The Gift of Dance
Couple of days ago I was chatting with @veryspider who inspired me to show an old piece of mine inspired by the Flamenco dances. ^.^
I went on a International conference in Seville in the late 2014. It was super fun even with all the misfortunes I had back there - got lost couple of times, had problems with the equipment during the presentation, couldn't understand anything in Spanish and also spoke terrible English... XD... Every little (and not so little) mistake was so funny and made my trip unforgettable.
I want to visit this incredible city again! ^.^ <3 <3 <3
After I got back home started drawing immediately. Did a little research on flamenco and their unique clothes and accessories.
And found this Fashion Exhibition in 2011:
http://www.theprovince.com/Photos+International+Flamenco+Fashion+Exhibition+2011/4227217/story.html
I even used some of the photos as a reference for my piece:
There was a contest on Deviantart called The Gift of Art where I posted my work. ^.^
https://madizzlee.deviantart.com/journal/Give-the-Gift-of-Art-Challenge-Winners-507059169
Started with the sketch. I didn't want a grayscale image so I made it in light blue.
It was hard to decide how to place the character on the canvas, also wanted to add the end of the dress and fan, so used some help from Fibonacci Sequence. That way I can navigate the viewer's eyes.
Next was adding the colors - each on a different layer so I can paint on top later.
Also changed the fan, using some decorative brushes in Photoshop.
Decided to start with the background first. Wanted that beautiful oriental mosaic effect.
And finally shading - always start with the face and eyes. They're the window to the soul. ;)
Next were the hair and roses. I had troubles painting the last one, I should draw flowers more.
I was having a hard time deciding how my fan would look like. Here are some stages of development:
And finally, we've come to the latest version:
I even printed it as a special present for a friend of mine who helped a lot in Spain. I had to change the size tho'.
I'm glad she liked it a lot. ^.^
^.^ Hope you have a fun day! ^.^
Thanks for stopping by!
wow your work is very good .., is this digital art @katalinaooma...?. truly extraordinary. now i follow you. thank you
Thank you, @muftii! Glad you like it!
Yeah, it's a digital illustration made with Adobe Photoshop. ^.^
Wow, this is really nice @katalinaooma! I really like the pure line art version too. That could be a nice piece all by itself :)
Oh, thank you, @midlet! ^.^ The line art version took me the longest time to prepare. After that was a bit easy adding colors, shadows and highlights.
I have a tendency of using reference for the human body, even tho' I paint everything myself. But that's my way of learning. ^^'
omg katalina, this is very beautiful * ___ * i love~ the flowers are very lovely and her hair is flawless and the fan is so elegant and her dress is beautiful but her face and expression are really super wonderful~ love her skin tone and the way she gives that flamenco-like glare * ___ *
Very lovely piccar <3 <3 Glad you share itttt :D
upvotes and resteems
Thank you, Spidey! ^.^ <3 I'm so happy you like her! <3
You've inspired me to make this post! ^.^ I was hesitating at first - you know, 'cause of the reference photo and all...
It is a beautiful art, katalina! And done with some mathematical theory as well, that's very scientific of you. I've never considered things like that in my drawing, I guess I should but I'm not really sure how ^^;.
I read your comment about reference, is there something wrong with using them?
The sketch that you made is very artistic, I dunno how you can make lineart that good? It looks like a vector art, but aren't they a hassle to create? In any case, I tip my hat to you ^^.
-upvoted and resteemed-
Thank you, @scrawly! I'm so glad you like her! ^.^
Yeah, every composition can be created using different rules depending on how much elements you have, which one is the main, the others must be subordinate to him (I think that is called Principle of unity and subordination). There're a lot of principles, the same goes when you use color palettes... you have to keep in mind which colors are analogous, complementary, etc., etc...
It's not wrong to not think about that stuff - sometimes I think more like a designer rather than an artist. ^^'
About the topic of using references... There's a lot of speculations how much you can use a reference (do you have a permission to use it in a first place) and where is the line between refs and plagiarism. I always use reference photos, because I'm not that good with human anatomy and colors, but always try to add something from me, because my perception is different from others (and that's the greatest thing - we are all unique and see the world not as it is, but based on our mental patterns, understandings, perception...)
But! Some may say that I've just used the woman from the photo... and that'd be their opinion... ;)
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Thank you, @steemrepo! And special thank you to my dear @veryspider!
Yes! ^.^
What kind of brush did you use? Is it default-brushes? BTW, great work !
Thank you, @anomt! ^.^
I think for this piece was regular round brush (default one) but in lower opacity. I usually change the settings - different spacing, hardness and shape dynamics, I also use the transfer control.
Wow this came out great! I knew I liked the composition but I never imagined that so much planning went into it! Thanks for sharing your process.
You're welcome, @jeltron! I'm really glad you like it! Yeah, almost every one of my works has been through the same process of planning and sketching before the rendering stage. ;)
Beautiful work!
Thank you, @jluvs2fly! ^.^
Hello @katalinaooma, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!
Thank you so much, @creativecrypto! ^.^