Setenil de las Bodegas: the town under the rock

Setenil de las Bodegas: where the rock is the roof

In the north of the province of Cádiz, Setenil de las Bodegas displays its unique architecture, a town that was not built on the rock, but under it. The inhabitants took advantage of the natural shelters of the Trejo river canyon to build their homes, creating streets where the rock forms the roof and the white facades contrast with the dark stone. This ingenious urban planning has created an urban landscape that seems taken from a fairy tale, where each cave-house holds stories of generations and secrets dating back to the time of the reconquest. The sensation of protection and mystery offered by the rock makes it a fascinating subject for digital illustration. 🏡

The wisdom of popular architecture

What makes Setenil special is not only its picturesque appearance, but the practical intelligence behind its design. The houses under the rock maintain a stable temperature all year round, cool in summer and warm in winter, demonstrating a deep understanding of the natural environment. Streets like Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra show how light plays differently in each corner, creating dramatic contrasts between illuminated areas and deep shadows under the rock. This luminous duality offers a perfect playground to explore with Photoshop tools.

Painting the petrous magic in Photoshop

Recreating the unique atmosphere of Setenil requires mastering the handling of rocky textures, the contrast between lights and shadows, and the integration of architectural elements. Photoshop offers all the necessary tools to capture its essence through photom manipulation and digital painting.

Canvas preparation and composition

Create a new document in Photoshop of approximately 4000x3000 pixels at 300 ppi. Establish a basic composition using the rule of thirds, placing the rock line in the upper third. Start with a quick sketch using a hard round brush in red at 30% opacity, defining the curve of the main street and the rocky mass covering the houses. Work with separate layers from the beginning to maintain control over each element.

• 4000x3000 pixel document at 300 ppi
• RGB color mode for digital work
• organized layers: sketch, rock, houses, sky
• palette of whites, ochres, and stony grays

Developing the rock texture

For the huge rock covering the town, use a combination of sandstone photographic textures and manual painting techniques. Overlay several textures using blending modes like overlay and multiply. With a textured brush, paint the cracks and erosions characteristic of limestone. Use the pen tool to define the irregular edges where the rock meets the sky. For the shadow areas under the rock, apply a curves adjustment to darken selectively.

In Photoshop, patience in building texture layers translates into visual realism.

Painting the white Andalusian houses

Create a new layer for the white facades, using a mixer brush type to achieve smooth transitions between lights and shadows. Do not use pure white, but slightly warm tones for illuminated areas and very subtle blues for shadows. Add architectural details like windows, balconies, and flower pots using smaller, more defined brushes. To integrate the houses with the rock, add splashes of stony texture at the contact points.

• mixer brush for smooth transitions
• textured brushes for stone effects
• hard round brush for sharp details
• airbrush for atmospheric effects

Lighting and atmospheric effects

Create a layer in overlay mode to add the sun rays filtering between the rock and the houses. Use a soft brush in very pale yellow to paint the areas where the light hits directly. For the depth sensation, apply an atmospheric fog effect using a very subtle blue gradient in soft light mode. Adjust the overall saturation to achieve that characteristic contrast between Andalusian whites and the ochres of the rock. ☀️

• curves adjustment layers for contrast
• color balance for overall temperature
• high pass filter for sharpening details
• subtle vignette to center attention

Once finished, you will have an illustration that captures not only the shape of Setenil, but also its essence, where the rock does not oppress, but embraces, although you have probably used more layers than the real town has houses. 🎨