TUTORIAL // 6 simple tricks for stylizing your studies
Added 2025-02-10 17:35:15 +0000 UTCThis month's tutorial is finally here ✨it's on 6 simple tricks for stylizing your studies, and runs you through some techniques that you can use to make your studies more exciting and eye-catching! It's especially helpful for those of you who feel like your studies end up just looking like a boring copy of the reference image. These techniques can be applied to an already finished study, so if you have any artwork lying around that could use a revamp, this is the video for you!
The main brushes I use in this process are:
The MaCaLabs HB pencil brush for the initial sketch (there's also a Procreate version)
The hard round brush from my own brush set for blending and painting
Yuming Li's brush set for the smudge and mixer brushes
Here's the artwork I made in the demo:
You can easily supplement this tutorial with the following ones, because they touch on topics of stylization and diverting from realism.
Sculpting with color: This tutorial shows you how you can pick totally random colors and sculpt the details from there. It’s a great technique for breaking free from realism.
Making interesting reference studies: This tutorial talks about similar topics as this one, but focuses primarily on portraits and choosing an area of focus before getting started on your study.
Stylizing trees & plants: This tutorial shows you how you can divert from realism with subjects that aren’t characters - something that can be difficult for artists who are accustomed to copying reference closely.
I hope you enjoy this video and that it gives you some inspiration for zazzing up your studies! Feel free to share any future tutorial suggestions in the #tutorial-suggestions channel in the discord server (If you don't know how to join, just follow the steps outlined here) or leave them in a comment below ❤
Comments
I was looking how to play around with colour 🎨 and adding different hues on the outlines 🖍️ just like this. Thank you so much for this tutorial 🤗 it was perfect and exactly what I was looking for! ✨
jue.no.yume
2025-08-10 08:06:24 +0000 UTCyay! i hope there's something useful here for you ✨
Loish
2025-04-29 07:18:26 +0000 UTCThis was incredible to watch! I can't wait to try some of these out. I always worry that my paintings come out looking flat or unoriginal, so this can def open the door to new art :)
Rosy
2025-04-29 00:37:18 +0000 UTCof course! it's a cintiq 24 pro.
Loish
2025-02-21 14:03:38 +0000 UTChey Lana! Unfortunately you can't download this from the site, but you get a link to it at the end of the month. in the future you can always send me a DM and I can send you the link in advance!
Loish
2025-02-21 14:02:19 +0000 UTCI'm so glad you found it helpful :)
Loish
2025-02-21 13:52:47 +0000 UTCThank you so much for this tutorial!! I've always struggled with this exact issue and could never figure out how to fix it. Excited to try these tips out on the monthly challenge!
Lucienna Caffie
2025-02-19 18:13:36 +0000 UTCThis is so great. I'm recently working on a drawing of houses in a residential area I came across in South America, and I'm flashed by the idea off adding those stylizing ideas to it - it would give a lot more room to what I actually *felt* when I was there. Thanks!
Ute
2025-02-18 12:37:43 +0000 UTCthis is EXACTLY what i needed!!!!
nazgul
2025-02-17 15:54:50 +0000 UTCDid anybody experience any trouble with downloading this tutorial? I'm planning to watch this during a flight I'm doing soon and I won't have internet for it, and I cannot find the download button 🥲
Lana
2025-02-16 08:32:12 +0000 UTCHello Loish! Would u be so kind to tell me, what wacom tablet you are using and what size is it ?
Nasty Ewest
2025-02-15 16:16:00 +0000 UTCfor me, they show up under "photoshop master pack" > "smudge tools" !
Loish
2025-02-14 10:03:54 +0000 UTCso glad you enjoyed it!
Loish
2025-02-14 10:01:31 +0000 UTCthere's a little button on the layers panel with a checkered pattern in it! here's more info: https://www.sitepoint.com/photoshop-tip-locking-transparent-pixels/
Loish
2025-02-14 09:59:53 +0000 UTCThank you so much for this! What do you mean when you say you lock the transparency of the base colour layer? How do I do that in Photoshop?
Ri Beltran
2025-02-13 22:29:24 +0000 UTCI LOVE this! Thank you! I struggle so much with the copying 😩
Lone Jensen
2025-02-12 22:12:56 +0000 UTCThank you so much for the awesome tutorial! I just downloaded Yuming Li's complete collection and was wandering if you renamed her smudge tools? I can not see the ones you used in her collection?
Tobi
2025-02-12 14:45:31 +0000 UTCThanks, this was a good one!! (Not that your other tutorials were not good, by the way ;-) On the contrary!) It gives a great insight in the way you approach stylization. Very helpful and useful!
Johan Postma
2025-02-12 13:33:51 +0000 UTCHello, this is the tutorial that finally convinced me to sign up for your Patreon. This is exactly what I needed, the reference is a valuable help but also a framework that is too restrictive. But it requires artistic courage to break away from it (the hardest part remains to be done 😉). Thank you for this tutorial
Chantal
2025-02-11 21:06:26 +0000 UTCThis tutorial is the next level for me. It's very helpful and practical. I clearly lack study on my favorite artists. But the fact that you put words on the techniques changes everything for my brain which has trouble identifying the techniques used 😅 thank you for this video! It gives me the momentum to start drawing again! ❤️🩹
Faimano
2025-02-11 19:32:41 +0000 UTCaw shucks, thanks so much!!
Loish
2025-02-11 12:15:18 +0000 UTCglad you like it antonia!
Loish
2025-02-11 12:15:05 +0000 UTCi'm so glad you find it helpful! hopefully it shows that your sketch doesn't need to be too detailed before jumping into the process - that can also help a lot with stiffness!
Loish
2025-02-11 12:14:58 +0000 UTCThis video perfectly exemplifies why I consider you the most relevant illustration instructor around. You have fantastic insight, you relate your points in an applicable way and the examples and exercises you create not only demonstrate what you are instructing, they are wonderful pieces to observe and study. I don't know how you achieve all of that at once, but I am very thankful that you do Loish!
Jay Penn
2025-02-11 11:25:07 +0000 UTCThis is so so helpful 🙌 Thank you so much! A really nice guide for the monthly challenges 🤌
Antonia Höfs
2025-02-11 10:18:13 +0000 UTCBrilliant tutorial. So many useful tips. Thank you.
Mizidora
2025-02-11 06:46:25 +0000 UTCThis was so helpful! I can’t wait to apply it to my studies :) I always felt my studies looked way too stiff but looking at your demo and tips has really inspired me to try it too! Thank you
Veronica Colin
2025-02-11 04:18:19 +0000 UTCThis was so helpful! Thank you!!
Artful Harper Studios
2025-02-10 23:40:28 +0000 UTCso happy to hear that! 💖
Loish
2025-02-10 22:31:30 +0000 UTCyayyyy! happy to hear that ✨
Loish
2025-02-10 22:19:13 +0000 UTCyesss that's my all time favorite technique! i use it for all my art 😊
Loish
2025-02-10 22:19:02 +0000 UTCSo so SO helpful! Thank you 💕✨ Fantastic tips. My absolute favorite trick was changing the color of the sketch to blend with the artwork instead of just scrapping it.
Devyn
2025-02-10 21:42:40 +0000 UTCThank you so much Lois! This one gave me the perfect motif to start painting right now! *off to painting some sculptures for this month*
Inês Garcia
2025-02-10 20:01:28 +0000 UTCthank you so much! this tutorial it´s just what i needed haha, i found my self doing that printing human machine mood, on my studies, and i was wonder how can i stylized, to go beyond and no just copy, i´m so inspired right now, thanks! <3
Sergio Flores
2025-02-10 19:55:28 +0000 UTCI'm so stoked to watch this one!!!
_alexiaalexiaalexia
2025-02-10 19:45:27 +0000 UTC
