July Pin-up - Zoulápin (Patreon)

 Time for our first pin-up!!! While doing this I thought a lot about how i'll approach pin-ups for our monthly feature  ((:

 For Zoulápin I wanted to make what looks like a game over screen - he's having a good time over his bath house, having Azhar acting as his servant!

 I want to give pin-up illustrations a scene component, but here I played that way up! I plan to make pin-ups more character focused. I'm not a big fan of "cocky smile, muscle flex" compositions, so I'll always try giving context to the character.

 Let's go with a step-by-step for this one! :)

> Base sketch!! Setting up the mood.

> Cleaning off that roughness! Things having more shape here.  For this one i admit I committed a mistake that I unfortunately noticed too deep in - I used a two point perspective grid with vanishing points inside the picture!! It's usually not advisable. You want them outside the canvas, at least half the canvas width, as to give it a more organic look.  But as I aim for more complex pictures, I think one, two or three little hiccups are bound to happen... worked my best to go around it though!

> Lineart! I tried my usual thin line finish for a more complex composition for the first time here. For bigger scenes, i tend to use a more thick brush with a rougher finish - have any of you ever noticed it? It got me thinking a lot about the subject. Line size, weight and canvas size...I look forward to coming up with creative solutions for it and bring my style forth!

> Hard shadows! The far background looked so flat on the lineart step. Shadows really makes things pop!!!

> Color sketch! This piece is meant to be all about Zoulápin, so I painted the setting up to reflect his color scheme! The bath house is also meant to be a dreamy oasis like place, where you want to go - but will you come back home?! Wanted to bring a summer feeling to the piece, so I made it really pool party like... and also a huge, soda float! That's me being silly ffdsfds.....

> I've been studying ornamental borders lately, and wanted to put one on the finished picture!