Tutorial: Trimoon, How I do my digital art

[Trimoon]

I’ve been struggling for several days to put together a tutorial on how to do my digital art. I’m like a lot of you who like to sit down and try different things. That is kind of what I’ve always done. I’ve been working with Photoshop for many years now – ever since version 3 came out. I know through experience what tools do what and, to some extent, the variations that can be applied through these tools. I can’t really put together a tutorial as I wanted. I don’t have the time just now because of work and other things, but I do get great enjoyment out of sitting down and taking a photograph and seeing where it will go. I thought I would tell you what tools I use and what these tools can do and not concentrate on any one group of techniques.

First of all, you have to evaluate the image. Not all images qualify. However, a lot of bad images do, as long as the dpi is there. This is to say that, if you have enough image, either you have the dpi or the size to work with. What I mean is a one-to-one size. If the image is going to be 18x24, then the dpi is not as important if the image is already sized at 18x24. Once you’ve picked out your image, decide on whether you are going to keep the background or not. Most of the time I’ll remove people and critters out of a background if it’s too cluttered and will interfere. I won’t get into telling you how to remove it since most of you already know how to use the extract tool.

Once the image is extracted from the background, I will apply some sort of filter. It doesn’t really matter which filter. It all depends on the look you’re going for. What you are trying to do is put some texture to the image, like brush strokes, and you usually can do this through Buzz Pro or Print Engine or any of the other filters indigenous to Photoshop.

Next I will fade to my liking the filter I just applied. Now we concentrate on the background. I usually like to pick a color that is in the subject somewhere or maybe one of my colors that I’m particularly fond of, if it applies. In your foreground and background color, there should be a combination of the two colors you wish to use for the background. For example, I may use beige for the foreground and the background white. Create new layer and name it “image background” and fill it with the color that you have chosen.

Then go up to the menu, select filter > render > clouds. See if this color combination is pleasing. If so, go back up to filter > render > difference clouds. Apply this several times, usually it takes at least two to get a base, and then I usually hit “control F” (PC) or “command F” (Mac).

Then create a second layer (naming it “white base”), fill with white, and position it below your background layer. Adjust the image background layer, using the opacity for that layer, until your image background layer is to your liking. At this point I merge my layers and create a second layer naming it “mask 1”. This is where your artistic abilities are put to the test. You pick a brush (I usually use “brush heavy flow scattered”) from your brush menu. If it is not there, go to your brush menu and on your drop-down menu, select “wet media brushes”.

If you look on your “mask 1” layer, you will see that you have two boxes. The one to the right, which is blacked out, is what you will be working on. You will notice in your foreground and background palette that you have black and white. Black will remove the mask and white will replace it. I usually set the opacity to from around 20 to 40. Depending on how it starts, I may change this to an even lower number. I set the size of my brush to 20. Then I just start stroking away the color, revealing the image underneath. Usually, in other industries, this is called “glazing” and “wiping”, where you apply a color and then remove it in slow stages.

I may repeat this last stage several times with several different colors. Again, this depends on my image and how it progresses. This is where the artist’s eye comes into play and you do what’s best. I will merge layers, create new ones and even duplicate the main layer and apply different blending modes.

The thing to remember is to always keep one layer on backup in case you mess up. What you are trying to do is remove any digital trails, soften edges, and I usually use the healing brush for creating a transition between the image and your background. It works very well. I stumbled across this when I had to extend an artist’s painting by ¼ inch and it duplicated and blended her original work perfectly.

The final thing I usually do is add texture or depth to the image. A really quick and dirty way to create some depth is to duplicate your image, go to menu, select filter > stylize > emboss. Then go to your layer modes and select either overlay or soft light and adjust the opacity to your liking. You might want to try and add a little paper texture to it, such as “sandstone” with a setting of scaling at 65, relief at 2 and light direction at bottom right. That’s it.

I’m sorry I couldn’t do any better. I just don’t always pay attention to what I’m doing.

The image is off the net and I don’t know where, hope no one gets mad.

Note: no nxxxxe

* - - - - - -
Unfortunately I may have discovered a 'bug' in the forum software while working with a copy of this thread in the TESTING 1-2-3 forum. The original attachment for this post got 'unattached' on the Testing 1-2-3 copy, which inexplictly unattached it in the original (this) post. I reattached it, but this reset the 'downloaded' counter to 0. So add "40" to the download count. - DannyR

[Trimoon]

9/9/2002 - Due to an unfortunate technical screwup (software glitch), most of the original images posted in this thread were deleted.

The image attached below was created by Trimoon using the method described above and borrowed from another site, serving as a 'placeholder' until he has the time/inclination to repost the original image. It is not the image originally included with this post.

~DannyR~
Photo-based Art Moderator
*
===========
*
This image I shot yesterday.. Then I digitally paint and render it in PhotoShop

[DJ Dubovsky]

Wow, those are both so beautiful. Thanks for taking the time to write out a tutorial for them. I know alot of members are going to love this thread, me included. You do extraordnary work.
DJ

[Trimoon]

9/9/2002 - Due to an unfortunate technical screwup (software glitch), most of the original images posted in this thread were deleted.

The image attached below was created by Trimoon using the method described above and borrowed from another site, serving as a 'placeholder' until he has the time/inclination to repost the original image. It is not the image originally included with this post.

~DannyR~
Photo-based Art Moderator
*
===========
*

This one I did the same.. Just in b&w (Gray)

[Trimoon]

Thanks DJ;
Glad you like, it looks like you and I are just about the only ones posting in this thread. Mostly me.


Someone dumps this cat on side of the road and if that’s not enough they shoot it with a BB gun. Its ok now the vat has him.

[Trimoon]

9/9/2002 - Due to an unfortunate technical screwup (software glitch), most of the original images posted in this thread were deleted.

The image attached below was created by Trimoon using the method described above and borrowed from another site, serving as a 'placeholder' until he has the time/inclination to repost the original image. It is not the image originally included with this post.

~DannyR~
Photo-based Art Moderator
*
===========
*
In this one I used the same background

The one thing you don’t see in the old masters is brush strokes

[DJ Dubovsky]

I honestly think they're great. That cat story is so sad. I just can't imagine the mentality of humans that can do that to animals. Sometimes I have to wonder which of us is the higher life form and which one is really the animal. So sick. I wish the laws were stiffer when harming animals in that way.

Any way, I really think that farm house one could be a post card. I haven't gone through the tutorial bit by bit yet. Mostly a quick read through. But I definately think I'd like to work through your steps and see what I come up with when I get some time. The results are so nice. I like the soft faded edges.
DJ

[Trimoon]

Thanks again DJ;
I’m trying to show how much can be done in Photoshop
The more you work in it the more versatile you get.

[DJ Dubovsky]

I reread your instructions and I can see where the possibilities are endless. I'm eager to sit down and give this a try. If I do and it turns out reasonably well, I'll post it. Don't expect anything on the level you're putting out though. I'd have a long way to go to do that good.
DJ

[DannyRaphael]

Gosh: Take a couple hours off to do some shopping and return to find THIS GEM!


Steve:

I hope you don't get tired of hearing this sort of stuff, but here's some more:

This about the most fantastic technique / results I've seen IN YEARS!

No doubt its taken a lot of time, experimenting, wrong turns and fine tuning to have reached this point. It is very kind of you to share your knowledge and experience when so many others choose not to do so.

On behalf of many, I'm sure, a sincere thanks.

~DannyR~

[Trimoon]

Thanks DannyR;
I like the feedback very much; it feeds the spirit and helps drive me on to post more and it’s good to know I’m doing it right

This next one I use the High Pass Filter (The Best Filter in all of PhotoShop) you can accomplish a lot with this one filter, I love it.

P.S. I shot this one at Silver Springs, Florida back in January

[Ed_L]

That is some truly impressive stuff! Another thank you from me for sharing the techniques.

Ed

[Trimoon]

Not much to say, this is my 1st one I did in PhotoShop a few mouth ago

[Trimoon]

Last one for now

[platscha@cs.com]

So you and your wife come out to California for a visit, you can stay with me, my sister will take her shopping at South Coast Plaza, a great mall and then one day at Disneyland.
In the meantime, while they are gone, maybe we could just fool around on the computer for say 12 or 18 hours.
I am sure there is something you could show me, like every trick you have ever figured out.
Really, these are absolutely the best, the very best photo art I have ever seen, simple breathtaking.