How to create this look of digital painting?

[Conpatshe]

Hey all, previously I asked about how to achieve a quick rough but very formed style and users here were very helpful and lead me to a book called the Skillful Huntsman which has been very helpful and helped me improve vastly.

Now I'm back with another question about a style.

http://imgur.com/a/oIq2D

In that imgur album, how does the artist achieve the smooth semi-realistic look with the brushes? is it to do with blending? What tutorials should I look at to help me.

Thanks everyone for any helpful replies!

Here they are in large for anyone to see:

http://media.steampowered.com/apps/d..._wallpaper.jpg

http://media.steampowered.com/apps/d..._wallpaper.jpg

http://media.steampowered.com/apps/d..._wallpaper.jpg

[dpaint]

You know you would do much better trying to figure ways of reproducing these images on your own then asking for the answer which teaches you nothing about drawing and painting. Anyone with talent could come up with 10 different ways of getting those effects.

[Saurabhinator]

I don't know how the artist specifically does what he does.
If you want to be able to produce pictures like that from nothing you want an understanding of colour light and space, the techniques you use to get to the final picture don't really matter that much.

[tobbA]

Practice.

[Steamhat]

to attain something similar with that smooth shading is to use the smudge tools

the closest equivalent i can point you towards is this tut:
http://calisto-lynn.deviantart.com/a...2F4294706&qo=3

the tutorial makes use of this brush, which is pretty amazing brush to blend with:
http://nebezial.deviantart.com/art/b...9414?offset=30

but i would personally implore you to simply develope your own means through creativity and experimentation. you won't regret teaching yourself something far more personal and comfortable.

[Arshes Nei]

to attain something similar with that smooth shading is to use the smudge tools

Uhhh....

[Tog23]

It has nothing (or very little) to do with brushes.

Take for example the first picture, the warrior riding the beast. Zoom in to look at the details. The artist's using bright orange and yellow for the glowy parts, which cast light on the surfaces around them. Since most of the picture is in shadow, the glowy bits show up more.

It's about form, light and shadow - something that just requires artistic knowledge and can't be faked in Photoshop.

[vineris]

to attain something similar with that smooth shading is to use the smudge tools

Or you could just use a normal brush at low opacity. It's more controllable.

[Jason Ross]

Airbrush on low opacity and flow with nice use of the dodge tool...again on airbrush.

[Andrew Sonea]

Uhhh....

Nothing wrong with the smudge tool. Plenty of pros use it--Brad Rigney, Min Yum, Jaime Jones (if I remember correctly) etc

Smudge certainly isn't the only way to do a job, but it certainly can be a powerful tool. That being said, I suspect a brush was used to paint the examples given.

[Conpatshe]

Brilliant! Thanks for all the replies. Its helped alot

[Arshes Nei]

Nothing wrong with the smudge tool. Plenty of pros use it--Brad Rigney, Min Yum, Jaime Jones (if I remember correctly) etc

Smudge certainly isn't the only way to do a job, but it certainly can be a powerful tool. That being said, I suspect a brush was used to paint the examples given.

Thanks for the argument I didn't make.

I was replying more to the assumption that it was the smudge tool.

[Andrew Sonea]

Thanks for the argument I didn't make.

I was replying more to the assumption that it was the smudge tool.

Ah, my mistake. I see a lot of people who look down on the smudge tool, so I jumped to conclusions I guess.

[Steamhat]

to attempt to defend myself: i never said that i use this style or that i would go about with this.

however the topic starter Conpatshe refers to more the smooth style of shading as to what they wishes to recreate, thus, being a deviantart fiend, i pointed towards something that could work to attain the smoothed style.

smudge tool is useful for a little tinkering, but honestly straight digital painting with a brush and liberal use of the eyedropper tool to blend is far more rewarding and has higher potential for rendering a wide variety of textures

[Arshes Nei]

Well there is also this thread too - http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=107217

[Jason Ross]

to attempt to defend myself: i never said that i use this style or that i would go about with this.

smudge tool is useful for a little tinkering, but honestly straight digital painting with a brush and liberal use of the eyedropper tool to blend is far more rewarding and has higher potential for rendering a wide variety of textures

You might wanna let Brad know about this "straight digital painting" you speak of.

[Vintrict]

I kind of have this handicap, too. I know that it takes hours and hours of refinement, which is why the digital pieces ending up as sharp as they do. I'm also still in the process of trying to get the acryllic and other traditional-painting look down in Photoshop. Not easy.