Lost in Thought

MEDIUM: Digital Painting | STYLE: Painterly Realism | SIZE: 11 x 14 | ORIENTATION: Portrait | TOOLS: Procreate, 13″ iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro | AVAILABILITY: Prints available.

She rests her chin on the back of her hand, eyes drifting away from the viewer, caught somewhere between a thought and a memory. Soft light falls across her face from a sheer curtain on one side, while a heavy navy curtain with a subtle gold pattern gathers in soft folds on the other, framing her in shadow. Waves of auburn hair spill over her shoulder, catching warm and cool light in equal measure. A simple gold necklace and hoop earrings add quiet detail without pulling focus from her expression. Lost in Thought is an original composition, developed through a Mood Board process rather than a single reference photo — a portrait about stillness, the kind of unguarded moment that happens when no one is watching.

ARTIST’S PROCESS: Lost in Thought was painted in Procreate on a 13″ iPad Pro using the Apple Pencil Pro. The work builds through layered digital brushwork — structural drawing, color blocking, value refinement, and detailed work on skin, hair, and fabric. Particular attention was given to the long, flowing waves of hair, built up in individual strand layers to create natural movement and light-catching depth. The lighting was developed to create a clear divide across the composition — soft, diffused light from the sheer curtain on one side, and the deep folds and subtle gold pattern of a heavy navy curtain on the other — framing the subject’s quiet, downward gaze.

CHALLENGE: Rendering the long, wavy hair convincingly — with enough individual strand detail to feel real, while still reading as a cohesive mass with natural light and shadow — was the primary challenge. Building the hair in layered sections, each with its own directional flow and highlight placement, allowed individual strands to catch light differently depending on their position, giving the hair volume and realism without looking overworked or stiff.

SUBJECTS AND THEMES: Figurative Art — Portraiture — Original Portrait — Painterly Realism — Contemplation — Solitude — Quiet Reflection — Auburn Hair — Soft Lighting — Curtain and Drapery — Jewelry Detail — Interior Setting — Digital Painting — Procreate Art