Hi this a demo/ tutorial I did for a studio
I freelance for. It was completed in two sessions each two hours long. Photoshop
7 was used throughout with a wacom.
First the sketch. Now wait a sec there's a step before. The idea, it is always
best to start with a basic idea. It doesn't have to be earth shattering, it
could be from a story or just a mood or emotion you want to express. Here I've
gone for the simple idea of a war robot doing nursery duties.
Here's my first quick sketch.
I've gone for the most basic underlying things, just general posture. It is in essence a traditional mother and child pose. The powerful figure enclosing the weaker. If I wasn't under time pressure I would do several variations, but this must be quiick. Next step is to define things a little more. I fade my initial sketch back and work straight over the top. We get in the gun to stress the robot's normal function. A baby's bottle to set the tone of the incongruous scene.
I then fade that drawing back in turn. The details of the robot's structure are getting clearer. This I approach by erasing and redrawing. What I am attempting to do here is get it clear in my head exactly how the shapes fit together. You need be able to feel that you could make these shapes for real if asked.
Now I paint in some tones underneath the linework. I only use 3 tones a light a mid and a dark. This really helps me understand the shapes. Try to imagine the light falling over the figure. Plenty of squinting helps here! I keep the tones on separate layers and paint very roughly. The light direction is intended to put the baby in the dark area of the robot's chest where it will stand out.
The next step is to put it all into a background. I want to keep this as simple as possible also I add a floor plane and shadow which fixes the figure in space. The windows back up our lighting. Despite not being able to see it we know there is an open door to the left.
Now I start to add more detail on a new layer on top of the linework, Also I start to add a blue back light. I have a reference of a baby being christened which I drop in . I am still working with very few tones adding a new one only when I absolutely have to.
Before going on I flip the painting. This allows me a moment of seeing the whole thing freshly. It's amazing how easily you can convince yourself that your drawing is correct when in fact it is not. Now I see it reversed It becomes clear that I've inadvertently drawn a ninja turtle! I redraw the head making it much simpler and blanker. I make the pose more ungainly, the Robot being in a slightly uncomfortable pose to ease the baby helps our story, so I lift up the left leg up on to a box. Now I flip the picture back.
I work steadily over the picture trying not to let any part get further ahead than any other. Ideally you should be able stop a drawing at any time during its execution and still have it feel finished. This is big plus in a busy studio when you never know when your masterpiece might be snatched away by some frenzied art director! I now add some more colour, a green for the rocket launcher thingy and a few touches of brown.
We are nearly there, time is running out. I work over the drawing using the burn tool. This gives me all sorts of intermediate tones and allows me to lose some stuff into darkness. I do all this on a copy on a layer above so I can paint out anywhere I have overdone. Remember that the burn tool allows you to target hi lights mid tones and darks in turn.
Finishing touches, I flip the picture once more
and feel that the right leg is a little weedy I also adjust the body slightly.
Next I Make several copies of the picture on new layers and give them each a
different colour balance from warm to cool. Then using layer masks I paint them
in and out to get a richer mix of colour and reinforce the warm light from the
left.
Last job make the windows cool blue.
Lastly a detail at 100%
