Cloister of Artistry

[Galadín]

Welcome to my art thread!

This is where I will be sharing my art journey with you guys. I hope you will enjoy experiencing this work as much as I do creating it!
Comments, feedback and critique are welcome!

I will be posting fan art (mostly Final Fantasy related ♥), original portrait concepts and some surreal designs.

Although I am currently studying to be a graphic designer, I am largely self taught in illustration, which is something I've always had a keen interest in!

I use a mixture of digital and traditional tools to create my artworks.
A list of materials is posted with each piece.

I listen to music a lot, especially when drawing.
Each piece I make is normally inspired or fueled by what I'm listening to at the time.
A song quote is included with each piece as an acknowledgement and thanks for the motivation and artistic insight ♥

Currently my pieces are not available for free use.
Please message me requesting permission before using or featuring any of my artwork.

Thank you for your visit, I hope you enjoy your stay and have a lovely day!

 

[Galadín]

SILVER TEARS

Spoiler

"But you've been crying out for forever
But forever's come and gone
You keep begging for forgiveness
But you don't think you've done wrong
You've been crying out for forever
Forever's come and gone
My bleeding hands, my shaking head"

When You Break ~ Bear's Den

Materials
3H, HB, 2B & 8B Faber Castell Graphite Pencils
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Faber Castell Watercolour Pencils
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - White & Silver Ink
Photoshop CS6

Had fun working with texture and colour for this mixed media portrait concept. This was the first drawing of a series where I was trying out some different techniques with varying degrees of success. Although this piece has a couple of issues with the facial anatomy I still enjoyed the experimental aspect of the process that furthered the original drawing.

COMPASSION FOR THE DAMNED

Spoiler

"I've wept for those who suffer long
But how I weep for those who've gone
Into rooms of grief and questioned wrong
But keep on killing"

Redemption Day ~ Johnny Cash

Materials
3H & HB Faber Castell Graphite Pencils
Unipin Fine Line Pen - 0.3
Faber Castell Watercolour Pencils
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - White & Silver Ink
Photoshop CS6

Really enjoyed playing around with the contrasting colour palette and the gritty texture in this piece. Again, there's a few issues with the anatomy here but experimenting with the line work and different traditional tools was a lot of fun. Not sure about the depth of shadows in this one, let me know what you guys think

SCARLET RIBBONS

Spoiler

"I painted you a picture
Picture full of light
It includes a heavy memory
Memory so bright"

Forest Fires ~ Axel Flóvent

Materials
3H & HB Faber Castell Graphite Pencils
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Crayola Coloured Pencils - Dark Brown & Yellow Orange
Faber Castell Watercolour Pencils
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - Gold Ink
Photoshop CS6

It was super fun going all crazy with the colours and lighting for this piece. I was also trying to pay better attention to the facial anatomy and pose in this one but still made a few errors, live and learn! The best part though was designing the floral dress, it was like an inner girly daydream ♥

SENSE THE GRACE

Spoiler

"Under the heavens we journey far,
On roads of life we're the wanderers,
So let love rise, so let love depart,
Let hope have a place in the lover's heart.
Hope has a place in a lover's heart."

Hope Has A Place ~ Enya

Materials
3H & HB Faber Castell Graphite Pencils
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Crayola Coloured Pencils - Dark Brown & Red
Faber Castell Watercolour Pencils
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - Gold Ink
Photoshop CS6

Sense The Grace posed a few challenges in regards to the colour palette and keeping it cohesive and harmonious. A few times it threatened to go all garish and weirdie but I think it was salvaged in the nick of time. Yup, as per usual, a couple of cringe worth anatomy mistakes spotted on hindsight - which is always 20/20, but there's always next time! The flowers and watercolour was fun, and so was the lighting.

TURN TO GOLD

Spoiler

"And in the spring I shed my skin
And it blows away with the changing winds
The waters turn from blue to red
As towards the sky I offer it"

Rabbit Heart ~ Florence + The Machine

Materials
HB, 2B Faber Castell Graphite Pencils
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Faber Castell Watercolour Pencils
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - Gold Ink
Photoshop CS6

Alright, well some things worked here and other things, not so much. Feature alignment is something to look out for and work on in the future! The colours and lighting were cool to work on though and creating this feel of gem stone shininess was fun, fun, fun! Interested to hear some thoughts on this one

That's it for this month's round up! Definitely need to set time aside to work on more anatomy studies but I'm happy to get this lot out and see what works and what doesn't. Hope you guys enjoyed this update and maybe I'll have a few more to post up soon - maybe some fan art related pieces might be a good idea.






​

 

[Galadín]

THE WIDE-EYED FAWN

Spoiler

"His mother was either lost in a terrible hunting accident...or perhaps is just lost. "

The Wide-eyed Fawn ~ Final Fantasy XIV Data Base

Materials
Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch
Photoshop CS6

Since the Wide-eyed Fawn is by far the best minion in Final Fantasy XIV, I had to give this painting all my TLC. I had initially started with a different painting in mind (which I may finish at some point and post anyway), however I had to change concept midway through the process and create a piece that showed a single minion as being the sole focus of the piece. It was a fun challenge creating a new setting design for the wee munchkin and I like how the colour harmony worked out ♥

TWIST OF FATE

Spoiler

"In stillness, in sorrow
Returns that softly sighing lament"

Lament ~ Ultravox

Materials
Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch
Photoshop CS6

This portrait painting is quite special to me and being able to finally finish it and have a decent enough sense of accomplishment means something to me. My boyfriend was surprisingly super pumped to see this one completed which was both really motivating and amusing at the same time; bless ♥

Captured a short 'behind-the-scenes' video of me painting the highlight colours, this part of the painting process was super fun!

BLOOD RED SKY BLUE

Spoiler

"Before he tears her apart
In the basement underneath
He says,

Never say no to me"

Queen Of Hearts ~ The Birthday Massacre

Materials
Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch
Photoshop CS6

I really wanted to push myself with this piece; to depict different textures, with the anatomy, and in building a sort of narrative. From the get go the painting was a struggle and I almost swear that if the process had to go on much longer, my laptop would have just simply blown up . I don't think I'll ever stop getting flash backs of the ordeal that was creating this piece, but I stuck to it and got through it ,so there's that. I would be interested to know what other people think of the outcome

Thank you for dropping by and having a look at this month's round up! I've learned a whole, whole lot over this time, not only about art and digital techniques, but also about myself and my endurance as well as limits. Feedback is welcome and hopefully I'll have more pieces to show soon - again, perhaps more fan related artwork on the horizon (please be excited )!

 

[Six]

Blood red blue sky is definitely my favourite style of yours so far. It looks stunning. The particles/glitters are gorgeous too! Really loved your latest updates.

 

[Mitsuki]

Wow, some serious updates you have here, Gal. I especially enjoyed your speed paint process. You should do more of that. Color depth and brush strokes, spot on. Your work and skills are nothing short of amazing. Excellent job!

 

[Galadín]

BABY BUN

Spoiler

"Tastes great on salads and in stews."

Baby Bun ~ Final Fantasy XIV Data Base

Materials
Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch
Photoshop CS6

The squidgy Baby Bun is super adorable! I have him set to follow my Botanist around while roaming the wilds of Gridania, so I imagine he loves playing with flowers and bits of leaves. This was really fun to paint, especially adding those god rays and sparkly bits and that cutie little face ♥

Only a quick update this time, college keeps me super busy. Promise there'll be more next time!
​

 

[Six]

That's adorable. Love the use of colour.

Have you considered doing a behind the scenes video where you capture the progress of creating your art?

 

[Galadín]

@Six
Thank you!

I actually have footage of my process for a few of my digital paintings, including that of the Baby Bun, but I just need time to put it together as a proper speed paint. I think in general I underestimate how entertaining those sort of things can be

 

[Galadín]

OWLET

Spoiler

"Who needs eyes in the back of their head when you can spin your head full circle?"

Owlet ~ Final Fantasy XIV Data Base

Materials
Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch
Photoshop CS6

So it was about time I posted up the full version of this fluff ball! This was super fun to paint, especially those beady eyes and the starry night sky. It was pretty awesome too seeing this munchkin used for the second issue of Timber Maniacs, I feel like that gave this piece a proper home ♥

BETWEEN WORLDS

Spoiler

"Can I be undone?
In the evil heart
In the evil soul"

Seven Devils ~ Florence + The Machine

Materials
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - Gold Ink
Photoshop CS6

Time for some traditional, sketchbook artwork. The challenges of drawing an entire piece using only pen was steep, with no Ctrl + Z and no eraser I would have assumed the pressure to not mess up would be at boiling point. Funny enough though there is a sort of freedom when you have to commit to your mark making. The touch of gold ink too was like icing on a cake!

EQUINOX

Spoiler

"See I was dead when I woke up this morning
And I'll be dead before the day is done"

Seven Devils ~ Florence + The Machine

Materials
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - Gold Ink
Photoshop CS6

Another pen and ink illustration of the same character. She has absolutely got hair for days but that was likely the funnest part of the drawing - that and the gold rim light on her profile. I found that shading with pen is ten times more fun than with pencil - and riskier too!

And that's a wrap for this update, hope you enjoyed the new pieces. There'll be more sometime soon ​

 

[Galadín]

I COULD DIE FOR A ROSE

Spoiler

"My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold "

Bring Me To Life ~ Evanescence

Materials
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Photoshop CS6

Drawing spiders gives me the collywobbles.

THE SUMMONER CALLS

Spoiler

"Underneath the mountain, we took shelter from the storm
When the skies had cleared, we chased our shadows North
We drew a circle in the ashes where we fell asleep
We dreamed about tomorrow and the secret we would always keep"

Oceania ~ The Birthday Massacre

Materials
BIC Cristal Ballpoint Black Pen
Uni-ball Signo Gel Ink Pen - Gold & Red Ink
Photoshop CS6

Another piece from last year's sketch book. It was my first time drawing bats which was fun.

Thanks for taking a peek
​

 

[Galadín]

IN TERRAM FATALI

Spoiler

"Animam sacrificare necesse est?"

The Promised Land - Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

Materials
Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch
Photoshop CS6

Was pretty burnt out and exhausted while undertaking this painting. Not going to lie, it was tough (lots of late nights) but got through it in the end, which is a relief. Hopefully I managed to do her justice, Aerith is actually one of my favourite characters in the franchise - fun fact.