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:

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Comments

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

[meeks]

Those are all good points...I'll get a reference photo for the ship and then adjust for the mostly short-legged crew. I can adjust the position of Brelig's arm, as Elizabeth suggested to put him within easier reach of the eye he's supposed to be aiming for.

You're perfectly welcome to login via OpenID, or comment on LJ, if that's easier for you. Or keep commenting the way you did, if you don't mind signing your posts :) Either way, thanks for the feedback!

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

[ysabetwordsmith]

Okay, research is a forte of mine, and I can extrapolate what kinds of ship would be reasonable.

It's medium size: It doesn't need to be as fast as a small messenger nor as big as a cargo boat. It's a cruise ship, sort of historic style: not as huge and fancy as modern ones, but a nice ship with some private cabins and a lounge. So it needs both open deck space and rooming space. It needs to be versatile, and it's in water where they're not hurting for wind: It has a moderate amount of sail, 2 or 3 masts, probably with both square and lateen (triangular) sails. It carries tourists and will be attacked by monsters: It needs safety railings all around, which will be visible, and moderate weaponry (not all which need be visible). Also the waters around Farpoint town are shallow: they do need to mind their draft, so the ship won't ride as low in the water as some of the big ocean ships can.

This site gives a nice overview of ship types:
http://www.thepirateking.com/ships/ship_types.htm
Notice there's a lot of variety and not much standardization. As long as we don't make a big goof the results should be plausible. The closest ones were caravel, carrack, galleon (all related).

I'm leaning towards galleon: a sleek, elegant ship that can move briskly and defend itself. It has raised decking aft, and often fore (don't go too high there, it adds drag), good for cabin and recreational space for tourists.

Good line art of a medium galleon & other ships:
http://www.keyshistory.org/SS-Sp-Sail-ships.html

Excellent overhead view of a galleon, though it's narrower than a cruise ship would probably be; broaden the middle of this one slightly and it's a great reference:
http://img.brothersoft.com/screenshots/softimage/g/galleon_3d_screensaver-11823-1234427318.jpeg

The smaller of these is good too:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3/Wolfshanze/Games/GermGalleon1.png

This one is too big and the sails are all square, but it's the only photo I could find of a real galleon with her sails unfurled:
http://img2.allvoices.com/thumbs/event/609/480/64359885-spanish-galleon.jpg

These should give you an idea of the target range. Like I said, there's wiggle room in the design.

This cutaway shows the inside structure:
http://www.boundingmain.com/images/ships/galleon_sm1.gif

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

[xjenavivex.livejournal.com]

I have a question for you as well. Do deathfins have nostrils? I am currently working on a sketch of one under water. I know that it has a snakelike head. I think this sketch does a great job with that. I just don't know about nostrils since it has gills.

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

[meeks]

Elizabeth's description said that it breathes air, so I figured it would have nostrils instead of gills.

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

[ysabetwordsmith]

A deathfin breathes air. So it doesn't have gills, and does have nostrils.

I think that meeks did a good job of rendering this sea monster, allowing for her soft-edged style and the unusual perspective. It's enough to get an idea of the critter, and a terrific story illustration, though it doesn't show the whole body like we'd need for a scientific sketch. I'd really like to see what other artists will do with it.

I've got your email address; I'll send you my rough draft of the deathfin entry. I don't think Ellen has had time to edit that one yet.