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  • Jeffrey M. de Guzman shows his tutorial on the process of creating the ‘Zhetri’ figure, featured in EXOTIQUE 4.

    CGSociety :: Tutorial
    3 March 2009, by Jeffrey M. de Guzman

    ‘Zhetri’ is the name of a fantasy concept I made for a character art challenge. I created this piece with the idea in mind that, if it is to be made as a cover artwork, it should have an appeal that would immediately capture attention. There is always an aim of creating beautiful images; at the same time it would show attitude and strength. The inspiration came from combining different armours and costume from knights, samurais and warriors.

    EXOTIQUE 4
    ‘Zhetri’ was chosen for a spread in EXOTIQUE 4, from BallisticPublishing. It was also selected as the cover of Advanced Photoshop Magazine issue 48 with an extensive workshop.
    Cover of Advanced Photoshop Magazine issue 48.
    {digg}

    {stumble}

    Concept
    I am accustomed to starting with silhouettes and gradually building the character up from that point. I need to build a unique, dynamic pose to have a great relationship with the composition.

    By starting with silhouettes in Adobe Photoshop, I would easily determine if my work is recognizable and would still look appealing at this very simple stage. I then roughly sketch over the top of that. I didn’t want to create a full body character as I tried to keep the attention focused on the face and armour. I usually use three layers with my works, background, foreground and added effects. This helps me quickly change colors when needed.

    Blocking out shapes
    It’s easy for me to determine where the lighting and shadows will be placed, by using Filter>Render>Lighting Effects applied on the background thus building up my shapes effectively well. Starting with a greyscale image works well for me every time, as I need not worry about what colors to put in.Rather than starting out with the brush tool, I switch between the dodge and burn tool to create shape and emphasize the light and shadows. After which I use the Brush tool to refine the parts.

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  • The right expression
    I don’t use just a single reference for a face. I try to find eyes with the right look to express anger, and a fierce mouth to fit the shape of the face; all brought together to give that intense look I yearn. From those combinations I paint and create the most interesting expression possible, to match her pose. I usually spend a lot of time with the face at the beginning of the painting and then add loads of textures to it to achieve a realistic look. The face is the focal point of my creations. Only afterwards, the armour should be equally given attention to blend with it. All these elements together, tell the story.

    About the artist
    My name is Jeffrey M. de Guzman (JeffMD) from Makati City, in the Philippines. I work as a matte-painter and texture artist for a post production company during the day and as a concept artist and illustrator for my commissioned works during the evening. Creating artworks for challenges and competitions is what I love doing.

    Golden Bee


    Textures
    I complete the image by adding textures to every part of it. I overlaid a layer of scratches on the armor, floral and leaf patterns for the fabric. I mostly use standard Photoshop preset Brushes for texturing with these parts. I think these shapes are enough to give suggestion of details in the image.

    Hair and sword
    The hair was specifically painted on that direction as it aids the composition, directing the eyes to flow where I wanted them next. The base hair was painted with a Camel Brush, and later on I added strands to it with a Solid Brush. The sword was also placed and locked in that position to create the final path for the eyes to follow. I made sure to add designs to the sword as I wanted it to catch attention as well.

    Final tweaks and the background
    Though I began with a different color background for the image, I decided to change it and stick with my limited color palette. I covered the wall behind with designs created with leaves brushes to complement the subject. Then I flattened the entire image, pulled up curves to intensify the blacks and whites and called it done.
    Purple Haze

    Lately I have won first place in the 2D Concept Art category for the Unearthly Challenge on Game Artisans. But my pride is still with the image ‘Golden Bee’ which won an Excellence Award in EXPOSÉ 6’s Portrait (Painted) category and selected as cover for its Limited Edition.

    Related Links:
    Adobe Photoshop
    EXOTIQUE 4
    EXPOSE 6
    Jeffrey M. de Guzman site

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