Painting Historical Fiction by Marco Gorlei

Learn to create stunning classical-style paintings with modern digital techniques. Concept artist Marco Gorlei will guide you through crafting rich, textured images reminiscent of the old masters, using digital painting, 3D, and photobashing. Beyond technique, Marco’s deep reference-gathering workflow will help you bring authenticity to your work, nailing historical details like clothing, architecture, and ships. By the end of the course, you’ll have a portfolio-ready masterpiece, supporting artwork, and a deeper understanding of how to conduct meaningful research for your projects.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Create a complete historical fiction painting from concept to finish.
• Use a hybrid workflow combining digital painting, 3D modeling, and photobashing.
• Conduct deep historical reference gathering for authentic details.
• Build and texture 3D assets in Blender for use in your paintings.
• Refine compositions and lighting using 3D scene setups.
• Execute a final paintover with advanced photobashing and brushwork techniques.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of digital painting and 3D space.
• Tools: Photoshop, Blender, drawing tablet.
• Hardware: Minimum 16GB RAM, dedicated GPU.

📝 Description

This course isn’t about just copying old masters—it’s about using their principles with modern tools. Marco Gorlei breaks down his entire process, from the first spark of an idea to a polished portfolio piece. You’ll start by learning how to research a historical period properly, finding the right references for clothing, architecture, and even the way light falls on a 17th-century ship.

The real magic is in the hybrid workflow. Marco shows you how to quickly block out a scene in Blender, create custom 3D assets, and then bring everything into Photoshop for a detailed paintover. He doesn’t just teach you the buttons; he explains the why behind every decision, from composition and value to color and detail distribution. You’ll learn practical techniques like using photobashing for textures, setting up 3D scenes for lighting studies, and refining your sketches to nail the final image. By the end, you’ll have a complete workflow that blends the speed of 3D with the soul of traditional painting.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Intermediate digital artists looking to add 3D and photobashing to their workflow.
• Concept artists wanting to create more historically grounded and detailed environments.
• Anyone interested in blending classical painting aesthetics with modern digital tools.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Marco Gorlei is a seasoned concept artist with over eight years in the film, gaming, and illustration industries. Specializing in realistic environment design, he has contributed to projects like Magic the Gathering, Ghost in the Shell (2017), and Paramount’s Halo series. His experience includes roles at Atomhawk Design, Ubisoft Reflections, and People Can Fly.

🏁 Final Result

• A fully finished, portfolio-ready historical fiction painting.
• Supporting 3D assets and scene files.
• A set of refined composition sketches and callouts.
• A deeper understanding of historical research and visual storytelling.