Customized Procreate brushes
(Picture credit score: Pauline Voß)Clean Sketch: Good for clean traces with a flowing taper for any line work.Messy Blur Fush: This brush makes use of Procreate’s blur characteristic.Arduous Base: A extra natural customized model of the usual brush. I exploit it for flat colors or traces with a small stroke dimension.Fusch Smudge: Used for satisfying, textured smudging. It may be used softly and powdery, or sturdy.You should purchase the comb set for this tutorial by visiting from cubebrush.For me, gentle and color are all the pieces. They outline the temper, depth,and emotional core of an art work. Over time, I’ve developed my very own strategy to creating ethereal, glowing gentle results, which I’ll be breaking down on this tutorial utilizing the iPad app Procreate.I construct my lighting up progressively, layer-by-layer, taking part in with varied mixing modes, opacity and refined erasing to create comfortable, semi-realistic results. It’s an natural course of slightly than a hard and fast technique, which suggests there’s at all times room to play and uncover pleased accidents, too.However for this breakdown I’ll strive my finest to provide a extra structured clarification that may assist get you began. The tutorial follows my core workflow: sketching and refining line work; laying down flat colors; progressively constructing shadows and highlights; and experimenting with layer mixing and all of the totally different results accessible to attain that glowing, dreamlike impact.
Chances are you’ll like
This course of helps me retain management whereas permitting for artistic discovery. Whether or not you’re new to digital portray or seeking to refine your color and lighting expertise, this technique may show you how to push the depth and luminosity of your work. I’ll be utilizing my customized Procreate brush pack all through this tutorial, which you will discover all the small print for on the bottom-left of this web page.This instance is with Procreate, however you can use different choices among the many finest digital artwork software program. If you’re utilizing Procreate, be sure to additionally try our bumper roundup of Procreate tutorials for extra suggestions and recommendation.
01. Sketch the inspiration
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
Earlier than diving into colors, set up a strong base sketch. This step focuses on defining proportions, gesture and composition to create a powerful basis. Maintain your traces unfastened and natural at first, then refine them till you’re pleased with the extent of element.
02. Block within the picture
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
Earlier than diving into colors, set up a strong base sketch. This step focuses on defining proportions, gesture and composition to create a powerful basis. Maintain your traces unfastened and natural at first, then refine them till you’re pleased with the extent of element. Create a brand new layer beneath the sketch and block in a flat base of any color for the character. This isn’t about shading but, simply defining the form that may function a base for all totally different sorts of components, supplies and the sunshine results later. Because the lighting will play a serious function, you must also take into consideration the place the totally different gentle sources may come from at this stage.
03. Set the temper
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
To ascertain the general temper and lighting, add a gradient layer on prime of a strong background. This helps to provide a way of depth and ambiance. You may also add a gradient transparency utilizing layer masks on the form layer, establishing the ethereal components early within the course of. On prime of that, utilizing a Clipping Masks, place a gradient that turns into lighter in an higher nook, which additionally acts as a tough orientation and route for the general lighting choices going ahead.
04. Organise with masks
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
Utilizing clipping masks all based mostly on the bottom form layer, separate totally different components of the portray – the supplies, particulars and so forth – to maintain issues organised. This step ensures simple management of color changes and mixing modes with out affecting the complete canvas. I discover utilizing loopy colors helps maintain myself entertained in the course of the course of and stops my eyes getting drained.
05. Effective-tune your color palette
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
At this stage, tweak hue, saturation and brightness to convey the native colors nearer to your imaginative and prescient. They don’t should be excellent but, however I want retaining them cohesive until I’m introducing a deliberate pop of distinction. A monochromatic palette is usually the important thing to a moody look.
06. Put together for lighting with shadows
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
Earlier than including gentle, first darken the general scene to make room for distinction. This pulls the scene collectively and brings the colors even nearer. Because the upcoming lighting would be the fundamental focus, this step ensures the highlights pop extra dramatically in a while.
07. Outline the first gentle supply
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
Now set up the principle gentle supply that may drive the composition. I paint it in with a tough brush and mix with my messy blur brush, often to an excessive diploma and in an inaccurate color to later pull again and color appropriate, making it simpler to see the place the sunshine goes. Subsequent, contemplate the sunshine’s route, depth and temperature; is it a heat sundown glow, chilly moonlight or magical synthetic gentle?
08. Introduce a secondary gentle
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
So as to add extra depth and richness, add a secondary gentle supply to the picture. This might be mirrored gentle from the atmosphere or an intentional impact corresponding to magical fairy mud or an unseen supply of vitality. It provides curiosity to the storytelling, but additionally color variation, and makes the scene really feel extra immersive.
Improve the glow
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
Use a comfortable airbrush to selectively enhance the glowing results, emphasising the luminous areas. Parts corresponding to butterflies get a lift with the Add mixing mode, which is one in all my favourites. Experiment with the Display screen, Add and Color Dodge modes to extend brightness with out overexposing particulars. This step is what provides the picture its otherworldly, dreamlike high quality.
10. Subsurface scattering
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
For natural components corresponding to pores and skin, cloth or leaves, introduce subsurface scattering; the best way gentle passes by way of semi-transparent supplies. A brilliant pink/orange accent might be added to the ears and fingers, and a neon inexperienced to leaves to make them seem each extra lifelike and magical on the similar time.
11. Enhance the depth in your shadows
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
The impression of shadows mechanically occurs after we paint within the gentle and miss sure areas. However so as to add extra depth to the portray I often add a layer of ambient occlusion set to Multiply. Identical to after every step, I’ll go in with sturdy distinction after which after ending with the portray, modify the layer to a softer model by including saturation and lessening the depth
12. Refine the lighting and undergo every layer once more
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
With a layer masks on the principle gentle layer, carve out shapes created by leaves and different objects in the best way of the sunshine. This implies erasing or masking areas to create sharper edges, glow breaks and silhouettes. On some supplies, particularly pores and skin, it may be attention-grabbing to hem these shapes with a reddish/orange as subsurface scattering. Undergo every layer, retouching mixing modes, hue, and so forth to see what works.
13. Merge the layers and make changes to proportions
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
With a lot of the components in place, you’ll be able to scale back the opacity of the road work and merge the layers for a remaining proportion examine. That is the place I subtly tweak particulars like the pinnacle form, arm size or pose, guaranteeing the general circulate and composition really feel balanced.
14. Remaining tweaks and post-production
(Picture: © Pauline Voß)
Remaining tweaks and post-production At this stage, I step away for some time earlier than making final modifications. Gazing a chunk for hours could make it arduous to identify errors, so a recent perspective helps. Flipping the canvas additionally reveals imbalances. Make a remaining color grading move, adjusting brightness, distinction and saturation to unify the portray.Generally I add a refined vignette to information focus in direction of the topic, whereas I additionally love utilizing chromatic aberration; it jogs my memory of trying on the moon by way of binoculars. Lastly, clear up the remaining line work and add remaining storytelling components; maybe glowing flower pistils, enchanted eyes, or in my case even a complete tree so as to add extra context, bringing all the pieces collectively in a magical, cohesive approach.
This text initially appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to by no means miss a problem. Print and digital subscriptions accessible.For extra inspiration, see our rounds ups of comedian artwork sources and line artwork workouts.Each day design information, critiques, how-tos and extra, as picked by the editors.You may additionally wish to see our characteristic on what’s idea artwork?
