Log in

Hey Guest,
If you are interested in ghosting, the Ghosting Awards for January 2025 has just been announced:

Click here to check it out!

Realistic Detail Tutorials

Discussion in 'Anything and everything Free Rider' started by Forlorn333, Jan 4, 2015.

Page 4 of 6

Stig Stig VIP Official Author

Awarded Medals

k now you said it, dont forget it!

Stig, Mar 1, 2015

#61

Dakoziol-2nd, nhdtop, Jgeleta1 and 1 other person like this.
Todredrob Well-Known Member Team Helicopter Official Author

Yea i like mountain track i need to know how to do a cliff

Todredrob, Mar 1, 2015

#62

Dakoziol-2nd likes this.
the_rider Well-Known Member Official Author

Forlorn333 said: ↑

This thread will hopefully be a big help to those of you who want to step into realistic detailing but don't know how, or where to start. If you have any requests leave them below, and I or another detailer will try and help you out! My forte is obviously nature tracks, but ideally this thread will lend itself to other types of realism, such as art, buildings, etc. I am open to others contributing if they want. They can inbox me and I will edit this post to keep the tutorials neat and concise.

This can be considered version 1, as I don't have time to start off with a million tutorials.

Tutorial #1: Trees

Introduction to Drawing Trees (open) Introduction to Drawing Trees (close)

While drawing any tree, it is very important to have an understanding of how it grows, and what the branches, trunk, and leaves look like. There's no definitive number of species of trees in the world, but estimates range from 10,000 to over 100,000. To make a realistic environment, you need to know what type of tree you want to draw, and this is where reference pictures come in handy! If you are drawing a North American forested environment, finding drawings of cedar, pine, fir, and other trees in those areas will be a lot of help. I see a lot of questions on here coming from people who simply don't know how to draw a tree, period! Pictures are your friend. Know what you want to draw before you draw it.

Pine Tree (open) Pine Tree (close)

Here is a basic outline of a pine tree. Getting the outline is the most important part, as it lays the base down for the rest of your detail. If the outline does not look right, good detail cannot make up for it. Pine trees tend to be fairly slender, and thin to a fine point at the top. Branches are long and extend upwards, especially towards the top.

If you're going for the best realism, inserting branches at various points on the tree will help create a 3D look. All trees have different branches! If you need help, use references!

Next up will be doing the bark:

In general, you cannot go wrong with small, round lines while detailing bark on trees. Pine trees tend to have large bark plates lower on the tree, and small plates on up the trunk. While you work your way up, keep that in mind. If you're new to realistic detail, I recommend using either all black or all scenery (grey) lines for bark. Using both requires some work and messing around with.

Here is an idea of what I did for pine needles on this tree. You don't have to use black, you can use scenery if you like. I tend to use scenery more often for leaves but black worked better with this tree. Pine tree needles come in bunches typically at the end of curved branches.

What it will look like as you continue to add bunches of needles/leaves:

It is important to note I drew needles over the top of the tree trunk in some areas. This can add a lot to a tree if done well.

I noticed while filling in this tree that there were more open spots than I cared for, and since I was going for a fuller tree, I added some new branches, most of which I colored in all black to suggest they were in the background.

End product:

Keep in mind a tree like this takes a long time to draw as well as master. Expect spending at least 2 hours on a single tree if you want it to look like this. Ways to cut down the time include: Smaller size/dimensions, sparser tree with less branches/needles, and using a brush tool rather than drawing line by line.

Tutorial #2: Foreground/Plants

Introduction to Drawing Plants (open) Introduction to Drawing Plants (close)

I tend to use scenery (grey) lines rather than black lines for most plants. It is a softer, prettier look, and assures you can make foreground without it obstructing the ride, which can be useful for smoother tracks. What you use is up to you, however.

General Foreground Plants (open) General Foreground Plants (close)

Starting off with grass stalks and some flower buds which can be easily drawn with small ovals/circles:

You can add on with varying lengths of grasses. Try to keep your plants flowing and fluid, rather than straight and vertical.

You can add flowers, ferns, weeds, anything you want at this point. There is really no excuse for boring foreground detail besides laziness! You don't have to put just grass! Get creative. If you want specific plant tutorials, let me know. I'll add some as time goes on.

Tutorial #3: Rocks

Introduction to Drawing Rocks (open) Introduction to Drawing Rocks (close)

Drawing realistic rocks can be hard. How much black vs grey vs white to use, how to draw the different shapes, weird dimensions, and keep all of your rocks from looking like they came out of a factory: all the exact same shape and size. The recommendation I can give is to draw based on environment: mossy rocks in a jungle, granite rocks in a forest, sandstone in a desert. When it comes right down to it, remember the basics. Ever shaded a sphere? Pick a light source, a dark side, and go from there. Rocks aren't perfect spheres of course, but it's a good example to remember, especially when you're starting out.

Granite Boulders (open) Granite Boulders (close)

Granite rocks are my preferred choice when drawing forest environments. They can be found as small, smooth river rocks or as massive boulders. The type I like to draw are typically greyish and speckled. But there are a lot of ways to draw rocks, and a lot of shapes and colors they can take. There isn't really a "right" way, so keep that in mind.

Using a reference is helpful for me, as I don't want all of my rocks to have the exact same shape and look. Here is my reference, taken in Yosemite:

The outline I drew:

The next thing I'll do is create some marks with the scenery and line tools to plan out how I want the shading to be (can be based on your imagination or a reference). I'll fill these in next.

If you're doing this without a reference, I'd recommend picking a point where the sun/light is coming from, and draw the lighter and darker areas based on that. It's important to keep that consistent with other elements of your track too. (Example: if your light is coming from the right on your rocks, it should be coming from the right on your trees.)

After the dark areas are filled in, I'll take the scenery brush tool and create some markings and speckles on the rock to give it a rough look. This is mostly done just by drawing small lines and filling in larger circles. Drawing in cracks in the rock can be done as well.

Remember, the larger the scale of the rock, the more detail you can put into it. Because the size of your lines is limited, if you're drawing very small rocks this type of rock might not be your best choice. You're only going to be able to make the speckles and dots so small. You don't want to end up with this:

Here is the finished product, after filling everything in:

The light and dark areas on this rock aren't particularly pronounced. The darkest areas are cracks and crevices rather than dark sides. Other examples with a similar style of rocks:

What I plan to add in the near future:
New specific tree and plant types
Clouds
Water
Cliffs

Click to expand...

SOOO HELPFUL

the_rider, Mar 1, 2015

#63

nhdtop, Cynic, RiderExtreme2 and 1 other person like this.
Asierro Well-Known Member Official Author

http://frhd.co/t/127054-boulder
Just made it. What do you think?

Asierro, Apr 7, 2015

#64

Sidewalk likes this.
Forlorn333 Well-Known Member Official Author

Awarded Medals

Asierro said: ↑

http://frhd.co/t/127054-boulder
Just made it. What do you think?
Click to expand...

You can message me for critiques.

That being said, you did a pretty good job. I'd focus on your shading a little more and making sure it's in direction with the shape of the rock. Your lines are a bit horizontal. I'd slope them diagonally.

Forlorn333, Apr 7, 2015

#65

Dakoziol-2nd, FOIL, nhdtop and 3 others like this.
Jgeleta1 Active Member Official Author

Forlorn333 said: ↑

This thread will hopefully be a big help to those of you who want to step into realistic detailing but don't know how, or where to start. If you have any requests leave them below, and I or another detailer will try and help you out! My forte is obviously nature tracks, but ideally this thread will lend itself to other types of realism, such as art, buildings, etc. I am open to others contributing if they want. They can inbox me and I will edit this post to keep the tutorials neat and concise.

This can be considered version 1, as I don't have time to start off with a million tutorials.

Tutorial #1: Trees

Introduction to Drawing Trees (open) Introduction to Drawing Trees (close)

While drawing any tree, it is very important to have an understanding of how it grows, and what the branches, trunk, and leaves look like. There's no definitive number of species of trees in the world, but estimates range from 10,000 to over 100,000. To make a realistic environment, you need to know what type of tree you want to draw, and this is where reference pictures come in handy! If you are drawing a North American forested environment, finding drawings of cedar, pine, fir, and other trees in those areas will be a lot of help. I see a lot of questions on here coming from people who simply don't know how to draw a tree, period! Pictures are your friend. Know what you want to draw before you draw it.

Pine Tree (open) Pine Tree (close)

Here is a basic outline of a pine tree. Getting the outline is the most important part, as it lays the base down for the rest of your detail. If the outline does not look right, good detail cannot make up for it. Pine trees tend to be fairly slender, and thin to a fine point at the top. Branches are long and extend upwards, especially towards the top.

If you're going for the best realism, inserting branches at various points on the tree will help create a 3D look. All trees have different branches! If you need help, use references!

Next up will be doing the bark:

In general, you cannot go wrong with small, round lines while detailing bark on trees. Pine trees tend to have large bark plates lower on the tree, and small plates on up the trunk. While you work your way up, keep that in mind. If you're new to realistic detail, I recommend using either all black or all scenery (grey) lines for bark. Using both requires some work and messing around with.

Here is an idea of what I did for pine needles on this tree. You don't have to use black, you can use scenery if you like. I tend to use scenery more often for leaves but black worked better with this tree. Pine tree needles come in bunches typically at the end of curved branches.

What it will look like as you continue to add bunches of needles/leaves:

It is important to note I drew needles over the top of the tree trunk in some areas. This can add a lot to a tree if done well.

I noticed while filling in this tree that there were more open spots than I cared for, and since I was going for a fuller tree, I added some new branches, most of which I colored in all black to suggest they were in the background.

End product:

Keep in mind a tree like this takes a long time to draw as well as master. Expect spending at least 2 hours on a single tree if you want it to look like this. Ways to cut down the time include: Smaller size/dimensions, sparser tree with less branches/needles, and using a brush tool rather than drawing line by line.

Tutorial #2: Foreground/Plants

Introduction to Drawing Plants (open) Introduction to Drawing Plants (close)

I tend to use scenery (grey) lines rather than black lines for most plants. It is a softer, prettier look, and assures you can make foreground without it obstructing the ride, which can be useful for smoother tracks. What you use is up to you, however.

General Foreground Plants (open) General Foreground Plants (close)

Starting off with grass stalks and some flower buds which can be easily drawn with small ovals/circles:

You can add on with varying lengths of grasses. Try to keep your plants flowing and fluid, rather than straight and vertical.

You can add flowers, ferns, weeds, anything you want at this point. There is really no excuse for boring foreground detail besides laziness! You don't have to put just grass! Get creative. If you want specific plant tutorials, let me know. I'll add some as time goes on.

Tutorial #3: Rocks

Introduction to Drawing Rocks (open) Introduction to Drawing Rocks (close)

Drawing realistic rocks can be hard. How much black vs grey vs white to use, how to draw the different shapes, weird dimensions, and keep all of your rocks from looking like they came out of a factory: all the exact same shape and size. The recommendation I can give is to draw based on environment: mossy rocks in a jungle, granite rocks in a forest, sandstone in a desert. When it comes right down to it, remember the basics. Ever shaded a sphere? Pick a light source, a dark side, and go from there. Rocks aren't perfect spheres of course, but it's a good example to remember, especially when you're starting out.

Granite Boulders (open) Granite Boulders (close)

Granite rocks are my preferred choice when drawing forest environments. They can be found as small, smooth river rocks or as massive boulders. The type I like to draw are typically greyish and speckled. But there are a lot of ways to draw rocks, and a lot of shapes and colors they can take. There isn't really a "right" way, so keep that in mind.

Using a reference is helpful for me, as I don't want all of my rocks to have the exact same shape and look. Here is my reference, taken in Yosemite:

The outline I drew:

The next thing I'll do is create some marks with the scenery and line tools to plan out how I want the shading to be (can be based on your imagination or a reference). I'll fill these in next.

If you're doing this without a reference, I'd recommend picking a point where the sun/light is coming from, and draw the lighter and darker areas based on that. It's important to keep that consistent with other elements of your track too. (Example: if your light is coming from the right on your rocks, it should be coming from the right on your trees.)

After the dark areas are filled in, I'll take the scenery brush tool and create some markings and speckles on the rock to give it a rough look. This is mostly done just by drawing small lines and filling in larger circles. Drawing in cracks in the rock can be done as well.

Remember, the larger the scale of the rock, the more detail you can put into it. Because the size of your lines is limited, if you're drawing very small rocks this type of rock might not be your best choice. You're only going to be able to make the speckles and dots so small. You don't want to end up with this:

Here is the finished product, after filling everything in:

The light and dark areas on this rock aren't particularly pronounced. The darkest areas are cracks and crevices rather than dark sides. Other examples with a similar style of rocks:

What I plan to add in the near future:
New specific tree and plant types
Clouds
Water
Cliffs

Click to expand...

I will keep this in mind xD

Jgeleta1, Apr 15, 2015

#66

Dakoziol-2nd, nhdtop, Nathaneon and 2 others like this.
kadinl14 Active Member Official Author

very helpful, thanks!

kadinl14, May 6, 2015

#67
CharlesGreer Well-Known Member

The whole thread helped me out but the tree section is really what i needed for my collab with nhdtop thnks

CharlesGreer, May 6, 2015

#68
Forlorn333 Well-Known Member Official Author

Awarded Medals

Added a portrait section.

Forlorn333, May 30, 2015

#69

Flying_T_Rex and RiderExtreme2 like this.
weem supreme Elite Author Team Blob Official Author

Awarded Medals

Char Eric sticky this

weem, Jun 20, 2015

#70

RiderExtreme2, Dakoziol-2nd and Forlorn333 like this.
Dakoziol-2nd Well-Known Member Official Author

WheelieMaker said: ↑

Char Eric sticky this
Click to expand...

Yes please! This thread is so helpful.

Dakoziol-2nd, Jul 3, 2015

#71
Jefe Forum Legend Official Author

Awarded Medals

I know this is quite a thing to say here, but...
It's sorta useless. I mean, it has its upsides, but people work and create in different ways and different varieties. And, this tutorial is pretty far-fetched for somebody who is new to the game, and may cause difficulties.
Why don't you try making some lighter detail tutorials?

Jefe, Jul 3, 2015

#72
xwinx Super Serious Serious Guy VIP Official Author

Awarded Medals

Jefe said: ↑

I know this is quite a thing to say here, but...
It's sorta useless. I mean, it has its upsides, but people work and create in different ways and different varieties. And, this tutorial is pretty far-fetched for somebody who is new to the game, and may cause difficulties.
Why don't you try making some lighter detail tutorials?
Click to expand...

because its Forlorn333 and lighter detail isnt good detail

xwinx, Jul 3, 2015

#73

Dakoziol-2nd and Jefe like this.
Forlorn333 Well-Known Member Official Author

Awarded Medals

Jefe said: ↑

I know this is quite a thing to say here, but...
It's sorta useless. I mean, it has its upsides, but people work and create in different ways and different varieties. And, this tutorial is pretty far-fetched for somebody who is new to the game, and may cause difficulties.
Why don't you try making some lighter detail tutorials?
Click to expand...

That's because it's not aimed at anyone new to the game. People new to the game need to develop their artistic abilities within the game first and get used to drawing with free rider beforehand. This is for people who are artists and need ideas for how to transfer it into free rider.

Forlorn333, Jul 4, 2015

#74

Dakoziol-2nd, Jefe and weem like this.
Dakoziol-2nd Well-Known Member Official Author

Jefe said: ↑

I know this is quite a thing to say here, but...
It's sorta useless. I mean, it has its upsides, but people work and create in different ways and different varieties. And, this tutorial is pretty far-fetched for somebody who is new to the game, and may cause difficulties.
Why don't you try making some lighter detail tutorials?
Click to expand...

Useless? This is helping me loads!

Dakoziol-2nd, Jul 6, 2015

#75
Dakoziol-2nd Well-Known Member Official Author

I can fake rocks and dirt, but if you don't mind, I really need help on mountains and cliffsides.
This is one of my favorite threads!

Dakoziol-2nd, Jul 6, 2015

#76
weem supreme Elite Author Team Blob Official Author

Awarded Medals

if you add water i will love you forever

weem, Jul 6, 2015

#77

Dakoziol-2nd and xwinx like this.
WyattStonhouse Well-Known Member Elite Author Official Author

Awarded Medals

Nice tutorial, but I am only interested in how to make jaw dropping clouds.

WyattStonhouse, Jul 6, 2015

#78

Scarpa and Dakoziol-2nd like this.
Cynic uh oh Elite Author Official Author

Awarded Medals

WyattStonhouse said: ↑

Nice tutorial, but I am only interested in how to make jaw dropping clouds.
Click to expand...

learn that from the great lord Maple himself

Cynic, Jul 7, 2015

#79
Forlorn333 Well-Known Member Official Author

Awarded Medals

Clouds and water. Okay.

Forlorn333, Jul 7, 2015

#80

CityShep, RiderExtreme2 and xwinx like this.

(You must log in or sign up to reply here.)

Page 4 of 6

Share This Page