1

To begin this artwork, I started by layering several photos on top of each other to create a background of "noise". Starting from a messy canvas like this gives you more texture to play with and more natural colors. Parts of this base texture still remain in the final version, such as the top of her dress. I never would have designed it like that if I had drawn in purposefully.

I had no idea or plan... I began painting the face and arms, and just figuring what the image would be as I went along. As you can see, initially the girl was to be cradling a giant dead seahorse in her arms. Which sounds crazier now that I write it down. At some point I expanded the canvas to include these new gold areas, to make the composition more interesting.

2

In this more developed stage, I've added the candles to help balance the composition and add a bit of funerary atmosphere. Moving from general to specific, I'm trying to flesh out each part of the picture, still exploring.

However, having the seahorse horizontal really bothers me, it doesn't feel right.

3

I knew I wanted her to be doing something with her hands. I tried placing a few different things before settling on a skull. Compositionally, I suppose it went well with the hair and wings, which typically aren't blue either. I gave her bracelets to draw more attention to the area and broaden the palette a bit. The flowers were added so fill in the background a bit... the lines they are on are important to connect elements to each other, and having the lines go up from the flower makes the scene sort of 'float'. One wing is now fully detailed.

4

In this version, the painting is final. I try to blend the paint together without entirely destroying the texture and subtle color dynamics underneath. If you compare the wing on the right with the previous version, you can see that I've tried to keep the interesting browns amongst the blues.

I always do painting on a separate layer. After a painting session, I'll compare what the picture looks like with or without the new paint. Often I'll erase some or all of a paint layer, because it lost some of the energy or emotion of the picture.

I've redrawn the flowers on a separate layer, hidden in this version. I've also decided to crop the image a little, which you can see in the black bars. This focusses in on the girl just a bit more.

5

Finally, I adjust the levels a little, then add two layers of texture. These photo textures, usually based on rust or stains, give the picture a more natural feel do what I call 'bake' the colors a little.

The skull, by the way, is of her dead lover. That's all I really know about her story.

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