Thestral Painting

Thestral – Color & Value Study Over 3D Sculpture
This piece is a digital painting study focused on exploring color values, lighting, and mood using a Thestral as the subject—one of the most hauntingly elegant creatures from the magical universe. The painting was created on top of a custom 3D sculpture, which served as the base for accurate lighting, form, and perspective.

The study emphasizes:

Controlled grayscale and color value mapping to enhance the creature’s skeletal anatomy and ghostly presence

Subsurface lighting and translucent textures to capture the ethereal, half-seen quality of the Thestral’s wings and skin

Use of cool tones and desaturated palettes to evoke a somber, mysterious atmosphere

Careful attention to light direction and contrast, building depth and narrative tension

This project demonstrates a hybrid workflow between 3D modeling and 2D digital painting, using the strengths of both disciplines to produce a visually rich and emotionally resonant creature portrait.

3D Sculpture made by Mikkel Arildsen