TUTORIAL // 6 simple tricks for stylizing your studies
🕑 Added 2025-02-10 17:35:15 +0000 UTCThis month's tutorial is finally here ✨it's on 6 simple tricks for stylizing your studies, and runs you through some techniques that you can use to make your studies more exciting and eye-catching! It's especially helpful for those of you who feel like your studies end up just looking like a boring copy of the reference image. These techniques can be applied to an already finished study, so if you have any artwork lying around that could use a revamp, this is the video for you!
The main brushes I use in this process are:
The MaCaLabs HB pencil brush for the initial sketch (there's also a Procreate version)
The hard round brush from my own brush set for blending and painting
Yuming Li's brush set for the smudge and mixer brushes

Here's the artwork I made in the demo:

You can easily supplement this tutorial with the following ones, because they touch on topics of stylization and diverting from realism.
Sculpting with color: This tutorial shows you how you can pick totally random colors and sculpt the details from there. It’s a great technique for breaking free from realism.
Making interesting reference studies: This tutorial talks about similar topics as this one, but focuses primarily on portraits and choosing an area of focus before getting started on your study.
Stylizing trees & plants: This tutorial shows you how you can divert from realism with subjects that aren’t characters - something that can be difficult for artists who are accustomed to copying reference closely.


I hope you enjoy this video and that it gives you some inspiration for zazzing up your studies! Feel free to share any future tutorial suggestions in the #tutorial-suggestions channel in the discord server (If you don't know how to join, just follow the steps outlined here) or leave them in a comment below ❤
Comments
jue.no.yume
I was looking how to play around with colour 🎨 and adding different hues on the outlines 🖍️ just like this. Thank you so much for this tutorial 🤗 it was perfect and exactly what I was looking for! ✨
Loish
yay! i hope there's something useful here for you ✨
Rosy
This was incredible to watch! I can't wait to try some of these out. I always worry that my paintings come out looking flat or unoriginal, so this can def open the door to new art :)
Loish
of course! it's a cintiq 24 pro.
Loish
hey Lana! Unfortunately you can't download this from the site, but you get a link to it at the end of the month. in the future you can always send me a DM and I can send you the link in advance!
Loish
I'm so glad you found it helpful :)
Lucienna Caffie
Thank you so much for this tutorial!! I've always struggled with this exact issue and could never figure out how to fix it. Excited to try these tips out on the monthly challenge!
Ute
This is so great. I'm recently working on a drawing of houses in a residential area I came across in South America, and I'm flashed by the idea off adding those stylizing ideas to it - it would give a lot more room to what I actually *felt* when I was there. Thanks!
nazgul
this is EXACTLY what i needed!!!!
Lana
Did anybody experience any trouble with downloading this tutorial? I'm planning to watch this during a flight I'm doing soon and I won't have internet for it, and I cannot find the download button 🥲
Nasty Ewest
Hello Loish! Would u be so kind to tell me, what wacom tablet you are using and what size is it ?
Loish
for me, they show up under "photoshop master pack" > "smudge tools" !
Loish
so glad you enjoyed it!
Loish
there's a little button on the layers panel with a checkered pattern in it! here's more info: https://www.sitepoint.com/photoshop-tip-locking-transparent-pixels/
Ri Beltran
Thank you so much for this! What do you mean when you say you lock the transparency of the base colour layer? How do I do that in Photoshop?
Lone Jensen
I LOVE this! Thank you! I struggle so much with the copying 😩
Tobi
Thank you so much for the awesome tutorial! I just downloaded Yuming Li's complete collection and was wandering if you renamed her smudge tools? I can not see the ones you used in her collection?
Johan Postma
Thanks, this was a good one!! (Not that your other tutorials were not good, by the way ;-) On the contrary!) It gives a great insight in the way you approach stylization. Very helpful and useful!
Chantal
Hello, this is the tutorial that finally convinced me to sign up for your Patreon. This is exactly what I needed, the reference is a valuable help but also a framework that is too restrictive. But it requires artistic courage to break away from it (the hardest part remains to be done 😉). Thank you for this tutorial
Faimano
This tutorial is the next level for me. It's very helpful and practical. I clearly lack study on my favorite artists. But the fact that you put words on the techniques changes everything for my brain which has trouble identifying the techniques used 😅 thank you for this video! It gives me the momentum to start drawing again! ❤️🩹
Loish
aw shucks, thanks so much!!
Loish
glad you like it antonia!
Loish
i'm so glad you find it helpful! hopefully it shows that your sketch doesn't need to be too detailed before jumping into the process - that can also help a lot with stiffness!
Jay Penn
This video perfectly exemplifies why I consider you the most relevant illustration instructor around. You have fantastic insight, you relate your points in an applicable way and the examples and exercises you create not only demonstrate what you are instructing, they are wonderful pieces to observe and study. I don't know how you achieve all of that at once, but I am very thankful that you do Loish!
Antonia Höfs
This is so so helpful 🙌 Thank you so much! A really nice guide for the monthly challenges 🤌
Mizidora
Brilliant tutorial. So many useful tips. Thank you.
Veronica Colin
This was so helpful! I can’t wait to apply it to my studies :) I always felt my studies looked way too stiff but looking at your demo and tips has really inspired me to try it too! Thank you
Artful Harper Studios
This was so helpful! Thank you!!
Loish
so happy to hear that! 💖
Loish
yayyyy! happy to hear that ✨
Loish
yesss that's my all time favorite technique! i use it for all my art 😊
Devyn
So so SO helpful! Thank you 💕✨ Fantastic tips. My absolute favorite trick was changing the color of the sketch to blend with the artwork instead of just scrapping it.
Inês Garcia
Thank you so much Lois! This one gave me the perfect motif to start painting right now! *off to painting some sculptures for this month*
Sergio Flores
thank you so much! this tutorial it´s just what i needed haha, i found my self doing that printing human machine mood, on my studies, and i was wonder how can i stylized, to go beyond and no just copy, i´m so inspired right now, thanks! <3
_alexiaalexiaalexia
I'm so stoked to watch this one!!!