painting the x-men

7/29/2019 Painting the x-men

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Painting the X-Men

ByPaolo Rivera

Mythos: X-Men, Page 8. 2005. Oil on board, 16 24.

I've been a Muddyreader since the blog's inception, so it's a great honor to be a contributing artist. My favorite

posts have always been about process, so I thought an appropriate introduction to my work should involve just

that. Specifically, my first few posts will explore the series of styles and media I've employed over the years, as

well as the reasons for shifting gears.

I began my professional career as an oil painter, and have slowly evolved into a traditional comic book style overthe last 10 years. Mythos: X-Men, featured here, was the first book where I felt comfortable with my styleprio

to that, every page was a true struggle. This book was still challenging, but I at least knew what my goal was and

how to get there. The only drawback was the amount of time needed, and this 23-page comic (plus cover) took

me roughly 10 months to complete. I was also painting other covers at the time, but my output was not adequat

by any measure.
http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2012/07/painting-x-men.htmlhttp://paolorivera.blogspot.com/http://paolorivera.blogspot.com/http://paolorivera.blogspot.com/http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rdeDK6r36aI/UAdU-pCNaVI/AAAAAAAAHFw/LgX_TR2CLds/s1600/MYTHOS001008.jpghttp://paolorivera.blogspot.com/http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2012/07/painting-x-men.html


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1. Pencil Layout, 4 6 2. Digital Color Study

While my media have changed since this issue, my mental process is nearly identical. I begin each page with a

small layout to work out compositions and ensure legibility (although now I sketch digitally). This rough is then

scanned into Photoshop for a digital color study.

3. Pencils, 8 12 4. Finalized Color Study

Once approved by my editor, it's just a case of refining the draftsmanship and color scheme. It may seem like a

superfluous step, but it removes any doubt when it comes time to paint. Doubt can be an inspiring opponent, of
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A6UcSzh29Os/UAdU8tteTAI/AAAAAAAAHFY/zG_-wpNgRKU/s1600/MYTHOS001008-lyt-dcs.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FMUYyGOYUxE/UAdU9ZW-yNI/AAAAAAAAHFg/jWrbbUU5gkY/s1600/MYTHOS001008-pcl-csf.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A6UcSzh29Os/UAdU8tteTAI/AAAAAAAAHFY/zG_-wpNgRKU/s1600/MYTHOS001008-lyt-dcs.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FMUYyGOYUxE/UAdU9ZW-yNI/AAAAAAAAHFg/jWrbbUU5gkY/s1600/MYTHOS001008-pcl-csf.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A6UcSzh29Os/UAdU8tteTAI/AAAAAAAAHFY/zG_-wpNgRKU/s1600/MYTHOS001008-lyt-dcs.jpg


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course, but not when I'm trying to meet a deadline.

5. Transfer to Board 6. Final Painting.

Using a projector, I would transfer the page to custom-cut,primed masonitewith burnt umber, a fast-drying oil

pigment, often using odorless mineral spirits to draw by wiping back to the surface. I wouldn't do a full-fledged

grisaille underpainting, but important areasfaces, hands, etc.were fully rendered. Borders were painted in

acrylic and taped off. I ended up adding the borders digitally for print, but the extra effort allowed me to sell the

original paintings.

The palette pictured above is a cookie sheet that locked into place with 2 rubber door stops on the underside of

the easel. It was easily removed for more detailed work. At one point, I used a glass palette so I could mix colorson top of my digital color study. It was a nice trick, but I got tired of cleaning the surface.
http://realgesso.com/http://realgesso.com/http://realgesso.com/http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uN3s2aBIelU/UAdU-ADtjiI/AAAAAAAAHFo/uKvsFVqBW7M/s1600/MYTHOS001008-wip.jpghttp://realgesso.com/


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Panel 4

After that, it was just a case of mixing the right color and putting it in the right place. I would often paint directly

on my digital print to ensure the right color mix. While I was happy with the results, this took far too much time

and ended up being my last issue in oil.

Scanning was a challenge in itself, and I ended up spending a month just removing dust and glare from the pages

in Photoshop. That alone was enough to send me searching for another way to paint. In my next post, I'll show

how I made the switch to acrylic and gouache with Mythos: Hulk.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fZszw7Xh3dY/UAdU_bT-P8I/AAAAAAAAHF4/M44ZxDlFlqs/s1600/MYTHOS001008p4.jpghttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fZszw7Xh3dY/UAdU_bT-P8I/AAAAAAAAHF4/M44ZxDlFlqs/s1600/MYTHOS001008p4.jpg


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Panel 5

On Contrast, Part 1 of 3

The following is an expanded excerpt from my Brooklyn Public Library Lecture.

The heart of human perception is contrast. Through the comparison of various sets of information, our

subconscious minds are able to construct a visceral model of the environment that enables us to navigate throug

it. But this benefit has its costs: because our sensations are based on relative comparisons, our subsequent

interpretations are not absolute. One major consequence of this is that we are easily fooled by context.

My favorite example of this has nothing to do with vision, though the same principles apply. Lets say you

submerge one hand in cold water, and the other in hot, allowing time for each to adapt to the temperature. Upo
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tSHISYyNrc8/UAhtLe08lsI/AAAAAAAAHGg/T5lwY0qpmOc/s1600/MYTHOS001008p5.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_WhnangiI/AAAAAAAADYo/LwHo9wBIQNs/s1600-h/YNGALLCOM003p3_scn.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tSHISYyNrc8/UAhtLe08lsI/AAAAAAAAHGg/T5lwY0qpmOc/s1600/MYTHOS001008p5.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_WhnangiI/AAAAAAAADYo/LwHo9wBIQNs/s1600-h/YNGALLCOM003p3_scn.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tSHISYyNrc8/UAhtLe08lsI/AAAAAAAAHGg/T5lwY0qpmOc/s1600/MYTHOS001008p5.jpg


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touching the same object with each hand, you will feel opposing sensations: one warm, the other cool. This mea

you are the worlds worst thermometeryou have no independent scale for judging assorted values and are at

the mercy of circumstantial evidence.

Mythos: Fantastic Four, page 17, panels 3, 4

2007

acrylic and gouache on bristol board11 x 17"

In this scene from Mythos: Fantastic Four, the Human Torch, flaming on for the first time asks, Is it cold in here?

Ive always liked that line from Paul Jenkins because it reveals the level at which hes immersing himself in the

situation. For someone who is burning (comfortably), the world must feel frigid, much like someone who is

running a fever.

I bring up this image for another reason as well. I am often asked how I paint firehow to make it glow. Its all

about context. By controlling the visual situation, I can let people know that whitethe brightest option I have

means light. The surrounding gradient indicates the lights color. Every other value in the composition is

significantly darker. In my own nerdy mind, I call this the lightsaber effect. The light source (the blade) is thebrightest value, surrounded by color, surrounded by dark of any kind. I've pixelated the following image in order

to exaggerate and, hence, clarify the relationships among the color values.
http://splashpageart.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=15104&ArtistId=123&Details=0&From=TDetail&Type=%25&Mag=Mythos+Fantastic+Fourhttp://splashpageart.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=15104&ArtistId=123&Details=0&From=TDetail&Type=%25&Mag=Mythos+Fantastic+Fourhttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_TsNXoS4I/AAAAAAAADYg/3iYAbvruov0/s1600-h/MYTHFF001017p3-4.jpghttp://splashpageart.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=15104&ArtistId=123&Details=0&From=TDetail&Type=%25&Mag=Mythos+Fantastic+Four


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The effect is further promoted through reflected light, as in the image of Yoda, below. This is why some of thehuman jedi in Star Wars movies might look a bit off: the glow is added in post-production, so no light is actually

emitted from the blade; whereas the computer generated characters are appropriately lit (if poorly animated).
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_Tr93ZGGI/AAAAAAAADYY/1KHCSBgf0tM/s1600-h/yoda_and_lightsaber.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_YmbTnk6I/AAAAAAAADYw/k7pl6sx5Bdc/s1600-h/pixelated_lightsaber.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_Tr93ZGGI/AAAAAAAADYY/1KHCSBgf0tM/s1600-h/yoda_and_lightsaber.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_YmbTnk6I/AAAAAAAADYw/k7pl6sx5Bdc/s1600-h/pixelated_lightsaber.jpg


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http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_d4Fw-OAa1ms/S0_TrNfDUCI/AAAAAAAADYI/IHn8NsXEGZo/s1600-h/obi_and_lightsaber.jpg

painting the x-men

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