Gambargin on DeviantArthttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/https://www.deviantart.com/gambargin/art/The-Making-of-Gambargin-Women-Warrior-Art-546035659Gambargin

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The Making of Gambargin Women Warrior Art

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Description

I received several notes and suggestions, asking if I could share the process of my drawing, something which is commonly seen with many artists here in Deviant-art. While a partially documented step-by-step process of how I draw can be found here, I want to share with you guys on how I work on my drawings from brainstorming to it's final completion :)

This is for the most recent completed work on Tywysoges Gwenhwyfar ferch Pwyll (Medieval Welsh Woman Warrior)


Step 1 - Brainstorming

Perhaps the most crucial stage, but also the most time consuming process which can take somewhere from 3 days to more than 1 week. What I normally do is that, I consult the HWS Medieval Revisited - Faction Map v.1.32 for the next drawing to work on, as well as taking suggestions from other deviants here. This helps me to review what needs to be done, something that helped me to focus. The drawback is that, once my mind is set, It's hard for me to deviate to other drawings.

First and foremost is researching the relevant history and establishing the era on which the character is depicted. After that is done, I can decide which armor, armaments and any other relevant fashion to be depicted on the character. The next step is to research on the relevant facial model as references, such as the freckled lady with curly red hair (Very Celtic, no?). When all the necessary information have been gathered, I proceed to the next step.

Step 2 - Conceptual Sketch

This step is usually the easiest and the shortest, which takes about 30 min - 1 hour on A4 photocopy paper to complete. The character are drawn in cartoon style, and any extra information is scribbled around it. Sometime, I chose to draw with detailed descriptions such as HWS: Antiquity - Roman Women Warriors Concept, but also occasionally, I just made a silly sketches like the one depicted here.  This sketch serves as a base guideline for the full drawing.

Step 3 - Line Art (WIP)

As the drawing is done in A3 paper, the third stage involves a lot time in trying to get the pose and anatomy right, which could take sometime given my mediocre skills in anatomy and perspective. I try not to use generic pose which could be somewhat repetitive, given the scope of the project, which would inevitably lead to "same pose, same face" situation. Sometimes, I write the commentaries on the drawing itself to remind me, or maybe act as reference point, just in case.

Step 4 - Detailed Work and Completion

Once the line art is done, detailed drawing which includes shading and background scenery are added. Currently, I put heavy emphasize in the background to give either a more immersive drawing, or something which makes the drawing more dynamic. The process cna take somewhere from 2 - 3 hours. When all the detailed and traditional work is done, the next stage is to post-process the drawing digitally using simple software (just the brightness, temperature and contrast).


I guess that's pretty much what I can show you guys. How I draw my drawing is a very straightforward process, which can be done by anyone. However, it does take time to create one artwork which requires patience and attention to detail, something which I learn from my patron artist, Angus McBride :).

What about you guys? do you follow similar steps or use your own method when it comes to creating your artwork? :D


Image size
9648x3896px 8.88 MB
Comments25
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RagnarrTheRed's avatar
We have pretty much the same stage only my research goes as far as reading Osprey military history books about the particular theme and I don't have backgrounds for my characters :( I am not really good at it and I have a fear of messing up my work:( That being said, may I ask what software you use for last edits about temperature, contrast etc.?