The Rain illustration with a grey stone planter in the figure of a woman with green plants growing out the top of the head. Snails, mushrooms, and frogs are found while it's raining.

The Rain

The Rain is a personal project created to bring an idea in my head to life. I had a vision of a serene scene with a broken human stone statue as a planter. I thought that some rain and the little creatures that it brings could add to the serenity.

Date Created: December 22, 2022

Tracked Time: 11 hours 35 minutes

View Illustration Process Below

Sketch

I used different reference images online to help me sketch out the snail, leaves, mushrooms, and broken human stone statue at first. I added small details that show how the water drips down the edge of the statue, the leaves, mushrooms, and how it lands on the snail. I thought it was important to show how the rain interacted with the subjects of the artwork. I believed that adding cracks to the statue emphasized its history while still being loved and overtaken by nature. I also drew little leaves growing out of the cracks to emphasize that as well. I decided to use cross-hatching to give depth and show shadows as I do with all of my artwork.

Basic sketch of a stone woman planter with plants growing out the head on a rainy day. A snail and mushrooms accompany the planter. The background is green.

Refined Illustration

Then, I added color to bring life to the artwork. I thought the warm blue and green tones went well together and were perfect for the theme of nature. I wanted to stay true to the grey statue color for the stone statue planter. At this stage, I felt as if my artwork was missing something so I added more mushrooms and a frog to include more nature. I thought it was best to add creatures who love the rain. The dynamic of the shadows and light help the plants to be the spotlight of the artwork. I used white highlights to add more details of the rain. You can see the little white dots represent how the small water droplets bounce on the leaves and the top of the mushrooms.

Refined sketch with cleaner lines of a stone woman planter with plants growing out the head on a rainy day. A snail, mushrooms, and now a frog accompany the planter. The background and plants are green while the frog, mushrooms, and snail are a blue-green.

Final Product

Toward the end of my process, I still felt as if something was missing from the overall piece. I had some room at the top where I could add more details so I decided to add a floral arch with leaves and loose lines. I used the symmetry feature in Procreate to create the arch. I chose purple to add a pop of color against the blue and green elements throughout. To finish it off, I added texture overlays which I love to add to every art piece I create. I believe my art feels dull without texture. It helps my art feel more alive. I also like the vintage look it adds to my artwork. Lots of vintage posters from various centuries such as the 1800s and the early 1900s inspire different aspects of my art.

Final illustration with cleaner lines of a stone woman planter with plants growing out the head on a rainy day. A snail, mushrooms, and a frog accompany the planter. The background and plants are green while the frog, mushrooms, and snail are a blue-green. The flowers that crown around the top of the illustration are purple.

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