Modern knights shield with masks - Wooden Shield
Motivation
As we in Germany now have a Christmas Lockdown I took to the pandemic theme again... I wanted to portrait the quiet act of heroism of all those who consistently wear masks, out of concern for their safety and that of others. You might not feel cool doing it, but it's very cool in my eyes. I have more than one friend who's had to self-isolate for nearly a year now, and on their behalf: Thank you.
The Process - Shield
Knights have been the heroes of my childhood stories, and their shields are perfect for a symbol of protection. As the people represented in this message are everyday folk, I didn't want the overall look to be too polished and shiny. We're all a bit worn down by the pandemic, after all. The wooden texture (used thrice in different colours and positions) I took from the barn of my family with Adobe Capture. Then I sketched the ornamental mask motive in Fresco and turned it into vector art in Illustrator. I'd planned to highlight the skull features, but went more sublte, as the "face" would be partially covered with a handmade mask anyway.
The Process - Background
The background patterns were created in Adobe Illustrator on iPad Pro, the textures with Adobe Capture. I used a whole variety of textures. To be honest, I'm no longer sure which of the others made it into the final project. Creating artwork is a very exploratory process for me. I imported everything into Fresco, and proceeded to draw out the rest of the design with texture brushes, shades and color.
Variations in color and background patterns (in Adobe Fresco)
Final Pick - We have a winner!
And that's it. Two days of work, consumable in two seconds. It has reminded me that I should never forget to appreciate all you creators out there, and that for me to watch a picture, read a comic or a post for a few seconds and enjoy it, someone had to put in some real effort! Never stop creating.
Thank you for watching! Stay safe, stay healthy, may you and your loved ones have a wonderful season!
