We are nearing the end of February and also the end of the month long challenge I've been participating in - the Month of Love (an art event featuring a selection of artists and a new challenge/theme each week). This week's theme is "Fantasy" and I knew from the beginning of this month that this was a week I was definitely going to participate in. Here is our prompt:

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality.
 It’s a way of understanding it.” -Lloyd Alexander 

How does “fantasy” (in any definition) relate to love or affect the meaning of love for you?

I decided it would be a fun challenge to integrate my linework style from my traditional watercolor paintings into a digital piece and this was the result. I picked one of my favorite color schemes from a previous watercolor painting, "the Albino FoxDragon". While this whole piece was quite experimental I felt like I achieved the balance I wanted with rough, watery-smudy paint and glowy color with the structured, whimsical linework I so love.

For those curious (below) is an early digital sketch of the piece. I like to keep things loose and "find" my lines as I go so you can still see lots of sketchy faint layers underneath.

Be sure to check out the rest of the submissions from other artists on the official Month of Love website. Prints (and more!) of "First Kiss" can be found in my print shop.