Tengri Princess - Painting Guide

Tengri Princess – Photo Study and Guide to Digital Painting with Reference

Besides working on my fantasy project, I occasionally train my digital painting skills. To me, digital painting feels more like a technical process compared to traditional media. That’s why a few times a year, I do photo studies.

I should probably do them more often because, whether it's photo studies or master studies, this is where an artist learns the most—how to observe, work with colors, and apply different techniques. So, I’ve put together a few essential steps in this simple guide or tutorial on how to approach digital painting and streamline the process as much as possible.

Simplifying Digital Painting

While digital tools and techniques offer endless possibilities, many of them can be inefficient and slow down your workflow if not used correctly. When it comes to digital painting, I believe the best approach is to work as if you were painting traditionally—starting with a simple sketch or linework, adding a background color, defining blocks of shadows and lights, and then refining the details. Using this method, I was able to finish this painting in half the time I normally would, and (I hope) the result looks even better.

Full tutorial on my Patreon:
www.patreon.com/merulla

YT time-lapse painting:
https://youtube.com/shorts/qAL4Qxe-Sdw