Drawing in Photoshop

NAV16AP

1. jakso lukuvuonna 2016-2017

Last time we used shapes as a tool to learn the basics in Photoshop. This time we are going to use different brushes and draw. I have drawn a rose in my example but you are free to choose your own  subject. It can be a character, an object or even a complete illustration of a scene if you're a fast drawer. Most important thing is that you draw yourself. Don't just copy something already existing, create something original.

First when you open Photoshop create a new document. It's easier to put in details if the size and resolution are big. Create a new layer and delete the background layer. The background layer is white and we don't want to use it as a base because it has no transparency.

Then you are going to do a rough sketch of your art piece. Choose a bright color that differs from what you are about to draw. This makes it easier to trace the sketch afterwards. Create a new layer under the sketch layer. Make the opacity of the sketch layer about 50%. This way you're able to see through the layer but you still have guidelines for the line art.

Draw line art for your piece. Make sure the lines are clean and precise. This can be done by zooming in and clearing up the lines. Another way to clean up the lines is to use the pen tool. Trace outside the lines and fill the path with black. Do this to every line in the scene.

Outlines are now done and it's time to start the coloring. Once again create a new layer. Move the layer under the line art layer. You can add color by using the pen tool and tracing the areas you want color in or using a brush tool and coloring the areas. 

I tend to use the brush to create the background color for my objects and then use the pen tool to do shadows and highlights. It's up to you which technique you want to use in your art. Be sure to put your shadows and highlights on different layers and use the clipping mask so that you don't draw over the basic color layer.

Another way to do the shadows is to duplicate the original color layer and then press ctrl + L to open the levels window. Put the values in so that the it's black. Now in the black layer choose the opacity for that layer. Test and see what type of shadows fits your artwork. Now with the lasso tool select spots you want to highlight. You can select multiple spot simultaneously by pressing the shift key. When you have selected all the highlights use eraser tool and remove the shadows from the highlight spots. This method is more suitable for cartoon styled art.

To soften the shadows and highlights it's good idea to use color mixer brush tool. This will soften the harsh edges and make the colors blend in properly. You need to merge the layers together to be able to blend the colors. Merging can be done by selecting all the layers you want to merge and right clicking them. This will open a window with a merge layers option. Another way to merge layers is to use hotkeys ctrl + alt + shift + E. This will create a new layer with all the layers in the project without destroying the individual layers.  Save the layered file under a different name than the merged file so that you can go back and start over if necessary. 

Use different kind of brushes with low opacity to add texture. Experiment with darker and lighter colors until you're satisfied with the result.

For the background use gradient tool. Choose colors and gradient type that suit your artwork best and use them. You can change the colors of the sliders and move their position. Again experimenting and testing various combinations is recommended. Don't use the same values as I have.

You can also add some texture to the background with the same method as used on the object you have drawn. After the final touches sit back and enjoy your newest masterpiece.