Class Computer Stuff: How to use Photoshop layers to create Art

eLecture

This electure will give a brief history of one of the latest tools for creating art. You will learn about Adobe Photoshop and how to use it to make layered art. In this lecture you will be introduced to the Digital Artist Brian Haberlin. There will be links to his website with video examples of painting in Photoshop. Finally, a step-by-step description showing how to build art with layers is provided.

The history of a new art tool

Thomas Knoll is pictured on the left, in the middle is John Knoll on the right is the first Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop is a graphics-editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems. Today, Photoshop is leading the market as the best bitmap and image editing software. It is the standard software in the industry for graphic editing.

Thomas Knoll, who attended the University of Michigan created Photoshop. He wrote a program using his Macintosh Plus. The program would create grayscale images on screen. “Display” was the first name for the software. Later Thomas’s brother John Knoll convinced him to make a complete program. Thomas took the time to create his program and called it ImagePro. He took time off from school in order to complete the program. The program was changed to the name Photoshop after a deal was made with the scanner manufacturer Barneyscan. The deal was to provide the software along the scanner. They shipped two hundred copies of the software as a package.

Brian Haberlin

Brian Haberlin
Copyright © 2001-2009 Haberlin Studios. All rights reserved.

Brian Haberlin
Copyright © 2001-2009 Haberlin Studios. All rights reserved.

HABERLIN STUDIOS

Brian Haberlin is an artist that uses Photoshop to create the effects seen in his artwork. He began his career in television. He worked for Lorimar and for Warner Brothers studios. He uses new technology as a master painter would use the brush. He has a full portfolio with a variety of comic style art. He has always loved comic book art change careers to work for Image comics’ Top Cow Productions.
Haberlin Studios is an online studio servicing illustration, design, and entertainment. Brian’s studios have worked with all of the top comic book companies. He has worked with the comics for Spawn, X-Men, Daredevil, Spider Man and many others. His studio is remarkable, focusing on comic book art. Brain developed the Witchblade for Television and Hellcop for live action. Brian Haberlin is also the co-creator of the comic book Aria.
To learn more about Brian Haberlin, visit his web site at HABERLIN STUDIOS

Examples:

Begin Start Finish

Photo Real Start Finish

Note to the parents:
This activity has been chosen for the 7th and 8th grade student. The content has been chosen to display the artist’s skills. The selection is not intended to offend but to educate the students who use the electure as a learning tool.

Supplies:
Computer
Adobe Photoshop
Scanner
Scanner Software
Pencil
Pen

Directions:

Make a drawing in your sketchbook or a complete drawing you would like to scan.
Make sure the image has completed outlines. This will be helpful later when you need to fill areas in Photoshop.

Lay image / picture on the scanner
Scan image into Photoshop or scan using the scanning software on your computer.
Scan file as a tiff file format.
Check resolution and size of the image scanned. Recommend 300 dpi resolution

Open the file in Photoshop.
After choosing the resolution, make about ten layers as a starter.
Place the scanned image on the bottom layer.
Now cleanup the line work.
Use the eraser tool to delete any unwanted lines.
Double click on each layer in order to apply a name.
Use the paint tool in order to fill in areas of the image.
Use a layer for each different color.