Scene:
Pellaris, Book One: The Messenger From Myris Dar.
Rowan 's first experience of the northern city of Pellaris is filled with depth. She is curious about the place the Seers of Danum received visions of, yet also feels the heavy weight of her duty as a messenger and emissary for her people.
Uncertain of the welcome she will receive, she feels her difference from the Pellarians keenly.
She has been traveling for a long time, enduring great hardship to get to the Northern city in Pellar, to finally deliver the message she has been charged with.
Final illustration:
With a touch of color...
I have brought in Poppy Red as well as Orange Yellow with the white. I chose not to complete the background, making Rowan and her horse more substantial in the foreground. I still have a few details to finish and might at some point create an oil painting of it.
Black and White vs Colour.
There is a fine line between the subtle and delicate texture and tones of a black and white drawing versus the colour version. I love both, and striking a balance between them can be a challenge. With a few exceptions, I have tried to keep the illustrations within the grayscale range, with only small accent colours.
I will be honest, sometimes I am disappointed with the piece once the colour goes in.
Photoshop to the rescue!
Thankfully, it is a simple thing in this digital age to alter the drawings back to the B&W version with a few small adjustments. Here is the final drawing with the colour removed.
What do you think? Which one do you prefer?
Drawing Time and Materials:
10 hours
Graphite, H, 2B, regular and Pitt Matt.
Prismacolor: Poppy Red, White, Yellow Orange and a touch of Apple Green
Toned Gray Strathmore mixed media paper.
I hope you enjoyed exploring this illustration with me.
