Painting Part VI: Finishing

8/23 Today I aimed to finish the painting so it would be ready to show in a video interview the next day. My hand was steadier than in the previous session, but still not as steady as I would wish; touching up the gas giant rings was a challenge. I painted fine dividing lines in phthalo blue, then phthalo glazes on the back side of the ring to make it recede. The yellow half was so crooked, I had to completely paint over it with indian yellow, paint it back in white and naples yellow, then glaze the shadowed part with red transparent iron oxide + burnt sienna. To clean up the planet edge, I painted a smooth edge with white, glazed it with indian yellow, then added other color touchups as needed to make it match.

( More process and pictures )

The final result: (I'm hoping to replace this with a better photo; the light in this is a bit dim)

It took me about 30 hours total to paint. If there hadn't been the deadline and requirement to produce it for someone else, there was a point when I would have given up and walked away, maybe never come back to it. Instead I had to keep pushing till I made it work, and I did. That experience was extremely valuable.

I feel I've created a compelling image, one that helps define the project. I wanted to create an image that would make viewers curious, without giving too much away. I wanted to keep a certain ambiguity and tension between these characters, because that is important in the script. What's going on with these two? Is this help or threat, rescue or murder? Is the yellow man dead or alive? I'm pleased that it provokes curiosity about what happens before and after this moment. When I showed it to people who didn't know the story, they were immediately asking questions: "Is that guy alive? Will they fix their ship? What's going to happen to them?" That is exactly what I hoped.

Now here's hoping the filmmakers can raise the money they need and actually get this movie made...

Painting Appendix: Technicalities

For those who are interested in such things, here is a list of all the paint colors, brushes, and other tools I used for the movie poster painting.

This picture of my palette on finishing day shows most of the main colors I was using:


( List of materials )

A few specific things I learned or was reminded of in the process:

*It is easier to hide unwanted color by first painting over it with a tint (grey, light blue, etc.), and then with white, instead of just layers of white.

*Beware outlining with dark colors. Edges tend to catch light, not have hard outlines.

*If underpainting, be careful to choose a color that is warm or cool as suited to what you will paint over it. Beware of sketchy early brushstrokes in areas that need an even finish, like a blue sky.

*Don't rub paint off the painting with a paper towel (it leaves bits of paper; use a lint-free material or cotton swab instead)

*Use two water jars: one for warm colors, one for cool colors; you won't have to change water as often to avoid contaminating colors.