Very nice!

Posted by Michaelson from leospace047.utsi.edu on June 28, 2000 at 17:26:20:

In Reply to: How it was done posted by Adam on June 28, 2000 at 16:36:05:

: : What is your medium? (it looks kind of like air brush, but the picture is far too precise to have been done in that)
: : As a (somewhat) "fellow" artist, I am a stick in the mud when it comes to colour. Probably because it's so hard to do, but also that when I do a sketch first in pencil (with MUCH detail), and then try to use the easiest shading with coloured pencil, the thing just FLOPS! >:-(
: : What do you do?
: : Adventurously,
: : Ulla

: First, I used gesso on hardboard. This provides a great deal of texture -- you can't see it in the picture here, as it was a photo using diffused lighting.

: After a pencil sketch, a basic coat of acrylic was used for the figures. The sky was airbrushed in the background soon following.

: Then, I went back to the Indy & Marion figures, adding details in both acrylic paint and colored pencil, then re-applying paint, colored pencil, on and on until I was satisfied. A problem with this is that applying pencil to thick layers of acrylic can often "rip" the paint, which is why I try to be slow and careful in the process.

: Marion's face only took about one or two days to paint, but Indy's took about a week.

: The hardest thing about the work, by far was the Ark. It stalled me for a month. Again, basic paint was used with pencil for details (a set of diagonal, rulered lines gave the Ark's front it's weird "sheen"), but using pencil is too hard to get the smooth look of metal. Thankfully, duing the course of the painting I got a new airbrush and compressor, and it saved me. It's hard for me to use the damn thing and I get very nervous, and still feel like I'm learning it after all these years. (Struzan really is a master of it; I don't know how he does it so effortlessly.)

: The "frame" of the painting was the easiest to do; it was done in less than a weekend. I thought of the idea based, obviously, on Struzan's work for the STAR WARS rereleases - how each image was framed by a starscape. Therefore, Indy would best be served by an old, withered stone frame. It was initially painted black, and then I used a toothbrush to "flick" on different colors and layers of speckled paint for the illusion of stone. The hieroglyphics and border were sketched in using black colored pencil, and then different shades of green and brown were used to hightlight. Then finally, the cracks to the frame were added with drybrush. (I overdid it, I'm afraid.)

: The fire was a challenge; I never painted fire before, and here I must owe another debt to Struzan's work. Obviously, the very design of the entire piece owes much to Struzan's RAIDERS poster for the international release - It seemed so effective to me that I wanted to feature a somewhat different take on it.

: The fire was sketched out with white gesso, then overlaid with an airbrushed coat of deep red. Then I went back with a brush and re-applied the white flames with a drybrush. A dark orange coat was applied, then yellow, then white -- working backward on the color scale, with the "lightest" paint color added last.

: I then went back and airbrushed Indy and Marion. Little "spots" of light on Indy's whip, hat, jacket, etc...

: The big problem was Marion's hair -- next to painting hands, hair is a MAJOR problem for me. So I tried at first highlighting her hair with white paint, then airbrushing those areas. But the results seemed flat, so I went back and added more dark strands of hair in the front to give it more of a flowing depth. I spent almost as much time on the hair as I did on her face, but I didn't really like the way it turned out.

: Ironically, Belloq and Toht were both drawn and painted in less than 90 minutes. They were sketched out in white colored pencil, and then I worked in monochromatic layers of green to white (for Toht) and red to yellow (for Belloq). Belloq cameout only OKAY, as the photo reference I used (a seldom seen profile shot with him in the Hebrew attire) wasn't a very recognizable likeness of Paul Freeman.

: Toht, however, was the easiest thing to paint -- and I like the way he turned out more than anyone else.

: Originally, I sketched in a scene featuring the truck chase were Belloq ended up. Belloq was originally going to be to the lower left of Indy's arm (a picture of him holding the idol) but after changing Indy's pose, this was problematic in that the whip would have overlapped the face.

I've placed it on my main classroom computer screen as a wallpaper. It's already drawn several compliments. Excellent work, my friend! I'm proud to show case it.Regards. Michaelson

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: : : What is your medium?  (it looks kind of like air brush, but the picture is far too precise to have been done in that)
: : : As a (somewhat) "fellow" artist, I am a stick in the mud when it comes to colour.  Probably because it's so hard to do, but also that when I do a sketch first in pencil (with MUCH detail), and then try to use the easiest shading with coloured pencil, the thing just FLOPS! >:-(
: : : What do you do?
: : : Adventurously,
: : : Ulla

: : First, I used gesso on hardboard.  This provides a great deal of texture -- you can't see it in the picture here, as it was a photo using diffused lighting.

: : After a pencil sketch, a basic coat of acrylic was used for the figures.  The sky was airbrushed in the background soon following.

: : Then, I went back to the Indy & Marion figures, adding details in both acrylic paint and colored pencil, then re-applying paint, colored pencil, on and on until I was satisfied.  A problem with this is that applying pencil to thick layers of acrylic can often "rip" the paint, which is why I try to be slow and careful in the process.

: : Marion's face only took about one or two days to paint, but Indy's took about a week.

: : The hardest thing about the work, by far was the Ark.  It stalled me for a month.  Again, basic paint was used with pencil for details (a set of diagonal, rulered lines gave the Ark's front it's weird "sheen"), but using pencil is too hard to get the smooth look of metal.  Thankfully, duing the course of the painting I got a new airbrush and compressor, and it saved me.  It's hard for me to use the damn thing and I get very nervous, and still feel like I'm learning it after all these years.  (Struzan really is a master of it; I don't know how he does it so effortlessly.)

: : The "frame" of the painting was the easiest to do; it was done in less than a weekend.  I thought of the idea based, obviously, on Struzan's work for the STAR WARS rereleases - how each image was framed by a starscape.  Therefore, Indy would best be served by an old, withered stone frame.  It was initially painted black, and then I used a toothbrush to "flick" on different colors and layers of speckled paint for the illusion of stone.  The hieroglyphics and border were sketched in using black colored pencil, and then different shades of green and brown were used to hightlight.  Then finally, the cracks to the frame were added with drybrush.  (I overdid it, I'm afraid.)

: : The fire was a challenge; I never painted fire before, and here I must owe another debt to Struzan's work.  Obviously, the very design of the entire piece owes much to Struzan's RAIDERS poster for the international release - It seemed so effective to me that I wanted to feature a somewhat different take on it.

: : The fire was sketched out with white gesso, then overlaid with an airbrushed coat of deep red.  Then I went back with a brush and re-applied the white flames with  a drybrush.  A dark orange coat was applied, then yellow, then white -- working backward on the color scale, with the "lightest" paint color added last.

: : I then went back and airbrushed Indy and Marion.  Little "spots" of light on Indy's whip, hat, jacket, etc...

: : The big problem was Marion's hair -- next to painting hands, hair is a MAJOR problem for me.  So I tried at first highlighting her hair with white paint, then airbrushing those areas.  But the results seemed flat, so I went back and added more dark strands of hair in the front to give it more of a flowing depth.  I spent almost as much time on the hair as I did on her face, but I didn't really like the way it turned out.

: : Ironically, Belloq and Toht were both drawn and painted in less than 90 minutes.  They were sketched out in white colored pencil, and then I worked in monochromatic layers of green to white (for Toht) and red to yellow (for Belloq).  Belloq cameout only OKAY, as the photo reference I used (a seldom seen profile shot with him in the Hebrew attire) wasn't a very recognizable likeness of Paul Freeman.

: : Toht, however, was the easiest thing to paint -- and I like the way he turned out more than anyone else.

: : Originally, I sketched in a scene featuring the truck chase were Belloq ended up.  Belloq was originally going to be to the lower left of Indy's arm (a picture of him holding the idol) but after changing Indy's pose, this was problematic in that the whip would have overlapped the face.

: 
: I've placed it on my main classroom computer screen as a wallpaper. It's already drawn several compliments. Excellent work, my friend! I'm proud to show case it.Regards. Michaelson

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