Beyond the Photo Color Bootcamp

With Mike Hernandez and Tiffanie Mang

How to Enroll:

CLICK ON THE FIRST LESSON- you will see a button that says JOIN NOW! Click on that and it will take you to the check out page.

About This Course

In this course with pre-recorded lessons, you’ll learn how to use digital painting tools to create dynamic, story-driven paintings that go beyond simply copying a photo. Harness composition, value, and color to bring emotion and lighting to life in both digital and traditional work.

Parts 1–6: Tiffanie demonstrates how to use matrix studies to plan the big design of a painting, how to think abstractly in light/ dark patterns and break free from photo dependence. She also shows how to explore creative color and value editing in Photoshop using adjustment layers in order to edit photos and create a better foundational blueprint for a more refined digital or traditional painting.

Parts 7–10: Mike explores how films use color to shape emotion and mood, then shows how to apply those principles in painting. He teaches how changing the value key of a painting can affect mood. He also teaches how to use the gamut mask tool to design inventive palettes in both digital and gouache painting demos.

Please note: The digital demos in this course are done on Adobe Photoshop. Traditional demos are done in gouache. These lessons are taken from an original live workshop taught by Mike and Tiffanie.

Tools needed to take this course:

-Adobe Photoshop for desktop and a Wacom Tablet or any drawing tablet and pen that can connect to your computer. Please note Photoshop is a monthly subscription.

-any painting program like Procreate to loosely follow along. If you use a painting app, you will need an iPad with a apple pencil. I use an iPad Pro 12.9” (3rd generation), but any model works for plein air painting.

-Gouache paints and brushes - When you sign up for the course, you will receive demo files and a gouache supply list from Mike and Tiffanie

Link to Gamut Mask Tool: https://mypaintingclub.com/blog/post/39-The-Gamut-Mask-Tool

Note: These lessons are taken from an original live workshop taught by Mike and Tiffanie.

Part 1: Intro to Simplification Through Matrix Studies

How do notan studies help us find the main statement?
Part 2: The Three Tiers Of Matrix Studies

Learn about how matrix studies can help you distill your photo to the simple statement of what you want to say.
Part 3: Matrix Study Exercise

Practice doing some matrix studies by studying the masters!
Part 4: Using Adjustment Layers to Create a Color Key

Learn how to use Photoshop Adjustment Layers to create quick lighting passes.
SUGGESTED EXERCISE: Take any photo you have and practice having fun on photoshop playing with adjustment layers to see if you can change the shadow and light patterns or time of day by changing the colors and temperature of light. This can be a great way to get a quick direction on the color and lighting you want to go with, whether it be a digital or traditional painting.
Part 5.1: Painting Demo Part 1

In Part 1 of this demo, Tiffanie shows how she takes her sketch into a quick color sketch.
Part 5.2: Painting Demo Part 2

In Part 2 of this Demo, Tiffanie continues shows how she takes her sketch into a quick color sketch.
Part 6: Using Layer Styles to Enhance Color

Learn how to use layer styles to reveal or hide texture and color and amplify your paintings more.
Part 7: Using Color to Create Emotion in Film and Storytelling

We respond to colors and tie them to certain emotions- how can we use that to enhance the storytelling in our paintings?
SUGGESTED EXERCISE: choose one photo, and try and do a monochromatic, analogous, and complementary color study of the same photo.
Part 8: Exploring Mood with Color Keys

Learn how adjusting the value key of your painting ties directly to mood.
Part 9: Digital Study with Stripped Down Color Palette

Learn how to interpret a photo, push and adjust colors using the gamut mask tool and painting references.
Part 10.1 Gouache Study with Stripped down Color Palette

Watch Mike paint the same digital study from the previous lesson but this time in gouache, using the same palette. Learn how he mixes the colors in a controlled way to stay true to the original palette.
Part 10.2: Gouache Study With Stripped Down Palette

Mike finishes in gouache demo. Learn how to mix from a controlled palette but create all the colors you need through masterful mixing and color relationships.