Item Cards - FAST TUTORIAL

Today we’re going to make an item card, and we're gonna make it fast. This tutorial is going to show how you can create an item card quickly and efficiently while conserving time.

I choose cannons because I like it when things go boom-boom.

In the last few item cards that were made, we went all out. They were super detailed and amazing. There are all sorts of things happening in the background, like an army of people firing guns and Jack Sparrow carrying a boat. This is all great storytelling, but from now on item cards need to be simple and to the point so we can finish the deck.

The cards above are great examples of what we need now. They’re super simple and only show what the item is. Try to show off the item in all its epic glory with dramatic lighting. When lighting is clearly established early on, even in the sketch, it can save lots of time later. We need to pump these out quickly without losing a reasonable amount of quality.

Sketching

Sketch your item. Come up with three sketches, pushing the dynamic angles. Again, don't worry about adding anything fancy in the background. The subject is what's important.

When your sketch is approved, make sure to add some color and figure out what your lighting is going to look like before you start. This is what I call a "color sketch". (Later on I realized this color scheme was pretty bland and lacked a distinct light source other than the rim lighting, but I beefed up the colors during post-processing later to save it, so no pressure. This is the beginning stage.)

In your sketch, remember the "dutch tilt" trick and be sure your horizon line isn't completely flat. Decide on where your rim lighting will hit, and map out where your atmospheric perspective will be. Pump up the "foggy" look for now to give the illusion of space and a greater depth of field.

It seems complicated, but with practice, this step goes by pretty quickly when these simple creative decisions are kept in mind.

Flats

Color block every facet of your item, each with its own layer. Add gradients that fall in line with your lighting.

Shading

Begin adding shadows to "sculpt" your item in space, and blue gradients to give the illusion of depth, as seen on the far wheel. Remember the fancy rim lighting.

Detail

Start painting the details on your item. This is where I finally established my primary light source--oops! But in any case, I kept my details loose, not too congested, and not over-blended. Avoid over-blending to save drastic amounts of time!

For this step, I only used the basic round brush and dodge tool.

Texturing

Add some textures to the item, floor and background to add some interest and faux realism. I usually get the texture images from Textures.com, where you can get a few nice-quality textures for free every day. Experiment with the layer styles and opacity of the texture layers to get the desired effect.

I also added a texture of a paintbrush over the highlights to add some stylization and interest.

Adding textures is one the easiest ways to make something look more realistic without spending countless hours trying to paint it yourself.

Brush Texturing

I made a new layer and used one of Kyle's texture brushes to blend the background and subject together in harmony by using atmospheric perspective. This only took me a few minutes to do as I was able to keep the strokes loose and sketchy. Don't over-blend or overthink this. Loose and fast is what we're aiming for.

I added some strokes to the highlights to add a "halo" effect to the rim lighting.

Post-Processing

I use Color Balance to color-correct (Command+B) and then brighten the image significantly using Curves (Command+M) because these will be printed and dark images don't print well. In hindsight, some of the shadows should be even brighter.

Finalizing

I created a new layer, added some bright orange, and experimented with layer styles to make the colors pop and save the bland color scheme. It also more clearly differentiates my main light source apart from the blue rim lighting in the background. I sharpened the image by using Unsharp Mask (Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask... Settings were as follows: Amount - 100 Radius - 2 Threshold - 0)

Once you're happy with the sharpness and color, you're done, and in only a few hours!

Scaling:

The main item should be the focal point of the image. Other objects can appear in the frame and interacting with the main item but you should avoid having them taking the spotlight away. Having props to support the main item helps provide context to the item and helps the player make connections to it's historical significance during the Revolutionary War.