Inspired by the highly anticipated “Show White and The Huntsman” film (premiering this June 1st), this piece depicts The Evil Queen looming over the Dear Show White as she holds up the iconic poisonous apple. This was really fun to illustrate due to the challenge posed of capturing both Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron likenesses onto the characters themselves. Let me know what you think!

The subject matter for this tutorial is Steampunk! For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Steampunk is a genre that describes a setting where steam power is widely used. This may be also characterized as a sort of alternate history occurring in Victorian era Britain or “Wild West“-era United States, or in a post-apocalyptic time where anachronistic technology, or futuristic innovations as Victorians might have envisioned them is in existence, as  based on their perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Other than that, this piece will be accomplished by using a two-point perspective approach which will add a great deal of three-dimensionality to our Steampunk piece.

Now that you’re filled in, let’s begin!!!

Step 1: Open Photoshop and create a new document. The canvas you will be working on can be of any dimensions as long as it’s of a horizontal orientation. Other than that, make sure that it’s set around a good resolution (100 to 300dpi are recommended) and the color mode is set to CMYK… That is if you’re planning to print out your piece. If not, then RGB is fine if this piece will only be seen on the computer screen.

Step 2: So with our new document open, we’re now going to set up the two points that will help us put together our two-point perspective grid. To accomplish this, we’re first going to pull two guidelines out from the vertical ruler (found on the left side of the canvas) and set them up equal distance from each other outside of the blank canvas as shown in the image above. Then using the horizontal ruler (found above the canvas), pull a single guideline down to the center of the canvas.

Step 3: With our guidelines in place, we’re now ready to start drawing out our two-point perspective grid. Starting on the first layer, select the line tool found in the toolbox (press the “U” Key to instantly access it) and set its weight to 2 pixels. Starting with the left side of our canvas, start drawing radials lines from the point where our left vertical guideline intercepts with the horizontal guideline outward beyond the right side of the canvas. Repeat this same step on the right side of the canvas, which will then result in having a grid much like the one shown in the image above.

Step 4: With our grid ready, we’re now going to open up a new layer above it and start sketching out our Steampunk scene using two-point perspective. Remember to be creative and just go nuts! Let your imagination run wild! As for what I came up with, I decided to do a scene depicting a sort of “Hydro Station” where good folks can take their steam vehicles to be filled up with much needed water by helpful steam-powered automatons right before going about their daily drive…  Now if only we could only harness this fantastic technology in today’s “advanced” world…

Step 5: Once you have your whole sketch down, you can turn off the layer containing your grid. With only your sketch visible, it’s time to create another layer underneath your sketch layer. It’s here that we’re going to be blocking out our composition in a monochromatic manner using shades of grays, blacks, and whites as base colors as shown in the image above.

Step 6: Now that we’re starting to get a better sense of our Steampunk piece, it’s time to open yet another layer above our initial sketch layer, and it’s here that we start to really begin breathing life into the scene by working in volume and detail. Feel free to work with as many layers as you like as long as it’s above the sketch layer. Another pointer I like to offer is that at this stage you keep in mind the direction from which the light is coming from. This in turn will help you render out your scene better and make it seem even more believable. Also, be aware that this stage might take awhile, so have fun with it and be patient! Because if you do… You just might end up having something…

Step 7: That looks just like this!!! Trust me… It pays off in the end! Now with our piece done, we could either leave it in this monochromatic state and have it resemble an old black and white photograph (this is Steampunk after all), or we can go ahead and add some color! If so, proceed to the next step!

Step 8: If you’re reading this, then you have decided to add some color! As shown in the image above, start putting together a color palette that works with your scene on a separate canvas. If it helps, try to use colors that echo a vintage feel. Once you have settled on your colors, move onto the next step!

Step 9: Before we begin adding color, first flatten all the layers which contain your entire monochromatic scene into a single layer. Not only will this help you focus on the new layers, but it will also reduce the size of your file and not slow down your computer if your composition is of epic proportions. Once you’re done with that, open a new layer above your monochromatic scene layer, set the layer to multiply, and begin coloring with the colors from your palette. If you wish, don’t be afraid to also add highlights on a separate layer above this one. Adding anything that you feel may help your composition is more than welcome!

Step 10: Finally, once you have applied all of the colors you want. Go ahead and see if there are any more details you may wish to add on what may already be an awesome piece of artwork. Perhaps a few clouds, a bit of grime, and VUALA! YOU’RE DONE!!! You’re now the proud owner of a piece of Steampunk!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this second tutorial as much as I liked writing it for you. Feel free to not only leave a comment, but also add a link to your Steampunk piece you made with the help of this tutorial. I would love to see what you came up with!

Bartholomew Henry “Barry” Allen, a police scientist, who while working on a lab experiment one night, witnesses a lightning bolt shatter a nearby case full of volatile chemicals just to get caught in the way of the explosive mishap. Moments after, the dazed scientist comes to find himself surprisingly unharmed, but with the newly gained ability of super speed. These are the origins of the Scarlet Speedster better known as, The Flash.

Growing up, I’ve always been a diehard Superman fan (I have the scar to prove it). But when it came to The Flash, I have equally loved and appreciated the character. This is because he also embodies the very same incorruptible idealistic mentality of justice and selfless heroism that The Man of Steel or any other true superhero possesses. But what makes Barry Allen even more special is when he’s not moving near the speed of light, he is still an ordinary man… One who despite his precious gift can still make mistakes and come to harm like anyone of us.  

What is it like to be The Fastest Man Alive? It’s this very question that has lead to so many great storylines found within the pages of a Flash comic. So why hasn’t it been adapted into the big screen yet? Well thankfully due to some buzz going around the web, this just might soon become a reality. As seen on Superherohype.com and IFC.com, it seems that screenwriter Dan Mazeau (Wrath of The Titans), has taken upon himself to include The Flash among his upcoming projects that currently involves film adaptations of the popular manga and anime series “Bleach,” and retro 60s animated series “Johnny Quest.”

So with a possible script underway, let us fan boys ponder the next logical question; how would The Flash visually look like on film? Last time The Flash bolted his way onto a live-action treatment in full costume, was on The Flash (TV series) which aired for one season (1990-1991) on the CBS Network starring double-Emmy Award winner John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen. The TV costume itself was designed by the super talented Dave Stevens (The Rocketeer), and till this day is my all-time favorite portrayal of the suit. With that said, this brings us to the other reason why I decided to write this blog entry…  If anyone in connection to The Flash film project is reading this, I would want nothing more than to be part of it and even provide conceptual artwork.

In fact, I have already made some of my very own designs which I would like to share and hope it attracts attention from “The Powers That May Be.” So with no further ado, the following images are my interpretation of what The Flash costume would look like when adapted onto film.

As mentioned before, I’ve been a long-time fan of the suit Dave Stevens designed for the TV series; it served as my primary source of inspiration, so I couldn’t help but take elements from it and refine them a bit further within this design. As for the fabric and overall construction of the suit (which I’ll go more into depth in the following images), I wanted to bring a sense of both practicality and sleekness. I wanted to make this suit look like something a speed skater or professional skier would wear due to their need of perfect aerodynamics when dealing with great speeds.

The design for the insignia, mask, and wings were inspired by looking at the overall look of classical cars from the 1930s through the 1950s, especially when it came down to the hood ornaments. The Flash is a classic hero after all, so I felt it would be interesting to take those aesthetics and modify them into these modern designs to give the whole thing a timeless feel. Taking a closer look at the mask, I went with making it a solid piece of gear like that of a helmet. This is not only necessary because it serves as a practical safety measure (a guy running as fast as The Flash is bound to receive some kind of head injuries), but because if viewed from the side, I wanted it to give a little nod to the Original Flash, Jay Garrick. As most will know, Jay Garrick wore what seemed to be a World War I helmet with hood ornament-like wings attached to the sides. All I did is picture myself giving that to a Black Smith and having them hammer it into something that looked like the Silver Age Flash mask. In addition, I wanted the mask design to scream that particular streamline style which is in the spirit of those vintage cars I had previously mentioned, and have it match with the aerodynamic design of the suit. Finally, the wings (or hood ornaments as I would like to say), I wanted to design them in a way which gave them a purpose for being there. So logically, what’s better than to design those in a manner that makes them act much like spoilers which not only could help redirect airflow, but reduce aerodynamic lift and drag? I think The Flash would greatly appreciate that.

So there you have it, I’ll be coming up with more designs as they come to me and perhaps revise these as well. Till then, enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!

A lil bit of inspired Kinetic Typography inspired by one of my all-time favorite industrial bands!!!

Animated and graphics done by me, this was produced using Photoshop, Illustrator,
and After Effects.

Feel free to leave a comment and subscribe!

P.S. Trent, if you ever come across this blog entry… Please, make another NIN tour… PLEASE!!!

Got bored and decided to do a quick sketch of the formidable beauty, She-Hulk in between projects. Stay tuned for new changes coming soon to johnnytiestudios.com!

Created by Vaughn Reynolds and We Merge Magazine, this event will transport you to a world where anachronistic technology and futuristic innovations envisioned by early Victorians actually did happened. Witness Steampunk in its entirety; ranging from fashion, to architectural style, to culture, to its curious and imaginative art, all being presented by various talented artist including yours truly!

Can’t make it today? That’s ok, the Steampunk Legion Art Exhibition’s running time is from November. 1st till the 18th. But if you’re interested in buying some amazing art pieces, you better get your gears moving and mosey on along there soon… Get it? Gears?! Ok, bad joke. Anyways, hope to see you there!

Digitally painted portrait of the drop DEAD gorgeous Jessica De Freitas. Rawr! I mean.... Grrr... Argh!!!

So as previously mentioned in my last entry entitled, “Warm-up Sketches: MOAR ZOMBIES!!!“ Here’s the second promised Zombie portrait I’ve digitally painted using the same steps as those found on my first tutorial, “Johnny’s Digital Painting Tutorial: Zombie Self-Portrait.” Only this time I’ve decided to switch up the brushes and added a bit more detailing than in my last portrait.

Is it weird if I’m starting to find this Zombie chick hot? Feel free to leave a comment!

The following are two quick doodles I did today before beginning my next flesh eater… Enjoy!

Zombie Concept Sketch 001

And last, but not least… 

Zombie Concept Sketch 002

 These sketches were done using only a ballpoint pen, my usual weapon of choice when drawing in my favorite sketchbook.

While doodling away on my computer and watching a ton of Zombie movies (both from the States and Foreign). I’ve decided to make my very first tutorial be on how to make your very own Zombie Self-Portrait!!!

The following are the very steps I took in creating the portrait using Photoshop and a WACOM tablet.

Enjoy!!!

(Note: Make sure that when using the brushes in Photoshop, that the pen pressure sensitivity is on within your Brush Presets located under the Brushes tab.)

Step 1: First, take a picture of yourself in your most fiercest Zombie pose. This is going to serve as a means of reference when creating your portrait of yourself as the Undead!

Grrrr!!! I'm a zombie!!! Argh!!!

Step 2: Second, open up Photoshop and creating an 11″x14″ canvas at a 300 dpi resolution. Leaving the main layer named “Background” undisturbed, create a new layer and use a brush you’re comfortable with (I recommend a 9px Hard Round brush for sketching) to begin drawing a loose and quick sketch based on the picture of the figure in his or hers zombie pose. Try to get down all the main basic features of the face and body without diving into any detail just yet.

 Step 3: Once the basic sketch of the figure is done, turn the opacity to that layer down 75%. Create another new layer, and while referring to the initial sketch, begin drawing out the parts of the figure you want to zombify; flesh wounds, exposed muscle, organs, teeth, etc. I even went as far as changing the shirt to a dress shirt and tie for classic Zombie attire. But as for you, let your imagination go crazy! Get creative!

Step 4: Now that the figure sketch is complete, create a new layer and fill it with a neutral gray using the Paint Bucket Tool. Then by messing around with the blending mode properties, set the layer to Multiply to create an overall mid tone on the sketch.

Step 5: This is where we start rendering the figure in a monochromatic manner, beginning with the lights. Create a new layer. Set your brush to a larger size, and set the color to white. Then while paying close attention to your picture, start blocking in the light in the manner of the direction from which its coming from. Also, notice how you can even render out some detail of the skin and clothing by just duplicating how the light spreads out onto the surface of the figure.

Step 6: Continuing with the monochromatic phase; create a new layer, set the color to your brush to black, and now begin adding the basic shadows found on the figure. This in turn, helps you correctly place needed detail on the figure without really trying to focus on the detail itself.

Step 7: Create a new layer, and continue adding more shadows. But now using a 19px Hard Round brush, take the time to begin placing actual fine details onto the figure; such as, hair, eye lashes, wrinkles, etc. Also, take this time to clean up the figure a bit too!

Step 8: Now color starts coming into play! Here we choose an overall color tone that will set the mood of the piece. Create a new layer and again with the Paint Bucket Tool, fill the layer with a color of your choice (in my case, it was an pale olive green). Finally, we set the blending mode properties on this layer to multiply.

Step 9: Working underneath the color tone layer, create a new layer. Focus onto the zombified areas and with your brush set to a pale purple color, block out the gore of exposed skin and wounds. Also feel free to use the Dodge tool and include some highlights to begin adding detail within the carnage.

Step 10: Still working underneath the color tone layer, create another new layer. This time with your brush and using the same pale purple, but with a little bit of blue mixed into it, start applying a bit of shading around the eyes, cheeks, and side temples of the face. You gotta start making your Zombie look like the corpse it’s meant to be!

Step 11:Now create a new layer above the color tone layer, and it’s here where you start adding some more highlights to the gory parts. Bold small highlights here and there along with some extra detail such as bruising around the torn skin can make the wounds seem fresh and wet with all that bloody goodness.

BRING ON THE GORE!!!

Step 12:What kind of Zombie goes around with a clean spanking new white shirt? Here comes the fun part, It’s time to get messy!!! Create a new layer above the color tone layer, and using the combination of a Dry brush and a Chalk brush, begin producing something that looks like blood splatter anywhere on the figure while using a dark burgundy color. Once you’re satisfied with the results, go to the layer blending mode properties and set it to multiply.

BRING ON THE BLOOD!!!

Step 13: Finally, create a layer above the very first layer called “Background” and with a very large Soft Round brush carefully create some backdrop shadow onto the background to break it up a bit. Then create one last layer above all the layers and it’s here that you can put any finishing details you wish to add.

IT'S THE UNDEAD!!!

So there you have it, folks! You now own your very own Zombie Self-Portrait ready to be made into a printed canvas which you can frame and put it in your family room, or to even put up as your Facebook default whenever the Halloween season comes around! Just make sure to feed it lots of BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS!!!

Feel free to leave a comment below on what you thought about this tutorial! Was it helpful? Was it fun? Did it leave you craving for human flesh? Let me know! Hope you loved following it as much as I loved making it!