Top creative advice on using Photoshop from 20 talented members representing the Keystone Design Union. These established and emerging artists deliver their best production secrets. Log on to thekdu.net to explore more of their works
“I would like to share some tips on how to improve your illustrations with a drawing tablet. If you’re not an expert on the matter, then perhaps start drawing digitally with photographs or portraits as the base of your illustration, enhancing your styles quickly through the… options found in Photoshop’s Filters list.
“The first thing to do is try and combine different layers treated with such filters as Cutout and Ink Outlines. After we’ve achieved a plausible image effect by running these filters several times on varying layers, start to experiment and apply from several blending modes. Different projects will require different treatments, so continue with this until you accomplish a good combination that works for the kind of illustration you’re doing.
“You’ll notice the image gets simplified enough through the Cutout filter, and outlines are more noticeable with Ink Outlines. This will help us… [illustrate] with a drawing tablet, using this treated image as a blueprint. Personally, my advice is to create a folder for different layers containing dark strokes, lighter strokes, shadows, brightness, skin tones and so on. This will help you manage image construction far better and monitor the style you give to your illustrative portrait.” http://thekdu.net/adolfocorrea