Here is a walkthrough on “Battle of Kuska”. This is my first ever tutorial and I hope you’ll enjoy or learn a few things from it. This painting was done using Photoshop CS4 for around 17 hours on and off in the span of 3 weeks.
I don’t really have a strict painting process. Sometimes I start with grayscale and establish the lighting immediately. Other times I use color right away. I might start with sketch lines or silhouettes. My layers could be few or more than 30. etc. In this painting, since I planned to make a tutorial before starting, I did it in more organized and systematic procedure for those looking for a process they might find more convenient.
1. Idea
I’ve had the general idea of this painting for a long time now and I’ve been doing sketches for it, so there’s no need for thumbnails. The whole point of thumbnails is to get the overall idea before starting on the actual artwork. Usually you have a better chance of ending up with a good artwork if you already have a clear enough picture of the outcome.
The setting is fantasy but not over-the-top. No wizards, fireballs or spiked, two-inch thick armors. It’s more like a slightly fantasized version of the colonial wars. I wanted something reminiscent of classical historical battle paintings but fantasy nonetheless.
I initially wanted to go for a limited color palette. Either the brownish feel like that of the movie 300 – something I call “epicized”. Or a de-saturated bluish palette like that of the forest battle in The Last Samurai which is an awesome battle by the way. These are probably much better moods for a battle scene but I changed my mind anyway and decided to go for a more colorful and “friendlier” color palette with dappled lighting in a jungle. It’s probably because I wanted to make it look slightly similar to the classical war scene paintings I’ve collected.
Anyway now that I have a general direction, it’s time to paint. By the way let’s call the Aztec/Indian/Mayan-looking warriors “natives” and the fantasy conquistadors “invaders”.
2. Composition
First I establish the value groupings(the nearer the object the darker, the farther the lighter). Just grayscale first. I used a flat(all settings off) standard hard brush. This way I immediately get sharp edges. I paint in several layers – one for each character, one for the nearest trees and one for the background. It’s much easier to manage the whole painting this way. In a scene where a lot goes on, a lot can go wrong and need to be fixed or tweaked.
Diagonal Lines
Horizontal lines convey a sense of calm. Vertical lines express a sense of firmness. Diagonal lines create a sense of movement which is what you want to achieve in a dynamic composition so they should be predominant. The green diagonals are the most exciting lines. The opposing diagonals(red lines) are less oblique hence less dynamic than the green lines but they create some contrast and asymmetry which adds to the drama. I like to think of this whole intersecting of diagonals as the crisscrossing of 2 swords where one is stronger. An oblique horizon works pretty well with battle scenes but for this I went for a flat one.
Compositional Path
Diagonals are also much better at attracting the eyes than vertical or horizontal lines so they should be used to lead the viewer’s eyes the major points of interest in the scene. The picture above roughly illustrates what I want the viewer’s eyes to go through even though I’m not entirely in control of what he/she sees. Most of the details, color saturation and lighting will be placed in the green areas.
Variety and Unity
Similarities create unity. Variations create contrast and interest. It’s always nice to achieve a balance between the two. The invaders for example follow a basic design but the differences in weaponry and protection are obvious. There’s also variations in what they’re doing although basically they’re all just trying to kill, avoid getting killed, dead or dying. One of the invaders is reloading his arquebus for example while another is about to pull the trigger. One is shouting while another is a casualty, etc. There’s also a contrast between foot soldiers and mounted men and a difference in elevation between the 2 focal riders. The native spearing the mounted invader towers above everybody which adds to his aura of dominance in this particular moment. Unfortunately for him, with 2 guns and 2 spears pointed at him, his moment of glory is about to end in a second.
3. Color
I first lock the transparent pixels on each layer so that my strokes won’t go over the silhouettes and then used a flat hard brush set to Color mode. Color mode only changes the hue and doesn’t mess with the values underneath unlike Overlay or Multiply. The nearer the object the more saturated the color is. This are just the basic hues. More will be added as I progress.
4. Revisions and Improvements
As you might have noticed in the previous step, I’ve started adding forms with shadows. I add darker shadows which do not stray too much away from the values I’ve established in the first step. However it’s important not to go into detailing because you might be polishing something that’s basically off. That’s why sometimes it’s good to take a break or do other priorities like work so when you get back on the artwork you’ll see it in fresh eyes and be able to spot what’s wrong or should be improved.
After a break this is what I’ve noticed – the 5 soldiers on the right(upper-half) don’t seem to be in the heat of the battle, instead they look like lazy movie extras who don’t know how to act so I made their actions a bit more dynamic – the poses are made leaner. The two pikemen are about to thrust their spears instead of just pointing them. The third soldier from the right is supposed to be pointing a finger while shouting a command. I made him struggle with a dismounted native instead which is much more interesting. I’ll let the nearest soldier do the shouting. I also changed the angle of the focal native and swept back the feathers on his mask. These add to the sense of elevation and movement more.
As you can see in the earlier images I chose a grayish and bluish color for the trees as an attempt to add more to the atmosphere but they ended up looking like frozen trees. I colored them brown again using a flat hard brush set to Color mode. I also varied the distance and sizes of the trees. There’s a big change in the bird mount too.
5. Dappled Lighting
Normally I establish the lighting very early but for dappled lighting I find it easier to paint with diffused lighting first then light some areas later. First I darkened the whole the image by lowering Lightness in Hue and Saturation. I used an airbrush set to Overlay with a bright desaturated yellow. I paint them lightly so they’re barely noticeable . I don’t like to brighten the lit areas too early because I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing lots of tweaking and too much brightening can kill details and textures. I also add some magenta and purple colors on some of the shadows using an airbrush set to Color mode. Adding cool colors to the shadows makes the warm light appear even warmer. Remember the compositional path so you know where to place the dappled lights but at the same time you don’t want to make the lighting look unnatural so place some outside the main areas of focus and omit them on even the most important points of interest.
6. Dust and Smoke
Atmospheric effects like dust, smoke and fog are great for separating objects, reinforcing the sense of depth.
First I use a large soft brush on another layer set to “Normal” mode. Then a smaller airbrush to give them some form. They respond to the movements in the scene but generally move parallel to the diagonal lines. Don’t forget that dusts and smokes catch light too.
7. Details
I’ve been detailing at various stages of the process. Sometimes I step away from the more important aspects of the art and leisurely add details anywhere i feel like so by this time I’ve put in a good amount of details. I again darkened the image and brightened the lighting so I know where to put most of the details. I added beaming sunlight with a large soft brush and then a small Overlay airbrush. I used texture brushes set to Scattering, Texture and Other Dynamics.
With the whole image almost done I can focus on detailing and minor changes like the serpent head on barrel of the reloading firearm. If you happen to have problems with detailing then simply pick a focal area, zoom in really close and pretend for the time being that that part is the whole image. Repeat this in other parts but don’t overdo it. You might over-clutter the scene with poorly distributed details.
8. Finishing Touches
It’s all just tweaking, polishing and adding a few missing things here. First I blurred the farthest background with Gaussian Blur. Then I intensified the highlights on the main focal points using Color Dodge. I’ve softened some edges with a soft brush to minimize the cu-out or pasted look. I also used a Soft Light airbrush on some parts to pop out the colors although they are pretty minor as I’m pretty satisfied with the saturation. Some blood, gunshots on 2 of the natives, tiny but sharp highlighted particles on the light rays, some more detail and I’m done.
Here’s the final piece.
Thanks for viewing and leave a comment! 
