How would you start this?

[Bosstones]

Hi all,
How would you start/build up a project like this?
This would be my first 'big' project and i''m in doubt on how to start a thing like this, what color to start with, what colors in the next layers etc....
Any suggestions or ideas are very welcome....
Thank you.....

 

[alvin]

I think you should start from sketch then cut a basic stencil around head and stick it to paper/canvas. Then spray medium green but not on the eye! Then you have to work with light add some white to your paint and some black in second way. Finish head with black areas and texture of his skin then you can start work at background similar to head.
It's just my opinion I will do like that but I don't know how it will going but i think in that way you will do it corectly.

 

[Diegojavbau]

Beatiful reference , I hope to see it painted

 

[CaparzoSK]

its a great pic and I would start like ALVIN wrote, but I really really would never do this kind of pic, because there is a lot of details and you have to do them one after another- it will take a lot of time to do something that u can see that its a progres. But wish U good luck and hope to see soon your first layers of this snake

 

[Seamonkey]

I would start by finding easier reference pic, !! Just kidding!
I like to do my stuff in white first, but if its not a black canvas or the dark shade of green, you can't do that, !
I would first have a good sketch of it to go off of, and then start with the lightest shade of green, or even the yellow, then just darken as needed through the stages.
That's just how I would do it and I'm sure there are many other preferences on how to do it.
Good luck and can't wait to see it!


Josh
"Sometimes you have to let one slip......just to remind people your $#!+ really does stink

 

[Patch]

Wow!! that's great reference, I may borrow this one How I would approach it. Print to size on paper, if it's a large painting, you'll need to blow it up and join the papers by trimming and taping. I would print 3 or 4 more so that I have spares. If you make a mistake, you have spares, if you don't you'll have to reprint your work and you'll have to make sure it is scaled the same size. Once taped together I would take 2 pieces and cut them out to have a negative and a positive. One you will be painting over and the other you'll be using it to trace. Lay and tape your negative piece. Like alvin said, paint you base coat the lighter green of your reference. Using your positive, with an exacto knife, I would cut out all the black areas (both 1st and 2nd piece, these hole will make great references when you lay them on your painting.). Tape to your first piece to the board ensuring it fits neatily inside the negative. With black paint, spray lightly and enough so that you can see where you painted. This will give you really good reference point when you start painting and it will keep everything in the correct proportion and location. Once your happy, tape your 2nd positive piece to your board so that it doesn't move. Your painted black areas should match, put carbon paper behind it and start tracing

 

[Patch]

I was so impressed with the picture and didn't look at the background colour. What Josh said about, start your medium with the light green

 

[Brix]

Man this refference looks really great... But there are like hunderds of shapes on skin gona need a lot of patience... It ll be really difficult piece but result should looks awesome... I wont wait to see progress. Hmmm if I do it by myself... I may cut stencil for nose and mouth where photo is focused rest going blurry so would do it free hand I may mix yellow, light green, mid green, and really dark green, + bit of black for eyes and mouth. I would start with pure yelow - tone like lemon yelow and keep adding multiple transparent tones of green in multiple layers. Going from light to darker to get depth on areas to look plastic... You know what i mean But I think there are more ways to sucess depends on preferences ...wishing you good luck edit: i am looking it again: You may cover eye not to overspray it with green ...

 

[wickedartstudio]

I agree with Brix's method... I prefer to work light to dark and would start with a yellow-green color like lemon yellow for all the highlights. After that, I'd begin layering the green from the lightest shade first. I also avoid using black whenever possible... I'd mix a dark blue or violet with a green to reach the darkest tones. Looking forward to seeing some progress!

 

[Lowrider]

I would draw every detail in pencil very lightly and then I would paint the entire canvas yellow. Because you can see the pencil lines through the yellow, then lime/yellow green, then the medium green from the reference and then blue for the shadows. There are only a few places I would use black (eyes, nose and shadow of head). That would make a really cool dragon head.

 

[flycatchr]

being a noobie i would take everything everyone has said above, and then only do the section below for practise

 

[AndreZA]

Draw the whole thing. Paint all the dark bits, paint all the green bits with transparent. You go over the dark bits to turn them green. Preserve the whites so that you can cover with yellow.