Overwhelmed.

Bonjour my little demon,

Week 3 on my journey to create my first series of portraits…

And things took an unexpected turn…

Last week, I had dived deep into the world of dragonflies. By this point, I had my theme, my character, and the story I wanted to tell.

But then, I was stuck: what's the next step?

I was sitting in my atelier.

The cold was already settling in with October.

My mind was racing.

What to draw?

Art books and dozens of unfinished sketches were scattered around me.

My mind filled with all the new information I had taken in over the last few days.

I wanted to say everything. All at once.

But I was clearly overwhelmed.

Suddenly, the sound of silence hit me.

And my eyes landed on one of the many art books open on my desk.

In front of me, a painting by Van der Weyden. A woman, white as snow, against a very dark background.

Impassive expression.

Striking contrast.

Ethereal beauty.

That is what I wanted to paint. Not that specific painting, but that visual impact.

Excitement filled me, a smile crept onto my face: I had forgotten. It's the process of creating the image that will give me all the answers.

Stop thinking, start creating.

So, I went back to my pencils:

Sketch.

Look for references.

Photoshoot.

Open Photoshop.

More references.

More photoshoots.

Back to Photoshop. …

On my way to prepare the perfect references... I found a clear direction.

And now, I'm ready to start creating the first portrait of this series.

Voilà, I’m getting back to my pencils

Je t'embrasse,

Léa