Recalling The Past

Apparently, I've never posted that image on DeviantArt before, so here it is It was painted in late 2021 as part of a mentorship with Donato Giancola. The theme was an MtG-like prompt: a wizard is casting a spell, using an artefact to open windows to past events or lives. Of course, that kind of prompt works best if I get to explore some things that make it more interesting and enjoyable for me personally!

So I added some elements that made this a learning opportunity: male anatomy is not my forte, so my wizard is a man and doesn't wear a shirt. I had never painted opalescent lighting before, so I might as well try it. And I rarely paint people in this kind of slightly low angle, so I wanted to explore that too.

I also needed some more comfort-zone things as well, to make the painting process more fun, not just a big scary study: I love painting glowing things and magic, so of course the magic itself is glowing, plus the wizard's connection to his magic is evidenced by his glowing jewellery, eyes, etc. I think men wearing skirts and dresses look extremely cool, so of course he's wearing a skirt. I like swirly swirls swirling around, so... yup, the spell is one big swirly ribbon, emanating from an artefact with similar shapes engraved on its surface.

All in all, this was a really fun piece to work on!