This comprehensive digital illustration tutorial demonstrates techniques for creating a realistic fantasy goddess character using Poser, Photoshop, and a Wacom tablet.
Technical setup: Photoshop 7, Wacom 9×12 tablet, Pentium 4 2.2 GHz, 512 MB RAM, 1600×1200 on a 22" monitor.
Step 1 — The Sketch
The human body is the most difficult subject to portray. I employed Poser software to generate a 3D reference pose, imported into Photoshop at 300 DPI, placed on a separate layer, and desaturated for use as a foundation.
Step 2 — Painting the Figure
Using grayscale values, apply the Paintbrush tool at 30% opacity with varying brush sizes (10-50 pixels). Then employ the Smudge tool at 50% opacity to blend strokes, creating smooth surfaces. Add fine details like skin folds and facial features at 200% zoom.
Step 3 — Colors
Establish flesh tones using Image → Adjustment → Hue/Saturation (HUE: 10, Saturation: 35, Lightness: 0). Use Curves to refine color distribution across light and dark ranges. The Dodge tool enhances highlights and contours.
Step 4 — Hair
Hair receives meticulous attention using pressure-sensitive brushes with dynamic size and opacity settings. Electric blue color dominates the initial shapes. The Smudge tool in "Lighten" mode creates individual strand details without disturbing existing work.
Step 5 — Effects
Lightning bolts and sparks drawn separately, enhanced with Outer Glow effects (Linear Dodge blend mode, 85% opacity, 30-pixel size). Hair receives additional softness through Gaussian blur duplicates with Lighten blend mode at 85% opacity.
Step 6 — Background
The background employs complementary color schemes: warm magenta tones above, cool blue tones below. Large pressure-sensitive brushes avoid sharp details that might distract from the focal figure.
This tutorial appeared in the book "Femme Digitale: Perfecting the Female Form on Your Computer" by Ilex Press.