Khaleesi

click to view full version

Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons. Resident Badass.

There’s something about Emilia Clarke’s portrayal that just makes me want to write epic poems and weave stunning tapestries in her honor. I tried to capture a bit of that feeling in this digital painting based on a screencap from an early episode of Game of Thrones. With brushstrokes meant to imitate an oil-based effect, this portrait came together nicely in Photoshop.

I’ll admit that there were quite a few moments that had me thinking “I have no idea what I’m doing” but it seems that sometimes you need to run before you walk. I learned what textures I could adapt well and what textures I should avoid or replace for future works. Skin tones can be an absolute delight – if you know how to compose them. A few false starts quickly had me running to online resources to learn how to build up a color palette properly.