MultiHub Forum

I'm a self-taught digital artist who has mostly worked in a semi-realistic style, but I'm trying to transition to a more painterly, textured look in my work, moving away from clean line art and soft airbrushing. I'm struggling with brush settings in Photoshop to achieve that traditional feel—my attempts either look too muddy or lack definition. For digital painters who specialize in an organic, textured style, what are your foundational techniques for building up color and form with brushes that mimic real paint? How do you approach your initial block-ins and manage values before adding detail, and what specific brush packs or custom settings have been game-changers for creating convincing brushstrokes, impasto effects, or subtle canvas texture without overworking the piece?