Three weeks with Lyra: from a player's note to a final painting

Lyra Vexweaver arrived in my inbox on a Tuesday in February, in a brief Aria had clearly spent her lunch hour writing. By the time I closed my laptop three weeks later, the painting was done. Here is what happened in between.

Week one — sketches

I always start with three thumbnail sketches at low resolution. Different poses, different framings. The point is not to be precious; the point is to find the version that snaps into focus for both of us.

Aria picked the second thumbnail — Lyra mid-step, glass orb cupped in one hand, looking somewhere off-frame. We refined it over two passes.

Week two — color block

Color blocks are where the painting starts to feel inevitable. Big shapes of color, no detail, just temperature and value. This stage often surprises clients — it looks like a watercolor study, not a finished portrait. But it locks the mood.

The color block is the bones. If the bones are wrong, no amount of polish will save it.

Week three — paint and polish

Paint is the longest stage but also the most predictable. Layers of detail, working from large to small, eyes always last. I sent Aria three progress shots across five days.

The revision that mattered

On the second-to-last day, Aria asked if Lyra could be looking slightly higher — not at the orb, but past it. Five minutes of paint. Different painting.

That is the value of two paint revisions baked into every commission. Most clients use only one. But when the second one matters, it really matters.

Want to see how it works for your character? Start a brief or browse the portfolio for more before-and-afters.