TUTORIAL // sculpting with color
Added 2021-07-20 07:12:25 +0000 UTCHere’s this month’s tutorial, which is on sculpting with color! I demonstrate this process in 3 different ways, and talk a bit about how to create more 3-dimensionality, how to keep the colors from getting too muddy, and how you can make adjustments and corrections throughout the process. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them!
Below are some additional resources that are relevant to this tutorial ↓
If you want to know more about how I drew the heads, I have another tutorial on constructing faces & expressions which explains that in more detail: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-video-40374192
And if you want to know more about how I choose my colors, I also made a tutorial about that which has a lot of overlaps with this video: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-colors-39277902
I talk a bit about how I used this process for one of my digital paintings. If you want to see the full process for that painting, you can find it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/process-video-1-46689025 | https://www.patreon.com/posts/process-video-2-46690261 | https://www.patreon.com/posts/process-video-3-46771150
And here is a process video where I use the sculpting with color process using random / unconventional colors: https://www.patreon.com/posts/process-video-45835973
Finally, if you’re using procreate, here is a tutorial on painting in procreate which shows you how I use this same ‘sculpting with color’ technique on the ipad: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-in-44878024
Comments
I'm so happy to hear that! this workflow was a huge game changer for me too.
Loish
2025-04-24 09:19:05 +0000 UTCThank you for your great tutorials. Finally I have found a way of thinking that suits me and I actually see a light at the end of the tunnel x.x
Victoria
2025-04-23 18:02:11 +0000 UTCit was such a game changer for me, I'm happy to hear it helps you too!
Loish
2025-02-21 14:01:40 +0000 UTCThank you, as someone who is constantly afraid of using color, this insight was so helpful. It felt so bad since my colored lineworks just looked like a cartoon, which is fine if you want that style, but I feel much more confident with this method.
Luno.Draws
2025-02-16 20:17:14 +0000 UTCi'm so happy to hear that!!
Loish
2024-11-28 02:59:08 +0000 UTCOnce again, this technique has shed light on stuff I just didn't understand. Rendering has been my nemesis since I started doing digital painting and I've tried TONS of ways to do it but your approach is very playful and experimental, which I totally love. My process is different regarding sketching but I gotta say your approach with picking colors and this sculpting technique helped me to understand rendering and apply it on my process in a way I find it satisfying. Thank you very much!!!!
Anaid Jimenez
2024-11-28 01:31:00 +0000 UTCsometimes you need to lighten them and then use color balance to push them towards a certain tint!
Loish
2022-12-19 10:19:00 +0000 UTCThank you so much for this tutorial! I just don't understand why it doesn't work when I want to change my lines color 🥲 it stays black no matter what
Victoria Cribier
2022-12-16 19:35:27 +0000 UTCthat is so goood
Anara Baidulla
2022-11-16 11:57:37 +0000 UTCi use photoshop 2022! just the latest version from creative cloud.
Loish
2022-10-07 10:01:14 +0000 UTCWhich version of photoshop do you use?
Jennifer Hart
2022-10-06 08:32:45 +0000 UTCyes! I used that one for the 'sculpting' part :)
Loish
2022-08-11 09:00:45 +0000 UTCdid you use the hard round brush from your pack for rendering?
Clara Galeati
2022-08-11 07:17:25 +0000 UTCExcellent tutorial Loish! This is a great way to coloring and it gives me too much fun!
SirRaivel
2022-07-09 19:38:46 +0000 UTCso glad you liked it! this is one of my favorite techniques and I'm happy to share it :)
Loish
2022-05-23 07:46:45 +0000 UTCThis is one of the best tutorials I've ever watched! Playing with color like that is not something I usually do, but the process felt so satisfying, I'm definitely gonna do it again. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Victoria
2022-05-21 19:34:05 +0000 UTCTHANK YOU so much for this! I've been digitally painting for years and could never seem to get my colors to really pop or give a sense of volume and definition. This will really help me move my art to the next level.
Natale LaPlante
2022-04-19 22:18:55 +0000 UTCYour tutorials are so wonderful!
Reelynn
2022-01-29 01:33:48 +0000 UTCLoved this tutorial, so full of knowledge, going to try it out, I'm having trouble adding color to my sketches...thank you Loish
Cecilia Valente
2021-12-08 19:48:53 +0000 UTCYes it does! Thanks for taking your time on this 🖤
motiongach Gach
2021-12-01 18:18:18 +0000 UTChey! no worries at all! In this context, rendering means to detail / paint / finalize the art. so basically the early stages are sketching and adding color, and the final stage of elevating the detail and applying the paintwork is rendering. does that help explain it?
Loish
2021-12-01 07:49:17 +0000 UTCI need to ask this question. What do you mean with the word 'render'? Context: I'm not native english speaker, so I understand the word Render like in After Effects or a 3D export at a final version, but here it has another meaning or use I think. Could you please explain a little bit, something general just to understand that concept? Thanks so much Loish :)
motiongach Gach
2021-11-30 19:35:58 +0000 UTCThis was very good. It makes me want to let go of my perfectionist methods and try this! Haha
Niquey
2021-11-25 22:45:50 +0000 UTClearning with Loish is leaving the attachment to the sketch and the work already done until to have something I really like it. Thanks Loish
Carla
2021-11-18 18:40:33 +0000 UTCI'm so glad you enjoyed this! and yes, you describe it perfectly - I set some color choices and then move out from there, gradually adding depth. i hope this workflow yields some interesting results for you :)
Loish
2021-09-27 08:39:40 +0000 UTCLate to the party here (please don't look at the number of unread emails in my inbox. please) but this is SO useful. After you explained it all I could see how you were using it for Rising and other painterly images you've done. In a way it seems you even do this with your lasso styles, less using the same colors on the image, but more a focus on using color as a tool to create depth and volume rather than for its own sake only. I'm usually a line work and cell shade guy, that's what most of my customers want, but I've been trying to branch out into more detailed and lineless digital painting for years now, and it just never makes sense to me. Something clicked with this video and I can't wait to go try it! It's almost like you start by cell shading a rough sketch with some intentional color choices, then morph that into a digital painting by blending and sculpting and adding detail. I've been trying to work in layers as I do with cell shaded images, at least at the rough stage, but never getting any good results. Watching your videos always fills me with creative energy and if I learn something from them I get so excited about trying it, usually with fun results! Thanks so much for all your effort and hard work ♥
FaroreNightclaw
2021-09-27 07:21:09 +0000 UTCso glad you found it helpful :)
Loish
2021-09-10 08:36:18 +0000 UTCI spent so long trying to learn how to do this and you literally helped me in 39 minutes ! Boy do I regret not being a Patreon sooner! Thank you Loish!!!
Raven Christineth
2021-09-09 20:25:26 +0000 UTCthat's a really good idea. i'm wrapping up my tutorial for this month and for next month i'll probably do another procreate workflow tutorial!
Loish
2021-08-24 08:34:47 +0000 UTCLove this!!! I know you barely use procreate but if you can do some tutorials on the selective tool with feather and shadow it would be awesome. I’ve seen you’re previous one but I love how you use the lasso tool to add depth and volume
Sharon Tu
2021-08-24 00:28:49 +0000 UTCi usually sketch in a greyish color too, just so that it doesn't feel too intense. usually my sketching process is more line-based and i will switch to 'sculpting' once i'm starting to work out the volumes more!
Loish
2021-08-05 09:08:16 +0000 UTCSo happy to be back! Do you apply this technique to sketching too? I realized I used sketching with just a dark grey color digitally to avoid using color.
Lauren Nicole
2021-08-04 19:57:46 +0000 UTCThank you
Lauri Panopoulos Lauridesign.com
2021-08-04 16:38:43 +0000 UTChappy to hear that you like it! it was the same for me.. once i started using this technique, it just all made so much more sense, and my art improved a lot after that.
Loish
2021-08-04 12:32:13 +0000 UTChey lauri! I use the latest version i believe! it's the 22.4.3 release.
Loish
2021-08-04 12:25:51 +0000 UTCi'm glad you found this helpful charlie! Rising took me about 15 hours in total.
Loish
2021-08-04 12:22:26 +0000 UTCThank you so much for this! This is so helpful, especially for me because I am a very lineart oriented artist and I always find that having fun with my rendering becomes so difficult after finalizing my clean lines. I am curious, how long did it take you to complete “Rising” from start to finish?
Charlie Carter
2021-08-02 20:48:12 +0000 UTCHi Lois, As always, thank you for a wonderful tutorial. Painting this way feels very soothing and intuitive. Btw- which version of Photoshop are you using? Thank you again!
Lauri Panopoulos Lauridesign.com
2021-08-02 16:56:41 +0000 UTCVery useful tutorial as always. I've been using this technique for a while now, which I've been learning from observing your other tutorials and process videos. It's basically the only technique that has made sense to my brain without making me insane haha. This tutorial makes everything even more clear. Thanks as always Loish!
Yousef Abdullah
2021-07-31 21:55:37 +0000 UTCIve watched many of your painting tutorials and this still taught me some new things! Thanks for making this for us!
Rihana Jones
2021-07-30 07:38:01 +0000 UTCThis process helped me alot with my own drawings, thank you!
Jaina Warren
2021-07-28 22:46:11 +0000 UTCthank you so much!
Loish
2021-07-27 07:58:45 +0000 UTCAgain, such an amazing tutorial! I struggle at shading and rendering digitally so seeing your process helped me a lot. Thank you <3
Ece's Art
2021-07-26 19:16:18 +0000 UTCSuch a great tutorial! Thank you very much! ❤️ It helped me a lot as I lean into this exact style of drawing. Cheers Loish! ❤️🔥
Piotr Kostecki
2021-07-26 11:26:46 +0000 UTChaha sorry about that! you can slow down the speed of the video in case you want to watch it again! hope your vaccine side effects pass quickly :)
Loish
2021-07-26 08:35:17 +0000 UTCThank you Lois for the tutorial. I just got my vaccine and don't have much energy to draw 😢. This is very helpful and I learned way more than I have before. You caught me off guard too when you changed the eyes so quickly on the first sketch.
Delphitact
2021-07-26 05:23:02 +0000 UTCSo excited to check this out! Thank you!
Brian Delaney
2021-07-26 02:21:04 +0000 UTCThanks, Lois. This was very helpful.
Joshua Baker
2021-07-25 17:22:10 +0000 UTCThank you Loish, I'm learning so much from your Patreon!
Miriam Callegari
2021-07-23 14:54:56 +0000 UTCso glad you find them helpful lynn!
Loish
2021-07-23 08:48:57 +0000 UTCthanks julia :)
Loish
2021-07-23 08:48:10 +0000 UTCReally helpful tutorial for this month to finalizing the paintings!
Atılay Sargın
2021-07-22 17:19:56 +0000 UTCHey Lois, I see that on 23:46 you start to draw these pink triangles over a dark purple character. One you draw the triangles, there is a small step that I don’t quite understand, but it results in a slightly modified version of the original shape with a more transitioned shade of pink between the large shape and the purple. This is before you talk about the adding the saturated transition color
Rishabh Saxena
2021-07-22 14:58:33 +0000 UTCLearning so much from seeing your process, thanks for sharing!
Julia Jager
2021-07-22 12:44:26 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing your painting process with us! I find I am learning so much from all of your tutorials and can already see a big jump in the quality of my work thanks to you. You are an amazing artist and teacher!
Lynn Zammit Russell
2021-07-22 09:08:05 +0000 UTCyes, pretty much the same technique! I do aim for sightly more crispness when it comes to clothing so that the folds are more defined.
Loish
2021-07-22 08:19:24 +0000 UTCglad you liked it!
Loish
2021-07-22 08:18:54 +0000 UTChey! I'm so glad you like it! I feel like procreate is a great app to 'sculpt' in this way :) as for your question, could you point me to a timecode where you see this happen? then I can explain it properly to you!
Loish
2021-07-22 08:18:37 +0000 UTCyes, I have a pro account that allows me to modify the embed settings and also add speed controls to the player!
Loish
2021-07-22 08:07:10 +0000 UTChey, a question not very related to your work. your video is on vimeo, why i don’t see any vimeo brand on it？very neat. is it because of a higher subscription to them？thank you.
意拳高松
2021-07-22 04:27:53 +0000 UTCSuch a helpful tutorial and great look into your painting process. Thanks so much for making this! 😊
dhaesart
2021-07-21 23:39:18 +0000 UTCThank you so much for this tutorial! I will go try it now! ❤️
Jennyfer Roussy
2021-07-21 23:21:33 +0000 UTCThank you so much for sharing this process and your knowledge. I generally like to stay away from painting because it ends up taking away the energy that’s there in the sketch, but your process gives it a whole nother life. I was curious about one thing. A lot of times I see you put down a base shape filled with color and then chip away at it in the same layer to create volume. How exactly do you get that effect? Are you painting over it with the color underneath? I generally use Procreate and was curious how you can do this there
Rishabh Saxena
2021-07-21 21:17:59 +0000 UTCGreat tutorial! I’m really fascinated by your ability to work the colors and the shapes, and create such different charachters and moods. I especially enjoyed the last one with random colors, so cool to see how intuitive the process can be. Thanks for sharing <3
Catherine Calero-Jacobsen
2021-07-21 10:17:39 +0000 UTCI hope this helps you with your art :)
Loish
2021-07-21 07:42:36 +0000 UTChappy to hear that this is helpful to you! I hope it works in your process. if you're still struggling after applying these tips, feel free to reach out about it! I'd be happy to help!
Loish
2021-07-21 07:41:51 +0000 UTCthanks for the kind words krystal!
Loish
2021-07-21 07:38:44 +0000 UTCthanks loish!
Lia Maitena
2021-07-20 17:56:37 +0000 UTCInformative as always Loish! Is your process the same when it comes to sculpting clothing?
Pricella
2021-07-20 17:50:36 +0000 UTCYou are so generous to share your amazing knowledge with us, one of the best patreons on here. Thank you so much! 💓
Krystal Blackmouth
2021-07-20 13:13:33 +0000 UTCThis is amazing! Thank you so much, I understand now better why my paintings sometimes gets muddy. It’s what you said I blend the highlights and darks and this is a total game changer for me. I believe a lot of the time my paintings are stuck in the cooking phase. I was to confused what techniques I could do to improve to a more rendered version. What happend to me is I just get lost, you made this recipe that for me makes sense in so many ways. I’m very eager to try it out and see how far I can push my shapes and sculpt with color. This looks so much fun to! Thank you Loish :D
Gartiry
2021-07-20 12:27:31 +0000 UTCGreat tutorial! Thank you! 💗💗💗
Nora
2021-07-20 11:55:31 +0000 UTCMil gracias por este tutorial tan maravilloso y por todos los demás que también me parecen increíbles!!!👏👏👏👏 Eres Genial Loish!! 🥰
Lucía Navarro
2021-07-20 10:25:53 +0000 UTCThanks Loish!
Mae
2021-07-20 09:52:14 +0000 UTCAh thank you so much!
Asher Tail
2021-07-20 08:55:33 +0000 UTCThanks Loish! I'll definitely come back to this very soon.
Yousef Abdullah
2021-07-20 08:48:15 +0000 UTCYou're awesome, thank you for being so kind ❤️❤️❤️
Carmen Redondo
2021-07-20 08:15:12 +0000 UTCSo much content here this is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, will definitely be referring to this
Izzy Stratford
2021-07-20 08:08:20 +0000 UTCYou just save me right now, that's been since the beginning of the year that I'm trying to understand I love doing that without success to apply it. Thank you thank you 🌟
Y'lqar
2021-07-20 07:51:47 +0000 UTC
