It’s no secret that Disco Elysium is one of the greatest games I’ve played in my recent memory. I still find myself playing it every other month, let alone quoting and thinking about how much it changed not only how I think of game development and storytelling, but even the way I paint. Hence why I decided to take on studying some of the techniques of Russian painting techniques and theory.

We still have a long way to go for improvement, but there’s definitely been a shift in my painting abilities as of recently. So much in fact, that we compiled a an overview of our below process. Keep creating!

🌆 1. Scene Setup

Quick mental checklist before painting.

🕕 Time: ~6PM, cool outdoor driveway.
💡 Main light: car headlights from the front.
🚗 Secondary: distant car lights behind.
🔥 Bounce: subtle warm ground/nearby surface.
🎭 Background = psychological state / mood.

🎨 2. Palette & Swatches

Build everything on top of a simple neutral/value system.

⚪ Neutrals (grisaille base):

Cool grey
Warm neutral
Near-black (not pure)

🧑‍🎨 Skin base (golden–green bias):

Golden midtone
Green-leaning midtone

✨ Warm accents / glazes:

Cheeks, nose, lips

❄️ Cool shadows:

Cool blue for shadow planes

🖤 3. Value Pass (Grisaille)

If it reads in black & white, color is easy.

🪞 Block in the background first (mid-value, simple shapes).
🧱 Do a full neutral underpainting (no strong color yet).
💡 Place headlight hits first (forehead, cheekbones, shoulders).
〰️ Keep halftones calm and group shadows into simple masses.
📷 Test in greyscale: it should already “work” before color.

🔥❄️ 4. Warm / Cool Mapping

Change temperature, not value.

🔥 Warm zones: cheeks, nose, lips, bounce-lit areas.
❄️ Cool zones: jaw shadows, eye sockets, neck, turned-away planes.
🟡 Keep base skin golden–green; tilt a bit warmer or cooler per zone.
🎚️ Small hue shifts on top of stable value = clean color.

✨ 5. Glazes & Finish

Unify, simplify, then add just enough sparkle.

🫧 Thin glazes to warm/cool whole areas and tie colors together.
✏️ Sharpen only 2–3 key edges (eyes, nose, mouth or focal detail).
🌟 Add small, deliberate highlights as final accents.

🛠️ 6. Troubleshooting

😶 Muddy skin → Re-check values in greyscale, repaint neutrals, re-glaze with cleaner mixes.
💡 Confusing light → Restate main light (car headlights) and darken/simplify everything else.
🎨 Too saturated → Return to neutrals; keep high chroma only in small accents.

💻 7. Digital / Color Constructor

Mirror the same logic with a tiny digital setup.

🎛️ Make a tiny swatch set: background + key light + fill + rim + neutral ramp.
🖤 Start in greyscale, then add warm/cool color on layers or blend modes.
🧪 Test temperature shifts on a separate layer before committing.
🛒 I use Color Constructor to plan the light and palette.

When Russian art itches the brush…

7aX Jingle