HOME | DD
DanielaIvanova — Shaman
#blond #blue #christmas #deer #drum #girl #glow #light #magic #moose #music #purple #red #reindeer #saami #sacrfice #sami #shaman #sketch #snow #spirit #winter #wip #woman #woods
Published: 2017-11-18 15:20:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 20742; Favourites: 727; Downloads: 68
Redirect to original
Description
Photoshop CS3, Intuos3, probably 30+ hoursProgress steps on my Artstation: www.artstation.com/artwork/rNq…
I've been fascinated recently with the culture of the Saami, who are the native people of Scandinavia (not unlike the Indians for the Americas). A Saami shaman was a spiritual guide able to traverse the hidden realms, inhabited by the spirits of the dead, the spirits of nature and gods. A shaman's drum was not only used to help induce the trance-like state needed to communicate with the spirits but was also a kind of map used for predictions. Each drum is inscribed with different characters and is unique to its owner.
As with any pagan culture I find it utterly inspiring how different everyday "rituals" gain a huge spiritual significance in a certain context - such as music, or the communication and relationship with animals.
Big thanks to everyone who helped me along the process with tips and critique.
Submitting it to 's awesome Best of 2017 contest . Go and submit your own best work of 2017, too!
EDIT*: I won!
Related content
Comments: 247
Everything is just so awesome about this piece, your imagination is so great and how you made her hair into a reindeer, bravo my friend and truly deserves to the best of 2017
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aww, that's so sweet of you to say. I'm still baffled that I won
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You really most welcome anytime
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Oh wowww this is breathtaking! Everything from the colours to the composition to the lighting to the design and aah it's beautiful
Absolutely gorgeous work in every day, a well-deserved winner to rainylake 's "Best of 2017" contest! Congratulations!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you so much for the nice words, I'm so glad you like it. Congrats to you, too, your work is absolutely outstanding!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aah thank you, and you're welcome!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
this is an incredibly delightful piece! I'm not sure what is happening here, but I feel as if she is helping the deer into the afterlife, drawing the animal's spirit from the physical, through her body to the spiritual.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you for checking it out and for the nice words ^^ She could be, actually. I intended it to be like a guiding spirit animal for her through the realms f the dead and the gods; with the hooves being a sacrifice, but to be honest my knowledge on Sami practices is super limited and vague so your interpretation could be even more valid
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thank you so much for the sweet comment!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
It's nice to see other people bring the old northern folklore and mythology to life 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Indeed! I'm such a sucker for folklore. It's such an inspiring idea for me to help even a little bit in preserving the memory of it. Do you come from Scandinavia?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, i'm from Finland
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Isn't that the main source for studying of Norse mythology?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yeah, i'v read it quite many times. The internet helps also of course.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
What language did you read it in? Is it translated?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well i'm finnish and the Kalevala is written originally in finnish (although in a harder older dialect)
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh, I see. I thought it was written in some very old, forgotten language
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
xd well i'ts really hard to read in the original dialect but it's also been translated to more modern language
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I can't even imagine how long it would have taken me to draw such a detailed image. It's stunning and the whole idea of her hair flowing in the wind and merging with the deer is amazing!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Oh, trust me it did take a lot. I think I spammed my watchers' inboxes with WIPs for a couple weeks at least. Thank you so much for stopping by!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It definitely was worth the effort!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
The Patronus!
Seriously though, this piece is absolutey amazing. The entire scene bleeds together wonderfully and the accuracy is astounding.
Great job
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you so much for the compliment, Jen. 
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
this is gorgeous work! its really creative how you transitioned her hair into a deer AND into the aurora borealis!! O:
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you, that's so awesome to hear that this stood out to you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Very interesting to connect her hair with aurora borealis!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks! I love it when hair connects to random things
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
My pleasure!Happy New Year!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
wow, this is breath-takingly awesome
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks so much for the compliment
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This looks soooo good, I don't even.. I'm really blown away by what those small details of your work do for the whole!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Aww, that's so sweet! 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Definitely the composition of colors! Those colors work soo well with each other and the lightraystuffypolarlightstuff is sooo good, too!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Really? 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
<= Prev | | Next =>