Concept art, digital and matte painting magazine

Issue 066 June 2011

Lee Chak Khuen 4 parts Pin-up girl

1 part Classic pose
and a dash of sexiness
Sketchbook of Damien
Mammoliti served by Serge Birault

Hethe Srodawa, Jason Seiler

Min Yum, plus more!

Warriors, come out to play!

Richard Tilbury comes face to face with an Aztec warrior as he begins
our new series on Painting Tribal Warriors

Matte Painting
Piotrek Swigut kicks of an amazing new series about matte painting
by showing us how to create the initial concept

Photoreal Fantasy
Weiye Yin is back in this issue and shows us how to paint a realistic
version of the Loch Ness Monster
 Contents
001
Contents
What’s in this month?
Lee Chak Khuen, or Puppeteer Lee, is an amazing artist who has
worked in both the comic and concept art industries. Since setting

Editorial 006
Lee Chak Khuen
my eyes on his fantastic illustrations I knew that I had to interview
him and get as much of his work in the magazine as possible for
you to enjoy!

“... I do hope to be
able to paint a portrait Concept/ Freelance Artist
Summer is here! In the of him one day, as the
design intrigues me in
a unique sort of way.”

UK our summer is usually

018
Sketchbook
a 3 – 4 day spell of great The Sketchbook of Damien Mammoliti

The Gallery
This month we feature:

030
Francisco Albert Albusac

weather surrounded by
“I used to struggle with the difference Branko Bistrovic

between comic and concept work. But Daniel Dociu

now I try not to over-polish the work that Andreas Rocha

Damien Mammoliti
I do in comics. This will save time that can Hethe Srodawa
be used to work on another page” Jason Seiler
Min Yum

weeks of misery and 10 of the best 2D artworks

Jan Ditlev
Noah Bradley

In this eBook series our artists

will be teaching us how to use
information about tribes from the
past and present to design new

disappointment! So if you 040

Painting Tribal Warriors
characters. The artists involved
will gather references about their
chosen tribal warrior and then
translate this information into a
dynamic character illustration.
Character design is huge in both the
game and movie industries and this
eBook is a great guide as to how to

are looking to add a little Aztec by Richard Tilbury

design a character from a brief.

Chapter 1 | This Issue

Aztec

Chapter 2 | Next Issue

Maori

Chapter 3 | August Issue 068

glow to your life don’t 048

Pin-up
Red Indian

Chapter 4 | September Issue 069

Chapter 1 | This IssueViking
Concept
Chapter 5 | October Issue 070
Chapter 2 | Next Issue
Fantasy
Adding the Sky

come to the UK, instead

Chapter 3 | August Issue 068
Adding Elements

Classic by Serge Birault

Chapter 4 | September Issue 069
Lighting

Chapter 5 | October Issue 070

Transforming the Time of Day

take a look at the new

issue of 2DArtist.
054
Matte Painting
Concept by Piotrek Swigut

Photoreal Fantasy
Chapter 1 | May Issue 065

060
Military

Chapter 2 | This Issue

Classic
Matte painting is becoming more and more important in the CG industry. The backdrops
of some of the most epic scenes in films have been created by matte painters who have Chapter 3 | Next Issue

This month’s cover is another cracker by our Pin-up tutorial series artist
Sci-Fi
used the techniques touched upon in this tutorial. This eBook will talk you through an
dominated
has painting digital art forums for years. We
entireart
Pin-up matte and show you how to add photos to your canvas and then integrate Chapter 4 | August Issue 068
are used to seeing it in many different styles and covering
them into your scene. This is a must-have for any experienced or novice matte painter. Goth

Loch Ness Monster by Weiye Yin

many different genres. With this new tutorial series, 2DArtist
can proudly announce their definitive guide to pin-up art.
Pin-up legend Serge Birault will guide us through the
different styles and influences in pin-up art, as well as giving

Serge Birault. Serge set himself a high standard in chapter one of his
an insight into the fantastic painting techniques he uses to
Serge Birault has been wowing us in his
make his outstanding images.
pin-up series, but in this Making Of he leaves

“My Little Lemmy”

the stylized look behind and shows us how he

068
paints his hyper-realistic pictures, in this case
his great image My Little Lemmy.

fantastic series, but hasn’t failed to continue to impress in chapter two.

Project Overview by Serge Birault
In this issue Serge looks back at some of the outstanding classic Pin-up Chapter 1 | January Issue 061
Griffin
With the release of 3DTotal’s book, Digital
Art Masters: Volume 5, we have some

“Big Blue”
exclusive chapters for you...

076
Chapter 2 | February Issue 062
Giant
This is more than just an artwork book.

Chapter 3 | March Issue 063 Not only does it feature full-color, full-

artists and how they gave their paintings a retro look, and tells us how to
Dragon page images,
The fantasy genre is hugely popular in the CG industry and hasbut
been showcased
each artist hasingiven
hundreds
a of
movies, computer games and artworks over thedetailed description,
years. With in their
such potential forown words,
magic, monsters
Chapter 4 | April Issue 064
and imaginations to run wild, it’s easy to see whyoffantasy
the creation
is suchprocess behind
an attractive each piece
subject. But giving
Yeti
fantastical ideas enough of a basis in reality toofbepublished artwork.
convincing can be And they’ve
difficult. done
In this it our
series
Chapter 5 | May Issue 065 especially
talented artists are going to take one aspect of fantasy for creatures
– legendary this book!– and show us

Digital Art Masters: Volume 5 – Free Chapter

Alien
how they would tackle this problem. Some use photo integration, others paint the creatures very

Chapter 6 | This Issue carefully with a steady hand, but all share the benefits of their experience and reveal the tricks and

reproduce that look in our own digital art.

Loch Ness Monster Thisuse
techniques they month we feature:
to make the unreal seem real.

“Big Blue”
“I worked
by Simonon a very big
Dominic

canvas. My picture is more

080
About us
than 10,000 pixels tall at
300 dpi and, believe it or
not, sometimes I worked
with a 1 pixel brush.”

This month’s issue contains the final chapter of our Realistic Fantasy 3DTotal.com Ltd Information & Contacts

series. We welcome back Weiye Yin, who does another fantastic job
and gives us a master class on how to turn something we are familiar
Editor Layout Marketing Content
with into a new and original concept. In this issue Weiye will be focusing Simon Morse Amy Bayliss Simon Morse
Layla Khani
on the Scottish legend; the Loch Ness Monster! Matt Lewis Tom Greenway
Sub-Editors Richard Tilbury
Lead Designer
Chris Perrins Jo Hargreaves Chris Perrins
The new season sees the introduction of two new tutorial series, the Simon Morse Jo Hargreaves

first of which is a great matte painting series by Piotrek Swigut. Piotrek

will be talking us through how he created his stunning scene in great Our interview this month is with an artist who I am a really big fan of. Lee
detail, giving us some really useful tips on the way. Piotrek currently Chak Khuen, or Puppeteer Lee, is an amazing artist from Malaysia. In
works in the movie industry and spent a large part of his career working this interview he tells us how his love for music and motorbikes inspires
at Blizzard in California, so he is the ideal man to be teaching us some him to paint. You will love his images! He mixes the manga design style
tricks of the trade. In this issue we will be looking at how to create the with a loose concept art way of painting that looks great.
concept for your scene.
This month’s Making Of is by the ever-present Serge Birault. Serge
The second of our two new series is Painting Tribal Warriors. Ancient leaves his cartoony pin-up style behind to show us how he paints his
tribal warriors have been the inspiration for many modern day character hyper-realistic characters. “My Little Lemmy” is an amazing example of
designs in both the fantasy and sci-fi fields. In this series our artists what Serge is capable of.
will be looking at how to use the information available to them to
create an original and dynamic painting of their chosen tribal warriors. I am quickly running out of space so I will just remind you to check out the
Richard Tilbury kicks things off by talking us through how he gathered amazing Sketchbook article by Damien Mammoliti and the breathtaking
information and references and used it to create his illustration of an gallery featuring great artists such as Daniel Dociu, Min Yum, Jan Ditlev
Aztec tribal warrior. and many more.

www.2dartistmag.com page 2 Issue 066 June 2011

 Get the most out of your

Magazine!
If you’re having problems viewing the double-page spreads that we
feature in this magazine, follow this handy little guide on how to set
up your PDF reader!

Setting up your PDF reader

For optimum viewing of the magazine it is recommended that you have
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You can download it for free here: DOWNLOAD!

To view the many double-page spreads featured in 2DArtist magazine,

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 Contributors
Lee
Chak Khuen
Lee Chak Khuen (Puppeteer
Lee) is a fantastic illustrator,
comic book artist and character
designer from Ipoh Malaysia.
Lee’s fascination with motorbikes and music has
always inspired his art.

Contributing Artists
Every month many artists around the world contribute to 3DCreative and
2DArtist magazines. Here you can find out a bit more about them!
If you would like to be a part of 3DCreative or 2DArtist magazine then http://puppeteer.cghub.com/
please contact: [email protected] [email protected]

Damien Richard
Mammoliti Tilbury
Damien Mammoliti is an Richard Tilbury has had a
Academy of Art University passion for drawing since being
graduate who currently works a couple of feet tall. He studied
as a concept freelance artist Fine Art and was eventually led
working for companies like pixelStorm and Paizo into the realm of computers several years ago. His
Publishing. Art is pretty much all Damien does, aside brushes have been dissolving in white spirit since
from being a nerd with his spouse in the cold and the late nineties and his graphics tablet has become
bitter white north. their successor. Richard still sketches regularly and
now balances his time between 2D and 3D, although
drawing will always be closest to his heart.
http://nanya.deviantart.com/ http://www.richardtilburyart.com
[email protected] [email protected]

Piotrek Weiye
Swigut Yin
Piotrek Swigut is a concept Weiye Yin (Franc) is a senior
artist and matte painter from concept designer and CG and
Poland specializing in work image artist. Franc started as a
for film and video games. traditional artist and then moved
Soon after graduating he was spotted by Blizzard on to working with CG in the year 2000. Since then
Entertainment.where had the opportunity to create Franc’s work has featured in many publications and
cinematics for World of Warcraft, Starcraft and won many awards. He has worked in both the movie
Diablo. He recently left Blizzard to work on the new and game industries and as a concept artist as well
Conan the Barbarian (2011) movie. as an art director.

http://www.swigut.com/ http://www.franc-art.com/
[email protected] [email protected]

www.2dartistmag.com page 4 Issue 066 June 2011

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Lee Chak Khuen, or Puppeteer Lee, is an amazing artist who has
worked in both the comic and concept art industries. Since setting
my eyes on his fantastic illustrations I knew that I had to interview
him and get as much of his work in the magazine as possible for
you to enjoy!

“I used to struggle with the difference

between comic and concept work. But
now I try not to over-polish the work that
I do in comics. This will save time that can
be used to work on another page”
Lee Chak Khuen Interview
Hello, it is great to get this chance to catch
up with you. I like to start all my interviews
with a similar question: can you let us know
a little about yourself, such as where you are
from and how you got into the industry?
Hey, I also have to say thank you for letting me
do an interview for your magazine. I’m Chinese
and was born in Malaysia. I am skinny, have an
afro and live a pretty lazy lifestyle. I’ve been in
the industry for approximately 10 years and my
first job was doing some exclusive comic work
for my local comic magazine. In those days I
was just starting to learn CG whilst trying to
increase my creative field. After that I started
to do some illustration and character design for
various projects.

So it seems that you must have worked

in both the concept art and comic book
industries? Which of these do you prefer?
Also does your style differ between comic
work and concept work?
Yeah, I love both. But comics are not that simple
compared to concept art. With comics you have
to clear the entire concept before you start the
first page. Because of that I wouldn’t do it as a
main income project, if I have a choice. I used to
struggle with the difference between comic and
concept work. But now I try not to over-polish
the work that I do in comics. This will save time

that can be used to work on another page. of software was Painter Classic, which came
Also too much detail in the images ruins the with a Wacom tablet. I loved it, but since it is
dynamics of the panel. Telling the story is the too old for new devices I changed to Painter 11
main point of a comic. last year. Photoshop is also an awesome piece
of software, but I mainly use it just for color
Are you a self-taught artist or were you adjustments.
educated at a CG school? I notice that you
use Painter. Do you prefer it to Photoshop or When looking through your gallery I was
do you use a little of both in your workflow? blown away by the variety of images there.
In my generation CG art schools were not Are you influenced by any specific artists
popular in my country. And I couldn’t afford to or have you developed your own way of
go to traditional art school. Instead I learned painting?
from everything I saw around me. My first piece Thank you! I try to work with everything that

www.2dartistmag.com page 7 Issue 066 June 2011

 Interview Lee Chak Khuen
interests me. That is why you can see various
styles and ideas in my gallery. I have been
influenced by so many great eastern and
western artists. Mr. Moebius, Mr. Simon Bisley
and Mr. Akira Toriyama inspired me in my early
days. Mr. Katsuya Terada blew me away when I
first saw his digital color comic illustrations, and
it was him who made me want to start working
in the CG world. Most of the time I just enjoy
playing with ideas when doing a piece. Then I
just try to paint the image in an interesting way.

I notice that you mention comics as one of

your areas of expertise. I love comics myself.
In fact I often tell my mother that I was
bought up by Judge Dredd and Slain rather
than her! Which is your favourite comic and
have you ever thought of creating a new
comic series?
[Laughs] I think the only thing that bought was a
superbike. Most of my favorite comics are from
the many Japanese manga comics like Dragon
Ball, Slam Dunk, Vagabond and all the others.
Simon Bisley and Moebius are my favorite
western comic artists. I’m always thinking about
starting my own new comic. I have few scripts in
my notebook and can’t wait to start it, but cannot
at the moment. Hopefully I’ll be able to soon.

That sounds exciting! What kind of comic

book do you think you would create? Would
it be a superhero-type comic or something a
bit more gritty and dark?
I would prefer a fantasy or sci-fi background

www.2dartistmag.com page 8 Issue 066 June 2011

Lee Chak Khuen Interview

www.2dartistmag.com page 9 Issue 066 June 2011

 Interview Lee Chak Khuen
to my story. I would like to create a comic in a
flexible way, with less of a rigid story so it was
just like watching the characters living their own
way in the world I create. There would be some
heroes, but not just for justice, and there would
need to be something more dynamic than that to
provide a basis for an interesting story.

“I seldom polish my own

work, but rather leave it a
bit rough to make it look
more dynamic.”
Your paintings seem to have a really nice
textured look to them. Can you tell us a
little about the process you use to paint and
specifically about the way you introduce so
many textures to your images.
Thanks again! I never merge a photo texture
in my personal work. I think that it should be
done with brushwork. Most of the textures are
created using color strokes in Painter. I always
paint with the watercolors first, and after that I
use oil brushes to paint the details. Then I use
watercolor again to improve the shadow and
mid-tones to make it look more solid. I seldom
polish my own work, but rather leave it a bit
rough to make it look more dynamic.

I think that the way you create your textures You have listed biking and jamming as some
looks really nice and gives a great illustrative of your hobbies. Do you find it important
look to your paintings. Do you ever scan in to get away from the computer screen
line art and use that as a base, or do you from time to time, and do you feel that
prefer to start drawing directly into your it is important to see new things and be
program? influenced by them in your art?
I love to do line art before I start painting, but it’s That is very important for me! Sure, motorbiking
been a long time since I picked up a pencil as I has influenced me a lot which is why you can
do everything with the tablet. I draw directly into always see machines in my work. I love to rev
Painter, maybe because I am too lazy to scan. It away on it for a break, but since I crashed it last
does make my style quite different when I use a year, I feel a little like I am living in a cage at the
pencil and I do love both styles. moment.

www.2dartistmag.com page 10 Issue 066 June 2011

Lee Chak Khuen Interview

www.2dartistmag.com page 11 Issue 066 June 2011

 Interview Lee Chak Khuen

I jam with my friends sometimes, but since sometimes like to ask artists what they Thanks for freeing up the time to speak to
everybody’s getting busy, it’s hard to find a free would be doing if they hadn’t stumbled into us and for sharing your fantastic paintings.
hour for this. But as long as I am alive I will try CG art. What job do you think you would be I will definitely be keeping an eye on your
to find time to do this. I like to play guitar and doing if you weren’t painting? work!
drums – but not well [Laughs]. [Laughs]. I would like to think that I could be You are welcome man, this is my pleasure. I
a racer, but I’m not rich and not talented... so also wanted to thank you for the corrections to
You can tell when looking at your portfolio maybe a musician (although I’m not talented at my broken English [Laughs]! Thank you very
that your hobbies inspire you a lot. I that either). Or perhaps a sculptor. much!

www.2dartistmag.com page 12 Issue 066 June 2011

Lee Chak Khuen Interview

www.2dartistmag.com page 13 Issue 066 June 2011

 Interview Lee Chak Khuen

www.2dartistmag.com page 14 Issue 066 June 2011

Lee Chak Khuen Interview

www.2dartistmag.com page 15 Issue 066 June 2011

Lee Chak Khuen
For more information please visit:
http://puppeteer.cghub.com/
Or contact them at:
[email protected]
Interview by: Simon Morse
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“... I do hope to be
able to paint a portrait
of him one day, as the
design intrigues me in
a unique sort of way.”
Damien Mammoliti Sketchbook
Sketchbook of
Damien Mammoliti
Here’s something silly I whipped up at work. The manliest taur
you ever did see. I like combining different fables and cultures
to make something new; i.e: a Viking centaur (Fig.01).

www.2dartistmag.com page 19 Issue 066 June 2011

 Sketchbook Damien Mammoliti
This is another undead lich-like creature
(Fig.02). I’ve been trying to come up with the
perfect lich design for what feels like eons, but
nothing seems to feel right to me. He’s kind of
on the right track though.

www.2dartistmag.com page 20 Issue 066 June 2011

Damien Mammoliti Sketchbook

This one was a spur of the moment idea

(Fig.03). I, for some reason, have a
fascination with gigantic eyeballs placed
where they should not be. I did want a sense
of royalty to him, so he has the exaggerated
posture you might expect.

www.2dartistmag.com page 21 Issue 066 June 2011

 Sketchbook Damien Mammoliti
Here’s more undead nonsense, I can’t seem to
get enough of making designs for them. There’s
just a wealth of potential lying around (Fig.04).

This is a creature sketch that came to me a

couple years back and won me a small contest.
Again I was combining different elements to
make something new, an undead dragon with
human anatomy (Fig.05).

www.2dartistmag.com page 22 Issue 066 June 2011

Here’s a concept idea for a sprite character
(Fig.06). Not sure if I like his simplicity now, but
it’s still a good starting point in case I ever return
to it.

Here’s a character design that was never really

finished. I still like his earrings (Fig.07).
 Sketchbook Damien Mammoliti
Here is a random image that was probably spawned from
listening to a track one too many times (Fig.08). The
grandest ideas, I’m sad to say, sometimes never even
make it to paper.

This is a sketch for a painting I have actually completed

(Fig.09). I liked the idea of a large, lumbering demon with
his tiny rider pal. He does kind of have an animal appeal to
him, knuckle-dragging and all.

This is a mural idea for someone’s far too elaborate office

(Fig.10). I was playing around with ideas for something
grand but fantasy related, hence the gryphon.

www.2dartistmag.com page 24 Issue 066 June 2011

Damien Mammoliti Sketchbook

This guy spawned from a D&D session a

while back (Fig.11). I’m not entirely sure
if he was meant to symbolize the trauma
of that session, but he has an amusing
expression nonetheless.

Here is an idea that came and went, of a

large gelatinous creature that was made of
shadows and “bad memories” accumulated
by the dead. This could be used again in
the future (Fig.12).

www.2dartistmag.com page 25 Issue 066 June 2011

This is a creature idea that seemed
to fall out of me on a whim (Fig.13). I
am not sure of its purpose just yet.

I’ve always had a fascination with

isolating eyes to give focus and
drama, so I guess this one would be
a fine example of that (Fig.14).
This is a concept that came about from
a short comic written a couple years ago
(Fig.15). I think I appreciate the story behind
him now more than when I first did the
concept, but I wanted to give an alien look to
him without it feeling extraterrestrial.

This guy has come and gone multiple times

on my “to draw” list, but so far only a sketch
has emerged (Fig.16). I do hope to be able
to paint a portrait of him one day, as the
design intrigues me in a unique sort of way.

Damien
Mammoliti
For more information please visit:
http://nanya.deviantart.com/
Or contact them at:
[email protected]
This month we feature:
Francisco Albert Albusac
Branko Bistrovic
Daniel Dociu
Andreas Rocha
Damien Mammoliti
Hethe Srodawa
Jason Seiler
Min Yum
Jan Ditlev
Noah Bradley
The Gallery 10 of the Best send us your images! | [email protected]

The Trials of Devotion

Noah Bradley
http://www.noahbradley.com/
[email protected]
(Right)

The House of Air

Francisco Albert Albusac
http://www.tatitati.deviantart.com
[email protected]
(Below)

www.2dartistmag.com page 31 Issue 066 June 2011

 send us your images! | [email protected] 10 of the Best The Gallery

Finished Sketch 570

Jan Ditlev
http://www.janditlev.com/
[email protected]
© Jan Ditlev

www.2dartistmag.com page 32 Issue 066 June 2011

The Gallery 10 of the Best send us your images! | [email protected]

www.2dartistmag.com page 33 Issue 066 June 2011

 send us your images! | [email protected] 10 of the Best The Gallery

Kitchen
Min Yum
www.minart.net
[email protected]
© Me & My Monsters
(Above)

Still Life 2
Damien Mammoliti
http://damiem.blogspot.com/
[email protected]
© Damien Mammoliti
(Left)

www.2dartistmag.com page 34 Issue 066 June 2011

 Conan
Jason Seiler
http://www.jasonseiler.com
[email protected]
© 2011 SEILER All Rights Reserved
 send us your images! | [email protected] 10 of the Best The Gallery

© All Guild Wars materials are property of Arenanet/ NCsoft and are used with permission

Stormy Horizon Under My Bed

Daniel Dociu Andreas Rocha
http://www.tinfoilgames.com/ http://www.andreasrocha.com
[email protected] [email protected]
(Above) (Below)

www.2dartistmag.com page 36 Issue 066 June 2011

Fagin’s Lot
Hethe Srodawa
hethesrodawa.blogspot.com
[email protected]
© 2011 Hethe Srodawa All Rights Reserved
Tombs of Ashes
Branko Bistrovic
http://branko.cgsociety.org/gallery/
[email protected]
© Branko Bistrovic
 In this eBook series our artists
will be teaching us how to use
information about tribes from the
past and present to design new
characters. The artists involved
will gather references about their
chosen tribal warrior and then
translate this information into a
dynamic character illustration.
Character design is huge in both the
game and movie industries and this
eBook is a great guide as to how to
design a character from a brief.

Chapter 1 | This Issue

Aztec

Chapter 2 | Next Issue

Maori

Chapter 3 | August Issue 068

Red Indian

Chapter 4 | September Issue 069

Viking

Chapter 5 | October Issue 070

Fantasy
Painting Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec
Chapter 01: Aztec
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
The Aztecs were a group of people in central
Mexico who were prominent between the
14th and 16th centuries. Their civilisation
accomplished some great artistic and
architectural achievements, and their history
demonstrated some rich traditions. Perhaps
one of their most commonly know traditions
is that of human sacrifice, which can be seen
illustrated in manuscripts from the time. In terms
of finding reference material there are obviously
no photographs from the period and so you can
only rely on painted manuscripts and costume
recreations. For the purposes of this tutorial I
thought it would be interesting to create a semi-
realistic character that was part based on actual
records and manuscripts, and combine this with
an imaginary element.

Blocking In
Due to the colorful nature of Aztec culture
and society, together with the area that they
once inhabited, I decided straight away that
I wanted this painting to have a rich palette
with lots of saturated colors. From looking at
various reference images I got the impression
of elaborate, exuberant costumes and beautiful,
decorative jewellery. These were most likely
used for ceremonial purposes; however I liked
the idea of adorning my warrior in something
similar to make him look more interesting.
I therefore imagined a warrior who may be
dressed up slightly for some form of ritual or
ceremony.

The first stage was to fill in the background

with some vivid greens and a suggestion of
some jungle foliage and ground. Fig.01 shows
the initial block in using some textured custom
brushes. and uses a Dual brush. The other brush I used As this background would be on a separate layer
can be seen in Fig.03. At this stage it was just a to the character it didn’t matter too much if it
The brush I used to create the leaf shapes can case of getting rid of the bland white background remained vague at this stage as it could always
be seen in Fig.02, which has some scattering and providing a base to work on. be modified throughout the painting process.

www.2dartistmag.com page 41 Issue 066 June 2011

 Chapter 01: Aztec Painting Tribal Warriors
With the backdrop roughed in I started blocking
in the warrior (Fig.04). I filled in most of the
body in a single color which would be the mid-
tone. Upon this base color I could work in the
shadows and highlights.

Building the Detail

Fig.05 shows the next stage in the process
which now incorporated a third layer where I
began to add some clothing and accessories. If
you were working in the games industry it would
be a good practice to separate your painting
into layers in case you are asked to change
anything. Having the clothing on a different layer
to the character means it can be modified with I roughed in a feathered headdress, which is
ease. Your art director may require changes to something that seemed prominent in much
the costume and so splitting up elements can of the Aztec art I found and was an aspect I
save a lot of time and headaches. wanted to include. I also started to develop

the features of the face a little more with the

light source being somewhere to the left of the
picture frame.

Using a textured Chalk brush I started to

build the anatomy (Fig.06). I also moved the
character slightly up and to the right on the
canvas as he looked a little squashed.

I added an extension to his ceremonial

headwear, which can be seen in Fig.07. To
create a highlight across the left side where the
sun is hitting it I duplicated the layer this was
painted on and then set the blending mode
to Screen (inset 1). I then used the Eraser to
delete the areas that weren’t directly in the
sunlight, leaving just a small section (inset 2).

www.2dartistmag.com page 42 Issue 066 June 2011

Painting Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec

I wanted to add some war paint across my the adjustment layer to the left-hand side of the The overall lighting was another aspect that
warrior’s body and so created a new layer for character (left image in Fig.09). You will also was troubling me at this stage as it seemed
this so I could experiment with the color and notice that I have added some extra decoration dull and did not have the vibrancy that I initially
blending mode easily without it affecting the around his neck and chin now, labelled “Layer intended. To rectify this I merged the two
main image. I started with the face and in the 3” in the palette above tattoos. previous adjustment layers with the character
end chose Normal as the blending mode. To layer and then applied two more; a Curves
make sure the paint was consistent with the I wanted to have a few tattoos across my and a Brightness/Contrast layer. On the left is
lighting I used the Eraser tool to make the warrior and so created a new layer in order to the image before these were applied and on
highlighted areas semi-transparent (Fig.08). experiment, as I’d done with the face paint. the right is the effect of these along with their
The Overlay blending mode is probably the settings. You can see now that the general color
The skin tones looked a little flat and so in order most suitable setting and using a chalky green I scheme has been enriched and the light feels
to increase the contrast I applied a Brightness/ painted some shapes across his torso and limbs much warmer and more tropical.
Contrast adjustment layer. I increased the (Fig.10 – inset). You can see how these finally
values by around +30 in both cases and then appear in the full image when the blending During the painting process I realized that the
used black to paint into the mask and restrict mode is altered. right leg looked a little twisted and the curvature

www.2dartistmag.com page 43 Issue 066 June 2011

 Chapter 01: Aztec Painting Tribal Warriors

through the lower leg seemed exaggerated. I Embedded along its edges were pieces of In the case of the first one I made a selection
decided to change it by making a selection area obsidian (volcanic glass). This material was area around the large foreground leaves and
from the knee down and then rotating it (Fig.11). naturally robust and sharp and made a perfect then pasted these into the painting (Fig.13).
You can, of course, opt to use the Warp tool material for cutting and piercing. Once both pictures had been pasted in, I color
in Photoshop although this can sometimes corrected each by reducing the contrast and
distort the overall contours of the image. Either Finishing Touches also the saturation of the leaves in the lower
way works fine really; it just depends on your The picture at this point was reaching its final image.
preference. stages, although there were a few adjustments
that could help improve things. Although I I also found a useful image of some ground
Once the lower leg was duplicated I rotated wanted to focus the attention on the warrior and with scattered grass and earth and decided to
it and then used the Eraser tool to delete the not the background I thought that some textural overlay this across the jungle floor (Fig.14). I
unwanted areas on the character layer as well realism might help in the way of some foliage. used the Transform tool to scale it vertically in
as blend any obvious seams. Here you can I looked through the free library of photos order to create a more accurate perspective and
see the before (upper left) and after results available on 3DTotal and found the following two then set the blending mode to Soft Light (lower
(right). After doing this I then rotated the ankle images which were perfect for the task: image).
decoration on the clothing layer to match the
new position of the leg. http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/preview.php?i I decided to increase the contrast in the Curves

mi=13022&s=c:Leaf&p=2&cid=17 adjustment layer and then added one final

You will have noticed that I have also deleted layer which was some reflective light across the
the red feather headdress, which I felt was http://freetextures.3dtotal.com/preview.php?i warrior’s right side. With this the painting was
somewhat out of balance. I was quite keen on mi=13018&s=c:Leaf&p=2&cid=17 complete.
this part of his costume and so replaced them
with a smaller bunch (Fig.12).

Although our character is wearing some

ceremonial clothing he is nonetheless a warrior
and so I thought it only fitting to supply him with
a typical Aztec weapon: the Maquahuitl. This
was a weapon that was somewhere between
a club and a sword and was made from wood.

www.2dartistmag.com page 44 Issue 066 June 2011

Painting Tribal Warriors Chapter 01: Aztec

Richard Tilbury
For more information please visit:
http://www.richardtilburyart.com
Or contact them at:
[email protected]

www.2dartistmag.com page 45 Issue 066 June 2011

THE NEW LEADER
OF ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS
AT VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL
VFS WELCOMES INDUSTRY VETERAN MARIANNE O'REILLY

the former president of visual effects at ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS

Rainmaker Entertainment, O’Reilly joins us AT VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL
with more than 20 years of experience in 3D ANIMATION & VISUAL EFFECTS
the visual effects and sports entertainment ONE YEAR

industries, with credits including Stargate

CLASSICAL ANIMATION
SG-1, Tropic Thunder, and Changeling to her ONE YEAR
name. Her wide-ranging experience and
DIGITAL CHARACTER ANIMATION
extensive industry network make O’Reilly
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the perfect leader for our world-leading
programs and the next generation of Our alumni have received accolades
from Oscars to Ariels, Golden Globes
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to the Guggenheim, and their work
has been featured in acclaimed films
Discover the VFS advantage at such as The Princess and the Frog,
vfs.com/animationvfx Thor, The Dark Knight, and Rango.
 Chapter 1 | May Issue 065
Military

Chapter 2 | This Issue

Classic

Chapter 3 | Next Issue

Sci-Fi
Pin-up art has dominated digital art forums for years. We
Chapter 4 | August Issue 068
are used to seeing it in many different styles and covering Goth
many different genres. With this new tutorial series, 2DArtist
can proudly announce their definitive guide to pin-up art.
Pin-up legend Serge Birault will guide us through the
different styles and influences in pin-up art, as well as giving
an insight into the fantastic painting techniques he uses to
make his outstanding images.
Classic Pin-Up
Chapter 02: Classic
Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
A girl in a Martini glass… a classic in pin-up
painting! In order to keep to this vintage/old
school idea, I will try to emulate (a little bit) an oil
painting. So I have to mix the cartoony style of
Bambi with a classical way of rendering.

Influences
Here are the artists who inspired me this time:

• Gil Elvgren: He was, is and always will be

the best pin-up painter. This time I will try
to give Bambi an oil-painting like look. The
tones that Elvgren used will have a great
influence too.

• Cartoon pin-ups: There are a lot of 2D/3D

artists who do this kind of character. Andy
Hickinbottom, Matt Dixon, David Dunstan,
Rebeca Puebla and Shane Glines. Take a
look at their work; it could be very useful.

The Sketch
As usual, I don’t spend a lot of time on my
sketch. The composition will be quite simple. I
will probably do some changes, especially on
her face (Fig.01).

Colors and Lights

The light will come from the top left of the
picture. I will try to emulate interior lighting,
like a photo studio. In order to make it look brushes; I try to use the basic ones that come The problem is always the same: how do you
like an Elvgren painting I will avoid shiny skin with Photoshop. They usually do the job. blend colors and paint good gradients? There
by keeping the contrasts low. The tones that are a lot of possibilities, but I think using very
Elvgren used are very interesting: a lot of red The only unusual brushes I like are the Ditlev low opacity brushes (between 0 and 20%) is
in his dark colors, especially on the skin, and a brushes. You can freely download them here: a simple and perhaps the most efficient way.
yellow base for the light tones. You will see that Airbrushes with low opacity would make the
my palette is very simple and logical. • http://cghub.com/scripts/view/83/ image too clean so let’s try to create a more
• http://cghub.com/scripts/view/147/ painting-like look.
The Low Opacity Technique • http://cghub.com/scripts/view/85/
In order to have an oil painting-like render I will The Face and the Skin
try to avoid heavy use of the airbrush or Soft A lot of digital artists use these brushes. Ditlev I will change the face of Bambi a little bit. The
Round brushes this time. I never create custom have done a great job! last time, she looked a little like a vinyl toy.

www.2dartistmag.com page 49 Issue 066 June 2011

 Pin-Up Classic

Her skin was very plastic and reflective. This

time, I want her to look like a classic pin-up. I
begin with a middle tone, a yellow/orange on
a layer. I create another layer for the darkest
tones (brown/red). Then, on separate layers, I
paint the gradient by using a lot of strokes with
low opacity brushes. I do cheat a little bit and
sometimes use a couple of airbrushes, again
with low opacity (Fig.02 – 03).

The eyes and the lips are on separate layers. I

merge all the layers only when I’m happy with
the result. I use the same technique for all the
flesh tones in the picture.

The Stockings
Elvgren had an amazing technique for painting
stockings. I am going to try to emulate it. The
darkest color is a very dark brown and the
lightest is the flesh basic tone. It’s quite logical,
but he also used to add red tones between the
two. So I do the same (Fig.04).

Never do gradients that contain only two colors.

Try to do it with at least three! Once again I
add a lot of layers and merge them when I’m
satisfied with the result. I do, however, keep two
layers separate, one for each leg.

www.2dartistmag.com page 50 Issue 066 June 2011

Classic Pin-Up
The Hair
The hair is probably the most time-consuming
part of this picture. I use two very small Ditlev
brushes (with low opacity again). For the end of
the hair I use the same brushes, but I also use
the eraser (low opacity again). The haircut is, of
course, very much inspired by several pieces by
Elvgren (Fig.05).

The Glass
Glasses can be difficult, but there is a simple
way to create them. First create a Multiply layer
over the other layers. Then use pure black and
basic Round brushes with low opacity.

You can find a lot of references on the internet

to do with creating glasses, but the only rule is
to do logical gradients. For the reflective parts The background and details (Fig.08 – 09). composition. There was nothing difficult here.
use a very light color, but not a pure white. You The olive is very simple and you can use the
can also use the airbrush to add little touches on I did some minor changes to the background technique we used for the glass for the reflection
the brightest parts (Fig.06 – 07). colors and some of the missing part of the and the drop.

www.2dartistmag.com page 51 Issue 066 June 2011

Minor Changes
I change the shape of the leg and do some
adjustments on the light and the contrast. It’s
very useful to have each part on different layers
(skin, hair, stockings, dress etc.,) so you can do
your adjustments without changing the whole
picture (Fig.10).

It’s done!

Serge Birault
For more information please visit:
http://www.sergebirault.fr/sb/index.php
Or contact them at:
[email protected]
Chapter 1 | This Issue
Concept

Chapter 2 | Next Issue

Adding the Sky

Chapter 3 | August Issue 068

Adding Elements

Chapter 4 | September Issue 069

Lighting

Chapter 5 | October Issue 070

Transforming the Time of Day

Matte painting is becoming more and more important in the CG industry. The backdrops
of some of the most epic scenes in films have been created by matte painters who have
used the techniques touched upon in this tutorial. This eBook will talk you through an
entire matte painting and show you how to add photos to your canvas and then integrate
them into your scene. This is a must-have for any experienced or novice matte painter.
Matte Painting Concept
Chapter 01: Concept
Software Used: Photoshop

The inspiration for this image came to me after

watching Disney’s 1999 animated film Tarzan.
I wanted to create a jungle landscape with
subtle light passing through big mountains
that barely touched the mountain tops. I also
wanted to use images that I shot during my trip
to Vietnam.

Black and White Sketch

I started with a very small black and white
sketch. I usually keep them no bigger than 300 I intentionally painted clouds and placed the chose the waterfall to be the main focal point
pixels wide. This way I am not tempted to go mountains in the valley because this way I was of the painting, and the temple in front of it the
into details and rather focus on the big picture. able to paint sunlight wherever I wanted without secondary focal point.
I heard once that if the painting looks good when making it look too artificial. This way you can
it’s small then it will look great once we make it always say that thick clouds are casting the Composition
bigger. I usually find this to be true. shadows, and if that is not enough you still have Here I will try to explain a little bit about the
big mountains that could put the entire valley in composition. It is good to keep in mind the
In the lower left corner I painted an arrow that the shadow. golden rule (Fig.02), although I don’t follow
reminds me of light direction (Fig.01). I also any rule strictly because I find they limit my
placed four round circles with different values I was concentrating on giving good form to the creativity. It is however very useful to learn them
in the middle. This way I am able to quickly mountains and showing a light side as well as and use them whenever you find yourself in
pick different values without having to go to the a side in shadow. Also I was trying to lead the trouble and don’t know why your picture isn’t
color picker. I used a bit of artistic license here viewers’ eyes across the painting until their working. In this case I was trying to divide the
as to where the Sun’s light hits the mountains. gaze exits at the far mountains and the sky. I major masses of the mountains into rectangles.

www.2dartistmag.com page 55 Issue 066 June 2011

 Concept Matte Painting
I found the golden rule to be useful not only
for the purpose of placing the focal points, but
more as a guide to make sure I did not paint any
shapes with the equal proportions, particularly in
reference to the masses of dark and light colors.
If you squint you may find it easier to judge if the
balance is correct.

Proportions
Fig.03 explains more clearly the idea of dividing
masses. The left image is well organized. There
is no question or uncertainty whether we see
equality or inequality. The major rule here is
when creating a good composition you should
not confuse the viewers at any stage. The
easier it is for the eye to understand the image
the better it will be. This particularly applies to
motion pictures where the shot will appear on
the screen for just a few seconds. It is also good
to keep in mind that sometimes the director will
want to confuse the viewer, but even in that
case it is better to do it intentionally.

“It is a good idea to look at

photos or, even better, peek
outside your window for the
best reference”
Balance
At this stage especially (and during entire
process of painting) I flipped the image
horizontally to check the balance (Image > of images do not create balanced compositions.
It either needs to be placed closer to the center
Sky Gradient
Image Rotation > Flip Canvas Horizontal). I
When the small scale black and white painting
assigned a shortcut to this operation just to or balanced by another object. In this example
was satisfying enough I re-scaled it to 2000
make it more accessible. the big circle placed in the middle/slightly left
pixels. Then I started with a color gradient
position is well balanced by the smaller circle
(Fig.05). I was trying to establish the sky first, as
It is very important to have the image well placed way over to the right. The rules, as I
other elements in the painting were dependent
balanced. And by that I mean the relationship mentioned, are very subjective and each of
on it. I decided to go with a late sunset color
between all masses (visual weight) must us has different tastes. It is good idea to study
pallet. It is a good idea to look at photos or,
balance. The left rectangle represents the visual paintings that you like and develop our own
even better, peek outside your window for the
pulling forces. Try to imagine the canvas as unique style.
best reference.
a field of energy. If you place some objects in
that field like, for example, a black circle, there There are more useful rules that you can study
and if, like me, you have problems remembering
Coloring the Mountains
are visual forces trying to pull it to one of the
Then I moved my black and white painting on
directions (Fig.04). The closer to the borders of everything then I would advise you to put all of
top of the gradient and erased the portion of
the image the object is the stronger the forces the rules together, print them out and keep them
it with the sky (Fig.06). I color corrected the
are. That is why big objects placed in the corner close to your monitor.

www.2dartistmag.com page 56 Issue 066 June 2011

Matte Painting Concept
sketch to roughly match the sky. To do that
I selected a color from the sky and set it to
Multiply on top of the sketch.

Adding Detail and Color

Variation
At this point I started to introduce more color
and detail into the painting (Fig.07). I was
not planning to make a detailed concept
simply because almost all of it was going to
be replaced by photographs. I also wanted to
give it a painterly feel. I wanted this painting
to be a decent indication for me later on
when I was going to start using photographs.
I needed information about the placement of
key elements, where to paint my highlights,
how much rock and vegetation, and the color
transitions from the warm facing the sun colors
and cool shadows.

I mixed the paint straight on the canvas by

using Opacity Jitter set to Pen Pressure on the
Wacom pen. This way I was able to color pick
warmer sun colors and paint them straight on
the painted shadow mountains. I was not using
the value circles anymore. Instead I was color
picking different colors from color picker to add
more color variation to the painting. If you study
similar photographs you will notice that there
are thousands of colors involved in this type of • Chalk brush for rocks painting clouds, I made sure to give them depth
image. I usually bring at least a few different • Chalk brush with scattering for vegetation. by placing smaller clouds further in the distance.
hues to the canvas and that makes the process
faster as I can color pick them from there. Adding Details Final Painting
Then I started to focus a little more on micro I gave the painting a slightly warmer tone using
Brushes and Settings composition. I started by adding trees and a Curves adjustment layer (Fig.10). I also added
During the entire process I used three standard temples (Fig.09). I placed them in the areas more haze at the bottom of mountains by using
Photoshop brushes (Fig.08): where the contrast was higher as this meant we the Lasso tool and painting in the selection area
would see them more clearly. I was trying to add (Fig.11). Finally I squashed the entire painting
• Round Soft brush for the haze, waterfall and as much depth as I could by overlapping trees a little bit because I felt that the mountains were
soft transitions in different planes of the painting. Also, when too vertical (Fig.12).

Piotrek Swigut
For more information please visit:
http://www.swigut.com/
Or contact them at:
[email protected]

www.2dartistmag.com page 57 Issue 066 June 2011

Interviews
Wu Xiaojun

Articles
Sketchbook of Seyyed Ghassem Farhany

Tutorials
Painting Tribal Warriors
Chapter 2: Maori by Chase Toole

Pin-Up
Chapter 3: Sci - Fi by Serge Birault

Matte Painting
Chapter 2: Adding the Sky by Peter Swigut

Character Painting/ Portrayal

Chapter 1: Gaunt by Charlie Bowater

Making of
Under the Rain by Alex Andreyev

Galleries
another 10 of the best
Images from around
the world!

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Chapter 1 | January Issue 061
Griffin

Chapter 2 | February Issue 062

Giant

Chapter 3 | March Issue 063

Dragon The fantasy genre is hugely popular in the CG industry and has been showcased in hundreds of
movies, computer games and artworks over the years. With such potential for magic, monsters
Chapter 4 | April Issue 064
and imaginations to run wild, it’s easy to see why fantasy is such an attractive subject. But giving
Yeti
fantastical ideas enough of a basis in reality to be convincing can be difficult. In this series our
Chapter 5 | May Issue 065 talented artists are going to take one aspect of fantasy – legendary creatures – and show us
Alien
how they would tackle this problem. Some use photo integration, others paint the creatures very

Chapter 6 | This Issue carefully with a steady hand, but all share the benefits of their experience and reveal the tricks and
Loch Ness Monster techniques they use to make the unreal seem real.
Photoreal Fantasy Chapter 6: Loch Ness Monster
Chapter 06 - Loch Ness
Monster
Software used: Photoshop & Painter

When the Loch Ness Monster is mentioned

people immediately associate it with a black
and white silhouetted photo of a monster on a
sparkling water surface, with a sea serpent-like
head.

People have been fascinated by the Loch Ness

Monster since 565 AD. Although most of the
persuasive photos have now been proved as
being fake, people’s belief in the beast has not
been impaired at all.
be described as a creature like a “Plesiosaur” Ness Monster for reference later. To control the
Whether the Loch Ness Monster is a legend (the plesiosaur is a marine reptile that lived in features and shape better I draw a plesiosaur as
or just an unlocked mystery, fantasy and the Jurassic age). Images show that the Loch a prototype base (Fig.01).
expectancy in people’s heart will always Ness Monster seems to float on the water’s
exaggerate any existing ideas about what the surface, revealing its long neck and huge ridge, The next step is to add some reasonable
creature is. As fantasy artists we can draw this which is different from a plesiosaur. Whether fantasy elements on the plesiosaur to make
legendary creature with our pen and combine this is a habit of the Loch Ness Monster or not, it more like the Loch Ness Monster. By
tales we have heard with our imagination, and it has become a symbol of the monster. This reasonable I mean not too exaggerated. I say
show the Loch Ness Monster we have in our appearance has left a deep impression on this because features of the monster might
mind. people and will be considered in this image. become impaired. For example, too large a horn
or dorsal fin will change the basic outline which
According to blurred photos and the descriptions Before working on the illustration I find it helps to has left a deep impression on people.
of witnesses, the Loch Ness Monster could draw a sketch to define the features of the Loch
I add fantasy elements such as the gill fins of a
dragon, scales covering the whole body, a wing
like ventral fin and a beautiful tail fin. I do this
to add a mythical atmosphere to the mysterious
creature. Although these elements don’t change
the outline of the plesiosaur obviously, it does
become difficult for audiences to associate the
Monster with a plesiosaur, therefore making it
different (Fig.02).

Do not start the sketch for the illustration in a

hurry after the shape is finalized. The structure
of a marine creature is very special because of
the control and dynamic needed in the water.
The illustration’s content has been decided upon
already, as we want the Loch Ness Monster’s
head and neck to be exposed as it is shown
in photos and described by witnesses. In this

www.2dartistmag.com page 61 Issue 066 June 2011

 Chapter 6: Loch Ness Monster Photoreal Fantasy

case the limbs and trunk would be under water

which affects the overall dynamic and position
of the monster’s features. To express this
all accurately it is worth doing a few practice
sketches.

For the final composition I choose a gesture that

doesn’t only show the dynamic of the monster in
the water, but also avoids a potential problem.
By curving the neck I can display the monster’s
face from the side rather than the front (Fig.03).

The next step is to decide on the final (Fig.05). Loch Ness is the largest freshwater Please pay attention to your layers in the layout
composition for the illustration (Fig.04). lake in the north part of the Scottish highlands. stage. Take Fig.06 as an example:
Because of this we must include a few
It won’t be a waste as you can save the part things like an open lake surface, surrounding - Layer A is the foreground, where the main
that you don’t need, but those parts need to be mountains and mist and clouds. By doing this scenery and character of the illustration will
hidden temporarily or saved as another file so we show those that view the image the type of be depicted.
they don’t influence the normal layout. I will tell location that the monster is in. - Layer B is the mid-ground. Its role is to help
you what to do with the cut part at the end of
this tutorial.

Now we can begin work on the formal

illustration. First paint a background, which
in this case will be the peaceful Loch Ness

www.2dartistmag.com page 62 Issue 066 June 2011

Photoreal Fantasy Chapter 6: Loch Ness Monster

put the character in the scene. This area

should have some points of interest. In this
case I have put in Urquhart Castle, which is
on the shore of the Loch Ness.
- Layer C is the far mid-ground, which
enhances the sense of spatial distance and
connects the lake to the back-ground.
- Layer D is the background, which continues
to add to the sense of depth and scale.

Here is the render after the first sketch is

finished (Fig.07).

When you come to painting the water it is

important to remember how the monster will
affect the water around him. The sky is painted
to look typically Scottish with heavy cloud cover.
The sunlight therefore shines on the water’s
surface through the clouds.

The next step is to work on the details. I have

separated the character and its environment to white. Then add important details such as the The scales are important to get right and
help show the changes more clearly. We will scales, eyes and teeth. Such important details should wrap around the trunk and limbs. If the
look at the head and neck of the monster as are not required to be very precise, but all the arrangement of the scales is wrong the overall
an example (Fig.08). Firstly complete the basic key features must be presented accurately and structure of the animal depicted will be impaired
structure of the character and show the way the clearly. Then the color can be added. (Fig.09). You can use the “Lattice method”
light hits him. This can be done in black and to draw guide lines to determine the trend of

www.2dartistmag.com page 63 Issue 066 June 2011

 Chapter 6: Loch Ness Monster Photoreal Fantasy

scales. You can see that the flow and direction

of the scales is indicated by red and green
arrows in the image. In the second image you
can see the next set of lines to add indicated
with a blue arrow. By adding these you should
have the required guides to continue to develop
your scales. These lines should overlap.

The next step is to refine the lattice. Over these

guides you can start to add the shadows and
highlights, and then add color and volume to Giving the scales a quality feeling is the easiest as you move further away from the foreground.
make every scale stand out (Fig.10). way to make the monster look moist. Please This will add to the sense of depth (Fig.12).
note that the highlight on the monster should not
You can use the same technique for the back be shown individually on every scale, but should There aren’t many details to be painted on the
of the monster. Scale, direction and general be shown on its overall structure. mountains as they are far away, but don’t forget
movement rules should be paid attention to to pay attention to the overall lighting to enrich
as they were with the neck. You can see the At this point let’s go back to the background to the image (Fig.13).
development of the scales in A – C in Fig.11. develop it. Reduce the amount of detail painted

www.2dartistmag.com page 64 Issue 066 June 2011

Photoreal Fantasy Chapter 6: Loch Ness Monster

Here’s the image after the background is and this will help blend the character in the
completed (Fig.14). scene. Try not to make the colors dirty when
painting the water’s surface. Use fairly pure
The water’s surface in this scene is close to colors even for areas in shadow (Fig.15).
the viewer so it should look as detailed as the
main character. I use cyan as the main tone Paint waves and splashes that look as though
for the water’s surface. It adds a cool feeling to they are reacting with the movement of the
the image and contrasts with the background of monster. I am using pure white here to do this.
warm colours. I have lit the water from behind as Also don’t forget the droplets from his head,
it will mean that the splashes can be highlighted neck and tail (Fig.16).

Add a misty effect and halo to the lake’s surface

to enrich the atmosphere (Fig.17).

I’d like to share a solution with everyone who

thought it was a shame to cut part off at the
beginning. You could paint the illusion of being
under the water’s surface in the part you cut off.
The underwater parts should be vague so strong
contrasts can be formed with effect above the
water’s surface (Fig.18):

- Paint caustics effects on the trunk and

limbs near the water’s surface to make the
image more real
- Separate the whole image into upper and
lower parts with ripples
- The trunk and limbs below the water’s
surface should be a little larger and
dislocated so they imitate deformation
caused by refraction in the water.

www.2dartistmag.com page 65 Issue 066 June 2011

 Chapter 6: Loch Ness Monster Photoreal Fantasy

Weiye Yin
For more information please visit:
http://www.franc-art.com/
Or contact them at:
[email protected]

www.2dartistmag.com page 66 Issue 066 June 2011

Photoreal Fantasy Chapter 6: Loch Ness Monster

www.2dartistmag.com page 67 Issue 066 June 2011

 Serge Birault has been wowing us in his
pin-up series, but in this Making Of he leaves
the stylized look behind and shows us how he
paints his hyper-realistic pictures, in this case
his great image My Little Lemmy.

“I worked on a very big

canvas. My picture is more
than 10,000 pixels tall at
300 dpi and, believe it or
not, sometimes I worked
with a 1 pixel brush.”
My Little Lemmy Making Of

Making of My Little Lemmy

Software Used: Photoshop

Introduction
I’m not a big fan of photorealism because I’m
not a photographer, but it’s very interesting to
attempt to do, at least technically. I learned a
lot of new techniques when painting this image,
especially for the skin texture, so I don’t think it
was a waste of my time.

I worked on a very big canvas. My picture is

more than 10,000 pixels tall at 300 dpi and, arms… I didn’t copy a photo; instead I tried etc.,) was on a different layer. The first difficulty
believe it or not, sometimes I worked with a 1 to compose my own picture. It’s a little bit to overcome was the contrast. You can have
pixel brush. more difficult, but I thought it would be more very realistic rendering with strange tones and
interesting. colors. The important thing is your contrast. In
The References order to see if your luminosity and contrast is
Of course, I needed some photo references to The Face good, desaturate your picture and your photo
help with the painting. I had references of my On this occasion my sketch was very clean and reference. The shadow of the nose will be the
wife’s face, several haircuts, t-shirts, hands, detailed (Fig.01). Each part (face, hair, hands darkest tone of the skin face (Fig.02).

www.2dartistmag.com page 69 Issue 066 June 2011

 Making Of My Little Lemmy

I began with the eyes because it’s probably the

most important part of a face. Don’t use pure
black, but a very dark brown (Fig.03).

The other important and expressive part is the

mouth. The lips are quite easy to do, but teeth
are very difficult. I spent a lot of time on them.
Both the lips and the teeth were on separate
layers (Fig.04 – 05).

www.2dartistmag.com page 70 Issue 066 June 2011

My Little Lemmy Making Of

In order to paint a convincing face your eyes

and your mouth have to be good. So try and try
again!

The skin tones are very strange on a face. You

sometimes have to add blues, greens, oranges
or reds. You can use an Incrustation or Color
layer to do minor changes. The texture of the
skin was done at the end of the process with the
basic Dry brush. I think it’s possible to obtain
this result with other brushes which create a lot
of little dots. Of course, it’s very time-consuming.
As usual, I used a lot of airbrushes and soft
round brushes set with very low opacity (Fig.06
– 09). I spent eight hours in total on the face.

www.2dartistmag.com page 71 Issue 066 June 2011

 Making Of My Little Lemmy

The Breasts and the T-shirt

The breasts were done the same way as the
face (Fig.10). The first step when doing the
t-shirt was not very difficult, but the Betty Boop
picture was a real nightmare. I didn’t have a
good photo reference to copy so I extrapolated
a lot (Fig.11 – 13). Once again I spent a lot of
time on this part – about six to eight hours.

www.2dartistmag.com page 72 Issue 066 June 2011

My Little Lemmy Making Of
The Hair
I’ve already done realistic hair in the past, but
this time I tried to do close to perfect hair. I
used no tricks here; I just gave a lot of time to
the task. I used the Ditlev pencil brush (http://
cghub.com/scripts/view/83/) because the
Hard Round brush does regular strokes where
as I wanted to add a bit of chaos!

Once again I never use pure black. There

is a little trick I use when working on very
dark areas. You can create a totally white
Incrustation type layer over the hair. It will
increase the contrast and the luminosity which
can be very useful (Fig.14 – 17). I did all the
hairs one by one: 10 hours.

Hands, Tattoos and Lemmy

The hands were very complicated. Hands are
always very complicated because the tones are
very strange. There are usually a lot of greens
and reds on the fingers. The textures were done
with the basic Dry brush. In the images you
can only see my successful attempt. I tried and
failed several times on this part (Fig.18 – 19).

The biggest difficulty was the ink tones. I wanted

to do tattoos which looked like old ones and, of
course, my wife wanted her tattoos! The Lemmy
figure is quite simple. It looks like a plastic doll.
It’s easy to find good references of him. I added
the logo and I did adjustments in order to made
the picture more interesting (Fig.20 – 21).

www.2dartistmag.com page 73 Issue 066 June 2011

 Serge Birault
For more information please visit:
http://www.sergebirault.fr/sb/index.php
Or contact them at:
[email protected]
 OUT NOW!
3DTotal presents the new issue of 3dcreative
magazine: a downloadable monthly magazine for
concept art, digital & matte painting for only £2.75 (approx $3.78 - €2.93)

Issue 070 June 2011

Weiye Yin, Atsushi Mishima,
Carlos Ortega Elizalde & more!
Gallery - 10 of the best Images from around the world!

Philip Herman
3dcreative interview this fantastic 3D character
modeler Artist.

“Tribeca loft”
Project Overview by Bertrand Benoit.

Classical Sculpture
Rafael Ghencev brings us the third chapter of the Classical Sculpture
tutorial series. This month focusing on creating a Roman bust.

Low Poly Characters

Tamara Bakhlycheva continues her Low Poly Characters series this time
she gives us a Mapping and Un-wrapping master-class!

Unreal Games Engine Tutorial

Lighting and Post Effects is the final subject covered in Andrew Finch’s
Italian Courtyard UDK tutorial series.

Modeling Features of the Human Anatomy

Jose Lazaro, Gavin Goulden, Lino Masciulli & Anto Juricic explain the
process of creating hair in chapter 3 of our Human Anatomy series.

Cover image by Carlos Ortega Elizalde

visit www.3dcreativemag.com
to download the free ‘lite’ issue, the full issue, subscription
offers and to purchase back issues.
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