Welcome to the tutorial where I'll teach you several tips for drawing flames! Here's the video tutorial:

1. Basic Fire

Fire is composed of what I consider three main parts: the outer flame, the middle flame, and the base. I like to start with the middle flame to create a silhouette. The color I usually use is a strong tone, one of the darkest on the palette.

 

The shape of the silhouette is not straight, but full of curves and undulations, forming a kind of zigzag. The more irregular, the better. Additionally, I add shapes that protrude and end in a point, which will be part of the main flame. A good touch is to add some shapes that are not connected to the main silhouette.

In the middle part, a lighter tone than the previous one is used, following the flow of the already created silhouette. It starts from the base and follows the shape of the flame, maintaining a significant distance from the previous edge.

 

The recommendation is to draw a main shape and then add complementary shapes, always following the curves and direction of the flame. It's suggested to play with the width of the silhouette, using rounded and pointed edges.

A soft gradient is added with the same color used, extending from the base of the fire outwards, reaching approximately halfway.

 

The base is drawn at the origin of the fire, using a light color and creating a rounded shape with main parts and small volumetric or separate sub-parts, mainly at the fire's origin.

An important rule to remember when drawing fire is that the closer to the origin of the flame, the lighter the color. This is the foundation for drawing fire, but we can improve it.

We can add particles and small flames around the fire. Additionally, it's recommended to add a dark outline to further highlight the fire's colors. A layer with yellow and a light blending mode, playing with opacity, can also add more impact.

Using a textured brush, strokes can be made following the existing shape of the fire. Gradually, the different parts of the fire should be better integrated with each other. Finally, with the "finger tip" tool, following the direction of the fire, details can be added to give it dynamism.

A useful tip is to imagine the shape of the flames as a zigzag, not perfect, but irregular and twisted. The less perfect it looks, the better, as this will give the fire a more organic appearance. It is advisable to avoid symmetry, as this can make the drawing look strange and artificial.

If you have difficulty creating the fire's silhouette, it is recommended to use the liquefy tool, which is very helpful. You can experiment with the tool's options, such as intensity or the mode in which it is used. The "push" mode is primarily useful, but the "shrink" and "expand" modes can also be helpful.

 

I recommend watching the video tutorial where you can see each step in more detail and also observe better how the tools I will be using in this video.

2. Blaze Flames

In the case of spreading flames or blaze flames, this type of fire is characterized by being wider and thicker compared to basic fire. The main difference lies in the edges, which are more jagged, erratic, and less wavy.

Generally, the fire should follow a curve rather than being straight, avoiding symmetry at all costs.

The middle flame in this case is very similar to the outer flame. However, certain parts can be added that are separate from the main shape, but without overusing this technique.

The base is also considerably enlarged and can be exaggerated even further. In summary, everything is bigger in this type of fire.

Finally, a dark border is added, and details of small flames are incorporated along the fire. Using the finger tip tool and textured brushes, the final touches are given to the drawing.

3. Dynamic Fire

To achieve the flame effect, it's important to consider the fire's line of action. Curved lines are often used to create a more organic look. Next, you start to give thickness to the line, drawing it irregularly with variations between thinner and wider parts. It is crucial to maintain a clear direction to convey movement. Don't forget to add small protruding flame parts.

Once the silhouette is ready, it can be retouched using the liquefy tool.

In the next step, select the layer containing the silhouette by control-clicking; the selection menu will appear. Use the "shrink selection" option with a pixel amount that leaves a significant gap between the outer and middle flame.

 

Then, the middle flame can be retouched by erasing parts and making the edges more irregular. Pointed details and loose flames can be added to complement the main shape. Here, you can play with curved and straight lines using the brush in transparency mode or the eraser.

In the third step for the base, the process is repeated: pixel selection, pixel reduction, and painting with a lighter color.

 

Then, the middle tone is selected again, and the "expand selection area" option is used in the selection menu. The size is slightly increased and painted on a new layer. A Gaussian blur is applied to unfocus it. A slight blur can also be applied to the middle layer.

We also create an extra blurred layer for the outer flame layer, but using a darker color and a very strong blur.

As additional details, you can select the entire area of the outer silhouette and paint on another layer with a light color, applying a soft blur and a light blending mode. Then, adjust the opacity as deemed necessary.

Finally, all layers are combined into one, and the finger tool is used to add more movement, following the direction of the flame. More small flame details can also be added around

In the video tutorial, I also give an extra tip where we can combine dynamic fire and basic fire to create other types of fire! Check it out!

4. Flames on Objects and Props

If you want to represent a character or object emanating fire or being made of fire, here are some tips:

1- The base of the fire will be the body or object in question; therefore, it is the main source of the fire and will always be in a middle tone. You decide where the base is located.

Once this is clear, the flames we draw will depend on it. They don't vary too much from what we've seen before: outlines with wavy lines, pointed and irregular edges.

For the middle tone, instead of drawing it linearly or circularly, we will make it originate from the object from which the fire is detaching. We will follow the flow of the outer flame, as we've done before.

It's interesting to play with the presence of space between the flames and the object emanating them.

Then we add a gradient to the outer flame, as well as a darker outline, and it will be ready.

We can always add more details using our favorite tools: Finger Tip, Blend Paint, and Liquefy.

 

All of this can be applied in the same way to props, like this:

By the way, nothing prevents it from being done directly with a texture brush, as in this case. However, I personally find it easier to start with a simple hard-edged brush and then add details and soften it as needed.

In the video, a point is made about how fire doesn't have to be just yellow and orange but can be any color, and I also share the tools I use for it. I invite you to watch the video for more details ;)

End

Thanks for reading this far! I hope the tutorial helps you, and see you next time! byeeee