[Riot Creative Contest 2017] irelia

christaiji

Hello,

i've always wanted to make an illustration/splash fanart of Irelia, since I felt that she was often "slept on". Thanks to this competition i have remembered that goal.
I was inspired by the following quote out of Irelia's biography and i wil try to illustrate the moment.

 "The Ionians fought admirably, but soon Ionian blood stained the land beneath the prints of foreign boots. At the Great Stand of the Placidium, Ionians prepared for surrender, but were inspired to maintain their resistance when the young Irelia lifted her father's enormous blade and pledged to hold until her brother returned"

christaiji

 

christaiji

Here is a the second work-in-progress shot.

christaiji

At this point, i realise that I tried too hard to make something cool. So, I will be going with a more straightforward approach from now on.

christaiji

Here is a color work-in-progress shot.

christaiji

This was my process. 

christaiji

This is my submission but with added noise. i went for a moody composition to try to illustrate the excerpt. I am pretty happy with the direction. But, I will also try to add more detail and fix anatomy at a later date. Otherwise, I'm glad i entered this contest rather than not trying at all due to lack of time. Because i joined, I ended up learning a lot.