2D Illustration - "Mermay 2022 – CotWR – This… feels nice” (May 2022)
A digital illustration to celebrate Mermay 2022, featuring original characters from my personal stories project "Legends of Erayfen: Chronicles of the Wind Rider".
"Mermay 2022 - CotWR - This... feels nice" - Digital Illustration, 2022
[Original 2022 description:]
“Although still angry and confused at the sudden transformation, Roxanne couldn’t help feeling comfort and warmth spread through her as Eliza carried her in her arms. Sure, they were still being hunted by two dozen guards in that forest, but it helped calm her down. A little reluctantly, she admitted it out loud, blood rising to her cheeks, and making the pirate captain smile softly.
They’d figure this out, together.”
(Legends of Erayfen, Cycle II – Chronicles of the Wind Rider) (aka Personal Stories Project)
In the story, this happens a few minutes after my Mermay 2020 illustration “I’m half-fish?!” ~ Eliza picks up hers and Roxanne’s weapons then picks up her angry mermaid girlfriend. In part because, yeah, they have to get out of the forest and away from the people chasing them, but also to re-centre Roxanne a bit. As a niäleath (a special type of shapeshifter), the captain knows shapeshifting can be scary and confusing, particularly involuntary or first shifts. Her loved ones holding her helped reassure her when it happened to her, so :p … Well that, and she just likes holding Roxanne in her arms, honestly.
So this was gonna be a quick doodle to keep up with my yearly tradition of drawing Mermaid Roxanne each Mermay, despite me having not drawn for almost a year. [...] Doing this was nice, I’m happy with how it turned out especially given my relationship with drawing this past year. It might still be the only “ambitious” drawing I do this year, I guess time will tell x)
[/ End of original 2022 description].
Unlike my Mermay 2021 or Mermay 2023 and 2024 illustrations (spoiler alert for those two), that one I left with my traditional black lineart rather than colouring it. It’s quicker and part of what I consider my “authentic style” (mostly because I don’t think about painting lineart over, and when I do, my laziness shows up with “but ugh this takes even more time” xD).
It’s definitely not the Mermay illustration I’m most proud of among the ones I’ve done, artistically, but I was happy I managed to draw one at all that year, within “reasonable” time, and that included contact between two characters. Also, I’m just happy I drew my little gay babies and that I actually drew out a follow-up to what happens after my Mermay 2020 illustration ;). Any completed artwork is a victory for me, even if it’s not perfect, and I’m still happy I finished that one ~
***
Process breakdown
Below you can find a looping GIF of the general steps taken to create this illustration, stills of the illustration at various points of the process. You'll also find the timelapsed video process below the step-by-step GIF :)
"Mermay 2022 - CotWR - This ... feels nice" - Step-by-step breakdown GIF
Tools and software used:
- Surface Pro 3
- Clip Studio Paint EX
This illustration is also shared on DeviantART, Instagram, Facebook, Wordpress, ArtStation, and (soon) Cara.
Thanks for passing by!