Let shapes guide your composition

1 When starting a new painting, make an effort to focus on the big shapes and how they relate to each other. When shapes recede into the distance they become lighter, so try to place layers of shapes on top of each other to give your scene a sense of distance. 2 Once I’m satisfied with the composition I start blocking out the structures in 3D. After that I drag and drop them into Photoshop, and try to separate the buildings according to the layer of rock they’re place upon. This makes it easier to add details to them later on. 3 Finally, I focus on the lighting and colour scheme, and start to detail everything. By using a large Soft brush on an Overlay layer you can quickly bathe an image in light and make a certain area feel especially warm or cold. All that’s left now is to add little lights and we’re done!