Anya Chalina @anyachalina@mastodon.art
Public

I promised to share a little process overview of how I build compositions. I am right now working on a commission piece that requires lots of details. I am not done with it yet, but maybe I can share some steps below while I progress if anyone is curious. So far, I spent almost 19 hours working on the sketch and I estimate it to take around 55 hours. I’ll share more screenshots in the comments.

A screenshot of the very simple base sketch. The text on the image: I first start with a loose sketch to establish a general composition. Here I normally figure out the depth of the piece and see the approximate size of the details 8n the foreground in comparison to the details in the back. The image shows a wall with stained glass in the center of the white canvas. There’s a floor under it and some stairs. The text in the image: I then start sketching the focal detail in the piece with ink. I draw the shape and often add the decorations right away to figure out a stylistic direction of the piece. A client asked for stained glass and I know that architecture should lean towards gothic style. I might change the wall later. I then draw a horizon line to establish the foreground. The image shows the composition developing with walls and arches added to the background. Text in the image: then, I begin adding layers to the piece to see how I can extend the space. I decide to draw stairs and arches, so I can draw some buildings around them and have more space for other details. With this layout, I can have up to 5 floors for the buildings. Arches allow me to add other details in the background. The image shows the progress of the piece with buildings added to the composition. Text 8n the image: I then start sketching the shapes for the buildings. I had some layers merged here already with roofs and the building blocks, but normally I either start with roofs or the shapes for the buildings. I then move them around to see how I can add some variety and find better space for each building. When I was drawing the buildings on the rights, I knew if I leave some space between them, I can draw stairs and expand the space even further.
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