Hi friends!

On the eve of the ancient pagan holiday Yule (Winter Solstice), celebrated in many northern countries, I want to tell you how I drew the legendary Yule cat

Don't ask me how such an idea came to my head, I don't know how and where they come from.
I just sit down at my tablet, pick up a pen and draw...

Sketch in Paint Tool SAI 2

For this artwork, I chose such a colorful palette.

I choose my favorite cold blue-violet shades as the base colors and paint over the background with a soft Old Roug brush

I sketch the figure of the cat in a dark color, even darker than the background

Gradually I introduce other objects into the drawing.
First, the moon as a source of illumination, then bright highlights on the edges of the mountains.
I also sketch out a small village at the foot of the mountains - several houses and trees
All this with its main working brush Old Brist 2, which perfectly blending colors

At this step, I add clouds to the night sky and put the falling shadows from mountains and houses in the snow.

Simultaneously working on the figure of the cat in detail

I enliven the village - I paint illuminated windows and reflections in the snow with a bright orange color, as well as make long dark shadows from trees.

I decorate tree branches with hoarfrost

Add snow to the top of a nearby mountain

A little Christmas mood - colored lights in the windows and on the trees

To enhance the feeling of a frosty winter night, I paint a snowy forest in the foreground, and bright stars in the sky.

Finally I opened a file in Paintstom Studio (I'll tell you more about this graphics program) and added festive lights in the village

And highlights in the cat's eyes.

The picture is almost ready, color correction is remains.

Yes, it;s ready now!

Have a nice and creative day!

Regards

Cross-post from Hive and Whaleshares

This my artwork you can buy in full size in my digital store on Makers Place