2DArtist — April 2017

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2DARTIST MAGAZINE | Fantasy fundamentals: FX

Learn how to generate
interesting effects in
your fantasy scenes...

Part four of this five part series on the
fundamental aspects of fantasy painting is all
about the effects! Everything you have done
up to this point has been geared towards
creating a solid base by emphasizing strong
composition, perspective, and values. Now
we get to polish that work and make it
sparkle! Effects take a solid framework and
give it the appeal that will catch viewer’s
eyes. Using such effects as dust particles,
blur, and subsurface scattering will not
only help with the believability but it can
also reinforce the story as well. In the
following paragraphs I will show you how!

01

Coloring a grayscale image: I usually
work in color from the get-go but
for this series I have been doing everything in
stages. In the last article I focused on values
but now it is time to get this piece colored!
To color a grayscale image I rely primarily on
Color Balance layers and color overlays.

I start by opening up the Color Balance layer and
adjusting the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights
until I have a decent base color. I then create color

overlays for specific pieces of the environment

such as the cloth, bones, and metals. This allows

you to color the image like a coloring book, and

if you want to change something at a later date

you will have it on a separate layer. If you are a

minimalist you can have it all on a single layer

and use saved selections. In the sample image

you can see how I’ve laid out my colors into a nice

Color Balance layer and color overlay sandwich.

02

Using color for emotional effect:

When choosing your colors it is

important to understand how those colors will

affect the viewer. Warm tones tend to elicit

With the use of Color Balance layers and color overlays, coloring the

image is a simple matter of filling it in

By choosing specific colors you can subtly define the mood of the piece