story sketch: without fail [update: 07-27-2011]

[meeks]

This is a sketch of warsailor Brelig's encounter with a deathfin sea monster, from Without Fail, a new Torn World story by ysabetwordsmith:

Brelig swiped his sickle toward the bleeding eyelid again -- and the deathfin grabbed him by that arm, lifting him high above the ship. The sudden shock of pain frayed his concentration. Brelig swung in the air, blood raining everywhere. Then he pulled himself upward to swing the axe into the deathfin's eye.

cleaned-up sketch:


rough sketch:

This picture is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License, and may be freely used under the terms of that license with a link back to mikaspace.net Please see terms of use for details.

Click to sponsor this sketch and support the artist!
Feedback and contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated :)

linkbacks: 15

Comments

[ariestess]

Is it wrong that I find the deathfin sea monster cute for some reason? I can't explain why I do, I just do...

[meeks]

Maybe it's because he looks sort of snakelike? I remember reading a post of yours where you mentioned having a rattlesnake as a totem animal, so maybe you're inclined to find them cute? Or not...

[ariestess]

LOL! I'm not sure that's it. I think it's just something in the eye...

[meeks]

Oh! Probably just the big, roundish eye and small snout, then. If I look at it with that in mind, he would be kinda cute if not for the sharp teeth and bleeding dwarf hanging from his mouth...

[ariestess]

There is the bleeding dwarf that kind of messes it up. But even the teeth seem cute to me. IDEK. I'm just in a strange mood today, I think...

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Actually, I may be able to articulate this. It was in a splendid site on bioaesthetics which, alas, seems to have vanished into the aether. The basic premise is that rounded shapes invite touch, thus seeming cute and attractive; whereas sharp thornlike shapes repel touch, thus seeming aggressive and repellent.

So, look at the deathfin. The fangs are sharp, yes, but the original example pointed out that teeth don't always determine the result. The eyes are rounded, along with the general shape of the head and then the nose. Since we've got a nose-on view of this deathfin, the alarming arrowhead shape of the head isn't obvious, although if you know it exists then you can see it hinted in the bulge of the cheeks. The end result is cute in a monstrous kind of way.

I am suddenly, vividly reminded of the alligators in "The Rescuers." Brutus and Nero were both cute and creepy:
http://www.connectedconcepts.net/photos/blog1/tgrsp506.jpeg

Then I think about why I like this picture, which has a softer style than some of the Torn World art and in a way that isn't obviously associated with violent adventure scenes ... and I remember reading pirate stories and sea monster stories as a kid that were illustrated a lot like this. So that's what it touches on for me. I like things that are simultaneously cute and dangerous.

I'm not sure if this matches any of your parameters, but it's worth exploring.

Re: Hmm...

[meeks]

The way I draw definitely tends toward children's book style, and it is strongly influenced by Disney animation (which I'm still a fan of!) so that actually makes a lot of sense. Adding more detail might shift it slightly, but my deathfin is definitely safe-for-kids type scary as opposed to the meant-for-adults variety...I'm content with that, so as long as you're happy with it too, we'll let him be a bit cute :)

Re: Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>The way I draw definitely tends toward children's book style, and it is strongly influenced by Disney animation (which I'm still a fan of!) so that actually makes a lot of sense.<<

Sooth. I am a fan of Disney art (my partner Doug is a major animation fan too) and I like children's book illustrations. I think something about the combination of cute and creepy touches childhood memories of watching movies or reading books and being really scared in a fun way.

>> Adding more detail might shift it slightly, but my deathfin is definitely safe-for-kids type scary as opposed to the meant-for-adults variety...I'm content with that, so as long as you're happy with it too, we'll let him be a bit cute :) <<

I think it works. The deathfin might get clarified a bit, but doesn't need to be sharpened, if that distinction makes sense. The main detailed I'd refine, given enough audience participation, would be Brelig and the action on the deck of the ship.

I'm also amused that the cannoneer has decided to take another shot at the deathfin now that the neck is well out of the water and in clear range. It wasn't something that Brelig was in any position to notice, but fits with the story as another reason for the deathfin to drop him and scram.
Adding more detail might shift it slightly, but my deathfin is definitely safe-for-kids type scary as opposed to the meant-for-adults variety...I'm content with that, so as long as you're happy with it too, we'll let him be a bit cute :)

Re: If this gets to the next stage...

[meeks]

The deathfin might get clarified a bit, but doesn't need to be sharpened, if that distinction makes sense.

I think it does. I'll probably refine the edges a bit, and maybe add a hint of texture, but the shape will probably stay the same.

I'm also amused that the cannoneer has decided to take another shot at the deathfin now that the neck is well out of the water and in clear range. It wasn't something that Brelig was in any position to notice, but fits with the story as another reason for the deathfin to drop him and scram.

Yay! I'm glad you liked that little addition :)

Re: If this gets to the next stage...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I'll probably refine the edges a bit, and maybe add a hint of texture, but the shape will probably stay the same.<<

That sounds good.

>> Yay! I'm glad you liked that little addition <<

I enjoy it when people can extrapolate details from my stories that aren't specified in the text. It lets me know that I've succeeded in giving people a glimpse of another world. *ponder* And you're two-for-two doing that now. Yay!

Re: Hmm...

[ariestess]

Yeah, that might actually be on the right track! LOL! Tho I was probably thinking more of Ursula's eels from The Little Mermaid, or possibly even Sir Hiss from Robin Hood.

Re: Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Hee! It was the teeth sticking out that made me think of Brutus and Nero. Now that you mention it, though, the rounded nose reminds me of Sir Hiss!

*laugh* And now I've got "Sir John the Worst" running through my head...

Re: Hmm...

[ariestess]

LOL! I love Sir Hiss! I'd almost mentioned Kaa from The Jungle Book, but he's not quite right. And it doesn't matter that Kaa and Sir Hiss are basically the same snake...

Re: Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

No, you're right, they're very different characters and I think that does come through in the art even though it's subtle. The deathfin reminds me of Sir Hiss, but not of Kaa.

Here's a great nose-on view of Sir Hiss:
http://www.cornel1801.com/disney/Robin_Hood/Sir_Hiss.jpg
... and you can see the similarity in the round nose and cheeks, and the skinny neck.

Kaa is pointier, with his eyes higher:
http://vinylmationkingdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/kaa.png

The really cool thing is that, while there are similarities, the deathfin is no more a copy of either than they are like each other. They're just using a similar school of art with some of the same underlying principles.

Re: Hmm...

[ariestess]

*nods* Exactly. There's no copying or identicality [is that even a word?] between any of them, including the deathfin, but there definitely are similarities, at least in my brain.

Re: Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah. I like poking at art to see what makes it work.

Re: Hmm...

[meeks]

I have to say, I am really enjoying this discussion. It makes me want to re-read The Illusion of Life, which was one of my favourites when I first set out to learn how to draw.

Re: Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm really enjoying the discussion too. I like talking about art, especially when the artist is good with composition and details. Although I'm not good at drawing, I've read a number of art books and articles; it's fun to learn how things work.

Ellen's latest sketch on the Muse Fusion page has started a discussion about body proportion when drawing dwarves (something you nailed in this picture) because it's different from standard human proportion. I actually went out and looked up some references for how many "heads" high various figures should be.

Re: Hmm...

[meeks]

I haven't had as much time as I'd like to read art books lately ...I do some of the things they recommend out of habit now after years of practice, but the good ones will always teach me something about my own work whenever I go back to them.

Re: Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Sooth. Both art books and writing books are like that for me. There are always subtleties to add.

I particularly like art books that focus on anatomy because that can help with descriptions or with designing new species. I spent a lot of time looking at different dinosaurs, large sea animals, and mythical beasts when I went to design Torn World's food web. I wanted the sea monsters to be biologically plausible, exciting in stories, and photogenic.