First of all I wanna thank @juliakponsford for a great opportunity, another contest that would challenge artists of steemit to explore their imaginations. Click [here](https://steemit.com/art/@juliakponsford/art-explosion-week-43-theme-mythology-now-50-sbd-in-prizes) to view her post. You can still join!

ELEN OF THE WAYS

![LRM_EXPORT_20180717_185902.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQL8h27S4yef5uwaor7UkmZo4LVHpGw3Wy3FCEm52jVgg/LRM_EXPORT_20180717_185902.jpg) >“As the Green Lady, she peeps out between the trees in forests and woods. As a British Venus, Goddess of Gardens, she is the Flower Bride: at her Holy Wells, mainly to be found in the North of the country, she is guardian of the underground streams that carry sacred waters. These underground streams have themselves become a metaphor for the secret continuation of sacred wisdom. She is the Guardian of the ancient track ways, the Leys, the kundalini currents in nature, and as the Horned Goddess, she leads us to the first track ways, the migratory tracks of the reindeer and later, she leads us to the path of the red deer through the forests. From here she leads us to the lost Shamanism of the Isles of Britain, and we can follow her acress Scandinavia, Russia, Mongolia, Siberia, India, and beyond." - Caroline Wise Hidden in the shadows of the trees, she watches you with eyes millennia old. You may catch a brief glimpse of her, and then she is gone, flitting silent as ghost amidst the snowy boughs, disappearing in a heartbeat. She is the heartbeat of the wood, of the wild places, of heathland and moorland. She dances under the moon in star-filled skies, her dance exhilarating and free. And in the blink of an eye she is gone, lost in the mist that slowly curls over the land in eloquent drifts. She is called Elen. Not much is known about her – she seems to have escaped the history books and academia of the human race. She knows this, and it pleases her greatly. You cannot know her without seeking her out, in the wild places, in the darkness and in the light, in the heat and in the cold. She is to be experienced, not to be read about. She is an antlered goddess, her antlers showing her free nature spirit. Her hair is long and red, often with twigs and leaves entangled – sometimes plaited back in a long braid down her slim back. Her skin is white – they glow in the shadows and shine in the moonlight. Her green eyes, full of mischief, hold the secret of the Ways. [Source](https://downtheforestpath.com/2013/01/21/413/)

Materials

![IMG_20180705_133121.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmT2udTLRfVKSdYeG6xrpooUUzpUgNCukSYNGLXGxsjcsw/IMG_20180705_133121.jpg) All photos are mine and I used my Oppo A37 in taking these pictures. And the materials that I used were: ✔️ Pentel Arts Color Pencils ✔️ White Pen ✔️ Water ✔️ Tissue ✔️ Watercolor set ✔️ Paintbrushes ✔️ Eraser ✔️ HB Staedtler pencil ✔️ Berkeley watercolor pad ✔️ 0.3 Fine Tech Pen

Process

![IMG_20180716_213524.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNoYyFTNbGGM6tVrGhpZW9X3zTZrrLGPtXLHuYxxAUxbi/IMG_20180716_213524.jpg) I did the sketch. ![IMG_20180716_214837.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmR9czM3c7P1HFmHu7BNzAp6N3V1sNtjSL7i79KT5kYGpZ/IMG_20180716_214837.jpg) Then I applied the base colors using watercolor all over her skin and onto her hair, respectively. ![IMG_20180716_224336.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYzowM5rt1XySyZWgAmUnHJTfumZwYLT8HUjkRZtNx9PH/IMG_20180716_224336.jpg) Next, I applied base colors on the dress and horns. And while waiting for them to dry, I followed up details on her skin and hair. ![IMG_20180716_231540.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmerdBdFhcWJKkmzd1swFUpzndGarWp4xPGCiaaraBQyJs/IMG_20180716_231540.jpg) Next, I painted another layer of watercolor on the horns for the color to pop out. I also added details on her dress using wet-on-wet method for gradient effect and waited for it to dry. ![IMG_20180716_235206.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmfD6hKdBhZqiGQQLwr2k1ETtyGycXGpDFmDQhdCaeAZ1B/IMG_20180716_235206.jpg) Then I painted flowers on the dress and followed up further details on it. Also, I added colors to her brows, eyes, and pendant. ![IMG_20180717_000942.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRMsjBG4MQX9hhEqujFVXfoyc6NuUj3rD8fwKP5LLS3D3/IMG_20180717_000942.jpg) Further detailing using color pencils. ![IMG_20180717_004747.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWV1gejohH6B53WRTmKDCFcHgrgupv5gJqcp2BakYQZBC/IMG_20180717_004747.jpg) Then I started inking. I totally love doing this because it makes the subject even more beautiful. ![IMG_20180717_005633.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaG6X8XpAnCZFifHqB7oeM2ygc2kTh99qANZxUBpFnvdG/IMG_20180717_005633.jpg) Highlighting! ![IMG_20180717_184309.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVawNWDmaxRB6yShxYYk7PU43DMB3ScPgZGtLB8gPzcDA/IMG_20180717_184309.jpg) And lastly, I added a background color.

GIF of the process

https://media.giphy.com/media/1iqeEjYDDbJ1MKVv7c/giphy.gif ^{I made this GIF in giphy.com. [Link](https://giphy.com/gifs/watercolor-1iqeEjYDDbJ1MKVv7c) to my GIF in giphy.}

Final Product

![LRM_EXPORT_20180717_185902.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQL8h27S4yef5uwaor7UkmZo4LVHpGw3Wy3FCEm52jVgg/LRM_EXPORT_20180717_185902.jpg) ^{Photo edited in Adobe Lightroom CC} I will gladly accept criticism so that I may apply it on my next artworks and be able to improve myself. Thank you so much. I hope you guys like it. 😊 That would be all, my fellow steemians. Follow me for more content. Keep on steeming! 😊💕 xoxo, @kwenkwennnn ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZvCKGf2osiN7r9NgdCVyPpAfxYb2KCmacgA6F5rrcjZv/image.png) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. ![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNRvCAHeehDDFJTRyievCEqSKBVGJQmBZuV2LBCVJhHKj/image.png)