Avalina, Ethereal Guard

The official character release for July is Avalina, Ethereal Guard. This new character has its roots in a very old painting I started but never completed several years ago. It started out as a watercolor painting but then transitioned into an acrylic painting upon a second attempt to rekindle it.

The original painting was attempted on 23″ x 30″ illustration board. I think part of the issue back then as to why I never completed this painting was that I was trying to work so large. Looking back, I really didn’t have an efficient work space to accommodate such a painting. Thus, the old, original abandoned painting sits in my studio propped up against a wall that my door covers when it’s opened all the way.

I think the other reason was I simply got bored of the painting. That tended to happen actually quite a bit back then, I have to admit. Perhaps due to letting the painting sit around for too long without touching it. It helps now that I’m working full-time as an artist. For the most part, nowadays, I’ll either start a painting and finish it, on average, about 20 to 30 hours working digitally. Or, I won’t start the painting at all.

One of the biggest impacts in the last three months on my art has been working entirely in grayscale during the early stages of painting. I’ve really taken to working monochromatically. I feel it allows me to focus on more drawing and values, before even attempting to paint any color. In fact, I logged in about 24 hours painting the grayscale version. When I was ready paint in color, that phase took about 4-5 hours.

All in all, I am pleased with the way this painting came out. Below are some merch items I currently have ready for sale featuring Avalina, Ethereal Guard.