MY DIGITAL ART PROCESS

YAY! My first real blog. Pretty excited here. My first ever online tutorial thingy. To get the most of what I am saying you should be familiar with Photoshop already. Don’t be shy with any feedback or questions whatever the level. Anything I can do to improve my format would be greatly appreciated. It is my hope to create a place where friends can help each other along their way, explore techniques, seek to improve our work, find a little inspiration or share a smile.

Okie dokie, without further ado:

Step 1: The classic thumbnail sketch

I had the basic idea in my head so it only took the one to give me the direction I needed to start.

Step 2: Setting up the Photoshop File

After a series of rough sketches, I scanned the ones (at 300 dpi, 200%) I liked and patched them together on individual layers (labeling your layers is highly recommended) in Photoshop CS4 loosely place them according to my thumbnail.

Step 3: Clean Up

After some resizing and jockeying object position, I tighten up my line work first with the “Levels” white eyedropper to remove the unwanted paper tone and debris. Then proceed with the “Eraser” to clean up the drawings.

Step 4: Final Line Art

The fun begins… I save all my original layers of art in a folder and duplicate them. Within my new folder (Flattened_Art) I flatten the layers within and set the blending mode to “multiply.” I am finding if I duplicate this layer, it gives me a nice heavier line without having to mess about with any filters. I then duplicated again and applied, Filter/Brush Strokes/Sumi-e and “C’est voila, fini!” (Filter/Brush Strokes/Angled Strokes has a nice effect on line art, I used this on “Isadore the bunny girl and her little raccoon friend, Ferdinand,” and was quite pleased.)

Step 5: Creating a Background

Creating a new bottom layer (which I always affectionately label, “BG”) I chose a color I found suitable.

And then created a series of layer, each with a different brush, and proceeded to “paint” a nice texture on each. You will want to play with the opacity levels and blending modes to create the desired effects. In a future blog, I will go into more detail on custom brushes. These layers are situated between “Flattened_Art” and “BG.” Below are my results.

Step 6: Creating some depth

Creating a new layer above “Flattened_Art” and setting the blending mode to “overlay,” I choose a custom brush the gives me a nice rough, almost pastel texture. Painting in white, I proceed to create highlights trying to maintain a fixed imaginary light source.

Step 7: Color and Last Embellishments

On a new layer, blending mode normal, I create a custom color palette of swatches and return to painting with the same brush I used for the highlights. With the elliptical marquee tool I create the “moon” beneath the “color” layer remove thr pottom portion to create a semi-horizon line and “that’s all I got to say about that.” (said in my best Forrest Gump voice).

Thanks for stopping by.

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