How 'One Color/One Value' Optimizes the Coloring Approach - Dealer Process Video & PSD File

Hey everyone,

Here's a brief introduction to my process behind 'Dealer', my latest illustration. The intro is divided into concept development and technical execution. Enjoy.

Concept

The first decision I made when brainstorming for this piece was to build a composition around the color pink. My second choice was using a blonde female character, but I wasn't sure yet about her role. So, I checked random references on Pinterest and found a series of old cars, which I assumed were used for selling bread. I thought it would be nice to take one of those vehicles and connect the blonde-pink motif with something bakery related, like sweets or bread.

This idea was appealing initially, but I wanted to integrate a twist, something dark or unconventional. At first, I thought about her being a secret agent, but it wasn't clear to me how to create a "spy" vibe. Then, during a conversation, a funny idea popped up. To justify her being dangerous, I wanted to include a gun. The most absurd and humorous outcome was her selling the gun disguised as a cake, but the gun would be so poorly covered that it was blatantly obvious, undermining the entire alibi. This little twist was the missing piece I was looking for.

Lastly, I searched for different themes to base the whole concept on. Using animals as a unifying idea, I thought bread was just fine, simple, casual, and "very useful" for hiding an AK. The list of information points looked like this:

The list of information points looked like this:

• Color: Pink
• Reference: Bread
• Action: She is selling guns disguised as bread.
• Costume: Baker Uniform and Props, French, Guns.

Execution

I used variations of pink to define the three shapes: the main character, the secondary character, and the prop in the background. For the main character, I researched various bakery outfits, most of them very simple, so I altered the design slightly, making the skirt wider and the shoulder fabric larger. I chose a graceful gesture to make her appear servile and sweet. For the male character, I aimed to portray an old-school Italian gangster, taking the bread/gun in a suspicious manner, glancing side to side, to reinforce the notion that something dubious was happening. The humorous part was that her facial expression was not in tune with the seriousness of the situation, something I focused on for quite a while in the line art of both facial expressions.

I used the perspective brush to adjust the vehicle design, employing two perspective points as you will see in the process video. The reference greatly streamlined the line art process, and the main change I made was shifting the color palette towards a very saturated pink. Additionally, I created a simple logo for the bakery brand called "Just Bread" to add a sense of realism. Each small layer after the initial points helped make these ideas more interesting.

The color treatment for this piece was pink and black, as seen in the female character's outfit. This is not a common combination, but it felt balanced based on my recent approach to color, which involves choosing one main color and one value (black or white) as its companion. I often add a complementary color to details, but this time I didn't experiment with pink's complementary color.

Why black and pink? Given the context of the character selling guns, black seemed to better suit the tone of the concept. Also, her blonde hair would bring bright values in contrast to the dark tones.

Conclusion

This simplistic approach to colors allows me to work on complex compositions effectively, as each new tone aligns with an existing hierarchy. Expect chaos soon, as once I become comfortable with something, I tend to push boundaries far beyond familiar territory. Stay tuned, and thank you for your support.