Blog Articles

Digital charcoal drawing of a woman by Ashley Walters

Latest Work: Digital Charcoal Drawing

05.17.20 No Comments

This portrait was a heroic attempt at making a digital painting look like a charcoal drawing, all hand-painted in Photoshop. I was inspired by Stephen Bauman, who talked about a concept called under-rending to accentuate form. I loved how he moves beyond simply copying reference and takes the creative process further, injecting artistry into his work with overly soft edges. So I pushed myself away from my reference photo (a random generated image from thisimagedoesnotexist.com), and exaggerated my halftones to really try and get a softer look. Once I get the technique down I plan on doing a tutorial. My Arstation: www.artstation.com/ashleywalters My Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleywaltersillustration

Staging Your Paintings Video Tutorial by Marco Bucci, header image AI generated

The Power of Staging Your Paintings, Video Tutorial by Marco Bucci

05.08.20 No Comments

I’ve been watching more tutorials on youtube as I paint my latest book cover, and I thought I would share the link. Can’t wait to try this on my next piece. I’ve never even heard of “staging” before, but it’s basically making a tiny pre-painting to help you find the right contrast, the mood, and the composition before delving into the full piece. I think it’s a brilliant idea. I am someone who really struggles with making backgrounds. I think this would be a great way to solve problems before getting too invested in just the main character.

A book cover showing a black sorceress holding a crystal ball standing next to two women in a stone archway

Reworking Old Pieces: The Arcana Book Cover

05.08.20 No Comments

Sometimes we have to admit when our art isn’t quite up to snuff. I revisited an old piece and submitted it on a Facebook group asking for help. I got a lot of great crit which helped me to totally rework the image. I have improved leaps and bounds making the changes. The series is not out yet but it will be soon. Here is the old version below: Big difference, yes? And in other news, I have a brand-new art station account after my last one was mysteriously deleted. So if you haven’t followed me yet, please do. I plan on uploading more blogs and goodies on there soon. www.artstation.com/ashleywalters. Available for cover work. I also have a new

Free Pencil Sketch Photoshop Brushes by Ashley

04.28.20 No Comments

On another facebook group people were asking how to get their sketches in photoshop to look more realistic. I had some sketch brushes I made a while back and I wanted to see if I could replicate my sketching style in photoshop using them. For only using very loose reference on the face and making up the hair, and crown I think I pulled it off. You can find the brushes for free here. I hope you guys get use of them. No attribution required. Feedback welcome. My NEW artstation: https://www.artstation.com/ashleywalters My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ashleywaltersillustration