Making of 'Monster Face'

Hi everybody! My name is Ivan Kashubo and I'm the concept artist in video game industry.

Introduction

When you have some spare time, it's always nice to draw something for your own pleasure, something not connected with your work. I'm very fond of drawing different creatures and characters, evil and good ones. So, after reviewing some photos, references and pictures by other CG artists I decided to do a monster portrait. The idea was to picture a stretched face with distinctive eyes. I wanted to convey the depth of the character's personality in this painting. I'm a big fan of Dave Rapoza's art (schoolism.com). His tutorials are very inspiring.

Concept Art

First I drew a quick linear sketch (Fig.01). I drafted out the character's expression and proportions. I gave him a large forehead, stretched chin, long neck and high collar. Everything was done in a quick and schematic manner.

Fig. 01_sketch

Fig. 01_sketch

Then I added lighting to the sketch (Fig.02). At this stage I always think that grayscale drawing is preferable. It allows you to grasp the exact mood of a piece without being distracted by colors and tones. So everything was done very quickly: lights, shades, halftones.

Fig. 02_backcolour

Fig. 02_backcolour

When you draw a portrait, it is useful to flip the canvas horizontal from time to time. This reveals all the errors in proportions, symmetry and small details (Fig.03).

Fig. 06_colouring

Fig. 06_colouring

Having flipped the canvas I approached the detailing of the face (Fig.04). This stage is always highly creative. Proportions are set, the color scheme is grasped and nothing interferes with detailing. No place for extremes here! By using the Zoom tool (to zoom in and zoom out) you can keep yourself aware of what needs to be added or removed.

Fig. 07_highlights

Fig. 07_highlights

The picture was nearly finished now. Having flipped the canvas backwards I continued with the detailing of the face and clothes (Fig.05 - 06). I drew a small pattern on the collar to emphasize the geometry and make the clothes look more significant.

Fig. 08_flip_details

Fig. 08_flip_details

Fig. 09_details

Fig. 09_details

And of course one should not forget about the background and air perspective. On reflection, I decided to introduce some "noise" to the background. Since the character turned a bit fantasy, such background work was sound and added some relief to the picture (Fig.07).

Fig. 10_more_detailing

Fig. 10_more_detailing

Final

Everything was painted in Photoshop. I used the standard round brush only (Fig.08). It took me about 4 to 5 hours to complete the work (with breaks, since the picture was drawn in my spare time). I hope you liked it!

That's it. (Fig.09 - 10).

Fig. 11_brush_settings

Fig. 11_brush_settings

Fig. 12_face_details

Fig. 12_face_details

Fig.10

For my other works please visit my blog: http://kashivan.blogspot.com/

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact me at: ivankash@mail.ru or ivankash.art@gmail.ru
Cheers!

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