Tension and Reverie
- Preston Cram
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
The inspiration for Tension and Reverie came from a feeling of equal closeness and distance – the sensation of gravity pulling two people together while circumstances suggest the connection isn't meant to last. It's the experience of being drawn toward someone and wanting to withdraw at the same time – attraction and protection in equal amounts.
As always with my finished work, I'll talk through the emotional spark behind this image and the symbolism woven throughout. Then, I'll share the creative process – from tools and technique to the decisions that shaped the final image.
The Inspiration for Tension and Reverie
I don't know if I've ever been as strongly inspired to create an image as I was for this. Tension and Reverie became a way to explore the excitement and restlessness I was experiencing and give those feelings space, structure, and form.
The imagery arrived instantly – almost revealed more than imagined. I began sketching with a sense of anticipation, and each piece of the composition soon settled into its own place. The process of positioning the figures and weaving their worlds together felt magical – almost inevitable.
Symbolic Choices
There's a single dynamic at the heart of Tension and Reverie: two individuals pulled together while remaining guarded in ways they may not fully understand. The figures mirror one another – equal, balanced, and quietly aware – yet something keeps them from seeing one another. Their closeness suggests connection, while the space between them reveals their hesitation.
Each figure holds a different form of protection:
One carries a shield – a symbol of restraint, composure, and emotional distance. It reflects the instinct to stay controlled and unreadable, to hold one's vulnerability behind structure and stillness.
The other holds an orb of radiant light – warm, expressive, and magnetic. At first glance, it appears open and inviting. But that brightness carries its own form of defense: the kind of optimism or charm that can keep deeper truths hidden beneath surface warmth.
These two objects – the shield and the orb – represent two very different ways of self-protection. Not opposition. Not conflict. Just two internal strategies standing side-by-side.
A number of imps stir restlessly below. They are the whims of fate, representing the unpredictable forces that complicate even the strongest connections. Above them, cardinals appear as a symbol of hope and clarity. In their golden hue they are small embodiments of light, reminders that even in tense circumstances, something bright is burning and always able to set itself free.
Together, these symbols express a sense of longing that's tempered by hesitation – the place where closeness exists but emotional safety has not yet been established. A moment where two people instinctively hold back what feels too raw, too uncertain, or too vulnerable to share.
With the image vividly in mind, the next step was to bring it to life by clarifying the composition, linework, and color palette.
The Process for Tension and Reverie
Like all my art, this piece progressed through three distinct stages: pencil, ink, and color. Each of them held their own unique challenges and problems to solve, and it required me to make adjustments along the way to ensure this image clearly expressed the emotions behind it.
Pencil Stage
The initial drawing for Tension and Reverie was done in pencil on a piece of 14" x 17" Bristol paper. I started with loose gestures and general shapes, simply mapping out the full composition. At this stage, I wasn't concerned with fine details, just trying to lay out the essence of each figure and object.
I have a photo of that earliest version of the drawing – its rough edges plain to see. Faces, proportions, and shapes are established but clearly unrefined.
The next step was refinement. I took a second pass at the entire drawing to clarify the outlines and key details of each element, but still wasn't worrying at all about shadows.
And then, at last – a third and final pass. This time, the goal was to work out the drawing in full detail before committing to the ink process. Here, I added fine details while creating shadows and hatching lines to indicate depth and lighting.
Ink Stage
I began inking it directly on the original drawing but quickly found myself discouraged. The line work in Tension and Reverie is more subtle and delicate than many of the drawings that came before it, and any small slip with the pen or brush distorted the face or figure.
So I chose to do this one digitally in Photoshop instead. That allowed me to be true to the pencil drawing while also making subtle refinements along the way – particularly to the faces of the two main figures.
Color Stage
Here's where the image really came to life.
Just like comic book art, my color work always contains two main processes (both done in Photoshop.) The first is color separations, aka the "flat" colors – this process involves lassoing out each object in the image and assigning it a color. At this stage, I'm putting minimal effort into choosing specific colors – I'm just doing the work of separating each one.
As I got close to finalizing the separations, I began tweaking colors to find a palette that felt visually satisfying and also aligned with the inspiration. Those colors turned out to be rich purples and blues with golden accents.
I never anticipated them to be this vibrant, this bold, or this saturated.
Feeling surprised and excited about where I had landed, I began the second stage of the color process – the full renders.
In this process, I focus on one small piece at a time. I begin by adding a gradient that references the light source – in this case the orb of light behind the woman's hand – to add the first subtle suggestion of shadow and depth.
Then, using my dodge and burn tools set to a spatter texture, I brush over the object in circular motions. The burn tool adds a darker texture, the dodge tool adds a lighter one, and the combination of them creates a texture that reminds me of the heavy tooth of watercolor paper.
I do this for entire image before stepping into the heavy lifting – shadows and edge highlights. These processes are very similar and both rely on the lasso tool. For shadow, I outlined the area and use the Hue/Saturation sliders to drop the lightness and tip the hue slightly toward a blue or purple color. For highlights, I fill the selected area with a bright, warm, yellow color, then add nuance to the highlight using an airbrush and airbrush eraser.
I few small finishing touches, then a final check for details, polish, and overall balance. And then – I give it a name.
Personal Reflection on Tension and Reverie
Through my art, I'm always trying to find and express the deeper meaning in the events of our lives. This image gave me an opportunity to lean into that in a way that few of my art pieces have.
Physical and emotional proximity that touches only for a moment. The quiet, unspoken space between two people moving toward and away from each other at the same time. Tension and Reverie is the expression of a moment that was never fully what it seemed.
Maybe you've felt something similar before.
I share process videos, sketches, and behind-the-scenes work as new pieces take shape. If you'd like to see the next stages of this world as they’re built, you can find me here:
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