Techniques Taught

Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
edited September 2013 in Character Rendering in Photoshop with Dan LuVisi
Hey dudes and dudettes!

Since it'll take a while for the Stan Winston peeps to upload the webinar to Youtube for us to dig through, I think it'd be very helpful for all of us to post up the techniques that Dan The Man taught during class. I'll start it off with... CARBON FIBER ALL DAY ERR DAY!!

Assuming you have access to Photoshop:
- paint your desired metallic "Brushed Metal" texture
- Do a Google search for "carbon fiber stickers" (or you can click here)
- Make sure your Google Image Search tool are set to Size > Large
- Download and Place (File > Place) the carbon fiber image into your desired layer
- Set the layer to Multiply
- Adjust the Opacity of the Carbon Fiber layer so that the Brushed Metal texture comes through (I use somewhere between 15% and 30%)
- Be sure to Skew or Distort (Edit > Transform > Skew/ Distort) the carbon fiber image to fit into the desired area

I think that's it as far as I can remember. Did I forget a step? Anyone else remember what tips and tricks Dan gave us?

Comments

  • Connor MagillConnor Magill
    With applying Textures, you can also set the layer to Overlay and Soft light depending on the base colour you are applying it to.

    Another technique was the adding of glow.
    - Draw desired item you want to glow.
    - Create a new layer and set it to screen mode.
    - Change your brush mode to Screen and go around the edges to add some more glow to it.
    - Open layer styles of layer that the item is on and chose Outer glow and Inner glow.
    - Sit back admire your handy work and quote Dan by saying  "Adding glow... Thats Easy"


  • Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
    "EVERYTHING'S SUPER EASY FOR DAN LUVISI!!"
  • Mony CAZAMEAMony CAZAMEA ✭✭✭
    There's a brush for that !
  • Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
    Hahahaha!

    Hey Mony, do you remember which technique you asked Dan about that he demonstrated yesterday? You asked for a couple of really good ones that I forgot. Can you post up the ones that you remember asking about yesterday?
  • Mony CAZAMEAMony CAZAMEA ✭✭✭
    Hm I can sum up what I wrote down if it can help. Which is not much and really messy x]

    -He usually block the background after lining up his sketch, he needs the background to incorporate the colors into his painting so they fit together. 
    -He would then block the shapes (light and shadows) with rough colors before refining them so get closer to the definitive colors, with a layer of the line art above everything so he would still be able to see his contour When this is done, he would start merging the lines into his painting by merging the layers together and painting over to add details and smooth the colors. 

    -He bases the colors of the skin on the colors of the background and can also use fur brushes to make skin textures.
    He doesn't mess up with the brushes he already has, he doesn't custom them, he "stays basic". 

    -He also puts warm glowing outline light on his character where there's light that would help blend it into the background. 

    -Do NOT use black, it doesn't exist in nature, it pops too much. Use the darker tone you can but not the tip of the color palet. 
    -To avoid muddy colors, use saturated colors. 

    To make saliva : Put a layer to screen, as well as the brush (he uses mostly one which size is 125), make a basic line with a white color, outline it with a darker one that fits what's around, add some reflections and use a layer with an outglow to make it shine.
    Don't forget to add some of the environnement colors into it, like lips colors, teeth, skin, obiwan kenobi... 

    That's all I have for now.
    Like I said, really messy :D 
    Hope that helps you anyway. 

    I guess if anyone needs anything in particular he can ask here and we would do our best to help him. :)




  • Mathias SunardiMathias Sunardi
    Thanks for the recaps guys! It's really helpful - I wish the video would get uploaded earlier than Saturday so I can review it.
  • Robin MiesRobin Mies
    I didn't write anything down since we'll be able to view the video for the rest of out lives.
    But the main thing I got from al the textures is like described up here. Get good source materials and apply it on your own work. Than add some extra details to make it your own.
    If not, there's a brush for it.
    It's kinda easy to make your own brushes too if it's not is Dan's brushes pack.

    Use the colorpicker to make your work look alive and tonal details (not sure if this is a word).
  • Connor MagillConnor Magill
    I have spent all day working on the skin of my character using Dans technique. So I'll try break it down

    • I sampled several shades of skin from a reference image from normal skin to shaded.
    • Saved each shade as a swatch.
    • I blocked in the skin starting with a base skin tone
    • Slowly built up form by adding lightly shaded areas
    • Went over it again adding in more shading to the darker areas
    • Did another pass adding highlighted areas.
    • Blended it all together using the smudge tool set at 88% using the scratches_v brush in Dans pack
    • Went over the skin again adding slightly more saturated colour to various parts at a faint opacity
    • Blended again using smudge tool ( same settings and brush used )
    • Add details like pores etc using Pore brush and then Blending as needed
    • Add things like veins by selecting a slightly lighter colour and adding a shadow and blend using
      smudge

    Hope this helps




  • Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
    SWEET! This was just what I was looking for! Once again Connor rocks the Casbah! Thanks for this holmes.
  • Mony CAZAMEAMony CAZAMEA ✭✭✭
    Oh, I just remembered I have this.
    I found it a while ago.

    Hope that might help you :)
  • Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
    MONY, YOU BEAUTY!! Thank you for this! Ahh, it's like... it feels like... like winning...
  • Jared OliveJared Olive ✭✭✭
    so where did Dan say to go for the stock photos, and something about some site to find inspiration on armor?
  • Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
    Oh man, I completely neglected to copy down those websites. I could totally use that armor site.
  • Will PitneyWill Pitney
    Here's the places:
    robot armor stuff

    Or google advanced image search > over 2 MB
  • Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
    Will... do you ever knoooowww that youuuu're my heeeeerroooooo.. ?
  • Tomasi AkimetaTomasi Akimeta ✭✭✭
    hey, do you guys happen to know how Dan did the LEDs/ burning embers effect? Like, the Outer Glow/ Inner Glow effect? I can't seem to nail the ones I'm doing down just right, and I can't it in the videos.
  • Mony CAZAMEAMony CAZAMEA ✭✭✭
    Hey Tomasi !

    Outer/inner glow : Double clic on the layer you want, and you'll have a window with a menu in which you'll find the settings for these.

    I think.
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