Let’s see some advanced method of the panels on the airplane art. In the previous post is described how to make this panels and this is dedicated to the persons with no skill at all in the aviation art but as I said basic level in the Photoshop is necessary.
One of the most important tools is Pen. We call it from the keyboard by pressing of P. There are few Pen tools but we need Pen tool, not Free Pen tool. When we get it some panels are changed and in the top panel we now see option for this tool. Watch at the left arrow- it is pointed on this panel. You will see three small marks for Pen tool work regime. We have pointed and selected the middle of them by click on it. This work regime create path which we will use. Left of this create vector path and automatically create new layer. On the right side is regime where path stay in the same layer where we work but the path is filling with color. To repeat- we need regime which is in the middle icon. Then we are creating paths which are in the same position and shape as the panels on the actual object. Making of path is easy- click on one side and finish it on the other side.
There is show strait but also curved shape can be made. It is important to create a bulk of path but you will be faced with problem- active paths. When you make one path which present panel on airplane you will have to make another and problem is that this panel is not connected with previous. Photoshop does not know how the panel looks on the airplane and next point you make will be connected with previous, from panel before. How to stop this? Simply- when you make one panel and want to make another one you have just to move Pen cursor some out side and hold ctrl and left click on the canvas field. Path you have just created is deselected. You will see just some tiny lines, and you will make the rest of the paths. Important- when you make the last panel then you again repeat deselecting method.
And did I have to tell you that you get to have separate layer for panels only?
Before you go into the making panel creating stoke you have to make some preparation with brushes. Take brush but this has to be airbrush. Brush gives to sharp edges and this does not look very real. In the airbrush the edge of stroke is soft and this looks much better.
Set the opacity 100%, color must be black and diameter not larger then 4 pixels... this depend to the actual size of your art.
If the brush is set you have to take again your pen tool and make solution with right click. When you make right click you will get drop down menu and from this menu you have to choose option Stroke Path. Then you will get the panel as you see on image 2. What you have to do is to take Brush tool and you take it from drop down menu. By default there is Pencil tool [I never use it BTW]. Also note small label down on the left side- Simulate Pressure.
This will make that your path disappear at the end point and this you don’t need. If you have set all as see on this image then click OK. Panels are created. There is possibility to make additional adjustment on this layer where panel lines are. To do this just simply looks at the bottom of the Layer panel. Second from left is the icon which indicates Layer Style. You have to note that Layer Style and Layer Behavior are not the same. So click on the Style icon and see the drop down menu. In this case we will take Outer Glow. Outer Glow is very important method of indicate the shape and dynamics of the panels and must say that menu artist use it in not just proper way. Why? I noted that many of them use black or very dark grey to spread around the panels and this is basic omission.
The same panels are on the real airplane plates of metal or another hard material and their edges have a highlight and this is oppose from the dark as you know. The same panels we are drawing actually do not exist- this is just a gap between two panels. So when working panels try to note this.
On the last image is the Outer Glow panel which jumps in front of us and maybe scare some of us. When I have seen it first time, some three years ago I have click on cancel, turn of Photoshop and feel very desperate. But it is so easy. Follow these steps and enjoy.
Take attention just on the fields indicate with red ellipse, the rest you will learn later... a lot of experiment you have to do. First thing you have to change is the color. This is the second mark on image. Click on it and you will see panel with color. Choose white color. Click OK and return to this panel again. Now watch up- Opacity. By default it is 75% and I have reduced this, in this sample 45%. This will see changes on the image you are working in the moment. Also reduce size of the Outer Glow and I have taken it from 5 pixels to the 4.
In the Quality section you have to take shape of this glow. Click on it and try it- I use default but maybe some other will better fit what you are doing. And last thing you have to set is to reduce range of the glow.
As final result this will be array of panels with soft outer glow in lighter color.
