We’ve all been there. We need to create a specific scene in Photoshop but we can’t find the proper stock photography to create it. Why not paint it instead? In today’s tutorial we will demonstrate how to create an ancient Egyptian temple entrance that’s been carved out of the side of a fantasy canyon.
This tutorial will involve doing some heavy painting from an original sketch. It was completed entirely in Photoshop and a tablet is required. We’ve also included about 4 hours of video instruction. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.
- Sketch
- Reference Photo
- Brushes (In Source Folder)
- Gradients (In Source Folder)
Step 1: Sketch
OK the sketch, you guys might like to sketch on paper, directly on Photoshop or on some other software. If you do it on paper, be sure to have access to a good scanner so we can get it into Photoshop. I used to sketch on paper myself yet lately I use PaintStop which is part of zbrush 4.0. OK so the way I go about creating the sketch doesn’t have any steps to follow, I just start getting my idea down more or less and add erase or change perspective and composition until I have something I like. I must encourage you to get into it the sketch its just that, a plan of what we have in mind doesn’t matter if you are not so good at drawing, just get in there and try getting your idea down. Also in this tutorial I will be writing down the time code for the video where needed so you can jump right into the section of the video that is relevant to the stage we are at; for example these initial sketch steps are on 00:00:10 – 00:01:16 which means that from ten seconds through one minute sixteen seconds you can watch this relevant section here.
I gradually increase the detail and sharpness of the lines to establish what goes where. Also I decided to record and include the sketching process which took several hours just so you guys can get the idea of the process and get into it. 00:01:17 – 00:04:11
Once I have the lines placed I start shading a bit just to get the idea down on where the light will go in and how will it affect the mood. 00:04:12 – 00:08:02
Now once you get to your final concept, export the image as a .jpeg or something you can open in Photoshop. I made my sketch at 3000 by 1400px since that is the size I have planed for the final image. And that is about everything that can be said about the sketch. Experiment, play, mess around, find your composition, find your concept, that is what the sketch is for.
