Black Moor Process
The Sketch
I typically start by lining up a variety of images I have collected on on pinterest, and keep them in front of me while I sketch. (Tip: try to always use references- it makes things a lot easier)
When sketching in photoshop, I really enjoy the Kyle Webster Animator pencil. I find the pencil lends itself to smooth and expressive lines and fits well with my style of drawing.
For the sketching process, I try to keep my lines loose and fluid, while keeping close attention to the overall forms of the fish. I also try and get a rough idea for placement of secondary features like the fines. (As you can tell from my sketch I change my mind a lot on their shape and placement.)
After I am happy with the sketch, I switch it to a multiply layer and lower its opacity. This allows me to draw comfortably under the layer, while still seeing the sketch. I also added a pre-painted background painted with traditional gouache.
The Base Layers
Under the sketch layer, I begin drawing the base layer which I use to “clip paint” all the top layers into. Basically, all the layers above will be clipped to the underlying base layer.
For this step, I really like Kyle Webster’s Copier Rat (found in Mega pack/Inkbox). It gives a fair amount of texture while creating smoother line control. I also set my photoshop smoothing to about 10 percent to ensure the lines don’t become too choppy. After completing the outline, I use the fill bucket to complete the shape and brush over any stray texture areas left over from the fill.
Clipped Layers
This is the fun part! I try to create texture in my pieces, so I seek very textured brushes. Some of my favorites are in the Kyle Webster Megapack paintbox area. For this piece I played around with the various pallet knife brushes. I try to determine a fixed light source and play around with the textures to give the illusion of form. (Fish are easy the light source is almost always coming from the top.)
I probably would have had an easier time painting the back and the body separate but I decided to keep them one shape, using brush strokes to separate the two forms and played with texture wherever I could.
All these layers are clipped to the “base layer”- this means I can expressively paint “over the lines” and not worry about strokes flowing over the shape beneath. I find this an easy way to play around with the textures and not really worry about painting over any unintended areas. I also do this with my traditional work with the help of fiskar film.
Adding in the Fins
As the title explained, At this point I have most of my shapes outlined. I have determined where secondary features, such as the eye, will be placed and have turned off the sketch layer.
I can now use my favorite set of brushes to layout the fins. I typically use the Kyle Webster Watercolor brushes because they lend a certain amount of transparency with the background (much like actual fins). I usually draw these free hand and will turn off and on the sketch layer to get an idea of how I originally envisioned their layout.
Its important to note that when using the watercolor brushes you have to create the entire shape in one stroke, this is because the brushes are a limited opacity and set to multiply. So if you try and do a number of smaller strokes, the shape muddies and starts to have dark and light areas. This leads me to drawing and erasing the shapes once or twice before I finally settle on a shape I am happy with.
Time for Details
Its time for the nitty-gritty details. For this process I usually favor Kyle Webster’s runny inkers.
I look for areas that need some accents. This typically ends up being the fins. I have also added details to the eyes, mouth and gill area. I go back over the entire image with a watercolor brush to add more texture with a watercolor splatter and some watercolor dots.
To finish the image off, I used a curves adjustment layer to bring out some of the lighter greys I had painted in, which really helped some of the details pop.
