A REGAL WARRIOR

From dark to light

I establish my local, low-contrast colours, and ensure that they all sit roughly within the same palette. Then I paint on the main light source layer and play around with the colours, while adding secondary light sources or bounce lighting.

Storytelling elements

Calanthe is a queen, but she’s also a fighter. The bloody scratches imply she was in an altercation before she put on her dress. Her injuries are minor because she’s a skilled warrior – or perhaps it was a training session! The dagger has a lion on its shaft because she’s also called The Lioness of Cintra.

Creating atmosphere

A strong sun beam coming through a window in summer will highlight tiny dust particles dancing in the air like magic. I enjoy adding this feeling to my paintings. When this kind of light hits metal or other shiny surfaces, the bounce light is so strong that it creates a halo around the object.

Final touches

I touch up the face, make sure the proportions are correct, add details such as light hitting single hairs around her head, create tiny reflections in the eyes, paint individual lashes sticking out, fix her makeup and so on. I want to really bring this young queen to life.

Leading the eye

When looking at a picture, the eye is naturally attracted to areas of high contrast first, and then wanders around the image. An image is often pleasing if the eye is guided through the image intentionally. Value contrasts, depth blur (doesn’t have to be Gaussian – loose strokes work very well, too) and strong lines are good tools to lead the eye through the painting.