It took me little over a week to complete this piece. I did some research and stared at the card for awhile. I sketched it a few times and then applied the sketch to canvas. There were some challenges that I didn’t anticipate while other things just came easy. Over all, I’m very pleased with the finished piece!
There are little details all over it that I added trying to really grasp the character of the card. I went with an actual wreath instead of just the hint of one in the original card. It translated better for me and it really made the victorious meaning of this card come through. I used metallic paint pens for the sword and crown to get the reflective surface the way I wanted.
The words were a bit of a challenge. Originally I was going to use a paint marker and then just carefully outline it but when it came right down to it I ended up using a small brush instead. I sketched it out a few time with a pencil until I had gotten the spacing right so once I started painting it was basically just staying on the lines best I could.
The gems on the crown were a little bit of a challenge but there are a few of them I really like. (We’ll not mention the ones I’m not so fond of) It’s kind of hard to see in the first picture but they really are red.
The next card I’ll be working on is the Ace of Pentacles and I’m very excited for it!
E Garver, Author 