Looking for a great rock tutorial

[Semus]

What I am looking for is a great tutorial on how to digitally paint rocks for concept artwork. I have seen many techniques, but I'll post a couple of images for examples of what I am looking for. I'd like to be able to paint the rocks in such a way that I don't have to rely on pasting images into the scene or using complicated brushes. I'm not that interested in getting realism here. I just need them to look believable and give them that concept look.

Here are a couple of examples that show exactly what I mean. I've been trying to do this myself, and while it might seem simple, it's anything but. I'm more interested in cliff walls and perhaps surrounding rocks.

[dpaint]

Basically rocks can be any shape or color. So make a shape and choose a color for them. The local color is your midtone or the upright shadow planes of the rock, the dark blacks are the under planes where no light gets in. These are the stress cracks. Top planes are a tint of the local color in sunlight or shadow. Reflected light is in shadow where ever its near a sunlit plane or angle to the ground plane and should be slightly warmer than the normal shadow color.
Make sure the planes are consistent to the angle of light you've decided on. Your shapes for cracks and flat planes should have variety, no two areas should be the same size.
I used a fuzzy basic round brush no fancy stuff. Opacity is at 75. At the end I threw some noise on it. Thats it. Took me ten minutes.

[Semus]

Very impressive for ten minutes worth of work. I appreciate the time you took to draw this out for me. It helps me tremendously to see how other people tend to paint or draw things.

The problem I am having is that I tend to lack direction when it comes to placement of the cracks and individual rock formations. I'll try this exercise here and see what I come up with. Thanks again.

[lokispec23]

Can I ask this here I am sorry if it doesen't go here but that is an awsome tip and tutorial what program do you use to do that or do you free hand it to learn the best on how to make like rocks themselves

[dpaint]

Can I ask this here I am sorry if it doesen't go here but that is an awsome tip and tutorial what program do you use to do that or do you free hand it to learn the best on how to make like rocks themselves

I painted it with Photoshop. I learned how to paint rocks because I paint them from life along with everything else every chance I get. Photoshop is just another tool for expression.

[NewmanD]

dpaint Thanks for the TUT!!!

[lokispec23]

thank you for the info I will have to practice making some rocks I need alot of work on mine.

[qlotzan]

wow nice tip mate

thanks for your sharing it with us

qlotzan;)

[lokispec23]

sorry for the delayed repsonse but thanks for the tips been busy at work but I defently want to try and make some rocks I like the pictures up at the top this tut is really nice.

Question thou the rock pictures up at the top how you have the rocks coming out of the side there, how is that done. Been trying it and mine look horrible deformed lol guess just got to keep practicing :)

[TropeHat]

Give and take Loki, Give and take, All rocks are generic shapes the overall mass is constant, its like Valuing a body, he shape remains the overall shape and the details are the next step, keeping the light source in mind can help a lot and throwing random cracks with a small brush can emphasize a space
if all else fails, In Photoshop you can always distort, scale and Transform, but try not tot rely on it.
Uploaded a quick maybe 3 minute sketch done in Corel painter essentials, (it came with my tablet, and choose a random one)
Pic is rough but values are there and form is there too.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_dI2XjuQ4b9Y/TdB6tx3eWLI/AAAAAAAAACE/NXHD13Y6mUc/s128/Landscapetrope1.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_dI2XjuQ4b9Y/TdCAZC8V6tI/AAAAAAAAACk/StaSOCuFq_M/Landtrope2.jpg
Done with Sai brush size default 100. maybe 2 minutes
Found my perspective line and drew accordingly
I can upload more if anyone wants.
BTW dpaint is a master here.

[internetcepat]

great..
love it!
:D

[JSpayde]

Step1 - Desaturate the picture

Step2 - See the the forms and draw lines over them. Rocks are essentially mutated boxes.

Step3 - Make a new document. Now figure out which parts of the form (in this case boxes) are in light, and which forms are in dark. The sample picture has light coming from the top left so the top left of the form is lighter than the bottom side. The light would technically fall to the ground and bounce light back up into the shadow but I didn't really show that. Just remember, nothing is ever absolutely black. When you remove the linework you can see there is an obvious light and dark side.

Step4 - I added some secondary details. Break the forms into smaller forms but always remember which side is facing light and which side is facing dark. I tried to keep this in mind, bet kept things loose as well. With rocks there are so many plane changes it eventually becomes easy to fake. Always keep in mind the edges of your forms as well; are they sharp with hard edges, or do they blend smoothly into other forms?

Step5 - Specular light. What areas of the rock is the light source directly pointing on? Those little details are what really makes your forms pop and let the viewer know what kind of material this is.

After this point you just go back to detailing and refining. Throw in the little nooks and crannies that make this a rock. At this point all you're simply doing is texturizing the surface of the form.

[nonameowns]

^ excellent

[lokispec23]

This right here is incredible, thank you guys/gals so much I am starting to get it total practice makes this works. I have been thinking of going and getting a Tablet like Wacom or something any suggestions.

Thanks for the EXCELLENT examples I see what you did witht he green lines thats incredible I Was trying to figure out where or how they were made.

Now do you do one rock at a time? or do them all at the same time?

Thanks loki