Tutorials we find helpful

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Done in Paint tool SAI, the LAST step is done in Adobe Photoshop.
Free tutorial for you, now you know how i do the glow. Hope its helpful.

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Check out and Download the Step by Step and Original Practice Sheet .PSD HERE.

Artist: Tim Von Rueden (vonn)
The pumpkin material and texture is my favorite berry to create (yes it’s a berry). There are so many texture liberties you can take with the surface that it pays off to have subtle imperfections on the surface. So while this is first and foremost a lighting challenge, it also doubled as a fun material exercise as well!
So when looking at the lighting there is an obvious difference between being lit from the outside versus the inside.

Lit from Outside: I took a standard overhead lighting and in the example below you can see that when simplified on a sphere, it looks hollow when you cut out a section. That contrast in value alone gives an impression of depth and dimension. This is because of how little light will be able to reach the inside and bounce around. Depending on the material and how thin the walls are, you may even be able to see the light permeate through the surface a bit.
Lit from Inside: Contrast is once again the reason for the look and impression of dimension, only this time it’s reversed. Imagine this sphere being played outside and night with a candle lit on the inside. Now that section we cut out is illuminated with light and will even have some spill out. Be sure to give some attention and detail to the sliver that is still seen by the viewer along the rim to add some further realism illusion!

When looking at our two pumpkin examples that this exercise asks you to create, they both start with the same lineart but end up vastly different. So below is a step by step narrative guide on how I created the two example results with notes on each step and how to get a similar result!

Outline – Begin with the overall look and shape of the pumpkin and minimize any rough sketching that may still be present.
Solid Base – Choose solid base colors from a reference and work more neutral or even closer to a darker value to build upon.
Value and Detail Pass – Before laying down another color, focus on where you want your light source and stay consistent throughout! Also bear in mind whether the light is coming from the outside or inside of the pumpkin. The night one will have a minimal amount of form building compared to the day one.
Remove Outlines and Refine – This will remove the outline and let your material shine! This step can be tedious but very much worth the effort in the end to add that nice touch of texture throughout!
Surface, Highlights, and Bounce Lighting – The placement of highlights will define the overall render quality of your pumpkins. Be very mindful of the way the highlights are rounded out on each surface and where the form curves inward. The subtle surface textures will add a sense of realism as well.
Final Polish Pass – I added in the cast shadow and to give it some more “pop” I added a multiply and overlay layer on top to focused on darkening the edges and adding some saturation to the highlights! You can also experiment with some color balancing to see if you may like a slightly off hue look. I also like to soften the edge just a tad to make it feel more real and less tight and sharp on the edges.

This is a fun exercise to take on if you’re looking to strengthen either your lighting or material knowledge or even both!
When you finish the exercise, remember to submit the result to the “Submissions” tab on CGCookie.com. You can see other submissions alongside your own!

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Watch the tutorial, download the .PSD, the Exercise, and HD Video HERE

Artist: Tim Von Rueden (vonn)
Looking for a more advanced look at painting materials? Check out our latest tutorial exploring Subsurface Scattering with translucent objects! We cover what SSS is, how objects are affecting by this, how lighting plays a part, and also explains why it will take your material works to the next level!
You can also download the free Exercise to challenge your knowledge and showcase your understanding of Subsurface Scattering!

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Check out our Fur Exercise and Download the Step by Step Guide HERE.

Artist: Tim Von Rueden (vonn)
Fur can be tough, so be patient and don’t rush the details. If you really analyze the movement and shaping of fur, you can see how intricate and fluid it can be. So instead of creating individual brushstrokes to represent fur or drawing triangles, instead work with layering the shapes and keeping the flow moving in a general direction.
I generally start with a solid foundation value, and a slightly darker one. This allows an easy buildup of lighter values to create the illusion of fur. From there, I lay down the initial sketch and general direction of the fur which is important because it creates an outline guide to follow along. And remember that you should the fur to feel messy in areas while still following a general direction. Fur that looks too perfect may not look like fur at all but rather something more synthetic. When putting down the lighter values, avoid going straight for white but instead build it up slowly to create a more natural progression of values. I personally avoid pushing highlights at all because this can be a distraction and often strong highlights aren’t necessary. And have your brushstrokes follow the flow of the hair.
From there, it’s all about cleaning up the details and pushing edges that feel blurry or muddy. Once I think we have a solid outcome, I will then pump up the contrasts if necessary, usually with the “Levels” adjustment slider bar which can be found under the “Image” tab on the tab menu, then “Adjustments”. And typically you want an area of interest for your viewer to look at and a soft lighter “gradient” starting where the light source is coming from will do the trick!
If you’re looking to add Color, then A “Color” Layer Blend mode is a great choice for going from greyscale to color. This can be found by creating a new layer on top and changing the mode under the “Layers” menu, which is normally set to “Normal” to “Color” instead. Then you choose your color and paint over the grey to add color!

This is only one way of many to create the illusion of fur, but hopefully it can help you out if you’re looking to creating some fur in your own work!

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Morning everyone Finally sunday tutorial again ~
Today i want to share how to paint " fire" .

This is what i learn , i hope could share it with you guys

1. Draw the fire shape . Feel free how do you want to draw it shape .
2 give it some medium . Im used brush in paint tool sai . Decreace it opacity ( the brush opacity )
3 . In this step . You can add 2 new layer . ( one above the first layer use oil water / more blending brush .
Draw more like a fog around the fire . After then turn the opacity layer to 60%
Them make new layer upper all layer . Give it yelow color more like the core on the fire)
4 detailing with blending brush around brighterr color
5 detailing again with pen tool ( or another brush more hardness ) step by step around the red color So the fire could looks like released into the air6 voila . Its done . U can edit the brightness / contrast to get more contrast color . ( can edit in sai / photoshop) And done

Its only a basic how to paint the fire

You can improve the fire as u like
Here some sample of my drawing using this step

I hope u like, and enjoy it
keep the spirit, we are equally as learning
Other tutorials you can see on my Funpage: www.facebook.com/EvolutionArtw…;