Challenging myself to draw "Coastal Sentry" - Paper and pencil (Splinterlands)

Hello again, Hive family. It’s been a few days since I last sat down to write. In my last post, I took the opportunity to indulge in one of my deepest passions: drawing. I’ve had these skills since I was very young, though not at a professional level—daily life and family responsibilities took over. But here I am, with some free time, catching up.

So, returning to my old wooden table with a blank sheet of paper is the best distraction I could ask for right now. Plus, sharing my art here helps me earn a little extra money to pay for things like medicine; it’s great.

Today I decided to draw the Coastal Sentry from Splinterlands. I love her feminine, empowered, and strong design. Seeing her fierce stance has given me a little of the energy I needed today.

What I’m showing you today is my humble interpretation based on the original card. For now, I don’t have any bright colors or expensive materials, so I’m going to work exclusively with my trusty graphite pencils on a plain white sheet of paper. Let’s see how it turns out! Of course, I’m also using an eraser and my drawing board. Lately, it’s been taking me longer—clearly, I’m not as sharp as I used to be, but it’s just a matter of practice.

I started with my 2H pencil, making strokes so faint they are almost invisible. To be honest, I struggled a lot right from the beginning. Getting the proportions of her torso and the angle of the trident was quite frustrating. You can see the messy action lines everywhere. I had to erase so many times that the paper almost tore in one spot.

As I switched to an HB pencil, the form finally started to emerge and make sense. However, the paper is getting noticeably dirty. There are "ghost lines" all over the place from my previous mistakes. Drawing her hands holding that weapon was a total nightmare for me—hands are definitely not my strong suit! But I kept pushing through, trying to capture that fierce look in her eyes.

Here is where the real patience comes in. I used my HB and 2B pencils to start adding shadows. I don't have blending stumps, so I just used my finger to smudge the graphite and create volume. It's always a risk because sometimes the oils from your skin can ruin the drawing or make it look muddy, but I think it gave her flowing hair a nice, soft texture despite the messiness.

For the final touches, I brought out the 6B pencil to push the darkest contrasts, especially around her eyes and the depths of her hair. I know I am not a professional illustrator, and my proportions aren't perfect, but I am genuinely happy with how she turned out. Just sitting here, getting my hands dirty with graphite, has been wonderful for my soul today. Thank you for stopping by and supporting my art.