Our newest Session, Anime Background Painting with Kenn Yap (aka Chroma Moma), is available now! And we’re so excited to share these incredible techniques with you.
We got a chance to ask Kenn a few questions about his techniques, his inspirations and some suggestions for how students can approach the Session.
The Benefits of Going Traditional
Learn Squared: This is a really unique process, which uses physical media and digital together. How did you arrive at these techniques?
Kenn Yap: To be frank, these techniques came because I was impatient. I wanted the results of a master traditional background painter without the mastery of one. I had accrued all these skills as digital painter and I thought “surely, there must be a way to put these two things together.” Eventually, I’ll get better and better at physical media, but for now this is a great way to paint.
LS: You mention in your Session how difficult it can be to get a convincing ‘hand-painted’ look using digital brushes and textures. Typically someone might think using physical media will make the process slower, but you talk about how it actually speeds up the painting process! Tell me about that.
KY: As someone who has bought a thousand ‘brush packs’ I can tell you that they don’t really work or rather, they require so much finessing in order to look “hand-painted” which is time wasted. It’s so much easier and quicker to let the actual medium itself do the work for you. And besides, it’s more fun this way!
LS: Physical media can be intimidating for beginners, but you do a great job in the Session making your workflow accessible to everyone. What advice would you give to someone who hasn’t used a workflow like this before?
KY: I would embrace the messiness of it. It’s so tempting to make everything perfect but the imperfections are what gives art its appeal. Plus, this workflow is designed to remove the anxiety from traditional painting because you can always ‘fix it in post.’
Passion Projects and Inspirations
LS: You recently released the trailer for Orbital Drop, your own 3-year hand-drawn solo project. How did that one come about, and how did you keep yourself disciplined through the process? 3 years is an incredible amount of dedication!
KY: Orbital Drop is basically my equivalent of running a marathon. It’s only something I can do by myself for myself. It wasn’t difficult because of all the different roles I got to roleplay as. One day I was a storyboard artist, another day I was a soundtrack composer; there was variety to the work. It’s easy to stay committed when you’re having fun.
LS: Did Orbital Drop utilize the same techniques you demonstrate in the Session to create its backgrounds?
KY: Yes! In fact, some of the assets make an appearance in the Session. You might be able to spot ’em!
LS: What are some of your personal favorite anime? Are there any inspirations that you feel come through most in your style?
KY: Gosh, there as so many to choose from, where do I start? Of course, all the landmarks of the 80’s and 90’s: Akira, Ghost in the Shell, all things Ghibli. But the one that stays with me the most is Cowboy Bebop. There’s a certain meditative quality to it that draws you in; like a melancholy. That’s a quality that I’m always chasing in my own work.
Suggested Creations for New Students
LS: Finally, there are so many kinds of background paintings students can create. For someone taking your Session and struggling to come up with a theme, let’s give them a challenge. What are two or three totally different environments you suggest tackling?
KY: I love painting things in sets (i.e. collections). Perhaps, start with something small and relatable. A kitchen, a bedroom or garage but with a genre twist; hard scifi, steampunk, post-apocalyptic. Then, paint the building the room is on or the street view of that building. Then, perhaps the city of that building. That way, you have the satisfaction of making a coherent series of paintings while tackling completely different environments.
Save with Early Bird Pricing
Big thanks to Kenn for sharing his thoughts on this amazing workflow! Anime Background Painting is available now, and for a limited time you can save by taking advantage of Early Bird Pricing. We can’t wait to see what kinds of anime backgrounds you create!
⭐️ Anime Background Painting: https://www.learnsquared.com/courses/anime-background-painting-chroma-moma
