killing.lesson (photoshop)

[killing.people]

here is some more tips on how i paint. this would most likely be helpful to beginers in photoshop

here is the same brush, using a wacom and different settings and some shading and texturing strokes

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutorial.jpg

on the top i show what happens to a stroke when you lower the flow percentage. to the right is a render (gradient) with one stroke like that of a pencil (the flow is at 5%.) i dont usually paint like this.

the three marks on the very right are the different pressure settings for my digital tablet (wacom). they buttons on the upper right face of the tablet. from left to right: soft, medium, firm.

below those marks are marks at 100% flow, to show what happens to a stroke when you lower it's opacity. to the right of them is my dominant shading technique which consists of mulitple strokes layered ontop of eachother. on the bottom i use the same technique, just using different strokes and stuff.

edges play an important role in an image, and being concious of them can only help you as you paint.
this is basically the same technique i have always used, but i use a soft brush to block in the forms.

see those extra set of number keys on the far right of your keyboard? that is called you numpad. you can use your numpad to quickly change the opacity of your strokes.
for example, if you hit 1 = 10%, 2 = 20%, 53 = 53%, 100 = 100%, 05 = 5%

you can hold shift and draw a straight line. i used all these techniques in this demo:

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutorial1.gif

while using the brush tool, if you hit alt, the brush tool will turn into the eyedropper tool and you can select a color, release alt and paint with your brush.

i use all this for blending. like in this next demo i made for all of you, i have two colors and i select one of the colors and mark it on the other at - in this case at 50%. i select that color and undo = ctrl+z. make a mark in the center at 100%, then add two more marks on its edges at 50%, select an edge's color and repeat the process. then i lower my opacity to 20% and go to town.

i clean up the edges by marquee selecting an area and filling that area with white.
hitting ctrl+backspace will fill with your background color and alt+backspace will fill with your foreground color.

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutorial2.gif

if you hit the "d" key, it will reset your foreground and background colors to black and white.

in this next demo, i am showing you many different variations of tricks. in this demo i hope to show you how overlapping shapes can create forms and how, when i work, i go back and forth back and forth. note the effects of a complete wash of value. if you have black and white shapes and brush over them with a 50% gray, the black turns from 100% black, to 75% (a guesstimate) and the white turns from 0%, to 25% (also a guesstimate) but i hope you get the point: doing this will remove contrast, giving you mid tones that you can add those 100% and 0%'s right back in. ideally, this turns your 2 tone image into a 4 tone image - which can be continued; giving your image a larger range of values.

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutorial3.gif

through all of these demos i have used one of my favorite brush technique, i would think would be called cutting. at any rate, this technique can be used with traditional medium, the nice thing about digital is the forgiveness. you could paint black on white and white on black all day with photoshop. its a simple concept, but it can be very helpful and fun, check it out:

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutorial4.gif

i hope this was helpful for someone. play with these concepts and you you may learn something more.
these are some of the little things i use to create my artwork.

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutorial2.jpg
*whew* ..

-killing

[Swoop]

Awsome dude.. got some great tips there i didnt know anything about and will surely help me get my coloring down when i get the time and curage to try again :D

being a perfectionist isnt easy :D

[J.Mac]

Great job killing this should be very helpful to many people :D I am curious do you make many kinds of brushes with varied edges or do you just alter the round brush? i am learning to create brushes myself and playing around is key for succes, but i am curious to know what other people are using too. :D good stuff!

-Jesse

[killing.people]

experimenting and testing my current techniques are two very enjoyable aspects of creating artwork. i have played with cutom brush settings, even creating my own brushes very breifly - i have my comfort zone for brushes, i find myself going back to the same ones, every now and then i will get the urge to play.
the thing with creating my own brushes that turns me away is that i could have been painting. but if i got in there and played with all the settings i could paint normally, and attempt to create a texture and think, wow i could just make a brush like that one i had when i was playing around, make one mark and be done with it, then i can see how it is worth it.
that is definately an area i want to improve on, thing about art is, there are tons of areas that we need to impove on all the time, but can really only think of one area at a time.

thanks for the comments.

[Skank]

awsome man
im still a n00b when it comes to PS, so i gotta ask, is that the default brush? or are you using some of the other round brushes.
and do you ever lower the flow? ive never tried that, i always just lower the opacity when i blend, and i find that i have to go over the area ALOT, or else it looks blotchy...i think now that ive seen how you do it, it will make it alot easier to blend....i will practice it =)

thanks for sharing!

[mtw]

Thanks for the tips. I'll look them over again when I get time to work on the computer. Switching from real brushes to computer programs hasn't been easy for me.

[Shakar]

:eek: I just tried your tutorial 3 and could not just stop trying it again! I really like it! I am totally new to all kinds, paper or with photoshop. Now I can do something by myself :D

Thanks!

[MindCandyMan]

Thanks killing this is good stuff man...glad you posted it thanks!

[DaemonMagus]

That was beautiful, I was having the hardest time figuring out how to paint in photoshop until I read this.

[Big-Dave]

This is a grat technique. I suppose you could use it to reduce values in backgrounds and increase in forgrounds if you were doing B&W landscape too?

[AttackCat]

awesome tutorial man. I was just trying to figure out some techniques for my tablet, i've only had it a week and it's so much damn fun! Those animated steps were so helpful, very clear. Thanks Killing!

[RefrigeratorCo]

Thanks for posting this. It helped me.

[AmadorL]

will try this out once i get my puter up and running again

[killing.people]

im glad these are useful.

Originally posted by Big-Dave
This is a grat technique. I suppose you could use it to reduce values in backgrounds and increase in forgrounds if you were doing B&W landscape too?

i would imagine so. there are hundreds of tools photoshop has to offer. the more you know, the better off you are, in my opinion.

[Crowfoot]

Thank you so much, this helped me A LOT! I didn't know how to colour in photoshop before, and now I know a technique I can practise. Thanks for the time it took you to put this up.

[AmadorL]

Hey Killah do you have anything like this for Painter 6?

-A

[killing.people]

no sorry, i do not know painter very well. i use painter basically the same way - i am working with getting a more textural feel to my paintings using painter.
i do have an old tutorial that goes over some mental process, using painter 7, rather than direct technical applications if you are interested:
http://members.cox.net/wisdim/Tutorial_01.htm

[AmadorL]

thanks for the link

[sorvan]

Great !!
I got all of it, except the piece where you draw the torso... could you explain in some more detail which steps you took to create the different images displayed?
For example in the 3rd image, it just looks to me you are painting the whole thing black, and then onto the 4rd image, it that just one wash (if so, which ;-))?

questions, questions,aargghh!

thanks!
Sorv

[skatay]

i am referring to the ball on the post example, with the shadow. you rough it in with a soft brush--got it. then you sharpen the edges on one side, all of a sudden and make it crisp and clear-- don't got it. how did you do that.

BTW-- edge mastery is probably the most neglected skill in painted art, IMO.. and this is a great tutorial cause you address it!

[killing.people]

sorvan: that demo is rather unclear. i was attempting to bring something very simple into light that you could add to your belt of tools.

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutones.jpg

i was trying to show the effects of a wash, making 4 values out of 2. when this is repeated, you get 6, and so on. i would NOT use this tequique for an entire piece, though it would prove interesting. it is something you should be thinking of when you are making transparent strokes, i hope that helps!

skatay: there are some great tutorials in this forum if you dig around. i remember raeding some very good ones that address edges as well. i used a hard brush against the edge of a soft, almost like erasing the fuzzy edge. it is rather simple, here is an image to hopefully better help you see what i did:

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/tutcut.jpg

hope that helps!

peace!

[sorvan]

hey killing.people,
thanks that clears some up!
Grtz
sorv

[Monkeyshens]

Wow, thanks that really helps me. I don't know how to paint on photoshop and this is great for me to learn with. Keep up the good tutes:) -Peace

[killing.people]

crumbs of enlightenment (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22985)

[infested pixel]

Thanks killing, aside from the gradient technique of the colors I also learned more about PS shortcut thanks again.:D

[2ma2]

Just found this piece of highly nifty info. Thank you a bundle! Now really, I've been fiddleing around with PS quite alot, but this brief tutorial enlightened me beyond belief on some aspects. Thanks for sharing!

[AmadorL]

Where Is The Killa?

-a

[killing.people]

i'm around .. :p (this internet is soo huge!)

[rollb82]

I just wanted to say thanks for putting your demo online. I spent today sitting around with my new wacom and trying out all your tips. Here's what i ended up with. http://www.28solutions.com/images/artwork/damnlady.jpg


sorvan: that demo is rather unclear. i was attempting to bring something very simple into light that you could add to your belt of tools.

http://members.cox.net/fatatattat/misc./tutones.jpg

i was trying to show the effects of a wash, making 4 values out of 2. when this is repeated, you get 6, and so on. i would NOT use this tequique for an entire piece, though it would prove interesting. it is something you should be thinking of when you are making transparent strokes, i hope that helps!

skatay: there are some great tutorials in this forum if you dig around. i remember raeding some very good ones that address edges as well. i used a hard brush against the edge of a soft, almost like erasing the fuzzy edge. it is rather simple, here is an image to hopefully better help you see what i did:

http://members.cox.net/fatatattat/misc./tutcut.jpg

hope that helps!

peace!

[Lats]

The tips are great, but I'm currently working with just a mouse. What hardware do u use with photoshop? Do u know the preferred hardware by the majority of the artist. I'm curious because I am looking for one for myself.

[HawkWinds]

These are some great tuts thx lots

[pender]

I like the look of this style...very cool. You rock killing.people...thanks for the tut, had alot of fun trying this technique...alot harder to do than it looks, but thats how it always is :blah: ...this sketch took me about 30-45 mins. Well, back to work :vodkamachine:
http://www.murderx.com/penderlab/assets/images/BLACKwhiteGUY01.jpg

[killing.people]

you're welcome everyone! i know it could be better but i am glad others are getting something from them - it makes me feel helpful :teeth: and that feels great.

i love seeing the studyings you've created after reading the different techniques, thanks for sharing them.

Lats:
very sorry for the late reply, maybe i can still help.

here is a quote of something i typed to someone to explain the very very basics.

this is a scanner:
http://www.clicc.ucla.edu/images/scanner.jpg

'kleenex' is to facial tissue, as 'wacom' is to digital tablet.
this is a digital tablet:
http://chip.ua/articles/vvod_032002/wacom_1.jpg

this is a styllus:
http://www.minitel.pt/novidades/Imag/Wacom%20Step%20by%20step.jpg

this is photoshop:
http://www.uvmapper.com/photoshop.jpg

this is painter:
http://jimmac.musichall.cz/screenshots/wine-painter.png

while there are also others that have the audacity to paint over digital or scanned photos or plagiarize another's artwork for their benefit - it's always a bummer learning some impressive artwork was faked. with the tools out today it would be fairly easy for someone to manipulate a photo and paint over it, and would be even that much more convincing if they had artistic talent aswell.

i would imagine, if you were really infatuated with art, to a gross degree, it would be like discovering that, that girl was infact a guy. (also assuming you would be horrified by this)

-killing

hehe, it's always kinda humbling going back and reading your old posts ... you always think you sound so dumb in some shape or form .. right?
note to self in the future: "yyyou're dumb! .." :dur:

i use a Wacom series tablet. it is an Intuios2 platinum 9x12. i don't need such a big tablet, it sometimes gets rather cumbersome on a messy desk. download the current drivers off their site and read a bit about the different settings and configurations you can use.

[Black Lotus]

by the way I worship you :D

[killing.people]

i felt this image was very insightful; it displayed a progess of how to approach painting as a beginer. with this process you seperate values and color so you can tackle them one at a time. this is good to do for a complex painting or just to learn how to paint in general.

this image is a paintover of someone elses work:

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/kill_steps.jpg

1. i desaturate everything
2. designate my key light source, render in my values and shadows.
3. drop in a color layer and splash colors in
4. add a normal layer on top of everything and clean up, introduce new colors, slightly alter colors, clean up color and value blends, edges, and highlights, and drop in a texture layer to dirty it up.

just some more stuff in your belt :confident

-killing

[ProjectZeppherv2]

soft brushes are just evil

[Wart]

Thanks man, I've been looking around for something like this. Great tips here.

[MindCandyMan]

awesome killing...I love your tips they are always good that's for sure!

[reBirth]

Thanks Killing
I have a couple of questions geared towards a different part:
What size file do you use? As far resolution is concerned and the overall size? What works well? Is 72dpi a good file size for say, posting on this site or should I be using a little larger? As far as the overall size is say a 8x5 in
good? Im a little unclear on the final sizes...I know all about resolution, scanning and all the good stuff just really a little confused about what I should use to work on as far as drawing is concerned.

[killing.people]

What size file do you use?
i usually open a 5"x5" 300dpi to doodle on just as habbit. but, my file size all depends on its purpose.

FILE SIZE:

this all depends on what our image is for - web? game model texture? print?

know this:
"Pixel dimension: The display size of an image on-screen is determined by the pixel dimensions of the image plus the size and setting of the monitor."

dpi: this is used in photoshop. dpi means dots per inch (this is printer lingo)

web - to clear up the matter, the only thing that matters for screen display is the pixel dimensions; the number of pixels that make up the width and height of the image. don't worry about how many inches or at what dpi your images is. your monitor screen is technically 72dpi, but actual dpi depends on what resolution/size someone's monitor is.

if your monitor resolution is set to something high like 1600 by 1200 pixels, an 800x600 pixel image will take up 50% of the screen. if your monitor resolution was set to something lower, like 800 by 600 pixels, the 800x600 image would fill 100% of your screen.

if you view an image at "actual pixels" this is how big the image will be displayed on the web at your resolution.
to view an image at actual pixels: view > actual pixels (alt+ctl+0) -- also, you can select it by right-clicking with the zoom tool or selecting it on the zoom tool's "option bar" that will appear when you select the tool. work at whatever you want really, just make sure you size it down when displaying it on the web. i save images in jpg or gif formats. i hear png will be the new "standard" file format for the web. there is tons of info on the web on the topic.

game model texture - these will be in pixel dimensions that are "in powers of 2"; 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 ... 512, 1024, etc. i save in tga file format.

print - there is quite a bit to know here, and this isn't my most knowlegable area.

some basic stuff that i know is the type of printer and paper plays a large role in your final result. printers use four different ink colors to print out a picture: CMYK, or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and blacK. so be sure to set your image to use a CMYK color mode (Image > Mode > CMYK color) i know that some types of printers can't print on the edges of paper so you may have to shrink an image by 90% to get it on a specific size of paper. and the dpi i print out also depends on what your printer can do. but aside from all that, i would recommend printing at 300dpi.

for more info on this crud: in photoshop hit F1 and in the search type "dpi" and hit enter. if you are hungry for more, search for specific file types. for even more, search google - it is a great resource on the net.

hope that helps.

[Red_Rook]

oh man, i cant believe i missed this thread, super duper helpful, really great points you make... im gunna go try this stuff out. :D :tihi: :^^:

[Martin de Madrid]

K.P:

Wonderfully done tutorials. Thank you for all the good info, especially on the hw/sw (Hey! That was MY question!). The thing which impresses me about your technique are the parallels with classical oil painting technique using layers. For the past few years I have been experimenting with techniques used by Rubens (or at least what I think was going on, based on his paintings), and this tutorial is, with the exception of the clean-up, almost exactly what he was doing! One thing I don't htink you can do ditally is get the "turbid medium" effect, which states that when you paint a transparent layer lighter in value over one darker in value, the temperature becomes cooler NO MATTER WHAT COLORS WERE USED! And vice versa. Rubens, and others, used this technique extensively to get the cool transitions in interior forms which turned them.

Again, thanks for the information, and remember, the really old guys did it first!

[Martin de Madrid]

K.P:

How do you make those cool animated illos in your tuitorials?

[killing.people]

Martin de Madrid:
as I painted in photoshop, I created a new layer at different stages by hitting ctrl+j after I was done trying to express the different steps, i opened "ImageReady" which is intergrated into Photoshop and with all layers other than the first stage hidden, created the first frame, and revealed each layer with each new frame. Each frame you can set the cell length, so the last frame I made much longer.

you can also use camtasia studio, which is an excellent software for visual communications. Like Image Ready, you can create animated gifs if you so desire.

On that note, here are 3 screen capture videos that take you along with me when painting this piece here:
http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/violent_mustard.jpg

i am not too pleased with this piece, but i feel it's purpose may be received valuable.

i tried to make them as short as possible =\
last ones kinda big =\ sorry 'bout that. this is my first go at recording myself. it was kinda hard because i kept rushing myself which made me messup and the recording software was stealing all my juice! it was kinda frusterating painting all jerky-like.

they are avis, divx 5.1.1

edit video links died /edit
avi/KpDemo01.rar]Part 1, 5 minutes (15MB download)
avi/KpDemo02.rar]Part 2, 4 minutes (11MB download)[/url]
avi/KpDemo03.rar]Part 3, 17 minutes (46MB download)[/url]

same vidoes uploaded by jt4470:
http://rapidshare.com/files/16699224/KpDemo01.avi.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/16700064/kpDemo02.avi.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/16703130/kpDemo03.avi.html

-killing :needle:

[Martin de Madrid]

K.P:

Hey, no problem with the size of the files! Thank you for your usual generousity. I will play around with the ideas you have given me. One thing I am considering is to scan in examples of the colors on my palette and "try out" layering ideas on the computer. No mess, no expensive paints, and I can undo to my hearts content. Then, when I am ready to paint, I have a game plan which is pretty much proven, although some things you just cannot get on a machine. Still it might be a good way to go. I am also considering using Poser and Director for posing ideas. First I have to get the software and hardware! Kind of hard doing it without. . ..

Again, thank you. I look forward to your new posts.

[Dave_Lynch]

if theres something i've learned from the sickeningly large percentage of my life ive spent in school thus far its that ten different people can explain the same thing to you ten different ways and its only the 11th person that will make it all click.

thanks for being that 11th person on this occasion. ive been trying to learn how to color things in photoshop for the longest time and until i found this tread last week i was predominately clueless. of course there are different techniques for different people and your is more actually painting then applying colors to someone else's work (ala liquid!) but this makes the most sense to me and when i started fooling around with it on my own i came out with the best looking photoshop generated stuff i've ever done (crap compared to you work obviously but still).

and now with those video's youve made me feel that really high quality professional looking imagery is within my atainable grasp. i haven't had an art erection (yes i said art erection) since i picked up "how to draw comics the marvel way!" a long time ago. thanks for all the help and insight! two quick things though.

1.)the second video was very helpful but im still a little in the dark about overlaying colors on top of the b&w tones. it looks like you just put them on a different layer and adjust the blending options but for some reason i feel as though i'm missing something. would you mind shedding a bit more light on the subject.

2.)why the hell dont you have your own website with all this stuff on it? as much as i love this site we all know this thred will eventually pushed to the back somewhere with time. you should have a site of your own. hell i could see a market for your own dvd's...ive seen ones with less information sold and do fairly well. im a desinger and filmmaker. drop me an email if this is at all even remotely interesting.

thanks again.

now i just have to hide this art erection <3

[killing.people]

the second video was very helpful but im still a little in the dark about overlaying colors on top of the b&w tones. it looks like you just put them on a different layer and adjust the blending options but for some reason i feel as though i'm missing something. would you mind shedding a bit more light on the subject.

especially with a program like photoshop, there are many ways to approach creating a piece of art. i feel that the best approach will be the most comfortable and most natural for the artist.

http://members.cox.net/wisdim2/Forum/Demo/KP08.jpg

1. scanned pencil work

2. background color

3. flat color for character

before this point should be playful and fearless. my patience willing, once i have something that i like, i create a new layer (4) and i begin to polish.

4. "Normal" type layer. I like to pull colors from the painting at first.

this thred will eventually pushed to the back somewhere with time.

this thread is stickied, so as long as it is and the site stays stable, it will stay towards the top. hey thanks for your kind words, i am glad you got something from this thread. i don't have my own space just yet, hehe, i am a very very poor art student right now.

dvds? hah, i don't know about that. that makes me nervous to think about. thanks for the offer. i don't think what i am saying is all that revolutionary. i like giving advice. it is worth what people pay for it now. i don't feel my advice should be paid for, i would want to be very confident that a product of mine was someone's time and money - i hate buying shit i thought was good. i am still a very young artist, i have much to learn. your offer does flatter me, thanks again.

[Martin de Madrid]

K.P.:

The ability to explain something as concept-dependent and skill-dependent as art, especially on a complex program such as PhotoShop is rare. There are many people out and about putting together really lousy instructional products for it, and making money too.

Your explainations and demos are much, much better than most, and hence have value. Take the hint! I suggest you start your own newsletter on the subject. If you want information on how to do the newsletter, I have a little (successful) experience and would be happy to help you with that part of it.

Not only would you be helping others, you might just end up making some passive income which could help support your own art. The key is PASSIVE income. Once you have put the thing together, it is mainly a matter of constantly getting out and about and promoting. With all the fans you currently have on this board, you could probably easily do a viral approach, which is much more effective and easier on you.

The added bonus is that you end up spreading knowledge, and, like it or not achieve a bit of fame (in this case well-deserved). That is NOT a bad thing! It could well be the deciding factor in getting a sweet full-time position with a good company, or helping you get your own thing off the ground.

The promotion part of it is especially interesting because one of the most effective means is exactly what I am doing here, and on other boards: posting messages which are, hopefully, useful and well-received. My "ad" is the link in my signature, and it WORKS like a charm. It sets up a win-win-win situation between myself, the boards and the people reading the posts. That is one of the nicest things about the Internet. It opens up win-win situations in the reciporical exchange of information. . . everyone wins.

------------------

Off subject: by the way, the demo files were in a format for which I do not have a decompressing program. Where do I get the program, and how do I use it. I tried going to the website for this program, but the decompression did not work, so I have not been able to see your demos, and I am sure they are very good.

[Dave_Lynch]

i agree with martin- your instruction in this difficult area is very very good and its rare to find any instruction on this topic let alone good instruction.

its nice to know that this thread is stickied but i cant help that feel having all of this stuff in one place in the form of either a website or a newsletter would be a lot more useful.

dont worry about the dvd, i was pretty much thinking out loud and i know what you mean about not having money for a site of your own- im a poor art student as well. thanks again for the help.

are there any tips you have for us on textures?

[killing.people]

thank you both for your enthusiasm about all of this!
a character such as myself (an art student enjoying being an art student while he can) doesn't have much time for extra tasks. the conceptart boards work as a perfect utility for pitching in my cents for the community. take what you need and give what you can.


the demo files were in a format for which I do not have a decompressing program. Where do I get the program, and how do I use it? I tried going to the website for this program, but the decompression did not work ...

it should work by simply running the file downloaded from here:
http://www.divx.com/divx/download

quick tips on textures:

1. FORM FIRST! =p
2. use real/photographic reference if you are not pleased
3. in your thoughts, try breaking a texture into different elements; think in layers.
4. think about the surface and beyond it - opacity, specularity.

i feel, most importantly:
5. experiment. realise there will not always be a tutorial to hold your hand when you get to a material you don't have a process for.

you are playing with the tooth that must be pulled if you are searching for a process. respectively, you should NOT search for a process, but for tools.

creativity is a fire, do not smother it, let it breath, let it burn.

[Sok N. Wett]

I've been keeping tabs on this thread for awhile, love your tutorials, seems it helps alot of people and I can see why, thanks for killing people with your art skills. :)

[Dave_Lynch]

your point is well taken about experimentation being more important in a lot of ways than how to's, tips, and even tutorials.

though its impossible for you to tell otherwise, both because of the lack of my own work i have posted here or anywhere else at the moment and because of my near sycophantish praising of the helpf you given me and the others on this site, i believe whole heartedly in not be bound to another's approach for, as in many things, art is in the approach. so please dont mistake my eagerness for simple step by step insturuction as a desire for a clear recipe. if i approached such things in that manner i would not be where i am.

i am simply enthusiastic about this thread and anything else like it because (and as an art student im sure you can relate) instruction on actual technique is quite rare.

still though, thanks for all the help so far.

[killing.people]

meshead, a friend of mine, asked:
How would you start this painting? How would you do this? Show me to teach me. PLEASE
Perhaps if many of you work on this with me we will all learn something from it.

and posted this image:
http://members.cox.net/crobinson25/demo/meshead-staubin_hologramhead.jpg

so here is another runthrough in my response to him:

first, three big slaps:
get rid of your signature!! *SLAP
draw the entire figure!! *SLAP
ONE more, for good measure!! *SLAP

design, anatomy and composition adjustments.
http://members.cox.net/crobinson25/demo/mhd01.jpg

light values to find light source. lines over background color.
http://members.cox.net/crobinson25/demo/mhd02.jpg

new layer for foreground flatcolor seperate layers for club and tatoos. i needed to get under the skin colors for the club and the tatoos to see what they might look like so i could editi them out if i needed (plan ahead).
http://members.cox.net/crobinson25/demo/mhd03.jpg

if you wanted the painting to be huge, this is the time to make it the size you want.

on the left new layer over EVERYTHING - i call these TU (touch-up) layers. get in tighter and clean up everything, hide those black pencil lines, etc.
on the right dodging are burning can push values. over use it and you destroy your painting.
http://members.cox.net/crobinson25/demo/mhd04.jpg

one bite at a time.

now get to work.

[your_all_small]

killing.people I just have to ask since I'm new and all. Do you remove the old sketch / scan layer after you paint over it on a different layer ?

[killing.people]

your_all_small, hello

nah man i don't remove them. you could. i keep them around and just paint over them if i want to get really detailed. yup. it's you're by the way, not your. :^^:

[your_all_small]

thx dude and I didnt have much chiece the other one was taken :D

[Martin de Madrid]

KP:

Another killer tut!

I still cannot get over the similarity between your technique with PS and the oil painting technique I learned under Stephen Douglas at the Laguna College of Art and Design! I really wish I had a Wacom talblet! Eventually I'll get one and go back to all your tuts and kind of go nuts!

Many thanks, may all your threads remain sticky forever!

Best in paint,

[Alberaan]

Ehm I have a query:

I draw a line, and after a while I want to continue painting with that tone. When I try to do so, if I go over the old line, it gets darker (as you have explained), but... what if I dont want this to happen? I sometimes get some gaps which I want to fill, and cannot do this because I fear I can make the old paint darker :S How can avoid getting old lines darker?

[krakel]

post the resst ppleeassseeee http://www.krikkel-krakel.de/images.jpg

ps: id put the opacity back up and just copy the color u took for the other stuff with the lower opacity... i dont know an "official" solution but thats how id do it

[Alberaan]

post the resst ppleeassseeee http://www.krikkel-krakel.de/images.jpg

ps: id put the opacity back up and just copy the color u took for the other stuff with the lower opacity... i dont know an "official" solution but thats how id do it
Just realized it. Thx anyway :D Lovely tutorial. Just did the torso thing. Damm got to study some anathomy xD

[killing.people]

we made it to page 2!

Damm got to study some anathomy xD

i found this site VERY helpful for highlighting anatomy in your mind:
http://www.reybustos.com/03ra/ra.html

[Matijevic]

wow, I loves YOU !!!!!!
<3 <3 <3

[Alberaan]

we made it to page 2!



i found this site VERY helpful for highlighting anatomy in your mind:
http://www.reybustos.com/03ra/ra.html

thx for the link! You got to make a colour tutorial on photoshop! I loved the step at a step examples, and the examples of different oppacities and flows. They just rock!

[KrYpTiC-Clown]

Killing,
Thank you for capturing and posting the videos. I have doodled for years and recently started to work with PS and a tablet. I was becoming increasingly frustrated with my work as it was not turning out how I wanted it to on the first try. Watching you work really helped. I went back to one of my scrap drawings and started on it again with the method you were using in mind. It is coming along pretty good.

I am not anywhere near as good as the people on this site, but as someone here said, practice, practice, practice.

Thanks again,
Eric

[charcoalArtist]

I'm new to the group and to drawing, I found your tutorial very helpful, keep up the good work.

I gave it a try and this is what I came up with.. I still have a lot to learn

http://www.berumen.info/art/images/digitalportrait.jpg

[kurt_hectic \PL]

I TRYING DRAW THE SAME, heh 1\2 THE SAME GOOD ANATOHMY HUMAN ,,,,,, I TRYING BY 4 HOUERS ,, BUT I fucking cantcantcantcantcantcantcantcantcant :nohope: >:| :( :( :( , fuck, you have talent, God give you, And you saying : hier, this tutorial help you ...bla bla,,,- when someone havnt talent, can sit, and draw by the days! - yers! - and never! give the same result as you have! (((OFCOURCE I DONT WANT SAY : your tutorial is a bullshit! -NO, im angry, becouse , ..its simple - i cant draw, i try to do some charakter , by i cant - thats all - thx , for you becouse you try learn me somethings :), but,,, nothing i can do - bye :(

[Scubasteve]

killing.people, you're not only good at using the technique, you've explained it quite nicely as well. Thanks for the excellent tutorial!

[Deadcell]

hey K.P.

I've just bought a Wacom Intuos3 and I was wondering what settings I need to change in photoshop to get a better painting effect. Because at the moment it's still similar to how I would've painted with my mouse.

Sure I can draw rad stuff in Painter Essentials 2, where it's pressure sensor heaven, but there's too many brushes to choose from and all I really want is a similar painting effect to Bengal and Sparth.

Cuz they have this rad color blending thing going on that I just can't get right just yet. I even got a copy of Painter 8 cuz 'Essentials' doesn't let you work with PSD's, + that's even more hectic with all the Brushes that program has, I can't find something that works. any pointers.thnx.

[killing.people]

thanks Scubasteve :)

Deadcell,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/killnpc/brushsettings.jpg
have your brush tool selected when you hit F5.

like i mentioned in the first part of this thread, make note of the buttons on your tablet that read 'soft' medium' 'firm' and read about the settings for your tablet and calibrate them. be aware you can create your own brushes with a selection: 1. select an area. 2. click, edit > define brush. 3. name the brush and select the brush. 4. make brush setting adjustments. you will need to save those settings to keep the brush preset. that's a good starting point if you ask me. :)

the brush being previewed in the image above kinda looks like a brush that could get a bengal feel. hehe, but she uses much more than a brush setting, ask kurt_hectic \PL, he'll tell you.

sparth uses a lot of blend modes. you can set brushes to paint with a blend mode. sparth too knows something i do not :) check his site, he had a tutorial showing his process last i checked. (months ago)

if you want to know how they work, which brushes they use, run a search in the forum or simply ask them. they might just answer if they make the time.

[Kleiner]

hi killing.people,
how do you get the fade out effect on both ends of the 'brushline'.
Couldnt find it in the brushes window.

Thanks for your help. :)

[killing.people]

Kleiner, :nohope: dude! serious? i'm going to look like an ass here but, i saw that as a really lazy question. i made you this beautiful image.
you didn't look very hard did you. be honest. no, don't get up. allow me:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/killnpc/brushsettings2.jpg

[Kleiner]

Hi,
sry thats what i did. :)
but see for yourself, i hope you'll also see my mistake.


http://mitglied.lycos.de/userisaway/3.jpg

'Zeichenstift-Druck' means 'Pen Pressure'.

I don't use a tablet, so the option won't take effect, but it should at least show in the brushes window, right?


Thank you again.

[killing.people]

hmm, i don't know man :[
try posting it to the public to troubleshoot.
you can't select it from your brush window? (left window in my last image)
you will need a wacom to utilize the brush fully. you maybe able to get something out of it if you turn down your flow, but, that's all i can do from here.

[Kleiner]

Okay, i've already tried to turn down the flow, but just makes it more opague.

I post if i can find a solution.




bye, helpful. :)

[glikster]

without a tablet you're S.O.L. I use a mouse for now too and it doesn't even show up in the preview window as a pen-sensitive brush. Oh well, we do what we have to...

[Geuseppe]

Hey, thanks man. I've been using photoshop for years and I've finally tried some digital painting recently. I find myself addicted to the convenience and struggle... it's great.

I'm sure I'll check this thread hundreds of times - always a new technique to learn.. I'm just checking this site out (my first post) and I've already found a gem to grow with.

Rock.

[siriso]

does anyone us the mouse to color the picture??

[Soulrape]

Thats just effing brilliant... All this time trying to find how to draw a straight line and it was one of the keys I use all the time... SHIFT!! I constantly have my finger on shift for the undo, forward, backward commands... But I never tried drawing with it held down... WOW... Thanks dude!

[killing.people]

:wink:

does anyone us the mouse to color the picture??

sure do! i use to. i highly recommend investing in a digital tablet.
using painter, i drew the foreground with a mouse on this one. (http://members.cox.net/wisdim/img/d04.jpg)

it's slow and you can't have pessured strokes, but you can still use the same techniques shown here.

[lwjacob]

thanks man

[3bleadpencil]

great tips!!!...I actually will try these suggestions...as they don't seem impossible to achieve ..Tut is to the point...I love it.
3B

[naavis]

Killing.people, you just made my day. Your video tutorials were awesome! Thanks, man.

EDIT: By the way, did you make the colour swatch used in the videos yourself?

[killing.people]

.. did you make the colour swatch used in the videos yourself?

if not the HSB slider in the color window, i usually use one of the default HKS swatches and may add new swatches to them if i want to keep a specific color. rather than making marks on my piece, i may opt to store them as a swatch. :P if it turns into a sexy little swatch, save that bitch.

for anyone else that is lost:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/killnpc/swatches.jpg

[Razie|]

I think I would turn gay for you... Heh... You helped me so much you have no idea. *Tosses Painter 9 out the window*
(I have had you in my buddy list for quite some time after seeing you sketch book and luckily while at my girlfriend's house I saw your last post was here... Bookmarked it and when I came home had her send it to me...)

These are what I really needed... I would like to know what tablet you use... Because it seems you have a few more options... I have the Graphire 3... Maybe you have the Inq (whatever it is) 3... I wish I would have gotten that one... I don't think it was out when I bought this though... I am going to paint right now though... Thank you for your extreme help...

Oh yeah besides knowing what tablet you use... I also would like to know how you are switching your brushes so fast... Like the size and what not... And some of my shortcuts in Photoshop CS do not work anymore... Gets extremely annoying... The tool shortcuts work... But things like undo and really anything you can get from the menu doesn't... Gets really tiring always getting away from my painting to go click up there... I would like to know if you have any idea how to make them work..

[killing.people]

i use a Wacom series tablet. it is an Intuios2 platinum 9x12. i don't need such a big tablet, it sometimes gets rather cumbersome on a messy desk. download the current drivers off their site and read a bit about the different settings and configurations you can use.
wacom.com has a cool wizard that helps you choose the wacom that's best for you. check it out: http://www.wacom.com/tabletwizard/index.cfm

i right-click on the canvas with the brushtool for the brsuh window.
[ ] brackets change brush size.
numpad numbers control opacity or flow (depending on if the airbrush toggle button is on).
shift+brackets change softness percentage of the brush.

here is a thread with a bunch of shortcuts:
crumbs of enlightenment (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22985)

[Razie|]

Well since I'm kind of young at the moment (15) and those are bit pricey... I think I will invest in an Intuos3 9x12... (that is what was chosen by those assorted questions)

Well this morning around 4am I decided to try out your tutorial... and here is the results... It is like 10% done (Still have the rest of the picture to go obviously) I think it is rather good for my age and experience...
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/8253/man002cropped0pb.jpg

[killing.people]

Razie|,
i have a 9x12 and i think they are too big, you may want to concider dropping a size (8x6). for a first tablet, that's one of the best brands you can get for the type of work you're looking to do to my knowledge.

thanks for sharing your work, keep at it soN! wehw!

[Fififi]

hi killing.people!
(whoo first post on CA)
I noticed you said an intuos 9x12 is too big, I was looking at moving up from a 4x5 graphire and I'd always kinda thought the closer to screen size, the better?
I guess this is wrong :p
as a 9x12 here is only $50 more than a 6x8 I was planning on getting one but now I'm not sure :p
So how does one know what sized tablet's best?

[killing.people]

So how does one know what sized tablet's best?

hello fififi,
only $50 more, eh? hmm .. i spent around $200 more to get a 9x12 when i bought mine. you are getting more surface area for your buck. so that's a plus in my eyes.

i draw with my wacom in my lap, and store it under my desk when i'm not using it. it's starting to creak. a thing to concider would be your desk space. i don't have the space to let it chill on my desk and its size doesn't work well with how i throw it around.

there are different strokes for different folks and the only way you know which stroke you like the most is to swing. buy the one you want, after all it's your moo-lah.

[Fififi]

thankyou!
really great advice, I hadn't even thought about desk space :}
thankyooouuuu again

[Datameister]

Thanks for the awesome advice with all of this! Like Geuseppe, I've been using Photoshop for years, but I hadn't painted in the program until a few weeks ago.

I have an Intuos3 4x5, and the small size is NOT a drawback. The tablet has given me no problems at all with accuracy or detail work. The small footprint and reduced size make it very worth it. I recommend going with a 4x5, since I've tried the 6x8 and it feels about the same, but it costs $90 more. The 12x9 is too big for some people, and it's very expensive. The 4x5 is a wonderful piece of equipment. If you qualify for academic pricing, the pricetag goes down even more.

[P E N Ricklund]

Oh my, somebody just illed me with this old thread. But it was worth it ;)

Nice suprise to find this thread, totaly made my day. And that lite video clip. Yummy.

Loads of useful tips in here.

big hugs man!

[Lazy]

Very nice tutorial killing.people :)
I only have one question that i couldnt see in your 3-part movie tutorial.
How do you color over the greyscale painting with human skin color?
Do you do a "overlay" layer and merge? Would love to know

[Tag06]

Very nice tutorial killing.people :)
I only have one question that i couldnt see in your 3-part movie tutorial.
How do you color over the greyscale painting with human skin color?
Do you do a "overlay" layer and merge? Would love to know

That's my question aswell.

[killing.people]

lazy, tag06,

you must be talking about the steps taken in between video 1 and 2.
at the end of the 1st video clip, the painting is greyscale.
at the begining of 2nd video clip, the painting has overlayed colors!

i have no idea how i did that, ha! i don't remember, it's been so long since i've painted it.

you could achieve a composite like that with a color layer or maybe an overlay blend mode. or i could have used a multiply blend mode for the actual grayscale layer and paint normal color on a layer beneath it.

sorry i can't be much help there.

[famadorpierre]

Thanks for the tips...

it really help for me since i brought a new waccom tablet...
:bashful: just the cheap one...hehe,

thanks again...

keep posting...

check out my work, give me some comments...
mouse : photoshop
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=59

[Daimwn]

Hot DAMN. very comprehensive tutorial my man. You need to keep making these great posts, I can tell you really care about informing your peers and I apreciate it.

[lucabrasi]

wow, this tutorial helped me a TON!! my stuff before was horrible, now...not so much! Thanks! Here is what i did in about 45 minutes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v253/lucabrasi/blackandwhite.gif

[rtpuNk]

wow, thanks to you killing, i found out that changing the colour palette can be a real big help. Just worked with the standard settings till now, never thought that there would be that many different ones :)

[JapanEdit]

What do you know about texturing? I'm working on a painting and I have to texture wings now. I really have no idea how to go about this. I colored a small part of it and, not knowing how to texture, it looks smoothe and polished.

[LucidSaint]

One thing to consider when purchasing a Wacom is not only whether you want to be able to make large strokes especially with your arm, but other facets too. For example I don't yet have a scanner at home, but I can trace my rough sketches since my 9x12 is bigger than a sheet of average paper. I personally love the bigger size. Anything over 9x12 would be crazy IMO, but I love this thing to death.

[Oria]

wow this is so helpful. thank you for the tutorial!

[d4ff]

http://www.bizarrestudio.com/blog1/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/tutorial.jpg
A bad process... thanks for sharing

[ohjay]

Hey killing.people - maybe this is a little off-topic but since you seem to have a rather deep understanding of ps - is there any way you can rotate the canvas in small increments (say 10 degrees or less) using shortcuts?

I usually rotate my paper quite a bit when I sketch - I know Painter can do it but I would like to be able to use PS when I get my tablet, since I am more familiar with it.

I'd like to be able to rotate it say 20 degrees cw, then back, or 10 degrees more, without having to go into that silly 'arbitrary' command box all the time...:upset:

Thanks for your time, thanks for the anatomy link (Rey) and your tutorials!

[killing.people]

Hey killing.people - maybe this is a little off-topic but since you seem to have a rather deep understanding of ps - is there any way you can rotate the canvas in small increments (say 10 degrees or less) using shortcuts?


thanks for the comment ohjay,
i don't know of a feature in photoshop that has been designed specifically for what you're looking to do.

a hackish way to achieve a quick rotate would be to create a macro script in photoshop using the action menu.

like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/killnpc/actions_01.gif
* create a new action by clicking the new action button.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/killnpc/actions_02.gif
* there is no hurry, photoshop records your actions in a step-by-step fashion. assigning a hotkey makes using a saved action easily accessable. when transforming the selection, i used its tool bar to set the rotation to exactly 20 degrees.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/killnpc/actions_03.gif
* you can edit the action script by deleting unwanted steps in the heiarchy. you can play the script again by hitting the play button in the action menu or pressing assigned hotkeys.

if you had the money, you could also try buying something like this (http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index.cfm) or this (http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/thinkpad/xseries/tablet/)

[ohjay]

Thanks killing.people, first thing to pop into my mind when I read your reply was 'Now why didn't I think of that?!?!' ;)

Unfortunately, I tried it out and realised that I am probably after a way to rotate the whole canvas, not just the current layer.

And even using actions to record an arbitrary rotation of the canvas to say 10 and -10 degrees, for some reason keeps making the file larger _every_ time I do it. So for a sketch starting out at a meagre 900K memory, rotating it ten times back and forth resulted in a 17.1M file :x

Yeah, that wacom cintiq looks good. I wonder if I could skip eating for a year or so?...hmm....

Anyone out there with an intous3 tablet able to tell if this rotating effect I want is possible on that tablet?

Again, thanks killink.people

[Piranha]

Had a quick go today. This is most certainly a very very useful post. Here's what I managed from what you've told me :teeth:

http://www.tomhamilton.co.uk/images/4.jpg

The best part about this style is that its so easy and fun! Cheers killing!

[MattGamer]

thank you! i love the divx vids... ooo... yay! *dances with glee*
i've seen this before but never thanked you personally. ;)

[Zoio]

What´s up killing.people? First, i want to thank you for the lessons, it help me a lot. But, i want ask you one more if it´s possible, how doi get that light effect like neon effect. Most of the time people put in the eyes, to give a different look.
I would be glad, if you help me
Thanks again!!
keep post in!

[TrottierJS]

What a great tutorial !! Thanks for the Info.. !!!!

[Liquidspider]

this is a great thread, i hope you keep giving us updates on anything new you can share with us.

[Crusoe the Painter]

I couldn't get the transparency of just about any of the brushes to work in the way you show. Maybe I'm missing one, I haven't tried them all yet.

But, I did make a awesome brush, using info posted in the Painter forum, it blends when used lightly, and lays down paint when pressed harder. I lay down blacks, grey, and whites, and can feather them together lightly. Working on a bug man, and it's looking quite nice. :)

I even quickly scribbled on a colorized layer on top. I think I'm finally getting a handle on this.

[Chad Iverson]

It looks like the video turorials mentioned earlier in this thread have been taken down. Does anyone have a copy of these/alternate site to find them on?

Thanks,
Chad

[rajan]

tanx buddy,good one

[Sugarbyte]

Hi,
sry thats what i did. :)
but see for yourself, i hope you'll also see my mistake.


http://mitglied.lycos.de/userisaway/3.jpg

'Zeichenstift-Druck' means 'Pen Pressure'.

I don't use a tablet, so the option won't take effect, but it should at least show in the brushes window, right?


Thank you again.

Hey kleiner, vie getz?

The reason why you can't see the faded edges is because you're not using a tablet. If you use that brush with a mouse you'll get a solid line, the tablet allows you to use the pressure you want (like a pen or a pencil).. which leads to the faded edges :P

mach's gut!

[hellyeahpanda]

i was curioius to know, what is the belt of tools? ( when i think of that it rings in my head, a sorta shortcut to switching back and fourth threw the brushes you used, if not, is it posible for this on photoshop?)

thanks!

[Y-S]

so.........all this artwork is done by sketch, photoshop and wacom, including these in this thread http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=78102?

[ryansumo]

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h100/endlessthirteen/librarian.jpg

here's what i came up with after practicing with this tutorial. I laid oout the figure in balck or white first then I just piled on the colors later. Not the best way to do things, but this was more for practive than naythign else.

[nocturnalcow]

killing.people, thx for the tutorial, it helps me alot :)

[Camara]

There is a problem with your video links.I can´t download them!!!

[rubber-chicken]

video links dont work for me either!?

[killing.people]

hi guys,

i'm very sorry for the videos - a friend of mine was hosting them and are, at this time, no longer available. if i am able, i will try to get them back online. this is rather unlikely, i don't know if i have the videos any longer and i will need to procure some web space. i haven't been as active online lately and miss contributing to the community - it has become so very large it's impossible to keep up with! once again, sorry for the broken video links, i'll edit them out of my posts so they will not waste people's time and effort.

thanks for your comments. :rendered:

[jt4470]

If you don't mind, killing, I uploaded all your old videos on rapidshare. I don't know how long they'll stay there though.

http://rapidshare.com/files/16699224/KpDemo01.avi
http://rapidshare.com/files/16700064/kpDemo02.avi.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/16703130/kpDemo03.avi.html

[Longxiang]

Uncle killing, tell us about the textured brushes.

Edit:
That pressure-opacity trick was just the thing that was missing from my life. I will seriously never be the same again.

[jt4470]

Uploaded first 2 videos on youtube. The third one got rejected cause they said it was "too long." -_-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UQZtVc4cn0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Ij2S9q2g8

[Emerald_Mara85]

Mr Killing...
the 3rd video is really long and rapid share keeps on getting stuck while I'm trying to download it... :(
Can't you separate it into more segments?

[duoxan]

o man o man, what an amount of knowledge to absorb, thanks killing for everything. i thought i was the only person ever to use a mouse in photoshop, glad to see there are others. i was gonna get a wacom, but i had to get a car instead. gotta get to work and school eh
im at school now, gotta try these when i get home

[awooldri]

If by hardware you mean Tablet i am assuming... i would suggest one you like... i would be interested to see what different people are using tho.

[sayj]

Hey thanks a lot for this tutorial its been a great help :)

[DiorZ]

thanks for your usefull tips

[Decepticon217]

Great tips!
just recently picked up a pencil after not drawing for 2 years, This is what your tut produced! also first "painting" with out using a drawn outline.

[Tony0930]

It is awsome for you to post these tips.These tips are just helpful for my current job.

[JohnRambo]

Thanks Killing for the tips, and what size of canva u usely use.

[Titanwulf]

Wow thanks for the tips... now if I could only draw! LOL!

Peace

[SaintLConcept]

oh my,, great tutorials, just stop by to say thx and the web of rey bustos u told , good stuff too ^^

[sandystevees]

This is a Great techniques.Excellent job this should be very helpful to many people.those animated steps were so helpful me I just trying to figure out some techniques for my Tablet. I am learning to create brushes myself and playing around is key for success, but i am curious to know what other people are using too.