The Justice League project

I gave the option to some friends that if they want me to do art projects for them that they are welcome to send me some ideas. My friend Eric sent me the cover to Justice League the New Frontier to paint. I opted to zoom in a bit and just focus on the main characters.

(Picture pulled up and zoomed in on my computer screen. Yes I have a pink theme. Don't judge lol)

This was a very big venture into the world of art for me since I hadn't done a serious painting piece in years. But I knew I could do it if I focused.

Step 1: sketching

Forgot to get an image of just the sketch but this is close. Always lightly sketch a painting. This allows for making the proportions correct and basic layout. 

Step 2: painting

Always go from light to dark. You can always add but taking away is more difficult. Also, always do highlights last. If you want something to really pop add it at the end to make sure it is not diluted into the other colors. I am using acrylic so it dries fast and allows for mess ups and re-dos. 

Try not to waste paint. I had some red left over so went ahead and filled in some of the red I needed to even if I wasn't there yet. 

Shading is important and a pain all wrapped up in one. Again, always add never subtract. Do the light and add a little more. And then a little more.  This creates the effect you are looking for.

Try to do things in sections. And then if you get tired or frustrated with one just start working on another. Sometimes the change of work helps you refocus later.

To do the stars I flipped the paintbrush around and dipped the end in white paint. Easy and simple for just plain dots.

Brush stokes can sometimes be very important. The gold for wonder woman's chest was thick. In order for it to look like armor it had to contour in the shape her breastplate would. The directions emphasize the detail.

To do the fade I crumpled up paper and dabbed the green paint. In retrospect it seemed counter productive to do this on top of what I had already done. But it ended up allowing me to have a good transparent look. I just went back over the black words afterward

Skin was by far the part I was most worried about. I had never done a detailed person before with shading for depth. To do this I combined the cream with brown and white highlights. Again the brush strokes helped contour her shape.

And here ladies and gents is the finished product. I am really proud of this one.

If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to share. Would love to hear from you or help you out.