The process in brief

All of the larger areas of metal, including the red panels, both engine assemblies, and the wing struts, were hand-painted in the Pixel Persona using 2-3 pixel layers as follows: a soft, dark initial shadow layer above the flat base color layer, then a highlight layer above the shadow layer, and finally a texture layer above the highlight layer. All of the rivets were created using the 3D and Outer Shadow effects. The panels, door opening, and bare-metal housings above the flames all have Bevel effects. I used a few white, tapered, and Gaussian blurred strokes along the fuselage and engine assemblies for a subtle metal reflection to enhance the roundness of these shapes. I will break down some of these process steps visually in the coming pages.

Figure 13.11 – The finished rocketship with notations

If the image in Figure 13.11 looks a little overwhelming, I apologize. That wasn't the intention. I just wanted to make sure I...