25 QUICK TIPS FOR PRO DESIGNERS TECHNIQUES
© Wendy Stephens
- FASTER PAINTING TRICKS
Freelance graphic designer Wendy Stephens (www.darkirisdesign.co.uk) talks us through her
workflow process, building up digital paintings quickly and effectively
Layer mask:“I then add a layer mask
andstartreducingtheoverallpinkness by painting black. I use a
soft-edged brush and set the Opacityto5%soIreallyhavegentlecontrol
over how much of the originalgreyscale layer shows through”Flat colour:“OnceIamhappywith
the overall contrast of the piece Iaddaflatcolourlayer(R253,G71,
B156 for example) and change thelayer blending mode to Lighten at
100% Opacity”Duplicate:the original greyscale shading layer“Myfinaltipistoduplicate
andsetittoSoftLighttoaddmorecontrast.Thiswayofworkingshaved
literallyhoursoffmydigitalpainting”Startingreyscale:“The biggest
time saver for me was discoveringpainting in greyscale before adding
colour.Ipaintusingjustonerough-edged brush, adjusting the
OpacityandSizeasIwork.Iorganise my brushes by using
Window>Brush Presets>PresetManager and then drag and drop
themintotheorderIwant”Separate layers:happy,Istartworkonthehairona“When I’m finally
separate layer. I’ve already drawneachmajorsection(hair,face,t-shirt,
icecream)onaseparatelayerusingthe Pen tool to keep the edges sharp
andtomakeselectionsquicker”-!44%ď0!).4%2ď!.$ď#/.#%04ď!24)34ď*!#%+ď0),!23+)ď˴WWW.JACEKPILARSKI.COM˵ď%80,!).3ď
HOW HE USES PHOTOSHOP’S QUICK MASK FUNCTION IN HIS ENVIRONMENT DESIGNS- RELIGHT SCENE ELEMENTS FAST WITH QUICK MASK
02
CREATE THE SELECTION
Next, use Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U to convert it into B&W mode. Play with
Curves (Cmd/Ctrl+M) and try to manipulate the sliders to get the desired
black-and-white mask. When you’re finished, use Cmd/Ctrl+A to select and
Cmd/Ctrl+C to copy our layer. Hit Q to go into Quick Mask mode and use Cmd/
Ctrl+V to paste the layer. Press Q to quit Quick Mask mode.03
USE THE SELECTION AS A MASK
While your selection is still visible, create an adjustment layer and the
mask will be created along with it automatically. To keep a non-destructive
workflow put this adjustment layer into a folder and create a mask on top. Hide
it by inverting the mask and use a brush to reveal the elements you want to
change in your work.© Jacek Pilarski
01
SELECT ELEMENTS TO RELIGHT
The first step in relighting elements is to
select the [layers] we will work with. You can also
put a black layer in the bottom for better separation
from other elements. We use the keyboard
shortcut of Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+E, which
creates a new layer out of all the visible layers.