A_P_I133_2015_

MASTER PRO PAINTING TECHNIQUES TECHNIQUES

LEARN HOW TO PAINT A FUTURISTIC, ECOFRIENDLY

CITYSCAPE USING PHOTOSHOP’S BRUSHES AND TOOLS

MASTER PRO

PAINTING TECHNIQUES

A

nticipation, literature and painting have for

centuries been the main source of creative

inspiration when thinking about the future.

In our times, this is a genre of illustration

that has become a dominant form of expression

thanks to the burgeoning growth of the videogame

and sci-fi cinematography industries. However, it’s

usual to find the very same ideas depicted in different

industry projects time and again, so the continuous

search for original points of view is a must in this

kind of work.

Photoshop is clearly the best tool choice. It is the

ideal application to simulate traditional painting

techniques, which get improved through the

PLAN YOUR PAINTING

FROM REFERENCE TO PAINTING THE BASE LAYER

program’s powerful colour correction, masking,

filtering and brush tools. Consequently it allows you to

work at lightning speed compared to some traditional

mediums. Photoshop is also a great environment to

work with your visual references and elaborate your

ideas from them. However, keep in mind that there is

no digital replacement for artistic research and

planning, which will always be the foundation of good

design work, independent of your medium.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to plan and paint

your own futuristic vision in Photoshop, from

documentation and sketching to the final stages of a

fully detailed painting, working extensively with

brushes, layering and adjustment tools.

01

REFERENCE FOR IMAGINATION

I store a personal archive of thousands

of real world pictures gathered over the years.

They are about history, architecture, nature, art

and real people. It is important to store in both

the unconscious mind and hard drives whatever

boosts your imagination, and revisit it when

researching a new artwork. Adobe Bridge is a

nice tool for browsing references.

02

THUMBNAIL IDEAS

Sketch ideas after you become inspired.

Work on a parcelled-out canvas like this and play

with the references, looking for overall forms, not

specific details. It is a time to enjoy, so that is why

you shouldn’t be too worried about what brush tool

you are using at the moment. Whatever suits and

flows is okay at this stage.

03

PLAN THE COMPOSITION

Time for a strong composition. You can

learn about this from Andrew Loomis books and

articles about the golden ratio and rule of thirds.

Use a low-detail tool like a wide Conte brush,

working out the element placement and overall

feeling. Working in black-and-white allows us to

define rough compositional depths. Overlay

guide layers to check that the composition and

perspective is really working.

FROM SKETCH TO

FINAL PAINTING

WORK IN

PROGRESS

Progress 1: Sketch and

rough lighting

Progress 2: Painting

over sketch

Progress 3: Final adjustments

ANDRES AVARAY

http://www.avaray.com

@andres_avaray

OUR EXPERT

Andres Avaray is a digital artist

who has worked mainly in the

videogames industry, animation,

short films and illustration. He

especially enjoys conceptualising

mad and unique fantasy ideas.