Lady in Waiting (Patreon)

One of the greatest struggles of learning realism for me has been getting likeness. There are some people or characters that are really difficult to paint, and Marion is one of them.  It's particularly frustrating when you can't even get your own OC right, but through all this trial and error I've definitely improved. Having models I can pose and light has been invaluable too, because I can use the direction of the light to help me paint everything else, like the hair and dress. 

 Maybe another thing that makes her so hard for me to draw is that I want her to give off a very specific aesthetic and demeanor.  She's based on Ophelia and all the other redheads in Renaissance paintings, and while she seems very demure, her personality is quite the opposite. 

During the day Marion is nothing but loyal to her Queen, but at night she drinks wine and sneaks Camilla into her room while everyone else is asleep. She has a dirty mouth, loves the water and reading incredibly smutty literature. She's also a mage. 

The Queen knows all of this.

This might be the first time I've gotten her close to how I imagine her in my head. Her hair is so fun to paint too, especially with these new brushes I got from Jama Jurabaev. I always loved the textures in his work, and now I can have some it in mine!