Paint an epic manga monster fight scene

For example, by selecting the flesh colour with a selection tool, I’m able to freely paint within the selected flesh part of the character without bleeding over the area. These don’t need to be proportionally correct: they’re more to get a feel of the character’s pose, much like a gesture drawing. 06. After that I use the Warp function from the Transform tool (press Ctrl+T to select the Transform tool, then right-click and choose the Warp function) to make the textures wrap around the clothes accurately. In this workshop I’m going to show you my usual approach for creating artworks that are more of an anime or manga style. He hopes that one day people can enjoy his art as much as he enjoys painting it. I then add some moving debris and purple blood from the slain snake’s body, using the Motion Blur filter to give it a sense of movement. As I go into the final lines, I adjust and correct anything that looks wrong or needs improving. Tweaking the colours
Now that the rendering is almost done, I tweak the colours and saturation to make the whole piece stand out more. Elements that are matte, such as cloth, won’t have as much specularity as those that are glossy – metal or glass, for instance. 12. Colour flats
Now I separate out parts of the characters. I can now target and select the specific areas that require tweaking by selecting the parts on the uncoloured flats using the Selection tool. By adding this additional light source, the characters now look more three-dimensional. This ensures that I only paint within the selected areas. 14. Lets get to it! 10. 15. I’m drawing a scene of creepy snake monsters and ghost zombie warriors doing battle with a couple of cat and fox ninja girls, because… Another way is to paint the lighting of each part that’s already been rendered in relation to another. Words: DCWJ
Derrick ‘DCWJ’ Chew was born in Singapore. Having clean and clear line art can help a lot, especially when you’re ready to move on to the painting stage. I then click back on a specific layer and adjust the image accordingly. First, I use the Lasso tool to draw the shape of the area that I want to brighten, then fill in a gradient on the selected area. Rendering the characters
By selecting each part that I had earlier separated off, I can create a boundary of the areas that I want to paint. Adding smoke effects
Now that everything’s been rendered out, I begin adjusting the lighting and adding more elements, such as some drifting smoke and fog. Rendering the background
Once I start painting the background, I have to start thinking about the atmospheric perspective. This enables me to keep my painting neat and also enables me to subsequently make changes to areas that requiring editing or repainting. However, do this selectively or else everything will look overly glossy. Detailing the rough sketch
Once satisfied with the feel of the rough sketch, I add smaller details. Applying clothing textures
By making some simple custom brushes, I’m able to create some textures for the clothes of the fox ninja girl. 05. So by adding specular highlights to a character’s eyes, it can make them feel alive. I have to constantly remind myself about the general light direction as I paint each part. 13. This also serves as a rough colour palette of the artwork. Right now, I’m still mainly focused on rendering everything before I start adjusting the tonal values and colours for the whole piece. It can be a tedious and repetitive process at first, but it helps with the painting process. 03. Final touches
To complete the image, I use the Liquify tool to make some small adjustments to the faces of the characters. Preparing lines for flatting
Keeping all the characters and backgrounds on different layers helps when beginning to add the flat colours. 11. This article originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine issue 95. 04. I find that by controlling how much gradient I want on each of the Lasso selections, I can create a faded ‘cell-shaded’ look that helps defines the edges and forms to make the image pop out at the viewer. Enhancing   key lighting
I use the Lasso tool and the Gradient tool to enhance the key lighting. The aim of a rough sketch is to bring together the composition and overall feel. For example, objects that are further away have to be pushed back further by lightening the values and reducing the contrast. 08. Time for highlights
Now I add the specular highlights that give certain objects a reflective property. This is for effective use of the Selection/Magic Wand tool, enabling me to easily select the whole silhouette of each character. The smoke can convey a sense of motion and also helps to creates a more dynamic scene. This can help to further define the forms.