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Published: 2008-01-30 04:42:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 3237; Favourites: 46; Downloads: 122
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Description
A very long time ago, before sin manifested within the world of Esha, many civilisations, loyal to the Creator, existed within the lands known as Elshanae. These were known proudly alive in the Genesis Era. However, when the Chaos Era began, few of them were spared from Sinalazul’s wrath. Wherever his presence was, these civilisations were forced to either side for or against him. Sadly, the choice for righteousness wasn’t made so easy, for those who rose to oppose him saw a consequence worse than death itself.Entire civilisations were devastated for it. Their defiance was merely a stain on the arnaments of Sin's ambition, who cared little for those who remained faithful to the Creator, and took pleasure in giving their fallen a new purpose among his growing legions of the corrupted. He ruined everything they ever held dear and made sure their souls would be kept in cursed purgatory with the intent to keep their former holy nature a secret from the pages of history. History that could unravel his influence in the world in later times.
Yet after centuries of abandonment, the civilisations that those shackled souls once belonged to still stand as wasted remains of what once was. The exiled kyrathi from the faraway realms of Zerran were the first to rediscover some of them, and it was said they harnessed the dark energies from these now sanctuaries for the undead to sustain their reckless ambitions. Further centuries passed since then though, and the kyrathi were nearly all but extinct among the larger masses of the world. It was by then that the humans had returned to re-colonise Elshanae and regardless of what the kyrathi found in these monuments of the past, the humans fought long into these territories to find something far more elusive than the darkness Sin left behind in them. For, in time, archaeologists would discover the true face of what once was and with it divine inheritance.
As of such, many brave adventurers continue to raid these places. Some for answers. Others for wealth and glory…
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This is one of those big projects I’ve been talking about, and most of the background lineart here can be traced back to nearly half a year ago. Back then, I hadn’t the skill to colour it right, so I gave up on it with a vow to return when my mind’s eye could work it out. The theme changed a little in production though, as I never intended to feature two of my characters in it; ‘The Southern Blade’, Razari Vanguarde, and his apprentice, Catelyn Esther… who some may already know. What’s seen here is truer to their designs too.
Questions? Comments? Anything else? All are appreciated.
Edit: Slight change of contrast for characters, to blend better with their surroundings. Thanks for the tip, mates!
Artwork + Details // Razari Vanguarde // Catelyn Esther - © Kristopher P. Love
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Comments: 43
RSable [2008-04-14 03:47:57 +0000 UTC]
Excellent, excellent texture work on the stones here. The decay looks perfect - age and weather and time.
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Sargoth [2008-02-06 08:26:55 +0000 UTC]
Out of all your work, Kris, I like the ones with ruins the most. I attribute it to my general fascination with ruins, but also you're damn good at drawing them. I really like the armless statue (a goddess?) off in the background. It really stands in as a symbol for a dead culture, I think. The characters up front also give things in back a great sense of scale. That statue must be huge!
The piece has a generally melancholy tone, as it should. The characters in the front really pop, like they're intruding on the dead city. The whole thing makes me curious about the civilization that once thrived there. You need to post more of your prose! Anyway, excellent work, as per usual.
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Aikurisu In reply to Sargoth [2008-02-07 13:03:22 +0000 UTC]
Thanks, mate!
Heh, well we're on the same wavelength then about what work I like drawing the most. My fascination in ruins could probably be drawn back in the day when I was a little kid and when my family and I lived on a property where there was an old abandoned waterworks on a moutain not far from it. You could almost say it was a modern day castle that turned more into like a gloomy, concreted asylum. The roof was gone but there was still a stairwell that led up to a tower past the top. Pretty much the perfect place for a kid's fantasy world. I think I just about looked up to it everyday after school. And now I just look at about anything that's dilapidated, wherever I go. Eh, so it's a healthy obsession.
As for the statue, it was probably a tribute to honour the age when angels protected mankind, till Sinalazul rose up and turned them against one another. I've got more written up about it somewhere, but I'll just pass that on to you via msn or something... should I happen to see you again someday there. XD
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Sargoth In reply to Aikurisu [2008-02-09 07:38:56 +0000 UTC]
How sad. Who is left to protect mankind when all the guardians are dead or turned wicked, I wonder. Sorry broken statues are all that remind them of the good that once watched over them. Ah well, maybe the Creator will come back on day to make things right again... or blast another big giant hole in the planet.
Anyway that waterworks sounds pretty awesome. I never had anything really cool like that to mess around in when I was growing up. Detroit has some pretty cool ruins though. I wouldn't go wandering around them though; you'd probably get mugged.
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Aikurisu In reply to Sargoth [2008-02-10 06:23:09 +0000 UTC]
Well, after Sin was defeated by the Creator, (and making large canyon like scars in the planet. Thank Grandia II for the inspiration... only that the Creator won here! XD) he probably decided to leave the planet to continue his work in the universe; thus allowing it to heal on its own accord. Throughout history though, there are accounts where he has appeared in the guise of a simple force that has granted great men and women his strength for short periods of time. Other than that, no one knows why the Creator keeps his presence a secret. Of course, I know why that is, but I don't want to ruin the mystery here at DA.
lol, and yeah, last I saw, they had alien tripods in the streets of Detroit in Scary Movie 4. The place has really gone to heck since Robocop retired.
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Forsaken2544 [2008-02-02 08:34:28 +0000 UTC]
Gorgeous!
I particularly like the knight, and the seeming air of confidence they are projecting. The angelic statue in the background speaks of a faded former glory, and stands out as a symbol of beauty in what might otherwise be a desolate and forsaken ruin.
I have to echo the sentiment that the characters seem to be in a separate layer than the background (I am reminded of old animation cells)
I look forward to seeing more of these characters though.
Oh, and btw...I love that sword!
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Aikurisu In reply to Forsaken2544 [2008-02-03 14:40:39 +0000 UTC]
Thanks for the fine comment, mate! Appreciated.
Well that's three notes on the characters being out of place. I'll have to remedy that when I get the chance... Couldn't have said it better myself too about it being similar to old animation cells.
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XullraeZauviir [2008-02-01 19:42:32 +0000 UTC]
This looks epic for a WIP Kris!
I'm not artsy so I don't know if I can be helpful, but you could add a touch more depth perception. It looks like the characters are almost detached from that awesome background, making it look like two pics overlapping if you know what I mean?
I'll shush now. Just know it's excellent progress.
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Aikurisu In reply to XullraeZauviir [2008-02-03 14:31:54 +0000 UTC]
Well actually... this is the finished result. I was refering to my fiction as the neverending WiP, so yeah... Glad like how it turned out, Lisa.
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Lord-Of-The-Guns [2008-02-01 10:34:15 +0000 UTC]
Awesome sense of scale - captures the entrance to ancient ruin/dungeon atmosphere perfectly. The textures on the stone are great and the moss/overgrowth is nice and subtle.
While the details and poses of the characters are great, I feel they're too removed from the rest of the environment. The detail might be a bit of a hindrance in that regard - some heavier shadows and different light sources might help.
That said, the piece as a whole still looks great. It evokes the right mood and its clear to the viewer there is a epic story behind it. Impressive work.
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Aikurisu In reply to Lord-Of-The-Guns [2008-02-01 18:03:25 +0000 UTC]
Hmm, good point about adding heavier shadows to the characters. I might need to look into that, but the main thing that still distracts me about this work is the lack of effort I placed in the damage of the stairs leading up to them. It probably looks okay, but I just know I won't be able to rest happy with this until I cast more detail to them.
Thanks for the detailed comment, mate! Always appreciated.
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Lord-Of-The-Guns In reply to Aikurisu [2008-02-02 10:18:20 +0000 UTC]
Do you read ImagineFX? Digital painting/fantasy art magazine with workshops, galleries and advice from professional artists. Each issue also comes with a DVD containing textures, fonts, free trials and other cool stuff.
Little bit pricey at twenty dollars, but worth picking up now and again at least.
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Aikurisu In reply to Lord-Of-The-Guns [2008-02-02 15:29:46 +0000 UTC]
Nope, I've never read one. Mostly everything I know is just from self teaching myself, so I should look into that, next time I'm at the newsagency. Can't say I've seen it on the shelf before, but I'll comb the desert for it.
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EnigmaticSpirit [2008-01-31 01:41:16 +0000 UTC]
Yay for big steps
Your skills have clearly improved
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Aikurisu In reply to EnigmaticSpirit [2008-02-01 17:56:56 +0000 UTC]
Thanks, mate.
And big steps rule all. There should be a law brought out that we need more of them.
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EnigmaticSpirit In reply to Aikurisu [2008-02-03 06:58:07 +0000 UTC]
I agree... but that maaay well be because I'm tall.... rather like you eh?
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Aikurisu In reply to EnigmaticSpirit [2008-02-03 09:25:12 +0000 UTC]
Yup. A world for tall people would be swell. Wouldn't have to worry about getting hit by ceiling fans anymore, when I stretch. The downside of course is that I'd finally need a chair to replace most lightbulbs.
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Tizrak [2008-01-31 01:32:38 +0000 UTC]
Cool art - you obviously put a lot of time into this one!
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Aikurisu In reply to Tizrak [2008-02-01 17:56:11 +0000 UTC]
Surprisingly, drawing Raz and Cat took me only somewhere within the work's last day to complete, while the background made me cringe for months on end. It wasn't getting the execution right in particular, but just getting my head around how much effort I needed to put with the colouring. (It's becoming more of a fatal flaw since early last year...) This sat as a lineart in my WiP folder for too long. XD
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Tizrak In reply to Aikurisu [2008-02-02 00:03:08 +0000 UTC]
Well, the cringing at the background paid off in the end!
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Xhydralisk [2008-01-30 23:48:21 +0000 UTC]
Even if good is to be the way of all things, the balance between Order and Chaos inevitably prevails in the end.
I... envy... your... skills...
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Aikurisu In reply to Xhydralisk [2008-02-01 17:51:24 +0000 UTC]
lol, thanks, mate.
My world sure does get kicked around a lot by the evil scheming of things, but thankfully the light will always prevail in the end.
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Biskuits [2008-01-30 21:45:15 +0000 UTC]
You just... dammit. Dammit all, Kris XD You draw the most amazing landscapes I see on here. Your figures are good--and getting better all the time, in face--but you consistently do the most awesome scenery. Ugh, I just love it <3
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Aikurisu In reply to Biskuits [2008-02-01 17:49:44 +0000 UTC]
Thanks, El! As for getting better with drawing figures... I hope so. XD This year I vow to devote more time to scenery works though. But that's something that shouldn't bother you at least, right?
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Biskuits In reply to Aikurisu [2008-02-01 20:01:35 +0000 UTC]
I *adore* your scenery XD You know this XD
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fcneko [2008-01-30 18:46:47 +0000 UTC]
That is truly an astounding image. The depth of background, the characters in the foreground... The name adds a real sense of history to the piece. Like looking at an old drawing of Roman ruins from the Era of Exploration before photographs were available.
Very nicely done!
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Aikurisu In reply to fcneko [2008-02-01 16:06:29 +0000 UTC]
Thanks, mate!
I must admit, I've never seen these old drawings of Roman ruins before. Are they easy to search on the net?
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fcneko In reply to Aikurisu [2008-02-01 16:12:33 +0000 UTC]
Perfect example: [link]
Sepia toned and everything!
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Aikurisu In reply to fcneko [2008-02-01 18:05:47 +0000 UTC]
Heh, nice! I like the perspective involved too. Has a good sense of depth about its style.
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wraith11 [2008-01-30 13:19:31 +0000 UTC]
Looks like all that toil and threatening to punch the monitor seems to have paid off mate. Fucking fantastic.
You're really going in for this seipia-ish sort of colour scheme of late aren't you?
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Aikurisu In reply to wraith11 [2008-01-30 17:25:55 +0000 UTC]
Indeed, mate, and thanks.
Speaking of the sepia style, I just find that without it, a key sense of atmosphere is distorted, depending on the theme. I mean, making this scenery colourful just wouldn't be right. It'd be like placing in a rainbow, in a way.
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wraith11 In reply to Aikurisu [2008-01-31 01:18:05 +0000 UTC]
The other option I guess is to just knock back the saturation after you're done
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Morgalahan [2008-01-30 10:42:45 +0000 UTC]
Wow! Thats really really amazing! Did you honestly sit and paint all that!? Holy crap, what effort! Any chance of a detail shot on the people?
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Aikurisu In reply to Morgalahan [2008-01-30 12:56:08 +0000 UTC]
Yes. Zoom in on the file.
Seriously though, by the time I was finished, my comp was already starting to sputter curses, so it'd be insane to draw it at a larger scale than this. (Too many layers...) The loss of course is that I can't turn it into a print. But no matter. I mean, it already looks like this won't receive much interest anyway, so... meh. I'm done. XD
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Morgalahan In reply to Aikurisu [2008-01-30 13:38:26 +0000 UTC]
Ok then, fair enough.
but it's really beautiful, give people a chance. I love the detail and the effort you must have put in is phenominal. Mate, you need a better PC stat, or at least more RAM. You talent demands it!
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Aikurisu In reply to Morgalahan [2008-02-01 15:56:05 +0000 UTC]
Nah, when I finally do get a better computer, there will be no excuses then. I've grown to love working at smaller scales.
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Morgalahan In reply to Aikurisu [2008-02-01 18:02:38 +0000 UTC]
To each his own
Smaller scales have their uses, I agree, but I like the bigger rez cos it's easier to do realism.
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