Online assets free for all readers FREE DOWNLOAD NEW LEARN MODO PERFECT PHOTOSHOP MASTER ZBRUSH THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CREATING ART THAT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD One of the best things about sci-fi and fantasy-inspired art is the fact that there are no constraints, you don’t have to abide by rules or reality, you simply have to create. Whether your specialism lies in character creation, concept artwork, landscapes or fantastical creatures, the Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book has something for you. Covering programs including Photoshop, ZBrush, Maya, 3ds Max, MODO and Blender, we delve into techniques and ideas with the help of expert artists. From building intricate characters and outfi ts to creating whole worlds from scratch, there’s plenty of advice to help better your artwork and further your fi eld of vision and expertise. In this latest edition, fi nd out how to use programs in conjunction with each other to produce beautiful designs, and get top tips on how to create everything from sci-fi vehicles and futuristic mechs to aliens and complex steampunk buildings. Put your mind into its creative gear and jump into the world of sci-fi and fantasy art now. Welcome to Imagine Publishing Ltd Richmond House 33 Richmond Hill Bournemouth Dorset BH2 6EZ � +44 (0) 1202 586200 Website: www.imagine-publishing.co.uk Twitter: @Books_Imagine Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImagineBookazines Publishing Director Aaron Asadi Head of Design Ross Andrews Production Editor Hannah Westlake Senior Art Editor Greg Whitaker Assistant Designer Harriet Knight Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT Distributed in the UK, Eire & the Rest of the World by: Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU 0203 787 9060, www.marketforce.co.uk Distributed in Australia by: Network Services (a division of Bauer Media Group), Level 21 Civic Tower, 66-68 Goulburn Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia Tel +61 2 8667 5288 Disclaimer The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of Imagine Publishing Ltd. Nothing in this bookazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the bookazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This bookazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. Photoshop is either a registered trademark or trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries and is used with express permission. The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book Third Edition © 2015 Imagine Publishing Ltd ISBN 9781785461446 bookazine series Part of the 42 62 Character Creatures 18 Create armoured sci-fi characters Design and create a highly complex and functional armoured alien 26 Paint a classic fantasy heroine Create a Frank Frazetta inspired piece 32 Shade a dark fantasy character A step-by-step guide to creating a classic monochrome illustration 36 Design a Weta character Learn to use ZBrush to create a fantasy character portrait 42 Render a cyberpunk character Model, texture and light a character from a futuristic cyberpunk world 50 Design original robot mechs Paint a sci-fi mech illustration taking inspiration from classic Westerns 54 Master magical manga effects Create supernatural effects in your manga drawings 62 Create a mythical beast A look at the workflow involved in creating mythical creatures 68 Master creature creation Model and render a sea creature 74 Design a 3D alien Learn to create high quality, 3D cinematic concepts 80 Construct a mech wolf Render a luminescent mech creature 88 Create creature-based action scenes How to create a dramatic creature and the human heroes who stand up to it 08 The rules of fantasy art From concept and composition to tools and technique 6 The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book 68 146 96 88 Landscape 96 Make a fantasy landscape Discover what it takes to make your own fantasy landscape 104 Key skills for sci-fi scenes How setting a scene and story can improve your sci-fi art 110 Compose a spacescape Discover the means to create realistic yet futuristic scenes 116 Sculpt an epic sci-fi terrain Work in ZBrush to build your terrain 122 Design destructive cityscapes Create evocative digital matte paintings 128 Build fantasy architecture Let real-world references inspire your fantasy buildings 134 Create fantasy worlds Learn to recreate fantasy movie scenes Concept 142 Secrets of good concept art Create a character whose personality is influenced by their environment and surroundings 146 Design a sci-fi interior Invent plausible-looking sci-fi interior scenes 152 Master pro matte painting Combine photos and 3D renders 158 Paint sci-fi action scenes How to bring dynamism and action to your sci-fi scenes 164 Create sci-fi weaponry Concept futuristic weaponry designs using a variety of techniques 170 Produce comic book style renders Visualise an aircraft concept and bring it into a comic strip world 134 Sci-fi and fantasy concept painting is one of the biggest sub-genres of digital art, so it pays to learn the rules of the biggest sub-genres of digital art, so it The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book�7 8 The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book Concept and planning T here is nothing more daunting than staring at a blank canvas with no idea of where to start. When constructing any conceptual landscape work, thorough planning is essential to the visual development of the piece. But are there any proven methods for getting going on a project, a perfect method of planning that will guarantee the success of a piece? Portuguese artist Andreas Rocha, an up-and-coming favourite in the gaming and editorial arenas, cites both motivation and thorough research as key elements in his workfl ow, but he also suggests getting the basics down fi rst: “Without research, the initial concept can lead to failure. I would suggest that it is best to fi rst think briefl y about what you want to portray, just the general guidelines.” This helps you to fi nd that balance between what your imagination would like to achieve whilst maintaining a sense of realism within the piece. Rocha admits to a preference of using specialist books over the internet when in these early research stages. “For instance, you want to use some Art Nouveau motifs in a fantastic castle,” he explains. “You can fi nd examples on the internet, but specialised books will give you much better quality images taken by professional photographers, all condensed into one handy resource. If you opt for the internet, you will almost certainly not get the best photos and you will lose time fi ltering the results.” Despite this, the world wide web does hold some benefi ts according to Rocha: “On the other hand, the internet displays its content in digital format, which is great for organisational purposes. Keeping things organised will help to transform your initial painting process into a combination of fl uid, dynamic actions where there is no time for interruption.” Rocha endorses the advantages of stock photography to help speed up the workfl ow in digital applications such as Photoshop and other painter programs. “Photographs can be really helpful in the conceptualising process,” he explains. “Photos not only contain information about an object, but they also show us how the object interacts with its surroundings and this can be important in portraying the object realistically.” He does warn artists not to become too reliant on photos, though, if you want to maintain some individuality in your work: “Photos should be used as a complement. They should not dictate what The rules of fantasy art F antasy and sci-fi concept painting is one of the biggest sub-genres of digital art, and in order to be successful in this area, it pays to learn the rules of planning, composition and application. Artists who master this type of artwork will fi nd their skills essential in the movie, videogame and entertainment industries, where the need to convey places and objects that don’t yet exist is common. Over these pages, we will be looking at the work of four amazing artists who have created awe-inspiring artworks on the digital canvas, from the likes of Martin Bland’s tech-macabre cyber cityscapes to Andreas Rocha’s sci-fi utopias. Dedication and practice count for much when achieving these styles, as well as natural artistic ability, but there are plenty of rules and methods that you can learn and apply to your artwork to improve your creations. We talk with some of the fantasy art industry’s top contributors and get them to reveal their top tips and tricks. Even if you’re not into fantasy landscapes, the advice here is relevant across all genres of digital art. So read on to start on your path toward better digital paintings. Art Fantasy We explore the rules of digital painting, from concept and composition through to tools and technique The rules of The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book�9 Central element (tower) placed at third of layout (rule of thirds) Background only hinted – overcast sky blurs detail Observation of the behaviour of nature (images stored in memory, others from photography) clouds, refl ections, atmosphere Contrast around main elements; surrounding low contrast/dark Low eye-level horizon; vanishing points off canvas – low dynamism leads to a calm setting Home: “Homage to one of Lisbon’s most charismatic monuments: The Tower of Belém” © Andreas Rocha Mostly monochromatic; some hint of red (maybe fl ags) later turned into single light source The rules of fantasy art 10 The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book you are portraying. Conceptualisation has to involve the creative side of the brain and allowing your own imagination to take control is important.” The value of good motivation and stock resources is in providing the ability to put down strong ideas in a simple basic language. Sketches and line work are fundamental in developing the conceptual composition for any artist, as Rocha explains: “Since they set the limits, you can quickly evaluate the content as things get defined very early on. Another advantage is that once the sketch is done, you can quickly add value underneath the line work by putting this layer in Multiply mode in Photoshop, above the value layer. Using this method, the filling out of forms becomes a very quick process.” Different artists have different processes when it comes to starting their images. New Zealand- based concept artist Stefan Morrell voices his own opinion on the early stages of image creation. “For the initial development stages, I try to avoid colour. I’m always very concerned with values, and as such, black and white or muted colours are used more often. In later concept stages, it certainly becomes more important.” The artist, who is also a content creator for DAZ 3D, sanctions the use of digital media and its assistance in the pre- production stages. “In Photoshop, I mostly use the Chalk brush for roughing images out. It’s the ideal brush for quickly building up values and, when used with a graphics tablet, you can work very freely. The initial thumbnail process is more about values and shapes than anything else. I try to work with three basic values in sketches, dark for the foreground, mid-grey for the middle and a light grey for the background. These would also be the same values that I work with when using COPIC graphic pens on paper.” Morrell also finds that digital software allows him to construct innovative compositions in a novel fashion, as he explains: “I have explored many different techniques of overlaying several images to ‘find’ an image, but that tends to be quite a random way of working. It’s great if you have no idea to begin with and just want to explore shapes; you simply overlay several images in the one Photoshop file and use the blending modes of each layer to randomly change the look of each layer. Finally, when all the layers are combined it can come up with some fun ideas.” Photos not only contain information about an object, but they also show us how the object interacts with its surroundings The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book�11 Simulated strokes Photoshop’s improved brush capacity has excelled the limits of concept painters, as Martin Bland reveals. “The brush engine is now massively powerful, and any number of eff ects can be applied with a few custom brushes. Take painting chain links, for example. It would have taken an age to do a few versions of the software back, but now, one custom brush and one sweep of said brush and you have a chain!” Essential tools The Majestic: “Here I wanted to show off the height of the building, adding atmospheric perspective to the very top of the building so it almost blends into the sky” © Stefan Morrell District75: “With this image, I added dozens of photos of billboards and neon signs to add some life to the city” © Stefan Morrell Waterworld: “Again using values to separate areas of an image, and darker foreground areas frame the rest of the scene” © Stefan Morrell Rapidly building up textures is where Photoshop really comes in handy; it’s all about speed and ease of use A guide to some of the key features of Photoshop Setting the mood Photoshop supplies a range of adjustment options to later enhance your colours. Variations, Hue/ Saturations and adjustment options such as Channel Mixer and Color Balance can enhance eff ects, as Sarel Theron explains. “Just as music helps build mood, colour can also help create a certain mood within a painting. A contrast between cooler and warmer hues can create impact as well as help to defi ne focal points. I tend to pick the kind of palette that best suits the subject, eg warm brown tones for deserts and cool crisp blues for icy environments.” Layered eff ects Photoshop’s introduction of editable layer effects have been a real plus for producing multifaceted compositions, as Morrell explains. “In a production environment, photographed elements are essential. Something as simple as a photo of a stone wall can be overlaid onto a basic Photoshop drawing to give the appearance of a castle wall. Rapidly building up textures is where Photoshop comes in handy; it’s all about speed and ease of use.” The rules of fantasy art 12 The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book The focal point of the painting is the steam train and has been placed accordingly in one third across of the composition The vanishing point is placed appropriately in the central section grid to draw the line of sight and accentuate perspective The horizon is set on the horizontal line dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two thirds. This allows the linear features in the photograph to fl ow between sections Industrial City WIP: “An industrial cityscape in a ‘steampunk’ setting. While it’s still a work in progress, it serves as a good example of how colour can create mood” © Sarel Theron Photoshop greatly adds to the fl exibility required of a concept artist. In minutes you can completely change the mood of an image The rules of fantasy art The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book 13 O nce you have the basic ideas down on paper, then it’s time to start thinking about building up the composition of your painting. Stefan Morrell uses 3D software to its full advantage, saying: “In the initial conceptual phase, I always work with some basic perspective lines and a horizon drawn out. When working with buildings or cityscapes in particular, this is very important. Getting your vanishing lines and correct perspective laid out in the initial stages will save a lot of pain down the road. This is not so important if your scene is pure 3D, but when working with something like a 2.5D matte painting, it’s an essential step to get right.” Once the composition has been realised and ‘fleshed’ out, be it line drawing or colour washing, the next logical creative step for a concept artist is to visually substantiate the scene and here modern digital software really excels – something that Morrell agrees with: “Using a program like Photoshop greatly adds to the flexibility required of a concept artist. In a matter of minutes you can completely change the mood of an image. Embracing technology has helped my art grow in ways I could never have imagined, and it’s through valuable tools like Photoshop that these ideas can be imagined.” Digital matte painter Sarel Theron also agrees with this attitude: “I would say that Photoshop has definitely advanced the possibilities of colour application. Adjustment layers and colour overlays enable the artist to make chromatic changes without permanently affecting the layers beneath.” This encourages experimentation, which in Theron’s opinion can only lead to better, vibrant artwork. Providing much of this himself, including high-end commercials, television productions and various pitches, Theron continues: “Clever use of scale can help to provide depth. Naturally, the further away the object is the smaller it appears. Often the challenge with fantasy landscapes is portraying the scale of objects that don’t exist in real life. This can best be achieved with the use of atmospheric perspective as well as juxtaposing real-life objects with the imaginary ones.” To Theron these are mere suggestions, believing art should be without any hard rules. However, there is one valuable exception that he sanctions: the rule of thirds. He explains: “Simply put, a canvas is divided up into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. The focal point of the painting is then placed either one third across or one third up or down the picture or where the lines intersect. Framing helps to prevent the viewer’s eye from leaving the canvas while also guiding it back in towards the focal point, and you can see that in any good photo.“ Perfect composition Divide your canvas into thirds, horizontally and/or vertically, placing your important objects on them. Keep vanishing points off-centre for more interest Sentinel bay (right): “Another fantasy-themed painting that demonstrates both the use of scale and atmospheric perspective” © Sarel Theron The rules of fantasy art 14 The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book O nce the basic ideas have been put down and the composition is decided, it is time to start thinking about the lighting and colours that you are going to use in your images to help create atmosphere. Sarel Theron talks about ‘atmospheric perspective’ in his images: “This defines our perception of objects as they recede into the distance. The further away the object gets, the lighter the tone becomes, while colours tend to cool and contrasts lessen. Air is not invisible as most people seem to think, and it’s important to take it into consideration when painting distant objects.” Here he observes another key factor in concept art production. The use of colour and lighting in an image is essential. This can be crucial in correctly portraying theme and obtaining an emotive response. Theron agrees, saying: “Just as music builds mood, colour can also help create atmosphere within a painting. Contrast between cooler and warmer hues can create impact as well as help to define focal points. I’m also aware that certain colours can produce certain feelings or emotions, although generally I tend to pick the kind of palette that best suits the subject, for example warm brown tones for deserts and cool crisp blues for ice environments.” He continues: “However, lighting is probably the most important aspect. It helps to describe the form, colour and texture of the landscape. A landscape artist does not outline shapes; he paints them as light defines them. Colour helps a lot with setting the overall mood and atmosphere and, as with light, can be used to define focal points.” The correct application in the creation of light gives a composition a pragmatic essence, as UK-based conceptual artist and tutorial provider Martin Bland explains: “Successful lighting and colour choices make the difference between something looking real and tangible to something that looks like a flat 2D illustration. Conceptually, more often than not, you are asked to take an idea, and bring it to life. Bland continues: “Without proper lighting there is no life, no spark to an image, no realism. In order to make people believe what they are seeing, you need to trick the eye into believability, which is all done by lighting and the creation of depth.” Addressing the application of paint to create light and colour, Bland exposes further practices to creating realism. “Even if you paint 99 per cent of your scene from scratch, an added texture or effect can make a huge difference to the end product. A well-placed texture overlay to age an area of metalwork, ground planes muddied up with a texture, overlaid and skewed into perspective to add to the believability and an Unsharp Mask on your final-sized flattened image to make detailed areas pop. Used subtly, these can add a lot to help a final image.” Yet when practising concept art, the ‘end product’ goes beyond mere invention. Presentation is just as essential in delivering powerful visuals. Bland provided some authoritative final thoughts when he commented, “It depends a lot on the image; if it is a very low contrast, darker image or a very light image, then you need to be careful and consider the background of where your image will be. If you put a dark image on a very light background it can lose detail, so a dark border or matting may be necessary to alleviate the effect.” While the tips revealed here are largely based on the creation of fantasy landscapes, they are just as relevant across any genre of art as composition and the creation and capture of atmosphere are always essential to an image. Create atmosphere Terra Ariose: “This futuristic cityscape was aided by laying down custom brushes as a base to work from” © Martin Bland A balance between sharp edges and soft areas adds a lot of visual diversity as well as the impact of perspective Don’t be afraid to use colour, keeping it the same level of saturation and brightness throughout as the others in its plane Sharpening edges in the final stages will make detailed areas ‘pop’ Utilise custom brushes to take some of the effort out of highly detailed areas Lighting makes the difference between something looking real and something that looks flat The rules of fantasy art The Sci-fi & Fantasy Art Book�15 The Austringer: “722-705 BC – an Assyrian bas-relief found in the ruins at Khorsabad during the excavation of the palace of Sargon II (or Saragon II) has been claimed to depict falconry. It’s only fi tting that the tradition would go on way past our understanding” © Martin Bland Throughout this feature we have gleaned some amazing advice from our four top artists. However, there are plenty of resources out there that can aid your learning further. Our artists reveal the places they turn to in order to continue their learning or gain inspiration. Martin Bland says: “A tricky question to answer as it is better to learn from a thousand sources than to stick to one. What I can add is, for concept art, seeing people’s raw unfi nished brushstrokes on quick sketches and paintings can teach you much more than any tutorial can. Picking apart strokes and seeing what made an image come together is the closest you can get to seeing into an artist’s soul, so speed-paint threads are a massively important resource. There are a few very busy and useful threads at sijun.com/forums, CGTalk.com and ConceptArt.org forums.” Andreas Rocha also has a list of resources that he recommends for further learning: “I would say 3D Total’s excellent Digital Art Masters books and CGSociety’s brilliant D’Artiste series of books. I also strongly advise artists to build a library of inspirational works by other artists appearing on CGTalk. com and digitalartistdaily.com.” Finally, Sarel Theron suggests: “Online community forums such as ConceptArt.org, MattePainting.org and CGSociety are great places to meet other artists, talk shop and have your work reviewed by peers. Even better is if you can get an internship at a post-production facility, such as ILM (Industrial Light and Magic). Finally, there is a lot to learn technique-wise from trade magazines such as Advanced Photoshop.” Lustral: “I wanted to bring a little beauty to a classic sci-fi scene, so at fi rst glance, you see a sunset, although looking deeper you see a story unfold” © Martin Bland Learn more The rules of fantasy art