Overview
This artwork was created to visually introduce Taletha — a clever, sharp-witted thief and mentor figure from the unreleased fantasy novel The Shard of Reflections. The goal was to design a portrait that captured her confidence, mischievous streak, and emotional depth while experimenting with a more painterly illustration style.
To reimagine Taletha, I combined medieval fashion influences with subtle fantasy elements to match her bold, adventurous personality. Instead of relying on lineart, I shifted toward a semi-realistic painting workflow, focusing on expressive lighting and warm sunset tones to heighten mood and enhance the drama of the scene. The lighting was built to frame her gaze, strengthen her silhouette, and highlight the energy she brings to the story.
Involvement
- Concept Art
The Results
The final portrait showcases Taletha as both fierce and charismatic, blending painterly rendering with stylized details to create a vivid and memorable character introduction. This piece also marked one of my early steps away from anime-style linework and into a painterly direction that I continue to refine in later projects.
