Hey guys! How's everyone doing?
Today, I want to show you the next portrait in the group of four I previously mentioned... these were the first ones I released from the Ennéa Arcana collection. Moon and Sun. In this case, I'm presenting Selene and Solis... so next on the list is Nyxora, who represents somehow the stars.
As I mentioned before (I think it was in the first post about this collection), this series is different. I've created several collections over the years in the NFT space, each with its own style or common theme. For example, I’ve done mermaid collections, fantasy collections, cyberpunk collections… and even within cyberpunk, I’ve explored different approaches. But even though each piece was unique, they were never really portraits. I mean, this isn’t the first time I’ve done something different, but working with portraits like this is definitely new territory for me.
"Constellation fragments cross her face. Nyxora holds stellar secrets, listening beyond the edge of time."
This collection is practically a PFP-style collection. All the portraits share the same base—each one has its own variations, but the structure is identical, and I haven’t changed it. I’ve made a few adjustments in each illustration, like changing the color or adding small details, but overall, the foundation is the same. Like I said, this is something new for me… and I’m still getting used to not making major changes.
Even though I’ve tweaked each portrait, I try to stick to the same base and avoid drastic changes. That’s been a challenge but it’s also necessary for the visual consistency I’m aiming for.
Since this piece was meant to represent the stars, I wanted to include a seven-pointed galaxy. While deciding which pieces I was going to create, I felt that the stars paired beautifully with Sol and Luna... and thought they could become a unifying element across the entire set.
I made this piece using Corel Painter, like the previous ones. I recorded a video of the process though I haven’t edited it yet. Someday I will... but for now, I took screenshots from the video to include in this post. I haven’t done step-by-step breakdowns specifically for this or the other artworks in the series. Lately, I prefer recording the process. I used to create a single image showing the full progression, and while that was fine, I feel like video lets me highlight specific parts, zoom in, and show more detail overall.
For this portrait, I used Luna’s portrait as the base her skin tone was light, and that worked well since I didn’t have to edit much. I didn’t use Sol’s base, because it was yellowish and didn’t fit for this concept. From Luna’s base, I removed everything except the skin: the hair and other elements were taken out, since they wouldn’t work here.
I then created the galaxy background with darker tones. Using Corel Painter, I added textured brushes to match the theme. I also included constellations like the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, as well as some zodiac signs subtly hidden in the hair galaxy giving more meaning to the idea of her embodying the stars.
All of Nyxora’s hair is basically a galaxy. Her eyes, like in the other portraits, have no pupils or iris. In this case, her eyes contain stars as well.
I also used some previous drawings I had done to help shape the galaxy a bit—but most of it was done from scratch. That’s the piece... for now.
One more thing: the name Nyxora is inspired by two deities Greek, I believe. Like the entire collection, it draws a lot from mythology. The next character I’ll post is also inspired by a Greek goddess... the goddess of the sea. So yes, this whole collection is deeply influenced by that mythological energy.
See you soon. I still have one more to share from the first four releases. And on top of that, I still need to create the final two portraits to complete the collection ... but I’ll share those with you later.
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