3 Photoshop Speed-Paintings and Some New Brushes

-By Justin Gerard

Recently, I released 3 new Photoshop brush sets containing nearly 100 of the digital tools that I use for my personal and client jobs.  For today's post I am sharing a few videos which show these brushes in action, as well as the method I use when I work digitally. 

Demo from the Pencil Set

Samples from the Pencil Set

Why bother making your own brushes? 

The reason I started making my own brushes was that my first true love was traditional media. When I discovered digital painting, I fell in love with so much of what it could do, but I found that most of the digital brushes looked too, well... �digital.�  They look flat, plastic and they lack character.

To make matters worse, my favorite use for digital painting was to apply it over top of a traditional underpainting. But I found that most digital brushes looked unnatural over traditional material, and the final painting would feel unfinished and soulless.



To solve this problem, I sample scans of MY OWN BLOOD.  (just kidding)  I sample scans of actual brush strokes, paint splatters, pencil marks and paper textures, made with various traditional tools and surfaces. (And some spilled coffee)

I then arrange all of the 10 billion sliders and knobs in Photoshop to arrive at a specific mathematical formula. This transmits my subconscious into the computer, you know, like that guy from Tron. And once inside, there is a whole universe in there, filled with millions of people, all of whom hate me and want to kill me with laser frisbees and motorcycles.  BUT I KILL THEM INSTEAD. And I use their ground up bones to make my digital brushes. 



*ahem* Anyway, once I have imported these "real" marks and input all the correct settings into Photoshop, I am left with better brushes that look natural alongside traditional media and leaves you with something that feels traditional, yet unique. Sort of like the robots that will soon be among us; they aren't quite human, but close enough that you won't be that bothered by them serving you fries at McDonalds.

(Coffee. Not human blood!) 

I'll be releasing 6 more sets this year. Next week I will be releasing a set made up of coffee spills! 

Colorizing a drawing with the Texture Set

Colorizing a traditional drawing using the Watercolor Vol. I Set

To learn more, check them out here on our store!

A Dragon Study

-By Justin Gerard

Sometimes, before I begin a painting, I will do a study of the subject from the painting just as a warm-up. Why? Because like most artists, I lost my mind a long, long time ago.



If I'm being positive about it, I tell myself that it's like a color study, but with a portrait mixed in. If I'm being realistic with myself, I know it's more like delayed adolescence; just another way of not actually getting started.



But today is not a day for being realistic with oneself! Let's be honest: Nobody paints dragons to be realistic with ones self. You paint dragons to escape! You paint dragons to imagine a world filled with one great challenge, which while daunting, can be met and defeated, the outcome of which, is total victory over the forces of wickedness and entropy. That's why we paint dragons!

"Wickedness"

"Entropy"

For this painting I will be working in acrylics. I use a mixture of Golden Open acrylics for glazes, and heavy body acrylics for details and highlights. The video below shows the general progress taken for laying in shadows and colors and then detailing over them.  (I apologize for the complete silence. I have no video-editing skills. I made this out of bailing wire and matchsticks)

The final product is quite small (4" x 6") but has gotten me really excited to begin the actual painting.  I feel more grounded and confident knowing what colors I will be using to slay this beast. As I said before, we want a challenge that is daunting but that we know we can accomplish. That is what these studies are about. Ensuring victory through practice. (Well that and truly committing ourselves to madness)



Next post: The actual painting! For now, here is a sneak peak of the color comp and drawing.