Speed Painting - Digital Painting Tutorial Series Vol.3 - Zoo Publishing & 3DTotal - Com Ltd. - (2009) (ChrisArmand)

Contents
Chapter 01:
Overloading core in futuristic power plant
Eduardo Pea Richard Tilbury
003 007
Chapter 02:
The surgeons were shocked and repulsed
when they saw the parasitic creature
Levente Peterffy Richard Tilbury
009 016
Chapter 03:
Fear engulfed them as they realised they were
about to die!
Eduardo Pea Emrah Elmasli
020 024
Chapter 04:
The machine was their only means of escape
Emrah Elmasli Justin Albers
027 031
Chapter 05:
The approaching swarm appeared biblical in
scale and straight from a nightmare
Justin Albers Richard Tilbury
036 041
Chapter 06:
The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting
Richard Tilbury Justin Albers
043 046
Chapter 07:
They looked through the window and what they
saw took their breath away
Levente Peterffy Jesse van Dijk
049 053
Chapter 08:
As night fell, the darkness came alive
Ehsan Dabbaghi Emrah Elmasli
060 068
overloading core in futuristic power plant
by Eduardo Pea & Richard Tilbury
Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant Speed Painting: v3
Created In:
Adobe Photoshop
Introduction
Before starting this speed painting, I tried to
imagine the general theme and what kind
of narrative that I would like to implement in
the picture. I decided that I wanted to tell a
story in which things were shown in a space
environment, where the circumstances reflected
this, whilst still answering the brief: Overloading
core in futuristic power plant. Because of the
nature of this kind of content, it allowed me to
propose a story and/or physical events in a
very particular way, where the idea could be
unwrapped from my own ephemeral history.
Working Process
Beginning initially with a vertical canvas, I
wanted to apply and propose some attractions
in the visual composition. Here I applied some
inconsistent and orthogonal brushstrokes to
gauge the orientation of the image (Fig.01).
At this stage I was only concerned about the
composition, without going into too much detail.
The main thing was to simply create as many
happy accidents as possible, as these would
later create possibilities to guide my creativity
and also visually enrich the painting (Fig.02).
This process is a bit risky in the sense that

its an unstructured process of building an
image, but with speed paintings I like to let my
instincts visually guide me towards what may be
considered to be correct. Obviously, wandering
around the canvas is the only way in which I can
develop, using this kind of method.
Because I started off with a vertical canvas, in

order to propose some attractions in the visual
composition, this is not to say that this is an
appropriate start for every project! However,
for this piece it was a good point from which to
www.2dartistmag.com page 4 Chapter 1

Speed Painting: v3 Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant
develop the ability to observe, interpret and then
propose new things to later help me make better
achievements in the painting.
Continuing with experimentation, I began to

develop different directions, using both linear
and random circular brush strokes (Fig.03). At
this stage I started to link them together, giving
the impression of routes that connect with each
other. And, in terms of the brief for this speed
painting, gradually building up an area that
could eventually be interpreted as a complex
power plant.
After applying the same method of finding

structures and relationships within the brush
strokes to the rest of the painting, I found that
this process was really starting to best describe
the theme of the image. I continued to explore
this method, following the joints exposed in the
structures that created lines and circles (Fig.04),
which are really just basic forms if we look at
them as individual pieces. But what is interesting
to see is how they can become complex and
elaborate forms, and how they cooperate if they show some order and consistency; likewise, the What I really wanted to show was the scenario
relate to each other. This generates new visual space and atmosphere were also acquiring such in its entirety, but I thought it would also be nice
proposals, and I like to take advantage of these characteristics (Fig.05). I flipped the image at to show certain things that give importance
situations that arise! this stage to check that everything was looking to the image, such as the holes which make
good and to give me a fresh view of the painting. up the reactor and also somehow define the
Gradually, the general form was sculpted in space. The small garden-like areas around the
this image. The structures that seemed abstract At this stage, I also began to work on the finer structure also play with the idea of an urban
and undefined at the beginning were starting to details and points of attraction in the image. quality of space (Fig.06).
To finish off, retaining the structure that already

existed and continuing with the treatment of
colour and texture, I played with the tonal values
to give more drama to the image (Fig.07).
This final touch gave a little more wealth to the
atmosphere and highlighted some of the areas
within the picture that were of particular value to
the viewer.
Conclusion
As well as painting this image I found it fun to
create stories whilst I painted I played with
my imagination. By doing this, for a moment
in life, I got to be the protagonist in a dream

world and I was able to roam around in my mind
and exercise my creativity to its full extent! I
hope this is reflected in my image, and that my
working process will encourage you to try out
some of the same techniques within your own
art works. Thank you!
Eduardo Pea
For more from this artist visit:
http://leco3ur.carbonmade.com/
Or contact:
caareka20@hotmail.com
Speed Painting: v3 Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant
Created In:
Adobe Photoshop
Introduction
For this particular challenge I had very little
idea about how I wanted the final design and
composition to look. I knew that I wanted
the scene to depict a large interior with the
suggestion of machinery in the background and
a bright light emanating from the core as though
it was about to explode. I also wanted to portray
a large sense of scale, so I decided to have
the ceiling and distant wall invisible and have
everything disappear into a dark void to help
give the room a large and cavernous quality.
Blocking In
The first step was to establish the shape of the
main focal point in the image: the overloading
core. I imagined this as some form of centrifuge,
rotating at high speed to generate energy -
hence the cylindrical shape evident in Fig.01.
and foreground darker by comparison and I it was time to add some simple shapes in the
I began by establishing the light source at also painted in some streaks of light shooting background to imply some random pipe work
the centre of the core. As this was the focal outward; an indication of a possible explosion. and cylinders etc (Fig.02).
point of the image, I kept the background The rough shape had now been established so
Adding Details
With the main shapes and tonal values blocked
in, it was time to refine the picture. On a
separate layer for each, I added a base to the
generator and some fencing around it. In Fig.03
you can see a custom brush (inset) I made to
create the fencing. With regards to the base, I
made half of the shape and then mirrored it.
Although the scene was a little more defined at

this stage, the base still lacked form and there
was no real sense of the scale of things either.
In Fig.04 you can see that there are some extra
brush marks to help add volume to the lower
section, as well as a figure sheltering his eyes
in silhouette against the light, which helped to
determine the scale.

Overloading Core in Futuristic Power Plant Speed Painting: v3
Colour Scheme
There was enough detail and information in
the scene now to warrant adding some colour,
which was done on separate layers as a series
of overlays. In Fig.05 I have added two new
layers using the colours and blending modes in
the top left corner, with the blue being restricted
to the core and the brown to the surroundings.
something may be amiss in the background that added at this stage are the tiny highlights,
The colours helped soften the background could perhaps be causing the overload (Fig.06). picked up by the background shapes.
shapes and tie them all together a bit more, as
well as emphasise the core itself, which was I added a new layer here set to overlay and Final Stages
brought into the foreground by the blue hue used the orange colour (inset) to add the light The picture was all but complete, but with a few
However, things werent finished yet! This was and I also painted over the background with a extra touches it could be more tightly knitted
only the initial phase and to help improve the pale pink. I carried this colour through across together. The main addition was to bind the
composition, I decided to place some light in the the foreground and added some reflections, background colour more to the core by giving it
right background section. This served to fracture as well as some shading around the base of a cooler hue. Initially I wanted a stark contrast
the symmetry somewhat and also suggest that the core. One other important feature that was between the foreground and background but
I felt this solution was far more convincing in
the end. I also used a blueish colour to add
further highlights on the background shapes to
reinforce this. I neatened up the fencing a little
and also copied and pasted the light section of
the base over itself and set it to Screen mode
which now gave it a brighter and hotter quality.
The last remaining components were the

particles that are shooting from the beam. These
were painted with a hard edged brush on a
separate layer and then Motion Blurred, leaving
me with the final version of the image (Fig.07).
Richard Tilbury
http://www.richardtilburyart.com/
Or contact:
rich@3dtotal.com

The surgeons were shocked and repulsed when
they saw the parasitic creature
by Richard Tilbury & Levente Peterffy
The Surgeons were Shocked and Repulsed when they saw The Parasitic Creature Speed Painting: v3
Created In:
Photoshop
A Different Approach
In this tutorial I will explain my steps behind
creating a speed painting for the theme: The
surgeons were shocked and repulsed when they
saw the parasitic creature.
Introduction
Since this is quite a different method of painting,
it deserves a longer introduction. The technique
featured in this tutorial is based on extracting all The colour palette of the painting should have attributes we want to use. Now look at my
the key components for the painting from a set some relation to the reference images colour reference image and compare it with the image
reference image. When you look at a reference palette. For example, this theme tells us we are you have in your mind of a surgery It has a
material it already contains the perfect light, in a surgery room. If you imagine this theme somewhat similar lighting setup as a surgery
shadows, colours, shapes, textures and so on. in your mind then you can extract some of the would have; you have some red substance
The main goal with this painting technique is to colours from there. Youll have a very strong, which could be used to create the open cut. For
transform some of these attributes in order to directed light source (a surgery lamp) casting me, these attributes are enough, so I can start
create another image. So with this technique sharp shadows. The light will also bring out the working on my image.
you dont use references as references are strong values of reds in an open cut where youll
usually used. You dont simply refer to it every find blood, organs and so on. Okay, so now we Creation by Destruction
now and then; you literally transform it into know we need to find a reference image which We have a reference image we can work with,
another image! has strong light (a spotlight, if possible), with but how will you know what kind of shapes you
saturated and strong red values. The subject of want to bring out from this reference?
Getting Started this reference image could be anything, really. If
First of all, we need a reference image. So how you look at the reference image I used (Fig.01), The creation of shapes is probably the most
will you know what reference image to pick you can see that its Japanese food! Even if the complicated part of the process. Im going to
when the idea is to transform one image to motive in this reference image is completely confuse part of this painting technique here,
another? different, it does have some of those important because what we want to do is to destroy the
reference image literally to convey some of
the shapes I want to paint.
If we think about the theme in our minds we can

see a patient with soft and curved shapes. We
also see the shape of a surgeon silhouetted
against the brightly lit patient lying on the table.
The surgeon should have some zigzag edges
because of his clothing.
So when we destroy this image, its important

to keep these shapes in mind. Because what
you do when you destroy the image is to try to

Speed Painting: v3 The Surgeons were Shocked and Repulsed when they saw The Parasitic Creature
spot those shapes. When I destroy an image, I

usually apply the following things until I start to
recognise the aforementioned shapes:
- Cut-out shapes with the Marquee tool and

move them around
- Duplicate the image and Transform, Rotate,
Scale, Warp
- Apply blending modes and mix the opacities confident about a shape and feel that it has
- Paint randomly using different custom potential to be the shape of the patient, surgeon
brushes or some other subject, I just keep pushing and
defining it more. And this takes us forwards to
There is no strict way of destroying an image, the next step.
for me it is basically what comes to mind. You
can try anything really! Definition
Once we are happy with the loose shapes
Now lets look at two images: the first is where we need to define them to make them more
I destroyed the reference image (Fig.02) and readable. So this step is all about using the
the second one (Fig.03) describes how I was set colours in the image and painting in some
able to read some of the shapes. When I feel definition. Please take a look at Fig.04, Fig.05

and Fig.06 to see how the definition becomes

clearer as I paint.
In the defining stage we dont use new extreme

values of colour for the painting. The colours
that are used are picked from the image. With
definition work, we not only work on the shapes
but also on how the light interacts with the
shapes - for example, the decay of light on a
shape, or the light interaction with it.
Light is painted much more softly on the

patients body than the light hitting the folded
clothing. Compare the surgeon with the patient
(Fig.07 Fig.10).
For more help, references can be used for the

following things:
- Clothing folds
- Light and material interaction on specific
clothing
- Metal reflections
- Anatomy for the patient

Final Touches
When we have finished defining all the objects
so that there are no doubts about the subjects,
we can do some colour experiments. These
optional experiments, which involve using
painting, gradient maps, variations and blending
modes, are used to try to bring out richer colours
and make the objects appear more credible.
This phase is optional and you can choose to
adjust colours more, or simply let the defined
painting remain as it is (Fig.11 Fig.14).
For more information about this working

process, please feel free to visit my website
where I have put up some video tutorials that
show you how a reference image can be
transformed into another painting.
Levente Peterffy
http://www.leventep.com
Or contact:
lp@leventep.com

Created In:
Photoshop
Introduction
For this speed painting I was not sure what the
parasite would look like, only that I wanted it
to remain somewhat mysterious and left to the
viewers imagination. The notion of a parasite is
quite unpleasant as they not only tend to acquire
a host through devious means, but also tend to
thrive at their hosts expense. I do find the idea
a bit scary to be honest, especially since my
brother picked one up once and it emerged from
his lower back chapters later!
Blocking In
As per usual I began by roughly blocking
in the light and dark areas and establishing
the perspective. The operating table would
eventually be illuminated by ceiling lights above
the main focal point - the parasite (Fig.01). I
used the standard Hard Round Airbrush and
Spatter brushes with opacity set to pen pressure
during this stage. You can see here that the
surgeon who will be performing the operation
has his back to the viewer, so we cannot see
exactly what he is doing. The table in front of

him is lit by the yet to be painted lamps.
With this initial composition blocked in, it

was time to start putting in some shapes that
would help describe the equipment and in
particular, the adjustable lamps. I used the
circular marquee tool to create the oval shapes
of the lamps and the lasso tool to block in the
equipment that is attached to the ceiling. I
noticed from doing some research into operating
theatres that there is an abundance of all sorts

of technology used to monitor a patient during
an operation and so wanted to fill in some of the
space with this type of thing (Fig.02).
Colour Scheme
I decided that this compositional structure was
okay to continue with and so started to paint in a
rough colour scheme on a separate layer set to
Overlay mode. I began by using typical medical
green, mainly because it would help emphasise
the blood that would at some point find its way
into the image! In fact as I started painting in
shades of the colour I could not help but add in
some arterial spray just for fun, using a custom
brush which I often use for debris (Fig.03).
With a rough notion of the colour scheme, I

moved on to refine some of the simple shapes
and give them a clearer identity. I gave the
foreground objects some detail as well as
painting in a viewing window in the background.
The ceiling lights were duplicated and then
were given a Gaussian Blur to provide a little
glare. I used the suggestion of the random
tentacle shape from Fig.01 (above surgeons
left shoulder) to create some kind of writhing
organism reaching upward like a serpent
(Fig.04).
Refining the Picture

At this point the image needed the inclusion of
a least one more character to tie in with the title,

as well as further definition to the parasite itself.
I painted in a second character holding his head
in disbelief and tried to show he was leaning
away from the table in his shock at what he was
seeing (Fig.05).
I added some volume to the sheeting to suggest

that there is a covered body or organism on
the table, as well as adding some definition
to the parasite. Using the Hard Round brush I
cleaned up some of the edges, mainly around
the focal point in the room (e.g: the surgeon and
operating table).

At this stage the image was almost complete,
but the parasite looked like two snakes and just
did not work at all and so needed to be resolved
before I could call the image finished.
Final Stages
As I looked at the parasite problem, I decided
that I still wanted some type of tentacle
emanating from the table, but just far more
subtly. As I began to erase the shape, I pictured
the section at its base as being the main body,
which was far less explicit. I added a cut across
it and some small veins and things started to
improve. I erased most of the tentacle down to
a few small, plant like strands which I was far
happier with it appeared less obvious and left
more to the viewers imagination (Fig.06).
To help enhance the colour of the surgeons

and operating table, I changed the room to a
different colour which added more contrast.
The change to the parasite helped the picture

feel far nearer to completion now, but I thought
that perhaps one more shocked surgeon would
fulfil the brief more successfully. The nearest
character could well be shocked, but we do not
know for sure so another person was required.
The final result can be seen here (Final).
Richard Tilbury
www.richardtilburyart.com
Or contact:
rich@3dtotal.com


Fear engulfed them as they realised they
were about to die!
by Eduardo Pea & Emrah Elmasli
Speed Painting: v3 Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die
Created In:
Photoshop
Introduction
Before starting the composition for this piece,
I considered the general theme and tried to
develop a narrative style that I would like to
apply to the image; i.e: the type of story I was
going to tell, the situations that would occur
within the space, related circumstances and the
feelings associated etc. particularly in relation to where the story inside the woods near their home just to waste
would take place. This is why I thought up a some time and amuse themselves! Without
Concept situation involving fear, which is generated by noticing, they travel deeper inside the woods, far
The nature of the concept allowed me to the curiosity of two adolescents who are trying from their homes. As darkness falls, they find an
propose a story and/or physical event, to break away from their daily routine and get isolated home and decided to go inside. When
they are drawing close to the entrance, near the
door, suddenly and instinctively they start to
run, full of fear! Something has happened inside
the house, but unfortunately only they saw what
it was
Working Process
In this piece, as well as in others, I want to
experiment with a freer, faster process that
allows me to confront technical elements that
are being discovered as the project evolves.
I start off with simple spot and brush mark

marking in order to find some visual orientation
within the image, and I also start playing with
creating textures and lines to achieve a more
plastic-like sensation. Once I find a friendly
spot, I make a quick draft with black lines to
define some objects within the scene (Fig.01).
This allows me, little by little, to start defining the
elements that make up the image, along with
the general environment which gives me good
composition and also provides visual definition.
I am trying to build a special moment in the
day, (in this case, sunset), so I use a few warm
colours to portray an afternoon setting, and I mix
things up a little with some cold colours to build

Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die Speed Painting: v3
up the moodiness of the image (Fig.02). I also obtain some interesting
textures with this treatment (Fig.03 & Fig.04).
Another interesting technique I like to employ when speed painting is

working directly on a layer and taking advantage of possible errors. I
tend to favour them, rather than being afraid of them, and I liked to play
around with what I find. Somehow, by doing this, they help me to create a
whole collage of ideas (Fig.05)!
I also like to work with the basic brush with a rock texture; this gives me
the sensation of working with charcoal its truly phenomenal! Its simply
great to learn from the easiest of things! Further down the line, I also use
vegetation brushes and textures, although they are not my priority; the
less material I use the better, because I learn to develop methods that
bring good results something good will come out for sure (Fig.06 &
Fig.07)!
Continuing work on the structure of the image I try to define some objects,
or items, that are important to my concept, such as the trees, house, stairs
and the two young people. Finally, under some of the details, I apply
some more brushstrokes and then Im finished!
Conclusion
I really dont know what these young people saw, but situations like these
are pretty common and can lead to any number of different events that we
do not expect, giving us cause to panic.
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Trick or treat!
Eduardo Pea
For more from this artist please contact him at:
caareka20@hotmail.com

Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die Speed Painting: v3
Created In:
Photoshop
Introduction
Hi all, Im back with a new speed painting
this chapter! This time the subject is quite
interesting, actually; Im going to figure out how
to draw a few people who are about to die!
Hmm So after doing a few sketches in my
sketchbook I decided to go with a simple but
effective composition. Im going to draw a giant
coming out of a forest, walking towards a couple
of humans who are of course terrified because
this giant is really mad! Theres no place to
escape and, well, anyway you get the idea so
lets get started!
Step 01
My main software for speed paintings is Adobe Photoshop (as you may
guess). Ill be using CS3 for this piece. For the first step I start by creating
a new file; its going to be a vertical composition so an A4 canvas at
150ppi will do. I need to block the main colours in, and I choose to go with
a brownish and purplish palette. I use a textured palette knife kind of
brush to block the colours in, trying to determine the places of rocks and
trees very roughly. I also apply some very simple lighting into the scene. I
guessed direct midday sunlight would do.
Step 02
I create a new layer and start to paint the giant in; I use the same block-
in brush for this as well. Starting with a dark colour I slowly paint some

Speed Painting: v3 Fear engulfed them as they realised they were about to die
highlights and flesh out this enormous creature.
I use light purple for the highlights because I
imagine that this guy is coming out from the
darkness. This also creates a mysterious
atmosphere, too.
Step 03
Next step is to start detailing. I dont do anything
special just yet, really just painting straight
away, trying to figure out the gesture of the
giant. I figure hes going to be holding a big club
which hes carved from a tree trunk. Forming
the background at the same time, I use green
to create a feeling of fogginess. I want to use a
Kicker light for the giant to separate him from
the background a bit, so I paint in a very slight
yellow light hitting him from behind. At this point
its starting to come together.
Step 04
Time to paint in the terrified humans! I use a
very small brush because these guys are going
to be tiny in comparison to the giant. I start painting them in, trying to

capture a trapped kind of gesture. When happy with the result I can start
making the highlights glow a little. To do this I create a new layer and
select Overlay from the layer options; I select a de-saturated yellow and
start painting. This basically gives a glow effect and helps to enhance the
mood of the piece.
Final
Its almost finished now; there are only a few details left. I continue adding
the blood on the giants club and mouth. It would also be ideal to fix his
right hand as well, because it looks somewhat odd. Lastly, I create an
adjustment layer to adjust the colours slightly (Image > Adjustments >

Colour Balance); I want some more blue in the
piece so I increase the amount of blue and cyan
until Im happy with it. And I think thats about it!
Hope you like it and thanks for reading!
Emrah Elmasli
http://www.partycule.com
Or contact:
emrah@partycule.com
The machine was their only means of escape
by Justin Albers & Emrah Elmasli
The machine was their only means of escape Speed Painting: v3
Created In:
Adobe Photoshop CS3
Hello everyone! First of all, I would like to let

you know that this chapters speed painting will
be an homage to English sci-fi painter, John
Harris. When I first heard about the theme,
the first thing that came to my mind was this
scene, which is similar to one of John Harriss
paintings. I thought it would really suit this
theme, so I decided to paint it. It will be very a
simple and graphical composition with strong
use of colour. So lets get started.
Step 1
As usual, Ill be using Adobe Photoshop
CS3 for this tutorial. Its going to be a vertical
composition, so Ill create a new A4 canvas at 150 ppi. Firstly, I need to

block the main shapes and colours in, so Ill choose a textured flat brush
and start to paint. I wont be using any fancy brushes for this speedy,
so that its easier for you to replicate what I do (hopefully). Anyway, Im
trying to create a silhouette of a spaceship with basic brush strokes; Im
trying to be really loose at this step of the painting (Fig.01). I also draw
some perspective lines to create an illusion of depth to help me while Im
painting, and Im using a very strong orange on the background because
its going to be a huge Sun!
Step 2
I create another layer to mask the upper part of the Sun and give it a
nice round curve (Fig.02). I also create an Overlay layer and paint on the
Sun to give it a basic form. Now I can start to paint in the details. I start
with blue smoke coming from the launch pad; blue creates a really good
contrast with the orange at the back. For the foreground I paint in a wide
road going towards the launch pad. Then I pay some more attention to the

Speed Painting: v3 The machine was their only means of escape
spaceship and paint in some more details on the
launch pad. Small lights add an illusion of life to
them.
Step 3
For the next step I just carry on detailing
(Fig.03). I paint the prominent areas on the Sun
and add detail to the chromosphere (the Suns
atmosphere). Im still not sure about the shape
of the space ship, by the way; Ill probably try
to define a good shape for it whilst I finish the
painting. I thought a rectangular shape with
sharp edges would look good, but it looks like
a building instead of a ship, so Ill soften the
edges in the future steps.
Step 4
Its now time to paint the people walking on the
road, who are all heading towards the spaceship
to get the hell out of there, because the Sun is
getting closer! That ship is their only chance
to save them from extinction. As you can see,
I soften the edges of the ship here it looks
more like a vehicle now. I wont give any form
to it because I want to keep it like a silhouette
(Fig.04).
Final
Almost done now! I always adjust colours while Im painting, so here I
open a new adjustment layer and tweak the colours a little; darkening the
painting by adding some blue to it. This is the way I paint: adding contrast
during the painting process. As a final touch, I apply a texture to the Sun,
using a picture of the Sun that I found on the Internet, and just overlaying
it on the painting. I erase out the parts I dont want and thats it done
(Fig.05)!
I hope youve enjoyed this painting process. Thanks for reading!
Emrah Elmasli
Or contact:
emrah@partycule.com

Created In:
Adobe Photoshop CS2
Step 1
This topic was a lot of fun for me to do
machines and robotic stuff are some of my
favourite things to draw. There were lots of ways
I could approach this topic, so I figure with those
in mind Ill just get to it and see what develops.
Here Ive opened up a landscape canvas in
Photoshop CS2. For now I just start laying down
some colours and shapes for the background,
using a few texture brushes for interest. Im
thinking of having a relatively cool colour palette
with maybe some warmer colours around
whatever the machine ends up being to make
that my focal point (Fig.01).
the drawing insanely loose because Im not rough drawing. Then I deselect the layer and
Step 2 ready to commit to a design just yet (Fig.02). lock it so that I can keep the shape clean. I also
Next, I start working in a really, really rough determine that my light source will be coming in
drawing to start determining the form and Step 3 from the top left (Fig.03).
silhouette of this thing. Im thinking that the Here I begin roughing in some colours and filling
landscape will be harsh and angular, so for in the shapes and silhouettes. I decide to start Step 4
contrast Im going to make the design of the out with a sphere so I make a circular selection Im starting to lock in the composition of the
machine more rounded and smooth. Im keeping and start painting inside the selection over the piece my thinking behind this piece is going

The machine was their only means of escape Speed Painting: v3
to centre on a post-apocalyptic theme. In the
future, the Earth has been ravaged by a world
war and all the cities are burning and dying
out. The three figures in the painting are a
father, mother and son hurrying to one of the
last remaining ships leaving the planet for the
temporary safety of space. I decide to make
their clothing very ragged and makeshift, mixed
in with some spacesuit elements. The machine
is starting to look a bit more like a robot than a
spacecraft, so I add in the gantry tower on the
left and steam coming out of what I intend to be
the engines and boosters to make it seem more
like a ship waiting to launch. While painting, I
use my navigator window to be sure the piece is
reading from a distance (Fig.04).
Step 5
Im still feeling out the details and trying to
make the story come through in the painting. I
add some incoming missiles heading towards
the fiery city to add a sense of urgency to the
situation. Im also starting to finalise the design and mechanical bits on top could be sensors the foreground figures and detail them out. I also
of the ship I picture this thing taking off, the and navigation equipment. Overall, Im digging add some details to the burning city and fade
elevator at the bottom rising into the ship as the the silhouette of this guy (Fig.05)! it into the background. I kind of like the blue/
boarding hatch closes. The boosters on either red combination of colours in the foreground;
side of the ship would fold down 90 degrees Step 6 the red in the clothing and the blue light in the
after lifting off to propel the ship into space and I give myself a little bit more room on the bottom foreground is working for me, so Im going
the legs would fold under the body. The towers of the piece and add more canvas so I can finish to try to keep that. Im also trying to tighten

the silhouette of each of the elements in the right, and adjusted the legs and side boosters few things I would like to fix or add, but to me
painting; I keep making selections and painting accordingly (Fig.08). if I can get the idea of the painting across to
inside them to keep my shapes all sharp and the viewer without having to explain it, then its
clean at least for now (Fig.06). To finish off the painting I continue to add in successful; I can always go back in and develop
detail and texture and clean up the forms. For it further into a finished piece.
Step 7 presentation I shrink it down and run a Sharpen
I continue to flesh out the piece, adding in some filter on it. At some point I decide to call it quits Thanks for checking out this chapter and have
atmospheric effects to push the ship into the its only a matter of time before I overwork it fun painting!
distance a bit. An airbrush would work, but I and totally destroy everything! There are still a
prefer to add a little bit of texture in there so I
use a light texture brush and take the opacity
down until it looks right. I thought it would be
cool if I added in one of those highway signs
smashed on the rocks to the right. To do this
I make a square selection and paint inside it,
lock it, and add my details (Fig.07). After this I
use the transform tool to work the sign into the
painting. I flip the piece a few times to fix what
looks wrong or off.
Step 8
It was brought to my attention that the machine
was looking a little flat, since its directly facing
the viewer. So I use the Transform > Warp
tool to curve and turn the ship slightly to the

Justin Albers
http://www.justinalbers.com/
Or contact:
albers.justin@gmail.com
The approaching swarm appeared biblical in
scale and straight from a nightmare
by Justin Albers & Richard Tilbury
Speed Painting: v3 The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare
Created In:
Adobe Photoshop
Introduction
This was a very doom and gloom sounding
piece, but had the potential to be epic. When
I first read the caption I had two ideas one
was an Amazonian jungle setting populated by
huge wasps or mosquitoes; the other was of
a burning, orange Egyptian desert swarming
with locusts or scarabs. I decided to go with the
second, just because I like painting deserts!
Step 1
Ive opened up a portrait-style canvas because
Im thinking Ill want to have a lot of sky in there
to show off the magnitude of the swarm. This
is the part where I just experiment with colours
and texture brushes until I find something I like.
The palette here is pretty tame, and at this point
I think I need to go much warmer (Fig.01).
Step 2
Im starting to scribble in some shapes and
defining my composition. I know Im going to it quickly starts to appear too busy. In addition,
want something in the foreground to denote Im beginning to finalise the shape of the rocks
scale. Im also going to want some sort of in the foreground (Fig.02).
ancient ruins or a sacred-looking building way in
the back thats being threatened by this insect Step 3
invasion, and then in the middle ground I want I decide to substitute the huge Egyptian
to show lots of sand. Im toying around with structure for a smaller, more rectangular building
the idea of having a huge Egyptian monolithic that has some Middle Eastern influences in the
structure in the background with sand pouring architecture. I still want to maintain a bit of a
out of it, but while this seems pretty cool at first, fantasy element to it, so Im making stuff up as I

The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare Speed Painting: v3
go and reinforcing it with referenced details. Im
also defining the rock and sand in the middle
ground (Fig.03).
Step 4
Im starting to refine the composition, often
checking in the navigator window to be sure the
piece is reading properly. Im happy with the
colour palette; I like the blues with the oranges,
browns and yellows. Now that I have these main
elements in, its time to add in the nightmarish
swarm of insects (Fig.04).
Step 5
Here Ive painted in what I imagine one of these
insects to look like, making a point to keep it
fairly clean around the edges. I decide to make
it a blue colour to contrast with the surrounding
oranges. Im thinking these are about the size
of a hawk which is grossly big for an insect
(Fig.05).
Step 6
Once I have the scarab designed I make a
brush out of it. To do this, I copy the layer with
the bug on it and paste it into a new canvas so
that its by itself on a white background. Then
I go to Edit > Define Brush Preset and name it
scarab. I go into the brushes tab and modify it;
I check the Shape Dynamics and the Scattering
tabs and adjust the sliders until it looks
somewhat like a natural swarm. I also alter the the original bug that I painted and copy them a
Spacing in the Brush Tip Shape tab (Fig.06). few times to create the swarm (Fig.07).
Step 7 Step 8
Im trying out the new brush I made. It works Im happy with the swarm but it doesnt feel
great and makes an easy bug swarm. I make nightmarish or biblical enough! It feels like a
myself a few bug swarm layers and set the bright sunny day in the desert with a couple
opacities at different percentages to make some of annoying flies. To make this more exciting,
appear further away. I combine these layers with I add more insects in the background so that

the swarm starts to blot out the sky. I also add the world. So, I add in some scarabs attacking
a scarab or two into the foreground and blur him, forcing him to defend himself. I also add
them out so that they appear close enough to in the lightning, because lightning looks cool. I
be out of focus. I add an approaching sand/ darken the foreground to really put emphasis on
thunderstorm to the fray to help add to the the swarm flying past and also lighten the area
chaos of the scene. My thinking is that this on the rocks by the scout to add focus to that
tower has been cursed and is being subjected little interest spot as well (Fig.08).
to a plague of carnivorous scarabs, sand and
lightning storms that will eventually destroy the Step 9 Final
tower and its inhabitants. Also, the figure in the I made a few more adjustments to the piece
foreground, who is a scout or lookout, looks like after receiving some friendly critique. I made the
hes just chillin on the rocks with not a care in foreground rock formation smaller and added
in some ground details to open up the piece a

little bit and make it feel less cluttered. Also, I
ditched the building and added a huge insect
hive; I felt it read better fictionally to have the
swarm pouring out from this thing and I turned
the figure into some kind of warlock dude. I think
adding in the giant, disgusting insect hive makes
it feel more dangerous and nightmarish as the
topic implies. I also added some grey to the
middle and background to push those elements
back into the painting (Fig.09).
As a speed painting this guy is pretty much

done. I will probably go back and tighten up my
edges by making a selection of each piece and
painting inside it to make them precise. I will
also tighten up the storm clouds and possibly
add a few more scarabs.
And thats enough talk of man-eating bugs for

one day!
Justin Albers
Or contact:

The first stage was to establish the composition,

which in this case would be a panoramic view
of a landscape from which would emerge an
oncoming swarm over the distant horizon. I
decided to tilt the angle of the view to add some
drama and also create a dynamic between the
horizon and the direction of the swarm.
I used a standard hard round airbrush to rough

in the landscape and a spatter brush with the
dual brush function enabled to create some
texture in the initial swarm (Fig.01).
I duplicated the swarm layer and applied some

motion blur to suggest a writhing mass of
moving insects (Fig.02).
The pattern across the landscape does

something to suggest the scale of the swarm but
I felt the image needed another component. I
decided to add the uppermost part of some kind
of fortress or structure in the foreground with
a sentry overlooking the valley (Fig.03). This
character would provide the scale.
Due to the initial brush used, the scale of the

swarm looked too small, so using a custom
brush I painted over the area to create a better
impression of more insects (Fig.04).

The approaching swarm appeared biblical in scale and straight from a nightmare Speed Painting: v3
The swarm was now looking much better, but cooler hue leaning towards blue and green and
the foreground figure and landscape needed also made the landscape look far more like lush,
refining. Using the hard round airbrush again, arable land (Fig.06).
I added in evidence of trees and fields across
the valley as well as a distant mountain range. To help make the swarm more ominous I added
The sentry was also given some armour and a a shadow across the landscape and foreground
helmet (Fig.05). to convey its size and density. To enhance this Using the same hard round airbrush I then
and suggest it is big enough to block out part painted in some extra trees and detail across
To help the fields look less like a desert, I of the sun, I extended it across the top of the the fields to add more definition and tilted the
altered the colour of the landscape (Image- picture and created a blanket effect. Swapping sentry slightly to match the perspective. Here is
Adjustments-Colour Balance). This created a the blue values for browns also helped (Fig.07). the final image (Fig.08).
Richard Tilbury
http://www.richardtilburyart.com
Or contact:
rich@3dtotal.com

The size of the task ahead was extremely
daunting
by Justin Albers & Richard Tilbury
The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting Speed Painting: v3
Created In:
Photoshop
The first stage was to try and decide exactly

what I was going to represent in this image,
as the title did not suggest anything to me
immediately. I have recently finished a painting
depicting a frozen wilderness and it is perhaps
for this reason that the setting I ended up
choosing materialised in my mind. I wanted to
show a lonely explorer who has unwittingly set
up camp somewhere that has suddenly broken

up into an ice flow overnight. He is now left
stranded with no obvious means of traversing
the sections of ice and getting back to the main
landmass.
Having decided on a subject I started by

creating a gradient from dark blue to a slightly
lighter shade (Fig01). This was going to
represent the sea (lower section) and the sky
along the top of the image.
On a new layer, using a custom brush (Fig02),

I began by blocking in the rough ice shapes
as well as the distant land mass and horizon
(Fig03).
Once I had the general perspective and horizon

in position I then used a hard edged brush as
an eraser to sharpen the edges of the ice flow

Speed Painting: v3 The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting
and neaten up the shapes. I also refined the
distant hills and sky, and on a new layer set to
Screen blending mode, I added a white glow to
the right corner to establish the position of the
sun (Fig04).
With the overall composition blocked in, I

decided to add the focus of the scene: our
explorer. I placed him in the foreground to
distance him from the arctic base that I planned
to paint in later. I also added some smaller
pieces of ice floating around the main blocks in The image was almost complete at this stage, and scattered some snow along the base of the
order to break up the symmetry (Fig05). except for a few minor refinements and the ice tent.
station of course.
To enrich the image and add some variation to The last important feature to add was the base
the water, I created a new layer set to Overlay I enhanced the sky slightly to reflect the blue of which the explorer is trying to signal (not much
mode at around 60% opacity and painted in a the sea, as well as erasing some of the ice flow chance of that!) My plan was to add a flare that
turquoise wash across the middle distance to on the left of the picture. I added some subtle he has fired into the air (hence the upright arm)
reflect the sunlight (Fig06). reflections below some of the nearer ice blocks to attract the attention of the base, which makes
sense in theory, but didnt work compositionally.
As a result I scrapped the idea and left him
simply waving, which does in fact make the
situation feel far more desperate! (Fig.07).
Richard Tilbury
http://www.richardtilburyart.com
Or contact:
rich@3dtotal.com

The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting Speed Painting: v3
Created In:
Photoshop
Many different possibilities and directions went

through my mind with this topic, but I decided I
wanted to do something character-based here.
One of the things I thought of was this image of
a girl who has been kidnapped and imprisoned
in a faraway castle but has somehow managed
to break free and has almost made her escape
except the open gate is being guarded
by some kind of monster. She is armed with
nothing but a small knife, yet she has no choice
but to either sneak around the guard or engage
him. I thought such an uneven match-up would
prove a decidedly difficult task!
I began by opening up a blank canvas in

Photoshop CS2 and sketching out my initial
ideas. I then put in my values in black and white,
figuring that the main light source would be the
light coming from the open gate (Fig.01). I wanted the girl to be the focal
point of the image, with the guard taking next priority, so I decided to put
her close to the viewer and the guard in the background. Later I decided
to add in the crow cage in the top of the piece, completing a triangular
composition.
Once I had a rough idea about my values, I began putting in some

preliminary colours using the Colour and Overlay layer settings. My first
impression was to create a damp, greenish, musty brown colour scheme,
since thats what I think of when I think of old castles and dungeons.
Meanwhile the colours of the girl would be more saturated, vibrant and
warm, since shes the hero (Fig.02).
I wasnt quite happy with the size relationship of the figures, so I started
experimenting with how close and how large the girl should be. My
perspective was also wonky so I needed to fix that first (Fig.03).
I made the guard smaller and set him back a touch by taking his values
down. I also enlarged the girl, really putting her up close (Fig.04). At

Speed Painting: v3 The size of the task ahead was extremely daunting
this point, I decided I needed a fresh eye and
so at work I talked to the concept guys on the
Darksiders team for a few bits of advice.
I then tweaked the composition a tad more to

make the perspective better. I made the exit
gate bigger and more substantial so that the
guard was silhouetted against it and created a
nice contrast against the dark, foreground wall.
I also polished up the two figures to make them
read better (Fig.05).
I kept tightening up the figures, checking my

Navigator window and flipping the image
horizontally and fixing anything that was off. I
de-saturated the image a bit to match the dark,
bleak mood I had originally intended, and I
included a few details in the background on the
other side of the gate (Fig.06).
Here I fixed the features of the girls face and

added in the cage and a few crows. I also used
more texture brushes to start creating some
interest in some of these elements (Fig.07).
I painted a spot of red over the girls face and

set it on Overlay to add some saturation, colour
and life to her, and to make her stand out from
the greens and browns. I also added a few
minor details to the ogre, being careful not to
take too much attention away from the girl. I
found myself having to push him back into the
background often with the airbrush.

I then cleaned up the figures a bit more
and added some interest to the floor in the
foreground with a few textured brushstrokes.
After a few final touches to the face and armour
plates of the guard, I ran a sharpen filter on the
painting and called it a day (Fig.08). The initial
idea was there, after checking the Navigator
window I could see that it read well from far
away, and I could always go back and finish it
another day.
Thanks for reading!
Justin Albers
Or contact:
They looked through the window and what they
saw took their breath away
by Levente Peterffy & Jesse van Dijk
They looked through the window and what they saw took their breath away Speed Painting: v3
Created In:
Adobe Photoshop
Introduction
For this chapter, the theme is: They looked
through the window and what they saw took
their breath away. With this in mind I want to
create an image where we, as an observer,
are watching with the characters looking out
through the window. I want us to see something
extraordinary, and for this kind of concept were
going to require a strong sense of composition. I
would therefore like this article to focus more on
the composition, rather than the technical brush
aspects and colours.
There are a couple of rules that can be applied

to achieve good composition:
- Rule of thirds
- Golden section rule
- Diagonal rule
Personally, I dont like to think of rules too

much because they tend to keep you thinking
in a strict process and can also limit your own
thinking. But its still important and also good
to be aware of these rules. There is also a good
reason to try and break these rules, because
they are very easily recognisable and hence can
make an image appear dull. But its pretty easy
to research about all of these rules plus Im
sure many of you are familiar with them already,
so I will leave you to make your own research about these as you feel
necessary.
Blocking & Placement

Lets take a look at the very first image of this tutorial (Fig.01). We can
see a figure slightly left of the centre; Ive intentionally left the centre open
because this is our window looking out at our scene. This window area

Speed Painting: v3 They looked through the window and what they saw took their breath away
is where the focus of the eye should be led. We distracting in any way. Therefore, painting in the full focus from our point of view, and at the
will become one of the party of characters that periphery cant have extreme values of colour or same time have objects around it giving it visual
are looking out of the window, making us the contrasting and strong shapes. weight, but not extracting us from this view. We
they in this particular speed painting theme. also have more definition to the shapes. The
Finishing the Block Out objects now read as the shapes of humans,
So as not to not disturb the central focus A few more steps into the painting now, we can boats, water, hill, sky and so on. Notice also
we must think of the surrounding area as take a look at the next tutorial image (Fig.02). that we are not exactly looking in the centre but
interesting, but not to the degree that its Here I have filled the canvas where we have slightly to the right of it.

As we continue (Fig.03 & Fig.04) the shapes
become clearer, sharper, more defined and
also stay in the same colour palette. Remember
to flip your canvas to check the composition is
working well. Soon we will be able to see whats
so extraordinary outside that window!
Enhancing the Focus

You can paint so that the eye follows a certain
path to a strong visual point, but enhancing
this point further can be achieved through the
subject. And since I really love the Jaws movie,
I decided in this painting to put the strongest
focus onto a huge shark, painting it slightly
smaller than the fishing boat.
Thats a 20-footer!
25-footer, 3 tonnes of him
Painting the Rest

Since the composition is set and there are no
more introductions of new objects, the rest is
about enhancing definition in the detail and
colour (Fig.05 - Fig.09). Be careful not to paint
to the level that it will distract the smaller
person in the image is close to that extent, but it
lacks definition in shape making it more blurred
and diffused.
Levente Peterffy
http://www.leventep.com
Or contact:
lp@leventep.com

Created In:
Adobe Photoshop
Working from topics is cool, because it usually

forces you to think about the image before you
actually start painting.
Idea generation
Upon reading the topic, the first thing that comes
to mind is sprawling landscapes, perhaps seen
from a (flying) vehicle, or super-high, mega-
structure. However, Ive got time to spare, so I
allow myself to ponder over other possibilities
for a few days. Im usually sceptical of my very
first idea - often, its also the most generic.
Recently Ive done a series of really quick

sketches of some typically Dutch environments:
very flat, mostly agricultural, nothing very
dramatic outside of the overwhelming flatness of
the land. I decide to use this as a context for my
out of the window piece as well, as it will force
me to think a little bit further than my very first
idea. Taking an existing context for something I
need to design is a technique I often apply as it the they looked out the window bit of the topic. ominous feeling of were next (Fig.02).
will save me design time. My Dutch sketch can This means Ill have to create a scene outside However, it shouldnt be a thoroughly nasty
be seen in Fig.01/ of the farmhouse that will take the breath away scene, as I wouldnt want to suggest just
of the people inside. Theres a real obvious plain cruelty against animals. Im aiming for
To kick off the painting, I start sketching a very solution for this problem of course: Ill have an something a little more light-hearted. While this
generic farmyard, and I decide Ill have people invasion of huge, alien monsters harass the is a very, very rough sketch, it allows me to
behind the windows of the farm to take care of cows of the farm, giving the people inside an judge the composition, basic lighting setup and
camera angle. Seems like were okay for the
moment.
Making the painting work

A lot of the depth of this image is going to
be achieved by fogging and atmospheric
perspective (the gradual decrease in contrast
as subjects move further away from camera).
Because of this, and the relatively simple
lighting scenario, I can introduce colour into
the image at a fairly early stage. Theres really
no point in drawing another grassy plain other

than the one Ive just completed earlier in
another one of those Dutch landscape sketches
I mentioned, so I simply copy/paste the ground
from my existing sketch and add a bit of blue
night atmosphere (for such occasions, Multiply
layers are your friends) (Fig.03).
I can get away with this as the original sketch

was in daylight, and my out-of-the-window
sketch is a night scene. Additionally, I also
scale down the copied content vertically and
non-uniformly. No one will be able to tell the
similarities between my original sketch and
my new one. Having the ground in there, with
many subtle hue differences, will still allow me
to mess around with the colours and lightness
of the scene quite roughly. Anyway, back to
the sketch. I apply a fairly straightforward local
colour scheme: green-ish for the grass, blue-ish
in the night sky, and primarily dark grey for the
aliens (Fig.04).
Next up is tidying up the background. I want

to focus the viewers attention primarily on
the creatures, so I cant afford to spend too
much time on everything else. Im keeping the
creatures on a separate layer for the time being,

and turn it off. My basic background is clear
enough for now (Fig.05).
Now Ive got to worry about the main aspect of

the painting, the creatures themselves. Whats a
bit tricky about this is that Ive got to design and
visualise them in the composition at the same
time. Its supposed to be speed painting after all,
there really isnt time to do any further design
studies. So to be able to tackle this problem, I
save a new version of the image, desaturate
everything, and start working on the creatures
on a new layer. I will import this layer in my
colour image later on and put in Luminosity
blending mode to make up for the lack of colour
information. But thats all for later. First I need to

better define these creatures. Working in black Also, this is a good a moment to paint some the cows just continue munching grass (which
and white is a little easier to design in, as you more cows. The position and attitude of the is unlikely at night, but Ill take a bit of artistic
dont need to worry about colours (Fig.06). cows is important for the story. I want them to liberty here to emphasise their disinterest), while
look uninterested mostly; this will take away the the others cant even be bothered to look at the
Whats important is that I want to keep the notion that the creature will simply tear them thing. Only the cow in the spotlight actually looks
viewer guessing at what he is really looking at. to shreds, which I want to avoid. If the cows up to see what all the light is about (Fig.07).
Are they mechanical? Organic? Or perhaps are okay with such a crazy monster stomping
a combination of both? They need to be alien through their farmland, then perhaps its not Okay, now Ive got one big creature looking
to us, so Im not answering all the questions. such an evil creature after all? So, some of over the farmhouse itself, while the one close to
camera is concentrating on the cow (Fig.08).
Now lets see how well they fit into the coloured
background I did earlier. I drag my b/w
creatures into my coloured PSD, and put them
in Luminosity mode, Copy Merge the result,
and Dodge here and there to underline some
of the bright lights. I also add a few lights in
the background to suggest its a whole army of
these creatures thats suddenly landed on Earth
(Fig.09).
Right. Im not happy. Something is wrong, but

at first I really cant tell what it is. I let the picture
rest for a bit; Ill get back to it later. So much for
this being a speed painting!

Kill your darlings
Looking at it the next day, I instantly see what
I felt bad about: its the fact that the painting
consists of two essentially unconnected scenes.
There is one creature bothering the house, the
other bothering the cow. Or to explain it visually,
there are two separate visual loops, as shown
in Fig.10.
These two scenes could perfectly well be two

separate images and since they are in one
painting, thats a problem. I want to send a clear
signal to the viewer, not a confusing mess of
two different stories. At this point, no matter
how painful it is, its time to kill my darlings -
remember that less is more, etc. I remove the
foreground creature altogether and see how that
works (Fig.11).
Thats a much stronger composition. It does

affect the background story - its no longer
a horde, but a single titanic alien, but since
there is no hard brief I will choose a stronger
composition over my original idea of an army of
these creatures.
Having fixed the composition, all major worries

have now been taken care of. From this point
on, its all a matter of detailing, and making sure
no detail is present where its not needed (which

I find a lot harder than adding detail).
The hand gesture is a very important aspect of

the painting, so I want some reference for that.
It needs to express anticipation on the part of
the creature, a bit of menace, but not sheer
bloodlust - I need something that also has a bit
of curiosity about it. I take a few pictures (my
aim is horrible, as Fig.12 shows) and of the
several gestures I make its no surprise the one I
like best is the most crappy, blurred photograph
of the lot. However, the fact that its a bad photo
doesnt really matter, as it was never meant as
a literal reference. I like how four fingers are all
silhouetted against the sky, so I decide to leave

the fifth finger out - hey, its an alien after all! an almost cartoony degree (Ill turn that down people just slightly. Now for the very last (and
Time to increase the lighting consistency: warm just a notch for the final image). To further important step): some colour dodging (if you
from the farmhouse, cold from the world and underline the cows lack of excitement, I add use Photoshop) or Glowing (if you use Painter)
blue greenish from the eyes. Im flipping the half a cow on the right edge of the image. This to make sure all the action happens in the
canvas constantly to look at the painting with particular cow cant even be bothered to show mid tones, and not in the shadows. Thats it!
fresh eyes (Fig.13). its face (Fig.14). (Fig.15).

Almost there. I add the people behind the Time to finish it off. I add shadows and light I hope youve enjoyed the tutorial; visit my
window, and exaggerate their body language to to the fence, and change the position of the website for more of my works and tutorials!

Jesse van Dijk
http://jessevandijk.net
Or contact:
jesse@jessevandijk.net
As night fell, the darkness came alive
by Ehsan Dabbaghi & Emrah Elmasli
Speed Painting :v3 As night fell, the darkness came alive
Created In:
Adobe Photoshop
Concept
With this kind of task, first of all we must think
about what we want to paint. I personally
thought about the topic for a couple of days and
then got my thoughts down visually by painting
three sketches in black and white. From those
sketches, I could work out exactly what I wanted
to achieve with my painting: to depict a story
about a group who want to stay in a camp all
night long, but where no one knows what will
happen once the sun goes down and darkness
reigns.
Step 1
So, with the story in place, I can now get to
work. I start by making a new blank canvas in
Photoshop at 4000 x 2000 pixels. I use some

shaped brushes and just play around with the
black and white paint, getting a feel for shape
and tone (Fig.01). I think its important to always
try to work at about 50% or 25% zoom at this
stage; that way you can see the whole image
easily and think about the composition whilst
youre working on it.
Step 2
Okay, this is where I have to refine the design,
so I make a brush that will be useful for this task
(Brush.01). You can see the options selected
for this brush in the palette (Palette.01); in Other
Dynamics I set both options to Pen Pressure.
These brushes can give very interesting random
lines and shapes that I personally find are really
great to work, especially when you select an
area with the Lasso tool and then paint.
At this stage I add a foreground to the painting,

as you can see (Fig.02). I believe that light is

As night fell, the darkness came alive Speed Painting: v3
the most important thing to keep in mind when

painting. I heard somewhere that you shouldnt
think about light at first; that you should use
colour to get the light established very slowly,
and then with just one or two touches of your
brush you can achieve the light. Well, Im not
sure whether thats right or not, but it certainly
sounds like a nice concept! I will test the theory
out in my next painting. Getting back to work, I
now add some light grey where I want my light
source to be coming from.
Step 3
I wanted to make a connection between the
foreground and background in that previous
stage, and I have achieved what I want: a

feeling of depth. The light in the mountains
seems to be working, and so now I need to
start thinking about the shapes of the rocks as
they will form a very important part of the scene
(Fig.03).
Step 4
Here I add in the poor guys who are going to be
facing the darkness of the night in this scene,
and possibly also dealing with the fear of their
own deaths (Fig.04).

Step 5
I use an airbrush at this point to add some haze
to the background and to help achieve a better
feeling of depth. I also make the foreground
darker which isnt too important at this stage
as you can always do this towards the end of
the painting (Fig.05).
Step 6
At last, I finally reach the colour stage! I start
by creating a new layer in Colour mode. I like
the contrast between orange and blue, and so this is the colour scheme
I choose for the base work of this particular scene. It also works well with
the story of the sundown (Fig.06).
Step 7
I create a Colour Balance layer here and add some blue to the shadows. I
also add more red and yellow to the highlights (Fig.07).
Step 8
Now its time to add textures. Using the colour of textures can prove
useful; they can work very well when you get into thinking about colour in
your painting. For the textures in this piece I use a Soft Light layer, from
the layer palette mode. I have three texture layers in total; you can use
textures to distort or even to add more perspective to your painting. I use
this trick on the mountains (Fig.08).

Step 9
I use an Overlay layer here, which is great for
creating nice colour effects kind of like a glaze
does with oil paint. Here I further detail the
mountain area (Fig.09).
Step 10
Here I continue to add story and mood to the
scene by creating a fire in the centre of the
huddled guys in the middle ground, and painting
the reflection from the fire onto the men. All of
this helps to focus the viewers attention on the
people on the scene and assists with the story
of the camp at dusk (Fig.10).
Step 11
Adding some light to the foreground and
middle ground area here is a good move it
further helps with the connection between the

foreground and background, as mentioned
before (Fig.11).
Step 12
This stage is all about helping to define the
rocks and shapes, with some detailing brush
work (Fig.12).
Step 13
Using a Colour layer is a really important trick to
bring in at the end of a painting; you can create
the colour directly on the image which is pretty
exciting! Ive never worked with oil paints before,
but I do know a little about it, and I think that
if a digital painter can have an understanding
of traditional oil and acrylic painting then it can
help them to create a better digital painting.
Understanding colour is important, as is the
affect of applying a glaze to a finished painting
which is what Im currently trying to develop
an understanding of. With my Colour layer here,
I try to imitate the affect that a glaze might (I

assume) create on a traditional painting of a (Fig.14); its important to use colours for shapes. > Unsharp Mask and set the options as required
similar subject (Fig.13). Im very happy with the red that seems to look to make a nicely sharp image. To achieve more
good in there, beside the shadow colour I depth on your scene it can also be a good idea
Step 14 really like this part of the image. to erase some areas, if needs be. This also
Back lighting. I like it when there is light behind helps to create more of a feeling of focus.
your camera; it seems to give more feeling to an To finish up, I select all of the layers, drag and As a final note, be sure to enjoy painting and
image. To do this, I create a new layer in normal drop them into a new layer (using the function at be happy with your final outcome. Thanks for
mode and just paint with the colour I want. the bottom of the layer palette to create the new reading!
Take a look at the mountain in the background layer), and then press Ctrl + E. I go to Sharpen

Ehsan Dabbaghi
http://ehsand.cgsociety.org/gallery/
Or contact:
artistofpersia@yahoo.com
Created In:
Photoshop & Painter
Hi readers! Once again, Im back with a new

tutorial. 2008 is now in the past and I feel
that 2009 is going to be a really exciting year.
Hopefully Ill be doing more speed paintings
for you all; Ive got more coming up after this
chapter, so dont miss out!
This chapters subject was quite challenging

actually. It was hard to come up with a decent
concept. But then I thought that it would be
a good idea to paint a simple, yet effective
scene. I used a strong yellow backlight for
the main light source and a very pale blue for
the secondary foreground lighting. Its really
surprising to see how a strong backlight can
instantly create an effective mood. You dont
even have to render the figures because the
silhouettes pretty much do the job. Okay,
enough talking, lets get started!

Step 1
I start by firing up Photoshop CS3 and opening
a new vertical page of 2200x1200 pixels at
150 ppi. This is pretty much enough for a
quickie. Now, I select a main colour and fill in
the canvas. Im using a brownish colour (dark
scenes dont have to be blue!). I then choose a
soft round brush and glaze the horizon with a
lighter tone of the colour. This helps me to get a
feel for the environment a little better (Fig.01).
Step 2
Its time to brighten up the scene a bit now, so
I add four lampposts to achieve this, which will
be all blurred from the mist. Then I create a new
layer and change the layer options to Overlay.
I paint the first pass with a soft brush, using
yellow. I then create a new layer and select
Colour Overlay from the options. I do the same
thing again but this time using a more saturated
yellow. This gives me four really bright lights
now, which are going to be my main light source
(Fig.02).
Step 3
Okay, time bring some life into the scene. I paint
in a couple of trees maybe were in a creepy these from scratch, though it really doesnt to the scene. I decide to overlay a texture
park or something? I dont know yet. Maybe take that long (Fig.03). layer on the top to make it look even moodier.
theres a small path between the trees, curling I basically select a textured brush, increase
and disappearing towards the horizon that Step 4 the master diameter and paint with it directly. I
would look nice (hold on, I sounded like Bob As the next step, I start to add some detail. I then decrease the opacity of the Overlay layer
Ross then!). You can create custom brushes also add the pale blue light coming from the (Fig.04).
to paint trees even faster, if you want. I painted foreground, which helps to add some depth
Step 5
Now its time to put the characters in. I paint
in a running female figure coming towards the
camera. Shes softly backlit by the lampposts.
I also paint in some weird creatures with red
eyes. They are figuratively the darkness, or
the creatures of the dark. They are also backlit
well, yeah, shes escaping from them after all
(Fig.05)!
Step 6
This is the glazing step where I create a few
overlay layers and brighten up the scene with

a couple of brushstrokes. Its important not to
exaggerate this step, though, otherwise the
highlights end up being overwhelming (Fig.06).
Final
Finally, and for a change, I take this painting
into Painter, where I throw in a couple of
brushstrokes using the palette knife (which
is my favourite tool in Painter). This part isnt
essential; its just an extra step I chose to do to
make the picture look more painterly. And I
think it worked done (Fig.07)!
I hope youve enjoyed this latest speed painting.

Thanks for reading!
Emrah Elmasli
Or contact:
emrah@partycule.com
: volume 3
Available Now Only!

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Features 60 of the finest digital

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Introduction
The Matte Painting eBook is a 39-page guide showing you, over
5 parts, the basics of Matte Painting, whilst also giving some
more advanced techniques in the final chapter. We asked industry
professional, Tiberius Viris to take an interesting photograph
and to create an easy-to-follow set of tutorials about how to add
varying conditions to this or any other scene.
This eBook is aimed at beginners, as well as those who already

have some experience with matte painting advanced knowledge
of Photoshop is required in both cases. If you are not familiar with
adjustment layers, layer masks or channels (RGB), you should
read about these topics prior to starting this tutorial.
Chapter 1: Day to Night Chapter 2: Sunshine to Snow Chapter 3: Storm Chapter 4: Fire and Smoke Chapter 5: Tips and Tricks

Speed Painting - Digital Painting Tutorial Series Vol.3 - Zoo Publishing & 3DTotal - Com Ltd. - (2009) (ChrisArmand)

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Contents

This process is a bit risky in the sense that

Because I started off with a vertical canvas, in

www.2dartistmag.com page 4 Chapter 1

Continuing with experimentation, I began to

After applying the same method of finding

To finish off, retaining the structure that already

www.2dartistmag.com page 5 Chapter 1

Although the scene was a little more defined at

www.2dartistmag.com page 7 Chapter 1

The last remaining components were the

www.2dartistmag.com page 8 Chapter 1

If we think about the theme in our minds we can

So when we destroy this image, its important

www.2dartistmag.com page 10 Chapter 2

spot those shapes. When I destroy an image, I

- Cut-out shapes with the Marquee tool and

www.2dartistmag.com page 11 Chapter 2

and Fig.06 to see how the definition becomes

In the defining stage we dont use new extreme

Light is painted much more softly on the

For more help, references can be used for the

www.2dartistmag.com page 12 Chapter 2

For more information about this working

www.2dartistmag.com page 13 Chapter 2

exactly what he is doing. The table in front of

With this initial composition blocked in, it

www.2dartistmag.com page 16 Chapter 2

With a rough notion of the colour scheme, I

Refining the Picture

a least one more character to tie in with the title,

I added some volume to the sheeting to suggest

www.2dartistmag.com page 17 Chapter 2

To help enhance the colour of the surgeons

The change to the parasite helped the picture

The final result can be seen here (Final).

www.2dartistmag.com page 18 Chapter 2

www.2dartistmag.com page 19 Chapter 2

I start off with simple spot and brush mark

www.2dartistmag.com page 21 Chapter 3

Another interesting technique I like to employ when speed painting is

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Trick or treat!

www.2dartistmag.com page 22 Chapter 3

www.2dartistmag.com page 24 Chapter 3

to be tiny in comparison to the giant. I start painting them in, trying to

www.2dartistmag.com page 25 Chapter 3

Hope you like it and thanks for reading!

Hello everyone! First of all, I would like to let

composition, so Ill create a new A4 canvas at 150 ppi. Firstly, I need to

www.2dartistmag.com page 28 Chapter 4

I hope youve enjoyed this painting process. Thanks for reading!

www.2dartistmag.com page 29 Chapter 4

www.2dartistmag.com page 31 Chapter 4

www.2dartistmag.com page 32 Chapter 4

www.2dartistmag.com page 33 Chapter 4

www.2dartistmag.com page 37 Chapter 5

www.2dartistmag.com page 38 Chapter 5

in some ground details to open up the piece a

As a speed painting this guy is pretty much

And thats enough talk of man-eating bugs for

www.2dartistmag.com page 39 Chapter 5

The first stage was to establish the composition,

I used a standard hard round airbrush to rough