I’m taking some of the tutorial videos created by the uber talented Aaron Blaise and I wanted to have a place to put my notes on the different classes. So here’s my expanded checklist for his method on painting photorealistic creatures in Photoshop.
1- loose sketch
2- refined sketch
3- local colors
4- shadows (multiply layer style)
5- lights
6- deep dark shadows (multiply layer style)
7- reflected lights
8- highlights
9- eyes
10-textures
11- detailing
12- background (can be a photo with some blur on it)
13- secondary light
14- highlight texture
15- shade texture (multiply layer style)
16- color dodge highlights (9% opacity)
17- Depth of Field (Shallow) (Using the Smudge Tool at around 75%)
18- Weathering/ grunge paper texture (multiply)
“Be spontaneous and Have Fun”
Aaron Blaise
MabsArts 