Once I was invited to do that Procreate tutorial, to discover how one can create surreal artwork in Procreate, I instantly knew it wouldn’t be a simple job. Revisiting the work of a surrealist artist was each a frightening and thrilling quest! I used to be requested to decide on the artist, and Zdzisław Beksinski was the plain alternative for me. His atmospheric, typically sinister baroque work are like home windows on landscapes of relentless characters, striving to outlive inside forgotten worlds.
Learn our Procreate evaluate for a fast grasp of what Procrete can do, and take note it is an Apple unique, so you may want among the best iPads for drawing. My chosen portray is AE85, a spectacular and emotional piece that has an enigmatic character at its core, whose physique is concerned in (maybe) the very material of time.
Since I’m clearly not a genius like Beksinski was, I determine to strategy the duty as an ode to that visionary thoughts, particularly contemplating we’re speaking about reinterpreting a masterpiece of effective artwork, which is embedded with which means and content material which are completely subjective. I must be as goal as potential, even when I’m filtering the unique artwork by means of my very own sensibilities, so as to pay homage to the late surreal grasp in a illustrative, graphic and enjoyable manner
Rafa is an internationally revealed illustrator, with shoppers together with Common Footage, Wizards of the Coast and Riot Video games. With work that inhabits the area between the baroque and the city, fantasy and sci-fi, he creates storytelling-driven work for shoppers from everywhere in the world.
How one can create surreal artwork in Procreate
Procreate tutorial: my brushes
Listed here are the brushes we’ll be utilizing for this Procreate workshop.
Customized brushes: The Freaking Brush
I exploit an altered model of Procreate’s default 6B Pencil in Procreate for many of the illustration. I solely want to vary its dimension to take it from a drawing pencil to a thick portray brush.
Spatter brush
So as to add a little bit of grain to the character’s pores and skin, I take the Spatter (additionally a typical brush in Procreate) after which work it on a low Opacity layer, with the comb mode set to Overlay.
Procreate tutorial: recreating a surrealist portray
I hope you will have as a lot enjoyable with this workshop as I did! For extra on Procreate, you may learn the total Procreate evaluate for a breakdown of the software program’s execs and cons.
01. Discovering the body
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
I all the time start a portray by doing small thumbnails (normally 4) based mostly on my preliminary analysis. Protecting the unique portray as the bottom, I discover totally different mixtures of compositions, poses and temper.
02. Reshaping the masterpiece
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
After deciding on a most well-liked composition, I enlarge the unfastened sketch to the scale of the canvas, and begin discovering the shapes and contours. This early stage is fairly intuitive, principally guided by the temper I’m looking for relatively than making an attempt to refine particular kinds.
03. Enjoying with geometry
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
One of the putting issues about Beksinski’s art work is how he makes use of the material seamlessly to contain the character, giving it a dream-like high quality. I goal to take an analogous strategy, utilizing geometric shapes as unfolding components of the material. I need to depart it as much as the viewer to determine if it’s the determine’s clothes or a part of her physique.
04. Folding and unfolding
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
Now that is the start of the tough half – making the folds work because the vessel for her physique, conceptually talking. Whether or not the material is unveiling or hiding her, a giant a part of the composition’s weight will centre round the primary determine.
05. Portraying the determine
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
I’m working intuitively throughout this stage, and want to make sure that any selections I make now received’t be arduous to switch at a later stage, as I alter/replace the composition. At this stage I’m sure she’ll have a stylised look, to maintain to the premise of constructing this art work feel and look surreal, whereas tangible on the similar time.
06. Making use of texture
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
One of many key parts I normally work in my illustrations is texture. For this piece I’m utilizing a mixture of customized brushes created by True Grit Texture Provide and a few previous paint textures that I rustled up myself ages in the past.
07. Adjusting my values and hues
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
Procreate is, in my thoughts, the best-designed program for drawing and portray. Sadly, it lacks sure color settings and adjustment instruments, so I transfer the picture backwards and forwards between some apps to regulate the colors and temper. Apps comparable to Snapseed and VSCO present greater than sufficient management over the environment that I’m making an attempt to attain within the portray, and are ridiculously quick to make use of, too!
08. Colouring the shapes throughout the piece
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
One in all Procreate’s nice options is the Colour Drop instrument. You “seize” the color you’re utilizing with the Pencil and drag it over the half you need to color (there’s a threshold management after you drop it). I begin utilizing this to color totally different components of the material’s shapes as I search to attain a stability of contrasting colors whereas creating the strain that can assist drive the viewer (together with the shapes and contours) by means of the piece.
09. Protecting issues organised
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
Since I’m basically creating visible chaos with parts that I can play with in the course of the portray course of, I attempt to at the least preserve issues (barely) organised. I place a number of the texture layers other than one another, in addition to some parts of the portray that, at this level, I’m undecided how I’m going to lastly place.
10. Having enjoyable with layers
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
A basic a part of how I create the general temper and hues of a bit has lots to do with experimentation, particularly utilizing layer properties. An instance of what I do is making a flat color layer on high of all the pieces, set it to Exclusion after which lowering the Opacity to round 50 or 60 per cent.
11. Selectively mixing and matching
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
Now that I’ve acquired my Exclusion layer established, I open the Reduce/Copy/Paste menu, press Copy All after which Paste. This creates a flattened picture with the altered colors, which I set to Lighten or Darken. Then I transfer, reduce and paste parts from this flat layer, and add them to my work-in-progress art work.
12. Designing the symbols
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
Graphical parts allow me to stability and contextualise the narrative inside an illustration. I can juxtapose the natural kinds and contours, making a layer of abstraction that I believe acts as a enjoyable bridge between the atmospheric, darkish worlds of Beksinski and the up to date strategy that I’m taking.
13. Nice-tuning the artwork
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
Now that we’re practically on the finish of our journey, it’s time to double-check all the pieces and ensure the weather within the composition complement one another. That is the place I make use of the layers I saved separate earlier (comparable to some textures or design parts) to make sure they’re working collectively, earlier than flattening all the pieces so I don’t find yourself with a big, unwieldy picture file.
14. And it’s a wrap!
(Picture: © Rafael Sarmento)
Right here we’re! Earlier than calling it a day, I be certain that to maintain some earlier steps for comparability, export the Time Lapse course of video (one of many coolest options of Procreate), and we’re accomplished. Hope you’ve loved this workshop. I can’t match the mastery of Beksinski, however I hope I can honour him at the least just a bit bit. See ya!
Procreate tutorial: skilled suggestions
Listed here are just a few fast suggestions if you are going to embark by yourself surreal journey in Procreate.
Maintain issues lean and imply
Sustaining a streamlined workflow with solely Procreate as my primary instrument and some different apps for color tweaks) drastically improved my portray course of. It took me out of my consolation zone and compelled me to color extra, and higher. Having to depend on fewer artwork gimmicks ended up boosting my expertise.
Twin display screen it up
One of many iPad Professional’s coolest options is the Twin Display screen, which allows you to preserve your browser or references open on one aspect of the display screen, and Procreate on the different! Since I’m utilizing the 12.9-inch mannequin, it might completely accommodate all the pieces at a snug dimension, every time I would like it.
Use the Fast Menu
Procreate has, amongst its many different options, a really efficient Fast Menu that’s activated with a easy contact on the display screen. You may customise it to include no matter gadgets you need, and this makes it an actual time-saver that’s positive to spice up your productiveness ranges.
Get extra Procreate tutorials in ImagineFX
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