Digital Character Design and Painting: The Photoshop CS Edition (Graphics Series) (Charles River Media Graphics)

That's about all there is to painting fabric in a very simple way. The most important things to remember when painting this type of subject matter are:

• Simplify and use only three values to do the majority of the painting.

• Draw and paint the fabric with straight lines because as you do additional work, the lines will soften.

• Paint the major folds first, do the smaller folds second, and (if you cannot stand it any longer) add some of the small wrinkles . Remember that the major folds will make the image understandable.

• Vary your values slightly as you paint across the figure.

Almost all costumes may be painted as a variation of this basic technique. Shiny objects will have greater value differences among the three values used. Furry objects will have very soft lines and transitions between shapes . If you analyze your subject carefully and use these simple steps, no costume will be too difficult to paint. In the next chapter, we will be using Photoshop's painting capabilities to paint a man with a sword.