Hello everyone, today I would like to share my process in creating a digital painting of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings charging into battle. This piece was done over several hours on GIMP using a wacom graphics tablet and there is a timelapse video at the end of the whole process.
Step 1
I create the background using a few of the general colours from the original image.
Step 2
I then create the overall gesture of him and the horse. I am not too worried about the accuracy at this point just creating the general form.
Step 3
This step required greater accuracy. On a new layer I lowered the opacity of the previous sketch and started a line drawing with some block colours.
Step 4
Using a new layer I create the black and white tones for the piece. I will then set this to multiply so that the colours beneath will become darker depending on how dark they are in this one.
Step 4
This step involved adding more tones to the colours and an overlay layer for where the light would hit.
Step 5
Combining all the layers produced this result. I am almost finished however, there are some small things I want to fix such as the face and the background before I finish.
Step 6
I pay extra attention in the accuracy and colours in the face before I finish as this is the main focal point of the piece. I also add in the background soldiers with a lower opacity. This came from the original photo as it was less important for the overall piece but provided context.
Finished!
Below is a timelapse with some Lord of the Rings music added to the background. Enjoy :)