Hey everyone! Nite morning 👋 How are you doing? I’m here
Hope you’re all having a good weekend. Today I want to share a piece that I really enjoyed working on, because even though it’s not the first time I’ve reinterpreted a character, I think it’s the first time I’ve done it with a furry for Splinterlands. I’m not a 💯% sure, but if I’ve done it before, I honestly don’t remember lol . This time I worked with the Skyspire Leopard, and it turned out to be a fun and different experience, with a few little experiments along the way that I really enjoyed trying out.
I’ve reinterpreted characters before, but when I saw the Skyspire Leopard, it felt like a good chance to step out of that and try something more in the furry direction. So I thought, “why not try it in my own way, keep it chill, and see what happens.”
From the start, I decided to keep the process as relaxed as possible... hmmm yess no pressure to make it perfect. I just wanted to have fun with it. My goal wasn’t to make it identical to the original or completely reinvent it, but to find a balanced reinterpretation, something that still felt like my style but was recognizable as the same character.
I’ve worked in grayscale before, so that part wasn’t new for me tbh. What was different this time was that I wanted to add color using a gradient map. I was curious to see how that method worked, how it affected the tones, and how natural the final look would feel. It was kind of an experiment.... something I don’t usually do (I've done it a couple of times, but in a different way than the right one) 🤭🙂 but I really wanted to understand how it could change the way I apply color.
Once I started experimenting with the gradient map, I realized it’s a pretty powerful tool when you know how to control it. It let me keep all the values I had worked out in grayscale while adding an interesting color palette without repainting everything from scratch. I played around with the settings until the tones looked right, and honestly, it was really fun. It felt like a totally new way to bring color into a piece, and the result surprised me in a good way.
After that, I played with some blending modes to integrate the colors better and bring out the fur details. It was a mix of improvisation and just going with the flow of what I saw on screen. I didn’t have a fully planned palette hmmm more like I chose colors as I went. I really like working that way, keeping things flexible and natural.
One thing I liked about this technique is that the color felt more balanced overall. Starting from grayscale helped the tones fall naturally into place, which made it easier to keep good contrast without losing texture. It also gave me room to add subtle color shifts and highlights in a way that’s harder when I start directly with color. The process felt smooth, and the results turned out better than I expected.
I also recorded a video of the whole process, but not with the idea of editing or uploading it. I mainly did it so I could take screenshots later for this post. I wanted to show the step-by-step progress, so you could see how the piece evolved. I think it’s a nice way to share the process without having to compress everything too much. Plus 🤣 I really enjoy seeing how much a piece changes from the first sketch to the final version.
Looking at the final result, what I like the most is that it clearly shows that I was experimenting and learning. This wasn’t about perfection ☺️ it was about trying something new without pressure. There are things I could improve, of course, but that’s exactly what makes it interesting to me: seeing where I can grow🤓😱🤣
I definitely want to keep exploring this kind of design. Welllll I’m not sure if I’ll do a lot of furry characters, but this experience made me realize there’s a lot of creative ground there. Every reinterpretation teaches me something new, and that’s what I value the most. It’s not always about getting a perfect result... hmm tbh it’s about enjoying the process and letting each drawing surprise you a little.
And well, that’s what I wanted to share this week. My reinterpretation of the Skyspire Leopard was a mix of curiosity, practice, and fun. I like to think of each piece as a small conversation with something I don’t fully know yet. This time, it was the furry world 😊🤭 and even though it felt unfamiliar at first, I ended up enjoying it way more than I expected 🤣🤣🤣🤓😱😁 yeah
Oh, and one more thing before I wrap up...
A while ago I was looking for this little shark you see down here 🦈. It’s really special to me. I won it a long time ago here, n it was done by a person many years ago but also I consider a GREAT GREAT GREAT FRIEND now n who does amazing work , very talented🤗.
I thought I had lost it , I was very sad… but noooo! I got it back! Yes ! He found n sent it to me again, and I’m so happy to have it with me once more.
So from now on, this shark will be keeping me company 💙
Now yes! See you next time.
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