Textures Tutorial - Nick Harris

8/9/2019 Textures Tutorial - Nick Harris

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A Walk-through of how this image was created in ArtRage 2.5ICK HARRIS

here is the temptation to think that you must have the most expensive,tool laden painting software to be able to create rich imagery. Thatmay have been the case a few years ago, but I would argue that it is

not so now, and wasnt necessarily so even then.

Todays aspiring digital artist has a choice of free or low budgetalternatives capable of marvellous results. It is one of these that welllook at today. This is a brief look at some of what it can do

ArtRage is marketed for a nominal price by a software company called Ambient,who also run their own friendly and helpful forums dedicated to and for users of the product.

(http://www2.ambientdesign.com/forums/Originally aimed at the hobbyist market, it has begun blossoming into something with credentials

to attract the more serious minded digital artist.

Some of the attractions include

Layers - layers with full blending modesStencils - Cut out masks - use rulers - add texturesReference Images - can be pasted on the screen

Rotate the Canvas - as you wish to make drawing more comfortable

T

I am using a graphics tablet with Windows XP Pro on a Pentium4 processor with 2gig RAM - This should be just aspossible on a machineMac or PC with lesser specifications - Things may just take longer.

The essential for me is the graphics tablet - others may prefer a mouse!

he image was created for a challenge atPixelbrush.com online forums. The theme wasMYTH. Rather than have to choose one scene

from the riches on offer, I elected to take two widelyknown characters, fairies and the Grim Reaper andassume they were unaware of each othersexistence. That being the case - What would a first

meeting be like? Thats where the idea behind itcame from.

T

These few scant pages will not teach you how to draw and paint.Just bring your style with you and see if any of the tips and techniques offer you something that you can use.

http://nickillus.co.uk
mailto:http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.htmlmailto:http://www2.ambientdesign.com/forums/mailto:http://www.pixelbrush.net/forum/http://nickillus.co.uk/http://nickillus.co.uk/mailto:http://www.pixelbrush.net/forum/mailto:http://www2.ambientdesign.com/forums/mailto:http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html


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Free starter edition to download - but a mere $25 for the fullsoftware. $39.95 + shipping for the physical version with manual.

One of the things that often differentiates between top end

software and the budget offering is the size of the toolset. -that and how much control you have over the marks they canmake. If you like mark making and experimenting though, a

limited toolset can be anadvantage.

To the left is a basic visual recordof some of the sorts of marks theArtRage brushes will make. Thereare almost infinite variationsavailable if you take into account

individual brush controls andthe ability to change papersettings.As if that wasnt enough,there is the ability to importany image to make astencil of - which is a

fantastic addition to the markmaking arsenal.

Heres a few such images gathered in a local cemetery.

1 2

3

4 5 6

7 8 1110 12

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35 6

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10

11

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12There are controls on all the brushes specific to each -including three variations of the Palette Knife (3).9 is a colour picker and 12 is the eraser.

The Object of this ExerciseIs to show what a good example of a low budget software can be coaxed to do.

Well look at a few of the tools and some things Ive done with them in a particular image.I dont claim to be any kind of expert with this software.

This is just how I happened to use it this time.

LEVEL - Beginner-ish to Intermediate

It might be a good idea to point out some basic navigation features formoving about the image before we get any further.

You can zoom in and out using

Ctrl/Cmd in combination with the + and - keysOR hold down Spbrand Shft while dragging left and right

You can Move the image if you hold the Spacebardown and drag it.

Rotate the image by holding down Spbrand Alt/Opt and dragging around

You can look at the image flipped horizontally (which is always a good test tosee how your right or left handedness has affected your drawing) by holding

the H key down.

Hold the V key down for vertical flipping.

That should be enough to get you started,Remember that the full manual is built into the software,

to access at any time.

Brush sizecontrol is

here

ONLINE TEXTURERESOURCES

To get you started

CGTextures

There are plenty moreout there for you to find

and use.
http://www.cgtextures.com/http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.htmlhttp://www.cgtextures.com/http://textures.forrest.cz/http://www.textureking.com/http://www.imageafter.com/textures.php


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ire up ArtRage and create a new default document. Youcan alter the image size through Edit/Rescale the

Paintingor paper textures through Tools/Layer Options/EditPaper Settings if you feel like playing straight away. Thesoftware comes with a full built in manual, so stuff like thiscan be looked up at any time. Scan a sketch in if thats yourpreferred way of working, but I usually draw straight in withmy tablet. ArtRage is nice to draw in, with good sensitivity. I

prefer the precise pencil tooloption, but the standard moretextural one is nice too.I add a few layers, by clicking theAdd Layerbutton at thebottom of the layer palette.

1 I sketch the figures on one layer with theprecise pencil,Block in a dark green base for the water with the roller,

as big as I can make it, on another, andPaint some rough leaf shapes on a layer above with

thepaintbrush

2 Add layers as you go for elements that may also needto be isolated. WHY? It makes adding textures etc easier

without affecting everything near to that element.I separate the ground

The ripples - 2 layersBody colour of the characters.

3 Its possible to emulate lighting effectsbyusing a layer on top with its blending mode set toMulitplyand working into it.

The whole point of this exercise is to encourage you to LEARN THROUGH PLAY. This is anything but a paint by

numbers guide. I would urge you to explore and experiment as you go. Youll absorb much more that way.

F

LAYER PALETTE

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3

BLENDING MODESAffect how layers interact with whats below them.

Depending on whether they are additive orsubtractive they can darken or lighten in differentways. Some transform the colour in an almostpsychedelic way. The best wayto find out is toTRY them out.To change a layer blending mode in ArtRage -right click over it, and click in the windowthatsays BLEND-Normal. I list of options will appearfor you to select from

You will find blending modes in far moreexpensive software like Photoshop and Painter

Also be aware that you have total control overlayer transparency. Simply right clickover thelayer and type a value in the appropriate box

Here Ive filled the layer with blue/green, usingthe roller, and then painted into it with much lighter yellow - or rubbed it out with theeraser.

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TipYou can contract the palettes to thesides by pressing TAB - or clear the

the area completely by clickingonscreen while holding the spacebardown (or right clicking on a PC) - Just

repeat in each case to return them.

I beef up the base green colour byduplicating the layer ad working on the

upper layer with the Palette Knife

I add a bit of textureto the gound in thetop half of the image,using the Glitter

Brush and PaletteKnifetools.


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TipYou can Zoom in and out using Ctrl/Cmd and the +/- keys - or hold down Ctrl/Cmd and spacebar while dragging the cursor in the image

4 Ignoring the fact that I havent even resolved thecomposition yet, I start working up the characters , becausethey will be the focal points of interest. This is done byrefining the drawing, body colour and lighting layers. I usemostly the Pencil, Chalkand Airbrush tools. Ive added onemore layer for bright edges that I name Glint, to sharpen upthe highlights.Its about time I introduced to you a very powerful tool in thisapplication that Ive begun employing as well - the STENCIL

5 Ive kept the main light-source in the image simple - thesun, and imagined it coming from top right It will make iteasier to bring subtler lighting effects from the water andfairy magic (!?) into the shadows later. The light is

golden/yellow, so the shadows should be

purple/blue, if I rely on simple complementaries likeI usually do. This mixed with the natural earthtones of the leaves and ground should give the sortof feel Im after.

TipYou can NAME layers by right

clicking on them and editingthe default name given.

If you are using a lot of layers,this is VERY IMPORTANT,

otherwise youll quickly get in atangle. I know - I do it all the

time.

STENCILSWhen you click on the Stencils tab you open upa whole world of possibilities.. Click on one and itwill appear as a red shape in you image. The redarea represents what will be prevented frompassing through onto the canvas when you applypaint. Chalk, whatever.. There are also rulersand geometric shapes should you need them. Allare scaleable, rotatable and moveable.The most exciting part is the ability to add yourown to the libraries though.EITHER - Right click on a layer and take theoption to Make a stencil form this layer. Do thisand right click over it so you can Invert thisStencil to create a protective mask for thepainting on that layer.OR - Click the Add New Stencilbutton in alibrary to navigate to any image of acceptableformat (see guide) and open it for the stencil tobe created. I use images of rock, ground etc toaddtextures that way.

Stencils can be combined byoverlaying one on top of another,

as Ive done here to work on theground texture. You also haveoptions how your stencil will

behave.

TipYou can transform stencils using the spacebar(move) Ctrl/Cmd(rotate) and Alt/Opt(scale) keys while dragging on it in the image

I drop some bright Autumnal eaves floating in the waterto add interest in the foreground (forewater?)


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6 Continue to push the textures, using stencils and acombination of the various brushes. The Reapers head is aparticularly attractive spot to play with this. The natural grainof the chalk just adds to the effect. You can adjust howmuch grain it has in its onscreen tool settings. Each tool hasits own set.

Dont just think about adding grain on the solid paint layer.You can also work through stencils on the semi-transparentLighting Layer as well.

7 Its long overdue that the composition be improved. Itsstrongly divided into two halves at the moment. The greatest

gift of digital is editability. Real media is far less forgiving,and demands better planning if you are to maintain any sortof control - Unless you are blessed with supreme confidenceand ability. I have neither. Just as well were in the digitalworld then..

If I can put something eye-catching enough here, itll make amore triangular composition, which should work better.

The leaf is OK but not a strong enough element to competewith the twocharacters.I add aswimming Fairyon a couple ofnew layers, andgroup them sothat I can move

her about as aunit.

Lighting Layer switched OFF Lighting Layer switched ONLighting Layer switched OFF Lighting Layer switched ON

Working on the Lighting Layerthrough a texture stencil

TipYou can hide Stencils and leave them in place to use again later. (Right click - Hide Stencil) Open the Active tab in the Stencils Paletteand click show under its representation to make visible again

Switch layer visibility on and off to seehow youre doing.Click the Eye Icon on each layer.


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If you work with dark tones through atexture stencil - think about invertingit and using light tones to really push

the effect home.

You can crisp things up more by pickingout details on that Glintlayer I mentioned

a few pages ago.

Carry On - MORE OF THE SAMEThere are gradients included in thestencils - Its a bit of a chore, but you

can lay a flat wash using the rollerand a bit of patience.

Using two radial gradient stencils I lay down amagical turquoise glow in the shadowy areas,by laying a wash with the roller on a separatelayer and reducing the opacity. Then I workback in eraser where its just too strong still.

Rolle

r tool

curso

r

Ive left some of the original texture that thechalk produced much earlier,to seem likedust floating on tranquil water. That was

never planned, but I spotted it and thought itmight work.

ALWAYSkeep an eye open happy accidents


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8 Ive come to a point where having all these layers is

impeding me rather than helping. Thats why I decide toMerge All Layers which is an option on the layers palette.This allows me to work in a much more holistic way again.A quick technique for darkening the image is to duplicate theimage to another layer, set it to multiply blending mode (oranother of the additive options) and adjust the opacity totaste. You can then go back in and gently erase lighterareas on the upper layer to accentuate the contrast. Doingthis throws up a couple of areas I feel need attention. Somehint of reflected leaves and a bit more colour and detail onthose floating.

FINISH Thats about it. The rest is down to moretweaking and fiddling (very technical terminology), using themethods already covered. Its far from the perfect image, butthen that wasnt really the object here. Knowing me Ill goback in and tinker with it at a later date, when I have a freshperspective on it and some time to do that. For now itll haveto do.

Heres hoping that you can get something out of this brieflook at a promising software. Just enjoy yourself with it, or

whichever software you decide to or are limited to using.

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Duplicating the image and settingto multiply blending mode

I add more layers to do my finaltweaking, still naming them toavoid confusion.

This is how the last tweak layerslook with the visibility of the imageat the bottom of the layer stack

turned off

MY WEBSITE - http://nickillus.co.uk

This tutorial was put together using Serif PagePlusX3 (version 9 with pdf export available for under 10 at the time of writing this),and Traction Screengrab Pro (free)software. Try not to let budget be an excuse for not being able to tackle things.
http://nickillus.co.uk/http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/PagePlus/default.asphttp://www.traction-software.co.uk/screengrabpro/http://www.traction-software.co.uk/screengrabpro/http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/PagePlus/default.asphttp://nickillus.co.uk/

Textures Tutorial - Nick Harris

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