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How to Paint! - My Process Videos & Brushes
🕑 Added 2025-06-27 16:24:18 +0000 UTCSome thoughts about my latest practices
Armor
I wanted to mix costume with a reflective material for rendering purposes, and I found this female armor costume perfect for the job. I drew a great number of curved lines, not only because of female anatomy but because the armor itself had plenty. I didn’t spend too much time in this phase, as my goal was to get that shiny look of the metal through values. First, I defined the shadows cast from the light at the top in a quick, rough way to later refine them with sharp and soft brushes. The key insight when rendering metal-like shapes like these is that you are literally painting a mirror, so whatever colors and values you find in the armor or material are merely a reflection of its environment—in this case, the armor itself and the sword.
Muffin
A really quick and fun practice to do after the armor one. What I love most about painting these kinds of materials is that little cold reflection some desserts have on top, I assume as a consequence of white or sunlight—maybe. The value composition is very straightforward: dark tones on top, middle grey in the middle or below, some very bright ones where the muffin cracked, and finally the slight highlight reflection I just mentioned.
Orange Tree
This particular reference does not present a complex value composition in terms of rendered volume, but it does in contrast between shapes (tree and background), in which I believe the protagonist is the warm color from the sunset. I guess that was what captured my attention in the first place—just the color.
That being said, notice how the first part of the process consists of choosing a hard-edge brush to make clear and clean shape silhouettes. This, I believe, is the hard core part—especially for the tree branches and leaves. It’s too easy to fall into chaos with no clear way of reading the top. After struggling for a while, I ended up making big circular lasso tool selections and painting brush strokes within the selection, so the chaos in the foliage had, in some way, a main geometric shape. I think translating these kinds of aspects of nature into a simpler form makes it attractive and understandable to the viewer.
Coffee Pot
The main aspect I focused on in this practice was the shape silhouette of the object. I liked the triangular shapes and corners I would be able to push, plus that rusty look the metal had, especially at the bottom. More than practical, I chose to make this painting because it felt nostalgic.
Noses
Well, this was an unusual frame, and it took quite a bit to get done. I assumed that because it was just noses, it would be quick—well, the drawing part indeed was, but the rendering was a bit more demanding. I thought I could leave the practice with just line art, but I really liked some of the skin tones and reflections in the reference. Why did I paint noses? Every once in a while, I like to approach a body part and show the process I use for painting it. I think painting is like solving a problem in which the artist, by sharing the process, shows a path for others to follow. When looking at my process, focus on the very first minutes—what I do with lines or shapes—that’s the most important part. As for noses, keep it simple and pay attention to where the tip of the nose is. Don’t overdefine nostrils or other aspects unless it’s a face showing exaggerated expressions or many expression lines, like an old man or woman will have. Most of the nose work is done during the painting process—the drawing should stay simple, in my opinion.
Sunset
Last but not least, a nice sunset where the colors felt unreal. I chose this practice because it was complex yet simple at the same time. By that I mean, the big shape silhouettes were simple—three mountains with clean, clear shapes and the sea. But the colors and values were a bit more complex, yet perfectly balanced for the viewer to focus on the warm tones on the horizon. I think this type of practice relaxes me—I don’t overcomplicate the shapes at first, so I can move forward with beautiful colors and values.
Process Video: https://youtu.be/gHyAawYrL8s
Brushes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wHu8wuEHjDk-VfnZqv8iy8rwnvu8Ngmj?usp=sharing
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https://rebrand.ly/The-Art-of-RamonN90
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