Mage visions

[mariannarianon]

After I drew Draco with his dad, the question of whether I should do a piece with his mom disappeared on its own.

From the very beginning, I decided that I would stick to the book version of Narcissa’s appearance. In the books, she is described quite sparingly, but a very clear image forms: light hair, pale skin, cold, aristocratic beauty, delicate facial features, and a restrained, almost haughty way of carrying herself. I wanted to depict a quiet, cozy moment.

A domestic scene — mom reading a fairy tale book to little Draco. I placed some toys nearby. It seemed to me that little Draco could have brought them with him so they could “listen” to the story too. The toys hint at the child’s age and make the scene feel more homey and lively.

It was quite difficult to show that the snake and the owl on the couch were plush toys because of the overall stylization of the artwork. So I added button eyes — it’s an almost foolproof visual cue. At the same time, the toys subtly reference the character himself.

A separate challenge was to convey that Narcissa is not just a young mother, but a representative of a very wealthy family.

I usually don’t go too deep into clothing in my works. My original characters have fairly simple designs, and for fandom characters, there’s usually already a ready-made costume. So here I had to think up the outfit from scratch. I complicated the silhouette of the dress, added puffed sleeves, embroidery, lace, and gold jewelry to emphasize her status.

I wanted to play on the contrast: such a restrained, aristocratic woman — and yet she’s sitting there reading a fairy tale to her child.

Perhaps it’s not the most popular opinion, but I’m sure that Draco grew up in a loving family. And I wanted to show exactly that kind of moment.

In the books, this is felt through the details. Lucius is clearly proud of his son, keeps track of his achievements, and tries to give him the very best. Draco himself is not afraid of his parents — on the contrary, he reaches out to them, wants their approval, and constantly refers to his father. Narcissa, despite her restraint, remains an emotionally involved mother — she worries, frets, and acts out of fear for her son. And in the end, their family stays together: at the moment when everything is falling apart, what matters most to them is not status or the war, but simply being with Draco.

Yes, it’s not the warmest or simplest form of love — it carries a lot of expectations, strictness, and status. But it exists. And I wanted to capture exactly that quiet, almost imperceptible moment where this becomes visible.

[mariannarianon]

Before I talk about this fanart, I’m honestly curious — how many of you recognized the game it’s based on? I have a feeling that the Fire Emblem series still feels oddly niche to a lot of people.

I was introduced to it by a friend who enthusiastically talked my ear off until I finally gave it a try… but that’s a story for another time.

This illustration features Ashe and Felix — classmates, caught not in a dramatic story moment, but in a quiet, everyday scene.

At first, I planned to draw only Ashe. I instantly liked him — he’s warm, open, sincere. I even asked my husband to pose for the composition because I wanted a more complex angle.

But somewhere along the way, it became obvious that Ashe felt a little lonely on his own. I wanted contrast — someone with a completely different personality, someone who definitely doesn’t enjoy sweets. That’s how Felix joined the piece.

Ashe came together quickly, but Felix took a lot of effort. I struggled to find the right balance: displeased, but not angry; distant, but not cold. Looking back at the speedpaint now, I can really see how much I wrestled with his expression.

I try to keep my illustrations evenly finished at every stage — no overly polished areas next to rough ones. It helps me move forward without getting stuck.

Felix’s white shirt was a challenge on its own (white fabric and folds are always tricky), and I had to redraw it multiple times.

At some point, I added Hilda and Marianne in the background — quietly chatting over a meal. I love small background moments like this, when tiny details slowly build a story.

The whole piece took about twenty hours. By the end, I was completely exhausted — physically and emotionally. But after stepping back, I realized that all that time is exactly what made the illustration feel calm, gentle, and warm.

And I’m really glad I didn’t abandon it halfway through — and let this small story reach its ending.

[mariannarianon]

First job of this year!

I thought the first one would be the project I've been slowly working on since last year, but this young man barged in without waiting his turn.

As always, I was at my mom's place, and while the child was occupied, I figured I might as well sketch my character. This young man is named Rumi Ren, and he turned out completely different from what I had in mind.

I wanted to draw a calm, cute, and smiley guy. But... the drawing kind of slipped out of control, and instead of the intended quiet guy, now there's this smirking young man staring back at me.

I've often heard other authors and artists talk about this phenomenon. When a character seems to "dictate" how the story should go. I've also heard puppeteers say something similar about their puppets, like "I bought him this shirt, but he refused to wear it!"

But I never experienced anything like that myself. And here... everything went off plan.

This time, I decided to add snow in the background. I think the young man is strolling somewhere in the center of St. Petersburg. It's also very snowy outside my window right now. A true winter.

Ah, my heart is wide open! At least button up your coat, or you'll catch a cold...

[mariannarianon]

The idea for this illustration came to me quite a while ago. I really wanted to draw little Draco. I made a few sketches, and then I stumbled upon a reference on Pinterest — and it just clicked: yes, that’s it! Exactly what I was looking for.

I started sketching, and the concept came to life right away. What could make little Draco so happy? Of course — winning his first Quidditch match! 🏆

Then I felt like something was missing in the composition… so I added the figure of his father in the background. At first, he was just a dark silhouette — stern Lucius in his black robes, quietly watching his son. But the longer I looked at him, the clearer that rare expression became — pride and quiet approval.

For me, this scene turned out very warm. Little Draco is a happy child who’s just won his first trophy, and behind him stands his father — a man who may not know how to show emotions, but is still deeply proud of him.

[mariannarianon]

Originally, this was just a portrait for the birthday of the best wolf boy from Teyvat. But Razor turned out to be a stubborn soul—and just like that, instead of a simple portrait, I ended up with a full-blown illustration with its own atmosphere!

I spent a ton of time with this canvas... It felt like an eternity! But my iPad, cold-hearted as ever, showed that it all fit into my standard 8 hours. That's how your feelings deceive you when you're completely immersed in the process!

Razor's costume was a real challenge. At first glance, it seems simple, but it turns out there's a sea of details! But I'm incredibly glad I didn't give up and added them all. And I finally drew the finches I'd wanted to for so long! They just fit into the picture perfectly.

To be honest, I can't say I'm unconditionally happy with the piece. My inner voice keeps saying, "Not bad, but you can do better." But let's be honest—I'm pretty tired and I gave it my all. So, with a clear conscience, I'm leaving it as it is.

[mariannarianon]

Razor and the Finches

[mariannarianon]

About the process of creating the Tartaglia artwork.

I couldn't miss the birthday of our main "Russian boy" from Genshin! Yes, I don't actually have Tartaglia in the game, but is that any reason not to draw him? :3

I wanted something authentically Russian, but without the fur coats, valenki, and other clichés. As always, I went digging for references on Pinterest. And Pinterest didn't disappoint; it served up a great photo of a guy in a tracksuit. It clicked! That's it. That's the one.

"I'll draw Tartaglia as a sort of local gopnik," I thought. That way I'd kill two birds with one stone: capture the Russian vibe and avoid drawing his complicated canonical costume. Heh, aren't I clever. :3

So then it was down to business. I started sketching while simultaneously looking for more references on Pinterest. This time, I made three sketches right away:

First sketch: The one based on that very first photo. I took the pose and placed Tartaglia in a stairwell. The image would have been simple, but it would have allowed me to draw, well, "creative local graffiti" on the walls. I didn't quite like the pose, though. I couldn't capture the casual, careless ease; the guy in the reference looked somewhat awkward.

Second sketch: I roughed out a second sketch, with the character standing on a bridge, a train depot with locomotives below. This Tartaglia turned out too smiley, and I didn't really feel like killing myself drawing a detailed background. The pose wasn't great either. He's standing with both elbows leaning on the railing (oh, those foreshortened hands)... anyway, I continued my search...

Third sketch: I took the very first Tartaglia from the stairwell and placed him against a railing. I copied the lighting from the reference, and I liked it so much! It's totally my favorite—the setting sun, the rays barely touching his hair, and his face in complex, coolish tones! It was precisely because of the lighting that I settled on the third option.

In the end, I'm happy with how the piece turned out. I drew it in four hours and didn't stumble anywhere during the process this time.

Of course, the character is almost unrecognizable out of his usual costume. That's a downside. Also, in future works, I'd like to preserve the lightness and airiness of the sketch. I'm not sure yet how to achieve that... Maybe I should stop and finish the work earlier? To limit myself, to prevent the possibility of over-polishing the art too much.

Anyway, I'll keep trying and improving my skills!

The next character in line is a girl, and this time, not from Genshin :3

[mariannarianon]

I've drawn the best Russian boy

[mariannarianon]

Thoughts that come while drawing.

I started sketching. And at first, I just sketched a simple portrait. And I immediately checked myself, like, "What is this? No challenge, no growth!!" I started digging through Pinterest for pictures of pretty boys with sketchbooks, or doing drafting work, or at an easel—Kaveh is an architect, after all. I made a few sketches, but they seemed too forced to me.

Then, when I came back to them later, I revised my first impression. I think, frankly, I just didn't want to deal with a complex pose or drawing hands. I decided I would draw a standard portrait with a simple angle, but I would make the piece work by making it PAINTERLY. Besides, I have this unfinished business from my work with Venti, where I spent all that time painting a guy by a wall, in the shade of trees, and it went so poorly that I had to change my plan mid-flight and paint a sky background instead. But here, Kaveh's dendro element, Sumeru—it all just lends itself to green!

I started slowly blocking in colors. Ugh. And as always, I start very primitively; I look at how the colors look on the characters and just roughly place them, like in a children's coloring book. You know, the face is beige, the cape is red, the hair is yellow, the shirt is white (my favorite color to paint (not)). And after blocking in the main colors, I started thinking about where Kaveh is standing, what his surroundings are, to fit him into the intended background. Because the lighting mainly depends on the background.

And, as always, my work lacks contrast. It lacks boldness. That's partly why I returned to drawing in the first place. It's scary to paint skin not with beige, to make colored shadows. It's scary and very exciting, of course.

(Some time later)

I want to hurry up and get to drawing all the little details and pretty things on Kaveh. You know these Genshin characters—on one hand, they are very beautiful. There are whole videos on YouTube about the history of their costumes. But on the other hand, suffering during the drawing process is guaranteed. I think only cosplayers suffer more. Well, unless they just buy their costumes on AliExpress.

So anyway. I want to get to the pretty parts already. And this time, I also don't want to polish the work to a perfect render. I want to leave a kind of painterly... carelessness, I guess. Plus, the deadlines are pressing, of course. But it's not just that. I'm scared; this piece was going too well from the start. And I'm somehow holding myself back internally, even scolding myself a little. Like, "How can this be? You need to make a step forward with each piece, make it more complex, better, stronger. And this is just a good piece."

It's also suspicious when everything goes well from the very beginning. For example, Kaveh's face turned out beautiful right away. And I'm like, damn, it can't be going this well. There's a catch somewhere!! I can't, for fuck's sake, just relax and draw the picture.

(Even later)

I still got a little stuck at the rendering stage. Although this time, I really enjoyed sitting and drawing all of Kaveh's golden jewelry and clothing patterns. As always, there was some back-and-forth with the background. When most of the portrait was ready, and I had already decided what he was standing in front of (I even specifically went into the game this time to take screenshots of the location and of Kaveh himself), I suddenly decided to go back to the previous idea with the window. I still wanted to add a bit of light green to the background. After a brief search, I settled on the idea of a stained glass window. Ah, my soul found peace working on that window. I really like how it turned out.

Also, because time was running out (I really wanted to finish the piece on the boy's birthday), at the very end, I started making concessions to myself. I made a deal with my inner perfectionist not to polish the work to perfection.

So, that's kinda it. This format of keeping such notes during the process is fairly new for me, but it seems very useful. As an author, it helps me track my train of thought during work, to make notes in the margins. And as a viewer, I would also really love to know more about the author's "process," their search, how they thought, what tasks they set for themselves.

Thanks for reading.

[mariannarianon]

I've drawn the best architect of Sumeru! By the way, this Kaveh also has an alternate face version. Which one do you think works better?

[mariannarianon]

Actually, the picture came together pretty quickly. This was my first attempt at drawing this character. At first, I wanted to portray him as older, a senior student, but my sketch turned out to be a very young Slytherin.

This time, I decided to go with the flow and continued working. I initially thought about doing a minimalist portrait with a plain background, but then I decided to add a bit of context after all. And so, the Slytherin common room appeared in the background! Snakes, green light, the whole deal…

I really like how the background improved the piece. It made it feel more complete. So, that's how it went. I really hope I managed to capture and convey the character's mood.

[mariannarianon]

My Draco!

[mariannarianon]

"A super quick sketch.

I've slowly started playing through the Nod Krai story. And I decided to do a quick sketch based on it. You know that moment when an art idea appears, and if you don't sketch it, it will be lost, vanish, fade with time. It's important to at least make a rough sketch, to capture the mood, to leave clues for your future self, who might come back to finish this piece. Perhaps... This is exactly what people call inspiration. That feeling of... ...spiritual uplift, a charge from the characters, and a huge desire to capture them, to create your own interpretation.

It's been a long time since I've felt like this... But right now, I'm truly on a creative high. (I might delete this post later. It is, after all, a very rough sketch—I just wanted to share my thoughts with you)."

[mariannarianon]

This piece came together surprisingly quickly for me—in just three hours!

From the very start, I wanted a soft, muted color palette—something pastel and gentle. If you look at the initial sketch, you can see I originally planned to include Luna the cat, but I abandoned that idea during the process.

I consciously chose not to draw the classic sailor uniform or her school outfit, opting instead for a simple casual t-shirt—to make Usagi feel more alive and relatable.

I wanted to capture a quiet, slightly melancholic mood. In the end, the result is a very intimate and somewhat sad piece.

[mariannarianon]

I've drawn Usagi.

[mariannarianon]

The process of creating the Venti art:

I want to show how the work on this drawing progressed. You can see all my doubts, despair, and even the moment when I completely gave up and wanted to shelve the piece, writing it off entirely—deciding not to post it at all.

But then I thought: I struggled with Venti's costume for so long; it would be a shame to just put it all away in a drawer. So, I pulled myself together, mustered my willpower, and pushed through.

I had to abandon the original concept—the one where Venti is standing leaning against a wall under the trees on a sunny day. Instead, I chose the sky and clouds—always a foolproof option. And this time, such a background fit the character perfectly

[mariannarianon]

I've drawn the best bard of Mondstadt!