I begin my base layer of fire by laying down a fuzzy U shaped pattern with a
thinned down white. I’m not worried about it looking like fire at this point, because
the layers I put on it later will change the appearance. The things I keep in mind
are: soft fuzzy shapes, no hard lines, keeping the white thin, wispy, and transpar-
ent (never bright white)! Basically, it’s a bunch of fuzzy U shapes that are skinny
at the ends and fat in the middle where they connect.
I begin adding some definition with my freehand fire stencils with allowing my white to be brightest around the edge of the stencil,
the same white I used in the first step. This is why it is so impor- and then fade away. I keep the hard lines within the fuzzy spray of
tant to never bring the first layer to bright white. If you did, you’d my base layer. Now, it’s starting to look, act, and behave a little
never see the definition I’m adding now. I spray my white paint more like fire.
around the outside curves of my stencil (never the inside curves!)
Now it’s time for some color! I start with my
darkest color (remember the rhyme?) which
is transparent red oxide. I slowly begin build-
ing the color around the outside edges of
my fire shapes. I allow my overspray to work
itself out onto the red basecoat, as well as in
towards the center of the flame. I build the
color darkest on the outside edges of the
flame shapes, and let it get lighter towards
the center. I am not base-coating the entire
layer with a solid coat of color!
Next I begin adding some color in the base
of my flames. I begin with the flame licks I
added with the fire stencils. I keep my dark
color in the “not so bright” white area of
the flame lick; building the color darkest
along the edge of the flame lick, and then
allowing it to fade or pull away from the
bright white. I want to make sure that no
part of this layer of fire is left pure white.
If I need to, I will dust a tiny amount of red
oxide just to discolor the white a little bit.
You will see why this is important in the
next few steps.
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