Current Project – New Method
Old Project – Old Method
Digital Painting
Photoshop CS6 + Wacom Intuos
It’s been too long since I’ve painted in Photoshop. I’ve been doing a lot of research on different methods professionals used to create digital paintings. After learning how other artists use value, hue, and saturation to create their amazing pieces of art. I feel I’ve stumbled upon a method that will work for me. Some experimentation is still needed, but overall I would say I’m heading in the right direction.
My old approach to digital painting was to paint using the colors that I thought I wanted all on one layer. As you can see, in the TMNT – Michelangelo piece, there isn’t a lot of smooth color and the results are kinda muddy. My new approach was to lay down my values in a gray scale and add my colors to the layers above and set the blending mode to overlay. The results are in stark contrast to each other, producing a much nicer art piece.
When applying color using the new method, I found most artists never use colors that have a black value of 30% or more. It seems to produce a better result by always trying to keep colors as saturated as possible. Colors with more than 30% Black tend to look muddy and do not mix well with other colors. It is also worth noting that white and black rarely occur in nature; there is a wide gamut of color to train your eye to see.
I am anxious to continue experimenting with this method and to produce more artwork. Being able to produce this high a quality of an image encourages me to continue to work on my craft as a Graphic Designer and Digital Painter.
Please comment below with any questions or comments! Happy Painting!
