RENDERWAVE

COLORPEDIA
VOL.1
RED RIGHT HAND PUBLISHING
Renderwave’s Colorpedia Copywrite 2020, Red Right
Hand publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this
book can be reproduced in any form by any means,
without the prior written consent of the publisher. All
artwork, unless stated otherwise, is copywrite 2020
Red Right Hand publishing or the featured artist’s.
 INTRODUCTION
4 5

We just wanted to take a moment

to thank you sincerely for backing
this project.
Crowdfunding really is an amazing thing when you think about it. To be
able to create a project and connect it with an enthusiastic audience,
without having to jump through the hoops of the traditional publishing
world is a fairly recent phenomenon. Something that was impossible to
do only ten or so years ago. And while this book took a lot of late nights,
pots of coffee and a team of amazingly talented contributors to create,
it really couldn’t have been made without you. That might sound corny

RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
but we really mean it. Had it not been for you, our beautiful, creative,
backers, this book would not exist. So, you’ve made the Colorpedia
too. We made it together.
Any successful artist will tell you having fun is what brings out their best
work, and isn’t that what drew us all to creating art in the first place? So
please don’t feel like you have to read this book from front to back. You
certainly will gain a great art education from doing so, but if that’s not
your style, that’s perfectly fine. Dip in and out and treat it as a resource
for the topics and subjects you happen to be working with in your own
art. It’s our hope that you will find tremendous value in this book and
will be referring back to it for years to come.
Finally, we wanted to briefly talk about the way this book is structured.
You will notice that the first half of the book is laid out with a tool-kit
approach. Here you will find concepts and techniques on a wide range
of subjects. Some of these we’ll explore in detail, others we touch on
just to make you aware of them. Our goal is to give you as many tools
as possible in the space that we have.
As you know, there is a subject on comic book coloring later on in the
book. We really struggled with where to place some of this content
because it’s hard to discuss art concepts and techniques in a vacuum.
The same techniques a concept artist might use to paint a futuristic
landscape might also be used by a comic book colorist for something
totally different. So just because a topic or subject might not seem
relevant to what kind of art you are personally into, it still will be ben-
eficial for you to at least look at it, as all the lessons in the book can be
applied to any area of digital art.
We hope you enjoy RenderWave’s Colorpedia! Thanks again for making
this book with us :)
 YOUR DIGITAL
6 7

RESOURCE ARCHIVE
You receive with this book a digital resource archive. In it you will find
custom brushes, color swatches, gradients, line art to practice on in-
cluding the inked pages for Light #1 and Maelstrom #1 and Wailing
Blade #1 and more.
Please remember to join the Facebook group where you will be able
to share your work with the other people who bought this book, post
questions, and just stay in touch with a community of artists.

RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
 INDEX
COLOR THEORY PAGE 11

RENDERING PAGE 35

COMIC BOOK COLORING PAGE 67

ARTISTS TUTORIALS PAGE 99

TUTORIAL LIBRARY PAGE 161

 COLOR
10 11

10

THEORY
TERMS AND PHRASES 12
COMPLIMENTARY COLORS 15
MONOCHROME 16
ANALOGOUS 17
WARM AND COOL COLORS 18
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE COLORS 19
GRAYSCALE 20
THREE VALUE COMPOSITION 22
COLOR RELATIVITY 26
AVOIDING MUDDY COLORS 27
BALANCE IN COMPOSITION 28
PALETTES 30
METHOD FOR FINDING THE MAIN COLORS OF A PIECE 32
 TERMS AND
12
LESSON 1
PHRASES
A quick note on terminology.
Saturation Value
Just for clarity’s sake let’s take a quick moment to make sure we’re all
on the same page with regards to the terms and phrases we are going
to be using.
Hue
Some of these terms, depending on what area of art you are working
in, will have different names. We’re going to use the terms most often
used in the comic book and digital painting industry.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
HUE The specific wavelength in a light spectrum. Think rainbows. When
we use terms like “red” and “blue” we are actually referring to the hue,
not the color. As you travel around the color wheel, the hue changes,
but nothing else.
VALUE Which can also be thought of as brightness, runs straight up and
down. The lower the value, the darker it will be.
SATURATION Runs left to right and refers to how much of the true color
is selected. The further left you go, the more neutral the color will be
and the less “pure” it will look.
FLAT COLOR Refers to color that is, well, flat. A single color without any
rendering or shading added to it.
LOCAL COLOR The color of an object in neutral white lighting. The
natural color of something unmodified by dynamic light.
RENDERING The act of painting in a way that gives the illusion of bend-
ing light and shadow to give form and shape.
That’s the basics. As we come to new concepts they will be highlighted.
and explaneed in detail. Okay, let’s begin!
13
Here’s a real shocker. The first thing we are going to talk about is color.
Obvs right?
We’ll start with the basics,of course, but we think you will soon realize
(if you haven’t already) that color theory is a surprisingly complex and
fascinating subject.
Color theory is one of those subjects where you realize the more you
know about it, the more you know how much more there is to know…
you know? Take at look at this happy little color wheel at the top of
COLOR THEORY
COLOR WHEEL the page.
Basic color wheel Everyone who looks at this will see certain things. They will see color,
of course. Whether they think it through or not, they will also see a
color spectrum.
Those of you with a little color theory in your back pocket will see some
more things. You might see primary colors, secondary colors, comple-
mentary colors. You might see analogous colors. It’s all right there. You
just might not be aware it is.
Now take a look at the wheel below it. It’s slightly more complex and
immediately demonstrates a new concept: saturation. As the colors get
farther away from the center, the more saturated they become. That is,
the farther they move towards their pure color.
COLOR WHEEL But this is still just scratching the surface. Color can be divided into
Color wheel demonstrating dozens and dozens of concepts and systems and it would serve you
saturation to understand, or at least be aware of as many of them as you can, to
afford yourself more concepts to draw from in your art. On the next
page you will see a buffet of color wheels representing different color
concepts. We will go into the most important ones in this book. The
rest are here just so you can become aware of them. These are only
representative of the most common color concepts and this is by no
means an exhaustive list.
 COMPLIMENTARY
14
LESSON 2 15

COMPLIMENTARY ANALOGOUS GRAYSCALE

COLORS
Complimentary colors are These are colors that have the highest contrast to each other. Used to-
gether they will look purer than they actually are. When laying down
colors that are opposite each
MONOCHROMATIC COOL DARK your principle colors, it is always helpful to be aware of what color com-
other on the color wheel. pliments the dominant colors you’re working with, even if you don’t plan
on using a complimentary color scheme, be-
cause it will give you a deeper understanding
of the palette you’re working with.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

COLOR THEORY
MONOCHROME SATURATED SQUARE

TRIAD
A triad is a color scheme in a special
variant of the split-complementary color
scheme, with equal distance between
all colors. You will often see this color
scheme used for super hero costumes,
usually with primary colors.
WARM TRIAD TETRAD
 MONOCHROME
16
LESSON 3
A monochromatic color This is a very subtle but tricky aesthetic to pull off. The approach to this
would be to lay down your base color, which in the case of this example is
scheme is three or more a desaturated purple. You would then go about coloring in one shade at a
shades and tints and tones time logically based on material and your planes. (We will look at planes
of the same base hue. later in the book). You try to use as few values in the same color family
as you can while clearly defining
all your elements.
This is sometimes referred to as a
wash by comic book colorists. It’s
an incredibly powerful technique
for defining an overall look of a
painting or book. This can also
be achieved using gradient maps
over the top of paintings render-
ing exclusively first in gray scale.
We will look at both painting in
grayscale and gradient maps a
little later.
Analogous color schemes use
colors that are close to each
other on the color wheel.
ANALOGOUS
LESSON 4 17
Analogous colors typically match well, are often found in nature,
and are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. By definition, this is a
color scheme with colors that have low contrast with each other, but
be mindful not to make the contrast so low as to lose the distinction
between them. Choose one color to dominate, a second to support.
The third color is used (along
with black, white or gray) as an
accent.
When you don’t want to draw too
much attention to something, like
background art, you would use
analogous colors to keep it rela-
tively uninteresting to the eye.
Take this example. The pictures
on the wall have nothing to do
with the story. What the artist
COLOR THEORY
wants the reader to be looking
at is the man and the ominous
set of eyes in the darkness. So
the rest of the room is colored in
analogous colors with little con-
trast. If one of the pictures on the
wall were bright red, for example,
the reader would wonder why,
and what importance it held. If it
was not important, that would be
an objective mistake on the part
of the colorist.
 WARM AND POSITIVE AND
18
LESSON 5 LESSON 6 19

COOL COLORS NEGATIVE COLORS

The words “warm” and
“cool” are of course only
metaphors when talking
about color, but they express
this color concept perfectly.
We all instincutally understand that blues and purples are cool, while
reds and yellows are warm. The colors just feel that way.
There are countless ways in which the interplay of warm and cool col-
ors are essential to art. Warm light casts cool shadows for instance. We
will cover some of these concepts later on, but right now we’re going to
look at a concept concerning warm and cool colors that is foundational
to visual story telling. The idea of postive and negative colors.
Whether the viewer realizes
it or not, all art (or at least all
good art) is about telling a
story.
As a story telling aid, positive and negative colors are an extremely pow-
erful tool for directing the viewer’s focus to where the artist would like it
to go. Look at this panel from Red Right Hand Comic’s Light #1.
Note how the elements in the bottom corners of the frame are painted
in cool tones. The character in the foreground actually has blue skin,
but she is much brighter than the unimportant characters to her left and
right. Notice how the cool, low contrast tones on either side of her directs
your attention towards the center of the page where the important stuff
is going on. Notice how the ground is warmer in a direct path to the char-
acters in the background who are also warm. This is not simply a matter

COLOR THEORY
of aesthetics or story logic. It’s an intentional effort on the colorist’s part
to make you want to look at the important elements on the page.
Colors in art and especially in comic books are not selected only to
make things look cool, but to guide your eyes to where the creators
want them to go, and in doing so, assist in the telling of the story. Look
at any modern comic book or painting and you’re likely to find this
technique being used again and again. It’s foundational but very, very
powerful. If you only remember one thing right now about warm and
COLD COLOR SCHEME cool colors as it pertains to your compositions,remember this: cool col-
ors subtract from the viewers attention, warm colors add.
Remember, colors are relative to each other. The perception of what’s
warmer and cooler largely depends on which colors surround it. Not
every temperature re-
lationship should be a
strong blue to a hot red,
and certainly not some-
thing that happens often
in nature. Mastering subtle
differences in temperature
for different environments
will be vital in creating nu-
anced images - just enough
contrast to make it inter-
esting without metaphor-
ically screaming at your
audience.

WARM COLOR SCHEME

 GRAYSCALE
20
This may come as a surprise
to some, but grayscale is
possibly the most important
and useful color scheme
there is.
LESSON 7
While the grayscale doesn’t contain any color per say, it does have
something even more important: value. What every professional dig-
ital painter and colorist knows is that hue/color is actually not that
important. What’s really important is value and contrast. If you can
nail these two things, everything else is easy and your art will improve
in leaps and bounds.
Every painter and colorist would benefit
greatly from practicing painting in gray-
scale (or in one color). And in fact many
high-level digital painters paint their
work first in grayscale. The reason being
is that it forces you to think through the
shapes in ways that are difficult to do,
while also diverting some of your atten-
tion and brain power towards the puzzle
that is color harmony. By only having to
worry about value and contrast your ren-
dering skills will get much better.
The best part about coloring in gray-
scale is that it’s incredibly easy to then
add color once your rendering is to your
satisfaction.
Simply create a separate layer above
your grayscale layer and set the new
layer mode to ‘color’. When you begin
to paint in color this layer will pull the
values from your grayscale painting.
This is a technique that should not be
overlooked as it is one of the fastest
ways to level up your rendering skills.
We will go much deeper into rendering
in later chapters.
 THREE-VALUE
22
LESSON 8
COMPOSITIONS
There is a major benefit to
understanding grayscale: As artists, we are unable to replicate every value on the canvas that
exists in reality. We are therefore forced to simplify the values for art-
clarity. work. This is the value range, a much more limited array of brightness
compared to reality.
HUMAN EYES ARE ABLE TO CLEARLY
DISTINGUISH THREE OF THE VALUES
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
PRESENT BEFORE THE DIFFERENCES
BECOME NEGLIGIBLE OR NOT
USEFUL FOR ARTISTIC PURPOSES.
We, as artists, are bound by this. For instance, it’s impossible for us to
have white paint that is as bright as the sun, or black paint that emulates
pure darkness in a dungeon. This creates an interesting problem, where
values we can use are much closer in brightness than the possibilities
in reality. Luckily we have a solution. We can turn a disadvantage into
an advantage.
What master artists throughout history realized was that within this
limited range, human eyes are able to clearly distinguish three (four,
depending on who you ask) of the values present before the differences
become negligible or not useful for artistic purposes.
23
This is particularly useful when creating artwork, as elements in your
piece can be categorized in a limited value range to maximize clarity.
In fact, all of the greatest artwork throughout history can be simplified
into three values and still be readable to the audience. So long as you
are creative in what you allocate these values on, artists are able to
emulate the clarity and value possibilities of reality with a much more
limited range.
Think of it like organizing a messy folder into digestible categories. Art
can be a bundle of chaos if left unchecked. Using too many interval val-
ues to organize your artwork may cause confusion and muddiness, as
you risk having too many shapes leading your viewers’
eyes everywhere and nowhere in particular.
This is not to say you keep to three values throughout
the entire process. This method of thinking is only to
ensure clarity, as long as your initial three-value com-
position is adhered to.
For example, under the assumption that your value
COLOR THEORY
plan is perfect, if you designate an area to be white,
it would be detrimental to lower its value to make it
read as a mid-tone. You may, however, shift the values
slightly from white to add nuance to the elements you
are painting. So long as it still reads as one of the three
values, this will ensure what you’re doing is organized.
 24 Try your damndest not to introduce
more values. If something leans
towards one of the three values go
with your intuition and simplify it.
We’re looking to study, not to create
finished, pretty pictures.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
If you’re having trouble, you can squint your eyes so you blur what- That’s not to say you should count every pixel to ensure it’s exactly 25
ever you’re looking at. This will ensure that any negligible details get 60/30/10. What it implies is that one value should be disproportion-
grouped together with the larger values in your vision. Another method ately dominant (“60%”), one subdued (“10%”) and one somewhere in
is to zoom out from the painting (or walk farther away for the tradition- between (“30%”). This goes into the principles of good design, as you
alists), forcing the piece to be seen with the big shapes only. want to avoid compositions made of value ratios with the same sizes
(unless deliberate for storytelling purposes). Variety is always more
One exercise some artists like to do is to take professional work and
interesting to the eye than stagnant, orderly designs.
dissect its art into three values, and notice that the composition still
functions. It may seem impossible given how complicated some of
them could be but you’ll quickly realize that the masterful rendering
hides the solid foundations.
You’d soon find, with enough study, that the dominant value tends to
dictate the atmosphere, and, in turn, can be used to enhance storytell-
ing. For instance, would you paint a dark catacomb with white as the
dominant value? Barring some inverse storytelling, it’s likely you would
use black a lot more.
COLOR THEORY
How about a cute kitten on a sunny day?
If you find yourself having trouble depicting certain moods, consider
stripping down your work-in-progress into grayscale and double-check
whether your value ratios are logical for what you wanted to portray.
A strong three-value composition is one where the three values create
interesting shapes and movements throughout the piece. The shapes
flow with one another and our eyes know when to rest. With the master
studies we know what the artists intended to achieve even in the most
bare-bones simplified states. Try this exercise for artwork you like!
If you find yourself in a scenario where your composition feels lop-sided
or unclear, take a step back and note whether the big value shapes are
reading properly. Rendering might be the fun step in art but it will never
fix a poor foundation.
60/30/10
“60/30/10” refers to the percentage each of the three values take in a
composition: 60%, 30% and 10%. The interesting phenomenon is that
almost all great artworks have a three-value breakdown with those
ratios.
 COLOR
26
LESSON 9
RELATIVITY
Color is relative. A mistake
that most, if not all, new
colorists make is believing
that colors are immutable.
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It’s crucial that you grasp the concept that colors can be perceived differ-
ently depending on what surrounds them. For instance, blue isn’t always
blue. Well, actually it is, but our brains will insist otherwise. Here you see
a little caterpillar of color. Red, orange, green and blue. But your brain
doesn’t process the colors individually. It instead reads and interprets them
in relation to the colors around them.
In both images, the blue color in the fore-
ground is the exact some color. However,
you will notice that your eye reads the blue
in the bottom image as gray. That’s because
there’s a brighter blue behind it. Your brain
sees the bright blue and says “this is blue”
therefore the less saturated blob on its sur-
face must be something else.
This is far from the only example of how
your brain incorrectly interprets color. What
this means is that you can’t rely on picking
local color for your painting. You must take
into account all the colors in your scheme
because they change the perception of
each color.
If you’re coloring something with multi-
ple scenes and locations, such as a comic
book, you might be tempted to color pick
your colors from previous pages that you’ve
completed. Joe what’s-his-face has brown
hair. So you continue to pick the same
brown for page after page. There is nothing
wrong with that, as long as it makes sense.
If the colors around Joe’s luscious locks
have changed dramatically, that won’t
technically change the color of his hair, but
it will change the viewer’s perception of
that color. And it’s your job to compensate
with your colors for that shift in perspective.
AVOIDING
LESSON 10 27
MUDDY COLORS
When selecting colors for your art, it can be very easy to end up select- This is a little tidbit based
ing colors that turn out looking ‘muddy.’ Muddy colors refer to a color
palette which is lacking in variation and interesting differences. It tends
entirely on the concept of
to make a theoretically unified painting, but it will also be boring and COLOR RELATIVITY that
will lack direction for the audience to interpret. we just talked about.
The problem is usually made when the artist selects what they think
are logical color selections for their elements. In the real world the
night sky is dark, for instance. Like really dark. So it only makes sense
to choose a blue or a black with very low value somewhere along the
bottom of the color wheel. But in art, darks don’t objectively have to
COLOR THEORY
be dark. They just have to be dark relative to what else is on the page
because our eyes interpret the entire image together, and not one el-
ement at a time. Because of this, the dark night sky only has to be
darker than the rest of the colors in the image. This blue for example
is smack bang in the middle of the color wheel, and not down in the
no man zone of the bottom third like we might assume. Furthermore,
if you select the color for the ground you will also find it’s in the same
neighborhood - around the center of the picker.
While the darker image
uses more logical local
colors, the result is that it
looks less alive and less vi-
sually interesting.
It’s important to note that
making your colors too
dark is definitely not the
only way to end up with
muddy colors. Rather, it is
the result of a lack of vari-
ation in your hues. Muddy
colors can in fact be made
with very bright values. The
point here is to leave your-
self plenty of room across
the spectrum of perceivable
color value so as to have
variance in your image.
 BALANCE IN
28
LESSON 11 29

As artists we are replacing the scale with the

overall canvas, and the weights are visual
elements you place down in your artwork.
Our eyes are drawn to elements with heavier

COMPOSITIONS
visual weight. Or, in other words, they’re more
distracting. Which one feels like it’s heavier?

Often, people ask what a good composition really means. If you think
about what an artwork is, it’s an arrangement of visual elements. And
each of those elements have a visual weight. Like in reality, some will
be heavier and some will be lighter.
With that in mind, there is a commonality with all of the best compo-
sitions throughout history: balance.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

Circle (A) feels heavier because it has a higher

1 2 (B) now has more visual weight as

contrast in value, and it is of a more saturated

COLOR THEORY
it’s of a higher contrast relative to
We could put an equal amount blue. However, if we were to do the following
the background, thus catching more
Let’s imagine every of weight on the other side using the same exact circles:
attention.
canvas to be a to balance the scale. It would
balancing scale. be a bit boring to simply take
the same weight and place it
there, so we should put smaller
Think of stop signs as you’re driving. They were designed specifically
weights which add up to
equalize it instead. to hold massive visual weight to save drivers’ lives. They are meant
to catch your attention no matter what the conditions. Of course, as
artists, we’re looking to be more nuanced than creating stop signs on
a canvas.

3 4 Every single element you place in a composition will bear a weight de-
pending on its surroundings. It could be as simple as geometric shapes
When we add a weight We could also adjust the sides
or patches of colors, to as complex as a fully rendered human being.
to one side, the scale from the center line, as logically
it would apply less force nearer
The key note is that you must be aware of whether the elements in your
will obviously lean work are spread properly in order to balance them. If weight is put on
to the center than the farther
towards one end. one area, it must be equalized somewhere else.
side.
Lopsided compositions are easily detectable by your audience. They
will just feel wrong. This is because it is a suboptimal way of using the
canvas space. If a composition feels like it could be cropped, chances
Unlike with actual weights, we can’t put are it will require re-balancing.
a number on a visual weight, especially
This is a simplistic view of how balance in art works, but it is funda- Always double check throughout the painting process to see if balanc-
considering everything in art is relative
mentally similar. Achieving balance in a composition is to arrange the ing is necessary. When you are rendering, visual weights can get lighter.
to its context. Your judgment of what’s
visual weights in such a way that they feel visually appealing while heavier or lighter visually will depend on or heavier as more colors and details are added.
optimizing the canvas space, ultimately resulting in the same feeling your arbitrary perceptions.
that a balanced scale would give. Take the above analogy with the scale
and note the following diagram.
 PALETTES
30
LESSON 12
One of the fastest ways to
get better at digital painting
is to be organized. Part
of this will be amassing
a library of tools and
references to pull from as the
need arises.
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31
SEAWOLF FIRE
The digital archive that came with this book should be thought of as a GRANNY SMITH APPLE HAMBURGUER
foundation of tools which you will continue to add to and grow. Having
a folder of tools such as gradients, brushes, actions and even just art
that inspires you, is so incredibly useful for digital artists it’s practically
mandatory... Actually, we’re just going to go ahead and say that it IS
mandatory. You would be hard pressed to find a top tier digital artist PASTEL PRIDE SUNSET
who hasn’t amassed a library of tools.
One of the best resources you can have on hand is a library of color
palettes.
We all know what a palette is. But how deep is the science behind it?
50’S COMICS BOOK SKIN
The short answer is: deeper than you need to understand. Most artists
will go through their entire careers without ever understanding the
science behind what makes a color palette effective because it’s so
deeply subjective. So, we’re just going to give you a few things to con-
sider when choosing your palettes.
VENTANA AZUL ICE AND WATER
COLOR THEORY
A color palette is simply a group of colors or hues. Color palettes are
often based on a similar family of colors, or color concepts. Neon,
monochromatic, pastel, desaturated, but that’s only for the sake of
color harmony.
Though there are no rules as to how many colors your palette must YELLOW NICKY DESERT
have, usually a palette will contain a base color, a mid tone, a shadow
tone, and a high-light tone and a fifth color for accents.
As a general rule, most palettes will be comprised of colors of more or
less the same value and saturation. There inevitably is a darkest color
and a lightest color, and in most cases there will be two mid tones CIRCUS 2 LION
which are very similar.
Whether you search for a palette for a particular subject before you
begin to paint, or you paint something first and then take a moment
to create a palette file from colors you pick from it, it just makes sense
to build a color palette library which you can draw from for your work, SAKURA SKIN 2
or simply to get some ideas flowing.
Adobe Color Themes is a fantastic photoshop extension for discovering
new palettes. Whether you actually pull palettes to use or just browse it The first column of colors here are Adobe Color Themes. The second column
to find interesting color combinations you hadn’t considered before, it’s on the right are the colors of particular subjects. Look how close ‘Sunset’ is
worth referring back to it from time to time. You can even see what the to ‘Skin’. Interesting right? Unless we are looking very hard and with a trained
most popular palettes were of that week, month, or of all time. eye, we don’t see the colors of an object individually. We only see a general
interpretation by the brain. But it’s important for you to be able to do the op-
posite and see the individual colors independently from the whole. The same
way a chef can taste a dish and detect subtle notes of coriander or hints of va-
nilla or whatever. It’s essentially the same skill. With time and practice you will
be able to deconstruct an image by separating the hues in your mind’s eye.
 METHOD FOR
32
LESSON 13 STEP 3 33

From there you are

going to want to make
sure GIF is selected at
the top.

FINDING THE MAIN

COLORS IN A PIECE STEP 4
The “selective” needs
to be set to custom

If you’re the scientific type You can even use this technique to pull the colors from your favorite
movies. You simply need a screenshot from any frame in the movie.
who likes be a little more
exact, there’s a super easy
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

method for extracting the

COLOR THEORY
dominant colors from a STEP 1
piece of art. Open up any image you
like in Photoshop. With
the image layer select-
ed select file >export
Select save for Web
STEP 5
You will now see a
(legacy)
boatload of swatches.
256 to be exact. That’s
probably more then
you want. At the top
right of the window
select a lower amount.
5-10 should give you a
good selection.
STEP 2
This will open up a
rather intimidating
window like this.

STEP 6
In the color palette
menu save color table
to a destination you
will remember. Import
from your swatches
menu to use.
 RENDERING
34

LIGHT AND SHADOW 36

MOVEMENT OF THE BRUSH 42
GENERAL MOVEMENT IN COMPOSITION 44
CONTROLLING EDGES 48
MATERIALS 101 50
WORKING WITH GRADIENT MAPS 52
PAINTING BACKGROUNDS QUICKLY 56
EMULATING HUMAN FOCUS 60
DRAWN TO THE LIGHT 62
CURVE TOOL 63
THRESHOLD TEST 64
 LIGHT AND SHADOW
36
LESSON 14 37

Rendering is without a Rendering is without a doubt the most difficult and important process Just as we compared learning to distinguish all the various colors in
of painting and coloring. Luckily there are ways of approaching render- an image to the way a chef can discern all the flavors of a dish, you
doubt the most difficult ing which can demystify and simplify the process. must learn to also see your artwork as a combination of the shapes
and important process of The most helpful way to think about rendering is to think of it as paint-
that make up its form.
painting and coloring. ing with light and shadow. With no light there is no image. And whenev-
er there is light and a 3D object there will always be a shadow. Painting
in light and shadow is the only tool for creating a sense of depth and a
3D dimensional look with your artwork.
The method for solid rendering is to breakdown whatever it is you’re
painting into its constituents shapes. For instance, the cityscape below,
while quite complex on the one hand, is on the other only a collection
of simple rectangles. If you know how to paint a rectangle, you know
how to paint a building. Just like you can dodge a wrench, you can
dodge a ball. Different topic, same principle :)

RENDERING
Generally speaking, any shape or volume has:
HIGHLIGHT: The closest point to the light source. It has low saturation
and little texture.
MID-TONE: This is where everything happens in terms of color and
texture.
SHADOW: Farthest from the light, but high in saturation. Again, there’s
little texture.
BOUNCE LIGHT: Any shadow will have another light shining onto it, be
it from another light source or “bouncing” off another surface like the
table we imagine this sphere is sitting on. Therefore the deep shadows
are ever-so-slightly brighter than the terminator (see below).
CAST SHADOW: Lays on a separate surface to your object which is di-
rectly blocking the light. Your cast shadow is affected by many factors
such as the material on which it sits and the brightness and angle of
your light.
The way light plays across shapes is almost always the same. If you
learn this formula you can apply it to a watermelon in the same way
you would to a marble or a moon, or a deathstar (if in fact it’s not really a
moon but an elaborate trap laid by the empire).
Some factors do change this, such as extreme lighting conditions
like incredibly bright, top down light, or the material of the object.
38 39

But these are exceptions and we will cover them in later chapters.
Learning how to render basic shapes in a variety of lighting conditions
is the key to learning how to paint like a champ.
When beginning to render an object, the first step is to understand
what the main shapes are.
For example, a head is spherical, houses are boxes, horses are a bunch
of cylinders and boxes. Occasionally you have to squint to find the gen-
eral shape of the object. When dealing with more complex shapes it can
sometimes be tricky to decide whether it’s a box or a sphere. You can
find that out by observing how quickly the lit and shadowed side tran-
sition into each other - the quicker they do, they more boxy the shape.
Notice how the light on the cube shifts dramatically at its edges. This
very pronounced shift from a lit surface to a shaded surface is referred
to as “the terminator”. It’s the main way our brains decode a shape to
tell us it has edges. On the other hand, the light and shadows blend
gradually across the sphere giving us the impression that it’s curved.
This is a crucial concept to understand. Recreating this principle in your
art is essential to making your shapes look three dimensional.

AMBIENT OCCLUSION: This technique is a staple of digital 3D model-

ing, but can and should be used in your 2D art for giving your shapes
a sense of depth and perspective. Ambient occlusion, in a way, is the
opposite of “the terminator”, in that instead of it being the point where
two planes meet and transitions dramatically from lit to shaded surfac-
es, it instead is where two planes meet to create a shadow. Typically
a cast shadow is where a shadow is casted onto a separate object.
Ambient occlusion however is the phenomenon of two planes on an
object meeting to cast a shadow onto itself. It can also be thought of
as the point where your shape is the least exposed to ambient lighting.
Hence the term: ambient occlusion.
So what does this mean for your art? As a general rule, its often a good
idea to work ambient occlusion in your workflow very early on. As a
first pass on your rendering, find the points on your object where two
planes meet that are NOT the lit side of your subject, and shade the
edges of those adjacent places in. Keep your ambient occlusion on its
own separate layer so you can turn it on and off and see what a differ-
ence it makes. If you are just learning about this concept now you will
begin to see it everywhere. Becoming aware of it is the first step, but
like everything else, it will take time to really master.
 LIGHTING TIPS RENDERING
COMPLEX SHAPES
TIP 1
Use more than one light source. Even
outside, your first light is the sun, but the
second is the sky. The more nuanced your
lighting set up is, the more dynamic your
art will be.
TIP 2
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Don’t forget about light coming off
neighboring surfaces. It makes things
bounce their own color around them and
sends light into shadows.
TIP 3
The “terminator” is where the lit side
turns into shadow. It looks great with
more saturated colors as “hot lights” or
“hot shadows”. The stronger the light
source, the more convincing the effect.
It’s important to picture the constituent shapes of your forms in their
three dimensional shapes, and not their two dimensional versions.
41
For instance, the female character below is not made up of circles and
triangles, but spheres and pyramids. Imagine the shapes sitting inside
each other like a hologram. Always render the three dimensional ver-
sion of your constituent shapes.
SHADOW TYPES
AMBIENT OCCLUSION: Two objects so close to each other they block
light from coming in. The steeper the angle of the two adjoining planes
the darker the shadow will be.
RENDERING
CAST SHADOWS: Have the same shape as the object that casts them,
then distorts according to the geometry of the object they fall on. This
is where a reference comes in handy. The more distorted, the more
leeway you have. But for familiar shapes, like a hand’s shadow on a
face, people can easily spot if you take shortcuts.
Find your largest shape. Determine your main light direction. Render
out your largest shape first, creating highlights and core shadows. Ren-
der out the smaller shapes into the larger ones in passes from largest to
smallest. Maintaining this discipline guarantees that you don’t end up
with only one side having certain details. If new shapes are completely in
shadow, light them accordingly. Remember to incorporate your second-
ary light source, like the sky, even into your core shadows.
It is a very valuable exercise to practice rendering basic shapes, and
you should be doing it or have already done a boatload of it at some
point in your art quest. If you sat down and rendered one basic shape
a day, in varying light conditions, you have our word, your rendering
skills would hit a whole new gear.
 MOVEMENT
42
OF THE BRUSH
While styles may vary in
application, the importance
of how you move the brush
can make a big difference.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
LESSON 15 43
The general idea is to move your brushstrokes along the form of what
you’re drawing. A good way to think about this is to imagine yourself
moving your hand along the surface.
By doing this, you are adding a sense of touch to your piece and ac-
centuating the three dimensionality in your work. Your audience will
subconsciously feel the forms you are depicting as they follow along
the textures created by your strokes.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Let’s demonstrate this, shall we? Let’s say we are painting a cylinder in
skin tone. Which one feels more correct here?
Despite the fact both cylinders are using the exact same colors, Cyl-
inder A feels more correct than Cylinder B because of the direction of
the brushstrokes. Cylinder B causes cognitive dissonance: we want to
believe it’s a cylinder but the textures and brushstrokes on the shape
are contradicting that. This is a demonstration of just how powerful
brushstrokes can be in interpreting form.
This, of course, varies largely depending on whether your style leaves
brushstroke patterns or not. If nothing else, it is a good habit to move
along the form as it will ensure that you understand the volumetric prop-
erties of any object that you are painting.
Exceptions, as with everything else in
art, can exist. Barring style decisions,
brushstrokes may contradict form to
depict motion or accentuate a sense
of light. Try testing out new options for
your own work!
In this example, the
brushstrokes are vertical
to create a sense of the girl
falling, as well to accentuate
a sense of blinding light.
 GESTURAL MOVEMENT
The gestures could have been made into all sorts of subjects but the
44
LESSON 16 point is to retain the movement they created. Both trees have uses de-
45

pending on what you need, as the feelings they create are entirely differ-
ent despite being the same subject matter. This is the power of gesture.

IN COMPOSITIONS
Everything in the world Gesture is often associated with anatomy, denoting the action and
expression of any particular living being. What if I told you everything
has a gesture... An artist in the observable world has one as well?
can capture the essence of Everything in the world has a gesture. It might not be a dynamic one,
anything in the observable but nonetheless an artist can capture essence in anything in the ob-
world. servable world. This is also known as movement.
Movement, as you would imagine, attracts our eyes. We like to follow
where the action leads us. With the knowledge that everyone has ges-
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

ture, it means that anything we choose to draw and paint will be rele- When we combine visual elements together we can begin to create a
vant in leading the audience to where we want them to go. grander movement in a full composition.

Let’s use an example. Look at the following lines. Which one feels more
whimsical?
RENDERING
This is independent of rendering, by the way. Gesture can be captured
with any style you choose to execute. When gestures of different ele-
ments combine, they create a dance of movements which bring the
audience along the entire canvas, resting at pivotal points of interest
(focal points).
This is why it is vital to retain your gestural movements in a composi-
tion as you render. When you render values and colors may change the
perception of the gestures, which can then change how the audience
interprets the piece. Let’s say I take the previous tree and add more to it.
Even with more details, we still feel the sense of the movement of the
original. When you render details, ensure that they’re complementing
the movement of what made it work in a composition.

If you said B, you would be correct. We have preconceived notions

about the gesture of anything we see, and it doesn’t only pertain to
people. Let’s take these lines and render them with something more
presentable.
 CONTROLLING
46
EDGES
No matter what style you’re
looking to portray in your
art, it will stem from your
scope of reality.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
LESSON 17 TIP 47
Blurring is not the only way for
painters to create physically soft
edges. There are a myriad of
textures which create the same
effect. Try different brushes to
see what works for you!
We, as artists, are looking to create an interpretation of what we know.
This is why artists may sometimes work their entire lives to master the
ability to create the illusion of a believable world.
The other way to soften edges is through contrast. This is sometimes
known as implied edges. The lower the contrast between two shapes,
If we think about human vision, our eyes naturally sharpen anything the softer it’s perceived to the viewers.
we focus on and soften anything we don’t. It’s so embedded into our
psyche that we don’t even notice it. We just accept it as our reality.
As artists, however, we have to be conscious of this phenomenon in
vision, and, in many cases, be conscious of the need to replicate this
artificially. After all, artwork (barring a few exceptions) is equivalent
to an experience into an alternate reality, and that all starts with the
physical ability to see through our eyes as humans.
RENDERING
With that in mind, one of the most underrated tools in creating a sense
of reality is the art of controlling edges. Edges are the borders between
different elements in an artwork, where they meet directly or transi-
tion. Unlike the definition of edges in mathematics, edges in art may Implied Hard Edge Implied Soft Edge
or may not be hard lines. In the context of art they can be soft. In fact,
soft edges are extremely useful to us in establishing the importance of
creating a sense of reality. As stated before, it’s vitally important for artists to control where edges are
hard and soft in their art. A piece which has equally hard edges through-
Naturally, harder edges will catch more attention than softer edges be- out a piece can look artificial. In reality, it is impossible to focus everything
cause it’s how we’re conditioned to see. There are two possible ways to equally. Let’s hypothetically make a composition with basic shapes.
create a perception of softer edges. One of them is to create them phys-
ically, where there are clear pixel-by-pixel transition between shapes.
Physical Hard Edge Physical Soft Edge
While we’re led to look at the square as it’s the only one on the page, our
peripheral vision feels something is wrong. The circles are a bit too sharp,
causing unnecessary distraction.
 A piece which has equally soft edges, on the other hand, will look too When we combine physical and implied edges together we can create
48
nebulous, as if someone took off their glasses. Making nothing worth- TIP a feeling of human vision, even with only the most basic of shapes. It’s
49
while to focus on creates confusion as well. A common misconception is the not the most flattering of images, but take note of how staring at the
idea that cartoon and comic square makes the other shapes feel like they’re in peripheral vision.
styles are not utilizing edge That is the power of edges in creating illusions.
control. They might primarily
work with physical hard edges
for the sake of production.
They will, however, primarily
use implied edges to create the
feeling of focus. In many cases,
they may also soften the edges
on the backgrounds in order
to accentuate the hard-edged
characters on the screen.

To remedy this, we could use physical control to soften edges on shapes

meant to be secondary elements in the composition.

It is vital to study master paintings to observe how they lead the audience
to where they want you to focus. While people are more likely to study
values, color, and other prominent aspects of art, edge control is what
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

turns a good painting into a magnificent one. You’ll most likely find some

RENDERING
of the best painters, especially of the realist style, have immaculate con-
trol over edges in their pieces. Studying where and why they soften and
harden edges is key to bringing your art to the next level.

We could use implied edges to do the same.

 MATERIALS 101
50
In many cases, stylistic
choices may not require you
to be attentive to the subtle
properties of materials.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Materials can range widely in
reflectivity, from mirror-like to
diffused qualities.
Skin is thin enough that light can
penetrate through, bounce off the red flesh
underneath, and back out into our eyes.
LESSON 18 51
However, this is fundamental knowledge every artist should be aware of.
In science, there are many aspects determining how a material can look, TEXTURE
but as artists, focusing on four will keep it simple for practical purposes.
Finally, the material can have bumps and bruises which make light
travel in different patterns, otherwise known as textures. A perfectly
smooth material would have predictable patterns of light paths, where-
LOCAL COLOR as a textured material will require more nuanced rendering.
As stated in previous sections, the local color determines where you’re In order to render materials, you have to be able to objectively dissect
starting off from. them. As we’re not scientists, it’s not vital for us to be as precise as
mathematical equations, but we do need to have a general sense of
the four aspects discussed above.
REFLECTIVITY An exercise to study materials is to make spheres of various materials
in neutral settings. That way, you won’t be distracted by the shape of
This is the main basis for determining how a material gets rendered, as
the subject matter or fancy lighting scenarios. It’s nigh on impossible
we can only see an object based on how much light reflects and enters
to give a list of every material out there, so it’s best to get a reference
into our eyes.
and study them on your own.
Reflectivity can range from a perfect mirror (high reflectivity) to a hy-
RENDERING
pothetical pitch dark object which absorbs all light (low reflectivity).
This is also heavily affected by the light source itself, as an object can
only reflect as much light as its given.
TRANSPARENCY
Objects are rarely perfectly opaque. A material may not only reflect and
absorb light but it may also let some light directly through. This can
cause the light to reflect off the inside of an object, giving you a hint of
it. This will come into play especially with skin, as the redness of skin
is caused by light bouncing off the interiors of the body. This is known
as subsurface scattering.
 GRADIENT MAPS
52
Gradient maps are one of
the most powerful tools at
the digital artist’s disposal.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
LESSON 19 STEP 3 53
Click the ‘Adjustment Layer’ button in the
‘Layers’ Panel (the half black, half white
semi-circle button at the bottom) and select
‘Gradient Map’. Alternatively, you could go
to ​Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient
Map in the toolbar at the top of the window.
Gradient maps are one of those tools that it’s almost negligent not to
learn. For many artists, it’s just a matter-of -fact step in their workflow.
Gradient maps are a colored adjustment layer which pulls the values
from whatever layer is underneath it and colorizes it to the parameters
of the map.
STEP 4
Double-click the
Which is yet is another reason why rendering your work first in gray-
gradient in the Gradient
scale can be so beneficial. You can use one gradient map over a gray-
Map ‘Properties’ panel.
scale painting or dozens of gradient maps attached to all the different
This will pop open
elements on your page. The ways in which they can be used are end-
a new window, the
less. This should behove you to at least explore this tool and how you
‘Gradient Editor’.
may be able to improve your own work and workflow with it.
STEP 1
Let’s start with a gray- STEP 5
RENDERING
scale image of a simple
sphere. The darkest shadow of the image will
always be on the left. The brightest
highlight of the image will always be
on the right.
STEP 6
STEP 2 Select the markers
Use your tool of choice, at the bottom of the
such as the Magic gradient, and pick a
Wand, Quick Selection range of colors to use.
or Lasso Tool to make
a selection only of the
sphere or object you
are painting.
 Like many of the lessons in this book, this one is only meant to act as
54
STEP 7 an introduction to a technique you may not be aware of. In fact, this
55

You can add more is a rather complicated tool, but most high level digital artists would
markers in your gradi- tell you that you don’t actually need to understand a lot of the science
ent and pick colors that behind the tools you use in Photoshop or other software like Painter
fit in between the shad- etc. It’s enough to know how to use it for your particular purpose.
ows and highlights.
It would serve you to at least play around with gradient maps to see if you
enjoy working with them. Start off with the stock gradient maps in Pho-
toshop and if you’re enjoying working with them start creating your own.

STEP 8
This step takes a little
bit of practice and
playing around. There
is no one solution to
this. Slowly move your
markers to the left and
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

right until you’re happy

with the final result as

RENDERING
it adjusts the gradient
color spread.

STEP 9 Don’t forget that gradient maps can also be used for certain selections.
You can use as many gradient maps for as many elements on your page
Touch up on a new as you want. Simply break your image down with color separations to
layer until you are easily select and apply a gradient map to your various elements.
satisfied.
 PAINTING
56
LESSON 20
BACKGROUNDS QUICKLY
Sometimes as digital
painters it’s easy to forget
about the physicality of
painting.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
This technique is for painting backgrounds quickly. Sometimes as dig-
ital painters it’s easy to forget about the physicality of painting. Es-
pecially when you’re working off of a very small tablet or screen. The
problem with this is it can often lead to your work looking stiff or flat.
Conversely, because digital artists have access to a huge array of tools
traditional painters do not, one can also fall into the trap of overwork-
ing and over processing images.
One of the solutions is to work faster. Almost recklessly. This is a simple
concept to help infuse your work with a sense of energy, movement
and style.
Start by sketching in some very rough shapes. Work as fast as you can
as you slap down some basic shapes and colors. It’s okay if this looks
like it was painted by a four year old in an earthquake. That’s actually
what you’re going for. The important thing is that you get a general idea
of your composition here.
57
BECAUSE DIGITAL ARTISTS HAVE
ACCESS TO A HUGE ARRAY OF TOOLS
ONE CAN ALSO FALL INTO THE
Use textured brushes with the color dynamic turned on
in the brush settings. Make sure your brushes are hard
and chunky. Anything soft or air-brushy is your enemy
right now.
TRAP OF OVERWORKING AND OVER Set your sketch to an overlay layer and create a new
layer underneath it. On the new layer continue to block
PROCESSING IMAGES. in some shapes in grayscale. Because the layer above
is an overlay layer, it will pull this layer’s values into it.
Switching back to your overlay layer, spread the colors
already present with high opacity brushes. Get into the
habit of using the eye dropper tool to quickly select values over over-
lapping color as you continue to mold your shapes. The mixer brush set
to ‘Dry, Heavy Load ‘or ‘Very Wet, Heavy Mix’ is also great for this stage.
RENDERING
Once you’re happy with the general composition start locking in the
shapes by painting in more solid color. But be careful not to forget the
point of this technique. Don’t overwork it. Continue to use the mixer
brush to merge the colors together. As you work quickly from a sense
of feeling, it’s useful to use many different layers, merging them down
only when you’re happy with them. This way if you go on a tangent
with your shadows for instance, you’re not damaging the work you’ve
already done. It’s as simple as deleting that specific layer and starting
that step again.
 58 59

Don’t get up from the piece until you’re done. Often when you leave
something uncompleted it can be hard to get back into the zone of
what you were doing. By forcing yourself to pull the piece together in
a single sitting you’re not going to have enough time to over work it,
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
giving the piece a kinetic feeling.
Continue switching between different brushes and settings, but stick to
the same 5 or 6 so that you’re not losing momentum scrolling through
your brushes looking for the ‘perfect’ brush.
If you have smaller elements, like the figures in this piece, it’s often
helpful to paint those elements large and shrink them down so they
carry more detail. Shrinking elements down always looks good while
up-sizing rarely does.

Take the piece as far as you can before you begin playing too much with
layers and filters. Only as the final step should you start tinkering that
way. The ‘Adjustments > Variations’ menu is a good place to look first.
Try the ‘Unsharp Mask’ to bring out crisper detail, especially on focal
points. ‘Find Edges’, ‘Glowing Edges’ and ‘Ink Outlines’ can all be useful
filters on low opacity. Always copy the entire image to a new layer first
in case you don’t like the results.
For a cinematic feel try darkening the corners with a gradient tool and
add ‘Noise Filter’ to stimulate film grain.
This example is a fiery canyon, possibly inside a volcano, and is obvious-
ly a very energetic environment. But painting fast and loose like this can
help bring a sense of energy and life even to a much more serene setting.
 EMULATING
60
HUMAN FOCUS
Why do cameras which
seemingly take a shot of
reality sometimes feel off-
putting compared to the
human eye?
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
LESSON 21 61
A big part of this is how focus works. Cameras, especially used by ama-
teurs, would have focus all over the place. Our eyes, however, automat-
ically sharpen to where we foc our attention. Everywhere else becomes
progressively unfocused.
An artwork is a gateway to another reality, and we experience art
through our eyes, obviously. This means it is vital to control your edg-
es to ensure that they can replicate human focus to some degree, no
matter what style you’re going with. Art with focused elements every-
where is more akin to a camera. But we don’t want the piece to be too
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
unfocused either, as if we’re not wearing glasses.
The happy medium, of course, is to sharpen the edges on your focal
points and blur out everything else. There is a very easy way to do this.
Generally what happens is that an image can be a bit too sharp when
digitally painting, so we put some softer focus in the piece.
First, duplicate your entire art-
work to a separate layer by click-
ing on the ‘Layer’ menu and go-
ing to ‘Duplicate Layer’.
Then go to the ‘Filter’ menu, and
select ‘Gaussian Blur’ under the
‘Blur’ sub-menu.
The layer will now be blurred.
Now all you have to do is erase
parts of the blurry layer which will
be in focus, as the erased parts
will show the original artwork
beneath. You can also use layer
masks to do this step.
And voila! Preferably you should paint with focus in mind but this is a
very quick way to fix it if it needs adjustment. Not every style looks good
with blur, however, so be very wary about when and where to use it.
 DRAWN TO CURVES
62
LESSON 22 LESSON 23 63

THE LIGHT TOOL

There is a natural Human beings always prioritize light over darkness. Not surprisingly, Looking to adjust a few colors On Photoshop, you can find this in the ‘Adjustments’ menu. Other pro-
light allows us to see. Throughout history we’ve felt safer in the pres- grams will have it in some way or another.
phenomenon with sight that ence of it. After all, darkness hides the unknown.
on the fly? The ‘Curves’ tool
The ‘Curves’ tool allows you to change the individual values of a piece
we can take advantage Whenever we look at art there’s a very predictable path of motion we
might be for you. to be brighter or darker.
of in our art. take, even for just a fraction of a second. We start from the dark values
and move toward the light.  
It is precisely this reasoning that makes a dark foreground to light
background relationship so widely used in cinema. The foreground
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

elements act as an entry, leading the viewers towards the midground

and background with higher and higher values. This is also known as

RENDERING
cinematic lighting, a type of lighting very often used in concept art.
As with everything, there are exceptions to this case. It is, however, a
very easy way to create a sense of distance. Use it to your advantage!
Plan around it!

If you move the diagonal line where 1 is, you’ll adjust the dark values
to be brighter or darker. If you move from 2, you’ll adjust the midtones.
On 3, you’ll adjust the light values. Of course, you can adjust everything
in-between those as well.
The great thing about the ‘Curves’ tool is its ability not only to adjust
the individual values, but hues in the piece as well. In an RGB image,
you can adjust the strength of reds, greens and blues individually. The
scroll-down menu above the main graph allows you to pick the color
you want to accentuate or de-emphasize.
For an example, I’ll adjust the reds.
If you move the line on 1, it will adjust the redness of the dark values.
On 2, it will adjust the redness of midtones. On 3 the light values will
be adjusted. You get the point.
While the tool won’t make or break a painting, it allows artists to make
subtle color changes no matter what part of the process they’re in.
 THRESHOLD
64
ADJUSTMENT TEST
Here’s a neat little trick
if you’re working on
Photoshop (or any other
software with this setting).
LESSON 24
As you are rendering, or when you believe your piece is finished, merge
your layers in a separate layer. From the ‘Image’ menu, go to ‘Adjust-
ments’ and click on ‘Threshold’.
When you select it the adjustment slider appears. What
‘Threshold’ does is simple: it simplifies your entire composi-
65
tion into either black or white. Any value closer to white will
be simplified to white, and any value closer to black will be
simplified to black. This can be adjusted with the slider.
This adjustment is particularly useful to double check if your
value arrangement works from a basic silhouette standpoint.
If the composition begins to feel too ambiguous in ‘Threshold’
chances are you’ll have to change a few things to make it read
clearly. Try it for yourself!
RENDERING
 COMIC BOOK
66 67

COLORING
PREPARING YOUR PAGES 68
FLATTING 71
PLANES 73
CREATING YOUR OWN PALETTES 74
USING REFERENCE BOOKS 75
COLOR PSYCHOLOGY 76
USING CONTRAST AS A STORY TELLING DEVICE 78
COLOR COMPOSITIONS 79
COLORING A PAGE TUTORIAL 80
COVERS 84
PAGE TEXTURE 90
USING ORGANIC TEXTURE 92
PAGE NOISE 94
CHECKING YOUR WORK IN GRAYSCALE 96
 PREPARING YOUR PAGES
68
Comic book coloring is a
unique and special artform
that is flourishing under the
continued advancement of
digital painting software like
Photoshop, Corel Painter,
Fresco and Procreate.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Single layer
The first method for doing
this is to use the ‘Levels
Adjustments’. On the top toolbar
in Photoshop select Image >
Adjustments>Levels.
Double layer
It’s not really necessary to understand exactly how this tool works. For
LESSON 25 our purposes here simply drag the first slider to the right a twinkle, and
69
hey presto! Those anemic looking pencil lines will now look inked. It’s
pretty obvious when you’ve overdone this so just use your judgment
as to how dark you should take the line art.
There is an even easier way to beef up your line art which is especially
useful if you’re using software like Fresco or Procreate where the ‘Levels
Adjustment’ isn’t available. Simply duplicate your line art layer. You can
do this as many times as needed. Once you’ve duplicated your line art
Never have so many tools been available to the colorist and never has
the independent comic scene been more vibrant and full of talented enough that the lines are as dark and distinct as you’d like them to be,
artists choosing to learn this craft. merge your duplicated line art layers together. Easy-peazy.
While the comic book colorist isn’t an illustrator or painter per say, the
methods he or she uses for rendering objects and characters, creat- Before
ing depth, points of interests and story telling information are still the
same. If you’re not interested in comic book coloring, the information
and techniques in this section should still not be ignored. These are
just some of the methods and workflow especially suited to the process
of coloring comics, but are in fact applicable to all sorts of digital art.
PREPARING YOUR PENCILS
Before the digital age comic book pages were first drawn by a ‘penciler’
and then passed to an ‘inker’ before ever getting to the colorist. The inker
COMIC BOOK COLORING
was responsible for building out the pencils in black ink and filling in
shadows. This is very rarely done any more. Now, more often than not,
the illustrator will do both the jobs of the penciler and inker digitally.
However, sometimes an artist will turn over to the colorist’s line art that
still has a bit of a sketchy, pencil look to it. In that case it’s essential that
the colorist prepare the line art properly. (This is also a handy trick if After
you’re pulling line art off the internet to practice on where the DPI will
probably be much lower than the standard 300 DPI used in comics).
 FLATTING
70
LESSON 26
Flatting, not to be confused
with flat colors, is the act of
separating all the elements
in your line art into color
separations.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
1 foreground.
If you’re not already using them, please allow us to change your
life with two of the most beautiful words in all of digital art. Color
separation.
Color separations are without a doubt one of the most, if not the very
most, useful tools a digital artist has at their disposal.
The concept is very simple. Using your
‘Lasso’ tool you cut out selections from
every element on the page and use the
paint bucket to fill them in, separating
them by color. You should use one color
per material.
For instance, skin gets one color, water
gets another. Sky, cement, flesh-eating
kangaroo. Whatever. They all get their
own color.
You do this in order to be able to quickly
select your elements later on with the
‘Magic Wand’ tool for all sorts of purpos-
es: coloring or applying adjustments to
those specific elements.
Whether you’re painting a portrait, a
comic book page, or a cityscape, set-
ting up color separations (AKA ‘flats’)
first should be a no-brainer.
As a general best practice, follow the
same steps in the same order at the be-
ginning of each project. Almost like an
art ritual.
STEP 1 71
Set your line art layer to ‘Multiply’. Create a second
‘Normal’ layer and drag it below your line art layer.
Using the ‘Lasso’ tool cut out a selection for each panel
and give it its own color. Then panel by panel start cutting
out and painting elements from farthest to closest. Make
sure to use a different color for each element. For this
example a different color was used to separate hair, sky,
boy’s skin, girl’s skin, different items of clothing, etc.
Keep working towards the elements in the foreground
until everything down to the smallest detail is separated
with its own color. Think of it like cut outs of colored
paper stacked on top of each other.
2
STEP 2
It’s best practice to color the entirety of a shape, including
anything that may be blacked out, from the line art.
With the line art turned off the flats should be broadly
readable. While it might seem like extra effort to color in
the bits that will be hidden by the ink, it will be helpful in
certain situations to have done so. So it’s just best to get
in the habit of doing it properly.
COMIC BOOK COLORING
STEP 3
If your page has more than one character it can also be
helpful to create a separate layer of your characters flatted in
solid colors so you can apply changes across the entire figure
easily. The best time to do this is to duplicate your flats
layer at the beginning before you break up the characters
into their various elements. Name this layer something
like ‘Characters’. Lock it and hide it until you need it.
3
STEP 4
Often you will want to add an effect or adjustment
across the entire background or foreground and in those
cases it’s a huge help to also have a layer separated by
planes. One color each for background, mid-ground and
STEP 5
For the final step have a cookie or play a game of Mario
Kart. The hard work is done. Flatting can be a tedious
process as it doesn’t require you to flex any creative
muscles. In fact, most professional comic book colorists
hire out all their flatting so they don’t have to deal with it.
However, you should at least get familiar with the process.
Also it gives you a lot of time to start thinking about your
color compositions and rendering approaches. You will
become very aware of your planes, your materials, and will
probably even have an idea of where your light source will
be coming from by the time you’re done flatting the page. 4
 PLANES
72
LESSON 27
The best way to think about
planes is like stacks of
paper layered on top of one
another, from the farthest to
the closest.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
73
Once your page has been flattened it’s time to start blocking in the
actual colors you will use. Using the ‘Magic Wand’ on your color sep-
arations, select and color elements with the ‘Paint Bucket’ according
to their planes. Break down your image with as few general planes as
possible. Don’t stress too much about finding the exact colors you’re
going to end up using. What you should be focusing on right now is
finding the right balance of value and contrast. Very important: never
alter your flats layer. Leave it locked and invisible and only use it to
‘Magic Wand’ the various elements in order to select them quickly.
As soon as you start flatting your page you should be trying to under-
stand where the planes are. Sometimes that’s hard, but as you begin
this process it will become a lot clearer.
Cut out and paint one plane in a relatively
light saturated color. Cut out your second
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
plane and color it with a dark desaturated col-
or. For your characters and your mid-ground
use a value at the general middle of your first
two planes. This gives all your elements a
clear distinction and helps draw attention to
the mid-tone because they will be high con-
trast with the rest of the elements. Do this as
many times as needed, remaining mindful of
what the focus is on the page. Leave plenty of
room with your colors to give those elements
the most contrast.
As you begin to cut out smaller shapes try to
keep your planes intact. Meaning, try to make
any elements that interrupt or break the visual
continuity of your planes a color that’s very
close to the plane it’s in. Or, create an entirely
new plane with a new color, as the artist did
here for the two smaller figures on either side
of the characters in the foreground.
During this process your colors might change
dramatically and that’s fine. But try to main-
tain your planes regardless of where the colors
end up. This will create a great foundation for
you to start rendering your page.
 CREATING YOUR
74
OWN PALLETES
Ironically, limiting yourself
to a palette before you start
painting can often lead to
creative freedom because
you’re not constantly
deliberating over color
choices.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
LESSON 28
REFERENCE BOOKS
Maybe what blows your hair back is going into a piece with only some By collecting color samples
general ideas about what colors you want to use. It’s fun for you to find
all the mid-tones and highlights as you paint. There’s nothing wrong
from popular books you
with that. Often artists will choose to work this way because they feel will begin to see trends and
it’s more freeing. And of course, in a way, they’re right. But there is also patterns in their palettes.
a freedom that comes from not having to constantly decide what col-
ors to use. By setting color limitations for yourself beforehand, you’re
actually freeing your mind from a whole layer of processing power that
can go towards rendering out your forms and shapes.
But if you really don’t like creating your palettes ahead of time, con-
sider taking a moment whenever you finish a piece of art to create a
palette of color swatches from it. This way you will have a library of
colors you’ve used in the past which you can easily re-use, as well as
allowing you to easily see patterns of color you tend to lean towards.
This information might inspire you to go in a different direction or even
help you get a sense of your own unique aesthetic.
With digital painting, unlike traditional painting, it’s incredibly simple
to use literally any color you want with the click of a button. However,
this freedom can also cause potential problems, as it can cause inde-
cisiveness, inconsistency and lack of direction if you’re not organized.
SAGA
MAESTROS
KINGDOM COME
THE KILLING JOKE
USING
LESSON 29 75
Using reference books, also known as “art books”, is a practice used in
all areas of the publishing industry. Not just in art-centric books like
comics. Any book published by a legitimate company will have been
looked at and agonized over by a team of professionals. If a company
has invested money in a book and brought it to market, you better be-
lieve every choice was deliberate and thought through. Which is why
using published books as references is invaluable. By choosing a book
you admire as your project’s north star, you immediately have access
to the sensibility of the entire team who made it. In terms of color that
means pulling a palette directly from a book. All you need is a digital
COMIC BOOK COLORING
version or a scanner to digitize it, and you can import the pages into
Photoshop where you can color-pick its most dominant colors. This
also ensures that your book has a consistent aesthetic and is a tremen-
dous time saver. For instance, why tinker with finding the perfect skin
color for a character when you can pull one you like from another book?
Below is a sampling of colors from popular comic books.
THE DARK TOWER
MONSTRESS
THE IMMORTAL HULK
DEADLY CLASS
 USING CONTRAST AS
76
A STORY TELLING DEVICE
Not only do our eyes look for
differences in color, but they
also look for contrast as well.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
LESSON 30 77
As you can imagine, the way our eyes have evolved was crucial for de-
tecting dangers and assessing threats. Like a tiger creeping through
the grass, for instance. Because of this our eyes are hardwired to notice
when the pattern of an element changes. Otherwise known as con-
trast. We can use this to our advantage by manipulating the viewer’s
eyes to focus on what we want. The more important an element is on
a page, the more color contrast it should contain. Conversely, the less
important an element is the less color contrast it should contain, even
within itself. In the example here you will notice a previous concept
we covered: the use of cold colors to direct the eye away from what’s
important, and warm colors to draw the eye towards them.
But what else do you notice? The gorgon at the bottom of the page has
almost no contrast on her anywhere, while the angry demi-god above
her has much more. You can see the difference in color where the rim
of light hits her arms and hood. There is contrast in the gold of her belt
and her dress. Clearly she is the most interesting element on the page
because of this.
Even though the nice snake lady is colored in cool colors to take focus
away from her, there is still plenty of room in those cooler color-tones
to paint in contrast, if the colorist wanted to. The reason there is no
contrast is exactly the same reason why she’s painted with cool/nega-
tive colors. To direct the viewer’s attention past her. Just as your eyes
are naturally drawn to the most saturated elements in an image, so too
are they drawn to the elements with the most contrast. This applies to
contrast within the image as well as the contrast of the entire subject
compared to the rest of the page.
Imagine it was the other way around. The character at the bottom of
the page was colored with high contrast and the one above had none.
Your mind would naturally think she was the important focus, which
clearly wouldn’t match the action.
Remember, colors are relative right? So too is contrast. And the reason
we used an example of contrasts working in tandem here is because
they often are, and should be used together.
 COLOR CREATING PAGE
78
LESSON 31 LESSON 32 79

PSYCHOLOGY DEPTH WITH COLOR

While we don’t believe color There have been countless studies conducted by smartypant scien-
tists proving that certain colors can elicit certain emotions. In fact,
psychology should be taken every year some of the world’s biggest corporations spend boatloads
too literally, there’s no doubt of money studying how color effects the perception of their brands.
that it’s a thing. And while we agree that the use of color psychology has its merits, it’s
not witchcraft. You can definitely put too much stock into this. Still, it’s
important to deliberate over your color choices. This is one more thing
to take into account. At the very least, it will help you apply a consistent
logic to your decisions.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Just as you can use contrast
and color temperature to
guide the viewer’s eye, so
too can you use color-type to
achieve the same effect.
By leaving a trail of visual breadcrumbs, you force the viewer to read a
page by following patterns. In most cases subconsciously.
Take this example from Maelstrom #1. Notice how the red elements
start in the foreground and continue down through the center of the
crowd, causing your eyes to follow them. This creates a sense of depth
because it’s compelling you to look deeper into the crowd. Blue figures,
aka cold elements, flank either side of the page, also helping to corral
your attention towards the middle, and deeper into the image. Finally,
the crowd towards the back of the page is colored in the same golden

COMIC BOOK COLORING

In the example here, the young woman is seeing something shocking. colors as the sky, making it uninteresting to your eye.
Red instinctively feels urgent and has strong associations with passion
Love, passion, anger, Intelligence, calmness, Here you have several concepts working together at once. Positive and
courage, heat. stability, cold. and anger.
negative colors. Analogous colors. Color patterns. All these are employed
together to get the reader to look at the piece in a particular way.
This is obviously only the briefest of in-
troductions to this concept. The point
here is that your colors effect how your
Femininity, love, Cleanliness, purity, pages are read, and you always want
compassion, softness. truth, lightness.
them to be read in very specific way.
The colors you select should be delib-
erate and purposeful. None of your de-
cisions should be random or made just
because it looks cool.
Power, danger, Confidence, success,
elegance, mystery. friendly, warmth.
Notice how the energy feels completely different with the blue back-
ground. It just feels less energetic and less appropriate for the story
moment.

Nature, health, quality, Royalty, vanity, fashion,

refreshing. confidence.

Creativity, sunny,
happiness, energy.
 80
CREATING DEPTH 81

WITH COLOR

STEP 1
The first thing to do is to check
the black and white values,
which should be as close as
possible to 100%. This can be
done by adjusting the image.
levels.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

COMIC BOOK COLORING

STEP 2
Once black and white levels are adjusted,
the layer containing the line art must be
on screen mode. So we can start applying
the first color base, ‘Flats’. It’s important
to keep the color and complementary
color theory in mind, since the main
figure of the page needs to be highlighted
with cool tones (green/blue) on a mainly
warm background (orange/yellow/red).
Complementary colors are those opposite STEP 3
each other on the color wheel. After deciding what tones will be used for coloring the
image, as well as the points to be visually highlighted
(main characters), we can start coloring (illuminating) the
image. I always recommend starting with colors from the
farthest background and working inwards, always taking
into account where the spotlight is located. Fire in this
case. But it may also be the sun, the moon, a light bulb, a
glint, and so on.
 82 83

STEP 4
The main character of the page is set
against the light. Fire is illuminating
almost the whole page (warm color)
but generates a shadow (cool color). To
combine both tones we use ‘Bouncing
Light’, which, besides integrating
both tones, highlights the close-up by
generating two light bounces onto the
object.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

COMIC BOOK COLORING

STEP 5
To finish and highlight fire as the spotlight,
we add some “special effects”. First,
we color the background line art with a
warm tone. This will not only integrate
everything that is consumed by flames,
but will also generate more field depth.
With a yellow/orange tone and a soft
brush on screen mode, we can add some
glitter. And, if we want to emphasize the
temperature and the chaos resulting from
fire, we can add some particles with a
textured brush.
 COVERS
84
LESSON 33 STEP 2. FLAT COLORS DETERMINE THE COLOR MOOD 85

It’s always best to flat your colors first. Being able to

select the elements on the page via a flats layer makes
the entire process easier and faster. Many colorists will
hire out their flats to a “flatter”, but doing it yourself gives
you time to really look and think about the piece for a
while. Once you have a flats layer to refer back to, it’s time
to start selecting your base colors based on the mood
you wish to convey. How do you want the cover to “feel”?
For this cover the intention was to convey aggression and
sexual energy, so red, yellow and orange were chosen as
the base colors.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

COMIC BOOK COLORING

STEP 1. LINE ART, COLORING STYLE,
COLORING SOFTWARE
Before you start to color take some
time to observe the line art and
determine what coloring style is
suitable. No coloring style, regardless
of how good it might be, is a one size
fits all aesthetic, and it’s important to
support the artist’s intention with the
line art by choosing the appropriate
coloring aesthetic. For this cover by
Val Jr., a semi-painting style felt most
suitable. Though it can sometimes
be helpful to spread your workflow
across several different softwares,
this cover was done start to finish
in Photoshop. However, none of the
techniques used are exclusive to that
software.
 86
STEP 4. FINISHING. 87

In finishing, try to enhance the color to make it more

appealing and energetic. Open the hue/saturation panel
(ctrl+u) to see if you can alter the colors globally in a way
that looks interesting to you. Here, soft light was added
to make the character’s skin color more rosy and bright,
An overlay layer was also added to strengthen the color
of character’s horn. A green glow was added around the
eyes, and some bounce light around jaws and nose for a
dramatic effect. Don’t overlook these little details at the
end. They are often the difference between decent colors
and great ones.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

COMIC BOOK COLORING

STEP 3. TOOLS, RENDERING AND DETAIL
For a semi-painterly look. the combination of sharp strokes and the soft brush is
very effective. For this effect I like to use the ‘Pencil’ and ‘Radial Gradient’ tool.
Also don’t forget about ‘Color Picker’.
To define the light and shadow use the HSB ‘Color Slider’. This HSB (Hue, Saturation,
Brightness) slider makes it easier to choose color for rendering. You can just slide the
hue saturation back and forth to your desire.
Choose the base color in hue, for the shadows slide the B (brightness) slider
towards the left (darker part), and to the right for high light. Here is a little
example of the skin color in the form of this reddish sphere.
After you’ve finished rendering all the main colors start adding smaller details.
Try an ‘Overlay’ layer to add a little blue hue for the legs. This will make the
characters’ skin pop-out more, and the focus on the characters’ faces will
stand out more as well. After that, add your cast shadows on a new layer set to
‘Multiply’. At this stage it’s a good idea to start checking the values of the whole
image. You can check it easily in Photoshop. Just click on the ‘Menu’ bar: View >
Proof Setup > Custom >Device to Simulate > Dot gain 20%.
88 89

COMIC BOOK COLORING

After adding a blue hue to the leg, work on
adding cast shadows in your mid-ground
if possible. This will give the image more
volume and depth. For this create a new layer
(Ctrl+shift+N /command+shift+N) with ‘Hard
Light’ setting.
A desaturated blue color was used for this
cast shadow. Hue is 191%, Saturain 74% and
brightness is 43%.
 PAGE
90
LESSON 34 91

TEXTURE THIS EFFECT IS ESPECIALLY

This is a clever little trick that Many colorist incorporate a “page texture” layer to give their books
HELPFUL IF YOU PLAN ON DOING Hopefully you have set up a color separation for your

is simple and easy to do but

a cohesive aesthetic and nuance that would be next to impossible to
hand-craft page by page. MINIMAL RENDERING IN YOUR panels ahead of time. But if you haven’t, create one
now. Simply create a layer, cut out all your panels and
can have huge impact on
BOOK AND INTEND TO STICK WITH,
fill them in with a solid color. The reason for doing this
Pictures of cardboard, cement, or even really old grainy paper can be
the overall look of your book. is that you want the texture only to show on your panels
used for this effect which all can be found as fast as your little fingers
and not in the gutter… or maybe you do. It’s your art
OR CLOSE TO, FLAT COLORS.
can google them up.
after all. In which case, skip this color separation step.
With the page you’re coloring already open in Photoshop drag in an
With your page texture layer selected click the ‘Layer
image of a texture. This will create a new layer for it. Name this new
Mask’ button at the bottom of your toolbar.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

layer “page texture” and make sure it’s above your color layers.

COMIC BOOK COLORING

Your image will immediately look terrible. Don’t freak out. From here
you play with the ‘Layer Mode’ mode for your ‘Page Texture’ layer. Of-
Without page
ten soft light or overlay will make sure that the color from your texture
texture layer.
doesn’t alter your page colors too drastically. If it’s still altering your
color in a way you don’t like hit ‘ctrl+U’ to open your hue/saturation
settings and turn down the saturation on your texture layer.
Which of these two images you find more aesthetically pleasing below
is purely a matter of taste. But it’s often a nice touch that will lend
distinctive character to your work. This effect can be as dramatic or as
muted as your tastes or needs dictate. The opacity can be turned down
on the ‘Texture Page’ layer and, of course, the amount of detail in the
texture you choose to use will vary the effect greatly.
This is an effect that is especially helpful if you plan on doing minimal
rendering in your book and intend to stick with, or close to, flat colors.

With texture
layer.
 USING ORGANIC
92
LESSON 35 93

TEXTURES
There are countless ways to
import organic textures into
your pages to add detail
and character that would
take about a gazillion times
longer if done by hand.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Yes it is possible to paint all your textures by hand. But in the words of
a modern day poet: ain’t nobody got time for dat.
The idea is very similar to the page texture technique from the last
chapter, except we’re going to mask our textures to specific elements
and not to entire panels or pages.
As you can see, there’s a lot of marble in this image, and it would take a
lot of time and effort to paint that texture into it. Because this is from a
fantasy book, the artists also wanted to make it seem like the character

was clothed in light. So in addition to the marble textures in the piece,

an image of a sunset was also used for the dress.
By the way, there are tons of places to find textures for your art online.
Adobe Stock is a good choice, as in Envato Elements. Or even your own
photography will do. Import each texture you plan on using into your
document with its own layer.

Select the texture you would like to map to that
element on your page and then hit the ‘layer mask’
button at the bottom of your toolbar.
Your texture is now locked to only those elements
on the page in the form of layer masks.
Either from your flats or color separation layers, use the ‘Magic Wand’
to select the element you would like to mask. Make sure that “contig-
uous” is un-checked.
Next select the texture that you would like to map to that element on your
page and then hit the ‘Layer Mask’ button at the bottom of your toolbar.
Hey presto. Your texture is now locked to only those elements on the
page in the form of layer masks.
At this point you may want to change the blending mode of those lay-
ers if the imported texture has changed your colors in ways you don’t
want. ‘Soft Light’ and ‘Overlay’ are the first two you should probably
try. If the colors still are
not what you intended,
select ‘ctrl+U’ to open
‘LAYER MASK’ IS A SAFE, Hue/Saturation settings
and desaturate your im-

If the colors still are not what you intended,

NON-DESTRUCTIVE ported texture. You may
also try turning down

EDITING TECHNIQUE.
desaturate your imported texture. You may also try
the opacity of the layer
turning down the opacity of the ‘layer mask’. mask.
 PAGE NOISE
94
LESSON 36 CHECKING Practicing in grayscale really, really, really, really is a good exercise.
And you should definitely do a lot of it. We’re stressing that because

YOUR WORK we’re about to show you a hack that will give you one of the benefits
of painting in grayscale without actually doing it.

Adding a layer with a noise
filter can be another great
way of adding consistent
IN GRAYSCALE
You can include this step into your work flow at any point, though it
makes the most sense to either add it after you’re done your flats or as
a final touch after you’ve rendered.
The first thing you need to do is create a new layer above everything
This is an excellent tool for checking your color composition. It will
immediately become obvious what is and isn’t working on the page. In
this image, for example, there’s a lot going on. It was important that the
page wasn’t confusing and that the focal point, the aerial performer at
the top of the page, really popped out from the background. To make
sure the composition was working, a grayscale layer was created to
help see whether or not there were any weird imbalances in the page,
and to make sure that the elements were all clearly defined.

texture to your pages. This is
a very simple technique but
surprisingly not a very well
known one.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
else. Set your ‘Paint Bucket’ tool to a very low opacity. 2-6% is probably
sufficient. Choose a color that will not dramatically change the look of
your page, unless of course that’s what you’re going for. Type ‘ctrl+A’ to
select all and fill your new layer with the color. The reason you’re doing STEP 1
this is because the noise filter needs visual information to work with. Create a new layer in
With your new layer selected at the top toolbar select Filter > Noise > your project and set
it to color and name
Add Noise. This will bring up the noise filter slider. Generally speaking
it ‘Grayscale’. Place it
somewhere around the middle works best but play around with it. You
above all your layers.
can adjust the slider and see in real time how it affects your page before
making the decision.

COMIC BOOK COLORING

You will notice that you have two options. The Gaussian setting is a
little more chaotic and the uniform is… well uniform. This is a matter
of taste and of what you’re trying to achieve.
The effect here is a subtle one. Often though it’s the culmination of sub-
tle effects that give a book a cohesive look. This is a great technique for
establishing a certain sense of aesthetic continuity in your books. Which,
by the way, is something that you should always be striving for. Breaking
that aesthetic continuity can be jarring for the reader and will pull them
out of simply experiencing the story. So if you do use this little trick, be STEP 2
sure to use it throughout the entire project. Or at least throughout se- On your grayscale layer
quences that tie together thematically. Using a noise layer dialed up a bit press ‘ctrl+a’ to select
higher than it is here might be a great way to add a grainy look to flash- all and fill the page with
back scenes for instance. This will tell the reader it’s a flashback without black.
having to contrive some sort of story or art device to communicate it.

Presto. You have a grayscale painting. Lock and hide this layer and refer
back to it as needed. It’s not a bad idea to get into the habit of always
adding this layer to your working files. It takes only a couple seconds
to do and it’s very helpful to have at hand.

No noise layer. With noise layer.

 CHARACTER
96
PALETTES
Creating character palettes
is especially useful for an
ongoing series.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
LESSON 37 97
Creating character palettes is simple and fun. If you’re working on an IP
that is ongoing, and especially if there will be multiple artists/colorist
working on it, it’s almost an essential practice. Your art team will thank
you for it.
It can also be rewarding to create a folder of all your characters and
their respective colors. After a few years of building your character li-
brary you should have an impressive collection which also makes for
great content if you’re into sharing your work on social media.
A character’s palette is not only useful to ease the production pipeline
COMIC BOOK COLORING
for other artists. The palette is essential in accentuating certain char-
acter traits. As with color language in general, we often subconsciously
judge a character on the colors they depict on their overall look. You’ll
quickly find that dissecting popular character palettes will allow you
to understand what is commonly used to depict, for instance, a hero
or a villain. Knowing how your characters make your audience feel is
an essential part of character design.
 FEATURED
98 99

ARTIST’S
TUTORIALS BROOKS KIM 101
ADRIAN KENDAL 108
BEN TANG 115
DAVID NEWTON 119
ZARIN BAKSH 125
ALEX CHOW 131
WAVELOOP 141
NOOBOVICH 147
TOMAS DUCHEK 157
 INT DOLUPTA BROOKS KIM
100
LESSON 10 101

SOLUT QUAME Brooks Kim is a digital artist

from South Korea. He works
mainly in the video game and
Kim’s goal is to follow a traditional painting aesthetic of the likes of
Frank Frazetta or Norman Rockwell. But he feels that digital media
offers him more choices to express himself.
“I wanted to paint a sexy goth girl inspired by Wednesday from the Add-
animation industries. ams Family. I looked at a lot goth girl references until I felt like I had a
good picture in my head of what I wanted her to look like”.
Cum escilla cuptatio Pieniendus. Omnimi, quidestrum exerchi llaccae consere voluptatur se
seque dolupta tentem fuga. Ecuptatus. “I knew the piece was going to be very dark so I made sure I didn’t go
quodipsa volores int quia too light on the lighter elements such as the skin and the leaves. When
Pelecea ritiatem aliae. Ad maxime volorro vidunt mos etus que si ipsunt
voles iduntiu mquias cone quat volo que con excero cuptatem aut odi coruptatquas et, cum sim everything around it is dark, the
fugiam consed quamustis aperchit quatem ex eat ipitiatet utatium value in your light colors can be
reptat. very low and still stand out on
the page.”
Accus undaectatur maios est fuga. Ut expere que sunt harchic atemque
COLOR BOOK

autati aci ut derae volupta desequas eiusam verciis eos doluptis restisci “To create the magical energy

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towards the bottom of the page I
COLORPEDIA

offic to volorro te porporibus vellor min prat as quam, quata consedi-

gent adi ut apid est preceraerum es saerum ipsam reiumquundae vo- used a dry mix brush with the load
set to very heavy. I did this be-
ROCKET DIGITAL

lore essequia dolorae doluptatur aci quatque mo te aciandant que nati

rempore mquatiam vene quossimendi consectiant liquiam et essinus cause I wanted everything except
RENDERWAVE

alique pro is doluptas ex et ad que cus atis ad que nem quis dolorporae Wednesday to feel slightly out of
non parum hit modis dolum quos dolore ea velitati corectio. Iquo occab focus in order to create some con-
trast between the character and
RENDER

iusam es aut et ut ad essi dolum ipidunt qui te dolut eosaest veliqui qui
nihiliquiat pos magnimusam facerib ustestetum re eos aut eum the background.”
“Finally, I used the light from the
background to create some back-
light on the character and added
highlights. I also used a color
dodge layer on a duplicate selec-
tion of the leaves and skin to add
a bit more of a warmish glow.”
 102
GIRL WITH HELMET
TUTORIAL
STEP 1
For this pin up girl I knew I wanted it
to be somewhat surreal but not too
complicated. I visualized it as two
subjects: the girl and the oversized
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
helmet. I start off by roughing in a
silhouette and using only two values
to separate the girl and the helmet.
STEP 4
I usually add a levels layer here to
push the values around. I’m mostly
just experimenting at this point to
see if I can find an interesting effect.
In the case of this painting, I felt
like I already had a good warm/cool
balance and so it only required a
very slight tweak.
103
STEP 2 STEP 3
Once I have my general shape I start Once I feel like I have all the values I
to paint in colors. At this point I’m need on the page I continually color-
just painting with feeling and trying pick from the overlapping bits of
to find the general color of things. colors while I smooth out the values
I like to use a hard textured brush with a brush with medium firmness.
to keep the textures chunky. I resist I always create a grayscale layer to
the urge to refine any details. I also check my composition.
lay in my highlight colors on the
same layer because when I begin to
blend them in with a mixer brush
they retain some of the chunky
details from my first pass.
HELMET
GIRL
STEP 5
I deliberately saved some of the highlights for
last knowing they were going to be hard edged
and not blended with the other highlights such
as the shiny spots on her skin. I also added
decorative touches to make the piece more
interesting. In this case, the stickers on her
helmet.
 104
SKIN TONE TUTORIAL 105

Painting your skin palette first in a sphere can

be a very handy reference for more complex
or realistic pieces. By working first with a sim-
ple shape you will be able to find the right mix
of colors more easily. Choose your three base
colors.
COLOR BOOK

Add your darkest warm colors for shadows and

TUTORIALS
sunken features such as eye sockets. Also in-
COLORPEDIA

COLORPEDIA
clude your warm blush colors for sub-surface
scattering.
ROCKET DIGITAL

ARTIST’S
RENDERWAVE

RENDERWAVE
FEATURED
RENDER

Continue the process all the way to your warm

highlights and specular light. Your highlights
and shadows will determine what your mid-
tones should be. If you can make the sphere
work by blending all your colors smoothly
you will have everything you need to paint the
much more complex face.
 106
MAKING YOUR DIGITAL ART
LOOK LIKE TRADITIONAL PAINTING
STEP 1
I start with a rough sketch. The
only thing I’m looking for here is
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
a general composition. I also like
to make the lines stronger for the
focus on the painting, and weaker
for everything else. This way I
already have a sense of contrast.
STEP 4
I then will start smoothing and
mixing my colors in order to refine
the details, such as facial expression
and the hard edge contours of the
subject.
STEP 2
I then block in the contrasts with
general color. I use a very lumpy
brush, usually with a bit of scatter
and texture to it. It’s important
to not make clean or sharp edges
because I want the colors to blend
together later when I begin refining.
STEP 4B
To maintain the look of a traditional
painting through the refining process
I use brushes with varied textures
as well as dynamic color properties
turned up on my mixing brushes.
107
STEP 3
As I gradually refine the shapes I’m
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always mindful of the composition
and color balance. At this point I’m still
using a hard chunky brush and avoid
smoothing anything at all. Once I’m
happy I have strong shapes and color
balance I will add in some backlight
and bring a bit of the background
colors into the foreground for harmony.
STEP 5
I place extra intention on making
sure that the center of the painting
is more refined than its surrounding
area to prevent the viewer’s eye from
wandering away from the subject.
STEP 6
Center of picture.
Refined, smoother.
STEP 7
Background, more
rough, unfocused.
 ADRIAN KENDAL
108
It can be difficult for me to
determine why I made a
piece of art. I tend to just
work from something like a
stream of consciousness.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Adrian Kendal has been working as a freelance artist since 2014 and
formerly went under the handle Porto881. He likes to use a cartoony
style to try to convey things that are odd and unconventional. Creating
art is his meditation, and his way of making whatever lies in his sub-
conscious, light or dark, come alive.
FERTILITY GODDESS
“If I recall correctly, the main inspiration for Fertility
Goddess was initially the VR headset. I probably had in
mind something about the relationship between con-
sumerism, poverty, and interpersonal connections, or
lack thereof. I probably imagined some dystopia where
birth rates are incredibly low simply because people
prefer a virtual relationship over a human one, and as
such, some have come to worship an idol in the same
vein of more classical fertility idols.”
Lighting was an important factor for this painting, as
well as the color contrast between the Coke logo, the
dingy and gray statue, and the shiny new offerings
left to her. The “No Love” graffiti was definitely pulled
straight from Death Grips.”
109
VISITOR
“I used to have something of a
fascination with octopuses and
tentacles, maybe because they
are pretty unusual compared
to everything else in the animal
kingdom. Most creatures have
legs, paws, feet, etc. But in the
ocean lives a creature that is both
exceptionally intelligent and ex-
ceptionally strange-looking.
In my opinion, the only reason
they haven’t created a society
that can rival humanity is that
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
they only live for about 2 years.
Whether that’s fortunate or un-
fortunate remains to be seen.”
“It can be difficult for me to de-
termine why I made a piece of
art and what I was actually going
for because I tend to just work
from something like a stream of
consciousness. But, if I had to
armchair psychoanalyze myself,
I’d say I was looking to convey
something between a comfort-
able welcome and total unease.
The figure lies in a space between
“I am a visitor to this benign crea-
ture” and “I have come home to
disaster.””
“Since this was made a few years
ago, I don’t remember much of
the process of making it. I can
tell you, however, that I was still
playing with using a softer brush
than I do now. I remember try-
ing to choose colors that mimic
the feel of the ocean, which also
helps to highlight the strong pink
of the dweller.”
 110
THE BOXMIN, AN ECCENTRIC
DOCTOR / NECROMANCER
STEP 1
I always start with a base pose.
With this character I didn’t know
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
what I wanted besides “surprised”.
So having a reference of someone
expressing a surprised gesture really
helped.
STEP 4
I add in thin lines for smaller
elements. Use an eraser to fix the
line work and “lock-in” the shape.
I fill it in with a base color I think
might be analogous to the colors I
will end up with.
STEP 2
The clean sketch doesn’t need to be
perfect but it should be adding to
the character three dimensionally
and the basic form which I will
eventually stick with.
STEP 5
I cut all the elements of the page
out with the ‘Polygonal Lasso’ and
fill in the flats for the foreground
and background. I’ve made the
background objects line-less to keep
emphasis on the character.
STEP 3
I put down thick lines focusing
on form and perspective. At this
point I’m already planning out the
lighting in my head.
STEP 6
Using ‘Grouped Layers’ I add in
shadows on ‘Multiply’ and add some
additional details to the smaller
elements with normal layers.
111
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STEP 7
I add another multiple layer for some additional
shadows and highlights. Some colorful lines,
outlines and a light overlay gradient to make
things pop. I add a ‘Multiply’ layer over the items
in the background to make them blend in better
with the background color.
 112
SPACE WITCH RADDY AND HER FAMILIAR,
THE ALIEN HEXAGONS KLAATU
STEP 1
I start with a basic sketch in blue
pencil. I focus on form, shape and
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
flow. I like to keep a little reference
picture on my top layer so I don’t
have to keep looking to a different
screen or window to see it.
STEP 4
Using a smaller brush, I add detailed
lines. Then I use an eraser to clean
and shape the lines. After that, I put
down a flat color layer.
STEP2
I turn down the opacity on the
original sketch and start drawing a
cleaner, more detailed one on top.
STEP 5
I lay down the flat colors. Because I
use a binary brush, I can easily select
areas with the ‘Magic Wand’ and add
in the flat colors to entire sections.
I like to color the background first
because it will inform my color
decisions for the subject.
113
STEP 3
For the line art I start by putting down
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a series of thick lines. I use a round
bindary (pixelated) brush. But a
regular hard round brush also works.
STEP 6
I put the flat invididual colors on their
own layers and then group those
STEP 7
layers together. I then add a ‘Multiply’ Finally I add the little details. Another ‘Multiply’
layer with ‘Alpha Transparency’ for layer for a few extra shadows where I think I
the shadows. I fill the layer with a can still add some more shape to the character.
darkish gray-blue color and erase I color the line art, and add some color to the
where the light hits. planet in the background. I create one last layer
for her skirt at 50% opacity.
 INT DOLUPTA BEN TANG
114
LESSON 10 115

SOLUT QUAME Ben Tang graduated with

a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine
Art from San Jose State
Ben majored in Animation/Illustration with a strong focus on cartoon an-
imation. When he’s not drawing he enjoys video games, movies and TV.
Ben insists on using references when he paints. Typically images from
the Instagram feeds of Korean pop idols, as he is a fan of K-pop and
University. their fashion. He tries to incorporate this aesthetic whenever he can. He
usually works without line art. He ad-
Cum escilla cuptatio Pieniendus. Omnimi, quidestrum exerchi llaccae consere voluptatur se
mits that he lacks the patience to draw
seque dolupta tentem fuga. Ecuptatus.
quodipsa volores int quia and prefers to get to the colors as soon
Pelecea ritiatem aliae. Ad maxime volorro vidunt mos etus que si ipsunt
voles iduntiu mquias cone quat volo que con excero cuptatem aut odi coruptatquas et, cum sim
as possible. He likes using vibrant and
clean colors.
fugiam consed quamustis aperchit quatem ex eat ipitiatet utatium
reptat.
Accus undaectatur maios est fuga. Ut expere que sunt harchic atemque
COLOR BOOK

autati aci ut derae volupta desequas eiusam verciis eos doluptis restisci

FEATURED ARTIST’S TUTORIALS

COLORPEDIA

offic to volorro te porporibus vellor min prat as quam, quata consedi-

gent adi ut apid est preceraerum es saerum ipsam reiumquundae vo-
ROCKET DIGITAL

lore essequia dolorae doluptatur aci quatque mo te aciandant que nati

rempore mquatiam vene quossimendi consectiant liquiam et essinus
RENDERWAVE

alique pro is doluptas ex et ad que cus atis ad que nem quis dolorporae
non parum hit modis dolum quos dolore ea velitati corectio. Iquo occab
RENDER

iusam es aut et ut ad essi dolum ipidunt qui te dolut eosaest veliqui qui
nihiliquiat pos magnimusam facerib ustestetum re eos aut eum
 116
STEP 1
I take a long time thinking about
what to draw. Once I have an idea
in mind, I usually draw a page
full of rough sketches until I am
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
happy with a pose and general
composition.
STEP 4
Next I paint over the top of the
sketch to remove the lines, while
adding more levels of shading. This
is the step where I really try to think
like a sculptor and use shading to
carve out shapes.
117
STEP 2 STEP 3
Below the sketch layer I put down a I then add color and shadow
solid color to make sure none of the placements. At this stage I try to
white background shows through. find the base colors that I will stick
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with in the finalized piece.
STEP 5
I flip the image horizontally to see
if it reveals any problems I need to
correct. I always use this step as I find
that it helps me see any imbalances I
may have become blind to. To do this
select Image>Image Rotation> Flip STEP 6
Image Horizontally.
I flip the image back to the original and add
If I have to, I use Photoshop’s on the smaller details such as eyelashes, hair
‘Liquify’ tool to sculpt it more into strands, and accessories.
what I had imagined.
 INT DOLUPTA DAVID NEWTON
118
LESSON 10 119

SOLUT QUAME David Newton attended

Syracuse University,
majoring in Computer Art.
David Newton currently works diligently turning pots of coffee into lo-
gos, websites, illustrations, posters, animation and the occasional bit of
interesting art direction for a variety of clients across Los Angeles. 

Cum escilla cuptatio Pieniendus. Omnimi, quidestrum exerchi llaccae consere voluptatur se SUMMONING
seque dolupta tentem fuga. Ecuptatus. “This piece originated from a
quodipsa volores int quia dream I’d had about babysitting
Pelecea ritiatem aliae. Ad maxime volorro vidunt mos etus que si ipsunt
voles iduntiu mquias cone quat volo que con excero cuptatem aut odi coruptatquas et, cum sim my friend Nate’s three daughters.
fugiam consed quamustis aperchit quatem ex eat ipitiatet utatium In the dream, I’d lost track of the
reptat. kids briefly while watching TV
and they’d snuck off into the at-
Accus undaectatur maios est fuga. Ut expere que sunt harchic atemque tic to play. A half-hour later or so
COLOR BOOK

autati aci ut derae volupta desequas eiusam verciis eos doluptis restisci when I’d tracked them down, they

FEATURED ARTIST’S TUTORIALS

COLORPEDIA

offic to volorro te porporibus vellor min prat as quam, quata consedi- had found an old tome and were
gent adi ut apid est preceraerum es saerum ipsam reiumquundae vo- halfway through summoning a
ROCKET DIGITAL

lore essequia dolorae doluptatur aci quatque mo te aciandant que nati translucent demon, complete
rempore mquatiam vene quossimendi consectiant liquiam et essinus
RENDERWAVE

with strange patterns and runes

alique pro is doluptas ex et ad que cus atis ad que nem quis dolorporae on the ground drawn in sidewalk
non parum hit modis dolum quos dolore ea velitati corectio. Iquo occab chalk. Two complimentary colors,
RENDER

iusam es aut et ut ad essi dolum ipidunt qui te dolut eosaest veliqui qui an awkward circular, centered
nihiliquiat pos magnimusam facerib ustestetum re eos aut eum composition and a few natural
kid poses, it remains one of my
favorite pieces.”
 120
JUNKYARD 121

STEP 1 . CONCEPT STEP 2. LINE-WORK

This concept was born from a photo I stumbled on. I think This was one of the first pieces I created where I

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it was a girl doing yoga. And I really liked the position of
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

attempted to see how much detail I could cram in before

the girl’s left foot. The rest of the scene grew slowly and
organically from that pose, and eventually gelled into the
idea of having a futuristic, back-alley pharmacist offering
various illicit, reflex-enhancing, grub-derived biologics
to a bounty hunter. It took quite a few tries to get the
customer to have an interested, but undecided, body
language.  run out of room and things start overlapping and getting
the signal to noise ratio broke down. If you shrink down
your line weight, you can add quite a surprising amount.
Sci-fi styled artwork lends itself to all manner of little
detailed bits: labels, wires, medical equipment, clothing,
screens, helmets, you name it. If you think it up, you can
add a futuristic version into your piece until you start to
busy. But don’t worry, once you’ve effectively backed
yourself into a corner with detailing you can tone down
those details again in the coloring stage. 

STEP 3. COLOR PALETTE (FLATS )

If you go in a maximum detail route, I suggest simplifying
things when you get to coloring. Let details fade into both
monochromatic color and darken into the background.
I wanted classic vaporwave/cyberpunk colors, so a high-
contrast neon pink and blue with secondary blended
purples. And I let objects in the scene have predominantly
one of those three colors, again, to tone down the detail a
bit and allow individual shapes to read. The high contrast
also helps bright primary shapes separate out from a
darker, desaturated background.  computer code, an ‘Outer Glow’ filter on the computer
STEP 4. SHADING 
In the same way that simplifying the coloring helps this
piece read better, the shading here is similarly minimal. I
added one highlight and shadow layer to add depth, but
only pushed those colors a little bit brighter and darker.
Anything more and again the shapes start competing with
each other and vibrating together. 
Final touches here include the Akira-esque pill icon, a
few more layers of shading on the pharmacist’s pink skin,
screens and the floating molecule of the particular drug
that the customer is purchasing. Little additions like these
give the viewer a few more interesting things to parse as
the composition leads their eye around.
 122
JUNKYARD 123

STEP 1 . CONCEPT STEP 2. LINE-WORK

This piece started with a few sketches of a kid sitting way The second step after you’ve settled on a concept is
too close to an old 80’s style TV, Poltergeist-style, which the initial line work. I work on a Wacom Intuos Pro
I decided should be a video game. I added a Nintendo, in Photoshop, focusing on shapes and perspective,
and then zoomed out, deciding he had rebuilt this making sure all forms read well, are well-separated from

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gaming system out of parts in a junkyard. Once the base each other, and that the line weight is appropriate. I
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

of an idea is in place, I add details until I feel there’s a few use thinner lines (3-4px) for minor texturing and details,
interesting concepts at play. I wanted the other children and thicker lines (5-7px) for outlining whole forms. As
to be engaged with, thinking about, or even ‘infected by’ I work I separate a piece into distinct groups, usually a
the game. I added the Super Mario Bros., which, while foreground, middle-ground and background so I can
imaginary, still cast additional light into the scene as if still move chunks around and fuss with the composition
they were real.  further down the pipeline as needed. 

STEP 3. COLOR PALETTE (FLATS )

Once I’m happy with the lines, I rough out all shapes in separate layers
in black and white, and start testing color schemes. Personally, I think a
color palette is the most important step in this entire process. It can make
or break a piece. I usually try a half dozen variations before I’m happy
with the final result. Think carefully about the lighting in your scene, and
what mood you want to convey. There’s a big difference in look and feel
between indoor and outdoor lighting, tungsten or incandescent lights or
diffuse sky-lighting. They’ll dictate how much contrast you’ll be working
with in your scene, helping focus on areas of interest. Bright colors and STEP 4. SHADING 
pastels lend a light, upbeat mood. Darker colors make a piece feel more If you’ve done a solid job picking flats in the previous step, shading should
ominous, mysterious or oppressive. I aim to keep things looking ‘clean’ be pretty easy. Create a rough mental map of where the light sources
in a design sense, so I prefer to use as few colors as needed. I avoid using are in your scene, and then create an additional layer of brighter, more
multiple lines where one would do, and reuse the same colors through a saturated highlights, where the base color is pushed towards your lighting
scene as much as I can to push things towards two or three main colors. color, and a layer of shadows, where the base color is pushed towards
For the junkyard, I started with a dark blue pastel nighttime palette with black and is slightly desaturated. 
the television and video game icons in complimentary colors popping up Finally, time permitting, I add in a few more minor lighting details as
off the page. As I refine, colors tend to slowly get more saturated. Just a if I was a 3D rendering engine: tinted lights, bright specular highlights,
personal preference that happens in most of my work.  reflection, refraction, bounce light, soft glows on individual light sources
that are facing the camera and so on. I’ll also add a little bit of ‘Film Grain’
to break up the perfectly even blocks of color. 
 INT DOLUPTA ZARIN BAKSH
124
LESSON 10 125

SOLUT QUAME Zarin is a visual artist based

in the United States.
Zarin Baksh specializes in character illustrations with a focus on dark
and fantastical visual themes and vibrant colors. She primarily does
original work but also creates work for clients such as FairyLoot and
BOOM! Studios.
“My favorite subject to draw is
women in a dark or fantastical
Cum escilla cuptatio Pieniendus. Omnimi, quidestrum exerchi llaccae consere voluptatur se
settings and I tend to gravitate
seque dolupta tentem fuga. Ecuptatus.
quodipsa volores int quia towards dreamy or ethereal
Pelecea ritiatem aliae. Ad maxime volorro vidunt mos etus que si ipsunt
voles iduntiu mquias cone quat volo que con excero cuptatem aut odi coruptatquas et, cum sim
vibes. This female vampire piece
in particular was developed from
fugiam consed quamustis aperchit quatem ex eat ipitiatet utatium a sketching session in which I
reptat. drew several vampires. I wanted
Accus undaectatur maios est fuga. Ut expere que sunt harchic atemque to capture a combination of al-
COLOR BOOK

autati aci ut derae volupta desequas eiusam verciis eos doluptis restisci luring and attractive but with a

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clear dangerous energy.”
COLORPEDIA

offic to volorro te porporibus vellor min prat as quam, quata consedi-

gent adi ut apid est preceraerum es saerum ipsam reiumquundae vo-
ROCKET DIGITAL

lore essequia dolorae doluptatur aci quatque mo te aciandant que nati

rempore mquatiam vene quossimendi consectiant liquiam et essinus
RENDERWAVE

alique pro is doluptas ex et ad que cus atis ad que nem quis dolorporae
non parum hit modis dolum quos dolore ea velitati corectio. Iquo occab
RENDER

iusam es aut et ut ad essi dolum ipidunt qui te dolut eosaest veliqui qui
nihiliquiat pos magnimusam facerib ustestetum re eos aut eum
“The woman in this painting is
beautiful, but simultaneously
monstrous. Her blood-smeared
face and petrifying gaze are
meant to serve as a warning but
also to draw the viewer in. The
palette aids in achieving this
feeling as it is overall very cool
and nearly monotone. The cold
temperature evokes a chilling
feeling and contrasts against the
fiery blood that paints her face
and ground beneath her.”
“A color palette is just one among
many things to consider when
creating a painting. My compo-
sitions tend to be simpler as I
focus on the character, but un-
derstanding how to use colors
to create a mood and tell a story
significantly elevates one’s art.”
 126
NUN 127

STEP 1 . SKETCH STEP 2. INITIAL COLORS STEP 3. FINALIZING THE COLORS

I sketch out my general concept AND BACKGROUND AND SHADING
with several passes of increasing
Before adding any shading or even Taking from the background colors
detail and refinement. My initial

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laying down the intended colors I I create a dramatic lighting on the
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

sketch captures the idea. As it

block out the figures and their flat figure. This involves building up the
develops, I correct anatomy and
colors. This makes it easier for me shading and using adjustment layers
refine selective areas. I used
to adjust the individual areas and on Photoshop until I achieved an
photos of my hands as a reference
colors later and isolate the shading. overall harmonious color palette.
as I believe that references are
I randomly lay down colors for
extremely helpful.
the background in anticipation of
developing it later in the process.

STEP 4. PAINTING THE FIGURE STEP 5. ADDING DETAILS

My colors typically do not change from the previous step
as I always begin painting after I am satisfied with the
colors I chose. My painting process involves refinement,
blending and defining edges, and achieving a level of
detail and cleanliness that I am happy with.
Because I altered her skirt, the composition felt lacking. I
filled in the now empty space with a tail. I added a halo to
occupy the empty space on the top third. Lastly, I added
some necklaces to add more interest to her torso.
STEP 6. FINAL BACKGROUND AND DETAILS
I concluded this piece with a background that would be visually stimulating but
not take away from the figure. I used the same colors from the initial background
but shaped them into fiery wisps. I also added embers as I thought they added an
intensity to the background and further unified the figure with the environment.
 128
ECLIPSE 129

STEP 1 . SKETCH STEP 2. INITIAL COLORS STEP 3. FINALIZING THE COLORS

I begin with a sketch of the
composition including any figures,
relevant background details and
AND BACKGROUND AND SHADING
I spend a lot of time on my coloring I try to distribute the colors mindfully
process as I typically don’t change so that the colors add to the flow of

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extras. Although I do add most
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

the final colors by much once I
of the detail in the coloring and
actually begin painting. I gravitate
painting process I find it easier to
towards complementary and split-
work with a more developed sketch.
complementary palettes.
the composition. Because cool colors
recede and warm colors come forward
I focus the warmth on the important
details. I also shape the clouds to
funnel towards the figure and the
rays of the eclipse to direct attention
towards the center.

STEP 4. PAINTING THE FIGURE STEP 5. PAINTING THE BACKGROUND

Once I am satisfied with all of the colors I move onto
painting. Typically, the figures are painted on their own
layer and are kept distinct from the background. I mostly
just clean up roughness, correct anatomy, and, in the case
of the bats, add any necessary detail that is lacking.
To conclude the painting process, I finish painting the
background. This consists of smoothing and defining
edges as well as correcting any colors and values that
might benefit the overall composition. I toned down the
intensity of the corona and changed the angle to work
better compositionally. I also reduced the intensity of the
blacks in the top of the composition.
STEP 6. FINAL ADJUSTMENTS
Lastly I make small color and value adjustments and sign the final
painting. I often play around with the adjustment modes on Photoshop
both during the coloring process and at the end of the painting. I wanted
these colors to be slightly more cohesive so I shifted the warms towards
a slightly cooler hue before finishing.

130
Alex Chow is an illustrator
and concept artist based
in Toronto, Canada. He
provides art lessons and
tutorials at artofchow.com
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ALEX CHOW
131
Alex’s professional experience includes creating artwork for entertain-
ment media including board games, card games, graphic novels, books,
video games, film and animation. His main expertise is character il-
lustrations, particularly for book covers and promotional artwork. His
work has been featured numerous times on a variety of outlets including
annual artbook Spectrum Fantastic Art.
His style combines classical painting techniques, namely impressionism,
with contemporary aesthetics, synergizing his influences from Anime,
comics and video games with traditional art theory. While he is most
proficient with digital painting, he is well-versed in a variety of tradition-
al media including oil paint. In addition, he has extensive experience in
teaching art, having lectured at art colleges as well as online courses.
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THE HADES CLUB
“This piece is an extreme example of my impressionistic style. I love to let
people feel that what I do are paintings, and leaving broad brushstrokes
is a signature trait of my work. My philosophy when it comes to art is to
make work that can’t be replicated with photography.”
“I am a huge fan of chiaroscuro lighting, a term coined in classical fine
arts where an artwork utilizes a high-contrast environment akin to
theater plays. Due to the high price of blue paint hundreds of years
ago, master fine artists like Caravaggio mostly had to work in cheaper
warm palettes. Of course, I found myself liking blue-oriented palettes
in chiaroscuro, especially when I don’t have to pay for paint tubes!”
“As a final note, the loose brushwork accentuates the feeling of light.
Similar to how you might blur your eyes in the presence of glaring light,
having light “leak” out emulates that effect.”
CAPRICORN
“A big part of what defines my work is the energy and momentum
of my painting process. This piece, ‘Capricorn’, is particularly crazy
but sometimes it’s better to keep it loose like this than to be too anal
about rendering.”
“It goes back to something one of my mentors, Bobby Chiu of Imaginism
Studios, taught me, and it’s to have a fast and slow style in your toolbox.
Professional gigs will usually demand both depending on what is re-
quired. ‘Capricorn’ is an example of my fast style, which I tend to bring
out for tight concept art deadlines. ‘Rebelpoint’, the piece in the following
pages, is an example of a slower process.”
 132
STEAM MONKEY 133

“This was created as part of my book cover portfolio. I figured it might

be cool to round out my portfolio with something kid-friendly, given
that most of the content I draw is meant for adults. This was inspired by
various steampunk Anime I’ve watched over the years. There’s some-
thing really awesome when I combine steampunk aesthetics with
impressionism.”
“Frontal views can be much harder than people realize. Symmetry can
be very dangerous aesthetically, as it can look stagnant, so I ensured
that there are were elements which would break up a feeling of a mir-
rored face. Some examples would be the hand, bandages on her face,
the missing tooth, the composition and the lighting direction.”
“If anybody is wondering why she is positioned so heavily to the right
side, it’s because this was meant to be a book jacket. This meant that
I had to compensate for the spine and back of the book. It’s very im-
portant to balance aesthetics and functionality when it comes to illus-
tration, and adapt accordingly.”
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 134
REBELPOINT 135

STEP 1 . GRAYSCALE STEP 2 . COLOR SKETCH STEP 3 . CLEAN-UP

It may come as a surprise but I am
vehemently against clean line art.
I like to stay as loose as possible
and establish grayscales as soon as
possible, while letting aesthetically
pleasing shapes determine the
I used a ‘Color’ layer to establish
preliminary colors. This step is
arguably the most important as I
needed to lay the groundwork for
everything including lighting and
color. If the piece didn’t look like
With colors established, I rendered a
bit more. The design of the character
became important as shapes become
increasingly specific.

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drawing. it had potential here, I would have
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

During this step, I was not looking dumped it immediately.

to make a pretty picture, more so
to create something akin to the
foundational frame of a skyscraper.
Most of what I put down on this stage
is only understood by my eyes, similar
to putting hints down to remind me of
something important for later steps.
The image here implies a tetrad
palette (akin to what Disney uses)
but, eventually, I adjusted it to be a
wide analogous scheme (purples ->
reds -> oranges).

STEP 4. ADJUSTMENTS STEP 5. RENDERING STEP 6. FINAL

Colors were adjusted with hue sliders and more layers,
similar to putting glazes on a traditional painting (a
thin, translucent layer of paint which adjusts the tint
of colors beneath it). In this case, I felt the colors were
a bit too saturated to depict the grittiness of a city, so I
added a green glaze among other adjustments.
When everything looked ready to render all I needed to do
was to shut off my brain and add details. I find rendering to
be the easiest step, as all I’m doing is building on top of what I
already established in the prior steps. One main consideration
is noting the focal points of the piece and add more details
to those, and leave the unfocused areas in a sketchier state
(impressionistic).
After taking a well-deserved break, I reset my eyes and
come back to check for outstanding issues. I adjusted the
overall temperature a bit more through hue sliders and
glazes and fixed a few details of her design. As this is a
book cover, I had to make sure that there’s room at the
top for the book title as well.
 136
THORNS OF THE FAE
STEP 1. GRAYSCALE
As with ‘Rebelpoint’, I started with a crude grayscale
sketch to establish the main values. It’s important to keep
it simple. If you squint your eyes, you would probably only
detect three to four values here.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 3. CLEAN-UP
A bit of clean-up was done here. I took a few liberties
when it came to how the ogre is lit in the back. If I went
with logic, the ogre would be lit by the brightness of
the thorns. But this would have killed the atmosphere
and composition flow of the piece. This was one of
many examples where aesthetics take precedence over
correctness.
137
STEP 2. COLOR SKETCH
I established the preliminary colors with a ‘Color’ layer.
I opted for a blueish palette because it’s supposed to be
mystifying, and the reds help give accents for viewers to
RENDER ROCKET DIGITAL COLOR BOOK
look at.
In addition, I used the ‘Blur’ filter to get some nasty
remnants left behind in Step 1. This made it a lot easier
to work on as it erased some unnecessary shapes on the
canvas.
STEP 4. RENDERING
With everything confidently established, I added details.
My impressionistic brushstrokes were created here STEP 5. FINAL
through texture brushes and chaotic movements. In
I continued to render until it reached this final stage. I
traditional terms, it would be similar to taking a dry brush
made final adjustments with colors through hue sliders
and moving wet paint on the canvas.
and layers with blending options (‘Overlay’, ‘Vivid Light’,
etc.) until it looked right. As this was meant to be a
card illustration, I also double-checked whether it read
properly from a very small size, as printed card artwork
must be readable 2-inches in size.
 138
MINERVA FALLING
CREATING A SENSE OF GLOW/EXTREME LIGHT WITHOUT RESORTING TO PURE WHITE
STEP 1
Start with a very bright color meant to be a light source
or a subject matter being hit by intense light. It’s very
important to avoid using pure white, as it would imply
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
0% saturation which means hues won’t be able to be
detected.
This exercise works better on a dark background but it
doesn’t always have to be the case.
STEP 3
To emulate human perception you can either blur
these colors or add textures like I do. When light is
very intense, our eyes begin to have problems seeing
it clearly (squinting). Play around with it to see what
works for you!
139
STEP 2
Without changing the value, change the hue to something
complimentary. If done right, this causes the highlight to
create a wiggling effect to create an implied glaring light.
The reason why it works is because it creates a perception
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of white (implied white) without actually using it by having
your eyes mix the colors for you.
If you want to be fancier, you can use a triad as well, as
three triad colors neutralize each other to create the
implied white light.
STEP 4
As an added bonus you can add saturated rims to
accentuate the feeling of light.
You can check out my piece on the other page to see this
application in a painting.
 INT DOLUPTA WAVELOOP
140
LESSON 10 141

SOLUT QUAME Waveloop, aka, Ricardo Rodrigues, is a self-taught freelance illustrator/

character concept artist from Portugal.

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COLOR BOOK

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COLORPEDIA

offic to volorro te porporibus vellor min prat as quam, quata consedi-

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ROCKET DIGITAL

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RENDER

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nihiliquiat pos magnimusam facerib ustestetum re eos aut eum
 142
AMBIENT This is a tutorial on how to create a solid base for your digital paintings. The objective is to
have something that can stand on its own, but also something you can expand further and
STEP 3 143

On the second ‘Shadow’ layer I focus on the ambient occlusion

OCCLUSION work on top of.
This was created on Photoshop, but it will work on similar software like Clip Studio or Krita.
and form shadows. Ambient occlusion is basically shadowing
caused by objects blocking ambient light. Because ambient light
WORKFLOW Even in Procreate you can get this method to work. is environmental, ambient occlusion does not depend on light
direction. Simply focus on the areas of your character where
I find this approach is pretty good for the beginner and intermediate artist as a way to practice
light hits less or almost not at all because of the geometry of
and develop a reliable workflow. Even the advanced artists can have this method in their tool
the character. Places like holes, folds, crevasses, overlapping
box to produce professional looking art. structures and so on. I also do a form shadow pass here. I direct
my strokes from the shadow to the light.

STEP 1
To set up your file you need a good finished line art on one layer
and a flat map in another layer placed under the line art. By flat
map I mean blocking in all the parts of the character colored with
the respective local colors of your character. The skin, the hair,
the clothes, etc. I usually go for a mid range value and hue for my
base colors. It is important to block your flats with 100% opacity
so you can select specific areas with the ‘Magic Wand’ tool if you
need to be more precise in certain areas. Create a set of layers like
this. It’s all you need, and keeps things organized. The layer on the
top with your line art and the layer with the flats on the bottom.
STEP 4

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Then create 5 ‘Clipping’ layers to your flats. 2 for shadows, 2 for
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

lights. Set the ‘Shadow’ layers to multiply at 30% opacity and the
‘Light’ layers to ‘Overlay’ at 100%. Add a ‘White Mask’ layer. This is
a normal layer just filled with white. I like to have that mask there
so I can concentrate on working just in black and white in the first
stages and get a good value map for my drawings.
I merge my 2 ‘Shadow’ layers into one layer and refine my shadows
further. I want to conserve my hard edges established in Step 2, and
blend the form shadows smoothly to get a good gradient transition in the
round parts of the volumes. This is the hardest part of the process and
where you need to focus on control and be patient. Taking a few extra
minutes here will pay out in the end.

STEP 2
I like to start by working on the shadows. With the first
‘Shadow’ layer I focus on a 2 value scheme - white and
black. What will be in light and what will be in shadow. The
layer is set to 30% so that I don’t have to worry about using
pure black. This way I can focus on shaping my shadows
STEP 5
I delete the white ‘Layer’ mask and boom! Now your character
in a pleasing way to the eye following design theory.
has volume on top of your flat colors. Because the ‘Shadow’ layer
Always consider your shadows as design elements. Take
is set to ‘Multiply’ it will influence your flat layer underneath and
advantage of that. Choose the direction the light will hit
make the values dark in the right places. At this stage I usually
your character and remember that light travels in a straight
colorize my ‘Shadow’ layer so I can add some color variation to
line. If you have a good grasp of the big volumes that
my shadows. If the color of your light is warm, having a cool hue
describe the human body this will be an easy step. I want
for your shadows is a good idea to add contrast.
these shadows to be clear and sharp edged.
 144
STEP 6 THOUGHTS ABOUT I follow the same logic to render hair as I did in the previous tutorial.
I aim to make something that works on its own, or as a solid base to
145

In the final step I work on my light layers. (For extra focus you can turn
off your ‘Shadow’ layer so you can focus only on light). One layer I use for
direct light, and the other for ambient light, or light that bounces around
RENDERING HAIR develop further. Same approach, same structure, same techniques and
same layer scheme. A few pointers and considerations.

the environment surrounding the character. In this case there aren’t that
many elements that light can bounce off to influence the character so
ambient lighting will be very, very subtle. Both layers I set to ‘Overlay’.
For the direct light I pick the local color of the area I’ll be working on and
make it brighter and warmer. I usually drop the opacity of my brush to
around 30 for this step so I can have extra control on adding light.
For ambient light I usually pick the color of the surrounding and apply it
subtlety to my shadows. That is usually where ambient light is perceived.
If you have a strong light source it will overwhelm the ambient light and
you won’t perceive it in the areas being hit by your main source of light.
You can also pick a gray blue for the parts
of your shadows exposed to the sky (if
your character is in an outside setting
where light from the sky bounces down
on him or her). Merge everything and
you’re all set. You can now paint freely
on top of this base if you want to push
it further. But what you get at this stage
should work on its own if done correctly.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
My big pro-tip: it’s very easy to over-render hair.
I always prefer to do less than more when it comes to hair. I always
start my render from big to small. Even something like hair that is made
out of tens of thousands of individual strings still clump together in
patches or locks that can be described as simple big volumes. I find
it helpful to study and practice rendering balls, cylinders and ribbons
specifically. Observing and reproducing the way light interacts with
these volumes, and how they behave in space, will provide you with
the fundamental information on how hair behaves. If you can capture
these simple ideas, rendering more complex geometric shapes will be
exponentially easier. 
I intentionally used simple volumes to describe the character’s hair in my
demonstration to point out that you don’t have to draw or paint a single
string of hair to draw or paint something that feels and looks like hair. 
When you paint or draw a certain subject you’re not recreating the
subject itself, you’re representing an idea of that subject. I find that
breaking down those ideas to their most
simple elements puts in front of you a

vast plethora of opportunities to be

creative in the way you put them back
together again.
It’s a good idea to take in to account that
hair usually has volume and doesn’t
just sit flat on the head. Of course, you
can always exaggerate things in both
directions if that helps you define your
character, like making gravity challeng-
ing volume, or ultra hair flatness. If the
exaggeration helps your concept always
go after it. That is my MO. 
Another thing to keep in mind is to al-
ways track the hair structure from its
origin to where it eventually ends up
flowing. I also consider hair to be a de-
sign element of the character, and not
just an anatomical structure. It presents
a great opportunity to enrich the shape
language of your drawings. It can help
enhance mood, flow and energy just as
much as the sense of style, fashion and
aesthetics of your character. 
Keep it simple, explore and have fun
with it.
Cheers, Waveloop.
 NOOBOVICH
146 147

Ibrahem Swaid,
also known as
NOOBOVICH, is a
digital illustrator and
concept artist with 10
years of experience.

In addition to a large library of

personal projects Noobovich
has worked for notable clients
including Capcom, Tencent,
IDW, Boom Studios, Dire Wolf
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RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
and Abrakam. His artwork
‘Skating Giants’ ranked 9th top
digital illustration worldwide
on Artstation for the year 2018.
 148
HIJACKERS 149

STEP 1 STEP 2
For personal artwork I start with concept sketches: I sketched down the scene and blocked it in 3Ds Max.
characters, locations and ideas I want to showcase in No details at this point, just setting up the camera and

COLOR BOOK
the illustration. For this artwork I was looking up the objects within the frame.

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RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

early 1920’s style and interiors, and went back to games

like Bioshock and Dishonored that feature a similar

DIGITAL
atmosphere to what I had in mind. I want to show the

ARTIST’S
character in action in the scene and tell a story, and
hopefully build it up in follow up illustrations.

STEP 3
I laid down the characters on top of
the 3D render, making sure that all the
characters are working well with the
overall composition of the image.
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STEP 4
I added the flat colors under the ink layer and applied
some adjustment layers on top to make all the colors
work together. This step gives me a preview of what to
expect at the end of the rendering stage. If things are not
working now then they won’t work later, which means it’s
easier to fix them at this stage.
 150
STEP 5
Rendering. I use my 3D models from DAZ 3D as a reference
for my shadows and light. I use photo references for
features and design.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 7
I jump to the next character and start with the same
steps: finishing the face then moving onto the body. I use
photo textures to add the details or rely on 3D if needed,
similar to the laptop she is using. A mixture of 3D, photo-
bashing and paint over.
151
STEP 6
I finish rendering the face first and then move to the rest
of the character. Once the first character is done then I
move onto the next.
STEP 8
I went back to the background once I finished rendering
the characters and started adding photo textures or
upgrading the 3D elements in my 3D scene and bring
them back to my Photoshop file.
STEP 9
Final touches. Adjusting the colors and adding any more
details I feel are needed for the narrative and that support
the story I am trying to tell here. I add the signature and
the artwork is done.
 152
PHOTO-BASHING 153

STEP 3
Feel free to use any selection
tool that you are comfortable
using. I prefer the ‘Quick
Selection’ tool to get the parts
I want, copying them and
dropping them in my illustration
document.

STEP 1
Using photo textures can
be the easiest solution to
adding details to your painting
or subject as long as it fits
the overall style and is well
integrated with the painterly
elements around it.

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RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

STEP 4
Using ‘Free Transform’ I move
my textures around and make

STEP 2 them fit the shapes I want,

keeping in mind the direction of
The first step is to decide what the light, as that’s the one thing
it is that you want to add and that can break the magic.
where, and then proceed to
making a folder and filling
it with images that can be
used either fully or partially.
Keep in mind that the most
important thing is the light
direction, which means that
the image should have a similar
light direction as your image.
Otherwise things will get real
ugly and flat. STEP 5
I have collected a bunch of Once in place I go and create
textures and tools for high-tech a ‘Mask’ if needed to fit the
illustration. It’s just a subject texture within the space I want.
that keeps coming up so I am Now to get the colors to
always prepared. work, I select a piece from my
illustration that I want the
texture to match and I duplicate
it using the Ctrl+J command.
I make sure that the texture
layer is selected, going to
Image>Adjustments>Match
Color (I have it set to Ctlr+M
shortcut).
 154 STEP 6 155
In the ‘Match Color’ window
I select the ‘Illustration’
document from the drop
down menu, then select the
duplicated layer I just created.
The result will be immediate
and you can control the color
intensity as you see fit.
Usually with millions of layers
I find it easier to select the
‘Document’ file from the drop
menu and then press the Tab
key on my keyboard and then
press the Down Key to select the
duplicated layer which I want
the texture to match with. It is
really hard to find the layer I
want every time so I just place
the duplicate under the texture
layer and use this short cut
to get to it fast. It’s all about
keeping your layers organized at

RENDER ROCKET DIGITAL COLOR BOOK

the end of the day.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

STEP 7
Textures might need some color
adjustments and some paint
over to look good and to match
with its surrounding. Just keep
adding textures until you get
the result you want. Once happy
with the results merge down
and move to the next part.
 TOMAS DUCHEK
156 157

Tomas Duchek studied During that time he was also experimenting with digital painting. In his
last year he realized that he might be able to do concept art for a living,
industrial design in the and join his passion for games with his passion for painting. Straight out
Czech Republic. of university he was lucky enough to get a job at Warhorse Studios and
worked there on ‘King-
dom Come: Deliverance’
- a realistic medieval RPG.
This was a very influen-
tial period in his life. He
learned so much thanks
to his colleagues. After 5
years he decided to quit,
and started to teach digi-
tal painting and freelanc-

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ing. It has been two years
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since then, and he is now

working for Wizards of the
Coast, Games Workshop
and many other com-
panies on many great
projects.
 158
COLOR COMPOSITION TUTORIAL
STEP 1
Decide what kind of lighting you want to have in
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
your scene – how many light sources and their
positioning within the scene. Separate light
and shadow. I usually use the ‘Multiply’ layer to
create shadows.
STEP 3
Increase the contrast on metallic materials. Set
up your colors in the background in a way that
compliments the character. They are separate
elements but it’s a mistake to think of your
foreground and background as two separate
things. In a way, it’s all one thing.
STEP 2
Add flat colors under the shadow layer. At this
point you can also add various interesting
details like rust, mud, scratches etc.
STEP 4
Create a layer on top of your character
and polish the painting. Add tiny patterns:
decorations, fabric folds and flaws.
HOW TO SET UP YOUR CHARACTER 159
PAINTING FOR SUCCESS
One of the most important parts of creating a pleasant looking painting is
incorporating a wide range of values into it. The simplest method, I find, is
the separation of the canvas into three values – light, mid and dark values.
While making a character or object focused painting, you can make
things really simple. I suggest you choose two values for the character (for
example light and dark) and leave the last value for the background.
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This way you are certain to have your character pop out of the canvas.
It’s a great starting point and even at this stage it gives you a lot of
information about the light and mood in the scene. You still need to
specify what kind of light will be in the scene (direct or soft dispersed
light), what direction it’s coming from and how many light sources there
are. But if you have the painting separated into the three values
as described above, it makes this process relatively simple.
Example of the process: if you choose a light background I recommend
painting the silhouette of the character/object in the dark value and then
use a screen or soft light layer to paint in the lights. But always make sure
not to brighten these parts too much. Again, the target value of the light
on the character should be approximately mid-tone in this setting.
Using this approach helps immensely with making visually attractive
paintings, which is vital in the current overflow of visual stimulation
everywhere. Also, having a clear idea about the direction that you are
taking can save you a lot of time and make decision-making easy. It’s
definitely not necessary to follow the initial value setup closely to the
final stage, you add various values here and there and mix things up as
you like, but it’s always good to look at the painting from a distance and
consider if it still reads well.
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LIBRARY
EYES 162 SHINY METAL 180
STYLIZED EYED 163 RUSTY METAL 181
ANIME EYES 164 THICK SMOKE 182
NOSE 165 LIGHTNING 183
FUR 166 RAIN 184
ELF EAR 167 USING REAL MOON 186
HAIR 168 CAST SHADOW EFFECT 188
BALLOONS 170 WET TENTACLES 190
BUBBLES 171 SILK 191
SUNSETS 172 DRAPERY 192
SUNLIGHT ON WATER 173 LENS FLARE 194
FROG SKIN 174 ANTHROPOMORPHIC 196
SKULL MASK 175 ROBOT 198
MAGIC RUNE STONE 176 ALIEN 200
FIRE GAUNTLETS 177 SCARY CREATURE 203
BLOOD SPLATTER 178 CREEPY FACE 205
BLOODY WOUND 179
 162
EYES STYLIZED EYES 163
Upper line,
Corner darkest part
of the eye

Lower lid

STEP 1
The iris is 1/3 of the eyeball width.
The size of the pupil depends
on the light it is exposed to. The
brighter the light the smaller the
pupil.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 2
The eyeball (whites) color is not actually white. STEP 1
It’s usually a combination of beige, pink and or
desaturated blue. Use the mixer brush to blend them Start with a messy sketch. Lower
together. its opacity and make a new layer
on top with a much cleaner sketch.
Both sketches should be light
reddish tones, one slightly darker
Generic highlights than the other. Delete the messy
Eyeball Lens sketch and put the clean one
Corner
on ‘Multiply’ layer mode. Create
another layer underneath and fill
STEP 2 STEP 3
Start to fill in areas that are in Usually shadows are located under
shadows with darker tones. Using a the eyes, under eyebrows, on the
reference isn’t always the best idea sides of the nose, etc. Light will
in this stage, but it can also help a usually hit the inner corners of the
lot if you know how to use it.  eye, on top of the brows, on the
middle part of the eyelid and basically
anywhere you would apply highlighter
when doing makeup.

the area you want to paint in. Turn

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on ‘Alpha Lock’ on the same layer so
that you can’t paint anywhere else.

Tear fluid

STEP 3 STEP 4
Soften the edges of the iris and the Highlights take the shape and color of the light source. Because
pupil. Use many colors for the iris. the eye is wet, the highlights are sharp-edged.
All textures must be radial.

STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6

Once the main lights and shadows
are down merge the two layers.
In this stage it’s totally okay if the
painting doesn’t look clean at all
because it shouldn’t be. Keep the
‘Alpha Lock’ on unless you want to
add details outside of the edges.
To finish it off you can add another
layer that has unsaturated yellow
color and is on ‘Overlay’. Also lower
its opacity.
Now about the brushes… try a
sketching brush that has lowish
opacity for all the sketches and details
like lashes and freckles. Two different
texture brushes for blending, and a
textury bold hard-edge brush with an
opacity pressure setting turned on for

STEP 6 Start over-painting and adding blocking in colors.

STEP 5 Remember, the ideal

shadows and highlights and even
some eyelashes if you’re happy with
Remember you’re not just painting
one element such as the eyes. You’re
Eyelashes are a dark shade of the distance between the how the eyelids look. Keep in mind painting all the elements in a way that
hair color. They taper towards the eyes is one eye’s width. that eye whites aren’t always white. makes them work together.
end and cast shadows. Lashes on Vary and see how the Also don’t forget to make the whole
both sides have about the same impression of the face eye darker right under the eyelid Always use both hard and soft edges
length. changes. and lashes, there’s a shadow. and don’t make the skin too red. 
 164
ANIME EYES NOSE 165

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

STEP 1
You can start off with either a sketch
or clean drawing of the anime eye.
Anime eye shapes and designs
are very varied so feel free to
experiment.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 2
Fill the base color. Avoid using pure
white for the whites of the eye.
Anime eyes are generally colorful so
play around with colors you like or
think will suit your character.
STEP 3 Start off with circles to establish Sketch out the nose shape based Hide/delete the circle layer
the basic shape of the nose tip and on the circles. (Experiment with completely to see the sketch/line art
Add shadows and ambient occlusion.
nostrils. differing circle sizes and placement of the nose.
Here a deeper, richer purple was used
for differently shaped noses).
for the iris and a reddish brown for the
eyelids. Don’t forget the eye whites
too. Don’t use a pure desaturated gray
but one that’s slightly warm.

STEP 4
This step is optional. Here a dark
blue hue was used to further
saturate and deepen the purple.
For anime eyes adding subtle shifts
in color like these can make them
more captivating and magical.
STEP 5 STEP 6
For painting in the light, pale lilac Adding specular light to bring the
shade was used. eyes to life. Avoid using pure white
for this. Add a streak of light with
a semi hard brush on low opacity
behind the specular light to make the
eyes appear more three dimensional
and shiny.
STEP 4
Add the base color. It should not be
too desaturated or close to 100%
brightness or darkness.
STEP 5
Start adding ambient occlusion
with a darker and more saturated
color than the base. Use a soft brush
overall and a hard brush for details
and edges.
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STEP 6
Use a brighter and less saturated
color than the base with a semi-hard
brush to bring out the form of the
nose. Hide the line art to check if the
shape is to your liking.

STEP 7 STEP 8
For final touches consider tinting the line art. You can This final step is also optional. You can “paint” over the
also opt to leave it black or very dark brown depending line art to make the finished result a bit softer. Do this on a STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9
on the style you are going for. (For line art tinting you separate layer and turn it on and off to decide if you prefer
Using color modes like ‘Soft Light’ Using a semi-hard brush add Add a ‘Color Dodge’ layer and bring
can lock the transparency of the layer and then brush a it with or without.
or ‘Multiply’ enhance the shadows specular to the nose tip and bridge as a bit of glow to the skin. Feel free to
different color over it lightly). You can also add a ‘Color
and color saturation. (Best done well as the base of the nostrils. add more details such as freckles or
Dodge’ effect on top of the image on a new layer to give
with a soft airbrush on low-mid pores.
it a more mystical look, as was done here.
opacity).
 166
FUR ELF EAR 167

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

On a layer set to ‘Multiply’ start with
a solid, desaturated base color. Try
to find a color you imagine will be
about halfway between what your
highlights and shadows will be.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Create a new layer. Decide what
direction your light source will be
coming from and add a gradient
effect either with the ‘Gradient’ tool
or a very soft brush.
Create another layer and name it
something like ‘Texture’. Start by
defining the shape of the fur that is
most lit. Use a brush with medium
firmness set to ‘Pressure’ opacity.
Start your strokes where the fur meets
the skin and stroke outwards with a
gentle flicking motion in your wrists.
STEP 1
Start with a rough sketch. As elf
ears are a derivative of human ears,
consider the fact that they should
portray the same features a normal
ear has except with elongated
proportions.
STEP 2
Add preliminary values to the
sketch. The drawing can be fixed as
the painting process continues so
don’t feel too stressed if you don’t
have the perfect drawing at this
stage.
STEP 3
Simple color layers are placed to
have something to work with. It’s
important to denote areas where it
should be redder than others, as ears
can have a red glow at thinner areas
due to subsurface scattering.

STEP 4
Pick the color from the dark end
of your gradient layer. And back
on your ‘Texture’ layer begin to
gently brush the darker color. It’s
important for you to continue to use
the same brush and settings for all
your textured fur.
STEP 5
Change your colors just a little bit for
both your highlights and shadows
and begin to subtly blend them
together. But keep your dark side
free from any, or at least most, of the
highlight colors.
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STEP 6
Introduce some new colors.
Experiment with an adjustment layer
such as ‘Hue/Saturation’. Tweak
the hue slider ever so slightly to see
if you can shift the colors towards
something that looks interesting but
not unnatural. Unless of course that’s
what you’re going for.
STEP 4 STEP 5
More refinement. As everything comes together With a bit more time the final rendering is complete. There is
make sure that nothing contradicts the initial no need to render every pixel on the ear. It’s actually interesting
foundation you’ve established. when you leave brushstrokes as the ear can have some really
interesting movements.
 168
HAIR 169

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9

Start off with a base head sketch as
the hair needs to frame it and be
proportioned accordingly.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Sketch the hair style of choice. Keep
in mind volume, length, texture, etc.
Follow the direction of the hair flow
and parting. Also keep in mind shapes
and layers when you start detailing
them. At the side there’s a breakdown
in shape of a single hair curl as well
as for straight hair. Generally for all
hair it’s good to taper the ends out to
make the shape look more natural.
Shadows. Using ‘Multiply’ mode and
a soft airbrush gently paint in the
areas where shadows will be cast.
Paint in the lighting according to
the direction and color of the light
source. Lighter colored hair (such
as platinums, silvers, pastel colors,
etc.) will be more affected by the
light source’s color and intensity.
(Eg. Silver hair under very bright
purple lighting will probably end
up looking purple, as opposited to
Add shiny highlights. This is
dependant on whether you want your
hair to look very shiny or more matte.
If you do want them, add them to the
points that will reflect light the most,
such as on the crown of the head
where the curves or curls hit light the
most.

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deeper, richer colored hair).

STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6

Detail the hair. I like to keep my lines
clean for easy base color filling but
some people may find expressive
lines more suitable.
(Do keep in mind that straight hair
is never pin straight, it will follow
the forms of the body, such as
curving over the shape of the skull,
shoulders, ears, chest, etc.).
Fill inthe base colors of the hair. You
can do this using the ‘Magic Wand’
tool or even manually fill it with
strokes. I also prefer painting against
a non-pure white background as I
find it helps me see colors, light and
shadow better.
Paint the ambient occlusion. For
curly hair especially time needs to
be taken to bring out the shape and
form of the curls. Where the curl goes
inwards will be darker, as opposed to
the part of the curl receiving light. Do
this step with your line art turned on
lower opacity.
STEP 10
Add stray hairs with a thin tapered brush as it gives
the hair more life and dimension. However, this is an
optional choice due to stylistic preference.
STEP 11
As a touchup step you can use ‘Soft Light’ mode to add
more hues and depth to the color of the hair. Use ‘Color
Dodge’ mode to bring out shine and glow where light
affects most.
 170
BALLOON BUBBLES 171

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Use the ‘Elliptical’ tool to make a Use the eraser with a very soft brush Use a soft brush to block in some
round shape. Set the fill to a grayish to create the bubble’s transparency.. colors. The oil in bubbles is often
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 blue. made of purple and greenish colors.

Sketch the overall shape of the
balloon. Remember: balloons are
generally not perfectly round. So try
to make the shape more interesting
than just a perfect sphere.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Incorporate the local color into the
shape.
Roughly render the balloon as if it has
no transparency. It doesn’t have to be
final but it should show a rough idea
of what the lighting would look like if
the balloon was opaque.

STEP 4
Continue to lay down more colors of
different values and hues. Use curved
strokes to maintain the round shape.
Don’t overthink this step.
STEP 5
Use the ‘Smudge’ tool to blend the
colors around until you get the effect
in the bubble.
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STEP 6o
Final touches. Add some bright
highlights and speckles along the
edge. Softly erase some sections if
your bubble doesn’t look transparent
enough.

STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6

With the ‘Erase’ or ‘Mask’ tool softly
omit the center of the balloon. This
is to emulate the transparency of
a balloon, which is more prevalent
towards the center than at the
edges.
Render the rest of balloon with the
transparency in mind, considering all
the lights in the scene. Be wary of the
background light as this will affect
the edges of the balloon as well
(known as ‘Fresnel’ lighting).
Add additional details if you like. So
long as the details also adhere to
the form of the balloon (including its
transparency) it will look convincing.
This is excellent practice to
understand transparency and
materials. Try it out!
 172
SUNSETS SUNLIGHT ON WATER 173

STEP 1 STEP 2
STEP 1 STEP 2 Create your base color for the ocean and creamy orange With a soft round brush, rough in some shapes for waves
Start with a base blue color. On a separate layer use the ‘Gradient’ tool to create a for your sky. Because you want plenty of room to show in the water and clouds in the sky. Try to keep the colors
darker value from the top. the sunlight playing across the water, setting your horizon as close to the base colors as you can at this point.
line in the center of the page is a good ratio.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

STEP 3
Lay down some orange and pinks. Pull colors directly
from a reference if you need to.
STEP 4
Use a soft brush to layer in sunlight diffused throughout
the clouds. Start to define your forms.
STEP 3
Introduce pinks and purples in the sky. Pull color from
your sky for where the light hits the water. Keep the light
on the water brightest and more solid on the horizon line.
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STEP 4
Paint in the sun making sure to use your brightest value.
Continue to introduce new hues of purples and blues into
the sky. Break up the path of light on the water with blues
from your base water color.

STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 5 STEP 6

On another layer use ‘Custom Cloud’ brushes, if you have
them, to establish more overall definition.
Use a ‘Color Dodge’ layer to brush in the brightest values
including the sun.
Add in highlights on the water using the same bright color
of your sun. Notice how the highlights are like triangles
tapering to a point the farther they get away from the sun.
Add in your darkest blues to create a sense of waves on
the water. Add in more saturated light from the sun above
your darkest blues so the light is hitting the crest of the
waves. Paint in subtle highlights towards the sides of the
image to keep it from looking too uniform. Add a ‘Color
Dodge’ layer and experiment with the opacity.
 174
FROG SKIN SKULL MASK 175

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Start with a light desaturated green. On a separate layer set to ‘Multiply’.
Use a soft brush to lightly paint
where light hits the skin.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
Sticking with a soft brush begin to
paint in other colors to add variance
and interest. Rusty brown and
desaturated reds work well.
STEP 1
Gather some references to study
the design and characteristics of
the helmet. In this case, find a skull
reference and a separate one for the
helmet.
STEP 2
Block in color by cutting out the
elements and filling them with the
‘Paint Bucket’ tool. Consider using
one layer per color/element. But
this depends on how you like to
STEP 3
Brush in some darker colors by
using a soft and smooth brush to
create value variance and texture.

work.

STEP 4
Use a hard brush to start laying
in texture. Alternate between
your darkest greens and a more
saturated hue of your base color.
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STEP 5
Continue to refine the shapes you laid down
on the previous step. Use a light color along
the ridges that are raised up from the skin.
On a new layer lay in your highlights, taking
your green color almost all the way to a
white, in order to give the skin a wet look. STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6
Create the light source. Use your Time for detail. Use some varying Texture and finishing. Use ‘Color
brightest values for highlights and colors to create a gold and steel Dodge’ with a textured brush to create
major details. Lightly brush in light effect. Brown, yellowish-green and a metal texture. Add another light
throughout to give your shapes dark blue will help to create an old source to make it more realistic then
depth. and used effect. Realistic gold and sharpen your painting using Filter >
metal is rarely shiny. Always look at Sharpen > Sharpen to increase the
STEP 6 the references to keep your focus. details.

Refine your details. Paint in some small

pores and create one more layer to add
in some bounce light around the bottom
edges where light might be hitting the
water or objects and bouncing back
towards the skin.
 176
MAGIC RUNE STONE
STEP 1
Start with a rough sketch. The idea
is simple. A vertical stone with
some kind of ancient glowing rune
standing between other small
stones and plants.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 4
Use dark blue, green, and brown
colors to create cold shades and
value.
STEP 2 STEP 3
Create a clean line art based on the Fill in the line art with a dark color.
rough sketch. Use gray-brown for stones and light
green for plants and ground. Use light
blue for the rune on separate layers.
STEP 5 STEP 6
Time to create a light source. The Start the detailing process. Use some
idea is a soft dawn light from the textured brushes to create the stone
sun on half of the stone. Use a pale surface. Create another minor source
orange with a soft brush on low light with a cold color to make it stand
opacity. Brush in some soft light on out more.
the small stones and plants too.
STEP 7
Finish the stone surface with ‘Color Dodge’ using a
textured brush. Create a glowing effect by selecting the
‘Rune Color’ layer. Use ‘Outer Glow’ from the effects icon
beneath the laye. Choose light blue and color mode >
lighten. Don’t forget to check the levels using ctrl+L and
sharpen your painting using Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen
More.
STEP 1
Create a basic design. The concept
is a powerful evil-looking gauntlet
used by a Dark Lord or supervillain.
STEP 4
Add bright colors (light gray, orange,
red) to create lighting on a metal
surface and the gem. But there’s
no need to make it too detailed
because we will be focusing on the
fire effect on the fist.
FIRE GAUNTLETS 177
STEP2 STEP 3
Block in color on the line art and Add some dark color to create value.
separate every part on different Simply brush it with low opacity.
layers. Use a very simple color
palette such as gray, brown, and
dark red for the gem.
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STEP 5 STEP 6
Time to add fire. Add lines with an Create the fire with some brushes. You
orange color to create a flowing fire can use a cloud brush for the smooth
energy effect and brush the gold part blurry parts and a custom fire brush
on the top with orange and yellow.
Create a new layer and add a ‘Glow’
for the main parts. Try to use a brush
with ‘Color Dodge’ mode to create the
effect with an orange color on the fist bright effect instantly. Don’t forget to
with a smooth brush. give some details on the lower parts.
STEP 7
Create more fire with the same technique with bright orange and yellow color.
Add some glowing effects with a smooth brush on the top layer. Use blending
mode>color dodge to make it glow. Alternatively, you can do some photobashing
with fire photos and blend it with a fire brush to make it more realistic.
 178
BLOOD SPLATTER BLOODY WOUND 179

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Paint the base/skin. Draw the wound shape. Do not Add light and shadow to the wound to
use a soft airbrush. Try to keep the bring out the texture of flesh.
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 shape organic and not too stiff.

Draw a random blob of blood. Do Using the ‘Smudge’ tool play With a textured brush (try to use a
not use a brush with overly hard or around with the drips and splatter grainy looking brush) lightly add some
soft edges. to create a unique shape. No two specks around the splatter.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA

blood splatters are the same.

STEP 4
Using ‘Multiply’ mode gently build
up redness around the wound to
mimic the irritated, infected skin
around a gaping wound.
STEP 5
Paint in the shape of the blood drips.
The end of the drip is often similar to
a tear drop shape.
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STEP 6
Add depth in the values to the blood
by using a richer, darker red shade.
The end of the drip is usually the most
saturated and dark.

STEP 4 STEP 5
Add depth in values to the blood by using a richer, Add the light specular reflection on the blood. For blood,
darker red shade. even the light and specular will not be desaturated color
but quite saturated still.
STEP 7
Add specular reflection on the blood
and skin around the wound.
 180
SHINY METAL
STEP 1
Start off with a sketch or line art of
the object.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 4
Paint the light according to your
desired light direction. For shiny
objects the light will reflect the
color of the light source heavily. In
this painting the light is neutral.
STEP 2
Fill the base color and background
color.
STEP 5
Add more shadows. The surface
of shiny objects will reflect the
environment they’re in. Some parts
of the environment will be darker
than others so it’s crucial to paint
them in.
STEP 7
Add a ‘Color Dodge’ layer and gently
go over the parts that reflect the
light most (edges, curves, etc.) to
give an even shinier, glowier look.
STEP 3
Paint ambient occlusion using a
deeper, richer color. Either turn off
the line art after this step or set it to a
much lower opacity so you can focus
on bringing out the form without
relying on line art to show it.
STEP 6
Paint the specular reflection. Use
a hard brush with a much brighter
color to emulate the shine.
STEP 1
Start off with a sketch or line art of
the object.
STEP 4
Paint the light according to your
desired light direction. Since the
metal object is rusted it will not
reflect as much light as clean, shiny
metal.
STEP 7
On a new layer, also using ‘Multiply’
mode, use the same rougher brush
and go in a bit more heavy-handed,
especially on areas where rust tends
to form. Edges, corners, etc.
STEP 2
Fill in the base color and
background color.
STEP 5
Add specular reflection to the
shackle. Because the body is a duller
metal it will reflect much less light
than the shackle.
RUSTY METAL 181
STEP 3
Paint ambient occlusion using a
deeper, richer color. Either turn off
the line art after this step or set it to a
much lower opacity so you can focus
on bringing out the form without
relying on line art to show it.
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STEP 6
Using a rougher brush and a layer set
on ‘Multiply’ mode, lightly brush over
the painting to create a rough, aged
look. Try a slightly reddish brown tint
here to enhance the rusty texture.
STEP 8
As a final touch add more
details such as dents and
scratches onto the body of the
lock. For the shackle make the
sheen slightly brighter and use
the eraser brush with a hard
edge to erase some parts of it to
mimic scratches.
 182
THICK SMOKE
STEP 1
Start off with a plane colored
background. Try a a pale gray blue
for a more gloomy image like this
one.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 4
Lightly add stray smoke plumes
behind.
Optional step to add embers: lightly
draw small little dots and use the
‘Gaussian Blur’ tool. Duplicate the
layer and set it to ‘Color Dodge’ to
create glowing embers.
STEP 7
Optional step to add embers, lightly
draw small little dots and use the
Gaussian Blur tool. Duplicate the
layer and set it to Colour Dodge to
create glowing embers.
STEP 2
Use a soft round pressure opacity
brush and set it to about 65-75%
hardness. Roughly blob out the shape
of your smoke plume. It doesn’t need
to look clean and pristine.
STEP 5
Adding a gradient effect to the sky.
Adding more light to the beginning of
the smoke (suggesting a light source
or fire) and darkening the sky behind
it gives the image a gloomier effect.
It also enhances the smokiness of the
sky.
STEP 3
Add lighter puffs around the edges of
the smoke plume that receive light or
are less concentrated. These do not
need to look perfect. Try to keep it
very organic, textured and natural.
STEP 6
Optional step to add embers. Lightly
draw small little dots and use the
‘Gaussian Blur’ tool. Duplicate the
layer and set it to ‘Color Dodge’ to
create glowing embers.
Optional step to adjust color balance
and levels.
STEP 8
Optional step to adjust
Colour Balance and
Levels.
STEP 1
Draw a rough sketch of your
lightning bolt. Use reference images.
Keep your strokes loose but angular/
sharper at the corners.
Do not use a pure white for this.
Keep it slightly tinted to the color
of your choice and turn on the pen
pressure for opacity of the brush
transfer: ( Window > Brush Settings
> Transfer > Select Pen Pressure
under Opacity).
STEP 4
With a light hand add thinner
electric bolts that branch out/fade
off. During this step you can take
your time and keep experimenting
with small details like more jagged
lines that can help bring your
lightning to life.
LIGHTNING 183
STEP 2 STEP 3
Painting a cloudy background. An Detail your lightning sketch further.
optional step depending on where Emphasize the jolts and jerks in the
you are using lightning in your line of electricity. Try to make them
image. Lightning does show up best sharper, more angular and slightly
against a dark background so keep erractic.
that in mind.
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STEP 5 STEP 6
Duplicate your detailed lightning On top of your detailed lightning layer
layer and put it under your original create a new ‘Color Dodge’ layer. On
layer and set it to ‘Overlay’. This this layer with a soft airbrush and low
will create a soft glow around your opacity you can go over some areas to
lightning. You can adjust the color of make them even brighter. Try adding
the glow to your liking. a subtle purple glow. Feel free to play
around with the colors.
STEP 7
Add in finishing clouds to the image if that’s what you
are going for. Remember that while the background is
dark the areas close to the lightning will be brighter.
You can use the glow of the lightning to bring out the
form of the clouds too.
 184
RAIN 185

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9

Start with a background color. In
this piece a gloomy blue tone will be
used, but not all rainy scenes need
to be dreary and dark.
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Add some overcast clouds.
STEP 3
For the rain just a basic soft round
pressure brush is used with some
extra settings tweaked.
(Adjust the hardness, size, transfer
Tweak the settings until you’re
satisfied with the effect.
It’s optional to add some
adjustments and touchups for
enhancement, such as increasing
contrast or saturation.
This step is to illustrate a rainy scene
with other objects in factor. Not just a
plane sky. It will be a scene set in nature
but the techniques apply to other
settings as well. Turn off the visibility
of the ‘Rain’ layer first and paint in the
objects of choice. Here plants are being
added to the image.

opacity>Pen Pressure).

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STEP 10 STEP 11 STEP 12
Turn on the visibility of the ‘Rain’ Add droplets bouncing off the objects Paint on a ‘Splash’ effect where the
layer to see if the scene is going in and water trickling down. It’s very rain hits the objects. This applies
your desired direction. important to make the objects and more to heavier rain but feel free
STEP 4 environment look cohesive. Even if
the rain is a light drizzle do include
to experiment with adding a more
subtle one to drizzling scene.
Draw the rain droplets upwards as it this, but to a lesser extent.
will allow the bottom of the droplet
to look heavier. If it’s drawn the STEP 6
other way round the droplets will
Adjust the ‘Motion Blur’ according to
look like they are shooting upwards
instead of falling down. The rain can
STEP 5 the direction of choice as well as the
appear heavy or a light drizzle. amount of blur wanted. (Rain can
Duplicate the layer. Hide the first one.
be falling vertically straight, slightly
On the duplicated layer go to ‘Blur’
slanted, etc., depending on the wind
settings and select ‘Motion Blur’.
and other conditions). STEP 13
Add final adjustments such as
contrast and saturation if desired.
 186
USING REAL MOON
CLIPPING MASKS
STEP 1
Start off with a night sky
background or plane dark
background.
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STEP 4
Place this ‘Moon’ image layer above
your moon base. Hover your mouse
over the layer and click ‘Create
Clipping Mask’. This will enable the
‘Clipping Mask’ tool. From there
using control+T you can adjust and
shift the image. It will only appear
on the moon base area due to the
mask effect.
STEP 2
Draw a circle in the sky/background.
You can use the ‘Elliptical Marquee’
tool or the ‘Ellipse’ tool to do so.
Holding the control key while using
it will ensure a round circle if you
are going for a full moon. Fill this
circle with a light color. Don’t pick
an overly saturated or bright color.
This one was tinted slightly blue and
around 60% lightness. Do not use
100% white or anything that is too
dark.
STEP 5
Once you are satisfied with the
adjustment, try blending modes to
make it look less stark. You can use
‘Luminosity’ mode and decrease the
opacity of the layer to about 70%. You
can also erase certain parts that you
feel do not gel well with the image.
187
STEP 7
As a finishing touch use a ‘Soft
Light’ layer to add more color
and vibrancy to the image. To
add stronger blue and purple
hues and stars use a ‘Color
STEP 3 Dodge’ or ‘Screen’ layer.
Import a ‘Moon’ image. It’s best to
use a PNG image as it comes on a
transparent background so it’s easier
to extract it. If you use another image
type you may need to clean up the
edges/background.
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STEP 8
This is just a sample of
what a crescent moon
will look like using the
STEP 6 same steps as above on
the same image.
Create a new layer and set mode to
‘Overlay’. Do not use a ‘Clipping Mask’
for this as you want to create the glow
emitted by the moon, thus it needs
to appear around the moon and not
just within. Using a soft airbrush and
cyan color paint lightly on/around the
moon to create a glowy effect. You
can also use another layer for ‘Color
Dodge’ for a slightly stronger glow in
certain areas.
 188
CAST SHADOW EFFECT
STEPS 1-2
Open a blank canvas or save
your character on one (turn off
background and save as PNG
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format).
Import your character’s figure
onto the blank canvas. It should
look like this with a checkerboard
background in drawing or photo
editing programs.
STEP 6
Select the shape of your character,
use either ‘Magic Wand’ or ctrl +
click the layer.
STEP 3
Place a background layer and add
some soft lighting/gradient light.
STEP 7
Hide the painted layer for now, and
fill the shadow layer with a darker
color. Using ‘Normal’ mode or even
‘Multiply’ mode will work.
189
STEP 9
Move the shadow layer away from the
light source and adjust the size of it
slightly.
STEPS 4-5
Duplicate the layer of your character.
Then rename it to ‘Shadow’. Either top
or bottom layer will work as they are
both the same.
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STEP 10
Lower the opacity of the shadow layer
if needed. Add final touchups to the
piece.
STEP 8
Turn on the painted layer as it is
needed to gauge the distance or size
of the shadow to be adjusted. Press
ctrl + T on the shadow layer to enable
transforming.
 190
WET TENTACLE
STEP 1
Draw a sketch of the tentacle. Do
use references to study the contours
and shape of them.
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STEP 4
Fill it with base colors. Tentacles can
come in different colors! You may
also want to decrease the opacity of
the line art for the following steps
to see the form via painting more
clearly.
STEP 7
Add specular reflections using a
hard edged brush. I picked a much
brighter and less saturated color.
Since this tentacle is meant to be
wet you can be more generous with
larger streaks across the tentacle.
Don’t forget to add it to edges that
may catch light too, not just the
main body.
STEP 2
The suckers on the tentacles will
follow the curvature. While they are
parallel when flat they will appear
misaligned when they are twisted.
The green portion and arrows
show how the suckers will bend
accordingly.
STEP 5
Add shadow and ambient occlusion
with a darker more saturated color.
I used a rougher brush for this for
textural purposes. However feel
free to use any brush you prefer
according to the finished look you
want. (Smoother brushes will result
in a slimier feel).
STEP 8
Using a new layer set in ‘Color Dodge’
mode paint a sheen over the tentacle
where the light hits most to saturate
and enhance the color and shine.
SILK 191
STEP 3
Draw clean line art of the tentacle.
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3
Draw the item. In this case, a tight Fill in the base color. Even if the Paint in the ambient occlusion and
item is white, black, or gray do not shadows. Silk is a delicate fabric so
silk gown. (Example of other items
choose anything of 100% whiteness, the creases tend to be quite fine.
include: flowy robes, tunics, bows,
blackness or grayness. Add subtle
pillow cases, curtains, lingerie,
shifts in tonal values and do not use
etc). them at maximum brightness or
darkness.
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STEP 6
Add the light using a brighter color
according to your desired light
direction.
STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6
Pick a light direction and paint the After adding the lighting paint in the Using color modes like ‘Soft Light’
light accordingly. This piece features specular reflection with a slightly and ‘Multiply’ add some depth in
slightly warm top lighting. harder edged brush. Silk is a very terms of color and contrast. To
shiny fabric so try not to make the compliment the warm lighting a
shine look too diffused. However, do subtle cool blue tint was added onto
not paint it with such a hard edge the shadowed areas of the dress.
that it ends up looking like latex.
STEP 9
You can choose to paint rivulets or
little drops of water running down
the tentacle. Do remember to add a
shadow under them to make it look STEP 7
like it’s actually on the tentacle and
Adding final touches. Enhance the
not just floating on top if it. I also
sheen using ‘Color Dodge’ mode and
do minor touchups at this point and
an amber color.
turn the line art layer completely off.
 192
DRAPERY
STEP 1
Draw a sketch of of the drapery
or draped clothing. It can be very
rough at this stage.
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STEP 4
After polishing your sketch with that
in mind, do clean line art of your
drapery drawing.
STEP 2
Understanding points of tension is
important. Folds and lines radiate
out from a tension point (eg. a
point where the fabric is bunched,
pinched, held together, creased,
etc).
STEP 5
Fill in the base colors.
STEP 3
Knowing how the force of gravity will
affect your drapery as well as the type
of fabric. Softer, flowier, lighter fabrics
tend to flare out more while heavier,
denser fabrics generally drape much
straighter.
STEP 6
I personally lower the opacity of
the line art at this stage. Using a
deeper, more saturated color I paint
the ambient occlusion and shadows
caused by the fabric folds using the
line art as a guide.
193
STEP 7
With line art opacity tuned even lower, I paint the light.
Different fabrics catch light differently so do study the
fabrics of your choice.
STEP 8
I tint some of the fabric and darken certain parts. Fabric,
especially light colored white and cream fabrics will tend
to reflect the colors around them. The white satin robe will
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reflect some of the red hues of the velvet cape. This helps
to bring greater dimension to your painting as well. I use
‘Multiply’ mode and softly go over the areas I want to tint
and darken. Don’t get too heavy handed here.
STEP 9
Adding specular and glow. Not every fabric
will have specular or shine. Some very matte
fabrics will not (like linen and cotton). If you are
painting shinier fabric like silks, satins, or some
kinds of velvet, adding specular at the brightest
points/crease points will help to bring out the
nature and texture of the fabric you are painting.
For specular use a small hard edged brush and
for the glow effect I used a mixture of ‘Soft Light’
and ‘Color Dodge’.
 194
LENS FLARE 195

STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9

Open the image you want to add Duplicate the layer. Under Filter Tab > Render > Lens 105mm Prime. Movie Prime. If the pre-made effects do not fit the
the lens flare on. Some images may Flare. image it is possible to manually paint
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fit this effect better. a customized one. Create a new layer

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over your image set to ‘Linear Dodge’.
Using a soft airbrush and a light
golden color gently brush in where
the flare will be emitting from.

STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 10 STEP 11 STEP 12

Experiment with the available 50-300mm Zoom. 35mm Prime. Increase the hardness of the brush Add specs or mini flares to imitate Add a little halo ring around the
effects. The flare can be moved to about 60-70% opacity. Make sure the visual artifacts lens flares tend to flare with a slightly red color. This is
and shifted, brightness enhanced/ the brush you’re using has opacity cause. Do not let the edges be overly optional but is often a nice touch.
decreased. set to pen sensitivity. Lightly paint soft or hard looking and keep the
in the light rays using the same opacity low.
Note: This is a photoshop specific tutorial and while there are ways to color.
achieve lens flare in other software the method would be different.
 196
ANTHROMORPHIC CHARACTER DESIGN
STEP 1
Start off by sketching your
character. Do research about the
particular animal you are basing
it on as this is very important.
Ideally draw the character without
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clothes first to ensure the body
proportions/pose are right.
STEP 4
Carefully line the clothing/props.
Clean line art helps make the base
color process easier. (Fun tip: after
you make your selection, go to
Select> Modify > Expand by about 2
px to fill the selection entirely).
STEP 2
Add more details to the sketch
such as clothing and props. Since
animals have generally vastly
different proportions to humans the
clothing will have to be adapted to
fit.
STEP 5
Use a deeper, more saturated color
than your base color to paint the
ambient occlusion.
STEP 3
Set the sketch layer to low opacity
and start drawing the line art of the
animal. Generally it’s best to still do
this step without clothes as it ensures
that you are getting the proportions
you want instead of using clothing to
“mask” it.
STEP 6
Determine your light direction and
color of light source. Be sure to use
both soft and hard-edge brushes to
bring out form.
197
STEP 7
At this stage focus on detailing the fur.
With line art turned off and on a new
layer on top add stray fur, whiskers,
etc. Depending on the animal you are
painting it will vary. Do research and
study the texture of their fur/scales/
hides/skin etc.
STEP 8
After detailing the fur, detailing the
clothing/props is next. You may want
to add dirt, scuff marks, scratches,
magical effects, depending on your
character.
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STEP 9
For more dynamic lighting, have a second
light source. For this try using ‘Screen’
mode. (‘Hard Light’, ‘Pin Light’, ‘Color
Dodge’ work well too).
This little fella has a simple textured dark
background, but feel free to make it more
detailed. It’s the detail that really brings a
character to life. Make sure to create your
textures and details on a separate layer
(or several) so you feel free to play around
adding stuff without having to worry
about damaging the work you’ve already
done.
 198
ROBOT
STEP 1
As the robot illustrated will be a
humanoid, the sketch done here
is based on a human figure. It’s
important to understand the base
form first before adding hinges etc.
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Even if the robot is not based on a
human or animal it is important to
get the form out before deciding on
the hinge placement.
STEP 4
Fine tune details and do line art.
Clean line art will ensure the base
coloring process is more efficient. As
the robot was designed to appear
battleworn with its internal wiring
exposed, the wiring was designed
based off the human muscle
structure. Different themed robots
will have their own unique defining
details and features.
STEP 2
Add on hinges, replace the human
joints (eg, knees, shoulder joints,
elbows) with hinges. Do note the
range of motion and rotation
direction of these hinges.
STEP 5
Add base colors. Background color
is optional. Don’t use anything too
bright or dark as it will be making
painting either light or shadow
difficult.
STEP 3
Add in more details to make the
robot more interesting. Not all robots
need to be futuristic and sci-fi or
pristine and clean. (Think Steampunk,
Oriental, etc.).
STEP 6
Paint the ambient occlusion with
a darker and more saturated color.
Turning the line art opacity lower, to
about 10-20%, will enable the artist
to folllow the guide of the lines while
at the same time see how it brings
out the forms and shapes.
STEP 7
Adding shadows and dirt. This step
is optional. For dirt, using a rougher
textured brush will be helpful in
creating a more worn look. This can
be painted on ‘Normal’ mode with a
darker color or ‘Multiply’ mode.
STEP 10
Using ‘Hard Light’ layer mode. Add
a subtle glow effect.
STEP 8
Paint in the light from your desired
light direction in the color of the
light source. In this piece the light
is slightly cyan tinted. If the robot is
made of a very shiny metal or plastic
the light on the robot may appear
brighter than the example here.
STEP 11
Using ‘Color Dodge’ layer mode,
intensify the glow effect and with a
light hand paint the bounced lighting
on the robot around the areas with
glowing details.
199
STEP 9
Paint in the specular. This step is
very useful for bringing out edges,
including the edges of dented
surfaces and joint parts. Shinier
materials may have larger or brighter
specular reflections.
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STEP 12
Backlight helps to make the
illustration more three dimensional
and creates dynamic lighting. Using
‘Hard Light’ mode paint in the
backlight. Add in a background of
choice and do extra touchups like
‘Color Balance’, ‘Levels’, if wanted.
 200
ALIEN
STEP 1
Experiment with silhouettes to
generate ideas. They don’t have to
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be detailed or clean, just have fun
exploring new ideas and combining
old ones.
STEP 4
Add base colors. For this I went with
a green/red combo - complimentary
colors. Try different combinations
until you find one you like. (I chose
a paler, less saturated green as I
didn’t want it fighting for attention
with the red).
STEP 2
Pick your favorite silhouette and do
a sketch over it. You can choose to
detail it at this step or just get the
shapes out.
STEP 5
Paint ambient occlusion with a
deeper, more saturated color than
the base. I like to lower the opacity of
my line art at this point to focus on
bringing out form.
STEP 3
Add details and draw clean line art.
Clean line art makes the base color
process easier.
STEP 6
Add the shadows. I used a rougher
brush at this stage for textural
purposes. Go with what you feel will
fit your alien’s skin.
STEP 7
Paint in the light according to the
direction of your light source. For
this I went with overhead lighting.
I usually turn my line art to even
lower opacity at this point.
STEP 9
I painted vein joints inspired by insect
wings on the membrane. To make it
look more iridescent I used ‘Soft Light’
mode to tint it with colors like orange,
pink, purple and blue. I also used
‘Color Dodge’ mode to make it shinier.
201
STEP 8
Add specular, usually at the place
that picks up the most light. I
usually use a much lighter color for
this and a hard-edged brush.
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STEP 10
Adding subtle details like eyelashes
and veins can really bring your alien
to life. For the veins I used ‘Soft
Light’ mode and loosely drew them
onto her skin. Don’t be too rigid as it
will look unnatural.
 202
STEP 11
Painting the connecting tissues and
skin as an extra step is optional but
can make your alien unique if it fits
her design. Feel free to add other
details as well.
STEP 12
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For more dynamic lighting use a
second light source. For this I used
‘Hard Light’ mode. (‘Screen’, ‘Pin
Light’, ‘Color Dodge’ work well too).
STEP 13
To finish it off, turn off line art
completely and add a background.
STEP 1
Sketch the scary creature. Try
to be creative. It doesn’t really
have to follow strict rules or look
aesthetically pleasing. Think of
something that makes people
uneasy or uncomfortable. (Eg.
distorted limbs, large grotesque
pus-filled growths, multiple heads,
appendages, etc).
STEP 4
Paint the shadowed areas according
to the light direction. In this piece
the light direction is from above so
the areas not facing the light are
darker.
STEP 2
Fill the base colors. Feel free to be
more experimental.
STEP 5
Paint the light according to the
direction and color of the light
source. In this piece it is a top down
light source that is slightly green.
SCARY CREATURE 203
STEP 3
Start painting the ambient occlusion
with a deeper more saturated color
than the base. Depending on the
texture of the drawn creature different
brushes may be useful. (Eg. A stony
character will use a harder, rougher
brush, a swamp monster that is slimy
may use a smoother one).
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STEP 6
Add specular. Some creatures may
not need as much specular as others
depending on their texture. (Eg.a
rough, fuzzy, grizzly creature won’t
reflect as much light as a slick,
smooth, serpent-like one).
 204
CREEPY CHARACTER 205

STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3

Enhancing lighting using blending modes. ‘Color Add depth and more detail to your creature. In this, Do a rough sketch of the character. Refine the sketch and add details to Carefully line your sketch on a new layer
Dodge’, ‘Screen’, or ‘Soft Light’ can bring greater the skin of the creature was blended more with the give your character life and make it and detail it further. Clean line art helps
dimension to the image. Here, ‘Color Dodge’ was used. masks. Saliva was added as well as a shadow. unique. the base color process more easily.

STEP 9
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Paint a backlight (optional). It helps to make
the piece more three dimensional and helps the
creature stand out. ‘Linear Dodge’ mode was
used but other color modes like ‘Screen’, ‘Hard
Light’, ‘Pin Light’ work as well. Experiment with
which works best for the image. STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 6
Add base colors. The ‘Magic Wand’ Use a deeper, more saturated color Bring out the interesting details of
tool is helpful. Avoid using pure than your base color to paint the the character. For this I used modes
white or black. ( Fun tip: after you ambient occlusion. such as ‘Soft Light’ and ‘Multiply for
make your selection, go to Select> the makeup, veins, and irritated skin
Modify > Expand by about 2 px to fill effects.
the selection entirely).

STEP 10
Optional step to add
adjustment layers to tweak
color balance and levels.

STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9

Determine your light direction and Add specular and glow. For specular Adding extra details is always fun. In
color of light source. Be sure to use use a small hard brush and for a glowy this piece I added fine hair strands,
both soft and hard-edge brushes to effect set a new layer in ‘Color Dodge’ blood, and blended the skin on horns.
bring out form. mode and gently use a soft airbrush.
 206 207

STEP 10
For more dynamic lighting have a
second light source. For this I used
‘Color Dodge’ mode. (‘Hard Light’,
‘Pin Light’ and ‘Screen’ work well
too).
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RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
STEP 11
I added fog here to set the mood. Feel
free to add other details to liven up the
painting.

STEP 12
I finished with some glowing embers.
You can add a new adjustment layer to
tweak colors/saturation/contrast too.
RENDERWAVE COLORPEDIA
VOLUME 1
Published By Red Right Hand Publishing, 2021
Publisher: Oldrich Stibor
Book Design: Ana Guerrero
Proof Reader: Georgia Ingles
www.instagram.com/redrighthandcomics/