To finish off the year, I thought I would post something different to what I usually do. Here is a selection of images that show part of my process in creating a picture.
The process begins with a rough concept sketch to plan out the scene. Sometimes several rough sketches are required before I can find an ideal perspective to work with, or until I think it just looks ‘right’.
Once I have my rough sketch, I create a slightly more detailed pencil copy on watercolour paper. At this stage I might add things into the scene that were not there in the rough sketch. From there, I go over the pencil drawing using my waterproof Uni Pin fine line pens. Different sizes are required for big and small details, and I try not to draw anything in pen unless there is an underlying pencil sketch to draw over.
The final (and most difficult) stage involves painting from one corner and then encompassing the entire page. As time has gone by, I have grown somewhat more adept with watercolour paints and am able to blend colours to achieve certain effects, e.g. weathering on vehicles, creases on clothes. Certain areas of the tank were left plain to create the impression of thick snow. Skin tones are still an area that requires improvement; note that the figure standing to the right has an unintentionally brighter complexion than the three figures standing on the tank. Once the main focus of the picture had been painted (the soldiers and tank), I move on to the background, dabbling with black, white, and blue tones to depict a wintery environment.
Full details about the above scene can be found in the previous blogpost. More to come next year…
By Ibrahim Zamir
Empire of History 