Hello, I just wanted to explain a small little technique I have been experimenting a bit with lately.
The idea here is to use a different way to colorize something than for example using overlay or the color layer which are very sensitive that you get close to accurate values from the go, example its impossible to colorize something red it you painted it the wrong value! especially with the color layer :)
The idea behind this is pretty simple, on the first example number 1, I rendered every value in pretty much the same value range, the horns on his shoulder and head are going from black to white, and so does the skin.
That would obviously not be the case normally but I am ignoring any variation in the local values, for example the horns should maybe be a dark brown, so if I would want to color it with overlay, I would have needed to keep the values pretty dark if I where to color it with that.
However by coloring it with Hardlight and for those who do not know, hardlight is a combination of multiply and screen, so if you use a color with a value of 1-50 you are using the multiply portion of the layer effect, and from 51-100 it is screen.
The benefits of multiply is that it can darken something, but also give it a color at the same time, it is not really the same as picking a dark value, example a dark brown and just paint it on top on a normal layer.
Anyways, checking the number 2 example, I basically made a new layer and gave it the hardlight effect, I also gave it the same mask shape as the figure, tho I could have just clipping masked the hardlight to the figure but than I cant add in markings and other patterns as seen in number 3 and still keep the separated from the first layer of colors.
The benefit of coloring it like this is that I can for example make the horns dark with pretty much any colors I want, so in the number 1 example when I was painting in black and white I didn't have to predict it before hand.
In the image number 3, I just clipped 2 more "normal" layers to the hardlight one, those two layers will act just like the hardlight one, but the benefit is I can add patterns and stuff that I can change later, and I dont have to worry about recoloring any areas when adding anything new if I didnt like it.
But if I were to make three hardlight layers instead, things would just go darker and darker since the effect would multiply with themselves.
You can also see I added a more lighter and desaturated value at his chest and arms making the skintones more complex.
So that is it, to summarize, the idea is paint something in the same value range regardless if parts of it is going to have a dark or light value, so when you are coloring you can add complex patterns of colors and value, you can for example make the knees dark since maybe it has dirt on it making it dark,
or maybe the skin inside the arm is lighter since its hit less by the sun.
There are some flaws, making things lighter in value can make the shadows really saturated, tho u can use it to give it a look of subsurface scattering tho.
And also this is just ment like a base, a lot of more adjustments and painting is required afterwards.
But I thought it was kinda cool so I just wanted to share it!
