'Ishq (Passion)

And for my 200th post in this blog...

'Ishq عشق means "passion", but in this context refers more properly to Agapé, divine love.

Actual size 50x50cm, print on Redbubble.

This is the most complex design I've tackled so far, and it has an interesting story:

I was having a hard time finding the composition...

The moment I finalized it, I was unhappy with it.

Then I attended a talk, and the Speaker said in passing
that the rose had become the symbol of divine love...
(yes I was sketching during the lecture)

There was my design!

The baselines...

Completed pencil lines: despite the complexity, they are always designed so nothing is arbitrary. The intersections of certain lines provide the centers for my circle segments, which provide alignments, etc.

The inking begins... The lines look black in the poor photo but they are actually gold.

Finished outlines. I knew I would have to redo them post-coloring.

Coloring completed: the lines are all messed up as expected, and had to be redone before the dots were gilded as a final step.