2021.10.28

Using Textures! How to draw a beautiful background

In this article, I would like to create texture and apply it to drawing an entire city.
The building textures we used here are now available at ART street! Please check it out!

Index

1.Creating a rough sketch

(1) The first step is to roughly lay out the silhouettes of the buildings in black and white. Don’t worry about the details yet, and draw out the image you want to paint in your mind. I wanted the light in the background to moderately brighten the city, so I used a soft brush to create the ideal brightness. Then I placed the stairs in the foreground and painted them in black to clarify the relationship between the foreground and background. The image is of a shadow of a girl quietly walking up the stairs.

2.Texture creation

If we create the texture at this stage, it will be easier to create the texture for the building wall.

(1) The first step is to draw the steel parts that will be the window frames. Draw a line and then copy and paste it repeatedly like the image below.

(2) Next, draw the lines that are thinner than the previous lines, which will complete the window frames. You can use the same lines, but drawing thin lines with narrower intervals will create a more realistic look.

(3) Create a new layer below the layer where you drew the frame, and fill it with black. This time we will draw the lighting roughly, as we expect the picture to be seen from a very low angle. This time I’m going to draw the lighting roughly as if it were seen from a distance.

(4) Using the tone curve, adjust the dark areas to be darker and the bright areas to be lighter. Prepare several different textures from this one to create a sense of random or natural patterns.

(5) Create another texture for the building in the same way as before. It is the method used before, but the trick is to keep the light and dark areas clear. Make the wall slightly dirty to give it an apartment-like appearance.

(6) Draw the front of the outdoor unit. The first thing to do is to capture the silhouette of the outdoor unit. Check the ratio of length and width while observing the actual product.

(7) Draw the part that will be the fan. After drawing the framework, create a new layer and draw a circle.

(8) Draw the lattice part. Make sure that the number of lattices is not too many or too few.

(9) Draw in the rust areas. Since corrosion starts from the edges, paint the edges with a brush with reduced opacity. Carefully observe the position of the plate and bolts.

(10) Combine the layers of the outdoor unit created earlier and copy them to create the equipment texture for the rooftop area. Also, draw the exhaust ducts and pipes at the same time.

(11) Create the material for the steel frame in advance. Use an uneven brush or a flat brush as shown in the image to make it more realistic.

(12) Create a texture for the steel frame using the brushes you just used. The color will be overlaid later, so we will use monochrome to create the texture.

3.Paste the texture

(1) Firstly, decide the vanishing point. In this case, I chose a shape that would fit in the center. It is convenient to prepare a visual guide beforehand.

(2) Before attaching the texture, separate the light and dark areas of the building. I used the rough sketch as a reference to paint the building so that the front side would be darker to catch the light at the back.

(3) Also, as shown in the image, when you think of the building shapes as cubes, you can only see three sides of the building no matter where you look from, so be conscious of painting light areas that are lit and dark areas that are in shadow.

(4) While following the perspective guide, attach the previously created texture. The reason why I chose to create an eerie city where all the buildings are facing the vanishing point is because I wanted to create a suspicious atmosphere, including the color of the picture.

(5) As the current state is only the texture of the rooftop equipment, I will draw in the sides of the equipment. While looking at the real thing, I adjust the height of the equipment making sure it’s not out of place.

4.Painting

(1) Create a new overlay layer on top of the monochrome layer. I also added a sci-fi feel by drawing an airship and searchlight in the back. For each size, draw a large, medium, and small object for a good balance. The placement of the stairs in the foreground are temporary at this point.

(2) Attach the texture of the lighting part of the building that you created earlier to the building part. Create a new layer and change the layer to Compare (Light). Make sure that the size of the window and the size of the light do not deviate. We will also use Free Transform to stretch the areas that will be subject to the perspective. Draw an aviation obstacle light (red lamp) in the corner of the building to make it look like that.

(3) Add the light. Use a soft brush to add color so that the light at the back of the building shines into the foreground. Also, assuming that the light is coming from under the city, lower the opacity and add blue to make it look like a haze.

(4) To adjust the overall color tone, use a tone curve to adjust the color. At this time, place the stairs that were drawn on a separate layer and adjust them while keeping an eye on the overall balance.

(5) Add a light to the stairs in the foreground. The reason why I chose green is because I wanted to make sure that the color would not conflict with the aviation obstacle light behind it.