PAINT CONCEPT ART FOR ARCHVIS
07
REFINE SHADOWS AND EDGES
Continue working on the overall shading.
Ask yourself where objects or buildings are
standing very close to each other and creating deep
shadow areas. Select a small brush to highlight
edges that directly face towards the light source.
This will make your objects more brilliant. Always
create a new layer from time to time, when you
start working on different areas or buildings. This
will later make it easier to reflect and make
changes if necessary. It also helps a lot in
production when your client or art director wants
you to remove elements. Then you can simply hide
the layer without over-painting those elements.06
START SHADING
Let’s start filling in some parts the texture is
not covering up. Always use selection in combination
with big, soft brushes. It is a great way to create sharp
edges in contrast to smooth, wide surfaces. Also try to
combine multiple selection methods to achieve the
selection you want. When you have completed one
selection simply hold down Shift to add another
selection to the existing or hold alt to reduce some
parts. When you start shading several areas, always
have in mind where the light is coming from and
where shadows are being cast.05
ADD TEXTURES
Now we want to put some textures in
place to have a base to paint on. As a concept artist
or digital painter in general it’s always useful to
create your own library of textures and reference
images. Choose one texture of a glass facade, ideally
undistorted and photographed from the front. Drag
the images onto your canvas. This usually creates a
Smart Object of the image. Now match the texture’s
lines to the picture’s perspective. When you are done,
hit Enter to end the transformation. If you are not
sure about the position of the vanishing points,
unhide the guidelines from Step 1. When you are
satisfied with the texture, you don’t need the Smart
Object any more, right-click on the layer and select
Rasterize Layer. Next, mask overlapping parts of the
texture by painting with black on the layer mask.
Repeat this step on a few more surfaces.QUICK TIP
Real reflections behave in different ways and the best ones for your purposes when
painting architecture are diffuse reflections. These don’t reflect accurate details, they
reflect softer light and shade, so they add instant realism without needing accuracy.08
ADD REFLECTIONS
Some parts are still looking very dull and not reflective at
all. We are going to change that now. Select a big brush with
Pressure Sensitivity set to Opacity. Pick the colour of the surface
and shift its brightness a few per cent. Now paint big straight
shapes onto the surface to imitate reflection. Erase parts that don’t
fit by selecting them and hit Backspace or just use the Eraser tool.
In such cases it is always helpful to look at real reflections and
references to train yourself and learn.09
ADD LIGHT AND SHADOW
In this step we continue making our building complex sculpturally with light
and shadow. You can achieve that by pushing some shapes further inside the form by
selecting an area and paint in a darker value. Also pick white and paint some big overall
glares on a new layer to strengthen the light side of the buildings.