Photoshop - Plan and Paint a striking figure

Learn how Even Mehl Amundsen solves lighting and anatomy problems as he paints a female character that’s been inspired by tribal elements

Doing the course of this workshop I went through some pretty well-established steps from my creative process, which can be applied either to character work or more elaborate illustration work. Indeed, my aim was to focus more on the chosen subject matter than on technique.

However, it turned out to be more of a lesson on why it’s so important to spend enough time on planning out your pieces properly, so you don’t have to spend your time fixing mistakes later on. A job with even the tightest of deadline is manageable if you put in a basic amount of ground work. So come along and learn some dos and don’ts, and check out where I nearly mucked things up big time!

1 Initial character ideas

After I receive the brief and collection of reference material, I work up a very basic sketch. The ImagineFX team has a pretty clear idea of what they want for the piece, so for the technical aspect it’s more about making something interesting out of some subtle character nuances. That turn of the head, the crook of the smile, the eye contact. These gestures will eventually play a pretty central role in selling the image.

2 Key shapes and tribal elements

I have a good idea of what I want to do with the figure and her pose, so I sketch it out. I focus on the key details and overall shapes that would both work well and enable me to show off some interesting tribal elements. After I send off my sketch, I receive an edit for the angle of the face, but the rest of the details are approved.

3 Sketching reveals a mistake