Fantasy Art Genius Guide 7th Edition PDF

NEW 8GB of free content
The essential guide to

creating incredible
fantasy art
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Welcome to
Being bound by reality, quite frankly, is rather boring. Continually retouching

models and editing the contrast in your holiday snaps can get repetitive.
Photoshop, 3ds Max and ZBrush can be used for so much more. You can
bring your art to life. From using digital painting techniques to create new
worlds to readying your designs for 3D printing, there is so much you can do
using the software available to you. Utilise concept art to produce your own
mechs and monsters, design your own charismatic characters and create
original landscapes and architecture for your fantasy world.
Also included with the book is a collection of free to download Photoshop
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video tutorials covering the many different techniques. Access them all on
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®
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Fantasy Art Genius Guide Seventh Edition © 2016 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978 1 78546 373 0
Part of the
bookazine series
Contents
Concept
10 Build your own dystopia concept
16 Design your own fantasy vehicles
24 Construct a robot with your photos
30 Sculpt dynamic forms
38 Awaken a beast with ZBrush
46 Render a furry creature concepy
54 Use ZSpheres to sculpt a dragon 24
Character
64 Create a convincing cartoon character
70 Texture distinct steampunk characters
78 Perfect colourised characters
84 Colour your fantasy composite
90 Develop your own mutant
96 Make your own steampunk captain
102 Retouch a fantasy sorceress
108 Sculpt and render a zombie bust
116 Design an Elven archer
46
122 Fashion pro key art
128 Render a cyberpunk character
Landscape
136 Render a fairytale castle
144 Construct a landscape from photos
150 Composite a fantasy landscape
156 Composite with adjustment layers
160 Work with matte painting
166 Master pro painting techniques 136
170 Create a landscape with brushes
10
116
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
38
128
90
64 158
Use Photoshop
to create photoreal
concept art
96
156
Concept
Compose magical scenes
10 Build your own dystopia concept

16 Design your own fantasy vehicles
24 Construct a robot with your photos 30
30 Sculpt dynamic forms
38 Awaken a beast with ZBrush
46 Render a furry creature concept
54 Use ZSpheres to sculpt a dragon
These
techniques are
used in the
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54
46
8 Fantasy Art Genius Guide
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
16
10
38
24
Fantasy Art Genius Guide 9

Concept
Build your
own dystopia
concept
Use digital painting techniques to create a photoreal
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Tony Andreas
Rudolph
www.zulusplitter.de
Rudolph is a concept
artist and digital matte
painter working in the
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has worked on projects
like Guardians of the
Galaxy, Jupiter
Ascending and Captain
America 2.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
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needed for the tutorial,
from the base image to
all the added photos.
Concept

Concept
Prepare the background

Composite multiple images to create a base
Open the plate First, open the plate image that will be the base for your Prepare the plate The next step is a small but important step
01 concept. You can use the same one that was chosen for this image, which 02 to save time in the future. Start to prepare the image by separating the
can be found on the disc (‘IMG_3383.jpg’). Start analysing the image to ensure that foreground from the background. You will use the building in front of the tree
anything you add follows the same colour grading and light direction. The image has for the cut. Create a new group. Now start using the Polygonal Lasso tool and
very diffused lighting, which means no directional light and no shadows. It has more or create a selection on the edge of the station. When you have done this, click
less only ambient occlusion and contact shadows created by the objects in the scene. on the mask icon in the Layers panel to create a mask on the group.
“Analyse the image to ensure that

anything you add follows the same
colour grading and light direction”
Add the basic background Download ‘IMG_0391.

03 jpg’ and ‘IMG_0401.jpg’ from the disc. These will be added
on the left and right of the image. Make sure that the images
have the same diffused lighting situation as the plate. Import The ‘photo bashing’ technique 7LPHWRDGGWKHÀUVWSKRWRHOHPHQWVWRWKH
the images by moving them into the scene with the Move tool. 04 concept and start with photo bashing. This technique helps to create fast, good-looking
Match the perspective of the image on the left slightly more using elements for the concept. But often these will not match the image 100 per cent. This is why you
the Cmd/Ctrl+T shortcut for the Free Transform tool. After that, will need to paint over them later. For now, add the tyres (‘IMG_9304 .jpg’) and grassy elements
create a ‘Checks’ group with a Hue/Saturation adjustment on 85% on the left by using the Lasso tool to select the parts from the source references and the Move
Saturation. The check layers will help to match the colours better. tool to move them into place.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Station destruction The next step is to add

05 more interesting elements. Start to destroy the roof
of the station by selecting one side of it using the Selection
tool. When it’s selected, press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+C and
then Cmd/Ctrl+V. Photoshop will create a new layer
containing that section. Then do the same with the other
side. After that, press Cmd/Ctrl+T for the Free Transform
tool, hit the Cmd/Ctrl button and move down the roof
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building material and move it under the sides.
5HÀQHWKHFROODSVHGDUHD Add more 1HDUO\ÀQLVKHGZLWKSKRWREDVKLQJ<RXDUHQRZQHDUO\ÀQLVKHGZLWKWKHSKRWR

06 details to the collapsed area using the same
07 bashing of the foreground. Go to Image>Image Rotation>Flip Image Horizontal. This will help to
techniques as before. Don’t forget to use layer masks give you a fresh look at the image and pick out any mistakes. Create a rule of thirds raster to plan the next
and paint the masks by hand with the Brush tool and not steps. Go to Image>Canvas Size, move the top anchor point to the middle and enter 2947 as the Height.
the Eraser to have more control. To match the colours Only shrink down the bottom part of the image. Then create a new group over the background group and
quickly, go to the collapsed building and grass layers. use the same mask.
Every element or layer has to be matched separately.
Then go to Image>Adjustments>Match Color and set
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to keep a bit of the original colour intact.
08 Add trees When you have done this,

Integrate elements in your work
open one of the tree images on the disc To better integrate all elements, create a master copy by hitting Cmd/Ctrl+A, then Cmd/
(‘DSC_0218’). To extract the tree from the sky, go to the Ctrl+Shift+C and create a copy of the whole image by hitting Cmd/Ctrl+V. Then go to
Channels tab and look for the channel with the most Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and blur by 5 pixels. Set the layer to Lighten blending mode at
white and black contrast between the tree and sky. around 15%.
Duplicate the channel by moving the channel to the
New Layer icon on the bottom. Then go to Image> ,QWHJUDWLQJWKHWUHHV Repeat the previous method on another tree for the scene. Now create
Adjustments>Curves and move the bottom and top 09 a new group. Hit the Opt/Alt key on the mask of the background group and then hit the mask icon
anchor points to around the middle. Then click on the to add the same mask to the trees group. Move the trees to the position you want with the Move tool. After
channel, click on the RGB channel, duplicate the layer that, create a Levels adjustment by clicking the circle icon. In Levels, push the blacks a bit more up over the
and move it onto the canvas. Output Levels area. Do the same with the background group to lighten up the industrial images.

Concept
Perfect the scene

Add in details for a balanced composition
Final photo bash Now you are done

Paint the masks
11 Start painting Next, create a new layer
10 The next step is to add
in a tree to the front area between the railway
with all the elements and image information
you need for the overpainting stage. Don’t worry
12 in the group. Choose the Brush tool and use a
station elements to make it a bit more integrated. Use about the edges of some lighting directions that textured brush like the chalk brush. Pick some of the
the previous tree image you used for the background don’t match 100 per cent with the base plate. You darker colours in the background and start to paint
tree and move it into the position you want. You now only need the information from the references to over it. Make sure that your brush strokes follow the
need to go to Image>Adjustments>Match Color create a faster and more realistic result. Create a shape of the building part or perspective. If you want
and match the tree colour with the grass at the front. new group over the background group and under to destroy a part of the building, pick a dark colour
You can then create a mask on the tree and paint the the background trees group with the same mask. around it and paint back the lighter elements like the
mask with a round black brush. Call it ‘Overpaint’. walls. Use a custom cloud brush for the smoke.
Add noise for effect

Adding noise and a kind of chromatic aberration helps to sell a concept and turn a digitally
created image or painting into something more like a photograph. To add noise, create a grey
layer and set it to Overlay mode, then go to Filters>Noise>Add Noise set to 400% and Uniform
and bring down the Opacity to 15%.
Paint the fog The background has too Storytelling elements The whole
13 many small and tiny details. You need to push
14 concept needs more storytelling elements as
back everything with fog. Create a new layer in the well as moving objects. You need to paint this in on a
Overpaint group and over the Trees group for the new layer just with black. Use a simple round brush to
foreground. Then use the Brush tool and a cloud scribble these elements on very quickly and roughly.
brush or a round brush with 0% Hardness. When you Create separate layers for each element, which
start painting, add more fog to the parts that are in means in the background Overpaint group and in the
the centre of the image and less on the right part for foreground Overpaint group. These two new elements
a transition. will be your composition focal points too.
15 Paint the foreground Create a new

layer. This is what you will paint the new details
on. Paint the masks for the photo-bashed elements
as well to integrate them more into the concept. On
the Overpaint layer, start painting the roof collapse
and deleting the highlights from the tyre with a chalk
brush. Then create a new layer for the plants. Use
the Mixer Brush tool with ‘Dry, Heavy Load’ and
‘Sample All Layers’ selected. Choose a plant brush
and pick the colour information from the tree from the
foreground you added before and start painting.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
16 5HÀQHWKHGHVWUXFWLRQ The collapsed part

of the railway station has too many black, small
parts. You need to integrate the collapse more into the plate.
Start painting on top of it on the Overpaint layer from before
and pick a colour from a collapsed building reference. To
paint the stuff, use a chalk brush with the texture to create a
used look and less painterly feel. Pick as much as you can
from the reference to create more colour differences. Work
backwards if the result is a monochromatic painting.
17 $GGPRUHLQWHUHVWLQJHOHPHQWV Open a
rusted metal texture and move it into the PSD over
the Overpaint layer. Make it with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+U grey, set
it to Overlay and move it over the painted roof from the step
before. Then go to the vegetation layer and paint again with
the Mixer Brush tool to create more plants on the left side
as well as on the rails. Pick on different areas on the tree to
create randomness. Then use the normal Brush tool with a
plant brush and paint plants on the roof on the right side on
“Use a chalk brush with the texture to create a used
the same layer. look and less painterly feel”
18 5HÀQLQJ Create a new fog
layer over every layer. Choose
a cloud brush and pick the sky to add
more fog to the foreground as well
as on the left side to push the details
away. Just keep the roof fog-free.
Then use a reference image for the
girl and start painting on top of it to
match the lighting direction. Paint the
girl’s bag by hand using the Brush
tool and the Polygonal Lasso tool to
get sharp edges. Finally, paint the
destruction on the roof on the right
side as well as the sun rays.
)LQDOWRXFKHV The last element is the jet in the ([SODLQWKHFRPSRVLWLRQ The image is done. You should have three focal points:
19 background. Use the same techniques as before to
20 the jet, the collapsed roof and the girl. The jet is a warmer colour than the background. The
paint and design an interesting jet. Make sure the exhaust collapsed roof has the most details and no fog, and the girl is the darkest point in front of a bright
trail and the headlights are a warmer colour than the background. You also have a simple one-point perspective that is leading to the girl. The girl leads
background element. After this, make a master copy and to the jet and the roof. If you look at the roof this is leading to the jet and the jet back to the roof. These
add noise to the image via Filter>Noise>Add Noise on HOHPHQWVGHÀQHWKHYLHZHU·VSDWKRIVLJKWDQGFUHDWHDQLQWHUHVWLQJFRQFHSW
around 8%. Then copy this layer and sharpen it a bit with the
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layer. Go to the Yellow and Red channel and move the
colour to the right to get greener plants.

Concept
Design your own

Artist
Stefano Tsai
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fantasy vehicle
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
This craft is a kind of Chinese-style battleship, with the
wings, cannons and sails based on Chinese temples. I
imagined that there would be steam engines inside.

Concept
Create your sections

Clearly define the different parts of your ships
01 %HHIÀFLHQW
Split off the ship’s
main hull and think like
an engineer – how can
we build this ship? If you
think of building the ship
as one big project then
it’ll end up seeming like
a lot of work and it’ll be
GLIÀFXOWWRPDNHDQ\
changes. We should
keep it as simple as
possible. Section off
different parts of the ship
into different groups and
– as you can see from
the image – models with
the same colour are
instanced, so you have
full power to change
them with minimum
effort. Don’t build the
ship in one go, build the
parts separately.
%ORFNRXWWKHPDLQDUHDV Add the secondary blocking details on the hull and apply different colours to help differentiate each group. In my project,
02 I added the main bridges, master poles, extended the structure and added cannons. To make the process simpler, reuse assets as much as you can. For
example, the purple blocks in the image are all the same asset. Extend the secondary blocking on the main hull and like before, reuse the same models as much
as possible.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Include wings For our fantasy ship, there is no way

03 that it would work without wings. It is the element that really
makes this stand out as fantasy. Don’t make them too big or too
Learn to recycle and reuse
realistic, but try to keep them looking quite fantastical. Be careful
not to make them too large, otherwise they will dominate the ship
elements of your work
and cover the main hull, which will ruin the overall effect (unless
To save time and speed up progress, remember that you can take elements that
you’re designing a fast vessel). Switch into Clay mode to see the you have already used and place them in other parts of the ship. You can simply
ship in one solid colour, as this way we can see the entire model resize or reshape them and they’ll feel completely new . For instance, the middle
clearly without obstructions. section of the hull was repeated and re-used most as its structure can be easily
extended to other parts of the ship. For the interior of the ship, cannons, steam
engines, platforms and so on can all be easily copied and placed around where
you feel they make most sense.
Build wooden structural frames To make things

04 more believable and to have something to show later on
when we open up the panels, let’s build up a structure inside the
Place the planks on the ships With the main wooden beams and posts ready,
middle section of the hull’s blocking. We need to consider where
exactly the decks are going to be and where we’re going to place
05 let’s start placing planks along them. Remember that these sections need to be tiled,
the windows and extended platforms, so this means we need so they can’t be overlapped – everything has be to placed inside their boundaries. We can also
to leave them some space. Thinking things through like this will add stairs and some windows frames to bring in the sense of scale. It’s details like these that
emphasise the believability of our fantasy ship. really emphasise the sheer size of the ship. The bigger it is, the more imposing and impressive!

Concept
Stefano Tsai is a
concept designer and
3D artist. He has been
working in the game
and entertainment
business since 2001,
and is still excited by
his work every day
despite over a decade
in the business
Step back and check the design It’s always advisable to check how the overall look is panning out
06 throughout the process. Reveal all of the middle hulls to see how everything looks together. If it looks too straight
and formal then the surface is continuing without a break. To add interest, take one of the upper decks, copy it and turn
it into a duplicate version. Push it out a bit further to make an extended structure. These new platforms are good areas to
Factory production line of scout place cannons, as they can get a better shooting angle.
robots 3ds Max (2013)
O An automatic machine for producing
military robots. You can see how
friendly the employees are.
Factory production line of

enforcement vehicles 3ds
Max (2013)
O A comfortable and cosy production
line in a factory, building law-
enforcement vehicles.
Add functional mechanisms After checking all of the connected parts, go back to complete the
07 mechanical joints, including the mechanisms for both side sail wings and for the main sail wings. These need to
be connected with the mechanical parts and should lead to the central system. In this case, the central area will be the
ship’s keel. The keel area has plenty of equipment from the front to the end of the ship, so it’s essentially the nerve centre
of the ship. You want to add many details to make it feel functional.
Focus GHWDLOLQVSHFLÀFDUHDV
We can’t put details everywhere on the ship, as it’ll get too noisy and it’ll take too much time.
Car study 3ds Max (2013) Instead, we need to pick a few key areas. To do that, create highlight details for the chosen areas,
O This was a study project for the front and in others dial the detail back – you want the eye to naturally fall on your focal points. On my
panel of a car. For the image, I tried out ship, I spent time adding details to the stern tower, the bow, the propellers and master cannons.
two different colour casts, which gave
the image a different kind of tone. These elements really emphasise the ship’s fantasy style.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Finish the rear towers For rear towers I won’t be

08 creating a semi-open structure, so there is no need to
work on the interior parts of the ship for these elements. Instead, I
focused mainly on the exterior details of the towers. I used images
of Chinese temples as my reference for the shape of the towers. To
make them feel larger and more imposing, I created an extended
structure with parts that hang out. This way, the tower seems to get
bigger as it gets taller, and it gave me more space to add some
beautiful Chinese roof details. Remember that this is fantasy; while
we want things to feel believable, they don’t always have to be
physically accurate.
09 Complete the bow Generally, this is the most armoured part of the whole ship
as it needs to be built for combat collision. For dynamics, if you want the shape to be
stronger, you need to keep it as simple as possible. As such I didn’t got crazy with the design
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10 Give it power The wings and

the propellers are the source of
power for the ship. Obviously we can’t
get reference for these from real ships,
so we need to look elsewhere. The
surface of each of the propeller blades
needs to be huge to push the ship
forward and to maintain a reasonable
rotation speed – you don’t want it to spin
OLNHDPRZHU)RURXUIDQWDV\YHKLFOHLW
makes more sense for it to move more
subtly. Aesthetically, its size can make it
a key element of the ship. Don’t be shy
about making it much bigger than you
WKLQNLWQHHGVWREH
“After checking all of

the connected parts,
go back to complete
the mechanical
joints, including the
mechanisms for
both side sail wings
and the main sail”
Concept
11 Include weapons 7KHUHDUHWKUHHFDQQRQVRQWKLVVKLS²RQHLVRQWKHWRSGHFNDQRWKHURQHLVPRXQWHGRQWKHZDOODQGWKHELJJHVWRQHLVQHDUWKH
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Work on the rear

12 The rear of the ship
is the biggest target for the
enemy, as this is where the
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rest. Naturally it makes sense
to have lots of heavy armour
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Make the tower appear
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“Naturally it
makes sense
to have lots
of heavy
armour to
surround it
and to
protect the
high-ranking
officers”
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
13 Focus on the front bow Approach the front part of

the ship as you did the back: it also needs to be ready for
strong impacts. I installed a few scattered structures for pre-crash
purposes, so that when it happens it’ll reduce the damage to the
main hull. The same goes with armour – keep spreading the same
style of armour protection boards around the ship. You want your
ship to feel menacing and ready to take on whatever is thrown at it!
Try RXWGLIIHUHQWORRNV
Once you’ve built up the basic shape of the ship, don’t be
afraid to try out other compositions. This is just the start of
the process and the idea is to explore your idea and to
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Check for the

14 overall balance
Check the model to see if
everything is balanced. At
this stage, I realised that the
main mast near the rear tower
was too close and covered up
almost 70 per cent of visibility,
so I deleted it, and then added
more details on the other
masts to make them appear
stronger and to make them
easier for the crew to climb up.
For the crew’s safety, I also
built a few small platforms
along each mast. I also added
a small rudder-esque wing at
the ship’s end to give it more
control. Look around to see
if everything is well balanced
and if not, start playing with
new ideas.
15 Render, lighting
and materials
This image only focuses on
the modelling process in
relation to the concept and
we didn’t spend any time on
proper unwrapping, textures
or lighting. You can see a quick
result on the left, where we
have only applied box mapping
and a few materials such as
wood, metal and fabrics. I used
V-Ray 3.0 and an image-based
method to create a quick previs
image. I also applied an AO
OD\HULQ3KRWRVKRS7RÀQLVKXS
the image, give the materials a
slightly rough texture and make
the colours and lights a little
more lively.

Concept
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Construct
Artist
Moe Pike Soe
a robot with
your photos
ZZZEHKDQFHQHW
PRHSLNH
“Whenever I work on a
piece of art, one of my
main focuses is how the
different light sources
affect each of the
objects in the
composition. Depending
Master the fundamental techniques to create a mechanical
on the location of the
REMHFWWKHUHÁHFWLRQRI
robot using only photos
the light is varied. If an
object is directly in front Before we begin the tutorial, close your eyes FUHDWHDG\QDPLFVFHQHZLWKWKLVODUJHUWKDQOLIH
of the light source, I
would brush around the and imagine a robot that has ninja assassin PHFKDQLFDOURERW
edges of the object to skills. Its parts are made of bulletproof metal and $QDGYDQFHGNQRZOHGJHRIWKH7UDQVIRUPWRROV
create a rim-light effect.
FDUERQÀEUHVDORQJZLWKEXOOHWSURRIJODVVDQGKHUH\RXZLOO DGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVEOHQGPRGHVDQG%UXVKWRROVLV
“I’m a self-taught
freelance digital artist OHDUQKRZWREULQJWKLVVXSHUFRROFKDUDFWHUWROLIH UHTXLUHG8VLQJDWDEOHWLVDOVRH[WUHPHO\HQFRXUDJHGDVLW
and designer from :HZLOOEHJRLQJRYHUIXQGDPHQWDOWHFKQLTXHVXVLQJ ZLOOVSHHGXSWKHHQWLUHSURFHVVRIFXWWLQJSKRWRVDQG
Yangon, Myanmar. I
started using Photoshop
3KRWRVKRSWRFRPELQHDQGWUDQVIRUPSKRWRVLQWRDQ SDLQWLQJDVZHOODVLQFUHDVH\RXUDFFXUDF\DQGHQKDQFH
in junior year of my high RWKHUZRUOGO\DQGIXWXULVWLFFKDUDFWHU WKHRYHUDOOÀQLVK:H·OOJXLGH\RXWKURXJKFRQVWUXFWLQJ
school and started my :HZLOOXVHYDULRXV7UDQVIRUPWRROVEOHQGPRGHV ERG\SDUWVDQGDUPRXUWROLJKWLQJFRORXUDQGUHÀQLQJWKH
career in 2011. I’ve had
the opportunity to work DGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVDQGSDLQWLQJWHFKQLTXHVLQRUGHUWR NH\GHWDLOV
with clients from around
the world including
international Draw an
corporations such as 01 initial sketch
Nike and Nissan. I am
currently developing my Start off with a sketch.
skills at the Parsons New Using reference photos
School of Design in New
York City.” will help with determining
the proportion and pose of
Software the mech. After the sketch,
Photoshop look for stock photos of car
parts, engines, cables and
Source Files vehicles – armoured cars
On FileSilo youZLOOÀQGD and tanks are great. The
VPDOOFROOHFWLRQRIÀOHV
that have been made for sketch and stock photos are
this tutorial. on the FileSilo.
Prepare
02 the canvas
Once you have a
sketch ready or
you are using the
one supplied, start
bashing photos in
Photoshop to build
the bottom layer
of the robot: the
insides. Create a new
document at 240mm
x 310mm. Set the Mimic body parts Basic knowledge of
background colour 03 the human anatomy will help because you’ll
to grey at #d7d7d7. need to follow the shapes of the muscles, bones and
Import the sketch MRLQWV :H ZLOO DOVR QHHG WR UHÁHFW RQ KRZ LW PRYHV
and set it above the For the joints of the robot, we’ll use spherical parts to
background layer. show how the limbs can move at different angles.

Concept
Remain
patient
Creating a mech using photos
can be tedious because of
blending the different images
all with various lighting and
perspectives. Maintaining a
high level of patience and
attention to detail is key to
creating a slick and
professional-looking piece. It Blend the organs The parts will have
is also really important to
Build the organs Build the parts one by one. When 05 different lighting and colours, so blend them
spend time before you start
collecting enough stock
04 cutting out the stock photos, precision is not needed since by using adjustment layers. We are looking for dark
images to enable you to most of the parts are going to be covered with armour, but we’ll shadows, bright midtones and reduced highlights.
complete the piece without still need to blend them in later. Use the original shapes in the Create a new layer, grab a soft brush, set the blend
having to stop and start too VWRFNWRUHVHPEOHWKHDQDWRP\RIWKHURERW,IWKHVKDSHVGRQ·WÀW mode to Soft Light and paint in shadows and
RIWHQWRPDLQWDLQ\RXUÁRZ
press Cmd/Ctrl+T>Right-click>Warp to transform the layer. highlights to the body.
Add armour texture We’ll use different texture and

07 painting techniques in order to create the look of having
Place the armour Placing the armour on top of the skeletal frame is similar to GLIIHUHQWPDWHULDOVÀUVWZLWKWUDQVOXFHQWPDWHULDO*UDEDEUXVKDW
06 creating the internal parts, but we will be painting more and need to be more precise. Opacity and paint over the object on its layer mask. Then, create a new
When cutting out stock photos, create a layer mask instead of deleting it so you can come layer, clip mask and paint in shadows and highlights with a Soft Light
back later and edit it if you need to. blend mode.
&DUERQÀEUHSODWH
08 'RZQORDGDFDUERQÀEUH
pattern for Photoshop. Double-click
the armour plate to go into layer style
VHWWLQJV*RWRSDWWHUQVDQGFKRRVH
WKHFDUERQÀEUHSDWWHUQ&KDQJHWKH
blend mode to Overlay. Other values
can be tweaked. Always create a new
layer with Soft Light blend mode to
paint in shadow and light to blend the
armour in.
“Creating a mech
using photos can be
tedious because of
blending the
different images all
with various lighting
and perspectives ”
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Study
anatomy
Creating a realistic mech is not all
about looking good, but it’s about
how it functions as well. Extra
knowledge about anatomy will
help a lot in creating the basic
skeletal structure. Study the
shapes of the muscles and bones
to understand how each works
and adapt it to create different
parts of the mech. Following the
basic structure of the human
anatomy will help to ground your
Assemble the chest plate7KHFKHVWSODWHLQFOXGHVWKHGLIIHUHQWWH[WXUHV:KHQEXLOGLQJWKHFKHVW
09 SODWHEHVXUHWRDGGWKLFNQHVVWRWKHSODWH7RHDVLO\GRLWZHFDQSDLQWKLJKOLJKWVRQWKHHGJHVRIWKHSODWH$IWHU
URERWÀUPO\LQUHDOLW\DQGEHHDVLHU
for your viewer to understand.
DSSO\LQJWH[WXUHVDQGVKDGLQJWRWKHFXWRXWVZHZLOOGHFDOVWRVW\OLVHWKHFKHVWSODWH
Construct the helmet

10 &RQVWUXFWLQJWKHKHOPHWDFWXDOO\
XVHVWKHVDPHWHFKQLTXHVDV\RXDOUHDG\
XVHGZLWKWKHFKHVWSODWHEXWWKLVWLPHZH
ZLOOEHXVLQJFDUERG\SDUWVWRDVVHPEOH
WKHMDZOLQH0DNHVXUH\RXGRQ·WMXVWVLPSO\
FRS\DQGÁLSWKHSDUWVEXWWUDQVIRUP
WKHPE\XVLQJWKH:DUSWRRODQGWKH
3HUVSHFWLYHWRROWRDGGGHSWK,QRUGHU
WRFUHDWHURXQGSDUWVIRUWKHWRSXVH
)LOWHU!'LVWRUW!6SKHUL]H7KHQ\RXFDQDGG
VKDGRZWRWKHRYHUODSSLQJSDUWV
“Creating a realistic
mech is not all about
looking good, but it’s
about how it functions
as well. ”
Clean up the mech&KHFNDOOWKHOD\HU

12 PDVNVWRPDNHVXUHWKH\ZHUHFXWFOHDQO\,ID
Make the arms and hands Create shapes according to the number of joints you can SDUWORRNVWRREULJKWWXUQLWGRZQE\DGMXVWLQJ/LJKWQHVV
11 ÀQGRQ\RXUKDQG5HIHUHQFH\RXUKDQGVIRUWKHVL]HDQGSODFHPHQWRIWKHÀQJHUVDQGLWVSRVH YDOXHLQD+XH6DWXUDWLRQDGMXVWPHQWOD\HU8VHD6RIW
&UHDWHDOD\HUDQGDGGVKDGLQJWRHDFKÀQJHUWREOHQGWKHPLQ:KHQDGGLQJSODWHVWRWKHDUPVGRQRW /LJKWEOHQGPRGHLQEUXVKWRFKDQJHWKHWRQHV*URXS
FRYHUXSWKHMRLQWVRIWKHLQWHUQDOSDUWV/HDYHVSDFHEHWZHHQHDFKDUPRXUSODWH DOOWKHOD\HUVDQGFUHDWHDVPDUWREMHFW

Concept
Set up the background
13 Create a new layer below the
mech and select a smoke or cloud brush.
Change its Opacity to 70% and paint from
WKHERWWRPWRWKHWRSRIWKHFDQYDV0L[
the colour of the brush from light grey to
black to create a different depth of smoke.
Import a stock image of an explosion,
preferably with a black background and
set to Screen. Place it behind the mech.
Grab a soft brush and paint above the
explosion to create a glow.
Shade the mech On a new

14 layer, clip mask it to the mech
layer. Change the blend mode to Overlay.
Change the Opacity of your brush to 50%
and Flow to 60%. Select a soft brush and
paint with black and white to create more
contrast. If a part overlaps another, it will
need lighter shading. Use a small brush
(15px) to create highlights. Paint around
the edges of the mech to add rim light.
Add details and make adjustments Create a new layer Add more details Create a new layer, then make a diamond shape and
15 on top of the mech. Select a soft, round brush with the midtone 16 rotate. Copy and paste it four times and place it on the helmet. Double-click the
colour of the explosion layer. Set blend mode to Screen and paint on layer and create an outerglow with the Opacity of 40%. Ctrl/right-click> Copy Layer
the border of the mech and the explosion. Create shapes between the Style and paste it to other layers. After the eyes are set, create a new layer and paint thin
explosion and mech layer. Paint edges and contour with a small, soft brush. VWURNHVDWKRUL]RQWDODQJOHVWRFUHDWHÀUHVSDUNV7KHQDGG0RWLRQ%OXUZLWKD6FUHHQ
$QG)LOWHU!%OXU!0RWLRQ%OXUWRFUHDWHGHEULVEHKLQGWKHPHFK blend mode.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Correct
17 the colour
Use a Selective Color
adjustment layer
to add blue to the
shadows and change
the vibrance of red in
the canvas. Adjust the
values under the Red,
Neutral and Black tabs.
Create an Exposure
adjustment layer in
order to brighten up
the artwork. Create a
Vibrance adjustment
layer and increase the
values of Vibrance.
Experiment with blend modes

Play with various effects on layers and brushes
Using different blend modes can have various effects on the layers adding light sources and sparks. Each blend mode has its own
and brushes that you use in your artwork. That is why it is always best properties, but sometimes each one comes with a nice surprise. So it’s
to test out what works on different backgrounds. Using Soft Light and always much better to try out and experiment with different blend
Overlay is actually great way of changing the shading and adding PRGHV\RXUVHOIWRVHHZKLFKRQHÀWVWKHEHVWDQGFUHDWHVWKHPRVW
colours to the scene. While Screen and Linear Dodge is great for interesting effect.

Concept
Sculpt dynamic forms

Portray important moments in your designs by creating a dynamic
sculpture of your subjects
The tools in both ZBrush and 3ds Max Then, we will learn how to use more advanced
are very handy, especially when it techniques like ZSpheres and DynaMesh along with “For the creation of
comes to sculpting anatomy. Over the simpler ones, such as masks and Mesh Extraction, Beowulf we will start
next few steps we’ll discover methods in these in the design and creation of the sea serpent. After from a base mesh,
programs to sculpt a heroic character. that, we will begin detailing, which will help us to
For the creation of Beowulf, our main character, make our characters look more natural.
where we will focus on
we will start from a base mesh, where we will focus We will also use Decimation Master in order to how to obtain a
on how to obtain a dynamic, heroic pose. At the create a model of lower-polygonal resolution. This dynamic, heroic pose.
same time as this, we will be trying to model a ZLOODOORZXVWRHDVLO\H[SRUWWKHÀOHWRGV0D[ At the same time as
PDVFXOLQHDQGZHOOGHÀQHGPXVFXODUDQDWRP\ where we can add materials and illuminate the
using the default sculpting brushes in ZBrush along model how we like. Last of all, we’ll make the most
this, we will be trying
with some other customised brushes in order to of V-Ray for rendering, then post-process our scene to model a masculine
achieve different types of effects. in Photoshop. muscular anatomy”
Think about it first

Create a clear picture in your mind
Pre-production %HIRUHVWDUWLQJWRZRUNRQWKLVSLHFHZHQHHGWRKDYHDFOHDUSLFWXUHLQRXUPLQGRIZKDWZHZDQWWRGRVRWKDWZHFDQGHÀQHKRZZHDUH
01 going to do it. The pre-production stage is one of the most important ones. At this point we need to look for all different kinds of references, whether that’s visual,
textual or of any other kind, as these will help us form our main idea. In this particular case, I used references from different sources: the epic poem ‘Beowulf’, the 2007
ÀOPRIWKHVDPHQDPHDQGPDQ\RQOLQHLPDJHV
Think about the

02 composition With
all the information at hand, it’s Take
time to think about the best
way to show our piece. For pictures
this, it is necessary to begin
sketching what we have in for
mind, whether that means
drawing it or by doing it in reference
'²KRZHYHUDOZD\VPDNH
sure that you have a rough Besides taking some
draft so it does not consume photographs for
general use for pose
too much time. This will give
references, also take
us the chance to play with pictures for details, you
shapes, poses and elements ZRQ·WDOZD\VÀQG
of our scene. everything you need
online. For example, in
the case of the piece
Understand the character used here, I took many
03 It’s time to be more meticulous
pictures of my hands
and feet to study the
with our work. In this case, Beowulf is the reaction of the skin,
most important element. For that reason, tendons and veins
we want him to adopt not only a heroic when I adopted
pose, but also a natural and realistic one.
positions similar to
WKRVHXVHGLQWKHÀQDO
Therefore, it needs to be a pose that a piece. This is also very
human being can perform. For hands-on useful with clothing
reference, I chose to act as if I were the references, because it
character. Obviously the character and I means that we can see
how creases work with
are different, but this helped me see how different fabrics and
the pose works. various surfaces.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Daniel Bel
www.danielbel.
com
Daniel has been in
the industry for a
decade having worked
as an animator for
Gameloft and currently
as an art director for
Waypoint Studios.
Software
ZBrush, 3ds Max, V-Ray,
Photoshop
Source Files
the tutorial screenshots
DQGVFHQHÀOHVWR
complete this tutorial.
Concept
04 Make the most of Mannequins
A tool that isn’t very widely used by the
majority in ZBrush is the Mannequin function. This
tool consists of a character created from ZSpheres,
which will enable us to pose our character in a
simple, practical and fast way, simply by using
the Rotation tool and without losing the original
SURSRUWLRQVRIWKHÀJXUH,QWKLVFDVH,FRSLHGWKH
SRVHIURPWKHSUHYLRXVUHIHUHQFHSKRWRJUDSKV,ZDV
then able to correct or exaggerate certain elements
WKDW,WKRXJKWZHUHDSSURSULDWHIRUWKHFKDUDFWHU
“This tool consists of a

character created from
ZSpheres, which will enable
us to pose our character in a
simple, practical and fast
way, simply by using the
Rotation tool”
Start with using
05 a base mesh
With the pose already
GHÀQHGWKHQH[WVWHSLVWR
import a base mesh that has
been previously created as
a new SubTool into ZBrush.
7KLVLVDEDVHPHVKWKDW,
tend to use for characters
with heroic proportions
(eight-heads tall). We need
to place the base mesh on
the Mannequin, and using
the Transpose tool, try to
match it to the pose of the
Mannequin. Once we’ve
done this, we’ll have the main
character mesh that can be
subdivided in order to start
UHÀQLQJWKHJHRPHWU\DQG
keep working.
Create the muscles

06 7KHÀUVWVWHSZHPXVW
take into account in order to start
working with muscles is to mark
certain bony protrusions, called
bony landmarks, that will work as
guidelines to sculpt every muscle.
2QFHLGHQWLÀHGXVHWKH&OD\
Tubes brush to sculpt each of the
muscles, taking into account its
shapes and volumes according to
the pose of the character’s limbs.
To do this properly, we need to
use as many anatomy references
DVSRVVLEOH,WLVYHU\LPSRUWDQW
to know what our body is like and
how our muscles work, particularly
when putting a character in such
an extreme pose.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Design the monster

07 This is the most creative
and free stage of the modelling
process. Use ZSpheres to start
creating the body of the serpent,
as it is a practical and dynamic
way to obtain a cylindrical and
continuous shape. After acquiring
the basic shape, press the A key
to convert it to Adaptive Skin,
then convert it to DynaMesh to
start playing with the shapes of
the head and other details. In my
project I wanted it to look like a sea
serpent, so I masked all of its back
VRWKDW,FRXOGFUHDWHWKHÀQIURP
the SubTool panel with the Mesh
Extract. I did the same for its belly.
Add accessories
08 One of the many
advantages of working in
ZBrush is the Mesh Extraction
feature. Simply by masking
any part of our model and
then clicking on Extract, we
can generate a new tool of
the masked portion within
the SubTool panel, meaning
we can get all kinds of basic
shapes and use them as
accessories. In the case of
Beowulf, I used this feature
to create his beard, hair,
headband and shorts. As
I have already explained, I
also created some parts of
the monster in the same way.
I also used the Insert Mesh
brush for the fangs, among
RWKHUWKLQJV<RXZLOOÀQGWKDW
It is all of these kinds of details
that will bring your character
to life.
Make the sword For

09 the creation of hard-surface
objects, I usually combine 3ds
Max and ZBrush. For the sword, I
created the entire base in polygons,
working with subdivisions in 3ds
Max. As a blueprint for these,
I used an image of the original
sword used in the Beowulf movie.
I then modelled a base mesh and
exported it to ZBrush, where I used
DynaMesh to join certain parts of
the handle, and the retopology
function with ZRemesher to achieve
a cleaner geometry. Like before,
LW·VWKHÀQHUGHWDLOVWKDWPDNH\RXU
image more realistic, so I added
scratches to the blade.

Concept
Concept
In this diorama I
wanted to depict the
strength, bravery,
heroism and anatomy
of a great character
such as Beowulf.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
$GGWKHÀQDO
10 GHWDLOV This last
stage of modelling is when
we must keep an eye for
detail in order to take our
ÀJXUHWRWKHKLJKHVWOHYHORI
quality possible. As always,
use reference images
and your imagination to
DGGWKHVPDOOÀQDOGHWDLOV
to really emphasise the
reality of your work. For
the skin wrinkles, I usually
use the Dam_Standard
brush together with the
,QÁDWHEUXVK,DOVRXVHG
the Standard brush with
the Stroke set to Spray in
combination with Alpha
40. Then smooth it with the
Smooth Peaks brush for
porous and rough surfaces.
11 &OHDQDQGPHUJH6XE7RROV Before exporting the scene to

GV0D[LWLVLPSRUWDQWWRKDYHRXU6XE7RROVODEHOOHGDQGIUHHIURP
any hidden or unnecessary items. It is also useful to try to group them so as
WRDYRLGKDYLQJWRRPDQ\VHSDUDWHHOHPHQWV6RLIZHKDYHÀYH6XE7RROV
each of them with just a part of the sword, we can group them in a single
6XE7RROWLWOHG6ZRUG7RGRWKLVZHMXVWKDYHWRJRWRWKH0HUJHPHQXDQG
choose the option that suits us depending on the order of our SubTools.
FindWKHEHVWZRUNÁRZ
for you
From my own personal experience, this series of steps for
the creation of Beowulf is the most convenient way to do it.
However, it is not the only method you can use. I
UHFRPPHQGWKDWDOODUWLVWVWU\WRÀQGWKHLURZQZRUNÁRZLQ
UHODWLRQWRWKHLUVNLOOVDQGQHHGV=%UXVKLVDQDPD]LQJWRRO
for your creativity, so don’t waste it!
'HFLPDWH\RXU
12 FUHDWLRQ In the case of
Beowulf, I knew my only intention
was to export the scene to 3ds
0D[WRUHQGHUGLIIHUHQWYLHZV
of it. I decided that instead of
retopologising each element and
LQYHVWLQJWLPHLQWKLVSURFHVV,
would use the Decimation Master
function in order to get a reduced
number of polygons that 3ds Max
could import for a later render. For
this, go to the Zplugin menu>
Decimation Master>Pre-process
All. This will pre-compute each
element of the scene. Next,
press Decimate Current, testing
to see what the correct
'HFLPDWLRQ4XDOLW\YDOXHLVIRU
each SubTool.

Concept
Export and import Once all our SubTools are organised and
13 decimated, use the GoZ All function (which is within the Tool panel) to
export all of the SubTools simultaneously. This tool exports from ZBrush and
automatically opens 3ds Max, importing all objects into a new scene. Once
the scene in 3ds Max has the full model ready, use V-Ray’s Mesh Export
IXQFWLRQWRFUHDWHSUR[LHVRIHDFKLWHPVRWKDW\RXFDQQDYLJDWHÁXLGO\LQWKH
Viewport. The proxies load just at render time.
Retopologise with
ZRemesher
Another method used to transfer all the details of a
SubTool with millions of polygons is the using
ZRemesher and the Project function. To do this, we
have to duplicate our current SubTool and apply a
ZRemesher to it, setting the parameters for a suitable
topology. Then, from Geometry, subdivide the
geometry as many times as necessary. Last, go to the
Project menu of the SubTool panel and click on Project
All. We will then get a tool with several subdivisions
and all the details of the original piece. We can then
extract the Displacement or Normal maps to export
them along with the low-res version of the model.
Set up the lights This process and the following one are as
14 important as all the previous steps, since through these we will
really emphasise and bring to life all of the modelling that we’ve already
done. Therefore, it is advisable to have some inspirational images to hand
WKDWZLOOKHOSWRLQVSLUHWKHÀQDOORRNRIRXUVFXOSW,XVXDOO\XVHVHYHUDO
VRayLights scattered around the scene along with HDR images. Test each
light separately to see how each of them affects the model before creating
DQRWKHURQH,QWKLVZD\HDFKOLJKWKDVDVSHFLÀFIXQFWLRQDQGZHDUHDEOHWR
PDQLSXODWHWKHPDFFRUGLQJWRWKHORRNZHZDQWWRJHQHUDWH

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
15 Create the shader We’ll use just one material for Beowulf. The idea is to create a look “For every camera that we create,
similar to a polished stone with some sparkles and some dirt diffused on it. The point of feel free to move around some
WKLVORRNLVVLPSO\WRKLJKOLJKWWKHYROXPHDQGVKDSHRIWKHÀJXUHZLWKRXWJHWWLQJORVWLQFRPSOH[
RUÁDVK\WH[WXUHVWKDWZRXOGGLVWUDFWRXUIRFXVRIDWWHQWLRQ7RGRWKLVXVHD95D\0WOZLWKD
(or all) of the lights in the scenes
9UD\'LUWDSSOLHGLQWKH'LIIXVHFKDQQHODQGD)UHVQHOUHÁHFWLRQZLWKDVPDOO1RLVHPDS2QO\ZLWK until you manage to generate the
that and playing around with the lights can we get this effect for the project. desired effects”
Cameras and render Finding the perfect angle
16 where we can show both a correct composition while at the
same time presenting the drama of our piece is not an easy task.
As Beowulf is no exception to this rule, place several cameras in
order to make some test renders. For every camera that we create,
feel free to move around some (or all) of the lights in the scenes
until you manage to generate the desired effects on each shot –
not every light is going to look effective in each render. V-Ray is the
render engine that I generally choose for all my works.
Get feedback
From my point of view, comments and constructive
criticism on your work are one of the best ways for
you to understand whether what you’re doing is
working or not. Beyond our taste and personal style,
we must realise that other people’s opinions are
very important as well, whether they are a viewer or
industry outsider’s, or a more experienced
colleague’s insight. We need to learn how to take
criticism in a positive and productive way in order to
develop our work and grow as professionals.
Final composition When it comes to post-

17 processing the image, it’s best to use Photoshop for stills.
Here, compose the original render, stressing particular areas
DQGUHÁHFWLRQVE\XVLQJVHOHFWLRQVDQGPDVNVDQGGLIIHUHQW
kinds of blending modes. In my scene, I decided to make the
background entirely black with a free stock image of smoke to
add a sense of drama. Last of all, I applied some stone textures
ZLWKWKHEOHQGLQJPRGHVHWWR2YHUOD\DWDORZ2SDFLW\,W·VDOVR
worth doing some colour corrections and adjusting the contrast
OHYHOV2QFHZH·YHGRQHWKLVÁDWWHQWKHLPDJHDQGXVHWKH%XUQ
tool to emphasise areas, creating points of interest.

Concept
Awaken a beast
with ZBrush
Model, pose and texture a monstrous creature’s life
cycle and its natural setting
In this tutorial we will go through the steps to create a posed
and detailed creature. Starting with only a sphere we will create the
rough form of the creature and use ZSpheres to add limbs. We will
also make use of readily available Insert Multi Mesh brushes to add features
to the creature. After posing the creature we will use Polypainting to create
basic materials and textures on the model. Finally, the 3D renders will be
WDNHQLQWR3KRWRVKRSWRÀQLVKWKHFRPSRVLWLRQE\DGGLQJOLJKWLQJHIIHFWVDQG
textures. We will also cover how to export and render the model in KeyShot
from ZBrush 4R7.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
The aim of this project is to create a
detailed and expressive creature living in
its natural habitat.
Artist
James Suret
www.artstation.
com/artist/zerojs
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creature artwork.
Software
ZBrush, KeyShot,
Photoshop
Source Files
the tutorial screenshots
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WKHVWHSVRIWKLVWXWRULDO

Concept
Start with rough designs

Don’t worry about the finer details to start with
Create a rough bust First insert a
01 new sphere. Press T to edit the object and
click Make Polymesh3D, also activate Symmetry by
pressing X. Now with the Move brush set to a large
size (by pressing the ] key), push the shape around.
The idea is to quickly explore your ideas without
worrying too much about what the details will be. At
this point it’s sometimes useful to look at reference
images of the anatomy of real animals or insects.
Develop the model by using

02 DynaMesh Now we have a very rough form
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of its topology. We need to use the DynaMesh feature
to even out the surface of the model. We can continue
to pull out the basic form of the creature. When it feels
like the polygons are stopping you from adding more
detail, just use the DynaMesh feature again but with
a higher resolution. At this point the polygon count is
quite high and we can start using the Clay brush to
carve in smaller features such as the eye sockets and
skin folds.
Choosing
a full body
or bust
Initially when you start a new
character from scratch, you
may not be sure how the
entire character will look. It’s
a good idea to concentrate
on sculpting a bust, as this
helps you develop your
character. You can always
create the rest of the
character from ZSpheres or
Insert Meshes and merge it
with DynaMesh. In ZBrush
Sculpt the initial details The next step is to add character and realism to the model by sculpting basic skin 4R7, when you use
03 folds and muscle structure. Using the ClayTubes and Smooth brushes we can quickly create the look of skin folds DynaMesh on a SubTool with
multiple objects merged, it
or wrinkles. The Dam_Standard brush is great for carving lines and wrinkles as well as carving out the mouth and nostrils. preserves the individual
During this stage you may need to use DynaMesh again to smooth the mesh out. Next, add the eyes by inserting spheres. objects’ Polygroups.
Then mirror the spheres using the SubTool Master plugin and move the eyes into place with the Transform tools.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Create the creatures arms with

04 ZSpheres To create the forearm we will
start by inserting a ZSphere into the model. Press
Q and you can draw out a new ZSphere and
after pressing W you can drag the new sphere
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repeating this process you can create the basic
form of the arm, the Scale and Rotate tools can
also be used. When you are happy with the arm
click on Make Adaptive Skin under the Adaptive
Skin menu. This new SubTool can then be added
to the main SubTool, it’s usually best to run
DynaMesh before sculpting further.
05 Develop the anatomy Now we have a sculptable arm we can mirror 06 Use Insert Multi Mesh brushes Now that one set of arms is
the SubTool using SubTool Master menu under Plugins, if you choose the sculpted you can add more by clicking Duplicate in the SubTool menu.
option to Merge into one SubTool you can then press X to enable symmetry on The new arms can then be resized and moved by making use of the Transpose
the arms. Then using the Move and Clay brushes you can build up the anatomy tools. To speed the modelling process up we can add some legs to the creature
of the arm; consider where the joints will protrude and skin folds might hang from. by using a premade Insert Multi Mesh brush pack available for free at badking.
To complete the creature we can now add a new sphere and pull out the basic com.au. Once the brush set is loaded up you can then click on the side of the
shape of the lower half of the creature’s body and tail. Now use DynaMesh to creature’s body and drag out the size of the leg that you want it to be. Then you
prepare the SubTool for sculpting. can use the Transpose tools to position it.
Detail the face Now the large forms of the creature are complete we can focus on adding detail to the smaller areas. Using the Dam_Standard brush you
07 can create more skin folds and wrinkles. It is useful at this point to use DynaMesh again at a higher resolution to enable you to sculpt these smaller details. We
can also add in some teeth by starting with a sphere, pulling out the basic shape and then duplicating the SubTool as we did before when we were working on the arms.

Concept
James is currently a
games designer
Create the egg and baby The egg is created by inserting a sphere and
08 roughing out the shape with the Move tool. Then use DynaMesh and tweak the
shape further. You can use Alpha materials to quickly sculpt surface details. To create the
baby creature, make the basic skeleton from ZSpheres based on the anatomy of the original
creature. Then move the skeleton inside the egg and position the limbs. To move the ZSphere
model press W, hold Alt and click on the initial inserted ZSphere. After turning the model into
an Adaptive Skin, use sculpting brushes to add detail.
Oculus
2013, ZBrush, Photoshop
O This sorceress character was
sculpted in ZBrush, using Insert
Create the landscape Now we need to create a base environment for the creatures to exist in. Starting
Multi Mesh Curve brushes to create
the clothing. 09 from a sphere again we can rough out a rocky platform with the Move and Clay brushes; use DynaMesh to
smooth out the mesh after large changes. When the polygon count is high enough, use Alpha materials to add a
rough surface to the model. Then load the IMM Clod brush that comes with ZBrush and insert some rocks along the
surface. Use the Transpose tools to resize and rotate each rock as you are inserting them. You can now also duplicate
the SubTool containing the baby creature. It can be scaled up slightly and positioned near the front of the egg with
Transpose tools.
Pose the creature

10 Now we can pose the
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Before we do it’s a good idea to
merge the eyes and teeth down into
the main body SubTool so they will
be posed together. Make sure they
are listed underneath each other
in the SubTool list before clicking
MergeDown. With the body SubTool
selected hold down Ctrl and paint a
mask covering the head and neck.
Turn off symmetry by pressing X,
hold Ctrl down and click outside of
the model to invert the mask. Press
R and draw out a transpose line from
the base of the neck outwards then
Nova-25 drag the end of the line to rotate the
2013, Photoshop neck. You can then use the same
O This is a futuristic character concept.
I sculpted this female cyborg character method to pose the rest of the body
in ZBrush, using FiberMesh to create and limbs as well as the larger baby
the hair. creature’s limbs.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Make the background Now that we have the creatures and the foreground ready
11 we can make a quick background for the environment. Start by pulling out a sphere with
the Move brush into a rough rectangle. Use DynaMesh and then pull a tunnel shape out of the
back of the model with the Move brush. Continue shaping the cave and using DynaMesh to
help sculpt more detail. You can also use Alpha materials to quickly add some texture but don’t
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WRFUHDWHDGHSWKRIÀHOGHIIHFW
“Use different Alpha materials to layer hard and

sharp textures on the skin”
Final details Now to complete the sculpt we can add
12 ÀQHVXUIDFHGHWDLO$GGDÀQHOD\HURIQRLVHWRWKHPRGHOWR
Posing forms
make the skin look more realistic. Click on the Noise button under
the Surface menu, here you can tweak the strength and scale of
the noise. To apply this noise to the model click OK then Apply To
Mesh. You can then use different Alpha materials to layer hard and
When posing organic characters you usually need to create smooth bends, for
example, the neck or knee. When you are painting out a mask you can hold sharp textures on the skin to create the look of bumps, veins and
down the Ctrl key and lower the RGB opacity which will draw out a softer mask. scratches on the skin. A great selection of free Alpha materials
This will create smoother, more organic bends. You can quickly blur the mask can be found at pixologic.com/zbrush/downloadcenter/alpha.
by using Ctrl+click several times. Alternatively you can create your own from photos by saving them
DVJUH\VFDOH36'ÀOHV
Polypaint the base

13 textures )LUVWO\ÀOOWKHPRGHO
with a plain material by clicking MRGB
and selecting MatCap White01 as the
material and FillObject in the Color
menu. Make sure ZAdd and ZSub are
not ticked (so you don’t accidentally
sculpt on the mesh) and tick RGB (this
will allow you to just paint in colour).
It is a good idea to choose an Alpha
material to paint with to blend colours in
a more natural way. Then, apply some
base materials to enhance the texture’s
shading. To do this make sure only M
is ticked, select a material and click
FillObject from the Color menu.

Concept
14 Lighting and rendering)LUVWZHQHHGWRURWDWHWKHPRGHOWRFUHDWH
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Use Photoshop
15 to composite the Add extra effects and
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
“To create the

strands of slime
and saliva you
can draw a line
with the Line
Tool and then
use the Warp
transform tool
to make it look
more realistic”

Concept
Artist
Pablo Muñoz
Gómez
www.zbrush-
guides.com
This creature is
catalogued as one of the
most social subspecies
of the Lost Creatures.
However, their interaction
is restricted to other
species as they are
hostile to individuals of
We’ll focus on setting the same group.
up the model for
FiberMesh and explain a Software
ZBrush, Photoshop
few techniques for
getting some control over
the creation of fibres

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Render a furry
creature concept
Create a unique character design and build fur using ZBrush
+HUHZHDUHJRLQJWRH[SORUHWKHZRUNÁRZDQGPHWKRGWKDWLV EDVHPRGHORIWKHFUHDWXUH7KLVZLOOHQDEOHXVWRUHÀQHWKHFKDUDFWHU·V
XVHGWRFUHDWHD/RVW&UHDWXUH In this tutorial we will be making silhouette and proportions using layers. We’ll set up the model for
this creature to help us make a central character as part of an FiberMesh and a few techniques for getting some control over the creation
illustration. This is an imaginary Lost Creature wandering the wild. The idea DQGJURRPLQJRIWKHÀEUHV
was to capture a moment in the life of this furry character, showing his Along with a series of sculpting tips, you’ll learn to tweak and groom
curious and friendly side. GLIIHUHQWJURXSVRIÀEUHVWRIXUWKHUKHOS\RXH[SORUHWKHGHVLJQWKURXJKWKH
One of the most challenging things about designing characters is to way the hair is shaped and placed on the model.
make them appealing, memorable and most importantly, believable. It’s ZBrush will be the primary software used in this tutorial for the concept,
important to make aesthetic decisions to give personality to our character. VFXOSWLQJWH[WXULQJDQGUHQGHULQJ:H·OODOVRXVHDELWRI3KRWRVKRSIRUWKH
Based on a rough 2D sketch and using ZSpheres, quickly build a versatile LQLWLDOVNHWFKHVDVZHOODVIRUWKHÀQDOFRPSRVLWLRQ
'HVLJQZLWKDVWRU\Regardless of the nature of your project, it

01 is always important to gather references to help you visualise the idea.
These references could also inspire you to develop the story behind your
character, or they might suggest the imaginary world that the character lives in.
This Lost Creature doesn’t have a narrative or a story behind it, but you can create
‘facts’ about the species or clan, for instance. These facts could help you narrow
GRZQVRPHGHVLJQHOHPHQWVWRPDNHLWDEHOLHYDEOHFKDUDFWHUIRUH[DPSOHZH
can say that this is ‘a social creature, but it’s hostile to individuals of the same
group, innocent, gullible and easily distracted’.
,WHUDWLRQDQGWKHH[SORUDWLRQRILGHDVDoing some initial

02 sketches will help you visualise your character a bit better, whether you
want to pursue the original idea or not. Let’s start by drawing a few thumbnails to
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would probably place the creature high in the social hierarchy and suggests a
certain age. Long arms and short legs suggests that he is not very fast, and he is
slightly hunched over due to the weight of his horns. You could also do a collage
with the references you collected to help you lock the forms, materials, transitions
and so on.
Fine-tuning silhouettes
with layers
An interesting way to explore the proportions of the character and
the overall shape of it is to use ZSpheres with layers. You could start
by creating a fairly average armature (by turning symmetry on). Then
add a new layer in the same way you would for any subtool. Start
rotating the limbs and scaling the ZSpheres until you’re happy with
the new silhouette. Add a new layer for a new idea and keep
exploring shapes. Once you have a few variations, go to the layers
subpalette and start playing with the sliders to blend the variations in
order to get even more options.

Concept
*URXQG\RXUGHVLJQOnce you have created a few
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DOORI\RXUVLOKRXHWWHV
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add a bit of structure to the design to build a solid base for the
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DVWKHÀQJHUVRUZKHUHWKHDUPJHWVFORVHUWRWKHFKHVW
5HÀQHLQORZUHVROXWLRQDQGDGGGHWDLOVSince most of this character is going

05 to be covered by fur, we need to exaggerate some volumes to avoid losing the desired
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Grouping This is a key step Polish and Polypaint At this point the setup of the model is
06 when using FiberMesh, not only 07 complete, so it’s time to polish the surfaces and add some extra
because it gives us control over the hair details. By using layers, you can create intricate effects and have full control
creation but also the grooming. We’ll over the contribution of the details of each layer. Take the horns for instance;
use the ZRemesherGuides brush to in one layer we’ve sculpted deep vertical crevices and in the second layer
draw a few guidelines that ZRemesher we have horizontal indentations that run from the base to the tip. Using the
will use to arrange the polygons and layer weight sliders, you can blend the effect for each set of details to create
build a cleaner model. When the a balanced pattern. You could use alphas to add further details like bumps
retopology process is done, duplicate and wrinkles where the hair won’t grow. Use colour to reinforce your design,
the new model. We’ll subdivide and to guide the viewer, or simply, to frame a point of interest. The Polypaint on
group one mesh to project the details this creature is almost a gradient that goes from yellow to black, creating a
from the sketch, and the other one to vignette effect and adding focus to the face. FiberMesh can grow the hair
group each polygon individually. When with colour using Base Colorize. At a value of one, ZBrush will sample the
each polygon on the model has its own 3RO\SDLQWLQIRUPDWLRQIURPWKHPRGHOWRWLQWWKHÀEUHV7KLVZLOOJLYH\RX
JURXSWKHÀEUHVFUHDWHGZLOOPDLQWDLQ greater control and the result will look far more interesting. Keep in mind that
the grouping, giving you more control WKHÀEUHVZLOOFUHDWHWKHHIIHFWRIEOXUULQJWKHWUDQVLWLRQEHWZHHQGLIIHUHQW
once you start stylising the hair. colours, especially for messy hair.

Concept
Add character with the pose Posing a character is another
08 powerful opportunity to reinforce its personality. Take advantage
of the original armature to quickly try out some poses, so you can get
AutoGroup by normals
With a low-res version of your model, assign a different polygroup to each
something that expresses exactly what you want. In this case the final pose polygon. The advantage of this is that FiberMesh will assign groups to
is rather simple, but it helps to portray the innocence and curiosity of the ÀEUHVFUHDWHGEDVHGRQWKHXQGHUO\LQJVXUIDFH(DFKSRO\JRQZLOO
creature. Since we have multiple tools, the Transpose Master plugin would SURGXFHDXQLTXHJURXSRIÀEUHV<RXFDQXVHDQ\*URRPLQJEUXVKZLWK
be the obvious choice and because of the manual grouping we did earlier ¶0DVNE\3RO\JURXS·DWDYDOXHRIWRFRQWUROÀEUHJURXSVLQGLYLGXDOO\
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on, you can mask or hide areas quickly. Also, consider how the shapes and
Tolerance’ of 1.
volumes can help you with the composition.
“Posing a character is another powerful
opportunity to reinforce its personality. Take
advantage of the original armature to quickly
try out some poses, so you can get something
that expresses exactly what you want”
)LEHU0HVKÀUVWSDVVIn most cases, you’ll fneed a large

09 amount of fibres to achieve the desired effect. A good idea is to
generate some fibres from a simple sphere, and tweak the settings until you
are happy with how they look. Then you can save the settings and use them
in the posed model but with a higher number of fibres. For the first pass,
mask everything except the areas that won’t have hair and preview the fibres
with your saved settings. This first pass should cover the entire body and
have the hair spread evenly.
FibreMesh blocking The second pass consists of using the grouped

10 areas to separately grow blocks of fur. Start with big groups like the chest and
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on the hand is next to the longer hair of the forearm; we’ll need to create a transition
IURPORQJWRVKRUWE\PDVNLQJWKHZULVWUHJLRQDQGWZHDNLQJ)LEUH0HVKIRUDPRUH
gradual change.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Colour FiberMesh
([WUDÀEUHVDQGUHWRXFKLQJWKH
11 hairstyle For the third pass we’ll use the copied
model we created earlier. Mask areas where you want
$QDOWHUQDWLYHZD\RIDGGLQJFRORXUWRWKHÀEUHVLVWRPDQXDOO\
VOLJKWO\ORQJHUKDLUDQGFUHDWHWKHÀEUHVSUHVV6KLIW) 3RO\SDLQWWKHP<RXFDQDOVRXVHWKLVWHFKQLTXHWRIXUWKHUWZHDN
and you’ll see that each polygon produces a grouped set WKHFRORXUVRIÀEUHVDOUHDG\FUHDWHG7XUQ=$GGRIIDQG5JERQ
of hair. Select GroomSpike and turn ‘Mask By Polygroup’ DQGE\XVLQJWKH6WDQGDUGEUXVKZLWKWKH¶0DVN%\)LEHU0HVK·
WRWKLVZD\\RXZLOODIIHFWRQO\WKHÀEUHVWKDWVKDUHWKH IHDWXUHLQWKHPDVNLQJRSWLRQV\RXFDQSDLQWSRUWLRQVRIHDFKÀEUH
same group, making it easy to create clumpy spikes of
long hair. Remember that FiberMesh previews are very
different from the render so try to do quick BPRs to make “Creating the butterfly is quite simple and
VXUHDOOÀEUHVDUHORRNLQJJRRGHVSHFLDOO\DIWHUJURRPLQJ similar to how the creature was built: we
The Move tool is great for editing FiberMesh: use it to started with a ZSpheres armature and
reposition chunks of hair or to push some hair inside the
model to hide them (this is useful around the mouth or the
created an adaptive skin to sculpt some
eyes). Be careful when using the Smooth brush because details, then we added Polypaint layers to
LWFRXOGPDNHWKHÀEUHVWRRWKLQ the body”
Materials and
12 lighting We are
going to keep the materials
for the render quite simple
and just render a couple of
extra passes with MatCaps.
7KHERG\KRUQVDQGÀEUHV
have slightly different
versions of SkinShade4 with
variations in the specular
value and the wax strength.
The lighting is a three-point
setup with a key, a rim and
DÀOOOLJKW<RXFDQFUHDWHD
LightCap but in this case
three lights would make the
process of rendering passes
much easier since we can
quickly toggle the visibility
DQGLQÁXHQFHRIHDFKOLJKW

Concept
Document, quality and camera While
13 VFXOSWLQJDVPDOOFDQYDVGRFXPHQWLVPRUHHIÀFLHQWDQG
ideal for testing the render passes. To set up the document for
WKHÀQDOUHQGHUWKRXJKZHQHHGWRVHWWKHULJKWGLPHQVLRQVDQG
increase the size. The next step is to frame the model roughly to
ZKHUH\RXZDQWLWDQGWZHDNWKH¶$QJOHRI9LHZ·WKLVZLOOÁDWWHQ
RUH[DJJHUDWHWKHSHUVSHFWLYH:H·OOXVH=$SS/LQNWRVWRUHWKH
UHQGHUYLHZ²WKLVLVDQHVVHQWLDOVWHSLQFDVH\RXDFFLGHQWDOO\
rotate the model. Finally, increase the antialiasing quality by
changing the SPix (SubPixel) to a value of seven.
”It might be difficult to decide which

passes to render, so start with the
basics and if you need more, go back
to ZBrush and create new renders”
Render
14 passes 1RZWR
start generating
the render passes. It can
EHGLIÀFXOWWRGHFLGHZKLFK
passes to render, so start
ZLWKWKHEDVLFVDQGLI\RX
QHHGPRUHRUZDQWWRWHVW
something different, go
EDFNWR=%UXVKDQGFUHDWH
QHZUHQGHUV7KHEDVLF
SDVVHVZLOOYDU\GHSHQGLQJ
RQZKDWVW\OHRUW\SHRI
illustration you are after;
IRUWKLVFUHDWXUHZHQHHG
DWOHDVWDEHDXW\VKDGRZ
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UHÁHFWLRQSDVV0DW&DS
6DWLQDQGÁDWFRORXUSDVV
)ODW&RORU)LQDOO\WXUQDOO
Polypaint off and render
each light individually
ZLWKVKDGRZV
15
Point of interest 7KHEXWWHUÁ\ZDVVRPHWKLQJWKDWFDPH
XSZKLOHSRVLQJWKHFKDUDFWHUWRDGGDQDGGLWLRQDOSRLQWRI Quick mask expand
interest and as an element to support the action suggested by the pose. Masking is the backbone of compositing, so creating good masks will give
&UHDWLQJWKHEXWWHUÁ\LVTXLWHVLPSOHDQGVLPLODUWRKRZWKHFUHDWXUHZDV you greater control over the effects and the compositing process. There is a
EXLOWZHVWDUWHGZLWKD=6SKHUHVDUPDWXUHDQGFUHDWHGDQDGDSWLYHVNLQ quick way to create render masks in ZBrush though. First of all, turn off the
3RO\SDLQWRQDOORI\RXUVXEWRROVWKHQRSHQWKH0DWHULDOV0RGLÀHUVSDOHWWH
WRVFXOSWVRPHGHWDLOVWKHQZHDGGHG3RO\SDLQWOD\HUVWRWKHERG\7KH (with the SkinShade4) and change the value of Ambient to 100 and the
ZLQJVDUHSODQHVZLWK89VXVLQJDQLPDJHWH[WXUHRIDZLQJRQDEODFN 6SHFXODUYDOXHWR1RZFKRRVHEODFNIRUWKHPDLQFRORXUDQGVLPSO\ÀOO
EDFNJURXQGWKDWLIHQDEOHG=%UXVKLQWHUSUHWVDVWUDQVSDUHQF\7KHQ any subtool that you want to create a mask for in white. Then hit render.
\RXFDQXVH7UDQVSRVH0DVWHUWRSRVLWLRQWKHEXWWHUÁ\
All tutorial files can be downloaded from: filesilo.co.uk/3dartist

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Crop to expand 16 Composite To combine the different passes, use Photoshop. Import your passes
and name them, we’ll put the depth pass and mask at the top of the Layers stack and
It sounds counterintuitive, but did you know that the hide them. The rest of the render passes can be added to one group, and we can mask the
Crop tool is the ideal way to expand your canvas? whole group with the mask render pass so that we are able to see the background. With the
Select the whole image area with Crop, then instead of beauty or colour pass at the bottom, change the Blending Mode of the shadows and the AO
pulling them inwards, drag the corner handles out to
the desired larger size. Hit return to see your revised to multiply and tweak the opacity. For the light passes, change the Blending Mode to Screen
canvas size. or Add, or use them as masks for new layers to have full control over the colour and intensity of
each light.
Final
17 tweaks Use
the Adjustment layers
in Photoshop for a
nondestructive way to
edit a layer. Create level
adjustments and place
it at the top of the rim
light pass; holding Opt/
Alt, click in-between
the two layers to clip the
effect to that single layer.
Now you can adjust the
contrast and intensity
without affecting the
original pass. To add a
photographic effect, use
depth pass as a mask
and add a lens blur for a
GHSWKRIÀHOGHIIHFW

Concept
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Use ZSpheres to
sculpt a dragon
Combine a ZSphere skeleton and ZSketch to create a dramatic
render of a dragon with unique features
Making a posed and detailed dragon will require the rough form of the dragon to be built up using ZSpheres. We will also make use of
UHDGLO\DYDLODEOH,QVHUW0XOWL0HVKEUXVKHVWRDGGIHDWXUHVWRWKHFUHDWXUH5HQGHUVZLOOWKHQEHWDNHQLQWR3KRWRVKRSWRÀQLVKWKHFRPSRVLWLRQE\
adding lighting effects and textures. Finally, we will also cover how to export and render the model in KeyShot from ZBrush 4R7.
Start from ZSpheres To start, click on the Tool

01 palette and choose ZSphere. Draw the initial
ZSphere out and press T then X to start editing with
symmetry. You can then start adding further ZSpheres after
pressing Q; using W, E and R will let you move, resize and
rotate the ZSpheres. You can start from the chest of the
character and then add the arms, spine and legs. Don’t
worry about detail or muscular forms at this stage –
concentrate on creating the skeleton of the dragon first
before doing anything else.
Use ZSketch to build up the anatomy Once you’re happy with

02 the skeleton we can start to add volume and muscular forms. Click on
EditSketch under the ZSketch section and press Q. You can now paint
geometry directly on top of the skeleton. Using the [ and ] keys you can
change the size of the geometry added. Shift can be used to smooth out the
lines of geometry and Opt/Alt+click can be utilised to remove geometry.
The idea is to build up the anatomy of the dragon by adding layers of
muscle. For reference you can look at images of tiger or horse anatomy.
“In addition to basic asset preparation,

we’ll cover camera matching to make
sure our lensing and perspective
match up”
Turn the ZSketch in to a model To transform the ZSketch into a useable model click on Make Unified Skin under the Unified Skin section. The
03 resolution of the geometry can also be set before doing this. This will create a new tool with the text Skin_ before its name. Now turn off EditSketch to go
back to the ZSphere skeleton. Click Make Adaptive Skin under the Adaptive Skin section and this will create another tool. Under the SubTool section, click Insert and
pick the two new tools created. Next delete the original ZSphere SubTool and then click MergeDown under the Merge menu of the SubTool section.

Concept
Develop the model using DynaMesh Now we
04 have a very rough form but the mesh is difficult to sculpt
because of its topology. The DynaMesh feature needs to be
used to even out the surface of the model and increase its
resolution. We can then continue to pull out the basic form of
the creature. Whenever it feels like the mesh is stopping you
from adding more detail just use the DynaMesh feature again,
but with a higher resolution. At this point the polygon count is
not too high and we can begin using the Move and Clay brushes
to work on the larger form.
Work with Polygroups Now the model is starting to

05 get more complicated we need to separate parts off in
order to sculpt them easily without affecting the rest of the model.
Hold down Cmd/Ctrl and click on the stroke icon under the Brush
palette then click Lasso; now you can draw out a very accurate
mask around the head. Next, click Group Masked under the
Polygroups menu. Now when you hold Cmd/Ctrl+Shift and click
on the head it will hide everything else. To make everything visible
again hold Cmd/Ctrl+Shift and click outside of the model.
Focussing on the head, start adding

06 some detail to the head using the Dam_
Standard brush. This will help us to easily create skin
folds and nostrils. The ClayTubes brush and the
Smooth brush are great for building up muscle
fibres and organic forms. The Pinch brush can be
used to pull skin folds and wrinkles closer together.
Sculpting with
Alphas
Usually to make large changes to your
model you will use the Move or Clay
brushes along with the Smooth brush.
Sometimes it might be faster to sculpt large
areas of your model using the Standard
brush with an Alpha material selected. You
can experiment with the Alpha materials
that come with ZBrush or you can create
your own in Photoshop. Make sure the
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<RXFDQWKHQORDGWKHÀOHLQWR=%UXVKDQG
use it with a brush.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07
08
Sculpt the body Now we can continue to add more
07 detail to the body. The ClayTubes and Dam_Standard
brushes can be used to carve out bone features and the Clay
brush can be used to build up large smooth organic forms. To
create the rough shape of the spine you can use the Pinch and
SnakeHook brushes to pull out geometry quickly.
“The ClayTubes brush and the

Smooth brush are great for building
up muscle fibres and organic forms”
Use Insert Meshes to add features Next, we will
08 add some horns to the dragon. To speed up this process
we can utilise a premade horn from the Monster Horns & Antlers
brush pack available for free at badking.com.au. Once the brush
set is loaded you can click on the side of the head and drag out the
desired size of the horn. Then use the Transpose tools to position
it. You can now reshape and sculpt the horn with the usual brush
methods to tailor it to your character’s design.

Concept
Refine the head One of the benefits of using Insert Meshes is that Create the spine’s scales Insert a new sphere in order to create the
09 they will automatically have their own Polygroup. You can then hide the
10 large scales that will eventually cover the spine. Then, using the Move
Polygroup by holding Cmd/Ctrl+Shift and then clicking on the object. Now brush, you can pull out the rough shape of the scale. Use DynaMesh to smooth
concentrate on sculpting more detail to the face and the area around the horns. out the mesh and increase the polygon count for sculpting all of the finer details.
You can build up the areas around the horns to make them seem much more Next, you will need to use the Transpose tool to draw out a line away from the
natural in appearance. A quick way to sculpt the eye sockets is to hold Opt/Alt scale, hold Cmd/Ctrl and drag the transpose line from the centre point. This will
and use the Clay brush to dig a circular space into the head. The Inflate brush is duplicate the object; you can do this multiple times and move or rotate them as
good for adding gradual volume to organic forms. you do so.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Create the wings We now

11 need to add more skin to the
wings as we only have the bone
structure. Insert a Plane3D SubTool,
then press Extract under the Extract
menu. Next press the Accept button
underneath and this will create a new
SubTool called ‘Extract1’. Delete the
original SubTool and select the new
one. Using the Move brush you can
now shape the plane around the
bones of the wing. When you have
finished with the shaping, click on the
SubTool Master menu under Plugins
and click Mirror to create symmetry.
Then merge the SubTool with the
wing bones’ SubTool and use
DynaMesh; this will weld the skin
onto the bones and allow us to
achieve a more organic look.
Pose
organic
forms
When posing organic
characters you need to create
smooth bends – for the neck
or knees, for example. When
you are painting out a mask
you can hold down the Cmd/
Ctrl key and lower the RGB
Intensity which will draw out a
softer mask. This will help
create smoother, more
organic bends. You can
quickly blur the whole mask
by holding Cmd/Ctrl and
clicking on it several times.
The Masking menu has
options to shrink and grow
the mask too.
Add surface details After

12 using DynaMesh again at a
higher resolution you can now add
fine details such as skin folds and
lumps. If you use the Standard brush
set to DragRect with an Alpha
material you can draw out large
details in one stroke. If you change
DragRect to Spray and brush over the
model it will create smaller and more
random details. This is more natural
looking so it’s good for sculpting
organic features. To add crystals to
the dragon’s shoulders load the brush
pack Gems & Diamonds from
badking.com.au. Click on the point
furthest away on the Transpose line
and stretch out the shape of the gem
to sharpen it.

Concept
Create the base and posing Next we can create
13 a base for the dragon to stand on. Insert a sphere and
use the Move brush to shape the sphere into a rough rock. Use
Use DynaMesh to increase the polygon count and create a DynaMesh to
more even mesh. The Flatten brush is good for creating the
flat sharp surfaces of the rock. Now let’s pose the dragon on
increase the
top of the rock base. By holding down Cmd/Ctrl and polygon count
brushing the model a mask will be created; clicking off of the and create a more
model will invert the mask. You can change the strength of even mesh
the mask by changing the RGB Intensity. Next draw out a
Transpose line and rotate from the transpose point at the
end of the line – repeat this process for the arms.
14 Lighting and rendering First rotate the model to

create an interesting composition. Move the light
placement by moving the dot around the sphere under the
Light menu. Set the shadow resolution to 8,000 on the BPR
Shadow section of the Render menu to create higher quality
shadows. Enable Ambient Occlusion under Render
Properties and set the resolution to 8,000. Click BPR render
and save all the render passes. To create a specular render
fill the model with ToyPlastic material and black colour.
Finally, create a clown pass render to help select individual 13 14
parts of the model in Photoshop. Fill each SubTool with the
flat colour material and fill each part with a different colour,
then render this out.
15 Composite the layers in Photoshop After

saving the renders as PSD files open them in
Photoshop and layer them up. First is the main BPR render,
followed by the AO layer set to Multiply – this helps add
more depth to the render. Next, set the Specular layer to
Lighten which brings out highlights along the skin. Finally, set
the Shadow layer to Darken to enhance the dark areas. The
mask layer can be used to delete the background of the
renders to enable you to place the background render
behind the character.
Paint in 3D or 2D?
If the character you are creating is going to be used
for animation or imported into a game engine it
might be best to Polypaint the textures onto the
model. However, if the end product is going to be a
ÁDWLPDJHXVHGIRULOOXVWUDWLRQRUFRQFHSWDUW\RX
can save time by taking the render into Photoshop
and painting textures on top of it. Also, the more
detail you sculpt onto the model itself, the less
painting you will need to do later.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Add effects and textures To create the background insert stock photos of clouds and water splashes.
16 Using the Clone Stamp tool you can paint these extra textures on different parts of the image quickly. A great
selection of free photo textures can be found at cgtextures.com. Finally, using a soft brush add some soft lighting and
glow effects to the crystals, eyes and claws. This emulates reflected light and adds to the atmosphere of the image.
James Suret is a full-
time web developer
and freelance 3D artist.
Developing his portfolio
with the aim of working
as a concept artist in the
games/entertainment
industry. His main
focus is creating
original creatures and
various illustrations.
Relic Seeker
O An alien elder observes his
navigational device in search of ancient
artefacts. This was created using
DynaMesh and Insert Meshes.
Render in KeyShot Rendering is now easier than ever in KeyShot with ZBrush 4R7. Simply load your model
17 as normal and click on the External Renderer button under the Render menu, then hit the BPR button. The
model and all of the textures and materials will be sent to KeyShot. If you want to create a realistic clay render you can
apply one of the clay materials that comes with KeyShot. For more realistic lighting load one of the HDR environments
and set the Background to Color and choose a light colour. You can also rotate the lighting by using the slider
underneath the Environment tab. When you are happy with it, press Render and choose your resolution.
Relic Scavanger
O A team of aliens use their
PHFKDQLFDOYHKLFOHWRÀQGDQFLHQW
relics. Created using Insert Meshes and
DynaMesh, the Curves feature was
used to create the pipes and tentacles.
Choose the right view Tridecca

2013, Photoshop
:KLOVW\RXDUHWU\LQJWRGHFLGHRQWKHEHVWFDPHUDDQJOHIRU\RXUÀQDOUHQGHULWLVEHQHÀFLDOWRFRQVLGHU O Clay render of an insect-inspired
the Rule of Thirds or the golden ratio. Render out a camera angle that you like and simply overlay an creature. This was made in ZBrush
image of the golden ratio (take a look on Google for imagery). See if the main features of the image using DynaMesh and was created for a
match up with the centre of the spiral and adjust the camera angle accordingly. personal project for practice.

Character
From magical to steampunk
64 Create a convincing cartoon character

70 Texture distinct steampunk characters
78 Perfect colourised characters
64
84 Colour your fantasy composite
90 Develop your own mutant
96 Make your own steampunk captain
102 Retouch a fantasy sorceress
108 Sculpt and render a zombie
116 Design an Elven archer
122 Fashion pro key art
128 Render a cyberpunk character
70
78 122

128 96
102 108
116
84 90

Character
Create a convincing
cartoon character
Render a charming cartoon pin-up, prepare a hairstyle and
complement a scene with organic ornaments and lighting
This tutorial covers a basic ZLWKRXWZRUU\LQJWRRPXFKDERXWWHFKQLFDO
ZRUNÁRZXVHGIRUFUHDWLQJD aspects so you can focus more on the
“If you get the shape of the head
IHPDOHFDUWRRQSLQXSLWFRYHUV shape, silhouette and other creative you want with a small amount
areas such as a basic way to start a aspects. We will work with Maya, of geometry and a smart
PRGHODQGLPSRUWDQWRQHVVXFKDV 0XGER[DQG3KRWRVKRSEXWPRVWRI topology it becomes easier to
FUHDWLQJKDLUWhile there are tons of the technical aspects and all of the
different methods, here we show you a DUWLVWLFSDUWVFDQEHGRQHLQDQ\RWKHU
predict when and where to add
TXLFNDQGÁH[LEOHZD\WRGHÀQHDKDLUVW\OH equivalent software. or delete new edge loops”
0RGHOWKHKHDG6WDUWLQJZLWKD[SODQHZHVWDUWE\FUHDWLQJWKHHGJHORRSV
01 WKDWZLOOEHFRPHWKHPDLQDUHDVRIWKHIDFHVXFKDVWKHH\HVPRXWKDQGQRVH7KH
H\HVRFNHWVDUHMXVWFLUFXODUH[WUXVLRQVDQGWKHPRXWKFRQVLVWVRIWZRFLUFXODUH[WUXVLRQVDQ
RXWHURQHJRLQJDURXQGWKHPRXWKXSWRWKHQRVHEULGJHDUHDDQGDQLQQHUH[WUXVLRQWKDW
ZLOOEHFRPHWKHPRXWKDQGOLSV$WWKLVSRLQWLWLVXVHIXOWRKDYHDVSKHUHWRVHUYHDVDQH\H
SODFHKROGHU²LWZLOODOVRKHOSXVWREXLOGDQGGHÀQHWKHH\HVRFNHWVDURXQGLW
&ORVHWKHKHDG%\H[WUXGLQJWKHERUGHUHGJHVRIWKHVLGHVDQGWKHERWWRPRIWKH
02 KHDGZHZLOOJHWWKHSRO\JRQÁRZWKDWZLOOGHÀQHWKHMDZOLQH1RZH[WUXGHWKHHGJHVRIWKH
VLGHVDQGWKHWRSWRWKHEDFNRIWKHKHDGWKLVZLOOOHDYHURRPDWWKHERWWRPWRH[WUXGHWKHQHFN
<RXFDQFORVHWKHKHDGE\H[WUXGLQJWKHHGJHVRIWKHEDFNDQGPHUJLQJWKHYHUWLFHVWRWKHWRSRI
WKHKHDG²MXVWWKLQNRIWKHVKDSHDVDVPRRWKHGFXEH7KHQH[WUXGHWKHKROHLQWKHERWWRPRIWKH
head to create the neck. Using the Sculpt tool, smooth the new edges to get a round shape.
Take control of every

vertex created
A common error is trying to get a lot of detail from the start,
if you get the shape of the head you want with a small
amount of geometry and a smart topology it becomes
easier to predict when and where to add or delete new edge
loops. That being said, don’t be afraid to add new edge
loops for further detailing without the fear of losing the
shape you already had. Tools like Edit Edge Flow, the Slide
Edge Tool and the relax and smooth operations in the
Sculpt Geometry tool are really powerful for smoothing out
an organic, dense mesh.
0RGHOWKHQRVHDQGHDUWe create the nose

03 E\DGGLQJDIDFHORRSLQWKHQRVHDUHD7KHHDULV
modelled in parts, starting with a simple row of polygons
shaped as a spiral section. We don’t need a fully detailed ear
IRUWKLVFKDUDFWHU²PRGHOOLQJDVLPSOHVXJJHVWLYHDQWLKHOL[
DQGWKHLQQHUHDULVHQRXJKWRJHWEHOLHYDEOHFDUWRRQHDU
By deleting some faces on the head and leaving the same
DPRXQWRIHGJHVLQWKHKROHDQGLQWKHHDUERUGHUZHFDQ
attach it to the head using a Bridge operation.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
I’ve always loved the elegant mix of
organic ornaments and fabrics that
are frequent in the art nouveau style,
this was in part inspiration for this
piece, which started out originally as
a quick sketch.
Artist
Carlos Ortega
Elizalde
carlosortega.
prosite.com
Carlos is a 3D artist who
has worked on various
freelance projects
including several M&M
holiday campaigns.
Software
Maya, Mudbox,
Photoshop
Source Files
WKHGV0D[VFHQHÀOHV
and tutorial screenshots
to help you complete
this tutorial.
Character
Build the torso The main shape of the torso is

04 basically a cylinder. With a few divisions we start to block
the base of the neck, the shoulders, the waist and the hips. With
WKRVHDUHDVGHÀQHGLW·VHDV\WRVWDUWDGGLQJGLYLVLRQVWRWKHUHVW
RIWKHSLHFHDVZHOODVH[WUXGLQJWKHVKRXOGHUV7KHEUHDVWDUHD
LVMXVWDVHFWLRQRID[VSKHUHDWWDFKHGLQWKHIURQWVOLJKWO\
EHORZWKHVKRXOGHU·VKHLJKW:HFORVHWKHERWWRPDUHDE\
FUHDWLQJDEULGJHZLWKWKHFHQWUDOHGJHVLQWKHIURQWDQGEDFN
WKLVZLOOOHDYHWKHKROHVIRUDWWDFKLQJWKHOHJVODWHU
Build the arms, legs and feet The arms and

05 OHJVDUHF\OLQGHUVWRREXWZLWKWKHHGJHVH[WUXGHG7KH
PDLQDUHDVDQGZLGWKVWKDWZHZDQWWRGHÀQHKHUHIRUWKHDUP
DUHWKHELFHSVHOERZIRUHDUPDQGZULVWDQGIRUWKHOHJWKH
ZLGWKRIWKHWKLJKNQHHFDOIDQGDQNOH)RUERWKSDUWVDOZD\V
FKHFNIURPERWKYLHZVWRJHWWKHGHVLUHGVKDSH2QFHZHKDYH
WKRVHVHFWLRQVEORFNHGZHFDQVWDUWGHWDLOLQJE\DGGLQJPRUH
GLYLVLRQV7KHIRRWLQWKLVFDVHLVFUHDWHGE\FORVLQJWKHERWWRP
RIWKHOHJDQGH[WUXGLQJWKHIURQWIDFHVZHGRQ·WQHHGWRHV
since our character will have shoes.
Model the hands 6WDUWLQJZLWKDF\OLQGHUZHFUHDWH

06 DEDVHÀQJHU7KHSDOPFDQEHVWDUWHGIURPDFXEH
ZLWKHQRXJKGLYLVLRQVIRUDWWDFKLQJÀQJHUVODWHU,WFDQFRPHLQ
KDQG\WRRZKHQDGGLQJWKHVNLQWROHDYHVSDFHEHWZHHQHDFK
ÀQJHU'XSOLFDWHWKHÀQJHUDQGSODFHWKHPDURXQGWKHSDOP
VFDOLQJHDFKRQHWRLWVSURSHUVL]H7KHQDWWDFKHDFKÀQJHUWR
WKHSDOPXVLQJD%ULGJHRUWKH0HUJH9HUWH[7RRO7KHEDVH
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VKDSHE\VFXOSWLQJRUWZHDNLQJYHUWLFHVXVLQJDVRIWVHOHFWLRQ
Merge the pieces together Attach all the limbs

07 to the torso, and smooth out the joins if needed. Add
some clavicle detail on the body since it is a part of the body
WKDWZLOOQRWEHIXOO\FRYHUHGE\FORWK)RUWKHÀQDOH\HVZHVWDUW
ZLWKDVSKHUHH[WUXGLQJDQGVFXOSWLQJWKHEXOJHRQWKHIURQW
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WUDQVSDUHQF\PDSLWZLOOHQDEOHXVWRVHHWKURXJKWKHFRUQHD
inside the iris.
Make the dress:HFUHDWHWKHGUHVVE\XVLQJD

08 duplicate of the body, this way we will make sure it will
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JHRPHWU\RIWKHZDLVWXSWRWKHVKRXOGHUVDQGWKHVNLUWLWVHOIZLOO
FRPHRXWRIWKHKLSV·JHRPHWU\2QFHH[WUDFWHGZHQHHGWR
JHWULGRIWKHEUHDVWGHWDLOVDQGFORVHWKHGUHVVPRUHQDWXUDOO\
The cloth extension is just an extrusion of the bottom half of the
GUHVVJRLQJEDFNDQGXSWRFRQQHFWWRWKHRSSRVLWHVLGHRIWKH
GUHVVDWWKHKLS·VKHLJKW

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Add the skirt and accessories The skirt is

09 created in two parts, the folds can be easily created by
using a cylinder and pulling out vertices to create the folds. After
extruding and shaping the bottom part of the skirt attach it to
the hip’s geometry that was previously extracted from the body.
The shoes are created using geometry from the feet, and then
building them around the foot. For things like earrings and hair
ornaments, model the elements and then combine them to create
each accessory, this adds a consistent style by having repeating
patterns across the model.
Build the hairstyle The hair here is divided into two

10 parts – one covers the skull and the other is formed of long
strands in the back. For the calvaria we can start with a sphere and
delete the poles to easily get the basic strand shapes coming from
the forehead to the back of the head. Keeping the topology as grid
patches is pretty useful for converting later to a Maya hair system.
For the long strands of hair in the back draw the main shapes using
CV curves. Then, build eight blocks of hair by extruding a circular
plane along the curves.
11 Detail the hairstyle Use the taper and twist functions

in the Extrude options and sculpt the resulting mesh to
get variations in volume and shape. Now extract the curves that
will serve as guides for the hair. Select the Edge Loop and go to
Modify>Convert>Polygon Edges To Curve. You will need to do
this for all the necessary curves. There are free scripts on Creative
Crash that can automate this process. Too many curves can lead
to a heavy system and too few curves can force you to grow wider
FOXPSVZLWKORWVRIKDLUWRÀOOWKHJDSVDQGWKLVZLOOKHQFHORVHWKH
silhouette of your hairstyle.
Finish the hairstyle Next step is creating two hair

12 systems, one for the head and another for the long strands.
Select the head curves and go to nDynamics>Hair>Assign Hair
System, then assign a PaintFX brush to Hair. Now you can adjust
the clumps’ width and shape, hair thinning, number and width of
hairs per clump, and hair shading. Keeping the original mesh of
the hair without deleting history in the curves lets you modify the
polymesh directly to tweak the hair and transfer those changes to
the hair system. By default the hair gets dynamic properties, and
you can change it to static for a still image like this.
Plan the hairstyle

You can easily block the hair geometry using polygons by thinking of hair as
broad shapes or clumps instead of hundreds of individual elements. By
keeping a ‘grid’ or ‘patch’ topology on the geometry of the strands, it can lead
to different styles of output depending on your needs. You can use the
geometry to get an appealing cartoon look, use transparency and bump maps
to get a more detailed look, or create curves from the geometry to grow a more
complex and dynamic hair system.

Character
13 UVs and texturing The improved unfold tools

in Maya will let you unfold the body and cloth meshes
easily, one UV tile per material will work great for this model.
Moving to Mudbox, paint the textures of the character. You can
start with a skin colour base and add yellow, orange and pink
tones in the nose and ear areas, and purple tones in the eyes.
Using references is a good way to know where those tones suit
better. Now paint more maps such as a deep Scatter, Specular
and Glossiness map. We will plug those to our skin material.
Getting a 14 Pose the model Create a basic skeleton in Maya, drawing the joints from the hips up
to the tip of the head, then legs and arms. Using the Snap to Projected Center feature will
graceful silhouette HQDEOH\RXWRHDVLO\FUHDWHWKHMRLQWVLQWULFN\DUHDVVXFKDVLQVLGHWKHDUPVDQGÀQJHUV:HELQG
the skeleton to the main mesh using the Heat Map option and Quaternion method, and since it
Learn to observe everyday life and how the human is a skinny character this option works well by default. We can then skin the clothes and copy the
body acts, balances itself and moves so you can LQÁXHQFHRIWKHERG\WRWKHGUHVV
start to create natural and balanced poses that
pushes limits in a believable way. Here, the shoulders
tilt in the opposite direction to the hips to compensate
the weight. The pose is almost an S shape,
VRPHWKLQJSOD\IXODQGÁLUW\\HWEDODQFHG$ORQJZLWK
WKHÁRZRIWKHVKDSHVRIWKHGUHVVLWFDQKHOS\RXWR
get a solid composition and guide the viewer from
the face, down to the fabric on the ground.
Detail the model Once posed, send the character

15 DQGGUHVVWR0XGER[IRUGHWDLOLQJWRÀ[WKHZHLJKWLQJDQG
YROXPHORVVIRUDPRUHQDWXUDOEHQGLQJLQWKHHOERZVÀQJHUV
neck and knees. We subdivide the dress a couple of times, Lay out the scene To complement the scene we will add some natural elements that
VFXOSWWKHIROGLQJVLQWKHIDEULFDQGÀ[LQWHUSHQHWUDWLRQVEHWZHHQ 16 will suit the atmosphere and colour palette. We will add a simple terrain which we can sculpt
elements. Most of the silhouettes of the objects were solved and detail in Mudbox. The tree can be quickly created in ZBrush – we don’t need to overdetail the
with pure polygon modelling, so at this point, bake some normal model, since the whole feel of the scene is smooth and more like a fake set rather than a realistic
maps of the cloth to get all the folding details. Then export all the VFHQDULR7RÀOOWKHJURXQGZLWKGHWDLOVZHXVHWKH3DLQW*HRPHWU\7RROZKLFK\RXFDQÀQGLQ0D\D
elements with one level of subdivision to save some render time Bonus Tools 2015. Its ease of use will let you quickly grow some plants and throw some rocks on
and avoid the use of displacements. the ground.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Materials in mental ray This scene uses the mia-material-X, the misss-fast_skin Lighting The light rig consists of four lights: key light,
17 shader and blinn materials. It is useful to start playing with the Scale Conversion option
18 VSRWOLJKWZKLFKJHWVPRVWRIWKHYROXPHVDQGGHÀQHVWKH
on the skin shader to make it work, since the shader will depend of the size of your object. Plug PDLQVRXUFHRIOLJKWEDFNOLJKWVSRWOLJKWWRJHWVRPHKLJKOLJKWVRQ
the textures and be sure to gamma-correct each texture or work your scene with the Color WKHKDLURQWKHOHIWVLGHERXQFHOLJKWDUHDOLJKWWRÀOOEODFNDUHDV
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so that it gets more transparent and is at a glancing angle. Use glossy refractions objects, which WKHZKROHVFHQHDQGFDVWVUHÁHFWLRQVRQWKHREMHFWVZLWKDIUHH
will become blurred when seen through the fabric. blurred HDRI.
“Learn to observe everyday life

and how the human body acts,
balances itself and moves so you
can start to create natural and
balanced poses that push the limits
in a believable way”
BeFXULRXVZLWKWKHDWWULEXWHV 19 Rendering The scene is rendered with mental ray and

Final Gather. For large resolution renders like this, it’s useful
It can take a while to get a decent look with materials like the skin shader. A to bake a Final Gather map at a lower resolution and then freeze
suggestion for this kind of cartoon character is to not look for realistic results or
it to save some render time. By default the skin shader takes into
À[HGUHFLSHVRIYDOXHV%HFXULRXVWDNH\RXUWLPHWRGRYDULRXVUHQGHUWHVWVZLWK
GHIDXOWVHWWLQJVDQGDQDO\VHHYHU\YDOXHE\WXUQLQJLWRIIRUFKDQJLQJLWVYDOXHWR account the resolution of your scene to compute its light maps, be
VHHWKHHIIHFWRQWKHPDWHULDO7U\WREHDJRRGREVHUYHURIUHDOZRUOGPDWHULDOV DZDUHRIWKLVZKHQGRLQJODUJHWHVWVRUÀQDOUHQGHUV)RUWKHVDPH
VR\RXFDQUHSOLFDWHWKHPLQWKHIXWXUH reason, we will render the scenario and the character in separate
render layers using a 32-bit EXR format.
20 Finish the image Some useful layers to render during image compositing
are a good set of masks, a depth pass and in some cases a normal pass. In
Photoshop, use the depth pass, and add atmospheric elements such as fog and
GHSWKRIÀHOGXVLQJWKH/HQV%OXUÀOWHU7KHPDVNVDUHXVHIXOIRUDGMXVWLQJWKHFRORXU
or exposure of different elements without struggling with selections. We can create light
effects by painting
with soft brushes
and setting layers
to a Screen or Add
mode. The dust
particles are just
brushes with high
scatter values
and different blur
settings for a
feeling of depth.

Character
Texture distinct
Artist
Aldo Vicente
www.aldo
steampunk
characters
vicentecg.com
Aldo is a 3D generalist
based in California. He
currently works at the
Medical Tech industry
creating 3D
Visualisations for
Aurora Spine. Master the creation of two technically different characters:
Software a steampunk machine-maker and his giant, steam-
Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop,
RoadKill, XNormal
powered mechanical marvel
In this tutorial we’ll be taking an machinist, we’ll get to practice an organic character
Source Files overarching look at some 3D character ZRUNÁRZ:H·OOJRRYHUWHFKQLTXHVIRUPRGHOOLQJDQG
the tutorial screenshots ZRUNÁRZV We will go through the process sculpting anatomy, clothing and accessories, as well
and a video tutorial to of constructing characters, from basic modelling and as tools for quickly unwrapping clothes and baking
complete this tutorial.
sculpting to building textures and materials, posing perfect detail maps. Our guardian character will have
and rendering. In this tutorial we will be creating a us work through balancing the character’s motion
steampunk scene with two characters that are both functionality and aesthetic appeal. We will also
very different from a technical standpoint. Each explore techniques for quickly texturing metals and
character will present us with a distinct set of building convincing materials. Finally we will then
challenges, which enables us to explore a variety of build a quick environment and set up our scene
WRROVWHFKQLTXHVDQGZRUNÁRZV:KLOHEXLOGLQJRXU for rendering.
Start with a rough pass

Work out your character’s shapes
Guardian block-in Let’s start with a quick, rough pass. This block-in gives us an early look at our character’s overall shapes and it’s important since
01 our character’s proportion, overall feel and personality will get lost between the concept art and the 3D model. By blocking in the full character as quickly as
SRVVLEOHZLWKPLQLPDOUHJDUGIRUHGJHÁRZQHDWQHVVDQGVRRQZHDYRLGZDVWLQJWLPHRQZRUNWKDWZLOOPRVWOLNHO\QHHGWREHUHGRQH:HFDQZRUU\DERXWHGJLQJDQG
cleaning once our block-in feels like our concept.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
“Hard surface
parts can
create very
rigid-looking
forms, so it’s
important to
emphasise
the S-curves
in our design”
Concept
I wanted to create a Victorian era machinist and his
creation; a giant steam engine, built for military
defence. The designs are steampunk-inspired,
with a heavy industrial emphasis.

Character
Build our parts library Now we can start looking at our overall
02 IRUPVDQGÀJXULQJRXWRXULQGLYLGXDOSDUWVEDVHGRQWKHFKDUDFWHU·V
LQWHQGHGIXQFWLRQV7KHEHVWSDUWDERXWZRUNLQJRQPHFKDQLFDOFKDUDFWHUVLV
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PRGHORXWDIHZW\SHVRISURWHFWLYHSODWHVDQGRQHRIHDFKSDUWVRWKDWWKHDUP
FDQURWDWHWZLVWEHQGDQGVRRQ7KLVPHDQVWKDWZHDUHVDYLQJDORWRIWLPHLQ
PRGHOOLQJDQG89OD\RXWZKLOHFUHDWLQJDFRKHVLYHDQGEHOLHYDEOHGHVLJQ
Lock down the look:LWKRXUVPDOOOLEUDU\RISDUWVDQGRXUEORFNLQ

03 DVDUHIHUHQFHZHFDQVWDUWÀQDOLVLQJRXUPRGHO:HFDQGXSOLFDWHVKLIW
DQGPRGLI\H[LVWLQJSDUWVWRÀOOLQWKHUHVWRIRXUFKDUDFWHU:HKDYHWRNHHS
IXQFWLRQLQPLQGWRDFHUWDLQH[WHQWNQHHVKDYHWREHQGOLNHNQHHVIRUH[DPSOH
EXWWKHUH·VQRQHHGWRRYHUWKLQNDOORIWKHLQWHUQDOZRUNLQJVRIRXUPDFKLQH)RUP
DQGVLOKRXHWWHVKRXOGWDNHVRPHSULRULW\+DUGVXUIDFHSDUWVFDQFUHDWHYHU\
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JLYHRXUFKDUDFWHUDOLYHO\DQGQDWXUDOIHHO
Clean our mesh1HDWZHOOGLVWULEXWHGHGJHV

04 DUHKHOSIXOIRU89OD\RXWDQGVXUIDFLQJ7KH6FXOSW
*HRPHWU\WRRORQ5HOD[PRGHRUWKH5HOD[9HUWH[WRRODUH
YHU\XVHIXOKHUH/HW·VGHOHWHWKHEDFNIDFHVRQRXUJXDUGLDQ·V
RXWHUSODWHV7KLVZLOOUHGXFHSRO\FRXQWVDYH89VSDFH
DQGPDNHXQZUDSSLQJPXFKHDVLHU'RXEOHH[WUXGHERUGHU
HGJHVKDVWRQVRIEHQHÀWVZHJHWDFRQVLVWHQWHGJHORRS
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“Delete the back faces on our

guardian’s outer plates. This will
reduce poly count, save UV space
and make unwrapping easier”
Build the
05 anatomy ,QWKLV
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VLOKRXHWWHWRFRQYH\WKDWKH
IUHTXHQWO\ZRUNVZLWKKHDY\
PHWDOVDQGHTXLSPHQW

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Model clothing and accessories Let’s bring our machinist

06 mesh back into Maya, and make sure our character is at real-world scale.
Split up our model into the basic areas of our head, shirt, gloves, pants and boots.
We can repeat the process to create geometry for the vest, belt and harness.
,QVWDQWO\ZHKDYHÀWWLQJEDVHJHRPHWU\IRURXUFKDUDFWHU·VFRVWXPH:HRQO\
QHHGWRUHÀQHRXUFORWKHVPHVKHVWRDFHUWDLQSRLQWDVPRVWRIWKHFORWKLQJGHWDLO
will be done in ZBrush. We can use basic box modelling to shape the belt straps
and harness.
Prepare our costume for sculpting First, we should be sure

07 again that we have neat, even edge distribution. The majority of this
should have already been in place from our machinist anatomy model, but we
can use the Quad Draw tool in the Modeling Toolkit to quickly and easily make
LPSURYHPHQWVWRHGJHÁRZZKHUHYHUQHFHVVDU\$JDLQZHVKRXOGGRXEOH
extrude our border edges, for the reasons listed in Step 4. We could do UV
layouts at this point, but it may be preferable to do it after sculpting as some of the
geo may change considerably, and our UVs may need to be redone.
Sculpting warm-up
exercise
Sculpting the wrinkles on a characters clothes can take a lot of
practice and iteration. It’s about getting in the right mind-set rather
than any particular brush or technique. I recommend starting with an
exercise to help get a feel for cloth folding. Create a simple sphere on
a ground plane, with a plane right above it. Imagine the above plane
is a tablecloth, and try sculpting how it would land if you were to drop
it onto the sphere on the ground. Try this same exercise with more
complex shapes, and imagining different types of fabrics. This helps
us warm up and get a really solid grasp of how clothing and folds
actually work.
Sculpt the clothes “We won’t be

08 Here we’ll be sculpting in
the large and mid-level detail of our
sculpting in the
clothing. This includes the overall fine detail such
structure, drape of our clothes and as the threading
the wrinkles. We won’t be sculpting and stitching of
LQWKHÀQHGHWDLOVXFKDVWKH
threading and stitching of the fabric,
the fabric, as we’ll
as we’ll be adding those details via be adding those
our textures later. It’s good to have details via our
reference of the types of fabric each textures later. It’s
piece is made of. Keep in mind that
these are just panels of fabric falling
good to have
over simple anatomical shapes. reference of the
$OVRFRQVLGHUWKDWWKHVHIROGVQHHG types of fabric each
to stay generic enough to work in
most poses.
piece is made of”

Character
Lay out the UVs To unwrap our clothes, we’ll use

09 RoadKill, a free plugin for Maya. We can select our vest
mesh, and run the plugin. In RoadKill we double-click to select
the shoulder seam edges and hit C to cut the UVs. Instantly, we
ZLOOVHHRXUYHVWÁDWWHQHGQHDWO\LQRXU89YLHZHU:HFDQTXLFNO\
repeat this to separate the lapels and we’re done. If we want
to smooth our UVs out further, headus is another free option
with an excellent UV-relaxing algorithm and a very simple, but
IDQWDVWLF*8,IRUÁDJJLQJEXQFKLQJDQGVWUHWFKLQJLQ\RXU89V
Image-based 10 Unwrap the guardian Our guardian has a lot of internal and external parts, but we
can save a lot of time and UV space by using 3D procedural textures on the smaller, less
OLJKWLQJ visible internal parts. We’ll only unwrap the outer metal plating of our guardian. Let’s select our
plated parts, export them to ZBrush and run the UV Master plugin. Because of the cleanup and
double extrudes back in Step 4, our plates are essentially curved planes with structured border
0HWDOPDWHULDOVDUHPRVWO\UHÁHFWLYHVRLQRUGHUWR
JHWUHDOLVWLFORRNLQJPHWDOVZHQHHGWRSURYLGH edges. This makes them ideal for the UV Master algorithm. Almost instantly, we get a clean, evenly
WKHPZLWKDQHQYLURQPHQWWRUHÁHFW)RUWKLVZH·OO scaled UV layout for all our plates.
XVHLPDJHEDVHGOLJKWLQJ,QWKH5HQGHU6HWWLQJV
JRWRWKH,QGLUHFW/LJKWLQJWDEDQGFOLFN¶&UHDWH
,PDJHEDVHG/LJKWLQJ·WRSXWDQ,%/VSKHUHLQWKH
VFHQH:HFDQORDGDQ+'5LPDJHLQWRRXU,%/
VSKHUHQRGH²IUHH+'5LPDJHVDUHDYDLODEOH
RQOLQH1RZDOOZHQHHGWRGRLVWXUQRQ)LQDO
*DWKHU$WUHQGHUPHQWDOUD\ZLOOXVHGDWDIURPRXU
+'5LPDJHWROLJKWWKHVFHQHDQGFUHDWHVRPH
FRQYLQFLQJHQYLURQPHQWUHÁHFWLRQVIRUXV
Paint metal grunge It’s hard to distinguish which

11 UV islands correspond to what plates by simply looking
DWWKHÁDWWHQHGPHVK7KLVPDNHVLWGLIÀFXOWWRSDLQWRXUWH[WXUHV
in 2D. Instead, let’s turn on ZBrush Polypaint and subdivide our
mesh into the millions. We can start this off by coating our mesh
in 50 per cent grey. Let’s set our brush to RGB Color Spray with a
grungy alpha and zero z-intensity. We’ll paint in the edge grunge,
rusting and scratches. At this point we are only concerned with
colouring this detail onto our mesh. Grunge and rust should be
darker values while scratches should be a white colour.
12 Create the metal textures Now we should

export our Polypaint data as a texture map and bring it
into Photoshop as an overlay layer with our base metal colour
underneath. The grey in our grunge map will disappear, leaving
us some dark grunge and light scratches that will go over our
base colour. We’ll also add a subtle metal photo texture over our
base colour and colourise our grunge to get a rusty red hue. This
is our Diffuse map. We’ll fashion a Bump map with desaturation
and then invert our scratches to black. We’ll raise our base colour
to near white and then adjust the noise layer to a medium grey.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Bake good maps:H·OOEDNHRXUPDSVXVLQJ

14
Create metal materials0HWDOPDWHULDOVDUHUHÁHFWLRQEDVHGVRZH·OOXVHLPDJH
13
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SOXJLQRXU'LIIXVHDQG%XPSPDSV0HWDOVKDYHORZGLIIXVHZHLJKWV2XUPHWDOLVUHODWLYHO\URXJK ZH·OOGXSOLFDWHWKHORZHUUHVPHVKDQGZLWK7UDQVODWHVHWWR
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WKLVIXUWKHUZHFDQIDVKLRQD6SHFXODUPDSIURPRXU%XPSPDSE\DGMXVWLQJWKHOHYHOVWRÀWZLWKLQ ORZUHVPHVKHV1RZZH·OOWDNHRXUPHVKHVLQWR;1RUPDO5LJKW
RXUGHVLUHGUHÁHFWLRQYDOXHV FOLFNRQWKHORZUHVPHVKDQGFOLFN¶%URZVHH[WHUQDOFDJHÀOH·WR
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ZLOOSURGXFHIXOOFOHDQDFFXUDWHDQGIDVWPDSV
Map baking in XNormal 15 Texture the machinist 1RUPDODQG$2PDSVDUH

DJUHDWVWDUWLQJSRLQWIRU'LIIXVH%XPSDQG6SHFXODU
Normal casts rays from the lower-res mesh surface to the hi-res surface. The
rays’ travel distance and normal data is written as colour data to the UVs of the WH[WXUHV,Q3KRWRVKRSSDLQWEDVHFRORXUVIRUHDFKLVODQGLQRXU
lower-res mesh to create our maps. However, it is important to remember that 89PDS0XOWLSO\WKH$2PDSRYHUWKHEDVHDQG2YHUOD\WKH
there is a travel distance threshold – if the rays travel past that distance without JUHHQFKDQQHORIRXU1RUPDOPDSWRFUHDWHWRSGRZQVKDGLQJ
reaching the hi-res surface, they get ignored and no data is written to the map. 1RZZH·OOWLOHDQGRYHUOD\LPDJHVRIÀQHIDEULFGHWDLO:HFDQXVH
This is why we use cages around our meshes instead of distance thresholds. The
cage surface becomes the new distance threshold, ensuring we collect all the WKRVHVDPHRYHUOD\VODWHURQWRSRIDJUH\EDFNJURXQGWRFUHDWH
hi-res data, with optimised calculation time. RXUIDEULFEXPSWH[WXUH/HW·VSDLQWLQVRPHVXEWOHOD\HUVRIGLUW
GXVWDQGJUXQJHWRÀQLVKRXUGLIIXVHWH[WXUH
16 Texture the equipment )RURXUHTXLSPHQW

WH[WXUHVZH·OOXVHDWHFKQLTXHVLPLODUWR6WHS:LWK
WKHKHOSRI=%UXVK3RO\SDLQWZH·OOFRORXULQWKHUXVWLQJDQG
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ZKLWHSDWWHUQVLQWRD%XPSPDSDQGRYHUOD\WKHVHSDWWHUQVLQWR
RXU'LIIXVHPDSWRPDNHWKHPSRSHYHQPRUH

Character
“With the help of ZBrush
Polypaint, we’ll colour
in the rusting and
scratching around
our equipment’s
nooks and edges”
Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Clothes shaders Let’s import our machinist

17 textures and plug them into a new mia_material_x_pass.
5HPHPEHUWKDWWKH1RUPDOPDSJLYHVXVWKHIROGDQGZULQNOH
GHWDLOZKLOHRXUIDEULFEXPSPDSVJLYHVXVWKHÀQHVWLWFKLQJDQG
cloth detail. Both will be plugged into the shader. The cloth for
our vest, pants and shirt is generally pretty diffuse, with very low
JORVVDQGVSHFXODUUHÁHFWLYLW\:HVKRXOGDOVRDGMXVWWKH%5')
as looking at cloth at direct angles is especially dull. We can add
a tiny bit of translucency, or we can fake it by plugging in a very
weak mia_self_illumination node.
Build the remaining materials We’ll need to

18 build several different material types for our equipment.
With our maps ready, gather reference and create some fresh
MIA materials. First, name all our materials, turn on Use Fresnel,
DQGLQSXWWKHUHDOZRUOG)UHVQHOYDOXHVIRUHDFKRQH1RZZH
can start balancing the Specularity and Diffuse, knowing that
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strength, and the shade strength from zero to one. With MIA’s
energy conservation math in mind, we can solve for really
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MIA energy
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The MIA materials are physically accurate, meaning
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19 Make a background environment Let’s

create a simple ground or wall backdrop. We’ll give the
wall extra edges to indicate where the brick meets the concrete
segment. We can use planar mapping to quickly get UVs. In
Photoshop, we’ll use photo textures of bricks and concrete to
create a quick Diffuse map. We’ll balance the levels and colours
WRPDNHWKHGLIIHUHQWLPDJHVÀWHDFKRWKHU1RZZHFDQIDVKLRQ
a Bump map by desaturating and pushing recesses into black,
while pulling convex surface space up to white. To add depth to
our environment in Maya, we can apply a bend deformer and
create a rounded wall.
Render our scene Let’s set up render passes

20 IRUEHWWHUFRQWURORYHURXUÀQDOLPDJH,Q5HQGHU
Settings>Passes, we’ll create and associate beauty, AO, diffuse,
,QGLUHFWUHÁHFWLRQUHIUDFWLRQVKDGRZDQGVSHFXODUSDVVHVWRDOO
three. We can render and save these passes out individually for
compositing in Photoshop. We should use ‘Linear Dodge (Add)’
blending mode to put our passes together and re-create our
beauty pass. Finally, let’s create a custom matte pass, assigning
different coloured surface shaders to each character and the
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Character
Perfect
colourised
characters
Master digital illustration techniques and learn how to
colourise with the Brush tool
Illustrations don’t always have to be scene, how to manage a bright atmosphere and will
hand-drawn from scratch. By manipulating simplify the rules of composition. To complete this
stock imagery and adding effects, you too can image, you will need to download or create a selection
create a fantasy scene like the one seen here. of custom brushes. You will call on numerous tools,
,Q1RUVHP\WKRORJ\DYDON\ULHLVDQDQJHOOLNHÀJXUH adjustments and blending modes, which will all be
that chooses who lives and who dies in battle. This useful to you in future. Experiment with different
illustration portrays a valkyrie in Valhalla, a heavenly EUXVKHVWRÀQGRQHVWKDWVXLW\RXUVW\OHDQGXVHSKRWR
hall, as she prepares to descend to Earth. The image stock from the internet or your own libraries as
had to convey her as dynamic, as well as being bathed references for your illustration.
by light seeping through the gates. To create this image the artist used Photoshop CS6,
This tutorial will outline some of the key tools and but you can follow this tutorial using any version from
functions of Photoshop that are most useful to CS4. We recommend that before you start this project,
illustrators. It will show you how to add colour to a that you download the stock images from the FileSilo.
Build a fantasy scene

Import the background image and add lighting effects
Apply
ratios
The golden ratio
(also called the
golden section) is
approximately equal
to 1.618. It often
appears in nature in
things like shells
DQGÁRZHUVDQG
has been used by
01 &RQÀJXUH\RXU many artists and
workspace Create architects to create
a new document and import beauty and
the background image named harmony in their
RZQGHVLJQV8VH
‘reference_picture.jpg’, available 02 Build the scene The next step is to 3KRWRVKRS·VRZQ
from FileSilo. Search for angel download paint and pencil brushes. Here Golden Section
images on the internet or in are a few different sites that are very useful: ZZZ plug -in to position
your personal library to use as brush-photoshop.fr,ZZZEUXVKHH]\FRP and points of interest in
your image along
references for your illustration. It lastly ZZZP\SKRWRVKRSEUXVKHVFRP. Go to
the various lines of
is important to choose these well, Brush Presets and click the top-right dropdown the spiral and over
as they will give you ideas menu, then select ‘Load Brushes’ to import them the intersections.
for composition. into Photoshop.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Nicolas Delhelle
www.facebook.com/
ndelhelle
Nicolas Delhelle is a
French freelance
illustrator and a
decorator for Ankama
Games and Wakfu
anime. He has worked
alongside publishers in
both the book and
magazine industries.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
On FileSilo you will
ÀQGWhe stock imagery
used to create this
artwork, including the
background and
Roman columns.
Concept

Character
First lighting effects &UHDWHDQHZOD\HU2QWKHEDFNJURXQGLPDJH

04 \RXZLOOVHHWKDWWKHUHLVDOUHDG\DJDWHEXW\RXQRZQHHGWRDGGVRPH
Create shortcuts $WWKLVVWDJHLWLVLPSRUWDQWWRFRQÀJXUH\RXU
03 KRWNH\V7KLVZLOOVDYH\RXDORWRIWLPHRQ\RXUZRUNÁRZDQGZLOOOHW\RX
OLJKWLQJHIIHFWVWRLW8VHWKH%UXVKWRROWRPDNHDQXPEHURIÀQHSDUDOOHOOLQHV
RIOLJKWOHDNLQJWKURXJKWKHJDWH7RGRWKLVKROGGRZQWKH6KLIWNH\DQGFOLFND
FRQFHQWUDWHRQWKHLPDJHUDWKHUWKDQWKHWRROV\RXDUHXVLQJ6KRUWFXWVWKDWDOORZ SDUWRIWKHJDWH7KHQFOLFNRQDQDUHDDZD\IURPWKHFHQWUHRIWKHJDWHWRPDNHD
\RXWRLQFUHDVHDQGUHGXFHWKHVL]HRIWKHEUXVKTXLFNO\DUHYHU\XVHIXO VWUDLJKWOLQHRIOLJKW%\UHSHDWLQJWKLVVWHS\RXFDQFUHDWHPXOWLSOHVXQUD\V
Painting effects &RQWLQXHWRGUDZUD\VRI\HOORZOLJKWZLWKWKH Give movement to the rays &RQWLQXHWRGUDZUD\VRIOLJKW

05 SHQFLOEUXVK7KHQVHOHFWWKH6PXGJHWRRO&OLFNRQDQDUHDRIDVXQUD\
06 RQDQRWKHUOD\HUDQGWKHQDSSO\WKH0RWLRQ%OXUÀOWHUWRWKHPKDYLQJ
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GLIIHUHQWEUXVKHVWRDFKLHYHXQLTXHDQGRULJLQDOHIIHFWV:LWKWKH8QVKDUS ÀOWHULVDJRRGZD\WRVSUHDGDQGGHIRUPUD\VRIOLJKWWRJLYHWKHPHIIHFWVEXW
0DVN\RXFDQLQFUHDVHWKHVWUHQJWKRIWKHFUHDWHGHIIHFWV7RÀQGWKLVJRWR DOVRWRPDQDJHWKHLUSHUVSHFWLYH2WKHUÀOWHUVOLNHWKH'LVWRUWÀOWHUDUHDOVR
)LOWHU!6KDUSHQ!8QVKDUS0DVNDQGVHWWKH$PRXQWDQG5DGLXVDFFRUGLQJWR XVHIXO<RXFDQHYHQXVHWKH3HUVSHFWLYHWRROZKLFK\RXZLOOÀQGXQGHU(GLW!
\RXUWDVWHV 7UDQVIRUP!3HUVSHFWLYH

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Pick
colours
with
handy
tools
Photoshop’s Color
Picker is very
useful, as it allows
you to preview
colours in several
variables of
luminosity, hue or
saturation. You can
Build your columns Import ‘roman_columns.
07 jpg’ and use the Selection tool to isolate one of the
attribute a hot key
to this selector to
columns from the scene. Once complete, make a new layer always have quick
mask. Duplicate this individual column four times as seen on Finish the door and add effects You will and easy access
the screenshot, then colour the columns in yellow with a Hue/
08 now need to polish up the background with several
to it and place it
where you want on
6DWXUDWLRQDGMXVWPHQWOD\HU7KHQKRUL]RQWDOO\ÁLSWZRRIWKH paint brushes. Once that is done, you can play with blur effects, the screen. You
columns, so that the light on the columns is coherent with VKDUSQHVVFODULW\DQGGDUNQHVV7RGRWKLVVHOHFWWKH6KDUSHQÀOWHU can do this via
the scene. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T or Ctrl/right-click and choose DQGPDUNWKHRSWLRQWR6DPSOH$OO/D\HUV7KLVÀOWHUDOORZVXVWR Edit>Keyboard
Transform Selection. Then Ctrl/right-click again to transform and SOD\ZLWKWKHVKDUSQHVVRIFHUWDLQDUHDV7KH%OXUÀOWHUZLOOKDYHWKH Shortcuts. This is a
very useful trick.
select Flip Horizontal. reverse effect by adding blurriness to certain areas
Outline the valkyrie The most

10 LPSRUWDQWWKLQJLVWRÀQGDSRVHWKDWJLYHV
dynamism to the character. Here I chose an angel
LQÁLJKWFRPLQJWRZDUGVWKHYLHZHU<RXFDQXVH
model images as reference. I began by drawing a
female form, then added wings, hair, armour, a veil,
Rays of light Go to the Paths tool and create a new path. Call it Trace 1. Here, highlight the path and
09 click on Trace1. Draw lines that start from the gate to the outside edge of the image. This tool is useful
shield and sword. You can also draw each element
with different colours to give an idea of what you
when you have to draw many lines. Before going any further, select a wide brush with a paint effect. All these want. Make sure you create a new layer each time
lines are on a path layer, so Ctrl/right-click the layer, and then you can select Contour and the Brush tool. you add anything new.

Character
Finish the valkyrie Here you will attack the most

12 complicated step, which requires a certain amount of
FRQWURO,ZRXOGVXJJHVWSUDFWLVLQJÀUVWDVSDLQWLQJUHDOLVWLF
PRGHOVFDQEHGLIÀFXOW&RQFHQWUDWHRQWKHERG\DQGWKHQ
Light and shadow Once the outline sketch is complete, quickly paint in the shadows add the armour afterwards. Take a paint brush to paint each
11 and the light of the angel using only two colours. It is very important to determine a light part of the character. Respect the lines of your initial sketch and
direction so the scene looks realistic. In this image, the light is coming from behind the valkyrie. the values of the shadows and lights. While you paint, click to
Always bear the light source in mind when integrating objects into a scene. Play with the areas of vary the opacity of the brush, for example, make four different
light and shadow to give them an interesting shape. Also try building a hidden silhouette. changes to the opacity, ending up at 40 %.
The veil Download the texture ‘veil.jpg’ to use on the

13 valkyrie’s own veil. The tricky part will be trying to make Sword and shield Research images of swords and shields on the internet to use
the fabric look realistic and show the movement. On the photo,
14 as reference when illustrating your own. Useful sites include boutiquemedievale.fr,
XVHWKH&ORQH6WDPSWRROWRGXSOLFDWHWKHWH[WXUHDQGDSSO\LWWR toutesvosrepliques.com and heavenlyswords.com. Bring all your references together to
the valkyrie’s veil. For fabrics, the shadows should be very help inspire you. If you do not want to import the images but merely use them for reference, create
deep to give the impression of folds. This is a very useful a Mini Bridge in Photoshop, which will allow you to have access to your reference images without
technique to master. importing them into the document.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Tints and smoke ,I\RXÀQGWKDWWKHLPDJHLVWRR\HOORZDGGLQDOLWWOHRUDQJH7RGR

16 WKLVFOLFNRQWKH*UDGLHQW0DSLQWKH$GMXVWPHQWWRROEDUDQGFOLFNRQWKHFRORXUEDUWRJRWR
WKH*UDGLHQW(GLWRU6HWWKHOHIWKDQGVLGHRIWKHJUDGLHQWDVDQRUDQJHFRORXUDQGVHWWKH2SDFLW\
WRDQGRQWKHULJKWPDNHLW2SDFLW\7KHQWLFNWKHRSWLRQWRLQYHUW'UDZWKHJUDGLHQWIURP
WKHRXWVLGHRIWKHLPDJHOHDYLQJWKHOHDVWDPRXQWRIFRORXULQWKHPLGGOH
Wings 8VHWKHVKDGRZDQGOLJKWOD\HUVWRJXLGH\RX
15 KHUH,XVHGDEUXVKWRDGGVHYHUDOVSRWVRIFRORXULQ
Final adjustments ,WULHGLPSRUWLQJQXPHURXVLPDJHVLQWRWKHVFHQHDQG
PDLQO\\HOORZDQGEURZQEXW,DOVRDGGHGWRXFKHVRIJUHHQ
SXUSOHDQGEOXHWRYDU\WKHWLQWVDQGEUHDNWKHGXOOQHVV7KHQ
17 H[SHULPHQWHGZLWKGLIIHUHQWEOHQGLQJPRGHV,ÀQDOO\FKRVHWRJRZLWKDWZLOLJKWVN\LQ
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FUHDWHHIIHFWV WKHFRQWUDVW
Using Brushes
Brushes are almost inexhaustible tools, as thousands
exist. Some serve to just create a spot or a texture in
a single click and other types of brushes give chalk,
Colour adjustment ,I\RXÀQGWKDWWKHLPDJHLVVWLOOWRR\HOORZFUHDWHDOD\HUDQGÀOO pastel and oil paint effects, among others. You can
18 LWZLWKDQRWKHURUDQJHFLUFXODUJUDGLHQW.HHSLWWUDQVSDUHQWLQWKHFHQWUHDQGVHWWKHOD\HU
ÀQGSODQHWVJDOD[LHVIULH]HVZDOOSDSHUIUDFWDOVGURS
caps, and objects of all kinds in brushes. Their variety
WR+XHEOHQGLQJPRGH7KHQDGGVRPHVPRNHEHORZWKDWOD\HUZLWKDODUJHEUXVKRIORZRSDFLW\ DOORZV\RXWRH[SHULPHQWZLWKWKLQJVDQGÀQG\RXU
1H[WSOD\ZLWKDWZLOLJKWVN\,PSRUWWKHLPDJH¶RUDQJHBVN\MSJ·DQGVHWWKLVOD\HUWR([FOXVLRQ RZQVW\OH7KHWRRORSWLRQVZLOODOORZ\RXWRSOD\ZLWK
PRGHZLWK2SDFLW\DW7RÀQLVKFUHDWHDOD\HUZLWKD/HYHOVDGMXVWPHQWDQGGUDJWKHEODFN these brushes and to save them as custom brushes.
DUURZWRDQGWKHZKLWHWRWRLQFUHDVHWKHFRQWUDVW
7KHFUHDWLYHSRWHQWLDOLVLQÀQLWH

Character
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Colour your
fantasy Artist
Kevin Lohstroh
composite
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This tutorial is for Photoshop fanatics who VHYHUDOLPDJHVZLOOEHWUDQVIRUPHGLQWRDEVWUDFWOD\HUV
want to overstep the boundaries of their ZLWKXVHRIWKH:DUSDQG/LTXLI\IXQFWLRQV7KH\ZLOOEH Source Files
2Q)LOH6LOR\RXZLOOÀQGD
creativity.$WÀUVWORRNLWPD\VHHPLPSRVVLEOH FUHDWLYHO\SURFHVVHGLQWKHGHVLJQDIWHUZDUGV VPDOOFROOHFWLRQRIÀOHV
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PDVWHUWKHWHFKQLTXHVLQQRWLPHDWDOO:KHQXVLQJ PDNHWKLVSURFHVVHDVLHU(YHQWXDOO\WKHGHVLJQZLOOIRUP WKLVWXWRULDO
GLIIHUHQWOLJKWHIIHFWVLWLVHVVHQWLDO\RXPDNHVXUHWRXVH DFRPSOH[FRPSRVLWLRQWKDWZLOOVHUYHDVDQH[FLWLQJ
WKHSURSHUOLJKWLQJDQGWKLVWXWRULDOZLOOHQODUJHWKH H\HFDWFKHU)LQDOO\\RXZLOOOHDUQKRZ\RXFDQLPSURYH
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WRHQKDQFHWKHFRPSRVLWLRQ7KURXJKRXWWKHSURFHVV PDQLSXODWHSKRWRVE\\RXUVHOIWRPDNHWKHPDEVWUDFW
Combine all the elements

Resize and place image layers before adding effects
Choose a size for your document Insert a

01 6WDUWE\FUHDWLQJDEUDQGQHZGRFXPHQWLQ
02 manipulated
3KRWRVKRS&KRRVHWKHVL]HRIGRFXPHQW\RXSUHIHU background )LQG
EXWWU\WRNHHSLWLQDYHUWLFDOVKDSHZLWKDWUDQVSDUHQW DJRRGVWRFNLPDJHRI
EDFNJURXQG)RUQRZ\RXFDQVHWLWDWPPZLGH[ DFORXG\DWPRVSKHUH
PPKLJKXVLQJ5*%FRORXUDWSL[HOVSHULQFK WKDW\RXFDQXVHDV
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Combine different tools

Combine the Warp tool with the Free Transform tools to create a whole new
ORRNIRU\RXULPDJHV7RZDUSPXOWLSOHOD\HUVDVDVLQJOHXQLWÀUVWFRQYHUW
the layers into a Smart Object or merge them, and then add the warp.

Character
Cut out the character 2SHQ¶GDQLJXWLHUUH]MSJ·DQGFXWWKHPRGHO Defringe residual pixels Display the image at 100% zoom. Select
03 out from the background. Create a path layer using the Pen tool, tracing
04 the foreground layer of the image. Go to Layers at the top of the window,
the contours of her body point by point. Once the path is closed and the shape then select Matting and Defringe to open an option box. Enter a number of pixels
is correct, Ctrl/right-click and choose Make Selection. You need to invert the to use for defringing. Photoshop uses the default value of one pixel for defringing.
VHOHFWLRQWRHOLPLQDWHWKHSDUWV\RXGRQ·WZDQW7RGRWKLVJRWR6HOHFW!,QYHUVH Click OK. Open the Defringe option box if some pixels remain and enter
then press Delete. increasingly higher values in this box until no pixels appear in the image.
Determine the composition The next

06 step is to determine the composition of the
LPDJH2SHQWKHLPDJHÀOH¶7UHH7UXQNSVG·$V\RXFDQ
see, a sketch has been made upfront. You can use this
Remove details around the image Place your image in the middle of the landscape as a guideline. Feel free to make any changes to it. The
05 background. Because of the dark background there will be some details left around the image purpose is to create equality using different materials.
WKDWQHHGWREHUHPRYHG7RGRWKLVWXUQRQ4XLFN0DVNPRGH4DQGXVLQJDEUXVKÀOOLQWKHDUHDV These layers are included in the document. The Warp
that should be part of your mask. Turn off Quick Mask mode, then go to Select>Inverse Selection (Cmd/ tool has been applied here and will be explained in the
Ctrl+Shift+I). Last but not least, copy and paste the model into your main composition. next step.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Add shapes and objects Look at the different

08 types of objects and attributes that make your
composition part complete. Use them for creating your own
Use the warp ability Open ‘AbstractFlower.psd’. Press Cmd/Ctrl+T to enter Free unique formation. As you’ll see, focusing on certain shapes
07 Transform mode or go to Edit>Transform>Warp. You will now see that your element is and avoiding symmetrical patterns will allow you to develop
divided into rectangles, meaning that you are in Warp mode. Click on a rectangle on top of your formations that look abstract and natural. Create a mixed-media
selected element and drag it up, down, right or left. As you do this, your element will become composition using different warp techniques, with the help
ZDUSHG5HOHDVHWKHPRXVHEXWWRQWRÀQLVKZDUSLQJDQGSUHVV(QWHU&RQWLQXHFOLFNLQJDQG of only a few objects of different sizes, as well as using some
dragging on the rectangles to further warp your image until you have achieved the desired look. images to produce a powerful composition.
Add some extra

You should skin shapes to
balance the parts of the
‘weight’ of your model using
subject by different
including other techniques, to
objects of lesser make her look
importance in more surreal
the empty spaces
Use the Dodge and

Burn tools to add
highlights,
shadows and
lighting details to Modify the eagle Open ‘Eagle.
the areas where 10 psd’. Modify your eagle to give her folding
you can place them
wings. The hardest part is to integrate her into the
composition smoothly. With the knowledge of the
last steps you can use ‘AbstractFlower.psd’ and
make new elements with it by using the Warp tool
or Liquify function (Filter>Liquify). Warp or liquify
your elements until you have achieved the desired
Interim evaluation Place the elements that have already been created on the canvas. In the
09 look. For example, cut out a piece of the model’s hair
IROORZLQJVWHSV\RXZLOOÀOOXSWKHHPSW\VSDFHVDURXQGWKHFRPSRVLWLRQDQGVWDUWWRDGGDOOWKHOLJKWLQJ and bring it around the eagle. Use the Burn tool for
and effects to bring this image together. The focus is now on making this image complete. shadows where it is necessary.

Character
Fill up the emptiness 7RÀOOXSHPSW\VSDFHV\RX

12 QHHGWRSODFHVRPHHOHPHQWVEHKLQGWKHFRPSRVLWLRQ
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Apply curvy shapes The curvy shapes protruding from several parts of her body are
11 DOVRFUHDWHGXVLQJWKH/LTXLI\ÀOWHUPRUHVSHFLÀFDOO\WKH)RUZDUG:DUSEUXVK&UHDWHWKHVH
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Colour adjustment &UHDWHDQHZ

Add sunlight ,QWKLVVWHS\RXZLOOEH 17
16 DGGLQJVRPHOLJKWHIIHFWVDURXQGWKH
OD\HUDQGVHWWKH2SDFLW\WR
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SDUWVRIWKHGHVLJQUHSHDWWKLVVWHSEXWWKLV LPDJHZLWKDQGZLWKRXWDGMXVWPHQWVFOLFNWKH
Dodge and burn )LUVWGXSOLFDWHWKHRULJLQDOOD\HUV
15 WKDW\RXZRXOGOLNHWRGRGJHRUEXUQ7KLVLVEHFDXVH
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Set group blend modes

WKH\FRXOGSHUPDQHQWO\GDPDJH\RXULPDJH<RXZLOODOZD\V
KDYHWKHRULJLQDOOD\HUVWRIDOOEDFNRQ)RUQRZVHOHFWWKH%UXVK
WRRO6HW\RXUIRUHJURXQGFRORXUWREODFNRUZKLWH/RZHUWKH
2SDFLW\RIWKHEUXVKWR3DLQWRYHUWKHDUHDVWKDWQHHG If you have multiple layers in a layer group, instead of setting each layer’s blend
WREHOLJKWHQHGRUGDUNHQHG(DFKWLPH\RXSDLQWRYHUWKHVDPH mode individually, try setting the blend mode for the layer group. This will treat all of
DUHD\RX·OOLQFUHDVHWKHDPRXQWRIGDUNHQLQJRUOLJKWHQLQJWKDW the layers in the group as if they were ‘merged’ together, then blend them as one.
KDVDSSOLHG
SharpeningÀOWHUV
First reduce image noise before sharpening so that
you don’t intensify the noise. Then take a separate
layer so that you can resharpen it later to output to a
different medium. If you want better control over
sharpening your images, use the Smart Sharpen
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Add an oil paint effect 7RÀQLVKFRQYHUWWKHOD\HU\RX·UHJRLQJWRZRUNRQLQWRD 0RUHÀOWHURSWLRQVDUHDXWRPDWLFDQGGRQRWSURYLGH
18 6PDUW2EMHFWRU6PDUW)LOWHUOD\HU7KHQFKRRVH)LOWHU!2LO3DLQW=RRPWRVHHWKH
controls and options. You can sharpen your entire
image or just a portion using a selection or mask. Be
FRQWUDVWHGJHVDQGVRPHRIWKHJUDLQ8VHWKHIROORZLQJVHWWLQJV6W\OL]DWLRQ&OHDQOLQHVV aware that the Unsharp Mask and Smart Sharpen
6FDOH%ULVWOH'HWDLO$QJXODU'LUHFWLRQDQG6KLQH&OLFN2.WRDSSO\WKHÀOWHU'RXEOH ÀOWHUVFDQEHDSSOLHGWRRQO\RQHOD\HUDWDWLPH
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Character
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Develop your Artist
own mutant
/HDUQKRZWRXVHWKLVQHZÀOWHUWRROZLWK\RXURZQÀUH
Brandon
Cawood
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advertising photographer
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VSHFLDOLVHVLQ
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What if Photoshop had the potential HOHPHQWVIURPVFUDWFK,QWKLVWXWRULDOZHZLOOVKRZ and does his own
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to deliver composite elements at the \RXKRZHDV\LWLVWRFUHDWH\RXURZQÁDPHV 3KRWRVKRSZRUN
touch of a button? What if you didn’t VSDUNVDQGRWKHUÀUHHOHPHQWVVWUDLJKWIURP\RXU
have to spend extra time shooting elements LPDJLQDWLRQ7RJHWWKHPRVWIURPWKLVWXWRULDODQ Software
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Not only has Photoshop given us the ability SURYHWREHEHQHÀFLDO'LVFRYHUKRZWRWDNHLWRQH Source Files
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Photoshop CC 2014 we are able to use the new WHFKQLTXHEXWDOVRFRPELQLQJWKHUHQGHU that have been made for
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Sketch, plan and process

Be sure to consider lighting when shooting your images
Try
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Begin with a sketch Light the photoshoot Whenever you plan to have a lighting
01 When trying to pull off any
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ZKDWRQH\RXOLNH 02 VRXUFHFORVHWR\RXUVXEMHFW·VERG\LQ\RXUÀQDOLPDJHLW·VYHU\
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Character
Mask the body The key to any great composite is having very clean
04 PDVNV)RFXVRQWKHERG\DQGFORWKLQJÀUVW$OZD\VDGGDOD\HUPDVN
Process your subject before masking ,W·VDOZD\VJRRGWR VR\RXFDQXVHEODFNWRUHPRYHDQGZKLWHWRDGGEDFN$SHQWDEOHWFRPHVLQ
03 SURFHVV\RXUPRGHOLPDJHEHIRUH\RXGR\RXUPDVNLQJ7KHUHDUHPDQ\ KDQG\7DNH\RXUWLPH=RRPLQWRDQGZLWKDEODFN+DUGEUXVKVHWDW
GLIIHUHQWPHWKRGVRUSUHVHWVWKDWDLGLQSURFHVVLQJEXWWKH\VRPHWLPHVOHDYHWKH SL[HOVIROORZWKHRXWOLQHRIZKDW\RXZDQWWRH[WUDFW,I\RXPDNHDPLVWDNHMXVW
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LQ\RXUÀQDOLPDJHSURFHVVÀUVW7KLVZD\\RXFDQPDNHVXUH\RXUPDVNVDUH HYHU\WKLQJWKDWQHHGVWREHWUDQVSDUHQWSUHVVWKH?NH\DQG\RXUPDVNZLOOWXUQ
tight enough that any haloing or hard lines get eliminated. UHG3UHVVLWDJDLQWRWXUQLWRII
Blur your
layers
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elements even further is
by duplicating the layer.
After that you will need
to then add a Gaussian
Blur with a radius of
about 30 to give your
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glow. You can also use
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well as sparks.
Prepare the background The main

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Mask the hair :KHQ\RXKDYHFRQWUDVWEHWZHHQWKHKDLUDQGEDFNJURXQGH[WUDFWLQJWKHKDLULV D&XUYHVDGMXVWPHQWFOLSSHGWRWKHEDFNJURXQGRUWKH
05 PXFKHDVLHU'XSOLFDWH\RXUVXEMHFWDQGDGGD+XHDGMXVWPHQWOD\HUDQGD/HYHOVDGMXVWPHQWOD\HU clouds to get the exposures about the same. Group
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07 Make the eyes pop Making the eyes of your subject

pop can really add emotion into the image. The key is to
keep it subtle but effective. Create a Curves adjustment layer on
top of all the other layers. When you do this it will have its own mask
DOUHDG\ÀOOHGZLWKZKLWH<RXZDQWWRÀOOWKHPDVNZLWKEODFNDQGJUDE
a white brush. Paint in the mask only over the pupils and iris. Now Colour match the subject and background Use an individual Curves
you want to make an S shape on your Curves layers. On your graph 08 adjustment layer on top of the background layer. Make sure it is clipped to only the
add a point about a quarter of the way up, one in the middle, and background layer by selecting Layer>Create Clipping Mask. Use the RGB channel to adjust
one about three-quarters of the way up. Leave the one in the middle WKHH[SRVXUHVRWKDWLWPDWFKHVWKHPRGHO1H[WXVH&KDQQHOVWRPDWFKWKHWHPSHUDWXUHRIWKH
DQGEULQJWKHWRSRQHXSVOLJKWO\DQGWKHERWWRPRQHGRZQ<RXFDQ PRGHO<RXPD\ZDQWWRUHSHDWWKLVSURFHVVRQWKHPRGHO<RXZLOOHQGXSEOHQGLQJWKHWZR
now adjust the opacity of this layer if the effect is over the top. images even more when you get to colour grading.
Use the render flame filter

Combine the render flame filter with a real fire image and sparks
Pay attention
to even the
smallest of
details. Even if
Having a vision is no-one else
crucial in executing notices, you
Make good use of Render Flame
a well-balanced
image. Having a
will sleep
better
10 on the background The Render
plan will keep you Making sure the colour temperature knowing you )ODPHÀOWHULVDJUHDWZD\WRFUHDWHFXVWRPÁDPHV
organised and on and exposure match between your put everything quickly and effectively and it’s relatively easy! For
track to creating subject and background is crucial to you had into WKLVFRPSRVLWHZHZDQWWRSXWVRPHÁDPHVRQWKH
something special creating a believable image your work! buildings in the background. Create a new blank
layer above your background. Grab the Pen tool and
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Adjust shadows and highlights If you feel that your highlights are too bright or not bright
09 enough you can adjust them without affecting your shadows. Add a new Curves adjustment layer
JRWR)LOWHU!5HQGHU!)ODPH$GLDORJER[ZLOORSHQ
XS<RXFDQDGMXVWWKHW\SHRIÁDPH\RXZDQWWKH
above all other layers. Adjust the RGB channel accordingly. This is just like Step 8 but we are using the direction, the width, and much more. Choose the
RGB channel instead of the blue channel. With your Curves adjustment layer selected go to Layer>Layer TXDOLW\\RXZDQWWKHÁDPHWREHUHQGHUHGDW2QFH
Style>Blending Options. At the bottom of the window you will see two sliders under Underlying Layer. Hold \RXJHW\RXUÁDPHVWKHZD\\RXZDQWWKHPFOLFN2.
down Alt/Option then click and drag the right corner of the black slider all the way to the right. This will cause 'HVHOHFW\RXUSDWKDQG\RXZLOOKDYHDFXVWRPÁDPH
the Curves to only affect the highlights in the image. Do the opposite for shadow adjustments. on its own layer. Turn the blending mode to Screen.

Character
Create sparks To create sparks you will reverse

12 the process a little. Create a new layer and grab a Hard
11 5HQGHU)ODPHRQWKHKDQG)RUWKLVLPDJH\RXZDQWÁDPHVWRORRNOLNHWKH\DUH Round brush set at 8 pixels. Start drawing very small dots and
ULGLQJXSWKHÀQJHUVRIWKHVXEMHFW7KLVLVZKHUH5HQGHU)ODPHFDQEHPRUHHIIHFWLYHDQG dashes about the size of sparks. Use the Magic Wand tool to
EHQHÀFLDOWKDQXVLQJUHDOSKRWRVRIÀUH<RXDUHJRLQJWRZDQWWRIRFXVRQRQHÀQJHUDWDWLPH select the negative space of the layer then inverse the selection.
)ROORZWKHVDPHSURFHGXUHDV6WHSEXWPDNHVXUHWRSXWHDFKÁDPHRQLWVRZQOD\HUVR\RX Next go to your Paths panel then click the Make Work Path from
FDQ7UDQVIRUPDQG:DUSLWLI\RXQHHGWR6LQFHZHDUHJRLQJWRXVHDSKRWRRIÀUHIRUWKHPDLQ Selection icon. Follow the procedure from Step 10 and make
ÀUHEDOOPDNHVXUHWKDW\RXUÀQJHUÁDPHVJRSDVWWKHÀQJHUWLSVDQGÁDUHRXWVRWKH\EOHQGZLWKWKH sure to change your blending mode to Screen. Add a Motion
UHDOÀUHHOHPHQWV Blur to give the sparks some motion.
13 $GGUHDOÀUHHOHPHQWVDQGVPRNHAlthough
\RXDUHXVLQJ5HQGHU)ODPHWRFUHDWHFXVWRPÀUH
HOHPHQWVLW·VKDUGWREHDWWKHUHDOWKLQJ)RUWKHPDLQÀUHEDOOXVH
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the layer you want it to be over and turn the blending mode to (QKDQFHWKHÁDPH·VJORZRQWKHERG\Add a blank layer above your subject.
Screen. On you keyboard hold down Cmd/Ctrl+T. This will allow
14 Grab a Soft brush, change the Opacity to around 20% and make it orange. Take your brush
\RXWRWUDQVIRUPDQGVL]H\RXUÁDPH)ROORZWKHVDPHVWHSVWR DQGSDLQWRYHU\RXUVXEMHFWZKHUHWKHOLJKWIURPWKHÀUHVKRXOGEHKLWWLQJWKHP&OLSWKHOD\HUWR
add fog and smoke. A great smoke and fog package can be your model layer so it only affects that. Turn your blending mode to Color. Use the procedure from
bought at www.phlearn.com. Use a Levels adjustment layer to Step 9 to make it only affect the highlights. Add a layer mask and mask out any areas that shouldn’t
adjust the amount of fog or smoke. KDYHWKHJORZIURPWKHÀUH

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Sharpen Save your PSD. Once you

16 have saved it select Layer>Flatten
,PDJH0DNHDGXSOLFDWHFRS\RIWKHÁDWWHQHG
image by pressing Cmd/Ctrl+J. Select
your top layer. Next select Filter>Sharpen>
8QVKDUS0DVN$GMXVWWKHVOLGHUVDVQHHGHG
EDVHGRQÀOHVL]H:KLOHVWLOORQWKHWRSOD\HU
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WKHQXVHD6RIWEUXVKVHWWREODFNWRUHPRYH
WKHVKDUSHQLQJIURPDQ\DUHDV\RXGRQ·WZDQW
it. You can also use the opacity to pull down the
sharpening over the entire image.
Final colour grading First add a Channel Mixer

15 DGMXVWPHQWOD\HU&KRRVHWKH%ODFNDQG:KLWH:LWK
*UHHQSUHVHW<RXZLOOQRWLFHWKLVWXUQV\RXULPDJHEODFNDQG
white. You want to use this adjustment for some desaturation Add grain Lastly add grain. Create a new layer above your sharpened image. Hold
so bring the Opacity down to 15%. Next add a Color Balance
17 GRZQ6KLIWDQGFOLFN'HOHWH&KRRVH)LOOZLWK*UD\&KDQJHWKHEOHQGLQJPRGHRIWKLV
adjustment layer. The Color Balance adjustments will vary from OD\HUWR6RIW/LJKW1H[WVHOHFW)LOWHU!1RLVH!$GG1RLVH7KHVL]HRI\RXULPDJHZLOOGHWHUPLQHWKH
LPDJHWRLPDJHVRSOD\DURXQGZLWKWKHPWRJHWWKHORRN\RX amount you use. Choose Uniform and leave Monochromatic unselected. Once you apply, hold
want. For this image the Shadows and Midtones were pushed down Cmd/Ctrl+U. Then pull down the Saturation to -85%. Leaving a little colour in the grain will
towards the cyan and blue tones, while the Highlights were PDNHLWORRNPRUHQDWXUDO0DNHVXUHWRGRWKLVVWHSDWIXOO]RRP<RXFDQDGMXVWWKHRSDFLW\LILW
pushed towards the red and yellow tones. IHHOVOLNHLW·VWRRPXFK6DYH\RXU36'ZLWKDOOOD\HUVLQWDFW
“Leaving a little colour in

the grain will make it
look more natural. Make
sure to do this step at full
zoom. You can adjust the
opacity if it feels like it’s
too much”
Visual help
Techniques like Render Flame are
hard to grasp when they are in
written form. A video or visual
explanation can sometimes help.
Brendon Cawood has created a
video tutorial to go along with the
Render Flame portion of this tutorial.
Save it You can save the image several different ways depending on its use. If you are going to use a Find it by going to his website www.
18 JRRGTXDOLW\SULQWLQJODE\RXFDQOHDYHWKHLPDJHLQ$GREH5*%DQGVHOHFW)LOH!6DYH$V6DYHWKHÀOH brandoncawood.com and clicking
on the video tutorials page. You will
as a JPEG or TIFF. If you are planning on using a low-end printer or saving for online use you want to convert to ÀQGYLGHRVWKDWJRLQWRIXUWKHUGHSWK
65*%6HOHFW(GLW!&RQYHUWWR3URÀOH&KRRVH:RUNLQJ5*%6DYHLWWKHVDPHZD\DVEHIRUH)RURQOLQHXVHLW·V H[SODLQLQJKRZWRLQFRUSRUDWHWKHÀUH
good to scale it down before saving. Select File>Automate>Fit Image. Do a width of 2048 pixels and a height of elements as well as colour grading.
SL[HOV6DYHLWDVD-3(*DQGSXWLWLQDVHSDUDWHIROGHUVR\RXNQRZLW·VIRURQOLQHXVH

Character
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Make your own

steampunk Artist
David
Nakayama
sky captain www.david-

nakayama.com
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San Francisco-based
illustrator and concept
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OHDGDUWLVWDW7LQ\&RDQG
Learn how to design and paint a sultry steampunk sky captain a freelancer for Marvel
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using layers, textures and selections working in both digitally
painted and comic-
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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls – it’s time to WDEOHWRU&LQWLT²LVPRVWGHÀQLWHO\PDQGDWRU\IRU
go retro! In this tutorial, we’ll venture into the beguiling DQ\DUWLVW7KHSUHFLVLRQDQGSUHVVXUHFRQWURO Software
Photoshop
world of steampunk, where the technology of the 1800s that a graphics tablet can give you is essential to
is all you need to achieve the greatest and most imaginative UHQGHUDSDLQWLQJLQWKLVUHWURVW\OH
PDUYHOVRIVFLHQFHÀFWLRQ([SORUHWKHWURSHVRIWKLVSRSXODU It is Photoshop’s highly effective painting tools
genre and learn how to use them in a fresh way, as this tutorial and precise blending modes that can be fully
WDNHV\RXWKURXJKVWHDPSXQNGHVLJQVWHSE\VWHS:H·OO relied on for this sort of illustration, as they will
discover how to use a semi-realistic painting style in order to HQVXUHSURIHVVLRQDOUHVXOWVIRUHYHU\XVHU7KLV
JLYH\RXULPDJHGLPHQVLRQ simple tutorial will direct the use of layers and
As with any illustration, your draftsmanship skills will come in brush passes to build up the character, adding
KDQG\KHUHDVWKHIRFXVUHPDLQVÀUPO\À[HGRQWKHVSHFLÀF texture with clipping masks where necessary
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From sketch to colour flats

Build up the base of your illustration before tackling the details
Draw ideas into frames Create a Build character and composition

Create thumbnails Before beginning 02 03
01 any new illustration, it’s helpful to sketch out
series of boxes with proportions to match
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You can’t talk about composition without
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VHYHUDOURXJKFRSLHV'RLQJWKLVRQDVPDOOVFDOH² layer, sketch up a different idea in each box – would steampunk femme fatale as a pistol-packing,
thumbnail size, for example – is a great way to force a low-angled three-quarter view work? Perhaps a VN\FDSWDLQW\SHWRFRQYH\DQXOWLPDWHO\FRQÀGHQW
yourself to think only about the big picture without confrontational close-up? Consider which angle DWWLWXGH,WLVXVHIXOWRWKLQNDERXWWKHVKDSHVRINH\
IRFXVLQJRQWKHPLQRUGHWDLOV:LWKWKLVPHWKRG\RX·OO VKRZVRII\RXUFKDUDFWHUWKHEHVW'HFLGHLIWKH costuming elements and accessories at this point,
generate a lot of different ideas quickly and have background is an important part of the scene and if as large objects will affect the overall portrayal of the
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04 Reformat your image For this project,

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Crop to expand
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It sounds counterintuitive, but did you know
that the Crop tool is the ideal way to expand
your canvas? Select the whole image area
with Crop, then instead of pulling them
inwards, drag the corner handles out to the
desired larger size. Hit return to see your
revised canvas size.
07 Prepare for colour 7KHJRDOLVWRPDNH

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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Begin painting
Start fleshing out your image by building on the colour flats
With design considerations

As painting completed in black and
begins, it’s white, adding colour is the
important to keep second job, beginning with
an eye on the line tints and flat-colour fills
overall image and
ensure that the
figure contrasts
strongly with the
background, as
if it leaps off
the screen
Establishing a
strong composition, Set up your layers Highlight the master
a pose that 10 and individual colour layers and create a
communicates
character and merged copy of them (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+E), labelling
eye-catching this layer Flats. Next, merge the Flats and Lines
costume design are layers together to create a copy of your complete
generally the first ÀJXUHVRIDU&OLSDQHZOD\HURQWRWKLV/D\HU!&UHDWH
priorities in any
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illustration
use the Magic Wand tool to easily recall a colour
grouping from the Flats layer. Hide the selection
The majority of using Cmd/Ctrl+H if it’s distracting. Then in the
time spent on this Paintover layer, brush in darker and lighter tones,
piece will go into EXLOGLQJXSIURPWKHÁDWFRORXUEDVH
lighting and
texture passes
that ultimately
“This makes the figure feel
give this more finished almost right
character
dimension and
away, adds interest and
a realistic brings together the various
appearance
colour groupings into a
unified whole ”
09 Add Colour and shading 8SWRWKLVSRLQWWKHZRUNKDVEHHQVWULFWO\WZRGLPHQVLRQDO²

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12 Develop shadow and tint With the

13 Don’t forget the context $VZRUN
11 Find the light source The beauty general lighting source established, add an progresses, it’s important not to lose sight
of this approach is that it’s easy to perform overarching shadow treatment to complement it. of the overall image. Consider things like the
selections. The paintover exists on a separate layer Create two new layers at the top of your stack. In the colours and if they are working, or if the anatomy
too, which makes it easy to turn on and off. Doing ÀUVWRQHSDLQWDPDVWHUVZDWFKXVLQJDFRROFRORXU and foreshortening make sense in the image. To
this enables you to see if it’s adding or detracting of medium saturation – purple, in this case. Switch NHHSDQH\HRQWKHÀQLVKHGUHDGRI\RXULPDJHLW
from the merged working copy. In order to choose the second layer to Hard Light mode and use a soft helps to have a duplicate window open on a second
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let a single light source be your guide. In this case, RIWKHÀJXUHWKDWEHORQJVLQVKDGRZ$OPRVWVWUDLJKW New>Window to do this. Once again, get some
the light is high and a little left of centre on the face, away the character will seem more complete, while feedback. In this example, more overwork is needed
which is not consistent with the character’s chest. bringing together the various colour groupings into a RQWKHOHIWWRKHOSEDODQFHWKHÀJXUHDQGWKHEOXH
Thankfully this can be adjusted. XQLÀHGZKROH clothing, which adds an unexpectedly nice touch.

Character
Detail the character

Conclude your piece with detailed rendering
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Gather
texture assets
A little more on the topic of texture
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handy assets for your texture library. In
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reduce the amount of Clone Stamping
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materials with brushes are readily
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Collect reference photos 18 $ÀQDOÁRXULVK2QHODVWWKLQJ²DGGLQJ

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The more realistic your painted style, the more you’ll need to collect reference. It’s almost FRROH\HFDWFKLQJMX[WDSRVLWLRQRIVW\OHVDQGLWDOVR
impossible to paint detailed realism from memory alone, so spend the time to gather images KHOSVWKHÀJXUHSRSRIIWKHSDJH7RJHWDGHFHQW
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“Now the fun part – it’s finally time to add the bells and S[3ODFHWKLVOD\HUEHKLQGWKHRULJLQDOÀJXUH
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whistles to make this image sing … Finally, it wouldn’t be &WUO*WKHQÁDWWHQ&PG&WUO(WRJHWDQLFH
steampunk without some steam! Add a few puffs around FOHDQOD\HUZLWKWKHHIIHFWDGGHGLQ&OHDQXSWKH
the figure’s brass backpack using a cloud texture brush” HGJHVIRUDQLFHHYHQRXWOLQH

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Secrets of steampunk
Find out about the visual language of steampunk and how it is created
Advances in Victorian
technology meant that
those who travelled in
Victorian materials new inventions like cars
are key to often needed to protect
steampunk. Brass is their eyes from wind and
a particular dust. Steampunk’s love of
favourite. Its opulent reimagining Victorian
technology as more
golden colour adds
powerful and more
richness to advanced than it actually
illustrations that was means that goggles
are often in a have become a must-have
limited palette… any accessory for any
object rendered in steampunk character
brass look instantly
19th Century
Steampunk
clothing takes
inspiration
from both
Victorian These are not merely hot
fashion and air balloons or zeppelins
more practical though – they’re ships
built along classic
clothing from
Victorian lines that have
the time, such been enhanced with Jules
as army Verne-inspired sci-fi
uniforms or technology. Adding them
stereotypical into your piece is a quick
ensembles like and obvious shorthand
the classic for steampunk
explorer outfit
of pith helmets
and puttees.
Zips and
poppers are
out, but rivets
and carabiners Steampunk can be
are in! produced in any art style,
the most common is
realistically rendered
digital paintings that
emulate the oil paintings.
Don’t feel limited by
this though. As long as
you’re hitting other
steampunk signifiers, you
can introduce more
Don’t get bogged down
modern elements
by obvious steampunk
symbols like clockwork.
This character’s tattoo
isn’t typical of
steampunk in itself, but
the mix of the old-
fashioned diving helmet
and oversized octopus in
the design clearly
references classic
Victorian sci-fi, like
Twenty Thousand
Leagues Under The Sea

Character
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Retouch a fantasy
sorceress
8VH3KRWRVKRSWRSURGXFHDQLPDJHWKDWFRPELQHV
Artist
John Ross
standard retouching techniques with creative ones ZZZ
7KH$UWRI5HWRXFKLQJ
com
When working on composite images, modes, you will also have sliders and options that Ross specialises in
portrait and composite
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and lives and works in
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Source Files
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lighting effects, rather than a blank layer with a that allow you to simply and vastly enhance your that have been made for
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Retouch the model

Start with basics like cloning, colour and tonal changes
Go
smart
Now Photoshop
CC can also
support linked
Smart Objects.
This means that
you can work on
a full size image
in great detail.
After saving, you
can then link it
to a different
document and
at whatever size
you want to do
so, all without
the need to
have to double
or triple the size
RIWKHÀQDO
composite while
working on it.
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Character
Another Smart Object Select all the

04 layers and Convert to Smart Object. Name it
‘Retouched Model Bottom’, and change the Opacity to
95%. To make changes to the model later, you can go
back to this base image by double-clicking the Smart
Object layer. This layer will contain all of the corrections
03 Prepare the model Create a new blank layer for your cloning and touch-up. Smooth out you have made to the model. If you want to change it
WKHVNLQHQKDQFHWKHH\HVDQGFOHDQXSVRPHÁ\DZD\KDLU6RPHZULQNOHVFDQEHUHPRYHGZLWK later, just double-click again, and a new window will
the Healing Brush, while others may prefer Dodge and Burn. You will make many adjustments later, but open. Make any changes you want and then save the
VWDUWLQJZLWKDFOHDQLPDJHZLOOOHDGWRWKHEHVWÀQDOUHVXOWV adjusted image.
Use
shape
By using the
Brush panel’s
Shape
Dynamics, you
can adjust the
Size Jitter, Fade
Jitter, and
Roundness
Jitter. When you
paint with the
brush now, it
will randomly
change many
of your brush
settings as you
paint. There’s
also Scattering,
Texture, and
Wet Edges, as
some of the
many options
available.
Place the disk Open the image ‘Disk.psd’
06 WKDW\RXFDQÀQGRQWKHVXSSOLHGGLVF'UDJDQG
drop the Disk layer containing the shape underneath the
PRGHO·VOD\HUDQGDERYHWKH*DOD[\OD\HU0RYHWKH'LVN
layer into position behind the model’s body. Use Opt/
Begin compositing Create a layer mask for the model’s Smart Object layer and loosely cut Alt while clicking on the Disk layer to create a selection
05 KHURXWXVLQJDEUXVKRQWKHOD\HUPDVN&ORVHLVJRRGHQRXJKEHFDXVH\RXFDQÀ[WKLVODWHUZKHQ of the shape, and then click the Add Layer Mask icon at
\RXKDYHDEHWWHULGHDRIKRZLWZLOOORRNZKHQLW·VDOOSXWWRJHWKHU3ODFHDJDOD[\LPDJHOLNHhttp://tinyurl. bottom of the Layers panel. Change the blending mode
com/lxya5t8IURPGHYLDQW$57EHKLQGWKHPRGHO8VHWKH&DPHUD5DZRU&DPHUD5DZÀOWHUPHWKRGOLNH of the Disk layer to Screen. This will give a mask of the
before to make the colour and tonal changes. Place all these visible layers into a folder called ‘Back’. intricate shape.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Add the disk’s layer effects Select all the pixels on

07 the Disk layer and delete them. All you want is the shape as Add the disk’s glow From the disk centre, use the Elliptical Marquee while holding
a mask – the pixels will not matter. Use the FX icon at the bottom of
08 down the Shift key. Select a Curves adjustment layer. Move the curve up, and set to
the Layers panel and enable Outer Glow with settings of Screen, Luminosity blend mode. This goes above the Back folder. Name it ‘Disk Glow’. Use Layer FX
75% Opacity, Size 56%, and pick a blue colour. Next, enable Drop to select Outer Glow, Precise, and Size of 81, with the rest default. Place Disk Glow into a new
Shadow with a black colour set to 75% Opacity, Distance of 10, and group folder called ‘Disk Glow Cutout’. Add a white layer mask to the group, using a black brush
Size of 5. All the other settings can remain as defaults. Click OK. to stop the glow from crossing over the model’s legs.
Refine the model and lighting

Add texture, lighting and layer blending
Duplicate the model Select the

10 Retouched Model Bottom layer, and drag
it onto the New Blank Layer icon. This will create a
second model layer, but still reference the same
embedded Smart Object. So if you want to alter one
Add texture Above the Back folder, create a new folder called ‘Texture’. Inside, place a textured Smart Object, it will apply the same change to the
09 image layer of your choice like tinyurl.com/mrgl6fv from deviantART and cover it over the whole other layer. Place it above the Texture folder. Name it
image. Drop the Opacity down to 15% with a blend mode of Difference. This begins to add a painterly effect. ‘Retouched Model Top’, with 100% Opacity. Paint on
Add a layer mask, and paint black to remove the effect from the top half of the image, where you want to retain the layer mask to erase the lower half of the layer. This
the details. White will be on the bottom, revealing the texture effect. will make more sense in the next step.

Character
Begin the blending Now that you can begin to see

12 LWFRPHWRJHWKHU\RXFDQUHDOO\VWDUWÀQHWXQLQJWKHOD\HU
Add glow and star bursts Under the Retouched Model Top layer, create a new masks for the two model layers. For the bottom model layer, you
11 Curves adjustment layer. Pull up on the middle of the curve to lighten over the image. Fill the should keep the body tight and let the gravel at the bottom fade
mask with black to hide the effect, then use a white brush to paint in a glow under the Top Model with up into the sky. Mask the loose hair, and let the wispy parts blow
various brushes of different sizes and shapes. Create multiple Curves layers, with different settings, around. For the top layer, keep the parts you want the natural
DQGGLIIHUHQWRSDFLWLHV<RXFDQÀQGPDQ\FXVWRPEUXVKHVSHUIHFWIRUWKHWDVNDWwww.deviantart. colour and erase away, starting at the chest. You can continue to
com/morelikethis/99002450. clean these masks up later, as needed.
Add a gradient map Above the Texture layer, add

13 a Gradient Map adjustment layer. Click on the gradient’s
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to choose from. For now, choose Photographic Toning. Cycle Add texture light Above the Texture layer, add a Curves layer if you want to lighten up
WKURXJKWKHRSWLRQVXQWLO\RXÀQGRQH\RXOLNH$EOXHRQHZRXOG
14 the image. With all these layers being added, the image starts to get too dark. This should
be nice. On the layer mask, paint away the top half of the image really start adding depth to the image, now that you have had a chance to play with the tonal range.
with a black brush. Blend it in so that while a different colour, the Remember, you want to see the details of the texture in the lower areas of the frame, as well as
bottom gradient merges with the top area seamlessly. ensure that the upper body remains the focal point of the image.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Add texture shadows 8QGHUWKH7H[WXUHOD\HU

15 make a Curves adjustment layer. Bring the curve down
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of the image. Focus it on the left and right sides, as well as over
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<RXZDQWWRWU\DQGNHHSWKLVGHWDLOQRWGDUNHQLWXS:HZLOODGG
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Add geometric shapes By using image

16 166758839 from Shutterstock or similar, you can add
Duplicate geometric shapes Select the Curves layer with the geometric shapes
geometric patterns to the lower half of the image, off in the
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17 on it, and use Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate the layer. On the lower version, go into the Layer FX
apply any changes with the Curves tool. Instead, use Layer FX DQGGLVDEOH2XWHU*ORZDQG'URS6KDGRZWKHQHQDEOH6WURNHZLWKD6L]HS[3RVLWLRQ2XWHU
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6KDGRZZLWKD'LVWDQFHRIS[DQG6L]HRIS[6HWWKHOD\HU·V RIWKHFLUFXODUVKDSHEHKLQGWKHPRGHODGG\RXURZQKDORDURXQGWKHVHQHZJHRPHWULFVKDSHV
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“To match the glow of the circular

shape behind the model, add your
own halo around these new
geometric shapes”
Focus on the
focal point
When retouching, direct the viewer’s eye to where
you want them to go. Bring the focus to the most
important areas. Warm colours come forward, cool
colours go backwards… bright tone comes forward,
dark tone goes backward. With these simple
principles, you can guide the viewer through the
image. In a portrait, the face should be the brightest
Add paint splatter Make a new Curves adjustment layer on top of everything. Bring
18 WKHPLGGOHRIWKHFXUYHXSKDOIZD\DQGÀOOWKHOD\HUPDVNZLWKEODFN8VLQJDZKLWHFXVWRP
and warmest. By creating darker barriers around
the sides and lower part of the image, you can often
EUXVKZLWKSDLQWVSODWWHUVIURPmouritsada-stock.deviantart.com/art/Brush-Pack-Splashes-Of- hold the viewer’s attention much longer. The darker
Paint-94180220, you can add splashes of paint around the image. For variety, adjust the Opacity and cooler areas do not need to be severe; even
of the layer, or arc of the curve. You can use one Curves adjustment layer, or several with different subtle shifts can lead to favourable results.
settings. Also try some Layer FX like Outer Glow for added realism.

Character
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Sculpt and render a

zombie bust
Design a zombie in ZBrush, texture with Polypaint and render it in KeyShot
,I\RXZDQWWRFUHDWHDÀQDOFRORXULPDJHRU
FRQFHSWSLHFHVXFKDVWKLV]RPELHEXVWWKHQ
WKLVWXWRULDOZLOOWHDFK\RXWKHQHFHVVDU\VWHSV
IRUWKLVZRUNÁRZ It shows you how to go from a very
low-poly base mesh to a high-resolution sculpt. This will give
you a step-by-step insight on how to approach sculpting,
using the basic tools and Alphas that are available in ZBrush
for 99 per cent of the image. We will demonstrate how to
Artist work with the different SubTools and create the details that
Maarten are applied to the zombie. We’ll also explain how to create
9HUKRHYHQ extra SubTools, use FiberMesh and texture. As you will
www.verhoeven- QRWLFHLQWKLVZRUNÁRZZHZLOOJRRYHUWKHPRGHOIURPDOO
maarten.blogspot.
com VLGHVWRKHOSXVUHÀQHHYHU\WKLQJXQWLOWKHVFXOSWLVGRQH
As an artist I have a ready for texturing and rendering. In the last part of the
fascination for
horror-related work. For tutorial you’ll see how to set it all up in KeyShot very quickly
the actual design I went and create a great looking image. It will give you a good
for a character without a
nose to start with, but
result with out-of-the-box brushes and materials.
during creation more
%DVHPHVKDQGSRO\JURXSVWe use a base mesh
elements were added. I
love to create characters
“We prefer to sculpt with 01 to start with, why? A good base will help us to sculpt quickly.
ZLWKDEDFNVWRU\ÀJXULQJ
out where they are living
polygroups because you can :HNQRZWKHÀQDOLPDJHZLOOEHDKXPDQRLGW\SHÀJXUH
and moving in their own work on separate groups when so this makes up for good time. This is a simple mesh with some
universe. polygroups; we prefer to sculpt with polygroups because you can
your polycount goes up. When
Software you hide parts of your model you work on separate groups when your polycount goes up. When
ZBrush, KeyShot, you hide parts of your model you won’t use up all of your memory,
Photoshop won’t use up all of your memory” which means you will be able to sculpt more smoothly.
%XLOGVKDSHVLet’s start
02 with Symmetry On, then build
up shapes with a Clay and Standard
brush with an Alpha 38. This is an
Alpha that we use throughout the
whole sculpt. At this stage you should
respect the anatomy of the human
body by getting the biggest shapes of
the neck muscles in place, creating the
collar and cheekbones.
0D[LPLVHJHRPHWU\LQ
03 VXEGLYLVLRQVStepping up subdivisions
is necessary for you to have enough geometry to
work with, but we prefer to maximise what we can
get out of the geometry in every subdivision. We
feel that this is the best way to keep all your shapes
and volumes in control, keeping it all very tight and
strong. Working this way also prevents you from
DGGLQJÀQHGHWDLOVLQWKHVFXOSWEHFDXVHLWVLPSO\
isn’t possible to do so at this stage – it’s a bit like an
DUWLVWWU\LQJWRVFXOSWLQVWRQH<RXVKRXOGÀUVWPDNH
sure that all the shapes are in their place and then go
into the detail.

Character
Detail teeth Detailing the teeth is something
04 that’s fun and very fast to do. First start working
RQWKHPZLWKV\PPHWU\UHÀQHWKHJXPVDQGWKHWHHWK
The best way to do this is to make some different
SubTools from them. Working this way you can polish
each tooth individually with the hPolish brush – we
always use this brush if we want to quickly give
something a hard surface look. Later on you will have
the chance to break up the perfect smile and give him
a gnarly and crooked look.
Adjust shapes The biggest forms on our

05 model are there, but go over everything one last
time from all sides. In the next step, we will be breaking
up the symmetry so now is a good time to check
the neck, ears and eye sockets. An overall strong
shape means that there will be a good base to keep
working on. Don’t focus on details but on the general
SURSRUWLRQVRIWKHEXVWDQGPDNLQJSDUWVÀW
Respect the skull

An interesting way to explore the
proportions of the character and the
overall shape of it is to use ZSpheres with
layers. You could start by creating a fairly
average armature (by turning symmetry
on). Then add a new layer in the same
way you would for any subtool. Start
rotating the limbs and scaling the
ZSpheres until you’re happy with the new
silhouette. Add a new layer for a new idea
and keep exploring shapes. Once you
have a few variations, go to the layers
subpalette and start playing with the
sliders to blend the variations in order to
get even more options.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
06 Break up the symmetry Now you’ll see how the symmetry is broken.
First go in with the Move Topological brush and open the mouth area. Pulling
the bottom lip down and inserting the upper, start adding the details around the mouth.
Sculpt by hand
I like to do most of the work by hand and later on use a variety
8VHD6WDQGDUGEUXVKDQGWKH,QÁDWHEUXVKRQDKLJK=LQWHQVLW\DQGDVPDOOGUDZVL]H of Alphas to tie them all together in the sculpt, brushing out all
to add all the small irregularities. Also, try to create all the bigger open gashes around the hard lines. An overuse of Alphas often breaks up the
WKHPRXWKDUHDJLYLQJLWDOODULSSHGIHHOWKRXJKDFFHQWXDWLQJWKHHGJHVZLWKWKH,QÁDWH surface tension too much and it also starts to feel very
generic, as if it’s created by something instead of someone.
brush. This is also a good time to go over the teeth again, moving them around and
Try to keep it all as natural and irregular as possible.
chipping off small parts with a Clip brush.
Create the tongue

07 tongue is actually really easy
– just mask off an area in the mouth
on a low subdivision and use the
Extract button under the SubTool
palette. Once this is created, you
FDQUXQ=5HPHVKHURYHULWDQGVWDUW
sculpting on it. The shape of the
tongue was sculpted with the Clay
and the Move Topological brush.
The smaller details were added with
a standard Alpha and the Displace
brush on a spray stroke.
“Try to create all

the bigger open
gashes around the
mouth area giving
it all a ripped
feel, though
accentuating the
edges with the
Inflate brush”
Character
Veins and gore In order to add extra

08 veins and gore in your sculpt, step back and
forth through the different subdivisions while you’re
still in the sculpting process. You can add a vein on
the third subdivision and step up to the fourth one
to smooth it out. Working this way is how we will get
the veins to look as if they are actually running under
the skin. To achieve higher resolution gore just work
closely on the model and retrace your steps on all
of the details that you have sculpted before on a
lower subdivision. All of this can be done by using a
Standard brush.
Glass and cuts The glass is created in

09 ShadowBox, and all you have to do is draw
up a shape and use a Clip brush to give edges nice
and sharp angles. All of the splinters are just copied
and pasted over one side of the face. The extra cuts
are drawn in, extending how the glass is stuck in the
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open wounds and giving it the idea that the wounds
have all opened up.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Work on microdetails The microdetails are

10 DGGHGRQDÀQDORYHUDOOVFXOSWLQJUXQRIWKHIDFHDQG
body. Rework all the small creases with the Standard and
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IROORZWKHFRQWRXUVRIWKHPXVFOHVDQGUHVSHFWKRZWKHVNLQLV
VWUHWFKHGRXWRYHUWKHERQHVDQGÁHVK
Create the shirt The shirt is basically created

11 WKHVDPHZD\DVWKHWRQJXHPDVNRIIDSDUWRQDORZ
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Add some mushrooms 7KHPXVKURRPVZHUH

12 VRPHWKLQJWKDWFUHSWLQSUHWW\ODWHLQWKHGHVLJQ7KH\
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ORRNLQVKDSHDQGGHVLJQ
Eyebrows
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QRWLFHWKDWWKHGLUHFWLRQFKDQJHVEHIRUHDFFHSWLQJLWDVDQHZ6XE7RRO)RUWKHJURRPLQJSDUWMXVWXVHWKHVWDQGDUG0RYHEUXVKDQG\RXZLOOJHW
DIDLUZD\ZLWKRXWPHVVLQJXSWKHKDLUVWRPXVK)LEHU0HVKLVJUHDWWKHRQO\WKLQJWKDW\RX·OOQHHGLVDORWRISUDFWLFHWRPDNHLWORRNJRRG

Character
FiberMesh
13 Creating hair-like
strands is something
that works well in ZBrush
especially when it’s short hair
Maarten Verhoeven
like on this character. Start
by masking off the area that
is a digital sculptor
you want your hair to be on.
living and working i
Then open the preview tab as a concept and VFX
in the FiberMesh (A) menu. artist, specialing in
The things that need to be film, commercials,
adjusted are the MaxFibers toys and 3D print.
(B), ByMask (C) and Length He has a classical
(D). When you click the tab art education and a
above the slider of each degree in animation
subpalette, some text will for film.
appear and reveal what the
VOLGHUGRHV,W·VDELWRIÀGGOLQJ
around with the slider but
you can check your progress
under the fast preview setting
by clicking Fast Preview. If you
like what you see you can also
create a new SubTool from the
hairs by clicking Accept (F).
LUXFER – the fallen one

2015, ZBrush, KeyShot,
Photoshop
O A portrait study of how I would
visualise the fallen commander,
Lucifer.
Hellcat
Photoshop
O I wanted to create a fast demonic
ancient creature and the Hellcat was
the result.
Texture with Polypaint )LUVWÀOOWKHREMHFWZLWKDÁDWEDVHFRORXUDQGXVH0DW&DSVNLQWRJHWDJRRG

14 idea of what you are actually painting. A beginner’s error is to use a nice looking MatCap and paint on it, but the
problem that rises is when you switch out shaders in an external program, you will notice that your colours aren’t correct
EHFDXVHWKHQLFH0DW&DSDOVRLQÁXHQFHG\RXUYLVXDOLVDWLRQRIWKHWH[WXUHVLQ=%UXVK<RXFDQÀOOWKHREMHFWE\SLFNLQJD
base colour, so go to the Colour tab and select Fill Object. Make sure that you are only
selecting the Rgb tab otherwise with Mrgb you will also bake your MatCap. If you want to clean up your SubTool of
PDWHULDOVDQGFRORXULQIRMXVWVHOHFWWKHÁDWFRORXU0DW&DSDQGÀOOLWZLWKWKLV6WDUWSDLQWLQJXVLQJWKH6WDQGDUGEUXVKZLWK
only the Rgb setting turned on and begin with a bigger brush setting and a low Rgb intensity; build up your colours slowly. Gorilla study
$SSO\WKHELJJHUFRORXUVÀUVWDQGODWHUDGGVRPHGHWDLOVRQDOORIWKHSDUWV7KHIXUWKHUZHZRUNRQWKHSDLQWSURFHVVWKH Photoshop
PRUHWKDWÀQHGHWDLOVDUHDGGHG²ZHZRXOGVXJJHVWXVLQJVRPHGLIIHUHQWVWDQGDUGDQGFXVWRP$OSKDVZLWKVRPHJHQWOH O I really like to sculpt apes, I have
VSUD\VWURNHV7U\WRFRS\WKHWUDQVSDUHQF\RIWKHVNLQLQ\RXUSDLQWMREE\VXEWO\DGGLQJYHLQVDQGOLWWOHIUHFNOHV,QWKHÀQDO done a few over the last years. I
haven’t done a lot of gorillas, for
VWDJHVRISDLQWLQJ\RXFDQXVHVRPH$OSKDVRIKDQGSULQWVDQGEORRGVSODWWHUVWRDSSO\LQDUDQGRPRUGHURQWKHÀJXUH some reason I prefer chimps.
just to make it all a bit dirtier.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Pose it For posing

15 RXUÀJXUHZHZLOOPDNH
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Send it to KeyShot $OORIWKH6XE7RROVKDYHQRZ

16 EHHQVFXOSWHGWH[WXUHGDQGSRVHGVRQRZLW·VWLPH
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Playtime
Working with KeyShot only really involves playing
around, and that you can achieve instant results with
simply clicking just a few buttons. The best thing
about it is that it is fast – meaning that you can
quickly cycle through different HDR light
environments and see how you model reacts to it.
Post-production with Photoshop )RUWKHÀQDOLPDJHNHHSLWVLPSOHDQGDOVR
7KHPDWHULDOVWKDWDUHRXWRIWKHER[ZRUNÀQHIRUD
lot of things. As an artist it’s my favourite ‘fast’ render
17 UHVSHFWDORWRIWKHLPDJHWKDWZHKDYHDOUHDG\FUHDWHG-XVWFRPSRVHWKHWZRGLIIHUHQW
tool because you can use your high-resolution PDWHULDOUHQGHUVWKDWZHUHFUHDWHGIRUWKHVNLQWKHGU\RQHVNLQVKDGHUDQGWKHZHWYHUVLRQ
model and you also won’t lose any details. It’s SODVWLFVKDGHU/HW·VSXWRQHRIWKHVHVKDGHUVRQWRSRIWKHRWKHULQDQHZOD\HUDQGWKHQPDNH
perfect for stills and for creating concept art. The
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Character
Design an
Artist
Aaron Hunwick
ZZZDUWVWDWLRQFRP
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Elven archer
0RGHOSRVHDQGVFXOSWDFKDUDFWHULQÁXHQFHGE\:DUKDPPHU
$DURQLVDIUHHODQFH'
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PDQ\IDQWDVWLFDOSLHFHV In this tutorial we will be covering the ZLWKDEDNHGLQSRVH8WLOLVLQJSRZHUIXOWRROVIURP
RIDUW
crucial steps in the modelling and =%UXVKZHZLOOEHDEOHWRUHDOLVHRXUÀQDOPRGHODQG
Software texturing stages for creating a digital SRVHZLWKRXWZRUU\LQJDERXWULJJLQJRUWRSRORJ\IRU
0D\D=%UXVK0XGER[ character, as well as a brief overlook of lighting DQLPDWLRQ7KHEHQHÀWRIIROORZLQJWKLVZRUNÁRZLVWKDW
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and rendering.:HZLOOEHVSHFLÀFDOO\ORRNLQJLQWR E\GRLQJVRZHFDQORFNLQWKHÀQDOSRVHDQGORRNRI
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Source Files
Create a
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KHOS\RXFRPSOHWHWKH
01 reference sheet
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UHIHUHQFHKHUH,QWKLVVWDJHLWLVFUXFLDOWRHQVXUH\RXU KHDGZHFDQJHWDJRRGUHVXOWTXLFNO\ZLWKYHU\OLWWOHHIIRUW$IWHU
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
“Using Polypaint to
determine areas of
higher density like
the head, we can get
a good result quickly
with very little effort”
Concept
I based this piece on the Dark Elves of the
Warhammer universe. These mystical fantasy
creatures are rich in character and have a
distinct style from any other Elves.

Character
Block out armour design In ZBrush, mask
04 out the area on your character where the armour will
sit. Then extract a new ZTool, convert to DynaMesh and use
this as a base to build out from. Slowly increase the resolution
while focusing on the form and silhouette, this will ensure you
don’t get tied up in the details. It’s good practice to block out
all of your armour pieces before moving on to the next step,
this way you can be sure that your shape language is clear
and all your amour pieces are working well together.
Create new topology 2QFH\RX·UHKDSS\ZLWKWKHDPRXUGHVLJQLW·VWLPHWRGHÀQHWKH

05 topology. Using Decimation Master in ZBrush we can export our blocked-out armour piece
into TopoGun and build our base mesh. Then using Maya we will utilise hard-surface modelling
WHFKQLTXHVWRUHÀQHWKHVXUIDFHV'LIIHUHQWW\SHVRIEHYHOVDUHNH\LQVHOOLQJZKDWW\SHRIPDWHULDO\RX
are modelling. For armour, having a very sharp edge is not always preferable. It’s important to look at
real-world reference as it helps ground your model in reality even if it’s from a fantasy world.
Detail the armour We now need to

06 bring our meshes back into ZBrush for a
detail pass. Ensure that you smartly group similar
material types together to make texturing and
shading easier later on. You want to start by laying
down some breakup on the surface, for example
using the Clay brush with Spray mode and a
gradient Alpha. Then using the Move brush subtly,
Pose with Transpose Master Because we
07 NQRZWKDWRXUÀQDOPRGHOLVJRLQJWRKDYHDEDNHGLQ
adjust areas of the model, paying special attention
to breaking up the silhouette. Then move to focus
pose we can now use Transpose Master to pose our model.
on dents and smaller scratches to add even more
Make sure you have plenty of anatomy references related
UHDOLVP8VHVXUIDFHQRLVHWRIXUWKHUGHÀQHWKHNLQG
to the pose you’re trying to achieve – female-anatomy-for-
of material you are mimicking.
artist.com is a very good resource for this. If you have armour
that sits over a deformed area such as an elbow or knee, you
may want to hide it before using Transpose Master, and then
move it into the correct position after completion of the pose.
The power of
TopoGun
With access to automated software such as
ZRemesher we often forget the importance of
having complete control over our topology. Often
WKHTXLFNUHVXOWVQHHGWREHUHÀQHGIXUWKHUWR
ensure we get the most out of our geometry.
TopoGun offers us full control so that we are able
WRTXLFNO\GUDZDQGEXLOGYHU\VSHFLÀFHGJH
loops, which is especially useful for modifying our
Create hair using FiberMesh When you are working with long hair it’s critical to be
facial topology. Areas such as the eyes, mouth
and nose will need extra attention and often more
08 able to isolate and work with small clumps one at a time. Before you generate the FiberMesh,
edge loops than the rest of the face. This is EUHDNRIIWKHVFDOSLQWRPDQ\VPDOO3RO\JURXSVWKDWFDQEHXVHGWRGHÀQHWKHKDLUFOXPSV7XUQRQ
because they will need more polygon density to Brush>Auto Masking>Mask By Polygroups to ensure you’re only manipulating one Polygroup at a
be able to deform correctly.
time. Use the GroomHairBall brush to clump your hair together. Then use the Groom brushes to style
the hair to your liking.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
0DNHWKHÀQHGHWDLOVDQGDFFHVVRULHV$GGLQJH[WUDOLWWOHGHWDLOVFDQUHDOO\
10 VHOODPRGHO)RUWKLVPRGHOKDQJLQJÁHVKKRRNVKDYHEHHQXVHGDVWKH\DUHDFRPPRQ
decoration on Dark Elves. These were simply modelled in Maya then exported to ZBrush for a
GHWDLOSDVVGHFLPDWHGWKHQERXJKWEDFNWR0D\D7KH\DUHDWWDFKHGWRWKHPRGHOE\VWULQJ
ZKLFKZDVFUHDWHGXVLQJWKH(3&XUYH7RROLQ0D\D$QRWKHUJRRGWHFKQLTXHLVWRXVHÀEUHVWR
break up the edge of the fabric so just mask by edge and generate them from that.
Simulate the cloth Marvelous Designer is

09 a fantastic program to use for simulating cloth.
The advantage of waiting until the model is posed for the
cloth simulation is that you don’t have to mess around with
resymming. One useful technique is to use pinning to keep the
FORWKLQWKHULJKWSODFHEHIRUH\RXÀQDOLVH\RXUVLP$OVRHQVXUH
when you are blocking out your shape and positioning to use a
high-particle distance to keep things running fast. Once that’s
ÀQDOLVHGGHFUHDVHWKHSDUWLFOHGLVWDQFHXQWLO\RXJHWWKHGHVLUHG
level of detail.
Make UVs There are many techniques that can be used

11 for this step. UV Master in ZBrush is a great automation tool
to get you started and for this project. It’s perfect for most meshes
because we will be projection painting in Mudbox where a perfect
XQZUDSLVQ·WQHFHVVDU\$QRWKHUJUHDWWRROLV+HDGXV89/D\RXW
This software has very powerful real-time unwrapping that enables
you to quickly cut and unwrap any surface with ease. It also has
particularly useful colour coding for how much UV space the faces
are taking up: red for too little and blue for too much.
Tips for sculpting in

12
Set up some ZBrush
shaders
This step can take quite a The theory behind sculpting in ZBrush is to block
while; tweaking shaders out your main forms on a low subdivision level,
so you have the correct doing this at a high level will make it harder to create
values is very important realistic forms, especially with organic sculpting.
Slowly work your way up the levels adding detail.
and often overlooked.
Consider how the surface would have been created,
Start with the specular back in medieval times there would have been no
and gloss values and way to perfectly make a piece of armour and your
then add in your diffuse VFXOSWVKRXOGUHÁHFWWKDW$OZD\VXVHOD\HUVZKHQ
colour. It’s useful to have adding a detail pass – when you complete it you will
have control over its strength and can easily mask
these dialled in before you out areas that don’t work.
start work on your map
painting because once
you have multiple maps
SOXJJHGLQWR\RXUVKDGHU “This software has real-time
LW·VGLIÀFXOWWRGHWHUPLQHWKH unwrapping that enables you to
individual effect of each
map. Check your material
quickly cut and unwrap any surface
UHIHUHQFHVKDYLQJJRRG with ease. It also has particularly
photo reference or even useful colour coding for how much
real-world reference is UV space the faces are taking up: red
crucial to mimicking the
material in 3D.
for too little and blue for too much”

Character
13 Create seamless textures Now it’s time to take our model into Mudbox and
use projection mapping to create some realistic textures. Mudbox is great because
it uses a similar layer and painting system to Photoshop, and you can easily move your map
between the two programs. To get your mesh from ZBrush to Mudbox there are multiple
methods, but using Decimation Master is the best because you are able to retain a lot of
detail while painting in a reasonably low-resolution mesh. Make sure you check the Keep UVs
option and decimate to around three to ten per cent of your high-resolution mesh.
14 Set up lighting
For this character we
are going to use V-Ray for
rendering. Often when lighting
a character a simplistic
three-point light setup is all
you need, and this consists
RIDNH\ÀOODQGULPOLJKW
When positioning the lights
make sure you work with one
light at a time so you know
exactly how it’s illuminating
your model. Once you have
completed your light setup,
insert a dome light with an
HDRI map at a very low
intensity. Try to align your key
light if your HDRI has a strong
light source like a sun.
15 Rendering techniques The shader, texturing and

OLJKWLQJVWHSVRIWHQRYHUODSDQG\RXZLOOÀQGWKDW\RXZLOO
be making tweaks to all of these while in the test render phase. It’s Baking maps from ZBrush
important to have good settings for a fast test render and high-quality
production render. There is a very good resource on YouTube by Using the Multi Map Exporter you can easily bake maps that will assist in the
Andrew Weidenhammer based on a paper by Robert Nederhorst creation of textures. We will need Displacement and Normal maps to get our
explaining in detail how to set up your V-Ray settings. To speed up your mesh rendering accurately in V-Ray. The Ambient Occlusion and Cavity
ZRUNÁRZPDNHVXUH\RXVHWXSDSUHVHWIRU\RXUWHVWDQGSURGXFWLRQ maps are useful to multiply or overlay on your textures. You can also
desaturate your Normal map and run a high pass in Photoshop to add
render with Render Settings>Preset>Save Settings as Preset. some extra detail into your diffuse and specular textures. A similar technique
can be used if you bring in your Displacement map, adjust the levels and
then use an overlay at a very low opacity. Just remember subtlety is the key.
Postproduction work Render out a 16-bit EXR image

16 to ensure you get the maximum control in postproduction.
This is because 16-bit images have more light information and can be
adjusted in Photoshop without loss of quality. Other useful passes are
$PELHQW2FFOXVLRQDQG='HSWK,Q3KRWRVKRSWKH&DPHUD5DZÀOWHU
is very useful for colour correction of your raw image. Finally adding
some grain, chromatic aberration and other very subtle overlays can
add that extra touch of realism to your piece.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide

Character
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Fashion pro
key art
Learn how to create an epic videogame
key art to capture your audience
The entertainment industry key art, artwork that has the universal
relies on the use of ability of telling a story in an instant
powerful imagery that can and grabbing the viewer’s attention Artists
touch an audience emotionally, with a single glance. 'DYLGH%LDQFD
and create memorable campaigns Over the next few pages you will Andrea
IRUÀOPRUYLGHRJDPHODXQFKHV get an exclusive behind the scenes Mancuso
www.saizenmedia.
Whether iconic, cryptic or a mixture of look at how we created the Goleador com
both, key art pieces and posters have League key art. This piece is a fantasy Davide Bianca is the
the sole purpose of making a bold soccer-themed mobile game that our founder & Executive
Creative Director of
statement to immediately connect with studio recently launched for Italian Saizen Media, based
fans across the globe. confectionery manufacturer, Perfetti in both Los Angeles
Therefore, a good key art is Van Melle. and Milan.
Andrea Mancuso is
fundamental for a successful From the integration of 3D elements the lead CG artist at
campaign, and in some cases, it can with 2D layer compositing, to creating Saizen Media. He has
determine how well or poorly a a digital matte painting backdrop, this H[SHULHQFHLQ&*ÀOP
videogame projects, key
franchise will perform. Massive, slick, tutorial will guide you through the art and illustration.
iconic, epic – these are all words that steps needed to create a real world
should be kept in mind when creating videogame key art. Software
Photoshop

Character
CREATE PRO KEY ART
Cinematic composition6HWXS\RXUZRUNDUHDDFFRUGLQJWRWKHVSHFLÀFDWLRQV$GGH[WUD 02 Managing CG layers Import all character

01 padding space around main elements to allow for cropping. It’s useful to set up your layers in CG layers into your composition, stacking the
groups, keeping characters, environmental elements, adjustment layers and the backdrop separated, to layers in the necessary order. Start with the colour pass
easily readjust if needed. For this tutorial, we will be using a cinematic widescreen, double fold-out format and proceed with two copies of occlusion, one normal
at 300 dpi – a size big enough for posters and magazine inserts. OD\HUDQGDUHÁHFWLRQVOD\HU'RXEOHFOLFNRQWKHÀUVW
occlusion layer and set its blend mode to Multiply. Repeat
the same step for the second copy and set the blend
PRGHWR2YHUOD\)LQDOO\VHWWKHUHÁHFWLRQVOD\HUVEOHQG
PRGHWR6FUHHQ$GMXVWWKHRSDFLW\RIHDFKOD\HUWR
achieve the desired look.
“The world a character lives in

is what makes the scene
believable, as it provides a
sense of context”
Adding Rim Lights Use the normal CG

04 layer as an illumination layer. Desaturate it by
selecting Hue/Saturation from the adjustment menu.
Next, with the layer still selected, press Cmd/Ctrl+I to
invert it. Select Gamma Curves (Cmd/Ctrl+M), and
adjust the curve until you get a black image with a glow
Blocking shapes in Create basic outlines for the backdrop. Keep in mind that the main
03 focus is on the character. However, the world a character lives in is what makes the scene
around the border. Go to Color Balance (Cmd/Ctrl+B)
and tint the layer with Cyan and Blue. Then double click
believable, as it provides a sense context and location for the events being depicted. Loosely block in on the layer and set the blend mode to Screen. This will
basic shapes and colours for the snowy mountains, skyline and foreground. Keep the colours and shapes create a blue rim around your character to simulate the
interesting, forcing the eye into the distance and conveying a sense of grand scale. You will use these moonlight. Use the Eraser tool to eliminate areas that
shapes as guides for detailing and texturing by integrating photographic assets. aren’t lit.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Build heavy metal A viking helm is one of

07 the most iconic battle props. Its unique shape
and curled horns are immediately recognisable, and
convey a sense of strength. The eye will naturally be
drawn to the helm, so make this the main focal point of
your piece. Work with the Dodge and Burn tools to create
the roughness of a hammered metal sheet. Apply heavy
Creating believable skin
05 Tell the story with clothing The
scratches by combining brush strokes with photographic
Rendering believable skin is tedious, but it
makes a huge difference. Custom texture maps
06 same principles used for believable skin
assets. Follow the shape of the helm, keeping in mind your
light sources and how light bounces off curved surfaces.
are generally created for the 3D model, however, rendering also apply to clothes – remember that
Fine-tune lighting
you will want to add more detail to the renders we are telling a story through a single image,
by including elements like bruises, scars and so we want to convey as much narrative detail
imperfections to make the character realistic. as possible. A viking warrior wears hand-made
Place battle scars or wounds on the character animal leather clothes – a compromise between When working with complex lighting, constant
in areas not protected by the armour, this will warmth and tactical practicality during battle. ÀQHWXQLQJLVQHFHVVDU\$OZD\VXVHHGLWDEOH
DGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVLQVWHDGRIQRQUHYHUVLEOH
help create a visual narrative. Paint in extra pores Add details of blood stains, dirt and wear and DFWLRQV<RXFDQDSSO\DGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVWRD
and veins in certain areas, and don’t be afraid to tear, to enhance the look of the fabric. Small rips VLQJOHOD\HURUWRDJURXSRIOD\HUVE\SODFLQJ
experiment with bouncing lights and translucency and holes in the cape or trousers will serve as a WKHPGLUHFWO\DERYHWKHWDUJHWOD\HURUJURXS
to simulate sub-surface scattering or wet surfaces. reminder of past battles. DQGXVLQJWKH&PG&WUO2SW$OW*FRPPDQG
Add atmospheric elements Everything

09 looks more epic with fog and mist. There are plenty
of ways to create great particle effects. For this key art,
our team used the particle engine in Arnold to create thin
08 Create the environment At this stage, break away from your character and focus on the layers of dynamic rolling smoke, combined with hand
environment that he lives in. Start by choosing a colour palette that makes sense, with the tone painted thicker layers in the foreground. Place the smoke
and mood setting the scene that you are depicting. Fill in the areas that you outlined previously with layers at the top of your layer stack and set their blend
PRUHGHÀQHGEUXVKVWURNHVWRVLPXODWHWKHPRRQOLJKWERXQFLQJRIIWKHVQRZDQGFDVWLQJVKDGRZV modes to Screen. You will want to keep the opacity quite
8VHSKRWRJUDSKLFDVVHWVERWKDVDUHIHUHQFHDQGDVWH[WXUHVWRREWDLQDSURSHUUHDOLVWLFÀQLVK8VHWKH low. With a large soft brush erase the areas further away
'RGJHDQG%XUQWRROVWRGDUNHQSRRUO\OLWDUHDVRUWRUHÁHFWPRUHOLJKW from light sources.

Character
CREATE PRO KEY ART
$OWHUWKHGHSWKRIÀHOG Our brain processes imagery Magic particles This is a fantasy game, so your character will, of course, have
10 based on colour, shapes and depth. So push the depth of 11 supernatural abilities. Use a particle system as secondary focal point to counter-
your image as far as possible in order to make it pop. Duplicate balance elements and guide the viewer’s eye across the piece. Use warm colours to contrast
your character group and merge its content – keep the original the cool tints of the environment. Start with an orange tint and begin outlining your magical
group disabled as a backup. Using the Blur tool, begin softening ÁDUHV6ZLWFKWROLJKWHUWLQWVLQFRUUHVSRQGHQFHZLWKKHDWVRXUFHV.HHSVKDSHVG\QDPLFDQG
the contours. Use a small brush with low strength. Next increase interesting. Integrate a soft layer of smoke and an Overlay orange glow layer to add realism
the strength and blur the areas further away, while keeping the rest and make the colours really pop.
sharp. This will direct the viewer’s eye to the focal points, simulating
WKHFLQHPDWLFGHSWKRIÀHOGRIDPPOHQV
Balancing Create a new group containing adjustment layers for Gamma Curves, Brightness/
12 Contrast, and Colour Balance, and place them at the top of your composite. These will serve as master
colour correction settings. Adjust the Gamma Curves until the image looks properly lit. Gamma Curves are
also helpful to remove possible artifacts resulting from Screen layers and compositing. Use Brightness/
Contrast to bring out highlights, and use the Colour Balance settings to increase Cyan and Blue on both
highlights and mid tones, as this will help blend elements seamlessly and unify tints.
Layer extra textures on Pushing it further Use three separate

the horns to convey a 13 planes of interest to further increase the depth
sense of an ancient and
RIWKHHQYLURQPHQW.HHSWKHIRUHJURXQGHOHPHQWV
mythological animal
sharp and bright, the midground elements softly
blurred and mildly lit, and elements in the far distance
heavily blurred and dark. The reduced readability of
far away elements, such as the faraway mountain
tops or rock formations, will serve as hinted reading
values – the viewer’s brain will complete the missing
SRUWLRQVE\ÀOOLQJLQWKHEODQNV7KLVDOORZVXVWRJHW
away with minimal colour variation while obtaining a
Pay attention to very rich and full effect.
Dark areas can rolling surfaces or
show artefacts. sharp edges, and
To eliminate add extra
noticeable highlights or rim
colour- lights to increase
banding, apply realism
a 0.8 Uniform
Noise to the
Screen layer
Add drama (sky and clouds)

14 A dark sky will set the mood and drive the eye
into the distance. You will want to create clouds that
form interesting shapes, low enough on the horizon
to create enough contrast to allow for easily readable
mountain tops. Use a large soft brush to paint
black on top of areas to simulate rarefaction of the
atmosphere and the light bouncing off. Ensure the
clouds and foreground fog don’t clash.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Alternating Shaders Just like colours

15 and tints, materials and shaders work best
together when they create visual rhythm. Pay special
16 +LJKOLJKWVDQGOHQVÁDUHV Create
a new layer at the top of your character group
attention to creating interesting, alternating patterns and set its blend mode to Overlay. Using a soft brush, Sharpening details Using the Sharpen
of smooth and rough textures. For example, a glossy paint white hot spots over the areas that receive
17 WRROVHWWRVWUHQJWKVWDUWDSSO\LQJÀUP
metal bolt will look more interesting if placed over a specular light – this will help to brighten those areas. strokes over the character’s beard, eyes and lips.
rough leather patch. Next add rust and scratches to Pay special attention to edges and corners directly Proceed gently, making sure that the sharpening
the chest metal plate. Then using a 1pt brush, paint LQWKHWUDMHFWRU\RIOLJKWDVWKHVHDUHDVVKRXOGUHÁHFW process does not damage the image or cause
fuzzy areas around the edges of the abdominal band more light. For extra realism, consider integrating any pixelation. The main goal here is to increase
fabric, sampling the proper shades. This will create SKRWRJUDSKLFDVVHWVRIDQDPRUSKLFOHQVÁDUHVE\ immediate readability in emotionally relevant areas.
a more realistic material and convey a sense of wear appropriately sizing them, adjusting their tints, and Repeat the same process on portions of the skin or
and tear. setting them in Screen mode over the area of interest. steel plates that you want to guide the viewer to.
Using Soft Gradients Create a

18 new layer and place it at the top of your
background group. Using a large soft circular brush, Zoom in & out
start painting black over the far bottom edges of the
When working on high-resolution
environment. Try following the curves of the rock images for print, you will be constantly
formations to naturally cast shadows. Using soft zooming in and out of your canvas and
gradients will add an extra level of dimensionality to will want to watch out for artefacts,
your backdrop, simulating natural light and shadow pixelation and aliasing. Press Cmd/
Ctrl+Opt/Alt+0 to toggle back to the
casting. Set the layer to Overlay and adjust the images actual pixel size and ensure
Opacity accordingly. Repeat the same process on your artwork is crisp.
the lower portion of the character.
Fire embers Create a layer on top of

19 your composition and using a 2pt brush,
paint light orange dots. Double click on the layer
to access its properties and select the Outer Glow
option. Then choose a red tint and adjust the
Radius and Choke. Now using the Smudge tool Final touches
with a 5pt brush, apply strokes on one side of the
20 $WWKLVSRLQW\RXZLOOPDNHWKHÀQDOWZHDNVDQGFRUUHFWLRQVÀQHWXQH\RXU&RORXU
&RUUHFWLRQVHWWLQJVE\DFFHVVLQJWKHDGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVDQGH[SRUWDÀQDOUDVWHULPDJH$OZD\VPDNH
ember particle pulling away from it. This will create VXUH\RXUFRORXUSURÀOHDQGGRFXPHQWVHWWLQJVPDWFKWKHUHTXLUHGRXWSXWIRUPDWV.HHSLQPLQGWKDWW\SLFDOO\
a trail or path, giving a sense of motion. Repeat this due to the natural ink absorption process on paper, there is a 10% Luminosity drop from screen to print. So if
VWHSDVQHHGHG<RXFDQDOVREOXUVSHFLÀFHPEHU \RXDUHGHOLYHULQJUHDG\WRSULQWÀOHVPDNHVXUHWRVDYHDSULQWVSHFLÀFYDULDQWZLWKDQDGGLWLRQDOSXQFKLQ
layers to simulate distance from the camera. Gamma Curves.

Character
“The skin-tight
accessories were
created by
masking out the
shape of the
Artist clothing on the
Damon Woods body and then
www.dkwoods.
com using extraction”
My name is Damon ‘DK’
Woods and I make
next-gen game
characters. Currently, I’m
a professional character
artist in the videogame
and VFX industry. I’m
also currently a character
art instructor at the
CGMA Academy.
Software
ZBrush, 3ds Max,
Marvelous Designer,
Photoshop, KeyShot 5
Source Files
Download all the
WXWRULDOÀOHV\RXZLOO
need from FileSilo.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Render a cyberpunk
character
0RGHOWH[WXUHDQGOLJKWDKLJKVFKRROVWXGHQWIURPVWDUWWRÀQLVK
IRUDIXWXULVWLFF\EHUSXQNZRUOG
In this tutorial we are going to learn VFKRROVSRUWVFXOWXUH7KHPL[LQJRIJHQUHVLV =%UXVKGV0D[0DUYHORXV'HVLJQHU3KRWRVKRS
how to create a funky, rebellious DFWXDOO\DJUHDWZD\WRH[SORUHQHZDYHQXHVIRU DQG.H\6KRW:KHWKHU\RX·UHDQLQWHUHVWHG
cyberpunk teenager from the not-so- GHVLJQ,QWKLVWXWRULDO\RX·OOOHDUQKRZWRWDNHDQ KREE\LVWRUDQLQGXVWU\SURORRNLQJWROHDUQDIHZ
distant future. The inspiration for this character LPDJHIURP'VNHWFKWRDIXOO\UHDOLVHGSLHFH:H QHZWULFNVWKLVVWHSE\VWHSWXWRULDOZLOOVKRZ\RX
FDPHIURPDORYHRIVFLÀDQGQRVWDOJLDIRUKLJK ZLOODFFRPSOLVKWKLVZLWKDYDULHW\RIWRROVLQFOXGLQJ H[DFWO\KRZWRWDNH\RXUZRUNWRWKHQH[WOHYHO
Work your way outwards

Create the skin tight accessories first
Concept
The first step as part of any workflow is having a concept.
I start by sketching out my character, making sure that
the details and forms are clear. This saves a lot of time
down the road.
02 Shape the shoes Trainers, like most

footwear, are simply a compilation of flat
leather shapes. To make the shoes, use a
DynaMeshed sphere and shape it around the foot.
Then subdivide it a few times and create the
01 Start at the basics In building up a character, it’s effective to start at the most skin-tight items and
work your way outwards. This helps us build a well-fitting outfit and helps reduce geopenetration
different leather patches that make up the pattern
of the shoe using the same mask and extract
issues down the road. The skin-tight accessories were created by masking out the shape of the clothing on method as Step 1. Feel free to use your real-life
the body and then using extraction. The skirt and glasses were created in 3ds Max. trainers as a handy reference.

Character
Use sim to create cloth
03 We want the jacket to have
some nice realistic folds on the
jacket’s sleeves.
A talented artist could probably
sculpt some pretty believable folds,
but they will never be able to match
the speed and accuracy that a cloth
sim program can provide. Using
Marvelous Designer, we can create
this jacket with a few well-placed
shapes. At this point, you don’t need
to nail every single wrinkle. We just
need a good foundation to start on.
When you’re all done, make sure to
set your particle distance down to
around 3. Then, export as an OBJ to
bring back into ZBrush.
Touch up the cloth Now that you have a

04 solid base to work on from Marvelous
Designer, go in and add the smaller wrinkles and
irregularities to the mesh that we see in everyday life.
Once again reference is key. Pay close attention to the
way the cloth buckles and ripples around seam lines.
Pay attention to the natural direction that the sim
cloth flows and add additional folds in places that
look a bit bare. The collar, straps and various other
pieces were created with the CurveStrapSnap brush
and touched up in 3ds Max.
05 Add seams and stitches To add stitches, create a custom Curve brush with a
simple piece of geo to repeat. Making sure that Curves mode is on, start adding your
stitches to the areas around the edges of your clothing and anywhere that patches are
joined. As an additional detail, use the Dam_Standard brush to slightly indent the path of
the stitches. To create the seams on the jacket, use the CurveStrapSnap brush.
“A talented artist could probably sculpt some

pretty believable folds, but they will never be
able to match the speed and accuracy that a
cloth sim program can provide”
06 Add the nuts and

bolts To add the nuts
and bolts that give our
character a better sci-fi feel,
we will use the IMM (Insert
Multi Mesh) Brushes. Select
the IMM_ModelKit brush
and then hit M on your
keyboard. This will pull up
all of the various shapes and
objects for you to choose
from. To add the shape,
simple click and drag on
the object.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07 Create the patches Our hero is an accomplished athlete and she’s not
shy about it. To adorn her with her various patches, we first created some
08 Facial details Adding details to the face needs to be very precise.
Make sure you have plenty of reference that matches the type of
custom Alphas in Photoshop. Then we import them into the Alpha palette and do a character that we want to convey. Sculpt what you see and not what you
mask extract like before. These meshes can get pretty heavy, so we suggest hitting know. Reference is key in creating a believable piece. In this case, our
them with ZRemesher. character is high school age with attractive features. Alpha 07, with Spray
mode on and at an intensity of around 6, is ideal for adding skin pores. Pay
Size matters
close attention to your reference to see what size, direction, and depth the
pores are going in. Use Alpha 58 with Stroke mode on to create the subtle
lines under the eyes and on the lips.
When starting a project, pay attention to the real-world scale of your
character. In 3ds Max or Maya, use the measuring tools to make sure
your character is a realistic height. Programs like Marvelous Designer
and KeyShot use real-world scale to calculate things like gravity and
thickness. If your character is 70 feet tall or the size of an ant, it will have
DQDGYHUVHHIIHFWRQ\RXUÀQDOUHVXOWV
Add the braids The braids were

10 created using a custom Curve brush
graciously donated to the ZBrush community
by Tetsuo Oshima. Draw the braids across the
head one at a time and adjust with the Move
brush. By nature, the Curve brush will add the
braids to the same SubTool that you are
drawing on. A quick way to separate them is to
clear your masks, then Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+click
Create hair To create the curly ‘frohawk’, simply mask the area along the top of her head and go to the the head to isolate it. Mask the head
09 Fibers tab in Lightbox. Select Curley_Hair1.ZFP. From there, go into the FiberMesh tab and hit Preview. completely and then Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+click in a
From here, you can adjust all of the parameters of the hair. You can see the settings that were used for this piece. blank space to unhide everything. Now with
Once you’re satisfied, hit Accept. The eyebrows were created the same way. Just mask off the eyebrow shape, the head masked off from the braids go to
use a straighter hairstyle like Fibers160.ZFP and lower the length and fibre count accordingly. Subtool>Split>Split Masked Points.

Character
11 Block it all in Just like in the
modelling phase, we first want
to block in all of the colours with flat
colours. To do a fill, go to the Color tab
at the top of your screen and hit
FillObject. Make sure that Mrgb is
selected and use a basic material for
now. The school colours for her are
green, black and gold. Using lots of
reference of athletic apparel, we can
get a feel for how to approach things.
The goal is to make her outfit read as
a high school uniform, no matter what
time period it is set in. The clothes
would be clean, colorful and well
maintained with different types of
materials mixed in.
“Remember, nobody
is perfect and small
skin irregularities
really help add
realism to skin
texture. Add
birthmarks and
acne scars”
Texture the skin Using the same skin
12 colour that we used as the fill, select Alpha
7 with Spray mode turned on. Make sure to turn
off Zadd and Zsub so you aren’t sculpting while
you paint. Now lightly brush across the surface to
add some irregularity to her skin tone. You can
also go back in and add smaller things like
birthmarks and acne scars. Remember, nobody is
perfect and small skin irregularities really help add
realism to skin texture. To add the tattoos, images
were turned into Alphas and added with Drag
mode. Use a dark green colour instead of pure
black to give the tattoos a more realistic tone.
Add eyelashes
Everyone has eyelashes, but not every
artist remembers to add them. The Curve
brush can be used to quickly and
effectively create eyelashes. First model
out a single lash and then orient the
camera so that you are looking at it from
the tip. Go into the brushes palette and
select ‘Create Insert Mesh’. Turn on
Curves mode and draw along the edge of
the eyelid. Keep in mind that the upper
eyelashes are fuller than the bottom ones.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide

Landscapes
Create huge fantasy worlds
136 Render a fairytale castle

144 Construct a landscape from photos
150 Composite a digital landscape
156 Composite with adjustment layers 168
160 Work with matte painting
166 Master pro painting techniques
170 Create a landscape with brushes
144
136
160

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
166
156
150

Landscapes
Render a
fairytale castle
An image of a towering castle perched on the side of
a mountain, inspired by medieval architecture
For this image the inspiration mountainous terrain, then block out the
came from Romantic-style basic forms of the castle with Blender’s
architecture, to create a modelling tools. We will then jump over to
towering building nestled on the side ngPlant, a free app that will let you create a
of a mountain, surrounded by forests YDULHW\RISURFHGXUDOSODQWV7KHQÀQDOO\ZH
and steep hills. Over the course of this will head back to using Blender in order to
tutorial, we will explain how to go about create a procedurally generated forest to
both making the castle itself, and then how surround the entire castle before we
you can create the surrounding landscape. FDQÀQLVKRIIWKHLPDJHE\
Starting with Blender’s ANT landscape texturing and rendering
plug-in, we’ll create some procedural WKHÀQDOVFHQH

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Concept
Before starting, I searched online for some inspiration
and sketched a few rough thumbnails of castles to see
KRZ,ZDQWHGP\ÀQDOLPDJHWRORRN,GLGQ·WXVHDQ\RI
WKHVH WKXPEQDLOV VSHFLÀFDOO\ EXW WKH\ KHOSHG PH WR
QDUURZGRZQWKHIRFXVRIP\ÀQDOGHVLJQDQGPDNH
FKRLFHVDERXWWKHVFHQH·VFRPSRVLWLRQ
Artist
Ben Simonds
www.ben
simonds.com
Ben Simonds is a 3D
Artist at Gecko
Animation Ltd, a small
London-based studio
Software
Photoshop, ngPlant

Landscapes
Generate terrain Our castle will need some mountains in Choose a site With the terrain in place, start looking for somewhere to situate
01 which to exist, so let’s begin by using Blender’s ANT Landscape
02 the castle. To do so, use Blender’s Fly Navigation (Shift+F in the 3D Viewport) to
&UHDWRUDGGRQZKLFKJHQHUDWHVSURFHGXUDOODQGVFDSHV(QDEOH ]RRPDURXQGWKHVFHQHLQÀUVWSHUVRQORRNLQJIRUWKHULJKWSODFHWRSXWWKHFDVWOH:H
WKHDGGRQIURP%OHQGHU·V8VHU3UHIHUHQFHV!$GGRQVPHQX²LW need a small peak next to some larger mountains to place the castle on, so that it’ll have
FRPHVEXQGOHGZLWK%OHQGHUEXW\RXQHHGWRHQDEOHLW²WKHQJRWR the taller terrain as an impressive backdrop. With the site chosen, simply place down a
$GG!0HVK!/DQGVFDSHWRJHQHUDWHDQHZODQGVFDSH7KLVVFULSW cube to mark the castle’s site for the time being, then placed a camera roughly where we
provides all sorts of settings for tweaking the kind of terrain generated. ZDQWWKHÀQDOUHQGHUWREHWDNHQIURP
Next, turn up the number of subdivisions and increase the mesh size, then
play around with the other settings to get something you’re happy with.
“We need a small peak next

to some larger mountains, so
that it’ll have the taller terrain
as an impressive backdrop.
Simply place down a cube to
mark the castle’s site for the
time being, then placed a
camera roughly where we want
the final render”
Dynamic Topology
sculpting
Blender’s Dynamic Topology tool is fantastic for
sculpting forms quickly when you don’t quite
NQRZKRZ\RXZDQW\RXUÀQDOPRGHOWRORRN<RX
can grab and stretch your mesh in all sorts of
ways without worrying about topology, or add as
much detail as you like without subdividing
PDQXDOO\8VHWKH'HWDLO6L]HVHWWLQJWRFRQWURO
5HÀQHWKHWHUUDLQ 0DNHWKHWHUUDLQDELWPRUHLQWHUHVWLQJZLWK%OHQGHU·VVFXOSWLQJWRROV
03 DQG'\QDPLF7RSRORJ\-XPSLQWR(GLWPRGHDQGWULPDZD\PRVWRIWKHXVHOHVVDUHDVWKDW
KRZÀQHO\\RXUPHVKZLOOEHVXEGLYLGHGXQGHU
\RXUEUXVKVWURNHV6HWWKH5HÀQH0HWKRGWR
ZRQ·WEHVHHQLQWKHÀQDOUHQGHU7KHQVZLWFKWR6FXOSWPRGHDQGHQDEOH'\QDPLF7RSRORJ\7KLV 6XEGLYLGH&ROODSVHIRUURXJKZRUNZKLFKZLOO
collapse details into rougher topology if you use
feature enables you to sculpt and have your mesh dynamically tessellated under your brush strokes. DODUJHUEUXVKRUWR6XEGLYLGHRQO\IRUZRUNLQJ
8VHGWKH*UDE&OD\DQG&UHDVHEUXVKHVWRGHÀQHVRPHVKDUSHUSHDNVDQGYDOOH\V<RXVKRXOGDGG ZLWKGHWDLOV
VRPHDGGLWLRQDOURXJKQHVVWRWKHODQGVFDSHDQGÁDWWHQRXWWKHVLWHIRUWKHFDVWOHDOLWWOH

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Block in with Primitives To start off the castle,

04 use very rough shapes just to plan what parts the castle
will have. Add and scale cubes and cylinders for the towers Get an early render Maybe it’s good planning or maybe it’s just time wasting and
and use cubes with the top face pulled upwards to make a 05 YDQLW\EXW,OLNHWRJHWDQHDUO\UHQGHUWRVHHKRZP\VFHQHORRNV7KH&\FOHVUHQGHUSUHYLHZ
peak for the main buildings. Play around with a few different 6KLIW=LQWKH'9LHZSRUWVHW\RXUUHQGHUHQJLQHWR&\FOHVLVJUHDWIRUWKLV$GGDEDVLF6XQ
FRQÀJXUDWLRQVRIVKDSHVDGGLQJEULGJHVH[WUDWRZHUVDQGWKH ODPSWRWKHVFHQHDQGEDVLF6N\WRWKH:RUOG6HWWLQJV%OHQGHU·V6N\7H[WXUHQRGHLVJUHDWIRU
like, while moving them around to see how they look from the TXLFNRXWGRRUOLJKWLQJDQGH[SHULPHQWZLWKDFRXSOHRIDQJOHVIRUWKH6XQVHHLQJKRZLWDIIHFWV
FDPHUD·VSHUVSHFWLYHLQRUGHUWRÀQGDOD\RXW\RXOLNH the shadows falling on the castle.
Break up the castle To make working on the castle easier, break up its design into Detail the architecture Using the blocked-in
06 chunks, with one for the front wall and gatehouse, another two for the two main buildings,
07 geometry of the different chunks of the castle as a
and another for the foundations and the bridge. Duplicate these chunks and place them on guide, begin creating more detailed models of the castle. For
WKHLURZQOD\HUV1H[WJURXS&PG&WUO*DOOWKHREMHFWVLQHDFKFKXQNLQWRWKHLURZQJURXS each large section of a building or wall, begin by creating a
7KLVHQDEOHVXVWRUHEXLOGWKHRULJLQDOEORFNLQRIWKHFDVWOHXVLQJLQVWDQFHVRIHDFKJURXSJRWR PRUHGHWDLOHGPRGHORIWKHRYHUDOOVWUXFWXUHMXVWE\H[WUXGLQJ
$GG!*URXS,QVWDQFH!><RXU*URXS@WRDGGDQLQVWDQFH7KLVOHWVXVXSGDWHWKHFRQWHQWVRIHDFK DQGDGGLQJFXWVWRWKHRULJLQDOEORFNLQJHRPHWU\1H[WVHW
group, while working on them separately. Additionally this lets us work on the different groups in a about including secondary elements, such as windows, doors,
PRUHXVHUIULHQGO\D[LVDOLJQHGRULHQWDWLRQ crenellations along the walls and other architectural details.

Landscapes
Work with duplicates While the overall structure of the castle
08 is pretty unique from piece to piece, there are a lot of repeating
elements in the design of the castle overall. Especially for the windows, we
only need to create a few different designs, which we then duplicate and
place around the castle. By using linked duplicates, we can keep every
instance of each window type sharing the same mesh data. Not only does
WKLVPDNHDOWHULQJZLQGRZVHDVLHUDVDQ\FKDQJHVDUHUHÁHFWHGLQHYHU\
window), but it also helps enormously when UV unwrapping and texturing
the castle, as objects that share mesh data similarly share texture space,
and only need unwrapping once per design.
Array0RGLÀHUWULFNV
7KH$UUD\0RGLÀHULVDJUHDWWRROIRUZRUNLQJZLWKGHVLJQV
that have repeating elements. It comes with several
different inputs for specifying how you want to duplicate
geometry. The Relative Offset setting is best for duplicating
UHSHDWLQJEORFNVRIDGHVLJQDQG\RXFDQXVHWKH0HUJH
settings to automatically merge vertices between repeats.
7KH2EMHFW2IIVHWFDQEHXVHGIRUPRUHFRPSOH[GHVLJQV Add crenellations and towers Most of the walls and roofs of the castle
as it lets you use the transforms of an Empty to specify the 09 are embellished with crenellations. To create these, model a single section of
offset for repeats. This lets you rotate and even scale the
repeated elements. I used the object offset as an alternative WKHGHVLJQDQGWKHQXVH%OHQGHU·V$UUD\0RGLÀHUWRFRS\WKHGHVLJQPDQ\WLPHVLQWKH
ZD\RIDGGLQJUHSHDWLQJGHVLJQVDURXQGFLUFXODUWRZHUVE\ GHVLUHGD[LV0RVWRIWKHWLPHZHFDQWKHQDSSO\WKH$UUD\0RGLÀHUDQGÀWWKHPRGHOWR
SODFLQJDQ(PSW\DWWKHFHQWUHRIWKHWRZHUDQGXVLQJLWDV the forms of the walls and roofs – going round corners and curves and leaving gaps for
WKH2IIVHW,QSXWIRUDQ$UUD\0RGLÀHU,FRXOGWKHQURWDWHWKH
towers and windows. For the round towers, use the Warp Operator in Edit mode to wrap
(PSW\WRVSHFLI\WKHDQJOHEHWZHHQUHSHDWVDQGFKDQJH
WKHFRXQWVHWWLQJRIWKHPRGLÀHUWRVHWKRZPDQ\UHSHDWV, the linear design around a cylindrical form. By snapping the 3D cursor to the centre of the
wanted around the tower. tower and placing the un-deformed crenellations at the correct radius from the centre,
the Warp Operator takes the X-axis of the geometry and wraps it around a circle.
11 Add trees with ngPlant ngPlant (www.ngplant.

sourceforge.net) is an open-source plant-modelling
application that lets you create plants by starting with a trunk
mesh, to which you can add branches upon branches until you
10 UV Unwrapping Unwrapping models is always a pretty tedious task, but Blender has want to add leaves on the end. To make our trees, start with
some pretty useful unwrapping tools. For each chunk of the castle, we should try to pack a relatively tall trunk, then add a few levels of branches. In my
HYHU\SDUWRIWKHPRGHOLQWRDVKDUHG89VSDFH8QZUDSSLQJWKHODUJHUÁDWWHUDUHDVRIWKHFDVWOHLV experience, tweaking the controls for the Branch Density, Axis
easy – just use the basic Unwrap Operator, or sometimes the Project From View Operator for large, Variation and Declination (the angle that branches point up or
ÁDWDUHDV)RUPRUHFRPSOH[DUHDVOLNHWKHFUHQHOODWLRQVVHOHFWÁDWDUHDVÀUVWDQGXQZUDSWKHP down based on how far up the parent branch they are) has the
(the Select Co-planar Operator is great for this – press Shift+G in Edit mode with a face selected), JUHDWHVWLQÁXHQFHRQZKDWNLQGRIWUHH\RXUUHVXOWUHVHPEOHV)RU
then pin those vertices’ UV coordinates, add seams to the model and then unwrap the surrounding WKHÀUOHDYHV,GLGQ·WDGGDPHVKIRUHYHU\QHHGOH²LQVWHDGP\
areas to get a passable unwrap for the more complex areas. As soon as the task of unwrapping ÀQDOOHYHORIJHRPHWU\RQP\WUHHZDVDZLQJVPHVKWKDWDGGHG
the models is done, we can move onto other, more creative aspects! ÁDQJHVGRZQWKHVLGHRIWKHEUDQFKWKH\EHORQJHGWR

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
“While the overall structure of the castle

is pretty unique from piece to piece,
there are a lot of repeating elements in
the design of the castle overall.
Especially for the windows, we only
need to create a few different designs,
which we then duplicate and place
around the castle”
Landscapes
Export the trees The other great feature of

12 ngPlant is that you can easily create variations on a
single tree design. The parameters for tree creation feature Set materials for the trees The materials for our trees are pretty simple to
several random factors, such as Axis Variation (bending along
13 accomplish, and entirely procedural. NgPlant does a good job of automatically generating
the length of branches) and the Rotation Angle between UVs for your generated trees and exporting them with separate material groups for each branch
different branches, the results of which are governed by a Seed or leaf level. For all the branches, simply apply a brown Diffuse material. For the needles, take
property (found under the General settings for the tree). By the UV co-ordinates of the long leaf meshes that run along each of the branches and manipulate
cycling through Seeds, you can achieve a wide range of them with nodes to give a gradient out from the middle of the branches to the edge, and use
different trees with the same overall features, but that are subtly this as the overall Alpha of the material (by controlling the Mix Factor between a Diffuse and a
different. Let’s export a few of these variations (with some Transparent Shader node). Multiply this Alpha factor with a procedural Wave texture that breaks the
PDQXDOWZHDNVVXFKDVRYHUDOO+HLJKWLQWR2%-ÀOHVWKDWZHFDQ DSSHDUDQFHRIWKHZLQJVPHVKXSLQWRLQGLYLGXDOQHHGOHV$OWKRXJKWKHÀQDOWUHHZRQ·WVWDQGXSWR
later import into Blender. close scrutiny, in a forest of thousands it looks the part.
Use the plug-ins

An alternative to ngPlant is Blender’s Sapling add-on.
This tool works in a very similar way to ngPlant. It
also has a number of procedural parameters for
generating trees, and it has some nice tools for
affecting the overall shape of a tree (as well as some
presets for common shapes). It can even
automatically create a rig for your tree to enable it to
animate and sway. However, its options for leaves
are much more limited and there is less control over
each level of branching, so I stuck with ngPlant for
my trees.
14 Create a forest To make a forest out of trees, use a particles system. Add a new
particle system to our landscape with several-thousands of particles, all emitted on the
ÀUVWIUDPH7KHQJURXSDOOWUHHVWRJHWKHUDQGVHWWKH5HQGHUPRGHRIWKHSDUWLFOHV\VWHPVWR
Group, and set the Trees group as the source. This populates the landscape with thousands of
trees. Add some randomness to them with the Size set to Random, and by randomising their
Rotation slightly. We can also use the Particle Info material node to convert the individual particle
trees indices into a slightly randomised green hue for the needles’ Diffuse colour. This will give
every tree a slightly different appearance and will make the forest look less homogenous.
Bake textures for the castle Returning to the castle, we have already unwrapped
15 each chunk to a texture sheet, so switch render engine to Blender Internal temporarily
(Cycles has only started supporting texture baking in the latest dev builds, so I stuck with BI) and
bake out a few maps. For each chunk of the castle, bake an Ambient Occlusion map, as well as a
few different seamless brick and concrete textures. As well as this, bake out a Groups map for each
chunk of the castle, assigning different colours to areas we want to paint with different materials.
This makes selecting different areas easier for texture painting and masking textures.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Texture the landscape For the landscape, take a

17 slightly matte-painted approach, creating the landscape
texture from the camera perspective to save time. Grab images
of mountains, grassy hills, and rocky cliffs from texture websites,
and use different bits of each to cover the landscape, blending
Combine texture baking and painting In Photoshop, combine the baked them together by adjusting their colours manually and cloning
16 maps, using the group’s map to mask different areas of the texture with different base parts together. Create two separate textures for the foreground
textures (different kinds of brick or concrete). Next, multiply this with the AO map on a low Opacity and background of the landscape. You don’t need to worry too
to add some basic grunge, then paint in some further variation and cloning in grunge from other much about large areas of texture looking entirely plausible, as
sources. The result for each part of the castle should be a nicely aged texture with a consistent most of the landscape is going to be dominated by the forest in
brick pattern that doesn’t look too repetitive overall. any case.
Create
clouds
We want to add clouds to
the sky, which can be done
using Blender’s Cloud
Generator plug-in, as well
as some painting thrown in
ZKHQFRPSRVLWLQJWKHÀQDO
image. In a separate scene 18 Render passes)RUWKHÀQDOUHQGHUVSOLW
ZLWKLQWKHEOHQGÀOHLQWR the scene into a few different passes, with one
which we linked our for the foreground of the scene (including the castle
landscape objects and itself), another for the background landscape and a third
camera), loosely model
for the background trees as a separate layer. It’s also
streaky clouds, then
convert them to clouds worth rendering out some clouds and a simple Z-Depth
with the Cloud Generator pass that we can use to add some aerial perspective to
tool. This add-on turns a the scene.
mesh into a cloud object
ZLWKDSUHFRQÀJXUHG
&RPSRVLWHWKHÀQDOLPDJH Using
material for rendering in
Blender Internal. Render
19 3KRWRVKRSZH·OOFRPSRVLWHWKHÀQDOLPDJH
the clouds as a separate Layer in the different render passes and combine
pass that we can eventually them with gradients, a slight vignette and some colour
FRPSRVLWHLQWRWKHÀQDO
image. For my image, it JUDGLQJWRFUHDWHDÀQDOLPDJHWKDW\RX·UHKDSS\ZLWK
didn’t look amazing as just Try painting in the odd wisp of cloud or erasing the
a basic render pass, so I occasional stray tree by hand. You could also add a
did a fair bit of messing slight bloom effect by creating a merged copy of the
about with it in Photoshop
layers, blurring it and tweaking its Levels before adding it
later on.
back onto the scene to create softer lighting in the scene.

Landscapes
Concept

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Construct a
landscape Artist
Nadegda
Mihailova
from photos
www.nm-art.weebly.
com/tw
Nadegda Mihailova is a
digital artist and creative
retoucher from Russia,
specialising in
environment illustrations.
Learn how to work with fragments of photos to create Milhailova is currently
working as a freelance
a fantasy scene digital artist.
Learn how to use Photoshop to and shadows, as well as achieve uniformity Software
Photoshop
create a fantasy scene with this across all elements.
tutorial. We’ll start with creating a sketch. In order to successfully complete this tutorial
Try to experiment with different ideas and you will at least need to have a base knowledge
Source Files
choose the most interesting option. It’s important of Photoshop. We will be using different tools, all the images needed to
to think through all the details before you start such as selection tools, layer masks and complete this tutorial.
work. We will combine fragments of photos to adjustment layers, colour corrections (Curves,
create a background and unique objects to Color Balance, Selective Color and more) and
create a fantasy environment. Creating scenes brushes. It will be handy for you to use a pen
isn’t easy when you’re working with different tablet if possible – this is because using a
source photos. You will need to use colour mouse will make the process longer and more
correction elements and effects so that the GLIÀFXOWIRU\RXWRFRPSOHWH7KLVWXWRULDOKDV
image becomes attractive and convincing. You been completed with Photoshop CS6, but you
will also learn how to manually create sunlight can use most other versions.
Preparing the background

Use multiple images to create a background
Create the sketch Make the
01 7KHÀUVWVWHSLVWRFUHDWHDQHZ
document: File>New, set document size to 2,950x4,200px.
02 background
Then create a sketch. At this stage it is important to make a Open the image
decision on composition and the location of all objects in the ‘IMG_02-1.jpg’ and
scene. Think through all the details before you start work; you will cut the mountains
need to decide on the overall colour of the image and light sources. with a Lasso tool, and
then move them onto
your scene and scale
accordingly. Duplicate
this layer and modify
the shape, remove
borders around it with
soft Eraser tool, and
merge into the scene.
Then select Image>
Adjustments>Curves,
lower the contrast and
add more blues and
lower the saturation using
Hue/Saturation. Note
that the further away the
object is, the less details
you should see.

Landscapes
Add the sky Use images IMG_03-1.jpg - IMG_03-5. The landscape Insert the mountains from IMG_04-1, IMG_04-2 and IMG_04-3.
03 jpg to create the sky. Cut out sky fragments and add them
04 jpg to your scene. Add more blues using Color Balance and lower the contrast. Create
to your scene. Then select Edit>Transform>Warp and change a new layer then draw some fog in the right of your scene using a light-blue Brush tool with
their shapes as needed. Now make the sky more consistent by soft edges, on 10% Opacity. Paint the mountain edges and peaks with the same brush. This
selecting Curves and adjust the brightness, contrast, and colour should add more consistency to the entire scene. Add the forest (IMG_04-5.jpg), the bridge
for each element. Use the Eraser tool with soft edges and Clone (IMG_04-4.jpg), and the grass (IMG_04-6.JPG) in front of the mountains. Adjust brightness,
Stamp tool to eliminate seams. Merge these layers and slightly contrast, and colour for each element by using Curves, Color Balance, and Hue/Saturation for
darken the upper portion of the image. the desired result.
Form the tower Create the tower shape out of stone textures by cutting stone texture
05 fragments from images IMG_05-1to IMG_05-4.jpg. Use Transform and Warp to change their
shapes and sizes. Make brightness and colour consistent among all the fragments. Now draw a
spiral on top of the tower. Merge these layers and “heal” the seams with Clone Stamp tool. Select
the Brush tool with soft edges, change the blending mode from Normal to Multiply, set Opacity to
10-25% and darken the bottom and left parts of the tower. Add the riverbank from IMG_05-1.jpg to
the right side, then select Hue/Saturation and reduce saturation and lightness.
06 Add details Cut out elements from IMG_06-1.

jpg (1) and place balconies around the tower. Make
the left and right sides darker and the central part of the
balcony lighter. Then repeat to create the second balcony.
Place the window from IMG_06-2.jpg (2) in the center of the
tower. To add smaller windows use IMG_06-3.jpg (3), adjust
Color Balance and Curves to make the windows’ colour and
brightness consistent with the stone texture. Make the window
sides’ upper and lower parts darker. Decorate the tower
facade with elements from IMG_06-4.jpg (4). Reduce the
brightness by adding reds and yellows using Color Balance.
Edit with layers

Use adjustment layers as clipping masks for editing
elements. This means you will have the opportunity
to go back and edit part of your image – you can
weaken or strengthen the impact if necessary.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
07 Top of the tower Create a new layer and draw

ridges (1). Take a colour sample from the stones.
Place the pattern from IMG_07-1.jpg under the ridges (2).
Then select Transform>Warp to change the shape as
needed. Adjust brightness, saturation and colour for all
added elements. Add shadows on the left and under the
ridges using a brown soft brush in Multiply mode with 10-
20% Opacity. Copy the small windows from the previous
step and place them on the tower (3) then add decorative
stone elements (IMG_06-4.jpg) to the tower facade.
08 Bottom of the tower Use elements from IMG_08-1.jpg to create columns and add them to
the facade. Select Image> Adjustments>Hue/Saturation to decrease saturation and lightness.
Use IMG_08-3.JPG to create the gates and place them under the layer with columns. Use Curves
to decrease the brightness then add yellows and reds. Copy the balcony and place it between the
columns, reduce its brightness. Place the stone elements (IMG_08-2.jpg, IMG_06-4.jpg) and windows
(IMG_08-4.jpg) on the tower. Add the bridge (IMG_08-5.jpg) and draw stairs on the right side of the
bridge. Adjust brightness, contrast, and colour for these new elements.
Adding more elements

Create the tower and other elements from fragments of photos
Add more
09 volume
Select the layers that
relate to the tower and
merge them. To add
more volume, create a
new layer, change this
layer’s blending mode
to Multiply and set
Opacity to 30-
40%. Use clipping
masks, so that you
can apply effects
to only this object.
Right-click on the layer
and select Create
Clipping Mask. Use
a soft brown brush to
darken the bottom and
left parts of the tower
as well as areas under
the spiral. Increase
shadows on the
windows and brighten
the central part of the
tower using a Curves
adjustment layer.

Landscapes
Create some
10 small towers Create
small towers in a similar way.
Copy the stone texture from
the main tower and change
its shape as needed using
Warp and Transform. Draw
the spiral and tower peaks.
Then add building fragments
from IMG_10-1.jpg, reduce
brightness, and add yellows
and reds using Curves. Insert
the tower top, IMG_10-1.jpg
then adjust colour. As in step
09, adjust light and shadows for
more visible volume. Merge the
layers related to the small tower,
duplicate the layer and place
it above the left balcony. Make
it darker and erase the bottom
part. Use images IMG_10-3.
JPG, IMG_10-4.jpg to create
the remaining small towers.
Add Plants Add plants IMG_11-4.JPG, IMG_11-5.

11 JPG behind the tower then reduce brightness, contrast,
and saturation. Place the plants from IMG_11-1.jpg, IMG_11-2.jpg,
IMG_11-3.jpg on the tower surface, adjust their brightness and Lights on the tower &UHDWHQHZOD\HUDQGÀOOLWZLWKEODFN6HOHFW)LOWHU!5HQGHU!
colour balance. Create a new layer, change its blending mode to
12 /HQV)ODUHIURPWKHPHQXVHW/HQV7\SHWRPP]RRPDQGDSSO\WKHÀOWHU
Soft Light and set Opacity to 30-50%. Create a clipping mask on Change the layer blending mode to Screen. Transform the layer by scaling it down and
the layer with plants. Go over the plant edges with brown soft brush. VTXHH]LQJLWDOLWWOH3ODFHDÁDUHRQWRWKHWRZHUWRSWKHQDGGÁDUHVWRVPDOOHUWRZHUVLQDVLPLODU
Then create a new layer under the plants, set blending mode to way. To enhance the glow create new layer, set blending mode to Overlay, Opacity to 50-70%
Multiply and Opacity to 20-30%. Paint shadows under the plants. DQGDGGVWDPSVDURXQGWKHÁDUHVRQWKHWRZHUVZLWKDELJOLJKW\HOORZVRIWEUXVK
“Do not forget to adjust brightness and colour

for all the elements you add”
Build the rock Copy the gates from the main tower and paste them
13 onto the rock and reduce contrast. Now cut out part of the stone texture to
create the bridge. Use Warp Transform to change the shape as needed – erase any
unnecessary areas. Then make the right and bottom parts of the bridge darker. Add
columns from IMG_13-3.jpg (1), reduce their brightness, add reds and yellows using
Color Balance and make the bottom part darker. Insert windows from IMG_13-1.
jpg (2) into the rock. Use IMG_13-2.jpg (3) to create the top of the building. Adjust the
brightness and colour of these elements to make them consistent with the rock.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Final editing
Foreground and the finishing touches
&UHDWHWKHIRUHJURXQG Place the

15 rocks from IMG_15-1.jpg in the foreground.
Create the lower part of the rocks from the fragments
Waterfall and river Use IMG_14-1.jpg of IMG_15-2.JPG and use the Clone Stamp tool $GGPRUHVKDGRZ Now add more
14 to create the riverbank under the rock (1). to remove seams then merge these layers. Draw
16 volume and depth as well as focus the
Reduce brightness and add blues using Curves. Cut the entrance in the upper part and extend the viewer’s attention on the tower. First, add more
out water texture and paste it in the river. Select Hue/ bridge so it reaches the gates. Then duplicate the shadows. Remember that the light source is coming
Saturation to decrease saturation of yellows then bridge to create the second one, place it to the right from the top right. Create a new layer and change its
add blues using Color Balance. Add the waterfall and reduce the brightness. Add the ladder from blending mode from Normal to Multiply; set Opacity
from IMG_14-2.jpg (2) and adjust its brightness and IMG_15-3.JPG and add plants on the right side of the to 50-70%. Use a dark coloured brush, not black,
colour. Now use IMG_14-3.jpg and IMG_14-3.jpg riverbank with IMG_11-3.JPG. Do not forget to adjust and add more shadows to the left side of the tower,
(3) to form the lower part of the riverbank. Change brightness and colour for all the elements you add. lower part of the riverbank, the areas behind the
the rocks’ shape as needed using Warp. Use Hue/ They should be consistent with other the elements in tower and to some of the foreground. Add shadows
Saturation to reduce saturation of reds and yellows. the scene. to the small elements and plants.
Hide the
drawn
elements
with noise
When you draw the small
details, it is important that they
do not stand out among
photorealistic elements. To
disguise them create a new
Highlights Create a Brightness/Contrast
17 adjustment layer, set Brightness +60 and
18 7KHÀQDOFRUUHFWLRQ To add more depth to the image,
reduce the contrast of the background. Create a new layer
OD\HUÀOOHGZLWKJUH\DQG
set the blending mode to
Contrast +20. Invert the layer mask using Cmd/ and using a light blue soft round brush, Opacity 10%, paint over Overlay. Create a clipping
mask then go to Filter>
Ctrl+I and paint darker areas inside it with a soft the background and behind the tower several times. This will add Noise>Add Noise, and set
EUXVKXVLQJZKLWH$GGÁDUHVWRWKHFHQWUDOSDUWVRI more depth and separate the tower from the background. Now Amount between 1-7%. Go to
the tower, tower tops, bridge, waterfall, landscape you will need to add more consistency to all the elements. Try to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur
on the right, and to the foreground. You can lower experiment with adjustment layers for Solid Color, Gradient Fill, and set radius to 1-2 pixels. Or
place a suitable texture
the adjustment layer Opacity to 80-90% to make Gradient Map and various blending modes and Opacity. I selected
instead of noise, reduce
it weaker. Add a new layer with blending mode set a blue Solid Color and set blending mode to Soft Light and Opacity saturation, set the layer mode
to Soft Light and Opacity to 50-70%. Select a light- to 15-30%. Then select Gradient Fill, set colour to orange and to Overlay or Soft Light then
RUDQJHFRORXUDQGDGGFRORXUHGÁDUHVXVLQJ set blending mode to Overlay in order to enhance the sunlight adjust Opacity.
a brush. FRPLQJIURPWKHULJKW7RÀQLVKDGGPRUHFRQWUDVWXVLQJ&XUYHV
Optimise by using layer groups

Use layer groups to optimise your work. When you have too many layers, working with them can become
GLIÀFXOW,WFDQEHFRQYHQLHQWWRJURXSOD\HUVWKDWUHODWHWRHDFKRWKHU6HOHFWWKHOD\HUVDQGSUHVV&PG
&WUO*WRJURXSWKHP<RXFDQDOVRDSSO\DGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVWRWKHJURXS

Landscapes
Composite a
fantasy landscape
Learn advanced techniques for compositing photos to look like
painted landscapes using adjustment layers and clipping masks
Here we will be creating a stunning landscape from different the source of light. It’s important to think through all the details before you
photos. We will gather fantasy elements for the castle from fragments start work. We will consistently add and edit the brightness, contrast and hue
of various buildings, and add a lot of detail. We’ll use a range of of all the elements. Also, we will work with layer masks and clipping masks.
Photoshop tools, from the colour correction tools (Curves, Color Balance, Layer masks enable you to add effects only to the desired area. Erasing
Selective Color and more), to the Transform options, masks, adjustment unnecessary areas on the layer mask lets you return to the appropriate part
layers and blending modes. if necessary.
This sort of Photoshop project demands time, patience and imagination. Over the course of this tutorial you will also learn how you can manually
Don’t forget that any work should start with the ideas for compositions. Create create sunlight and shadows, use blending modes and achieve uniformity
sketches before starting. Be decisive with the colour of the image and also across all elements.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Nadegda
Mihailova
www.nm-art.weebly.
com
“I like to invent and create
cosy landscapes,
fantasy locations,
unusual buildings and
architecture in my work.
By combining small
pieces of different
photos together, you can
create some new and
unusual things.
“In this tutorial we’ll look at
techniques that will
make the picture from
different photos look like
a seamless whole.
“I am a retoucher and
illustrator, and have been
creating
photomanipulations for
DERXWÀYH\HDUV,XVH
different pictures and a
rich variety of different
Photoshop tools.”
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
some of Rudolph’s
photos to help complete
this tutorial.

Landscapes
Using the
blend modes
For each task, make good
use of different blend modes.
When it comes to drawing
drop shadows and dark
areas, the Multiply blending
mode works well. To create
the highlights and light areas,
suitable modes are Color
Dodge, Screen and Overlay.
To change the colour of an
object try Color, Soft Light or Create the background First of all you will need See to the sky Duplicate the sky layer
Overlay. Use the Fill Color, 01 to go to File>New (Cmd/Ctrl+N), and set the Width to 02 and move to the left. TErase the unnecessary
Gradient and Gradient Map
adjustment layers at the end 460mm, Height to 310mm, Resolution to 300 pixels/inch and parts. Make the bottom part of the sky lighter.
with different blend modes WKHQÀQLVKE\FOLFNLQJ2.$IWHUGRLQJWKLVÀOOWKHEDFNJURXQGZLWK Create New Adjustment Layer>Gradient Fill (colour
and a low Opacity setting. a light blue gradient. Then insert ‘Winter.jpg’ and place it at the c8def5) with a clipping mask, and set the blending
Doing this adds more top of the scene. You can resize the image using Free Transform mode to Screen. Then darken the upper part of the
uniformity to your work.
(Cmd/Ctrl+T). sky by using Curves.
Work more on the sky Insert Add more clouds The next step is to Adjust the sky Then you will need to
03 ‘Landscape.jpg’. Place the image in the left 04 use ‘Beach.jpg’ and ‘Clouds.jpg’ to add more
05 darken more of the sky at the top by using a
part of the sky. Use a black soft brush (B) on the layer clouds. As with the previous step, hide unnecessary Curves adjustment layer. Go to Select>Color Range,
mask to erase the hard edges. Create a new layer parts using the layer mask. Create Adjustment VHOHFW+LJKOLJKWVDQGFOLFN2.:LWKWKHVHOHFWLRQ
with a clipping mask (right-click>Add Clipping Layer>Curves with a clipping mask and lighten dark made, use a Curves adjustment layer to increase the
Mask), set blending mode to Color, Opacity: 50%. areas. Then create a new layer (Opacity 80%). Select brightness. You will need to blur the layer mask by
Use a soft brush with colour #7a7e7e to paint over the the colour #a0afc1 and use a soft brush to paint going to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, and setting the
sky area. areas of the sky. Radius to 3px.
Shape the mountains Duplicate the layer with the

Bring in the mountains Open ‘Lake1.jpg’ and ‘Lake2.jpg’. Cut out the 07 PRXQWDLQVDQGSODFHLWEHORZWKHÀUVWOD\HU0RYHLWWRWKHWRSDQG
06 mountains with Lasso tool, place in the scene and scale accordingly. Use the then use the Lasso tool and Clone Stamp tool to change the shape of the
Clone Stamp tool to remove repetitive areas. Group the mountain layers. Create a Curves mountains. Use Curves to reduce the contrast a bit more. Create a new
adjustment layer with a clipping mask, lower the contrast, adding more blues and cyan. OD\HUZLWKDFOLSSLQJPDVNDQGÀOOZLWKDDDF6HW2SDFLW\WR

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Edit the mountains Darken the top of the Add highlights Duplicate and merge
08 mountains by using Curves. Create a new layer 09 layers with mountains, set the blending mode Create the landscape Insert
with blending mode set to Screen, Opacity 30-50%. to Screen. Add more red and yellow by using Curves. 10 ‘Meadow.jpg’, ‘Lake3.jpg’ and ‘Lake4.jpg’
Use a soft brush with a colour of #8894a9 to paint the Paint glare using a white brush on the black layer to create a landscape. Use a soft brush to mask the
bottom of the mountain. Create a new layer, paint fog mask. Group all layers with mountains. Create a edges. Select Curves and adjust brightness and
between the mountains. Use a small white soft round Color Balance adjustment layer with a clipping mask contrast for each element. Use Color Balance to add
brush with an Opacity of 10-15%. and then add more blue and cyan. more yellow and red.
Enhance the landscape Use ‘Stream.jpg’ to create the lake. Insert

11 the hills using ‘Hills.jpg’ and ‘Mountains.jpg’. Use the Eraser tool with a soft Enter the forest Insert ‘Forest.jpg’. Reduce brightness using Curves.
brush and the Clone Stamp tool to eliminate seams. Adjust brightness, contrast 12 Add more yellow and red in the midtones by using Color Balance. Add
and colour for each element. Use Curves, Color Balance and Hue/Saturation for the road from ‘Road.jpg’. Similarly, edit the brightness and contrast. Our goal is to
the desired result. achieve uniformity of all the elements on the brightness and hue.
Work on the foreground Use Use shadows and highlights

13 ‘Foreground.jpg’ to create the foreground. 14 Create a Curves adjustment layer. Lower the
Reduce the brightness, and add more red and white point, raise the black point, and add blue in the Build the castle Insert the rock from
yellow. Group all the landscape layers. Create a shadows. Fill white selected areas on the mask layer.
15 ‘Rock.jpg’. Darken the right side of the cliff.
Selective Color adjustment layer. In Neutral colours, Duplicate the landscape layers and merge on a new Adjust the colour, and add more red and yellow. Cut
set the values to Cyan: +33, Magenta: -14, Yellow: layer. Set blending mode to Screen. Add more red and part of the castle from ‘Castle1.jpg’. Place it on top of a
+13 and Black: +33. Use a layer mask to apply the yellow using Curves. Get glare in some areas on the cliff. Then you will need to reduce the brightness of the
correction only to the water. mask layer. castle by using Curves.

Landscapes
Correct the
elements
It is very important to
achieve uniformity of all
objects, which will probably
mean adjusting brightness,
contrast, hue and
saturation. Suitable tools for
this are Curves, Color
Balance, Hue/ Saturation
and Selective Color. Use
them as adjustment layers
with a clipping mask.
Clipping masks let you Add more towers Place the tower from
apply a correction to the
Create the tower Place the tower from ‘Castle2. 17 ‘Castle2.jpg’ on top of the castle. Use Hue/
selected object. You can
also fade the effect by
16 jpg’ on top of the castle. Use Hue/Saturation for colour Saturation for colour correction. Pick the colour
lowering layer opacity. The correction. Pick the colour #e4dcd0. Paint with a soft brush #e4dcd0. Paint with a soft brush (Mode: Color,
main advantage of this (Mode: Color, Opacity: 50%) in white on areas of the tower. Opacity: 50%) in white on areas of the tower. Reduce
method is that the original Reduce brightness using the Curves. brightness using the Curves.
image remains unchanged.
Combine elements Use ‘Castle2.jpg’, Insert the bridge Cut out elements
18 19 Grow some plants
‘Castle3.jpg’, ‘Castle4.jpg’ and ‘Castle5.jpg’ for
the rest of the castle. Combine different elements with
from ‘Castle3.jpg’ in order to build the
bridges. Duplicate layers to lengthen the bridge. Use
20 Use the Clone
Stamp tool on a new layer to add plants
each other. Use Transform (Cmd/Ctrl+T) to resize. Erase and Clone Stamp tool to mask edges. Place around the castle. Use ‘Plants.jpg’ as a sample.
Mask unnecessary details using the Clone Stamp. bridges between the towers of the castle and then Select Brush Tip Set>Chalk 17 pixels. In the Brush
Use previous steps to adjust colour and brightness for use ‘Castle6.jpg’ to create a wall. Adjust colour and Presets, enable Shape Dynamics and Scattering.
all elements. brightness for all the elements. Use ‘Trees.jpg’ to add trees around the castle.
Place the waterfalls Place ‘Waterfall1.jpg’ and ‘Waterfall2.jpg’ on Add shadows and highlights Create a new layer (Multiply,
21 the picture. Adjust the brightness and contrast using Curves, and add more
22 Opacity: 30-60%) for adding shadows. Use a dark brush. Darken the
yellow and red. Create a new layer, with blending mode Multiply, Opacity: 57%. Select bottom and right side of the castle, bridge, some areas of the plants and rocks.
colour 282e3a and paint the bottom of the waterfall. On a new layer, draw waves and Create a new layer, set to Color Dodge and brush in highlights. Use a clipping
splashes near the shore and waterfall. mask to add effects only to the selected objects.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Create more uniformity Select a

Plant some trees Place ‘Trees.jpg’, Introduce some creatures You can
25 soft round brush, Opacity 10-15%. Paint the
23 ‘Trees2.jpg’, ‘Trees3.jpg’ and ‘Trees4.jpg’
24 easily create a dragon by using ‘Dragon1. edges of the objects on a new layer. Sample colour
into the scene. Add plants to the foreground from png’ and ‘Dragon2.png’. Use Puppet Warp to taken from the surrounding area. Use a blending
‘Plants2.jpg’, ’Plants3.jpg’ and ‘Plants4.jpg’. Adjust change the shape. Reduce contrast, and add mode of Normal, Soft light or Color and a low
the colour and brightness for all elements. Add shadows and highlights. Place ‘Birds.jpg’ in the opacity. This adds more uniformity to your picture.
highlights and shadow areas as the previous step. scene. Reduce the contrast. Paint them a light blue Use a clipping mask to add effects only to the
Draw drop shadows under the trees. using a brush at a low opacity. selected objects.
Add sunlight Place ‘rays1.png’ in the sky, and then set the blending 0DNHWKHÀQDOFRUUHFWLRQIncrease the brightness of the picture
26 mode to Soft Light, Opacity: 40%. Then you need to insert ‘rays2.jpg’,
27 using Curves. Add more yellow and red using Color Balance. Add Solid
blend mode: Screen, Opacity: 35%. Erase the edges and then use a soft brush to Color and Gradient Fill adjustment layers. Use Soft Light and Screen blend
draw more rays and highlights on a new layer (blend mode: Color Dodge). Use a modes, Opacity: 5-30%. Try to experiment with adjustment layers to achieve the
light yellow. best results.
Important moments in the When you have many layers, use layer
groups to optimise your workflow. Select
composite creation
the layers and press Cmd/Ctrl+G to
group them in a folder.
Add details and additional

textures to your rendered parts
Use the Clone Stamp to remove unnecessary

details, mask seams of objects and hide any
repeated areas.
To add glare and sunlight, use the Color Dodge blending

mode. Paint with a light soft brush and low opacity.
Lower the opacity of the layer if the effect is too strong.
Use adjustment layers with a clipping mask to

the layer group. This way you can
simultaneously adjust multiple items and speed
up the work.

Landscapes
Composite with
adjustment layers
Unleash colour adjustment layers and masks to create an
incredible surreal composition
In this tutorial we’ll show you how to correct the tones. Learn how to use the Color you’ll apply custom brushes to add creative
create an incredible surreal 5DQJHWRROWRWDUJHWDVSHFLÀFFRORXULQRUGHUWR GHWDLOVDQGJLYHWKHÀQDOWRXFKHVWR\RXUSURMHFW
composition using colour adjustment make a quick selection and create a layer mask. There are several tips and tricks included in these
layers and masks. To begin you’ll create a Attaining a coherent colour scheme across all steps to help you improve your editing skills and
beautiful underwater scene, using several images images is vital to a successful composition, so master the adjustment layers and other essential
and masks to blend everything together. Use the we’ll show you how to instantly remove a colour WRROV'RZQORDGWKHLPDJHVDQGWKH36'ÀOHV
adjustment layers to change the colours and cast using the Match Color command. Finally from FileSilo.com and put the theory into practice.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Daniel Sinoca
www.danielsinoca.
com/
“I love working with
adjustment layers in
Photoshop. It is
incredible how powerful
they are. I can make
colour corrections, apply
gradients, create masks
and much more in just
few clicks.
“I started to get involved
in the digital world more
than 10 years ago and
have been working as a
freelance artist ever
since, creating all kinds
of multimedia projects
and tutorial guides.”
Software
ELEMENTS, Photoshop
Source Files
some of Daniels’s
this tutorial.

Landscapes
Keep it
organised
It’s a good idea to paint the
waves, waterfall and aquatic
plants on individual layers.
This will make it far easier
for you to edit them later. To
keep everything organised,
place the layers into
groups. To create a group,
hold Shift, select the layers
you want to include and
then hit Cmd/Ctrl+G. Don’t
3ODFHWKHVHDÁRRU Go to File>Place
forget to rename the layer.
Also create clipping masks
02 (PEHGGHG¶6HDÁRRUMSJ·*UDEWKHPLGGOH
every time you add an top handle and drag it down to squeeze the image
adjustment layer to a Set the stage Go to File>New. Name it Fish-Island under the guide line, then hit Return/Enter. The tones
VSHFLÀFLPDJH²WKLVZLOO 01 and set the Width to 460mm, Height to 310mm, Resolution of the image need to be improved. Go to Layer>New
avoid the adjustments
affecting any other layers. to 300, and then click OK. Now go to View>New Guide. Set the Adjustment Layer>Levels. Set the Input levels to 15,
Orientation to Horizontal, Position to 125mm and click OK. 0.90, 254.
Adjust the colours Go to Layer>New

05 Fill Layer>Solid Color. Check ‘Use previous
03 Add the cliff Then you will need to go 04 Blend the images Then you will need layer to create clipping mask’, change the blend
to File>Place Embedded ‘Cliff.jpg’. In the to grab a soft brush (B) and start painting mode to Color and click OK. In the Color Picker
Options Bar, set the Width to 10% and Height to 20%. over the mask to hide the cliff base. The aim is window, you will need to set the colour to #109670
Drag the image to the bottom left and hit Return/ to ultimately create a jagged surface and also and then click OK. After doing this, the next step is
Enter. Now grab the Quick Selection tool (W) and hide the area above the guide line. Now go to to go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness/
select the cliff. Then create a layer mask. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to 3 pixels Contrast. Set Brightness to -50, Contrast to 0 and clip
Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection. and click OK. the layers.
Bring in the rocks Next you will need to place the ‘Rock.jpg’ then go to
'XSOLFDWHDQGÁLSHold Shift and select the Cliff layers and the 07 Layer>Rasterize>Smart Object. Once you have done so, go to Select>Color
06 colour adjustments layers. Now press Cmd/Ctrl+G to create a group. Range. Check Localized Color Cluster, set Fuzziness to 20, Range to 70%, check
Click Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate it, then go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal. Invert and then select the plus eyedropper. Position the eyedropper pointer over the
Place the ‘Landscape.jpg’ image. Resize it and then you can place it above the sky and click all around to select all of the different colours. Now you need to create a
guide line. layer mask.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Resize and duplicate You will then

08 need to grab a soft brush (B) and enhance ,QWURGXFHWKHÀVK Go to Place Add an adjustment layer Go to
the mask. Hide half of the rock and then apply the 09 the ‘Fish.jpg’ and rasterize the layer
10 Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color. Check
mask (Layer>Layer Mask>Apply). Open the Free /D\HU!5DVWHUL]H!6PDUW2EMHFW/HW·VÀ[WKHFRORXU ‘Use previous layer to create clipping mask’,
Transform tool (Cmd/Ctrl+T), resize the image and cast. Go to Image>Adjustments>Match Color. change blend mode to Color, Opacity: 40% and
place it over the cliff. Now the next step is for you to Check Neutralize and click OK. Grab the Quick click OK. In the Color Picker, set colour: #109670
go to Layer>Matting>Remove White Matte. You will 6HOHFWLRQWRRO:DQGVHOHFWWKHÀVK&UHDWHDOD\HU and click OK. Go to Layer>New Adjustment
need to duplicate the image (Cmd/Ctrl+J) and place PDVNDQGUHÀQHLW0DNHVXUH\RXKLGHWKHDUHD Layer>Levels. Set the Inputs to 0, 0.90, 255 and
it on the other side. above the guide line. clip the layers.
Create shadows and highlights Create a new layer

11 (Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+N) and then name it Shadows/Highlights. You will
need to check ‘Use previous layer to create clipping mask’, blend mode: Place the texture Place the ‘Texture.jpg’. Click Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+G to
Overlay, check ‘Fill with Overlay-neutral color’ and then click OK. Grab the
12 create a clipping mask. Now hit Cmd/Ctrl+U. Check Colorize, then set Hue:
%XUQWRRO2WRSDLQWWKHVKDGRZVRQWKHÀVK8VHWKH'RGJHWRRO2WRDGG 145, Saturation: 20, Lightness: 0 and click OK. Add a layer mask and use a soft brush
the highlights. to blend the images.
$SSO\ÀQDOWRXFKHV You can paint the

Incorporate the island Place the Use custom brushes Grab the Brush 15 aquatic plants using the custom brushes.
13 ‘Island.jpg’. Now go to Select>Color Range.
14 tool, hit F5, click on the Brushes Presets. Click Now place and duplicate ‘Kelp.jpg’ and ‘Kelp1.
Check Localized Color Cluster, set Fuzziness to in the top-right corner, choose Load Brushes, Locate MSJ·$SSO\WKH*DXVVLDQ%OXUÀOWHU5DGLXVS[
20, Range: 70%, check Invert and select the plus ‘Brushes139.abr’ and click Load. Play with different $GGWKHÀVKHVWKHSHOLFDQVDQGWKHVKLS*RWR
eyedropper. Click all around the sky to select the brushes to add waves and waterfalls. To create the Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Color Lookup. Click
colours. Now create a layer mask. Resize and place it water line, you will need to use a wave brush and 2.DQGFKRRVH/RDG'HYLFH/LQN3URÀOH!6PRNH\WR
RQWRSRIWKHÀVK apply the Gaussian Blur. enhance the colours.

Landscapes
Work with
matte painting
Learn how to create a realistic matte painting using
layer and clipping masks
Telling a story with a single image can tutorial will show you how to combine all these
be a challenge, but this tutorial will techniques together, using the Brush tool, clipping
show you how to do just that. You will and layer masks to overcome any problems you
learn how to create a photorealistic digital matte PD\IDFHZKHQPDWWHSDLQWLQJ<RXZLOODOVRÀQG
SDLQWLQJWKDWFRXOGEHXVHGDVDERRNFRYHUÀOP VRPHWLSVDQGWULFNVIRUFRORXUPDWFKLQJLGHD
poster, on a website or any other media that uses exploration and sketching, using elements to tell a
images that are not primarily moving. story, combining and merging photos seamlessly
3KRWRVKRS·VÀUVWMREDIWHULWVFUHDWLRQZDVWR and many more. Photoshop allows you to use
FUHDWHWKHÀUVWGLJLWDOPDWWHSDLQWLQJVDW,QGXVWULDO GLIIHUHQWFUHDWLYHWHFKQLTXHVDQGEULQJWKHPDOO
Light & Magic, and since then its photomanipulation WRJHWKHUWRFUHDWHRQHLPDJH%XWEHIRUH\RXVWDUW
DQGSDLQWLQJIXQFWLRQDOLWLHVKDYHEHHQVWDQGDUG building an image like this, have a look at some
procedure in VFX studios around the world. This existing images that could provide inspiration.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Artist
Tony Andreas
Rudolph
www.zulusplitter.de
Rudolph is a self-taught
digital matte painter and
concept artist working in
the VFX industry. He has
contributed to projects
like Guardians Of The
Galaxy, Jupiter
Ascending and Captain
America 2.
Software
Photoshop
Source Files
some of Rudolph’s
this tutorial.

Landscapes
Inspiration and basic idea The path 2QFH\RXKDYH\RXULQVSLUDWLRQ\RXQHHGWRGHFLGHZKDWNLQGRI

01 ,QVSLUDWLRQLVWKHÀUVWWKLQJWKDW
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DQGDQLQWHUHVWLQJOLJKWVLWXDWLRQRSHQLWLQ\RXUGRFXPHQW
“To match the colours, use a
combination of Color Balance,
Levels and Hue/Saturation
adjustment layers”
First direction
03
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
6N\UHSODFHPHQW The next step is 6N\H[WHQVLRQ$IWHU\RXKDYHÀQLVKHG More clouds for the sky To create a focal
05 to replace the sky. Rudolph used his own 06 painting the mask and matching the 07 point in this area, you have to add more clouds.
photos to do this. Again, it is important again to colours, it’s time to add some sky on the right- Here, cirrus uncinus clouds have been used, which have a
choose a sky with a similar light direction as the hand side. This step should be very easy and very neutral and clear formation. To extract the clouds from
FXUUHQWRQH8VH&RORU%DODQFH/HYHOVDQG+XH straightforward: just use your current sky and the previous sky, use the Color Range selection tool, which
6DWXUDWLRQDGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVWRPDWFKWKHFRORXUV move it to the right. Then create a new layer mask \RXFDQÀQGXQGHU6HOHFWLRQ!&RORU5DQJH7KHQFOLFNRQ
To create a good-looking edge, use a layer mask again and paint on it with a 250px soft brush to WKHFORXGV7RUHÀQHWKHHGJHVFUHDWHDOD\HUPDVNDJDLQ
on the mountain layer and put the sky behind. create a smooth edge. Don’t use the Gradient and paint in it with a soft brush. To match the colours, use
Then start painting on the mask. tool because the result will look too vague. the technique from the previous steps.
6NHWFKLQJ All
08
Match the next steps will be
done using the current image
colours as a base. You don’t want to

get into detailing the image
When you want to too quickly, so create a new
match the colours and OD\HU/D\HU!1HZ!/D\HU
values of different and use a Chalk brush with
photos, it’s best to Pen Pressure on for the
create two major
ÀUVWVNHWFK%HJLQWRSDLQW
adjustment layers: one
Hue/ Saturation with very roughly on the image
Saturation at 89% for to create smooth brush
matching colours, and strokes. The result doesn’t
one Hue/Saturation at have to look perfect. It’s only
-100% to match the
values. Put these on important to create realistic
top of all your layers. VKDSHVZKLFKFRXOGÀWZLWK
the rest of the landscape.
09 5HÀQLQJ
the sketch
Once you’re happy
with the result, insert
the mountains to add
a sense of depth to the
image. Now it’s time
WRUHÀQHWKHVNHWFK
and add storytelling
elements to it, like
WKHÁ\LQJURFNVDQG
mountains, which
are moving towards
the sun. The brush
strokes should now
be more accurate
with higher Opacity.
Use the pre-existing
values and colours
from the image to add
WKH¶ÀQDO·FRORXUVWR
the sketch. The brush
used here was the
Chalk brush again.

Landscapes
0RUHURFNVDQGPRUHGHSWK$WWKHPRPHQWWKHLPDJHVWLOOGRHVQ·WKDYH
11 HQRXJKGHSWK7KHFORXGVWKHSDWKDQGWKHPRXQWDLQV\RXDGGHGEHIRUHDOOKHOS
EXWWKH\GRQ·WFUHDWHHQRXJKGHSWKDQGPRWLRQLQWKHLPDJH2QDQHZOD\HUVWDUWWRSDLQW
WKHVKDSHVRIWKHÁ\LQJURFNVZLWKWKH&KDONEUXVKDJDLQEXWWKLVWLPHPDNHWKHPDELWPRUH
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10 element on the left side. Use the sketch for the basic shape DQG WKHQ &PG&WUO9 7KLV
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7KHÀUVW
12 PRXQWDLQ Before you start, Colour match
&UHDWHDQHZOD\HUZLWK find inspiration different images
/D\HU!1HZ!/D\HUWKHQ from films, together using
music, photos or Color Balance,
select the sketch layer
books. This will Hue/Saturation
E\KLWWLQJWKH&PG&WUO
help you to create and Levels
key and clicking on the a unique idea adjustment layers
OD\HULQWKH/D\HUVSDQHO
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rock image and add it to
WKH36'ÀOHWXUQLQJLWLQWR
DFOLSSLQJPDVN&PG Don’t go directly to a
&WUO6KLIW*IRUWH[WXUH The composition of an image is final image. Use
,I\RXGRQ·WKDYHHQRXJK the magic behind it. Control the simple shapes and a
WRFRYHULWXVHWKH&ORQH eyes of the viewer and lead rough idea to create a
6WDPSWRRODQGH[WHQG them through the image clear view to your goal
WKHWH[WXUH
7KHURFNV The small rocks help to sell

5HSODFLQJWKHULJKWPRXQWDLQ After )LUVWVWRU\WHOOLQJHOHPHQWV There 15
14
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images with the same sense and form of the trees DUHDDQGZLWK&PG&WUO7\RXFDQPRYHDQGURWDWH QHZOD\HUDQGPDNHLWDFOLSSLQJPDVNZLWK&PG
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Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
$GGLQJ UHIHUHQFHV Now ,QWHJUDWLRQ

16 it’s time to add more interesting 17 RISKRWRV The
VKDSHVWRWKHLPDJH)LUVWDGGDÀHOGWR added rocks will now be
the background mountain to make the the right shape and colour,
foreground mountain look a bit bigger. but they don’t feel like a
7KHQPDNHDSDUWRIWKHPRXQWDLQÁ\WR part of the image. Create
create a sense of movement. Last but a new layer and put this on
not least, break up the horizon with a top of the rock layer, then
big rock in the foreground. For all new create a clipping mask with
changes, create new layers, and change Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+G and
the shapes with a layer mask. paint with a black coloured
soft brush on top of it. Do
the same with the rock on
the left-hand side. For the
details on the bottom of
the rocks, paint with a new
layer on top of the rock
layers using the Clone
Stamp tool.
“To create some more

highlights, add a new
layer and paint on top
of it with a soft brush”
7KHÁ\LQJURFNV Now it’s time to
18 start working on the rocks. All details
added should be on separate layers as
clipping masks. For these rocks, use images
of cliff walls in Thailand or Vietnam. Use
the sketch shapes as a base and add the
details on top of them. To create some more
highlights, add a new layer and paint on top
of it with a soft brush, with the layer set to
Overlay blending mode.
5HÀQLQJGHWDLOV
19 This step has a
massive update. But to create
this, you just have to use the
same techniques you used
before. The sunlight helps to
explain the story behind the
image. Add some smaller,
smoky clouds to the rocks in
the foreground. This helps to
add a bit more motion to the
image. Use as much as you
can from the elements you )LQDOWRXFKHV 7KHODVWVWHSLVIRUÀQDOLVLQJDQGDGGLQJWKHODVWWRXFKHV$GGVRPHVWDUVWRWKHVN\WRFUHDWHDURPDQWLF
already have in the image,
20 feeling. Then add some dirt and very small rocks to the rocks to suggest that they are coming directly from the earth. The very
as you can see on the rocks ODVWVWHSLVWRDGGVRPHQRLVHWRFUHDWHDSKRWRJUDSKLFIHHOLQJ&UHDWHDQHZOD\HUÀOOLWZLWKDPLGJUH\DQGJRWR)LOWHUV!1RLVH!$GG
coming out of the ground. Noise, set to 400% and Uniform. Set the layer to Overlay mode and set the Opacity to 5-10%.

Landscapes
Master pro painting

techniques
Learn how to paint a futuristic, eco-friendly cityscape
using Photoshop’s brushes and tools
Anticipation, literature and painting the program’s powerful colour correction,
have for centuries been the main PDVNLQJÀOWHULQJDQGEUXVKWRROV&RQVHTXHQWO\LW
source of creative inspiration when allows you to work at lightning speed compared
thinking about the future. In our times, this is a to some traditional mediums. Photoshop is also a
genre of illustration that has become a dominant great environment to work with your visual
form of expression thanks to the burgeoning references and elaborate your ideas from them.
JURZWKRIWKHYLGHRJDPHDQGVFLÀ However, keep in mind that there is no digital
cinematography industries. However, it’s usual to replacement for artistic research and planning,
ÀQGWKHYHU\VDPHLGHDVGHSLFWHGLQGLIIHUHQW which will always be the foundation of good
industry projects time and again, so the design work, independent of your medium.
continuous search for original points of view is a In this tutorial, you will learn how to plan and
must in this kind of work. paint your own futuristic vision in Photoshop, from
Photoshop is clearly the best tool choice. It is GRFXPHQWDWLRQDQGVNHWFKLQJWRWKHÀQDOVWDJHV
the ideal application to simulate traditional of a fully detailed painting, working extensively
painting techniques, which get improved through with brushes, layering and adjustment tools.
Artist
Andres Avaray
www.avaray.com
Andres Avaray is a
digital artist who has
worked mainly in the
videogames industry,
animation, short
ÀOPVDQGLOOXVWUDWLRQ
He especially
enjoys conceptualising
mad and unique
fantasy ideas.
Software
Photoshop

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Plan your painting

From reference to painting the base layer
Plan the composition Time for a

Reference for imagination I store a Thumbnail ideas Sketch ideas 03 strong composition. You can learn about this
01 personal archive of thousands of real world 02 after you become inspired. Work on a from Andrew Loomis books and articles about the
pictures gathered over the years. They are about parcelled-out canvas like this and play with the golden ratio and rule of thirds. Use a low-detail tool
history, architecture, nature, art and real people. It UHIHUHQFHVORRNLQJIRURYHUDOOIRUPVQRWVSHFLÀF like a wide Conte brush, working out the element
is important to store in both the unconscious mind details. It is a time to enjoy, so that is why you placement and overall feeling. Working in black-
and hard drives whatever boosts your imagination, shouldn’t be too worried about what brush tool you DQGZKLWHDOORZVXVWRGHÀQHURXJKFRPSRVLWLRQDO
and revisit it when researching a new artwork. Adobe DUHXVLQJDWWKHPRPHQW:KDWHYHUVXLWVDQGÁRZVLV depths. Overlay guide layers to check that the
Bridge is a nice tool for browsing references. okay at this stage. composition and perspective is really working.
&UHDWHDÀUVWEDVHOD\HUCollapse
Set up the colour palette A quick way
06
Sketch and light a new view Use
05 the base colour, value, textures and
04 a simple brush and draw on a new layer on

to create a colour palette for this kind of work is
to choose a few textures that, when blended over the
adjustment layers into a single one – the base layer.
Place your sketch layer over this one to serve as a
top of the stack. It is time to combine all the previous desaturated value layer, provide some basic tones painting reference from now on. Prepare a soft
planning in a sketch that will serve as the foundation and grainy detail. The sketch base colour was a deep EUXVKZLWKDORZÁRZDQGPHGLXPRSDFLW\
for the work ahead. Avoid too much perfectionism, blue, so the chosen textures are blue with some The Eyedropper tool is an ally at this step, because
UHPHPEHULW·VRQO\DVNHWFKQRWDÀQDOSLHFHRIDUW details in a contrasting colour: orange or red. Masks, now we proceed with picking up tones and painting
On a lower layer, place a suitable base colour that blending modes, and Levels and Curves adjustment ZLWKWKHPGHÀQLQJRXUVNHWFKHGVKDSHVZLWK
matches the atmosphere. Over this one, place a new layers (Layer>New Adjustment Layer) are powerful FRORXUV$IWHUÀQLVKLQJGRQRWKHVLWDWHWRXVH
layer in Overlay mode and paint using shades of grey WRROVIRUÀQHFRUUHFWLRQVLQRUGHUWRREWDLQDIXOO Curves or Levels adjustment layers in order to
WRURXJKRXWDÀUVWOLJKWLQJDQGYDOXHVHWXS palette that serves well at all picture depths. DFKLHYHÀQHFRUUHFWLRQV
07 3UHSDUHDJURXSRIPDVNOD\HUV
This is a long range picture, with a lot of
overlapping elements placed from near to far away.
Apply depth
In this kind of work it’s crucial to keep a correct
Checking depth is very easy in
sense of depth as it’s easy to lose it in the painting
black-and-white images. Place a Hue/
process. As a preparatory step, create a group of Saturation adjustment layer over all
masking layers. Every layer matches a group of your work. Set the Saturation slider to
elements at a certain depth. You can do the same -100. Make this layer visible every time
by saving pixel selections, Select>Save selection, you need to check that the depth and
perspective are working.
but this way is a more visual and immediate one.

Landscapes
MASTER PRO PAINTING TECHNIQUES
The painting process in depth

From base layer to a finished painting
Create depth with adjustment layers Traditional methods for creating depth require you to
08 individually stroke colours, varying saturation, hue and value until the correct depth is achieved. A far quicker
way is to use our recently created masking layers in combination with new Hue/Saturation and Levels adjustment
layers. This way you will obtain the colours that provide the correct depth. Do not hesitate to stroke rough details,
DGGLQJQHZFRORXUVRUPRGLI\LQJHOHPHQWVLI\RXIHHOOLNHLW:KHQÀQLVKHGPHUJHDOORQWRWKHEDVHOD\HULQRUGHUWR
PDLQWDLQDQHDWOD\HUVWDFNORZHUÀOHVL]HDQGFOHDQHUPHPRU\VFUDWFKGLVN
Begin the real paint work :H·YHÀQDOO\JRWWZRVROLGVNHWFKDQGEDVHFRORXUOD\HUV,WLVWLPHWRVWDUWWKH

09 UHDOSDLQWLQJZRUN:LWKDVRIWEUXVKGHÀQHYROXPHVDQGGHWDLOVXVLQJGDUNHUDQGOLJKWHUWRQHVSLFNHGIURPWKH
base layer. This will make the painting start to come alive.
Paint layers from

far to near. The Work first on the medium and
parts of the dark tones in your painting.
painting that are Highlight strokes should be the
furthest away last ones that you use, lighter
should be at the colours will act as a guide
“Use contrasting colours bottom of the

stack. This helps
to guide the eye through control
the composition” overlapping
strokes
Check before detailing
10 Now the painting should be working
QLFHO\EXWVWLOOODFNGHWDLOVDQGORRNÁDW
However, this result is the foundation for
the following detail steps to work. Feel
free to re-paint or add any elements that Do not get too obsessed with any
may improve and boost your painting’s particular detail. Change among
composition, value, depth and design. painting elements from time to
time to keep a global view
Use contrasting colours to guide the eye
through the composition. In this case,
warm orange and yellow colours are
Detail vegetation (1) Use a picture-based Detail vegetation (2) Another way of
placed strategically so the eye is guided to 11 brush to place some trunks and branches. Then,
12 painting vegetation is to pick colours from our
the central building in the painting.
lock transparent pixels in the Layers palette. Paint with previous work and paint using a foliage picture-based
the same brush in Overlay mode to add extra shading brush. Again, avoid a stamped look by using the
details. On an upper layer, create the foliage with a Smudge tool later. This method is suitable for grass
picture-based leaf brush. Use masked adjustment and bushes, and also for trees placed far away. It is
layers to create quick light and shadow gradients. Picture important when painting vegetation to use a varied
EUXVKHVVRPHWLPHVJLYHDQDUWLÀFLDOVWDPSORRNWKDW palette of green, yellow and grey. Also, remember
is better to avoid; distort the stamped strokes with the that colours tend to desaturate and get bluish with the
Smudge tool. Use this method for nearby and more distance. Study and use some vegetation references in
detailed vegetation. order to make it look natural.

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Make the paint bloom

Add fine details, textures and adjustments
13 Detail using texture brushes This painting depicts a world of Make your world human Contextualising this new world is as
constant recycling, where everything is re-used. That is why the painting
14 LPSRUWDQWDVWKHFRQFHSWLWVHOI3HRSOHZLOOKDYHWROLYHPRYHDQGZRUNLQ
should look as organic as possible in its details and at close range. To achieve WKLVVFHQH3DLQWVRPHKXPDQÀJXUHVYHKLFOHVRUVLJQVRIKXPDQSUHVHQFHLQWKH
that stroked texture effect, work on details using organic picture-based brushes. painting. Humanising your world will also provide a sense of scale that will turn the
Use Size and Angle Jitters, Window>Brushes>Brush Tip Shape>Shape artwork into a more accessible one. Because this is a low energy world, vehicles
Dynamics, so the brushes make organic and random marks. You can create should be manufactured from recycled old ones and electric-powered. Also,
EUXVKVKDSHVIURPYLUWXDOO\DQ\LPDJHXVLQJ(GLW!'HÀQH%UXVK3UHVHW some people will have to use animal power for work and transportation.
16 Texture the image Do not place textures

15 $GGÀQHGHWDLOV Small details add a
lot of eye-catching value to a painting but WRRVRRQ$SDLQWLQJVKRXOGZRUNÀQHZLWKRXW
Finish the sky The sky often works as
FDQEHDYHU\WLPHFRQVXPLQJWDVN3ODFHGHWDLOV
VWUDWHJLFDOO\WRERRVWWKHYDOXHRIWKHÀQDOZRUN
WH[WXUHV$IWHUDGGLQJWH[WXUHVLWZLOOJDLQH[WUDÀQH
GHWDLOVEXWLWVKRXOGQRWGHSHQGRQWKHP3ODFHWKHP
17 negative space for an illustration. Also, it is
avoiding excessive detail that will get lost. Use this using different blending modes. Overlay and Color possible to create interesting lighting and depth
kind of detail to better explain the world. Windows, modes will be the most frequently used followed effects with it. First, create a painted mask similar to
signs, urban art, lights or landmarks are all good by Color Burn, Hard Light, Lighten and Multiply. the ones from step 7. Select some sky photographs
possibilities. This is a world of constant recycling; Different modes mix textures in different ways: and place them over the paint to make the sky more
that implies maintenance is done using different choose wisely. Opacities should be lower than 50- interesting. Use masking and adjustment layers for
reused materials. Mix crystal with wood, or stone and 60% in order to avoid textures catching the eye too DÀQHUHVXOWWKDWEOHQGVWKHRULJLQDOSDLQWZRUNZLWK
concrete architecture in the same buildings. much and altering the previous colour work. smooth details from the texture combination.
Final adjustments
18 Again, the quality of the
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ShadingHIÀFLHQWO\
brute texture overlays and global
6KDGHREMHFWVLQDVWUXFWXUHGZD\2YHUWKH
adjustments, but should be slightly
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LPSURYHGE\WKHP3ODFHVRPH/HYHOV DQGPLGWRQHV&UHDWHDQHZOD\HUWRSDLQW
adjustment layers and edit the Red/ KLJKOLJKWV'RQRWKHVLWDWHWRSOD\ZLWK
Green/Blue channels. Avoid making EOHQGLQJPRGHVWRÀQGEHWWHUUHVXOWV$QRWKHU
some parts of the picture too dark OD\HUPD\EHFUHDWHGWRSDLQWÀQHGHWDLOV&OLS
WKHSUHYLRXVOD\HUVDPRQJWKHPDQGXVHWKH
or burned. Layer masks are able to *UDGLHQW2YHUOD\OD\HUVW\OHDWDORZRSDFLW\WR
affect different parts of the image in FUHDWHTXLFNVXEWOHOLJKWLQJHIIHFWV'RWKH
different ways, simulating subtle light VDPHZLWKDGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVOLNH/HYHOV
effects. A blurred texture with a similar &XUYHVRU+XH6DWXUDWLRQ,QRUGHUWRNHHSWKH
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colour palette placed over the work at
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colour detail.

Landscapes

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Create a
landscape Artist
Paul Scott
with brushes
Paint an epic landscape using your own custom brushes,
Canavan
www.paulscott
canavan.com
@abigbat
Paul is the art director at
Scottish indie game
VWXGLR%OD]LQJ*ULIÀQ
captured through the CC app, Adobe Brush and a freelance illustrator.
He likes dinosaurs and
weightlifting.
Photoshop CC comes complete with a great paper, toy cars, that pile of socks which never seems to
selection of brushes, from traditional paint GLPLQLVK\RXFDQPDNHEUXVKHVRXWRIDQ\WKLQJ\RXÀQG Software
bristles to charcoal and airbrushes, but there’s around the house and pull them straight into Photoshop to Photoshop
nothing quite like creating your own unique set to play around with.
give your work that personal touch. In the past you In this tutorial you will learn how to create brushes using
Source Files
On )LOH6LOR\RXZLOOÀQGD
would do this using Photoshop’s built-in brush editor, but Adobe Brush, import them into Photoshop CC and paint VPDOOFROOHFWLRQRIÀOHV
with the recent release of the Adobe Brush app for iOS an epic, colourful landscape from scratch. The only things that have been made for
this tutorial.
devices, it’s now possible to take photographs on the go you require are an iOS device, Photoshop CC, an internet
with your iPhone or iPad and upload them instantly onto connection and some imagination. It’s going to be a fun
the cloud to use at home. Real paint marks, scribbles on one so grab a cup of tea and let’s get started!
Start with a scribble

Make and capture your brushes in Adobe Brush
Texture
your art
You can really go to town on
the sort of textures you
import using Adobe Brush.
Don’t be constrained by
pencils and pens. Try
photographing a ball of
scrunched-up paper, your
cat’s hair, a dinosaur toy or a
strip of tree bark.
Import your doodles

02 Open the Adobe Brush app
and click the plus button. Choose
Camera and take a photo of one of
Make some marks Adobe Brush allows you to your brush marks. You’ll notice that
01 create brushes out of anything, so it’s worth spending you can now see your brush at the
VRPHWLPHÀQGLQJGLIIHUHQWPDWHULDOVDQGH[SHULPHQWLQJ)RU top of the screen – this is a preview
this image, let’s keep it simple. Grab some nice pens and window and will allow you to get a
pencils and make some marks on paper. Don’t worry about feel for how it’ll look when drawn in
being neat – you can tweak these marks later. 3KRWRVKRS+LW1H[W

Landscapes
Play with settings Now this is the fun part.

04 +HUH\RXFDQWZHDNYDULRXVVHWWLQJVWRGHÀQH
how the brush acts when drawn in Photoshop. Keep an
eye on the preview window, and play with the pressure
and spacing settings. For a good starting brush, set the
Pressure to Flow, the Spacing to 15% and the Scatter
to 30%. You can also add some jitter to the stroke to
make it even more random, but make sure you keep it
VXEWOHDURXQG:KHQ\RXDUHÀQLVKHGKLW6DYHWR
immediately save your new brush to the Cloud.
&URSDQGUHÀQHThis screen allows you to clean up the photograph that you have taken.
03 )ROORZWKHLQVWUXFWLRQVWRFURSWKHEUXVKDQGWKHQSOD\ZLWKWKHVOLGHULQ5HÀQHWRUHPRYHDQ\
background that you don’t want. Ideally, the brush should sit happily on a transparent background, but you
FDQUHÀQHWKLVIXUWKHULQ3KRWRVKRS
Other
uses
You can use your newly
created brushes for
more than just drawing
or painting. The Eraser,
Smudge and Dodge/
Burn tools can all be
pulled from the Cloud
Library too! Experiment
with different brushes
Edit and save Now that your brush is
to give your smudges a
rougher edge or your
06 selected, you can edit it further in Photoshop.
dodges a little more Click on Window again and open the Brush panel. From
randomization. here, you can edit any aspect of the brush, from how
heavily it applies to the canvas to how scattered the
Import your brush Open Photoshop CC. Open the Window tab and select Libraries. You will strokes are. Go through each section and mess with the
05 now see a new tab on-screen which links directly to your CC Library – any brushes you have created sliders and buttons, regularly testing it out by scribbling
and saved in the Adobe Brush app will be available here. To get started, select your new friend in the library on the canvas. Once you are happy, click the ‘Create
window and it’ll be selected as your current brush. Open a new Photoshop document (Cmd/Ctrl+N), give New Brush’ button at the bottom right of the panel and
it a scribble and see what it looks like in practice. it’ll be added to your library!

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Brush examples Here are some examples of the

07 brushes that I created for this tutorial. You’ll notice that by
Sketch your image Choose a brush that works nicely at a smaller size and
tweaking the settings in the brush panel, you can end up with
extremely varied results. In fact, three of the brushes used here
08 create a new layer for the sketch. You can use reference for this, it’ll help you to
have come from the same scribble. Every time you save a new understand how the real world works and add another level of realism to your painting. Try to
brush it’ll be added to the Brush Presets panel, accessible create a dynamic composition – something that leads the viewer’s eyes into the image and
through the Window tab. You can leave this open while you work to holds them there. Look at some master painters and see how they construct their images
quickly change brushes, or alternatively Cmd/Ctrl+right-click on for inspiration! Every time you study a master painting you will learn something new about
the canvas. composition or colour application.
Use your brushes in Photoshop

Grab your brushes and start painting
Adding a touch of
digital painting to
photomanipulations
is always a plus
For a successful
change of colour, your
The sky Once you have your entire
10
original hair should
The SSS effect in hair
always be light; if FDQYDVEORFNHGLQ\RXFDQVWDUWUHÀQLQJ
gives more realism, but
dark, the Overlay individual sections. The sky is often the most
use it only according to
filter will not work important part of your painting, as it sets the mood
your light source
and colour for the entire piece, as well as the light
source. Study some cloud photographs and paint in
Start painting With the line art complete, set the layer to Multiply. This allows the dark lines to show
09 over any paint beneath them. You can lock this by clicking the padlock icon, so you don’t accidentally
some rough cloud shapes using a big brush. Treat
clouds as chunky 3D shapes and let them interact
draw on this layer. Create a new layer below the line art and paint using a large brush. Focus on the overall with the environment, passing behind and in front of
shapes and colours – don’t worry about details. It’s helpful to zoom your canvas out to around 16.7%. the mountains.

Landscapes
5HÀQHPHQWVContinue working around the canvas,

12 WRXFKLQJXSDQ\DUHDVWKDWQHHGUHÀQHPHQW7KLVLVD
very organic process, so work on a single area until you get
5RFNVKRZ:LWKWKHVN\ORRVHO\GHÀQHGLW·VWLPHWRVWDUWZRUNLQJLQWRWKHPRXQWDLQV
11 7KH/DVVRWRROLVXVHIXOKHUH'UDZDURFNVW\OHVKDSHDQGSDLQWLQWRWKHVHOHFWLRQZLWKD
ERUHGRUDUHKDSS\ZLWKLWDQGWKHQMXPSWRVRPHWKLQJHOVH7KH
foreground is typically a selling point as it can lead the viewer
WH[WXUHGEUXVK8VLQJWKLVWHFKQLTXH\RXFDQVHSDUDWHWKHGLIIHUHQWURFNVHDVLO\-XVWLQYHUWWKH LQWRWKHVFHQH²ÀQGVRPHSKRWRJUDSKVRIZDWHUIDOOVRQOLQH
VHOHFWLRQZLWK&PG&WUO,FKRRVHDSDOHVN\WRQHDQGJHQWO\SDLQWLQVRPHDWPRVSKHUHXVLQJ\RXU DQGXVHWKHPDVUHIHUHQFH7KH6PXGJHWRROLVH[WUHPHO\
VRIWEUXVKVHWWRDORZ2SDFLW\7KLVZLOOKHOS\RXUURFNVSRSRXWIURPHDFKRWKHUDQGDSSHDUPRUH XVHIXOZKHQSDLQWLQJZDWHU%ORFNRXWWKHRYHUDOOIRUPVDQGWKHQ
WKUHHGLPHQVLRQDO VPXGJHWKHPLQWKHULJKWGLUHFWLRQ
6PXGJHWKRVHFORXGV7RPDNHWKHVHFORXGV
13 IHHO'FRQVLGHUWKHOLJKWVRXUFHDQGVKDGHWKHPDV
you would a rock or a character – the upper sections are hit 7HOODVWRU\$WWKLVVWDJHPRVWRIWKHSDLQWLQJLVEORFNHGRXWDQGZRUNLQJZHOO:KDW·V
E\EOXHIURPWKHVN\ZKLOHWKHVKDGRZVDUHDZDUPRUDQJH
14 PLVVLQJLVDQDUUDWLYH$QLFHZD\WRÀJXUHRXWLI\RXUSDLQWLQJLVZRUNLQJLVWRVHHLI\RXFDQ
,WLVFRPPRQWRXVHEOXHLVKJUH\LQVKDGRZVKRZHYHULQWKLV QDPHLWDWWKLVVWDJH5LJKWQRZZHKDYHDÉLJVSLUHZLWKSUHWW\OLJKWLQJµZKLFKLVQ·WYHU\LQVSLULQJ
FDVHLWZRXOGGDUNHQWKHLPDJHWRRPXFK$VWKHVXQLVEHKLQG )LQGDQHOHPHQWLQ\RXUSDLQWLQJWKDWFRXOGEHDGHÀQLQJIHDWXUHDQGWU\WRLPSURYHLW&UHDWLQJ
WKHFORXGVSDLQWLQDEULJKW\HOORZULPOLJKW$JDLQWU\WRÀQG DWXVNOLNHSURWUXVLRQIURPWKHURFNLQVSLUHGPHWRLQWURGXFHPRUHWRRWK\URFNVDQGVR7XVN
UHIHUHQFHLI\RXFDQDVLW·VHDV\WRRYHUGRWKLVHIIHFW 0RXQWDLQZDVERUQ

Fantasy Art
Genius Guide
Run with it 7DNHWKHHOHPHQW\RXFKRVHWRWKHPHWKH

15 HQYLURQPHQWRQLQWKLVFDVHVKDUSWRRWK\URFNVDQG
LQWURGXFHLWLQWRWKHUHVWRIWKHSDLQWLQJ7KLVZLOOJLYHLWFRQWLQXLW\
DQGPDNHLWIHHOPRUHOLNHDUHDOZRUOG$OZD\VNHHS\RXUOLJKWLQJ
LQPLQG7KHVXQLVEHKLQGWKHPRXQWDLQRQWKHOHIWVRWKLVDUHD
ZLOOEHIDLUO\GDUN,WZRXOGKRZHYHUEHVKLQLQJWKURXJKDQG
KLWWLQJWKHEHDFKRQWKHULJKWVROHW·VKLJKOLJKWWKDW7KHFRQWUDVW
PHDQVWKDWWKLVLVWKHLGHDOSODFHWRDGGFKDUDFWHUVODWHU
16 3DLQWUHÁHFWLRQV7KHUHDUHPDQ\ZD\VWRSDLQW
ZDWHUDQGUHÁHFWLRQVEXWWKLVWHFKQLTXHLVDTXLFNZD\
WRJHWJRRGLIQRWDOZD\VUHDOLVWLFUHVXOWV'UDZDVHOHFWLRQER[
DURXQGHYHU\WKLQJDERYHWKHKRUL]RQ&RS\HYHU\WKLQJZLWKLQ
Take a break :LWKWKHUHÁHFWLRQSRVLWLRQHGFRUUHFWO\WKLVLVDJRRGWLPHWRWDNHDEUHDN
WKHVHOHFWLRQ&PG&WUO6KLIW&DQGSDVWHLWRQWRDQHZOD\HU
&PG&WUO98VHWKH7UDQVIRUPWRRO&PG&WUO7WRÁLS\RXU
17 IURPWKHLPDJH²KDYHVRPHIRRGRUJRIRUDZDONIRUDQKRXU:KHQ\RXUHWXUQ\RX·OOQRWLFH
UHÁHFWLRQOD\HUYHUWLFDOO\DOLJQLQJLWEHORZWKHKRUL]RQ(UDVHDQ\ ORWVRIDUHDVWKDWFRXOGGRZLWKVRPHH[WUDDWWHQWLRQ3DLQWLQWKHZDWHUIDOOVWRPDNHVXUHWKDWWKH\
DUHDVQRWFRYHUHGLQZDWHURUEHWWHU\HWXVHWKH4XLFN0DVNWRRO LQWHUDFWZLWKWKHZDWHU*RDURXQGWKHVKRUHDQGSDLQWLQWKHVPDOOUHÁHFWLRQVZKLFKWKH7UDQVIRUP
WRSDLQWWKHPRXW PHWKRGPLVVHVDVZHOODVVPDOOGHWDLOVVXFKDVULSSOHVRQWKHVXUIDFH
The magic of masks

As mentioned in Step 16, the Quick Mask tool is
generally more useful than the Eraser, and is very
simple to use once you get the hang of it. Erasing
is permanent, whereas masks allow you to paint
details in or out at any time, and generally give you
more control.
Finishing touches 7KHÀQDOVWDJHRIDQ\SDLQWLQJLQYROYHVÁDWWHQLQJLWDQGSOD\LQJ To use a mask, click the ‘Add Layer Mask’ button in
18 ZLWKDGMXVWPHQWOD\HUVWREULQJWKHZKROHWKLQJWRJHWKHU$GMXVWWKH/HYHOVRIWKHLPDJHÀUVW the layer panel. This creates a small white image of
your canvas next to the layer name. When this is
&PG&WUO/<RXZDQWWKHVN\WRUHDOO\SRSRXWIURPWKHPRXQWDLQVRUDLVHWKHKLJKOLJKWVDOLWWOH
selected you can only paint in black or white –
ZLWKWKHULJKWVOLGHU,QFUHDVHWKH6DWXUDWLRQ&PG&WUO8E\)LQDOO\XVHWKH'RGJHWRROVHW painting in black acts as an Eraser, painting in white
WR+LJKOLJKWDQG([SRVXUHWRSDLQWLQDQ\DGGLWLRQDOKLJKOLJKWVRUOLJKWHQDUHDVWKDWDUHWRR brings information back.
GDUN$GMXVWXQWLO\RX·UHKDSS\ZLWKKRZLWORRNV

of al
r
al ci
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tri Spe
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The essential guide to

Being bound by reality, quite frankly, is rather boring. Continually retouching

Imagine Publishing Ltd

Senior Art Editor

Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by

ISBN 978 1 78546 373 0

10 Build your own dystopia concept

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 9

10 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 11

Prepare the background

“Analyse the image to ensure that

Add the basic background Download ‘IMG_0391.

12 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Station destruction The next step is to add

5HÀQHWKHFROODSVHGDUHD Add more 1HDUO\ÀQLVKHGZLWKSKRWREDVKLQJ<RXDUHQRZQHDUO\ÀQLVKHGZLWKWKHSKRWR

08 Add trees When you have done this,

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 13

Perfect the scene

Final photo bash Now you are done

Add noise for effect

15 Paint the foreground Create a new

14 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

16 5HÀQHWKHGHVWUXFWLRQ The collapsed part

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 15

Design your own

16 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 17

Create your sections

18 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Include wings For our fantasy ship, there is no way

Build wooden structural frames To make things

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 19

Factory production line of

20 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Finish the rear towers For rear towers I won’t be

10 Give it power The wings and

“After checking all of

Work on the rear

13 Focus on the front bow Approach the front part of

Check for the

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 23

24 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 25

Add armour texture We’ll use different texture and

Construct the helmet

Clean up the mech&KHFNDOOWKHOD\HU

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 27

Shade the mech On a new

28 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Experiment with blend modes

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 29

Sculpt dynamic forms

Think about it first

Think about the

30 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

“This tool consists of a

Create the muscles

32 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

Design the monster

Make the sword For

Fantasy Art Genius Guide 33