How to paint vibrant creatures in Photoshop

Vibrant fantastical creature looking at a blue and purple butterfly
(Image credit: Bobby Chiu)

The word ‘fictional’ brings to mind something imaginative that doesn’t exist in real life. In contrast, ‘non-fiction’ suggests something that’s based in reality, whether it’s factual, historical and so on. However, to paint a realistic yet fictional character, I need elements from both camps. I must think about how to make something feel factual when it’s clearly not.

As a student, my favourite challenge was creating realistic but fictional feathered or furry creatures. My fascination with these types of creatures continued over my 15-plus years of designing creatures for films, television and games. This is a subject that I love, so it’s what I’ve chosen to cover in this workshop.

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Bobby Chiu has been a professional artist for over twenty years, and is the founder and creative director at Imaginism Studios located in Toronto. He specializes in concept art and character design, and also teaches on Schoolism.com.

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