Thassa and Nami was inspired by the Secret Lair collaboration with Riot Games. When I used to play League of Legends, I really enjoyed the support mermaid character named Nami. She's strong, powerful, and playful. I felt as though it would be fitting to see her with my commander Thassa. I started off by analyzing a few references for a more realistic pose. I used Olympic shots of people diving into water and holding spears. I then lightly sketched the pose over and went over it once or twice more to refine the muscles and overall shape. The colors were mainly inspired by Zack Stella’s version of Thassa. However, Nami’s colors were completely unique. The pink and mint green pair well together, without losing the movement of the overall piece.

Below shows my process from thumbnail, sketch, color mock up, progress shot, and final illustration.