Add more EPIC to your digital art

1. Introduction: my name's Jenny Courtyard. Full time illustrate with West Wales. I worked in a wide variety medians from traditional war fellas all the way through to digital software such as appropriate in photo shop. This class is gonna be all about. I didn't want Epic to individual off, so I love the sort of random happy accidents occur when I'm working with digital medium, particularly using photo textures, employees to create unique all works. So if you are looking to get away from often the plastic look off digital paintings is too smooth looks that can happen. When you're painting in this medium on wanting to create artworks in a rich in color and texture, then this is a class for you. I'm gonna be taking you through by tips for sourcing, texture, images, uh, that well suitable for you, mate Compositions on identifying absolute gems you might overlook and also explaining my techniques for creating richly textured digital odds. I'm gonna be helping you plan your work whilst also staying open to the random effects that occurs when using this kind of software. Working with Leia modes on blending modes to create going through, we'll also delve into more mechanical things that she's doing file size and resolution. How to refine your painting towards final stages in creating a cohesive, polished image. So some of the images that you're seeing in this intern we're gonna meet covering on uh, yeah, you can enroll and get involved right now. 2. Identify textures and imagery: first, let's look at how to identify a good texture or image for use in your digital artwork. So here I've got a number of images that, um I've used in the past in various artworks, but I'm just gonna go through them briefly. Teoh, explain in what way? They're useful on how even the most basic of image could actually be a super addition to your artwork. So we brought a good selection here. All kinds of stuff. Um, from image based pieces, two very abstract textures. In the next video, I'm gonna take you through how I go about sourcing these. But for now, we're just gonna look at what makes them useful. So when I'm looking at stock images or texture images, I'm really looking for, um, interesting plays of light. Interesting textures. Um, perhaps what's most similar about all of these images is they've got a lodge off differences between light and dark, so really good range in value. Um, I find that images that are very flat with low differences in value, um don't necessarily work so well for for the kind of effects that I'm looking for. And you'll see how this comes into play when we look at how to use the layer effects in photo shop. So, um, looking for images that have really interesting patterns. I'm not to say that, you know, we might not specifically use this image off scales on a dragon or visit painting. It might be used for something completely different. Eso trying to get stuck on what that images and look more for the effects that it might create. So the gemstone, for example, I haven't done any artworks that, um, shows specific gemstones. But what's really interesting in this is a random nature off the image, the colors that we see coming through and the obviously the contrast from very light to very dark, which makes it really interesting image. Same with this peacock back. We've got some really good detail here. Ah, this is great for, for example, helping imply scales, obviously feathers, but it's got a lovely range of texture as well, so it could even be used in hair, um, as well as on clothing. So it turned out to limit your you're thinking of what an image can be used for. Similarly, this picture off a bundle of paper. You think would be completely useless, but I should have used it in many artworks. Um, it's got a great contrast between the black here, which when you have a good contrast between black and white, you're gonna be able Teoh easily get rid of certain areas, whether it's the dark with the light. Using Leah modes for using masking techniques, um, again also gives some really random effects that, um, almost looking into unintentional. So result in some really dynamic creations saying with the fabric here have used this image for anything to do with fabric, a toll that could be used in hair, um, could be used to imply wind or some kind of background landscape. And once again, this is a really nice contrast. We'd be darks and lights coming through. This is another image that I use a lot. Um, I do use a lot of star escapes in my all its, but not necessarily as astronomical residences. This image is, obviously from NASA on again has a great contrast between light and dark, a lot of running random elements and some wonderful, smoky, almost like water color effects. So these can really add some interesting colors on and after effects to your artwork that will bring that Brendan on texture to you out. This one is another one of my favorites. It's a fabulous piece of abstract. I think it's acrylic paint. Um, what's great about this is what a fabulous range of color. So this results in some really interesting effects when you're playing with lion modes. So again, I haven't used it specifically to dictate my artwork. It add some interesting effects to skin tones and backgrounds, depending on the mode, and then you may have some more reference style images. So I have used this image in the past for taking apart pieces of the wing because I love the way these thes feathers a sort of riffled and catching the light. So this doesn't need to be a super high res image in order for me to use it. In a way, it's almost giving me a base to work from which from that I can add onto so we'll get into that in the further to Toro. But these are the sorts of images that you might want to be looking for, and of course, I will be giving in the links to these images and where to find other similar ones 3. Examples of how to use texture in digital art: so I thought I would take you through some of the images I've created on the, uh, textures that I've put into them to show you how random images on seemingly disparate images can be used to create interesting artwork. So this is he's called Airy's. It has a lot of textures in and images in it. Some of my mommy's recent work has very few textures in it, so it depends on what I'm what I'm wanting to do. That this is, uh, had a lot of fun playing around with the textures in this one. So in no particular order we have the following images used is this lovely glitter texture that has great contrast. Also, nice range off focus and unfocused areas on this was used behind the neck for this lighting effect that you can see the star escape by using a lot of my images. It's going great, um, two parts to this image with the dark area talk on the smoky area, the Boston and even just really resulting some wonderful colors and some random effects so that you can see in the background here also blurred. It gave it a radio blur. Uh, so there's a lot you can do with textures to give even yourself in a a nice random background canvas to work from. This is a photo I took of the London eye. It's a very big and it's quite blurry. Uh, that doesn't matter. I used it in the horn to imply the rib ribbing texture around here. It's got a bit of a blur on it to get rid of some of the threats on the I. So that's how something completely random can be used to convey. Um, quite an organic texture. We also have a photo off a piece of fabric that I had a lovely serve Indian embroidery. Uh, that was used on the horn here. I can hardly even see what I used it for now. But it is in there, so quite often with these textures, it's not covering the whole campus. It may only be on a very small portion of the image. It's just sort of captured my wife, Andi, and I end up using it. The play image image is used in the hair talking bottom. Here you can see quite clearly and also love a sort of pain to the texture on the skin. So, um, we don't have to use it for feathers. You use it for something completely different. Well, what's nice about this image is it has these lovely range of colors. So as you scroll through the Via modes which will take you through in a later video, you can see how it effects your image and get some wonderful random results. This paint image is, um, one that I got from creative market. We try to take you through some of these resource places that I have. This is a great pack off, um, painted pieces, and you can see it quite clearly in the bottom around the shoulders here on using a layer effect to create lighting effects. Also blurring It isn't a number of layers here off the same layer, one that shot one that's blurry to create this effect. That, of course, I've gone in and mast out, um, the areas around the neck to imply that it's going behind. Um, I've also used this image over a similar image in the home. You can see these sort of swooshes of paint coming in, creating some really interesting colors and textures So this type of image is just fabulous because it's got all these crazy colors and shapes, and it's been lovely black background, so that can vanish, depending on which lay a murder in. Um, so yeah, this is an absolute gem and worth spending money on this image is a great example. Off a piece that was created very much, um, without a plan, I did have a rough idea of the composition that I wanted, but I don't know how I was going to get to the end result. And I certainly didn't know the color scheme that I was searching for, so I had an image in my mind, but, um, this came out very different to how I roughly planned. But also, it is a great example of the completely random, um, creative effects that happened that resulted in something that I was super happy with. So here are the textures that I used in it. I'm gonna take you through in the later videos, how these textures layer up and have the effects that they have. So this water spray images one of my favorite images to use, um, again, It's just one of those random images. If you took it on holiday, you would think it was a bit of a duff. It's not showing you anything interesting. You could almost not even know what particularly it is. But it's got some great dark and light and some fabulous sections in here. The speckled effect is amazing. Um, so this really helped me shape the wings. You can't really see it so much. Um, clearly in this image. But this curve here is this curve and this curve. So it helped me set the lighting effect on the image. And you can see these the dots of the sparkles all the way through, Um, also down here and on his skin, so gave a fabulous texture that I would have struggled to get with a brush, I think. Anyway, um, so this gin, this is a gem I use all the time. Uh, again, we've got this glitter image. I think that's coming in roughly, and his hair probably erased a lot of it. Some of the textures I put in an end of erasing most of it and then realizing this actually , no point in having in there is another glitter image. So this is used very sparingly on the edges of the wing here and again around the head. Um, what I like about these images is that you're getting this effect, this color effect. Um, you'd struggle to get in a brush without tweaking a lot with colors and textures. So that's why I love to use these images is because you get this random effect that's really quite difficult to replicate, like the the effect that this sparkle has been like to dog on this one has. So I might be getting really crazy with the details here. But that's what it's those subtleties that add that extra natural layer to the image. This fabulous play match was used to add in the sort of final Texas to the wing here very subtly. It was one of the last thing is I added to this piece, and then the reference style images were added for the wings. So you can see how this top of the wing here was brought in up here. So this isn't a very big image, but it gave me what I needed to give a natural effect to the wing, which I then painted over and added more to because this image had kind of a very straight , um, end to the wing. What I've done is for in this image, which is a lovely curve down in here so you can see some of the contrast in text in the values down on the bottom here. So again it's painted over its textured over with other textures, but it's giving that more natural seal to the image. 4. Build your texture toolkit: There are a number ways off. Um, gaining. Ah, resource library. Um, I'm gonna take you through some of the ways that I go about doing it. Uh, obviously, as you sort of wonder through the world and nowadays people most people have phone cameras , you can pretty much snap everything that you see on your way through the world. So, um, if you're out on a hike, take photos of grassy photos of light leaves, you name it, Um, start collecting a library of things that might be useful on. Don't discount those images that you think your clinic because you never know what you could use them for. Um, so, you know, create yourself a library of images. I haven't used this one yet, But when she start getting familiar with how textures work and photo show up and how to use the Leia modes, you may suddenly remember that one image that you took of a random succulent it that made you realize, Oh, I could actually use that in the scales of a dragon, for example. So, um, create your collection, keep it organized if you like. This is just loosely organized in the ways that I sort of need my stock images. Andi, um, this isn't all of them, but it's certainly some of the key ones that I use a lot off, so you can certainly gain your own stock images just by using your camera and getting them on the on your computer cause as you'll see in the later videos, it doesn't have to be super high quality. A lot of it's just used for reference. And to help bring that, um, unique effect to your images. Another way to go about it is to search for free resources on the Internet, so there's loads of them out there. Um, this is just a selection of ones I've used in the past, but there's so many out there. It's not even funny. So it's just a matter of finding what resources work for you are not getting bogged down in the weeds of the Internet. So for the star escapes, obviously, nuts is the place to go. You won't find many images of Jupiter, for example, outside of NASA. So, um, they haven't, um, aging wealth of images, uh, image galleries, quite a good search system. And they provide them in a wide range off, um, sizes so you can get really high quality ones. Onda. Um, just some really interesting images that you wouldn't normally ever have access to you. So this is well worth checking out. If you're looking for some of those Scott Star escape images, this is the place to come and start searching. Um, could you quick search here and you can see some of the results that come up. Um, so play around on this website. They, um, has a huge range. And as with any of these free ones, always checked the, um, usage in copyright. So most of these websites should have what they deem suitable usage rules, so they will be listed. You might have to search for them. But nowadays, most places of getting very good at having it front and center and sharing with you how they would prefer you use their images. Another excellent website for texture, specifically is texture king. Um, these air, great first base textures, um, giving a natural look to maybe your background or canvas and also, um, probably less. It's a colorful effects that I like to bring in, but that kind of random nature that you might want to bring into skin tone. For example, me. This looks like a great image. So nice contrast, really amazing texture, lots of interesting stuff. It's gonna happen there, and they'll often have different sizes that you can download. And on here they have terms of use, so you'll find out exactly whether you're about to use it for commercial use or not. I provide the links to all of these websites and in the resources of this Chitauro, so don't worry about trying to remember them all. Pixels is another great website for finding images. A lot of the murder, your standard stock image. There's also some great texture images I've used, so a lot of the wing reference focus I've used from here. They generally provided really high quality, which is great on their usage, writes very clearly stated. You can see them when you put into an image and you'll get the high resume judgment. You put free download so this image I haven't used but I could see how it be super useful. For example, if you're doing the back of a turtle or something like that, or even just adding some that random texture that you might want a skin tone. Similarly, this image I could see that being the circle being really useful, perhaps in someone's I to give a really interesting effect, have to get rid of that number that. But just think about roughly how you could use these images. And even if you I don't think I'll ever use them, I would advise. Downloading them is one day you might be creating something and realize that you have the perfect texture for it. De even ah was one of the first places that I got into stock imagery. Um, says a lot on here. It's kind of randomly organized and off, very varying quality, but you could find another gym in this websites. Um, every supplier of stuff on this site has different rules. So generally when you click into the image, you'll find that rules and as long as you follow along, should be fine views and images. So those are the free options that are available. There's also paid options. Uh, one of my favorites is creative market because they do these fabulous bundles. If you sign up for the newsletter, you can get into these bundles at the offer on There may be so to $9 or something like that and get a huge amount of resources from fonts to mark up creators to textures. So some of my favorite go to textures and images have been purchased from here. Perhaps it would have even thought they were any good until have them. Onda, um, discovered her fabulously, fabulously. Also, what's nice about this is you don't have to download everything, which is often quite a launch. When you get a bumble, they'll keep it all on your Web on your account so you can sort through what you have and download them as and when you need them. So these paint texture that I love came in a three pack four pack actually here, Onda Um, What's great is you really get a good sense off what comes in the pack. And, you know, once you get to know what what will make a good texture or results image, you'll get a good sense of what's worth spending the money on. So that's creative market that I find really good. And she do some spark to the news that they also offer free every Monday for your resources , whether that's fonts or images. So that's another good one. Teoh, hold us. There's Adobe stock that I haven't ever purchased from, But much like all of the other stock images websites out there, you could probably find some great stuff in here. Same with I stopped on, um, the in Votto market. So these guys have a whole section of different resources available for creative types, so probably very similar to creative market. Um, you just have to go searching for the things that you need, uh, again, there's loads of them out there. Some of them are worth spending money on if you really want these high quality images used again and again. So this is just a small selection, but using the ones that I have found to be super successful 5. Plan your new digital painting: Okay, So now you should have a collection off images and resources textures on all that fun stuff on your computer. But you'll have a selection for your new art piece. Um, so the next stage is really getting to grips with your actual composition? Um, I was advised that sort of as a creative you, you need to give your brain some time to be creative. Basically, it's hard to be creative on demand. Um, so keeping it, uh, our pad with you at all times is helpful. Um, and no expecting yourself to be able to just create a masterpiece when you need to sit down and create a massive peas. So a lot of my pieces are, um, mold over over a period of time. There might be a couple of weeks two or three weeks where I'm thinking about the artwork before I've even touched paper. Um, on once, I sort of start to feel like I've got an idea in my head. That's when I'll do a very rough, rough sketch such as this one here just to capture the idea. Um, you might want to play around with the idea of some nailing, which is creating multiple, um, concepts. Rough sketches for your artwork Before you settle on the final piece. It's really up to you and what stage you are with your artistic career and how experienced you are, uh, creating stuff, um so during the various thumbnails will help you create variations upon a theme, obviously, and also might help solve some of the creative problems that you might run into as you're going along. Um, with a lot of these pieces, I've just done a one off rough sketch, Um, just to capture the idea and the nugget of the peace eso they're you know, they're not Michelangelo by any stretch of imagination. Um, they usually very rough, very loose. I sometimes make notes is two colors games, um, effects that I want to achieve in the and try and block in a bit of the, um, values of the peace or the contrast. Um, and some of them are really, really loose and just literally capturing, capturing the idea that's part bumped into my head. Um, I might also sketch in procreate. Depends what you have available for you. Um, so I sort of was just noodling on idea for this piece, Uhm and another one's, you know, for this piece I was really looking at figuring out the composition and how that was gonna fit on the canvas. So thinking about the size of your compass and whether it's going to horizontal vertical, um, is something you have to think off, right? Right at the beginning stage, even though with photo shop it's super flexible, you can always adjust your canvas. Um, it's good to have a rough idea of what you're headed at this early stage. So after I've done some prelim preliminary sketches, um, I also, uh, because I really enjoy portrait, it's I tend to do a very detailed portrait sketch to start me off. So this is something that used to do all the time. Um, on. And even though you could certainly start painting digitally in for a shock right from the beginning for me, I always like to get the portrait done by hand on an art pad. Um, many, because I get toe add love of the textures that give us a more traditional feel to my artwork. I feel, um, so these textures will come through into the final piece that um, you may need to work a lot harder on in photo shopped to replicate these kind of textures. So if you can do it by hand, um, with graphite on paper or whatever you choose, then why not? And then you'll get this really interesting melding of effects coming through. Um, so this piece here I had a really specific idea. I I had been to a couple of churches in some amazing, angelic, um, stained glass. So I knew I wanted to create the shape of the wings and perhaps had a rough idea of what he might be holding the focus being on the wings on, um, then, you know, finding a reference portrait to work on mainly to get the lighting in the unites me. Correct. But I generally find the faces end up quite different. Once a colored and painted in, um, they sort of become there their own thing. So here's the sketch for this piece. So, as you can see with all of these, I haven't really done the whole composition which have blocked out here. I've only done the head, and then it's fully painted. The rest comes in and Photoshopped um but I find getting that nice portrait done, tightly done as well. Um, is a great what great stocking point for me on get sort of blends my judicial roots with my digital sort of place That that I'm not with my artwork right now. So, um, I learned traditionally first, and so that's where I'm sort of really most comfortable starting off at, um, you might find your You're in a different place. How you do things. Um, So, yes, I would recommend starting loss, at least with a, um, a detailed sketch getting the values in. I'm getting some of these tight textures in, um in whether you choose, you got digitally or traditionally that will get you started on your composition. 6. Getting started: so know that you find a during and you've got your sketch started, Perhaps going to start in photo shop. Um, I usually start with the document nets about 6500 pixels wide on whatever height high based off of this or composition that I'm doing. I, um, do that because most products that I upload to for my red bubble store, which is a print on demand website, the largest size they need is around that dimension. So as long as I've created something that big, then I'm good. So what you'll be seeing here is my sketch. It's been scanned in. You can also photograph. It's up to you and I've dropped onto the canvas on Put it on a grey background simply because then I can work with highlights on the lights on. And I've also sketched out the rough composition that I had in my, um, planning scratch. So the uh, face portrait has been put on to multiply by a mode so that it's becoming transparent, and we've got some of the values that I've already established. So that's how I start a digital drawing. So what I'm gonna do hiss basically take you through the process of my painting. Ah filmed myself the whole way through. It took about eight hours in total. So it obviously has been speeded up for the choice if it gets a little wonky as I zoom in and zoom out and then speed the video up. But anyway, what I'm doing here is laying in the base colors. So, um, it's important at this stage to worry too much about details. Um, keep your brush large, as you can see here, Andi, I'm just sort of throwing in colors, roughing out what that color scheme is going to be in some areas of interest for the image . Working on top off the but ground ray and keeping the sketch on its multiple, multiply Leia for now one of its own. Um, you might choose to work in a lot of layers. You might choose to work, and only a few I used to work in a huge amount of layers. I know in the painting stage, anyway. Tend to work just on one, so there's really no wrong way. All right, way of doing it depends on how you like to do it and also your computer's abilities to deal with numerous layers and massive file size. Once I bought the base color scheme in again is very loose at this moment, but it gives me an idea of which way I want to go with this. Um, I then start to work in some of the values over, please. So the highlights and the low lights using, um, the sketch that I have eso that that sketches really helpful to give me just a starting point for picking out where the highlights of going to be. So I haven't necessarily chosen his final skin color because, as you'll see as I progress, I had a lot of colors, and the textures also add a lot of interesting effects. So at this stage, not worrying too much about accuracy of color on worrying more about the three dimensions off the face or the shape that we're working on at the time. For me, the focal point is hit off. This image is his face, so it's really important that I get these sort of shapes on blocks of color in the right place. But as you can see already starting to bring in someone, your colors and unusual lighting. So, yeah, try not to risk you. Restrict yourself too much and getting the skin tones accurate. Um, finishing play was unusual colors and see what happens. So a quick word on Leia modes and brush modes is, um, as you can see in my latest like that, about few layers started on. If you leave them in normal mode, then your color will just lay on top of the color beneath. You can also, um, change that layer mode, which means that anything that you paint on that layer will start to affect the layers above and below, depending on what you select. Alternatively, you can change the effect off your brush to, say, color dodge mode, which is what I'm using right now, which is causing these sort of highlight interesting highlight effects to happen. Um, and it has a way of making the colors. Binny's more vibrant. Um, and I find some really happy accidents happen with it as well. So, depending on whether you choose for your layer in a certain mode or your brush in a certain mode, you'll get different insects. I'm working right now in multiply mode with the brush so that's causing things to go Docker , but still show the darkness he needs as well. It's enhancing what's between. I'll get into this a bit more soon, but just so you can understand what's happening with brushes at this point at this point in the painting, what I'm doing is re sizing my canvas, so I'm not sure, gonna half the size of it. This is basically Teoh help with the speed of my computer. So I know I'm gonna be using a lot of textures. Photo Texas in this piece on that has a tendency to really slow your computer. Diana's you start multiple lays so offing the size of it. Um, now that I'm happy with the overall composition and I'm starting to get into details is just gonna make my computer more efficient and, um, less likely to slow down. The worst thing you can have is having a brush sort of trail across the screen and shoes finished paintings. So, um, basically, Hoff your image size and you'll find that your speed of your computer will probably increase. If you were just doing painting and you are adding an image textures, so you probably be farm, keeping it a high resolution. Um, but because I know I'm gonna be using a lot of Texas in this piece. I, um, sort of compromising size at this point for efficiency. And later on, once I'm getting into the details stage and really wrapping painting up, then I'll blow it back up to its original size and add back in the details that I need for the high resolution. So this is just efficiency. Basically, I'm looking for here. Okay, so we've resized on now, I'm going to start getting into, uh, sort of tightening up the details a bit more and working on the lighting of the face. Um, I usually start on the face in my drawings on, then spread out from that s so the rest of the painting is largely unfinished. But as I started to feel like things are progressing nicely, I'll start to move around the painting. So I'm blocking in symbolism. So softening the molding on the face on, um, adding some more detail elements into it. I'm not really worrying. Too much of it looks kind of crazy at the moment. At this point, it's just a matter of layering up colors and also seeing what works. So what you see and working quite loosely still, just refining some of the highlights and the lights and adding in some extra clothes. So it started off being with just two colors. I'm now adding 1/3 into the middle stage was the skin insurance and light to dark like to shadow riding in a pinkish color on figuring out where those highlights and low lights are going to be. One thing I love to do in my artwork is to add some crazy color choices, so I don't like to stick to the norm and normal color schemes and real life color schemes. I like to sort of round everything up to 11 and see what happens. So, um, remember to look at life on the way light hits things and see that you often shadows are actually violet or blue, and highlights can depend on the light that's hitting the item. Enjoy. So don't be afraid to add some new colors into your artwork and just experiment has been the great thing about what we're gonna do. Adding the textures and later is that this you'll get a bunch of happy accidents happening . As you combine the painting choices, we get texted choices. So, um, now that I know some of the effects that are gonna happen drawn on painting with that in mind when using some pinks in the shadows and blues as well vibrant hot pink is happening right on the line between highlight in the light. But then I'm also keeping it pretty normal by putting in dark, dark shadows. So we're really want definition. I'm putting in the, uh, sort of a warm brown. I rarely go 100% black because that just has a tendency to flatten things. Um, I usually reserve 100% white for poor highlights in the eyes or something like that. I am sort of ramping up the differences between the values on the face here because I know that the faces that you're gonna be quite zoomed out in the final piece. So this is why you'll see museum ing in and out a lot to make sure that what I'm working on in detail is still visible once reviewing it 100%. So keep on one to make sure that you're looking at how your artworks and when it's finished , rather than what it looks like in the details, I can get totally lost, painting someone's eyelashes on, then realized anyone's ever gonna see that you tells you Put in there. Another great thing to do is to flip your canvas. So one thing that happens like me, to all of this is you're working on your piece that you've been looking it forever on you no longer see the mistakes, so slipping recanvass will cause you to see it in a completely new light. It will reveal a lot of the problems that no longer being able to see on you. Commend sixes problems with fresh eyes. So sometimes it could be really painful to flip because you suddenly see something that's glaringly obvious and means loaded work to fix eso. I had rising quite in any stage s so you don't get too attached on set back and forth again . That's another reason why I read size down to a smaller size so that I don't have it slow down as I go to flips campus. So I thought the campus and I'm actually pulling in now. Sound working a bit more details on some of the stuff from my sketch and bringing in. And here I'm working in color dodge mode, bringing in these like blowing tattoo type effects. I don't actually often work in any other than to brush tights, one that is soft edged for a skin, giving a nice, blurry finish on one that's felt like a troll key. Hostile type effect. Sometimes they're working Slattery brush. That's the most part. I got kind of hooked on two brushes on. That's all that I use. You can explore other brushes if you like, loads out so many resources, Photoshopped brushes and cool brushes. But yeah, it's kind of up to you and you choose to use them or not. Okay, so this is reaching the end of this particular video. Where we should be now is never pretty good sense weight. Are your paintings going? What direction is going? Your color scheme? Should someone be in place, you should at least have some details and some value. Shadows and light put in place on have a strong sense of where this painting is going. So the next video we're gonna get into image textures, which is my favorite bit so Uh, yeah. I look forward to seeing you in the next video as we get into working lamb modes on bringing in some amazing textures to tightness painting to the next level. 7. Bringing in textures: All right. So welcome back. We are getting into textures right now. Um, when I video this, I don't know when I put in this texture, I obviously missed that little clip right at the end. But anyway, um, what I've done here is added in one of my core textures, which is a star skate. Um, what you can see in the layers stack sit on down there. Um, it's an amazing texture, cause it's got sort of contrast between light and dark and all the stuff that we were getting into in the ah texture res research section. So a lot of times will I do with the Texas. Here is I often don't know whether they're gonna work on a and it's very much experimental at this stage. Eso I'll put texture in on. I will literally flipped through the lamb modes on. Figure out what works, what doesn't often I'll scroll through them like three or four times and discover that none of them work and I delete the layers and bring something else in So you can do You can still see the layer modes by drugging dropping your image texture in on re sizing it to fit whatever section we want it to be over, I am transforming that layer. And then you can scroll through the Leia modes. Brother, using the drop down, you can make sure you're on the move tool and then just hit shift plus O minus him. Something to question when you got that right or not, I believe his shift plus or minus on debt will basically take you suit. You change the layout mode on, go work down the stack, and then you go up or down, depending on what you like. So if you find something that you like that, um, what I find is it sometimes I'll find him that I like, But it's only particular part of the image. So, uh, what I'm doing here is I've discovered that I quite like that it's happening on the wings. So I've actually masked out abuse, and I am us mask out the other parts of text you that I'm not interested in or that it's too much. So you can use different amounts of capacity for that, and you can see the areas that you're not interested in. I tend to use a mascot this point. They don't want to. This story, those pixels on the texture want to keep them until about suit. You sure? Um And then once unconfident, that I feel like the texture is right for the image. Then I will often acquired the famous to those pixels, which means basically race pretzels on that will also help with you. So file size, Um so those of decisions I make as I go along basically. So I'm letting the video here run at normal speed for a little bit. So I apologize. If this video work sound really really long, I'll try and keep it. Sure that these this is the section that I find his most important. This is where I'm literally bringing in text shoes to flesh out the image. So I've brought in some star escape image. So for basic color and difference in value and now searching for a wing that will go over all this even angels rings and help flush out in sections that I'm looking for Give me a base to work from. So I'm always striving to find a balance between photographic texture and reality whilst also it looking painted Lee. So what you'll see me do later on in the in. The painting in the video, I should say, is work on top of the images and start to use the limos and such to make it look less like a photo on more like a cohesive image. But here you can see how I'm bringing in the, um, the photo office ones wing on amusing Trent transparency to able to see what I'm doing, and I'm actually transforming. I'm skewing the image to suit my needs So anything it doesn't work for me a minute race and I can also paint over. This is just a basis for me to work from, um and it may sometimes with the SEC shoes that may be very little left by the time I'm done with it. So now I slipped it back, Teoh normal mode, and I'm going Teoh mess out the pieces that I don't want. So I used just use a big old brush 100% on musket, all out work pretty roughly. And then I will refine that must later on on Dwork on top of a swell. So at some point, I will also flattened this image and get rid of a lot of it. So we're masking out now we're gonna find Leah mode. That's gonna helps. Obviously, some of the wing is missing here that we can We can fix that as we go. So I'm duplicating the lay here. So I've got two things, obviously, rest arising. It's just know over a small object. Between that, it's walking into that pixel like you on doing the same for the other wing. And then I think I believe marriage two layers, because I don't know. So wanting what you're seeing here is season by this layer. Changing is that I'm flipping through the color modes of those using that amused being on leave till Chief Russell this so I'm looking for something that will give me the effects that will work with follows below. So I'm finding overlay is that she working quite nicely on, um, Dynamics to solve experimenting with some of this? Sometimes it takes me quite a few times there, strolling through to find the best one. If you're not sure about the direction that your artwork is going on, you want to experiment in a sort of nondestructive way. Then try and use adjustment layers. So what I'm doing in here's I've put in the color balance layer on. I have, um, clubby, Must it? She's a layer below, which is specifically the special figure itself in the wings. And I'm just trying out how those colors might look. If I change the politics skiing so this point, you know you can you can try these things that you can experiment on fiddle and see what works. The adjustment layer will work on that specific layer, or you can have it work on the whole images up to U. S. Oh, that's what's great about Adjustment Layer is that you can try a different call asking beside it doesn't work and then carry on in the same direction you're headed in on work on , not public means later. I'm pretty happy now with the overall sort of shape of the Angel, have defined it a bit more. And so now I want to bring in some of the textures for the surrounding areas. So because this piece is about four elements water, earth, fire and air, I've started to bring in some of textures that relate to go. So this is where having your category of images is super super useful to be able to grab them and try them, then put them in and out and see what happens. Eso trying a bunch of different water effects This one is 11 but what I ended up finding was that actually wasn't work for the water section. But it would work really well for his clothing if I just tilted it turned it on its side on I Love the excitement was half having around a central part of the image that I knew that that would help bring focus to this image. So the problem with painting what this is is a lot going on a lot of textures and finding that balance between too many text shoes and it being the overwhelming and you using any kind of focus on being able to guide the eye around the image and then also know. So, um, there's definitely a balancing act when it comes to choosing textures on making sure that they're not overwhelming. They're not dominating the image, and sometimes I'll make a shame. This image later on, you'll see. I make a change to the water sector. One section that really wasn't happy about. So I completely changed the whole corner of image to be something else on. Um, that's what that is. What is great about this media is you 10 work like that and just things late. Wrong. It's not working. So know this lay a modus set to call a dodge, which is again a fabulous, um, setting. It's weight. It's way too bright right now. So basically, my choice is either increase the brightness of the whole image or reduce apartness off this texture. So I think I am going with finally happy medium on what I was thinking here is so they're gonna did you see atrocity? I also started to think OK, well, maybe this question that he's wearing is actually him or, um becoming whatever whatever he is, So maybe his arms are actually slowly dissolving out to veil of elements. So I hadn't really thought about that initially. Eso it's nice when you bring in a texture and it kind of evolved your painting Trust you thought you were gonna be your first running out. So that's where this sort of very experimental and comes in with textures. Okay, so now I'm working on the earth section off the image. So I had this Great, uh, why the photo from Texas is and love the colors in it. So I sort it might work really well for the Earth heart. I didn't want to just during a little dirt, so I thought I would do nature instead coming onto this corner. What I love about looking his limo is a fact that I want the various elements to sort of blend into this being. So it looks like he's part of them on his pending Africam. So you can see how the lighting in the painting the world was certainly involved with the image just pour in on I love to build. On top of that, I really love Teoh. Pick out the pieces of image working race the stuff that isn't on, then refined from that. So I really want the plants to look like they're kind of dissolving into his wings and they're kind of coming into this robe. So having it overlay like that speaking out, which part of the image is best for? That is where a lot of my time goes into moving, moving stuff around and again. So this layer set to difference mode, which I don't often use. But it's amazing how it's so important to supervise lion loads because you never know what happened. But that's a particular layer that you were on the stuff it's happening beneath, like his amazing things that can happen due to all of these lamb modes. Building up eso uh, now working on the flames section since is prime example off a totally random image off some fabric, working perfectly for flames. Um, on this image is just such a gem of oven image because it has a really nice contrast in interesting shapes. Um, and it just adds that so that element of its no actually fire, but it looks enough like it. So here I'm just erasing or masking out the image, and it's working quite well in color dodge mode, some sort of leaving it like that, and often I'll just roughly pluck in the texture. I know it's not done by any stretch of imagination, but it just kind of puts the idea in place on sort of I know I'm gonna come back to it. I'm gonna 60 turn. I'm going to refine it. But samo spot that parts in and I can move on to the next section and then slowly refine sort of in a circular motion from there. So I also for, you know, Teoh increase even the fire siding, the spots and an image like the one you just saw. His perfect is ahead. A good contrast between light and dark. So in memos that dark would just vanish. Um, and then only the light will be visible on by sclerosis. So just finding the right Leia mode and then erasing what I need, Let's get rid alls. Last game, test full moon, a lot kind of stuff. So, yeah, don't be scared of duplicating ways and then tweaking them to suit your names. So this one's yet still in color dodge mode and merging together. I'm just gonna race and race of it. You can also, even if you kind of defeated stuff, you can copy and paste again, or even add another layer back in later if you realize, um destroyed too much of it. So here are having working into the shadows have been getting rid of some of that might effect that I don't like, kind of working into the random nature of the image and taking it a step further than it. Waas. So another thing I wanted to bring into this image waas this kind of circular feeling. So I sketched out the top their latest circle and right at the beginning, off the sketch where I wanted the wings on missile halo effect a few around the image. So that's a help guide. The I I love have all these elements coming in and out. The spiral is sorry. The circle is gonna help you focus in on the central part of the image. So by doing that now, looking for some kind of texture or effects that I could be to enhance not feeling and seeing, seeing what will work. So this bubble and then just maybe would work. Perhaps if I erase a lot of it. And this is one of those examples where, like, I really want that image to work. But it doesn't s So I put through it multiple times and then decided that it was just doing way too much crazy stuff, uh, to the image, and it was time to get rid of it. so what I did instead Waas bringing this fabulous image of this thing Blast window, which is worked out really well, fall in Davis images. Um, on Addison, Amazing sort of random effects to the image on in a way, because I'm doing a body of work that's angelic seemed it helps high all of the images together if I if I tend to use too consistent color schemes or similar textural devices, So I just love what happens to be a dark all the dark vanishes. That's just gorgeous. I should just like that. Eso Yeah, I think you today about seeing what works best, and I'm gonna end up racing a lot of it. What I was having trouble with here was I She really likes this cool effects that was happening at the cooling color. But then I also like the with the warm color effect on the wings. So I actually duplicated the image on screen, shotted it and sent it out to people on social media on my page just to get people thoughts on completely fresh opinions. No one had seen what I was working on, so it was great to see to get their fresh eyes and asked them so if you're not sure about how some things looking because you've been looking at for hours, basically then take some screenshots senate to family Onda friends and then time. So the verdicts from Iwas everyone like the crew, the cooler color scheme versus the warmer one. So I ended up on I was sorry, as people were commenting, are starting to lean that way as I was working on it. So it was great to get him in that validation and feedback from people. And this is fresh, fresh eyes on it and also like changing the background color can help. Your perspective is how this energy is looking. So we're almost at the end of this video. Thank you for your patience is like a 20 minute long video, which is unusual for me. Uh, but I hope you're still here because I am now throwing in new texture for the air section. And then that's the last of core text resection off this whole image. So as you can see and flipping through Oh my God, something amazing just happened. Like look at those colors like I love those colors on that's where you know, if you worked on your value blades early on in the painting, you have really interesting stuff happening textures later on. So even though I was looking at the section, don't forget to look at what the texture is. How is that texture affecting Lessig image? You have some really happy accidents happening. Um, and take note of the lamb. Oh, that that happened in Because sometimes you can just paint in that mode and get some of those other effects. See, that sort of caught your eye. So remember to experiment. Remember to keep an eye on what's happening on overall house fun like enjoy what you do. This is what I love about this medium. Is it just play basically and happy accidents will happen. So in the next video, we'll talk a bit more about Les modes and will get really into the final refinements off the artwork, which is the stuff that takes a long, long time. See you in the next video 8. Learning about layer modes: so thanks for coming back. We are in the middle stage of this composition now, so you should have your textures pretty much settled on the image on. What I'm doing now is I'm not gonna duplicate my working file. I've got a lot of layers that you can see down the right hand side on. That's gonna make for a very big file signs and start to slow stuff down. I also know that I'm kind of ready to just start refining. So I'm done playing with the latest to certain extent of done playing with you Let your effects and happy with the overall look of the image. So there's still things I need to bring in. I'm still not happy with the war section. I haven't even touched the air section. But for the most part, I'm good. So I flatten the image and is she going to increase the size now? So back to its original print size? What's happened here is we're gonna lose quality, always see those pixels gonna start blurry again. So we'll have to go in and find that on. That's also because some of the photos that we've used could be quite low resolution. So we're going to rely on them to look perfect. Right from the get go, we're gonna work on top of them, so them, or, like, a guidance layer for us on for the future. So we're gonna literally paint on top and Mellish and refine the whole paintings from here on it. So it's certainly not a get out of jail free card, and you're adding digital Texas. If anything, you're making life perhaps more complicated for yourself because you have to somehow make these photographic textures mailed with the illustration, and they all look like one cohesive piece. What I'm doing in the next next little bit of this video is not only re sizing it, what I end up doing is bringing in a layer from my original working file. I'm putting it into the flat file because I wasn't quite happy with dull grayish wings, which was a result of my color changing at the end of the last section. So I'm trying to see if I can bring that warm color back in that texture that we put in light, beginning advantage on a little race into it and see if I can find, like a happy medium between its cool texture that I added on, uh, this warm I also really like So this sort of section is an example of how you can experiment with these things, Go back, bring bucking is settle with the race into them. I'm asking at this point, and I just experimenting that I compared the two and I kind of went, You know what? It looks like crap. So I'm going back. It's in my original image, but it was worthwhile experimentation and like it would have laid on my mind otherwise. So I may be lost often arrow fiddling at this point. But it meant that I had sort of answered that question as to whether that those who color warm and cold color schemes would work well together or not. So now that I've resolved my sort of texture, shoes in my clothes, she's gonna start doing now is actually painting in a secret Leia mode. So I, um, putting it to saturation, which I know is the mode that's gonna give me these interesting colors and you can see how they're just starting to appears on painting in this interesting orange color. So sometimes when I'm experimenting with a layer, if it creates this amazing color effect, I'll sample lot color in its normal mode on then paint. It's in in saturation, cause that's I don't necessarily want that texture, but I want that color effect happened. So that's where just experimenting with those different layers lows and how they affect what's happening. Benin's can create really interesting results. I think that this boy was having was throwing around in others and issues. You couldn't understand why I could see I could see that the limo wasn't working properly. I imagine I had something conflicting something else. They're ago. That's what I was going to find you. So I have never delay into color dodge mouth, which is gonna affect all of the sort of highlighted areas. So I'm gonna start getting into the details of the face and just refining kind of talking him off the background. Um, I'm bringing him forward a bit. So use the N using column odes to do that. So what? What? I usually end up with this point ISS. As you can see in the latest app, I have a cola dodge layer, which have noted a CD on. Then I'll have a multiply layer and I'll split between them. So the multiplier is gonna make everything dog. So I'm gonna define my shadows. On the whole, a dog's gonna give me those crazy policies of highlights. Um, on then I'll often just have a normal which all label just end on that would have any effect. So, God, if I'm kind of not liking something, I can actually go completely over it in that normal mode and it won't set Leslie pain on top of it won't cause any effects happen. Believe so it will be totally okay. What's happening with the multiplying Qala Dodge is they are not opaque there, showing the things are happening with that has bean as well. Um, so bear that in mind when you using your layer loads. Um, you know, we started off with really complex latest at with all those different textures. And at this point, when I'm in painting mode, as it were, I am usually and religiously, um, and then work from So here we're getting into some of illustration techniques and using the brushes to create sort of natural textures more traditional textures. I love cross hatching on almost plummet vocal Grasset graphic books, that style of of our like, um, having an outline on the on the character on shading or rough kind of way, so that she looks like it's drawn and painted on. That, I think, brings it a more traditional natural feel to it. But again, using that you can't see any of it. So I tried not to get too hung up on those details. But also remember, if you printed this out at its original size, which is gigantic, yeah, you would see those images. So I think, no, it's a balancing act between making sure you can see beautiful detail and not getting totally lost in doing every single eyelash. What I've gone ahead and done here is actually cut out quite a large section of the video. Um, because it was just several hours of me, uh, working on details. So this is, you know, what we're going to get into now is is the detail section So using your brushes to refine and refine and refine on and I couldn't I had compressed the speed to 2000% and it was just kind of sickening toe watch. So you're gonna see the video kind of jump progression in stages. Um, but basically, you know, this is where I refine on top of refinements, blocking in colors. Sorting out problem there is that the hair is a big problem right now. So just working on section two section and then when I get tired of a section all moved into another section in a sign that so always sort of keeping a fresh eye on on the invention, If I get second something, I'll move around. Damage is plenty to work on. Another thing to remember when you're working digitally especially using a wakame tablet, is that sometimes the drawing positions get really awkward because you can't necessarily made it to suit the angle of your arm. So as I'm working on these circles and radiation, it becomes really awkward At some point. Angle of my arm is work so you can rotate your campus tissues. Um, the key are on. Then literally turn the comes out ever angle you needed to be on, then turn it back. So when you also on the mode, you'll see at the top of the screen just about you see reset views. You can resect it to, um, normal vertical position. But that's gonna help a lot of the detail areas where you're gonna try and achieve a nice art. But you can do naturally with your arm. But if it's going wrong, way this work so that you canvas, rotate your canvas, whatever you can do to get that natural a sect, anything. Also here is seeing some in section C that I'm trying to refine the wing savings vanishing . So I'm trying to balance that idea that the wing is becoming elemental, but also to still be identifiable against the background. So there's a lot of artistic choices on tournaments to make sure things are still readable is enough contrast between light and dark and that things aren't any details on getting loss. So it's balancing that from working on something like this. All right, we're closing in on the tenant 10 minute mark with this video, so I'm gonna rock up. There's lots off video Paschen take out here. Uh, but actually know as I look at this, I'm seeing some interesting effects are not again. So you can see here painting and drawing on top of it, and it's having an interesting effects. That's where the paint a paintbrush is set to color dodge mode on. So when you first brush strokes it down, it'll just act normally. But the moment you go over it again, it will start to call a dog on top of it. So that's why you get really interesting texture effects. So rather than having the layer mode in college, AJ, I have the brush in Bullet Dodge. So there is a difference between those two items. So anyway, I'm gonna brought this video up on. We're gonna talk about finalizing in 16. 9. Final Refinements: All right. Welcome back to the final video in this tutorial. Um, we are looking at finalizing the image, so Ah, Simon just mentioned in the last image I've gone ahead and cropped out about five hours of work here in order to be able to show you something mean meaningful isn't just one crazy blur of pixels passing you by. So, um, what do you see? What I'm working on right now is the earth section of the image on. Um, basically, this is where I'm going in by hand and refining the textures, darkening the areas I need to a hand painting on top falls, my texture sections because I needed him to sort of pop out from the background a bit more so that whole area has been darkened on. Then I've added this new texture to the wings, which has added a whole other elements. Um, to the details were going on here on now I'm just going in and hen drawing over top of it. So we're finding the details, getting rid of some of our areas that would have been blurry and sharpening everything up. So I'm often sampling with the eyedropper tool. So If you're in the brush mode, you'll be able to just hit the all key and also to the eyedropper. You can just go in and bought a songs you're holding down. It will be my dropper of this soon as you let it go eternal. Um, so I'm basically going over details and enhancing them even further. So the texture must have been quite simple on going into details that I feel need to be in hell. I'm just bringing in more details, being more color. Sometimes I'm working in full a dodge mode with a brush quite a lot of time at this point, Um, but also, I'm looking in normal mode as well. Just get that all peak look looking for. So going, going on top, it's a texture on. This is gonna happen all over the image. So I'm doing this effect everywhere on adding in detail in all the sections and just refining as I go. So this is really missing, gritty of image, and it's crucial to sort of constantly busy Ming in and out and seeing how it's looking on , then coming back to go back into detail mode and then zooming out again making sure that what you're doing in that focused area is actually working when using about do it 100% What I love about this stages, I can really add, but the details oversee, which is what I'm all about. So here are going in with, I think, almost like 100% value on the on the brush here on adding in like glimmers and highlights and sparkles and just, um, bringing in all the sections of textures. I could use a brush for this like a splash of brush or something, but I haven't found one that actually really works for the effects that I want. So I end up being it bit by bit. Um, it's up to you again. Whether you choose to use a brush. I just find some of them could be temperamental. I prefer to add it by hand and have that control over the detail area. So I'm still walking around with this water section, and I'm still not happy with it on, um, very shortly I will show you a section. I completely redo it, but I'm still trying to make it work, but I don't feel like it's really representing Watch the water section should at this point . OK, so here's a great example of watching you when? When a entire section of your images working. That's the great thing about with digital possible means you can try stuff out and doesn't work. You can cut it out of emails. So instead of using ice and water droplets which really tried to make work because that was what I had in my hand, I found this fabulous. See an injury. So Okay, maybe I can work. Maybe I could make that work to make it soon become part of the image. And what I realized was is a worked on the newness. Imogen, It kind of was really switching really nicely from the red and green section of image around into the water here. So the textures that you use really affect your composition. So, being mindful of that, making sure it all ties together is a crucial part of Yes. So, you know, I've settled on a color mode. I know I'm gonna have to over paint a lot in order to make it work, but it's given me that basis. I'm sort of comfortable with this point. So now that I'm happy with this picture that I bought in, what I'm doing is creating just a normal layer on. I have directed dropping color just painting on top of protection that was below. So I'm kind of varying the color a bit, getting some variety and exist. I still want that relative shine through on the texture, but I don't want any more that frost. So I'm totally getting rid of that. Um, so using quite a high opacity brush on just working a very use paint layer on here, which I pretend I'm gonna bring in my text layer on top in a moment. All right, so he turned the texture layabout com on it is already looking better. So it's amazing how you can make changes on, um it makes everything work so much better. So, uh, what's great about this sort of section is given a bit more a variety of our work. Um, I hope it's so enhanced the symbology that I was going for but it sounded a bit more of a unique element to assess tied into the whole composition. So basically, from here, patching in electricity, bringing a whole new patch of work. I'm just gonna go in and do exactly what we covered in the rest. To be videos here is okay about texture. I'm now gonna refine it. Maybe trying. Didn't my favorite tech choose again? I'm gonna paint on top of it. Six Any areas? I'm the Wiz, Um, and bring it up to the level of the rest of it and ensure that all blends in together. So don't be afraid of drinks, big overhauls of seconds of your images if it's just not working on using all of the tools in your toolkit to do that. So the last section that I really hadn't worked on it all with the air section, Um, maybe because they weren't really sure how I was gonna get this a wispy effect that I was hoping to achieve. So what you can see me doing here is bringing in a texture much like we have done through the rest of the video and just seeing if I can bring it a cloud tight element into the image and then erase a lot of it out. So I just wanted it to have a subtle effect. Just said, Really gentle implication of clouds. And then, of course, much she masking Intuit masking Ouch! A lot of the color Onda planning with the lay emoji just to have that subtle effect, like a balance between that photographic random round in this that the texture brings and then also that illustrated part. So bringing in the spirals in the highlights and low lights a bit more on. So what's that section is done pretty much the whole image is done. It's now a matter off just looking over the image and making sure there's no other areas that, um, I need to define on if there is, I'm going in and tweaking and adding in those sections to work on, um, making sure I'm zooming out and sort of totally happy with the way all of the pieces are coming together and looking cohesive. Um, I think I see damage again as well that the final part on then what's crucial at the end is to say that, obviously, and then just leave it for a day and see what you think of it when you come back. Um, because you'll start to see stuff that you didn't see the other day. So give yourself your brain that time. Do you come back on to be a bit more energized on? Look at the piece in one final pass and see if there's anything that you want to refine. Um, even when it's done, I inevitably see stuff. So I'm like, oh, have to tweet that in the future. So as far as I'm concerned, a lot of artworks never finished. Um, you always end up going back to it. Uh, but this point, I was pretty happy with where the piece stood. Think I started to refine the arms a little bit, is really trying to find a balancing point between his body being, uh, sort of wispy and ghosts like and then slowly becoming more riel from the top downwards. So, um, I hope this video has been helpful, and it hasn't been too confusing to explain my techniques. Um, there is the final image seeing me jumping around on it. Um, I hope that I've explained how I use texture Andreia modes. There's a lot more could go into with details trying being concise as possible. So feel free to ask me any comments or questions. I'm gonna try and remember to put in a shortcut comments and notes about things like that. Uh, thanks detectors and such. So be sure to check out the extra resources on there and it's finished. It's flipped. And that's how I finished the artwork. So, um yeah, let me comment. If there's anything that you feel like I didn't cover in more detail and you'd like to know some more about I can always use shorter videos on certain sections off things. This is very broad strokes. Overview of the whole process. Hope you liked it, and I'll maybe see you in my next class. Thanks. Why?