Moss Druid
Here is a piece I posted a while ago on Instagram. I thought it’d be fun to talk about my process working on it:
Process
In making this, I leaned into a philosophy I picked up when reading the thoughts of one of art’s greatest teachers, Andrew Loomis:
“Both light and shadow areas must be simplified and painted in the fewest possible values. The object is to make all the lighted areas hold together as one group, as opposed to the shadow areas as another group. If the values of the two groups are not thus separated and held apart, the subject is bound to lose solidity and form, no matter how well modeled and how well drawn.”
- Andrew Loomis, from Creative Illustration - The Form Principle (page 22)
This greatly informed how I drew the following study for the setting, which was inspired by a photo of The Moss Temple in Kyoto (Photo is from Introducing Kyoto by Herbert E. Plutschow):
The highlighted parts show the highlights in the original photograph, or where the light is brightest.
The next important aspect was the layout design, which Loomis also discusses at length in the same book. I made a simple 3x3 grid, added some lines for a simple diamond shape, and redid the drawing along with the subject, which gives me more control over establishing a focal point:
Finally, I use a lightbox to transfer the underdrawing onto watercolor paper, this time with ink. This is then taped down with washi tape to prevent warping as I put in the color:
Gradually, I add on colors, one by one, throughout the process. This is something I picked up from Bryce Kho.
Eventually, after reworking the colors and adjusting the value, I get to the finished picture:
This is the most I’ve committed to a deeper process, and I like the results! I’m looking forward to my next attempt and seeing how different things are.
The road to finished work at the time of conception can feel really slow, but I that the final payoff was much more satisfying than work I’ve finished in the past.
I’m curious if you're interested in hearing more about this type of process stuff, let me know!
Worth Your Time
Tower Dungeon - Tsutomu Nihei
This comic rules! Longtime manga bud Brett introduced me to this, and I just reread the first volume and devoured the following three, which are available in English from Kodansha.
I’m used to this author killing off new/beloved characters at the drop of a hat, resulting in heartbreak, but this is much different. There’s still a little of that, but for the most part, it’s packed with a brand new style, lots of funny moments, and this great sprinkling of unexplained mystery. If you like dark fantasy, do not sleep on it!!