Flip the canvas

horizontally
This is one of the most
commonly used methods
to pick up mistakes.
After working with an
image for many hours, it
becomes difficult to spot
any errors in the
painting. I periodically
flip the image and work
on it for a while before
flipping back. Go to
Image>Rotate Canvas>
Flip Canvas Horizontal.
TURN A DREAM
INTO FANTASY ART
Min Yum taps into the limitless resources of his active
subconscious and conjures up this dreamy, moody scene
deas for paintings can come
from many places and I often
find myself reviewing my
dreams for inspiration. Its a
strange world that conjures up strong
emotions and its surreal nature was an
ideal source of inspiration for this image.
I dont have a fixed method of painting
every step along the way, but its a good
idea to get into a habit of following some
key steps. It adds consistency through the
workflow and helps you plan ahead. For
me, these stages include sketching
thumbnails to figure out how an idea can
best be presented, and working out
colours and lighting to define space and
mood. Its also vital to cast a critical eye
over your work and then tie up loose ends.
I
1
Sketches and composition
This is probably the most important step. I start sketching two figures
to find the right composition, focusing mainly on the way they interact
visually. Im trying to figure out the best way to place them on the page. Im
not too concerned about the background at this stage, except that it should
support the two figures. I tend to draw on a large canvas with multiple small
boxes, quickly arranging the main elements until I end up with something
Im happy with. The thumbnails are usually very small, ensuring that I dont
get too carried away with details.
2
My set-up
I work on a 27-inch, 1,920x1,200
screen with a large tablet, and usually
have two windows open. Ones a close-
up, the other shows the entire image. This
is to prevent myself from overworking an
area and enables me to keep a close eye
on the overall picture.
3
Refine a sketch
The second sketch looks the most interesting and gives me the greatest room to
arrange elements, so I increase the images dimensions. The figures have rather difficult
poses, because the image needs to be very subtle. I develop the sketch further and try to
define the details. With the background, I make a mental note of how the trees and
foliage are going to be arranged. From past experiences, a bad sketch can cost you so
much time later, so its best to figure out what goes where at an early stage preferably
while youre sketching.
Having said that, I also enjoy
experimenting with new methods on
every illustration that I do. Most of time
it involves tackling uncomfortable subject
matter, but of course, creating art isnt
always smooth sailing. I think that we can
only advance by constantly challenging
ourselves to become better at what we
enjoy doing.
September 2010 94
Workshops
Min Yum
COUNTRY: Australia
Korean-born
Min moved to
Australia
when he was
10. He spent
four years in Sydneys
games and film industry,
and is now a freelance
concept artist.
www.minart.net
DVD Assets
The files you need
are on your DVD in
the Min Yum folder
in Workshops.
3
UNI60.tut_surreal 94 7/8/10 4:34:28 PM
TURN A DREAM
INTO FANTASY ART
September 2010 95
In depth Painting from dreams
UNI60.tut_surreal 95 7/8/10 4:34:31 PM
PHOTOSHOP
SKETCHING BRUSH
TEXTURE BRUSH
I use this to break up
colours with Color
Dynamics on the earlier
blocking-in stage.
This is my primary
sketching brush..
4
Blocking in
I lay down some colours, focusing
on the local shades of the elements. I
separate them using high-contrast
colours, such as red and green. Note that
Ive added the colours on a new layer
underneath the sketch lines.
5
Texture brushes
Texture brushes help add some
randomness to the colours and also break
up the large flat
areas, adding visual
interest in the
process. Ive used a
Custom brush with
Color Dynamics,
which does a great
job of introducing
different hues.
6
Lighting
Lighting brings the image alive and defines the space. I use strong spotlighting in
the foreground to lighten the two figures, and complement it with a warm, softer
orange glow from the background. The armour and the cape were good places to start
establishing lighting, since theyre going to be one of the main attractions of the piece.
7
Crafting faces
Faces are an instant attraction in a painting with figures, because
they show expressions and emotions. I dont want to have them all
defined yet, but enough to able to read them. The girls face is
challenging, since she needs to look strange, eerie and beautiful at the
same time. Faces can easily take on a weird angle, so flipping the
canvas horizontally can help identify any obvious mistakes.
8
The knight
The knights face is more
straightforward than the girls well, he
is dead after all but his pose is really
tough and has a fair amount of
foreshortening that makes it rather
difficult to draw. As much as I would
have like to use a reference shot, I
couldnt find the appropriate material, so
I just have to eyeball the figure. It was
challenging and I constantly had to work
on the pose while I was painting, making
adjustments so that he looked more
natural laying down.
9
Adding details
I add more detail to the two
figures. At this point, I spend a lot of time
working on the girl, sorting out her
appearance and making sure she looks
strange enough but not too frightening. I
find female faces more difficult than male
ones, partly because theyre much softer
and even the slightest subtle changes can
significantly affect how they look. Males
are blockier and much easier to paint.
10
Setting the
mood
Illustrating dreamy, moody
lighting is essential. I add a few
Adjustment layers to give the
image more atmosphere, using
separate layers so that I can turn
them on and off instead of
working on top of them later. I
generally work from lighter to
darker tones, and this process
ensures I dont use too much
black early in the painting. This
helps me focus on defining the
details and means I can quickly
preview how its going to look at a later
stage. The layers are grouped so I can
switch them on or off with a click.
11
Adjustment layers
The Adjustment layers are non-
destructive and can easily move colours
to different hues or values. They can be
accessed from the
icons at the bottom of
the Layers palette. Ive
marked it with a red
box. I mostly use
Color Balance, Hue/
Saturation, Selective
Color and Color Fill.
Theres no right way to
use these Adjustment
layers, so I would say that the best
method is to experiment with them
itll soon start making sense.
September 2010 96
Workshops
Copy to a
new layer
Ctrl+J (PC) Cmd+J (Mac)
If somethings selected,
this copies it to a new
layer. If not, this copies
the whole layer.
4
6
9
5
11
10 8
UNI60.tut_surreal 96 7/8/10 4:34:39 PM
Multiple
windows
The biggest advantage
of working digitally is the
ability to zoom into an
area to work in detail.
But at the same time, this
can lead to overworking
parts of the painting.
Photoshop enables you
to open multiple
document windows and
its always a good idea to
have another one open
to show the whole
image. This helps you
ensure the area youre
working is kept
consistent to the overall
feel. Do this by going to
Windows>Arrange>New
windows for
12
Corrections
The knights pose still doesnt look
quite right and needs correcting. I use a
bit of trial and error and eventually end
up with a satisfactory pose and armour. If
anything, it was a mistake not to have
researched this challenging pose more
thoroughly. I add some red clothing and
arrows to help break up the large armour
mass. I keep the atmosphere layers turned
off most of the time, so that I can work on
the details, only turning them on to check
for a quick preview. I flip the canvas
regularly to make sure I dont miss
anything while rendering.
13
Trees and foliage
Painting trees and foliage is a
tedious task, but it can be a lot easier with
texture brushes made for this purpose.
However, I decide to paint them in a more
stylised manner without the texture
brushes. This gives me more control and
means I can shape the elements to suit my
needs better. I keep them fairly abstract,
treating the masses of leaves like clouds
such puffy shapes help with the
composition. I originally gave the foliage
in the middle ground a topiary-type look,
but I took this out because it was
distracting and disconnected the viewer
from the rest of the image.
14
Colour adjustment
and details
Once Im satisfied with the progress, I
start painting on top of the atmosphere
lighting. Its pretty much like locking in
with the new heavier lighting. Ive used
more Adjustment layers to correct the
colours and added in the details. Next, I
add more detail throughout the picture.
I decide that the trees in the background
are too complicated and attract unwanted
attention, so I simplify and soften them
with a large, soft-edged brush.
15
Tidying up
The painting is almost done. I add
some more details and make sure
everythings in the right place. I also look
out for any inconsistent brush strokes,
which can happen when youre working
through lot of detailed elements. I remove
any unnecessary intricacies in the
background trees. Next, I crop the image
to the required size, but I must have got
the measurements wrong at the start, so
some of the trees at the top have to go.
16
Last-minute changes
Just as Im ready to finish the
painting, I notice there are still unresolved
areas, particularly the overall mood. The
colours feel too saturated and jumpy, so I
desaturate the image and shift it to a more
sepia tone to give it a classical feel. The
orange lighting needs softening and there
are some proportion issues with the girl,
while her skin tone is washed-out in
places. I rework some of the details that
didnt integrate with the rest of the image,
particularly in the background and
middle ground.
17
Doing things differently
After some more tinkering, the image is complete. Im pleased
with the result, but if I had to do it again, Id plan it better. Start by
doing strong research, and only then move on to a solid sketch.

September 2010 97
In depth Painting from dreams
Blending modes Alt+Shift+N (PC & Mac) Changes the blending mode of a tool or a layer to Normal. M changes it to Multiply and O
to Overlay.
17
A
ith th
16 16
J
aintin
12 12
T
uite ri
13
P
dious
14 14
and details
nce I
UNI60.tut_surreal 97 7/8/10 4:34:44 PM