Blank Canvas to Art Piece
Looking at an artist translate a blank page into a beautiful piece of artwork using just some lines, colours and patterns is a form of meditation for the mind, brings peace and tranquility to the soul and relaxes the body as a whole.
Illustrator Amar Kale has explained the process to create a colourful digital illustration just the way he does to make his own pieces of work.
Portrait paintings are generally made with the help of a reference image or an actual model, but exceptions are always there.
Amar here is explaining the portrait-creation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with no actual photograph available of him for reference. Since he came from the 17 th century, a time when cameras were not in existence, Amar visualizes his character in the mind and paints accordingly.
STEP 1
Take a blank layer in Photoshop just like a blank canvas and start with rough sketching.
STEP 2
After completing the rough sketch, take another blank layer above this layer. Reduce the opacity of the layer which has the rough sketch on it, and then clean-up the rough sketch and complete the final drawing.
STEP 2
Once the final drawing is finished, take another blank layer above it and start rendering it with the help of lines, also known as the 'Hatching Style'. This gives a good dimension and depth to a drawing.
STEP 4
Now comes the colouring bit. Post hatching and before painting, create a new blank layer and place it at the bottom. Make a new layer for each body part to be painted, as this allows for easy editing or repainting of that part at a later stage. To give this character a royal feel, work on the smaller details like jewellery and the pattern on the clothes.
STEP 5
The last step is about colouring the background. Take a new layer, place it at the bottom and fill it with a dark colour of your choice. Apply a texture to the background and adjust its hue according to the colour scheme.
