I’d like to share a recent piece I finished in about 4 hours. This painting was a focused exercise in capturing dramatic lighting and the raw power of nature.
The piece explores the thin line between destruction and hope. I wanted to contrast the skeletal, dark silhouette of a wrecked ship against the violent, organic movement of the waves. The light source on the left serves as a narrative anchor, a suggestion of a way out or a witness to the struggle of the sole survivor.
friend, hi! Looking at this riot of the elements, I remembered Aivazovsky. Gorgeous dynamics and a sense of pressure in the wave. A flash of light from lightning in the sky, snatched from the darkness of the torn sails of the dying ship. Well done.
дружище, привет! Глядя на это буйство стихии я вспомнил Айвазовского. Шикарная динамика и чувство напора в волне. Всполох света от молний в небесах, выхвативший из мглы рваные паруса погибающего корабля. Молодец.
ohhh, 4 hours and it looks like a Renaissance painting! really, lots of details are just very much of that traditional art style and painted so superb and realistic… amazing work, truly an inspiration. the scene, the meaning, the mastery.
Hi, Dima! Thank you so much for your kind words and for the comparison to Aivazovsky—that is a huge honor for me.
To be honest, this piece was a massive challenge. I decided to step completely out of my comfort zone because I had never painted water, ships, or stormy seascapes before. I wanted to push my limits to see if I could capture that sense of pressure and dramatic lighting you mentioned. Knowing that the dynamics and the ‘riot of the elements’ resonated with you means a lot and confirms that the effort was worth it.
Thanks again for the support!
Russian by Gemini:
"Привет, Дима! Большое спасибо за добрые слова и за сравнение с Айвазовским — для меня это огромная честь.
Честно говоря, эта работа стала для меня настоящим вызовом. Я решил полностью выйти из своей зоны комфорта, так как никогда раньше не рисовал ни воду, ни корабли, ни штормовые пейзажи. Мне хотелось проверить свои пределы и понять, смогу ли я передать то ощущение давления и драматического освещения, о которых ты упомянул. Знать, что динамика и «буйство стихии» нашли у тебя отклик, очень важно для меня — это подтверждает, что усилия были не напрасны.
Thank you, Dima! I’m glad you noticed. Your words are actually very motivating! With each iteration, I’m trying to dive deeper into the details and the color work, as I feel this new style is opening up new possibilities for me. To me, it feels like exploring uncharted territory, and I’m happy you’re along for the ride!
Russian by Gemini:
“Спасибо, Дима! Рад, что ты это заметил. На самом деле, твои слова очень мотивируют! С каждой итерацией я стараюсь всё больше углубляться в детали и работу с цветом, потому что чувствую, как этот новый стиль открывает для меня новые возможности. Для меня это как исследование неизведанной территории, и я рад, что ты проходишь этот путь вместе со мной!”
Thank you so much, ah-dorchaich! That is an incredible compliment.
Comparing my work to the Renaissance masters is deeply humbling. For this piece, I really wanted to evoke that traditional sense of ‘Chiaroscuro’—using the stark contrast between light and darkness to tell a story of resilience.
As I mentioned to @Dima, I stepped far out of my usual comfort zone for this, and hearing that the ‘mastery’ and the meaning of the scene resonated with you is a huge encouragement. It’s a reminder that even in our digital age, the soul of traditional art still has a powerful place.
It indeed reminds me of what I feel looking at some of those traditional paintings. I myself like to work with contrasts and lights but cant yet get to anything even slightly close (well maybe one day! anyway my style is closer to pastel art which is logical as before I was drawing in traditional with pastels). Personally I love when people manage to evoke same or at least very similar feelings and vibes of traditional art in digital. Most of the time in our modern world it is not possible to draw freely on the go so digital art is a very cool and convenient alternative to manage artistic actions - to share your work that conveys exactly what was intended.
If I may ask, how many brushes did you use on this piece? Regular or textured ones? I personally have troubles with picking up a regular brush so draw everything with two textured ones from different packs.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I completely agree—digital art is an incredible bridge that allows us to capture and share those traditional vibes even when we can’t carry a physical easel around.
Regarding your question about the brushes, you might be surprised to hear that I kept it very simple. I used only four brushes for this entire piece: Bristles-5 Flat, Blender Basic, Airbrush Soft, and Distort Move. I believe that even with standard tools, we can achieve that traditional ‘look’ by focusing on how the light interacts with the textures.
To encourage you: I only started learning to draw four years ago, at the age of 48. I’m 52 now, and because of my daily responsibilities, I can only practice in my spare time whenever I find a free moment. You mentioned that you hope to paint like this one day—I am certain you will. If I could start from scratch at 48 and reach this level by practicing in the gaps of a busy life, you absolutely can too.
Don’t worry about how many brushes you use; sometimes, limiting our toolkit actually helps us focus more on the soul of the painting. Keep practicing with your textured brushes—pastel art has a beautiful soul of its own! Thanks again for the support."
I too started to draw not long ago! I used Procreate and absolutely hated the UI and the app in general, it was the worst experience honestly. So I quit it for a year or so, after drawing just a few works. Then I learnt about Krita and was gifted my current tablet we carefully chose specifically for it - so that it could perfectly run Krita with heavy digital works and also could get LineageOS flashed onto it as I do not use proprietary systems anywhere. So basically I started to draw more and enjoying it only in autumn of 2025. And as before I spent almost a year drawing with pastels, I tend to use two or maximum four brushes that resemble the texture and feeling so I totally understand how just a few simple brushes can easily be the best tools!
Good luck on your journey. I too draw when I have spare time and find it a great activity to sooth the mind.
Really nice piece! I like the thoughts behind it. Very solid. Your contrast in lighting is exceptional. Not too contracted and, opposing, not to muddy.
, every time I come in the drawing gets better and better 
. Growing in detail and colors.