Hellboy
Thoughts on cartoony painting
I had resolved to really go extreme on this, to try for a graphic novel cel look. I gave it a decent go but it ended up feeling wrong—at least the way I was doing it. So instead, I’ve cranked my highlighting and shadows up to 11.
Turns out I may paint everything that way from here on. I’ve known I was always a bit tentative at the far ends of the spectrum but this has been a really useful exercise. I still would probably benefit from brightening the highlights even more, particularly when I paint black, but I’m getting there.
Also, I’ve been going in and painting black outlines wherever there’s a break/change in material. That’s another thing I will likely keep doing as it sharpens everything.
For any of you looking to improve certain techniques, I can certainly recommend the Vallejo boxes (like the Wood & Leather one or the Black & White) as much or more for their step by step guide as for the paint. I’m now comfortable enough with some of the techniques to go beyond what is in the step by step guide.
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