Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 137

Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 137

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Four Fantastic Villains. 2010. Acrylic, gouache,
and watercolor on bristol board, 11 x 17".

Here's the rest of the reference from this group of misunderstood misanthropes. Our pepper grinder made for a decent approximation of Doom's armor, while my trophy gave me ideas for specific reflections. Posing for the Mole Man was by far my favorite, as is probably evident. I also spritzed myself to see what kind of reflections I could get for Namor, but in the end, I just went with a more stylized reflection: single-stroke, well-defined highlights.

These pics were taken at various stages during the painting process. I usually begin with burnt umber watercolor or gouache that is fairly watered-down and thinly applied. This provides the basic structure upon which I can add bolder color, the final strokes being the most opaque. In this case, the background was simple and graphic, so a large quantity was pre-mixed in order that the entire expanse could be painted at once with some left over in case revisions were necessary.

Color Study over Digital Print, 8.5 x 11"
Pencil Layout, 4 x 6"
Digital Color Study

⊡ 9:48:00 PM