~ Romanian Red ~

I recently finished an artwork for my lady called Flying Squirrel, which you can see by clicking on that link. It's a pseudo-realistic creation of a squirrel flying on a giant butterfly. But the artwork within this post is something a bit more realistic to some degree. Many might call it a portrait but i am not so sure about that.

Before we get into the subject matter of Romanian Red... i usually like to show the tools of the trade. Here, i have a Magic Rub white eraser, a Japanese .003 micron pen, a .05 prismacolor micron pen, a .05 pentech mechanical pencil, a typical graphite pencil, and a created blender of my own rolled paper device.

Sometimes, i enjoy the imagery of the tools just as much as the artwork itself. It's not always about the skills or tools we have but what we can do with the things at our disposal.

I had mentioned long ago about considering doing artwork based on the hair of a fellow Hive user and her hair. I waited for the time to be right as well as an opportunity that would present itself.

Unfortunately, the proper opportunity never arose and the best chance never presented itself for the art that i had in mind. However, i did take the time and chance to make what art i could based on what i had to work with.

I titled this artwork 'Romanian Red' because i wanted it to represent the country of Romania as well as let the Red speak for itself. Since i was young, i always had an affinity for Romania and therefore respected it's flag.

The value of the Romanian Flag and it's tri-color is very interesting.

Said to represent Liberty, Justice, and Fraternity... the Blue, Yellow, and Red mean more than just colors of cloth. The long-standing history was something i wanted to commemorate in this drawing.

I personally don't feel i did the 'Romanian Red' justice! That is still yet to be determined!

I did take some images from @creativemary and her blog to draw some inspiration from. Y'all should definitely go subscribe to her blog and support her content. She had taken a break for a while and i don't blame her. There was an imposter duplicating and plagiarising her content on Steem.

I hope this art lifts her spirits. My primary focus was her red hair... but i feel like this artwork took on more value as it progressed.

Please Check out @creativemary and her blog! She has some incredibly creative and amazing posts herself. Her pointillism is second to none!

I merged multiple images of Mary to create this image. I only shared a couple of photos of her but i drew from probably 6 or more photos.

I took my own photographs of the artwork to capture some of the nuances that could not and would not be shared based on computer scans.

I tried to capture the essence of @creativemary but at the same time apply the values of the Romanian Flag upon her face and flesh. This has been a labor of love and an artwork of passion.

As she has been known to fancy some body paint from time to time i tried to apply the Yellow/Gold of the Romanian flag on her eyelids. The Blue on her skin/face... and save the Red for her hair.

The photos i have taken have been to try my best to do some justice to the process. It's mostly the colored pencil that in layers creates the effect of realism that i have tried my best to apply.

I used metallic gold around the eyes. The gold is surrounded by yellow. The blue is the skin tone chosen. I tried my best to apply all the techniques and principles. I know that i could and should have done better though!

For the most part, i feel like the likeness has turned out quite well.

I feel like the 'Romanian Red' could be more RED! But i will let y'all be the judge of that.

I tried to blend the brown and red within the hair! I wanted the hair to be realistic but also fantastic as well.

If you look at the images i've shared of Miss Mary and compare it to my imagery you can see the correlations as well as my creative offshoots!

The next four images are the scans that i made of the artwork step by step. They are higher resolution if you want to see the artwork in more detail. Click on the images and zoom in where you like to be able to see the art in it's highest resolution.

_{Happy Accidents}

We shall see how Red i can get that Romanian Hair. I am truly having a feeling i will have to redraw and recolor everything. It's not just the color but the amount of detail to the hair that i feel is lacking.

This is some good art in it's own right... but not up to the standards i hold when it comes to representing something drawn from real life.

I will finish and see what i think when it comes to the final product. I have a feeling it will feel lacking compared to the true to life imagery i drew inspiration from.

I will try my best to create the image i see in my mind. I thank you all for taking the time to be here, read, and appreciate my art. Hopefully, you will all see the value in my expression!

Thanks for being here!