Digital Painting Tutorial

Digital Painting Tutorial

Here's a Step by Step Process of how I work on a painting:

Phase I - Concept + Research [Preparation]
[0.0. Concept:] Before I start doing any actual drawing or painting I brainstorm ideas for what the subject matter and message of the piece is about. This is the concept and for me is the most important part of the entire process. Starting with a strong concept is the foundation for everything that follows. I aim to define the concept with a few sentences. This is determined by the brief, or project goal, or story. In this piece the initial concept was "Futuristic sci-fi scene featuring a vehicle inspired by a classic automobile."
[0.1. Concept Refinement:] Starting with the initial concept i define the specifics of the story. For "Futuristic sci fi scene " I decide to choose a sunset on a bridge, and the vehicle will be inspired by Paulo Martin's 1970 Ferrari Modulo.
[0.2. Concept Research:] Once the concept specifics are defined I research the elements included in the piece. For this specific painting I gathered photo ref of bridges, sunset lighting, and the original 1970 vehicle.
[0.3. Thumbnail sketches:] I do thumbnail design sketches for all the main elements in the painting: the scene comp, the design of the elements, and the main vehicle. The design of the individual elements also communicate the story of a futuristic scene, so each element is designed to appear as something that could exist but doesn't yet for the year 2040.

Phase II - Painting Rough Block In
[1.1. Initial Comp:] Starting with monochromatic values I place the main elements of the painting. The general linear perspective and camera angle are also set. Dramatic lighting is also used to control the areas of contrast to set up the focal points. Using the rule of thirds, I place the front wheel and headlights at the vertex of the bottom left thirds. I set up the lighting conditions to create the highest amount of contrast of value and color in this area. Monochromatic values are used to create depth with atmospheric perspective using a limited value range in the Background [light values 2-4], Middleground [full values 0-10], and Foreground [dark 7-9]. Thinking about color theory I establish a simple foundation for a complementary color scheme of warms and cools [orange vs blue]. All of the previous thumbnail designs for the elements are also used in this step.
[1.2. - 1.3. Comp Refinement:] First I flip the entire image to get a new look at what i have so far. I start defining the shapes in the bg thinking about how they relate to the rest of the painting. I create a secondary focal point by silhouetting a future city in the opposite third relative to my focal point, then I use the large sweeping curve of the bridge to lead the viewer back into the foreground where my main focal point is. I'm also using the warm lighting of the sunset in the bg and cool shadows in the fg to separate the bg from the fg. I also squint to check the value arrangements and see if the main shapes are working.
I add a small bit of preliminary lighting effects to test my ideas of the headlights and front corner as the main focal point. I check what i have done so far and decide its time to move on to the next phase.


Phase III - BG Rendering
[2.1. BG City + Bridge:] From here on out I'll mostly be rendering. My approach to digital rendering is a hybrid of techniques from traditional oil painting process [working bg to fg, tightening up in focal areas, controlling edges and gradients to make forms read], and the techniques offered by new technology [adding details and lighting effects].

After all the rough ins I begin finalizing the bg. My goal is to indicate a future city and bridge without actually completely rendering it. The purpose of this being not to distract from the main focal point that I will fully render later. I've increased the saturation and grouped the shape silhouettes to make them more dominant as a shape. I use a small amount of color shift to create depth of the bridge coming forward away from the sunset behind the city. [2.2. - 2.3. MG Bridge Rendering:] I fix the linear perspective from the previous step to define where the corners of the road are relative to the vehicle. I change the design form language of the structural elements of the Mg bridge seen in the upper corner to something more experimental and not seen today. I also change the design to to have dominant structures with subdominant rails or beams to create more interest. I use hard edges to define the shapes and highlight the corners of the forms with the warm light of the sunset. The changes I make to the vehicle are just place holders to remind myself of where I'm going later on in the painting. With the Bg and secondary elements 90% complete I check what I've done so far and move on to the focal point, the vehicle rendering.

Phase IV - Focal Point Vehicle Rendering
[3.1. Wheels:] The wheels are created using the ellipse tool as a guide to get the series of crisp concentric ellipses. I also keep in mind the lighting direction as i render. I only create one then duplicate and transform the other. Place both according to the pre existing perspective grid lining up the minor axis of both wheels to the vanishing point outside the image.

[3.2. Main Vehicle Body:] A simple step using value changes to show the form changes as the forms turn away from the light. I use mostly a digital airbrush with 10-30% opacity to build up values. I also don't worry too much about the edges as I'll clean everything up in the next step. The goal is to just get the main form changes to read.
[3.3. Defining Forms Using Edges and Values:] Continuing from the last step I use a hard edge brush with higher opacity to increase contrast and harden the edges to create crisp form changes. I also add the warm highlight on the far side of the vehicle and a hard edged reflective highlight to indicate the glass material change. The glass highlight is placed representative of the cool light source illuminating the front corner. I then use a smaller brush to add some of the smaller highlights and details. Lastly I indicate the wheels turning with a few brush strokes. When I'm satisfied with how all the forms read I move on to the last phase.

Phase V - Detailing + Effects
[4.1. - 4.3. Paint Stripes, Lights, + Textures] I add a paint stripe with a hard brush and create a headlight pattern using a light fx brush [glow-painter/colordodge-ps]. As I do so I'm thinking about my composition and remember why I set up the image in this way. I want the front corner to be my focal point so it should have the most value change[full range 1-10], clearly defined forms, and most color contrast [adjacent complementary colors]. I add some minor textures to the various surfaces using a hardlight layer with very low opacity to add some noise and variation to surfaces and some subtle warm light near the rear of the vehicle and cool light near the front. A minor touch is a bit of motion blur in very limited areas [near the wheels, on the road]. Everything is finally coming to an end. All that preparation work was for this moment.
The Finished Painting
[Final:] I flip the image once more, add reflections on the ground by duplicating and lowering opacity of the new layer, and add some final brush strokes just for my own taste, and its finally done - a full finished painting. Of course I can always go back and make changes but for now I consider this piece done and I don't have any more time to spend on it.
Thanks for reading this far. I hope this tutorial was helpful and enjoyable!

Professional Photograph

I’ve been a professional photographer for long enough now to start getting invited to judge some local photography contests. In doing so I have been struck by the fact that so many of the pictures, especially those of people, could have been dramatically improved by the application of just a few simple ideas.

I’m not talking professional portraiture here. Few, if any, of the entrants to these contests would even consider themselves to be serious photographers. In this digital age, it has become even more obvious that the difference between a good photograph and an ordinary one has little to do with the camera and everything to do with what the photographer thinks about before they take the picture.

"Above" captured by Deneb Catalan

With that in mind, here are a few things to think about the next time you take a picture of someone. Who knows, you might even want to enter it in your own local photography contest.

Tip 1. Turn the camera round

It is the easiest thing in the world to just pick your camera up and hold it horizontally to take the picture. Cameras are designed to be naturally held this way but it produces an image in what is called a landscape format, where the picture is wider than it is tall. As the name suggests, this is very good for landscapes.

Turning the camera on its side will produce an image in portrait format (taller than it is wide) that is much better suited to pictures of people. It’s obvious when you think about it, people are taller than they are wide so they will always fit the frame better if the camera is held this way round.

Using the camera this way might feel slightly awkward at first but, with a little practice, you’ll soon get used to it. The only times a landscape format works best is with a group of people or if you go close enough for a “head and shoulders” shot or you deliberately want to include something else in the background of the shot.

"Carre Otis" captured by Ethan Allen

Tip 2. Get closer

A general rule for a good photograph is that the subject “fills the frame” and, once you have turned your camera on its side, this becomes much easier to do. It’s almost essential if you want to include their whole body but you would only need to do that if what they were wearing was important to your picture.

Normally it’s best to go in until there is just a little space either side of them and a little more space above their heads. This will usually mean you are cutting them off around the waist. For various technical reasons, it is better if you don’t get physically closer than about 6 feet (2 metres), especially if you are using flash.

Tip 3. Find a plain background

Another thing that makes a good photograph is if there is nothing to distract the eye from the main subject. Filling the frame will help a lot with this but every subject has to have something behind them so try to keep this as plain as possible. The sky (especially on a cloudy day) might be the most obvious choice but it’s not usually the best.

This is because it is much brighter than it looks to the human eye and, unless you know how to compensate your exposure for that, may give you an underexposed picture. Even when you do compensate, there is a great danger of your subject’s hair just disappearing into the washed out sky. This hardly ever looks flattering.

If you are near a building, consider having your subject stand close enough to it so that there is just a plain wall in the background. If there is nothing obvious in the vicinity, try standing a bit further away and zooming in. In most cases this will throw the background out of focus, making it less distracting and making your subject stand out much more clearly.

Be careful if you have a zoom larger than about 4X because it may be difficult to avoid camera shake if you zoom right in with one of these. Ideally, you would use a tripod in these situations but that’s getting a bit beyond the realms of simple photography.

Captured by Bradford Hardesty

Tip 4. Watch the sun

It’s great when the sun comes out. All the colours are brighter and people find it much easier to smile. However, bright sunlight produces hard dark shadows which can have a very unflattering effect on someone’s face if they are at the wrong angle. It is much easier to take pictures of people on a cloudy day because, no matter which direction they face, the lighting won’t change too much.

Of course, we can’t control the weather so probably the best thing to do on a sunny day is to find a shady spot to take your photograph. In order for this to work best, the background, the subject and the camera should all be shaded from direct sunlight.

When there is no shade to be found then you should consider the angle of the sun relative to their face. There are two positions that minimise the effect of shadows cast by the sun. If your subject stands almost directly facing the sun then the shadows on their face will be at their smallest. Don’t have them absolutely directly facing the sun or you might get your own shadow into the shot.

Another option is to have the sun behind them so their entire face is in shadow. Again, don’t have the sun directly behind them or you could end up with some flare in your picture. You may have to adjust the exposure for this type of shot but it’s the best set up if you can also use “fill in” flash on your camera.

Tip 5. Get on the eyeline

Having sorted out the background and the lighting, the next thing to consider is your subject and the position of your camera relative to them. Eyeline can mean different things depending on the context but here I’m just referring to your subjects eye level. This is ideally where your camera should be, at the same height as their eyes or very slightly below.

In professional portraiture, the height of the camera relative to the subject’s eyes plays an extremely important part in determining how they will look in the final image. Even slight changes of this aspect can make a profound difference. The most “neutral” place to be is at the same level and, unless you are making a portrait as opposed to just taking a picture, this is the best place to be.

Photo captured by ToMa

When dealing with a subject who is much taller than you then you should think of asking them to sit down so you can get on their eye level. If that’s not possible, try standing further away and zooming in. This will reduce the angle at which you are pointing up and minimize the effect.

In most cases the problem arises when you are photographing someone sitting down or a child or even a pet. It is almost always going to be a better picture if it is taken from the eye level of your subject. You don’t need to take my word for it, try it for yourself the next time you are in this situation.

Extra tip. Don’t be square

If you follow all of the above, you should be able to take a decent photo of anyone but that is still some way away from making a portrait, which is an attempt to show your subject’s character and personality as well as being a good picture of them. Once you have mastered all the tips, you might be inspired into taking this one stage further and stepping into the realms of portraiture.

For this you need to think about your subject’s pose and probably the simplest way to start is to avoid having them squarely facing the camera. Ask your subject to face about 45 degrees away from the camera or have them stand still and you move round about 45 degrees. Then ask them to turn their head to face the camera for the shot. This usually looks much better than just being square on and, if nothing else, will have a slimming effect on most people, which is often appreciated.

Which direction they turn usually doesn’t matter but a few people have a “good” side. The best thing to do is to try a shot from either side and decide what is best later on.

Summary

For better people pictures you should: turn the camera around for portrait format, fill the frame with your subject and always shoot from their eye level. Oh, and if it’s a sunny day, get into the shade.