Create A Surreal Ramen Bowl

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DIGITAL PAINTING
Create a Surreal Ramen

Bowl Illustration in
Adobe Photoshop
by Melody Nieves
20 Jan 2015
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What You'll Be Creating
On a global scale, ramen is internationally known as a delicious dish that is quick,

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easy, and very cheap to make. In today's tutorial, you'll learn how to illustrate a bowl
of ramen, turning it from your everyday budget friendly meal into a surrealistic
digital painting. I'll be using Adobe Photoshop CS6 and a pen tablet to achieve this,
focusing on watercolor-like textures and the Ambient Occlusion painting technique.
Let's get started!
Tutorial Assets
The following assets were used in the production of this tutorial:
Noodles in Bowl and Chopsticks
Pinterest Inspiration
Ramen Bowl Sketch
The Brainstorm
I love Korean dramas. And after a binge marathon of the popular show, L" et's
Eat", I had a huge list of new foods I wanted to try. It was also one of the first times
I saw people enjoying ramen way beyond the traditional just-boil-it-in-a-pot method.
See, at the core of your basic ramen is noodles, seasoning, and a delicious broth.
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The dish originates from Japan and can come with a variety of toppings, some you'll
even get to know today. So during the brainstorming process I made sure to
thoroughly research ramen, scanning dozens of food blogs and Pinterest posts for
inspiration.
Adding the Surrealistic Touch

Since painting ideas usually come to me in words, I make lots of graphs to flesh out
the scene in my head. These bits of word association help me stay organized by
mentally keeping track of all the little details and unique components I'd like to
achieve. I fill the graph with as many concise explanations as possible then move
on to constructing my faux recipe.
Back to the Recipe

Today's recipe is similar to a miso ramen dish, served with hard boiled eggs,
scallions, and narutomaki, a beautiful fish paste cake featuring a salmon spiral
middle. You see, whenever you're building a food illustration it's important to get
familiar with the ingredients, not only for their history and significance to the dish but
for their aesthetic qualities as well.
1. Thumbnail Sketches
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I start by sketching several thumbnails in Photoshop. My main mission here is to

make sure that both the ingredients and the koi fish are clearly visible to the
viewers.
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After eight thumbnails, I set my eyes on these two.
At first I thought an interesting angle would work, but later I ran into problems
during the painting process. When this first attempt didn't work out so well, I came
back to my thumbnails and settled on the right one for my final sketch.
2. The Line Art: Bowl and Chopsticks

Step 1
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Next, create a New Document in Photoshop with the following settings:

Image Size set to 3000 x 2400 pixels
Resolution set 300 dpi
Step 2
To avoid problems with perspective, simply trace the bowl and chopsticks from a
Photodune reference. Rotate the original reference with the Free Transform Tool
(Control-T) for a unique trace. With the Ellipse Tool (U) selected, trace two circles
to represent the edge of the bowl and its center. Set the Fill to No Color and the
Stroke to black with a size of3 pt.
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Step 3
To keep this sketch clean we'll use the Pen Tool (P) for the chopsticks. First, set the
Brush Tool (B) to a size of 3 pixels and 100% Hardness. Next, trace one of the
chopsticks and right-click to set the Stroke to Brush.
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Step 4
Right-click to duplicate the chopstick layer. With the duplicated layer selected, go
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to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontaland adjust into place.
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3. The Line Art: Draw the Ingredients

Step 1
Now it's time to Draw the ingredients. Set your Brush Tool (B) to the following
settings:
Brush Color set to Black
Size set to 6 pixels
Hardness set to 100%
Transfer with Opacity Jitter Control set to Pen Pressure
Draw each ingredient, paying special attention to how they're positioned in the bowl.
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Step 2
Below is the completed line art. Adjust both theOpacity of the bowl and the
chopsticks to match the color of the sketched ingredients. Once you're finished,
make sure to Merge the completed sketch layers together.
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4. Create the Grayscale Base

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Step 1
Painting in grayscale is a favorite technique amongst digital artists to help establish
the lighting scenario more quickly. Create a New Layer (Control-Shift-N)
underneath the sketch layer. Use a Hard Round Brush to paint a solid gray color
as the base for our grayscale painting.
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Step 2
Lock Transparent Pixels. Locking the transparency will allow you to paint without
having to worry about going pass the edges of your grayscale base. Duplicate this
layer, setting the duplicate to Multiply. Next, set to the Default Foreground and
Background Colors of black and white to beginErasing the extra gray that was
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applied from the duplicate.
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5. Ambient Occlusion: The Bowl

Step 1
Ambient Occlusion is a shading technique we most often see in 3D renderings. In
digital painting, however, it allows us to set up the lighting by concentrating on
painting shadows in the creases, cracks, and intersections of details. To start using
this technique, select the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) and draw a circle. Rightclick and select Transform Selection to adjust the circle so that it fits the center of
the bowl perfectly.
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Step 2
Since we want to paint the outside of the bowl first we have to inverse the selection.
Right-click and select Inverse. Set your Brush Tool (B) to the color black with a
Hardness of 0%, bringing down the brush's Opacity to 20%. Begin painting
shadows on the bowl by running a large brush along the edge of the selection. The
selection will keep the brush from bleeding into the center of the bowl, so use long,
fluid strokes to complete your shading.
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Erase any parts of the shading that might overlap the ingredients.
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Step 3
Reverse the selection to paint the shadow for the broth. Right-click and
select Inverse. Just like in our previous step, we want to paint large, fluid strokes of
shadow towards the edge of the selection. Pick and choose which ingredients
should look submerged in the broth, and Erase any that shouldn't be overlapped.
The finished bowl should look like this.
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6. Ambient Occlusion: The Chopsticks

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Step 1
Let's continue this technique with the chopsticks. Use thePen Tool (P) to trace just
one of them. Right-click to Make a Selection and begin painting shadow so that
the center is left illuminated.
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Step 2
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Duplicate this layer. Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontalso that you have a
shadow that perfectly reflects the first chopstick. Rotate into place using the Free
Transform Tool (Control-T).
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7. Ambient Occlusion: Painting the Ingredients

Step 1
Starting to get the hang of this technique yet?
Now it's time to move on to the food! Just like in our previous steps, we're going to
make a selection on each ingredient to paint in more shadows. The only difference
this time is that I'll be using the Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) to make the selections.
First, I shade the eggs.
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Step 2
Next, I move on to the other ingredients including the narutomaki, scallions, and any
remaining broth.
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Step 3
I also begin shading the surreal elements like the flowers, lily pads, and koi fish.
8. Ambient Occlusion: Freehand the Noodles

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Step 1
You might have noticed that I haven't covered the noodles yet. This is because
we're going to use this step to further the impact of the overall technique, only this
time we'll Freehand the rest of the shading. Still using the Brush Tool (B), lightly
shade the sides of the noodles in order to achieve an instantly realistic effect.
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Step 2
Continue shading the noodles until you're finished with them all.
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9. Final Shading Details in Grayscale

Step 1
Shading with the Ambient Occlusion technique is a pretty tedious process, but I urge
you to push these steps as far as you can before moving onto color. Toggle the
Visibility of the original Sketch Layer on and off to see how far along you've come
with your shading. Once you're able to see your painting pop out without the sketch,
you know you're done.
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Step 2
Let's not forget the shadows underneath the chopsticks! Use theLasso Tool (L) to
make selections around both chopsticks and Fill them with the color black.
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Free Transform (Control-T) to Warp the shadow so that it bends along the bowl.
Bring down the Opacity to 20% and go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, setting
the radius to 17 pixels.
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Step 3
The last step in our grayscale painting is to add a background. Use theGradient
Tool (G), setting it to Foreground to Transparent for the gradient blend. Bring
down the Opacity to 20% and drag your marker in the directions where the
shadows would hit.
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Remember the base we created in the beginning?Duplicate the base layer and go
to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. Set the Lightness to -100 and position
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it according to the overall lighting scenario. Bring down the Opacity of the layer to
55% and lightly Erase the edges for a more natural look.
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Bring down the Opacity of the original sketch layer to 30% in order to prep it for
color. The final grayscale painting will look something like this:
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10. Adding Color: The Ingredients

Step 1
Finally, let's color this painting! On a New Layer (Control-Shift-N) begin painting
solid colors for all your ingredients with the Brush Tool (B) set to 100% Hardness.
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Step 2
Set the Layer Blend Mode to Linear Burn. Feel free to keep all the solid colors on
one layer or to separate them for each detail.
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11. Adding Color: Ramen Bowl & Background

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Step 1
Next, follow the same steps as before to color the ramen bowl and background.I
opted for neutral tones against a bright pop of orange, but feel free to experiment
with the color choices here.
Step 2
For better contrast against the bowl, Erase the color off any details you don't want
affected by the bowl's color.
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Once you've painted in all your colors, set the layer toLinear Burn.
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12. Adding Color: The Broth

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Step 1
We need to take special care in painting the broth because it is far more complex in
texture and color than the other elements in this painting. Use the Elliptical
Marquee Tool (M) to create a circle for the broth andFill this circle with a deep tan
color.
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Step 2
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Set the Blend Mode to Linear Burn and begin erasing away the broth. Pay special
attention to details that are submerged in broth versus details that aren't.
Vary the Opacity on your Eraser Tool (E) to gradually take away broth that is
overlapping the ramen noodles. Experiment with what works best for the painting
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13. Adding Texture to the Broth

The broth to this delicious meal wouldn't be complete without a little texture! To
mimic the oily quality of ramen broth, we're going to use the Watercolor Textures
found in Mary Winkler's recent Watercolor Brush Tutorial.
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Create a New Layer (Control-Shift-N) above the Broth Layer, and right-click to
set it as a Clipping Mask. Using the two textures above, paint a dark gray texture
all over the broth, erasing any excess with the Eraser Tool (E). When you're
finished, set the layer to Divide.
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14. Adding More Light With Blend Modes

The beauty of working so hard on the grayscale portion of this painting is that once
we apply the initial colors, we won't need to develop the colors too much further.
However, it's always interesting to experiment and see what other tweaks you can
bring to the table, especially with Blend Modes.
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In this case, I decided toFill a New Layer with a bright baby blue color. IErased
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In this case, I decided toFill a New Layer with a bright baby blue color. IErased
the middle where the bowl sits, set theBlend Mode to Divide, and brought down
the Opacity to 70%. Not only does this change make the background pop, but it
also allows the chopsticks to be affected by color from their environment.
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15. Using Adjustment Layers

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Step 1
Adjustment Layers play an essential role in correcting your overall color scheme.
First up, Color Balance. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance.
Adjust only the Highlights by moving the sliders over to the Blue and Cyan colors.
Since I only want this to affect the bowl's highlights, I select the Layer Mask
Thumbnail and paint black all along the background.
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Step 2
Next I create a New Adjustment Layer for Selective Color. I adjust the colors
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under the Reds, Blues, Yellows, Greens, and Whites in order to tone down the
intense orange colors.
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Step 3
My last New Adjustment Layer is for Color Balance, making sure to move the
slider over to the Blue side under Midtones.
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16. Cleaning Things Up

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It's at this stage of the painting when I know that, for the most part, I'm settling on
this particular color scheme. With all the previous adjustments made, I can now
focus on cleaning up the details. To do this I use a Hard Round Brush (B) to paint
over any outlines created by the sketch.
Line art flattens paintings, so any time you paint over the line art you add greater
realism into your piece. Try to keep the Opacity of your brush in the 50
100% range for the best effect with this step.
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17.More Blend Mode Adjustments

Step 1
Currently the handles of the chopsticks seem too muted for such a vibrant overall
color scheme. To change their color, I create a New Layer (Control-Shift-N) and
begin painting a solid blue on top of each handle. Afterwards, I set the layer to
Color.
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Step 2
Next, I Fill another New Layer with a light green color and set it toDivide. Now all
the colors really work well together!
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Step 3
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Since I'm still working with Blend Modes, I decided to add texture to the
background for a more uniform look. Using the Watercolor Brushes from earlier, I
paint a dark gray texture on top of the background and set the layer to Overlay.
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18. Adding in Highlights

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18. Adding in Highlights

Step 1
Although this painting already has great shading and color, now we need the
highlights! Use a Hard Round Brush (B) to begin painting highlights on each
component of our mealyes, literally. Personally, I like to select colors in the
painting with the Eyedropper Tool (E), then use the slider on the Color Picker to
choose the highlight color I need.
Step 2
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Continue painting in the highlights until you're happy with the result. Sometimes a
crisp white line is all the highlight you need. Be sure to Zoom in and out of your
painting often to understand what the viewer sees in order to paint accordingly.
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19. Finishing Details: Shiny Broth

I couldn't wait to get to this last step! Not because it's the final stage of the painting
but because the painting really transforms once you add shine to the broth. Use a
Hard Round Brush (B) to begin painting white squiggly lines to represent the shine
and places where food breaks the broth's surface.
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Create strokes that follow the natural direction of your ramen, and paint dots
scattered about for a more realistic effect. It's really that simple! As always, use the
Eraser Tool (E) to soften any edges.
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All Done! Let's Eat!

I really hope you've enjoyed creating and learning more about this tasty meal today.
The journey of a great digital painting can seem like a long and tedious one, but I
assure you that combining smart techniques proves to save much time and energy
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in the long run. Now reward yourself with a great bowl of ramen! Yum!
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7 Comments
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Join the discussion
Asher Benson
2 months ago
I live for this tutorial... excellent break down and process.

2
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Melody > Asher Benson
2 months ago
Thanks Asher I was hoping it was clear!! <3

2
An
Reply Share
2 months ago
I am always into food illustration and currently self-taught on how to draw on paper and digital painting. Wh
this tutorial from you, I truly feel blessed. Thank you for sharing the process - especially the "ambient occl
Much appreciate :) Have a nice day!
2
Reply Share
Melody > An
2 months ago
What a sweet comment! Thanks so much An! I would love to see your drawings some time :) Am
occlusion is my new life saver so I'm glad this tutorial could help! :D
1
Rhidona pratama
Reply Share
2 months ago
long tutorial. but i like it.

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good idea.
1
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ParasUniversal
2 months ago
What an awesome tut and final.

1
Reply Share
Melody > ParasUniversal
2 months ago
Thank you!!
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Design & Illustration

Create a Surreal Ramen

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What You'll Be Creating

On a global scale, ramen is internationally known as a delicious dish that is quick,

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Adding the Surrealistic Touch

Back to the Recipe

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I start by sketching several thumbnails in Photoshop. My main mission here is to

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After eight thumbnails, I set my eyes on these two.

2. The Line Art: Bowl and Chopsticks

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Next, create a New Document in Photoshop with the following settings:

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to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontaland adjust into place.

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3. The Line Art: Draw the Ingredients

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4. Create the Grayscale Base

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applied from the duplicate.

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5. Ambient Occlusion: The Bowl

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6. Ambient Occlusion: The Chopsticks

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