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Capturing the Sunny day of Inferno - B Site in Oil Painting

Dec 22, 2025
2 min read

Transforming a battleground into a traditional oil painting is a unique way to explore light, texture, and composition. This post breaks down my process of painting an Italian courtyard inspired by the iconic Inferno map from Counter-Strike

Preparation and Composition

Before picking up the brushes, it was essential to establish a strong foundation

Reference Gathering:

I explored B-Site in-game to find a composition that focuses on the site itself with minimal background distractions

Thumbnailing: I created an an ink sketch to visualize how light and shadows will interact across the scene. If the composition works at this stage, only then i proceed to the canvas.

Canvas Setup: I used my standard 14x21 inch Linen canvas. Toned with with burnt sienna to create a warm underpainting that helps judge values and ties all subsequent colors together into a harmonious palette.

Establishing the Foundation: The Red Walls

Instead of matching the game's colors exactly, I push them to be more vibrant to create a stronger sense of contrast

I Begin with the vibrant red wall sections because the color is easy to identify and mix. Establishing the red first makes it easier to judge the placement and brightness of the surrounding white areas

Rendering Architecture and Light

To make the architecture feel solid, I pay close attention to the edges. I use a palette knife on the lit side of columns to create sharp, crisp edges that stand out against the dark background and switch to a brush on the shadow side to create a softer edge as the form blends into the background

I Use the edge of a large flat brush for clean, straight lines, which provides more control than a smaller brush

edge of large flat brush to create crisp edges

Painting the Focal Points: The Statue and Fountain

Treating focal points with varying paint thickness can add a three-dimensional feel.

When painting the central statue, I used thick paint to sculpt the face. The heavy application helps the illuminated areas pop

To paint water reflections, I ignored the fine details and focused on the mirrored shapes. Keeping the colors more muted than their source and breaking the shapes slightly to suggest movement

The base of the fountain was compex. I focused on the impression of the shapes rather than every detail. I used subtle earthy tones shaped by warm light reflecting from the ground.

Managing the Background and Foliage

Not every part of the painting needs the same level of detail. Simplification gives the viewer's eyes a place to rest

I treated the trees as simple cylindrical forms. Introducing variations in vertical strokes to suggest foliage. I painted distant trees with cooler, more muted greens mixed with blue to suggest atmospheric depth.For foreground foliage, a mix of Ivory Black and cadmium yellow was used to create lovely, warm, vibrant greens

The Final Touches

To bring an otherwise static architectural scene to life, add a human (or animal) touch. Adding a couple of chickens, a staple of the Inferno map, gives the scene a subtle sense of life and character