Advanced Photoshop - Issue 110, 2013.pdf

8/21/2019 Advanced Photoshop - Issue 110, 2013.pdf

1/100


2/100

Your One-Stop Image Solution

Find the best creatives for your advertising campaigns by browsing Depositphotos

library of over 13,000,000 photographs, vector images and video files.

CS0907981To get a 15% discount on your next purchase, visit

www.depositphotos.com and apply the promotion code:


3/100

WELCOME

ISSUE 110

Welcome to the latestissue of AdvancedPhotoshop. I couldntstart without discussingthe ground-breaking newsfrom Adobe on the end ofthe CS boxset and the

launch of Photoshop CC

IN THIS ISSUE:

GRAPHICS

DIGITAL PAINTING

PHOTOMANIPULATION

PHOTO EDITING

ANNALISA SAYWELLEditor

The recent announcement at the Adobe Max

conference in L.A. has sent our office into overdrive.

Weve learned that significant changes are being

made to both the Adobe product line and the means

of paying for it all, and the important questions

how, what, why and when? have been on

everyones minds since the discovery.

So taking that into account, we discuss what

exactly all the fuss is about and bring you an update

on what you can expect from the new tools as well

as looking into which features to get excited about

when Photoshop CC is finally released on 17 June.

Elsewhere in the issue, we bring you 15 great

illustration tips and tricks, show you how to createcharacter concepts in CS6 and discover creative

photomanipulation all using Photoshops top tools.

Our free disc is not to be missed either, with over

1,270 premium resources to choose from and an

exclusive video tutorial, it really is a bumper issue

FIND US ONLINE

@advancedpshop AdvancedPhotoshop

.co.uk

00

ISSUE 110 CONTENTS

COVER ARTIST

Pete Harrison wields lightand colour in many of his

digital images, and aslighting is so important

when producing painteffects - who better thanhim to produce our cover

tutorial this issue.

PETE HARRISONhttp://peteharrison.com

TYPOGRAPHY

NEW MEDIA

DIGITAL COVER ART:

ABSTRACT GRAPHICS44Learn the skills required to replicate aphotographic collage with multiple layers

12PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW:

THE PURSUIT OFLIGHT AND COLOURMarta Nael reveals her secrets on how to create acolourful portfolio but still preserve realism


4/100

EYE ON DESIGNWhats hot, whos in and thelatest art & design happenings

PRO PANEL:Our contributors share Photoshop secrets06INDUSTRY FEATUREAdobe reveals Photoshop CC08

18 PROJECT FOCUS:Stunning mosiacs in CS612 PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW:The pursuit of light and colour: Marta Nael

CONTENTS

ISSUE 11

004

CONTENTS ISSUE 110

56 CHARACTER CONCEPTS

DIGITALALBUM

ARTWORK

36

FOR BACK ISSUES, BOOKSAND MERCHANDISE VISIT

76ACTIONPACKED

COMPOSITES

28 ILLUSTRATION TIPS


5/100

TECHNIQUES

Professional artists reveal their high-end skills in our easy-to-follow workshops

15 Illustration tips & tricks28 INDUSTRY FE TURE

REVIEWS

We put the latest creative kit,books and apps to the test

82 FEATURE:Head to head - Raw war86 REVIEW:Wacom Cintiq 13HD

Free withissue 11

ofAdvanced Photoshop

RESOURCE COLLECTION

PLUS:

Tutorial project files Exclusive wallpapers for mobile and desktop Fonts worth $30

Featuring 1,050 Photoshop brushes, 200premium textures and 20 high-res images

TAILORMADECRE TIVE CONTENT

Master paint splash effects for yourselfusing Photoshop CS6

96 ON YOUR DISC

Liquid paint effects50 WORKSHOP bstract graphics44 INDUSTRY WORKSHOP

Atmospheric landscapes62 WORKSHOPDKNG Studios20 STUDIO INTERVIEW

Digital album artwork36 INDUSTRY FE TURE

Character concepts56 WORKSHOP

SEE PAGE 22FOR THE LATEST OFFERSUBSCRIBE TODAY!

68 Create stylish vintage typeWORKSHOP

Engaging photo illustration

88

RE DER INTERVIEW

76 Action-packed compositesWORKSHOP

72 Shine by Kris ShieldsHOW I M DE

88 ENGAGING PHOTOILLUSTRATION

Produce paint splash stock92 RESOURCE PROJECT

72 SHINE

62 ATMOSPHERICLANDSCAPES


6/100

006

EYE ON DESIGN PRO PANEL

PRO P NEL

OUR CONTRIBUTORS SHARE THEIR CREATIVE SECRETS, EXPLAINING HOW THEY

CREATED THESE STUNNING EFFECTS USING PHOTOSHOPS POWERFUL TOOLS

EYE ON DESIGN

DAN KUHLKENwww.dkngstudios.com

Running a small firm gives DKNG the opportunity to complete tasks

more efficiently. Two heads are better than one, but 10 heads can be a

circus. As a result, were limited in how many projects we can take on,

but this enables us to fully focus on the ones that we do choose. Our primary goal is to

create great work generating profit comes second. A larger team would increase our

bandwidth and that would decrease the quality of our work.

See more from Dan in this issues Studio Interview on page 20

GREG DAVIESwww.gregdavies.co.za

Nothing imbues crispness in an image quite like a

High Pass-Overlay layer. Its effect can be applied to

any image, and we can all achieve this look by first

duplicating our image and then selecting Filter>Other>High Pass. Once

complete, set the new layers blend mode to Overlay, adjust the Opacity

to taste and then the image will look much sharper.

Greg shows how to create photo-based album artwork in our

main feature on page 6

MARTA NAEL

http://martanael.daportfolio.com

There are many ways to create focus in an image,

yet we can achieve more dynamic results by rotating

the horizon line. Placing the centre of interest a bit to

the right or the left, rather than the centre, is really useful for creating a

diverse composition. The arrangement of light helps create mystery and

can also be used to guide our eyes across a picture. Use this effect to

make certain elements stand out from the background.

Check out more of Martas work in her interview on page 12

Marta Nael

Greg Davies

Dan Kuhlken


7/100

PETE HARRISONwww.peteharrison.com

Its important to keep gradients

looking smooth, especially in

high-resolution images. Bandingcan easily occur if you dont keep on top of your work.

The best way to ensure the right look is to select Edit>

Color Settings and then set your piece to Adobe RBG

(1998). I use this setting for all of my work and I make

sure that I keep the Dot and spot gain set at 20%.

Find Petes create-the-cover tutorial on page 50

LUKE CHOICEwww.velvetspectrum.com

My work was based heavily in Photoshop before I learned to use C4D. Once I was able to

blend the two programs together, I realised how important it was to pay attention to the

direction of light and shadow in when creating artwork. To amplify the contrast of certain

areas in this image I used the Dodge and Burn tools, creating a greater range of depth.

More of Lukes work can be seen in our album artwork feature on page 36

007

Imagine Publishing Ltd 2013ISSN 1748-7277

Magazine teamEditor Anna-lisa Saywell

[email protected]

01202 586243

Editor in ChiefDan Hutchinson

Features EditorAdam Smith

DesignerSteve Mumby

PhotographerJames Sheppard

Senior Art EditorDuncan Crook

Head of PublishingAaron Asadi

Head of DesignRoss Andrews

ContributorsGavin Thomas, Tim Williamson, Chris McMahon, Josh Rossi,Angelica Jopson, Neil Stevens, Tommy Kinnerup, Kirk NelsonMikko Lagerstedt, Laurence Matthews, and Pete Harrison.

AdvertisingDigital or printed media packs are available on request.

Head of SalesHang Deretz

01202 [email protected]

Advertising ManagerJen Farrell

01202 [email protected]

Account ManagerBecky Palmer01202 586438

[email protected]

Cover discHead of DigitalMat Toor

Multimedia EditorSteve Dacombe

[email protected]

InternationalAdvanced Photoshopis available for licensing.Contact the International department to discusspartnership opportunities.

Head of International Licensing Cathy Blackman

+44 (0) 1202 [email protected]

[email protected] all subscription enquiries:[email protected]

UK: 0844 848 8402

Overseas: +44 (0) 1795 592 88013-issue subscription (UK) 62.3013-issue subscription (Europe) 7013-issue subscription (ROW) 80

CirculationHead of Circulation Darren Pearce01202 586200

ProductionProduction Director Jane Hawkins

01202 586200

FoundersGroup Managing Director Damian ButtGroup Finance & Commercial Director Steven BoydGroup Creative Director Mark Kendrick

Printing & DistributionPrinted by:William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, 26 Planetary Road,Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XTDistributed in the UK & Eire by: Seymour Distribution, 2 EastPoultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT0207 429 4000Distributed in Australia by: Gordon & Gotch, Equinox Centre,26 Rodborough Road, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086

+ 61 299 728 800Distributed to the rest of the world by: Marketforce,Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU

0203 148 8105

DisclaimerThe publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicitedmaterial lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is thecopyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this magazinemay be reproduced in whole or part without the written

permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognisedand used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review.Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure allinformation is correct at time of print, prices and availabilitymay change. This magazine is fully independent and notaffiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.Photoshop is either a registered trademark or trademarkof Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries and is used with express permission.All $ prices are US Dollars unless otherwise stated.

If you submit material to Imagine Publishing via post,email, social network or any other means, you automaticallygrant Imagine Publishing an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free license to use the images across its entire portfolio,in print, online and digital, and to deliver the images toexisting and future clients, including but not limited tointernational licensees for reproduction in international,licensed editions of Imagine products. Any material yousubmit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken,neither Imagine Publishing nor its employees, agents orsubcontractors shall be liable for the loss or damage.

Imagine Publishing LtdRichmond House, 33 Richmond Hill,Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ

+44 (0) 1202 586200Web:www.imagine-publishing.co.uk www.advancedphotoshop.co.uk

www.greatdigitalmags.com

The magazine for AdobePhotoshopprofessionals

Its important to keepgradients looking smooth

The best way to ensure the rightlook is to select Edit>Color Settings

and set Adobe RGB (1998)PETE HARRISON /WWW.PETEHARRISON.COM Pete Harrison

Shotopop

Ministry of Sound Australia


8/100

008

WE EXPLORE WHAT THE LATEST VERSION HAS TO OFFER AND

GAUGE THE REACTIONS FROM A COMMUNITY OF PHOTOSHOP USERS

At this years annual MAX Conference, held in

Los Angeles, Adobe announced its most

ground-breaking update since the release

of Photoshop CS6; the all-new Photoshop

CC. This version will be made available in June and

provides Creative Cloud subscribers with a host of

brand new tools, as well as reinvented ones.

Photoshop CC is geared towards photo editing like

weve never seen, pushing the boundaries of whats

achievable in image editing even further. Moreover,

its speedy operation means photographers and

designers can create with even more freedom. This

is all thanks to Adobe, who continues to perfect and

provide superior image editing algorithms.

New tools are supplied by the dozen and include

the most advanced sharpening tool available, live

syncing with Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) and all-new

shape tool functionality. ACR itself has now been

updated to version 8 and includes its own set of

upgrades to complement a Photoshop workflow.

In this feature we go into greater detail about

whats in store for us, presenting the most exciting of

the new Photoshop CC tools and options. We also

share some of the Photoshop communities

thoughts and opinions on this latest update, in

addition to exploring the new innovative options

added to other software in the Creative Cloud.

ADOBE REVEALSPHOTOSHOP CC


9/100

PHOTOSHOP CC TECHNIQUES

009

NEW SH KE REDUCTION FILTER

NEW SM RT

SHARPEN FILTER

THE FUTURE OF PHOTOSHOP

Adobe has announced that, moving forward, the company

will now focus on creative software developments for

Creative Cloud. Photoshop CC will now be a subscription-based software. This is a bold step, seeing the company

breaking away from its own tradition. This means that the

boxed version of Photoshop has been shelved.

Subscribers can now get their hands on Photoshop CC by

paying a month-to-month fee, or by instead signing up for

12 months at a cheaper cost. Adobes Photoshop CC

buying guide offers evidence that indicates a single

Photoshop CC app subscription may be available in the

near future. Presently, however pricing information is

absent. Head over to the next page to learn peoples

reactions to this revelation.

Camera shake can plague professional and

enthusiast photographers alike, caused by our

own movement when the camera is focused.A slow shutter speed and long focal length is

also culpable. Affected shots would normally

be thrown in the Trash folder, but not any more

with this new addition to Photoshop CC.

The Shake Reduction filter, found in the

Sharpen menu, will de-blur any image

affected by camera shake. Photoshop CC does

a great job of fixing any image automatically,

but it also caters for users who like to make

manual adjustments.The Shake Reduction tool allows us to select

the region of an image thats most affected,

with Photoshop CC algorithms laying the

foundation of our edits. Users can then perfect

looks using intuitive sliders that improve detail,

sharpness and noise left in an image. Its an

incredibly intuitive and easy to use tool.

When we say new Smart Sharpen filter, what

we really mean is revamped to the hilt. Adobe

has thought long and hard about supplying

intelligent resizing and sharpening functionality

in Photoshop CC. This latest revision shows a

great deal of diligence.

The Smart Sharpen dialog is now resizable, so

we can better scrutinize our working area. This is

something that we Photoshop users have been

persistently calling for, across all filters.

This version still operates through a set of

sliders, which makes the improved outcomes

that are applied even more outstanding. There

are only three in total (with Basic options),

including the regular Amount and Radius types.

However, Adobe has also added a Reduce Noise

slider in reaction to the haloing that occurred in

the results of previous versions.

This may seem such a small addition, but it

shows how Adobe is paying attention to even the

most specific usability issues we encounter.


10/100

Photoshop has always relied on its interpolation

technology to resize images. Yet due to its reliance

on pixels, radical resizing wasnt a viable option. Well

it is now with Photoshop CCs new Preserve Details

option, found inside the Image>Image Size dialog.

The dialog itself has had a complete redesign, now

including a large image preview.

Users must activate Resample to access the drop-

down menu that houses all bicubic interpolation

options, as well as the new Preserve Details option.

This is ideal for upsampling. Bicubic interpolationsare still ideal for minor adjustments, but for more

radical enlarging then Preserve Details is a must.

The main difference is sharper edges when blowing

up images; doubling in size doesnt seem to be a

major issue. This option also includes a Reduce

Noise slider, like the other latest filters inside

Photoshop CC. This helps smooth any noticeable

surfaces that are afflicted with tricky artifacts.

TECHNIQUES PHOTOSHOP CC

010

The main difference issharper edges when

blowing up images

NEW PRESERVE DET ILS OPTION

NEW SHAPEPROPERTIES PANEL

DOBE CAMERA

R WFILTER

Photoshop CS6 took the Shape tool to a whole new

level with an new set of dialog options and vector

technology. These made designs more customisable

than ever. Photoshop CC continues to champion

flexible shape creation with its own new options.

These can be found in the Properties Panel and

allow Photoshop CC users to edit shapes after

theyve been applied to a design. Now we can adjust

individual corners or all of them at once, affecting

shape radius and size in real-time. We can also

select multiple shapes and control these at the same

time, conforming each one to specific settings.

Adobe Camera Raw 8 (ACR8) can now be

applied to any layer or file inside Photoshop by

using the Camera Raw filter, but theres much

more to this than previous versions. ACR8 has

been treated with new technologies to

complement the Photoshop users workflow.

The enhanced Spot Removal tool is just one

of the latest features in ACR8 and this looks to

improve photo retouching inside the app. This

tool now functions much like the Spot Healing

brush inside the standard Photoshop version.

Retouchers can use this tool to paint to

non-circular areas of an image. ACR8 will

automatically remove artefacts for us. Press V

to see the green marker, which highlights the

replacement area that ACR8 amended from.

Simple drag-and-drop this point to tell ACR8 to

sample from a new area, which we may feel

achieves better results.

OTHER CHANGESWE PRESENT A FEW ADDITIONALFEATURES THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED

to the creative cloud line-up

Photoshop CC Blur Gallery and Liquify filter

can be applied non-destructively, now using

Smart Object functionality

Bring settings to multiple computers withcloud-enabled Sync Settings

CSS Designer in Dreamweaver CC provides

the most up-to-date CSS and properties

available via an intuitive visual editing tool

Editing Finesse in Premiere Pro CC focuses

on sleek design and customisation

capabilities, combined with new editing

features and keyboard-driven editing

Photoshop CC now generates CSS code for

specific design elements, which can then be

copied and pasted into a web editor in order

to get exact results

Live 3D Pipeline with Cinema4D in After

Effects CC lets us add 3D objects to scenes,

eliminating any intermediate rendering

between applications

Parallax Scrolling in Muse CC allows us

to create stunning effects with just a few

mouse clicks images and elements now

move in different directions at different

speeds when scrolling

Motion Paths in Edge Animate allow us to

animate elements along totally

customisable paths

A completely modernised architecture in

InDesign and Flash Pro has been rebuiltfrom the ground up to be faster and more

reliable, with a streamlined UI

InDesign has a great new QR code creator

Flash Pro now includes real-time drawing

and live preview functionality

Creative Cloud members can now upload

images to a Behance Pro site for free, using

File>Share on Behance

ACR FILE HANDLING

Photoshop CC lets users transfer from 32-bit to

8-bit by using ACR8 controls. To do so, simply

activate Preferences>File Handling>Use AdobeCamera Raw to Convert Documents from 32 bit

to 16/8bit. Now just select either 16 or 8 bits

from the Image>Mode options.


11/100

011

At first I wasnt thrilledabout this. But there are a

lot of pros. I am alwaysupgrading to the latest versionsanyway. [Photoshop CC] will justspread the cost. You get a lot for$600 a year

NEW R DI L

FILTER TOOL NEWTONE INACR OPTION

NEW UPRIGHT OPTIONS

Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) has always been revered for its

ability to stylise photos and this reputation doesnt look like

it will be waning any time soon. Not with the inclusion of

the new Radial Filter tool in ACR8, that is.

This tool lets users target a specific area of an image

using a circular selection. The dimensions of this can be

controlled and edited live by using control points. Applying

the Radial Filter tool opens its own extensive set ofoptions, which allow us to affect existing light, colour

temperature and sharpness within our targeted area.

Other cool functions of the Radial Filter tool include the

ability to create a new selection, which will duplicate the

settings applied previously. We can also move our

selection on-screen, with ACR8 affecting the original

image beneath in real-time. This is a great way of instantly

seeing how effects look in other areas of an image.

Photoshop has always recognised the

impact of HDR photography, with its

Merge to HDR Pro and HDR Toning

options both implemented and updated

in Photoshop versions CS5 and CS6.

Now users of Photoshop CC can load

Merge to HDR Pro images straight intoACR8 and edit them.

All we need to do is set Mode to 32 Bit

and select the Tone in ACR option, which

appears at the foot of the dialog. All ACR

controls are applicable to our images.

This means we can add all of the new

ACR8 tools to retouch and perfect looks.

Photoshop CS6 made massive strides in lens

correction with its Adaptive Wide Angle filter.

However, this seemed to work best with fisheye

distortion. ACR8 with Photoshop CC has improved

results through its own advanced correction tools,

found under Lens Correction>Manual. The new

Upright options in here tackle all types of distortion.

There are five Upright options in total to choose

from. These provide one-click results, with ACR8

determining the best effects mechanically and to an

accurate degree especially the Auto option.

Horizontal will apply one level correction that

matches the best-case horizon in an image. Vertical

works to a similar effect. If we want to go the whole

hog we can apply the Full option, which will correct

level, horizontal and vertical perspectives. Users can

manually edit effects further by using slider options,

matching to Grid guides (enable Show Grid first).

HAVE YOUR SAYSEE WHAT OUR FACEBOOK COMMUNITY

THINKS OF THE LATEST CREATIVE

CLOUD ANNOUNCEMENT

FRDRIC GOMBERT INFOTOGRAPHE

That would mean the end of my collaborationwith Adobe, if they dont change their mind. I

wont pay such a high price to rent software.

Creative Cloud is fine as an option, but not if its

forced to be the only available solution

CHRIS MACDONALD

I agree with Fred. This is also the end of my

collaboration with Adobe. They are forcing us

into a cloud corner and I wont be. I dont need

every single new upgrade and I refuse to pay

for something Im not going to use. I know a lot

of other colleagues that will also stop using

Adobe products because of the Creative Cloud

subscription. Now would be a good time for

some other company to come in and giveAdobe some competition.

STEVE MCALENEY

I have to agree that I will never rent software.

Adobe are making a big mistake as most

people will look elsewhere for their photo

editing needs jolly bad show.

BRAD STRICKMAN

Love it. The subscription option seemed like

a great idea to bring in more customers who

would normally just pirate it. If you want to

always keep up with the latest updates then

its cheaper in the long run. I dont understand

the hate.

ROBERTA KELLEY

Havent decided yet.

JAY LEVINE

At first I wasnt thrilled about this, but thereare a lot of pros. I am always upgrading to thelatest versions anyway. [Photoshop CC] will justspread the cost. You get a lot for $600 a year

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CREATIVE CLOUD AND PHOTOSHOP CC BUY ISSUE 111 ON SALE 11 JULY


12/100

040012

EYE ON DESIGN PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW

MARTA NAEL REVEALS HER SECRETS ON HOW TO CREATE A

COLOURFUL PORTFOLIO BUT STILL PRESERVE REALISM

PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW

TH PURSUIT OFLIGHT AND COLOUR

martanael.deviantart.com

Mastering a realistic paint style is never

easy, which makes digital artist Marta

Naels portfolio all the more amazing.

This issue we discuss with her how she

has nurtured her amazing mixed-media method and

how she continues to improve it. We also explore

how Nael has successfully promoted art sales and

translated her already impressive brush skills into

entirely different themes from expressive portraits

to skilled matte paintings.

HOW HAVE YOU CONTINUED TO IMPROVE ON

YOUR PORTFOLIO?

I paint on a daily basis, never give up and am never

satisfied with what I do. This is what pushes me to

improve my work. Creating a good portfolio is a

challenge, especially when trying to master ways to

paint light and colour effects. I only published my first

images online around three years ago. My portfolio

is something that has helped me to improve, by

comparing older works with more recent ones and

then only showing the images Im most proud of.

HOW DOES YOUR FINE ART WORK FUEL YOUR

DIGITAL ART?

If you cant paint in a traditional way then you wont

be able to paint digitally. This is something that every

working artist should bear in mind. In my case, the

traditional training I received when studying Fine Arts

became really useful. It helped me start a method

based in brush strokes, instead of line art. I found

myself always shading the entire canvas with a

neutral colour first, and then defining surfaces by

adding to or erasing from this base. I then tried to

apply this same process in my digital workflow, to

maintain the same feeling.

WHY DO YOU FOCUS ON MIXEDMEDIA?

I believe my mixed-media style is one not used by

many artists, and maybe this makes it popular. I

create a look thats normally achieved using acrylics,

oil paints or watercolours. I think that when people

see my images they dont recognise the artificial look

or airbrushed feel that some works have.

HOW HAS PHOTOSHOP SPECIFICALLY HELPED

YOU TO REPLICATE THIS LOOK?

The use of several textured brushes is essential.

Throughout the years, Ive downloaded tons of styles

that replicate the look of splashes and strokes. Ive

even created some from scratch. I dont use layers a

002Ari:One of the images Im most proud of.I created this image as a concept art for avideo game, which never came out, sadly Ediciones Babylon

001Boat in a storm:This artwork could beseen as a play of colours, where I intendto move away from reality and simplyenjoy painting. Despite choosing aninsignificant subject, I tried to highlightthe use of light and colour Ediciones Babylon

MartaNael

001


13/100

002


14/100

014

EYE ON DESIGN PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW

004Dinotopia Tribute:A tribute to thewell-known series by James Gurney. Itried to portray a civilisation urbanAsian, and somehow lost wherehumans live together with dinosaurs,and where a new race appears: robots Ediciones Babylon

005Be my valentine:This image was created for ValentinesDay. I wanted to portray a couple feelingthe passion of love instead of a cheesyromance image Ediciones Babylon

003Impressions Cover:This was used as thecover of my first artbook: Impressions. Iwanted to mix realism with a morepainterly style in t he same image,keeping the face detailed while the restis applied roughly Ediciones Babylon

OVERSATURATION

Paint light as if you were modelling shapes like a sculptor.The contrast generated from painting coloured surfacesand dark values creates outlines. Think of a reality were

there is only over-saturation, where no grey, black or whiteexists. This really helps you to achieve colourful artworks.

MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES

Using an interesting arrangement of light can help you addmystery, dramatise shapes and intrigue the viewer.Contrasting a main warm light with several secondary coollights makes the scene more dynamic.

ADDING NOISE

Once Im done, I flatten all the layers and create a new oneon top. I fill this with a neutral grey colour then selectFilters>Add Noise>400%. Once I have applied that effect, Iblur it a bit then change the layers blend mode to Soft light. Ialso lower Opacity to around 20%. This creates a nice graineffect, barely visible, that will add a film effect.

PORTFOLIO TIPSLEARN NAELS INSIDE TRICKS TO SCULPTING LIGHT,

BALANCING SOURCES AND FINISHING ARTWORK

lot as I like using the History Brush instead, in order

to bring back certain parts and add texture with

transparency. This process also works perfectly

when you need to retouch a photo thats to be

integrated into a matte painting.

HOW DID YOU TRANSFER YOUR PAINT SKILLS

INTO MATTE PAINTING?

The first paintings I ever attempted were realistic,

and I soon realised I wanted to apply the same light

and colour to landscapes too. My latest works are

even more colourful, though. Im trying to get an

over-saturated result but still follow light logic. Matte

painting usually means starting from a photo plate,

but I believe working on the whole composition is

important when creating an artwork. I begin painting

from scratch and, as soon as I have a detailed image,

I mix photos and paint to generate realism.

HOW DO YOU APPLY LIGHT AND COLOUR TO

DEFINE YOUR STYLE?

Im obsessed with light and colour when painting.

Im not really concerned about meaning; I just feel

like relaxing and unwinding from all the pressure,

giving way to play, directly pouring out my feelings. I

believe that mastering how to paint the effects of

light and colour onto objects can turn a regular

image into a beautiful work of art. Thats why I

always strive for vibrancy in both my painterly and

my more realistic styles. I play with complementary

contrasts by using warm and cold tones.

CAN YOU TELL US THE POINT AT WHICH YOUR

STYLE BECAME COMMERCIAL?

When I was finishing my degree in Fine Arts I felt like

trying out digital art. As soon as I began what I called

Digital Impressionism, I got attention from the

public. I thought mixing digital art while preserving a

traditional-looking style would be interesting it

seems people agree. I started getting more likes on

social networks, then people began to buy my prints.

003

004


15/100

005


16/100

016

HOW HAS SELLING YOUR WORK HELPED TO

FURTHER YOUR PORTFOLIO?

Selling your art as a print or a canvas makes you see

whether or not people value your work. It also

reveals what subject people enjoy the most in your

paintings. Plus, it means expanding more and

reaching more people especially if you get the

chance to sign and sell it.

HOW DID YOU PROMOTE YOUR PORTFOLIO TO

POTENTIAL CLIENTS?

To become a professional illustrator you need to be

good at actually illustrating, but also able to promote

your work everywhere and in any way possible.

Whenever I wanted to get some commissions I had

to show my work. The Internet is a very useful tool

for reaching out to lots of people, especially on social

networks. Appearing in magazines and art books is

helpful too, as it gets you recognised in a competitive

world of artists I sent my images whenever there

was a call for entries.

DO YOUR PERSONAL AND COMMERCIAL

STYLES DIFFER?

To be honest, its been three years since I did my last

complete piece of personal work. But thankfully, I

have quite a lot of freedom when painting at my job.

Deadlines sometimes make me finish sooner than I

would do otherwise, however.

WHO OR WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR GREATEST

INFLUENCES?

Ive loved fantasy and sci-fi since I was a kid. I spent

all my childhood watching films and reading books

based on these genres. Their influence appears in

my work almost automatically. Traditionally

speaking, Ive always enjoyed the art of Friedrich and

Turner, or the Impressionism movement. Sorolla is

also one of my favourite artists. As for digital art, I

love the works of Maciej Kuciara, Ruan Jia, Danny

Luvisi, Jonas de Ro, Dave Rapoza, Andre Wallin,

Marek Okon, Raphael Lacoste and Dylan Cole, to

name but a few.

WHATS THE MOST IMAGINATIVE PIECE OF

WORK YOUVE CREATED?

I believe it would be the piece entitled Dont Be Afraid,

Monsters. Its based on the commonly known

Beauty and the Beast story, but with a little child

being the main character and lots of monsters

surrounding her. The idea behind this image is not to

judge someone at first sight even monstrous-

looking creatures can be afraid of you and willing to

be your friend. I tried to explain the meaning of the

scene by using light in order to guide the viewers eye

around the image. Less important areas of the scene

fall into shadow while the main action is picked out.

The central figure and the monster beside her are

easily spotted from the rest.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LEARNING

CURVE WHEN PRODUCING YOUR PORTFOLIO?

Ive learned a lot from each painting. The only way to

learn is to practice on a daily basis, and putting in lots

of hours involves producing commercial work. My

biggest learning curve from this experience was the

use of layer blend modes. These let me integrate

photos with paintings a lot better especially in

matte paintings, where I can apply a Screen blend

mode or turn a greyscale sketch into a coloured one

with the Color mode.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHERS

LOOKING TO BUILD THEIR OWN PORTFOLIO?

Believe in yourself and never give up. Never be

satisfied with what you do; no matter what people

tell us, we can always improve. Also, dont upload

every single artwork you create to your portfolio be

selective, and only use the ones you think add

something new, add value or make you feel that

youve achieved what you were looking for.

Bridges Island:The birds-eye view in this artwork was intendedto dramatise the scene. Here, I tried to push my skills in painting

light and colour even further Ediciones Babylon

My biggestlearning curve

from this experience wasuse layer blending modes.These let me integrate photoswith paintings a lot better


17/100

DOMAINS |E-MAIL |WEB HOSTING |eCOMMERCE |SERVERS

Call0844 335 1211or buy online 1and1.co.u

* 1&1 Unlimited (Windows and Linux) free for the first 6 months, then 6.99/month. 1&1 Unlimited has a 12 month minimum contract term. The .co.uk domain offer applies for the first year of registrat ion; second year and subsequent year s w

be charged at the r egular price. All .co.uk domains have a two year registration cycle payable in advance. The .co.uk domain offer is for new contracts only and is limited to one domain per contract . Visit www.1and1.co.uk for full offer detai

terms and conditions. Prices exclude VAT. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

MAXIMUM RELIABILITYYour website data is stored simultaneously in two

geographically separate high-performance 1&1 DataCentres, with automatic daily back-ups included.

EXPERT SUPPORT1&1 employs over 1,500 internal developers toguarantee the continuous improvement of our

products. You can manage your account easilywherever you are via the user-friendly 1&1 Control

Panel, and get reliable 24/7 phone and e-mailsupport from our web hosting experts.

At 1&1 we provide advanced solutions for even the most demanding web projects. Choose from ourflexible Windows and Linux hosting packages for the latest in technology and programming.

1&1 offers NEW: MicrosoftASP.NET 4.0/4.5,the latest programmingtechnology for developers, helping to create modern, professional websiteswith 1&1 Windows Web Hosting.

Linux professionals benefit from NEW: PHP 5.4and PHPDev,plus unlimited access to 1&1 Click & Build Applications and more

with 1&1 Linux Web Hosting.

WINDOWS O LINUX

GET A.co.ukFOR JUST0.99!*

UnlimitedWebspace

UnlimitedTraffic

1 FREE domain for contract lifetime

Mobile Website Editing SoftwareNetObjects Fusion1&1 Edition included

Facebookand Bingvouchers worth 55

IPv6 ready

and much more

NEW!ASP.NET/.NET Framework 4.0/4.5

NEW!PHP 5.4, PHPDev, Zend Framework,Perl, Python, Ruby, SSI

NEW!5 MS SQL 2012databases (1 GB each)

100 MySQL 5databases (1 GB each)

NEW!ASP.NET MVC 3 and 4, .NET,AJAX, LINQ, PHP 5, PHPDev, Perl, SSI

NEW! Webspace Recovery

NEW!Dedicated app poolsUnlimited access to 65 Click & BuildApplications including WordPress, Drupaland Joomla!

HURRY! OFFER END 30/06/13!

1&1 UnlimitedWindows

1&1 UnlimitedLinux

6

MONTHS

FREE!Then 6.99 per month* 6

MONTHS

FREE!Then 6.99 per month*


18/100

EYE ON DESIGN STUNNING MOSAICS IN CS6

WE ASK ARTIST CHARIS TSEVIS ABOUT HIS SIGNATURE STYLE

AND HOW HE COMMUNICATES BOTH THE PART AND THE WHOLE

PROJECT FOCUS

STUNNINGMOSAICS IN CS6

The mosaic is one of the earliest known

forms of art, with examples of glazed tiles

carefully placed to form larger works

dating back to 1500 BC.

Clearly we havent tired of the aesthetic approach

even thousands of years later, as renowned Greek

artist Charis Tsevis proves. His signature style is thatof contemporary digital mosaics and his carefully

arranged images burst off the page thanks to the

exciting and busy composition of smaller icons.

His work recently caught the attention of one of

the largest and most respected private art colleges

in Greece AKTO which wanted a campaign that

would feel fresh and human-centric. At the same

time, AKTO wanted a treatment that would

re-establish the values of the institution in the

current economic climate.

Four sets of values were selected to represent

the values system of the college art and science;

word and image; tradition and innovation; experience

and development, says Tsevis. The visual style of

the campaign needed to be based on these values

but also build around my signature mosaic style. As

such, to create the icons I used the tools of art

education, knowledge and culture. These represent

the necessary skills of craftsmanship and the wider

meaning of education.

Read on to discover how Tsevis took these

elements and built an eye-catching illustration that

explores education as a whole, while also

considering its constituent parts.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT PRODUCING THE

MOSAIC EFFECT?

I was very lucky to be a part of AKTO College and

thus able to use all of the creative people that live

within it. I also had access to a huge collection of

photos taken by Stefanos Samios, a multi-award-

winning photographer.

We chose a set of images of students that we

wanted to have at the centre of our campaign. I then

processed the photos in order to fit the mosaic so

that they would reflect the atmosphere that we

wanted to get across. In this type of work its

good to simplify photos as much as possible

and correct the parts that are complicated or

difficult to understand at a glance.

Next I had to create a colour version of the mosaic

that made use of the specific colour palette of AKTO

Colleges new identity. There are six colours along

with the white parts. Everything else had to be

coloured with these hues. Obviously, I painted certain

parts of the photos in order to keep the warm tones

for the skin. I then did the same for the focal point ofevery illustration and left the cold tones for the rest of

the composition.

After that I created a series of simple icons in

Illustrator that would be the stones of my mosaic.

These icons had to be simple and iconic in order to

be recognisable when very small.

Once Id prepared my photos I had to create my

mosaics. I worked with a series of custom-

developed scripts inside Synthetik Studio Artist for

this part of the work. Then I switched back to

Photoshop where I proceeded to build up the mosaic

in a manual way.

Once I had the final mosaics I created the layouts

in InDesign and worked on the TV commercial. Ex-

students at monologue.grmade the commercial.

ARE THERE ANY PHOTOSHOP SHORTCUTS TO

HELP QUICKLY REPLICATE THIS STYLE?

Unfortunately, there arent. There are many bits of

software that can create mosaics but the result that

all these programs offer simply isnt good enough

without a lot of manual correction.

WHEN CREATING MOSAICS, HOW DO YOU

ENSURE THAT THE FINAL IMAGE DOESNT

JUST GET LOST IN A MASS OF TINY ICONS?

Its actually very difficult because Ive seen the

original photos and I am always going to recognise

each and every part of them. The problem is that the

rest of the audience hasnt seen the source images,

so I have to constantly check with others to ensure

that what Im creating remains recognisable. I also

need to constantly ensure that what Im creating

imparts a very iconic composition that will send the

right message to the viewer.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT SELECTING THE

RIGHT STARTING IMAGE?

Mosaics are essentially photos in low resolution; a

photo with big pixels. As such the subjects have to be

Tsevis is an award-winning visualdesigner based in Athens, Greece.

He studied in Milan and Athens, butnow manages a modest studio

serving prestigious clients all overthe world, such as Coca-Cola, Nikeand Toyota. Hes also worked with

agencies like TBWA, Saatchi &Saatchi and BBH, as well as

publications such as TIME, Wiredand the Wall Street Journal.

CHARIS TSEVIS

ABOUT THE ARTIST

www.tsevis.com

VALUES+NAME OF PROJECT

ts vis

Alternative collage


19/100

019

iconic, simple and legible from the start. Even though

this is the starting point, I then work a great deal on

my source images to prepare them for a mosaic.

There is not one image I have ever used without

altering it substantially.

HOW MANY LAYERS ARE NECESSARY IN AN

IMAGE LIKE THIS?

There are usually around ten or more layers. There

are different mosaics with various parameters, sizes

and corrections.

WHICH NEW PHOTOSHOP TOOLS WOULD YOU

LIKE TO SEE IMPLEMENTED TO MAKE

PROJECTS SUCH AS THIS SIMPLER?

The ability to have a colour image as a brush is very

important. Being able to use many images in a

brushstroke is also important for me. Ideas like Corel

Painters Image Hose or Studio Artists Movie Brush

are something that Photoshop is missing.

WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU OFFER TO OTHERS

LOOKING TO CREATE WORK SUCH AS THIS?

Even though Im a dedicated fan of technology, I

would suggest that they first understand how

mosaics are formed before and after technology.

People tend to believe that there is an easy and

automatic way to create a mosaic but this is not true.

Mosaics are images where you should

simultaneously see the parts and the whole. There is

a huge tradition of human creativity in this field.

Stone mosaics, typewriter art, ASCII art, pixel art and

many other art movements and techniques are very

helpful areas for a newbie to explore.

Converted photo Charis Tsevis

ejected mosaic

The most difficult part was showing thecharacteristics of the face but at the sametime keeping it blurred to create thephotographic depth of field.

What I wanted to show here was the auraof the smiling girl and to express the energycoming out of her right hand as it createssomething that makes her so happy.

Small details are always difficult to showin a mosaic, such as fingers. Here thestrange haircut and foulard was tricky torepresent in a mosaic.

ORIGINAL IMAGE

SEE THE REAL LIFE AD

ON THIS ISSUES DISC


20/100

Like many other studio start-up stories, this

one begins with two college friends who took

very different paths before teaming up to

form their own design studio: DKNG.

Founder Dan Kuhlken studied graphic design, aware

that this would eventually lead to an artistic career.

Nathan Goldman, however, focused his energies on

both graphic design and art direction before working

full-time at DKNG.

So the pair collaborated in the field of design whiletheir nine-to-fives kept them apart. This is how they

encountered a career-changing opportunity. We

came across the chance to create posters for the

Troubadour, a world famous venue in Los Angeles,

California, Kuhlken tells us. Together we built a

large portfolio of posters for them, over the course of

a couple years. Eventually, this caught the eye of

potential new clients and our career has continued to

flourish since then, one project at a time.

DKNG is now known for producing high-quality

graphic design and illustration. Its services also

include brand and identity development, web design

and development, packaging design and apparel

design. From this, it becomes apparent that Kuhlken

and Goldman have a special interest in operating in

the entertainment industry.

The studio works with a bespoke philosophy,

believing that every client has a unique voice and

therefore that every new project requires a distinct

perspective. However, due to the fact that the studios

origins lie with gig posters, its noticeable how this

experience has inspired a few noticeable factors in

DKNGs design the application of bold colours and

shapes, specifically. One of the main purposes of a

poster is to grab the viewers attention as quickly as

possible, explains Kuhlken. The first thing people

see is colour and shape. Its only when they look

closer that they actually notice the variant details.

Setting these elements aside for now, DKNGs

design and illustration styles can change drastically

from project to project. Kuhlken believes that a

stubborn dedication to a niche style is commercially

detrimental. To us, this is not what a design firm

should express when dealing with a wide variety of

clients. We want to show we can do it all, he says.

DKNG goes some way towards achieving this

principle through the different personalities that the

duo bring. Nathan and I wear many different hats,

admits Kuhlken. Were both involved in the creative

and business sides of our studio. For instance, I

STUDIO INTERVIEW

WE INTERVIEW THE FOUNDER OF DKNG TO DISCOVER

HOW THIS LOS ANGELESBASED STUDIO IS FUSING

THE CREATIVE REALMS OF ILLUSTRATION AND DESIGN

DKNG STUDIOS

EYE ON DESIGN STUDIO INTERVIEW

020

DKNG is a full-service graphicdesign and illustration studio.Catering primarily to theentertainment and musicindustries, the duo behind thestudio have worked with someimpressive clients.

DKNG STUDIOS

ABOUT THE STUDIO

www.dkngstudios.com

DKNGstudios

Dan Kuhlken, Creative Director Nathan Goldman, Creative Director


21/100

021


22/100

040022

EYE ON DESIGN STUDIO INTERVIEW

WORK IN THE CLOUD

Use Dropbox to keep files up to date across all systems,with clear folder structures so everything is ready to accesswhen theyre first opened.

USE SHORTCUTS

Learn Photoshop and Illustrator keyboard shortcuts. Theseare huge time-savers and become essential when tacklingseemingly impossible deadlines that are beginning to loom.

TALK TO COLLEAGUES

Sharing our progress with each other often sparks a newsolution and gets projects moving quickly, so were not stuckspinning our wheels on a problem.

WARM UP THE OFFICE

Its easier being creative on demand when were existing in aspace where we feel comfortable and relaxed. Always havesome inspiration at hand.

TAKE A BREAKIf the ideas simply arent flowing, find an activit y to occupyyour mind for a few minutes. When you return, solutions willflow more easily.

TOP FIVE PRODUCTION TIPSWHEN RUNNING A CREATIVE STUDIO, EFFICIENCY,

COLLABORATION AND METHODOLOGY ARE OUR

BEST FRIENDS

focus on illustration, marketing and customer

service. Nathan focuses on graphic design,

typography, art direction and client relations. Weve

very different mindsets and our roles reflect this.

Kuhlken admits to being more concerned withcreating artwork, while Goldman demonstrates

strong skills in running a creative business. Our

backgrounds definitely work well together and are

the main reasons for our success as a studio,

Kuhlken adds. As a business, DKNG continues to

thrive by allowing its stellar work to speak for itself.

The pair successfully build contacts through a

strong portfolio and successful marketing. Kuhlken

makes sure that the DKNG website and social

networks are constantly up to date and active. We

dont know what lies ahead, but we do know that

someone will see what we create and possibly reach

out to us with more work because of it, he tells us.

Most of our work comes to us through email, which

stems from our website. Many new clients cite pastwork that theyve come across either from a

design blog or an image-sharing site.

DKNG proves its a contemporary studio by

utilising powerful social media platforms as a highly

successful promotion tool. Indeed, the two directors

believe that its always good to let commercial clients

know what they are up to, as creatives, on a regular

basis. Our work acts like a constantly refreshing

advertisement in that sense, Kuhlken explains. We

joined the social networks that we believe are the

strongest, most useful and relevant to our industry.

These have helped grow a consistent following.

DKNG ensures that clients keep coming back for

more by making sure it gets projects right the first

time. This makes complete sense, because if a client

is impressed with what we create then its very likely

that well work with them again. Creating something

we can be proud of is a big part of what we do, says

Kuhlken. Were very selective about who we work

for. We want to make sure we do a great job, and in

order to do that we must have a strong creative

interest in a project. This isnt too hard to find,though, when youre working with clients such as

Disney, HBO, MTV and Mondo, like Kuhlken and

Goldman are doing.

Subsequently, we pose the question: How does

DKNG approach existing IP projects when working

with clients such as Mondo? Kuhlken answers

promptly: We always do our research. We dig deep

Photoshop is the electricity

we use to awaken

Frankensteins monster

2

013DKNGStudios

2

013DKNGStudios


23/100

023023

T CO BELLS FEED THE BE T PROJECT

DKNG PRESENTS THIS EXCITING POSTER FOR A ROCKUMENTARY ON TWO BANDS: PASSION PIT AND WILDCAT! WILDCAT!

013D PLANET

Here you can see how we created a three-

dimensional planet to use as the centrepiece in this

project. We fused together an image of a spherical ball

with a textured terrain, which we first created using the

3D modelling tools in Photoshop.

02IMAGE TEXTURE

Textures were applied to create a vintage

look while also achieving an extra dimension. We

created this texture by taking a found image then

appropriating it with the Stamp tool. The final image

was exported as a bitmap TIFF using dithers, so it

was easily placed in our master Illustrator file.

03CREATING SPACE CLOUDS

For the space-themed background, we

brought halftone clouds into Photoshop and applied

a Gaussian Blur filter to them. The subsequent effect

gave us the opportunity to create more ambience in

the image without using clouds that appeared too

sharp or in-focus.

2

013TacoBellCorp.AllRightsReserved


24/100

040024

and become aware of what has already been done,

and this is how we can create something even more

special. Creating a concept that has never been

envisioned is ideal. If thats not possible then we take

a known concept and envision it through our own

unique perspective.

Kuhlken and Goldman bring their collective skills

together for this, abiding by the motto two heads are

better than one. Nathan and I take concept

development very seriously and brainstorm for

several days, sometimes, before presenting our

ideas to a client, reveals Kuhlken. Were hard on

each other and hold each other to a very high

standard. Once were both genuinely excited about a

series of ideas, we know its okay to move forward.

Its at this point the duo roll up their sleeves, and

begin using Mac computers with Adobe Illustrator

and Photoshop software. Photoshop comes in

especially handy when working with textures,

applying these to vector artwork and stepping out of

the realms of clip art. We often use the Stamp tool

to create custom textures, he tells us. If we like a

certain photograph of cement, for example, we clone

that area into one large image. This is then used in

our design as a textured element, which fills our

entire art space.

Colour adjustments, especially Selective Color, are

also readily applied to DKNG designs. Its not

uncommon for our design to change colour, moving

away from its original digital format into a

screen-printed image, explains Kuhlken. We often

use this tool to colour-correct photos of our work, so

they match seamlessly in our portfolio.

Referring back to print production at DKNG

specifically, screen-printing Photoshops bitmap-

to-halftones functionality makes all this possible. In

the world of screen-printing, every ink colour (layer)

must be reduced down to a purely black and white

file, Kuhlken tells us. Photoshop techniques allow

us to take a highly complex design, utilising a large

spectrum of tones, and reduce these down to

halftone dots without compromising detail. In a

nutshell, DKNG depend on Photoshop to bring all of

their creative projects to life. Photoshop is the

electricity we use to awaken Frankensteins

monster, Kuhlken concludes.

Eric Claptons Old Sock: A promotional poster created for Eric Claptons latest album Old Sock. Portraits are always trickyin terms of subject representation and, in this case, DKNG went through a few variations 2013 DKNG Studios

Dave Matthews Band: This is a diptych poster series created for Dave Matthews Bands2012 two-night performance in West Palm Beach, F lorida 2013 DKNG Studios

While many artists choose to illustrate using a Wacom tablet or similar device, the vastmajority of DKNG illustrations are created using this Apple trackpad

An aerial view of Goldmans desk; since Kuhlk en and Goldman spend so much time attheir respective desks, layout and ergonomics become very important

Oakleys Viva La Bubba Campaign: This campaign poster tookthe form of a propaganda-style illust ration of Bubba Watson,and it made its debut at the Phoenix Open 2013 Oakley, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Creating somethingwe can be proud of

is a big part of whatwe do


25/100

D Y IN THE LIFE OF DAN KUHLKENEXPLORE DKNGS DAILY DIGITAL, PRINT AND BRAINSTORMING ROUTINES

08:05BEGIN THE DAY WITH EMAILSAND A STATUS REPORT

My morning usually begins with a quick email

check, so I can see which client revisions or fires

well need to put out quickly before jumping into

other work.

10:42ONGOING WORK INPHOTOSHOP AND ILLUSTRATORAs a rule, Illustrator and Photoshop are always

open on my desktop. We usually tackle three to five

projects a day, depending on what we have waiting

inside our queue.

11:15MATCHING COLOURS WITHTHE PRINTING HOUSESWe work with printing houses all over the

country, so Pantone matching is an essential part

of getting screen-printing jobs right the first time.

12:50A WALK IN THE PARK TOSTIMULATE CREATIVE THINKINGA good excuse to step away from the office is

always welcome, especially for a brainstorming

session. Getting out into the world always seems to

get new ideas flowing.

13:48TRANSNATIONAL CLIENTMEETINGS ON THE GOWith clients all over the world, I often prefer to

have phone meetings rather than email

conversations. That way, I get to hear the client

describe their vision in their own words.

14:33GATHERING RESEARCH TOSPARK NEW PERSPECTIVESWe are continually expanding our research

library of books and magazines, and were

always seeking out new sources of inspiration.

16:42WOODWORKING IN THE SHOPTO KEEP THINGS SHARP

I find working with my hands is a great way to

break up the day. Woodworking provides a great

creative outlet away from the realm of electronics.

18:34EVENING TUNES TOCLOSE THE DAYIts fun to stay connected to our many music

clients, being musicians ourselves. Playing the

piano is a great way to wind down at the end of

the working day.

08:05 10:42

12:50

16:42 18:34

13:48

14:33

11:15

025

As a rule, Illustrator and

Photoshop are always

open on my desktop

025

STUDIO INTERVIEW EYE ON DESIGN


26/100


27/100


28/100

T HNIQU S

15 ILLUSTRATION TIPS TRICKSQUES

ARTISTS IN THE INDUSTRY SHARE THEIR SECRETS TO USING PHOTOSHOP IN ORDER TO

ENHANCE THEIR ILLUSTRATIONS, WHICH RANGE FROM EDITORIAL WORK TO PACKAGING

AND HIGH PROFILE ADVERTISING

028

V

incenteG

arc

ia

Mor

il

lo


29/100

VINCENTE GARCIA

MORILLOwww.vicentegarciamorillo.comTo promote DJ sessions by

electronic music label Black Book Sessions, Vicente

Garcia Morillo created the Alive Objects series, which

encapsulates the artists and presents them as just

one entity: In this case, I was playing with the

combination of elements that represent two of the

most popular musicians in Chicago and the L.A.

scene, respectively.

The first step is always to conceptualise the piece.I consider this one of the most important phases of

the development process as this is the base of the

piece. I like to invest all the time thats necessary to

come up with a good idea. Once I have the concept, I

start doing sketches of the composition and also the

analogue elements, such as drawing and painting, in

case I want them later. I create the vector elements

in Illustrator then import and edit them in Photoshop,

fitting them together like a jigsaw, then apply effects

like gradients, layer styles, shadows and noise. I like

to experiment, mixing methods and software in my

projects, adding elements like pencil drawings to my

artworks when I get the opportunity. I usually play

with Photoshop to edit the compositional elements

and finish my pieces, but I avoid photographicfinishes as I like to preserve an illustrated element.

1 INVEST IN

A CONCEPT

DIEGO L. RODRIGUEZwww.paranoidme.com

Diego L. Rodriguez set about creating options for HBOs How To Make It In America and

drew on inspiration from the Big Apple: Once I presented this idea, the agency loved it

and they gave me the green light to create the poster. The brief came with some

promotional images for the second season of the show. They were good, but not exactly what I had in mind.

However, having the figure of Kid Cudi as a graphic inspired me to gather extra material. I had the structure

clear: start with the characters portrait, then the body had to be connected to the buildings in some way, and

New Yorks iconic symbols, and finally the slogan below the illustration. For the New York buildings, I had a

ton of pictures that I took back in 2009. I use a specific technique to manage shadows and highlights I began

using it years ago for high-end retouching in skin or objects, then applied it to manipulations and illustration

work. Create a new layer above your illustration. Go to Edit>Fill>50% Grey and click OK. Put this grey layer in

Soft Light mode and reduce the Opacity to 30-50%. Take a soft brush, with Opacity 30-70%, and paint in those

zones where you would like to increase the shadows or highlights using only grayscale tones. This technique

is similar to Dodge and Burn, but allows more control over certain zones without affecting the main layer.

2. MANAGE SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Vi

ncenteGarciaMorillo

D

iegoL.Rodriguez

029


30/100

ANDREA FEMERSTRANDwww.noukah.blogspot.co.uk

Concept artist and illustrator Andrea Femerstrandregularly contributes illustrations to short stories

aimed at younger readers. This piece was created

for a short story in Swedish kids and teen magazine KP (KamratPosten):

Theres always a section where young readers stories are published.

Usually, theyre around 10 to 14 years old. I use Photoshop for drawing

and painting and do all my work from scratch, the old fashioned way.

Layers, custom brushes and adjustment layers make my work much

faster and more efficient. I dont have many secrets; mostly, I just paint.

3. PAINT YOUR ILLUSTRATION MARK VERHAAGENwww.markverhaagen.com

Tasked with creating 36 robot playing cards for kids magazine

Bonbeck, Mark Verhaagen, the brain behind the Zoobles toyline, had to build in originality and then deliver uniformity. The

challenge here, says Mark, was to create 36 different robots, each of them looking

interesting. I started sketching a lot of robots, focusing on shape and character, bold

versus fragile, round versus square shapes, etc. I had to think about how the robots

would move and do things, which also helped determine their looks. I tried to keep

things simple, as the final illustrations wouldnt be that big. All the robots and card

designs were made in Illustrator using fairly basic shapes and shading.

Mark then turned to Photoshop for the final touches. To save time and to make

sure each card looked the same, he recorded Actions to use as part of his workflow.

I primarily used Photoshop for adding texture and a glow effect around the robots,

he explains. As I was working with 36 different files, I saved a lot of time by using

Actions for these things. I also used an automate batch Action to save all the files

into formats. The cards were featured in Bonbekmagazine, where kids could cut

out the different cards to play with. Later, an actual card game was produced too.

4. MAKE USE OF ACTIONS

Line drawing

I always start out with a rough

sketch or line drawing. After that, I

paint a rough colour scheme to

decide upon colours and overall

lighting. This illustration had to

cover a whole spread, with a lot of

empty space so that the text could

be added on top of it.

Block colours

When Im satisfied, I move back to

the line drawing, lower the opacity

and create new layers underneath

it, and then start blocking

everything in with clean, solid

colours. I lock the transparency

for each layer and when Im done

with that, its time to paint.

Add form and shading

I start fleshing out the painting,

working a lot with form and

shading. I create a separate layer

on top of everything to serve as

my light in the piece. Separating

the regular layers from the light is

extremely helpful, since you can

work on one thing at a time.

TECHNIQUES 15 ILLUSTRATION TIPS & TRICKS

Andrea Femerstrand

M

arkVerhaagen

030


31/100

3

BRI N MILLER

www.orlincultureshop.com

Artist illustrator and

owner of The Orlin

Culture Shop Brian Miller created Totes

Adorbots a two-hour style exploration in

response to a call for cute vintage robots for

a potential picture book. I worked from start

to finish in Photoshop CS6 using my Wacom

Cintiq he tells us. I use the Lasso tool to

quickly create sharp edges where I need

them. However its the years of study

practice and exploration that

are most vital no matter

what tool or medium

youre using.

5 WORK QUICKLY

WITH A TABLET

B

rianMiller

031

Simple silhouettes

I started with a blank canvas in

Photoshop and created simple

silhouettes for the robots, working

with big shapes first and details last.

It was important at this stage to work

with speed and boldness because of

the short time I had to create.

Limit the palette

With the basic silhouettes in

place, I picked a limited colour

palette; one colour for shadows,

one colour for the highlights.

Limiting my colour palette up

front helps me focus on stronger

designs and compositions.

Direct the imagination

Its important for me to add only as

much detail as is needed to point

the viewers imagination in the

right direction. Too much detail

keeps the viewers imagination

from engaging with the piece,

which is the opposite of my goal.

Wear and tear

Once my silhouettes and colours

were established, I moved on to

detailing the piece. This was

actually a fairly quick process that

just involved me placing enough

specific details on the robot to

suggest overall wear and tear.

Mixed-media

Though I often sketch with traditional

materials, I love the challenge of

trying to create pieces in Photoshop

that blur the lines between traditional

and digital mediums.

Keep it simple

I use a limited number of brushes in

Photoshop to keep my approach as simple as

possible. This allows me to focus on the strength

of the drawing and design, not the tools.


32/100

MARK

VERHAAGENwww.markverhaagen.com

When faced with a brief to create an image out

of a sound, Mark Verhaagen turned the project

into a vintage science illustration. Audio

designer David Kamp (davidkamp.de) came up

with the Sound Creatures project in which he

first created imaginary creature sounds. He

then sent these audio files to selected

illustrators, including Mark, who used them as

inspiration to create images of fictional animals.

The illustrations and corresponding sounds can

be seen on www.sound-creatures.com. The

audio file that I got featured some sort of sad

trumpet sound, so a trumpet-like nose was my

starting point for the look of the animal, hesays.

Once hed created the main shapes of the

animals and plants in Illustrator, Mark exported

his various objects to Photoshop. I added

shading using the Airbrush tool and then locked

transparent pixels in the Layers palette so I

could easily paint within the shape of an object.

Drawing the birds feathers was a bit more

tricky, but as soon as you have one feather in a

particular shape, you can re-use it. Use the Free

Transform, Skew and Warp tools to make each

feather look different to the last, and draw some

extra detail here and there to diversify them

further. When the illustration was ready I added

some textures so it would have a nice, old look.

6. LOCKTRANSPARENTPIXELS

TOMSKI AND POLANSKIwww.tomskipolanski.com

In order to create eye-catching

packaging for a new vegan brand

started by a friend of theirs, Ila and

Luke of Tomski & Polanski envisioned a vintage feel: We

started with classic floral patterns and then changed the

flowers for cupcakes and cocoa, before adding quality

typography. We used Photoshop to draw in the details of

patterns, to complete the composition and for the final

colouring and post-production, and used a lot of custom

brushes and a variety of preset Actions and filters. Since

we use a lot of textures we often add Smart Object layers,

which saves us a lot of work.

7. USE SMART OBJECTS

A trumpet-like nosewas my starting point

for the animals look

M

arkVerhaagen

T

omskiandPolanski


032


33/100

033

STEVE SIMPSONwww.stevesimpson.com

Steve Simpson was given a briefto create packaging for a frozen

yoghurt start-up that required a loud message to

kids declaring its contents yummy while also telling

parents it was healthy: To do this, I decided to create

kid-friendly, energetic, cartoon-ish characters but

make the fruit more realistic.

I was brought into the project by Dublin design

agency IDEA, Steve tells us. I was trusted to create

the look and feel for the project while the agency

looked after the client liaison and production. After

scanning my pencil sketch and setting up the size,

colour mode and resolution of the artwork usually

at least twice the size thats needed I copied the

sketch to a new layer, reduced the Opacity and

Multiplyd the layer. This allowed me to trace theartwork onto multiple layers beneath it. Once I had

the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, head, jumper, etc on

separate layers I looked at tweaking and balancing

the colours. Steve also has some advice on colour:

Try to pick a limited palette of colours before you

start. I put mine in a small swatch somewhere in the

image as a reminder while Im working on it. I then

swap the colours around between elements until Im

happy with the balance. Dont be afraid to experiment

grass isnt always green and cows can be blue.

8. REFINE YOURCOLOUR PALETTE

Final product

The three flavours of Chilly

Moo yoghurt Strawberry,

Banana Strawberry and Mixed

Berry are easily identifiable

by their completely distinct

but also complementary

colour palettes.

Label Top

Each of the Chilly

Moo characters

was adapted so

that it would fit the

different areas of

the packaging, such

as the lid label.

Rough sketches

All my work starts with

pencil sketches lots and

lots of them. Over a couple

of days my extremelyrough ideas are moulded

into something more solid

and presentable. Usually,

Ill present my rough

sketches, but with this

project I wanted to take

them a little further.

Defined colour palette

I coloured the sketches to

show how the characters

could represent different

flavours through the use

of colour, and how that

colour would come

together as a palette.

MAX GREGORwww.maxgregor.com

Max Gregors fashion

illustrations are a harmonious

mix of traditional sketches and digital finishes: Here,

I started with drawings of the different elements of

the models outfit: her body drawn in pencil, an ink

drawing of her shawl and a few brush patterns

drawn in blue gauche. I then scanned all the images

and cleaned them with Levels, then used the Eraser

to remove messy lines and dust left from the scan. A

Color Overlay was key to this image as it allowed me

to add a flat graphic feel and still maintain the loose

organic detail of the brush stroke.

9. UTILISE COLOROVERLAY

SYD BRAKwww.sydbrak.co.uk

For this delicious array of

fruit, Syd Brak reached for the

Filter menu: The idea was to illustrate a products

ingredients in a clean, healthy and appetising way.

I created rough images then enriched the colours

to an attractive and appetising level while retaining

a believable realism. It was important to ensure

the light source was constant on every object,

with an enhanced gloss to emphasise the liquidity

and create a sunny feel. I rely fairly heavily on the

subtleties of the Filter dialog to achieve a realistic

but painter-like quality, and avoid a plastic feel.

11. DELVEINTO FILTERSWANCHANA

INTRASOMBATwww.kun-victorior.com

Wanchana Intrasombat, aka Vic,

created a series of character designs for a project

entitled Life. One is a mischievous boy scout on a trip

with his classmates: My paintings and illustrations

are all done with Photoshop and a Wacom Intuos. Its

the main tool I use and I just used the normal Brush

here. I also use the standard brush to sketch, and

sometimes create my own brushes for projects. For

me, the Brush is Photoshops most important tool; I

use it for all my work as though it was a traditional

tool. Its similar to using real pencils and brushes.

10. SKETCHWITH WACOM

M

axGregor

W

anchanaIntrasombat

S

ydBrak

Steve Simpson


34/100

034


VINCENTE GARCIA MORILLOwww.vicentegarciamorillo.com

Vicente Garcia Morillo worked on Converses Pro

Leather campaign: I had to present a graphicinterpretation of the Converse logo based on

concepts relating to urban street culture. Here, I represented basketball.

Once I got the concept, I did sketches of the composition on paper for the

client. After the concept was approved I started to develop the digital

phase. I created all the vector elements in Adobe Illustrator and then

imported these into Photoshop. Here I applied the Noise filter, which

helps to provide a uniform aspect and give the artwork some vibration.

12. ADD NOISE

SASHA

VINOGRADOVAwww.behance.net/MelaMel

Working to create four

characters in a detailed environment under the

heading of Mercenaries, Sasha Vinogradova

choose a funny and quirky style: The first step

was character design and deciding how they

would look. Next I made a rough sketch of

compositions, colours and lights and then

created my scene and 3D models in 3DS Max

and ZBrush. I set up lights and materials in a

3D scene then rendered my image. After that I

added details like eyes, grass and hair, and also

some postproduction edits like air perspective

and colour/contrast correction. I created all the

sketches and textures for elements such as the

scarf in Photoshop. I also added some details in

postproduction. When you create an image, tryto keep the final result as clear as you can in

your mind and never ignore composition. I love

to add details, but if you start adding them too

soon without keeping the entire image in mind

then you risk losing the integrity of your image.

Finding your favourite artists and researching

their work is a great way to improve your own.

14. ILLUSTRATEIN 3D

Sasha Vinogradova

V

incenteGarciaMorillo/Converse

Work in lead

I create the base of my illustrations using 5H

to 8B pencils. This achieves a fantastic tonal

range, adding the depth and textures that

clients request.

Clean up

For the retouching stage I use tools such

as the Clone Stamp and Healing Brush to

remove unwanted imperfections caused

by the traditional stage.

Add colour

I add base colours using a

Selective Color adjustment,

altering the White, Neutral

and Black channels. I create

these colour layers until I

achieve the desired look.

Pen Pressure

I tend to use a hard round brush

with Pen Pressure set to Add

Details and like to add softened

tonal areas, as seen in the waves.

MITCHELL NELSONwww.behance.net/mitchellnelson

13. PRESERVE YOUR TRADITIONAL FEEL

Mitchell Nelson was asked by California-based publisher Devious

Publications to create a quirky and unique logo, which had to tell a

story reflecting classical and vintage qualities: I drew the illustration

with pencils and then scanned this into Photoshop for postproduction and retouching.

Subtlety is the key; I try to remember why I start with pencil in the first place and enhance

its qualities rather than destroy them. However, if you are after a highly digital piece but

still mix with traditional media, strong contrasts of the two can give contemporary looks.

Mi

tchell

Nelso

n


35/100

YANA BEYLINSONwww.liquidpixelstudio.net

Yana Beylinson, principal of Liquid Pixel Studios,

took the vision of a family-owned business and

turned it into packaging for their range: Casacao is a family-owned

producer of organic cocoa beans, nibs and powder. The farm is located

in the Dominican Republic, with its headquarters in New York. The initial

brief had multiple references to the organic nature of the business and

admiration of the beauty and health benefits of cacao plants. Photoshop

was a cornerstone of the process, as it is for all my illustration and

pattern work. After the drawing is scanned in, the entire process of

rendering, separating the elements and colouring is done in Photoshop.

The pattern is also created in Photoshop, with careful attention paid to

detail and the placement of elements. Each element, such as the outline

or silhouette of a bean, is cleaned and placed in a separate layer. One

simple plant illustration can use up to 10 layers. I use the Color Overlay

(in the Layer Style menu) technique to colour each layer; its the mosttime-effective and easy-to-change method. For patterns, I duplicate

each plant, create a layer group for each, then try different positions. The

resulting files are very large so I make flattened TIFFs for production.

15. COLOUR WITHCOLOR OVERLAY

Logo application

The next step was

the typography and

logo design. Several

versions were

suggested and a

seal option was

selected. Several

variations and

colourings were

then presented.

Pencil drawing

The lovely shapes of

cocoa branches and

beans was a starting

point. It was

suggested to

create a line

drawing that

depicts a branch.

A series of pencil drafts was

created before a perfectdepiction was selected and

rendered in pen and ink.

Package label

An intricate pattern based on the cacao

branch illustration was decided upon. Again,

several versions and colour options were

shown in order to select the strongest version.

Yana Beylinson

The right insurancefor YOU?

Imaging Insurance is a trading name licensed to Vantage Insurance Services Limited (VISL) by Niche Insurance Services Limited.

VISL is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. VISL is registered in England, No 3441136.

VISLs registered address is: 5th Floor, 41 Eastcheap, London, EC3M 1DT

Imaging Insurance can be contracted at: 2nd Floor, Juniper House, Warley Hill Business Park, Brentwood, CM13 3BE

Tel: 01277 243016, Fax: 0207 6558060, Email: [email protected]

With a full range of specialist policies

for Photographers, Video-makers, Film

Processing Labs and everyone involved in

Image-making, Imaging makes insurancesimple, effective and hassle free.

Imaging strives to give you excellent cover,

service, security and value for money.

For a quote or more information.Call Imaging Insurance now on...

01277 243016Or visit our website...

www.imaginginsurance.co.uk


36/100

036

TECHNIQUES DIGITAL COVER ART

Provider


37/100

037

Album artwork has been under the influence of iconic

designers for decades, perpetually inspiring

generation after generation of artists. Producers use

imagery as a means to maximise the appeal of

commercial brands, but the work created is more than

just a marketing tool. Many people very much revere album artwork as

an expression of artistic intent certainly this is an opinion shared by all

the artists in our latest feature. Here we take an in-depth look at the

production of artwork for that album cover space, hearing directly from

the artists that make it. Lets start from the very top.

IS THE FORMAT STILL IMPORTANT?CD booklets and covers tend to be around 4.75 x 4.75 inches precisely,having recently moved away from the 12-inch models. Many believe

that compact sizes have deterred from more expressive styles, but

digital artists are doing things their own way. This creative redux

includes expressive CD packaging that extends branding into themed

websites. Design has broken from the confines of a rectilinear space.

These forages into web have had a distinct effect on presented styles.

A specific example is the work produced by graphic designer Jorge El

Soto (www.jorgeelsoto.com) for international DJ Jorge Prida (www.

jorgeprida.com). I thought it would be best to have a simple and

attractive image, which wouldnt include any other element than the

background and typography. This made it adaptable to different media

specs, without losing its visual power.

However, the print space is not wholly forgotten and lavish styles are

still being produced. Panel foldouts are being utilised as a continued

canvas space. Here artists produce complementary visuals and

material from the album artwork to create a completely new design.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TYPETypography is another complementary visual that helps to supplement

artwork and promote a music brand. In many instances the typeface is

influenced by the imagery. This was the case for communication

designer Kittaya Treseangrat (http://cargocollective.com/

kittayatreseangrat) and she uses her work for experimental band

Black Moth Super Rainbow (http://blackmothsuperrainbow.com) as aprime example. The condition of the typeface was clearly dictated by

this projects album artwork. The packaging was colourful and loud, so

I wanted the type to appear conservative by contrast, Treseangrat

explains. In order to make it conspicuous, I enclosed the text within an

area of negative space, increasing its legibility.

With the increase in digital formats, sharing work on iPods and other

portable media players, its become extremely important to make sure

type is legible at thumbnail sizes. However, some artists believe this

isnt always such a big hang up for print projects. Freelance illustrator

Hani Abusamra (www.behan