In
this tutorial created by Kyle Lambert, a specialist in digital
painting. You will learn all the steps to create a digital paint of
President Obama, it also comes with a video that shows the whole
process of creation.
Below is a small tutorial I have put together showing how I do my
digital paintings. I have chosen the official portrait of President
Obama. Watch the video and follow the steps below. Hope you like it!
STEP 1 - TOOLS AND LAYOUT
Before I start painting, the first thing that I will do is organize
my workspace. Firstly I place my reference and blank canvas side by
side. To the right of that I have any tools that I need. Because I use
Adobe Photoshop, the panels that I use are Layers, Brushes, Swatches
and the Color mixer. In terms of hardware, I use a Wacom Graphics
tablet which I consider to be a vital part of my work flow. Most
graphics tablets allow you to adjust your paintbrush based upon how
hard or soft you press. This allows you to paint much more realistic
strokes and build up color gradually.
STEP 2 - PAINT IN BASIC SHAPES
One of the biggest mistakes people make when drawing people is how
they begin. I have found the best method for achieving accurate
proportions is to block in the basic shapes of the image. I usually
identify the gaps surround objects to help position them in relation to
the edges of the canvas. I usually paint with a mid tone grey at this
point to help with color accuracy later on.
STEP 3 - IMPORTANT FEATURES
At this point I will begin to pick out the important features of the
subject, in this case the eyes, nose and mouth and place emphasis on
getting a reasonable likeness. I am not saying here that you have to
paint in every hair and detail, just enough for you to see that
everything is in the correct place. I use a slightly rounded square
brush for the early stages of painting but this isn't vital.
STEP 4 - BASIC COLOR
Now that it looks correct in grayscale I begin adding the basic colors
over the top. Initially I work with a very transparent brush until I am
confident about the accuracy of the colors that I am using. You may
have noticed that so far I have been working quite small. I find that
this helps simplify the shapes and colors. Sometimes when you are
working close you fail to see how everything looks together. Painters
who work with real paint often step back from their paintings to see
them as a whole, this is no different.
STEP 5 - BLENDING TONES
Once I have the basic colors correct, I will then zoom in and start
working on smoothing the tones together. I do this by using a large
soft edged brush to wash over the top. Again transparency at this point
helps the process be gradual. It is impotant to keep looking at the
original as you work and zoom in and out to identify what needs doing
to your painting.
STEP 6 - DETAILS
Once I am happy with the painting as a whole, I zoom into certain areas
with a thin paint brush and pick out details such as highlights, hairs
and wrinkles. This process can take hours and hours if you are going
for a very photo-realistic image. I find that it is usually more
effective just to pick out the important defining features such as
reflections in eyes and noticable individual hairs.
STEP 7 - COMPLETE
Once you have finished adding detail, zoom out and check everything
looks as you desired, sign it and save it. I must point out that I
would not leave it until this point to save your work. You know what
computers are like! I lost a painting once, having not saved 6 hours of
work! So my advice would be, every time you step back
tohttp://www.kylela have a look at what you have done, hit save.
FINAL RESULT
STEP BY STEP VIDEO
I hope that this tutorial has been useful. For more step by steps and other examples of my paintings visit www.kylelambert.co.uk
