handbarfs

LOVE THIS!! this is the time when Ankarna and Cassandra meet and spend time together 💗

Hi!!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate this!

So, unfortunately, I deleted the video because I wanted to save space on my iPad. I also usually merge layers so I can tweak the hues of the overall painting. What I can do is describe my process? (Extremely unhelpful, I know- but I'll make sure not to turn off videos next time!)

I usually start by lightly tracing a picture to get the dimensions right, then refining the sketch to match my drawing style.

Next, I paint a layer underneath the sketch as a base. Usually, it's red around the eyes and cheeks, yellow on the high points, and blue around the shadows. This base is very bright and vibrant. Then, I use an oil-paint-type brush to paint the skin tone over this base, allowing the base colors to peek through. This red-yellow-blue base is important because it keeps the skin looking vibrant rather than flat or dull. This is also the step where I establish the overall tone of the painting. For this piece, I wanted it to feel shadowed- similar to the scene where Mark was in his room as he was reintegrating.

I then start painting over the sketch, adding all the details to make it look realistic. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but I use a reference and paint each part of the face one by one. For the Mark reintegration piece, I painted the whole portrait first, as a whole. After finishing the portrait, I duplicated this layer, then used the lasso tool to cut the right side of his face. I lightly sketched the shapes of a cracked mirror. Some of the pieces were copy-pasted from the initial portrait, like the eyes and mouth, but for others, I wanted to include elements of his time inside Lumon, as well as glimpses of Gemma (since he was remembering Gemma as Ms. Casey while reintegrating).

I usually finish the painting by merging all the layers, adjusting brightness and contrast, tweaking the hues, and adding a very slight blur to the cracked mirror pieces so they don’t look too harsh.

I realize this is extremely convoluted, and I’m so sorry! I’m currently painting a similar piece for Gemma, so I’ll make sure to include the speedpaint video for that!

Thank you again for your interest!!