Get Started Digital Painting with Krita

In this section I will be talking about the Krita tools which will help us with sketching and inking.

In the sketching phase the transformation tool is particularly useful.

• Activate the transformation tool by pressing Ctrl+T
• With the perspective option we can deform a sketch so that we appear to look at it from an angle
• With warp we deform the sketch based on grid points
• The cage tool is similar to warp, but the deformation takes place based on a boundary
• Liquify is similar to a deformation brush

The assistant tool is like a ruler helping use to draw straight lines. We can draw all sorts of shapes with the assistant tool and can be very helpful in making construction lines.

In this example we use 3 parallel rulers to draw an isometric box!

We can use the perspective assistant tool to help us figure out the extent to which objects get smaller as they are further away.

One again we use the perspective tool. This time it helps us to draw a figure from above and from below. The tool is very helpful when it comes to figuring out the proportions of the figure.

We can use Bezier curves as an alternative way to draw smooth strokes.

• Draw a series of line segments using the Bezier curve tool
• Use the selection tool to select it. Then ...
  
  • resize it.
  • rotate it.
  • shear it.
  • modify the fill and the line.
• Use the path editing button to:
  • modify the node positions
  • modify the direction of the line at the nodes
• there are three types of node:
  • corner node with a sharp angle
  • smooth node where the two directions are pointed in the same direction
  • symmetric node where the two directions are pointed in the same direction, and they have the same size

In this example we are going to use the Bezier curve tool to create 2 examples:

• The suit of hearts
• The suit of spades

Assistants can be used to create construction lines, but are also really usefull in creating line art!

We use stroke smoothing as a way to help us draw smooth lines on the canvas!

In this example we use all we have learned in this section to create a scene of a prisoner.

All complex objects can be broken down to a combination of basic forms. In this appendix we learn about the sketching of 3 common basic forms:

• A cube
• A sphere
• A cylinder

Basic forms exist in 3 dimensional space, and can be viewed from various angle and at various distances. This appendix gives a very brief introduction on how to take some of these effects into account!

A quick introduction to the section!

Alpha inheritance has a similar function to alpha lock. But instead of locking the alpha on the current layer, it inherits the alpha of the layers below it.

This comes in very handy for shading and highlighting, because you do not have to pay too much attention to the edges!

When blending we smoothen out abrupt changes of colour in a picture. A common way of achieving this is by using a transparent and soft brush, and frequently picking intermediate colours using the colour picker.

In this example we will use alpha inheritance and blending to shade a basic sphere.

In this example we will be adding some simple shading to a portrait!

• Start by adding regions of shading and highlighting
• Blend the result to get a smoother effect
• Use the selection tool for those parts where there is an abrupt change in colour

Why not create your own portrait to practice? Prefer to use this portrait?  You can download it here:

http://paulgieske.one/Downloads/Youttube/portrait.kra.zip

In this lesson we discuss the most commonly used blend modes:

• Normal - The painting layer covers the layer below
• Multiply - The painting layer multiplies the layer below by a factor between 0 and 100 percent. This darkens the result - use for shading
• Screen - The painting layer inversely multiplies the layer below. This lightens the result - use for highlighting
• Overlay - Combines multiply and screen - use to increase contrast
• Color Dodge - Lightens and adds a color - use for glowing and light effects
• Darken - Paint layer is only visible where the result is to darken the lower layer
• Lighten - Paint layer is only visible where the result is to lighten the lower layer
• Color - Uses the hue from the painting layer, and preserves the saturation and lightness from the layer below - use for changing the colour scheme

In this example we will use blend modes to create 3 spheres:

• A shiny sphere
• A glowing sphere
• A metallic sphere

In this example we will use the theory we have learned to create a green gem.

The standard brushes we have used so far are useful. But we can use more brushes to add all sorts of useful effects. In this lesson we discuss the principles of some of the brushes:

• Brushes we textures
• Smudge brushes
• Wet and mix brushes

With the Krita version 4.0 update we have some brand new brushes available!

In this example we learn to create two textured spheres!

• Fabric texture
• Orange skin texture

In this example we will draw two rock formations.

In this example we use the smudge brush to create a flame like this one.

In this lesson we learn all about some colour theory, as well as some rule of thumbs on how to pick harmonious colour schemes.

In this appendix we discuss lighting in a nutshell.

Light sources:

• Ambient light
• Directional light / Distant light
• Point light

Material:

• Diffuse (matte)
• Specular (glossy / shiny)
• Reflections

This video gives a brief overview of the section.

In this lesson we will get a brief overview of the brush-editor interface. We will cover:

• Finding brushes
• Making sense of the parameters
• Modifying an existing brush
• Creating a new brush
• Using the scratchpad to test the brush

An important set of parameters are those related to the brush tip. In this lesson we will be going over the major parameters related to the brush tip.

In this lesson we will create a simple hair brush. With this brush we will be able to draw multiple strands of hair with one stroke. Also the size of the brush will be pressure-dependent.

In this lesson we will study how to make a brush property like opacity  dependent on the stylus inputs like, for example, pressure.

In this exercise I will give a brief overview of the remaining sensors, and we will talk about the remaining parameters under the 'General' heading.

Sensors:

• PressureIn - only register an increase in pressure
• Xtilt, Ytild, Tilt direction, Tilt elevation - tilt is the angle at which the stylus is held, relative to the vertical
• Speed - speed of the stylus motion
• Drawing angle - angle of the stroke
• Rotation - rotation of the stylus about it's axis
• Distance - length of the stroke so far
• Time - about of time the stroke has been drawing so far
• Fuzzy dab - random applied to each individual dab
• Fuzzy stroke - random applied to each individual stroke
• Fade - combination of distance and time
• Perspective - uses perspective assistant to estimate distance from observer
• Tangential pressure - pressure perpendicular to the stylus axis

Parameters:

• Ratio - width to height ratio
• Spacing - distance between dabs
• Mirror - whether or not to mirror the brush tip
• Softness - how soft the brush tip is
• Sharpness - how sharp the brush tip is
• Rotation - how rotated the brush tip is
• Scatter - scatters the individual dabs

In this example we will be creating a brush with which we can easily draw clouds.

In this example we will be creating a brush which draws a coin each dab. In this way we can easily draw large piles of treasure.

In this video we will cover the parameters under the heading 'Color'

• Source - sets the color(s) or pattern with which to work
• Darken - links darkness to one of the inputs
• Mix - links 2 colours to one of the inputs
• Hue - rotates the hue depending one of the inputs
• Saturation - links the saturation to an input
• Value - links the value (or lightness) to an input
• Airbrush - dabs continuous drawn even when the stylus is not moving
• Rate - links the airbrush parameter to one of the inputs

In this video we will be covering the parameters under the headings 'Texture' and 'Masked Brushes'.

In this example we will be creating two custom brushes using texture. The first brush will make use of a predefined texture. For the second brush we first create a seamless pattern.

In this lesson we learn how to import and export brushes. In this way we can share our custom brushes with family, friends, colleagues etc..

Welcome to section 5!

Layer styles are special effects which can be applied to a paint layer. These styles were designed to mimic effects available in Photoshop. We will learn how apply, activate and deactivate them.

Krita boasts a broad range of filters. In this lesson we will learn the basics of applying filters. We will learn:

• How to apply a filter directly
• How to create a filter mask
• How to activate and deactivate the filter mask
• A brief rundown of some commonly used filters

The lesson does not teach about specific filters. Many filters will be covered in the upcoming examples.

In this example we will make use of a blur filter to add a simple glow.

In this example we will learn to work with three 'Afjust' filters:

• Desaturate: converts a layer to a greyscale
• HSV/HSL Adjustment: modifies the Hue, Saturation and Lightness values of the layer
• Colorize: Transform the Red, Green, Blue, Lightness and Transparency channels

In this example I will demonstrate the use of the gradient map filter.

In this example we will be demonstrating the use of the Phong bumpmap filter to shine lights onto a layer.

In this lesson we will be getting an overview of the different types of layers:

• clone layer (00:11)
• grid of clones (01:22)
• vector layer (01:44)
• filter layer (02:00)
• file layer (02:20)
• local selection (02:50)

We will be practicing using these layers in the following examples.

One advantage of using filter layers is that we can easily combine multiple filter effects. In this example we will be creating a stylish line art by combing the edge detection and color to alpha filters.

In this example we will be demonstrating two things. First of all we will be using the wrap around tool to create a seamless brick tile. Secondly we will be using clone array to lay out the tiles.

• press W to get into wrap-around mode
• sketching 0:34
• coloring 1:20
• shading and highlighting 2:30
• texture 3:55
• clone 5:15

We use the transparency mask to define specific regions on a layer that should become transparent and partially transparent.

Filter masks work similarly to transparency masks. They are used to define regions on a layer where a filter should and shouldn't be applied, as well as parts where the filter should be partially applied.

In this example we will be using filters and masks to add some special effects to a simple ghost and to make a dramatic cloudy background.

The colorize mask is a quick way to color-in line art.

The transform mask is used to store the details or a transform operation. In this way the same transform can easily be applied to multiple layers.

In this video we will be very briefly running through some final Krita odds and ends which you may find useful:

1. Grids and Guides
2. Snap Settings
3. Rotate in space
4. Soft proofing
5. Smart Patch Tool
6. Saving and loading layouts
7. Macro's
8. Normal maps
9. Brush Engines
10. Document Information
11. Animation