How I Create Art

Hiya, lovely peeps!

Itʼs 2023 and I thought maybe I could do something new this year. I want to show you my creative process and how I create art. If youʼre interested, here are my two galleries.

For this blog, I will use my most recent piece, the evolution of Sunset Shimmer, #64 in my gallery. Letʼs begin.

Step 1: The General Outline

I start with a rough idea and a general concept. Then I iron out a few details and create a rough outline of the drawing. Itʼs here that I take my measurements and decide where every item is going to go.

I wanted to showcase Sunsetʼs character growth throughout the EqG franchise. So I chose ten different points in the time line, measured out ten equal sections and wrote down what goes in each section. For a bit of poetry and sybolism, I started with pony Sunset and ended with pony Sunset.

Step 2: The First Element

Now that I've taped out my measurements and know exactly everything goes, I move to Step 2. Here, I decide what my first element is. The first element is the foreground image, the thing the drawing is focused on, the “star of the show”, as Rarity would put it. I draw that, complete with colors.

The focus of this image is Sunset, more specifically her face. So I went ahead and chose some relevant shots of her and drew them here. I went for a black outline and changes the eye design a little. Once I drew the faces, I erased at the section lines to make them fit each section.

Once I was done with that, inspiration hit. Instead of putting in screenshots of the the show like I originally planned, I instead decided to include some Sunsety quotes. So I typed them out and roughly placed them in their respective sections.

Step 3: The Background

Step 3 and Step 4 are interchangeable. Now that the first element is done with, I can work on the background (assuming I have one, ʼcause not all my drawings do). It is here that I chose my colors and textures.

Now that the faces have been drawn, I can choose how I’ll cover the vacant space behind. Here, I can do things you can only in digital design. On the layer beneath the faces one, I chose this gorgeous red and covered the entire canvas with it. Then I duplicated the layer and played around with the hue, saturation and brightness in order to obtain a different red. I repeat this process eight more time until I get ten distinct shades of red. Then I take the airbrush, set it to pure black and create these splotches all over the canvas. I decrease the opacity until I reach the desired color. And that's how I made this ten-red background.

Step 4: The Second Element

As mentioned before, Steps 3 and 4 are interchangeable. Sometimes, I’ll do all the elements and then work on the background, sometimes, I’ll do the first element, then the background and then the second element.

The second element here is the text. I choose my colors, fonts and layout. I went for red’s complementary color - green. More specifically, teal, the color of Sunset’ eyes. I chose only two fonts for the sake of consistency, Algreya and Playfair Display SC. After I was done writing and placing the text, I then duplicated it, turned the brightness down to - 84 and created this shadow effect that you can see. In certain tiers, there are words that are slightly tilted. Those were done on purpose, as I really wanted to lean in into this comic-book feel.

Step 5: The Finishing Touches

First element? Done. Second element? Done. Background? Done. Now for some polishing. This is where I add the little details, like frames, sparkles, my signature and the like.

I was done with the faces, the ten-red background and the lettering. So then I added a white frame and separated each section with a thin white line. Then I added the character’s name at the top and my signature in the bottom tier.

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And ta-da! That is how I create art. Bearing in mind that the process varies from drawing to drawing.

This image was made as a tribute to Sunset Shimmer, to celebrate ten years since her big on-screen debut. Her arc and character development are so amazing that I just couldn’t resist.

What are your creative processes? How do you guys make art? Do you know any other MLP characters with such awesome arcs that I could tribute to? Let me know in the comments!