The Angels illustration with two blue angels holding each other in the blue and pink sky.

The Angels

The Angels was a personal project inspired by the artwork of L’amour et Psyché done by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. I was infatuated with the artwork for some time and wanted to recreate it as my own with two women.

Date Created: June 19, 2022

Tracked Time: 10 hours 4 minutes

View Illustration Process Below

Sketch

I used the artwork as my reference picture to help me sketch out the two figures. I started out with a very rough sketch just so I could have a feel for the shapes. Instead of the angels having two different types of wings as they did in the original painting, I’ve drawn them to have identical ones.

Very basic sketch of two figures of angels in the sky holding on to one another.

Detailed Sketch

Then, I darkened my sketches and created thicker lines and more details. I added a face to the angels, hair, and shading. I then decided to add clouds, a few stars, and a crescent moon to create the background of a sky which I thought was fitting for a pair of angels.

Slightly more detailed sketch of two figures of angels in the sky holding on to one another. Details to the face and body are now added. Moon, stars, and a sky are seen as well.

Refined Illustration

Next, I refined my sketches with cleaner and thicker lines in areas with less light as it adds depth to the drawing. I also refined some of the anatomical aspects of the drawing for the final sketch such as the arm that drapes across the chest, the hands, and the legs. I continued to use crosshatching as a way to add shadows throughout the artwork. I also added a paper texture overlay over the artwork so I could get a feel for how it would add to the piece.

Detailed sketch is refined with cleaner lines of two figures of angels in the sky holding on to one another with a sky in the background.

Final Product

Lastly, I added contrasting colors to my artwork. I believed that the warm blue and pink would look well against each other. I also thought the colors allowed for an amazing gradient sunset in the sky. I had an idea of using the same pink as a blush on the bodies of the angels too. The soft white eggshell clouds stand out perfectly against the two colors as well. I used white strokes to highlight areas that stray away from the shadows and to add a few twinkling stars from afar. I decided to continue using the paper texture overlay over the artwork as I thought it brought it all together.

Final illustration of two figures of angels holding on to one another with a blue and pink sky in the background.

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