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2:42 am
Digital Art Tutorial

The challenge of capturing the energy and excitement when illustrating for sport is difficult to achieve. Shreedhar Sutar’s illustrations not only achieve it but also appeal broadly with an optimistic tone. He dwells on his techniques of maintaining that energy in each sport star while bringing character to life. He takes us through his processes.

Energy

Step 01

Draw on a paper sheet to get the hint about the main force and structure of the drawing. Later took the rough drawing to Photoshop and starts working on light source and shadow in outline with the help of Wacom tablet.

Energy

Step 02

With calligraphy brushes applied basic shade for a base colour. Here it’s better to know a grey scale in detail, as the skin style will be very important for the final output. Skin tone is prepared by overlapping of multiple layers, which makes skin look more realistic. Used the same process for the hairs & clothes too, using dark and middle tones with some highlight. For beard used stippling style to get the realistic feel using both mouse and pen tablet.

Energy

Step 03

The clothes are as important as skin to create that realistic look. Drapery and fold have been achieved by creating shade and highlight. For bright reflections kept the path open with white colour. To make the clothes more appealing also embedded logo and text on the T-shirt. Also kept a single light source to create the depth in illustration. Used the same process for other objects like a hockey stick, socks and shoes. To work further merged all layers into one.

Step 04

Used smudge tool at 60% opacity to create stokes which shows the force behind the action. Outlines may look a bit blur after using the smudge tool, so created a black outline around to maintain the sharpness. Additionally applied a motion blur effect to half of the image to achieve speed.

Step 05

To make the illustration more believable used the watercolour splatters, droplets, flow and strokes to portray the sweat, as it would be an important part of the illustration. Applied watercolour flows and white spatters to merge the background and the character. Then finally applied shadows to create the depth.

Step 06

The final illustration achieved.

Published in Issue 28

This Illustration Special is best to know why and how illustration as a popular medium is taking the design world by storm! From evolution of illustrations to its place in the world today, renowned designers and illustrators like Abhishek Singh, Mukesh Singh, Archan Nair, Alicia Souza, Raj Khatri with some international talent such as Fil Dunsky from Russia, Iain Macarthur and Richard Field from UK, who live and breathe illustration, would be the right people to gain some insight from. With many more talents to explore with great insights and excellent techniques, again a fully packed issue is waiting to amaze you!

 

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10:46 am
Digital Art Tutorial

Gal Shir is an Israel based self-taught digital artist who creates digital illustrations on iPad Pro using Procreate App and Apple Pencil. He has been freelancing since the age of 16 and later worked with many creative studios/ startups including Promo.

 

He founded Color Hunt, which provides colour palettes with several combinations to make life easy for the creatives. He leads the design at Lemonade, along with consulting and helping entrepreneurs to establish design thinking. Gal has collaborated with brands like Apple, Adobe, LG, Procreate, Affinity, Dribbble, 9GAG, UNILAD, The Bright Side, and more.

 

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5:10 am
Illustration Tutorial

It’s not enough to create a character. What makes a difference is the way you portray it. Illustrator Neeraj Menon works on one of his creations to render it a disposition that presents it in a new light. He explains the process.

Render
Render

Step 01

Started out with a basic sketch. Used a fairly large canvas, usually A4 at 300 dpi, in case you would want to print it out later. It also gave enough room to zoom in and add detail.

Render
Render

Step 02

Rendered the basic details on the face. Modified the drawing on the left arm slightly. Used only grayscale on the majority of this painting. Realised this was the best way to ensure values and separations remained correct. Blocked in the shape of the goggles and added in the orange lenses. This would be one of the only actual colours used in the entire piece. Used a basic calligraphic brush for most of this painting.

Render

Step 03

Blocked out the basic shape of his flowing coat. This would help form his silhouette. Also blocked out basic folds and lines at this step. Cloth is usually tough to render and it helps a lot to have ready reference at hand. It’s best to shoot your own reference if possible.

Render

Step 04

Added in highlights and detail on his coat, such as bullet holes and tears/rips. Also, to help in the design of his armour, opened up alchemy, a free drawing software. Saved the design and imported into a Photoshop file. The free-flowing shapes in alchemy helped come up with a unique design which could be used as a base for the armour design.

Render
Render
Render

Step 05

Started fleshing out the armour here. Added shapes and light. Also, added some screws all over it. Used a simple custom brush. Also, at this stage, added a layer of flat purple in pin light mode to give the greys a bit of colour. It helped bring out a sterile sci-fi look.

Render

Step 06

Modified the armour further and added more light and shade.

Render

Step 07

Added a hexagonal pattern on the armour to suggest high tech. Used a brush for this to control the size of the pattern. Used the texture setting on the brush and paint it in.

Render

Step 07a

Added some fiery/glowing edges to the bullet holes on his jacket and small wisps of smoke from them.

Render
Render

Step 08

Added in bullet impacts on his armour. Added some stitching on his armor which was a simple modification to the calligraphic brush and added some decals overall on his armour.

Render

Step 09

Moved back to the face again. Finished rendering the hair and added some cuts/wounds on his face. Used custom brushes for some of these, which were mostly scanned splatter effects. Such brushes can also be downloaded online.

Render

Step 10

Added in details on the goggles. Used a pattern to suggest texture/material on the frame.

Render

Step 11

Rendered the right hand and then moved on to the gun. Looked for references that would help.

Render

Step 12

Added light shade on the gun and added some screws and glowing bits to suggest it came from the same family as the goggles and armour.

Render
Render

Step 13

Used some photo reference to get the swordhand right. Added some rim lighting around the edges and tightened up some details futher. Removed the shell casings from the gun. Added a pattern in the background and some sparks with a red gradient in the foreground for an added visual boost. Also added a noise filter in overlay mode on the image for added texture.

Render

Step 14

Arrived at the final image.

Published in Issue 15

In this issue, we invited leading Gaming professionals to share their inspirations along with their suggestions to improve the Gaming Art in India. Featuring some of the big names of Gaming Art like Vinay Vikram Singh, Sandeep Menon and Neeraj Menon along with Internationally renowned Russian studio, ‘Grafit Studio‘ and many more talented creatives. So, go ahead

 

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5:59 am
Digital Art Tutorial

Art is all about materialising your expressions. Vishnu PR takes us through his tutorial of how he transforms the expressions in his mind or even the expressions visible in a piece of art into his style and statement by creating a digital portrait.

Creating from imagination and references is one thing, adding your personal touch to these references and imaginative thinking completely changes the structure of the artwork for the good, defining the artists’ style.

 

For the creation of a portrait, inspired from an oil painting, in his own style, Vishnu has represented his personal touch in various forms of detailing like managing the light, shadow and highlights and addition of textures in just the right amount.

 

Follow the step by step guidance to know the secrets of making a digital portrait look real and surprise yourself with your own creation.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 1

Start by making an outline of the image that you want to create.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 2

A suitable base colour needs to be added to the created outline. Base colour is an important factor to create a digital art or portrait.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 3

The next step is to add different tones of colours in order to achieve the desired light and shadow effects. To give the skin a realistic look, use texture brushes to create a textured effect on the skin.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 4

In your mind, divide the picture into multiple parts and start by detailing out one part of the picture at a time. This organisation helps in a clear analysation of what exactly needs to be done next and is a smooth way of developing the picture.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 5

Then comes the time to adjust the levels of light, shade and highlights. This will take the picture art a step closer to the actual image.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 6

The fixing of lights and shades is followed by the addition of textures. The more accurately the textures are added, the more detailed will the outcome be.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 7

The textures add depth to the portrait. This is then followed by the detailing of the face and its parts like the eyes, nose, lips, etc.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 8

Now focusing on the hair and detailing it out to perfection. But always keep in mind that doing the hair is time-consuming and requires a lot of concentration.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 9

Finishing up the hair gets us very close to the finished portrait. Make sure that all different parts are detailed out in the proper manner and in the right amount of detail. As a mistake, as small as that of placing a strand of hair at the wrong place can disturb the portrait.

Make a Digital Portrait

Step 10

The final steps to finish up the portrait include last-minute touch-ups and detailing.
The amount of time put into creating a portrait is directly proportional to the outcome! This painting in particular was done by Vishnu in about 15 hours.

It is not easy for an artist to explain all the details and steps required through just a few words! Every step described above is needed to make it look the way it looks. Missing out on even one step can change the final result.

Published in Issue 43

With the changing weather comes the season of Interns, with fresh new energy everywhere and your talented creatives wanting to test their skills and knowledge in the real world of live creative briefs and super creative professional environment.
This issue is a must-read for internees and fresh talents. Go ahead and order your copy here or subscribe to not miss any future issues!

 

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4:33 am
Digital Art Tutorial

Gone are the days of drawing a portrait using pencils and brushes. Digital is the new canvas and Photoshop is the new tool. Digital Illustrator, Vivek Nag is fascinated by ‘Sadhus’ and here he takes us through the making of a portrait using Photoshop.

Portrait

Step 01

The first step is to make a rough patchy sketch of the character. It’s best to do this using a chalk brush or special Photoshop brushes which are meant to replicate a traditional look on the digital canvas. The lines mostly trace the shadows and/or contours of the face as seen in the image.

Portrait

Step 02

Taking the rough sketch as the base, the next step is to start making line art. This is made using the pressure sensitive round hard brush to create thin and to the point lines. Detailing is important in this step. Building upon the rough chalky sketch is beneficial. When satisfied, hide the sketch layer to proceed.

Portrait

Step 03

The next step is to start with the colours. Irrespective of the colours being used in the portrait, it’s best to dim down the background. This offers contrast and a better understanding of how bright the colours that are being used in the painting actually are. The next step is to make a palette of colours using the original image. Depending on the intricacy of colors in a photograph, it’s advisable to make a palette of 5 to 8 colors. In this case, a palette of six colours was used. It’s best to select colours in such a way that for any other shade or tint you require, one’s ability to create that using a combination of the set colours in the palette. As seen above, start filling the composition with patchwork. Using flats helps launch into the fray of the painting.

Portrait

Step 04

Taking the previous step forward, it’s now all about concentrating on detailing. Smaller brush strokes are employed as well as the colours being used are more varied. Notice how the freedoms of the strokes have become a little more restricted here. The line art acts as guiding points and this is the stage where it is put to most use.

Portrait

Step 05

Minute details start from here. The eyes are the most important part of a portrait. A lot can be conveyed from the eyes. For the most natural look, one needs to make the eyes detailed and relatable. The blending of the strokes also starts from this step. As is evident in the image, a certain level of ‘rawness’ is maintained with every stroke rather than applying a smooth blend. Keeping hints of patches provides a natural feel, especially on the skin. Also, one needs to keep the sheen of the eye in mind that is executed with a simple brush stroke, keeping minimal blending. The more striking the sheen, the better the eye tends to look.

Depending on the intricacy of colours in a photograph, it’s advisable to make a palette of 5 to 8 colours while performing a digital sketch.

Portrait

Step 06

The next step is replicating the previous steps with the lips and beard. Here, treat lips the same way skin near the eyes was treated. The beard however forms a rather tricky part of the portrait. The beard is mainly just brushed strokes with hardly any blending at all. The direction and the thickness of each stroke matters. For example, the brushes below the lip and at the origin of the beard are thick, whereas the strokes in the beard are rather fine.

Portrait

Step 07

The prior two steps are repeated on the remaining parts of face. The sides of the face are left undone because it will add on to the next steps. There are still many strokes on the face which are strongly patchy and look undone. However, this adds to the composition. The parts of any illustration with the most amount of detail and/or contrast attracts attention first; in this case, the eyes.

Portrait

Step 08

Once the face is done, this is where one needs to start working on the background. Against the already set dull gray background, start putting horizontal strokes with fine art brushes. The colours used are part of the portrait itself – reds, yellows and whites. This enables the background to compliment the main subject of the painting and establishes a flow to the composition. But also remember not to steal the focus from the subject by using colors that are too vibrant.

Portrait

Step 09

This step is called ‘The Haze’. This is where the focal points and edges are merged into the background. For example, the yellow ochre on the forehead is transformed into a form of smoke (haze) which drifts away from the head. This is still done using fine art brushes. Along with that, more horizontal strokes have been pulled around the beard and hair. These strokes are pulled in about 30% opacity and serve to blend the edges till the background looks like a part of the subject itself.

Portrait

Step 10

The last and final step is to add a layer mask. This is where curves are applied to the artwork. This is where contrast is also added to the painting. This helps the shades to pop out and there is a lot more depth than there was before.

Published in Issue 22

This issue is dedicated to the talented design graduates who are not just looking to work but seeking experience in order to realise the greater goal of life. The issue features various designers from India and abroad. Kevin Roodhorst from The Netherlands realised his goal so early in life that propelled him to start his career as a designer as young as 13. To name a few talents we have Vivek Nag from Fine Arts from Rachna Sansad Mumbai, Simran Nanda from Pearl Academy New Delhi, Anisha Raj from MAEER MIT Institute of Design Pune, Giby Joseph from Animation and Art School Goa and many more. This issue gives a fresh perspective of talented graduates and their unique approach to design.

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7:49 am
Digital Art Tutorial

We are well within the digital age, and the era of digital art. Right from the expert to the layman, everyone wants a slice of it. Maybe it’s the passion for a new career, or just plain curiosity. Either ways, digital art is everyone’s cup of tea.

1. Take a Look at Dreams Through the Mind of Man

 

High thought about the future is inseparable from the mind of a man. It’s the dreams that define his character. And hence, holds an important place in shaping up his expectations. Rupinder Singh attempts to interpret this relationship between a man and his expectations in a surrealist manner through his poster, Live your Dream.

Dreams through Mind of Man

Step by step tutorial here

 

2. Representation of Emotions, Extracted with Care

 

Every one of us responds to emotions in our own personal ways. But for all of us, it is an explosion. Sometimes it is expressed through an outburst, at other times, it just submerges within. Every time we explode, we lose a little bit of us. Digital Artist Fahd Hussein captures a moment in that explosion to create his piece, ‘Extraho’.

Representation of Emotions

Step by step tutorial here

 

3. The Poster of Pure Iron Love

 

Concept Artist, Raj Khatri, takes us through his step-by-step fan art progression of his favourite band, Iron Maiden. Starting with the initial sketches in the pages of his college notebook, he transports the sketching into the elaborate stages of adding drips and streaks; highlighting; playing with tones, and such other details, before finally reaching the envisioned representation.

Step1 Tutorial The Poster of Pure Iron Love - Creative Gaga
Tutorial The Poster of Pure Iron Love

Step by step tutorial here

 

4. Traditional Influences to Come up with a Novel Visual!

 

For an artist, the images you grow up with, linger on for long. As you grow, you think of recreating them, basis your understanding and expertise. That’s exactly what designer Sandeep Menon does with a traditional image he has grown up with. He gives it a twist and renders it in a new form. He explains how.

Traditional Influences

Step by step tutorial here

 

5. The Techniques For Realistic Illustrations

 

The more you read, the more you learn and the closer you reach to become a perfectionist. Nithin Rao has shared his knowledge through a tutorial for an illustration (digital art), helping the learners grow at a faster pace.

Nithin Rao - Tutorial

Step by step tutorial here

 

6. A Steady Approach to Connect With the Subject!

 

Concept Artist, Sahil Trivedi, shares his process of adding various layers to his work, and balancing the colour palette and light, to produce an effective and impactful design. He feels connecting to work in a steady and gradual process which helps optimise the final outcome.

subject
subject

Step by step tutorial here

 

7. Magic Sparkle of Colour on the Cover!

 

Though we are a country full of festivals all around the year, but this special time of year when not only you change your calendar but also the gifts, family dinners, celebrations and new year resolutions all makes it a special time in everyone’s life. Nithin Rao Kumblekar decided to capture this memorable time for the cover of Creative Gaga. Here he explains his thought process and step by step tutorial.

Step by step tutorial here

 

8. Let’s Create a Warrior From the Fantasy World

 

A character is incomplete without its costumes, props and environment. Especially if it belongs to the world of fantasy. Therefore, to render a character in totality, one should be very clear of its complete image right from the beginning. Concept artist Milton Das explains creating an artwork of a warrior, complete with its accessories. Here is the step by step process.

Warrior
Warrior

Step by step tutorial here

 

9. Learn Depth of Details to Create Mystical Environment!

 

Freelance Illustrator and Concept Artist, Ranjeet Singh, tries to depict magnification and perspective through his fantasy digital painting of a huge bull and a tiny wizard amidst a majestic and mystical environment. He emphasises on paying specific attention to the details of lighting, depth, tone and the likes, so as to achieve the conceived visuals.

Details

Step by step tutorial here

 

For tutorials on Animation, Illustration, Caricature, Character Design, Concept Art, Logo Design click here

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9:00 am
Artist
Aaron Pinto

Aaron Pinto, commonly known as Kidsquidy, is not only a graphic designer and an illustrator, but also the drummer for two Mumbai based metal bands, Providence and Gutslit. Having previously worked with MTV India as their senior designer, he now functions as an independent artist. Aaron has primarily worked within the pop culture from designing album covers and band merchandise to art direction and creating music videos and knows
it all.

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10:00 am
Inspiration

Have you ever started doodling with nothing really on your mind? Just aimless strokes intersecting and your thoughts preoccupied elsewhere. Sometimes our best work comes from these mindless scribbles and we don’t even
realize it.

 

Victor Rigo, an illustrator based in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, created this lovely illustration series simply by using hard stones and putting pencil to paper and letting his mind wander. The result is this minimal illustration style, yet well-developed characters with expressive emotions and gestures.

 

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7:53 am
Digital Art Tutorial

A character is incomplete without its costumes, props and environment. Especially if it belongs to the world of fantasy. Therefore, to render a character in totality, one should be very clear of its complete image right from the beginning. Concept artist Milton Das explains creating an artwork of a warrior, complete with its accessories. Here is the step by step process.

Warrior

Step 1

Started with an empty canvas. As a practice, avoided using white. So filled it with dark blue green. This would be the base colour.

Warrior

Step 2

Added some rough ground colours. Also, darkened the edges of the frame so that the eye didn’t wander off. Since the composition would have most of its highlight at the centre, didn’t put any other element towards the edge. Blocked in the rough mass of the character.

Warrior

Step 3

Added a bit of details and a secondary light source below the legs.

Warrior

Step 4

After a satisfactory pose was struck, started to fill in areas. But avoided rendering every place of the image. One should place points of interest at even places. So that despite the eyes moving off, they would find something interesting to look at and eventually come back to the main focal area.

Warrior

Step 5

Fixed the overall composition. Also, made the edges of the twin blades pointing backwards which further reduced the chance of the eyes moving elsewhere. Did some colour corrections and added a stronger light coming from below.

Warrior

Step 6

Added some more elements in the background. Fleshed out the dead monster a bit and added some inscriptions on the sword. Time to render the details.

Warrior

Step 7

Started with the sword first. It is human nature to look at things the main character is looking at. So added two faces in the lower left corner to balance the large hydra (the 3-headed snake) from taking away viewer’s attention. Noticed that the left hand side of the image felt a bit heavy.

Warrior

Step 8

Balanced the composition by adding 3 heads on the right. Rendered the lower blade with flames. Also, worked a bit on the armour. Lastly, added a bit of yellow on the parts that got light from the weapon. Made a point to not use burn and dodge tools while drawing the flames lest they went out of control. Used a soft brush to define the glow then did the details with a hard round brush.

Warrior

Step 9

Rendered the armour and added smaller details. Changed the hair because it was looking a bit too stiff. One would require a lot of patience while detailing this part.

Warrior

Step 10

Finally, did some colour corrections. Copied the whole image and pasted it in a new layer to apply the effects. One could also use a masked layer to do this. Arrived at the final image.

Published in Issue 16

We always wish we had someone to show us the right way of doing things when we were starting our professional journey. And that’s why we have based this issue on graduates. The cover feature is an ensemble of advice from top names of the industry. We have also showcased few talented fresh graduates from across the country, keeping with the theme. You’ll find Tom J Manning and Pallavi Sen share their international exposure as well as insights behind their unique approach. Also featuring Shreya Shetty, a prominent concept artist, who shares the secret behind the believable characters she creates. She believes, with practice and patience, anyone can be a good artist.

 

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5:57 am
Inspiration

How do we involve a viewer into our art illustrations?

 

Ishan Trivedi, through his illustrative story of 3 live puppets, uses a surreal tone to captivate his viewers. The vibrant colours help make the characters and the environment pop. The soft textures and the blurred edges make it all seem so dreamy. The detail in the character emotions and layers too cannot be missed.

 

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