PROCESS VIDEO // dark mode - part I

This month, I want to share the process for my dark mode painting! It's intended as a companion piece to my light mode painting. I think it's a great example of how I change and modify things as I go. I changed the overall pose and composition of this painting a few times - first diverting more from the original quite a lot, then leaning back into it. I really want to show that you don't have to have your idea set in stone when you start out, and that digital media gives you lots of opportunities to modify things!

Here’s some information about this process video: 

• It has been sped up by 200%, so 2 times the original speed. 

• This painting session took me about 6 hours and 15 minutes, split up into multiple sessions.

• I edited the process into three parts. This is part one of three!

• I mostly used the hard round brush from my own brush set to paint this. I also used a lot of brush & smudge combinations to paint and then soften edges. 

• This is painted in Adobe Photoshop. You can replicate a similar workflow in Procreate, with the exception of the gradient tool and the number of layers used! 

• I wasn't able to record the entire process, unfortunately - but I did record 90% of the process, so this is the whole thing minus the last hour or so of rendering.

Here are some helpful resources that can help understand this process in more detail: 

• Soft & hard edges with the lasso tool: This is a technique I use a lot in this video - except rather than using a large noisy brush, I use the smudge tool to soften the edges. This tutorial runs you through how I gradually layer shapes to get this semi-translucent effect. 

• Creating interesting & flowy shapes: This tutorial is all about how I combine different types of shapes to create a sense of movement in my image.

BLOCKING IN MY IDEA

To start with, I open up the original Light Mode painting and keep it over to the side. At this point, I’m undecided as to how similar I want my new version to be. Should it be a totally different take on the idea? Or should it be more or less the same, but with an ‘inverted’ feeling? I try out some different ideas, like flipping the characters upside down or changing the angle. I was exploring the idea of the dark mode spirit forming a kind of parasol to block bright light coming from above. I ended up settling for something like that, with more of a forward-facing angle - something I commit to around 12 minutes in. I figured having a different angle would add a new dimension to the concept and make this new version more than just a copy of the same idea! Unfortunately this ends up not working out, but at this point I’m still leaning into it.

LASSO & GRADIENT

My workflow for this painting is all about alternating the lasso and gradient tool. It helps me block in big areas of color to test the concept and see if the overall silhouettes and shapes are interesting - this is something I do around 12 minutes in, before making more finalized sketch lines. I also want to make sure that this painting is somewhat stylistically consistent with the first painting, where I used a lot of lasso & textured brush combinations. This time I’m not using as many textured brushes, but I am using a textured smudge brush which creates a similar effect! If you want to learn more about how I approach the lasso and gradient tool, check out my tutorial on Soft & hard edges with the lasso tool. 

Parts 2 and 3 are coming right up!