006 - IFX tutorial - Simple reflections
This tutorial was written for ImagineFX magazine Issue#3.
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How to paint simple reflections on flat surfaces
You can use help-lines to aid you when painting reflections on floor and other flat surfaces. You have to think in 3 dimensions, as it will rarely work out using the old flip vertically solution. The vertical flip only works when the point of view is located exactly on the same level as the reflective surface.I suggest imagining the vanishing points in the scene. One at the back in the horizon, and one far down, vertically. You will have to imagine what direction they are located according to the angles of the already used elements in the scene.
Make a new layer, and draw some help-lines (red in this example) of objects getting reflected in the mirrored surface (in this case, the walls and corners). Imagine how it would look like if the floor was transparent, and that the walls would dip down through it, towards the vanishing point way down there at the bottom.
Now, put a new layer under the layer with the help-lines. Colour-pick the colours of the reflected objects (the walls on this example), and copy it reversed (vertically flipped), following the help-lines. Using high-lighted strokes on sharp edges of the reflection going vertically down, makes it look shinier.
Work your way from where the reflection starts, and down. When done, put the layer blending style to “screen”, and tone down the layer opacity to make it look the way you want. Remember that the deeper the reflection goes, the less visible it is, so use a large smooth brush and erase the bottom part (as done on the example picture).
If the reflective surface has got some texture (like floor tiles), make sure the reflection tones out and doesn’t continue all the way to the bottom of the picture. The reflection dies off the further away the reflected area is from the ground.