My new P-51B profile template begins with blocking in basic colors and then adding highlights and shadows in multiple layers, each one stacking on top of the last and giving more depth to the aircraft’s form. Most of my profiles will end up with 500-600 individual Photoshop layers. I adapted this technique from my oil painting days, where thin glazes of paint would be built up to achieve the illusion of depth in a painting. Here the separate layers act much in the same way as those oil glazes, allowing me to slowly and methodically build up both highlights and shadows, creating a more realistic sense of depth for the profile.