ArtRage Video #2 - Mixing Colors on the Canvas - Digital Painting Tutorial

Click on the image above to watch the ArtRage Video Tutorial

In today's ArtRage digital painting tutorial, we start really slapping down some paint!

First...a couple important points---

#1 When you import a layered Photoshop PSD file into ArtRage, it has to be in RGB mode, not in CMYK mode. You can change the mode in Photoshop before you bring it in to ArtRage.

#2 When you import your drawing, ArtRage will put it on the lowest layer and give it an opaque paper background...

...To be able to see through your linework to the color paint below, DO THIS:

On your imported Drawing layer, go to "Edit Paper Settings" and near the bottom of the options dial the "paper opacity" (NOT the layer opacity) to 0%
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In today's ArtRage tutorial video, you'll get to see how I build my color palette based on the character models and the surrounding environment. I really don't know much about color theory, but I've learned a few shorthand methods to make the colors all work together and look kinda nice.

Basically, I mix a little bit of the surrounding colors in with the colors of the characters. Light from the environment either hits the characters directly (like sunlight) or bounces back off the surrounding surfaces, subtly affecting the main colors. If there's more light, I make the colors more saturated...if less light, I take the saturation away.

Everything else is trial and error. ^_^

That's what's so great about creating digital art -- whether it's in ArtRage or Photoshop or Illustrator or whatever; all these programs have the magical UNDO button that makes you more bold and experimental in your choices;

If you don't like a stroke, BOOM! It's gone.

PS...don't forget to go download the free starter version of ArtRage. If you have a Wacom drawing tablet then you really oughtta give ArtRage a try. It's the ultimate toy box for digital art!

If you missed the first video in the ArtRage series, you can find it HERE. You might also want to take a look at the other tutorials in this series:

Painting Process Part One: The Overview

Painting Process Part Two: Rough Sketches to finished pencil art

Digital Painting Process Part Three: The Adobe Illustrator Series

Digital Coloring Process (Part Four) in Photoshop

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In the next video, I'll take all the groovy colors that I mixed together and start painting the heck out of Patrick. See you soon!