Fantasy Art Genius Guide

260 Pages·2012·69.42 MB·English

by  Charlie Crooks

A comprehensive masterclass
to becoming an instant expert
®
For
Photoshop,
PaintTool SAI,
ArtRage &
Painter
The essential guide to designing & creating stunning fantasy art
002-003_FAGG_01.indd 2 27/06/2012 15:41
Welcome to
®
There’s no better way to express your creativity than through
fantasy art. If you’re tired of airbrushing, retouching, or being bound
by reality, it can be great to let your imagination run wild, and in this
book we will show you some of the best tips and techniques to help you take
your art to the next level. Whether you use Photoshop, Painter, PaintTool SAI,
ArtRage or any other number of creative programs, we have something for
you within these 260 pages. From adding dramatic lighting and using layer
masks to painting sprawling sci-fi cityscapes and mythical beasts, you’ll
discover plenty of inspiration to help you with your projects. There’s expert
advice from industry professionals on how to design manga and steampunk,
and even guides on how to produce amazing artwork on your iPad. So put
your creative hat on and delve into the magical world of fantasy art.

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002-003_FAGG_01.indd 2 27/06/2012 15:41
®
Imagine Publishing Ltd
Richmond House
33 Richmond Hill
Bournemouth
Dorset BH2 6EZ
☎ [phone]
Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk
Twitter: @Books_Imagine
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines
Editor in Chief
Jo Cole
Production Editor
Jon White
Senior Art Editor
Danielle Dixon
Design
Charlie Crooks
Cover art
Marc Sasso
Printed by
William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT
Distributed in the UK & Eire by
Imagine Publishing Ltd, www.imagineshop.co.uk. Tel [phone]
Distributed in Australia by
Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre, 18 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest,
NSW 2086. Tel + 61 2 9972 8800
Distributed in the Rest of the World by
Marketforce, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU
Disclaimer
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the
post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may
be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are
recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has
endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change.
This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
Photoshop is either a registered trademark or trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated
in the United States and/or other countries and is used with express permission.
Trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of Corel Corporation and/
or it subsidiaries in Canada, the US and/or other countries
Fantasy Art Genius Guide Volume 1 © 2012 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1908955258
Part of the
bookazine series
IMAGINEER TEAM
OF THE YEAR OF THE YEAR
DANIELLE DIXON BOOKAZINES

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Contents
8
The rules of
fantasy art
Top tips to help
you create
amazing art
58 86 128
Concept
98 Secrets of good concept art
Portraits
102 Design decorative backgrounds
18 Add 3D elements to paintings 108 Fantasy art on the iPad
24 Classic portrait lighting techniques Character 114 Antique effects
32 Creative photomanipulation 68 Mythological character art 118 Pro matte painting
38 Use fi lters creatively 72 Create classic anime characters 124 Draw a fantasy fairy-tale
42 Add neon colours to portraits 78 How to paint a steampunk character
48 Fantasy lighting fantasy 128 Use PaintTool SAI
52 Paint perfect skin in Painter 82 Paint manga 134 The golden rules of comic art
& Photoshop 86 Metallic paint in ArtRage 138 Design a movie poster
58 Complete guide to underpainting 90 Fantasy character 144 Manga illustration on the iPad
6 Fantasy Art Genius Guide Fantasy Art Genius Guide 7

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FFFaaannntttaaasssyyy AAArrrttt
GGGEEENNNIIIUUUSSS GGGUUUIIIDDDEEE
Contents
156
144
Landscapes
150 Paint captivating backgrounds 184 Manga street scene
156 Construct a cityscape 188 Create fantasy worlds
162 Paint with sponge brushes 194 Paint sci-fi settings
166 Combine fantasy and realism 198 Paint moonlight into scenes
174 Lighting with layer masks 206 Design destructive cityscapes
178 Compose a spacescape 212 Paint fantasy scenes
250
Creatures
236
220 Figurative fractals &
Photoshop
224 Creating a hybrid portrait
230 Illustrate in monochrome
236 Scale in sci-fi art
240 Master Photoshop brushes
246 Paint fur effects
250 Magical night painting
6 Fantasy Art Genius Guide Fantasy Art Genius Guide 7

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FaThe rnules oft asy
Art
We explore the rules
of digital painting,
from concept and
composition through
to tools and technique
Fantasy and sci-fi concept painting is one of Bland’s tech-macabre cyber cityscapes to Andreas
the biggest sub-genres of digital art, and in Rocha’s sci-fi utopias. Dedication and practice count for
order to be successful in this area, it pays much when achieving these styles, as well as natural
to learn the rules of planning, composition and artistic ability, but there are plenty of rules and methods
application. Artists who master this type of artwork will that you can learn and apply to your artwork to improve
fi nd their skills essential in the movie, videogame and your creations. We talk with some of the fantasy art
entertainment industries, where the need to convey industry’s top contributors and get them to reveal their
places and objects that don’t yet exist is common. top tips and tricks. Even if you’re not into fantasy
Over these pages, we will be looking at the work of landscapes, the advice here is relevant across all genres
four amazing artists who have created awe-inspiring of digital art. So read on to start on your path toward
artworks on the digital canvas, from the likes of Martin better digital paintings.
Concept and planning
There is nothing more daunting than staring at a blank canvas with no idea of where to start. things organised will transform your initial painting
When constructing any conceptual landscape work, thorough planning is essential to the visual process into a combination of fl uid, dynamic
development of the piece. But are there any proven methods for getting going on a project,, a perfect actions where there is no time for interruption.”
method of planning that will guarantee the success of a piece? Portuguese artist Andreas Rocha, an Rocha endorses the advantages of stock
up-and-coming favourite in the gaming and editorial arenas, cites motivation and research as key photography to help speed up the workfl ow in
elements in his workfl ow, but he also suggests getting the basics down fi rst: “Without research, the digital applications such as Photoshop and other
initial concept can lead to failure. I would think it is best to fi rst think briefl y about what you want to painter programs. “Photographs can really be
portray, just the general guidelines.” This helps you to fi nd that balance between what your imagination helpful in the conceptualising process,” he
would like to achieve and keeping a sense of realism in the piece. explains. “Photos not only contain information
Rocha admits to a preference of using specialist books over the internet when in these early research about an object, but they also show us how the
stages. “For instance, you want to use some Art Nouveau motifs in a fantastic castle,” he explains. “You object interacts with its surroundings and this can
can fi nd examples on the internet, but specialised books will give you much better quality images taken be important in portraying the object realistically.”
by professional photographers, all condensed into one handy resource. If you opt for the internet, you He does warn artists not to become too reliant on
will almost certainly not get the best photos and you will lose time fi ltering the results.” photos, though, if you want to maintain some
Despite this, the world wide web does hold some benefi ts according to Rocha: “On the other hand, individuality in your work: “Photos should be used
the internet displays its content in digital format, which is great for organisational purposes. Keeping as a complement. They should not dictate what
8 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

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Fantasy Art
GENIUS GUIDE
Fantasy
Central element (tower) placed at
Background only hinted –
Mostly monochromatic; third of layout (rule of thirds)
overcast sky blurs detail
some hint of red (maybe
fl ags) later turned into
single light source
Contrast around main elements;
surrounding low contrast/dark
Observation of the behaviour of
nature (images stored in memory, Home: “Homage to one of Lisbon’s most charismatic
others from photography) clouds, Low eye-level horizon; vanishing points off monuments: T©he A Tnodwreer aosf BReolécmha”
refl ections, atmosphere canvas – low dynamism leads to a calm setting
Fantasy Art Genius Guide 9

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The rules of fantasy art
you are portraying. Conceptualisation has to
involve the creative side of the brain.”
The value of good motivation and stock
resources is in providing the ability to put down
strong ideas in a simple basic language.
Sketches and line work are fundamental in
developing the conceptual composition, as
Rocha explains: “Since they set the limits, you can
quickly evaluate the content as things get defi ned
very early on. Another advantage is that once the
sketch is done, you can quickly add value
underneath the line work by putting this layer in
Multiply mode in Photoshop, above the value
layer. Like this, the fi lling out of forms becomes a
very quick process.”
Different artists have different processes when
it comes to starting their images. New Zealand-
based concept artist Stefan Morrell voices his
own opinion on the early stages of image
creation. “For the initial development stages, I try
to avoid colour. I’m always very concerned with
values, and as such, black and white or muted
colours are used more often. In later concept
stages, it certainly becomes more important.” The
artist, who is also a content creator for DAZ 3D,
sanctions the use of digital media and its
assistance in the pre-production stages. “In
Photoshop, I mostly use the Chalk brush for
roughing images out. It’s the ideal brush for
quickly building up values and, when used with a
graphics tablet, you can work very freely. The
initial thumbnail process is more about values and
shapes than anything else. I try to work with three
values in sketches, dark for the foreground,
mid-grey for the middle and a light grey for the
background. These would also be the same
values I work with when using COPIC graphic
pens on paper.”
Morrell also fi nds that digital software allows
him to construct innovative compositions in a
novel fashion, as he explains: “I have explored
different techniques of overlaying many images to
‘fi nd’ an image, but that tends to be quite a
random affair. It’s great if you have no idea to
begin with and just want to explore shapes; you
simply overlay several images in the one
Photoshop fi le and use the blending modes of
each layer to randomly change the look of each
layer. Finally, all the layers combined can come
up with some fun ideas.”
Photos not only
contain information
about an object, but
they also show us
how the object
interacts with its
surroundings
10 Fantasy Art Genius Guide

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