This tutorial demonstrates a rhythmical and gestural approach to laying in and drawing a head in 3/4 or side view. We will use the major thrusts, or gestures, and basic geometric shapes, like the “pie shape” to capture the head. This tutorial will show you how to add a lot of life, movement and dynamism to your head drawings.

There are 3 demonstrations in the video. The tutorial will take you through the entire head drawing process from start to finish. Topics include gesture drawing, construction and shading.

This approach is inspired by the work and teaching of Steve Huston, with a touch of Reilly Method. The static, text version of this tutorial can be found here:

http://www.freshdesigner.com/how-to-draw-the-head-in-3-quarter-or-side-view/

The approach from the torso study tutorial is sometimes called a “construction” approach. It’s a methodical way to observe and de-construct the figure. Besides construction, there are other considerations when laying in the figure. For example, gesture and rhythms are what animate our figure drawing and give it life.

For this tutorial, I will use a a combination of construction and rhythms. It all depends on what the pose is giving me. Some poses the structure is prominent (or can be made prominent), in some poses the gesture (and thus the rhythms) are very interesting. Bottom line, good observation leads to good judgment and good judgment leads to good marks and so on. So always observe, observe, observe. Speaking of observation…

Step 1: Observe

The first thing you want to look for is the gesture. The major and minor rhythms, swoops and arcs. All the visible, and sometimes invisible lines that give our figure movement and life. Then, when you’re ready to construct your figure, look for the landmarks.

As a general rule, the legs are of greater significance then arms which is why we follow the torso with the legs. The key landmarks are: the connection to the crotch, connection to the hips, point of knee, connection of thigh (hamstring) to calf, , connection of lower leg to foot, point of ankle bone, heel and big toe. Yes, big toe (Fig. 1). That sounds like a lot, but with practice, good observation will become second nature.

Step 2: Gesture

Having identified our landmarks, we describe the gesture. The major rhythms may not always follow the form, but when possible, use the landmarks to guide your gesture marks. Start with the thighs move down to the the calf.

Step 3: Cross sections

Cross sections really help to define form. They also describe perspective and foreshortening. Before randomly drawing cross sections, observe the model’s anatomy. For example, cross sections can be added at the peak of the thigh, the end of the adductor (thigh) muscle, the top and bottom of the knee, the ankle and depression of the calf.

Add cross sections as needed to describe form and anatomy. It’s not necessary to cross the entire figure. Our objective of the lay-in is to give us enough information to add light and shade.

Work your way down to the feet and then move on to the arms. Approach the arms the same way. Becomes of the arms range of motion, they will tend to lend themselves more to a rhythmic approach. Of course it all depends on the pose.

Let’s go through a few more examples.

Summary

That pretty much sums up basic limb construction. First, observe for landmarks. Next, draw the gesture and rhythms. Then, add cross sections as needed to describe anatomy and form. In their most basic and geometric form, the limbs can be thought of as jointed tubes. Using a dynamic gesture line as a guide will give our “tubes” movement and life.

Keep in mind, the lay-in is simply the framework for our drawing. It’s not necessary to replicate the figure with our lay-in lines. The key is to give yourself enough information to add light and shade. Let the light, shade (values) and edges do the work of describing form and anatomy (Fig. 8).

More information on shading, can be found in the other figure quick sketch tutorials and videos.

*** Quick Sketch CHALLENGE! ***

This demo is meant to be a guide and a starting point. It’s almost impossible to learn and appreciate all the nuances of figure drawing from a static tutorial. The best way to apply the techniques is to watch it first hand or go to a live figure drawing session and draw from the model. So here is the challenge:

Draw a full page of quick sketch figures.

The first person to reply with a full page of quick sketch figures will win an original charcoal quick sketch drawing.

When I say page, I mean 18″x24″ newsprint pad, but that size isn’t necessary. It’s just an ideal size pad to practice. Above is a page of 5 minute poses I did during an open figure drawing workshop.

The minimum number of drawings to qualify are:

• 8 full figures at 3-5 min. pose length or
• 20 full figures at 1-3 min. pose length.

Basically whatever you can draw during 2 live sessions. Generally, a session is about 20-25 minutes.

Pretty simple. Just some incentive to get out there and draw from the model. First person to respond with a jpg snapshot of their quicksketch sheet wins. Good luck and I look forward to your entries.

This is part 2 of a series on how to render Concept Art using Photoshop. This video demonstrates how to use an overlay layer to add lights and highlights to concept art.

This video is perfect for those who are new to Photoshop or are starting out in Concept Art or digital illustration. Narrated by the Artist. Music by Japanese DJ Artists Tsutchie.

This video is perfect for those who are new to Photoshop or are starting out in Concept Art or digital illustration. Narrated by the Artist. Music by Japanese DJ Artists Tsutchie.

This tutorial is a detailed, step by step walkthrough of my process in making a Sci-fi character concept / Illustration. This image was originally an assignment for a PC Gamer cover, which unfortunately never got used. The subject is a sexy Borg female. Since it was a cover assignment, I wanted to have some fun and do a little spoof on the famous Janet Jackson Rolling Stone cover.

This a very long and detailed workshop. It’s a also a Photoshop (PS) tour-de-force. Meaning, I wanted to pull out all the stops and use as much PS “tricks” and fx as possible. This is a special treat for those who want an insider look at how to leverage PS to quickly add a professional looking finish.

I often use this same approach for creating concept art, and the techniques can also be applied to texture mapping. There’s a lot of content here, and we’ve got a lot to talk about, so let’s get right into it.

Step 1: Rough sketch

Since I already had an idea for the pose in mind, I go ahead and start sketching the figure. To draw, I use my trusty hard round brush and a cool 50% gray with a slight green hue. At this stage, I also start to design the areas of machine parts and roughly define machine details.

Step 2: Adding Tone

1. I drop the opacity of the drawing layer to about 75%.

2. I fill a layer beneath the drawing with a middle gray (50% gray) that has a touch of cool green (about 3% saturation).

3. I add a first pass of shadow using a Multiply layer. A 50% gray is enough to give a nice transparent wash of tone.

This approach is similar to using gray markers on paper. Adding a bit of color to the gray tone will help us later on when we start the coloring process.

Step 3: Redefine the drawing

I come back in and re-establish the drawing to give some structure. I also start to add details like facial features and machine parts. This gives me a road map and sets me up nicely for the tonal rendering.

Step 4: Begin Tonal Render

Up to this point, I was working with layers and transparencies, now it’s time to go opaque. First, I want to define the extremities of the value range. I do that by:

1. Taking a dark green-gray mixture (almost going to black) and punching in the darkest areas.

2. I take a cool-green white mixture (almost going to white) and punch in the areas of brightest light and highlights.

I start with the head because I want the head to be the primary focal point. This is generally good practice for character pieces. Having such high contrast areas around the head will really help to draw the eye there. Working this way also gives me a benchmark, or guide for the rest of the tonal render.

Step 5: Tonal Render cont.

Satisfied with the head I work my way down to the body and then the arms. As I work, I’m constantly referring to the head (focal point), to help me add the right balance of detail and polish throughout the piece.

Step 6: Polishing the tonal render

Again, starting with our focal point, I add a final layer of polish to our tonal render:

1. I define the tech around the eyepiece, arms and hands. Since her face is the focal point of the image, the eyes will be the focal point of the face. I also want to follow the old Illustrator’s rule and give the hands extra attention as well.

2. I refine the edges. I generally work with a firm brush first and then come back in with a hard opaque brush to get some nice crisp edges. I use hard edges like values and punch them in to define form and add nice contrast.

My main areas of focus are the edges of her flesh, especially her arms, face and chest. Taking the time to refine edges gives our character a higher level of polish and detail.

Even though I’m using Photoshop, I always come back to my experience with traditional media and solid fundamentals. Fundamentals carry over to any medium, and this an example of how they apply to digital.

Step 7: Tonal Render Final

Once the figure is complete, I address the background. Using a textural brush, I play with the values and add some texture to the background. My focus here is to ground our character and make the overall image cohesive. I also continue to refine edges and define the silhouette of the figure.

I sharpen the edges of the contour and push the contrast to make the figure “pop” off the background. Finally, I make a slight rotation of the image, adjust the canvas size and our tonal render is complete. Now we can move on to color.

A close-up of the finished tonal render.

Step 8: Color

1. I create a palette using a cool green as our primary local color.

2. I take an Overlay layer above our tonal render and fill it with a desaturated mixture of our cool green.

Because our tonal render had a bit of saturation, it will create a mix closer to our intended color. This is one drawback of using blending modes to colorize art. It can be tricky to control how the colors turn out.

Step 9: Color cont.

Having defined our base local color, I start bringing up the saturation. First, I start with the greens. Then, I paint in warm reds for flesh and in areas of the machine parts. I also punch up the saturation in the eyes and face to really draw the eye to the face and give me a nice contrast of color.

I continue to build saturation slowly by adding glazes of color. I add and refine color until I reach a balance of warms and greens; gray and saturated areas.

Step 10: Contrast and background

Satisfied with the color, I want to push the contrast. I add touches of dodge using a desaturated gray-green. I want to give the illusion of a bright spotlight from above so I push the highlights of the planes facing up, especially the forehead, cheek, arms and breasts. I also push the brightness of the negative space around the head.

Next, I make an opaque layer and continue to punch in whites and refine edges. I also continue finesse edges. My goal is to create a nice play between the hard edges of machine parts and softer edges of the flesh.

Step 11: Adjust the canvas and composition

Since this was I cover assignment, I adjust the composition and canvas size to include space for the logo at the top of the page. I also refine details in her arm and eyepiece. Essentially, my color render is complete and I can now begin to add materials.

Step 12: Adding “Bling”

“Bling” is my nickname for material overlays and Photoshop fx. Material overlays give digital pieces a nice touch of polish and it’s really quick and easy to do. If it’s done right, it gives your pieces some nice eye-catching pop (or “bling”) without a lot of effort.

1. First I take a pre-made Borg machine texture and begin to overlay it over the machine parts.

2. Then I take a pre-made vein texture sheet and overlay it over the flesh.

In this case I play with several blending modes until I settle on “Screen” mode. Each blending mode, gives a unique effect, so I always take some time and have fun experimenting.

Detail shots of the first material pass. It’s still very subtle but adds a nice layer of detail. Since materials are so easy to do, it’s easy to get carried away. Materials can add a nice layer of polish, but it comes second to the foundation of the piece, which is solid drawing and good design.

Step 13: Adding “Bling” to the background

Well, it works so nice on the figure, let’s add some bling to the background. For this background, I experimented like crazy. Using another pre-made Borg machine texture, I used several different blending modes and PS fx to get the final result:

1. I adjust the levels and contrast of the texture.

2. I overlay the texture sheet using “negative” mode.

3. I duplicate the same texture layer and overlay it as “linear dodge”.

4. I brush out the areas around the figure using alpha masks.

Since this is a character piece, I don’t want the background to be too busy or noisy. I drop the opacity of the background texture to make it more of a subtle touch. I want to focus to still be on the character and I always believe in giving the viewer’s eyes plenty of space to rest.

Step 14: Dodge

Speaking of rest for the eye, I decide to remove the vein texture overlay and to paint the flesh details by hand. This came from stepping back away from the piece and taking some time to do research on Borg skin. Don’t be afraid to step away from your piece and get a fresh perspective.

1. l also add another layer of dodge and keep pushing the contrast. Again, starting with the head and the planes facing up I use a de-saturated greeny-gray to paint in dodge to really give the illusion of overhead spotlight on our figure. The hotspot created by the dodge was a nice happy accident.

2. Then I add dodge to the cables to give then more depth. I also use dodge to add some subtle red LED like “lights” in her legs, body and arms to help balance the red in her face. Then I push the contrast again of the silhouette.

3. Finally I paint in dots of light on the skin and refine the edges of the highlights. This gives her skin the illusion of being slightly cold, wet, transparent and plastic. Not a good look for normal female skin, but perfect for cyborg skin.

Step 15: Finishing touches

I brush in a combination of dodge and opaque color for the background. I use a more saturated greed and add touches of dodge around the head.Then, I brush in a greenish white using a textural brush to make a compositional cross of light. This marks the end of the rendering process.

Step 16: Final Image

This step was necessary because the piece was created using a Cintiq. From my experience Cintiq displays tend to have much greater contrast and saturation then a normal monitor so I wanted to adjust the image and present it the way I saw it on the Cintiq.

1. I take the finished piece and move to the second monitor.

2. I add adjustment layers and play with the curves and levels until the contrast matches what I saw on the Cintiq.

Details of the Final Image.

Generally if you working on normal tablet and monitor, this step may not be necessary. Adjustment layers are a quick and easy to apply, so it can be a fun way to make some subtle changes.

A slideshow video of the last portrait painting tutorial. Video has text comments on my thought process and general tips on creating beautiful portrait paintings. Cool soundtrack provided by Japanese DJ Group Nujabes, feat. Fat Jon.

A step by step tutorial demonstrating my process in creating a female portrait in Photoshop. The process is similar to traditional painting in oils and acrylics. I rely heavily on solid art fundamentals, especially head drawing. Since drawing is so important, we’ll explore that first.

STEP 1: “Laying-In” the head

A head ‘lay-in’ is the foundation drawing. It is used to describe and lay-in the basic structure of the subject’s head and the placement of the facial features. An accurate and effective lay-in is critical to the success of the portrait.

This particular lay-in drawing is very rough and simplified. At first glance, it looks like a bunch of squiggly, abstract lines. This is only because I have a lot of mileage drawing heads and can lay-in the head and features without a lot of construction lines. There is a lot of great material out there on head drawing, so I won’t go into too much detail here.

For those who want to explore head drawing further in-depth, a good starting point are books by Andrew Loomis. For the purpose of this tutorial, I’ll explain a part of the process in creating a simplified head lay-in.

First, observe the landmarks of the head and face. Once you see and identify the important landmarks, you can then accurately measure their length, width and distance from each other. These measurements gives a portrait it’s likeness and individual character.

The first landmarks I draw are the sides of the cranium and the bottom of the chin. This helps me to measure the width and height of the subject’s head and face.

The next is the centerline. The centerline goes through the center of the head and face at the nose. The centerline is critical for defining the angle of the subjet’s gaze.

Next is the eyebrow ridge. Some artist’s use the center of the eyes, which is fine. It is a matter of preference. I prefer the eyebrow ridge because: 1. the orbital bone is a prominent feature on some faces, especially in profile, 2. it defines the opening of the eye, and 3. casts a shadow over the eye creating a core shadow. Either way, this line defines where the eyes are and more importantly, the tilt of the head.

The establishing oval, centerline (vertical) and eyebrow ridge (horizontal) are the 3 most important marks you will make in a portrait drawing or painting. Take the time to measure here and to place these lines correctly.

Next (Figure 4), is placement of the features, eyes, bottom of nose and center of the mouth. Again, take the time to measure here. These marks are critical for getting a likeness.

Finally, I find the pit of the neck and establish the shoulder line. The shoulder line goes from the points of the shoulder bone through the pit of the neck. These marks anchor your head to the bust (upper torso) when the bust is visible in the piece.

For reference, I’ve created this 5 step diagram of the lay-in process using landmarks as a guide.

Using the lay-in as a guide, we can draw in the features. Because the lay-in was solid, I was able to further define the features and capture a likeness. Now that our drawing is in place we can begin the painting process.

STEP 2: Color

Using big brushes and stepping back away from the canvas (zooming out digitally), I apply big swatches of color. There was a lot of green in the lights and shadows so I made sure to mix in green with the lighter fleshes and put a lot of green in the shadow areas. I try to work very loosely here and with as saturated color as possible. Working this way will maintain a nice color variety throughout the painting process.

STEP 3: Separate light from shadow

Using a dull green and brown mixture, I block in the shadow side. The lighting is high contrast so the core shadows and the border between light and dark is very clear. Personally, I really enjoy this type of high contrast lighting because it creates a lot drama and mood.

STEP 4: Add darkest darks

I take a mixture of dark green and black to define the blacks, or the darkest darks of my value range.

STEP 5: Add lightest lights

I mix a cool green and warm white and paint in the whites or the lightest value of my value range. Because of the high contrast lighting and the angle of the light source, nearly half of her face almost goes to white. I made a conscious decision here to drop the value of the lights. I did this strategically, so that I could still use white to ‘pop out’ the hotspots where I want to draw the viewer’s eye which you will see in later steps.

STEP 6: Redefine the drawing

Since I loosely blocked in the shadow and light side, I go back in to redefine the drawing. For me it’s always a back and forth process. Stepping back, making marks and designing the image; then zooming back in to define where I want the viewer to look. In this case I start to define the eyes, silhouette and redefine some of the structure of the head and face that was lost during the painting. Don’t be afraid to come back and draw over your painting. Drawing is key.

Now that my drawing and value range is established, I can begin the rendering process.

STEP 7: Begin the Render

First, I redraw the eyes and adjust their distance apart. I then finesse the core shadows in the shoulders and bust and start to experiment with the values of the background.

STEP 8: Adjusting the hues

The image was starting to look a liittle too green so I introduce some reds back into the piece. I especially want to ‘warm up’ her flesh tones. I also add browns into the shadow area and continue to experiment with the background.

STEP 9: Modeling the Face

Since the eyes are such a focal point in this piece, I render them first. Next, I finesse the core shadows in her face. Just like in the figure, edgework is critical in making forms turn in space and be believable. However, in portraiture, there is less margin for error.

Not only do I consider the edges of the core shadow, but their color and especially their value. I make the decision to go back to a red cloth on her shoulder. I also continue to add reds to her face, especially in the cheeks and lips which we will render in the next step.

Step 10: Continue to finesse edges

I wanted to create a compositional triangle of interest between the eyes and lips, so the lips had to get special attention. I used a warm red and warm black mixture to define the darks of the lips. To make the lips pop out, I use a mixture of green and white in the highlights, paying attention to their edge and shape. I also clean up the passage of light on the bust and begin to define the light side of the hair.

STEP 11: Final Image

To make the eyes pop, I go back in and add crisp edges on the eyes. and finess the edges on the eyelids. I clean up the edges on her neck and bust. I adjust the value and hues of the greens in the bounce light. I add a green white mixture around her neck to make the silhouette pop. I also add some reds in the upper corner to balance the composition.

A detail of the rendering of final image.

**************************************************

If you read the last tutorial on How to paint a sexy female figure, you can see my process for creating this piece was exactly the same. The only major difference was the greater attention to head drawing and construction.

If you paint in traditional mediums, you will know that this method is nothing new. It is a synthesis of what was taught to me by my Fine Art teachers and what many painters teach their students. Working this way forces me to not rely so much on the software, but on fundamentals.

If you like the look of this piece, and want to try it yourself, you can download the brush set used in creating this piece. I Hope it inspires you to get out there and paint. Remember, if you get stuck on trying to get the “painted look” in Photoshop, the best thing to do is get away from the computer.

Get familiar with traditional painting mediums first. Don’t spend time trying to mimic the painted look using the computer. Spend time painting WITH traditional mediums and use the computer to mimic the experience.

A detailed, step by step tutorial demonstration of my process in the making of a creature illustration.

As a side note, this assignment was a Concept Art test that landed me my current job at Cryptic Studios.

Step 0: Comps / Thumbnails

The first step in creating any image is the ideation process. This is the part I really have fun with.

Since the assignment was a creature illustration I created a set of creature thumbnails. Sketching small and staying loose allows the ideas and shapes to flow. I sketched about 20 mini thumbnails in this process.

I use a combination of gray markers from 20% gray to 70% gray just to create shapes and show form and lighting. To line, I use brush pen and fine tipped felt pen.

The last group of creature sketches. I was originally favoring a reptilian creature for this scene until I finally settled on the minotaur creature on the bottom left.

Now that I have decided on our creature’s design, it’s time to design the scene. I sketch small, 2″ to 3″, thumbnails to establish the overall image. I try to stay very loose and sketch quickly and allow the ideas to flow. I did about 10 thumbnails for this image. The ones selected here were the strongest compositions. After some revision and feedback, I decided to develop the thumbnail on the lower left.

Step 1: Cleanup / Line Drawing

Now I have my creature and the scene sketched/planned out, I scan in the comp and begin to clean it up in Photoshop. I wanted the focus of the image to be the creature so I developed him first. *My focus here is to have a clean, solid line drawing that will create a strong foundation for the rest of the image.

*This point is so important, I will repeat it. The drawing is the foundation of the image. If the drawing is solid, everything will fall in to place and the rendering process will go very smoothly.

Step 2: Light and Shade

Now that I have a solid line drawing I begin to add light and shade. The steps are:

1. I paint a flat, 25% gray underneath the line art. The setting is at night, so the creature will be relatively dark.

2. I create a multiply layer over the flat layer. I paint the shadows using a 5o% grey and 25% grey (for core shadows).

3. I create a Overlay layer above the shadow layer. Using a 85% grey, I paint the lights and highlights. *At this stage my focus is on good separation of lights and darks and good edges to make the forms turn.

Step 3: Foreground Elements / Defining the vignette

To create depth, space and scale, I add foreground (FG) elements. This also gives the image a nice vignette, which is a fancy word for ‘framing’ the image.

1. First, I use the comp sketch as a guide to draw the foreground shapes.

2. I fill the drawing with my darkest darks (almost going to black). This pops these elements forward and creates a nice frame for the image. *This image shows the final FG layer. I took time drawing and rendering the FG characters and the hanging stop light.

Step 4: Going ‘Opaque’

Combining our character with the FG elements I’m ready to ‘render’ the character. I create an opaque (100% opacity) layer above the line art and begin to paint over the line art. My focus is to refine the edges, model the forms and draw the viewer’s eyes into our character. Of course, I follow the old illustrator’s rule and put most of the rendering and detail in: #1 the head and #2 the hands.

A close-up of the rendering of the head and claw hand.

Step 5: Background

Using the comp sketch as a guide for the perspective, I add the background (BG) elements. The assignment was to create a night scene in Manhattan, New York. My thought process was:

1. First, do extensive research and gather reference.

2. After choosing a photo that matches closely I begin to tweak the image in Photoshop.

*To get to this BG image required a lot of photo manipulation using transformations, filters and hand painting to make it my own and fit the art style. This step could be a tutorial in itself. I used this technique to save time and to keep the focus on the character.

Step 6: Integrating the Background

Here I add background elements to better integrate the background with the character in the middleground (MG). This is all hand-painting at this point. Because the BG image was well laid out, I only had to do a minimum of perspective drawing.

A close-up of the details added here. Mostly figures and cars to really show scale, action and story-telling.

Step 7: Final Tonal Render

I add some finishing touches to finalize the tonal render:

1. Some smoke and flame loosely painted to create movement and soften edges.

2. Using a multiply layer, I create a drop shadow to really set the character in the scene. I then flatten the image to begin the next step.

Step 8: Colorizing

Even though I used this method of “colorizing” (adding color in PS using layer effects), I wanted the image to have as much of a hand-painted look as possible.

The first thing I do is create a limited palette in a seperate window. The colors were picked from reference images of Manhattan at night and then adjusted to their closest tube color counterparts. Limiting my palette this way keeps the image clean, uniform and cohesive. Taking colors from life and from actual tube paints also keeps the final image from looking muddy or too “photoshop-ey”.

Step 9: Creature Coloring

Now, I create a Color layer above the flattened tonal layer. Since the focus of this piece is the creature, I color render him first. From here I can use his hues and saturation as a guide to color and render the rest of the scene.

Step 10-a: Coloring the Background

1. I duplicate the tonal layer.

2. I create a Color layer above and fill it with a blue-purple (night sky color).

3. I merge the two layers.

*I used this color because it is an approximation of the night sky. Generally in painting landscapes, the sky color heavily influences the hues (color) of the scene.

Step 10-b: Coloring the Background cont.

1. First, I create another color layer above the flattened blue-purple layer.

2. Using my limited palette I made for myself earlier I paint in the colors loosely with large brushes.

3. Then I refine the colors and the saturation.

*Even though the scene is Manhattan, filled with bright, colorful, saturated artificial lights, I don’t want to compete with the character too much. I keep the colors slightly grey and slightly cool since our creature has a very warm local color. Again, I want the focus to be on our main character.

Step 11: Dodge and Burn

This part of the process gets a bit technical. Some working knowledge of Photoshop helps here.

1. First, I take the colored creature layer and use an alpha mask to mask out the background.

2. I put the layer with our colored BG beneath our creature so the background shows through.

3. I then merge the two layers and make minor painting adjustments.

4. I create a Color Burn layer above the flattened layer and punch in the darks to create some really nice contrast.

5. I create a Color Dodge layer and use a very light yellow-orange to ‘punch in’ the highlights and turn-up the saturation. *Again, I mostly want to focus on the head and hands.

Here’s a before and after detailing the Dodge and Burn process. Even though I’m a traditionalist at heart, it’s so much fun to play with the Dodge and Burn layers. Plus it’s an extremely quick technique and saves a lot of time.

Step 12: Final Image

Now, I just add some finishing touches. Especially around the face of our creature and the FG elements. Sign and date and we’re good to go. Check the next image for a detail shot.

A close-up our character’s mug. I mostly punched up the contrast, modeled small forms in his face and added some drool just for fun.

Thank you for viewing. If this tutorial was helpful or if you have questions about my process, please leave a comment. You can also contact me directly with any comments or feedback by email.

A step by step tutorial on how to paint a sexy female figure in Photoshop. You can also see my workflow, thought process and general tips on creating beautiful figurative art.

STEP 0: Setting up the workspace

I generally keep my workspace very minimal. I keep my canvas zoomed out and have my pre-made color palette in a separate window. I treat this window like a traditional oil palette and mix and pick my colors from this window. My main monitor, a Cintiq, was also my tablet. My reference image is on the second monitor.

STEP 1-A: The Drawing

I keep the drawing really loose, focusing on good gesture and rhythms. This gives the figure life and dynamism. I also begin to establish placement of the figure here.

Step 1-B: Drawing cont.

I further refine the drawing. Now I can focus on correct proportions and anatomy. Because I stayed loose in the gesture, I was able to retain the movement and fluidity of the pose. Satisfied with the drawing, I can now commit to a placement and composition.

Always, always, always take the time to make a solid drawing. Think of the drawing as the base, the foundation of the painting. It must be solid, working and well established for the image to hold up during the painting process. This is especially true in figurative work.

STEP 2: Color

I use my palette window to mix the colors in a traditional way. Limiting my palette and mixing this way will produce more ‘natural’ looking colors, ie. colors that exist in nature or that you get from tube paints.

Using a big brush, I apply color very loosely. This gives nice color variety in the skin tones and overall image.

STEP 3: Seperate the Lights from the Darks

I take a middle value of a color and block in the shadow pattern. This also establishes the light source and direction.

STEP 4: Define core shadows

Further separation of the light side and dark side. Pay attention to your edges. Generally core shadows on a figure have a firm edge. This the first step in ‘modeling’ the form.

Modeling means to turn the form in space. Lights bring form towards you. Darks push the form back. Edges define how the form turns in space.

STEP 5: Add darkest darks

Add the darkest darks. Go almost to black. This establishes the darkest value of your value range.

STEP 6: Lightest lights

Using a warm white mixture, I add the lightest light value. This will generally be the highlights. Go almost to white. The will define the the lightest value of your range. Defining the extremities of the value range will guide you in selecting values during the rendering stages.

STEP 7: Addressing the background

Well it has to happen sometime. I loosely block in the value, color and texture of the background. Again using big brushes and working loosely.

STEP 8: Modeling the head

Since the head will the be focal point, I begin to model the head. Focusing on accurate values and edges will give the forms of the face dimension, life and believability.

STEP 9: Modeling the figure

I refine the figure, esp. the torso. At this stage I also decide to make the stripes a light, cool blue instead of a dark warm color. Staying loose and flexible allows me to experiment.

STEP 10: Modeling the hands

I begin to model and refine the (right) hand. I also address the value of the arm going into the hand. Again, focus on correct values and edges.

STEP 11: Modeling the hands cont.

Refiining the (left) hand. Because the palm and underside of the fingers are visible, I make sure to use a lot of reds. Edgework is critical in making the small forms of the hand turn in space and be believable.

STEP 12: Final details

I refine the edges in her face. Add highligts in her hair. I also intergrate the hair and figure into the background. I also crop and adjust the composition.

A detail of the hand rendering.

STEP 13: Final image

OK as you can see the image had been flipped. Throughout the process, I constantly flip the image both horizontally and vertically to check for mistakes and make sure the composition works. At the last minute I make the decision to flip the image becaue I felt it worked better and was a stronger composition.

I also went back and refined the color and value in the head. Adding more saturated color and contrast draws the eye to her face. I also add the final details in her clothing and necklace and further refine edges throughout the image.

Detail of the head rendering.

*Post Mortem – my process and general tips on digital painting*

1. Brush Setting

80% of the time I work with the basic hard round brush at these settings:

- 100% opacity
- “Other Dynamics” set to “Pen Pressure” at 0% “Opacity Jitter”

This stroke gives me a lot of variey, control and simulates the oil painted look.

2. Work ‘Zoomed-out’ and stay zoomed-out

I generally work as zoomed out as possible. This simulates standing back away from the painting. This allows me to see the image as whole and focus on good design and composition. This ensures that the image ‘reads’ well at all stages of development.

I also use very big brushes. I try to use a brush that seems too big for the strokes that need to be made. This keeps the painting loose and adds a lot of color variety and life. My intention was to create a work of art with a ‘painterly’ look, so using big brushes and big brush strokes helps create that feel.

Whenever I get in trouble or get stuck during the process, I know it’s becuase I am looking too closely at the image. This is one of the pitfalls with working digitally, the ability to infinitely zoom into an image. If I work too zoomed in, I get lost in the small insignificant details instead of focusing on good design and the overall image.

Whenever I get stuck, I can always correct myself by standing back away (zooming out) from the piece, go back to big brushes, and then coming back in to refine areas where I want the viewer to look.