Alright, let’s talk about this “Nate Diaz Neon” thing I’ve been messing around with. It started out kinda random, honestly.
First off, I was watching some old Nate Diaz fights – you know, just for fun. Seeing him in the ring, that Stockton Slap, I just thought, “Man, that’s iconic. Gotta do something with that.” Then I was messing around with some color palettes, and this super bright neon set just popped. Immediately thought of Diaz, for some reason.
So, I started sketching. Just basic stuff at first. A silhouette of him throwing a punch, that classic Diaz stance. Nothing fancy. I then hopped onto my iPad, fired up Procreate (my go-to), and started laying down some base colors. Think deep blacks and greys for the shadows, building up the form.
Here’s where the “neon” part comes in. I grabbed these super vibrant blues, pinks, and greens, and started highlighting the edges of the silhouette. Key was to make it look like the light was glowing around him, you know? Like he’s radiating this electric energy. I used a bunch of different brush types – some soft airbrushes for a subtle glow, and some harder-edged brushes to really make those lines pop. Layers, man, layers are your friend.
Then came the details. I spent way too long trying to get the tattoos right. Those things are intricate! I simplified ’em a bit, just capturing the essence, you know? Didn’t want to get bogged down in tiny details. The face was tricky too. Trying to capture that Diaz scowl in a neon-style graphic? Harder than it looks. I used a lot of reference photos and just kept tweaking it until it felt right.
After the main figure was done, I needed a background. I didn’t want anything too distracting, so I went with a simple, dark gradient. Added some subtle splatter effects in the same neon colors, just to tie it all together. Kind of gives it that underground fight club vibe, I think.
Next, I played around with some text. “Nate Diaz,” obviously. Tried a few different fonts, but ended up going with something bold and kinda blocky. Again, I applied the neon effect to the text, making it stand out against the dark background.
Finally, the finishing touches. I added a subtle blur effect to the neon highlights to enhance the glow. Then I messed with the overall contrast and saturation until I was happy with the final result. Exported it as a high-res image, ready to share.
Honestly, it was a fun project. Just a way to unwind and mess around with some cool colors. Might even print it out and hang it up in my garage, who knows?
- Started with a silhouette
- Built up with neon colors
- Added details and background
- Finished with text and effects
That’s pretty much it. Hope you enjoyed hearing about it!
