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After a gestation period of about a year, I
have finalized the concept of the new Apache Longbow painting. On August 10th, 1999 I
began with a pencil drawing on my illustration board. |
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First the transparent frisket is applied. I
then remove sections to be painted. In this case the two ordinance stub wings are traced
with an exacto knife, then uncovered to reveal the white of the illustration board. I mix
a highlight color for the tops of the stub wings, then spray the color across the top with
the airbrush. |
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The next step is to spray in the shadow area,
working from light to dark to avoid unwanted color shifts. |
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A close-up reveals the scratching and erasing
technique necessary to lend a sense of weathering to the stub wings. Otherwise the final
aircraft will appear too plastic or sterile. I then remove the frisket covering the
missile pylons and spray in the highlights. |
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I then spray the dark colors onto the missle
pylons. |
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After spraying the dark colors onto the missle
pylons, I replace the frisket to protect them and the stub wings from the overspray
of adjacent areas. Now it is time to remove the frisket from the underside and spray the
dark area around the chain gun. |
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The fairings that house the
avionics are then completed and careful attention is payed to the relationship between
lights and darks. At this point, the overall image may appear too dark due to the amount
of surrounding white board. |
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September 3rd, back to work on the painting.
The engine housing is sprayed and the frisket covering the engine inlets is removed
exposing the white of the board. |
