But then it’ll look beautiful! In this case I use it to reinforce the smile of the character. Your browns aren’t just exactly #6A3C14 brown, they’re a rich mixture of colors building on each other. Once scanned, open your sketch in Photoshop and use. There’s a little more natural variation when you have to mix that way – so much more opportunity to brilliantly (or accidentally) add in a bit more red, blue, or yellow. Now we can Rotate the whole body: right click > Free Transform... Now let’s touch up our sketch. This has the same effect as the Lock Transparent Pixels button. For example, here is where I started out when I was first coloring the alligator (all wrong). Continue throughout the piece, sectioning off each object onto its own layer. Your browns aren’t just exactly #6A3C14 brown, they’re a rich mixture of colors building on each other. One of the most frequently asked questions posed to seasoned Photoshop pros is how to turn a photo into a pencil sketch. Me too. To erase any unwanted lines, use the Brush from the tool bar, set the color to white and brush over those unwanted lines To retouch some of your black lines, use the Brush tool with the color set … Its easy to get a pencil sketch effect in Photoshop. The rocks aren’t just warm gray – they’re reddish, yellowish, and blueish. Melody Nieves. What You'll Be Creating. about how to turn your thumbnail sketches into full-size, detailed drawings. It’s always easier to tone it back later using Adjustments, if you think it’s too saturated in the end! For example, I put the “branches” layer on top of everything else since they’re mostly on top. Some things to keep in mind when creating this drawing with the intention of coloring it digitally: Once you’re happy with your drawing, it’s time to clean it up and prepare it for digital color. Whereas if you were mixing a color with paint, you have to mix it from scratch via primary color tubes. So first, set up your layers like this: A background color at the bottom (mine is a cream, you could choose white, etc), your color layers in the middle (just 1 empty layer for now), and your prepped scan on top. You don’t want to be searching for that one random “toenail” layer in a sea of 50 shape layers… believe me! Therefore, before filling colors in your Photoshop drawing, take out some time and find out the color palettes that will work best for your artwork. Use the Levels tool to lighten the black tones. Now Press CTRL+I for Invert. Then stretch it into the right position. At this point I thought, “wow, I really should not try to color this digitally, I might need to use traditional paint in order for it to be vibrant.”. I’ve noticed that when it’s just bare white paper, the digital color looks obvious since it’s a little. To recreate the design above, you will need the following resources: Stock Image Texture 1 Texture 2; 1. Duplicate the black and white layer (Ctrl/Cmd+J) We now have 2 black and white layers. Envato Tuts+ tutorials are translated into other languages by our community members—you can be involved too! Get in touch: kate@dogwooddesignillustration.com, Vary your hues in unexpected ways, the same as if you were using traditional color, Let the pencil drawing do most of the work – let the texture shine. Also use a separate layer for this. For example, the proportions of the character aren't right or it could be more dynamic. After that, carefully mix a color palette with the main colors you want to use in your painting. You can then go to Filter > Filter … Now create a New Layer for the character. It really wasn’t an attractive piece, even though I was being realistic. Use a solid paint brush to color your lines. Share. In today's Adobe Photoshop video tutorial we're going to create a pencil sketch effect that quickly converts a photograph into a realistic drawing. Don't zoom in on the picture while painting the background so that you have a full view of it. At this stage it's very important to choose the right colors because the painting is built upon this color palette. How to color - easy and fast technique in Photoshop! Select the legs with the Lasso Tool > right click > select Inverse > Delete. It will look something like this (below). After that, right click > Convert to Smart Object. But I’m here to help! Step 1. Like I said, we want to do as much as we can traditionally before we start working digitally. By Wylie Beckert 23 December 2018. The character slowly comes to life. For the ground I used a texture from CGTextures.com. Once you have everything blocked off in organized folders, and your art is looking a mess – it’s time for the magic! A great tip: Flip the Image Horizontally in different time distances so you can see your painting from a new point of view, and this will help you to find possible mistakes. You want your pencil drawing to do most of the work. Everything you need for your next creative project. Get access to over one million creative assets on Envato Elements. So even if it’s the highest highlight, go over it a little bit with some pencil. If you’ve ever struggled to make digital color on a pencil drawing look natural and “right”, you’re not alone. Now set the opacity, how opaque or translucent your lines will be. Even the lightest areas need to be touched by the pencil. Combine traditional techniques with Photoshop skills. Once I come up with the idea, I usually draw the character directly on paper and then scan the sketch. Now, on your middle layer, use a hard round brush to color in your first object. If the document is too big, simply convert the layers. You can use a light hand and a very hard pencil so it barely shows, but make sure you cover it with at least a small amount of texture. That's the easiest way to convert all the layers and adjustments. Tutorial: Add color to your pencil drawings in Photoshop. It's time for a new flip, so you see your painting from a new point of view. That's it! We've finished all the necessary preparations! Then create a New Layer and start to paint with the Paintbrush Tool. So go for that wacky color just to see if it works! Included in this package are 27 impressive Photoshop brushes with built-in pressure sensitivity to imitate traditional art tools. Afterwards, we can pick the colors with the Eyedropper Tool. Sketching out a character illustration can be a lot of fun. Download these brushes to transform your digital art into gorgeous masterpieces! To do this, we are going to work off the Lines layer (this is the top layer we created earlier). In the case of this project, I made my artboard the correct size for this alphabet series, and brought my rectangular background into the center. Select the background layer. Again, try to work with many layers. But the gray pencil really dulled it farther. I also did some correction on the edges based on my guides – the guides are mathematically perfect, but my drawing had some human mistakes on the edges that I’d like to clean up. For the hair we need a sharp brush, so click in the Brush Settings on Shape Dynamics. This allows you to paint beneath the sketch. Then, scan in your drawing at high resolution. Share. Read next. The texture in the custom brush gives the painting a nice classic look. (do you hate this metaphor yet? This tutorial also includes a video to help guide you along the way. After finishing the basic colors we can start with the detailed work. ⌘Z. You’re also welcome to post any questions in the comments below if something is unclear. Tip: Keep yourself organized and be sure to name your layers and group appropriately. Select your Layer Then Press CTRL+J for Layer copy. Additionally, I often use the Liquify Tool to perfect my sketches. Now create a new layer and place it under the sketch (Multiply Layer) and fill it with a base color. Your photo should be in RGB Color mode, ... Take a pencil and paper and draw one shading scribble and three basic scribbles. What You'll Need. First, open the photo that you want to work with. Design, code, video editing, business, and much more. How to color a pencil drawing in photoshop. Pay attention to the layer order as well. I was very caught up in “accurate” color… I chose a muted green, since that’s the color that alligators naturally are! I would love to see any drawings you color after reading this post – please share them with me! Try to work with only a few brush strokes. For example, it would be really easy to just color the cheetah yellow, the alligator green, and the bear brown, and then call it a day. Because we have already chosen the colors, we just need to pick the desired color with the Eyedropper Tool. With that in mind, I moved forward with my coloring as if I were mixing the colors with paint. Choose the basic colors that we have already devised with the Color Picker. I also adjust the Levels to make my whites a little brighter. When you get to the screen, you shouldn’t need to push or pull any highlights or shadows. Convert the new layer to Black and White (Ctl/Cmd+Shift+U) Step 3. In this lesson we will learn how to easily turn a photo into a pencil drawing, both in black and white and in color using Smart filters, correction layers and blending modes. Now create a new layer and place it under the sketch ( Multiply Layer) and fill it with a base color. Also use a separate layer for this. For this painting I used the following settings. Then try out our remarkable selection of Photoshop Art Brushes from Envato Elements to simulate that traditional look. Please do not use without permission. Because we duplicated the layer before, we now have the head on a separate layer. Drawing Adobe Photoshop Pencil. I really can’t stress enough how important that is! This is our background layer. 01. I use the Marquee selection and Stamp tools to bring the edges in line. Change the layer to Soft Light and the Opacity to 73%. You can also find more photo to pencil drawing Photoshop actions here: Photo Effects. Every drawing is different, so play around with the contrast until you’re satisfied. You can see how each “shape” uses a little bit of unexpected color, but at a glance, it looks natural. If you want to mimic drawing lightly with a pencil, set it in the 20% range. Now From blending Mode Select to Color Dodge. Also, since the graphite drawing is constantly adding gray to your piece, you need to push the color in a more saturated direction than you’d think to fight it. Once you have done that, change the layer to Soft Light and set the Opacity to 54%. Change the blend mode to color dodge. But what makes them realistic is the variation in hues. You don’t want to be searching for that one random “toenail” layer in a sea of 50 shape layers… believe me! Bring your scan into Photoshop, and make any adjustments needed – straighten it out, and crop to your desired size. Now we can paint some values with a brighter color. Because nature doesn’t think in Hexadecimal codes. After that click on Filter > Blur > Box Blur and set the radius to 2 px. Host meetups. Depending on your drawing style, your digital brush could be a lot harder-edged than your pencil drawing’s fuzzy edges. By Marguerite Sauvage | on July 28, 2017 Share. Pencil Drawing Photoshop Actions are being widely used across the globe because of their quality of being able to enhance the magnificence and beauty of any of your pictures and in doing so also create a masterpiece out of it. The head is the focus of the painting, so you should put most attention on this area. Note: Super tiny areas can afford to stay completely white; it’s mostly the larger areas of highlights, like the top of this letter C, that would stand out. Erase the edges from the texture with the Eraser Tool. However, if you want to present your pencil art to a wider audience using the same medium as digital art—the Internet—you stumble upon one great problem. Once you have finished, fix this layer with a castle as well. So I take this time to erase any smudges in my white areas, clean up my rectangular background’s edges, and just generally make a “touch up” pass over the whole drawing. Don’t be startled: When you first start, it’ll look very ugly, as you will see below. So, go a little wild – push that color a little too far, and see what it looks like. Step 4 Quick tip: I often paint small directional arrows on a separate layer. Add another Adjustment Layer, this time select the Black and White option. Therefore, the sketch needs a few preparations before we can start with the coloring process. Give A Finishing Touch To Your Artwork Go to layer Girl 2 (Girl 2 Layer). By the time I got to Cheetah I had learned my lesson and started using more vibrant color from the start. As you can see, most of the pencil strokes from the sketch disappear under the colors. The effect of pencil drawing in Photoshop. The greatest thing about working digitally is the freedom to take chances and make mistakes. The good news is that it comes down to only a few important ideas: If done right, most people won’t be able to tell that your illustration wasn’t traditionally colored, unless they’re an illustrator themselves. Choose the Lasso Tool > Right-Click > Free Transform. Just like a pencil, you’ll be able to build up the line over itself and darken areas as you go. Because of the brightness of the ground, we can paint some reflected light on the character's belly and arms. The sketch looks more accessible for coloring now. Looking for something to help kick start your next project? Trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. This works in all photoshop versions. But then it’ll look beautiful! In this tutorial, I will explain how to use Photoshop's painting tools to turn a pencil sketch into a colorful and dynamic character illustration. to get some personalized feedback. After that, create a New Layer and place it over the texture. In the meantime, here's how to work on a pencil sketch in Photoshop. If you have drawn each scribble on a separate sheet of paper then you should have four scanned scribble files now. The background is a little bit empty, so I start by painting a few dust waves in the background. This works in all Photoshop versions. Anyway, now that you have this new superpower, go ahead and start applying your “real” colors to the shape layers. 25 Best Photo to Pencil Drawing Effect Actions for Photoshop . Remember these are only the basic colors, so don't focus on the details yet. You'll find the Blend Mode option in the upper left of the Layers panel. © 2020 Dogwood Design & Illustration. Duplicate the Original Smart Object. Drag the saturation slider to 100. You can see I pumped up the pink inside of his mouth as well. I usually start with a base color and then use the fuzzy brush to push the hues one way or another. In this section we are going to create the background. In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to create a realistic pencil drawing from a photo in Photoshop. Let's Get Started. Open the sketch in Photoshop and Duplicate the layer. Design like a professional without Photoshop. 06. The important part is to let the pencil texture be the star of the show. Take a pencil and paper and draw one shading scribble and three basic scribbles. Add digital colours to pencil drawings. Compare that other alligator to the finished alligator (below), and what a difference! 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