PSDFan Extra

A Behind the Scenes Look at the Work Processes of World Renowned Artists

At PSD.FanExtra we believe that the best way to learn is from experts in your field. That’s why we employ some of the best tutorial writers and bring you regular quality content.

Tutorials are great, but I often find myself looking at work from some of the world’s top digital artists and wondering about the thought processes, techniques and workflows used to create such incredible art. I always think ‘if I only I could get my hands on their original Photoshop files I’d be able to break down exactly what makes their work so awesome!’.

Well that’s exactly what we aim to offer you guys, as part of our new series ‘Artist Breakdown’. We’re going to be talking to some of the world’s most respected digital artist’s and offering an insight into how they’ve created some of their most popular works. We’ll also provide a full .psd source file for our FanExtra members to explore. This will allow you to look through every layer, object, blending option and technique used. It’s a true behind the scenes look into some world-class work, and we hope you enjoy it!

Artist Breakdown #1. Alexis Marcou: Bad Panda

Today we’ll be talking with Alexis Marcou about his stunning piece Bad Panda. You can check out more of Alexis’ work at his Behance page.

1. What is the concept behind the piece ‘Bad Panda’? How did you land on such an interesting visual?

The concept was to create a piece that incorporates geometric shapes into it. Pandas are black and white and this contrast always helps when working with pencil. I also always admired pandas as animals anyway.

I found the visual on the National Geographic website.

2. You have a really unique, interesting style that mixed handdrawn and digital elements. Do you mind walking us through your typical workflow for a piece like this?

- research for the right image
- hand-drawing
- scan
- finish up on Photoshop (add further lighting, textures etc…)

3. ‘Bad Panda’ as well as many other works of yours seem to combine elements of simplicity and fine detail. The composition and color palette are relatively simple, whilst the use of fine textures, lighting and detailing adds a level of subtle complexity. Could you share some thoughts on the marriage of these two styles?

I like the focal point of the subject (in this case the panda’s face and claws) to be more complex and anything around it to be simple. The reason is to draw the attention to specific areas.

4. What do you think is the major benefit of using a mixed media approach in your work?

The greatest benefit is that there are many more choices and also it is great when the viewer looks at it and can’t figure out how the piece was created. Another benefit with the digital part is being able to test different things without touching the original illustration. This saves a lot of time!

Source File for ‘Bad Panda’

FanExtra members are able to access the .psd source file for Bad Panda, allowing them to see the specific workflows and techniques being used to construct the piece. (If you’re not already a FanExtra member you can sign up today.)

Existing members can login here to access this source file.

About the Author:

Tom is the founder of PSDFAN. He loves writing tutorials, learning more about design and interacting with the community. On a more interesting note he can also play guitar hero drunk with his teeth.

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