Like a Phoenix- Watercolor Process

Although the majority of my commissions fall into one of two categories (inexpensive, at con, or inexpensive, after con), on occasion, I do get the pleasure of filling a more elaborate commission.  This commission for a phoenix girl was placed at Akaicon 2017, and presented an exciting challenge.

The commissioner wanted a fairly realistic anthro phoenix girl, and gave me plenty of information- she's a gynmist, he provided a facial reference, and while I've drawn anthro commissions in the past, I've never gotten a commission for a more rendered anthro character.  I was excited to tackle the challenge head on.

Design and Development: 

Initially, I designed the character to be more human- while there were some phoenix traits, it was more figurative than literal in design.  I also researched gymnast costumes and poses for something reminiscent of a phoenix.

I found a design I really liked, and did a color test, since I knew I would be working with intense colors. 

I also did a background test, just to make sure everything popped.

I sent this off to my commissioner, and he requested that I make the character more anthropomorphic.

So I tried a few variants to see what might work.  One such variant was a harpy design.

And another was fully anthro.

This third design was the preferred design, so I did a color test.

And reworked the gymnast's jump for a phoenix.

Working In Traditional Media

Printing bluelines and penciling:

I printed my bluelines on a sheet of Arches 300lb cold press paper, removed from the block.

Applying a toning wash:

Applying watercolor and Brusho for the background:

Blocking in color with Brusho for flame:

Blocking In Color:

Adding in Details:

Masking off the background:

I just used cut tracing paper as a simple mask.

Applying Splatter- Gold, Acrylic Ink:

Removing the Blue Tape:

All in all, this commission was a fun opportunity to try a multitude of techniques and materials.  This was the first time I'd used Brusho as an under painting, and while I lost a lot of the color burst effects, it still served as inspiration.

I would love to take more commissions like this in the future- either anthro or more detailed, larger watercolor pieces. 

If you're interested in commissioning a piece from me, either an original character, a book concept, or even something from reference, don't hesitate to email me for a quote!