Old ideas, new interpretations
These two illustrations came to life during a challenge I posed for myself. I would do a sketch every day for 100 days. At the end of the challenge, for the last 5 days, I decided to revisit some of my older artworks and rework them with a fresh perspective. I wanted to see how differently I would approach the subjects and how I grew as an artist over the years between the original artworks and my new versions of them.
Whether you prefer one over the other or enjoy both for their own merits is entirely up to you. I do still both the original artworks as well as my newer reworks of them.
Strength caught in the moment
This is the original drawing from 2017. I was initially inspired by seeing a stunning photoseries of female horseback archers and wanted to capture the beauty and strength of a single moment. I still very much love this illustration, but I also acknowledge that since then I have become more more confident and much bolder in my visual language and it has improved my art tremendously.
Grace and Determination in Motion
This is the reinterpretation from 2021. I still really loved the original artwork, but since then I have gradually drifted away from a more realistic artstyle to a more stylized one. My main focus with this re-draw was to give the archer and her horse more dynamic poses, as well as to be more playful and dramatic with the composition.
A defiant last stand
Again, this artwork originally came to be in 2017. I wanted to show a moment of defiance, of spite. A witch backed into the corner, ready to defend herself by spilling her own blood and shedding her mortal form. I deeply love this original illustration, even to this day, as it encapsulates exactly what I want my art to be: A vessel for stories, a glimpse into strange and beautiful other worlds.
The horror of a witch’s wrath
And here we have the reinterpration from 2021. Again, my visual language has changed a lot between the two illustrations. I love to play with shapes and exaggerate features and compositions to enhance the emotional impact on the viewer. This time around I wanted the witch’s expression to reflect the existential horror of having to resort to the most desperate measures to defend herself. I wanted to depict her vulnerability and fear as well as her last defiant stand against those who would dare harm her.