18: splat

...just a few sprays, close to the edge of the gun.

Step 6: finishing touches

So, the only thing that was added was gold splatter to the background. I needed to put a mask on top of the actual skull to protect it.

Step 2

The Background: This was done using a layer of black, not totally covering the shape of the bullet. A layer of splatter was also added, reserving the space for the bullet, as well. This splatter technique was done with more action, using the motion of throwing a ball with the paint brush.

Step 4

A mask need to be placed on top of the bullet to protect it from the white paint that will be splattered as the finishing touch. I wanted to add another element of "light" and "speed" and "smoke."

Step 5: Details

Finishing touches are in the detail. In this case, it was creating the feathers to be more realistic and adding the splatter of gold. In many cases, you have to know when to walk away from a piece. You can render all you want but, in most cases, enough is enough and as an artist you have to know when you've got enough "ingredients". Adding more gold to the outline contributed to the finishing touches.