82 Project four Fantasy art Photoshop Create striking portraits Hoang Nguyen explains how to create a simple composition, lay out an interesting background, and de fi ne the light source Basic composition is very important. Many artists put too much distracting detail in their painting, so in this project we’ll focus on how to direct viewers into the image and simplify the background, so it doesn’t overwhelm the main theme. Then we’ll explore how to create an interesting background to complement the subject. Lastly, we’ll define where the light source is coming from, to tie all the elements together. Whether your subject is a landscape, portrait or still life, it needs a central focal point. What is it you want to convey and what is it that you want to get across? You need to be able to capture a viewer’s attention and keep them interested. In order to do that you must produce what appeals to you the most; what moves you, how do you feel about the subject matter? Don’t produce art just for the sake of art. For this project, I’m using Photoshop to create an image that appeals to me – an image that incorporates something old and something modern;a sort of take on East meets West. Hoang Nguyen A talented and versatileartist, Hoang Nguyen was born in Vietnam, August 1966.Before his 10th birthday,he moved to the US, where he eventually landed a job with Dark Horse comics. Subsequently pencilling for both DC and Marvel, Hoang now works for Electronic Arts.www. liquidbrush.com Skills Improve basic composition Create backgrounds that compliment your images ComputerArtsProjects _August2008 www.computerarts.co.uk 01 When laying out your art, keep it simple. Sometimes as you start to paint, the painting dictates what you’re going to do next. Often happy accidents can occur, sometimes for the best. I like to keep my composition simple and not centre on the image. You also want a viewer’s eyes to go directly to the focal point. Once you’ve established that, you must focus your attention on the subject matter; everything else is just background. My main focus here is her eyes and face. CAP113.tut_ifx 82 CAP113.tut_ifx 82 27/6/08 16:53:39 27/6/08 16:53:39
