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Description
Edit: Please feel free to comment if this has helped you at all, or you feel I need to go more in-depth about certain parts of the process. Any feedback is welcome! Just please keep it civil.

So this is my first stab at a tutorial. It really is pretty much just an overview of the process I use for creating digital art. It isn't really that different from how I cerate traditional art, either. The only major difference is that I use light tables, and instead of layers, I have sheets of paper.

For digital art I also use a Wacom Intuos 4. I typically use Photoshop Elements (which this tutorial is done in) and AutoDesk Sketch Book.

The text below is just a copy of what's in the tutorial.

AshHensons’ Digital Art Turotial

This is by no means a perfect, or the best, way of doing things. This is simply the way I have found that works best for me. If it helps out others, then thats fantastic! If not, well, people get to have a little insight into how I work and the process I use. This tutorial will focus only on the figure.

Step 1: Form

I always start out by marking where I want tne top of the head to be, and the bottom of the feet. This helps me to keep the figure in proportion, and prevent feet from running off of the edge of the ‘paper’. I know in photoshop the canvas can be enlarged, but real paper/canvas/substrate cannot, and this is a holdover from learning to draw on those surfaces. I think it is also a good habit to have anyways, it makes transitioning from media to media easier.

Once head and feet are marked, I start building a stick figure, for rudimentary arm-and-leg placement. I start the figure by determining the action line. I want the figure to be leaning her weight more on one leg than the other, so I have it slightly curved.

Once I’m happy with the very basics I start building up from there, adding ribcage, a better-defined pelvic-bone and breasts.

Step 2: 'Red' Lines

Here is where I think the fun begins. Once you are happy with the overall form of the figure, start a new layer and begin filling in where you want your costume to be on your character. I am working on a ‘Paladin’ from Blizzards World of Warcraft,so I began sketching out the armor in relation to the body.

This will work with more than just armor and stiff clothing; with this method you can place wrinkles and folds in more believeable spots, and have an easier time envisioning how clothes fit the body. Also, having the redlines on alother layer can open up more opportunities to expereiment with multiple costumes on one character. You can really find what works for you and the image you are trying to create.

As you can see here, I used more than just red, too. Once I was finished with the breastplate and body-hugging armor, I outlined the pauldrons in yellow, green and orange. This helped me to keep lines clearly visible for the next step.

Step 3: Inking

This is my favorite step, and where you can really start to see how the image is going to pull together in black and white.

Again I start a new layer, and using a hard, black (and thin) brush I begin to ink over the roughs and redlines to create a more polished image on a single layer. This makes it much more finished looking, and keeps it cleaner for further steps.

Take your time here, even if in the end you don't use the lines for more than a guide when painting, having clean lines will make it much easier to see how you set up your image.

If later on you want more dynamic lines, you can simply continue to work the links once the image is clean.

Coming Soon:

AshHensons Tutorial Part 2: Grayscale Light and Shadows

Description
Edit: Please feel free to comment if this has helped you at all, or you feel I need to go more in-depth about certain parts of the process. Any feedback is welcome! Just please keep it civil.

So this is my first stab at a tutorial. It really is pretty much just an overview of the process I use for creating digital art. It isn't really that different from how I cerate traditional art, either. The only major difference is that I use light tables, and instead of layers, I have sheets of paper.

For digital art I also use a Wacom Intuos 4. I typically use Photoshop Elements (which this tutorial is done in) and AutoDesk Sketch Book.

The text below is just a copy of what's in the tutorial.

AshHensons’ Digital Art Turotial

This is by no means a perfect, or the best, way of doing things. This is simply the way I have found that works best for me. If it helps out others, then thats fantastic! If not, well, people get to have a little insight into how I work and the process I use. This tutorial will focus only on the figure.

Step 1: Form

I always start out by marking where I want tne top of the head to be, and the bottom of the feet. This helps me to keep the figure in proportion, and prevent feet from running off of the edge of the ‘paper’. I know in photoshop the canvas can be enlarged, but real paper/canvas/substrate cannot, and this is a holdover from learning to draw on those surfaces. I think it is also a good habit to have anyways, it makes transitioning from media to media easier.

Once head and feet are marked, I start building a stick figure, for rudimentary arm-and-leg placement. I start the figure by determining the action line. I want the figure to be leaning her weight more on one leg than the other, so I have it slightly curved.

Once I’m happy with the very basics I start building up from there, adding ribcage, a better-defined pelvic-bone and breasts.

Step 2: 'Red' Lines

Here is where I think the fun begins. Once you are happy with the overall form of the figure, start a new layer and begin filling in where you want your costume to be on your character. I am working on a ‘Paladin’ from Blizzards World of Warcraft,so I began sketching out the armor in relation to the body.

This will work with more than just armor and stiff clothing; with this method you can place wrinkles and folds in more believeable spots, and have an easier time envisioning how clothes fit the body. Also, having the redlines on alother layer can open up more opportunities to expereiment with multiple costumes on one character. You can really find what works for you and the image you are trying to create.

As you can see here, I used more than just red, too. Once I was finished with the breastplate and body-hugging armor, I outlined the pauldrons in yellow, green and orange. This helped me to keep lines clearly visible for the next step.

Step 3: Inking

This is my favorite step, and where you can really start to see how the image is going to pull together in black and white.

Again I start a new layer, and using a hard, black (and thin) brush I begin to ink over the roughs and redlines to create a more polished image on a single layer. This makes it much more finished looking, and keeps it cleaner for further steps.

Take your time here, even if in the end you don't use the lines for more than a guide when painting, having clean lines will make it much easier to see how you set up your image.

If later on you want more dynamic lines, you can simply continue to work the links once the image is clean.

Coming Soon:

AshHensons Tutorial Part 2: Grayscale Light and Shadows