MY DIGITAL

WORKFLOW
A WORKSHOP BY LOIS VAN BAARLE // LOISH
loish // workshop 2

IMPORTANT
This PDF is for your personal reference during the workshop. It
outlines the steps to create the different assignments, so you can
review them after the demo.

Please do not distribute it outside of the workshop!

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Workshop structure: day 1

STARTING POINTS IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS.

01 FINDING YOUR STYLE 02 SKETCHING DIGITALLY 03 CHARACTER CREATION

listing and understanding our inspirations, most simple breakdown of my digital drawing how to create a character, from sketch to
thinking about our goals & aspirations process, warming up color version, using an efficient technique

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Workshop structure: day 2

DIGITAL PAINTING

04 FLOW IN COMPOSITION 05 COLORS FOR DIGITAL PAINTING 06 PAINTING & RENDERING

understanding ‘flow’, how to direct the eye color theory, role of color, creating color how to paint, add detail, ‘sculpt with color’,
around a digital painting thumbnails for your painting and add finishing touches

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loish // workshop
Defining your style
5

A METHOD

Our
Services 1 MAP OUT YOUR INSPIRATIONS
List 2-3 of your biggest artistic inspirations

List
Investment generally results in
acquiring an asset, also called an
investment. If the asset is available at
2 FILTER YOUR INSPIRATIONS
List 2-3 things that you like most about these
inspirations.

a price worth investing, it is normally

3
expected either to generate income,
or to appreciate in value, so that it
MAP OUT YOUR PRIORITIES
can be sold at a higher price invest What are you trying to convey with your artwork, in a
Investment generally results. literal sense?

income, or to appreciate in value, so

4
that it can be sold at a higher price An
investor may bear a risk of loss of LIST YOUR THEMES
some or all of their capital invested What themes, moods and genres play a role in your
work?

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ASSIGNMENT
01 FINDING YOUR STYLE

Using the worksheet, map out your inspirations and artistic priorities.
Introduce yourself to the group with the results.

TIME // 15 MINUTES

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The idea behind this worksheet is to be mindful of what we want to achieve

when we start our creative process. What inspires us the most, and what
makes us really enjoy drawing?

Focus not only on what you want to learn, but also what you love.

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MY DIGITAL WORKFLOW \\

02 SKETCHING
DIGITALLY
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Sketching process
A QUICK OVERVIEW

ROUGH SKETCH

1 On separate layers, I do a very simple sketch. If

needed, I add a more detailed one on a second layer.

2 COLORS ON A SEPARATE LAYER

On a layer below, I block in the colors.

3 MODIFY COLORS
I then use color editing tools to modify the colors so
that they blend together more nicely.

4 ADD FINISHING TOUCHES

I use a simple shortcut to easily paint in some finishing
touches. www.loish.net
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SKETCHING DIGITALLY:
PROCESS

01 SETTING UP WORKSPACE

canvas size: minimum A3 in size, 300 DPI

pick the brush tool and select a brush with some texture

create a new layer

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02 SKETCH

quick, smooth lines

don’t worry too much about the details

ok to stylize

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03 BLOCK COLOR LAYER

create a new layer underneath lines

block in the silhouette

lock layer transparency

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04 COLOR IN

color in using brush tool

use lasso & gradient tool for gradations

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05 MODIFY COLORS

use hue/saturation to change color of lines

search for a color that blends well with color layer

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01

06 GROUP / DUPLICATE / MERGE

group the layers

duplicate group, hide the bottom one

merge the top group (ctrl + e)

set the layer mode to ‘multiply’

02

IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE
This layering technique is something I’ll
return to repeatedly throughout this
workshop, so keep it in mind!

03

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07 ADD DETAIL

make your brush size smaller

lower the opacity and flow, test

paint in the details using alt+click

you can erase edges to clean as well

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08 MODIFY COLORS

use color balance to experiment with colors of overall image

play with sliders until you get a nice effect

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09 PAINT FINISHING TOUCHES

make your brush size smaller

lower the opacity and flow, test

paint in the details using alt+click

focus on area that needs most detail

add some darker + lighter colors, plus finishing lines..

IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE
Alt+click is something I’ll return to
repeatedly throughout this workshop,
so keep it in mind!

10 DONE!
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ASSIGNMENT
02 SKETCHING DIGITALLY

Do 2-3 rough warm-up sketches that align with the themes from the previous
assignment. Take the strongest sketch and color it in using the digital
sketching process.

TIME // 30 MINUTES

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MY DIGITAL WORKFLOW \\

03 CHARACTER
CREATION
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character creation
A QUICK OVERVIEW

CONSTRUCTION

1 I use a simple technique to construct the character,

focusing on creating movement and a lively pose.

2 HAIR & CLOTHING IN MORE DETAIL

On a separate layer, I draw in hair and clothing, trying
different things to see what works best.

3 BASIC COLORS
I block in basic colors on a layer below, and play
around with the color scheme until I like what I see.

4 ADDING DETAIL
I merge all layers and paint in detail, focusing on the
areas to which I want to lead the eye. www.loish.net
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CHARACTER CREATION:
PROCESS

01 CHARACTER CONSTRUCTION

use simple body construction

focus on line of action & movement

don’t sweat the details (yet)

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02 HAIR & CLOTHING

create a new layer

draw hair - test what works best

think of hair in terms of ‘clumps’ , not strands

focus on shapes & rhythm

draw clothing - be mindful of detail distribution

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03 MORE DETAILED LINES

create a new layer & pick a darker color

work out the sketch in more detail

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04 FINAL LINEWORK

create a new layer & pick a darker color

now you can sweat the details

be mindful of detail distribution

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05 BASIC COLORS

group / duplicate / merge

on a new layer, block in colors

be mindful of color distribution & accents

use hue/saturation to change color of lines

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06 BASIC SHADING

create a new multiply layer and pick a light color

add some simple hard shadows to your sketch

use hue/saturation to modify shadow color

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07 MERGE & ADD DETAIL

group / duplicate / merge

pick a more ‘painterly’ brush

start blending and painting in more detail

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08 COLOR CORRECTION - IF NEEDED

if you feel like colors need to be changed, do it!

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09 MERGE & ADD DETAIL

EYES
more contrast than the rest of the image
want them to stand out
clear ‘gaze’

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10 MERGE & ADD DETAIL

EYES
more contrast than the rest of the image
want them to stand out
clear ‘gaze’

HAIR
add loose strands
ribbon style highlights - apply sparingly

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11 MERGE & ADD DETAIL

EYES
more contrast than the rest of the image
want them to stand out
clear ‘gaze’

HAIR
add loose strands
ribbon style highlights - apply sparingly

LINES
add darker lines, but only in some areas
blend in some color lines

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12 FINISHING TOUCHES

add a shape, gradient or shadow to complete image

smooth out some areas

final color modifications

13 DONE!
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ASSIGNMENT
03 CHARACTER CREATION

Think of a character that fits into your theme. Do some very quick, rough
sketches using steps 1-2 of this process, experimenting with the different
character design principles.

Pick the strongest sketch and finalize it using the rest of the steps. Try to pick
a pose that says a lot about this character’s personality.

TIME // 1.5 HOURS

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MY DIGITAL WORKFLOW \\

04 FLOW IN
COMPOSITION
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composition
A QUICK OVERVIEW

CHARACTER SKETCH

1 I use the character construction technique from

yesterday to sketch the basic pose of the character.

2 SKETCHING ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS

On a separate layer, I add the background, decorative
elements, props, etc. I keep this as simple as possible.

3 MULTIPLE THUMBNAILS
I repeat the process, challenging myself to draw the
same image in a few different ways.

4 SELECT 1 & ADD DETAIL

I pick the strongest sketch and work out the details a
little more. www.loish.net
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KEEP IT SIMPLE WORK SMALL FOCAL POINT

The most important thing about If you create small thumbnails, you Arrange all of your elements in such
sketching out your digital painting - have a better sense of whether the a way that the eye is led to the focal
keep it simple. Details can be added image is working from afar point - often the face.
later on.

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CREATING COMPOSITIONS:
PROCESS

01 ROUGH SKETCH

work small on a larger canvas

don’t worry too much about the details

ok to stylize

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02 SKETCH ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS

keep it simple - use shapes

think mainly in terms of the ‘line of action’

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03 ADD A LITTLE MORE DETAIL

lower opacity of other sketch layers

on new layer, work out the detail a little more

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04 MULTIPLE THUMBNAILS

on the same canvas, draw 1-2 more versions

try a different angle or composition

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05 PICK ONE

choose the composition that is working best

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06 ADD MORE DETAIL GRADUALLY

upscale the sketch and work out details

start with character and gradually add more detail

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06 ADD MORE DETAIL GRADUALLY

upscale the sketch and work out details

start with character and gradually add more detail

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06 ADD MORE DETAIL GRADUALLY

upscale the sketch and work out details

start with character and gradually add more detail

07 DONE!
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ASSIGNMENT
04 FLOW IN COMPOSITION

Yesterday, we created a character. Think of a way to convey this character in

a digital painting, either with decorative elements or in a scene.

Create 2-3 rough thumbnails for your idea. Choose 1 and work out more
detail.

TIME // 30 MINUTES

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MY DIGITAL WORKFLOW \\

05 COLORS FOR
DIGITAL PAINTING
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choosing colors
A QUICK OVERVIEW

SET A BASE COLOR

1 I set sketch lines to multiply and use the flood fill tool
to set a base color. I tweak with hue/saturation.

2 ADD GRADIENTS
I use the gradient tool to add color transitions, and
introduce new values to the piece.

3 DRAW COLORS
I set my brush to a lower opacity/flow, and block in
some of the additional colors, adding more contrast.

4 MODIFY COLORS
I use selective color, replace color, color balance and
hue/saturation to tweak the color scheme. www.loish.net
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CHOOSING COLORS:
PROCESS

01 PREP YOUR CANVAS

take your most successful thumbnail sketch

copy/paste to a new canvas

duplicate 2-3 times across your canvas

give each thumbnail it’s own group

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02 BASE COLOR

start with your first thumbnail

pick a color that fits your concept.

try to make it deep, rich or bright.

tweak with hue/saturation to get the right tone

change color of sketch lines to match

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03 ADD GRADIENTS

set gradient tool to transparent BG, lower opacity to

60-75%
add a secondary hue to your image with gradients

add some contrast with darker/lighter values

keep in mind the ‘flow’ - where do you want
the viewer to look?

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04 PAINT IN COLORS

set your brush to a lower flow/opacity

paint in some new colors - quick & rough

blend slightly with alt + click

think about where you want your color accents

and where you are leading the eye

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05 MODIFY COLORS

use selective color to modify the colors.

if needed, use replace color to tweak specific colors

try to get a good balance of warm & cool

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06 FEATHERED LASSO TOOL

set lasso tool to feather 100px or more

select specific areas

use color editing tools to modify these areas

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07 MULTIPLE COLOR SETUPS

try the same process 1-2 more times

experiment with a different base color each time

try different value variations

08 DONE!
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ASSIGNMENT
05 CHOOSING COLORS FOR DIGITAL
PAINTING

Make 2-3 color setups for your composition sketch from the last assignment.
Challenge yourself to try different base colors, different value setups and
different color accents. Try to work as fast as possible.

TIME // 30 MINUTES

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MY DIGITAL WORKFLOW \\

06 PAINTING &
RENDERING
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painting & rendering

A QUICK OVERVIEW

ADD LIGHTER VALUES TO FACE

1 I use colors already on the canvas. If I add new colors, I

avoid making them just lighter than the base.

2 WORK ON THE HAIR

I use the steps described earlier to work out the hair in
some more detail.

3 MOVE OUTWARDS
I then start slowly working in more detail, gradually
moving outwards from the focal point.

4 FINER DETAIL
I add the smaller, finer details, like loose strands of
hair, sharp highlights, etc. www.loish.net
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PAINTING & RENDERING:

PROCESS

01 PREP YOUR FILE

take your color thumbnail and upsize to

minimum A3, 300DPI - preferably larger

warning: only upscale at a very early point

in your process, when you will paint everything,
otherwise there is too much quality loss

be sure to use the group / duplicate / merge

technique at various points in your process,
to observe whether your work is improving as you
paint.

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PAINTING & RENDERING:

PROCESS

01 PREP YOUR FILE

I’ll be using this image as an example - different from

the previous steps, but it’s a better example of my
painting process.

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02 ADD MORE CONTRAST TO FACE

or to the area that is the focal point

pick a highlight color from the canvas

if you want to introduce a new color to your

color scheme, try picking one with a different
temperature or saturation as the base
blend in these highlights and start painting,
without over-blending

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ADD MORE CONTRAST TO WHOLE

03 IMAGE

Repeat previous process for other areas of the image

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04 WORK ON THE HAIR

use ribbon technique to add highlights to the

clumps of hair. apply sparingly
add some bounce light to shadows for a
glossy effect

add loose strands to strategic areas

on a separate layer, add slightly lighter loose strands

over the clumps. apply sparingly

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05 MOVE OUTWARDS

Move outwards, gradually adding more depth to

various elements of the image.
Try to be mindful of detail distribution - don’t apply
the same amount of detail everywhere

Keep brightest contrast and highlights for focal point

only

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06 FINER DETAIL

Reduce brush size and add very thin, small detail

Leave this to the very end so that you can be

selective about WHERE to apply this detail

Make sure that you can still see the detail

at normal print size

07 FINISHING TOUCHES
Almost done...
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ASSIGNMENT
06 PAINTING & RENDERING

Take your strongest color thumbnail and begin creating your finalized digital
painting with it. Sculpt with color, but be sure to focus the detail on the focal
point of your piece.

Right before the end of this workshop, I will give you some tips for the final
touches.

TIME // 1 HOUR AND 15 MINUTES

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FINISHING TOUCHES
A FEW SIMPLE TIPS

GAUSSIAN BLUR
Duplicate your image, blur it, and then
mask areas of it to emphasize focal
point. Mimics camera effect

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FINISHING TOUCHES
A FEW SIMPLE TIPS

GAUSSIAN BLUR
Duplicate your image, blur it, and then
mask areas of it to emphasize focal
point. Mimics camera effect

ADDING TEXTURE
Literally copy/paste an image of a
texture, and set layer mode to ‘soft light’
or ‘overlay’. Erase to blend.

www.loish.net
 loish // workshop 71

FINISHING TOUCHES
A FEW SIMPLE TIPS

GAUSSIAN BLUR
Duplicate your image, blur it, and then
mask areas of it to emphasize focal
point. Mimics camera effect

ADDING TEXTURE
Literally copy/paste an image of a
texture, and set layer mode to ‘soft light’
or ‘overlay’. Erase to blend.

GRADIENTS
Use gradients with layers set to ‘screen’
and ‘multiply’, and then lowered
opacity, to enhance lighter or darker
areas. Use subtly & sparingly

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07 RESIZE YOUR IMAGE FOR WEB

Never post your high resolution work online

Resize to web - I always do 700 pixels width

using ‘Image Size’ option

DO NOT save over your existing file - save as a new

version

add a signature or watermark to your image

08 DONE!

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ASSIGNMENT
06 PAINTING & RENDERING

Add some simple finishing touches to your piece and save for web. If you feel
your piece is not yet complete, continue working on it at home - digital
painting takes lots of time!

TIME // 15 MINUTES

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Gumroad tutorials
GUMROAD.COM/LOISH

FULL BODY CHARACTER PORTRAIT

A tutorial covering what we learned on day 1, with
more tips on finishing touches & painting

CREATING A DIGITAL PAINTING

My full process for creating a detailed digital
painting

Students of this workshop may contact me personally

and get these tutorials for free, to stream from the
Gumroad site at any time.

info@loish.net

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loish // workshop 75

GET CONNECTED

QUESTIONS?
Keep in touch if you have questions after this workshop!

@loishh
info@loish.net

@loish.fans
www.loish.net

@loisvb

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THANK YOU!