2DArtist — April 2017

2DARTIST MAGAZINE | ISSUE 136

93

Put another layer behind and set a small

light glowing up from his magic wand. With

so much light coming out of the cave, do not

forget to paint a big shadow beneath the figure.

Paint it with a fast stroke on another layer.

You can also make the effect of sand blowing

in the wind behind him to make the sense

of the desert environment stronger. Now the

painting is done! I hope you have enjoyed this

earth magic tutorial. I wish you good luck with

painting and trying out your new knowledge!

to much contrast in them or make their form
too dynamic; you don’t want your background
to come closer and disturb the composition.

In this painting I want the viewer to be confused
about whether it is daytime or night time. This
mysterious atmosphere fits really well with
the magic topic. To make that effect stronger,
put stars in the background of the sky.

You can use a star brush or, if you don’t have
one, set some little points with a round hard
brush and copy them so you have a shower
of stars. Now the sky looks much deeper.

08

The middle-ground and magic
cave: So far we have worked a lot
with the background and foreground, but
now the middle-ground, where the main
scene takes place, needs work. Define the
magic cave where the earth opens a bit like
in the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves;
when someone says “Open Sesame.”

Make the edges of the rock sharper, so it seems
more like a dangerous place. Work with cold
and dark colors in blue and brown. Take a
sharp brush and set a bright blue light in the
middle of the rock. Now use a soft round brush
to make a few accurate strokes in front of the
entrance. It looks like magic light is shining
out of it. If light comes out of the cave, it is
thrown on the sand, so take a brighter color
for the sand and paint it near the entrance.

09

Finishing the foreground: We don’t
have much time left, so let’s finish
the foreground. Set a few more lines on the
Bedouin figure to make him more precise.
Then concentrate on the camel, as it is the
main figure and eye-catching in the painting.

Take a small brush and start to paint the details,
keeping your strokes free, and try not to make
them look too clean. A fast brushstroke gives a
fur effect and makes the camel look alive. Make
some brighter fur strokes to the neck and legs of
the camel, so you have the feeling that the light
falling near the camel is reflecting off his fur.

Set some more colors on the Bedouin’s seat
too. I keep colors shining and set more details
and pattern on the seat, so it gets an interesting
traditional look. I also make some darker
shadows under the camel and the Bedouin

and little changes to the stones on the ground.

Now I’m content with the foreground.

10

Finishing the scene: So now we

can finish the main scene. To make

the light emitting from the cave more realistic,

take a small hard brush and paint strokes of

bright light on the rocks. Now it looks like the

bright light is reflecting on them. Then create

a new layer and paint a small wizard figure,

holding a magic wand in up to the sky.

Finish details on the camel and make the seat look traditional

Complete the image with some magical light effects