Welcome to the tutorial where I will teach you several tips to draw llamas! here the video tutorial:

1. Basic Fire

Fire is made up of what I consider to be three main parts: the outer flame, the middle flame, and the base. I like to start with the middle flame to make a silhouette. The color I usually use is a strong tone and one of the darkest in 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. Also, I add protruding shapes that end in a point, which will be part of the main flame. A nice touch is to add some shapes that are not connected to the main silhouette.

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

 

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

A smooth gradient is added with the same color used, going 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 sub-parts with volume or separate, mainly at the origin of the fire.

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

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

Using a textured brush, strokes can be made following the existing shape of the fire. Little by little, the different parts of the fire must 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 crooked. 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 silhouette of the fire, it is recommended to use the liquify tool, which is a great help. You can experiment with the options of the tool, such as the intensity or the way in which it is used. The "push" mode is mainly useful, but the "shrink" and "increase" modes can also be useful.

 

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

2. Flames of fire

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

In general, the aim is for the fire to follow a curve instead of 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 abusing this technique.

The base is also widened considerably and can be exaggerated even more. In short, in this type of fire everything is bigger.

Lastly, a dark border is added and details of small flames are added throughout the fire. Using the fingertip tool and textured brushes, the final touches are put on the drawing.

3. Fire on the move

To achieve the effect of flames, it is important to take into account the line of action of the fire. Curved lines are often used to create a more organic look, then begin to thicken the line, drawing it irregularly with variations between thinner and wider parts. It is crucial to maintain a clear direction to convey the movement. Don't forget to add parts of little flames that stick out.

Once the silhouette is ready, it can be touched up using the liquify tool.

In the next step, select the layer where the silhouette is using click with sustained control there the selection menu appears, use the "reduce selection" option with a number of pixels that leaves a significant gap between the outer flame and the middle .

 

Then the middle flame can be touched up by erasing parts and making the edges more jagged. Spiky 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: selection of pixels, reduction of pixels and painting in a lighter color.

 

Then the midtone is selected again and the "enlarge selection area" option in the selection menu is used. It is slightly increased in size and painted on a new layer. A Gaussian blur is applied to blur it. You can also apply a slight blur on the middle layer.

We also make an extra layer with blur 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, the opacity is adjusted as needed.

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

In the video tutorial I also give an extra tip in which we can combine moving fire and basic fire to make other types of fire! check it out!

4. Flames on Objects and Props

If you want to represent that a character or object emanates fire or is 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 it will always be in a medium tone. You decide where the base is located.

Once you have this clear, the flames we draw will depend on it. They do not vary much from what we have seen before: outlines with wavy lines, pointed and jagged edges.

For the midtone, instead of drawing it in a linear or circular way, we will make it originate from the object from which the fire is emanating. We will follow the flow of the outer flame, as we have done before.

It is interesting to play with the presence of space between the flames and the object that emanates them.

Then we add a gradient on the outer flame, as well as a darker outline, and you're good to go.

We can always add more detail using the tools we've used our favorite tools: Fingertip, Paint Blend, and Liquify.

 

All 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 detail and soften it as needed.

In the video, a dimension is made on how fire cannot be only yellow and orange but of any color, and I also share the tools I use for it, I invite you to watch the video to see it in more detail ;)

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