I started with a loose silhouette to define the overall shape and personality of the demon.  With character design, it’s always a good idea to establish a strong silhouette.  A strong silhouette instantly communicates the personality of your character with just a quick glance.  I probably could have pushed the silhouette further.

Once the silhouette was established, I started filling in the details.  Mike Lavalee of Killer Paint came up with the slogan “Wide to tight, dark to light” when painting his True Fire kustom paint work, a phrase that applies perfectly to digital and traditional painting.  Wide to tight means starting out with broad, wide strokes working increasingly smaller to build up details.  Dark to light means starting out with darker colors gradually building up shape and detail with increasingly lighter colors.

I kind of wussed out on the feet.  I realized too late that my initial silhouette didn’t leave room for proper legs.  So I painted in some fog to cover my oversight.

Lots of fun with the DS!  If you’ve got one, I highly recommend Colors!