Top Painting, Colour and Light Tutorials!

Gumroad resources for perfecting the fundamentals:
Colour, Light and Painting

As we head into the final months of the year, it is a good time to reflect on the year at large. Did you accomplish the art goals you set for yourself? Have you filled that sketchbook that you bought back in January? Did you learn that new art technique for bringing your art to the next level? Maybe you did all that but are looking for a little boost to your creative process? Tutorials are a great source of learning. We don’t always have the time and resources to allow us to take a class or mentorship but online tutorials allow us quality learning at a great price without the big time commitment.

We’ve taken the guesswork out of selecting the right tutorial, and have rounded up some more inspiring and motivating resources to get you started.

Whether you are a beginner, or a seasoned artist who wants to sharpen their skill, at Syn Studio, we believe that any art journey should begin with a deep dive into the fundamentals. Understanding colour and light will help you to generate the right mood and atmosphere and will add depth to your paintings. Learning how to create an engaging composition will allow you to tell a story in a single image. And studying the painting techniques of some of the industry’s top artists will demonstrate how you can create the desired mood and atmosphere in your own artwork.

Below is our curated selection of tutorials – some free, some for a nominal fee – which will provide you valuable insight into the workflows and techniques used by some of the biggest names in the industry. Use these tutorials to catch up on your art goals or even get a head start on next years resolutions.

Clint Cearley

“Freelance illustrator and art instructor. Best known for art in Magic: The Gathering and creator of Swatches art channel on YouTube “

FREE Palette Maker PSD!

“A simple layered PSD file I created to make color palettes. It has 4 color wheels ranging from Light to Very Dark and 8 masks: Monochromatic, Complementary, Analogous, Split-Complementary, Triadic, Rectangle, Square and Discordant.”

Charlie Bowater

“Concept Artist, Illustrator and doodler ”

Video Tutorial: Black & White to Colour ($5)

“Video tutorial covering my general colour process from black and white. 36 minute video with narration, original PSD files and brush pack.”

James Gurney

“James Gurney’s first book is called “The Artist’s Guide to Sketching,” written in 1982 while adventuring cross-country on a freight train. He has had one-man exhibitions at the Smithsonian, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Delaware Art Museum. His book “Colour and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter” is a must-have in any artist’s collection.”

Fantasy in the Wild: Painting Concept Art on Location ($14.95)

“Spectrum Grand Master James Gurney takes his easel to the streets in this unique project to create two imaginative paintings entirely on location. Gurney documents each image all the way from the first sketch to the final painting, using a practical but entertaining “driver’s seat” perspective.”

Jingsketch

“Freelance artist”

 Jingsketch Tutorials Volume 1: Autumn ($19.99)

“An interactive eBook/PDF covers 8 of my favorite illustrations, where I discuss the approaches, techniques, and theories behind every piece. A step-by-step overview breaks down my workflow and teaches you I paint in my style.” Includes original Procreate and PSD files.

Izzy Medrano

“Freelance Art Director, Concept Artist, and Illustrator. Teaching these skills in the most clear and concise way.”

Understanding Atmosphere- Izzy’s Logic of Light and Color Ep 2 ($15+)

“Use this 40 minute video to unlock the secrets of atmosphere so you can better understand it and apply it with purpose in your paintings! I go over ways to think about atmosphere in regards to reality and some illustration techniques that use that knowledge.”

John Park

“Concept Artist working in the Film/Video game industry.”

Painter Vol. 4 – Intro to Painting Landscapes ($9)

“This introductory tutorial is 90 minutes of content including information on tools and presets, painting basic shapes and brush technique, how to break down an image into steps using a monochromatic study, and a final landscape painting demo.” Includes: PSD files and tool presets.

Darek Zabrocki

“Concept Artist & Illustrator for Movies and Games. 20th Century Fox, Framestore, EA, Blur, Ubisoft, Wizards of the Coast, Sony and more. Some of the titles contributed to include: Mindhunter (Netflix), Maze Runner 3, King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword, Need for Speed: Payback, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate and Destiny 2.”

Creating The Mood Painting for Video Games and Movies ($5)

“In this tutorial you will learn how to create the mood paintings that can be used as Video Game concept art design as well as Movie key visualisation.” Includes: 2h 45 min video with commentary, hi-res work PSD, extended brush set, hi-res JPEG.

We hope you find these resources inspiring. After you’ve followed the tutorials, you may be ready for more in-depth training, where a professional instructor can give you personalised feedback on your progress. Enrolling in a live online class could be your next step.

Syn Studio provides a valuable online learning experience for anyone aspiring to improve their art skills and become a top professional artist. Since 2007, we’ve been helping both amateur and professional artists alike take their art to the next level, through our 10-week affordable Online Art Classes as well as our Art Bootcamp program.

Our upcoming term features the following classes, to continue honing your skills in colour, light, composition and painting: Digital Painting; Colour & Light; Intro to Illustration; and Intro to Environment Design.

Students can expect highly specialized online art classes, equipping them with the essential tools required to create stunning visuals. Just like the resources presented above, all of the classes at Syn Studio are designed and taught by industry professionals and you get the opportunity to connect with a network of like-minded individuals.

You can also join our newsletter below to stay abreast of our classes, events, and other free valuable resources that we offer!

Happy Learning!