Valkyrie

I am quite a fan of Norse mythology; this and the fact that I have been watching the History Channel's Viking series inspired the subject of my recent painting. Valkyries are woman warriors in Norse mythology who choose which souls of the fallen are brought to Odin's hall, Valhalla. Really who can resist painting winged women when the opportunity rises?

So when I set out to paint a Valkyrie I really wanted to portray a woman who looked and felt strong, looked like a warrior. From time to time I tend to slip into only drawing certain kinds of beauty, the soft feminine features that get used over and over again. I knew from the start that I wanted to go in a different direction with this painting.

My goal was to use strong/ powerful features, really just to represent a different kind of beauty. So I finished the drawing and was so excited to work on this painting I dove right in. I had my reference, value drawing, and a general color scheme (note: not a color comp) what more did I need...

Turns out that when you don't have a strong color comp to work from you can waste a lot of time. What a headache (and days!) I would have saved myself from if I took the extra time to do a comp beforehand. Let it be noted that I have learned my lesson.

Other than that earlier struggle I really enjoy how this painting has turned out. It looks different from previous work and it feels like I'm moving into another step of progress.