Behind the Work
The Making of Aflame: from concept to page
I'm thrilled for book two to finally be here for the Awakened series by Roseanna M. White. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how we created Kyrja. As always, we begin with the info-dump from the author. I ask that they send over any inspiration photos showing how they think he/she should look, or specific directions integral to the story.
Step One
Inspo & Sketches
We begin by creating a collage. It helps me focus my ideas on how I want her clothing to be or images that might speak to the overall composition. I was feeling very Scandinavian and folk-y when I first approached her.
One of my very early sketches to see which direction I wanted her to face. I was hung up for a long time on wanting her to have a dress like the one in the photo. But as Roseanna and I spoke about her character, I realized she was very Elsa-like in the sense that the "cold never bothered her anyway..."
So, I went back to looking through wedding dresses from some of my favorite designers and pulling my Art Deco art books off the shelves....
Step Two
Define the shape
And in the meantime of sketching different positions, I also discovered the beauty of live models! The algorithm was working for me that day and led me to a group of models who have collections (plural!) of poses for fantasy artists! It was a wonderful discovery.
I really liked her hand position and lighting. Obviously....we did NOT use the green.
I hope that one day I can draw a pirate princess!
Watch
See the Process in Motion (40+ hours of work!)
Final artwork
The Final Touches
And here is the final Princess Valkyrja!
My mockup with the background Roseanna sent over
With a plain background :).
Once the artwork is done, I send it over to the author and my original art is incorporated into the book's design.
Roseanna designs her own covers, and here is the final product:
Own the Full Story
You can learn more about this exciting addition to the faith-based romantasy by Roseanna M. White
Get Your Copy
0 comments