Coloring & Rendering process Tutorial

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[ It is currently 19 Jun 2013, 01:10 ]

Coloring & Rendering process Tutorial

Title says it all

It is currently 19 Jun 2013, 01:10

Released on: 25 Jun 2011, 08:05
from: Luneder
Viewed: 1966
View topic

I made this tutorial as much for me as for other people because I have the problem of using several different processes to make my art. This tutorial is lengthy so I suggest that those viewing it bookmark for reference.

First step I make a rough sketch to act as a floor plan to what I am making. Since this sketch was done in paper I first desaturate in Photoshop image>adjustment>desaturate, this will make it gray scale. Next I use levels adjustment that can be found by going to image>adjustments> levels to make the sketch stand out better because scanners have a habit of bleaching out the sketch due to the reflection of the graphite, from there it is just a matter of cleaning up the clutter with the eraser.
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Next I reduce the opacity of the sketch layer to 45%, then I make a layer above and with a hard round air brush (1% spacing) I define the main details that I will need to keep track of (the same brush is used for all the painting). This is the same idea as making a lineart but in this case I am not going as far to outline everything.
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This next step is very important to do. Go back to the sketch layer and put it on multiply, and then make a layer under it and put a base color behind the sketch, this will act as a barrier against the white background or the scene. Make sure to use a color that works well with the colors you will be using to paint over it.
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Now to start putting in color, make a layer above the current ones and then chose the colors you will use, make it a range from the highlights to the dark shadows, in this case I used 5 colors for the bark, the leaves around 4 but I will render them out later. Next, I establish the light direction by putting the shadows and the highlights, then using the 3 colors between I establish a value range that will be used to blend the highlights and shadows together and to help with shape and volume.
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As I blend the colors together, I periodically turn off and on the back base color to help identify places I might have missed.

The blending phase is where most of the detail takes shape. The things to keep track of is where the light will hit and how much is being blocked, keep in mind the texture of what you are rendering, since this is wood I used longer downward strokes using the color picker almost every stroke to blend the colors together. Having a tablet with pen pressure is very important and is pretty much a requirement for digital art.
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After blending it will look pretty close to complete, as you can see I took out the leaves and did some more work to the branches, I did not like the look of the leaves which is why I removed them. To cover up the area of the leaves I simply painted over those areas with white. Most people would stop at this point and call it complete, but I think I will have some fun with it and show what are some possible effects that can be done to it.
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To make it seem more sinister I add in glow to the mouth area, first I use orange to establish how much is effects by the glow, make sure to do some blending with the wood colors so it is not just an orange smudge. After I have the area of glow established I then go in with a yellowish-orange and the glow a boost, I do not go as high as the orange I used to make the first step of the glow otherwise it would lack contrast and make the point of using orange first pointless.
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Light reflect is something very important to learn, it will act as a boundary inside the illustration where parts overlap, gives volume, and creates interaction with the environment that the illustration is placed in, plus it make for great effects.
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For the before the next step I add in more branches.

The reason I added in more branches was for fading, using the lasso tool I select the area of the branches, can select a larger area where than the actual branch, just have to make sure where it meets the tree to have that area accurate because that is the border of the fading. Select the background color which is white, and lightly brush over the branches, make sure to be lighter at the tips and darker closer to the body, this helps to show distance that they it is not just a flat illustration.
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The main body of the tree monster is done at this point. Since it looks weird just floating there I will add in rocks. First I block in the area by scribbling in with a dark gray (you can use any color if you want). Then I block in a rough area of each rock inside the dark area. From there I block in lighter colors to act as the highlights keeping in mind the highlights. After blocking in I start blending the colors together, for this I mainly am getting an idea of what the rocks look like. I keep blending until I am happy with what I see.
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Like I did with the branches I will also fade the rocks, this further establishes depth in the illustration.
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Last step is the finishing touches, here I add in the roots to get a connection to the rocks and the tree monster. I also put in a faded root to keep the depth theme going. Hopefully this process tutorial was of help in improving your skills.