Ever since word of Black Panther’s filming first made rounds, I’d been ready to see it. I decided early that this film was not going to miss me. Nope, not at all. An Opening Weekend viewing, though, was impossible. You see, the local cinema chain reported in the Friday papers that the weekend tickets were all sold out. Not even joking. Luckily, Kat (yes, she was back in Jamaica for a bit) had the good sense to grab Monday’s tickets right then and there. Much as I expected, the majesty of Wakanda blew me away. Credit to the creative team behind the film; the visual overload alone was worth the ticket price. What I didn’t expect, but I should have, was that I’d fan-girl for none other than Princess Shuri.
For me, Shuri was the full package. Super intelligent and cute as a button. Fun-loving and snarky while being no-nonsense. And, above all, not one to wilt in the face of a challenge. She wasn’t a one-dimensional girl-character insert, which is a trope I hate. She also didn’t have to try hard, or at all, to earn my allegiance. And how else could I show that Shuri was my one true Queen than through fan art?
Initial rough sketch for “Princess Shuri of Wakanda” fan art, done in coloured pencil.
I made this rough sketch about 3 or so weeks after seeing ‘Black Panther’. It was a bit late for the fan art bandwagon, but I didn’t want to put out something rushed. Plus, I had health issues to overcome and client work that needed me. I wanted to incorporate my Shuri favourite hairstyle and clothing from in the film. I also had to include one of her panther gauntlets, because:
1. They’re, hands-down, one of her coolest inventions, and
2. I wanted the challenge of drawing something more complex than I’m accustomed to.
Plus, I wanted to make her pose playful rather than serious. All this was as much of a nod to her youth and sense of style as it was to her technological savvy.
A downright awful follow-up sketch of Princess Shuri. Done in Col-Erase pencils.
This was a failed 1st attempt after the initial rough sketch. I’d have banished this to the depths of my scrap draw, but I thought it was worth showing. In case you thought otherwise, I rarely get a drawing on target at first. For one thing, it looked nothing like her even thought I’d used references. It came across looking and feeling stiff and forced, and I hated it. This mess had to go. Sensing that this wouldn’t end well if I forced it, I put my Shuri project aside for a while and focused on other things. That way, I felt, my head could get it together. I also looked up more photo references for poses and of Shuri’s actress, Letitia Wright.
A redone pencil drawing of Princess Shuri, this time in blue and lavender Col-Erase pencils.
Once I revisited the piece, I zeroed in on what was the issue – I was being too faithful to the first sketch. Sure, the pose matched, but she was coming off stiff and unnatural – two words unattributable to Shuri. Also, achieving some degree of likeness was important to me. I wasn’t aiming for a gallery-worthy portrait, but Shuri needed to be recognizable. Drawing her gauntlet was also a mental workout, given the perspective, but I was determined to nail it. Finally, after a proper redraw*, I had the pencil version complete.
*Included drawing her eyes on another sheet, then cutting/pasting them in place. I’d gone over that section too many times with my eraser. Whoops!
Line art of Princess Shuri, done with Staedtler pigment liners on Bristol board.
I decided to trace the drawing on to some Bristol paper and ink it by hand. Nowadays, I find myself trying to limit how long I subject my eyeballs to electronic screens. A far cry from my teenage years, that’s for sure. Once inked and scanned, I cleaned the lines in Photoshop and gave it a final polish in Illustrator. To make sure her colours were accurate, I pulled the colours I needed out of movie stills featuring Shuri. First, I pixelated the stills using Photoshop’s Mosaic tool. Then I picked the Highlights, Mid-tones, and Shadows.
Princess Shuri of Wakanda, posing with one of her panther gauntlets.
A few days of careful colouring later, Princess Shuri was complete. I caught the Avengers: Infinity War train by the skin of its teeth, but I was happy to have it done. It also came out better than I had expected. Since I hadn’t done a personal piece in a long time, I’m glad I had made the effort for Shuri.
If you’re also an artist, what’s your favourite show or movie to do fan art of, and why?
Peta-Ann is a chocoholic nut who loves to draw, and loves making a living by loving to draw. She's also a novice animator and is scrubbing the rust off of being a writer.
