CONJURE MAGIC ILLUSTRATIONS

Daria Anako demonstrates her process for creating a whimsical piece of art with some spellbinding touches

Magic has always sparked imagination.

Since it doesn't exist in our world, there are countless ways to portray it through art. Will it be the blinding light from a wizard's wand? The shimmering mist from a witch's spell? Or the shadowy tendrils of a dark warlock? There are no rules, so we can let our creativity run wild.

I've had a soft spot for witches since childhood, which is why I decided to create an illustration on my favourite theme for this tutorial.

It depicts a young witch learning a new spell, accompanied by her feathered friends. I want to focus on highlighting the magical elements so the illustration bursts with life.

For some time now, I've been creating all my artwork in Procreate, which is not only convenient and simple, but also gives me full control over what I draw. In this tutorial, I'll share various tips that might make your work easier or help you get acquainted with the software for the first time.

We'll talk about composition, finding inspiration, choosing colours, building atmosphere, and different rendering techniques. I'll show you some useful features found in Procreate and walk you through my process for finishing a new illustration. I'm really curious to see how my workflow compares to yours. Let's begin!

1. Find inspiration and create thumbnails

My initial idea was to create a drawing of a young witch in the midst of her studies. After some research, I figured out which magical items would be essential in her room. You should start by sketching a quick thumbnail and testing different colour options. To make it easier to adjust the colours later, create each one on a separate layer, which allows you to use the 'Hue, Saturation, Brightness' option in Adjustments.

2. Make a rough sketch of your image