The second year of the Spring Draw This in Your Style challenge saw more than 300 entries from artists around the world. Interestingly, more than half of them were inspired by a single prompt — a whimsical creation by French artist Lady Moira. In this exclusive interview, we dive into the story behind her captivating design, what motivated her to share it with the community, and her thoughts on how participants interpreted her vision.
After the success of Lady Moira’s prompt last year and her love for creating fun challenges for the art community, it made perfect sense to bring her back for this year’s Spring Draw This in Your Style event. Her prompt received the most entries again, so we interviewed her to hear more about what inspired it. These insights are woven together with reflections from several artists who were recognized for their unique interpretations of her artwork.
Original challenge prompt by Lady Moira
What led you to create this prompt, and what were some initial thoughts behind it?
When I thought about the theme of spring, at first I considered creating a woman/nymph full of flowers again, but I was afraid it might feel repetitive. When I think of spring, I think of the renewal of nature, but not only that—humans can also be affected by seasonal depression. Winter can have a "numbing" effect on our minds. I thought that a half-woman, half-deer creature in full rebirth after her "hibernation" could fit the theme and maybe resonate emotionally with other artists who might want to join the challenge.
"When I saw this prompt, I immediately had the feeling that this was the theme for me. It was the closest in theme to my comfort zone, which is fantasy and women, and preferably elves of all kinds, fauns, satyrs, dryads, etc. While painting this artwork, I heard the birds chirping outside my window, so I decided to add them to my concept.” - Prompt Category Winner dalisacg
In your opinion, which part of the prompt inspired artists the most?
The hair, haha. I’m known for creating impressive hair masses. Joking aside, I think it’s the overall composition that people liked: the deer antlers, the serene expression ready to face new challenges, the leaves, maybe the color palette too?
"I recreated this prompt because I loved the original piece and wanted to show my support for Lady Moira. And I’m not going to lie, the prizes were very tempting! The most enjoyable part to work on was getting creative and making it my own. I didn’t follow the original piece exactly and changed it up a bit. Having the ability to put my own creative spin on it made it so much fun to work on.” – eve_4est_art
"In general, I'm really comfortable with character-centric illustration, therefore, I liked this concept a lot. It was like the arrival of spring, which perfectly matched my intention of executing animation first time too. It made me think a lot while designing in many dimensions, including layer structure, to later create an animation. I think the design and concept theme were the most enjoyable parts for me.” - Grand Prize Winner _surx_xii
What do you think was the most difficult part of the prompt to recreate?
Maybe the flow of the hairstyle? That sense of lightness I tried to convey? The angle wasn’t the easiest either, but I think the artists who participated all did an amazing job!
"I decided to participate by recreating all prompts. Because I knew that my portrait dynamics were still my weak point, I was more involved in these three paintings and felt a strong sense of accomplishment after completing them, which made me enjoy the painting process most. With the piece by Lady Moira, my goal was to express the goddess who had just risen up from the snow and welcomed the warm sunshine, representing the first glance of spring. I decided not to add her clothes. I had to think of how to effectively cover her body without giving a suggestive feeling.” – gloriavanessa_nicoli
Choosing just one winner must have been a difficult task. What were some criteria you used in the evaluation?
It was indeed very, very difficult—there were so many spectacular entries! I absolutely wanted to choose versions that took creative liberties in interpreting the character, while of course also considering technique. I love it when you can feel that the artist wanted to tell a story through their piece, and that’s what ultimately made the difference in the final selections.
"I joined this DTIYS challenge because of Lady Moira. Her prompt was special, and I saw that it's a collaboration with Escape Motions and other artists. As I expected, it turned out to be fun. I love to join these challenges as I always find a lot of friends, which I did this time as well. Because of that, I'm truly grateful.” - dredzanx
This was your second Spring DTIYS with Escape Motions. Last year, 80 artists decided to recreate your prompt, while this year it doubled. Were you expecting this?
I'm always amazed by the participation in the DTIYS (Draw This in Your Style) challenges that I host or co-host. They often receive very positive feedback and seem to please and inspire more and more people. It's very heartwarming for me, and even though it's sometimes difficult to see everyone’s work and comment on each entry, I try to do it because I love seeing what my illustrations can inspire in other artists. I’m already looking forward to creating the next DTIYS challenge.
Did any entry bring a particular idea that you plan on adding to your future paintings?
The winning illustration by Snow (_surx_xii) made me want to rethink how I approach lighting in future illustrations and to try working without line art again.
Thank you, Lady Moira, for sharing your thoughts behind your creative process of this spring prompt. We hope many more artists will find inspiration in your work, and the art challenges you frequently offer continue building a supportive community of artists.
Happy Painting,
Escape Motions Team
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Learn more about Lady Moira: www.instagram.com/_lady_moira_/
