ImagineFX Art School (2021)

Includes online pr o video tr aining
E W
N
10
tipsto help you
improve your
L ear n how to drawings
desig n char acter s
Uncover new ways

to dr aw animals
Cr eate a chaotic
action scene
Explor e ar tists’
sk etchbooks
Edition
Digital
ALSO
INSIDE
CAREER GUIDANCE
IMPROVE YOUR
FROM PRO ARTISTS
PAINT AND REFINE
A DEMONIC FIGURE
MAKE REALISTIC
PAINTING TODAY
From capturing clouds to
EDITION
cleaning your brushes

FIRST
INK TEXTURES
Welcome to
If you’re reading this then you almost certainly have a deep passion for art
and improving your techniques. But whether you are just making your first
strokes in the industry or you’re a seasoned pro with years of experience, this
bookazine has something to offer every artist. Featuring expert advice from
leading talents in the world of art, this latest compilation of some of the best
content from ImagineFX magazine includes tips on improving your doodles,
guidance on drawing both people and animals, inspirational sketchbooks
from some of our favourite creators and a step-by-step guide to drawing a
chaotic fight scene. There are also hints on how to improve your painting,
clean your brushes and develop stunning ink art. On top of all this, you will
find a link to some online tutorials on page 7. Get ready to create!
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Contents
8. Do you have what it takes?
Formal art education is not for everyone.
Artists who’ve self-taught talk to Dom
Carter about the advantages and challenges
of learning independently
16. Improve your doodles
Creating doodles is the lifeblood of art.
Gareth Davies reveals his top tips for
getting the most from them
24. Andrea Femerstrand
This Swedish children’s book illustrator
loves drawing animals that are playful,
sleepy or just plain confused
30. Draw heads
Follow Chris Legaspi’s simple but effective
techniques for drawing realistic heads and
faces either from life or observation
36. Quick character design
Netflix artist Jackie Droujko shares her
process for designing a character in a scene,
emphasising texture, mood and lighting
40. Improve your drawings
Acclaimed artist Karl Kopinski shares his
sketching and drawing advice, based on
his personal experiences and career in the
illustration industry
48. Best online art schools
Lockdown needn’t stop you learning 62
concept art or extending your skill-set.
Tom May presents eight great places to
study online
56. Better character design
Illustrator and author David Melling reveals
how he brings his book characters to life
using exaggeration, silent narrative, props
and more
86
106
6
62. Mia Araujo
Striking character artwork fills the
pages of this US illustrator’s sketchbook,
including a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s
Alice in Wonderland
68. Action-packed panels
Steve Ellis reveals his process for injecting
action and movement into his sequential
artwork, helping to immerse the reader in
his world
74. Create a chaotic scene
Discover how Bayard Wu controls
movement, contrast, light and colour as
he paints a fight scene from his personal
art project
78. Drawing animals
Acclaimed animator, director and
wildlife artist Aaron Blaise shares his
observational and illustration advice to
help improve your animal artwork
86. How to generate new ideas
Smart thinking Pro artists talk to Tom
May about their go-to tricks for staying
innovative and creative
94. Draw a figure
Give Chris Legaspi just 20 minutes and
he’ll give you all the basic techniques you
need to depict realistic figure art in pencil
and charcoal
36 100. Painting clouds

Discover how to paint clouds in gouache
with Justin Donaldson, who uses a wet-
in-wet technique to capture a variety of
edge qualities
106. Gary Villarreal
This artist enjoys putting extraordinary
characters and creatures into scenarios
that are overflowing with storytelling craft
112. Clean your paintbrushes
Whether you’re using oils, acrylics or
watercolours, Rob Lunn reveals how to
effectively maintain your paintbrushes
and extend their life span
118. Paint a demonic figure
Jim Pavelec reveals the inspiration and
painting techniques used to create the
demon Haagenti for his ambitious Ars
Goetia project
16 122. Realistic textures

Devin Elle Kurtz explains her ink
illustration process from line art to
ink wash to dry brushing to finishing
highlights, as she creates a piece full of
natural textures
GET YOUR RESOURCES

Visit https://ifxm.ag/ifxartschool
to download this bookazine’s
workshop videos
7
“I didn’t know how much time I would be
able to dedicate to formal studies while
looking after a baby,” says Irina French. “So,
self-teaching was a more flexible option.”
8
Do you have what it takes?
“Eventually you’ll need someone
to guide you and even teach
you,” says Sebastien Hue, “but
the adventurous path you took
as a self-taught artist is probably
far more rewarding.”
Do you have what it takes

to teach yourself art?
School’s out Formal art education is not for everyone. Artists who’ve self-taught talk to
Dom Carter about the advantages and challenges of learning independently
Art schools provide students with “It’s not easy to do it on your own,”
“I have to ‘do’
structure and professional feedback, stresses Irina French, who self-taught something, and
get it wrong a few
but they’re not the only way forward out of a desire to save times before I learn,”
for artists looking to develop their money and look after her says Craww.
skills. Teaching yourself is more baby. “It takes courage
viable than ever thanks to an and a great deal of hope, a
explosion of easily accessible, lot of determination, as
affordable online learning materials, well as self-discipline.”
and it’s an approach that gives artists Craww agrees: “A desire to progress
greater freedom to explore and and willingness to fail are all essential!”
develop their own unique voice. Having quit graphic design
Of course, the two routes aren’t out of frustration to pursue
mutually exclusive. But for artists short art, he wanted to learn on
on time and money, or those looking his own terms. “There are
to switch into an artistic career, the times when I’ve wished I’d
idea that you can teach yourself is had more of a formal training, when
especially appealing. I would have benefitted from a little
9
Sebastien found a support network in the
early days of DeviantArt. “I posted all my
art there and I got connected to artists
who were students or established pros,
and got feedback from them.”
“Trying to conform to a strict process left me feeling

uninspired,” says Lisa Hansen.
more practical tuition, but overall

I’m happy with where I’m at.”
“I can see where higher education
would have been beneficial in learning
more quickly,” adds Lisa Hansen, who
always saw art school as
an impossible aspiration.
“But on the other hand,
experimenting with
different mediums guided
by my own needs and whims is what
led me to discover what works best in
terms of achieving self-expression.”
THE RIGHT MINDSET

So how do you know if the self-taught
route is right for you? Concept artist
and matte painter “I think it takes longer to learn new things and be curious. regular contact with and they can be
to learn established
Sebastien Hue, who techniques and skills on When you’re self-taught you have to invaluable with feedback.”
switched from a career in your own,” says Craww. be permanently on the look-out to “It’s best to find genuine support
“But the flip side is,
logistics when he was 31, you’re more open to chase new things you missed.” from people who will point you to
exploring new ways of
thinks it requires a mindset doing things.”
Feedback helps to pick up on these what doesn’t work, rather than just
geared towards growth. “It has to blind spots in art school, but this praise you,” adds Irina, who often
become addictive and something you doesn’t mean self-taught artists go consults her husband’s critical eye.
need almost every day. A strong thirst without constructive criticism. “I’m “I’ve also joined a few groups on social
rarely happy with my own work so it media specifically designed for
It has to become addictive would be great to have informed,

insightful feedback to hand,” says
learning, rather than promoting. The
members take art very seriously and
and something you need Craww. “But social media has helped
with the contacts I’ve made over the
are happy to give feedback.”
As for the idea that art school puts
almost every day years. There are a few artists that I’m in you on the inside track in terms of
10
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
“The self-taught method rewards
focus and determination, but it
definitely penalises ambivalence,”
CHALLENGE
cautions Lisa. “You have to be
willing to work. Really work.”
ACCEPTED
Self-learning is full of obstacles,
as two pro artists reveal…
1 Finding resources
“We’re lucky to have
numerous tutorials online,” says
Irina French. “T he difficulty is in
finding those that will teach you
core principles, the fundamentals,
so you can build from there.
There are some real gems out
there; a lot are for free, too.”
2 Staying motivated
“Motivating yourself and not
giving up is a major factor,” says
Irina. “You just have to believe
that you’ll get better with more
learning and practice. It’s not
always easy, especially because it’s
hard to separate yourself from
your creations. I’d say from a
mental health point of view, there
are a lot of ups and downs, but
with time you find more
confidence in your skill.”
3 Mastering new techniques

“A few years ago I really
wanted to paint with oils and it
took me a long time to get to
grips with them,” says Craww.
“I definitely would have benefited
from a little instruction! A lot of
simple mistakes like painting on
unprimed paper and the paints
leaching through could’ve been
avoided if someone had taught
me, but then maybe I could’ve
researched things a little better
too. Sometimes that trial-and-
error process can lead to
unexpected and exciting results.”
4 Getting into a routine

“Since you’re not physically
attending a class, you have to
bring structure to your day:
dedicate consistent hours to
learning and practising, vary the
topics that you cover and note
from critiques what
fundamentals you need to revisit
in order to improve,” Irina
advises. “On the other hand, be
careful not to burn out. Take
regular breaks and remember to
have fun when you’re painting.”
11
establishing a career, Craww isn’t now under my belt, I have a better
“The biggest benefit is you get to
convinced that this is true. “The most understanding of what I can control learn whatever you want without
being constrained by a teacher or
important thing is for the work to find and what I can’t,” she says. “I know lesson plan,” says Sebastien.
a connection with an audience, which I how my history has affected my work,
don’t think can be taught. It’s but I don’t necessarily need everyone
something that has to come from the else to know that. I’d prefer people to
heart – a natural, honest process rather view my work on its own terms, and
than something that’s contrived.” fortunately, most people have.”
This rings true with Lisa, who was
concerned that being self-taught IDENTIFY YOUR WEAK SPOTS
would affect how her pieces were The self-taught path isn’t without its
perceived when she started working challenges though. As well as having
professionally. “With so many years to judge your own work, Sebastien
The most important thing is for the

work to find a connection with an
audience, which can’t be taught
12
“I learn quickly, but you

never finish learning in
this industry,” says
Sebastien. “This is partly
why I love it so much.”
“It’s paramount to find

a community and meet
other students of art,”
Irina advises. “They’re
on the same journey so
they can empathise
with your struggles.”
13
“Be patient with “It might be tempting to skip
yourself and with some academic parts that
others,” Lisa seem less fun,” says Irina.
recommends. “However, in my experience
“Above all else, you end up returning to those
remember that this in time, having realised their
is a journey and importance in generating a
never, ever a race.” high-quality artwork.”
It’s all about organisation and going

through the priorities you need to grow
and blossom professionally
getting lost in finding good ways to Even if you’re blessed with great
train themselves. So the first obstacle talent, Irina doesn’t think this head
is probably to get rid of the things you start will carry you all the way. “I fully
dislike doing and focus on learning believe that in order to achieve
what’s effortless to learn for you.” anything in this field, you need to put
And while it sounds like this might in a lot of hard work and time to be
require a certain baseline of talent, successful,” she says.
don’t let that intimidate you if you’re “From my perspective, talent does
points out that you need to be able Irina doesn’t worry that interested in becoming a self-taught not exist,” adds Sebastien. “This is just
being self-taught will
to determine your weaknesses, single limit your prospects: artist. “I’d never want to label someone something you reveal by the amount
out where you need to improve, and “It’s irrelevant how as ‘more talented’ just because of how of work you do, and the amount of
you acquired your
find the discipline to train yourself. knowledge, as long as they learned something,” says Lisa. training and studies you put in to get
you produce quality
“It’s all about organisation and art to suit clients’
“That’s actually a stigma I’m fighting to the next level. I think everybody is
going through step-by-step the requirements.” against,” she continues. “If I wanted to gifted for something in life – the
priorities you need to grow and prop up us self-taught artists, though, difficulty is to find out what it is. The
blossom professionally,” he says. “It I’d say we can have an almost fanatical talent would be how fast you find
shouldn’t be work, but passion. It dedication to our craft. It’s like we’re your path, listen to yourself and your
should not be painful, but totally fun. on a mission. Maybe it’s because we needs, and how quickly you develop
The internet is huge and people are feel we have more to prove?” your skills.”
14
“If you have a talent, it’ll come

out whether you have academic
knowledge or not,” Craww says.
“Everyone’s journey is different.”
15
Artist insight
15 TIPS TO IMPROVE
YOUR DOODLES
Artist Creating doodles is the lifeblood of art, Gareth Davies
PROFILE reveals his top tips for getting the most from them
Gareth Davies
LOCATION: England
Gareth, also known as Growing up, I can’t develop these ideas further so others I believe there’s a certain
Spudonkey, is a senior
remember not having could understand them. meditative quality to doodling and
concept artist working
in-house for Coatsink. a pen or pencil in my Now I have turned these little you can get lost within finding that
Other notable clients and hand and I was always thumbnail ideas into big ones and new idea – I think we could all do
projects include Into the
Breach, Disney, Bad
encouraged to draw by fulfilled my dream of working as a with a way to unwind after this year.
Robot, Bithell Games and my family. I would constantly doodle concept artist for the video game and Hopefully these tips and tricks will
Otherside Entertainment. through school and moving into entertainment industry. I started as a help you make the most from your
university, I learnt to solve problems 3D artist and kept pushing myself own doodling, avoid the dreaded
through drawing, embracing the art and experimenting until I was most burnout and maybe you can achieve
principles that would help me to useful as a concept artist. your own dreams, too.
1 ALWAYS CARRY A SKETCHBOOK

I have a ridiculous amount of sketchbooks
– a different size and shape for any
occasion. You never know when
inspiration or time to sketch may present
itself, so always be prepared! They don’t
have to be expensive, they just need to
do the job of being able to take notes or 2 LOOSEN UP
marks. Experimenting with different pens Sketches are meant for you and not necessarily for others to see, so don’t
and materials can also generate ideas, worry about if they’re ‘presentable’. As long as they serve you, that’s the main
from happy accidents caused by a rogue purpose. If I go into a drawing thinking about how they’ll be received then
mark, to having to work in a new way to I instantly tighten up. You’re trying to capture the broader idea of something
adapt to a material. as a whole. Draw from your shoulder using big, confident movements, and
think about the larger shapes and flow of the sketch and idea.
16
15 tips to impr ove your doodles
3 DRAW IT AGAIN
Sometimes you strike gold and hit the best idea first time, but usually this isn’t the case. I often draw
the same thing over and over, playing with proportions and shape language to test ideas. This
process helps build the knowledge of what you’re drawing into your visual library and also helps you
understand the mechanics of your subject.
4 LOSE THE DETAIL AND STRENGTHEN SHAPE DESIGN

Always think about the bigger idea first. What’s the principle behind what you’re trying to achieve with your design? Detail can wait until the end.
I love adding detail, especially graphic design to my spaceships and robots, but if the overall read is wrong then I’m wasting my time on fancy
graphics. Make sure the silhouette and larger shape design is solid: you’ll then have the foundation to build a final piece from.
17
5 START WITH A SIMPLE PALETTE
Shape, form and value should always come
first. Colour is a deep pit to get lost in, so
initially keep things simple. I generally work
with three or four complementary colours
to show the basic design. I also add pops of
colour to highlight certain elements or
create pattern. When working up a full
piece, it’s always a better plan to keep
saturation low at the start, rather than
having the whole piece shout at you.
It’s always a better plan to keep

saturation low at the start, rather than
having the whole piece shout at you
6 PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY

One of the best tips I’ve ever been given is to have periods of rest
and breathing space in your art. If everything is detail then there’s
no contrast and so the design becomes flat. The primary shapes
are the pure expression of the form and are the first read. The
secondary shapes should be distributed to break the silhouette up.
Tertiary shapes come last and generally live within the silhouette of
the shape. They should be clustered together in little pockets of
interest for the eye and then bleed back into breathing space,
before coming across the next patch.
18
7 DON’T FORGET YOUR ART PRINCIPLES

Although sketches are meant to be rough and quick, please don’t forget the foundations of art when designing. I always try to picture my
drawing within boxes to help clarify the perspective for myself. I also imagine a single-point light and try to simplify the sketch by blocking in and
designing the shadow shapes. If you’re relatively new to drawing, take the time to draw a rough perspective grid. This is something I always used
to do; however, over time I’ve had to use them less and less.
8 KEEP REFERENCES TO HAND

Just because you’re doodling doesn’t mean you shouldn’t or can’t
use references! Your visual library can hold a lot but unless you have
a photographic memory, reference is essential for perspective,
design and lighting to add authenticity to your work. I build large
libraries of reference using amazing apps such as PureRef on PC and
VizRef on iPad, enabling me to collate and form inspiration boards
for any subject. Often I start a sketch with a study and then build out
a story around it with a creature or a fantasy landscape.
19
9 READ BOOKS and characters in my mind’s eye, building them
For me, nothing is better for feeding my mind from past experiences and my visual library. It’s
with fresh ideas than reading fiction, my personal then great fun to try and pull them from my head
taste being in fantasy and science fiction. Visual and on to the page. Some perhaps lesser-known
media tends to restrict the way you interpret authors I love for inspiration are China Miéville,
certain stories because the characters have Tom Lloyd, Joe Abercrombie,
defined looks and everything is presented in a Jonathan French, Scott Lynch
very literal way. When I read, I can see the world and James Islington.
20
10 USE 3D TO FLESH OUT A DESIGN

Take a sketch from a simple 2D idea to a fully realised 3D concept
Begin with a plan
A I start by planning what I want to design. I draw out rough sketches of the ‘final’ scene
and iterate upon it with different ideas. I then use my architectural background to create
rough plans of the space and a blueprint to work from in 3D.
Rough 3D
B I move to Blender and build a basic
blockout of the space, often recycling elements
from different projects to save time. I then do a
quick lighting pass to set up the tone that I was
trying to achieve in my initial sketching phase.
Apply the final touches

C I now move to Photoshop and add hand-drawn line-work. I like to do this because it adds looseness and a more organic feel that
sometimes becomes lost in 3D. Finally, I work into the basic colour pass, adding local colour and material detail to the scene, in addition to
wear and tear and graphic detail until I feel the scene is where I want it to be.
21
11 TURN OFF THE MUSIC
Sometimes I need to switch everything
off and get lost in the drawing. I must
admit, I’m often guilty of drawing with
music on or in front of the TV, and not
really engaging. I then find that most
times I go back to topics I’m comfortable
with and rarely come up with something 12 FAN ART
new. When taking on a new subject, I If you’re stuck in an art funk, fan art
make the effort to turn everything off and and playing with existing IPs is a great
talk myself through what I’m doing. What way to revitalise yourself. An exercise
am I drawing, how does it work, why does I love to do is take an existing
it look like this? It’s all about making character, reinterpret their design and
conscious decisions and convincing then use gestural reference to put
yourself that you ‘invented’ your solution. them into fun poses and explore how
Thus your brain is more likely to hang on their design works. This takes the
to the information and you get to add a pressure off myself as the key design
new tool to your drawing arsenal. decisions have been made and I can
just relax and have fun.
22
A great way to challenge

yourself on the understanding
of a design is by taking it into a
new medium
13 RECYCLE SHAPES
When creating thumbnails digitally, I save a lot of
time by recycling shape language that I think works
or sparks an interest in me. When I find a
combination I like, I’ll duplicate it and see how I can
reinterpret and use this to spawn new shapes and
designs. This often gives a consistency to the ideas,
because they start from the same building blocks
and so form and share a similar shape language.
15 CHALLENGE YOURSELF BY
WORKING WITH NEW MEDIUMS
A great way to challenge yourself on the understanding of a
design is by taking it into a new medium. I love to experiment
14 FIND THE STORY with new tools and always love the challenge of 3D. With 2D,
When drawing for myself, I don’t start with a story in mind, but one is often there’s quite a bit of room to hide but in 3D, designs have to
born within the process. I may start to design something that then sparks a work in real space, even if you can cheat things a little for fixed
daisy chain of ideas and thus a narrative is born. It might be as simple as a camera angles. Blender has great free modelling and sculpting
robot missing an arm and then trying to explain how that came to be, either tools and I love challenging myself to try and reinterpret one of
with other battle wounds or rust if it has been neglected. It’s a challenge to my designs in 3D. I certainly appreciate what I put the 3D
express something so complex in just one illustration, but a fun one. artists through when I design a character!
23
PROFILE
Andrea Femerstrand
a
LOCATION: Sweden
An d r e
Andrea has been
freelancing since 2010,
working with pretty much
n d
anything that includes
a
character development or
t r
some sort of storytelling. Her clients
r s
include HarperCollins, Wacom,
e
3Dtotal and Goodbye Kansas Studios.
em
Nowadays she’s mainly occupied as a
F
children’s book illustrator working on
g animals
several Swedish book series.
ves drawin www.noukah.com
en’s bo ok illustrator lo confused…

h childr st plain
This Swedis re playful, sleepy or ju
that a
LUNA
“I made some rough
CUDDLY sketches for a Swedish
LYNXES
“I love exploring ways to draw
book series that I’m
illustrating, and these were
the first rough character
expressive animals, and felt the sketches of Luna, the
urge to draw cuddly lynxes. main protagonist.”
Sometimes it can be hard to find
reference of wild animals and their
expressions, but since lynxes are
large wild forest-kitties, I could
easily study domesticated
cats and then mimic
their behaviour.”
IS THERE A SPY AMONG US?

“Here’s one of my personal favourites, done back in 2013.
Did somebody say imposter syndrome?”
24
Andr ea F emer str and
RANDOM
FOX
“Just a random fox to
play around with Kyle T
Webster’s Photoshop
brushes. The brush is
called Carbonara
Raw 2, I think.”
LIVING
ON THE EDGE
“Another old personal
favourite. This one started
out as some random tiger
reaching for something
and I wanted to add
some funny contrast PLEASE
to it, hence the
worried balloon!” HELP, THIS IS
AWKWARD
“Oh, I love to keep the sketch
really rough in the beginning,
sculpting appealing shapes
and nailing the structure of
everything. Also, cuddly
bunnies and confused
doggos are so
entertaining
to draw!”
Cuddly bunnies and

confused doggos are so
entertaining to draw!
JAVA
“These sketches are a bit
emotional for me. I drew my
long-lost sphynx cat Java who
passed away too early, only five years
old. After I processed the loss for a
few years, I managed to honour
him with these sketches
without tearing up.”
25
INK TREE
“I drew this for Inktober a few years
back. I didn’t really have any plan, other
than just making some random doodles.
Done mainly with a brush pen.”
COFFEE
FOXES
“I saw this awesome
unknown quote outside a
coffee shop: ‘A yawn is a
silent scream for coffee.’
Being a coffee addict myself,
I instantly felt that I had to
draw something based
on that quote.”
I LOVE YOU BRO

“That feeling when you love someone
so much that you almost want to
squeeze the life out of them.”
26
PENTAGOON He was my world and

“There was this pony at
my riding school during my the love of my life back
teenage years, that I was
absolutely obsessed with. He
was my world and the love of
then. That love wasn’t
my life back then. That love
wasn’t really answered, as he
hated me with passion,
really answered…
ha ha. One day I’m going
to tell our story.”
27
JULY
“I got to illustrate a monthly
calendar for a Swedish kid’s
magazine, and this was the sketch for
July. Swedish summers can be amazing,
especially if you’ve got access to a lake,
so I tried to portray the joy that every
kid should feel during the
summer breaks.”
SPHYNX
KITTEN
“I saw this adorable
photo of a sphynx
kitten, and just had to
make a loose study
of it. It became this
little fella!”
PRINCESS
YLVA AND ULVIS SNOW LEOPARD
“Did you know that snow leopards
“Just a random sketch that I’ve done
like to carry their own tails? It’s the
during my breaks. I’d love to
most adorable thing in the world,
develop some story with these
so I had to draw one
two someday!”
doing just that.”
28
He looked so chill so
LYNX AND HORSE
“This one started out with some random horse
I added a sleepy lynx
sketch. He looked so chill so I added a sleepy lynx on
his back to make this sketch twice as chill!” on his back to make this
sketch twice as chill!
COMFORT ZONE
“I’ve noticed that most of the time, when I draw
just for fun, I gravitate towards red foxes against
greenish backgrounds. I just love drawing them,
and find that colour combo so appealing! So
here’s one of those typical comfort
zoners of mine.”
TINY
UNICORN
“I drew this one just for
fun. I imagine this
unicorn to be so tiny
that it can fit in
your palm.”
SKVADER
“This one started out as a wolf
doodle, just to practise shape language
and find some interesting designs. He
looked surprised, so I decided to add a
skvader. It’s a Swedish mythological
creature that looks like a
winged hare.”
29
Pencil Pens
DRAW HEADS FROM

OBSERVATION
Follow CHRIS LEGASPI’S simple, effective techniques for drawing
realistic heads and faces either from life or observation
B
efore I draw the human front, sides, and either top or bottom. increase realism. I start with half-
head, I observe the shape, The secondary planes are the brow, tones, adding a light wash and
planes and rhythms. nose and beginning of the mouth. gradually build up their value.
Then I start by capturing Then I start to refine the features. Finally, I add highlights and dark
shape and gesture, by If I have time, I add tones and accents for contrast.
drawing the major shapes using big shading. I start by simplifying and Chris is a painter, illustrator,
strokes and long marks. I can then massing in the shadow shape to give video game concept artist
position features using the vertical the illusion of a light source. Next, and health nut with more
and horizontal centre of the face, I add tones in the shadow to soften than 20 years of drawing,
making sure the angles are correct. the edges and create a realistic form. painting and teaching experience. See his
Next, I build in the major planes: Then I refine the tones and edges to work at www.drawwithchris.com.
Find the shape

1 Shape is important, because if
it’s designed well then you can get a
likeness of your subject right away. First
imagine a basic shape that captures the
essence of the subject. Next, add the
outer extremities of the head to refine
the shape, then add secondary shapes.
Outer
ex mities
tre
Add planes,
features, shading
and tone
Basic head shape Secondary shapes
30
Dr aw heads fr om obser vation
Include the planes

2 Planes make a drawing feel like a 3D form. When you
study a subject, imagine a basic cube with a front, sides, top
and bottom planes. Then look for the secondary, subdivided Draw gestural/
planes and smaller shapes, such as the brow and the nose. rhythmic major
shapes
major
Box form captures
, sides, top
planes: front
and bo ttom
Secondary planes
begin the
construction
process
Natural rhythms in
the face help to build
planes and anatomy
Clean up
features
and details
Refine planes
until forms feel
organic and
natural
Feel the rhythms

3 Rhythms are naturally occurring lines that usually follow
anatomy to create a sense of gesture and movement. First,
When you study a subject, look at the outer points and try to connect them using big,
sweeping gestural marks. Then look for rhythms and lines
imagine a basic cube with a front, within the face. These help you to construct and eventually
align and place features later in the drawing.
sides, top and bottom planes
31
Light source Shadow shape I like to squint and group
the shadow shape into as big
a mass as possible…
Light source
Use shadow shapes

4 Identifying shadow shapes is the first step to
good lighting, shading and rendering. It’s helpful to
identify the direction of the light source. I like to squint
and group the shadow shape into as big a mass as
possible to create a bold representation of shadows. Shadow shape
Overlap in side views

5 Side views are very common, but can be tricky
to pull off realistically. Overlaps can help by creating Hair overlaps
the illusion of depth. For example, cheeks often overlap eyes and
the nose and hair might overlap the eyes. cheeks
Ear overlaps hair

and side of head
Cheek overlaps
the nose
e neck
Collar overlaps th
Side of mouth
overlaps the lips
32
Ensure D is
B thinner than C
Make sure B is
shorter than A
C D
Construct the brow mouth

Box-like nose and
and exaggerate rplanes
exaggerate unde
the underplane
Use highlights
to emphasise
up-facing planes
Tone emphasises
underplanes
Ensure your up-views are in proportion

6 Up-views or low angle poses are really tough, so they
need a lot of practice. Take your time to measure the
proportions. Then as you construct the face, exaggerate the
underplanes of forms. If you have time to shade, use tone and
highlights to help create depth.
33
Two- to three-minute process
7 ape
In a short, two- to three-minute pose, begin by drawing
Draw gestural sh
the major shapes in a gestural way. Then add the vertical and
horizontal centres and indicate the features. Next come the
planes, rhythms and placement of features. With the time left,
continue to refine and add detail.
Draw shape
with gesture
Mark vertical and

, and
horizontal centre
indicate features
Add rhythms
and planes
Add rhythms and

planes, and draw Add and
key features refine details
Refine
features and
add details
Two- to three-minute side view

8
In a short, two- to three-minute Side views usually take less time to develop because
there’s less to draw. Start side views by drawing the major
pose, begin by drawing the major shapes in a gestural way. Next, draw the rhythms and place
the features. Then continue to refine, add details and tone.
shapes in a gestural way
34
Shade in five minutes Establish the

Establish the 9 Five minutes is usually long drawing
drawing enough to begin the shading process.
Once you’ve established the drawing,
the next stage is to block in the main
shadow shape as a big mass of tone.
Then add the transition tones in the
shadow. With the time remaining, add
half-tones and highlights.
Mass creates
shadow shape
Half-tones
Mass of tone
creates the
shadow shape
Dark accents
Add highlights
Apply half-tones
Refine for
extra realism
Longer to refine
10 My process for a 10-minute work is
Add darks the same as for a 20-minute or more pose.
and highlights Establish a good lay-in first, then block in the
shadow. Next, add core shadow and half-
tones. Finally, continually refine the half-
tones, lights, highlights and darks
35
Photoshop
QUICKLY SKETCH A
CHARACTER DESIGN
Netflix artist Jackie Droujko shares her process for designing a
character in a scene, emphasising texture, mood and lighting
This piece was created not only to create a character on comes with rough line-work.
Artist
for my monthly a Vespa, but to do it within a short My main focus was capturing rich
PROFILE Patreon exclusive print amount of time (basically while I colours, strong mood and the gentle
Jackie Droujko – each month I create was taking my lunch break). gaze of the character. I focused less
LOCATION: Canada an illustration to print I began by opening a few Vespa on the perspective of the bike, and
Jackie is a character and send to my Patrons. For this references from Pinterest and more on the interaction of the
designer working at illustration, I was inspired by sketched out the idea using character and the vehicle.
Netflix. Her passion lies
in creating simple and
German artist Thorsten Hasenkamm Photoshop. I was playing with the When I finished the local colours,
appealing designs that (@thasenkamm) and the way he idea of not having any lines in the which were these vibrant green and
communicate draws characters on bicycles so piece, but eventually decided against yellow hues, it made sense for the
compelling stories.
www.jackiedroujko.com
effortlessly. Vehicles aren’t my strong that for the sake of time. I ended up lighting to be sunset to add to the
suit, so I wanted to challenge myself embracing the sketchiness that warm glow of the character.
How I create…
AN ILLUSTRATION DURING A LUNCH BREAK
Sketch using a reference Blocking in colours Lighting and background

1 I first rough out the character with no
2 With the sketch done, I line the
3 Now I can move to the texture, details
plan for the background. I know I don’t character and Vespa. I add base colours to and lighting of the character and scooter. I
want a solid colour, but have no other idea get the general mood I’m trying to convey. quickly create a messy background, then
beyond that at this point. I use a reference Once the base of the character/scooter is refine the character. The background has
image to guide me on the placement and complete, I rough in the background, enough information to show where she is
perspective of the bike and how the making sure to use colours that harmonise and what time of day it is – I don’t need
character fits on it. I add a basic grid on the with the existing palette. I want her to fit in more information than that, especially
floor to anchor her to the ground. with her environment, not stand out. when the character is the focal point.
36
Quickly sketch a char acter desig n
37
QUICK TRICKS BEFORE AFTER
Draw over the image

A favourite method of mine to add appeal and life to a piece
of art is to draw over the entire image on a single layer. This
gives me free rein to fix whatever’s bothering me by colour-
picking and drawing over it. I blend lines together, add
details, and give myself the freedom to have fun with the
piece. It’s truly my favourite part of creating illustrations.
BEFORE BEFORE
AFTER AFTER
Texture: the lazy person’s detail Painting metal

Adding a variety of textures in the background is a great way to quickly make a simple In order to make the scooter look metallic, I add a Multiply blending layer for the
design more interesting. Here, I place textures and similar colours over the grid on the shadows and a Lighten blending layer for the highlights over the local base colours. To
ground to give the impression of grit. Now it looks like dirty cobblestone with grass make details convincingly shiny, I make sure to add mostly either hard shadows or
growing through the cracks. highlights that eventually soften.
38
Quickly sketch a char acter desig n
Patterns make it POP!

To add an interesting detail, I create a fun
pattern in her shirt that embodies all the
colours of the image. When the rest of the
drawing’s colours are used in big blocks, this
shirt adds rhythm and variety to an otherwise
simple use of colour.
Lens blur
Blurring edges of the
character and
background is a quick
way to convey depth and
push the idea that this
image takes place in a
real location, rather than
a 2D drawing. With some
of the background
blurred, we can really
focus on the character.
Light source
Here’s an extreme example of
the lighting I used to better
understand how surfaces were
lit in this scene. The light source
is parallel to her and behind her,
so I used a strong rim light along
all the surfaces facing screen
left. Where there’s no rim light,
there’s a shadow to contrast.
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSH:
Retro colour change SHIYOON KIM’S
I love adding an RGB split effect along the edges INK BRUSH
of a piece to add a retro feeling. It gives a sense
of wonder and draws your eye to the focal point
of the image. It also subtly adds blue and red so I like using this brush for
that it’s barely visible, but you can feel the line-art because it gives
change in the colour palette. a rough and sketchy
energy to my pieces.
39
Artist insight
10 TIPS TO IMPROVE
YOUR DRAWINGS
Acclaimed artist Karl Kopinski shares his sketching and drawing advice,
based on his personal experiences and career in the illustration industry
I grew up loving I think my style is a real mix of amazing at really pushing me. This is
Artist
Asterix and comic all these artists and life experiences. important because I think that by its
PROFILE books, and also the I always loved sketching and have nature this career will always have its
Karl Kopinski stories of Dickens and been lucky enough to build an ups and downs, and struggles. I’m
LOCATION: England Sherlock Holmes. I interest in this and actually publish not the most confident of people and
Karl has been producing always loved portraiture, and artists my own books. so having some moral support and
fantastical art since 1997, such as Diego Velázquez, John Singer I don’t know if I ever realised people to say, “Yes, you are good
and has worked for a
range of companies
Sargent, Anders Zorn, Norman I wanted to be an artist. I think it enough” can make all the difference!
including Wizards of the Rockwell, Frederic Remington and was the only thing I was good at! I think that, like most artists, my
Coast, Games Workshop, Phil Hale were huge influences on my I couldn’t imagine myself doing personal style is a mix of all the
Ubisoft, MPC and
SIXMOREVODKA.
oil painting style. I also love Katsuya anything else, to be honest. I was amazing influences. There are so
www.karlkopinski.com Terada who I met in Los Angeles two lucky enough to be supported by my many artists whose work I love and
years ago with Kim Jung Gi. family, and my wife Tara has been have tried to emulate.
2 LEARN HOW
THINGS WORK
Whatever you’re drawing,
break it down into its
mechanical elements. This
1 PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT applies to both anatomy
Want to improve your drawing skills? Then you just need to keep and engineering. The
practising. Draw from either life or photo reference. It’s such a great better you can understand
way to learn and it takes away a lot of the stress of design. It’s simply things, the better you can
a matter of putting what you see in front of you down onto paper. draw them.
40
10 tips to impr ove your dr awing s
Want to improve
your drawing
skills? Then you
just need to keep
practising…
41
If you can enjoy the process
of learning then you can
become a good artist
42
3 PUT IN THE TIME AND EFFORT

People have to recognise that there is only
efficient learning – there are no shortcuts to
becoming a good artist. If you can enjoy the
process of learning then you can become a
good artist. But if you’re just pushing for
success and money then you’re putting a lot
of pressure on yourself at a very early stage of
your development as an artist.
43
4 EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN
Have confidence in your art and
experiment – try something new!
You don’t have to produce a
masterpiece every time, and you
actually learn a lot from your
mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up
if things go wrong. Just look at
how to fix them next time!
44
5 BE CONSISTENT WITH focus on initial, simple principles

YOUR PRACTICE PIECES such as breaking down your drawing
It’s far better to do one hour of into its most basic form, before
practice exercises a day for seven applying perspective to those
days, than draw for seven hours in elements. These are the foundations
the space of one day. Drawing of your drawing, and like everything
becomes far more instinctive and a good foundation makes for a
natural with regular practice. Try to stronger drawing.
You don’t have to produce a

masterpiece every time, and you
learn a lot from your mistakes
6 USE A RANGE OF DRAWING TOOLS

I’m not super-precious about what I use, but I do have a few tools
that I use more regularly than others. These are a Faber-Castell Pitt
graphite 3B pencil, a Pentel Colour brush pen (FL2F), a Pentel
Brush Sign pen (SESF30C), a Faber-Castell Polychromos black
pencil, and POSCA Black & White Fine pens.
© CMON Games
7 START YOUR DRAWING PROCESS LOOSELY

Usually I’ll have a vague idea of the subject in my mind, but not very specific as far as details go. I then
start with some very loose, scribbly lines, trying to find some interesting shapes and to start to get some
idea of perspective and how the subject is placed within its space. I find this helps me often make some
interesting design choices, too: instead of falling back on a library of costumes/details I can push larger
shapes before refining and rendering them later.
45
8 SHAKE UP YOUR paintings. I think it’s a good idea exercise is important in balancing
CREATIVE ROUTINE to experiment and work with things out.
I do have a good mix of projects different media to stop yourself I often spend mornings or
on the go at any one time. If I’m from feeling stagnant. evenings sketching and trying to
struggling with motivation or I also ride my bike a lot, so come up with new ideas, whereas
creativity then I’ll often switch to every day I’ll fit in a one- to two- during the day I’ll be doing more
something quite different – for hour trip. This gives me time to project-based stuff. I recommend
example, going from a piece of process and think about projects having some kind of routine, but
concept art/drawing to one of away from my easel, or just it’s so personal that you have to
my more expressive cyclist empty my head a bit. I think find your own system.
46
9 AVOID COPYING ANOTHER ARTIST’S STYLE

I see a lot of artists making similar and very understandable mistakes. They’re
I think the key for me is to
often trying hard to emulate artists who they admire, without looking at how draw information from a broad
that artist began their journey and what their fundamental skills are. As I said
earlier, you need to work hard at understanding how things work. This applies spectrum, not just one artist
to other artists, too. Most of the people you admire have a strong foundation
in drawing/painting and observation. If you focus too much on trying to
emulate the end result, you neglect learning those basics yourself.
10 VARY YOUR LEARNING SOURCES

I studied a lot of anatomy books – the Bridgman book
[Bridgman’s Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, by George
B Bridgman] is great, as are the Andrew Loomis books.
Eadweard Muybridge’s Animals in Motion is also useful, but
there’s so much information for artists out there now. I’ve done
tutorial videos with Kazone Art and I know they have some
SuperAni artists on there. Schoolism is a fantastic resource and
obviously the YouTube channel of Stan Prokopenko is amazing.
I think the key for me is to draw information from a broad
spectrum and not just one artist. By doing so, you’ll hopefully
develop a much more individual approach and outlook. That’s
the key – to stand out from the crowd.
47
The best online
concept art schools
Class acts Lockdown needn’t stop you learning concept art or extending
your skill-set. Tom May presents eight great places to study online
Online courses in concept art have
been growing in influence and
importance for the past few years
now. And in 2020, for obvious
reasons, they’ve come into their own.
But choosing between them can be
tricky. Different concept art schools
don’t just specialise in different
areas, but also offer very different
approaches to learning in general.
Some are similar to YouTube INSTRUCTOR: IRIS COMPIET INSTRUCTOR: BOBBY PONTILLAS
channels, offering prerecorded videos
that contain exercises for you to
complete after the lesson. This type of
course tends to be cheaper and easier
to fit into your schedule, but offers less
in the way of feedback, and you’ll need
to be more disciplined to complete it.
Other schools feature live classes that You’re sent
are more like traditional education,
with greater interactivity and a video of the
opportunities to ask questions. These,
in turn, tend to be more expensive, and
instructor painting
you’ll need to keep to a rigid schedule. over the top of
In this article, we’ve selected our
eight favourite online schools for your work
concept artists. We’ll explain what
each one offers and how they differ,
to help you choose the right one for
your needs.
Esther Wu is part of Schoolism’s alumni,

and will also be an instructor in 2021,
INSTRUCTOR: IRIS COMPIET teaching Mech Design.
48
The best online concept ar t schools
INSTRUCTOR: BOBBY PONTILLAS INSTRUCTOR: IRIS COMPIET
Schoolism
www.schoolism.com
Schoolism was set up by concept artist

Bobby Chiu, and tutors include well-
known artists such as Craig Mullins, Iris
Compiet, Ian McCaig and Nathan
Fowkes. It offers two ways of taking its
courses in drawing, illustration,
sculpting and painting.
The cheaper option is to follow pre-
recorded videos, which you can watch
whenever you like. Alternatively, you
can pay more for Critiqued Sessions.
These have set start dates, and run
from nine to 14 weeks.
One lecture is activated every one
to two weeks, and includes an
assignment that you have to complete
within a week. After you’ve submitted
it, you’re sent a video of the instructor
painting and drawing over the top of
your work, while discussing what you
did well, what you can work on, and
how they might have handled certain
elements of the assignment differently.
You can also view your fellow students’
feedback videos.
A subscription to Schoolism will get
you a year’s access to all prerecorded
videos for $299.40 (or $198 before
18 January 2021), while the Critiqued
INSTRUCTOR: ESTHER WU Sessions cost $998.
49
STUDENT: THEO NARDI STUDENT: ALEX WINKLER
INSTRUCTOR: PABLO DOMINGUEZ
Brad’s Nielsen created this

artwork under the tutelage
of Patrick O’Keefe for Learn
Squared’s 2D Sequence
Illustration mentorship.
STUDENT: BRAD NIELSEN
Learn Squared
www.learnsquared.com
Founded by industry-leading artists in free account, you can access the entire
2015, Learn Squared offers dozens of first lesson of each course, which is
courses totalling more than 300 hours over 60 hours of content in total.
of training materials. These cover Learn Squared has recently launched
concept art, environments, character an option where, like at Schoolism, you
design, matte painting and animation. can pay more for professional
Tutors include well-known industry feedback on demand. The difference
names such as Tran Nguyen, Jan here is that you pay only for the lessons
Urschel, Ash Thorp, Maciej Kuciara and you want feedback on. It’s early days,
Patrick O’Keefe. though, with this option only available
Learn Squared’s courses are based with Pablo Dominguez’s course on
on pre-recorded videos, which you can Vehicle Concept Art.
watch whenever’s convenient. You also More mentors are promised for the
receive downloadable project files that second quarter of 2021, as well as new
enable you to work alongside the video courses from some notable industry
lessons. Courses cost between $99 names. Many existing courses also
and $249, and consist of between four include bonus recordings of past
and 12 hours of training. If you open a mentorship meetings. INSTRUCTOR: TRAN NGUYEN
50
Award-winning artist STUDENT: SHANE CLUSKEY INSTRUCTOR: LAKE HURWITZ

Audrey Benjaminsen
instructs Process: Skill &
Craft at Visual Arts Passage.
Visual Arts
Passage
www.visualartspassage.com
Not keen on recorded lessons? At

Visual Arts Passage, students are
INSTRUCTOR: AUDREY BENJAMINSEN INSTRUCTOR: DALE STEPHANOS mentored by industry pros and have a
live, fully interactive class every week
that lasts three hours. There are also
mid-week meet-ups online. They’re a
chance to share progress, receive
extra guidance from other instructors
in the programme, and stay on course.
Students are also encouraged to
connect with instructors and
classmates via Slack between classes.
Each class is recorded and available
on-demand, so even if you miss
attending a live lesson you can catch
up later, and your submitted work
will still be critiqued. As well as
illustration courses, there are four
concept art courses on offer, each
lasting 10 weeks and costing $999:
Intro to Concept Design. Advanced
Concept Design, World Building, and
STUDENT: KATE MEYRICK Career Development.
Visual Arts Passage is also launching
Students are a new subscription platform this
January, for $29/month, called Studio
mentored by pros Bridge. Running parallel to its
and have a live, Raymond Bonilla is a

nationally recognised
mentorship programme, Studio
Bridge involves virtual visits to the
fully interactive illustrator and fine
artist who instructs
Painting the Head at
studios of new artists every week,
along with weekly digital drawing
class every week Visual Arts Passage. INSTRUCTOR: RAYMOND BONILLA meet-ups and challenges.
51
STUDENT: CRAIG Stan Prokopenko aims to
RICHARDSON make his tutorials
entertaining while still
keeping them educational.
Students of all skill

levels have been
using Stan’s courses
to improve their
figure drawings.
STUDENT: SEBASTIAN SZMYD
Proko INSTRUCTOR: STAN PROKOPENKO
www.proko.com
All the schools we’ve featured so far are provided, as a premium student
have been focused on specific concept you receive high-resolution versions
art skills. But maybe you’re a concept that you can download and print for
artist who needs to refresh or build on your reference. For those who like to
your fundamentals, such as anatomy work offline all the videos are
or figure drawing. In that case, you downloadable, so you can watch them
should check out Proko, the online later at your leisure.
school of Stan Prokopenko. Along with the educational content
To get a taster, there are plenty of that Stan’s been adding to Proko.com,
free videos on Stan’s site. Then, if you he’s also been inviting other pro artists
want additional instruction, you can to create lessons and courses for the
upgrade to his paid Premium videos. site. There’s already a caricature course
Premium content can include
extended lessons, additional
and high-quality demos from
professional artists that you can learn
Stan’s been inviting other
demonstrations, 3D models, eBooks,
critique videos and premium-specific
from. Finally, there’s now a monthly art
challenge that anyone can participate
pro artists to create lessons
videos. Whenever diagrams or photos in with prizes awarded to the winners. and courses for the site
52
Alice Yang’s environment

concept from the WB3
(advanced world-
building) course. STUDENT: ALICE YANG
STUDENT: AIRI PAN
STUDENT: CORNELIUS COCKROFT
Gnomon
www.gnomon.edu
Looking for a course with real

academic rigour? Then meet
Gnomon School of Visual Effects,
Games and Animation. A
Hollywood institution established
in 1997, its online courses closely
parallel the learning environment of
its on-campus, physical ones. Brainstorm School STUDENT: KEVIN KRUSE
All of Gnomon’s classes are www.brainstormschool.com

delivered live, putting you in a
virtual classroom with pros and Based in California, Brainstorm School delivered live, and to a schedule based
your peers. They range from specialises in foundation, digital on Pacific Standard Time (European
specific topics like compositing and painting and design courses, focused artists, be warned!). These sessions
digital matte painting to core art around character design, environment variously include demos, guest
skills such as figure drawing and design and prop design, and led by lecturers, reviews, critiques, paint-
perspective. Every class has a working professionals in the overs, and solo and group activities.
message board that enables entertainment industry. There are four types of courses on
Character design
students and the instructor to Different courses are suitable for development by Tuncer offer, which take place during three
communicate with one another, beginner-, intermediate- and Eren for an IP project in terms per year. In the Mentorship
the Entertainment
share ideas, and ask and answer advanced-level artists. All classes are Design course. programme, you’ll be guided along a
questions. Courses are led by some personalised intensive programme.
of the best-known names in the You’ll meet with your mentor weekly to
industry, including Maddie Scott have private learning time specific to
Spencer and Kevin Hudson. you. Mentorships cost from $4,500
Note that even though they’re and are led by Jonathan Kuo, Joon
online, Gnomon’s courses are only Ahn, Saiful Haque and Brainstorm
available to students physically School co-founder John Park.
located in California, or outside of Meanwhile, Bootcamps usually run
the US. In other words, if you’re a for five to eight weeks, and cost from
US resident who doesn’t live in $400 to $685. There are also Storm
California, your luck’s out. Courses courses, which run for five weeks, and
last for 10 weeks and tuition costs cost $259, and 10-week courses,
range from $699 to $2,133. STUDENT: TUNCER EREN costing from $700.
53
CGSociety
www.cgsociety.org
CGSociety is a venerable global

organisation for creative digital artists.
Focusing on landing you a career in
the art, games and VFX industries, its
CGWorkshops arm offers expert
training for industry professionals in
subjects including character design, STUDENT: JD GARDNER STUDENT: JESS O’NEILL
matte painting, drawing foundation
and environmental design. This piece by alumnus
Courses last between six and 10 Justyna Gil depicts a
lonely girl trying to protect
weeks, and range from $599 to $998, herself from seven demons
with discounts for those who buy two using a magical artifact.
or more classes at one time. The

lessons are based on pre-recorded
videos, but you do need to keep to a
schedule, with weekly homework
deadlines. You also receive
individually recorded feedback on
your work, as well as regular live Q&As
with your instructors.
Recently it was announced that
CGWorkshops was merging with CG
Master Academy. Eventually, students
of both schools will be able to socially
interact via CGMA’s virtual classroom.
However, the two websites remain
separate for now and we’ve been
assured that will continue to be the
case until at least mid-2021.
You’ll receive
individually
recorded feedback
on your work STUDENT: JUSTYNA GIL
Neo Tokyo by CG Workshops

student Edward Chan,
created by painting over
STUDENT: EDMUND CHAN 3D kit-bashed elements.
54
STUDENT: BRANKO DANIC STUDENT: TIMO PETER
An evocative piece
by CGMA alumnus
Martin Fargasso
entitled Street Corner.
STUDENT: GUE YANG STUDENT: MARTIN FARGASSO
CG Master Academy (CGMA)

www.cgmasteracademy.com
Founded in 2010 and based in Los and 3D for 2D Artists, and their tutors
Angeles, CG Master Academy (CGMA) have worked for most major studios,
offers online courses in 2D, 3D, VFX, including Disney, Blizzard and Pixar.
games, software and storytelling, to Like CGWorkshops, with which
help you develop the skill-set you need CGMA is currently merging, courses
to launch a career in the entertainment run for six to 10 weeks, and cost
industry. It’s continually adding new Hero vs Harpies, a from $599 to $998, with discounts
courses, the most recent of which keyframe illustration on two classes or more. And like
by CGMA alumnus
include Acting for Visual Storytellers Andrew Collins. CGWorkshops, they’re based on pre-
recorded videos that include weekly
assignments, individually recorded
feedback on your work, and live Q&As
with your tutors. You’ll enjoy over 365
days of access to the full course,
including feedback and live Q&A
recordings, and a Certificate of
Completion on finishing the course.
It’s worth noting that CGMA offers
complimentary portfolio reviews for
prospective and current students. This
provides guidance to help you enrol
in courses that are appropriate for
STUDENT: ANDREW COLLINS your skill level. STUDENT: JASON CHAN
55
Artist insight
15 TIPS FOR BETTER
CHARACTER DESIGN
Illustrator and author David Melling reveals how he brings his book
characters to life, using exaggeration, silent narrative, props and more
Artist I was once asked to In my opinion, character is right seemed to be the answer time and
name three important up there. But what is character? And time again. We all hope our art will
PROFILE skills required to be a how do you go about finding it, appeal to a wide audience, but
David Melling successful book creating it? And when you have it, character appeal is subjective. In that
LOCATION: England
illustrator. I said, in no how can you use it most effectively respect, there’s no golden ticket to
Author and illustrator particular order, draughtsmanship, in your work? character design. Yet I’ve learned
David has published
around 150 books in
character and pathos. No doubt When I started out, I acquired there are things you can do that can
over 30 languages, others will have their own top three, some by looking at the books and art be effective in bringing your
including the Hugless but I stand by these for the kind of that appealed to me and asking characters to life which, with a bit of
Douglas series.
www.davidmelling.co.uk
book illustration that appeals to me. myself why I liked them. Character luck, resonate with others.
1 CHARACTER SHEETS him being too anthropomorphic (so, not sitting

Once I’m happy with a particular design I create with hind legs forward, for example).
character sheets. Here, Ruffles is being very As I’m drawing, I’m asking myself questions.
doggy as he runs around on the page – reacting, What’s he like? Is he shy, bold, moody? How
responding and so on. He’s a puppy, but also a does he walk? Is it bouncy, elegant, bumbling?
toddler and I’m trying to get that across here in All the answers feed into the drawing and,
his playfulness. At the same time I want to avoid hopefully, help evolve character.
56
15 tips for better char acter desig n
2 IT TAKES TIME TO DESIGN A CHARACTER THAT FEELS RIGHT

Designing a character is never simple and rarely happens quickly. The more I draw, the more the design (proportions, shape and so on) settles
on the page. These two versions of Hugless Douglas show how much he changed from early concept to final design. In hindsight, I’m surprised
I hadn’t noticed the tiny head and long arms… and those hamster cheeks! Eventually, I settled on the right proportions. He’s still quite jowly but,
with the mouth hidden I needed to rely on other features; the way his cheek rests on the boulder helps with that ‘I need a hug’ expression.
The more I draw, the more

the design (proportions, shape
and so on) settles on the page
4 SEQUENTIAL DRAWING
As part of my character/story
development process I’ve adopted an
exercise created by author and illustrator
Maurice Sendak. He called them Fantasy
Sketches. On A4 paper, starting top left,
3 DRAW LIVING, BREATHING ANIMALS finishing bottom right, I draw quickly to a
I was once asked to draw a hungry cat sitting on a mat in front of a bowl of fixed time of 10 minutes. Starting with a
delicious food. Part of the brief included words like ravenous, excited and random character(s), I try following a
anticipation. Well, I drew the cat almost symmetrical including its ears and sequence and see what happens. I try
paws. The result was stiff and uninteresting. In silhouette, it didn’t read as a not to pause or think too much. More
cat (more on this later). No matter how much expression I tried to put into often than not, the result isn’t a complete
the face it failed… and so did the job! Whenever I draw a character I think of or logical narrative but I nearly always
them as living, breathing creatures. A tail is curling, thoughtful. This tiger is come away with something useful.
standing still, but he’s definitely alive.
57
Animals can prove a more
convenient currency when
tackling sensitive subjects
5 A BLEND OF ANIMAL AND FANTASY

I prefer to draw animals and fantasy figures. In children’s books, animals can often prove a more convenient currency when tackling sensitive
subjects. On occasion, the risk of causing offence or dealing with challenging issues can be eased within the metaphoric realm of animals and
fantasy. I’m generalising of course, but in my picture book The Tale of Jack Frost, I had the chance to explore fantasy a little deeper and
although these goblins are essentially human in appearance, I treated them like wild animals. For me, there’s something about fantasy that
makes it possible for you to push a character that little bit further.
6 EXAGGERATION (WHEN
SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE)
Exaggeration can be an effective tool from
extreme, almost ‘cartoony,’ to a more subtle
blend. Both are valid in the right context.
Here, I deliberately set out to paint a
realistic-looking rooster with the intention
of seeing how little I could alter its features
to achieve just a touch more character. The
blue line shows the original proportions.
You can see that I extended the beak,
dropped the line at the corner of his mouth,
narrowed the shape of his eye (which
added an unexpected human tone), and
exaggerated the wattles. It’s interesting the
impact these small changes can have; now
it’s a distinctly anthropomorphic rooster.
58
9 COLOURING
HUGLESS DOUGLAS
Capture the pose in pencil

A I always like to work out the pose, expressions and
so on at the pencil stage. For me, it’s the most important
stage, a time to experiment and really nail what I’m
trying to say. I then carefully trace with Indian ink and
fountain pen (as a dip pen to avoid clogging the works).
7 EMOTION THROUGH SYMMETRY

Now I know I’ve already suggested symmetry is best avoided, or risk a figure
looking stiff and lifeless, but there are exceptions. Indeed, on occasion the
opposite can be just as powerful. I had this in mind when I drew this whippet.
By cropping in tight, I wanted to avoid any distractions: no asymmetrical ears
or any animated eyebrow action (although I did soften the brow generally to
fit the mood). I wanted the viewer to have nowhere else to go but into those
big, soulful eyes. I think this is more effective because there’s no movement.
Wet-in-wet watercolours
B I use the wet-in-wet technique with Dr Ph Martin’s
concentrated watercolour inks. First, I paint a selected
area with plain water. Then, while still wet, I add the light
colour, then the darker brown. I have to work quickly –
this whole process needs to be done in one go.
8 EXPRESSIVE SILHOUETTES Embrace happy accidents

I worked for a spell in several London-based animation studios as a
C I finish the details with coloured pencils. The fur
background artist and cel-renderer (mid-1980s before digital animation). flecks were a happy accident. I dropped a bright blue
During that time, I read about character design and became aware of the pencil on the surface of an early Douglas painting,
power of silhouette and how expressive they can be (just take a look at leaving a ‘chipped’ blue mark which I quite liked. It gave
shadow puppetry). Mickey Mouse’s ears sit in 2D on his head so that they can me the idea of adding coloured flecks that helped him
be read clearly in silhouette. I had this on mind when I drew this duck. The stand out from other bear books!
expressive nature of this pose can be seen by dropping him into silhouette.
59
10 BUILD UP ANTICIPATION
I often like to add a sequence of three or four images in a row… an influence no doubt, from my
animation days. There’s a reason for this. As well as slowing down a moment to (hopefully) be enjoyed
in a little more detail by the reader, it also taps into something I do when I draw a character almost
every time. That is, I anticipate how the character is moving, behaving, thinking as I sketch them. What
I’m doing is looking to settle on a key moment in that imagined sequence: before, during… and after.
11 BODY LANGUAGE
Body language has so much
potential in terms of adding to a
character’s silent narrative. Using
gestures, weight distribution and
posture, the results can be obvious
and extreme, or quiet and subtle.
These goblins are still, unmoving, yet
there’s movement. I tilted the line of
the shoulders of the goblin with the
I anticipate how the green waistcoat; one dropped, the
character is moving, other hunched, touching the earlobe.

I drew the other goblin’s feet turned
behaving, thinking inward and joined together, more like
hands than feet. Even the nature of
as I sketch them the flower is telling its own narrative,
reacting to the tightly clasped hand.
12 SILENT NARRATIVES
Clothes and props can also contribute and
add value to personality and character.
I enjoyed adding props around this dragon,
so neatly wedged into his bath – an action
in itself that tells you something more
about him outside the text. These props –
the use of a hair net, the placement of a
potty close by and a crown stand (none of
which are mentioned in the text, either) –
give insights into this dragon’s persona.
And I wanted to emphasise this giant’s stiff,
stilt-like walk by giving him tight, short, ill-
fitting trousers. I enjoy adding these quiet
additions when I can.
60
13 PLAYFUL SKETCHBOOK
Once I’m happy with a character, it’s important not to stop exploring additional character traits as the
drawing continues. My father was a sculptor and watching him draw, I remember him saying the
pencil was his thinking stick. This happens in my sketchbook. I like to have characters interacting with
each other. It’s a playful part of character development and one of my favourite parts of the process.
15 TEN FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

When I created the flock of sheep in my Hugless Douglas
14 BACKGROUND CHARACTERS book series, I realised I’d touched on something special. Very
I understood early on that the job of a book illustrator is to add something early on, I made the conscious decision not to create individual
new to the text. To enhance, and not just repeat. Which is why I like to add characters but to think of them and treat them as one. For
background characters when I can, who aren’t mentioned in the text. As well smoothness of narrative, some titles do have individual sheep
as hopefully entertaining the reader, it’s a chance to introduce unexpected that appear as themselves, so to speak, but essentially the
characters who might wake up on a page or two and contribute to the flock of sheep are one character. This enabled me to have
characterisation of the main cast through interaction and even conversation. more fun with silent narrative (that phrase again!), whereby
I love drawing trees for their anthropomorphic potential. This group found they get up to all sorts ‘off camera.’ My hope is for readers to
their way into the story. Everything you draw has character potential! find new things during repeated readings.
61
PROFILE
Mia Araujo
LOCATION: US
a u j o
Mia is an award-winning
r
Argentine-American
A
artist, born and raised in
Mia
Los Angeles. She works
traditionally, and is
currently writing and illustrating her
passion project – an illustrated novel
illustrator’s
inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Since
of t he U S 2007 Mia’s artwork has been shown in

es
ills the pag onderland
prominent galleries and conventions
ar twork f A lice in W across the US and around the world.
aracter ing of www.art-by-mia.com
Striking ch including a reimagin

,
sketchbook
TRAVEL
SKETCHES
“One of my favourite things to
do when I visit other cities or
countries is to sketch on trains and
aeroplanes, or in restaurants and
bars. I love capturing the beauty of
people in a short amount of time.
Looking through a travel
sketchbook afterwards
enhances my memories
of each trip.”
ALICE
SKETCH
“This was a study done for a
painting where Alice meets the
Cheshire Cat. I had drawn her
pose several times, but this was
the moment where I captured the
expression I was looking for. She’s
alone and sad in the forest, and
looks up, a bit confused, to
see who the author of
these incessant
riddles is.”
CHILD
SKETCHES
“I don’t often take
commissions, but this was for
a good friend. I’ve drawn both
of her daughters when they
were this age. Children’s faces
are so much fun to draw,
because the proportions
are so different from
that of adults!”
62
Mia Ar aujo
LADY OF
The Queen of THE QUEEN’S COURT
“The Queen of Hearts’ courtiers have
Hearts’ courtiers have kept their heads, but they’re dead

inside. The beauty and whimsy of the
Queen’s court is superficial, barely
kept their heads, but hiding the horrors of her
tyrannical kingdom.”
they’re dead inside
63
CORAL
“This was another
portrait of a gorgeous
follower of mine, trying to
convey ‘mermaid’ in just a
portrait. I usually reserve red
pencil for underdrawings,
but I liked the soft
ethereal feel that this
had without using
any graphite.”
FIGURE
DRAWING: FRONT
MARCH HARE “Before the pandemic, I used to attend
life-drawing sessions regularly. I’ve had
& DORMOUSE
“When I chose to interpret this
a lifelong passion of figure drawing
since I took my first class at 14,
but had my first real
story, I wanted to do it in a way that
breakthrough in 2017.”
hasn’t been done before. Setting it in
West Africa was a way to pay tribute
to beautiful people who don’t
receive enough representation
in either fantasy or
whimsical stories.”
FIGURE
Setting it in West Africa was a way DRAWING: BACK
“It’s always tempting to get lost in all
to pay tribute to beautiful people who the details of the human form, but it’s
more fun for me to pull back and
don’t receive enough representation… focus on the overall shape

design of the pose.”
64
Mia Ar aujo
#MERMAY
FOLLOWER PORTRAIT 1
“I thought it would be fun to turn some
of my followers into merfolk for
#Mermay, by putting out a call for
selfies on Instagram. It was so hard to
choose, because each one of the
submissions was beautiful!”
65
NATURE
SPIRIT OF
WONDERLAND
“The nature spirits of
Wonderland are invisible
to Alice, but represent the
forces of nature that inhabit
every aspect of the
forest. This one is a
butterfly spirit.”
MASQUERADE
“This was a little watercolour
experiment, and a first exploration
for the Queen of Hearts’ masquerade
ball in my story. It was fun playing
with flat vs detail, and using a
monochromatic palette.”
#MERMAY FOLLOWER PORTRAIT 2

“It was also tough to convey a mermaid with just a portrait (no tail!),
It was tough to convey
but it was a fun challenge, and an honour to capture some of the
wonderful people who support my work. When I take portrait
commissions, I prefer to transform the subject into a
a mermaid with just a
fantastical character like this, rather than recreating
a photo or selfie exactly.” portrait (no tail!)
66
Mia Ar aujo
WATERCOLOUR FIGURE
“I reserve watercolours for 20-25 minute poses,
FRANKENSTEIN’S which is just enough time to get something down
MONSTER
“Capturing an iconic character in
on the page, and just short enough to avoid
over-thinking things.”
my own style was one of the most

fun drawing commissions ever for
me. The skeletons are the spirits of
the bodies that were used in the
monster’s creation, as he
rises from a mushroom-
covered grave.”
THE QUEEN
OF HEARTS
“My version of this iconic
character has an obsession
with the skulls of her beheaded
victims. She is beautiful,
charismatic and sophisticated,
which is what attracts her
victims to her. But just like
her court, her beauty
hides a dark secret...”
67
Photoshop & Clip Studio Paint
DRAW ACTION-
PACKED PANELS
Steve Ellis reveals his process for injecting action and movement into
his sequential artwork, helping to immerse the reader in his world
I love seeing action take inspiration from some of my In this workshop, I’m going to
pages in comics. favourite TV shows and films. There show you how to think about setting
Artist
When I draw action are lots of similarities between films up an action scene, how to choose
PROFILE scenes I want the and comics, so I tend to use a lot of the right moment to draw for the
Steve Ellis reader to feel the movie ‘tricks’. most impact, and how to take both
LOCATION: US sense of urgency. I want the page to Yet unlike film you get to see every the character and the reader
feel visceral: if a character gets moment on each panel, and you can through a complex sequence while
Steve is a comic artist by
day and a fantasy artist punched in the gut, I want the go back and look at panels out of establishing a sense of speed.
by night. His most recent reader to hurt. If a character falls, I order to examine what you like I’ll lay out tips to maintain clarity
graphic novel, The Only
Living Boy, earned him
want the page to reflect the about a particular ‘shot’. and teach you about transitions
a Best Artist of 2019 sensation of falling. Since there’s no actual movement, between panels, and how to use
Ringo nomination. A well-done action scene can be you need to create the illusion of movement to drive the viewer from
www.steveellisart.com
an immersive event for the reader. I movement with your drawings. panel to panel.
GET YOUR
RESOURCES The rough layout
See page 7 now! 2 I think about moment-to-moment action by lining
Pacing out the story up the angles and shots from my sketches to assemble a
1Sometimes the script gives me the plan, but usually it’s up to me to provide rough layout that gets me from points A to B. Often each
the pacing. First I consider how the action begins and ends. Then I sketch random step becomes a panel. I’ll draw a lot of extra steps, then
ideas of angles, shots, panel movements and actions. They’re are usually out of edit them down to the most important ones. Each story
order and messy because I just want to react emotionally to the script. might require a different number of panels.
68
Dr aw action-packed panels
69
RESOURCES
CLIP STUDIO PAINT

CUSTOM BRUSHES:
G-PEN
A highly sensitive inking

tool that flows nicely
and gives a lot of line
variation with pressure.
Establishing the setting

Sketching out the page 4 I choose a distant shot for the first panel to both
3 Now that I have the steps figured out as panels, establish the scene and the environment, and the
I can think about how they work together as a page. relationship between the characters. This is vital so that
Here, how the action of one panel flows into the next when in the second panel the character jumps, we
panel will ensure the proper left-to-right or up-to-down already know where she is in the space. We follow this
reading movement. At this stage I frequently drop a few up in the third panel with the character having landed on
panels to streamline the action as much as possible. the jeep and her bike in the foreground crashing.
Exiting the page

6 In the next panel, I draw the viewer’s eye towards
Following the action the left with the action of the car, and I set up the shot so
5 In the fourth panel, I jump forward a few seconds. I’m relying on the reader the driver’s body falls towards the right. Again, this
to understand that in the time between panels (the gutter time) she’s climbed up, should lead the eye to the next panel on the right. The
gotten a purchase and is able to take a swing, knocking off the robot’s head. The next two panels are our character’s moments as she
head is positioned down to direct the reader’s eye toward the lower tier of panels. takes control of the car and we drive off the page in the
final panel.
70
Generating grids and borders in Photoshop

7 I like to create the illusion of a grid on a page and use angled panels for exciting contrast. In Photoshop I cut up the page and rearrange
and resize, and zoom into panels for the most impact. This gives me a chance to rethink the borders and overlapping elements.
71
Developing a bit of perspective and ramping up the action
8
I want there to be a lot of movement, so I’m using extreme angles on everything. However, I also want the reader to understand the
space. Using Clip Studio Paint, I overlay one perspective grid for the fixed items to create a believable world and give the vehicles their own
perspective grids. I want to make the vehicles look like they’re bouncing around without breaking the laws of physics too badly.
10 Varying the weight of my ink lines

After scanning into Clip Studio Paint, I use the
Pencilling and finalising ideas standard line marker with a single line weight on an Inks
9 I print the page out on to copy paper and lightbox the drawing on to Bristol layer, tracing the pencils. Next, I differentiate objects
paper, leaving out the messy or structural bits. I add details, finalise ideas and from the background by using heavier line weights,
make sure everything’s on point. I also analyse the acting/facial expressions of the looking for opportunities to let the varying line-weights
characters and how that affects the story. While I thought about it before, it’s of Clip’s G-pen Nib create some active exciting lines.
only now that the exact expressions and feelings start to come through. Broken up lines and scratchy lines make things move.
72
Adding textures and blacks

11 I use different textured lines (jagged, smooth,
cross-hatch, parallel line grids and hash marks) for hair,
rocks, rust on a car, blasts from a gun, combat boots
and so on. Black areas are great for separating elements 12 Flatting in the colours
I create a layer under the ink layer and call it Flats. I change the ink layer
and giving objects weight. The jeep looks like it’s flying mode to Multiply so I can see the layer below. Next, I select areas from the ink line
because of the scratchy lines behind and on it, and the layer and fill them in on the Flats layer. Clip enables you to change the inks layer
black area under it showing it lifting into the air. into a Reference layer, and you can select and fill in areas easily on the Flats layer.
13 Painting in the dark areas

I ensure the ‘flatted’ colours are correct before
adding shadows. I use the Selection tool to grab areas, 14 Highlights and finishing
I soften harsher colour edges with the Airbrush tool, then start to desaturate
choose a colour that’s darker than the current colour selected areas that need to recede to make important elements pop out. I “colour
and paint them in using the Marker tool. Here, I’m only hold” the lines using a Lighten layer above them. I use a low Opacity layer on top
looking to create one value darker than the base colour. to make action swooshes behind actions that I want to emphasise. As a finisher,
I don’t need to get into deep rendering because I want I create a highlights layer on top and airbrush areas with bright whites for
the art to be dominated by the inks and to flow quickly. highlights, reflections and gunfire to really pump up the action!
73
Photoshop
HOW TO ORGANISE
A CHAOTIC SCENE
Discover how Bayard Wu controls movement, contrast, light and
colour as he paints a fight scene from his personal art project
74
How to or ganise a chaotic scene
This work comes from

my personal series:
Ms Hammer and Orc
Girl. It’s a series of
illustrations telling the
story about two young women – one
is a dwarf, the other an orc.
In contrast with other illustrations
from this series that show armies
clashing on vast battlefields, this
work depicts a much smaller fight
taking place in a harpy’s nest.
However, there are still 10 harpies
attacking Orc Girl, and I know that
I need to take a number of key steps
to maintain clarity in the artwork.
First, I want to keep the focus on
Orc Girl while composing the
different and aggressive movements
of each figure in the scene. Next,
I need to convey the feeling of chaos
while making all the harpies
readable. Finally, I want to develop
Artist the depth of space within the nest.
PROFILE These are the technical problems
Bayard Wu I want to solve in this work. However,
LOCATION: China I’d also like to convey more details
Bayard is an illustrator
about the story, such as revealing the
and concept artist with a environment of the harpies, and
passion for strong exploring the different characteristics
compositions and story
telling. He’s spent over a
of each creature through their
decade working on a movement and expressions. These
range of game projects. factors will take time to address, but
http://ifxm.ag/bayardwu
I know I’ll enjoy the process!
75
Focal point
A FRENZIED ATTACK Orc Girl’s red hair and shadow on her body
make her the initial focus of the image. Using
a strong colour is a simple way to create the
focal point. It’s more difficult to keep it in
balance with the scene’s overall hue, though.
Strong V-structure
The movement of this fleeing
harpy, Orc Girl and the attacking
harpy on the other side of our
heroine create a strong visual
element in the composition. It’s
the spine of the image. All the
other characters work around this
big ‘V’, and there are other hidden
Vs in the scene, too.
Directing the viewer Skull elements

This highlight on the harpy’s light blue The viewer’s focus now falls on the pile
skin helps to take the viewer’s eye from of skulls. There are details, movement,
the face of Orc Girl, but then releases it shadows and light, and warm and cold
because there’s not much detail here. colours here, but little contrast.
76
How to or ganise a chaotic scene
How I create…
RELATIONSHIPS,
DEPTH & DETAIL
Generate depth
Composition layers create depth, but when
these layers contain lots of densely placed
elements, it can led to chaos and confuse the
viewer. I’ll generate contrast using different
colours, shadows, light, and warm and cold
colours to help me avoid this situation.
Deciding on the composition

1 I spend a long time designing the pose of each
character and their relationship with one another.
When you draw one figure, you need to jump into
the scene to see what everyone else is doing. Then
you can see which elements are superfluous.
Depth techniques
2 I choose a cold, dark hue for the environment
around the nest. A warm spotlight creates contrast
between the blue feathers and golden leaves. The
depth is not only created by layers, but also by the
contrast between cold and hot, and dark and light.
Details and focus

3 Adding details is a given, but bear in mind that
Hidden details it’s more important to hide such details than show
I like this foreground area. It takes up a large
part of the image, but you hardly notice it.
them. Controlling the details enables you to control
You’ll find many small details when you the viewer’s focus. They’ll also be pleased to
study it. It’s just another subtle way of discover any hidden features in your artwork.
introducing storytelling into the scene.
77
Artist insight
15 STEPS TO
DRAWING ANIMALS
Acclaimed animator, director and wildlife artist Aaron Blaise share his
observational and illustration advice to help improve your animal artwork
Long before I was a the woods, barefoot of course, on to Disney and a successful
Artist
director and animator tracking animals. I would draw them animation career, but I still found a
PROFILE with Walt Disney in my sketchbooks or even collect the way to pursue my love of drawing
Aaron Blaise Feature Animation, I bones of animal kills and save them animals by working on classic films
LOCATION: US was a lover of wildlife. for later study. like The Lion King and Brother Bear.
Aaron is a world- Growing up as a bit of a wild child in It was always my dream to be an Now I want to share some of the
renowned wildlife artist, the swamps of south Florida, I would illustrator for National Geographic knowledge from my years of studying
animator and Oscar-
nominated director. He
typically be found running through and to see the world. Instead, I went animals with you!
also runs the online art
education website
Creature Art Teacher.
http://ifxm.ag/ablaise
1 OBSERVE FIRST
Before you start to draw, stop and really look! Take a moment
to observe and study the animal. How does it move? Often
you’ll notice patterns of movement. What’s the animal doing?
Can you anticipate where it will be next? If it’s a hot day it
might be heading for shade, for example. These sorts of details
can be crucial in helping you capture details because animals
often won’t sit still and pose for you – especially in the wild!
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15 steps to dr awing animals
I do my
homework on
what animals
I’ll see in a
certain area
2 DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU GET THERE

I do my homework on what animals I’ll see in a particular area. For instance, on a trip to Alaska I may try to learn everything I can about grizzly
bears, muskox and moose before I arrive. I’ll study books and do research to learn about their muscles, skeletons and patterning. I’ll even watch
live webcams of an area to give me a sense of the environment. This information will aid me when I’m on location, and save a lot of time.
3 TAKE A MENTAL PICTURE

Animals often don’t sit still. To combat this I’ve developed a
technique of taking a mental snapshot. I don’t stare at the
animal the entire time I’m drawing. Instead, I’ll glance at the
animal and then quickly look away to my page. By doing this
the last image of the animal that I saw is frozen in my mind.
Combined with my research on anatomy, I’m able to get an
accurate drawing down on the page.
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4 BREAK THE BODY UP INTO SECTIONS
This is an observation I’ve made over the years. Most
quadrupeds can be broken down into six main areas: the head,
the neck, the front legs and shoulders, the body, the rear legs
and hips, and finally the tail. This may seem like a simple
observation, but once you break the animal up this way you
can overlap those areas in any orientation in space.
5 UNDERSTAND BASIC
COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
People ask how do I know all these details
about the animals I draw? The answer is:
I don’t! But I do know comparative
anatomy. Most animals, especially
mammals, have all the same “parts” – just
spaced out differently. And this is true of 6 WATCH YOUR PROPORTIONS
humans as well. Once I understood that Now that you understand that most animals have the same bones and muscle
I have basically the same parts as a lion, groups as you do, it’s just a matter of playing with the proportions and getting
just in different locations, it was a eureka those correct. This is primarily a matter of practice and repetition. But once
moment in my ability to draw them. you start to get the spacing and proportions right, you’ll be able to draw your
subject in any pose or angle.
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7 USE BLACK AND WHITE INK ON MIDTONE PAPER

How to enhance a pencil drawing of a lion’s head with inks, bringing it to life
Create a Add darks to
A rough sketch B the drawing
First lay in a rough Next, use a brush pen
drawing in pencil bearing and/or ball point pen to
in mind all the tips you lay down the darks. Use
have already learned so waterproof ink here in
far. It’s okay to be loose at case you want to add
this stage. This can give watercolour or a wash
your work a dynamic later. Try to work in one
edge! You’ll refine the consistent direction so
image in the later steps. you don’t smear the ink.
Use white ink

C for highlights
Now use a white pen (I like Sakura
Gelly Roll pens for this) and add
final accents and highlights.
Because you started with a mid-
tone and not on white you can go
lighter and make it pop! Use
markers to add more shading.
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8 STAY LOOSE AND
FIND THE FLOW
This is similar to step six if
you want to get down a
gesture of your pose right
away. The animal is likely
to move on you, so you
need to get the essence of
the pose fast. If you’re
drawing a tiger or lion you
need to get the action and
don’t worry about every
stripe and whisker. Instead,
look for the line of action
and rhythm to the pose.
9 CAPTURE GOOD
SILHOUETTES
The basics of good animal drawing are
not that different from drawing a good
human character. You want their pose
to read as clearly and concisely as
possible. If your silhouette isn’t clear
You need to get the
then the drawing won’t be understood
by the viewer. It’s the same whether
action – don’t worry about
you’re drawing an elephant, a bear or every stripe and whisker
any other animal.
Lots of loose, stretchy Even with big, bulky

skin between the knee elephants, always look for
and belly. the gesture and good
silhouette.
Here are some drawings

Notice how low and from behind. Notice the
droopy the elbow hangs. droopiness of their butts,
and how the ears attach.
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10 USE OVERLAPPING SHAPES TO CREATE DEPTH

Once you’re happy capturing the different shapes of your chosen animal, try overlapping them. This will give your image a sense of depth and
space in the frame. Properly overlapping each shape will give your drawings a sense of believability and life.
11 CREATE ACTION AND DRAMA

Animals are living creatures. If you’ve been out in the wild drawing you’ll have noticed that they’re always
on the move. You should be capturing this in your drawings as well. While there’s nothing wrong with a
good animal portrait (so to speak), I’ve found that images of animals in action always get a bigger
response and have more impact. Work hard to develop a sense of drama and life into your images.
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12 BE MINDFUL OF
LIGHT AND SHADOW
Proper use of light and shadow
in your image can help
enhance the feeling of drama
that we discussed in step 11. I’ll
often push or exaggerate the
lighting of nature to heighten
that feeling. Used properly, a
dramatically cast shadow can
deeply enhance the mood of
your image as well as give it a
sense of time and place.
13 LOOK FOR THE BIG SHAPES FIRST

A typical mistake that I see artists make is they get too caught up in the details right away. You don’t need to do that. Instead, get down the big
shapes first. For example, if you’re drawing an elephant then find the big “bean shape” of the body and lay that in, followed by the triangle or
wedge shape of the head. Get their placement right and the rest will come together quickly.
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14 LOOK FOR EMOTION AND PERSONALITY

Whether drawing an animal that’s realistic or cartoony, try to get as much personality as possible into
the image. As humans we look for this naturally and gravitate towards it. Use that to your advantage
whenever possible. A little exaggeration or emphasis can go a long way.
A dramatically
cast shadow can
deeply enhance
the mood of
your image
15 BE SELECTIVE WHEN DRAWING

YOUR ANIMAL’S HAIR AND FUR
There’s no need to be too detailed here. You don’t need or
want to draw each and every hair on an animal. Instead, make
marks in key spots to suggest it. Places where the body bends
are a great spot to indicate a hair break.
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“I drew a bunch of
robots until I saw
shapes I liked, and
started to work them
up,” says Gareth Davies.
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How to g ener ate new ideas
“Facing art block, I started
to do studies of athletes,
which led to this personal
project on volleyball
players,” says Kofi Ofosu.
How to generate new ideas

Smart thinking Pro artists talk to Tom May about
their go-to tricks for staying innovative and creative
To be a successful artist, you have to least, I love to do studies. Studying

work hard on developing your skills. enables me to practise my
But technique alone will only get you fundamentals, and it has lower stakes
so far. You also need to generate so I steadily build my confidence, too.”
creative and original ideas that will
grab people’s attention and truly LOOK TO THE PAST
engage them. So how do you go Newcastle-based concept artist
about it? We asked four talented Gareth Davies, aka Spudonkey,
artists to share their tips. similarly finds fresh ideas
For Kofi Ofosu, a visual storyteller for his personal art by
and character designer thumbing through his old
based in Ghana, idea sketches. “My sketchbooks
generation is a continuous are full of little doodles,
process of gathering where I’ve just tried to make
inspiration. “I’m constantly interesting shapes that I see potential
bookmarking images, videos and links in,” he explains. “For client work,
that spark my interest on the web and though, I find the process can be “I always have too many using your expertise to fulfil the
ideas, so I have to be
social media,” he says. “I also get ideas simpler. When you’re given a set of super-critical,” reveals problem that needs solving, and
Eva Stöcker.
for new concepts when I look back requirements, there’s often an offering suitable options to the client.”
through my old sketches. Last but not ‘obvious’ path to take. So it’s about Berlin-based art director and
illustrator Eva Stöcker also
I’m constantly bookmarking images, approaches idea

generation for commercial
videos and links that spark my interest and personal work
differently. For the former,
on the web and social media she’ll begin by writing
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“My girlfriend had a new job; in my
mind, I was a dorky robot trying to
support her,” explains Gareth.
down some initial thoughts and and appreciating nature, making

clustering them into a mind-map. “I’ll myself a coffee, watching a new
follow this with some internet research: television series, taking a shower,
reading up information, and collecting cuddling with my cats, or just enjoying
references or visuals,” she adds. “I’ll a great meal with friends.” For this
check whether other artists have reason, she always carries a pencil
already worked on something similar, and small notebook with her to write
and ask myself: ‘How can I make my ideas down. “And even if I don’t have
work stand out?’ Eventually, I’ll them,” she adds, “I’ll record the idea
translate my idea into a first sketch, in a note app – my phone is always in
and come up with a plan of how to my reach.”
develop it.” Spanish author, illustrator and art
director Beatrice Blue agrees that
WHEN INSPIRATION STRIKES “anything can trigger a good idea”. But
When Eva’s working on personal art, for her, she adds, “it’s my own
Photo by Florian Aupetit
however, inspiration can come from experiences that help me

anywhere at all. “My ideas are the visualise and attach a
result of everything in my messy- mood to them.” What
potato-head,” she says. “They might intrigues her the most, in
strike, for example, during a long walk other words, is less about
Anything can trigger a good idea. But

it’s my own experiences that help me “Any idea can work out
if you take the time
and effort to do so,”
visualise and attach a mood to them says Beatrice Blue.
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
“My ideas come from the world
around me and the people that
I meet,” says Kofi.
FIVE WAYS TO
STAY CREATIVE
Artists reveal their top tips on
keeping your artistic flame alive
1 Make time to step away

from your desk
All our artists agree that it’s
important to step away from your
desk on a regular basis. “I often
get hit with new ideas when I’m
out jogging or showering,” says
Kofi Ofosu. “I usually run the
idea a number of times in my
mind until I get back to my
sketchbook, so I can quickly
scribble down notes for later.”
2 It’s okay to leave bad ideas

by the wayside
If you’re failing to move forward
with an idea, don’t beat yourself
up. “Never be afraid to drop a
particular piece if it isn’t working
out, and move on to something
else,” says Kofi. “You can always
have a stab at it later.”
3 Return to your old

art favourites
Not everything you do has to be
new and original. “Recently,
I faced a bit of art block and
frustration,” says Gareth Davies.
“I’d been snowed under with
client work, and felt like I hadn’t
done anything for myself. So
I decided to go back to my
favourites, namely robots/mecha,
and it really helped.”
4 Pay attention to people

If you want to strike an
emotional chord with your art,
pay attention to the people
around you. “The people I meet
in my daily experiences always
give me ideas for things to create,”
the detail of stories than the mood that Kofi tells us that, “I’m suffers from creative block at some says Kofi. “I’ll create a character
constantly gathering
they evoke. “So for example, ideas for new projects point. “Being blocked is the worst!” based on someone I’ve met, or
on a daily basis.”
sometimes when I’m taking a walk and exclaims Eva. “I find that to overcome the stories I hear from others will
thinking about past experiences, I’ll try it, I first have to stop worrying about it, inspire the stories that I tell with
to think about how I’d tackle those which isn’t easy as a classic my characters.”
visually. Then certain ideas will pop overthinker. Getting stressed out is like
into my head that match that mood,
even if they’re different ideas from the
actual thing that happened. And while
putting obstacles in my way, so I need
to force myself to relax.” Her go-tos for
that include: “Listening to music I love,
5 Just keep drawing
“If the ideas aren’t coming,
just draw it out,” advises Gareth.
drawing or painting them, I’ll try to scrolling through my favourite artist’s “I very rarely get creative block,
convey that original mood.” Instagram feed or my timeline, and feel this is partly because I’m
But what if no ideas come to mind at checking out Pinterest, watching a always drawing.”
all? First of all, don’t panic: everyone comfort movie, taking a very long
89
“My go-to solution when I’m
suffering creative block is to stop
thinking about art,” says Beatrice.
90
91
“I usually have more
ideas than I can
actually execute, so
have to rely on my
intuition,” says Kofi.
“I have to stop myself from

overthinking and stick to one
idea until the very end,” says Eva.
walk, or looking at some art-of or

how-to books by different artists. But
I’ve been burnt out, pushing myself too
much, or forcing myself to higher
I find the best way to fight
ultimately I find the best way to fight
creative block is to just draw without a
expectations than I can manage at that
time. Taking a moment to look at
creative block is to just draw
plan, or following something like a what’s around me, and doing some without a plan
#drawthisinyourstyle challenge.” other things I enjoy, helps big-time.”
Kofi, meanwhile, says: “It’s been a while with others can multiple your ideas
WHAT’S CAUSING THE BLOCKAGE? since I went through a creative block, and creative energy exponentially.
It’s useful, too, to consider whether and I feel the reason for that is “One thing I love to do is to work on
there’s an underlying cause to your because I stopped comparing my both a collaborative project alongside
“I was learning Blender
creative block. “Most of the blocks I’ve work to the work of others.” at the time, so I worked a more personal one,” says Beatrice.
experienced have stemmed from Always remember that you don’t on converting my “It creates a good balance in general.”
robot into a 3D model,”
personal issues,” says Beatrice. “Either have to do everything alone: working says Gareth. Also, keep an open mind and have
confidence in your ideas, without
becoming too obsessed with them.
Beatrice spent a year developing her
picture book, Once Upon A Dragon’s
Fire, and went through around 15
drafts. “It was hard at some points to
believe in an idea and move forward
with it, not knowing if it was really
going to work,” she recalls. “But it
helped to step away at times, and to
try to build my ideas up with an open
mind. I also found it useful to stay
open to feedback, which stopped my
ideas becoming too narrow. If you
“If I suddenly get an idea that I might focus too much on a specific idea and
forget about, I write it down on small, unnecessary details, you can
whatever I have at hand,” says Beatrice.
lose sight of the overall vision.”
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“I try to save some time

every now and then to
sketch some of my ideas
out,” says Beatrice.
“This was inspired by lockdown,

when I surrounded myself with
plants and colourful stuff to
cheer me up,” says Eva.
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Artist insight
DRAW A FIGURE
IN 20 MINUTES
Give Chris Legaspi just 20 minutes and he’ll give you all the basic
techniques you need to depict realistic figure art in pencil and charcoal
Shading and rendering Soft edges do the majority of the Stumps are good for detail, while
Artist
is my favourite part of work and create the most natural tissue is great for making really soft
PROFILE a 10- or 20-minute look. Hard edges are great for accents and lost edges. Finger blending is
Chris Legaspi pose. Here, I’ll or sculpting forms. useful, but do be aware that the skin’s
LOCATION: US introduce some of the There are many shading and natural oils can make subsequent
Chris is a dedicated, basic principles, tools and techniques blending techniques that you can use edits difficult. A kneaded eraser is a
life-long artist with over that I use to shade or render in a short in your figure-drawing art, but they versatile tool that I use for correcting
20 years’ experience as a
professional artist, writer
amount of time. can be simplified into either line or shapes, erasing out highlights and
and educator. Before I begin, I first analyse and tonal drawing. Line is great for details also for drawing and sculpting form.
www.drawwithchris.com limit the values I use. For life and texture. Tones are good for My drawing and shading process
drawing, I use a three-value palette of coverage and creating soft edges. varies depending on the pose, but
light, dark and mid-tone. This helps More techniques will be explored in I generally start by shading and
me to control values as I shade and upcoming issues. refining a focal point area, like the
render forms. For blending, my favourite tools head or torso. Once that’s working,
To define forms, I use a are kneaded erasers, blending I move on to other areas of the figure,
combination of soft or hard edges. stumps, tissue paper and my fingers. as time permits.
1 HOW TO USE THREE VALUES

Highlight Highlight
Controlling value is the first step to shading. For life
drawing, I limit myself to three values: dark, mid-tone (also
known as half-tone) and light. This helps to control values
Mid-tone Mid-tone
and with careful arrangement of lights, darks and mid-
tones, I can render form and even create depth.
Light
FULL VALUE SPECTRUM
Three-
value
palette
Shadow Shadow
Core shadow
Light Mid Dark
Shadow/reflected light
Three value ranges
94
Dr aw a fig ur e in 2 0 minutes
Mid-tone
Highlight
A form in light has
Core shadow two sides: a light side
and a shadow side
Light Reflected light
Cast shadow
Occlusion shadow
2 ANATOMY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

A form in light has two distinct sides: a light side and a shadow side.
The shadow side consists of the core shadow, reflected light, occlusion
shadow and cast shadow. The light side of the form is made up of mid-
tones, light itself and the highlight.
LOST
No form or contrast
HARD
Good for hard
muscle and
SOFT bone
3 EDGES AND FORM

Edges describe form. The three types of
edges are commonly known as lost, soft
and hard. For figure drawing, I use mostly
use soft edges because they create a more Sharp edges
natural and realistic look. Hard edges are for contrast
great for sculpting forms and details. Lost Most realistic and
edges create depth and atmosphere. natural looking
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4 SHADING TECHNIQUES Soft (more Blending stump (paper)
The two main ways I shade are with either line or tone. For control)
line, I use the tip of my pencil to create hatching and cross-
hatching marks. For tone, I use the side of the pencil or a stick
to create a variety of broad strokes, tones and texture.
Hatching Cross-hatching
Finger
Texture with line

Tissue paper
Softest (less control)
5 BLENDING TECHNIQUES
For blending, I like to use a paper stump, tissue paper or my
finger. The stump gives me a lot of control and is great for
detail, while the tissue is perfect for really soft or lost edges and
tones. I use my fingers sparingly because the natural oils can
make the drawing difficult to edit.
Along form Around form Short cross-strokes I use my fingers sparingly

for texture because the natural oils can make
the drawing difficult to edit
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6 ERASER TECHNIQUES Hard edge Lost edges recede

A kneaded eraser is an all-purpose tool I use for erasing, blending and brings elbow
even drawing. I simply sculpt it into different shapes to create a variety forward
of marks. A flat shape is great for broad strokes. A small point or tip is
great for erasing out highlights, details, and to draw and correct shapes.
Flat shape for broad

strokes
Soft edge
to round
form
Hard edge
cast shadow
Sharpen tip for for contrast
erasing details
Lost edges
to recede
back leg
Use for
drawing and
correcting shapes
Hard edge
brings leg
forward
7 EDGES FOR DEPTH

Use edges to create depth. For example, soften or
lose an edge to push a form backwards. Harder
edges, combined with soft core shadows, bring a
form forward. Sharp edges also bring a form
forward, by creating contrast.
97
Lost edges to recede 3-MINUTE STAGE 5-MINUTE STAGE
arms and head
Draw out details

with eraser
Add details to
Hard focal point
edges for area
contrast
Soften
edges to
form Erase
Soft edge 8 AT THE 10 MINUTE STAGE
highlight
to recede Once I have my figure drawn and have blocked in the
foot shadow pattern, I continue to refine the light and
shadow. I begin with a focal point area and refine the
edges and values, which involves making soft edges
softer, darkening the core shadow for contrast and
depth, and sharpening hard edges to create contrast.
9 STARTING THE 20-MINUTE DRAWING Refine shapes Add

Twenty minutes is enough time to draw a figure and refine and details mid-tone
shading. I usually start with a focal point and work my way
towards the other parts of the figure. For example, I darken
and soften the core shadow and then add mid-tones, which
help me to sculpt the form.
Darken
shadow at
5-MINUTE STAGE focal point
Hard edges on
Darken shadow cast shadows
for more for contrast
contrast
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10 FINISH THE Soft edges to Eraser to

20-MINUTE DRAWING recede face draw detail
Once I have the mid-tones, I blend highlights
and sculpt tones to bring the
details and smaller forms to life.
With the focal point working,
I move on to the next area, such
as the head or limbs, and refine as
much of the figure as possible in
the time left.
Lost edges to
recede hand
Hard edges bring hand

forward, and define
smaller forms
and details
Eraser to draw
detail highlights
Soften edges
for form
I blend and sculpt tones

to bring the details and
smaller forms to life
99
100
Painting clouds with g ouache
Gouache
PAINTING CLOUDS
WITH GOUACHE
Discover how to paint clouds in gouache with JUSTIN DONALDSON,
who uses a wet-in-wet technique to capture a variety of edge qualities
orking as a fine massive variety of edge qualities, other end being able to paint more
W
MATERIALS
artist. I use PAPER
from lost edges to hard edges. For quickly, effectively and be able to
gouache, poster n Arches Hot Press those of us who use gouache, being maintain that soft-edge quality for
colour, oil and watercolour paper able to paint consistently with soft extended periods of time! Gouache
open-acrylics in BRUSHES edges provides a particular challenge has the capacity to create immensely
my everyday adventure with n Synthetic medium since it’s the nature of gouache to dry detailed and expressive work, and
painting. The only thing that I love Round, synthetic very quickly. Don’t fear though – I implore you to spend the time to
nearly as much as painting is sitting medium Flats and there are a few tricks that I’m going learn how to use the medium to its
down and pondering how paintings medium Oval mop to show you in order to be able to fullest extent!
PAINT
work on a fundamental level, and combat this particular difficulty. I’m bringing these ideas to you
n Winsor and Newton
then how I can communicate these While what I’m about to show you from my little studio in Clemson,
Gouache: Cerulean
ideas with my many students. I’ve blue, Titanium white,
might seem simple at first, I want South Carolina, US. Go ahead and
created a number of online courses Jet black, Marine blue you to sit down, have a cup of tea, check out where I work. I find that a
around painting with gouache, and and Cadmium red and ponder how you can apply these clean space, lots of plants and a
painting landscapes, and I have ideas to an even wider array of touch of just the right music is
something up my sleeve that I have subject matter. required to really get into the zone.
created just for you. These cloud paintings are always So grab a coffee and put on a tune,
In this workshop I’ll show you something that I find great joy in and let’s get into painting!
some of the major ideas that I like to creating and now you can take Justin is an Australian artist
use when I’m creating landscape something useful from this in order who works and lives in the
paintings in gouache, with a focus
on cumulonimbus clouds. Clouds
GET YOUR to create your own joyful artworks.
We’re going to dive into the
US. He creates lush
are a difficult subject to paint at the RESOURCES

See page 7 now!
relationship between gouache, paper,
landscapes in gouache,
acrylic and oil and loves to teach art. See
best of times. They’re full of a water and time, and come out the more at www.justindonaldsonart.com.
101
Sky gradient setup
Soak the paper on both sides 2 Let’s take Cerulean blue and Titanium white to
1 Use your biggest brush to apply water on both sides of the paper. Warping create a layer of paint where the sky will be. Make sure
occurs when water is unevenly distributed on the paper. By getting both sides of that you’re painting with some thick paint. It needs to be
the paper wet we’ll avoid most instances of warping as well as provide a longer thick enough to interact with the white of the cloud when
time in which the paint remains wet, activated and therefore workable. we paint it in.
Start the cloud

4 While the paint that you’ve applied is still wet,
Painting the gradient charge a layer of white paint into the blue sky to create
3 From the top down, horizontally apply a layer of pure Cerulean blue to the your clouds. Charging requires a lot of paint and water at
area that already contains the base sky layer. As you bring your brush down the the same time. This technique will enable all the paint
paper avoid the temptation to reload your brush. The natural mix of paint that we’ve used so far to mix very naturally, and will result in a
occurs as you bring the brush down the page will result in a gradient. very soft edge for the cloud.
102
Creating the shadows

5 Create a darker mix for the shadows of the cloud.
I like to focus on the larger gradients within the shape at
this point, rather than getting sucked into the smaller Smaller shapes within the cloud
shapes within the clouds. This is a great time to think
6 Next, focus on smaller shapes within the painting. At this point some of the
about the bounce light that might be occurring. Bounce paint has evaporated from the painting and we’ll be able to apply paint with an
light helps the clouds to feel light and fluffy. edge quality that’s not yet hard, but not as soft as it was in the initial layout.
Soft brushing
7 A lot of clouds shapes have a variety of edge Create context for the composition
qualities within a single shape. We can take a dry soft
8 Now we get to provide context for the cloud. When we paint we’re never
brush with no paint on it and drag it over an edge to dealing with an object in isolation, and the way our cloud interacts with what’s
soften the edge up. This is often useful when trying to around it says a great deal about the cloud itself. This cloud is casting a shadow
describe form shadows or lost edges. onto a mountain, and this gives it a definite location in space.
103
Detailing the mountain
10 In the mountain gradient we have communicated
Soft shadows on the mountainside the larger quality of the mountains form. Now we get to
9 Create a gradient on the mountain. The soft quality of this gradient tells us go in and detail the smaller forms. Use the shadow
that the cloud which is casting the shadow is far away and has soft edges. Once colour and drag it from the shadow into the light.
again, we get to communicate about the cloud in the act of painting our mountain! Because the paint is still wet we’ll end up with edges that
Feel free to use a soft dry brush to extend the length of the gradient. are moderately soft.
Paint the lake at the base of the mountain

11 Now we are going to create the body of water. The major movement of the water is to paint a gradient lighter nearer to the mountain
and darker as it gets closer to the bottom of the page.
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Additional elements
12 We want to create a little more dynamism to the
painting, so let’s add in a triangle mountain edge coming Re-wetting the paint
into view. So far we’ve been careful with our values, not
13 If you step away from your painting and need to come back to it with soft
allowing the shadows to become too dark. Now we can edges it’s often helpful to reactivate the paint on the page, to achieve a wet-in-wet
use the room that has afforded us to silhouette the new effect again. To do this I recommend quick, even, large and light sweeps of your
mountain edge in an even darker colour. brush loaded with only a small amount of water.
Additional details
14 You can then come in with a brush loaded with
normal water and work back into the painting. Let’s use
this technique to bring in new details to our clouds, water Choose how to protect your artwork
and mountains. It can be difficult, but with practice you
15 Now we can step back and enjoy our piece! Gouache is traditionally framed
can apply extra wet-in-wet details and no one will be the behind glass so that it’s not accidentally reactivated by moisture, but you can
wiser that you ever left your painting to dry. frame it open, use a wax sealant, or apply a matte sealant to keep it safe.
105
PROFILE
Gary Villarreal
y
LOCATION: US
G ar
Gary graduated from
Texas A&M University from
the Department of
al
Visualization. He’s since
e
worked in various
r r
industries ranging from videos games,
la
AR and VR experiences, and films.
Vil
Gary is known for his traditional render
style and has grown a love for
storytelling, which further immerses
viewers into his character’s worlds.
s
nd creature
www.artstation.com/villarrte
aracters a
ch
utt ing e xtraordinary h storytelling craft
enjoys p erf lowing
wit
This artist ios th at a re o v
into scenar
ANACONDA
BABY
“I wanted this piece to be
different. Two contrasting
characters that no one
thinks of in one setting.
I later imagined an innocent
baby next to a python.
Maybe this was part
of a ritual that all
babies needed to
go through?”
GOAT
FATHER
“Planting good seeds in
the minds of the next
generation and guiding
them should be our
main purpose in life.
That’s what inspired
this drawing.”
AZTEC
PUPPET MASTER
“Aztec culture is intriguing, and
I’ve always enjoyed drawing
indigenous characters. So, why
not make a puppet master in
this theme?”
106
G ar y Villar r eal
MUSHROOM Aztec culture is intriguing,

COLLECTOR
“This character picks mushrooms
for a living, a skill that was passed
down to him over the generations.
and I’ve always enjoyed drawing
Those that once guided him,
now accompany him as
indigenous characters
he works.”
107
ANCIENT HUMPBACK
“Arklo the whale was blind and guided by FORTUNE AND MISERY
those around him… I love marine life and felt “We can work ourselves endless hours,
I needed to explore this area more. I began with acquiring riches, climbing the highest peaks
sketches of a humpback whale, but wanted and still never see the sky. I drew this royal
to add a mystical element to it.” character being suffocated by her internal
struggles. Paying the price for all those
she once betrayed.”
RANDOM
SKETCHES
“Most sketches that live in my
sketchbook are thoughts that randomly
came to mind. Others originate
from daydreams. These are ideas
awaiting their turn to become
something bigger.”
108
G ar y Villar r eal
TWIN
HEADS
“We all have a dark side that
we need to embrace. This
inspired this drawing of the
twins. One is loving and
forgiving, while the other is
filled with hate and
condemns all souls that
pass for judgment.”
SNAIL
ARTIST
“We all have our
insecurities as artists. We
develop our shells, a thin
build-up of calcium, to feel
protected until we feel
ready to help others. That,
my friend, is the key to
our existence.”
109
I’ve always
been fascinated
with cybernetic
characters…
ROMANTIC
IDEATION
“This is a snapshot of
the sketches I produce
before working on the
final piece. I try working
on areas that’ll give me
trouble down the
line, such as hands
or composition.”
ROMANTIC
STORYTELLER
“Have you ever wondered
what the likelihood of meeting
our lovers was? What if there
was a character who wrote our
love stories long before we
were even born? That’s the
thought that sparked
this drawing.”
110
G ar y Villar r eal
ORANGUTAN FARMER
“I can’t help but laugh when I walk by this piece at
home. I imagined having this god judging the harvest
of his fellow orangutans, each one nervously
placing their dried-up herbs in his
pipe as he smokes away.”
BEE KEEPER
“The buzzing sounds from the
bees were the only sounds that
pushed his fears aside. If at any
moment he felt threatened, a
subtle twitch of his wrist would
unleash a swarm of bees
from his suit.”
SKULL
ALIEN
“I’ve always been fascinated with
cybernetic characters. So I imagined
this character, with techy elements
protruding through his skin, screaming
towards its next victim. Side note:
I was very proud of his hands
though, ha ha!”
111
Photo by Sonny Flanaghan
Oils Acrylics Watercolour
BEST WAYS TO CLEAN

YOUR PAINTBRUSHES
Whether you’re using oils, acrylics or watercolours, ROB LUNN reveals how to
effectively maintain your paintbrushes and extend their life span
earning how to clean The golden rule when it comes to we’ll run through the main cleaning
L paintbrushes properly is an
important skill that all
traditional artists need to
learn sooner rather than
later. As the saying goes, if you look
after your tools, your tools will look
after you. When you start painting, a
paintbrushes is keep them wet while
in use and give them a good clean
when they’re not. This approach will
help keep your brushes in good nick
for a long time. But cleaning
paintbrushes is easier said than done,
and there are some techniques that
process and then explain the
different brush care variations for
different painting mediums. Let’s
start with the medium with the most
options: oil paint…
Based in Bath, England, self-
taught Rob tackles portraits,
good set of brushes is one of the most you need to know if you’re going to still-life pieces and landscapes
important investments you’ll make get the paint out effectively. in his work. He also enjoys
– and they can set you back a fair How to clean your paintbrushes teaching art and runs a series of
amount of money too. So it makes properly depends on the kind of workshops. You can explore Rob’s collection
sense to give them a bit of TLC. paint that you’re using. In this article, of paintings at www.roblunn.co.uk.
112
Photo by Sonny Flanaghan
Best ways to clean your paint br ushes
CLEAN OIL PAINTBRUSHES

There may be more steps involved to cleaning oil from paintbrushes than there are
with other types of paint, but it’s still a fairly simple process
Remove paint from the bristles Ditch the white spirit

1 First, remove as much paint from the bristles as possible by folding a clean cloth or paper towel
2 For some artists the go-to
around the ferrule of the brush (the bit just below the bristles) and wipe upwards. Always move the cleaning solution for oil paint is white
cloth from the ferrule to the end of the bristles. You don’t want to get paint down the ferrule because spirit, but there are much better and
this will ruin the brush. Continue until very little paint is left showing on your cloth. safer alternatives, both for the user
and the environment.
The next best alternatives to white
spirits are ‘clean’ spirits such as the
water-based Bartoline Clean Spirit.
Use this just as you would traditional
white spirit, but don’t pour it down
the drain afterwards, despite it’s
‘greener than white spirit’ credentials.
Take it to your local recycling centre,
or even better, recycle it yourself.
Decant the dirty ‘wash’ spirit into an
empty clean spirit container and over
time the pigment sinks to the bottom,
leaving reusable clean spirit above.
The best solution for cleaning oil
paint off brushes is pure oil, but it
does take a bit more work. Linseed
oil dries quicker than other oils and
so a better alternative is walnut oil
or safflower oil.
113
Place brush in pot
3 Next you’ll need to use your spirit or oil. For
this, you’ll probably want to kit yourself out with a
metal brush washer, which are available in a variety
of sizes. These make light work of brush-cleaning
and while the majority of models start at around
£15, are a great investment. Fill the washer up with
Bartoline Clean Spirit and then holding your brush
almost vertically, gently run the bristles back and
forth across the perforated metal insert
submerged in your spirit or oil.
This knocks off pigment from the bristles
without swilling up the sediment at the bottom of
the pot. The sediment can be periodically dredged
and disposed of responsibly. If you’re using oil
instead of clean spirit you may need to repeat this
step, wiping as described in step one with a clean
cloth each time.
A metal brush washer

makes light work of
brush-cleaning
Use a brush preserver Prepare to store

4 For a final clean, consider using a paintbrush cleaning soap. We recommend
5 Finally, you can rinse in clean water, reshape with
The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver. Using a little water, work up a lather with your fingers and allow to dry in a holder or pot. If you’re
your brush in the centre of the soap. Work the lather through the bristles with your storing for a little while you can add a final dose of clean
thumb and forefingers, always working from the ferrule out towards the ends of the soap lather and reshape with your fingers. Leave your
bristles. Continue until no pigment can be seen in the lather. Note that some brush suspended to dry. Once dry, the soap will hold the
pigments will stain bristles permanently. shape of the bristles hard until the brush is needed again.
114
Best ways to clean your paint br ushes
CLEAN ACRYLIC PAINTBRUSHES

Acrylic paint can be used thick like oils or diluted with water for watercolour-like effects. For the
former, use the following process, for diluted acrylics, see the cleaning method for watercolours
Use a cloth to wipe clean

1 First clean off as much paint as you can using a
clean cloth or paper towel. Wrap the cloth around the
ferrule of the brush and, squeezing the cloth with your Clean paintbrushes in water
thumb and forefinger, work up towards the end of the
2 Using water in a jar or brush-washer, clean as much paint as you can from
bristles. Repeat as many times as necessary. your bristles. Use a clean cloth to remove the dirty water. Repeat if necessary.
Final clean and store

3 For a thorough clean, use The
Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver
as instructed in the Oil Paint section
in step four.
115
CLEAN WATERCOLOUR PAINTBRUSHES
Watercolour brushes are more delicate than paintbrushes that are designed for use with
acrylics and oils, and should be treated accordingly
Clean with water as you go

1 Because a lot of watercolour paint is used in highly diluted
‘washes’, it should take less work to remove the pigment from the
bristles. Instead of cleaning with a cloth, keep a vessel of water
close to hand at all times, and swill the brushes between washes.
One tip is to use a brush washer with a holder so you can suspend
the bristles in water when not in use.
Dry with a cloth and store

2 Dry with a clean cloth or paper towel, as with acrylics, and
then air-dry in a pot or holder.
Reshape the bristles

3 As with oils and acrylics, use The Masters Brush Cleaner
and Preserver and reshape the bristles as described in the
previous sections. Dirty ‘wash’ water should be collected and
disposed off responsibly. It’s also possible to allow dirty wash
water from watercolour and acrylic paint to settle naturally in
larger containers as you can with oil paint in clean spirit. The
golden rule is: never chuck it down the sink!
HOW TO CLEAN OTHER PAINTBRUSHES

Larger-scale projects may involve different painting media than the ones we’ve talked about here.
The golden rule is, whatever the medium, remember to clean your brushes before calling it a day!
When it comes to using other type of It’s best to clean brushes as soon as
paints for large-scale murals or other you’ve finished for the day. However, if
creative projects, all paints will fall into you’re short of time for whatever
two basic categories: water-based and reason, a clean plastic bag can make a
oil-based. The only exceptions are some temporary brush-saver. Just put your
specialised paints that are thinned brushes in the bag until you can clean
beforehand using methylated spirits, them properly.
but these tend to be more for trade use. Finally, soak rollers used with water-
The best approach is always read the based paints in a sink and wring with
side of the tin and follow the your hands to loosen off most of the
manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. paint, or you’ll be there forever!
116
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LAST 12 MONTHS OF IMAGINE FX
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everyone in the lastest ImagineFX Annual, including tips on matte painting,
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Traditional art skills & Procreate
PAINT AND REFINE
A DEMONIC FIGURE
Jim Pavelec reveals the inspiration and painting techniques used
to create the demon Haagenti for his ambitious Ars Goetia project
I’m currently Haagenti, fell towards the human breaking from this literal
Artist
illustrating the 72 end of the spectrum. For pieces such representation and putting my own
PROFILE demons described in as this I like to emphasise the beauty spin on these demons.
Jim Pavelec an ancient grimoire (a of the human face or figure, and I like to move freely between
LOCATION: US book of magic spells surround it with monstrous garb or traditional and digital painting, and
Jim dabbles in freelance and incantations) known as the Ars bizarre growths. will show you how that’s achieved in
fantasy and horror Goetia. In this workshop I’ll show Haagenti, the 48th demon of the this workshop. For the digital aspect
illustration, but spends
most of his time working
you how I developed the art for the Ars Goetia, appears in the form of a of these paintings I’ve been working
on illustrating his demon known as Haagenti. It’s very mighty bull with gryphon’s wings, almost exclusively in Procreate on a
interpretation of the important to me that the pieces in and is traditionally represented quite 12.9-inch iPad Pro. I find the
Ars Goetia grimoire.
www.arsgoetia.net
this series be dark and menacing, literally following that description. flexibility and ease of use of that
but also beautiful. Some, such as For my work on this book, I’m setup second to none.
How I combine…
TRADITIONAL AND DIGITAL TECHNIQUES
Traditional start Into the digital realm Refine the silhouette

1 Where I begin on a Goetia artwork
2 I prefer to let a piece evolve in the
3 At this point I needed to refine the
and where I end are often vastly different. digital realm since there are so many fun silhouette of the demon. I settled on a kind
I had a specific model that I wanted to use ways to play with shape and texture. As I of robed priestess feel. I love classical
for this piece, and started the painting was working on the head, I realised that it paintings by Old Masters such as
traditionally. As I got into the oil painting might be cool to drop in the face of the Rembrandt, Joshua Reynolds and Franz
I wasn’t happy with where it was going so I woman I had painted. I was happy with the Hals. I decided to use elements of that style
photographed it and took it into Procreate. result once I rotated its head 90 degrees. of painting to render this hellish priestess.
118
Paint and r efine a demonic fig ur e
119
Taking advantage
ADD TEXTURE AND COLOUR of layers
Because I work somewhat
piecemeal on these paintings, the
digital medium is ideal. I can try
different things and move objects
around in seconds. Once I figured
out the overall silhouette for this
piece, I needed to go back and
work out the proportions of the
anatomy so I could have the arm
coming out of the drapery at the
proper point. So I just created a
new layer and quickly sketched
the anatomy on top of the piece.
Because I had the head size
already established it was easy to
figure out the rest.
RESOURCES
WORKSHOP
BRUSHES
PROCREATE
CUSTOM BRUSH:
VICTORIAN 2
I like Procreate’s Texture

brush called Victorian. I
decided to make my own
version using Victorian
clip art. I use the brush
to lay down a pattern,
and then go over it with
a smudge tool to create
interesting textures.
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 7 now!
120
Paint and r efine a demonic fig ur e
Textures of the bone headdress
Take a few minutes to go online and find reference for any
details you’re painting. I wanted the headdress in this piece
to read as a large bone/horn structure, so I searched online
for a variety of animal horns, enabling me to render some
interesting yet identifiable textures.
Using other painted pieces

I have a folder filled with dozens of random mark-making,
colour and textural paintings. I’ll often drop these into a
digital piece I’m working on, lower the layer Opacity to
50 per cent and flip through the layer modes to see what
kind of exciting effects result. Go through layer modes
such as Lighten, Darken, Multiply and Overlay to see what
cool and interesting things pop up.
Figuring out value,

then adding colour
One issue I’ve had trouble with over
the years is value. How light or dark a
thing should be in relation to
everything else in the image can be a
difficult thing to wrap your head
around. One great trick I learned is to
work on areas giving you trouble in
black and white to make sure you get
the value right, and then add colour
on a separate Color layer. By
eliminating the element of colour, it
can be easier to figure out the proper
tones. Working digitally makes this
Female hands very easy. Here you can see how I
utilised this technique while working
Because there are very few visual elements
in these pieces, it’s important that they all on Haagenti’s cloak.
look right. I found a great stock photo
reference for this hand, which I purchased
and used to make sure the anatomy was
correct. Female hands are difficult to paint.
Some people make the mistake of ignoring
the bony structure of the hand in order to
make it seem feminine, and wind up with a
‘noodly’ look. Like most things in art, you
need to find the right balance. In this case,
it’s a balance of a delicate hand with the
proper anatomical structure.
121
122
R ealistic textur es
Ink
CREATE REALISTIC
TEXTURES USING INK
DEVIN ELLE KURTZ explains her ink illustration process from line art to ink wash to
dry brushing to finishing highlights, as she creates a piece full of natural textures
ack in October 2018 world. My work is often inspired by with water you can layer ink washes a
B I decided to pick up ink

for the first time and try
the yearly Inktober art
challenge. I discovered
that despite being such a simple
medium, the variety of texture and
the degree of realism I could achieve
GET YOUR
RESOURCES
See page 7 now!
themes of life and death, creatures,
plants and magic. My desire to craft a
visual experience of fur, feathers,
skulls and grasses led me to explore a
number of methods of applying ink.
USING A MIX OF BRUSH TYPES

bit like Multiply layers in Photoshop.
The stiffer acrylic brushes are
perfect for dry-brushing ink onto the
paper to create realistic hair, grass,
and fur textures. I employ both a
well-kept acrylic brush for smooth
dry brush textures (such as slick
with brush and ink was astounding. Creating an ink illustration involves grasses) and a frayed acrylic brush for
I’ve since experimented with how varying the amounts of ink and water, wilder, more uneven dry brush
far I can push this medium to achieve using a variety of brush textures, and textures (such as fur and feathers.)
the diverse textures of the natural adjusting the motion and pressure Ink is an incredibly versatile
used to apply the ink. I use a mix of medium, and I love it because it’s also
soft watercolour and stiffer acrylic quite approachable for anybody. It
brushes for my drawings. grows as you grow as an artist,
The soft texture of a watercolour offering more opportunities when
brush is perfect for ink washes, and you’re ready for them. I hope that this
thinning the ink with water enables workshop allows you a window into
you to create a palette of wash shades my experience with the world of ink.
that can be used like greyscale Devin is an illustrator and
watercolour paints. If you’re familiar visual development artist,
with watercolour, ink functions fairly and works as the lead
similarly but tends to dry more background painter on the
quickly, doesn’t reactivate with water, Netflix show Disenchantment. In her free
and has a grainier appearance than time she likes painting a magical world of
many of the watercolours I’m familiar unearthly creatures and starry gods. See
with. Because ink doesn’t reactivate more at www.devinellekurtz.com.
123
Line-art techniques
Transferring the sketch 2 I use three main tools to create my line-art: Zebra
1 I sketch digitally because it enables me to experiment freely and restart super-fine brush tip pens for the thicker lines, and Micron
without regret. Once I’m happy with my sketch I print it out and use my Huion light .005 and .1 pens for the thinner lines. I use thicker lines to
pad to create my line-art on a piece of Arches hot press watercolour paper. I tape direct attention to the focal area of the piece, and thinner
the paper to the light pad so nothing moves around. lines to create fine details and areas of rest.
MATERIALS
PENS
n Zebra brush pen
(super fine tip)
n Micron pens (sizes
.005, .01, .03 and .05)
LIGHT PAD
n Huion A4 LED
light pad
BRUSHES
n Utrecht Sablette faux
sable Round brushes
sizes 0, 4, 6, and 12
n Isabey Isacryl size 4
Round brush
n Frayed Isabey Isacryl
size 0 Round brush for
scratchy textures
INK
n Yasutomo black
Sumi ink
n Signo Uniball white
ink pen
PAPER
n Arches hot press 9x12
watercolour paper
(300gsm)
Mixing ink washes Rendering the skull

3 I mix water with ink to create six shades of grey
4 Using my leopard skull cast as reference I render
and swatch them out on a piece of test paper. I use the skull in the drawing. I add water to my brush
eyedroppers to control the amount of ink and water in whenever I need to create a fade effect. Sometimes I
each shade. I use a brush to mix each wash thoroughly so begin with a lighter shade and then add a darker wash to
that it’ll apply evenly. one side of the wet area, which creates a gradient.
124
Dry-brushing the fur Fine-liner details

5 I paint the fur hood using my frayed faux sable
6 I use my .01 and .03 Micron fine-liner pens to go in and control the look of
brush. I add no water to the brush, only pure ink; this the fur coat. I design little clumps of fur across the hood using quick, purposeful
texture is created with a dry brush. Short, directional strokes. Fur generally clumps in a triangular or diamond pattern. Fur looks most
strokes accomplish the bushy effect. realistic when it is varied; even-looking fur looks artificial.
Dry-brushing the braid

7 Using the frayed faux sable brush again I paint the
girl’s braid using a dry-brush technique. This time I add Details of the face
more ink to the brush to create an appearance of glossy
8 I take my lightest shades on ink wash and add a bit of warm rosiness across
dark hair, making sure to leave a lighter area where the her cheeks and nose. I fill in her irises with a medium-grey, and paint her eyebrows
highlight sits. I add a wash to darken the highlight. using micron pens and dry-brushing with short directional strokes.
125
Creating the details in the clothing
Developing the iris texture 10 I use my medium grey shades of ink to fill in the
9 To create the grainy texture in her irises I take my dry frayed brush with the details in her outfit. I want this area to have less contrast
smallest bit of ink and paint tiny controlled circles with a very light amount of than around their faces so viewers don’t focus on this
pressure. I test out various amounts of pressure on a test sheet before putting ink part of the piece. I decide early on what the focal area of
down on the final illustration. the piece will be, and design the rest to lead to it.
Dry-brushing the enchanted grasses

11 Taking an acrylics size 8 Round brush I use a softer dry-brush texture to paint in the magical grasses that hold the skeleton creature
together. I use a controlled amount of pressure to get an even distribution of dry ink. I use the tip of the brush to create darker, narrower details.
126
Finishing the dry-brushing

12 The technique I use to paint this texture takes a bit Washing over dry brush
of practice and experimentation. I always have a test
13 Before allowing the dry brushed ink to dry completely, I use a medium-dark
sheet next to my drawing so I can try out the pressure ink wash to unify the creature’s body and soften the grainy texture of the dry brush.
and motions necessary to create each stroke before The combination of the grainy texture with some of the bleeding-wash edges
applying it to the final piece. creates a unique appearance and evens out the tone of the creature’s body.
Shading the shawl

14 To darken and unify the girl’s torso I add a soft Applying white highlights
cast shadow using a medium-light ink wash. I break up
15 Finally, I use my Signo Uniball white ink pen to add the little dots of white
the edge of the shadow in a jagged motion to create the magic that adorn all of my magical skeleton creatures. I also add little highlight lines
illusion of volume on her fur shawl. I try to create a variety to create dimension. I try to vary the size and placement of the highlights to create
of soft and hard edges to each shadow to mimic reality. an even but randomised pattern.
127
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What tips are provided for improving doodles?

What tips are provided for improving doodles?

What guidance is given on drawing characters and animals?

What guidance is given on drawing characters and animals?

Includes online pr o video tr aining

Uncover new ways

cleaning your brushes

Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne

36 100. Painting clouds

16 122. Realistic textures

GET YOUR RESOURCES

Do you have what it takes

“Trying to conform to a strict process left me feeling

more practical tuition, but overall

THE RIGHT MINDSET

It has to become addictive would be great to have informed,

3 Mastering new techniques

4 Getting into a routine

The most important thing is for the

“I learn quickly, but you

“It’s paramount to find

It’s all about organisation and going

“If you have a talent, it’ll come

1 ALWAYS CARRY A SKETCHBOOK

4 LOSE THE DETAIL AND STRENGTHEN SHAPE DESIGN

It’s always a better plan to keep

6 PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY

7 DON’T FORGET YOUR ART PRINCIPLES

8 KEEP REFERENCES TO HAND

10 USE 3D TO FLESH OUT A DESIGN

Apply the final touches

A great way to challenge

ves drawin www.noukah.com

en’s bo ok illustrator lo confused…

IS THERE A SPY AMONG US?

Cuddly bunnies and

I LOVE YOU BRO

PENTAGOON He was my world and

DRAW HEADS FROM

Find the shape

Basic head shape Secondary shapes

Include the planes

Feel the rhythms

Use shadow shapes

Overlap in side views

Ear overlaps hair

Construct the brow mouth

Ensure your up-views are in proportion

Mark vertical and

Add rhythms and

Two- to three-minute side view

Shade in five minutes Establish the

Sketch using a reference Blocking in colours Lighting and background

Draw over the image

Texture: the lazy person’s detail Painting metal

Patterns make it POP!

3 PUT IN THE TIME AND EFFORT

5 BE CONSISTENT WITH focus on initial, simple principles

You don’t have to produce a