Master Splinter Digital Sketch/ Painting Process...

For this week's blog post I thought I'd share another process demo/ tutorial. Instead of using traditional mediums I am going to focus on digital painting/ sketching. For those of you that know me personally know that I love digital painting! Like all mediums it has unique qualities and attributes that are specific to it's self. It can do things that other mediums can't. There is a huge down side to digital painting, unless you draw it out on paper first, you don't have an original art piece when you are all finished. Sure you can make prints but it's not the same thing, trust me. 

The subject for this demo is none other than everyone's favorite ninja rat... Master Splinter! I've been wanting to do a painting of this guy for some time now and Sketch Dailies topic yesterday happened to be Splinter so I decided it was finally  time.

As far as tools go I am using a Wacom Cintiq 24 HD and Photoshop CS6.  

A while back a friend of mine recommended some awesome digital pencil brushes from FRENDEN.  They have a natural pencil feel and add a nice texture to the digital drawing. As with most of my artwork I start out with a few rough thumbnail sketches to get a feel for the character. Once I get one that has the right look I start to refine it. 

Now that the rough sketch is done I lower the opacity of that layer pull up a new layer and tighten up the line work. This process is similar to how a comic book artist would use a light table to refine their pencils or inks. 

 I start the color process by first putting to getter my color pallet. Then I block in the ruff flat colors. after the flats are done I establish a light source and block in my values. I want to note that I am zoomed out and I am using a large brush for this step. Also, I am painting loosely often going outside the lines of my initial sketch. 

 I take my time and build up the layers of pixel paint. I should note that I am only working on one or to layers in Photoshop. I have some really talented friends that can paint on dozens and dozens of layers and manage them, but I have found that for me, personally, it is easier to keep the layers to a minimum. At his stage I start to zoom in for the tighter details like the hair and whiskers.

After I am happy with Splinter I rough in  a loose background. I check a few things and add a slight texture to his robe, add the old signature, and BAM this one done! 

If you have any questions or comments please sound off below. Have a great week everyone!