7
ENHANCING THE FACE
Now I start rendering Harley’s face. I use a soft
Round brush for a smoother touch and my custom
brush called Canvas 001, which gives the artwork a
more painterly look and helps me blend areas delicately.
I change the eyes a little, aiming to create more impact
with the viewer. This sort of change can be done
whenever you want around the rendering stage, really.
10
FINAL TOUCHES
Now it’s time to render the background. In this
case, I use marble and granite textures to lift the mood
a little. Some details have to be fixed, and I paint over
some unnecessary line work. I fix and clarify the
background, and finally add some lens flare effect
and dust textures, to increase visual interest.9
DON’T LOSE DETAILS
I realise I need to take more care when rendering
my character. Because Harley Quinn is the subject, I have
to be careful with tone, mid-tone and shadow. A heavy
hand and my character will suffer in darker areas, causing
a loss of image detail. A delicate use of mid-tones is crucial
during these final painting stages.
8
RENDERING THE CHARACTER
I continue to render the whole character, for now not worrying about the
tattoos that are visible on the line art. I can sort them out later after the whole
rendering process is done. I still use the same brush for rendering the character.PRO SECRETS
WORK TO A PLAN
Mistakes always occur
during the painting
process, so don’t be
afraid of making
them. Furthermore,
take the time to
put together a plan
or some simple
guidelines for how
you’re going to
approach a project.
Then, if you make a
mistake, you should
be able to retrace
your steps and get
back on course.In depth | Comic realism