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Description
Sorry, again I don't have PS so I didn't get to add much text/make it pretty.

Therefore, please open the tutorial in a NEW WINDOW (or tab) because all the comments are listed here, not on the artwork. That way you can go BACK AND FORTH AND BACK AND FORTH.

It's not that great of a tutorial due to technical issues, but hopefully it'll give you an idea of what I do to create my HARPG equines.

To go with this tutorial, you need:
A program with multiple layers
The same program that can LOCK your layers
Some type of concept of equine anatomy (this can variate. None of us are perfect. )

I use PaintTool SAI (google to download free version) because it gives me pretty lineart, but any program (especially Photoshop) will do as long as they meet the above requirements.

Welcome to TJ's Tutorial (of doom)!

First, I would like to state that I DO NOT TRACE. I had a great lineart completed that I layed on top of the picture to show you how there are differences in my drawing and the ref, but due to technical issues, I lost the lineart and had to start over and... It's a long story. Just don't ask.

If you would like to trace your own image, go for it! It's yours and this is just for fun. Why not? Tracing others' stock images should be fine as well, since they're STOCK, but if you're unsure please ask.

STEP 1: Pick a reference! (Or don't. It's totally up to you.) I used [link] for stock. Next, consider gridwork. I do. I meant to show you my gridwork ontop of my lineart so that you can see how I used it to get the porportions correct, but due to the affore-mentioned issues, I no longer have that screenshot. But I CAN tell you, DO NOT MOVE THE GRIDWORK ONCE YOU'VE STARTED DRAWING. And use multiple layers: One for gridwork, one for your sketch that you're about to draw.

Step 2: Rough sketch! This is the most time-consuming part. If you seek tutorials on equine anatomy, I suggest: [link] [link] [link] [link]

Plus you can always ask me or other equine artists questions.

Make sure you put your sketch on it's own layer.

Step 3: Make a new layer and title it "lineart." Go over your sketch with clear, defined lines and fill in the details (pupils, muscle lines, etc.). This is where I lost the image and started over, so I'm afraid I don't have a lineart-over-sketch pic. If you want, note me and I'll make a new one.

Hide or delete your sketch layer.

Make a NEW layer! Title it "color." Make sure this layer is UNDERNEATH your lineart layer. Then get yourself a big brush and block in the color. Any color will do. Heck, it can even be green if you want. Notice the gaps and mistakes. That's ok! You'll fix that later.

NOTE: I use a tablet which has pen pressure, so even when I use a big brush I can make it somewhat smaller to fit the color in the legs. If you don't have that, go for a smaller brush to fill them in.

Step 4: Cleanup time! Now that you've blocked everything in, grab your eraser and clean up any edges that went over the line. (Zooming in helps a lot.)

Then get a smaller brush and fill in all the gaps that are missing color until you have the entire horse filled.

Intermission Notes: At this point, you should have a nice, clean flat-color picture. You want to LOCK YOUR COLOR LAYER. This means that, when you scribble all over the layer, it will only scribble over the part you've already colored in. May be called "Lock Layers" or "Preserve Quality" or something along those lines, and is usually in the area of your layers pallette.

Step 5: Use color references! I already had a picture of Flawless Evil so I used that, but to create her design way back when, I used [link] and [link]

If you put your color reference directly on your artwork like I did here, make sure you put it on its own layer so that you can delete it when you're done.

The key is in the attention to detail! Color in the base colors first (I employ the use of the magical airbrush tool and use multiple opacities to get that airbrushed look), THEN follow through with markings. You can even set your markings on a different layer if you want. Just remember to clean up the edges if you do, as that layer won't be locked in like your color layer is.

Step 6: YAY YOU'RE DONE. Almost. Add in the little details you might have missed.

NOTE: Markings are rarely ever white. If I have straight white markings on a horse, it's because I was lazy. (And it has happened before.) But if you strive to be accurate, make them off-white somehow.

ALSO NOTE: Hooves are never the color of the legs. They are usually dark grayish and peachy-gray. They only pure black hooves I've seen are the ones that have polish painted on them. (Again, I've been lazy in the past and didn't follow this rule, but if you want to be accurate... FOLLOW IT.)

YOU SURVIVED TJ'S TUTORIAL (of doom). Congratulations.

I know this is probably confusing and scatterbrained-ish, so if you have any questions or requests for more in-depth tutorials, don't hesitate to ask!

Now go make great art!

Finished Piece

Everything (C) me
Ref: ~Colourize-Stock

Description
Sorry, again I don't have PS so I didn't get to add much text/make it pretty.

Therefore, please open the tutorial in a NEW WINDOW (or tab) because all the comments are listed here, not on the artwork. That way you can go BACK AND FORTH AND BACK AND FORTH.

It's not that great of a tutorial due to technical issues, but hopefully it'll give you an idea of what I do to create my HARPG equines.

To go with this tutorial, you need:
A program with multiple layers
The same program that can LOCK your layers
Some type of concept of equine anatomy (this can variate. None of us are perfect. )

I use PaintTool SAI (google to download free version) because it gives me pretty lineart, but any program (especially Photoshop) will do as long as they meet the above requirements.

Welcome to TJ's Tutorial (of doom)!

First, I would like to state that I DO NOT TRACE. I had a great lineart completed that I layed on top of the picture to show you how there are differences in my drawing and the ref, but due to technical issues, I lost the lineart and had to start over and... It's a long story. Just don't ask.

If you would like to trace your own image, go for it! It's yours and this is just for fun. Why not? Tracing others' stock images should be fine as well, since they're STOCK, but if you're unsure please ask.

STEP 1: Pick a reference! (Or don't. It's totally up to you.) I used [link] for stock. Next, consider gridwork. I do. I meant to show you my gridwork ontop of my lineart so that you can see how I used it to get the porportions correct, but due to the affore-mentioned issues, I no longer have that screenshot. But I CAN tell you, DO NOT MOVE THE GRIDWORK ONCE YOU'VE STARTED DRAWING. And use multiple layers: One for gridwork, one for your sketch that you're about to draw.

Step 2: Rough sketch! This is the most time-consuming part. If you seek tutorials on equine anatomy, I suggest: [link] [link] [link] [link]

Plus you can always ask me or other equine artists questions.

Make sure you put your sketch on it's own layer.

Step 3: Make a new layer and title it "lineart." Go over your sketch with clear, defined lines and fill in the details (pupils, muscle lines, etc.). This is where I lost the image and started over, so I'm afraid I don't have a lineart-over-sketch pic. If you want, note me and I'll make a new one.

Hide or delete your sketch layer.

Make a NEW layer! Title it "color." Make sure this layer is UNDERNEATH your lineart layer. Then get yourself a big brush and block in the color. Any color will do. Heck, it can even be green if you want. Notice the gaps and mistakes. That's ok! You'll fix that later.

NOTE: I use a tablet which has pen pressure, so even when I use a big brush I can make it somewhat smaller to fit the color in the legs. If you don't have that, go for a smaller brush to fill them in.

Step 4: Cleanup time! Now that you've blocked everything in, grab your eraser and clean up any edges that went over the line. (Zooming in helps a lot.)

Then get a smaller brush and fill in all the gaps that are missing color until you have the entire horse filled.

Intermission Notes: At this point, you should have a nice, clean flat-color picture. You want to LOCK YOUR COLOR LAYER. This means that, when you scribble all over the layer, it will only scribble over the part you've already colored in. May be called "Lock Layers" or "Preserve Quality" or something along those lines, and is usually in the area of your layers pallette.

Step 5: Use color references! I already had a picture of Flawless Evil so I used that, but to create her design way back when, I used [link] and [link]

If you put your color reference directly on your artwork like I did here, make sure you put it on its own layer so that you can delete it when you're done.

The key is in the attention to detail! Color in the base colors first (I employ the use of the magical airbrush tool and use multiple opacities to get that airbrushed look), THEN follow through with markings. You can even set your markings on a different layer if you want. Just remember to clean up the edges if you do, as that layer won't be locked in like your color layer is.

Step 6: YAY YOU'RE DONE. Almost. Add in the little details you might have missed.

NOTE: Markings are rarely ever white. If I have straight white markings on a horse, it's because I was lazy. (And it has happened before.) But if you strive to be accurate, make them off-white somehow.

ALSO NOTE: Hooves are never the color of the legs. They are usually dark grayish and peachy-gray. They only pure black hooves I've seen are the ones that have polish painted on them. (Again, I've been lazy in the past and didn't follow this rule, but if you want to be accurate... FOLLOW IT.)

YOU SURVIVED TJ'S TUTORIAL (of doom). Congratulations.

I know this is probably confusing and scatterbrained-ish, so if you have any questions or requests for more in-depth tutorials, don't hesitate to ask!

Now go make great art!

Finished Piece

Everything (C) me
Ref: ~Colourize-Stock