4
Lighting considerations
The order in which I work is a bit unorthodox. I start
by roughly laying down a light source and noting how it
would affect the main figure. In this case I thought it would
be interesting to see some secondary lighting coming from
behind and through the foliage, which would give us some
interesting rim light.6
Tweak the necklace and other adjustments
Once I’m happy with the rendering of the figure I go on to make a range of
adjustments in the image. At this point I change the hue of the necklace from yellowish
bone to silver accents, so that it stands out. The background starts to take shape, as I
add details to the foliage. To avoid getting carried away with over-rendering and
wasting precious time, I like to paint areas in, instead of rendering individual leaves.
5
Rays of light
I then like to tackle the main figure or focal point of
the piece, and add elements to the background that may
contribute to the overall rendering of the figure. For this
piece I decide to introduce some light rays coming in
through the trees. They help me achieve some depth and
separation between the Panther and the background trees.3
Adjust the flats
I then go on to adjust the flats to the hues I want
to work with, preferably going for dark and desaturated
colours. This approach enables me to render from dark to
light for the majority of the process. It’s important to keep
this layer locked, to avoid making any unwanted changes
that could affect selecting areas with the Magic Wand tool.7
A faster workflow
To help me keep my speed up I like to have a layer
with all the swatches specific to the piece. This enables me
to move faster while selecting hues to render with. Most of
the time it’s easy for me to recognise what every swatch is
for. However, if a swatch is used for something minor then
I tend to write a note next to it to remind me what it’s for.PRO SECRETS
DON’T BE AFRAID
TO EXPERIMENT
I often meet aspiring
artists whose pieces
are either too stiff
or resemble another
artist’s style too
much. In this digital
era there’s no excuse
for not trying out
different techniques.
We’re all inspired by
the works of artists
who came before us.
Yet to establish an
identity and a unique
style, we can’t just
replicate what we’ve
seen done. One must
interpret that which
inspires us and
incorporate it into
what we already
know, building up a
toolbox of techniques
along the way. It’s by
experimenting and
interpreting that you
end up developing
your own style.SHORTCUTS
Duplicate Hue/
Saturation
Cmd+Alt+U (Mac)
Ctrl+Alt+U (PC
)
Apply the same tweaks
to another layer or
selected area.Workshops