Geo2d - Creating A Digital Painting From A 3d Starting Point

3DTotal.
com eBook series

Chapter 01
Page 4 | By Richard Tilbury
Chapter 02
Page 10 | By Richard Tilbury
Chapter 03
Page 20 | By Alex Broeckel
Chapter 04
Page 26 | By Darren Yeow
Chapter 05
Page 34 | By Carlos Cabrera
Chapter 06
Page 42 | By Ioan Dumitrescu
Chapter 07
Page 48 | By Serg Souleiman
You can see the base images
and free brushes in the resources
folder that accompanies this
ebook.
3DTotal’s Geo2D Chapter 01:
Chapter 1
by Richard Tilbury
Why use SketchUp?
Google SketchUp is a free programme enabling
users to quickly and effectively build 3D environ-
ments using a number of intuitive tools. Unlike
most 3D packages it is very easy to learn and
does not require hours of training before decent
results are achievable. It is very versatile and
with regards to digital painting can prove an
invaluable tool in swiftly establishing a correct
perspective, as well as offering a moveable
camera in order to experiment with alternative
viewpoints and compositions.
An object can be made and then duplicated

any number of times, so if a structural element
is repeated throughout your concept then this
package can quickly and accurately create
such arrays. It also has a simple-to-use lighting
system that enables placement of the sun ac-
cording to the month and time of day by way of
slider bars, thus determining physically correct
shadows that can be turned on or off at the click
of a button. These functions mean that as an
artist wishing to draw detailed or tricky scenes,
one can use SketchUp as a valuable starting
7 (Fig.01). Choose your operating system and objects in the scene click on View > Face Style;
point to establish a “guide template” on which to
then follow the instructions. this will show a number of options, as seen in
paint over.
Fig.04.
Installation http://sketchup.google.com/
If you also check Views under View > Toolbars
In order to install SketchUp, click on the link be-
Once installed, click on the application shortcut you will see six small house icons appear below
low and go to Downloads on the left hand menu.
and you will be prompted with the following your toolbar (Fig.05). These will provide quick
Select the free version which is currently version
dialogue box in which you are asked to choose access to orthographic views, as well as iso-
a template (Fig.02). The scale and type of your metric. You will notice that I have also checked
scene will determine which you choose, but for Face Style in the list (highlighted in green),
the purposes of this tutorial we will select Archi- which has added some cube icons to represent
tectural Design – Feet and Inches. the display modes.
Toolbars & Menus This is basically where you can customise your
When SketchUp starts you will see a screen workspace and add toolsets to speed up your
resembling Fig.03. From the main menu click workflow. For additional help go to Window >
on View > Toolbars > Large Tool Set; this will Instructor; this will open a window providing
access more tools which will appear down the useful information on whichever tool you have
left margin. To change the display mode of the currently selected.
www.3dtotal.com page 5 Chapter 01

Chapter 01: 3DTotal’s Geo2D
Basic Navigation
The key orientation tools you will use to navigate
in your scene are Orbit, Pan and Zoom, which
you will find on the top toolbar and whose short-
cut keys are represented by O (Orbit), H (Pan)
and Z (zoom). These can be seen in Fig.06.
The main tools used to directly manipulate your

objects are Move (M), Rotate (Q) and Scale (S).
The Scale tool appears on the left hand toolbar
which you will see highlighted if you press S on
your keyboard.
Drawing Shapes
One way of using SketchUp is to create two-
dimensional shapes from which you can extrude
three-dimensional objects. Select the top view
and then the Line tool (Fig.07) and left-click in
the viewport to begin drawing. You will notice
that as you do so, the points will snap to the
green and red axes, thus easily enabling the
creation of right-angled structures.
When you finally close the shape by clicking on

the initial point you will notice the shape turns
blue, indicating a surface has been made; once
a shape has become closed you can still edit
it, however. Using the Line tool, add an internal
rectangle (see top diagram in Fig.08). To now
make this edge become part of the exterior
shape click on the Eraser tool and then on the
outside edge shown in red.
You can continue to cut into your shape or alter-

natively extend it outwards and then erase the
necessary lines by using the Line tool (Fig.09). One other useful function, especially for archi- With an exterior wall depth, click on the large
Here I have added a walkway and also a curved tectural structures, is the Offset tool which is internal shape using the Select tool (black arrow
section using the Arc tool. You can also draw situated next to the Rotate tool. This enables a on Toolbar) and hit delete. You can then select
more organic shapes using the Freehand tool shape to be duplicated in order to create depth the Push/Pull tool and then click on the wall and
(Fig.10). – perfect for drawing walls in a building, for raise it vertically (Fig.12). You will notice I have
example (Fig.11). edited the section where the walkway adjoins

the building using the Line and Eraser tools so

that this was not raised along with the outer wall.
Three Dimensions
When a shape has been converted into 3D it
can be edited further by using a combination
of the Line and Push/Pull tools. If you move
the Line tool along an edge it will snap to the
midpoint between opposing edges (Fig.13). You
can then make equally spaced cuts, as shown.
These new shapes can be pushed inward or
pulled outward, or alternatively a new shape can
be drawn and this can then be manipulated.
In Fig.14 I have used the Offset tool to create a

window shape in the far left rectangle. To create
the same proportioned window in the other sec-
tions simply select the Offset tool and double-
click in each rectangle. To create the arches use
the Arc tool and then erase the horizontal join
shown by the dotted line. To create windows
use the Push/Pull tool to move the shapes
inwards beyond the inner wall surface or until
they disappear.
Using a combination of the tools mentioned

so far you will have the means through which
to create and edit a wide range of forms and
design detailed scenes.
Atmospherics & Lighting

You can add atmospheric perspective in the
form of fog to your scene. Go to View and check
Fog, as seen in Fig.15. You will notice that the
edges on my building have also been switched
off, which you can control in the menu under
Edge Style > Display Edges.

To add lighting effects check Shadows which
is above the Fog label, and to get more control
over this function go to View > Toolbars >
Shadows. This will place two slider bars on your
toolbar which denote the month and time of day.
By adjusting these you can control the position
of the sun and direction of the shadows (Fig.16).
There is a little icon to switch the lighting on or

off, and besides this there is also another icon
which opens up some extra parameters that al-
ter the tonal range of the shading. You can also
control whether this affects just the object itself
or the ground along with it and vice versa.
Additional Tools
A few other useful tools worth mentioning are
the Tape Measure, Protractor and Dimension.
The Tape Measure is used to draw guidelines
which can then be traced over with the Line tool.
In Fig.17 you can see that the tape measure
has created the dotted lines which can be used
as a guide to draw the windows an equal dis-
tance from the top and bottom of the block. To
delete the lines simply use the Eraser tool.
The Protractor is used to create accurate

angles. Move the tool to the point at which you
wish to start the angle and you will see how it
snaps to the three axes. Click to establish the
correct plane and then click to begin the angle
along the appropriate edge. Now you can set
the angle using the guideline. In Fig.18 I have used the near corner as the
starting point, which I will mirror on the opposite corner.
Once the guidelines are drawn, trace them using the Line tool, as with
the Tape Measure. In Fig.19 you can see that the two angles have been
drawn and then the Push/Pull tool was used to extrude a roof shape
across the base block.
The Dimension tool simply adds a label to your scene, showing the
distance between two points. Click and drag from A to B and then drag

up or down to set your dimensions, once again This concludes our overview which I hope has here is to introduce the interface and value of
using the Eraser tool to delete when necessary at least introduced the main tools and their the software in terms of building a simple 3D
(Fig.20). functions. There are of course further lessons environment which can then be used in digital
to learn along with other tools and techniques, painting.
Cameras such as applying materials, but the main aim
The camera in SketchUp is initially placed at an
average eye level height, so for example when
you click on the Position Camera tool it will
zoom in and appear around head height from
the ground. In this sense scale is an important
factor in your scene.
In Fig.21 you can see a cross where I intend to

position the camera, after which the viewpoint
will resemble the inset image. The character has
been placed in the scene to demonstrate the
relationship between the scale of a character
and the initial camera height. To adjust your
camera, use the Look Around tool represented
by the eye icon.
One final tool which may prove useful is the

Section Plane tool which allows a view of a
cross-section of your object. To use this click
on the tool and then align the green icon to the
corresponding plane or angle you wish to view.
Then select the Move tool and click on one of
the corner arrows and drag in the relevant direc-
tion (Fig.22).

The 3d base scenes for this chapter
can be found in the resource folders
which accompanies this ebook.
Chapter 2
by Richard Tilbury
Software Used: Google SketchUp and
Photoshop
Introduction
The painting that forms the core of this tutorial
will begin its life as a 3D environment within
the free version of Google SketchUp. This
programme is a very intuitive and simple 3D
modelling package that uses a limited number of
practical tools.
The 3D scene will then be used as a template

within Photoshop to create the final painting. As
such the scene will already integrate accurate
perspective and also enable the addition of
lighting effects which can prove useful when composition. Because we are using a 3D emphasize the value of using 3D. I pictured
using complex forms. scene, we have the advantage of a camera a vast chamber or hangar of some kind in
which means that a final composition does not which large scale structures would sit and form
The final image will culminate in a digital necessarily need to be decided early on. Once congregational areas. I imagined them as either
painting, but will retain the above aspects as the scene is built the camera can be moved assembly points or maybe even areas to set up
part of its structure and hence show how simple in order to experiment with the most suitable market stalls akin to a futuristic bazaar.
3D can be incorporated into a 2D process. vantage point.
Google SketchUp
Concept For this concept I want to create a scene on a With a vague notion in mind I begin drawing
The first stage involves conceiving an large scale, utilising atmospheric perspective shapes and pulling out forms in SketchUp.
idea behind the image and establishing a with repeatable shapes and thus help Because the software enables a quick and
effective way of modelling it is perfect for
experimenting with simple forms. I build the
main chamber using boxes and then use the
Circle tool to create a cylinder. Using the Select
tool I then highlight certain edges, and then by
holding down Ctrl with the Move tool I add new
lines/subdivisions. I then scale these to form the
umbrella shape seen in Fig.01.
I decide to include some elevated walkways

which will span the chamber at intervals. These
are initially made using the Rectangle tool and
then I use the Line tool snapped to midpoints to
divide the shape evenly (red arrow Fig.02).
The windows are created by way of the Offset

tool (blue arrow) and to ensure each are exactly
the same proportion I simply double-click in the

next section after creating the initial offset. I

then use the Push/Pull tool to inset them using
the same method of double-clicking to maintain
consistency.
To create an “umbrella” which I can manipulate

means re-building it using the Polygon tool, as
SketchUp does not allow the pushing/pulling of
smoothed or curved surfaces. I need a shape
with 24 segments and to do this I type the
number of sides followed by the letter S after
dragging out the initial shape (Fig.03).
To add some interesting shadows and also

accentuate the perspective I suspend a grid
above the scene to resemble the framework of
a yet unfinished structure (Fig.04). To create an
evenly spaced network I make the first box and
duplicate it (hold down Ctrl + Move/Copy tool);
once copied I type in a distance. You can repeat
this process to add further pieces.
Using a combination of the Line and Push/Pull tools I add some detail and
balconies to the main wall (Fig.05).
Fig.06 shows the final scene with the inclusion of shading. The umbrella
frame was made using the Offset tool, as done with the walkways, and
then deleting the inner polygons before pulling out the framework. The
dialogue box for the lighting (inset) shows the four slider bars which
correspond to the month, time of day, as well as the tonal range of the
lighting.

Painting
Once your scene is complete and you have the
camera in the desired position, screen-grab your
image and then open it in Photoshop. Here you
will need to re-size it according to your needs
before beginning any of the painting.
I alter the lighting settings in order to save out
the shadows as a separate render (Fig.07). By
applying a black colour to the geometry and
hiding certain elements it is also possible to
save out masks, as seen in the right column.
With the numerous renders saved, I begin by

adding in some brushwork and colour overlay to
try and establish the overall lighting and mood
(Fig.08). You can see here that the main scene
is overlaid across the image to act as a guide.
I organise the file in a way that enables me to
easily edit it and make changes later on using
certain layers set at specific blending modes

(Fig.09). This way I can distinguish the colour
from the lighting and allow it to be altered
independently with ease.
Fig.10 shows the image with the shadow and

sunlight layers visible. I also add some sunlight
streaming in above the framework which uses a
Layer Style (Fig.11).
I decide to add some lights along the underside

of the umbrella which are placed on a new layer
at the top of my file. I then add an Outer Glow,
as with the sky light, and then duplicate the

layer, first removing the copied glow and instead
apply some Gaussian Blur to enhance the glow
even more (Fig.12 – 13).
To reflect this I paint in a pool of light on the

ground below, which I blur and set to Overlay.
To create some variation across the floor and
wall I create a small image of randomly sized
rectangles in slightly different colours. To align
these with the perspective I use the Vanishing
Point Filter (Fig.14). Once pasted in they can be
moved, scaled and duplicated as needs be.

In Fig.15 you can see the subtle patchwork that
extends along the wall which helps break up
the surface somewhat. I have also placed some
illuminated windows in the scene using the
same technique.
The same panels can be used on the main stem

of the umbrella; however, they will need to be
skewed to fit with the perspective. This can be
done by going to Edit > Transform > Warp. In
Fig.16 you can see the grid that appears along
with the Bezier handles used to manipulate the
image.
The glow at the foot of the umbrella certainly

helped, but the lights themselves do not seem
intense enough to throw out such a pool, so
in order to fix the problem I add a new layer
and paint in a soft green area surrounding the bulbs (Fig.17 – 18). Once
blurred and set to Screen blending mode it makes a big difference, and to
further the cause I also add a gradient layer below this, set to Multiply at
60% Opacity. This blended from a cool foreground green to a warm off-
white in the distance. Not only does this intensify the umbrella lights but it
also serves to separate the foreground and distance.
The foreground looks sufficiently detailed at the moment but the

background umbrellas still lack a little definition. On a further layer I add in
some subtle variations and a few lights (Fig.19).
Adding Characters & Textural Detail

The repetition of the umbrella helps convey a sense of perspective, but to
really give the scene a scale we can use a common device – the inclusion

of figures. In Fig.20 I have added a crowd of

characters spanning the foreground through to
the distance which serve as a measuring stick.
To help define the foreground a little more we

can use photographs to add detail and suggest
an architectural style. It is a question of sifting
through reference images to find the most
suitable types of imagery. Once pasted into your
picture it will need to be correctly aligned either
by hand or by way of the vanishing point filter,
and normally it is necessary to colour correct
it. In Fig.21 you can see where the two photos
have been positioned and adjusted to fit in with
the scene. Either desaturate the photos and
then select Overlay or Soft Light as the blending
mode, or use a combination of Curves and
Image Adjustments to blend them in and leave
on Normal mode, as I have done in this case.
It is a good rule of thumb to reserve this type of
detail to the most prominent areas only – the
near section of wall in this instance.
We can apply this principal to the characters

and add detail to the nearest few – albeit
with brushwork, but nevertheless continuing

this treatment of having more detail in the
foreground (Fig.22). I also decide on some
railings along the near side which echo the
elevated framework and help balance the top of
the image with the base.
Final Refinements
The painting is at a stage where it can almost
be called complete, aside from a few minor
tweaks which will further enhance it. One area

that will benefit from some extra treatment
is the background section where the ground
plane meets the horizon line. As the chamber
is brightly lit at one end it follows that the light
will bleach out the most distant figures and also
be reflected someway along the floor. Fig.23
shows the before and after stage which uses a
soft, blurred pale green layer set to Hard Light to
create this extra depth, and which also helps the
far umbrella recede a little more.
If we look back at Fig.07 you will notice the

flaws apparent in the shadows layer which does
not take into account atmospheric perspective. It
is possible to switch on Fog in SketchUp but this
is best achieved in Photoshop for more accurate
results and emphasizes why the 3d renders
should only be considered a guide.
I also add a new skylight using an orange Outer

Glow as part of the Layer Style, as I feel that the
blue colour jarred too much with the scene as
a whole and neither created a warm or intense
enough light that seemed to reflect the overall
mood (Fig.24).
It is good practice to work on multiple layers

during the painting process in order that
changes can be made easily at any point and
certain details such as the crowd can be hidden
or even duplicated if needs be. When you feel
confident that you do not need to make any
more changes you can flatten all or at least a
selection of your layers.
The last stage that I often employ is an

Adjustment Layer of some sort, as this enables
further alterations to the painting such as colour
scheme, contrast and lighting. The great part of
this function is that it offers the use of a mask to
localise the effects and also means that it can
be reversed or even discarded if needs be.
In Fig.25 you will notice a Colour Balance

Adjustment Layer at the top of the Layers
palette in which I have moved the sliders
towards a warmer colour (red and yellow).

The 3d base scenes for this chapter
can be found in the resource folders
which accompanies this ebook.
The small white areas evident in the mask
reveal these warmer values which are seen
beneath the umbrella, whereas the black acts
as a mask hiding this colour adjustment.
And this last modification marks the end of the

painting, the final version of which can be seen
in Fig.26.
Conclusion
It has been regarded by many traditional artists
(including myself to a degree) that using 3D as
a template for a 2D painting promotes a less
skilful approach. It is undeniably true that by
drawing this particular scene as opposed to
using 3D would have required a greater regard
and understanding of perspective, and that
creating an accurate replica would be far more
challenging. However, it also follows that by
creating a digital version of a concept is also far
more forgiving a process than using actual paint
and brushes.
If we view digital painting as an accepted

practice within certain sectors of the modern,
commercial art industry, which I believe is
inarguable then surely 3D is but another yarn in
this weave we know as “digital art”. After all, can
we not regard 3D as the carefully lit life models
set up by the Old Masters, or a substitute for the
camera used by so many painters over the last
century?
Programmes such as Google SketchUp

allow artists to quickly and easily explore and
experiment with ideas that relate to form and
composition, and in so doing inform their work
and lend it a believability. More importantly
it can save time in the long run, which is an
important factor in today’s climate.
I hope that this tutorial has validated in some

way the inclusion of 3D in a 2D world, but it
is worth remembering that there is no real
substitute for traditional art skills – all software,
no matter how sophisticated, is useless without
a puppeteer!
Richard Tilbury
For more from this artist visit:
http://www.richardtilburyart.com/
Or contact them at:
rich@3dtotal.com
The base image for this chapter can
be found in the resource folders which
accompanies this ebook.
Chapter 3
by Alex Broeckel
Photoshop
In this tutorial I’m going to talk you through the

process of creating a rough 3D mesh in Google
SketchUp for use as the base of a moody
environment painting in Photoshop.
Step 01
Fig.01 shows the mesh I am going to use as
base for my painting. It’s basically just a few
rectangular and circular shapes extruded to
form a building with one open side. SketchUp is
ideal for creating quick base meshes in perfect
3-point perspective. You can even define some
camera parameters, like Field of View, to get
different types of perspective. In my case, I
adjusted the Field of View by going into Zoom
mode and typing 40mm into the input field at the
lower right. Now the scene looks like it was shot
with a 40mm lens!
Step 02
To prepare the scene for some over-painting in and there I switch off all extras, to get rid of the settings in the dialogue to high resolution
Photoshop, I don’t prepare any mask renders everything else but pure black lines. I also do values, like those shown in Fig.03. This method
like what has been shown in the first part of this set the background color to white and switch off generates a clean line rendering of the scene,
tutorial. I rather prefer to do a high resolution sky color (Fig.02). which I will import into Photoshop now. Because
line rendering of the scene to have a great it’s black and white I can put it on a new layer
tool for quick selections using Photoshop’s Step 03 and set its mode to Multiply. I’ll also lock the
Magic Wand Tool. To do this, I open the Styles To render the selected view, I choose Export layer completely because I don’t want to
dialogue window from the Windows menu, > 2D Graphic from the File menu, and adjust accidently paint into it later.

Step 04
Now that everything is prepared we can start
with the painting. From here on it’s a normal
painting process, with one little difference being
that I can use the line rendering to select large
areas very quickly. To do this I select the locked
line rendering layer and use the Magic Wand
Tool to select the first areas I want to fill with
color. For this image I have a dark, rainy scene
in mind, so I fill the background layer with a
grayish blue color as a starting point (Fig.04).
Step 05
The next steps are pretty repetitive: I select
areas with the Magic Wand Tool and paint in the
basic lighting of how I imagine this place to be
lit. I start by defining the darkest areas first, and
adding brighter areas throughout the process.
I tend to paint these values low in contrast. It’s
much easier to increase contrast later than to
reduce it. Fig.05 shows how the image looks
after five minutes of painting.
The whole selection process is very fast

because of the line rendering layer, so I am
able to define my light and shadowed areas in
these details in my 3D base geometry, I’ll be light reflections on water always look nice, I’ve
a comfortable way without being slowed down
painting them without the 3D rendered guides, decided to paint in a puddle of water which will
needing to use the Lasso tool too often. I also
so I’m starting here by drawing some lines onto also help to draw attention to the bright lights
separate layers of darkness and light to be able
a separate layer to define a denser perspective inside the building (Fig.07).
to make adjustments more easily. Of course,
grid (based on the original geometry rendering).
you could do it all in one layer, but it doesn’t hurt
to have layers, and maybe they’ll help you later
I can then start painting in details loosely, Step 08
following the guides just added (Fig.06). Because I think that the whole image could
on if you want to repaint parts of your image.
use some more “visual noise” here, I create
Step 06 Step 07 a new layer on top of all others and fill it with
While painting the details, I am still refining the a concrete texture from my texture library.
Because I think it is OK as it is at this stage, I
lighting of the scene by defining more and more (Texture libraries for 3D programs are a great
am using the Image > Adjustment > Levels to
areas with the help of my line rendering as a resource for such textures. Try CGTextures.
increase the contrast a little before I start to fill
guide. Until now I’ve used almost exclusively com for free textures to use in your paintings.) I
the scene with details. Since there are none of
Photoshop standard brushes. This is because, set the layer mode to Soft Light and adjust the
until now, it has been more important to me to layer’s Opacity a bit to blend the texture nicely
have the right colors and lighting than to use into the background. But this doesn’t quite
any fancy brushes. work without erasing large parts of the texture.
Without erasing them, the viewer’s eye would
I’m painting in some details on the ground now easily recognize the overlay as a single texture.
to give the viewer a better understanding of After erasing, the texture layer alone looks like
size and perspective of the scene. And since what can be seen in Fig.08.

Step 09
I adjust the Levels again here for the whole
image to give it stronger highlights and darker
shadowed areas because I’ve decided just now
that I want to make the scene darker still. I don’t
know why but concept artists seem to love dark
paintings. Maybe it’s because they are easier to
paint? By that I mean that you can hide a lot in
the dark! To darken the image, I place another
layer over my background image and set it to
Multiply once again, painting in some darker
areas with a dark desaturated blue color. The
new dark areas work like a frame for the parts of
the image where i want the viewer to focus their
attention (Fig.09).
Step 10
It’s now time to add some rain – on a separate
layer – to push the depressing mood of painting
a bit more! For the rain I choose a color slightly
brighter than the ground, and an almost white
shade for the areas where the lights in the
background lighten up the raindrops (Fig.10). and apply an Unsharp Mask filter with very low And with this final step done, I can call the
values to the new layer (Fig.11). Because I don’t image complete (Fig.12 – Final). I hope this
Step 11 – Final want the image to be sharpened completely, I process has been helpful, thank you for reading
As the final step I decide that some sharpening take a large Soft Round brush and erase out the along with this tutorial.
will help the image in certain areas, so I flatten parts of the mask where I want the image to be
the whole image, duplicate the resulting layer, less important.

Alex Broeckel
http://www.alexbroeckel.com
Or contact them at:
alexbroeckel@googlemail.com
The brushes and the images for this
chapter can be found in the resource
folders which accompanies this ebook.
Chapter 4
by Darren Yeow
Photoshop
Introduction
Designing environments in a three-dimensional
space incorporating lighting cues, mood, and
spatially representing objects in relation to
one another are important skills in allowing
the art department leads to make decisions
early. Understanding perspective and volume
in three dimensions are essential to being able Therein lays the crux of this tutorial – that is to you with the final image. My conservative hope
to successfully undertake such a task, but undertake basic scene design, similar to that is that by following along with the steps, you will
it may not always be desirable to start from in film or game pre-production, leveraging the be able to arrive at a similar visual conclusion
scratch – establishing the horizon lines, plotting flexibility and rapidity of using a 3D modeling and then get excited enough to extrapolate the
the vanishing points and then constructing the package. lessons learned into your own pieces of artwork.
objects in relation to these constraints.
The scene I am looking to create is an area set So without further ado, let’s get on with the
As in any production environment, time is within a third world country, late in the afternoon, show!
of the essence, and this directly translates lending itself to long cool shadows and warm
to the expenses associated with a project object colors. Due to the setting, the piece will Step 1
and additionally increases lead times on necessarily include the use of texturing to bring Here we can see the initial base geometry as
making decisions. So taking advantage of any a visceral feel to the world, and I’ll be using a created in Google SketchUp (Fig.01). As you
techniques or skills which can expedite the lot of earthy colors and an execution that will be can see it is all very rudimentary, although I
process is very valuable to those involved. This quite painterly with an abundance of application have turned on the shadowing (View > Toolbar
is where using a program such as Google’s strokes. This is in stark juxtaposition to sharp > Shadows > Display Shadows) as I find it
free software, SketchUp can help: it allows clean lines, which is an inherent pitfall when is one of the more tedious things to illustrate
objects to be blocked out quickly and efficiently, painting over perfectly rendered polygon edges. manually.
convergence is automatically taken care of,
rapid prototyping of various object placements My focus is to impart procedure and technique Keeping the geometry simple is a conscious
can be undertaken, and complex repeating that will be applicable across all manner of decision which necessarily requires me to add
elements can be duplicated in a split second. subject matter and era, not necessarily to wow in the detail work by hand, rather than slaving

over the 3D base geometry for hours. I have
found that spending inordinate amounts of time
on the modeling beholdens me to the base
geometry far too much, and I unconsciously
don’t want to lose a lot of the details that I have
already modeled, regardless of whether they are
working to enhance or detract from the image.
As a general rule I spend as much time as I

need to block in the major shapes, but as little
time as possible. To illustrate, this work done in
SketchUp took approximately 10 minutes.
Step 2
When the base modeling has been created,
I bring up the Styles dialogue box (Window
> Styles) which allows me to alter the style
from the generic SketchUp modeling style into
something that will help my painterly style later
on. In this case, I choose the PSO Cursive style,
which adds a background texture resembling
that of pencil texture on paper, and the lines
also look like ruled graphite (Fig.02). Overall, it
looks less computer generated and will help in
the rendering of the image.
Once this step has been done, I export the

image as a JPEG (File > Export > 2D Graphic)
and save the SketchUp source file in case I
need it later on.
Import your JPEG file into your illustration

software of choice – I use Photoshop – and convergence lines based upon existing parallel on an earthy or sandy colored ground, and I’ve
ensure you’re happy with the dimensions you’re lines within the image (Fig.03). used a slight gradient applied to a separate
working with. layer, with the layer blending mode set to
The reasons they are important, especially Multiply (Fig.04).
Step 3 if there is no visible horizon line (such as in
My first step in all perspective based works is to this image) is that you have a tangible idea of It’s important to note which way the predominant
immediately draw up, on a separate layer, any how the geometry is spaced according to one light is coming from so that the gradients can
another, and also to act as useful guides for any reflect this. I chose a sun position that is coming
hand drawn elements or textures that also need from the upper left of the image, which also
to tend towards to pre-existing convergence has a low angle over the horizon which will
points. lend to some long shadows that can be used
to cast over the foreground objects, providing
Step 4 unity, describing form and allowing for a more
The next step is to decide what underlying color dramatic composition.
the image should have. In this case I’ve decided

Step 5
I choose to texture the ground early on; I see it
as a relatively unchanging element throughout
the image, so establishing some basis of what
everything else is built on is a logical first step
for me.
This is the base texture I’ve decided to use

(Fig.05). I did a quick search on Google, and
for the purpose of quickly texturing something
this is quite sufficient – yes, it has repeating
elements, and no it is not a perfectly tileable
element, but a lot of these imperfections can be
removed very rapidly by painting them out.
Step 6
Create a duplicate of the texture (Layer > New >
Layer via Copy) (or Ctrl + J), and hide it so you
can reuse it later.
Using the duplicated layer, perform a Free

Transform to place the texture into perspective.
This can be done by going to Edit > Free have effectively textured part of the image in 3D so we necessarily need to start cutting out
Transform (or Ctrl + T) and holding the Ctrl key space. segments of the texture image.
while dragging a control handle.
Step 7 In order to do this, reduce the Opacity of
In Fig.06 I have aligned the texture’s edges to Obviously it would not do for the texture to be the texture layer to 30% so you can see
the guidelines we set up earlier, and now we intersecting with the other foreground elements, the underlying objects, and then, using the
Polygonal Lasso Tool (Click and hold on Lasso
Tool in the tools palette and then select the
Polygonal Lasso Tool), select the areas to be
cut out. Once you are happy with the selection,
hit the Delete button (Fig.07).
Step 8
In order to take advantage of the underlying
colors of the image, the layer needs to be set
to an alternative blending mode, so choose the
Screen mode.
You will notice that the texture lightens the

ground (Fig.08). For now, this is fine; your aim
here is just to apply some texture to the ground
which helps in the illusion of a receding ground
that is converging into the distance.

Step 9
Using the preceding four steps, you can now
complete the texturing for the entire ground
plane (Fig.09).
Step 10
We are looking to achieve a painterly rendering
style in this piece. As a result, a helpful step I
often include when I am working in this style is
creating the rough application of paint with a
custom made palette knife type brush that I use
for this task (free for download with this article –
just click on the Free Brushes icon) (Fig.10).
This helps to break up continuous and uniform

color with textured strokes, and also works to
reduce the adherence to the perfectly straight
lines from the 3D render. I pay particular
attention to the walls, where I consciously bough
and roughen up the edges to allude years of
wear and tear by the elements.
I also start to rough in some color here, making

sure I keep the saturation of these colors low.
Step 11
At this stage, I want to start adding in the semblance of detail, alluding to
things such as signs, shadows being cast from elements outside of the
visual extremities of the image, and shade cloth over windows.
I use a soft edged brush for this task (Fig.11). I tend to use Airbrush Soft
Round for general purposes when I have no pressing need for other
effects – it’s a fast brush, good for approximating form.
Step 12
When I am happy with the image’s overall composition, I then create a
duplicate summary layer.
A duplicate summary layer is essentially a layer above all other layers that
is created if you flatten all the prior layers and then create a duplicate of
that layer. I do this as a way of shifting my tonal range into something a
little darker (Fig.12).

In order to do this, all you need to do is use the

command, Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E.
Once this is done, set the layer blend mode to

Multiply and Opacity to 100% – you will notice
the image darkens quite considerably. The
reasoning behind this is that your lighter colors
will have more “punch” to them when you start
working them back into your image.
Step 13
This step focuses on increasing the depth of the
shadows; alluding to some ambient occlusion
around the base of objects and working in
some slight vignette effect towards the outer
extremities are the main areas of focus (Fig.13).
Using the Airbrush Soft Round suffices for these
tasks.
Step 14 Step 15
Next is another iterative pass at adding in more Still adding in more detail here, I’m
detail to fill up those areas which seem a little concentrating on filling in the colors of the
sparse, punch up some of the colors, and to shade cloth and adding miscellaneous objects
work in some lighter color around the top of the underneath some of the covering, placing
central structure to create a bit more contrast in various pipes on the tops of buildings to break
order to draw the eye (Fig.14). up their silhouette (Fig.15).

Step 16
I feel the image needs the focal point to be
made more apparent, so I again refer to creating
a duplicate summary layer and setting it to
Multiply. Erase the lighter side of the building
and around the lighter parts of the ground, to
show that the light is being cast strongly from
the left (Fig.16).
Step 17
This is another iterative detail adding step now.
I take care to balance where I am placing the
objects; I like to work the image up as a whole,
rather than working on any one individual area
at a time (Fig.17).
A major addition is the slanted roof on

the middle structure, not because of any
requirement other than I think it makes the
viewer ask, “Where on earth is this place?!” Plus
it also looks kind of cool.
Step 18
At this stage, I am comfortable enough with how
the image is coming along to start sharpening
up the details on the central structure and the
surrounding areas, like the tops of buildings and
the cloth coverings (Fig.18).
This is essentially a process of zooming in and

using a much smaller Chalk brush to work in the
details. When you zoom back out to the regular
viewing size, the image will be much clearer and
sharper.
Step 19
I feel that the ground needs an extra level of
detail here; some extra texturing that will sell the
surface as dry, cracking ground. So I do a quick
search on Google and end up with the texture
as displayed in Fig.19.

Again, I realize that there are repeating
elements and the tiling is very noticeable, but for
the purpose required, it is perfectly acceptable.
In order to use the correct scale, I shrink the

texture to half the original size and duplicate it to
create a quadrant.
Step 20
On the basis of steps 6 and 7, I place the
texture onto the ground plane and work them in
by erasing where necessary, desaturating the
color (it’s the texture information I want, not the
color) and changing the layer blending mode to
Overlay.
You can see from this simple step that it adds a image – such as the harsh shadowing at the In all, once you get comfortable with the
lot to the surface of the image (Fig.20). lower left extremities of the debris and junk. process, you can typically finish one of these in
around 4 hours – it is then up to the art director
Step 21 – Final Conclusion to determine the level of finish they want.
In finishing off, I replicate a few steps from Although I’d still consider this image a work
earlier on, such as adding some brick textures in progress ripe for more refinement, for the
to some of the walls, adding corrugated iron to purposes of this tutorial I have covered all Darren Yeow
some slabs of color, and painting over some the essential steps required to create an For more from this artist contact them at:
areas which I deemed intrusive to the final environmental concept built upon a 3D base. darren@stylus-monkey.com
The brushes and the base image for this


Chapter 5
by Carlos Cabrera
Photoshop
Introduction
In this workshop we’re going to be working on a
speed painting using base geometry created in
the free software, Google SketchUp – nothing
too detailed, just a couple of boxes as buildings,
and a simple robot creation (created using
the Google SketchUp tutorial featured at the
beginning, by Richard Tilbury, as a guide).
SketchUp
SketchUp Render One
close to the robot’s leg, in this case, to help me SketchUp Render Two
We have two SketchUp renders to start working
with understand the proportions and scale in the For my second render (Fig.02), I took away the
with. The first one is a base render with the
scene. edges and added more contrast to the image;
edges turned on (Fig.01); this image will be
you can see how the shadows pop up a bit
perfect to use to check our perspective lines,
Concept, Mood and Color more and the middle grey appears between the
buildings and robot shapes over the top of our
The next step is to use your imagination; you shadows and highlights.
painting later on. I can also use the little guy
have to elaborate in your mind the mood of the
painting you are about to work on. In my case, Photoshop
I’ve envisioned a sci-fi scene like the ones we Add Color!
used to see in the cinema back in the 80s. I Now it’s time to add some color to our painting,
love old sci-fi movies so I’ve decided to paint so open up the image in Photoshop (or your
something with predominately cold colors, with favorite painting software) and add two new
just simple touches of warm ones. layers. Fill these layers with cold and warm
colors. I fill the first layer with a blue (cold) and
So, that is my palette and my mood for this the second layer with a brown or sepia tone
illustration defined. Now onto the second render (warm).
before we start painting.

The cold layer is going to be our shadow color.
How do we do this? Well it’s quite simple: we
set the layer blending mode to Overlay and slide
the Opacity value to 62%. The shadows become
blue with this blending mode, but the highlights
remain white.
Next, set the warm color layer to Darken mode,

and set the opacity to 86%. The highlights
should now be sepia, but we can still keep the
cold shadows (Fig.03).
Textures and Perspective

Now that we have our base color implemented,
it’s time to add some detail. Have a look in your
personal texture library for a couple of photos
of buildings. I’ve chosen some free photos from
CGTextures.com for this piece, because the own. It’s a great idea though to get out of your With these three images we are going to texture
day I started this tutorial there was a huge riot “art cave”, and go and take some photos of the our background. Add each one of these images
in the streets of Buenos Aires and I couldn’t buildings in your neighborhood for your very to a separate layer and set the layer blending
take my camera out to grab any textures of my own personal references (Fig.04). mode for each one to Overlay. Play with the

Opacity value to mix the buildings with the
building textures with the original SketchUp
render. When you switch the layer on with
the edges shown on the SketchUp render
(SketchUp Render One), the edges will help you
to find the correct perspective.
Use the Transform tool (Ctrl + T) to set the

correct perspective of the photos; you will see
how easy the background will become more and
more a part of the final illustration at this stage.
Once you’ve finished with the Transform tool
you should have something similar to Fig.05.
Remember that up until this stage, we’ve only
laid down some textures over our SketchUp
render, so we still have all the fun part left to the base of our scene to work quietly on the the design of some lights featured in a classic
work on: the painting! mood, characters and fine detail. movie, maybe one of the best sci-fi movies of all
time – do you know which movie it is?
Do you see how our painting still keeps the base Illustrating the Mood
colors we applied before – the blue and sepia Now it’s time to start working with the mood of I add another layer for the light halo effect and
colors? That’s the idea of the first step: create the painting. Paint in a couple of streetlights set the blending mode of the layer to Color
– nothing complicated, just a dark silhouette Dodge. Never set the Opacity to 100%, try to
of a streetlamp. For this step you can pick the mix every layer with your background image!
color you have in the background to paint your
streetlight; I usually use this technique to keep To add a story to this image I’ve decided to paint
the color gamma balanced without any strange with a paintbrush a couple of bullets holes in the
colors coming in. walls, to show that a horrible crime must have
happened there, or maybe even a gang war
Use references from sci-fi movies if you want of some kind. So now we have a non-textured
to add a nice touch to the illustration. I’m using police robot, some bullets holes, and a nighttime
street scene (Fig.06) – the perfect mood for our
sci-fi image!
The Robot
Time to paint our robot now! With the Lasso
Tool and the Elliptical Marquee Tool, we can
start to add shapes to our robot design. Make a
selection with these tools and paint with a soft
brush (with the Pen Pressure set to Opacity)
inside the shapes. This technique takes some
practice to get right, but you’ll find it really useful
for speed paintings or concept artwork.
Use the base 3D model to check the perspective

and the shape of the robot; as you can see I’m
using the same background palette to keep
picking those colors for the robot (Fig.07).

The body of the robot is smoother than the 3D
model, as I’ve decided to use curved shapes
instead. I want to take my time with this bad
boy, working it section by section until I’m happy
with the outcome. I also send some layers to the
trash can at this stage until I really nail the final
design of my robot!
I keep working on the body and start on the front

leg. Remember: during this step I’m just using
the Lasso Tool and Marquee Tools with a soft
brush to paint inside the selections. The back
leg is a copy of the front leg, only I “deform” the
shape using the Transform tool until it snaps the
correct position of the new leg. Once happy with
the body and the legs, I’ll continue with the fine
detail (Fig.08).
Details
On a new layer now I add the POLICE text
and the robot’s identification number, following
the shape of the robot using the Warp Tool
(Fig.09). This is one of the most useful tools in
Photoshop!
The last step is to throw some life into the

painting, so I’m going to paint some cops
looking for clues in the crime scene; one of the
policemen is showing his partner, the robot (as

if it were a car), the DO NOT CROSS yellow
police tape (Fig.10).
With my rain brush I paint on another new layer

a rain texture, just over the streetlights (Fig.11).
And that’s all folks! Here is the final painting

(Fig.12).
Painting is easy if you know exactly what you

want to achieve with it, so keep up the practice
– do it every day (I know I do) – and stay tuned
to 2DArtist for more tutorials in the future!

Carlos Cabrera
http://www.carloscabrera.com.ar
Or contact them at:
carloscabrera@gmail.com

The base image for this chapter
can be found in the resource
folders which accompanies this
ebook.
Chapter 6
by Ioan Dumitrescu
Photoshop
Introduction
It’s always a good idea when creating concept
art or illustrations for games, movies and the one. I can then create the intersections, which pass through – all done using the Rectangle
like, to use whatever means and methods I imagine to look like strong beams which the tool. I also create a low ceiling above each of
necessary to make your artwork quickly and locomotives might use to get across to the other the passageways and close the middle part of
easily. In the case of this tutorial I will be using side. the three sections of the wall. On the right part
a simple 3D base which I’ll create in Google I pull the pillars up to the next floor and add
SketchUp as a mockup for a Photoshop I use the Rectangle tool and start making lapped decks for potential people passing through. I
painting. boxes which I will then extrude with the Push also make some intersecting platforms between
tool. After making one section of the beam, I the left and right structures whilst thinking about
Google SketchUp multiply it and move it on the first mirrored deck. accommodating possible functions within a train
I start with a simple idea in the back of my I then make double pillars with a diagonal metal depot.
mind of a sort of train depot where locomotives element for the structure above, in-between
are traveling in and out, loading cargo, and them, so that I can give my future painting To finish off the 3D part of the work in Google
transporting people. So to get things moving, a believable, industrial look. Other diagonal SketchUp, I make sure I enable the three-
in Google SketchUp I begin by building some beams coming from these pillars will sustain the colored Axes under the View menu, select Face
simple platforms as a starting point (Fig.01). I bridged sections. All shapes are created with the Style > Monochrome, and go to the Window
choose a simple profile shape and then extrude Rectangle tool or the Line tool, which can create menu where I select Styles > Default Styles
it outwards. I copy the profile section and mirror planes and volumes if used in three-dimension. > Engineering Style. For the Camera setup I
it so that it’s not too far away from the first choose Perspective from the drop-down menu.
On the left side I want to mirror the diagonal I then rotate the scene, searching for some
feeling from the right side, so I firstly make some cool viewpoints. When ready I can then export
pillars, and then create walls for each pair of my chosen view by going to File > Export > 2D
pillars (Fig.02). I play around a bit here with the Graphic (Fig.03).
silhouette of the structure, just to spice things up
a little. When happy, I go on to create a series The cool thing about this 3D scene is that you
of open and closed spaces between each wall, I can always go back and add new levels or
for the locomotives, people, and cargo to all find new points of view if I want to make some

changes! For a more detailed introduction to

building structures in Google SketchUp, please
refer to the first part of this tutorial where
Richard Tilbury takes you through the basics.
I export about 10 scenes from Google SketchUp

so I can choose my favorite from those. I decide
on a somewhat central perspective for its
balance, strong diagonal line and perspective,
and good focus (Fig.03). You can download this
scene with
Overlay and Color layers (Fig.05). to the other. The space at the top of the image
Photoshop From this point on I start to define the arches is a little disturbing for me though as it’s allowing
I take the Google SketchUp scene into and pillars. For contrast I use a white wood the eye to slip from the frame, so I’m going to go
Photoshop now where I can start sketching on material for the pillars and arches on the right- with a classic steampunk/industrial theme here
top of it, on a new layer, to try out some ideas hand side, with a green metal to achieve a more and add a glass and metal rooftop to my station
(Fig.04). While I was making the 3D image I industrial, steampunk look to them (Fig.06). scene. To do this I paint lots of straight lines on
was already thinking about locomotives, metal a separate layer and then simply put them in the
arches, cables, glass facades and so on, so Right now I’m pretty sure of where I’m heading correct perspective. To stop the eye getting tired
here I can start to build these ideas on top of the with this image, so I bring in a couple of textures from all those lines, I add some colored patches
3D render. I also decide to widen the frame to now for the huge stone pillars on the left and of glass for contrast and interest (Fig.07).
give the scene the more cinematic look that I’m for the locomotive in the foreground. I make a
feeling for this image. few Levels and Color Balance tweaks to get Remember to flip your image from time to
them into place, and then start painting on top time to help you spot mistakes or disturbing
I never repeat the same process in my images, of them. It’s good to have as much texture as areas. People often make fun of me, saying,
and it was no different for this image. I start possible from the start which matches the kind “You rotated it again!” But that’s just because,
out in black and white to establish my general of look you want, just to give you a good base composition-wise, I only decide just before the
values, and then add color to the image with to build upon. It’s also important to decide on final save as to which way it looks best.
your lighting scheme from the start, too. I want
a dramatic sunset lighting scenario, coming I add some balconies between the pillars to
in from the left of the scene, to get that gold, give it a more familiar look and to add some
steampunk feeling across. I knew from the depth. This also makes the viewer wonder about
beginning that this kind of lighting would define what actually happens there; whether there are
the space better between the pillars and give offices or just passageways up there.
some interesting shadows that fall upon the
bottom deck and on the locomotives. The next step is to finish the background (which
is bugging me). I decide to go for look similar
I keep refining the shapes on the right-hand side to old train stations and create a huge, intricate
and bring in some of the white from the left-hand façade of metal and glass, which fills a great
side just to encourage the eye to travel from one space within the frame (Fig.08).

To give some atmosphere to the image, I do this
at about halfway through the painting process –
any earlier and it would have distracted me, and
I wouldn’t want to leave it any later just in case it
doesn’t fit as well as I imagine it to.
With all these steam-driven machines it was

easy to add atmosphere into the scene. It also
helps with the depth and the overall way in
which the image is read. To add smoke and
steam, I usually use a standard soft brush with
texture applied, or alternatively the Chalk brush.
Generally in my artwork, I use a round brush,
the Chalk brush and a soft brush, alongside a away from the dullness it was currently in Because of the lighting scheme I am able to
few texture brushes which I’ve collected over before, before going on and adding the final show where the locomotives are going to pass
the years. details and making everything more cohesive between the pillars and out of the depot; this
(Fig.09). gives more functionality to the space.
Those huge wheels attached to the locomotives
which are pulling the locomotives along those It’s not our prerogative to stick to the 3D image I love scattering human figures around an
cables (think in terms of cable cars) were that we started with, which is the beauty of image: doing the dirty jobs like cleaning pipes or
under-detailed. So to bring them up to par with experimentation. I haven’t followed the original the furnace of a locomotive, or perhaps directing
the scene, I paint them in whilst thinking of the base scene with the pillars on the right; now, passengers into a building; maybe they’re just
mechanics of a clock or watch. I found using a between two stone pillars stand some kind of standing around chatting or laughing about
Dodge layer very useful to get some stronger hangars – or perhaps they’re just spaces for something we have no idea about … They are
highlights on the metal and in highlighted areas. cargo to be deposited and such? Between also great for giving scale to a scene. When
those and the pillar are passages for people to people look at an image they will look for human
For the interior of the arched structure I’ve pass through. The pillars where a little too plain figures to give them a sense of scale of the
already decided on a glass roof and walls, so and so I add some sort of engraved pattern to space.
I paint those in, keeping in mind the saturation them to further define them. I also paint some
levels and making sure everything is nice and graphics on the cargo bay areas between the With a few more smoke trails and steam, some
atmospheric. This helps to punch the image pillars to help them “pop out” more (Fig.10). light fixtures on the front of the locomotives, and
some more detail on the foreground decks – all
those rivets, slabs, stains, etc. – the image can
be called “done” (Fig.11 – Final).
I hope I have been able to get the main ideas

behind this image across to you, as well as the
techniques involved, and that it will all be useful
for your own art creation in the future. Thanks
for reading!
Ioan Dumitrescu
aka ‘Jonone’
For more from this artist contact them at:
jononespo@yahoo.com

The base image for this chapter
can be found in the resource
folders which accompanies this
ebook.
Chapter 7
by Serg Souleiman
Photoshop
I start out with a simple 3D block-in using

Google SketchUp, setting the camera to an
extreme angle to give it more depth. After
exporting the 3D model as a JPG, I open it up in
Photoshop and resize it to around 150-200 dpi
(Fig.00).
In Photoshop I then create two new layers for

the left and right vanishing points. With the use
of the Line Tool, set to Fill Pixels (Fig.01), I find
the vanishing points of the architecture.
To find the vanishing points of the architecture,
you first of all need to find your horizon line. The
horizon line is basically your eye level in the
image, or of what you’re looking at. In my image,
I’ve left a little gap between the two cylinders to
make this quicker for the eye to find.
This is the where the Rulers come in handy:

press Ctrl + R to turn them on and off. With the
Rulers turned on, click-and-drag on the top ruler points on it. To do this, use the Line Tool and
guide to pull down a line guide onto the horizon follow along one corner of the structure. Where
line (Fig.01a). your line meets the horizon line is your right-
hand vanishing point. Mark this with a vertical
With the horizon line now marked out, you need ruler guide (Fig.01b).
to find where your two vanishing points will fall

The same thing goes for the left vanishing point

– in my image this one is off the canvas. To find
it, you need to zoom out and find where your
Line Tool meets the horizon line (Fig.01c).
Now that you have your two vanishing points,

use the same Line Tool to draw lines radiating
from the left vanishing point (Fig.01d – shown
in red), and the right vanishing point (shown in
green). Each vanishing point needs to be on its
own layer.
The next step is to block in the shadowed sides

with red using the Selection Tool and filling
them on a separate layer. Do the same with
the side that is facing the light, also on its own
layer (Fig.02). I’ve used these specific colors
just because it’s easier to see them, and when I
need to select a side I can simply hold Ctrl and
click the layer for an instant selection. I hide the all the layers here, except for the two
vanishing point ones. On a new layer I then start
I now have five layers: the 3D base image, two sketching in some ideas (Fig.04). At this point
layers for the vanishing points, and two for the it’s a good idea to start thinking and looking
shadowed/light-facing sides (Fig.03). for some textures to use (Editor’s tip: check
out 3DTotal’s new free texture and reference

image library for royalty-free textures: http://
freetextures.3dtotal.com).
I hide the sketch layer, and on a new layer set

to Color I lay down some basic color and texture
with a texture brush, just to get rid of those
grays and to start setting the mood of the piece
(Fig.05).
After gathering textures it’s a good idea to

then resize them to keep a sense of scale; for

example, you’ll need to ensure that the windows

and doors of a texture are not too small – or too
big! – for your scene, and likewise always avoid
making bricks look like they’re about five feet
long!
So I’m starting to lay down the textures on the

building surfaces now, using the Transform
Tool (Ctrl + T). Right-click and set it to Distort
(Fig.06).
I now want to place the texture on the surface

and pull the corners of it to fit my vanishing
points (Fig.07).
I continue to lay down textures on the rest of

the buildings now, still using the Transform Tool
to fit them in the correct perspective. I’m also
using a rock textured brush over the textures to
unify them (Fig.08). I’m trying not to worry about
painting over my textures; they can always be
reapplied or replaced if necessary.
With most of the texture down now, I can start

to add more color with the help of a new Color
layer. I flip and re-crop the image here to take a

little off the left and bring more of the train on the which I have decided to incorporate into my I flip the image, and on a new layer I add
right into view (Fig.09). I’ve found a texture on background, as well – also from CGTextures. some atmospheric fog over the distant factory
CGTextures.com which is very useful for the old com. I’ve had to adjust the factory to fit the buildings, as well as applying a few other
train; and while looking for the train texture I also vertical vanishing point using the Transform textures to the walls and ground to bring out
came across a great factory reference image Tool. more detail (Fig.10 – 11).

In the final steps now, I add some haze to the light with a large soft brush, and setting the layer I tend to flatten the image at this point so I don’t
image, along with the kind of light ray you might to Screen or overlay to achieve the right effect get overwhelmed with all the layers. It also
see coming through the clouds on a cloudy (Fig.12). This little trick adds more intensity to helps to make it feel like everything is coming
day when the sun is strong! I have done this by the focal area! together. And with the image flattened, I can
simply adding a new layer, painting in my ray of now go in and add detail on a new layer. I’m

pretty happy with the right side of the image,
but I find the left to be lacking in variation, so I
darken the entire wall on the left with the Burn
Tool, and add some additional broken glass, as
well as lightening up the windows. This all helps
to balance the image, with the train on the right,
and the building on the left (Fig.13 – final).
At this stage, it’s all about how much detail you

want to put in; you can keep adding textures
or painting until you’re content with how things
look and want to call it done. I’m happy with how
things are working with this image now, so I’m
calling it “final” and leaving it there. Thanks for
reading!
Serg Souleiman
http://artofserg.com/
Or contact them at:
sergdls@gmail.com
3DTOTAL.COM
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Geo2d - Creating A Digital Painting From A 3d Starting Point

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3DTotal.

com eBook series

An object can be made and then duplicated

www.3dtotal.com page 5 Chapter 01

The main tools used to directly manipulate your

When you finally close the shape by clicking on

You can continue to cut into your shape or alter-

www.3dtotal.com page 6 Chapter 01

the building using the Line and Eraser tools so

In Fig.14 I have used the Offset tool to create a

Using a combination of the tools mentioned

Atmospherics & Lighting

www.3dtotal.com page 7 Chapter 01

There is a little icon to switch the lighting on or

The Protractor is used to create accurate

www.3dtotal.com page 8 Chapter 01

In Fig.21 you can see a cross where I intend to

One final tool which may prove useful is the

www.3dtotal.com page 9 Chapter 01

The 3D scene will then be used as a template

I decide to include some elevated walkways

The windows are created by way of the Offset

www.3dtotal.com page 11 Chapter 02

next section after creating the initial offset. I

To create an “umbrella” which I can manipulate

To add some interesting shadows and also

www.3dtotal.com page 12 Chapter 02

With the numerous renders saved, I begin by

www.3dtotal.com page 13 Chapter 02

Fig.10 shows the image with the shadow and

I decide to add some lights along the underside

as with the sky light, and then duplicate the

To reflect this I paint in a pool of light on the

www.3dtotal.com page 14 Chapter 02

The same panels can be used on the main stem

The glow at the foot of the umbrella certainly

The foreground looks sufficiently detailed at the moment but the

Adding Characters & Textural Detail

www.3dtotal.com page 15 Chapter 02

of figures. In Fig.20 I have added a crowd of

To help define the foreground a little more we

We can apply this principal to the characters

with brushwork, but nevertheless continuing

www.3dtotal.com page 16 Chapter 02

If we look back at Fig.07 you will notice the

I also add a new skylight using an orange Outer

It is good practice to work on multiple layers

The last stage that I often employ is an

In Fig.25 you will notice a Colour Balance

www.3dtotal.com page 17 Chapter 02

And this last modification marks the end of the

If we view digital painting as an accepted

Programmes such as Google SketchUp

I hope that this tutorial has validated in some

In this tutorial I’m going to talk you through the

www.3dtotal.com page 21 Chapter 03

The whole selection process is very fast

www.3dtotal.com page 22 Chapter 03

www.3dtotal.com page 23 Chapter 03

www.3dtotal.com page 27 Chapter 04

As a general rule I spend as much time as I

Once this step has been done, I export the

Import your JPEG file into your illustration