The original inks are by Greg Capullo, Batman No. 4.

I was definitely experimenting with gradients on this piece. I wanted to find a way to balance the parts of the Owl Mask that needed bright colors and the part that needed to fade into the open background. I found that feathering (no pun intended) the mask colors to the background clipped over a gradient to transparency worked for me.

I think I had the most fun with the metallic look of the goggles. Alternating between the soft shine and the bright highlights was a great learning experience. I had the hardest time with the background. I’m still not completely satisfied with it. I find big, blank spaces difficult to tackle in general. It’s like the saying goes— Nature abhors a void.