Phase 1
I recalled drawing Madonna & Child early this year & couldn't resist starting a series. Voila! Mary & Gabriel.
The archangel appeared to Mary to announce God's plan of her carrying His Son into the world of men. I like to believe that Mary & the angel shared a special bond.
I arranged the figures so that Gabriel would appear as if he is watching Mary's back - a classic image/pose of a Guardian Angel. |
Phase 2
I'm tempted to add jewelry on Mary's person but decided not to. I want to maintain her image of simplicity, purity & beauty.
The solution - more fabric, less jewelry. |
Phase 3
I'm tempted to present Gabriel in full battle armor but decided against it. After all, his coming into Mary's life was to herald the coming of peace, not war.
It would be nice to put halos around Mary's & Gabriel's heads, don't you think? |
Phase 4
How do you like Gabriel's wings? I hope they look large & strong enough to support his weight in flight.
Gabriel's wearing pantaloons instead of chain mail kilt. Once again, I didn't want him to look as if he's preparing for war.
What more to add? Halos, clouds, cherubs? |
Phase 5
Fixed Gabriel's hair. The long, straight hair would make his head look small compared to his wings. Slightly wavy hair evens them out.
Changed the feathers, too! The romantic, flowy feathers really don't work for the image I want of him. The feathers are now thick & straight - they give off the feeling of strength.
See, the slightest change in small details can change the entire mood of a drawing! |
Phase 6
Inked in the outlines. Now, it's ready for rendering!
Added clouds as the background. They create other-worldly atmosphere around the pair. No need for halos, now! |
Phase 7
Mary's rendered entirely! That was rather quick. That's because she's mostly made up of fabric folds, wich means I used uniform pen thicknesses & shades throughout her character. |
Phase 8
Added shadow on Mary's face to sculpt cheekbones.
Rendered Gabriel's head & body. I think I may have gotten carried away. Too much shadow on Gabriel's face gave him an evil look. I'll fix that...
The abs stand out too much. I'll darken them a shade or so.
I wonder how I'm going to render the wings. If I don't decide soon, I might just go ahead with the background. |
Phase 9
Darkened the midsection a shade so they're overall size isn't competing with the chest anymore.
Whoa. My hand hurts after inking all those feathers. I'm calling it a day!
I'll fix Gabriel's face & move on to the fluffy clouds next, so I'm expecting to finish the entire drawing then. |
Phase 9
I'm too happy that we're now down to the last phase of this drawing.
I wanted to create the illusion of Gabriel & Mary emitting light. I achieved this by rendering the clouds in dark shadow except those directly surrounding the pair.
I outlined Mary's skirts in white ink to keep them from blending in with the clouds. |
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