“Lucy” (from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) fanart by DatCravat

I’ve fallen for black shadows. Regulars will have figured out that I have a taste for contrast, and nothing does it quite like stylized rendering. It’s one thing to have the visual library, anatomical and light knowledge to render well, but it’s a whole ‘nother thing to let one’s creativity spill into reality itself.

Although this piece is particularly eye catching on its own, I picked it to showcase many of the things I love about Cravat’s work. Although I’ve drooled at many-a-piece that utilize black rendering, Cravat really does it a justice.

One thing that makes this piece work so well is having Lucy as the model. Given the aesthetic of Edgerunners, I think she simply works extremely well in this sort of pop, comic style with an anime touch. Speaking of contrast, Lucy’s drip gives us all the right excuses to include those eye-catching splashes of bright, rich colors that further accentuate the deep black areas of shadow. The multi-colored rim light and the splotches of darker, bloody red are key to making this piece so visually appealing.

Given what we do here on AE, I would be remiss not to discuss the anatomical and compositional awareness that went into this work. While it may seem common sense, everything from the pose, light-type and direction, to clothing shape and material all inform the character of the shadow and light shapes present in a piece. That in mind, the nice creases and folds on her jacket, to the smaller ripples around her mid section, and the larger, juicy shadows around heavily shaded areas we owe to Cravat’s execution of the fundamentals and artistic knowledge. The practice shows. As an aside, I know cigarettes are bad for your health, but here it creates a really central hand gesture that elevates the pose.

Of course all of the light and color work in the world falls short without sharp linework to go with it. A great pie without a quality vanilla icecream just doesn’t cut it. As someone who may have accidentally invented the word “lineprint,” the personality and energy conveyed through lines is something I think about a lot. I think the reason I love black shadows so much is that like a black pen ink, it feels like an extension of line work, rather than a distinct element. The bold and sharp linework in this piece pairs wonderfully with the bold shadows.

On another note, let’s talk about what the background does for this piece. While simple, I like that it gives that metro vibe, super inline with the theme, while having the nice sunset gradient in the distance. Again the contrast between the lights towards the foreground and the silhouette layered on top of what looks like a skyline provides the nice depth and story that every great painting has. At the risk of beating a dead horse, taking advantage of the synergy you get from combining a number of eye catching elements can never be overstated in the value it gives to a piece.

Cravat is on the art grind and it shows. For those like myself that love to gander at and study works like this one, please continue to follow and support the amazing artists that make them. Big thank you to DatCravat for allowing me to analyze her stuff! I couldn’t exhaust the things to say about her work if I wanted to, so please do give her a follow.