Art for Morning Glory - Sam Winchester Big Bang

[amberdreams]

Loved the theme for Tammyrenh's story for this year's Sam Winchester Big Bang, so I was really happy I managed to snaffle it at claims - story link HERE!

Or click on the title art.


Main art


Usual process
After reading the story and checking the correct flowers (Morning glory, hence the fic title!), one image in particular seemed to sum up the feel of the story, and got stuck in my head. So I went in search of good profile reference photos, mocked up a pose in Affinity, and started to sketch some ideas.

The flower was inked later to turn into the title page. The whale was totally irrelevant! 😂
I then decided to work much larger than usual on a big block of Canson rough watercolour paper - but the paper's sizing wasn't working (on the first sheet anyway), and the colour was soaking through in patches, which meant I couldn't layer the watercolour. So I had to abandon this one - below - and start again.

Probably a good thing since I just hadn't been able to get Dean's proportions right in relation to Sam. The final one wasn't quite right either, but it is closer.
Final drawing

Starting to watercolour - the blue is masking fluid.

The picture turned out much more stylised than I'd originally intended, but since it's not meant to be a specific scene illustration (more a summary of the whole story), I guess that's ok.

Comments

[midnightsilvers.livejournal.com]

The boys are gorgeous! And I love the Morning Glories, they are one of my favourite flowers (it’s a joy to come across them wild in a hedgerow when out for a walk. They instantly lift any setting to a thing of joy 😄 and I feel that delicate but tenacious happiness captured in your art here 😄)
I love that you included both versions of the boys in your post. I know it must have been hugely frustrating for you to have to restart the project but I love that in traditional art individual pieces are unique even when the composition is overall the same. So it’s wonderful to see the difference between the two. The eyes in the first version are so beautiful and I’m glad to get to see them.
I love the flow of the boys in the version that you went with, just slightly more tilted towards each other and to me adding a dash more intimacy to the comfort. And the soft light and gentle colours give a wonderful atmosphere.
Gorgeous, gorgeous work. Love it 💛 and thank you for brightening my morning!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Thank you for brightening my day with your comment! I did end up quite liking the first watercolour — their expressions were softer, somehow, but that paper just wouldn't behave.
It's so weird how a quality you have in the drawing doesn't always happen or stay once you start adding the colour. Happens with digital too, I find. Art is a constant mysterious journey!

[yohkobennington.livejournal.com]

Beautiful, as always!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Thank you! 💜

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

man, that is just so pretty.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Thank you!