4
THE PRIMER
I paint with a soft textured brush. I use it as I would
a primer in traditional painting. It’s still rough, but this step
helps me to give more volume to the main lines of the face
and think seriously about the light. I start to visualise where
I want to go with the colours, lighting and overall mood.7
STARTING TO DETAIL
I use different textured brushes on the cloth and gun
and work on the ammunition belt and the soft glow of the
cigar. I start to detail the skulls and choose to stay in blue-
purple hues so as not to draw too much attention to them.
I often use the Smudge tool, with the tool preset to a brush
by Sam Nielson, which makes it simple to mix colours.6
DEFINING THE LIGHT
Now my values are darker and I’m feeling the
character more. I add detail to the skin and set the angle of
the main light, which is top right. I paint an area of reflected
light on the skin by following the colour defined in my
shadowed areas and lightening its value. In this step I’ve
used the Chalkwet brush a lot, for a gouache texture.5
THE RIGHT MOOD
On a new layer, I paint over him with a blue-purple
gradient, softly saturated, with Multiply set to 40 per cent to
strengthen the silhouette. I duplicate the layer and change
the mode to Overlay at 45 per cent. On a third layer I add
a yellow gradient in Subtract mode, which removes the
yellow from my channels and helps create a nocturnal feel.3
COLOUR MASSES
I focus on the character and start blocking in colours
by making selections with the Lasso tool. I often fill areas
with a gradient, because it quickly gives the idea of volume
and diversifies the colour palette. Usually it takes me about
an hour to find the right hues. Here things are simpler:
Hellboy already has a colour scheme. It’s mine to play with.8
ADDING BACKGROUND
I add a simple background and at the same time
flatten most of my layers. I keep working on the character,
adding more subtle details. Going online, I find some
reference images of leather and metal. The darker the
background, the more startling the effect. This is handy
for the reflections on the metal, too.PRO SECRETS
3D SOFTWARE
If you use 3D software
such as ZBrush, make
a quick model based
on your drawing to
give it volume. You’ll
be able to choose
your lighting angle
and then see how
your digital painting
will be illuminated!SHORTCUTS
Wacom stylus
side switch buttons
I set the Down button to
Opt for sampling colours.
Up is set to right-click
for Brushes mode.
WORKSHOP
BRUSHES
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSHES:
CHALKWETMy main brush for
everything. It gives a
nice gouache effect. I
use the Cintiq’s
pressure sensitivity
and barely touch the
Opacity.Workshops