“Guardians of the Gate”

© 2016 Natasha Nashadka

both; 12″x36″, oil on cradled hardwood panel

It’s always fun to see how a project develops! Here’s some shots of the progress from concept to final pieces.

I named the angel on the left Lulu.

Concept Sketches:

The original plan was for the angels to be wearing white dresses.

Full-sized Rough Draft→

The great thing about rough drafts is that you can play and experiment without worry of disappointment. Just for fun, I made the dress orange and I really liked it.

Another benefit of rough drafts is working out little problems before they become big problems: like her angle, lack of negative space, and the wings.

Beginning the Final:

Once I get the images traced out in burnt umber I let it get good and dry so if I mess up, I can scrape down to this drawing and start over.

Shades of Red

These beautiful reds and oranges dominated my palette for quite a while!

Under Layers of Paint

Right Angel Detail of the Head