Begin your next adventure as Alexandre Leoni takes you through the fundamentals of painting 101, and how to craft your perfect approach along the way.

This chapter highlights the need for a structured workflow in painting. A chaotic process can lead to frustration, while a structured approach simplifies decision-making and maintains control. Using a pyramid model—starting with shape and form, then values, edges, and finally colors—ensures a solid foundation and workflow.

This chapter focuses on the importance of shapes. Leoni shares his top tips on how to use shapes to instantly make your illustrations more dynamic and appealing. Practice simplifying shapes and experiment with silhouettes for appealing designs to finish this chapter.

This chapter delves into adding depth to your drawings using perspective: creating the illusion of three dimensions on a flat 2D surface. You'll learn the essentials of cubes and cylinders in perspective, understand concepts like horizon lines and vanishing points, and how to correctly apply the "Cube Rule" for a more realistic look. Complete this chapter with practical exercises to help you grasp these concepts.

This chapter dives into the realm of black-and-white painting, focusing on values – the different shades of gray that give depth to your artwork. You'll understand the significance of value simplification, separate local values from light values, and learn how to manipulate them effectively. Leoni introduces the concepts of light families and shadow families, discussing how light interacts with different surfaces and forms. With practical examples and exercises, you'll grasp the nuances of value grouping and apply them to your own work.

This chapter explores the intricacies of edge control in digital painting, focusing on three main types: hard, soft, and lost edges. It emphasizes using these edges strategically to improve composition and direct viewer attention. Experiment with different brushes and the lasso tool to achieve diverse textures and shapes. Mastering edge control will enhance the depth and quality of your artwork.

Last but definitely not least, Leoni jumps into the realm of color, tackling tricky issues like monitor variations and printing quirks. He emphasizes nailing down value control for consistency across platforms, and shares intuitive color selection tips. From monochromatic to complementary, he covers various color schemes with practical demos. The course ends with a final practical exercise applying color to a demo painting, showing how early decisions shape the final artwork.