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Painting Tutorial
coded by veritas

Painting Tutorial

MATERIALS USED: Photoshop & Wacom tablet


Step 1: Lineart
I use the default hard round photoshop brush on 100% opacity. I create a massive canvas (3000px x 4000px with a 300pixels/inch resolution). To draw the actual face, I would advise looking at reference photos -- especially when you're first starting out. I pick a shade that's darker than the skin color. The sketch doesn't have to be that neat. This sketch becomes your lineart layer.


Step 2: Flat Colors
Again using the same default brush, slap on some colors. I like to make the cheek/nose area slightly darker. I do this in a layer below the lineart layer.


Step 3: Shading
This is a long process. Slap on some colors -- make sure you're not just making the same color lighter/darker; try to pick a slightly different hue as a shadow or highlight. Otherwise, the painting may appear flat. Here, I used a darker orange shade for the neck shading and a darker red as the cheek shading. Be gentle and apply the colors in big strokes; make sure to blend as you go; I use the color picker tool liberally. Here, I also set the lineart layer to multiply so it still shows up.


Step 4: Paint
I merge my layers and repeat the process used in step three. Patience is key -- this will take a while. Sometimes, it gets worse before it gets better; just keep working at it. For the hair, I like to lay in the base color then add shadow. Then, I'll make the brush size smaller to add in highlights and some dark strands. Don't be overly fussed about drawing too many individual strands.


Step 5: Edits
If I think the painting looks flat, I'll create new layers and set them to overlay or multiply to add in additional colors (usually a red/orange to the cheeks/nose and lips). I also use the layer adjustment tool on photoshop to adjust the color curves. I will also often increase the saturation of the image and the contrast/brightness. Finally, I create a new layer on top of my painting and set it to linear light. Then, I take a default chalk brush/harder pen tool and, in a bright red or yellow, add random highlight marks. The final step is to resize the image.