An update about a painting – still trying to perfect it, to make it “just right.” This journey toward “perfection” is 22 years old: here I reveal how this same astral dragon has changed from 2001 to today.
“Draw it again!” is a personal drawing challenge that invites artists to redraw their old sketches and drawing ideas and present them side by side for comparison, showing the improvement of their skills.
2001 – Pencils
2017 – Watercolors
2023 – Digital
The original sketch, from 2001, was a practice study based on an existing painting – “Sentinel”, by Ann Marie Eastburn (1986). I was trying to understand dragon anatomy, by reproducing various existing artworks of great artists and trying my owns. I rarely used colors at the time – I could “see” my drawings in color, but I lacked the technique to color them without making a mess.
In 2017, I started painting old pencil sketches, exploring various color techniques, including watercolor and gold leaf. At the time I was trying not only to explore the world of color, but also trying to make my paintings more “textured”, to transpose the mesmerizing patterns of nature into my illustrations. This is something I still try to do today, despite the fact that I paint digitally: smooth surfaces and perfect shades aren’t for me, I like the idea that my paintings communicate an almost “tactile” sensation, as well as a visual one. I was doing experiments based on the book “Dreamscapes fantasy worlds” by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, a great expert on fantasy art, watercolor, and texture.
Since 2020, thanks to many hours spent practicing during the COVID Lockdown, I made a qualitative leap in my digital technique. In 2023, I felt confident enough to redraw the same subject and paint it. The “Dragonary challenge” called by artist Mattew Stawicki was the perfect occasion to try again with my astral dragon. After publication in January 2023, I retouched it other 2 times. And… I don’t think this journey is over yet.
Full artwork page:
Astral aurora dragon
A new dragon painting. As light as the soul and as incorporeal as thought, the astral dragon inhabits the intangible spheres of reality midway between the material world and that of pure energy.
Keep readingCopyright “Astral aurora dragon” 2023 Elena Greenedera Zambelli, all rights reserved #noai
