Hopefully, you will either already be comfortable with drawing complex shapes and paths using the Pen Tool - if not, turn back now and have a look at PART ONE of this Tutorial, as we will be getting into some fairly advanced techniques later on that require a fair understanding of working with multiple Layers, Layer Masks, Pen Paths and Shapes.The techniques I'm going to discuss were used extensively in the creation of this:
I wasn't happy with the outcome - It was never entered in a contest and eventually became part of a bigger work but it's a good reference point to illustrate the methods that follow.
FILE STRUCTURE:The first thing to remember when starting out on a complicated image is to manage your layers. This means keeping track of all the main sections by using Folders inside the Layers Palette, and naming all the various Paths you create too. There is nothing more frustrating than losing track of an important, time consuming path or layer!
I love building robots, but they do present significant problems in their construction. I used the pen tool fairly extensively to define the shape of various parts. As you can see above, there are hundreds of Layers, Layer Masks, Paths, Pen Shapes involved that all go into making up an image this complex![Edited by User on 3/11/2011 1:42:22 PM]
MAKING SHAPESIt would be great if we could find all the sources photographs needed to build a 'bot, ready made and shaped to fit our purpose, but it just doesn't happen like that. What we need to do, therefore, is to use the Pen Tool to create a shape, then find a source to fit inside it.
I've found this nice metal ball which I want to use to make a torso for a new Robot. The first thing to do is rename the source image, and protect it - so I copy all my unaltered source images into a separate 'base' folder. Whenever I need to revisit a source, that means it is available, undamaged and ready to use. (This folder is usually not visible in my layers as I work.)I hide the source image and create a new folder in my Layers Palette called 'Torso'. On the canvas, but with no layer selected, I use the Pen Tool to draw the basic shape that I want the torso plate to be, remembering also to save the Path. It isn't necessary to draw a path on an active layer - more of which in a moment.
Next, I activate the Basic Ball Layer and copy it, then switch that layer off again. I click on the Torso Folder, then activate my Torso path. In the Paths Submenu I select 'Make Selection' with a feather radius of '1'. Next, I go to the EDIT menu and select 'Paste Into'. Because I didn't have a layer active when I did the Paste Inside, Photoshop will place the copied source into a new layer, inside the Torso Folder, with a Layer mask already attached to It!
It's important to note that in this new layer, the Mask is NOT linked to the pasted image yet, meaning I can still move, scale, flip and transform the pasted elements within the Layer Mask. Click between the Mask and the Source to fix the mask in place - you'll see a little 'chain' appear, indicating the image and its mask are now fixed. This can be turned on and off as you wish.[Edited by User on 3/11/2011 1:43:11 PM]
UNDER CONSTRUCTION:Well, that's one Torso Plate out of the way. Now I need to make its partner, which I do by copying the layer. Remember what I said about fixing masks in place? It's important, because to make the bot symmetrical, I need to flip the original torso plate. But that means my light directions are now at odds with each other, so I separate the mask from the shape and rotate the source within it until the light direction matches up correctly. Then I fix the mask back in place. Next, to create the impression of depth within the robot's shell, I create another new Layer and place it below the two torso plates - 'Underpaint'.In this layer I draw a rough shape with the Pen tool which will show the interior of the robot's casing. Again, I make it a selection but this time create a mask myself, because I will be using this layer to paint in, initially. The presence of the mask on this layer means I cannot go out of bounds when I paint in my shadows or lighting effects.
On the 'Underpaint' Layer, I rough in some colours and shadows using the brush tool. But it looks so flat, it's hopeless! It needs to look metallic, so my next step is to make a new layer and paste the original metal ball source into it. I copy the mask up from the 'Underpaint' layer, scale the metal to fit inside the masked area, then change the blend mode to 'overlay'.This has the effect of texturising the interior of the robot. I also start playing around with the Saturation and colour modes at this point, to get a colour tone I'm happy with. A huge benefit of having your masks defined like this means when it comes to adding elements, it's simply a matter of creating a new Layer and copying the mask into it. Below, I have added some rudimentary shadows, highlights and effects. You can see how the layers and paths begin to build up!If things are looking a bit ragged here, you can actually add a new Mask onto the folder itself, which will apply a further mask onto all the layers inside the folder.
[Edited by User on 3/11/2011 1:43:57 PM]
STROKE EFFECTSA robot has to have panels and rivets to make it look that much cooler, right? Gives it a sense of character. I need to give the impression of sections of metal being cut into the surface of the torso and riveted together, and this is easy to achieve with a bit of practice....First, create a new layer above all the previous ones. I set the brush tool to about size 4, 100% black, hard edge, 100% opacity and scrawl some temporsary lines around the image - don't worry, this is just an exercise to work out the light directions. I turn the LAYER FILL to down 0%, which has the effect of erasing the painted black lines from this layer.
Next, I go into the Layer Style menu and give the Layer a Bevel and Emboss Effect - while watching the scrawled lines, I play around with the settings (for panel cuts, the direction of the bevel must be 'DOWN') such as angle, depth, etc. until I get an effect that looks like a cut in the metal. This happens because with the FILL at 0%, all that's left to see in that layer is the applied Layer Style, not the actual painted lines.
I delete all the temporary scrawled lines. Making sure the paintbrush is still set to the settings above, I select the pen tool, and use it to draw a curved path where I imagine metal panels would join together.
Next up is to set the Stroke - or weight - onto the curved path I just drew. I go into the Paths Submenu and select 'Stroke Path' as an option, and keep the 'simulate pressure' unchecked. This means the stroke that follows the curved path will be constant and follow the settings that are held in the paintbrush tool. It creates a nice smooth curved panel line down the torso plate. I repeat it again and again as necessary.
This effect can look a bit harsh in places, so I use the eraser tool on a low 20% opacity to soften the lines where they meet shadows and highlights.
[Edited by User on 3/11/2011 1:45:34 PM]
LAYER EFFECTS - RIVETING STUFF!It's all about the little details. To create the illusion of rivets holding the metal plates together, I duplicate the 'Section Cut' Layer and clear it completely, then rename it. When I copied it, it carried the same Fill and Layer effects with it, so I open up the Emboss Effect and change the direction to 'UP'. With my paintbrush set to airbrush, size 9 and full opacity, I dot in little rivets all around the joins.
[Edited by User on 3/11/2011 1:46:13 PM]
USING PEN PATHS TO CREATE TUBINGTo create tubes and pipes, I duplicate the 'UP' Embossed Rivet Layer and clear it as before, then turn the Fill back up to 100%. I use the pen tool to draw snakelike pipe paths, then make them stroke paths as described above, using a hard edged brush.With the FILL turned back up to 100%, they will take whatever the foreground colour is. Here, I used green and red. Again, some judicious use of the eraser tool to soften the lines where they meet shadows adds a nice finishing touch.You can use the same curved paths on a new layer to make realistic shadows that match the pipes, too - just duplicate the tube layers, desaturate them to remove colour, apply a fine Gaussian blur, change the blend mode to 'Multiply' and reduce the layer opacity to 80%. Give them a slight rotation, and voila!
[Edited by User on 3/11/2011 1:46:30 PM]
Phew! Still with me?Well, that's pretty much it on the basic techniques, at least!You still have a lot to consider when putting them to use in a chop as complex as the giant robot I used as an example at the start of this I didn't really go into shadows, highlights, glow effects, texture overlays, merging body parts, environment and atmosphere; but hopefully mastering the techniques above will go some way to helping you out when you start one of these yourself.GOOD LUCK!