Value Study Exercise
In this tutorial, we dive into a value study using a black-and-white photo of a statue. This exercise is designed to help you better understand light, shadow, and midtones by starting with a simple sketch and then refining it with three core values: dark, midtone, and light. The tutorial takes you step by step, from blocking in basic shapes to adding subtle details with brushes and blending tools, emphasizing the importance of soft transitions and refining edges for a more polished result.
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Base Painter
- Basic Flo Brush
- Darken Line Brush
- Lighten Line Brush
- Standard Blender
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Blocking in Shapes: Begin by sketching the main shapes, focusing on negative spaces and proportions, which lays the foundation for the value study
- Establishing Core Values: Use three primary values to carve out the statue, simplifying complex lighting into basic light, midtone, and dark areas
- Softening Transitions: Use the Smudge Tool to blend and soften edges, which helps in creating more realistic and smooth transitions between values
- Refining Details: Gradually refine the study by adding smaller details and sharpening edges with brushes like the Darken Line and Lighten Line brushes
Spiderweb
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a delicate spider web with dew drops, all set against a beautifully blurred background. I wish summer could last forever, but Autumn is truly creeping closer now and spiders are getting bigger and bigger after eating so much during the last months. I’m always intrigued by how they build their webs and how much patience they have. We’ll practice being patient during this tutorial as well, crafting our own lovely spiderweb with dew. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I di
Brushes used:
- Soft Brush
- Soft Airbrush
- Medium Brush
- Studio Pen
- Script Brush
Canvas Size:
- 4000 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Creating a Blurred Background: Use gradient light effects and Gaussian blur to craft a soft, dreamy backdrop that highlights the web
- Drawing a Spider Web with Radial Symmetry: Employ the symmetry tool for precise web lines and manually adjust them for a natural droop
- Adding Dew Drops: Apply a modified script brush for varied droplet sizes, layering them for a realistic effect
- Enhancing with Layer Masks: Utilize layer masks to selectively fade parts of the web and adjust droplet transparency
Painterly Avocado
Grab your digital painting brushes! It’s time for some more expressive painterly fun. This time we’ll use a reference photo and paint this lovely avocado. It’ll be fun!
Brushes used:
- Oil Paint Brush
- Broad and Smeary
- Smeary Damp
- Random Strokes Brush
- Lighten Brush
- Multiply Brush
- Tapered Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Blending with the Broad and Smeary brush: This technique creates a natural transition between colors and enhances the painterly texture
- Experimenting with light and shadow: Utilizing brushes like Multiply and Lighten to play with value without losing texture, adding depth and realism to the artwork
- Final touches with texture overlays: Adding subtle texture using overlay layers and the Random Strokes brush to bring a cohesive feel to the painting
- Layer masks for controlled texture: Using layer masks to selectively add texture and highlights, maintaining control over the final look
Combine Your Doodles
In this video we are going to combine the doodles that we created. I’ll show you how to manage your layers and how to color your work once you have combined all of your doodles. But of course you can also add your own style!
Brushes used:
- Dry Ink Brush
- Script Brush
- Flat Marker Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Combining Layers: Learn to select, resize, and reposition doodles for a balanced composition
- Tracing Line Art: Use reduced opacity to trace doodles, starting with the front layers and working backwards
- Adding Details: Enhance doodles with extra elements like light rays and movement lines, and vary line weights for interest
- Coloring Techniques: Create separate layers for each color, and use tools for precise color application and adjustment
- Shading and Highlighting: Apply shadows with a Multiply layer and highlights with a Screen layer, adjusting colors and brush settings for depth and character
20 Doodles for Patrons
The 20 doodles I recently released at YouTube were very popular, so I thought it would be nice to bring you 20 more fun doodles! In this video we’ll create all the separate doodles and in the other video we’ll combine our doodles and turn them into a complete art piece. Have fun!
Brushes used:
- Dry Ink Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2500 x 2500 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Creating Simple Shapes: Learn how to draw basic shapes like sausages, triangles, and curves to form the foundation of your doodles
- Adding Facial Features: Discover techniques to add cute faces to your doodles, including eyes, mouths, and a variety of expressions
Landscape from a Photo
In this beginner level tutorial I’d like to show you how you can take a photo and use it as inspiration for a slightly stylized landscape illustration. Simplifying the landscape, picking the parts you like most and adjusting the composition.
Brushes used:
- Flotastic Brush
- Soft Brush
- Soft Streaky Mixer
- Pine Trees Brush
- Studio Pen
- Script Brush
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Using a Photo for Inspiration: We’ll use a landscape photo from Unsplash as a guide, focusing on elements like the clouds and reflections to shape our illustration while maintaining creative freedom
- Layering and Composition: Start with a rough sketch and use multiple layers to build up the composition
- Creating Realistic Clouds: Block in cloud shapes with varied colors, then use blending brushes to soften and refine them, capturing the dynamic look of a real sky
- Reflection Techniques: Duplicate the sky layers, flipped them vertically, and apply motion blur to create a realistic water reflection, enhancing the depth of the scene
Cute Dragonfly
Dragonflies are such intriguing creatures and I must say I find them kind of scary when they are in hunting mode. I have heard they can bite really hard! This dragonfly we’re drawing in this tutorial is super cute though! We’ll have fun with chalk like textures and create this children’s book illustration vibe. I hope you like it!
Brushes used:
- Rough Round Brush
- Subtle Chalk Brush
- Round Chalk
- Chalky Liner
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Creating Textured Shapes: Learn how to create simple shapes with a textured brushes
- Layer Management: Master layer creation and organization, ensuring each part of the dragonfly is on a separate layer for easy editing and detailing
- Adding Details: Use different brushes and colors to add eyes, wings, and additional features like rosy cheeks, legs, and stylized eyelashes to give the dragonfly personality
Easy Japanese Street
I would love to visit Japan someday, the cities and their streets intrigue me. I love all the neon signs and how much there is to see and explore. For this week’s tutorial I’d like to use a photo and show you how you can easily turn it into a lovely stylized illustration. It’ll be fun!
Brushes used:
- Studio Pen
- Soft Brush
- Light Pen
Canvas Size:
- 2300 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Using a photo as a base: Import a photo, stretch it to fit the canvas, and lower its opacity to use as a reference
- Creating line art: Use the Studio Pen to trace simple shapes and create varied line weights for a dynamic look
- Layering colors: Separate colors into layers, starting with the background, to manage your illustration more effectively
- Adding shadows and highlights: Use screen layers for highlights and multiply layers for shadows to add depth and dimension
- Applying special effects: Incorporate lighting and noise effects to enhance your illustration and make it more dynamic
Sunny Dog
Welcome to another realism tutorial, this time aimed at beginner to intermediate levels. Today, I’ll show you how to trace a photo to create a painting, starting with a cute dog photo. Some people might think tracing is cheating, but as long as you’re honest about it, it’s a great way to learn in my opinion. So let’s have fun!
Brushes used:
- Basic Sketcher
- Flo Darka Brush
- Flo Lighta Brush
- Darken Line Brush
- Lighten Line Brush
- Soft Brush
- Standard Blender
- Basic Flo Brush
- Smudgy Hair Brush
Canvas Size:
- 4000 x 3000 pixels
Skills Learned:
- Adjusting Photo Warmth: Warm up your reference image using hue, saturation, and brightness adjustments along with color balance for shadows, midtones, and highlights
- Tracing and Line Art Creation: Lower the opacity of your photo and trace key lines using the Basic Sketcher brush to establish guidelines for your painting
- Building Base Colors: Start with broad base colors for the background and dog, using the Base Painter brush to fill in large areas with warm tones
- Adding Texture and Detail: Use the Flo Darka and Flo Lighta brushes to deepen shadows and enhance highlights, gradually building up the dog’s fur texture
- Finalizing with Lighting Effects: Add glow and contrast by setting layers to Multiply and Screen, using masks to paint in shadows and highlights, bringing your dog painting to life