Ataraxia is a lucid state of robust equanimity characterized by ongoing freedom from distress and worry.

I was reading about the philosophy of Epicureanism at the time and got really inspired. It is a form of hedonism, as far as it declares pleasure to be its sole intrinsic goal. However, in contrast to short sighted pleasure driven hedonism, Epicurus believed that the highest pleasure came from Ataraxia.

How to illustrate the concept of Ataraxia?

Well, this time it was to be mostly about the facial expression. I wanted the viewer to be able see ataraxia in her eyes. I sketched the expression with a pencil a few times and did the colors separately before combining both of them in photoshop. The colors came easily and spontaneously, and the whole process flowed quite nicely. No worries, no performance anxiety – a fitting process for a drawing about ataraxia.

Pencil and markers on paper, 10x16cm.