Just some thoughts on smooth blending,

#1

, in Adobe Photoshop.

I’ve not worked enough in Painter to know how to repeat this process there, so I can’t help you in that regard :slight_smile: I do get a lot of inquiries on how I blend my colours, and these are some of the ways. I had a while to spare so I threw this together, hoping it might be some help to some of you, or at least a slightly interesting read. It’s not in-depth like the face-feature tutorials by any means.

(I know that blending smoothly isn’t necessarily what everyone wants to achieve, nor is it the best way to blend. I just thought I’d share.)

#2

Bless u Linda…Bless u…cant praise u enuff for sharing…:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
A worthy champion

#3

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing :slight_smile:

#4

Linda, thanks for sharing!

Blending method 2 is what I use in Painter, using the RoundCamelHair brush.

#5

Thank you!

#6

Very quick, well done tutorial. Thanks a bunch- you know we appreciate it. :wink:

#7

Hey all! Linda, your tutorials are always informative AND elegant. I’m so impressed!:thumbsup: I only have a couple of questions…

Okay, at the risk of totally embarassing myself and exposing my newbieness to Photoshop…cringes in the first two examples that you have here, you are working using a selected brush and the desired colours, right? There is no involvement of the smudge tool at all?

I only ask because at first I assumed you were using the smudge tool. I think I misunderstood. Are they more a technique of varying degrees of brush pressure and colour opacity?
I have been blending using the smudge tool because I couldn’t find another way to combine colours to create a smooth surface. (Be gentle, I’m teaching myself Photoshop over here…ha ha!) I have experienced difficulty in getting the desired surface and now I’m thinking that I’ve been doing it all wrong…sighs :slight_smile:

Can you clarify for me?
Thanks and congrats on your award! Very much deserved and how fitting it should come to you after your computer crashes!! Ha ha! :smiley:
Take care,
~Ela~

#8

damn, even the way you designed the layout is awesome. you rock.

#9

Elaeria:
I don’t know what I’m thinking, posting a followup to Linda’s lovely notes, but here goes:

Before I clean forget. Linda, that’s a lovely set of notes you’ve put together. Nice choice of colors, too. Very soothing. :slight_smile:

#10

Just reading the second paragraph alone shows me I’ve been doing it very wrong.
Thanks a bunch Linda.

#11

Ahh…I see now. Usually what I do is I blend with the hard edged brush for a while, then take the smudge tool, then paint with the hard edged brush some more, then go over with the soft edged brush. But I have really been wondering how to do it with the spackled brush. This was very informative, thank you Linda!

#12

This is interesting, I never did digital painting before and I went into using painters wettish brushes for blending. I ’ mix on canvas ’ but don’t get the desired result fast enough.

Basically I’d ask about the entire workflow. For instance when and where to stop adding the basic hard edged colours and then what to go for when blending, and what kind of detail will need to be put in right away and what can be added later.

I’m pretty sure it’s possible to add later on, but for the best result a lot might need to be predetermined?

thx again for helping us out on these issues. :smiley:

#13

Beh’, where is this spackled brush? Can’t seem to find it. :frowning:

#14

Queensoul:
That brush in the notes looks like a simple custom brush she put together. You can either create one like that, or you can use one of the “spatter” brushes in Photoshop’s default brushset:

#15

Make one :D, it isn’t very difficult really. ANd if you’ve got a newer version of photoshop I bet you might be able to get it working in 16 bit greyscale. urhm… >>:deal:<<, ofcourse…:rolleyes:…same genious behind it. :slight_smile:

#16

LOL! JanMark…I swear you should be selling software for Adobe. Always pushing the latest versions!! :twisted:

Thanks LoTeKK for the help…my hands are just ITCHING to get home from work to my poor lonesome tablet so I can practice this…cries

~Ela~

#17

From what my ever-numbed brain can compute…its about 4 different methods of blending colors…I was trying out with the first one but it wasnt that smooth.

But it took a rather suprising twist…I found out (finally) colors! I think the initial process of choosing colors essential, as Enayla puts it so many times through her widespread tutorials.
You can have a great shade…but if the combination of colors is bad…then everything is gonna be bad.

Looks like Linda has always used the skintones as a practive .Its intriguing to find how Lilac and Terracota colors can give vibrancy.

and there are two tones for shadow

I wanna try the other 3 strokes…but I gotta sleep…

#18

Thank you for sharing this Linda; you are a great asset to this community :slight_smile: Its great that the community was able to give back to you with that marvelous award you received for your painting in the Master & Servant competition. Your tutorials really are inspiring.

#19

LoTekk, thanks, I see the spatter brushes now :smiley:

#20

Enayla… I feel like im doing something wrong with my color blending… here is something I drew yesterday but due to the way I did the colors Its messed up… how would you approach this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.