Pop Culture Character Painting in Photoshop

A course by Sam Gilbey , Artist

Artist. Bedford, United Kingdom.
Joined June 2021

Bring your favorite movie character to life by learning how to paint a realistic digital portrait from scratch

98% positive reviews (52)
1,522 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Bring your favorite movie character to life by learning how to paint a realistic digital portrait from scratch

Everyone has a favorite movie, and of course, a favorite character. Digital artist Sam Gilbey is inspired by his passion for pop culture to create striking images of film characters. He’s worked with clients like Empire Records, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and Marvel.

In this online course, Sam takes you step by step through the process of creating a cinematic portrait of your favorite character. Learn how to use Photoshop’s tools to bring painterly portraits to life.

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What will you learn in this online course?

25 lessons & 22 downloads

  • 98% positive reviews (52)
  • 1,522 students
  • 25 lessons (5h 38m)
  • 22 additional resources (7 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create an illustration of your favorite movie character in Photoshop.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for anyone who wants to learn to recreate a character from a movie with a cinematic touch in Photoshop.

Requirements and materials

Basic knowledge of Photoshop is required.

To take this course, you need access to the software. A graphic tablet is optional, but beneficial.


Reviews

1,522 Students
52 Reviews
98% Positive ratings
  • More reviews

Sam Gilbey

A course by Sam Gilbey

Teacher Plus
Artist

Sam Gilbey is a British artist specializing in painterly pop culture portraits. He’s been drawing for as long as he can remember, and started illustrating professionally in 2004.

Throughout his career, he’s created officially-licensed artwork for films and series like The Avengers, BoJack Horseman, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and many more. He’s also collaborated with clients like adidas, Activision, Apple, Audi, The BBC, British Airways, Disney, Edgar Wright, Empire Magazine, Esquire, GQ, The Guardian, Lucasfilm, and many more.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Preparing to Paint

    • Workstation and Brushes
    • Light, Shadow and Depth Studies
    • Research and Photography References
    • Initial Sketch and Rough Background 1
    • Initial Sketch and Rough Background 2
  • U3

    Painting Your Portrait

    • The Main Portrait: Underpainting 1
    • The Main Portrait: Underpainting 2
    • The Main Portrait: Finessing 1
    • The Main Portrait: Finessing 2
    • The Main Portrait: Finessing 3
    • Details of the Hair 1
    • Details of the Hair 2
    • Details of the Hair 3
    • The Hands 1
    • The Hands 2
    • The Clothing 1
    • The Clothing 2
    • The Clothing 3
    • Finishing the Background
  • U4

    Completing the Artwork and Sharing It

    • Effects and Texture
    • Final Details and Colour Grading
    • Cropping and Exporting
    • Sharing Your Work Online
  • FP

    Final project

    • Pop Culture Character Painting in Photoshop

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Pop Culture Character Painting in Photoshop. Illustration course by Sam Gilbey

Pop Culture Character Painting in Photoshop

A course by Sam Gilbey
Artist. Bedford, United Kingdom.
Joined June 2021
  • 98% positive reviews (52)
  • 1,522 students