Black & White Photo Studies

Let's hone those gray-scale skills.

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To my surprise, some of the most memorable assignments from art school were humble warm-ups and drills.  In the spirit of this discipline, I've created a set of digital painting exercises called 'Skill Drills'.  Here I'll walk you through series of homework assignments designed to simplify black & white photo studies. 

Each of the 4 drills target your focus on specific aspects of photo studies.  Instead of trying to make a general 'copy', you'll be limiting yourself to stroke economy, narrow values, or other useful exercises.  These drills ramp up in difficulty, building on one another as you improve your disciplined visual foundation. 

Though these assignments are appropriate for any skill level, they work best when accompanied by the Basic Rendering series.  These drills assume a basic understanding of painting in black and white.  

If you're ready to improve your rendering skills, let's get to work!

Exploring Theme

Welcome back! After laying out the ‘elevator pitch’, now it’s time to map out some more of the important details for the game’s setting. Taking the time to plan upfront will help avoid heartache down the road. In this episode we’ll talk about theme, setting, and goals.

Designed To Work: The Pitch

Designed to Work is an ongoing free series where I’ll show design in action by creating concept art for a fake videogame, one week at a time.

When it comes to art, technique and Design are equally important. Technique is what Ctrl+Paint spends most of its time exploring: Photoshop, brushwork, texture overlays, etc. But in my day-to-day work, a significant amount of time is spent answering the question ‘why?’. Why should a vehicle have 6 wheels instead of 4? What color should the villain’s costume be? How tall should a fortress rise above the battlefield? These questions drive the end result as much one’s technical ability in Photoshop or with a paintbrush.

Finally, expect this series to differ from the standard Ctrl+Paint format. Unlike my other videos, this series will sometimes wander in unexpected directions. In the real world, art is hard to plan, and often takes unpredictable turns due to unforeseen factors. Instead of overly planning this video series, my intention is to let the direction play out organically. Stay tuned!

The Info Tool Pt. 2

This video continues our quick look into the (often overlooked) info tool in Photoshop. Make sure to watch the previous video if you haven't already! Ctrl+Paint Store: http://ctrlpaint.myshopify.com/ Full Free Video Library: http://www.ctrlpaint.com/library/ note: This video was originally created for CtrlPaint.com, so the listed date of publication may vary.

This video continues our quick look into the (often overlooked) info tool in Photoshop.  Make sure to watch the previous video if you haven't already!

The Info Tool Pt.1

When using Photoshop, have you ever encountered a small crosshair on your canvas? Perhaps you noticed this crosshair, and then couldn't figure out how to get...

When using Photoshop,  have you ever encountered a small crosshair on your canvas?  Perhaps you noticed this crosshair, and then couldn't figure out how to get rid of it.  This is called the '"info tool" - and it's more useful that you might realize.  Let's see what it does!

Snapping Issues?

Free transform is an essential tool for digital painting.  Snapping is an important aspect of this tool, but many artists don't know how to control the effect.  In this short video, we'll explore 'snapping' in the free transform tool.

Are Photos "Cheating"?

Beginners often wrestle with questions of 'cheating'. Whether or not a certain tool is fair to use while making a painting. This video explains my take on th...

Today's video wrestles with the question "when painting, is it cheating to include photos in your image?"  Every artist has a different answer, but many contemporary digital painters have fully embraced photos as part of the painting process.  In this video I'll show a variety of tools (including photos) that lead to one of my paintings.  

Thanks to reader Dante who asked a great question in the comments to last week's video.  I know he's not the only who feels conflicted, so let's talk about it!

Adding Photo Elements

Photographs can be a great addition to the painting process.  In other videos I've talked about photos in the context of 'reference', but what about using them right in your painting?  The trick is knowing how to properly integrate them, so it's impossible to see where your brushstrokes end and the photo begins.  The tools are tricky and take time to learn, but it's a worthwhile process.  If you'd like to know more about this process, I encourage you to check out my bundle "Digital Realism".

8bit vs. 16bit Color

What is the difference between 8 and 16 bit color?  Does it make a difference for illustrations?  In this short video I explain the basics.

Destructive vs. Non-Destructive

You've probably heard the terms 'Destructive' and 'Non-Destructive'.  When it comes to digital painting, what do they mean?  This brief video explains the difference, and my recommendation for successful illustration. 

The Reference Process

Using reference photos is a crucial aspect of the painting process. In this video I give a quick overview of my process - focusing on how photos can play une...

Using reference photos is a crucial aspect of the painting process.  In this video I give a quick overview of my process - focusing on how photos can play unexpected roles.  

Balancing Control and Fluidity 3

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In this video I wrap up a short mini-series on the tricky balance of precision and dynamism.  Instead of focusing on individual tools, this time we'll look the importance of keyboard shortcuts.  Make sure to watch parts one and two!

Balancing Control and Fluidity 2

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

In this video we'll explore another way to keep control of your painting without sacrificing fluidity.  If you haven't yet, make sure to watch part 1 here.

Balancing Control and Fluidity

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Painting balances two crucial factors: control and fluidity.  Some of Photoshop's tools encourage fluidity, and many encourage control - but they're often in conflict.  You'll see this while watching youtube videos from other artists: some work very loose and fast, while others work very tight and slow.  In this video I demonstrate how the 'lock transparent pixels' checkbox helps you balance both approaches. 

Digital Realism Starter Kit

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Practical steps for adding polish and detail to your paintings.

Once you have a clear grasp of basic painting techniques, it can be tricky knowing how to proceed.  How are those other artists making such realistic paintings?  In many cases, you're seeing digital paintings subtly layered with photographic elements.  The methods of adding detail might not feel much like traditional painting, but they offer huge potential.   This collection helps you get started.  The 6 included series have a total runtime of 367 minutes. 

Note: This is an intermediate level course, and is designed as a followup to the Digital Painting and Color starter kits.

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Video Previews

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

The "Beginner Study"

Learning to critique and improve your own work is hard.  Finding issues with your own creations is hard.  In this video I recommend a different approach to help get the ball rolling.  And if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure to watch the related "Fix List" videos to guide your improvements.  Have fun!

Don't Rush

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Want to improve your polish?  Don't rush.  This video explores the importance of preparation and patience - using some of my old work as a cautionary tale.  Learn from my mistakes: it isn't cool to work fast.

Brush Behaving Badly?

Sometimes Photoshop brushes don't work right.  Or at least it seems that way.  This video is an answer to one of the common questions I'm asked: "why is my brush broken?".  It might not solve every problem, but it's a hidden setting that you might never discover on your own.  I hope it helps!

"Puppet Warping" Photos

When adding photographic elements to an image, they're never quite the right shape.  Maybe it's a perspective problem, or maybe it's just slightly skewed - but photos always need to be integrated into you painting.   In this video I'll show one of the most powerful, if situational, ways to twist and bend elements.  This is so cool.

Color

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Color is a tricky area for many digital painters.  Like adding sugar to salt to a recipe, too much is harmful - too little is a missed opportunity - but finding the right balance takes years of practice.  To make matters worse, color can feel elusive and inconsistent since its perception is relative, based on surrounding values.  For these reasons and more, color offers many opportunities to trip up beginners.  In this episode of the fix list, we'll explore some of the most common challenges - as well as versatile solutions.    

Related Topics

• Color Relativity

• Intro to Color Schemes

• Color Contrast

• Basic Color Schemes Pt. 2

• Vibrant Colors

• Unify Your Palette

• The Color Starter Kit