_{"They say magic is fire or aether... but ours falls like a storm of green blades"}

Hello Splinterlands summoners! Today I present to you one of the deadliest and most reserved mages of the Rathlorien Forest: the Silverleaf Mage, a sorceress who doesn’t hurl fireballs, but instead conjures a whirlwind of enchanted leaves capable of corroding armor and sowing chaos among enemy lines.

Inspired by her lore, I wanted to capture both the serene restraint from her isolated training and the unleashed fury on the battlefield. These mages don’t just cast spells—they become a living wall between danger and what they’ve sworn to protect.

🍃 MAGIC THAT CUTS LIKE STEEL (... BECAUSE IT IS)

I aimed to portray that duality of calm and violence through a still yet powerful pose, surrounded by floating leaves charged with magical energy. I wanted her to emanate inner peace, even as she unleashes deadly magic around her.

🧠 TOOLS USED:

Photoshop (as always, my digital salvation).
Brushes: my trusty brush pack, with a few new ones featuring glitter effects
Soundtrack: this time I had "Ma Meilleure Ennemie" (from Arcane, Season 2) stuck in my head
Resolution: 4450 x 2500 px

_{(Thanx to @splinterlands for endless inspiration! Read Silverleaf Mage's lore here)}

⏰ CREATIVE PROCESS

✏️ Phase 1: Sketch & Lineart

I started with a much more rigid pose than I usually go for, but I wanted her to look calm while channeling her magic. From the very first line, my goal was to convey absolute confidence in her power.

🎨 Phase 2: Base Colors

I used highly saturated base tones for each part—skin, tunic, hair, and magic—so I could show how I divided each area. It also makes navigating my Photoshop file easier: I don’t name layers; I just see a bright yellow and think, “oh, that’s the skin layer.”

🌗 Phase 3: A Cool Background

I wanted an elaborate and eye-catching background, so I aimed for an indoor castle setting. At first, I thought of a library, but quickly gave up when I realized how many books I’d have to draw. So instead, I added a few tall columns and some windows—simple but effective. It ended up being a great first attempt at painting interior architecture.

🌟 Phase 4: Magic! Magic! Magic!

Now that we’re talking backgrounds—you’ll notice it goes from kind of bland to decently lit and textured. Here’s the secret: I didn’t paint much else. First, I applied a noise filter to disguise rough or unfinished strokes. Then I added Gaussian blur mixed with a touch of motion blur, and voilà! A simple yet effective background that complements the character.

After that, I focused on the magic and metallic leaves. From the sketch stage, I had already mapped out the magical light’s direction, so all I had to do was refine and make it wilder—filling the frame and covering parts of the castle background while pushing the swirling metal leaves to center stage.

In fact, if you look closely at her tunic, you’ll see some leftover sketch lines—I concentrated all the detail work on the magic and her face so I wouldn’t have to fully render every part of the piece.

✨ And that’s it... another warrior joins my Splinterlands fanart lineup! Enjoy the GIF (Fair warning: the file's a bit heavy, so patience appreciated! 😉