Video Notes: More About “The Witch”
This post expands upon the video posted here.
This video was previously posted on my other blog. One day, I sat down to do this painting, and decided to record the whole process. It was a fun experiment, and I thought it turned out really well. Hopefully, I can use this new website to feature more of them in the future, in addition to other articles and tutorials. Here’s some additional information behind this video…
Notice that I start out by filling my witch with a solid reddish color. This just makes it more interesting when I paint on top of it, and prevents any white from showing through. It’s also handy because I use this red layer as a clipping mask for all layers above it. By doing that, I ensure that only the red area is affected throughout my whole painting process; I do this a lot when creating “spot” images. You’ll notice that in the video, while I’m painting the initial block-in, that all my colors stay inside the lines, even when my brush strays far from it. I’ll be sure to post more on this process later.
On top of my initial color block-in, I added another layer and filled it with a dark purple color. I then erased it away. I like adding value this way, and it makes a cool texture.
After the texture, I proceed to paint some more details with a small, pencil-like brush.
After I have a pretty finished painting, I make some last-minute adjustments to color, contrast, etc.
There you have it! I hope this was insightful.
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Thanks so much for elucidating on your technique. i’d watched the .mov a few times previously, and i didn’t notice you were erasing that layer. very cool technique. thans so much for posting this info. I really appreciate it.
I’ve seen the final witch paintings in your portfolio, i love your paintings!
How have you painted the smoke and wisps floating up from the cauldron? Same in the painting of Mr. Tumnus which has the billowing wind all around him? Thanks for posting all the tutorials and tips! I’ve learnt so much from here!
Hi Ramya. A lot of times, I will paint smoke, wind, or other effects on separate layers. This allows me to play with the subtlety and transparency.