ask the maker - icon tutorials - post 1
→
→
requested by fouroux at Ask the Maker
→
I had actually been pretty terrified of iconning this scene (or really anything in Blackwater tbh) because of how DARK it all is. But I couldn't resist drunk!Cersei any longer. XD
o1. To brighten up the base I create two Vibrance layers, both set to screen. One I have vibrance +100, the other +40.
o2. From here, the colors look all sorts of disgusting. Now, going into this I wasn't really sure what colors I wanted to go towards, so I just played around with a Color Balance layer until it looked like something easier to work with.
The settings for the Color Balance is the following:
Cyan/Red -20
Magenta/Green -62
Yellow/Blue +1
o3. A definite orange/red coloring is coming out so, instead of fighting against the colors to strive for something different, I decide to play that up. To do so I use the Eyedropper Tool and find a color already within the image, trying to stick to the middle shades (none too light or too dark). I went with #6d2e0a. I create two new layers filled with that color, with the following settings:
layer one - Screen at 50% Fill
layer two - Soft Light at 40% Fill
o4. Since I know I plan on working with Selective Coloring next, I want to sharpen the icon first. This is a personal preference, tbh. I'm not the most comfortable with Selective Coloring in general, so being able to see more of the details within the icon help me out a lot. I use CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E to duplicate all layers into a new layer. I then use Sharpen (Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen). I adjust how sharp the icon looks by playing with Fill and Opacity. For here, I left the Opacity alone but lowered Fill to 50%
o5. I ended up not doing much with Selective Coloring. I found I liked the colors themselves without that manipulation and instead concentrated on the blacks, which were lacking in the icon at this point.
Blacks > Black: +50
o6. I admit at this point I wasn't actually sure what I wanted to do, I just knew it wasn't done. Whenever I'm at this stage I play with Screen and Soft Light, and this icon was no different! :D I use CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E twice, creating two new layers. I hide the top to begin, that way I can actually see the bottom one.
For the first new layer, I set it to Screen. I use Gaussian blur where the radius is set to 4px. It's a little too bright but I want to keep the glowy look that this creates, so I create a layer mask. Using a soft, round brush with a lowered opacity (about 20%, I think) I brush around until it looks a bit more evened out.
blurred layer, the layer mask, layer on screen
I make the top layer visible again and set it to Soft Light. I lower Fill to 90% but otherwise leave as is.
o7. Now at this point, the purple on the right hand side had finally gotten to me. I hated how it made the icon feel unbalanced. I decided to erase the background the ultimate lazy way - painting on a new layer! :D
I use the area below Cersei's arm as the color to use - that way I don't have to bother coloring in that small little area. Using a hard, round brush with 100% opacity, I paint on a newly created layer using that color (#e37a1d. I vary the size of the brush depending on how small the area is, going anywhere from 20px to 2px.
o8. I like the background a lot more but it's flat, and a little pale, compared to the rest of the icon. I duplicate the painted layer and set it to Multiply. I then create a layer mask on the duplicate and, using the Gradient Tool, I create a gradient that will follow the travel of light already in the icon: lights at the top right, shadows towards the bottom left.
o9. I noticed a lot of rough edges here. Usually I would use the smudge tool to soften them up, but I was experimenting with Topaz so you get that instead! Smudging could easily replace this step though, or even just skipped, since the difference is only that visible when zoomed in:
As far as Topaz settings go, under Edges it was for sure Accent 1, Radius 1.50, Sharpness .75 - the rest of the settings were mostly left alone, I think.
1o. When I've replaced backgrounds I like to use textures on top of everything to try and tie it all together, make it look like it belongs. In this case, I use a lovely texture by tinebrella that I colored to match the icon's colors (the original was purple) on Soft Light with Fill set to 60%.
→
This icon was a little more messy with how I went about it, so I apologize now.
o1. To quickly brighten the base I duplicate the layer and use auto contrast on the duplicate. I lower the layer's fill to 70%. To bump up the colors I use a Vibrance layer with vibrance +100.
auto contrast only | with vibrance layer
o2. I decide I want a solid color for the background and so lazily, in a new layer, paint around Dany. To soften the edges I duplicate the brushed background layer and set a light Gaussian Blur (between 1px and 2px). I leave both layers on Normal.
brushing layer, + on dany, + second blurred layer
o3. Using a softened brush (100% opacity), go over Dany's skin. Set this layer to Soft Light and lower the opacity to 40%
o4. With the same brush go over Dany's dress. I picked a nice purple to contrast nicely with the background and her skin. Set this layer to Overlay. Duplicate the layer and set the second to Overlay 50% Fill.
o5. Next is Dany's egg. I picked a nice, bright green for this and set it to Soft Light 50% Fill.
o6. Dany's hair was next, also going to Soft Light with 50% Fill.
o7. Using CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E I duplicate everything into a new layer. I then go to Filter > Artistic > Paint Daubs. My settings for that are:
Brush size - 5
Sharpness - 0
Brust Type - Simple
I set the layer to Soft Light and lower the Fill to 30%
o8. CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E again and use Auto Tone, which helps the icon not look so flat. It's a little strong for my tastes so I lowers the layer's Fill to 30%
o9. CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E yet again. This time I use Sharpen and lower the layer's Fill to 60%
1o. Her skin is looking a bit too orange for my taste so I create a Color Balance adjustment layer, where I bump up reds and blues: Cyan/Red +13, Magenta/Green 0, Yellow/Blue +13.
11. At this point I think her bracelets are sticking out a bit too much for my liking. I create a new layer and, using a small brush, I go over the bracelets. I leave that layer on Soft Light.
(on black to make it easier to see)
12. I didn't like how flat the image looked so I create a new layer with a black/white gradient and set it to Soft Light.
13. CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E to get everything into a new layer. Using a soft round brush (with a larger size) I create white light blobs to create light. Use a 4px Gaussian Blur on the layer and set it to Soft Light. Mask over Dany's egg using layer masks.
without blur | blurred | layer mask | icon
14. CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E again. Use Gaussian blur to about 10px and set the layer to Soft Light.
15. To brighten up Dany's egg, create a small white blob on a new layer set to Overlay. Duplicate it until the egg becomes light enough (which happened to be 5 times for me).
17. CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E and use Paint Daubs with the same settings as above and set the layer to Soft Light. Using layer masks on, concentrate on removing the layer from Dany but leaving as much of the bright orange from the background as possible.
18. New Vibrance layer with vibrance +40 set to Color.
19. More light blobs set to Soft Light over Dany's egg.
on black background to make it easier to see
20. In a new layer, create a black/white gradient and set it to Soft Light with 50% Fill.
21. CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E once last time. Use the same Paint Daubs setting once more and set the layer to Soft Light with a 20% Fill.