Two of the most unique and recognizable art styles are Art Nouveau and Byzantine. My initial idea was to create a portrait for my best friend in Art Nouveau style and have it represent her style, heritage, and our friendship. She is of Greek nationality and proud of her Orthodox faith, so I thought combining these two motifs would be an interesting challenge.
I began by researching reference imagery, color combinations, symbols, and motifs that would be symbolic of both her and our friendship. We met in church as teenagers, so the base of the image is an Orthodox cross motif, with yellow roses representing friendship. There are alstromerias, which represent loyalty and longevity. The vining plant motifs on the sides represent the growth of our friendship through the years. The flourish at the top represents our friendship continuing to flourish. One of her favorite activities is Greek dancing, so she is drawn in a dancing pose, in a traditional Greek dress. I drew her in a classic Art Nouveau style with minimal line work and a heavy outline. The colors are in a primary color palette, joined together with a green color that I pulled from her eyes in a photo.
Mood board
I then laid out all the elements I planned to use in a collage in Photoshop:
Imagery Collage
I then reduced the opacity and drew over the collage with my Wacom tablet and brush tool.
Next, I began the long task of coloring in the sketches, one element and layer at a time, using my Wacom tablet and brush tool in Photoshop.
Coloring in the base colors
Finally, I added highlights and shadows to all the elements with another brush tool. I also added the flourishes to the top, a texture to the background, and adjusted the overall color to be more harmonious.
