benh05 asked: Hi there! Big fan of the art I'm seeing on your blog. ^^ I've taken note of the materials, but I'm completely baffled how this cell vinyl illustration is achieved. The details can be so tiny and flawless it looks more than just a mere painting. If you could point me in the right direction - any artists, tutorials, who may have tips on achieving this effect, I would be most grateful. Thank you! - Aspiring Artist

Thanks for the nice message!

Working with cel vinyl acrylic (aka Cartoon Color) is similar to working with gouache. It is very opaque, self-leveling and dries to a matte finish. Because it is an acrylic paint, it also has the advantage of drying permanent, being able to paint on various surfaces (plastic, wood, glass, etc) and being very durable (unlike gouache). I will say that gouache can achieve a slightly better range of values and is a bit more vibrant, but otherwise, cel vinyl is tops.

Other terrific artists who work in this medium are Tim Biskup, Bill Wray, Scott Wills, Bwana Spoons, Martin Ontiveros and many more. My thought is, if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

The best and only tutorials I know of are by the master, Scott Wills painting demos for the overseas production team on Samurai Jack. I follow his example when it comes to process. You can watch them here (and be sure to read the comments for his materials list): http://www.youtube.com/user/renwaldo5?ob=0&feature=results_main

Hope that helps!

3 months ago  /  4 notes