As I already mentioned in my last post, it’s Nanowrimo time! Supposed to write a 50k+ word novel during November. As usual, my muse dislikes being forced to write just because everyone else is doing it. I’ve not been letting her procrastinate as much.
As a result, she switched tactics on me. I’m in a visual artsy mood FAR less often than a writing mood. It takes a rare mood visual arts time…at least if I want a result better than stick figures. That mood strikes maybe three times a year. It’s struck at least three times this November. You saw Earthbound’s cover in my last “Fiction Friday” post. Today I share the other two, related projects using a new style. I’m pretty proud of the result, even if I did trace two real-life models in the same pose, right on top of the picture.
Can’t compare it to all the awesome art I see from others or I’d give up so shortly after exploring this new form of drawing my characters (and before improving and learning better shading from it, how to do it without tracing, eventually, etc.).
Anyway, presenting more Nanowrimo procrastination:
Hilltop Vista
Illumyn Starsong (a friend’s night elf) and Alasgida (my human) from World of Warcraft.
Now turn the lights off for…
Starry Hilltop Vista
Illumyn Starsong (friend’s night elf) and Alasgida (my human); World of Warcraft original characters.
Before I go further, both works owe their existence to SenshiStock and her two models in this picture. I would also like to thank Mattifemaule for her tips along the way, and inspiring me to give edit-over art a more serious try with her excellent works (I especially love how she does hair). The clothes were partially inspired by outfits in my screenshots on both of them, but were more than I could handle at my level, so I added some different (and less) details.
Now, you can probably tell by how much less shading and extras are in it, but everything else in the picture (fireflies, clouds, sky, tree, water’s edge) are all done by hand without a reference…and all with a mouse because I have no idea how to use an artboard and ended up giving mine away to my brother-in-law who not only knows how to use one, but really wanted one.
I did two versions because it occurred to me after making a daylight one, that Illumyn is a NIGHT elf…they are more active at night, and Gida isn’t really a morning person anyway. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.
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Fiction Friday focus: About the characters in the picture (and why it seems cozy-romantic).
Illumyn and Gida have been best friends through more than one reality since they were little kids. They also lived through each other’s personal traumas together. Along the way, Gida discovered her romantic feelings for Illumyn, who returned her affections once Gida expressed them with a surprise kiss.
However, while Gida was more serious about the romantic side of their connection, she found out the hard way that Illumyn, while loving her, was “Only gay for Gida.” Illumyn considered their affectionate encounters a natural extension of how close they were, but still longed for a romantic connection with the right guy…whom she found and married, eventually.
She sailed away with him to uncharted lands, leaving Gida to carry on alone. In Illumyn’s player’s defense, her connection was rotten during her finalé, leaving wow-RP, and involved a LOT of people. In short, those things contributed to the bummer “ending” between Gida and Illumyn.
They still care deeply for one another, but at a distance. Gida stopped thinking in a romantic fashion for Illumyn once she realized how Illumyn viewed their relationship. Still, given how private and withdrawn Gida is, Illumyn is the only person she cares about in her life, both past and present (lone wolf).
I linked a few older fiction posts (mostly in order) from Gida’s perspective below. Note, speaking of the moon after a romantic fashion=talking about Illumyn with a safer code name for Loomy’s protection.
The remaining entries are all after their brief, romantic relationship.
Stars (In response to a fiction piece my friend posted from Illumyn’s perspective, as the character fondly remembered games of chase while sailing on a ship under the stars, taunting Gida to come catch her again).
Count Me Out (“Love Is In the Air” festival AKA Valentine’s Day Song)
Had Enough (PTSD/history song)
Stand in the Rain (Another song entry)
Muse Sings 