Andrew Theophilopoulos

I have a theory about Rey’s staff... Daisy, IS THIS TRUE!?!?

Check out my animated YouTube VIDEO with sound!

*!New YouTube Process Film!*

ImagineFX Cover Illustrations -  Star Wars, The Force Awakens

Painting from my lighthouse studio in sunny Sarasota! Follow as I share the process of using photo reference, without being tied down by the limitations of amateur photography. Click the link above to view my 25 minute demo with full voice over!!!

“The force is like your artistic talent, it needs to be trained and challenged, but without enough practice you might lose it. One of the best ways to train is to set yourself up for failure, bite off more than you can chew, give yourself a tough lesson to learn from. When asked to work on the cover illustration for an unreleased film, I found the idea of digging through the minuscule amount of official “Force Awakens” imagery to be troubling. Even more so when the main character of my commission (Daisy Ridley) is a relatively unknown actress with little to offer in terms of portrait photography. What about painting the portrait of a stealthy Sith, who only appears in the dark of a trailer as the handsome mysterious type… How on earth, or in the galaxy for that matter, does one create a picture resembling two future icons? What I wouldn’t give to be on the level of Drew Struzan, the well known illustrator of the Star Wars box art, who has had the tremendous opportunity to meet the cast and have them pose for some of the most iconic movie posters out there. In this demonstration, I’ll spend $20 on thrift shop supplies to dress as Kylo Ren, and my partner as Rey. My amateur photo shoot will be the starting point of a lengthy push and pull of pixels. Let’s get started!“

Thumbnailing in centimeters. Before jumping into Photoshop, it’s important to put your imagination to the test with the traditional pencil and paper. Without gaining inspiration from the internet just yet, I like to doodle my ideas at a micro scale. Typically less than an inch tall, I’ll create a few dozen thumbnails to push through pose, composition and the graphic flow of my image. This portion of the process is for speed, the smaller the thumbnail, the quicker my unique ideas will flow. Keep in mind that these micro doodles are for my eyes only and are likely unidentifiable to most. Once I’ve worked out an appealing composition I can scan it into the digital realm for detailing.

The Pitch. Presenting the cleaned up thumbnails to your client can be daunting, and in this case, the editor of the magazine had a different vision for how the illustration should look. Regardless of the amount of effort put into your sketch, it’s important to listen to the team and take a hit for the better of your artwork. After discussing our thoughts and concerns I had enough input to start the photoshoot. Off to the thrift store to purchase some cloaks, gloves and the other elements needed for a convincing reference shot.

Shooting photography for illustrative artwork. I’ve taken many preliminary photographs using some of the best and worst cameras, here’s a few tips for getting a relatively cinematic effect to your photos. Using a tripod, I shoot with a zoom lense on my DSLR placed roughly 20-30 feet away from my subject. Standing way back will naturally capture the figure in a flat yet 3D illusion without distortion - perfect for illustration. An action pose looks best when the model is in motion, my idea is to have them sway back and forth with a bit of momentum and forceful activity, changing poses every 30 seconds. In the end, I’ll have a few hundred shots to choose from.

Trace your photography. Surprised to here me say that? Assuming you have a solid foundation in figure drawing, you can loosely copy the pose of your reference to speed up the process. Besides, after spending several hours and hard cash preparing for these shots, this photography is my artwork, just one of the many tools in our modern artistic arsenal. The idea is to put some of your personal flare into every step of the photo and tracing process, never let your or any photo dictate the decisions that lead to a final illustration. In this instance, I’ve loosely traced Rey, and have actually placed Kylo directly into my PSD to be painted on top of. Good reference translates into educated decisions based on reality.

Photo bash and photo texture. Ever wonder how the industry super stars can paint such photo realistic digital artwork? Chances are they’re master painters, but they also understand high-end tricks and techniques to collage, imprint, texture, and manipulate their designs using photography and 3D elements. It’s important to get your hands on royalty free - high resolution photography for your archives. I’d suggest heading over to GumRoad.com to find tasteful photo sets by Concept Artists for purchase. I personally have taken much of my own photo reference supplemented with a dozen purchased photo sets from the web. The background of this painting is comprised of 30 or more photo layers, utilizing "layer modes” like multiply, soft light or screen to collage the many elements of a massive environment. Once a realistic environment evolves from the photo bash, I hand paint the details, and hide any obtrusive seams.

Draw, paint, erase. Drawing is for structure, the framework of an image, and without a solid attempt at an embellished sketch you may find yourself painting an illustration you’re disinterested in. Using color, value, edge and texture is how I bring a sketch to life, it’s about pushing and pulling the shapes of your composition to be readable from a distance. That’s the reason why the editor and I moved away from a space themed background, because the black costume of Kylo Ren was virtually invisible against the starry backdrop and we needed the character to pop! Likewise, the shape of the light saber doesn’t read with a bright snow background, which is why I’ve surrounded the bright red saber with a black cape. Now, let’s talk about the power of erasing. One of the quickest ways to light an object is to create a yellow orange layer and set it to “screen”, then carefully erase the desired shadow shapes. You guessed it, if you want to enhance the shadows of your image, set a neutral blue layer to “multiply” and erase the sun lit areas.

Luxury in every square inch. When we visit the museums, in awe of an old master’s work, one has to wonder how the painter covered so much ground with such grace. The answer lyes in both their discipline and taste. I can’t tell you how exhausting it is to create the perfect stroke, for me, control-Z is my best friend, allowing for several attempts at the very important stage of polishing. In the case of 19th century painter John Singer Sargent, he was notorious for scraping the paint strokes that weren’t spot on, creating an illusion of effortlessness in his final works. Like him, a stroke may take a dozen attempts before I can move on to the next section, standing back or zooming out to ensure that the latest swipe of color doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Assuming all is well, I can push through the painting to ensure that every inch is up to my highest expectations…

Thank you for the support! Andrew Theophilopoulos

The First Ever

Maz Kanata fan art! Played by Lupita Nyong’o in Star Wars The Force Awakens… 

"Cersei and the Dead King"

When ImagineFX Magazine approached me to create a workshop in the style of Sargent, I needed to find a perfect character to fit the luxurious style of John's portraiture.

How about a scene from Game of Thrones?! I'd suggested to the editor at the magazine, it as an instant hit. On I went with the sketch, photo shoot and final painting. I hope you enjoy watching the process!

"Cersei and the Dead King" ---PROCESS VIDEO HERE---

When ImagineFX Magazine approached me to create a workshop in the style of Sargent, I needed to find a perfect character to fit the luxurious style of John's portraiture.

“How about a scene from Game of Thrones?!” I'd suggested to the editor at the magazine, it as an instant hit. On I went with the sketch, photo shoot and final painting. I hope you enjoy watching the process on YouTube!