Archangel Michael
This piece was for a Secret Santa for a fandom I used to be active in. This is Michael from the webcomic Satan and Me. I was also inspired because this was done for a friend and I really wanted to push myself and my abilities, along with taking consideration into a background. I had a few different ways I had thought to explore this piece, but I'm really glad that in the direction it went.
Overall, between a commission and my full time job, it took roughly a little over a week to finish with about 36 hours of work spread over that time.
Finished view
Initial thumbnailing for this piece. Michael is a character that is both strong, but also likes a bit of decadence, and the pose of him being strong won out for me.
Modified the chosen pose and added the wings.
Linework
Base colors
I wasn't really sure what I waned for the background till I got to this stage. then I decided on having him above the Earth.
Rendered out the background to also help secure my light source.
Added in shading on the wings and body
Added the lighting to the wings.
Added the lighting to the body along with the halo and flames for the sword.
Finished out the piece adding a bit of a starry night sky and some glitter to the wings.
I also toyed around with gradients and really liked this golden gradient as an alternative to the main piece.