Marco Valerio Hispánico

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This illustration will be part of a book that compiles historical figures born in the Iberian peninsula and in which each character will be interpreted by a different artist. For today I can show my part of the work, I hope that soon we can see the book and give you more information!

This gladiator is Marco Valerio Hispánico, character that many will know to have been interpreted by Russell Crowe in "Gladiator" of Ridley Scott.

Knowing this I tried to create a new character and not to portray R. Crowe, I wanted to make a man very strong and with Iberian features (¿? :D), brown skin, brown hair, dark eyes…

He is a historical character and I like to document myself well. I researched this man on the internet, on some blogs, I also saw a couple of documentaries on how it was, what he did... I knew him thanks to the film but it's still an interpretation and I wanted to create mine. I'm working hard to create my own interpretations.

This (and listening the Gladiator OST, was necessary!) helps me build my own image of the character, support him from real references and determine what pose and, above all, what attitude I want to give him.

I decided that the illustration had to have an epic aspect but without resorting to a fight scene. At first I considered drawing the moment in which the gladiator enters the Coliseum but finally I thought that drawing the moment in which he has already beaten the opponent, and looks at Caesar waiting for the verdict of the thumb, could be equally epic and also could resolve as a moment in which in the scene does not have to see either the Caesar or the rival.

Things I had clear: afternoon light, everything very warm, dusty, muscles! not much clothing and draped to give that touch of Roman sculptures, massive coliseum background, sloping perspective, low angle view and a very pictorial cartoon.

This is my Marco Valerio Hispánico:

And, as is usual, part of the process:

I think it's interesting to say that I gave a thousand laps to the pose before concluding with the "winner" pose. I knew I wanted to show only the protagonist but first I tried some combat poses that did not finish convincing me.

I discarded the previous poses and the first thing I did was throw two inclined lines in the background. These lines were to determine the coliseum. The top would belong to the highest part of the tier and the bottom is where the sand begins. In this way he gave action to the image and could situate the character.

Sometimes I scribble the poses and others I start with spots of color (as in the previous images) but for this pose I needed to sketch much more. I complicated my life by drawing a man (who I do not usually do), hypermuscular (I still do less) and in a low angle view (self-challenge accepted!).

As I did not have a model I looked for many reference images, they are great to look at the muscles, the colors... With this illustration I did not intend to do a demonstration of anatomical control but knowing that I wanted to make a man burly and athletic I needed references.

I tried with a pose with open arms, looking up. I researched the armor and robes of the gladiators. There are several types that determine the type or level of the gladiator, first I used the Roman helmet that most of us have in mind, then the "official" helmet gladiator but I didn't like to cover his face as much as, as I said before, I'm very interested in working the attitude, the expressions of the character and for today I need to draw their look.

As you see I also used as a reference to my own drawing by Björn Ragnarsson from Vikings Tv series! Mainly to follow the line, I feared falling into starting to make a very realistic drawing and forget about the interpretation. I'm really enjoying re-creating a cartoon character combined with realism in elements like color, light...

And I took off his helmet, and I put a sword, and I raised his arm to reach the pose of winner.
And I realized that a hand picking a knife is not the same as picking up a sword... nor the side of someone muscular is the same as that of someone who is not... Ok! Search for more references!

When I finally drew the pose I started with the color and to determine the face...

...and muscles, and the skin tone of a gladiator had to be very dark. I used a gradient layer to make the lower part darker, this part was also meant to work less because my main focus was the face/torso/hand of the sword.

With the character I started to shape the background.

I wanted a coliseo totally epic and huge, with exaggerated forms, crowd of people... but also wanted to be interpreted in the background and that was not defined, I defined some form and did a lot of spot work.

I applied a stone texture to the wall and defined general lighting.

For the upper light I used a blurred brush and made two points in a layer in "Overlay" mode, I wanted to make a very hot afternoon, as if the gladiator had been fighting for hours.

In addition, I also added the armor of the arm that I discarded when I changed the pose.

I didn't work much more the background, I considered that it was not necessary. I think I make more and more decisions of this type when drawing, what elements matter to me and which ones serve me "only" of support and, in this case, the background is only a support, as it is already easy to interpret.

I applied a lens blur filter and then I refined some areas with the blur tool, I also lowered the color intensity of the background, I like the powerful and bright colors but I think this time they didn't just favor the final drawing or the shape of the character.

And to finish I put a filter of warm photography, I gave some highlights, also after the character and in the factions of the face and I debated on if it would be too much to put blood being a illustration of cartoon character.

But it's not too much, no. He has just fought, he has won ... Why not?