SketchUp & Photoshop Create Anime-Style Scenes

FeiGiap combines SketchUp’s 3D modelling tools with Photoshop colouring techniques to create an anime-style background illustration

- FeiGiap

A small, cosy café in the middle of the town, surrounded by plants and trees – like a scene from a Studio Ghibli or Makoto Shinkai film. This is my initial idea as I plan an environment workshop. Here, I’ll share how I use SketchUp’s 3D modelling tools to help me create an interesting background illustration. I always like to see buildings at a range of heights, with people having to use stairs to reach different levels. This makes the city looks slightly different from our daily environment, which helps to make it feel more interesting.

After gathering some related photo references, I’ll start by sketching out the composition in Photoshop until I’m happy with the design of the scene. Then I’ll move on to modelling in SketchUp. The program comes in handy when I want to draw slightly more complex buildings. It enables me to explore different camera angles and cast shadows accurately. I think it’s easier to use compared to other 3D modelling software. I build the main building structure in SketchUp and then output it as a clean line-art image.

My colouring technique is influenced by Japan 2D animation film backgrounds, like those seen in Studio Ghibli, Makoto Shinkai and Hosoda Mamoru films. I love to study how they use colour and capture light and a certain mood. In this workshop, I’ll share some of my own colouring techniques and tips.

1 Composition sketch