Here's the slideshow for the Edith Green project in a video format:

In this second part, we'll look at using layer styles and blending modes to add interest and compose entire skies:

Layer styles have a bit of a bad name as they are often over-used, especially with text & logos. But I still find them really useful - the key is experimenting and not necessarily using them as Adobe intended. So here is one layer style “recipe” for clouds. Be sure to experiment with all of the settings as well as the layer blending modes & opacities to get different effects.

With our last example, change the cloud layer’s blending mode to Color Dodge and set the opacity to 60%.  Click on the “Add a Layer Style” button at the bottom of the Layers panel.  In the pop-up menu, check the box next to Gradient Overlay.  This sets up the overall lighting for the cloud.  Drop the opacity somewhat and experiment with the angle and scale options to the right look.  The cloud brush we created has some built-in highlights coming from the upper right so rotate the angle slightly right of straight up to reinforce the effect.

Now add a mild Satin effect, which in the case adds a little bit of the sky color in the middle of the cloud.  I’ve changed the color from full black to a medium blue and dropped the opacity way down.  Experiment with the angle, distance and size settings to get a good balance.

Now add a pale orange color to the bottom of the cloud with a Color Overlay.  This simulates reflected light from the ground and gives the cloud more depth.  Using a complimentary orange color against the blue Satin effect adds some punch, but don’t overdo it!

With the Layer Style done, you can then start randomizing the clouds - experiment with rotating, scaling and mirroring the clouds on different layers.  Copy and paste the style from one layer to another to save time.  Also try lowering the cloud layers’ opacities and overlap two or more shapes / brushes to get interesting effects.  Both of these examples use the custom Layer Style we just created.

Add foreground-to-transparent Gradients to the mix, and you can build up very complex sky backdrops in just a few minutes.  Just experiment with different combinations paying careful attention to the lighting and balance of the overall scene.  This example is made up of three gradients and two cloud brushes.  All of the layers in this “Clouds” group are set to Overlay blending mode. I hope you found this exercise useful, and hopefully will inspire you to try them out. Thanks!

Skies are an important compositional element in architectural renderings. Being able to paint clouds and skies from scratch opens up a lot of new possibilities for composing backdrops. Although the technique described here is intended for non-photorealistic renderings, much of it can be used in a photo-realistic workflow as well. This first part will go through the process of creating a custom cloud brush in Photoshop.

There are a lot of freeware and shareware cloud brushes available, but it’s a good idea to be able to create custom brushes when needed.  It’s an easy process and usually worth the extra effort.

Here’s a good example photo to use a base for the brush.  Look for a distinct shape that can be easily isolated from the background.  For this example, let’s keep it simple and just grab the cloud from the center of the image.

In Photoshop, use the Lasso tool to select the central cloud shape.  You don’t need to be especially careful as the blue will go away in the next step.  Invert your selection and delete the background.

With photoshop brushes black is 100% opaque, grays are partially transparent and white is fully transparent.  For this reason you want the brush to be an inverse of what is in the photograph. 

Invert the image via Command/Control-I or Image / Adjustments / Invert and select only the brown-orange color using the Magic Wand tool set to “Color Range”.  For this example, we’ll use a mid-level setting around 100 for Fuzziness - more Fuzziness will create wispier clouds.  Delete the background and all you have left is the cloud.

Turn off all other layers and you can see that it is very transparent.  Go to Edit / Define Brush Preset and type in the name you’d like to use for the brush.  If possible, try to have the brush be 1000 pixels or more in width.  Now you’re ready to paint!

Start with a base color or gradient, and using the brush selector find the new brush you just created.

With the Eyedropper tool, select a warm grey color for the foreground.  Leave the brush set to Normal blending mode with Opacity and Flow at 100%.  Create a new layer above the sky base layer with the default settings (Normal blending mode @ 100%).  Now hit the center of the canvas with the cloud brush and this is what you should get.  It’s not too bad as-is, in the next part we’ll look at some ways of spicing it up a bit.

 

Here's a 2-minute sequence of the steps involved in building an architectural illustration in Photoshop. Project is the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Office Building in Portland OR.

Just uploaded a new slideshow over at SlideShare. I've gotten great response from the ones I have there already, and I'm hoping this one is useful as well. The project is the new Aquarium of Canada, currently under construction in Toronto. Check it out!

Hello! I've just given the blog a fresh coat of paint - with this new format I should be able to keep it much more up to date. I plan on providing background to the process of creating my illustrations, but also some insight into the business & industry as well. I've got a lot of material lined up for the next few months - tutorials, links to cool stuff, and of course new work - stay tuned!

I'll also be going through some of the older posts and "spicing" them up a bit - so dig in, kick the tires and let me know what you think! To get started, here a few blow-ups of some recent work:

Hope to hear from you soon!

Here is the straight ahead "Summertime" view of the Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Federal Building project here in Portland. This is the image that made it into USA Today, ABC, NBC, CNN, and hundreds of newspapers & blogs around the world.

The design has since changed somewhat with a significant re-do of the living wall so prominent in this view. The "living" portion will only grow to 50-60 feet above grade with green metal fins above to provide shading. Here is a link to the new image: http://goo.gl/5SU1D

Here are a few interesting links that have the EGWW renderings:

Congressman Blumenauer's site: http://goo.gl/kOHrZ

Good is : http://goo.gl/TZdac

Architectural Record: http://goo.gl/172ZL

NY Times: http://goo.gl/rU7rZ

USA Today: http://goo.gl/4d3l2

DJC Oregon has the two designs side by side: http://goo.gl/GhnzS

Client is SERA Architects of Portland with Jim Cutler of CutlerAnderson Architects collaborating.

 

This image won an Award of Excellence in the AIP (Architecture in Perspective) 21 Competition in 2005.  The AIP is held annually by the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI).  Client is FXFowle Architects.

Another “before and after”:  this is the original rendering of the Astoria condo tower located in the Central Park West development in Irvine CA.  Architect is Gruen Associates and the development is a joint venture between Lennar & Intergulf Development.  See also CPW Living.

This image won an Award of Excellence in the AIP (Architecture in Perspective) 23 Competition in 2008.  The AIP is held annually by the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI).  Client is Tucker Sadler Architects.

I also have a “making of” presentation that describes the steps involved in creating the image: St. Paul’s presentation

This image is also presented in Issue 6 of Digital Artist Magazine, “Architectural Illustration in Photoshop”.