Dan LuVisi’s Approach to Character Through Story
If you’ve seen LAST MAN STANDING: KILLBOOK OF A BOUNTY HUNTER, then you already know underground graphic artist Dan LuVisi’s sensational work. His hyper-real, insanely detailed characters populate a dystopian world that is both a celebration and a satire of sci-fi comic superheroism. In our new lesson, recorded LIVE in our studio, Dan takes you into his process, showing some of the techniques he uses in Photoshop to bring his wild imagination to visual life.
Jump To Section
- The Importance of Color in Photoshop Character Design
- Adding Detail to Artwork in Photoshop
- Takeaways from Dan LuVisi’s Photoshop Methods
(My Brother's Keeper by Dan LuVisi, part of the "Popped Culture" series of Photoshop illustrations showing Dan's approach to the character through the story.)
The Importance of Color in Photoshop Character Design
Dan darts around his Wacom tablet with ninja-like dexterity spinning his color picker wheel to fill in his sketches with a kaleidoscope of brilliant hues. Using the Photoshop plug-in, Coolorous, Dan throws color at his canvas blindingly fast. Rendering realistic water and sky is tricky. Dan admits, “The thing about blues is that they can be so confusing in terms of color.” In a charming and accessible style, Dan encourages a whole next level of thought about color choice and ends up with such vibrant imagery you’ll want to apply his methods to your own art right along with him.
("The Hunt" by Dan Luvisi, showing Dan's extraordinary gift for color.)
Adding Detail to Artwork in Photoshop
In all of Dan's art, he manages to bring an insane amount of apparent detail with a minimum of fuss. Like the best hip-hop DJs, he knows what to grab and how to use and tweak found-reference to make something completely original. He explains why he chooses what he chooses, always with a view to bringing out not just detail for detail’s sake but the visual nugget that suggests a deeper story for his characters.
(Imagine FX, an image from LMS showing Dan's incredible use of very specific detail to bring out character.)
Takeaways from Dan LuVisi’s Photoshop Methods
This lesson was originally recorded as a live-web-only event where Dan was able to engage his fans and run down a hit list of their most frequently asked “How to” questions. Jumping around as suggestions pour in from viewers, Dan covers Hair, Saliva, Bruises, Veins, Sweat, Tattoos, Fire, Chrome, Leather and much, much more. Even if you DON’T use Photoshop for your art—even if you’re not an artist—Dan’s insights and his mastery of his art is a delight to watch. It’s like seeing a master magician warming up backstage; even when he shows you the secrets behind his tricks, he still manages to amaze.
- David Sanger
To watch the FREE lesson preview, simply click on the player above.
More on LAST MAN STANDING: KILLBOOK OF A BOUNTY HUNTER.
Course with Dan LuVisi: Creature Design - Photoshop Character Rendering
Other Photoshop-related Lessons from the STAN WINSTON SCHOOL OF CHARACTER ARTS:
Creature Design - Practical to Digital with Casey Love