Pictorial Techniques for Digital Painting

Start the course by getting to know Javier, about his passion for illustration and the artists that inspire him, along with a quick recap of what you are about to do in the course.

Put pencil to paper, first with Javier’s practical exercise to warm up your hand. Then, gather some references on what you decide to illustrate, learn about color theory, and use the chromatic circle to choose your color palette. Set up your document on Photoshop and use Javer’s organized method to create a series of layers to get to work on your illustration.

Begin sketching your illustration using Javier’s layer system, without paying much attention to the precision of your strokes, to give it a hand-drawn feel. Then, modify the parameters of your brushes like Javier’s to create interesting mid-tones for your illustration, and do the same for dark and light tones.

Move onto the background of your illustration, seeing how to contrast it with the focal element of your piece using the chromatic circle. Unite all your tones and gradually see your sketch lines disappear as you start overpainting. Add more detail such as shadows, lighting, and color to your illustration to give it depth.

See how to create textures quickly to apply to your work. Use paper and a paintbrush to splash strokes of acrylic on your page, then scan and import them to Photoshop and apply them to your illustration. Finally, learn how to prepare your document for Art Prints for optimal quality and an original feel.