My Art Process
For Digital Painting
Step 1: Gathering Inspiration
.jpg)
Many of my earliest artistic influences come from artists I discovered as a child whose work felt strange, magical, and quietly unsettling. I was drawn to painters working at the intersection of symbolism and realism, including Hiëronymus Bosch, Arnold Böcklin, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, John William Waterhouse, and Richard Dadd. What unites their work for me is a sense of hidden worlds and layered meaning, where myth, nature, and psychology coexist, and images feel both intimate and expansive.
Like many of the artists who have inspired me, I am drawn to subjects rooted in symbolism, transformation, and folklore. Research is central to my process, whether through reading, films, or visual references, and I enjoy studying how stories shift across cultures and mediums. When using references, I focus on what draws me in, such as color, composition, movement, or emotional tone, while also using them to learn more about other artists and their work. At the same time, I weave my own sense of history into each piece through elements like old buildings or historical artifacts that connect the image to my experience.
Bringing these influences and research together, this piece explores a mythical selkie’s struggle between two worlds. References such as the softness of John William Waterhouse’s The Siren, a windswept figure from SlavMedievalShop on Etsy, and the near-shore presence of harbor seals helped establish the figure and atmosphere. Influences from Paolo Barbieri, Julie Dillon, Eastern Wind Studio, and Douglas Klug informed the land-and-sea duality, movement, sealskin, palette, and motion. I gathered these influences and filtered them through my own lens, letting curiosity and connection guide the final image.
Step 2: Thumbnail Sketches & Poetry
Next, I move into thumbnail sketches, rough drawings, and writing. During this stage, I often draw or paint while listening to podcasts, videos, or lectures related to the subject, allowing research and storytelling to unfold alongside the visual process. For this piece, I listened to Origins of the Selkie Folk from the Scottish Folklore Podcast and episodes of Myths and Legends to better understand the origins of the myth. I also seek out books, poems, and written sources to ensure the story I am responding to is as accurate and thoughtful as possible. After absorbing these sources, I write a short poem that helps shape the painting, acting as a guide to details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Poem:
Between two worlds, she shifts, she sways, A selkie lost in an ocean’s maze.
Kelp-clad hands draw her toward the swell, Tugging her deeper where shadows dwell.
Upon the shore, her lover stays, Watching the tide through mist and haze.
For though the sea may steal her away, She waits, she longs until the waves obey.
Step 3: Rough Sketches & Detail Sketches
After this, I move into refined sketches and value studies. I begin by developing my thumbnails into a looser rough sketch, then create a darker version than I intend for the final piece, knowing much of it will be blended and softened later. This stage focuses on establishing strong values and testing lighting so I can understand how the composition will read once it is fully developed. The sketches do not need to be perfect, as this phase emphasizes structure and mood rather than detail. Shapes and edges are refined more carefully in the following stage of the process.
Step 4: Blending & Rendering
_JPG.jpg)
The blending and rendering stage begins with the darker sketch, which I soften using a blending soft airbrush in Procreate to create a smooth base. Because I am aiming for the skin softness seen in John William Waterhouse’s work, I blend gradually and return to deepen values as needed, since blending naturally lightens the image. I work in black and white at this stage, as it allows me to judge values and lighting more clearly without the distraction of color. Establishing strong values first ensures the piece reads convincingly before color is introduced and gives me the flexibility to experiment with multiple color palettes later in the process.
Finished painting
The final step is bringing the piece to life through color and layered detail, building on the structure and values established earlier in the process. While this stage brings the painting to completion, my overall process is always evolving. As I experiment and reflect, I continue to discover new ways of working with each piece, often revisiting and refining my approach to best serve the story I am trying to tell. To see time-lapse process images and videos that document this evolving workflow, please visit my social media links below.
