After many hours and two failed attempts, I finally made an illustration for my Forest Dweller series that I’m happy with!
If you don’t know, “Forest Dweller” is my Minecraft let’s play series where I live in a forest, guided by the ancient Celtic ways of life. It’s partially roleplay, partially informational as you learn about Celtic history, and partially classic old school let’s play. Forest Dweller is one of my most creative series yet, and so far, I’m super happy with how it’s turning out! I’ve been enjoying playing survival in a whole new world and modpack while simultaneously roleplaying in the process. It takes me back to my childhood Minecraft worlds, where I would play pretend in my head as I built up a survival world from scratch.
The Process
I wanted to make an illustration inspired by my series, just as I did with my 100 Days as a Mermaid series. I originally made two earlier attempts, which you can read more about here. But, they didn’t really align with the theme of Forest Dweller, so I decided on a third attempt.
I made sure to take my time gathering inspiration and references for this piece. I think I jumped into drawing way too quickly on my two failed attempts, which lead me to a lack of clarity on what I wanted the end result to actually look like. On this attempt, I scrolled through Pinterest for a very long time, and slowly added references and inspiration pictures to my reference board. I wanted to make sure I had everything ready before I picked up my stylus!
My Inspirations
This epic photo was my main inspiration for having my character hold a spear in the drawing.
Source: Megal Carmen on Instagram
I knew I wanted to keep the antlers feature like I did in my first two drawings, and this photo was the perfect reference.
Source: MyWitchery on Etsy
This gorgeous artwork inspired me to add green strings and decorations to my antlers!
Artist: Tea Fox Illustrations on Instagram
This image of a Celtic-style torc and brooch inspired the torc my character wore in the drawing.
Source: Manic Maiden
And lastly, this gorgeous model inspired the pose and outfit of my piece. This was the reference I looked at the longest!
Source: TrollTovaDesign on Etsy (Wonderful shop from Sweden! <3)
Conclusion
Overall, I love how my finished piece turned out. It was not an easy drawing, and I definitely struggled with certain aspects. But in the end, it all came together very nicely! I love the dappled light I added, the colors, the background, the outfit, and the overall composition! I’m seriously so happy with how it came out. If I were to change anything now, I would maybe adjust the facial features, make the pose more dynamic, or perhaps do more lighting effects like a rim light.
See the Full Process
If you’d like to hear me talk about this piece more and see the full process of me drawing it, check out this video of mine! It’s the second episode of my series “Luvstar’s Art Diary,” and it could be a nice video for you to listen to in the background as you do your own projects. :)
Get This Piece as a Print
Thank you for reading <3
love, luvstar
