporate into the
painting.

For my personal works, I try not to spend more

than two days on one image (usually a total
of just 8-15 hours), as this helps me keep my
01
momentum up. Also, spending more time adding
detail isn’t always worthwhile for every image. If
I am not happy with the work after about three
hours, I will start another piece as it’s a better use
of my time than trying desperately to salvage the
previous image would be.

For the image Space Station, I wanted to make

something on a large scale, which spanned
diagonally across the canvas and contrasted
with smaller mechanical details surrounding it
(Fig.01).

As soon as I was happy with the large, blocked-

in shapes, I started to research the subject and
sketch some interesting mechanical details. I
sketched out the elements to fit in with the initial
composition in terms of shape and what logically
suited the context of a space station. This helped 02
focus my work, ensuring my sketches worked
within my original concept.

Defining the Image

Next was the fun part. I copied and pasted the
detailed sketches into my composition so I could
see the progress of the image. In order to match
the big shapes, I transformed, distorted, erased or
repainted some of the mechanical parts (Fig.02).

After about three hours I had a black and white

image (Fig.03). My tip for making this step work
is not to be afraid to lose certain details that you
have previously painted. The main goal at this 03

216
Sci-Fi

point is to establish the overall picture; the final box. This way, the adjustment layer only affected to keep only the essential parts of the photos,
details can be re-added later when the color is the highlight in order to make it more cyan/blue, erasing them or applying masks, so that they
introduced. while still preserving the warm tones for other didn’t take away the painterly effect of the image.
parts of the image (Fig.04).
Colors ArtRage
At this point, I added some basic color to the Now I had the basic colors, the next step was I am a big fan of using ArtRage for traditional
image. I first applied a Hue/Saturation filter to painting and mixing in other subtle colors using painting effects. If you compare the two images in
give the image a desaturated, warm, yellow tone. the brushes. I spent another three hours on this Fig.05 you can see the image on the right includes
Then I applied a Color Balance adjustment layer process and occasionally incorporated some some “oil paint” effect brush strokes, which lend
by choosing the highlighted option in the dialog photos to give it a sense of realism. I was careful a subtle depth and pick up light on each stroke.

217
Digital Art Masters | Space Station

I view the whole

process of painting
as continual
training, improving
the coordination
between the hands,
eyes and brain.

Just applying a few brush strokes loosely on

the image was enough – too much would have
created unnecessary visual noise and become 06

a distraction. Next, I finalized my image and

applied an Unsharp Mask (under the Filter tab) as
this really helped bring out the strokes.

Final Color Nuances

To add some final color touches, I applied some
metal and rust textures on an Overlay layer and
masked them out. I then took a Charcoal brush,
picked pure white and painted on the mask (with
Wacom pen sensitivity turned on). This revealed
the rust texture in those painted areas, giving me
complete control (Fig.06).

I continued this process for other parts of the

space station and spent around two hours erasing
and re-painting the masks to finalize the image
(Fig.07 – 08).

I view the whole process of painting as continual

training, improving the coordination between the
hands, eyes and brain. Practice makes perfect
and so, being mindful not to go too far, I keep
painting until I have the final result I want. 07

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Artist Portfolio

By Eduardo Peña
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
Before entering into the development of a piece, I
always like to imagine that I am a character living
in and experiencing the world that I’m creating.
I try to imagine everything about the world, like
I’m breathing the air and feeling the climate. I
also love to consider what music would best suit
the piece, to turn it into a complete cinematic
experience.

For me, this process is essential to understanding

what it is you want to experience – I say “to
experience” since images are capable of
affecting the senses. Creating an atmosphere
that expresses narrative richness can affect
our feelings about and perceptions of a visual
piece. This is why it is really important to think
holistically, as everything is related in the design
process.

Generally, I do
not use a defined
formula for all
of my paintings; I
am always open to
experimentation.

For this piece, Athena, I decided on a distant

future, far away from prejudices but full of
benevolent mysteries. Inspired by Greek
mythology and books such as Hesiod’s Theogony
and Homer’s Odyssey, I started to build a
universe, interpreting these references and
basing my story on the conflict between the gods
of war Athena and Ares.

I like to maintain a degree of mystery in my

01
works by leaving the narrative undefined. I show
enough to give an impression of what’s going on, what my world is like, I begin to define what the allows you to better define your picture’s look.
whilst also hiding other information so that the color palette should be and the type of line that Generally, I do not use a defined formula
viewer can interact with the piece whilst forming I will use. for all of my paintings; I am always open to
their own interpretation of the narrative. experimentation. As this virtual medium allows
Playing with the balance of paint strokes allows for trial and error, there are times when I begin
Painting me to think about how to express my idea and with accidents and others where I begin with
Creating worlds is essential for concept art and, carve it out little by little. Most of the time I work more classic composition parameters, etc. In this
although it is something that I do every day, it in a random order, but it is very important to case I decide to start with a common process by
still brings me great pleasure. Once I can imagine decide on the composition from the start as this creating silhouettes and shapes (Fig.01).

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Digital Art Masters | Athena

These silhouettes and shapes help me to

organize the objects and build a nice, balanced
composition. Once these parameters are defined,
I start developing my concept by adding some
forms and playing with it to see what happens.

Next, I work on solidifying the forms (Fig.02). I

start by defining part of the space, creating the
suggestion of objects and volumes to build up
the central part and create the form of something
mechanical or robotic (Fig.03). I try to leave the
references aside at this point and resort to my
imagination to make it more interesting.

Trying different
construction
methods can help 02 03
you to develop
personal artworks
and create your own
visual language.

Looking at the image, I decide I want to add some

color. I do this layer by layer to create harmony
between the colors. Next, I introduce some
texture layers using photos that I have taken on
trips, and begin to build up some solid visuals
and define some areas of interest. This creates
some interesting textures and forms, which also
help to define the light values (Fig.04). These
methods can also create resources that can be
used in the future to build new proposals.

04
I now have enough information to start
refining some areas and adding elements in
the background, for example, which give more
of a sense of depth. The floating capsules are
another aspect which play the role of Hermes, the
messenger of the Gods, within the narrative.

Trying different construction methods can help

you to develop personal artworks and create your
own visual language. I continue experimenting in
this way, until I feel it’s enough. It’s hard to know
when to stop, but I want to keep this piece slightly
undefined and leave clues that the audience can
use to complete the picture. This interaction is an
important part of my work (Fig.05).

I hope you enjoy the universe I’m creating and I

hope to share more of it in the near future! 05

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Artist Portfolio

By Ioan Dumitrescu
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
I will be talking about a piece I did as part of my
daily speed painting routine of different scenarios
to warm up.

I usually use a sentence to start everything and

see where my mind wants to go. I try not to create
limitations whilst still keeping a reasonable
timeframe for everything. For this piece, the
subject was simple: a bike guy. Every time I start
a piece, I begin it differently. My usual starting
points are either from photo-grabs, a black and
white sketch or a simple thumbnail line scribble.
01

Painting
This time I started blocking in the first picture
that came to mind: a hanging vertical pillar in
the background where the guy stands next to his
tethered bike. Immediately I saw the chance to
use perspective to control my composition, so I
blocked in some huge shapes to figure out later.
As for the background, I wanted to suggest a
huge expanse of land and buildings, and I liked
the idea that you couldn’t see where they either
started or finished. Similarly, you can’t see where
the buildings in the middle ground come from
or how they are supported structurally, which
I thought would create interest and excite the
viewer’s imagination.

When trying to give

scale to objects and
depth to an image,
it’s important to
make sure that its
02
either white on
black or black on this I started looking at references that I thought The composition is very straightforward and
white. were appropriate, including soviet warships, oil effective, simply because the play of shapes is
rigs and rusty, metal-plated, blocky ships, which easy to read and perspective leads the eye along
All the shapes were made with the Lasso tool seemed perfect. the whole image. When trying to give scale to
and then filled in with the Bucket tool. I find this objects and depth to an image, it’s important to
liberating and it lends a certain energy to the I brought some of the photos into Photoshop. make sure that its either white on black or black
thumbnails (Fig.01). I took the side of a ship, flipped it around and on white.
started matching the perspective to the shapes in
References and Textures the thumbnail. I then started refining the shape of Overlapping elements also help give depth. Here
The next step involved figuring out a little about the left block, painting over with textured brushes I was careful with the silhouette shapes in order
these buildings and what they represented. For to give the impression of rust (Fig.02). to create an interesting edge and flow. Keeping

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Sci-Fi

these large, mid-ground buildings in the shade

was a significant reason behind the image being
completed extremely quickly.

I then came in with an antenna brush, which I

placed around the big shapes to create more
interest. It’s a process I followed throughout the
entire image.

I never make it a rule

to keep to the initial
sketch. I generally
modify it quite a lot,
but this time things
did fall into place...

Once everything was laid out and my planes were

03 04
well defined, I started adding more atmosphere
to give the impression of the structures reaching started painting over it to register elements that keep to the initial sketch. I generally modify it
high into the air. you would usually see on a motorcycle, such as quite a lot, but this time things did fall into place
the gas tank, mirror, exhaust, seating, pedals, etc. within the main structure established in the
Now it was time for the bike. I found a picture original sketch.
of a Ducati motorcycle and selected a part of it Once I had all my elements in place I started
that I felt could be developed into an interesting adding little details like cables, trusses, more After one and a half hours warming up, it was
shape (Fig.03 – 04). I then took the silhouette and antennas and things we can identify as being time to put in the signature and call it done. I
warped it into position. Once that was done, I industrial or military. I never make it a rule to hope you’ve enjoyed this Making Of.

Artist Portfolio

By James Wolf Strehle

Software Used: Photoshop

How it Came to Be
The inception of this piece is, admittedly, a bit
irregular. I say this because it actually started out
as a playground to test new brushes for another
piece I was working on for a client at the time.
The job required painting vast meadows and
rolling hills, but I wanted to do a few tests first
which is how Organic Fascinations was conceived.
While working on this, I would regularly jump
back and forth between the client’s image and
the test piece. Once I found something that
worked, I would hop over to the client’s image
and duplicate the texture work I had just created.
I originally had no intentions of finishing the
01
piece, however, halfway through the image I
realized, “Hey this looks pretty cool!” After this
realization, I promptly finished off the client’s
work and headed back into the personal piece in
order to give it some proper TLC.

Re-purposing Old Pieces

As I mentioned, this piece was at first merely a
test bed. That being said, I was not especially
anticipating starting from scratch. Instead, I
blew off the digital dust from one of my work-
in-progress folders and looked around for a
few old abandoned images to re-purpose. I was
looking for images that would mesh well and
create an interesting base to work from, all the 02
while keeping meadows and rolling hills in mind
(Fig.01).

Once I had the images I wanted, I laid them

down and played with the overlay layers until
something caught my interest (Fig.02). Re-
purposing old images can be very useful and save
a lot of time. Nevertheless, keep in mind that it Raw Subtraction Layer: Normal Layer:
To much contrast and saturation is Some duplication present to change up
is also fairly easy to fall into the numerous traps destroying the sense of depth. the composition.

that often follow when using such techniques.

Discovering new shapes and compositions

through various combinations of overlays is
addictive and fun! However, it is important to
keep track of all the basics behind creating a
good image (Fig.03). Value, texture and saturation
After tweaking the levels and saturation
are especially vital when using overlays as they the issues have been resolved 03

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Sci-Fi

tend to dominate the image if you are not careful. experimental nature of the piece. I spent a great of the tools you are provided with. Photoshop
Modesty is key, otherwise you may end up with deal of time in this stage of the painting working and other such programs are extremely robust
hideously oversaturated “experiments”! over already finished sections just to test out and versatile. As long as you maintain a steady
various brush options. This certainly isn’t the awareness of your actions and don’t lose sight of
Defining the Concept most efficient way to go about painting an image, the overall purpose then you will be okay.
After deciding that I was going to follow through but having the opportunity to mess around with
with the piece, it was time to figure out what I it without the stress of deadlines can be very That being said, I would often copy and paste
actually wanted to do with it. Often when I am therapeutic. It can often yield benefits such as the already painted vegetation throughout the
unsure about which direction to go in, I tend to discovering new shortcuts and techniques, or landscape. I habitually altered the size, shape
lean towards the subject matter that I love. alternative uses for brushes (Fig.05). and contrast levels as I progressed in order to
ensure things looked natural (Fig.06). Using such
It is easy to become Some artists choose to stick with the basics, techniques can speed up your progress. This is a
lazy and reckless if treating digital art as they would a traditional great benefit, of course, but do not substitute it
you are not cautious. medium, which is perfectly fine. Personally for well thought-out design. It is easy to become
though, I feel one should take full advantage lazy and reckless if you are not cautious.
As an avid hiker, something about the image gave
me a nostalgic sense of awe; the same feeling I
experience when approaching a break in the trees
or finally reaching the long-awaited viewpoint.
I didn’t want to just stick the clichéd traveler in
and call it a day though, so I decided to mix it up
a bit with another of my passions: science fiction!
The merging of these two passions created an
interesting juxtaposition between the contrasting
themes. Once I had the idea in place, it was
simply a matter of filling it all in (Fig.04).

Playing with Brushes 05

Once the base is down and the various elements
of the image are in place, it’s time to start
with the textures. The brushes I used were
created specifically for this image. The rock and
vegetation brushes were all forged through the 06

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Digital Art Masters | Organic Fascinations

Refining the Concept To do this you duplicate the desired layer twice Conclusion
As I continued working on the piece I thought and then head into the levels. Once there you In the end, this piece is really about discovery;
about the relationship between the robot and drag the channels to the right so you have one not only in subject matter, but also in practice.
the environment, and continued to refine the version that is red and one that is blue. Finally As an artist I think it’s part of who I am to be
story behind the image. My mind often runs off you set the layers to Lighten and nudge the driven by curiosity and a sense of exploration.
in multiple directions, but I eventually settled on duplicates in the direction of your choice. It’s important to try new things and traverse
the vision of a robot standing before something themes that are outside the familiar. It invigorates
so incredibly foreign to its own being. An artificial The image also needed color adjustments, as well the creative spirit and cultivates growth. I hope
intelligence admiring nature, something it is not as some final details to bring it all together. Once you have enjoyed this glimpse into my creative
born from but is still somehow moved by (Fig.07). these tasks were done I gave my chiseled down process and, at the very least, had fun looking
digital pen some well deserved rest (Fig.09). through the various steps in the development.
As an artist I think
it’s part of who I
am to be driven by
curiosity and a sense
of exploration. It’s
important to try new
things and traverse
themes that are
outside the familiar.

08
Coming up with a great concept is very important.
A great concept will almost always triumph over
technical skill. If you have a great idea, push it
one step further. Put yourself in the subject’s
shoes. Who are they? What are they thinking?
Why are they in this situation? Asking questions
like these will strengthen your concept and add a
level of believability to the image that would not
be there otherwise.

Finalizing the Image

Before I could label the image “finished” there
were a few issues that needed to be resolved. The
robot wasn’t really standing out enough against
the background, so I decided to soften it up a
bit. Instead of using Gaussian blur, I used a color
offset. This method preserves the crisp lines and
is still effective at softening the edges (Fig.08). 09

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Sci-Fi

Artist Portfolio

CHECK OUT
MORE FROM
JAMES WOLF STREHLE
IN
DIGITAL PAINTING IN
PHOTOSHOP: INDUSTRY
TECHNIQUES FOR
BEGINNERS

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

233
Digital Art Masters | Consumed

By Toni Bratincevic
Software Used: Photoshop, 3ds Max, ZBrush, V-Ray,

Introduction and Concept

The initial idea for Consumed was conceived
almost two years ago. When I get an interesting
idea I make a sketch to keep for possible future
3D projects, which is how Consumed came about.

When I decided to start work in 3D, I brought the

sketch into Photoshop and added some simple
colors. The final image is usually very different
from the initial sketch; it evolves with time, and
the composition and subject can change. 01

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Sci-Fi

Layout most important stages from an organizational Blocking in some provisional lighting helps me
After the initial sketch was done, I decided to perspective, since establishing the correct camera decide how detailed the objects need to be under
do a basic layout in 3ds Max by creating and angle, basic shapes and lighting can help later that key light, whilst something that is in shadow
remodeling simple objects such as boxes and when making decisions about how to focus my and out of focus can be treated as a simple
cylinders (Fig.02). This is probably one of the time on the more important parts. compositional element.

Modeling
Most of the modeling was done in 3ds Max using
tools like Extrude, Cut, Chamfer, Connect, Bridge,
etc. In some cases, especially for round pots,
I drew a curve and used the Lathe modifier to
get the basic shape before making handles by
extruding and modifying a simple box object.

I also made lots of smaller objects to dress the

02 scene, including small bottles, pots, cups, etc.

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Digital Art Masters | Consumed

These were created in separate files and then reflectivity and bump, I then took those textures intensity in the central area of the scene, and then
merged into a base scene file where I copied and into Photoshop and started painting custom added a few more cold lights to blend the warmer
moved them around to make the scene more details like scratches, dirt and grease, etc (Fig.05). parts of the image with the darker foreground
complex (Fig.03). areas.
Lighting
I also used ZBrush to sculpt the character, When I started working on Consumed, I created At some point, I decided to redo the lighting and
background wall and some rocks. For the a basic lighting setup using V-Ray plane lights. I improve it. This time I took a more interactive
character, I created a basic mesh in 3ds Max, then started with one warm key light to increase the approach. I used V-Ray RT to get real-time
tweaked the pose and modeled the mechanical
parts before exporting objects in an OBJ format
and importing them into ZBrush. I then used
Claytubes, Inflat, Pinch and Dam Standard
brushes to sculpt folds on the base mesh. Since
I had no intention of animating the character, I
simply exported a high res mesh from ZBrush and
used it in the final scene (Fig.04).

Texturing Materials
04
Around 70% of the textures were painted in
Photoshop using tileable textures to achieve a
base look. This is how I usually start texturing
a scene. I begin with tileable textures and
then decide which objects need an additional
custom texturing pass, which I will then paint in
Photoshop.

With the fridge, for example, I used tileable

textures to create a basic multi/sub-object
collection of materials with a green exterior and
a metallic silver-like material used as a starting
point. After I had balanced the basic color, Diffuse glossy reflection Scratch Mask 05

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Sci-Fi

I used V-Ray to
render Consumed,
as in my opinion, it
is probably the most
advanced render
engine available
today, especially for
small scale projects.

feedback while placing lights around the scene.

But before doing this, I activated an override with
a simple V-Ray gray material because I wanted
fast feedback and having an entire scene of
textures would slow it down. Once I had finalized
the lighting with V-Ray RT, I only needed to make
some minor tweaks before the final render
07
(Fig.07).

Rendering
I used V-Ray to render Consumed, as in my
opinion, it is probably the most advanced render
engine available today, especially for small scale
projects. I used a V-Ray camera with a small
amount of Cubic Distortion (0.05) to get a more
realistic lens effect. It’s not obvious, but it creates Distortion 1.5

a nice additional flow to the image by distorting

the straight lines at the edge. (Fig.08)

The final image was rendered with the DMC image

sampler. I also used Light Cache as a secondary
bounce and selected an irradiance map as the
primary GI engine. The Irradiance setting was
set to a High preset, while for Light Cache, I used Distortion 0 08

237
Digital Art Masters | Consumed

Raw Render 09

1500 samples and also activated Use Light Cache Similar flexibility can be achieved in Photoshop, Conclusion
for Glossy Rays to speed up the final render. but it’s still not on the same level as compositing Consumed was made as a dedication to a person
programs like Fusion. Finalizing in Fusion is also who had Alzheimer’s disease and lived next
Compositing preferable to V-Ray as it takes much less time and to our apartment when we lived in Croatia. I
I made the final color corrections using Fusion has an interactive workflow. thought about that person a lot, about how his
6. One of the main reasons I use Fusion is that memories of life were disappearing and how
it has a completely nondestructive workflow. I To finish the image, I used a lot of color those memories are what create one’s identity.
usually make a basic color correction flow during corrections and made some areas darker, applied What was left of him was practically just a shell
development of my images and as Fusion is a small amount of the Sharpen filter and then – a body without substance – which is basically
nondestructive, I simply need to plug in a new added some noise at the end. The final image what the character in the scene is: an empty suit
beauty render from V-Ray and in few seconds I is very different from the raw render I got from that represents a body without anything inside,
can see the final color corrected image. V-Ray (Fig.09 – 10). but which is kept alive by the forces of time.

With Color Correction 10

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Sci-Fi

Artist Portfolio

By Matthew Burke
Software Used: 3ds Max, mental ray, Photoshop

Introduction
Over the years I have managed to avoid wearing
ties. In fact, I do not even own one, to my
knowledge. This is due primarily to the fact that
I have been employed as a concept artist for the
last twelve years and my employers care little for
my appearance or personal hygiene. I confess I
have a profound love for my job.

However, in my profession I am often told what

subjects to explore and what constraints my
artistic playground will allow. Therefore, from
time to time, I enjoy indulging in some personal
work unhindered by rules, limited vision or
looming deadlines. My name is Matthew Burke,
and I build mechs.

This one in particular is called the Cricket

Exo-Suit. It is the second in a series that I’m
currently developing and essentially is just an
excuse to design various military mech-suits
with ridiculously exposed and vulnerable pilots.
I realize it makes no reasonable sense, but you
don’t argue with awesome, you rush in with your
eyes closed and high-five the unknown!

The Cricket Exo-Suit was designed to be a fast

01
quadruped runner. What it lacks in armored
defense, it makes up for in speed, versatility and
a massive sniper cannon that can hit its target
with pinpoint accuracy from several miles away.
A combination of limited leaping ability and the
flexibility to climb and adhere to difficult terrain
make the Cricket Exo-Suit a valuable asset on any
battlefield.

Getting Started
Proper art etiquette dictates that I should be
stressing the importance of dozens of thumbnails
to explore a design before diving in. This is the
accepted rule of thumb for any concept artist;
however, in the spirit of full disclosure, I hate
them.

I fully understand the merit of this step and

the usefulness of having page after page of 02

242
Sci-Fi

inspirational variety but, nevertheless, I rarely

use anything more than a single low poly rough
that potentially will be ignored or discarded. I
enjoy the versatility of developing improvised
concepts and having the freedom to change
course indiscriminately. This technique is not for
everyone or appropriate for every task, but it is
what I honestly prefer.

Next is the function

aspect. This is the
nougat filling that
makes a concept
delicious.
03

In Fig.01 you can see that only the basic driver

pose and the rough geometry thumbnail are laid
out. I try to focus on the overall functionality first
and just block out the forms to massage out later.

Balancing and Complimentary

Detailing
Once I’ve achieved an interesting base, I try to
separate the design into two categories: form
and function. Form is the areas that define
the positive and negative shapes or its overall
readability. These areas tend to be great resting
spots for the viewer’s eyes and I try not to detail
them too heavily.

Next is the function aspect. This is the nougat

filling that makes a concept delicious. High
concentrations of defining functionality and 04

clusters of detail help sell the believability of the

model and provide a balance to the form.

I have broken the function aspect into the blue

area and the form into the lighter tan areas
(Fig.02). After applying a TurboSmooth modifier
to some of the parts you can see that I have
successfully modeled something that resembles
children’s balloon animals.

As I progress with revising the model and

continue adding details, I apply some base
mental ray materials to the model where they are
needed (Fig.03 – 05). I usually use a variety under
the Arch and Design material presets.

I focus not only on a contrast of light and

dark colors, but also the level of specular and 05

243
Digital Art Masters | Cricket Exo-Suit

Bare Gray Matte Shiny Reflective Dark Gray Matte Diffuse Color

reflectivity of the materials to help separate and separate the mech from the background, Overlaying Textures, Decals
areas further. The additional time and attention the ground and the shadow (saving each on a and Finalization
invested at this stage saves hours down the line separate layer for later use). Then I import each To really “sell” the believability of a mech, it’s
when I get to painting in Photoshop. of the material renders in on higher layers, saving important to add imperfections and a history of
the diffuse color render for last. wear and tear to make it appear plausible to the
Rendering in Stages viewer. Throwing on some rust and dirt around
Now that I have the final model posed and lit, and Decals, additional edges, some scratches, prior battle damage or
have added materials and applied a fixed camera striping and subtle chipped paint tells a subtle story beyond a single
position, it’s time to start rendering in stages. In text also contribute image.
addition to the original render I use the following to grounding your
passes: bare gray matte, shiny reflective, dark image. Decals, additional striping and subtle text also
gray matte and finally, a diffuse color map contribute to grounding your image. This may
(Fig.06). I prefer to use the mental ray Daylight Using the Selection tool, I separate each color seem like trivial detail, but when done correctly
system for these. within the diffuse color render into its own it can make an image sing. Just remember that
individual layer. This not only offers more control these elements are only intended to help define
It’s important to remember that each has over the image, but it also makes it simpler for an image and not overpower it.
the identical lighting, camera position and is easy selection sets when we start our painting.
rendered at the exact same size as the original. Lastly, to finalize the image, I concentrate on the
I save out each as 32-bit TGA files for easy alpha In Fig.07 you can see how I have arranged my readability of the composition. Applying a colored
channel selection. layers and the modifiers applied to each. This overlay at a low opacity helps unify the colors of
process allows me to establish an ideal base the piece, and using Darken and Lighten layers
Layering Renders in Photoshop render in which I have full control over my level of helps subdue and enhance areas of focus. The
Now for the Photoshop stage of development. color saturation, the reflectivity of my materials only thing left now is to just sit back and admire
I open up the original, fully colored version and the overall level of contrast of the piece. your work… if done correctly, you won’t be alone!

Layering to establish a base

Flattened Copy
Color Burn 38% –
Soften 26% –
Darken 100% –
Multiply 53% –
Overlay 100% –
Darken 47% –
Darken 74% –
Screen 100% –
Overlay 100% –
Overlay 21% –
Multiply 100% –
Overlay 61% –
Normal 20% –
Soft Light 24% –
Darken 29% –
Pin Light 37% –
Multiply 35% –
Overlay 82% –
Normal 100% –
Normal 0% –
Multiply 100% –
Overlay 47% –
Lighten 51% –
Linear Burn 74% –
Normal 100% –

244
Sci-Fi

Artist Portfolio

By Simon Kopp
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
This image belongs to a set of paintings I did for
a project that some friends and I work on in our
free time. It is called Airborn – Pino’s Journey.
Johannes Figlhuber and I do the concept work
for this project and are currently working towards
getting a small part of the game ready to pitch.

My goal in these images was to explore the

different types of landscapes that would be in our
game. I chose to start with the pirate-themed ice
world. For this scene, I wanted to convey a cold,
dull light in contrast to warm, cozy interiors.

The group has no 01

clear leader or
structure – everyone
is their own best
friend – but when
there is loot to be
claimed or enemies
to engage, the
small town works
together.

The scene shows a little pirate town built on the

side of a small, floating island somewhere in
the misty areas of that cold part of the world. I
got the idea for the composition from the scene
in Spirited Away where you see the worker’s
quarters and I was inspired to use a similar angle
in my painting.

The town was established around the wreck

of the government vessel Bramble, which was
found and claimed by the pirates. The pirates
have built what they needed with the materials
they had at hand, using parts of the ship, parts
of other captured ships and materials from the
surrounding natural environment.

They are free-minded people who live in tribe-

like villages. The group has no clear leader or
structure – everyone is their own best friend – but
when there is loot to be claimed or enemies to
engage, the small town works together. 02

248
Sci-Fi

Painting
First of all I did a fast sketch for colors and
composition. I then created a very loose drawing
to determine the proportions and the basic idea.
Unfortunately for this tutorial, I merged it with my
painting layers. I often do this because it gives me
some security whilst working and I don’t have to
worry about working on the wrong layer.

After having set up the drawing, I started painting.

It took quite some time to block in every house
– at that point I didn’t really have an idea what
each should look like, I just painted away.

When everything was set up, I stopped painting

04 and began to draw again, designing the buildings.
For each house or part of the painting I started
with another loose drawing that was later merged
once I was satisfied with it. Then it was just a case
of painting in these ideas (Fig.01).

I began by working into the storage shack and

residential area in the right-hand corner (Fig.02).
After that, I thought about the top-middle part
and decided that some form of fuel storage could
fit here, and I also added more pipes later in the
process (Fig.03).

Every town needs its own inn and with its

awesome view over the mists of the world of
Airborn, the very front of the ship seemed to be
the most fitting place (Fig.04). Next, I tackled the
ship itself, painting the lettering and starting to
05 add icy details (Fig.05).

249
Digital Art Masters | Airborn – Bramble

Next it was time to work on the lower part of the

image. I added detail to the communications
tower in the middle and the small landing dock
on the left. I also started to draw in the planks,
which involved a lot of work with there being so
many (Fig.06)!

It was going to be a cold environment, so the

image clearly needed snow. I had to consider
where snow would settle on the planks and walls;
where would the snow be more sheltered from
the harsh wind and where would it settle? Finally,
I painted in a few people to add some life to the
scene (Fig.07).

I really enjoyed the progress of making this

image. It took about two weeks with around four
hours of work every day, but it was all worth it.
Thanks to Airborn – Bramble, I got some very cool
jobs and I am really glad that so many people
liked it. I was also able to gain interest in my work
and our project from new people, which made
both myself and the team happy!

If you are interested in following our progress

on Airborn – Pino’s Journey you can find us on
Facebook: http://facebook.com/airborngame 06

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Sci-Fi

Artist Portfolio

By Tomas Kral
Software Used: ZBrush, mental ray

Introduction
In the spring of 2012 I was asked by a friend to
help him with his personal project. My job was
to create a modern astronaut suit with a high
level of detail. For a long time this was an asset
without any use, so I decided to play with it a
little to create an artwork. In the end, I did three
standalone pictures with this model.

Like most children, I dreamt about being an

astronaut when I was little. My fantasy was
further encouraged by watching Star Trek,
Stargate and, of course, the Star Wars movies.
Even today I find everything about the universe
01
very interesting.

In sci-fi, I like the ambivalent combination

between cute and creepy, or funny and scary, so I
came up with this tentacled monster that scares
the hell out of the astronaut, but is really just
curious, dancing a harmless “space waltz” with
him.

Getting Ready
I think there are generally two ways of creating
an image: either you know exactly what you want
to do and what the end result would be, so you
02 03
just follow your idea – or you just let your creative
mind loose. In this case I had a detailed image in I start almost every project by finding good Once the base meshes were done, I gradually
mind, so the process was pretty straightforward references. I can often spend several days started detailing the parts. To build shapes
and I was able find the right light, composition searching through Google, Flickr and other sites. quickly, I always use the Clay BuildUp brush right
and atmosphere very quickly (Fig.01). I was lucky enough to find an awesome website up to the penultimate stage of sculpting. For the
full of images of Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit. After last level of detail, I use a combination of self-
collecting enough references, I usually pick the made alpha masks (Fig.02 – 04) and brushes like
most important ones and make a collage. Rake or Slash 3.

Modeling The monster was created using DynaMesh and

The main part of the modeling process was done lots of masks. Then the retopology was done
in ZBrush, with some help from Softimage. The by using 3D-Coat, mainly because it has the
base mesh of the astronaut was a combination awesome Auto- Retopology tool and it’s really
between imported base meshes and objects user friendly.
created using DynaMesh. I like to keep things in
order, so I put most of the objects on separate Texturing
layers with proper names. In the end I had nearly Once your model is ready and you have finished
50 layers, but if you are creating something with mapping (the most boring part of the job), it’s
04 high res details, this system comes in handy. time to prepare some textures. I like to use

254
Sci-Fi

05 06 07

photographs as much as possible, as mentioned as a mixture of textures created in ZBrush by tweaking, you can get a realistic look that works
previously, and had a huge number of references polypainting, cavity and displacement maps well with the Daylight system.
at my disposal for this piece. I then edited these (Fig.05 – 07)
images in Photoshop using Shadows/Highlights The tentacles and the monster were created
(under Image > Adjustments) as it helps to reduce Lighting and Rendering using mental ray’s skin shader, which I consider
the dark and light areas in the photo so you can Where possible, I like to keep the lighting as to be one of the best shaders I have worked
more easily use them like a texture. simple as possible. In this case I used mental with. In the end, I added one spotlight on the
ray’s Daylight system and Final Gathering for the right side behind the astronaut to create a little
There are, of course, also parts of your texture render. There is also a special HDRI map with highlighting on him and to make the tentacles
that will require you to paint in some dirt or some planets and nebulas to keep the reflection more interesting. I then created a few standard
scratch away at by hand. To create the monster realistic. Most of the materials in this scene are render passes and separated the astronaut and
skin I mainly used textures from 3DTotal’s from mental ray’s Architectural library. These monster so I could experiment easily in post-
Total Textures V11: Alien Organic DVD, as well materials are really well made and with just little production. (Fig.08)

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Digital Art Masters | Space Waltz

Post-production
Since learning to use Nuke for compositing, I
haven’t used anything else. Its biggest advantage
in comparison to Photoshop is that you
don’t have to make destructive adjustments;
everything is real-time and the software is very
intuitive.

Post-production is my favorite part of the process.

Here, I applied all of the render passes, set the
depth of field and then played with the colors
and contrasts. I then added a little light glow
and some flares where needed. You can see the
comparison between a clean render in Fig.09 and
a post-produced one in Fig.10.

Finally, I created one more render from an

alternative camera angle, so the space creature
was more visible (Fig.11). 10 11

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Sci-Fi

Artist Portfolio

257
Digital Art Masters | Cavelands

258
Sci-Fi

By Jan Urschel
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
Cavelands is one of the pieces I did in my spare
time between my office job at LucasArts and
other freelance work. I tried to play with some of
my favorite thematic elements, which are post-
apocalyptic wastelands and very, very large-scale
environments.

The usual color scheme that I associate with

nuclear winter or following natural disasters is a
very dark and moody one. However, in this image
I aimed to give it a bright and optimistic mood to
stay away from the stereotypes.

Experimentation
When I work on my own personal images, I prefer
not to control too many aspects during the
creative process, but simply let happy accidents
lead me most of the way.

For this image I used a couple of photos and

wildly rotated, skewed and scaled them to give
me a nice composition and color scheme to work
with. This usually doesn’t take more than 15
minutes, but is a very crucial step in the design
process. A lot of thought goes into this stage.

Setting up my Work Area

When I move from black and white images to
color, they seem to have a washed-out, faded
appearance that I don’t particularly like, so I like
to introduce intense color from the beginning.
01

Starting with bright color however, means that

it is even more important to keep a check on
your values. I usually add a Hue/Saturation
adjustment layer to my layer stack and shift the
Saturation to its lowest value. I will then keep this
window open throughout the painting process
so I can easily shift the values when I need to
(Fig.01).

Another key instrument in my workflow is the

Navigator window in the top right of my toolbar. I
constantly check it to make sure the image reads
well even as a tiny thumbnail of about 150px
width (Fig.02). 02

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Digital Art Masters | Cavelands

Refining the Shapes

Now that I had a rough composition of images, I
needed to figure out what all these forms could
suggest and how they would sit in 3D space.
Though I had an initial idea of what I wanted to
do (huge, carved rock structures with vehicle
wrecks/re-purposed housing), the exact nature of
it was not refined at this point. As I manipulated
these images, more happy accidents occurred
and the final idea started to take shape.

Creating the
impression of large
objects usually relies
on two factors:
atmosphere and
an intense level of
detail.

To aid the development process, I like to use

texture brushes with a very large sized brush tip
to create most of the actual underlying texture.
To prevent the image getting too messy, I tend to
use a lot of layers and always use another brush
as my eraser in order to achieve interesting, 03
negative shapes (Fig.03).

Texture
Creating the impression of large objects usually
relies on two factors: atmosphere and an intense
level of detail. Textures are really important when
trying to creating these aspects, particularly
when used as both actual textures and as
geometric forms.

In my image, I used them as textures to create a

rock surface, and as geometry to form the houses,
bridge and ships. It is vital to not only put the
photos in the image, but to make them blend in
realistically with the right value and color range
04 05
(Fig.04). For that purpose I used Levels and the
Color Balance tools. Clean Up but at this stage I made sure to cleanly separate it
As I neared the end, I began organizing my layer to allow me to make adjustments more easily.
After putting in a couple of photos I painted stack by collapsing layers I no longer needed and
over them to better integrate them, after which labeling the remaining layers. Though it’s only My main concern was that the background
I had the option to add more photos or paint. I for myself, I still think it is good practice to do this was clean, with simple detail, so that it did not
continued this layering until I was satisfied with and particularly useful if you want to revisit an distract the viewer from the main part of the
the image. When doing this I have found that image at a later date. image. I also made sure it read well by ensuring
it is usually detrimental to have a lot of detail that the colors contrasted or complemented
everywhere, so I tend to pick key areas as focal I also cleaned up the background of the image, each other realistically, using a variety of tools to
points and give them more attention (Fig.05). which initially was used more as a placeholder, achieve the effect.

260
Sci-Fi

I worked on the clouds, using texture brushes

rather than specific cloud brushes, which is
something I prefer to do. Finally, I added a few
cables here and there on the bridges and ships
(Fig.06).

Also I always put at least one character in my

scene to show scale (Fig.07).

Color Balance
The final touch was an adjustment layer on top of
my other layers. I don’t usually make any drastic
color changes at this point, however sometimes
I’m just curious to see what happens when I push
the slider really far in a particular direction.

The final color changes involved slightly tuning

the shadows to a more blueish tone and the
highlights towards red. For a final image, I find
that adding this contrast unifies the color scheme
and brings the whole image together. 06 07

Artist Portfolio

Being funny is not as easy

Cartoon
as it might look. In fact,
making someone smile is
much harder than to scare or
sadden someone. Our sense
of humor is based on our
intellect, while fear, sadness
and disgust are driven by our
very basic instincts, meaning that people laugh
only if they understand. In order to be funny, a
joke has to reach a target audience from a specific
cultural and intellectual background. Each person
has their own sense of humor, based on the
books and movies they know, the people they’ve
met and even the thoughts they have.

The mainstream entertainment industry

would make it seem that creating grotesque
characters with exaggerated proportions and silly
expressions is enough to make everybody laugh,
but this isn’t always true. What really speaks to
our intellect and makes us enjoy a joke most of all
is the story. Storytelling for a cartoon artist is just
as important as it is for filmmakers or writers and
a still image demands that the story is told almost
instantly, within a matter of seconds. A good
cartoonist has to know how to squeeze a whole
story into one scene whilst keeping it within
his target audience’s cultural and intellectual
understanding – then, and only then, will the
cartoon be considered funny.

Denis Zilber
[email protected]
http://www.deniszilber.com

By Dave Dunstan
Software Used: Photoshop

Sketches
Before I began painting, I reacquainted myself
with Rubens’s work and self-portraits. I then
warmed up with a number of quick sketches to
familiarize myself with details and shapes.

In this case, there was a bit of time between my

roughs and the painting part and – being the
clever little sausage that I am – I managed to
misplace said sketches and had to draw another
one to scan and paint. My initial prep-work wasn’t
wasted though, as it made me feel comfortable
enough to use a much rougher sketch than
normal and leave a lot of the details to the
painting stage (Fig.01).

If I could, I’d have a

‘command z’ button
for real life – great
for parking tickets,
unwanted salesmen
or that dog poo you
get on the bottom of
your shoe whilst

I like to mix up how I work a bit and try new things

as this adds a little extra interest to a project and,
more often than not, I learn something new. For
this piece I imposed some parameters on myself –
mostly to assist in making it feel more “painterly”,
but I also enjoyed the challenge. These were:

• Paint with only one brush (Standard Hard

Edge Photoshop brush).
• Paint it all on a single layer.
• Avoid any blurring, blending, masks or
selections.

I did allow myself the Cmd Z undo function

though. If I could, I’d have a Cmd Z button for
real life – great for parking tickets, unwanted
salesmen or that dog poo you get on the bottom
of your shoe whilst out walking.

Palette
Even though the color palette was largely
dictated by the Rubens portraits I was looking at, 01

265
Digital Art Masters | Peter Paul ‘bootyboy’ Rubens

I tend to prefer a fairly limited palette anyway.

This way it is much easier to make the image
harmonious and control the focal point of the
picture.

Painting
First I scanned in my rough sketch. Usually these
would be between 5000-8000 pixels, though for
some reason they were somewhat smaller this
time.

Next I started blocking the colors directly on top

of my sketch with the brush set to around 40%
opacity (Fig.02). Usually I have it set at around
10-20% during this stage, but I wanted to lay the
colors on a bit more thickly and be more opaque
to create a painterly effect.

Brush size is usually quite large at this point. As

a kid, I remember being told to always start with
the largest brushes first and I still try to do this,
even though I did go a little smaller to block in the
moustache.

I quickly blocked in the whole piece, which served

both as my under-painting and as my color study,
using mostly mid-tones, but hinted shadows and
indications for the highlights. Usually I create
the background on a separate layer, but the
parameters I had set didn’t allow this.

Once I’m happy with how the colors are working,

I usually start by painting the main point of
interest, which in most cases is the face (Fig.03).
Here I set the brush opacity to 10% and, still
keeping my brush fairly large, started working on
the skin tones before reducing the brush size to 02

266
Cartoons

add detail. I wanted this picture to have a slightly

loose effect compared to my other works so I
left evidence of the brush strokes that would be
visible to close inspection.

Skin Tones
Knowing a few basic guidelines to paint skin
and skin tones will help bring your paintings to
life, and help you to understand any references
Yellow Tones or source materials better. There is no magical
skin color, but what you see is the result of the
individual’s pigmentation, the light, environment
and proximity to other colors like the hair or

Red Tones clothing. Skin color, therefore, changes for each

Eye ‘Whites’
individual and environment. This means working
out your background early is important so you
can reflect hints of its color in the skin tones,
particularly in the shadows.

Familiarize yourself
with the location
of ‘shiny’ spots on a
face. The corner of
the eyes, tip of the
nose and just above
the lip, for example
need highlights.

Different parts of the body tend to feature

different colors. At this point I was only dealing
with the face and hands, and I needed to consider
that the forehead tends to feature more yellows
Red tones whilst the area between the eyebrows and nose
04 features more red (Fig.04).

The thinner skin under the eyes tends to show a

little blue. Using more saturated oranges and reds
on the ears, particularly when lit, creates a more
realistic translucent effect. Finger tips are ruddier
and the knuckles are much lighter.

Familiarize yourself with the location of shiny

spots on a face. The corner of the eyes, tip of the
nose and just above the lip, for example, need
highlights. Also, remember that the whites of your
eyes are not white – the specular highlight usually
is though and is what gives it that shiny look.

Painting hair
Again, the basic principle I use to paint hair is to
05 work from large to small (Fig.05). Block in the

267
Digital Art Masters | Peter Paul ‘bootyboy’ Rubens

shape and general color, work on the individual painting. Being able to make these changes easily hands are a wonderful challenge and I’ve always
clusters or the various shapes within the hair and is one of the joys of working digitally. felt that they are a good barometer of one’s
then work down to the finer strands. technical and observational skills.
Keeping in line with the Rubens self-portraits
I changed a few things from my sketch as I I was referencing, I didn’t include much detail Finally, abandoning my “paint it all on one
worked. I made the hat bigger, moved the hand aside from the face; the rest was straight forward. layer” idea (let’s keep that our little secret shall
and flattened the writing a little. This isn’t we?), I added a subtle canvas thread overlay
uncommon for me; often I notice proportional Looking at it now, it feels as though the hand is a and tweaked the levels a little. And it was done!
issues or things I would like to change whilst little over-worked compared to the rest, however (Fig.06)

268
Cartoons

Artist Portfolio

CHECK OUT
MORE FROM
DAVE DUNSTAN
IN
SKETCHING
FROM THE
IMAGINATION

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

By Plamen Genov
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
When I decided to paint this image I was feeling
bitter after a recent break-up. I felt the character
of Captain Ahab from the novel Moby Dick
embodied some of the feelings I was dealing with:
obsessed with hatred and the thought of revenge.
Anyway, I’m all cheery and happy now, so let
me walk you through some of the steps I went
through while I was making this image.

Initial Sketches
I began with a few, very quick, linear sketches
that explored different angles and facial
proportions. I wanted my character to be very
rugged and rough-looking (Fig.01). I find it very
useful to keep a mirror on my work desk, as it is
particularly useful whenever I am not sure about
an expression or I have some anatomical issues.

From these initial sketches, I decided to develop

the first character. I isolated that image by
cropping it to a format that I thought would best
suit the character. I then began adding layers of
block color without yet considering details such
01
as lighting (Fig.02).

Block Color and Lighting

After filling out the base layers, I began thinking
about lighting and how best to highlight my
character’s features. I knew there would be two
sources of light, but at this stage, I was most
concerned about establishing the primary light
source: natural light.

The image would be set in a cloudy, sun-less

scene, which meant that the whole sky would
emit a constant amount of light. From my
observations of natural lighting, I knew this type
of light would gently affect the entire surface
of the object, and become more intense along
surfaces that were alongside the light source
(Fig.03).

02 03

271
Digital Art Masters | Captain Ahab

Detail and Texture

As I started to work on the detail, I began
to research facial features of old people to
determine elements such as wrinkle placement
(Fig.04).

I have a shortcut to
the Horizontal Flip
tool on my PC as I
find it incredibly
useful. I use it
throughout the
developmental stages
to identify mistakes
and check the
correct proportions
and perspective of my
images.

Also, as this character is an experienced sailor,

04 05
I wanted to depict him as being wet to show
dedication in his pursuit and show that to him,
nature’s elements are merely a minor obstacle.
I hoped that this would help convey Ahab’s
psychological condition and also give me an
opportunity to develop my skills in drawing water
and its effects.

To give me an idea of how the finished image

would look, I used a WIP image to apply all the
effects I planned on using to help me determine
whether I’d developed the image in the right
direction (Fig.05).

Here, I flipped the image along its horizontal

plane. I have a shortcut to the Horizontal Flip
tool on my PC as I find it incredibly useful. I use it
throughout the developmental stages to identify
mistakes and check the correct proportions and
perspective of my images (Fig.06).

Here I have added the second source of light from

a torch or an oil lamp. I wasn’t sure about using
red in his eyes, but found that it helped me depict
his emotional state – his vision is blurred by hate.

For the majority of this image I used the default

Photoshop brushes, though the skin texture
looked more realistic with a Chalk brush set at
around 60-70 opacity. I also used Soft Light and
06

272
Cartoons

Overlay layers whilst adding the light source. I

used these layers to highlight surfaces affected by
light, and then later added the specular light on a
Normal layer with the Chalk brush.

Finishing Touches
To add the final details, I researched how water
affects surfaces like hair, skin and wool. It wasn’t
even remotely as fun as I thought it would be.
The composition required that all the individual
drops of water were scattered over the whole
surface, so I spent a lot of time moving back and
forth to arrange them in a way that was at least 07 08
acceptable. I finished off tiny details by adding
tinges of color to his nose and chin (Fig.07).

In order to make the nose stand out a little more,

I added a Multiply layer at a very low opacity over
the right side of the face. I added some chromatic
aberration, an Unsharpen mask and also box-
blurred everything in the image except the face,
to make the facial contours more vivid (Fig.08).

Composition
I added background rain by making some dashes
around the figure, then motion-blurred them.
Finally, I used Free Transform to make some final
adjustments to the proportion of the neck, and
then cropped the image as there was too much
open space on the right side. These adjustments
evened out the image and left me with a well
composed finished version. 09

Artist Portfolio

By Sam Nielson
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
When I was first learning as an artist, I always
thought that professional artists were a higher
class of person, who somehow didn’t struggle
with the problems I was always wading through
as an amateur. I’ve learned since then that being
a professional only means that people pay you
to wade through problems, and that you don’t
always know the best way to do that.

In fact, being paid usually means tight deadlines,

and tight deadlines often mean that you make
mistakes that you don’t discover until time is
running out. So what do I do when this happens?
Here are several mistakes I often make and how
I usually cover for them or recover from them
when I don’t have much time left.

A Calculated Risk
Painting over a loose drawing is a calculated risk
(Fig.01). This is actually my favorite mistake and I
often make it on purpose because I enjoy shaping
the drawing as I paint. However, cheating on the
drawing can lead to some of the other problems
that I will discuss.

Ideally you would start out with a perfect

drawing, but if you’re impatient like me,
sometimes a weak drawing can be improved as
you go along. If you are forced into painting over
01
a quick drawing before it’s ready, keep things
loose for as long as possible so that it serves as a
working sketch.

On the plus side, you will often discover problems

during the painting stages that you may not have
detected in the drawing stage, so there can be
benefits to moving on quickly.

Color
I start painting by blocking in large areas of
color, but these are often weak and a bit timid
(Fig.02). I always hold back on color when I first
start. The same holds true for values; I’m usually
far from using the full spectrum at first, even
when I intend to eventually include an extensive,
dynamic color range. 02

275
Digital Art Masters | Biker Angel

I’m thankful I paint digitally when this happens.

Pushing the values with Levels in Photoshop or
Equalize in Painter will also boost the colors. But
if that’s not enough, I’ll turn up the saturation. Be
careful with the controls though, because equally
saturating the colors can weaken an image.

The Wrong Direction

Because of the vague swooping lines of my
sketch, I didn’t realize that the cloth and forms
underneath wouldn’t read properly, which is one
03
of the negative results of an under-developed
drawing. I tried a few different directions for the
leg and cloth but all of these felt wrong (Fig.03).

I knew in the back of my head that this test might

fail, so I kept these changes on one easy-to-delete
layer. There’s no quick fix for having drawn the
wrong thing, but if you can correctly identify and
isolate the problem area then you can decrease
iteration time.

Adding Detail
Seeing everything all at once is impossible, so you
have to test bits one at a time and see how they
fit within the context of the overall image. I work
detail in quickly, concentrating on places where
I want the viewer’s eye to focus. I keep moving
around as I fill in details as I don’t want to spend
too much time on any one part (Fig.04).

Everything is related and details in one part of the

image may distract from something important in
another part. However, this can be used to your
advantage as careful detail in one area can pull
the eye away from other areas so you can leave
them less finished.
04

Acceptable Substitutes
I realized after adding the background detail that
the smoking finger was distracting from the rest
of the composition. However, I needed something
to suggest that this was an empowered angel, not
just a wispy Harley-riding harp-strummer.

When something is distracting but seems

necessary, I go for softer edges and colors. By
replacing the smoke with a transparent effect, I
was able to keep the line there. Also coloring it
blue allowed it to visually recede into the image,
even though I was making it fairly bright (Fig.05). 05

276
Cartoon

Constructive Criticism
I took the image to work to show my fellow
concept artists and their critiques made me
realize that there were a lot of things still wrong
with it. In the future I’ll get their thoughts sooner,
but the glaring problems they pointed out were
that the composition wasn’t working and that the
character’s pose was awkward.

There wasn’t much I could do about the pose Push Lines

at this point, but I could do a lot about the
composition just by shifting the values and colors.
I did what I could for the pose, adding a little
slump to the back and a bit of thickness in the
body, which helped more than I had imagined
(Fig.07).

The background and robes were feeling too

similar and the bottom of the image was feeling
a bit too airy and soft, so I pushed the contrast
in the lower clouds and the motorcycle until it
grounded the image a bit. I probably should have
changed the light on the robe a little more to Gradients

match, but I liked how the blues add balance to

Gradients
the image from top to bottom.

Unfortunately, finishing an image is rarely

about reaching perfection; it’s about making
compromises that get the best version of what
you’ve started – and I’ve learned to be OK with
that. 06

Artist Portfolio

By Valentina Remenar
Software Used: Photoshop

Creating a Sketch
When I decide to make a new painting, I firstly
create a concept sketch. With this drawing, I
began by sketching the character and choosing
his position (Fig.01). I always make sketches on
a separate layer, mostly using the Hard Round
Pressure Opacity brush with 100% opacity.

As I developed the sketch, I started painting in

color rather than just black and white. I intended
to depict white roses in the background, so for
now, I just roughly painted the background with
few colors. (Fig.02).

Because this was still a rough sketch, I used

01 02
the Hard Round Pressure Opacity brush. For
sketching I used 100% opacity, while for shading I
used a lower opacity, between 40-60%. For brush
Flow, I always use 50% or a little below.

When you start to

shade it’s important
to decide on the
light source.

Painting the Details

For the next step, I started to add detail. For the
skin, I used the Soft Round Pressure Opacity
brush, alternating brush hardness to draw sharp,
contrasting edges. To smooth the skin I selected a
lower brush opacity, and for a larger area of skin
like the mouth, I increased it.

When you start to shade it’s important to decide

on the light source. In this image the light comes
from above the character (Fig.03). It’s also
important to utilize layers for different parts of
the sketch, isolating details like the head, hair,
line art, body and the tattoo.

To smooth the line art on the character’s head, I

selected a slightly lower opacity for sketching –
around 80%. To retain some definition, I didn’t
use the Soft Round brush to paint over the
sharper features like the nose, mouth and eyes,
but I did draw in some more crisp elements, like 03

280
Cartoon

light reflections and shadows. This ensures that

the drawing will look smooth, but not blurry.

For other details, like the character’s hair, I set

the brush hardness to around 80-90% with brush
opacity of around 70-85% to create a smoother
effect. I drew each hair individually. Like the
sketch, I firstly painted hair with one middle base
color and then added light and shadow. I then
drew the line art to add definition using the same
brush settings (Fig.04).

At this stage, I decided to change the colors

throughout the image. I used the Selective Color
tool and on new layers like Overlay and Soft Light, 04 05

added more blue tones, especially on the roses.

I then drew the tattoo on a layer set to Multiply
(Fig.05).

For the next step I used Corel Painter 12 to

smudge parts of the background with a Dry
Palette knife. I also repainted the roses in
Photoshop using the Hard Round brush and then
softened them with a Soft Round brush.

Because the theme of my painting was duality, I

made a new Photoshop file and copied the same
drawing so I could rotate one image to depict
the character’s dual personality. To make the
character on the right half different, I made their
face darker and changed the colors by adding
more gray with the Gradient tool and using a few
layer modes. On a new layer, I repainted his hair 06
black using the same brush settings as before
(Fig.07).

Layer modes like Overlay, Soft Light, Color Dodge

and Lighten are great because you can change
light pretty fast without having to repaint the
whole character. On new layers, I made the
character’s face lighter and joined both drawings
together. I also repainted the middle part, which
was too light because of the roses around the
character on the left side. On a new layer with a
Hard Round brush, I painted the rest of the roses
so they would look more natural (Fig.08).

In each of these steps you can see the hair

progress as I gradually added details using the
same brush settings as before. Because I drew
the fence on a separate layer I was able to put 07

281
Digital Art Masters | Duality

a new layer below the fence, for shadowing. I

mostly use the Multiply layer mode for shadows
and decrease the layer opacity to around 60%,
depending how light I want the shadow to be.

Next I added butterflies, which I drew with a Hard

Round brush and then smudged them using Corel
Painter with a Dry Palette knife (Fig.10).

I wanted to add more color, so firstly, I added

colors in Soft Light mode and because I wanted
the whole image to be more colorful, I painted
everything again in Overlay mode. I wanted the
fence separating the characters to glow, so I drew
light on a Normal layer using a light yellow color
and then created under layers where I added an
outer glow using visual effects (Fig.12).

I added highlights in Lighter Color layer mode and

then added more vivid colors using Soft Light,
Overlay and Color Dodge layer modes. When you
have numerous layers, each will be more vivid
than the last. To finish, I used the Selective Color
tool again to alter certain colors. I also added
Sharpen and Noise to generate more texture. 08

282
Artist Portfolio

Digital Art Masters

B. Börkur Eiríksson Gediminas Pranckevičius

[email protected] [email protected]
http://www.borkurart.com http://gedomenas.com

Bastien Lecouffe Deharme Gilles Beloeil

[email protected] [email protected]
http://www.roman-noir.com http://www.gillesbeloeil.com

Brian Sum Hu Zheng

[email protected] [email protected]
http://www.briansum.com http://huzheng.cghub.com

Dave Dunstan Ioan Dumitrescu

[email protected] [email protected]
Featured Artists http://loopydave.com http://www.iron-curtain.org

Alberth Costa da Silva Donglu Yu James Wolf Strehle

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://alberthcosta.wordpress.com http://donglu-littlefish.blogspot.ca http://www.jamiestrehle.com

Alex Tiani Eduardo Peña Jan Urschel

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://www.talexiart.com http://chino-rino2.blogspot.co.uk http://www.hendrix-design.com

Alexander Beim – Lotus Art Esben Rasmussen Jerad Marantz

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://lotusart.de http://esbenlashportfolio.blogspot.co.uk http://jeradsmarantz.blogspot.co.uk

Andrew Averkin Evan Lee Jose Lázaro

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://anaverkin.cgsociety.org/gallery http://www.evanartweb.com http://ballo.cghub.com

Andrzej Sykut Fenghua Zhong Levi Hopkins

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://azazel.carbonmade.com http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/2294356157 http://levihopkinsart.blogspot.com

284
Featured Artists

Luca Nemolato Nils Meyer Sam Nielson

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://lucanemolato.blogspot.co.uk http://bit.ly/13E0NKB http://artsammich.blogspot.co.uk

Marat Ars Pascal Blanché Serge Birault

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://marat-ars.blogspot.co.uk http://www.3dluvr.com/pascalb/index.html http://www.sergebirault.fr

Marek Denko Patrick Evrard Siamak Roshani

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://marekdenko.net http://www.patrickevrard.com http://www.siamakroshani.com

Mariano Steiner Piotr Jabłoński Simon Kopp

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://mastein3d.blogspot.com http://nicponim.cghub.com http://simonkopp.de

Mathieu Aerni Plamen Genov Thomas Scholes

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://www.mataerni.com http://eveningdoodles.blogspot.co.uk http://artofscholes.com

Matthew Burke Rasmus Berggren Tomas Kral

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://mburke.cghub.com http://www.rasberg.blogspot.dk http://tomaskral.cz

Michal Lisowski Renato Gonzalez Aguilante Toni Bratincevic

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://michallisowski.com http://pehato.cghub.com http://www.interstation3d.com

Michał Sawtyruk Rodrigue Pralier Valentina Remenar

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://pegazord.cghub.com http://www.rodriguepralier.com http://tincek-marincek.com

Michel Donzé Rouhollah Toghyani William Wu

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
http://www.micheldonze.com http://www.toghyani.com http://www.wwudesign.com

285
Digital Art Masters

Classical: 63, 71 - 72, 111, 207, 22 Fantasy: 72, 139, 143, 145, 149, 151, 155, 157, 159,
Clay: 36, 50, 57, 69, 88, 93, 112, 117 – 118, 131 – 161, 165, 167, 171, 173, 177, 179, 181, 183,
131, 143, 254 185, 187, 189, 254
ClayTubes: 112, 236 Filters: 78, 95, 122, 133, 217 – 218, 238
Cloth: 67, 104, 276 Flares: 137, 204, 212, 256
Index Clothing: 30, 49, 89, 154, 155, 156, 267 Fusion: 12, 16, 83, 238
3ds Max: 12, 14– 15, 42, 48, 50– 51, 57– 59,
Clouds: 116, 261, 277
81– 82, 118– 119, 125– 126, 131– 132,
Coat: 93, 94, 254 G
136– 137, 142, 144, 164, 170, 194, 200, 203,
Collage: 76, 254 Gamma: 122, 204
234, 235– 236, 242
Compositing: 49, 51– 52, 69, 89, 95, 102, 115, 118, Geometry: 12, 14, 15, 49, 58, 62, 117, 118, 125, 128,
196, 238, 256 164, 201, 243, 260
A Concrete: 201, 203 Gradient: 78, 98– 99, 103, 113, 177, 277, 281
Aberration: 122, 204, 273
Configuration: 43, 44, 64 Graphite: 50, 51
Airbrush: 97, 99, 115, 213
Crowd: 30, 32, 57, 161 Grass: 14 – 15, 128, 160
Alien: 8, 9, 106, 107-109, 116, 111, 113, 116– 118,
Cubes 49, 125, 128, 237 Gun: 71, 104, 121
255
Curve: 25, 44, 59, 64, 69, 93 – 94, 104, 166, 172,
Alignment: 158, 165
201, 212, 235 H
Alpha: 62, 88, 107, 112, 128, 143, 244, 254
Cutting: 51, 133, 194 Hair: 14, 49, 58, 64, 89, 94, 98, 102, 128, 267, 268,
Anatomical: 62, 76, 81, 88, 111, 117– 118, 142, 271
273, 280, 281
Angel: 8, 9, 48, 71, 72, 274, 275, 276
D HDRI: 63, 69, 119, 255
Animation: 61– 62, 67, 69, 82– 83, 102, 148, 236
Decimation: 67 – 68, 82, 137, 142, 144
Armor: 113,121, 136, 155, 156, 242
Deform: 13– 14, 67 - 68, 126– 127, 131, 201, 127 I
Asymmetry: 81– 82, 101, 142, 194
Depth: 13, 32, 36, 64, 95, 125, 133, 166, 177, 182, IIlumination: 16,122
Autodesk: 12
204, 217, 222, 226, 230, 256 Interior: 49, 181, 248
Desaturated: 37, 148, 217 Irradiance: 16, 237, 237
B Diffuse: 43, 52, 63, 89, 95, 102, 103, 118, 122, 132,
Bike: 8, 225, 226– 227
203, 236, 244 L
Biker: 9, 274, 275, 276
Direction: 5, 8, 16, 69, 76, 95,131,155 – 156, Lamp: 37, 76, 272
Bend: 58, 83, 89, 103, 108– 109, 119, 122– 123,
176,177, 186, 196, 207, 211, 231, 232, 261, 272 Lens: 69, 95, 122, 204, 212, 237
144, 158, 172, 177,180, 182, 203, 212, 236, 265
Dirt: 15, 72, 94, 103, 144, 236, 244, 255 Levels 25, 49, 57, 62– 63, 113, 118, 123, 136, 143,
Blending: 83, 98, 103, 108, 119, 144, 158, 172, 177,
Displacement: 13, 15, 43, 58, 63, 64, 94, 122, 201, 158, 182, 194, 208, 230, 232, 238, 243, 244,
212, 265
255 254, 260, 268, 286
Blur: 64,109, 117, 119, 128, 232, 265, 272, 273
Distortion: 164, 186– 187, 216, 237 Lighting: 12, 16, 31, 43– 44, 49, 52, 58 – 59,
Boolean: 13, 15
Dividing: 49, 83, 94, 118, 195, 211, 207 62– 63, 69, 72, 75– 76, 82– 83, 89, 95, 87– 98,
Bounce: 128,150, 161, 181,237
Droid: 9, 121, 200, 210, 211, 212 102– 103, 109, 119, 121– 122, 128, 132,
BPR: 125, 128
Dust: 30, 89, 204, 230 136 – 137, 142, 144, 156, 160, 170, 181, 195,
Bump: 15, 43, 64, 89, 115, 195, 203, 236
DynaMesh: 49, 61, 67, 82, 88, 93, 107, 112, 117, 203 – 204, 207 – 208, 212, 235 – 237, 244, 255,
118, 119, 125, 126 – 128, 132, 254 271
C Linear: 44, 244, 271
Cables: 37, 208, 227, 261
E Loops: 50, 51
Camera: 12, 36, 43– 44, 51, 69, 76, 118, 122, 136,
Edge: 13, 20, 50, 57, 118 – 119, 121, 133, 142, 161,
161, 194, 235, 237, 244, 256
166, 195, 194, 196, 207, 226, 232, 237, 244, M
Canvas: 37, 38, 72, 76, 97, 165, 166, 180, 187, 216,
276, 280 Machines: 9, 16, 44, 194, 204, 206, 207 – 208, 121
268
Elements: 12, 13, 32, 36, 62, 67, 71, 76, 78, 125, Maps: 15 – 16, 43 – 44, 58, 63, 68, 89, 94 – 95, 115,
Castle: 12, 15, 164,
131, 132, 143, 165, 166, 184, 195, 204, 207, 18, 122, 144, 195, 201, 203, 218, 237, 244,
Cellular: 19, 201
208, 211 – 213, 216, 222, 226 – 227, 231, 244, 254 – 255, 273
Chalk 180, 272, 273
259, 272, 280 Masks: 15, 112, 122, 207, 217, 218, 254, 265
Channels: 43, 52, 136, 166, 176, 177, 232, 244
Epidermal: 63, 89 Materials: 15, 43, 49, 52, 58, 62, 64, 68, 75 - 76, 94,
Charcoal: 218
103, 111, 113, 115, 119, 121– 122, 123, 126,
Chromatic: 122 – 12, 122, 204, 273
F 128, 137, 155, 164, 203– 204, 208, 236, 237,
Cities: 36– 37, 75, 142, 176
Fabric: 43, 128, 194 243, 244, 248, 255, 267

286
Index

Matte: 244 Plastic: 97, 99 Smudge: 20, 24, 72, 76, 161, 281– 282
Maya: 48, 61 – 64, 67 – 68, 82, 89, 121– 123 Plugins: 50, 51, 52, 64, 67, 94, 137, 204, 201 Softimage: 3, 94, 254
mCloth: 136 Poly: 50, 62, 201 Specular: 63, 83, 89, 95, 122, 128, 132, 144, 195,
Mech: 101, 211, 242, 244 Polygons: 49, 50, 62– 64, 67 - 68, 81, 93– 94, 107, 203, 243, 267, 273
MentalRay: 61, 67- 68, 71, 88 – 89, 111, 113, 137, 118, 121, 137, 195, 201, 243 Spheres: 59, 125, 212
242 – 244, 254– 255 Polypaint: 94, 107, 125, 126, 127, 255 Spotlight: 68, 72, 225
Mesh: 51, 93, 107, 136 Pores: 57, 58, 62, 88, 115, 118 SSS: 52, 58, 68 – 89, 118 – 119, 144
Mesh: 49 – 51, 62 – 63, 67, 81, 88 – 89, 93 – 94, 107, Portal: 69, 89, 95 Subdivide: 44, 57,118, 143
112, 117 – 119, 126, 136, 142, 230, 236, 254 Portrait: 9, 56 – 58, 61– 62, 265, 268 Symmetrical 30, 62, 81, 82, 117– 119, 121
Metallic: 122, 208, 236 Pose: 15, 63– 62, 68, 69, 71, 82– 83, 88, 93, 97, 98,
Mode: 49, 78, 93, 103, 108, 117, 122, 126, 128, 142, 101, 118, 126, 131, 136, 142, 143, 161, 236, T
172, 180, 204, 212, 282 243– 244, 277 Temperature: 24, 43 – 44, 68, 89
Modifying: 12 - 13, 57, 78, 93, 118, 119, 166, 194, Post Production: 16, 44, 83, 256 Tentacle: 9, 96, 97, 98, 99, 254 - 255
201, 203, 227, 235, 243 - 244 Primitives: 12 – 13, 117, 119, 125, 200,201 Texture: 12, 15, 20, 24, 26, 37, 43, 49, 51 – 52, 55,
Motorcycle: 227, 277 Process: 48, 75, 81, 117, 207 57 – 58, 62 – 64, 68, 72, 76, 81– 82, 84, 89, 94,
Mountain: 26, 117 Proportions: 12, 50, 57, 98, 101, 121, 131, 142, 249, 103, 111, 115, 117– 119, 121– 122, 127 – 128,
Moustache: 94, 266 268, 271, 272 132– 133, 142, 158, 170 – 171, 177, 181,
Mudbox: 48, 51, 52, 81, 82, 203 194 – 196, 200, 203, 204, 208, 212, 213, 218,
Muscle: 57,81,118,131 Q 222, 226, 230 231, 236 – 237, 244, 254– 255,
QRemesher: 93, 117, 118, 136 260 – 261, 272, 282
N Tileable: 15, 68, 89, 94, 195, 201, 236
Noise: 62, 78, 88, 95, 118, 123, 133, 195, 201, 218, R Tone: 24 – 25, 32, 43, 52, 59, 97 – 98, 107, 118,
238, 282 Radius: 58, 88 132 – 133, 181, 186, 211 – 213, 217, 261,
Nurbs: 64 Realism: 32, 98, 102, 122, 161, 213, 217 266– 267, 281
NVIDIA: 136 Reflect: 99, 118, 149, 267 Transpose: 113,118,126
Reflections: 15, 43, 44, 58, 63 – 64, 89, 98 – 99, 95,
O 103, 122, 148, 166, 182, 204, 207– 208, 212, U
Object: 13– 14, 31, 42, 55, 68, 93– 95, 112, 236, 244, 255, 281 Unwrap: 49, 51, 94, 117 – 119, 144, 203
117– 119, 127, 131, 136, 164, 182, 195, 200, Refraction: 44, 122 Uv’s: 49, 51, 62, 67 – 68, 89, 94, 117 – 118, 127,
203, 207, 222, 226, 235 - 236, 254, 260, 271 Rendering: 15, 16, 36, 44, 51, 52, 57, 58– 59, 64, 144, 203
Occlusion: 63, 68, 102 - 103 67– 69, 83– 84, 89, 94– 95, 98, 102, 104, 107,
Oil: 207, 217, 226, 272 108, 109, 113, 118, 115, 119, 122, 125, 128, V
Opacity: 72– 78, 97– 99, 101, 108, 176, 182, 244, 132– 133, 136, 137, 144, 150, 164, 171, 204, Vehicle: 194, 211, 260
266, 272– 273, 280 - 282 207– 208, 237, 238, 244, 255, 256 Vertices: 50 – 51, 64, 67
Overlay: 72, 78, 103, 108, 172, 176, 180, 195, 212, Retopology: 49, 67, 93, 24 Vignette: 95, 109, 196
218, 230, 244, 268, 273, 281 ,282 Rust: 200, 203 ,218, 226, 244 Vray: 15, 203– 204

P S W
Palette: 20, 30, 36– 37, 98, 99, 143, 148, 154, 156, Saturation: 15– 16, 103, 154, 165, 212, 217, 230, Wacom: 218
165, 172, 176, 181, 187, 211, 221, 265, 266, 244, 259, 267, 276 Weapons: 136, 155 – 156
281– 282 Scatter: 14, 51, 58, 273 Wood: 14, 42, 94
Parameters: 16, 44, 64, 122, 123, 221, 222, 265, 266 Seams: 51 - 52, 68 Workflow: 19, 76, 78, 102, 104, 121, 171, 207, 238,
Particle: 136, 166, 196 Shaders: 15, 58, 69, 89, 94, 119, 121, 126, 121 – 259
Pattern: 76,82, 111, 112, 117, 194 122, 123, 126, 132, 143– 144, 195, 255 Wrinkles: 49, 57 – 58, 62, 88, 272
Perspective: 30, 180 Shading: 58, 68, 89, 123, 170, 280
Perspective: 20– 21, 30, 36, 76, 102, 160, 164, 171, Silhouette: 14, 24, 31, 37, 55, 98, 121, 131, 142, Z
176, 180– 182, 184, 186– 187, 212, 226, 235, 160, 161, 165, 182, 221 – 222, 226, 227 Zbrush: 48– 49, 51 – 52, 57 – 58, 61 – 64, 67 – 68,
272 Sketch: 19 – 20, 24, 26, 30, 48 - 49, 67, 71, 75 - 76, 81 – 82, 88 – 89, 93 – 94, 107, 111 – 113, 117 –
Photorealistic: 78, 107, 213 82, 93, 97, 99, 101– 103, 121, 136, 148, 158, 118, 122 – 123, 125 – 126, 128, 131 – 132, 136,
Pixels: 64, 132, 204, 266 170, 180, 184, 187, 207, 216, 226, 227, 234, 142, 144, 194, 201, 204, 234, 236, 254– 255
Placement: 180, 182, 272 235, 249, 265, 266, 268, 271, 275, 276, 280

287
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