ArtFantastix

An illustrated guide to Boris and Julie's painting technique.

Step By Step Illustrated Guide

Painting Media & Preparation

Animated Sequences

Boris & Julies Palettes

A Guide to the Artist's Painting Technique

Boris's advice to artists and the importance of study

Boris has been drawing from a very early age, in fact he claims he cannot remember a time when he was not drawing. He attended art school and is grateful for the formal training he received there.

It offers several benefits, a good teacher can share his experiences and keep you on a straight path, you can see the work of fellow students and benefit from their feedback, strive to attain the level of those above and recognise your current standing along the artistic path.

Preparing The Boards

format_quote The first step with any painting is having a good surface on which to work. Boris and Julie do not use canvas for their illustrations as the texture of even the finest interferes with fine detail...

By choice, Boris and Julie use Strathmore cold press, double weight illustration board. This is made of 100% cotton, is acid free and permanent. They reserve canvas for private works and experiments. format_quote

format_quote One problem Boris and Julie find with illustration board is that it is naturally too absorbent, sucking the paint in and causing it to dry too quickly.format_quote

Coating With Gesso

preparing a board.
format_quoteThe boards are primed with three coats of Gesso, each brushed on at right angles to the previous one to avoid creating texture and left to dry before recoating.Gesso is a white acrylic undercoat that gives a matt surface. The large three-inch brush is dipped in water each time before recharged to thin.format_quote
format_quote It takes several hours for the boards to dry so Boris and Julie generally take half a day for the job to prepare several boards at a time.format_quote

Preventing Bowing

preparing a board.
format_quoteTo resist any tendency to bowing, a three quarter inch Styrofoam backing board consisting of a foam layer sandwiched between two paper layers, is used. The Styrofoam and Gesso boards are taped together at the edges with artists tape (a finer and wider version of masking tape).format_quote
format_quoteTwo inch tape is laid over the sandwiched boards to create a frame around the area to be painted.format_quote

Creating a Border

preparing a board.
Julie: format_quote A lot of people think the last two steps are not important but they give the work a professional finish.format_quote

Boris: format_quote Presentation still makes a difference if someone comes to buy a painting. Also it shows a pride in what you do.format_quote
format_quotePressing down the edges to prevent paint seepage.format_quote

Preventing Paint Seepage

preparing a board.
format_quoteFinally, a burnishing tool is used to press down the panel edge of the masking tape to prevent paint seeping under it. When a painting is complete, the masking tape is removed to give a nice clean edge; but it's important to leave the artist's tape binding the boards together so the picture doesn't curl as the paint dries.format_quote
format_quoteBoris and Julie use Windsor & Newton sable series 7 N0. 0 or 1. These are expensive, and they use one or two per painting.format_quote

Preparing Brushes

preparing a board.
format_quoteStart with two small, two medium and two large brushes. One of these is for laying down areas of colour and one for blending paints on the board, going over them with a clean, dry brush to smooth the gradations of colour...Blending is 50% of the painting process. Smoothness is achieved by using a dry brush. Some areas are blended and some made really rough, to get contrasts.format_quote
format_quoteDisposable palette pads are used for each new painting. Not allowing the paint to dry for more than three or four days otherwise it dries too quickly on the board and becomes to work.format_quote

Boris's Palette

preparing a board.

Cadmiums: Green, Pale-Green, Yellow, Lemon, Orange, Scarlet, Red, Deep-Red
Windsor: Green, Blue-(Green Shade)
Also: Titanium White, Naples Yellow, French-Ultramaine, Cobalt-Blue, Manganese-Blue, Permanent-Rose, Alizarin-Crimson

Julie:format_quoteI usually put most of these colours on my palette even if they're not all going to be used, because you don't want to have to stop in the middle to add a new colour.format_quote

Julie's Palette

preparing a board.

Cadmiums: Deep-Red, Red, Scarlet, Orange, Yellow, Lemon, Green, Pale-Green.
Windsor: Green, Blue
Also: Titanium White, Naples Yellow, Brown-Madder-Alizarin, Raw Sienna, Gold Ochre,Manganese-Blue, French-Ultramaine, Alizarin-Crimson, Permanent-Rose

Reference Materials

format_quote Although the starting point for Boris and Julies pictures is usuallly a rough, or even quite detailed sketch, the realism of their paintings comes from a skilled use of reference material. For this they have accumlated a vast library of art and nature books, magazines - anything really that shows textures and details they may want to paint. Much of this they have photographed themselves. format_quote

format_quoteOften a model will be photographed with suitable props, this adds realisim to the scene and saves searching for references materials later on.format_quote

A Good Range of Props

preparing a board.
format_quoteBoris and Julies's battle props range from genuine antique weapons and authentic replicas through to fantasy swords, some of which were designed by Boris and Julie themselves for the Franklin Mint.format_quote
format_quoteBeing professionals we've built up our equipment little by little, but most consumer digital camers now give really good-quality pictures.format_quote

Preparing Brushes

preparing a board.
format_quoteA large hanging roll of paper forms a neutral background. Often two stroboscopic light banks are used to light the subject front and back. This produces shadows that add a three dimensional quality to the scene.format_quote
format_quoteI'm quite sure that if cameras had been available to the Old Masters many of them would have prefered working from photographs.format_quote

Photographing Models

preparing a board.
format_quoteThe majority of illustrators work from photographs, saving time and money. A painting may take at least several days to a week to complete. It would be expensive and tedious to have a model hold a pose for that length of time.format_quote
format_quoteIn developing a rough sketch, I like to think in terms of solids before defining anything. I begin with masses or lumps and a tentacle, and so on.format_quote

The Rough Sketch

preparing a board.
format_quote...I do tracing upon tracing. First I sketch my mass, then I sketch my elements, then I start defining. The cleaner and more defined it gets, the less it has. The rough, quick, loose, undefined basic shape of the beginning relates more to the mental idea than the final sketch.format_quote
format_quoteUsing selected photos, a print out in sepia tones at the intended size is made, a line drawing using tracing paper is made from this.format_quote

Transfer Sketch to Board

format_quoteThe line drawing is laid face down on a light box, with an HB pencil a reverse image is made onto a second piece of tracing paper. This is then taped face down onto the Gessoed board and rubbed with an 8H pencil, thus transfering the image the right way up.format_quote
format_quoteThe line drawing from the photo is kept handy so that it can be referenced later on.format_quote

Adding shadows

format_quoteThe transferred image is fleshed out rendering highlights, halftones and deep shadows to a relatively finished degree. This is done using a wash of burned sienna or burnt umber acrylic paint, which seals the pencil to the board.format_quote
format_quoteThe background is always the first thing to be rendered, working from the furthest elements to the closest.format_quote

Working on the Background

format_quoteFor backgrounds a half-inch brush with natuaral bristles is good, a smaller brush is handy for details. Once the colours are in place a dry brush with soft long bristles is used to blend them. A small brush is used to define edges and shadows.format_quote
format_quoteI often start with face and eyes of the main figure because they are the main focus of a painting.format_quote

Adding Detail

format_quoteNext is the hair, just enough to get the values right to contrast with the skin, starting with the darkest colour being careful to keep the shadows on the face warm.format_quote
format_quoteIf ever you feel your getting bogged down in an area, move on to somewhere else, and come back to it later.format_quote

The Finished Painting

format_quoteSometimes, even after a painting is 'finished' it may be necessary to go back and make minor changes. This can be at the request of an art director, or simply because the painting doesn't feel quite right.format_quote
format_quoteA review of all the stages from start to finish for the painting Tarot format_quote

TAROT

format_quoteA review of all the stages from start to finish for the painting Three of Swords.format_quote

THREE OF SWORDS

format_quoteA review of all the stages from start to finish for the painting Ice Princess.format_quote

ICE PRINCESS