An Active Heaven in an Earth in Turmoil

Once upon a time, there was no separation between the heavens and the earth…. The atmosphere was no shelter from the violence of storm weilding angels, with thunder in their robes, while earth’s trees gave shelter to terrifying visions of milk white cherubs. When nature is red in tooth and claw, then heaven is black and blue and rimmed with fire.

RUBENS, Peter Paul
(b. 1577, Siegen, d. 1640, Antwerpen)

The Martyrdom of St Livinus
1633
Oil on canvas, 455 x 347 cm
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

Rubens Study

A classical approach to digital illustration, and old master techniques can really enhance the approach to rendering form and light in digital illustration applications like Photoshop and Procreate. Here is a multi-step process shown by the captures at each stage.

01_line-and-canvas
02_earth-tones
03_earth-tones-4
04_dead-layer
05_glaze-03
06_dead-layer-2
07_painting-5
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