Astarion - "Embrace" wip for Jan print club (Patreon)

Hey there!!!! Here is the WIP for the main print for print club this month!! I'm sorry it took a little while- I originally planned something different but I just wasn't quite vibing with it. I wanted to do something intimate for this piece, and my previous attempt felt a little too wholesome for me to be in the mood for it, lol.

I've mocked up a rough scene in 3D I'll paint over- I usually get the larger things in place and then I can always add in more detail later when I get down to painting. I love doing these kind of mockups- I always refer back to them to make sure I've got the mood right.

I'll post the little bonus sketch of my original plan below if you guys are curious. I may finish it at some point, but I think I'm a little more in the mood for something more up-close.Honestly, I feel so intimidated these days to paint Astarion because I feel like I've painted him so much that I need every piece I do of him to feel original, and I'm always worried about doing something too similar to a piece I've done in the past or something. (Or doing something too similar to what someone else has done by accident, he's so popular!!) I might revisit some of my older pieces and re-do them, particularly Dappled Light and Bite!

I hope you all are faring well, we finally got some snow here!!Much love,

Lily