Luis Royo's Painting Techniques

Spanish artist Luis Royo is well-known internationally in the art industry for his fantasy pieces, and his work can be found in several books. Since this artist uses several different techniques in addition to his incredible talent, sometimes it can be hard to tell which techniques were used to accomplish a specific piece of work.

Graphite pencils are typically used to draw out pictures that will remain in black and white, but Luis Royo uses them to draw out the basic subjects and landscapes, as well as to add accents as needed in his final drafts. Pencils come in a wide variety, and it is necessary to have quality graphic pencils ranging from 9B through 9H, as well as a large eraser.

Luis Royo has perfected the use of airbrushing to achieve wistful and romantic, yet dark and daring art. Airbrushing allows the artist to cover large spaces in a short time. It produces a smooth layer of paint without brush strokes, and you do not have to wait for the first coat to dry completely before you layer it. You can add accents to a painting with a variety of nozzles.

Acrylic paint differs from oil in its consistency and permanency. The paint is good for beginners because it does not have the drying times of oils, so you can complete a piece of work more quickly. Luis Royo sometimes uses acrylics to begin the painting process. Acrylics are easy to blend and easy to manipulate.

Luis Royo uses a variety of oil and tempera paints to accent his work. The textures of these paints on top of the acrylic and graphite can provide amazing highlights and other aesthetically pleasing details that Royo is known for, such as intensity in the eyes of his characters, gleaming jewels and strong detail in architecture.