Materials for the lesson:
My brushes
Brushes for skin M. Delon
Brushes by `adonihs
I create a file, fill it with color. For this work, I chose a green forest background.
Above it, create a new layer on which I draw a sketch. For the sketch, I choose a hard brush with a click on transparency, reduce the parameters of transparency and pressure.
It is important to draw a sketch on a separate layer, so that later it would be convenient to erase with an eraser, move, transform itp …
After searching for the plot and composition, I begin to work on the anatomy of the character.
If you are drawing a human body, use references. Under the word references, I do not urge you to trace a person under tracing paper, this is done to better memorize anatomical proportions and other features. Also build. This is important, especially at the training stage, because it is difficult to keep in memory all the nuances of anatomy.
Lighting.
At this stage, you need to decide on the light source. For convenience, you can draw a ball and the direction of the rays. Also outline the light on the figure where direct rays of light will fall on its surface.
Color spectrum.
On a separate file, I select the color scheme for work. This is necessary in order to understand how the selected colors are combined with each other. At the same time it will be my palette, with which I’ll pick colors with the pipette in the process.
The first registration. For her, I create a separate layer in order to always be possible to return to the sketch. Put tough brush
Basic colors on the body, I outline the light and shadow.
Background. To draw the background, I turn to the bottommost layer and draw light on it. Then I create a layer above it for the near background and mark trees on it, the ground. The distant background will be bright, as the Sun comes from the side of the light source, makes its way through the branches of the trees and illuminates the forest. In this case, the near background will be in the shade, it is shaded by the branches of nearby trees, which weakly let the rays of light through.
I outline vegetation while revenge is working on stains – with a wide, hard brush, varying transparency and pressure.
For drawing vegetation you can use references. This will simplify your task. I recently went for a walk in the woods and made various pictures that now help me in my work.
Face. We turn to drawing faces. But first, I’ll show you how I make the tone transitions on the skin. Transparency and pressure is reduced by half. Sketched colors. Reduce transparency and pressure by 25%. Then I take near the borders between the flowers pipette
colors and feathering the border with a slight pressure of the pen on the tablet.
In this way, I will draw the whole body and objects in the picture.
Outline facial features with a thin stiff brush. I form a hairstyle. So far I’m looking. In order for facial features to be of the correct proportions, it is important to keep the center line, which divides the face into 2 symmetrical parts. I see it in my memory, so I do not schedule it, but for convenience you can draw it on a separate layer, which you will periodically turn on to check the result. The head is not only the face. Therefore, before drawing the hair, draw the shape of the skull. Before outlining facial features, outline them in perspective. Especially if the face is at three-quarters, with an inclination of the head like mine.
Volume With the help of shadow, light, midtones and reflexes I create volume on a figure. The light will be located where the direct rays of the source fall on the figure. Shadow in the opposite place, where the rays do not penetrate. Halftones will be located between the light and the shadow. Reflex behind the shadow. The light will have a shade of the source, so I make it light yellow-green. The shadow I make from brown, dark green, and English red, as it takes on some of the colors from the surrounding space. Halftone I use skin colors – pale red, orange, yellow, ocher. Reflexes will have the colors of the surrounding space.
Also, from time to time I outline the outlines of forms with a dark color with a stiff brush with a small diameter. After that, the figure begins to look clearer.
Hairstyle. With short hair, she looks more like a boy, so I change her hairstyle. Scheduled hair color, I think, dark color will effectively fit into the gamut of the picture.
Brushes that I use to paint the hair.
1. Brush Melanie Delon. I use for drawing hairs.
2. My own point brush, which I use to paint hair strands.
3. Brush author Аdonihs use for drawing hairs.
4. Hard brush from the standard set of Photoshop. With its help, I make the basis, the glare on the hair.
Finally, I decided on the shape of hair. Basis painted with a rigid round brush. Then I began to draw strands with brush number 2. lighter color.
It is also clear that at this stage I worked a little with the face and body. I used to paint a picture holistically, do not dwell on one of its fragments. Therefore, drawing hair, at the same time turn on the face, body, background …
Feet. I draw the feet of the feet. Next to the work open reference and anatomy of the leg. This allows me to work out the form correctly. Also near me in the process of work is my handbook on anatomy, to which I appeal as needed.
Hair. Back to the hair. I take the brush number 3 and begin to draw small hairs. This brush gives hair realism. But in order to make the hair look more realistic, I go a little beyond the contour of the hairstyle and with a thin diameter of a transparent brush I draw several strands that have come out of the hairstyle and individual hairs. Straight hair is much easier to draw than wavy. But in order to successfully draw wavy hair, it is necessary to create the volume of each strand using chiaroscuro.
Brush # 1 (with pen pressure setting) is tougher than # 3. With it, I make hair strands more contrast on the front.
Leather. When the volume on the body approaches the final stage, I take brush for drawing skin Melanie Delon and I begin to shade the sharp edges of transitions in the same way as I made the tone transitions with a hard brush. It makes the skin more accurate and realistic.
In the next step, I lightly give the skin a texture. For this, I use grainy brush, slightly remaking it for themselves. I add reddish shades to the skin in the border of halftones. If there is a need, the skin can be slightly corrected by color settings, add contrast, but all within reasonable limits and as needed.
Wings. On the new layer I mark the wings with brush number 1. with the texture setting. Now it is important for me to find a harmonious form, so I work with a large-spot brush.
After that, wipe the edges of the wings eraser 
, thereby making their outlines.
Take hard brush with the pressure of a pen of a thin diameter of medium transparency and I outline the outlines of the edges with a line. But the line should not be the same in all places. In the light it is brighter and stronger, in the shade it is more transparent, it disappears in some places.
Then I take a translucent eraser and wipe in some places to give wings a transparency effect.
On a separate layer, I develop the internal structure of the wing.
Drawing details of the background. Without getting stuck on the wings, I turn to the background. To see the picture holistically, you need to draw everything at once. Here i’m drawing grass hard brush with the pressure of the pen, having made a separate layer for it. At the same time, I change the colors and transparency of the brush in order for the grass to be diverse and beautiful. Before drawing a tree trunk and mushrooms, I study their texture from photographs. According to this texture, I select the brushes and make the appropriate settings for them. For example, for the bark of a tree, I tried to adjust the brush number 1, adding dynamics, dispersion and texture. As a result, a rough texture was obtained on the bark, which gives the tree trunk a realistic look.
Experiment with the settings of the brushes, this will allow you to achieve more interesting results in the work. Adjust the brush for yourself, depending on what result you want to achieve in the end.
Background. At this stage I draw a background. For the forest and trees, I made special brushes with which I draw trunks and branches, crowns and leaves. The background should not be drawn as clearly as the front, so that the focus of attention remains on the figure and the foreground. It should be less contrast and slightly blurry. This will create a sense of space. Therefore, I do not draw in the background every leaf.
If you want the work to look naturalistic, carefully consider the elements in the photos. Remember the structure of branches, crowns, tree bark and leaves … Let these photos be opened near you when you draw.
Foreground. Turn to the foreground background. The leaves in the foreground should be more traced and clear, their shape should be recognizable. To do this, I apply different settings for brushes – the dynamics of the form, the fluctuations of the angle … But the light and shadows, shades have to be added manually. This is a very long and hard work.
According to the location of the grid, I draw patterns on the wings, then remove the layer with the grid that I no longer need.
I draw a moss with one of the standard brushes of the 5th version of Photoshop, having previously adjusted the angle oscillation to 42%
Detailing The detailing includes drawing of fine details, adding textures. And it should always be done at the very end. At this stage, I add a few branches with leaves, also scatter the fallen leaves and dry branches on the ground. I add light with a special “rays of light” brush, apply a “Gaussian blur” filter by 10%, then paint it with a standard “airbrush” brush, I make a layer with light transparency by 80%, at the edges I wipe the “airbrush” eraser to create a smooth transition from the brightness of the rays to their smooth dispersion, disappearance. Add more grass with brush number 2. I make a texture on the mushrooms, experimenting with the settings of the brushes. I detail the wings, at the end with a brush “asterisk” from the standard set I add highlights. Also, a few stars scatter in space. Modifying the character – paint highlights on the skin, eyelashes. I finish the body. I looked at him with fresh eyes and decided to lighten the shadows a little. But at the same time, I do not use the lightening tool, but overlap the top with other shades, texture brushes for the skin.
As a rule, in the process of creating a picture, I often make corrections, sometimes even redoing parts of the work.
To make the fairy more magical and fantasy, I make a radiant halo around her silhouette. To do this, create a layer under the layer with the fairy. I take the airbrush and I am circling around it with a light yellow color. Then I set the layer transparency to 50%.
Then I postponed this work for a long time, although I don’t always do that. After a while, an error in the work can be seen much better. Correcting all that can be fixed. Basically anatomy, just add aerial perspective to the background of a transparent bluish color. At the end merge layers. Add 10% contrast. Duplicate layer and use blend mode “soft light” by 17% for image saturation.
That’s all.
Result:
(click on image to enlarge)
I want to express my gratitude to those who helped me in the process of working with tips.
Author: Rasena.
