so a while back I made a “how-to” for how I render gold for shits-n-gigs. Recently, I had to reference this myself because I straight up FORGOT how I paint gold in the middle of working on a commission.
Figured it would be fun to share, if yall want to know my gold painting secrets (spoiler, im very lazy and just want the fastest and dirtiest way to get something done. and for me, this is it)
Here is my no-fail, 10 step (it sounds like a lot, i swear its not) method:
2) Ink thing. When inking I draw big “I” shaped black chunks on metal stuff. Usually I’ll put one thick and one thin next to each other. If I’m being especially lazy, I will literally just draw a black scribble in a vauge I-ish shape.
3) Flat color block. I usually go for a mid-tone yellow-ish color. Not super saturated.
4) Shading. Use a more saturated color several shades darker. I focus the shading around where I inked those black “I” shapes. I wrote to be mindful of a light source, and this is what you should do. But I’ll be honest, I usually just shade around the edges.
5) LIGHT. Use a bright saturated yellow color. I usually pick one and then color adjust as necessary once it’s blocked in. Catch the rims/edges of objects. I usually use more of those double “I” shapes in the middle.
6) SPECIAL EFFECTS BAYBEEE. Douplicate highlight layer. Set it to “Add.” Use gaussian blue until it glows to your liking. Adjust opacity as you like.
7) ONE MO ‘GAIN. Repeat step 6. Set to “Color Dodge.” Adjust hue/opacity as you like.
8) Futz around till you like it. I like to add more color dodge above the ink layer to brighten some spots. This is optional.
9) Corrections. Assuming you’re working on a non-white background, those Add and Dodge layers will show over the edges of your lineart. This is where I take a soft airbrush eraser and remove what I dont like.
10) Final futzing. Sometimes I’ll add a dark blue Overlay layer to reduce saturation and increase contrast. Added some “shinies.” To do this draw some thin cross-shaped lines that taper at the ends. Duplicate layer. Change layer mode to “Add.” Use Motion Blur in the same direction as the cross long-ways.
AND YER DONE CONGRATS. Are there better ways? Eehhhh probably. Do I use them? Nah. This is what works for me and my work-flow, so feel free to try it out if you want! ✨✨✨
discoholicmusic
vaporwave
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
jbbartram-illu
dededos
