We peak into the creative portfolio of BillyBonkers, a dynamic duo working in Norway. Christine Aas and Dag Standal paired up in the late ’90s to combine their knowledge of photography and retouching. After a succesful year of self-promotion and taking on assignments in London, they packed up their bags and crossed the continent. Dag takes pleasure in telling us more of the BillyBonkers’s Photoshop style.

How do you create a strong HDR imaging effect that gives your artwork so much detail?
By breaking down the image into several pieces we get tremendous control over the tonal range. It all starts with photographing the background, fine tuning the different pieces and pasting them together in Photoshop. Always using a wide range of exposures. Then we photograph the models (or objects) in the studio with the best available lighting equipment, mainly Broncolor. Shooting on a Hasselblad H4D-50 we control the contrast in order to have the best conditions to take it a step further in Photoshop. After all the images have been shoot the time comes to put it all together into one image, often containing 30-50 layers.

Why is such a large portion of your portfolio focused on sports?
An interest for sport photography came to us when a couple of years ago we helped our local football club. We made individual pictures of all the players. Discovering that the lighting equipment could freeze movements down to 1/7000 of a sec. made us quite intrigued. Having the pictures in our portfolio recruited more assignments for other sports-related customers.

Any tips on working successfully as a freelancer?
In order to make it as a freelancer I think you have to develop a distinct style and keep improving and developing it all the time. Having your work displayed at different societies like Behance Network, Flickr, Facebook, or One Eyeland, is a good idea. Art buyers constantly need to be reminded of your ability.

How long do you spend in Photoshop at any given time, and why?
We do all of the retouching ourselves. It can take from 1 day to several days when retouching an image to perfection. Sometimes we send the images to Clipping Images to have them masked, but it always takes a few hours to fine-tune a mask to seamlessly make it blend into an image.

How do you see your style evolving through 2012?
It is difficult to guess how the style of BillyBonkers will evolve throughout the year. We will keep improving both the skills in photography and Photoshop by exploring the great work produced by other artist, tutorials and workshops.

Digital art packs are becoming a godsend, gobbled up by professional designers as time saving creative assets in commercial projects. Visual Freaks (VF) are a front runner in creating and supplying purchasable premium stock graphics as full packs or as individual elements.

If you’re unaware of the brand then educate yourself with this interview with founding member Sorin Bechira, and learn how a group of enthusiast designers create these amazing art packs from unique individual graphic elements using Photoshop and started up this profitable venture.

Poison Muse Graphic pack; click here

AP: Can you tell us what inspired you to start up a resource pack business?

Bechira: We felt like there was room and, more importantly, demand for an alternative to the currently available graphic design stock. Also, besides tutorials and resources, graphic designers are always in search of inspiration. That is why we decided that art could be packed and delivered to suit designers’ needs accordingly.

AP: Can you tell us where the brand idea Visual Freaks came from?

Bechira: It’s quite simple, actually. We’re designers. Everything we touch is visual and everything that touches us has a visual form. We like to think that we see things differently. Some would call it weird, freaky even. There isn’t anything wrong in being a Visual Freak – quite the opposite.

Walking Down The Path – Mistique CG artpack; click here

AP: Can you tell us why you produce the packs you do and why they better competitors?

Bechira: Our product is unique as it’s built in a unique way and serves different purposes than those of our competitors. Our aim is not just to make designers’ lives easier with our ready-to-use elements, but we also want to inspire them to make awesome works of art.

AP: Can you tell us how useful these packs really are?

Bechira: We’d better let our clients answer. Here’s an excerpt from some feedback we received: “I really dig the vibe and style of graphics that you offer in your packs.  The shapes aren’t too specific so they can be used for a variety of projects and styles. The colours and elements can be implemented well into new design trends, yet they’re different enough to produce original works using just artwork from the stock you offer.”

Chemical Reaction – Malfunction graphic pack; click here

AP: Can you tell us how important Photoshop is to your production of these resources?

Bechira: At a rate of 90% our packs are designed using tools, brushes and effects available in Photoshop. There’s nothing more natural and easy than working with these, especially when using the graphics tablet. The rest of 10% is done using 3D programs, yet the final masterpiece is assembled in Photoshop.

AP: What advice would you give to others looking to create their own resource packs for cash?

Bechira: We may not have the recipe for success but our advice would be to find a real need and then decide if they can supply the solution for it. There are many different resources for designers; they all strive to be time-savers but only a few can really inspire.

Love cinema, have a passion for comics or aspire to create videogames? Read on for helpful hints on getting a job in the industry.

Introducing the experts

Maxime Desmettre – www.maxisland.net

Devon Cady-Lee – www.gorrem.com

Per Haagensen – www.artbyper.com

Goran Bukvic – www.crazybrush.com

Fancy creating artwork for your favourite film or videogame franchise? That’s what the role of a concept artist could involve. It’s a highly specialised yet highly creative job that involves working closely with the project’s art director or producer to visualise their ideas in order to develop quick sketches into finished renderings. We spoke with four concept artists to get their advice on securing a job in this sector.

What are the essential skills that a concept artist needs?

Per Haagensen: You need a good foundation of traditional art skills and an understanding of different styles. You should always be open to exploring new designs and ideas through proper research and experimentation.

Devon Cady-Lee: Draftsmanship, the ability to understand forms in space and being able to illustrate them for others. A keen sense of design and problem-solving skills help in making believable artwork.

I’d like to present a decent portfolio to clients or potential employers – any tips?

Maxime Desmettre: A good portfolio in concept art is a simple one. Don’t put too much in and keep a coherent level of quality – this means getting rid of the unattractive ones, even if you’re attached to them. If you have an attractive portfolio then you’ll be able to convince an art director to hire you with as few as ten pieces of artwork in your hands. If you’re not sure about which artwork to put in your portfolio, then you could ask some trustworthy people, or even an industry professional, what they think about your work.

I’d like to get a feel for the industry. How can I do this?

Devon Cady-Lee: There are a lot of private developers that are always producing games and animations on a lower scale than company-funded projects. You can always try working with them to understand the production pipeline from concept to the finished product. It will also give you a sense of what it’s like to be under the pressure of a deadline, which is really important to get used to. These types of projects usually pay very little or not at all, as they are strictly for the experience.

Per Haagensen: You could try freelancing as a concept artist; it is a lot easier to get into, as it is low risk for a studio. Another benefit is that you can test yourself within the typical work environment.

I can’t decide whether to work for myself or a company – what do you suggest?

Per Haagensen: Working in-house is great because you will learn from others and get instant feedback. You’re also more likely to develop much faster and more diversely as an artist there than when working alone at a home studio.

Maxime Desmettre: Personally, I would go in-house. This will be the best work environment to learn among experienced people, see what they do on the same tasks and gather contacts for a potential freelance career.

Devon Cady-Lee: In-house can have work benefits, like health insurance and pensions. Your salary is guaranteed every month, too. Working freelance means you need to be constantly promoting yourself as an artist, attending conventions and getting your name out. However, you will most likely have a wider variety of work because you will have different projects from different clients, and you can manage your own hours instead of going to work 9-5.

What sort of salary should I expect to start on?

Devon Cady-Lee: In my opinion, a respectable starting salary is about $40-45k.

Maxime Desmettre: Even to start with a salary will vary a lot depending on the field you’re applying for (movie vs videogame, for example). Moreover, the salary difference between countries can be significant, which makes it difficult to give an exact figure. However, concept artists usually get a decent wage – in videogames it’s better than level or texture artists with the same level of experience – and it seems to be harder to find people in this field of expertise.

Do you have any other career advice for a wannabe concept artist?

Per Haagensen: You should always push yourself towards your uppermost potential. Also, be aware of the quality level of what other professional artists are producing and constantly compare your art to this.

Many effects using adjustments are geared towards simulating hyperreal styles – which are believable yet entertaining. CG is mixed with photo editing to create mock movie stills, and here’s how to get best film-like effects using a host of adjustment options. Simply access Hue/Saturation, lowering Saturation to around -75. Next select the Exposure adjustment, increase Exposure to 1 or 2, and lower Offset and Gamma to the middle of the left slider section. Merge your layers (Cmd/Ctrl+Opt/Alt+Shift+E) and apply a strong Lens Blur filter – creating a vignette effect using an applied to layer mask. Add a traditional vignette (under the Lens Correction filter) on top, then merge all, add noise, sharpen and use Color Balance – dragging Shadows, Midtones and Highlights controls towards Cyan and Blue.

A common flaw in photography is the introduction of unwanted colour casts, usually caused by the lighting in which a shot is taken. Fluorescent, tungsten and studio lighting each have their own distinct colour properties, and while these can be countered in-camera using the white balance settings, it’s also a simple task in post-production. Here we used the Color Balance adjustment layer to remove the green wash, as well as toning down the cyan and boosting the blues. We added a second Color Balance adjustment layer and used to mask and the Color Range tool to isolate the green trees and green reflection in the water, which was shifted down towards magenta a little more.

Photoshop CS5′s revamped Brush Engine gives you the ability to use Bristle Brushes. Bristle Brushes have virtual bristles that react to both tilt and pressure sensitivity. In previous versions of Photoshop, pushing down hard on your stylus gives you the largest possible stamp of your current brush; pushing down with a Bristle Brush makes the bristles splay out on the virtual canvas just like an actual paintbrush. There is an optional Preview box that displays the exact angle that your brush is tilting so you can see the position and shape that your brush will make on the canvas.

Image © David Cousens

If you’re not sure how to tackle a photo-editing project, then here is our advice on the best order in which to tackle retouching.

Step 1: Remove sensor dust from digital captures or dust and scratches from scanned photographs with a single-click of the Spot Healing Brush tool.

Step 2: Remove minor skin blemishes such as spots, moles and stray hairs with the Spot Healing Brush tool and Clone Stamp tool combination.

Step 3: Remove unwanted areas from edge detail using the Spot Healing Brush tool and its Content Aware option new to CS5.

Step 4: Rebuild areas of pattern interrupted by unwanted subjects or objects using the Clone Stamp tool and its overlay feature.

Step 5: Use the Patch tool to remove large problem areas that don’t respond to gradual work with either of the Healing Brush tools.

Image © Matt Henry

The Mixer brush uses the Bristle Brush functionality to pick up the digital paint that you’ve already placed down on the canvas and modify and mix the colours you have on each individual bristle. The best part of this is you can mix the paint from all the layers in a painting onto a New Layer above, leaving everything else below unaffected – true non-destructive painting! With the ‘mix mode’ drop-down menu you can quickly change the wetness, paint load and mixing levels without having to tweak each individual setting making painting feel like you’re just switching between brushes.

If you are into painting in Photoshop, then it is worth getting to know what options you have and what you can alter to help get the right brush for the task.

Whichever brush-based tool you use, the Brushes palette (press F5) controls every aspect of your current brush. Click on Brush Tip Shape to display the stroke your current brush in the Preview panel. Experimentation here is the key to getting the most out of your brushes. Try adding texture to your brushes, using Dual Brush to combine two brushes together, adding Scattering to a brush when painting stars, leaves and foliage. Setting the Size Jitter and Opacity to Pen Pressure makes painting feel more intuitive. A low Spacing setting gives smooth strokes, High Spacing shows off the brushes shape and texture.

Image © David Cousens

When creating a graphic that is to be used multiple times throughout your composition, it’s best to convert it to a Smart Object (Layer>Smart Objects>Convert to Smart Objects). If you have to make a change to the graphic, it updates all of the instances of that graphic in your composition.