Layer Red Like A Boss!

This one is all about layering red—one of the easiest colors to make look flat if you don't build it correctly.

In this tutorial, I walk through my entire process for creating rich, vibrant reds on my Pikachu x Mario crossover using only three paints:

• Midnight Purple

• Red Truth

• Orange Fire

You'll learn how I:

• Build a deep, shadow-rich basecoat

• Transition smoothly through multiple layers

• Use stippling to soften blends and create texture

• Decide exactly where highlights belong

• Push the brightest areas without over-highlighting the entire model

One of the biggest takeaways from this lesson is that contrast creates brightness. It's tempting to keep adding lighter colors everywhere, but if every surface gets highlighted, nothing actually stands out. By gradually shrinking your area of coverage with each layer, your reds will appear richer, cleaner, and far more realistic.

I hope this breakdown helps you feel more confident tackling red on your own projects!

Happy painting!

— Nick

Layer Red Like a Boss ft. Pikachu Mario (YouTube)