3 PAINT WITH THE SELECTION TOOL

Train your eye to see shapes of shadow and light by painting with the selection tool.

A Set up

Once we import our photo reference and set up our canvas, we can begin to find the rhythm of this technique. You can already see the evidence of our first loop here.

B Find the shapes

Connect as many similar values into one large selected shape. In this case, we are selecting all the dark shapes that create the tyres, cast shadows, and the undercarriage.

C Fill with bold marks

Once the block of shapes is selected, use the Oil brush tool (the bigger the better) to brush into the selection with loose and bold marks. Use this technique to block every value in the picture.

D Add layers

Add a new layer and set the blend mode to Overlay – you can manipulate the colours by changing these blend modes and adding layers of selections as you see here, creating a lighter tone.

E Complementary tools

Now let’s begin to add some spice to the painting; create a new layer, and on this new layer we are able to add interest through the pencil, sticker, and Custom Brush tools.

F Soft edges

Use the Square Canvas 2 brush (from the Custom Brush Presets) to add some softer marks to balance out the hard edges. Spray on some big, bold splatters to add some randomness.