BAHAMUT OUTFIT
Artist: Bravo
Antonio Bravo Vazquez is a Spanish illustrator based in Malaga.
Eikon: Bahamut
Bahamut
Dominant: Dion Lesage
Crown prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and leader of its noblest and most feared order of knights—the dragoons. Dion is loved and respected by both his people and his troops, not least for the many times he has turned the tide of battle in their favor. Indeed, songs of the heroism of the warrior prince and his Eikon Bahamut, King of Dragons, are never far from the lips and lutes of Sanbrequois bards. But all is not well in the empire, and the gathering shadows may yet be enough to quell Bahamut's light...
Interviewing The Artist:
How did you decide to represent the Eikon assigned to you?
When I was assigned to represent the Eikon Bahamut, I simultaneously thought about the appealing elements of the Eikon and the elements I remembered from the game I used to play. But I also thought about my artistic expression and limitations. I took all that into account without being uncomfortable at any time of the process. Since I'm not very used to painting on fabrics and couldn't really know how the texture will look like, I decided to simplify a lot the sketches
and designs. I ended up choosing only a couple of colours creating a big contrast between the black colour of the items and the bright colours I chose.
What elements did you choose to best represent it and why?
The first things that
come to my mind if I think about Bahamut are: his huge wings and his signature attack creating a ball of energy that he throws from his mouth. On the cap I focused on the wings because it was going to be a smaller design. I thought that the wings should be the most distinctive element because it is the first recognizable element of his shape when you see it in a small size. Regarding the shorts, it was going to be easier because I could create a flat surface to work on it. I then chose to focus on the head using the brighter colour for the energy ball, the light flashes and some highlights in order to create more details. Finally, the backpack was definitely the most intricate design to plan and execute. I decided to show Bahamut entirely and I focused on the body and the wings. Underlying too the same elements that on the shorts. This process allowed me to represent each time Bahamut from a unique perspective.
What materials did you use for your custom?
I used water based acrylic colours and some poscas for the smallest details and to "clean" the outline. A LOT of adhesive paper for masking was needed too.
Divide the creative process into steps
I sought advice from Fon Diaz, an expert on creating exquisite garments. I used Vallejo
acrylic colours and templates to translate designs accurately into clothes. Then I printed the shapes and traced them onto adhesive paper, which was the most challenging part. After fixing the template, I applied three white primer layers to create a white background, allowing brighter colours to shine without using saturation. To accelerate the process, I used a hair dryer after each paint layer.
After removing the template, I painted the design by hand with three more layers of blue colour and applied black posca to the contours. The process was consistent for each item, and I learned from each attempt, avoiding improvisation and
focusing on the original plan. Despite the challenges, the final result was rewarding, as it reminded me of the joy of working with real paintings and setting their computer screen aside.
