The Wedding Day
This was my first of two projects that was inspired by visions I had received from God. At the beginning of the class, the Lord directed me to paint my visions and I responded with my most recent one first. As I was praying in service one day, I was seeing me surrounded by storms, but ultimately a shining light from above coming to save me. This piece resembles an event in Christianity considered the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, where Jesus (the bridegroom) will come back again to take His bride (His followers) from off the Earth to be with Him for all eternity.
Beginning Processes (left)
The beginning stages included finding a color palette, finding/taking reference images and compiling the images together to create a rough sketch of where colors and elements will be for refined details later on.
To the left is what my progress looked like after exploration on color placement and blending those colors together based off the reference images.
Environment Details & Me (above/left)
After spending time on getting the environment near completion, I used a reference photo to start outlining/color-blocking me walking through the midst of the sea. After this, I blended the colors on the dress.
I used a reference image of me in a dress with a white bed sheet on during a time of a day where the sun could beam down on my face like how it does in the painting.
Final (below)
Lastly, the final versions focused on finer details, highlights, and the addition of roses to symbolize throwing away and leaving behind the materialistic things of this world to be with God.
Never Lost a Battle
Here is my second of the two projects inspired by visions from God. It was based off a vision I saw of the Battle of Armageddon. I saw myself on a horse with other horses and their riders coming out of the sky and the earth was on fire, completely desolate. I paired this vision with the biblical story in the Book of Revelations about the Battle of Armageddon. I wanted to emphasize the two sides of good and evil, with good overpowering the evil.
References & Color Blocking (above/left)
I started refining my process by creating a quick color block of where everything would be laid out, as well as using many of my own reference images. This allowed for my personal art style to be strengthened and allowed for more freedom to manipulate the environment and objects within the painting in the way I wanted to.
Progress & Final (below)
Painting the background began first, while the horses and people were added in later. All the little details were included as I reached the final product. The advice I received from final critique allowed me to make the finer adjustments, like removing the clouds off the horses feet, so the painting was finished to its fullest potential.
The Other Side
'The Other Side' is based off a song that recently came out called 'Where There Used to be Water' by Urshan University Choir. The lyrics write out the parting of the Red Sea in the perspective of the worried and anxious Israelites, and their past of slavery and bondage closing in on them, while standing in the midst of a sea on dry land. This often is reflected in our own lives, as we find ourselves in the storms of life. We feel our past of sin closing in on us as we take the hard journey of life, hoping to make it to the promised land one day. Here, I wanted to convey the happy, yet sorrowful, aspects of being in the storm, while knowing there is another side awaiting us.
Color Palette Explorations (above)
The beginning process included compiling reference photos together and editing them in a way that is similar to how I want to paint it. Then, we were challenged to do color studies to test which color palette best fits the mood/tone I wanted to convey n this piece.
Progress & Final (left/below)
The process is similar to the first two when beginning the painting process. First, the environment's of both sides were individually painted. I was added shortly after and then details. Through critiques I recognized how dark I was and added in more of the purple and yellow colors to help the whole piece come together cohesively.
Father's Embrace
'Under similar processes, 'The Father's Embrace' was created to represent the prodigal son story spoken by Jesus in Luke 15:11-32. Jesus, "the Lion of Judah" and God of all, represents the father and us as the prodigal son running home. The black sheep is often referenced in the Bible to describe sinners and those that break away from the flock. All the symbolism in this painting ties in to how Jesus died for our sins so that we could be reconciled/embraced into His love again. It reflects just how fragile we are as a black lamb compared to our Father, a powerful lion. His embrace is safe and comforting, yet powerful and intense.
Challenges
All of the different textures became one of the significant challenges of making the lion and the lamb look like they are in the same setting, especially where the lion's hair intertwines with the lamb's wool. Another challenge that was thought out early on was the amount of blood in the painting. This insured that it looked like the lamb is being embraced instead of being hunted by the lion or killed by it.
My Broken Pieces
At the beginning stages of learning to digitally paint, I was tasked with creating a self-portrait with one added texture. I decided to reflect who I was and my journey with God through choosing stained glass. Not only was the texture part of the composition, but it also had to combine cohesively on my face. I admired stained glass for its ability to reflect a story through broken pieces. As the piece is examined, it is found that I am becoming one with the stained glass, I am the artwork. I believe God is my Creator and has turned all my broken pieces/experiences into something beautiful and uniquely me.
Three Days Later
In the creation of 'Three Days Later,' I was challenged to create an environment made up of many compiled reference images, consisting a foreground, middle-ground and background. Taking references of Calvary, the empty tomb and a beautiful sunset sky, I was able to complete a stunning piece on the Resurrection Story.
