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finiens — Nidhogg - Reference
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#dragon #nidhogg #reference #nidhöggr #referencesheet
Published: 2015-03-30 18:32:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 3807; Favourites: 128; Downloads: 25
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Description
It´s finally done!|´DAfter nearly two years I finally finished Nids reference sheet. This took me way longer than I ever had anticipated. Mainly because I have a great dislike for drawing references and put this on hiatus for a lot of commissions, contests and other personal art. But since he is one of my main go-to characters whenever I want to commission a fellow artist, the urge to complete his reference grew big enough over time for me to tackle it again.
I´m quite happy how it turned out, even though the sketch and parts of the lineart are quite old and therefore have some weird angles or minor anatomy mistakes. I´d have had to redraw it completely to correct them all, and that might have taken me another two years, so they´ll stay. In the end you can see all that is important about my giant zombiedragon, and that´s enough for me.:3
The drawing at the bottom is a down-scaled version of this one: finiens.deviantart.com/art/the… . You can also find some Info about Nid in the description, but in case you are too lazy to follow the link (shame on you!XD) I´ll copy it here:
Nidhogg has:
- symmetrical markings
- symmetrical rings at the horns, but only one earring on the left side of his head
- insides of the wings reflect the night sky
- white scales/hornplates go all along his back
Because of his impressive size (and because I want to be able to draw him with more than space-backgrounds and interacting with other characters) he has the ability to create a kind of astral projection of himself. It is around 8 m high and 20 m in length and lacks the planet between his horns. In this form he can´t touch anything living, meaning he is able to stand on rocks, swim and fly, but at the same time pass through people or trees. While in this state, his original body falls in a trance-like state. He can´t be killed by destroying his projection, but he might get a massive headache out of it.XD
done in Paint Tool SAI with wacom intuos 4, ~2 years (lol)
human silhuette downloaded from flickr, free to use
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Comments: 59
Well, in reality he is far bigger than the comparison with the human silhuette shows. Notice the earth between his horns?
So it´s not really a question where to keep him at, but where he keeps us.XD
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XD true 
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So beautiful! So handsome! Omg! I admire your character so much! Those colors! *cooos*
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Thanks!^^
I always liked this colour combination and when the idea for my zombiedragon hit me, there was no way around applying it to him. It was difficult to decide if his base colour should be black or white, but in the end I decided for white because it makes the contrast to his skeletal lower half even stronger.
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Nice choice, though I think either would work amazingly. <3 I'm honored by the message back! You're such a amazing artist! *coos*
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I tried the black version for this sheet, too. Just for fun. It looked awesome and now I´m tempted to give him an alternate form with this colour scheme.^^
D´aaaaaaw, don´t say stuff like this! You make me blush!X////D
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Yes! Do it! Like a dark side/ light side
I really do mean it! >//< I'd love to see the Black version too!
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Wow, he's a pretty big guy even scaled down O.o His backgroud info is quite interesting too! And I love the headshot :3 so pretty (as zombie dragon can be xD)
I know you don't like refs, but I enjoy every and each one that you make :3
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It just wouldn´t have made sense to make him any smaller. He is massive and not to be underestimated, even if his astral form can´t physically hurt anyone in a direct way. Truth is he is more like a gentle giant. He isn´t interested in most beings and just wants his peace and quit. That´s why my (arrogant, reckless, loud) Fenrir is such a massive annoyance to him. These two don´t get long at all.XD
Kind of funny, since I created Fenrir for the sole reason to give Nid a companion.
And I´m forced to keep drawing them. Because I´m addicted to adopts and even when I´m through with them all and everyone has a ref, the first one is already out of date again. It´s an endless cycle. Someone help me.|´D
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Yeah, it's pretty logical ^^
and it's funny how charas sometimes develop personality on their own and direct it almost without your notice xD And Fenrir and Nid's relationship sounds cute and adorable in a way xD
Also one of my first thoughts was "how Lace would react to such a giant?" I imagine him flying back and forth in front of Nid's head like an annoying fly, coz he would not be certain if Nid would eat him or not, but be curious and stupid enough not to fly away xD
You know, I didn't really understood the appeal of having so many, but that was before xD I have much more than I anticipated, and though not all of them are frequently used and entertained, I like them all. And want more T^T
I feel you, I need new ref for Lace coz the first one is so old it annoys me and I have few more pending...
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Yeah... Fenrir drives him nuts, but they are still family and if worse comes to worst, will stick together. Even if they´d complain about it afterwards. A lot.XD
As long as Lace is silent while doing so, Nid probably would leave him be. Only if he got too intrusive your little cat would be in danger.^^
I love every single one of them and the best thing is, whatever mood I´m in, there most likely is the right character (adopt) in my arsenal for me to draw.:>
I even got me a semi-human one last week, so I could practice drawing humanoids again. I´m so bad at that.^^'
Your refs are fine in my eyes, though. They are so detailed and pretty, even the old ones.*v*
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Wouldn't put past him to be a bit intrusive xD Poor Lace...
I know what you mean and agree ^^ It's nice having so many charas exactly because of that :3
Oh, an anthro! Cool 
Had problem with drawing them myself, but quite a bit of doodling helped :3
Thank you, so nice to hear that! However, I have some new info to add to Lace's ref, and I need to change a bit the old info too
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Well, then he´ll end as a snack for a godly dragon.:I
If you want to sneak a peak... it´s the newest addition to this folder, the blue one on the left: finiens.deviantart.com/favouri… . I have free reign when it comes to changing the design and the background story, since it doesn´t belong to any species and the creator is very relaxed when it comes to this stuff.: D
This guy/gal (I´m not quite sure yet) is so cute and will easily be filling my sketchbook with doodles, once I´m in the mood for traditional stuff again.
If it´s just the info, changing the ref should be a quick deal and won´t be much work.ôô
Or didn´t you save the layered version, too?
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Aww! It's so cute!
Oh, it's awesome, can't wait to read their backstory when you introduce them officially ^^ Good luck with that! Any idea how you'll name them yet? :3
Nono, I have psd file alright, it's just that I improved a lot through recent years and those old dirty pictures annoy me 
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I haven´t thought of anything yet concerning name or story. It will most likely be a male, because I really can´t draw those and have to practice a lot of male anatomy. You are welcome to suggest names if you find something fitting.^^
I see, so it´s not just some quick update on the writing. Figures it couldn´t be that easy.*sigh*
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Yeah, male anatomy is a bit tricky when one's a woman who is accustomed to something else :3 Probably why I started drawing anthros with male anatomy at first too, but now I kinda prefer curvy, feminine lines
As for names, nothing in particular comes to my mind. Only that something starting with "s" or "v" would suit him, I think :3
Yup yup, not that easy. After all, 4 years are bound to change something, even if I weren't aware of those changes ^^" I would like to make the new ref a more genuine version, with more character and expressions, and stuff :>
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Exactly! I prefer drawing females, too. But most of my favourite characters in books, games or animes are male (most likely because it´s so rare to find a female character that isn´t some sort of damsel in distress, a slut or just downright annoying), so if I ever want to draw real fanart, I have to learn about male anatomy.-w-
Then go on and tackle that ref! I´m curious to see what you´ll change.^^
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Yeah, I can relate. For example, there are very few actresses that I actually like a bit, the rest of them is just annoying. No idea who writes their roles but most of them are awful. Male charas are rarely irritating, I find. Even if they are not likeable charas, they're fairly well written and not annoying at all, and I totally can enjoy their performance as actors. Not fair
I will, probably sometime this month :3
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Most of the actresses I like are older, for example Helen Mirren or Sigourney Weaver.
They often play strong characters and are a lot of fun to watch.^^
While there are definitely annoying male characters, their number compared to annoying females is rather small. Strange thing is, though, that there are a lot of male actors that I can´t stand, while I can´t think of a female one I completely dislike.
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Oh yes, I like at least SOME of the actresses..
But for me it's just the opposite. I really can't think of an actor that I honestly dislike, whereas there are so many actresses that I can't stand (and don't bother to remember their names. just their faces set me off >.>) Hateful, I know. Though, I am aware that sometimes it is down to bad script writing that there are not enough enjoyable female charas.
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I just remembered one actress I can´t stand. I can´t believe I forgot about her: Kristen Stewart.*lol*
Not only does she often play awful characters, her acting is also bad most of the time.
We all have our ticks and strange character traits we can´t really explain, so don´t worry about it. Yours at least is rather harmless and at least somewhat logical.
If you want to know one of my ticks: I hate buttons on clothes. It´s not that I´m afraid of them, I just think they are disgusting.
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Haha, that's the first name that comes to my mind whenever I think about awful actresses xD Similarily to most of people I imagine ^^
Her mouth is open non-stop. She thinks it's pretty and alluring or sth?
Seriously? O.o Wow, I didn't know people could hate those xD So you don't own anything with buttons? :> Must be pretty hard, avoiding them T^T
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I don´t know. One of my guinea pigs had a similar habit (...or rather a disability, I guess): Her lower lip always hang down a little. Whenever she ate the juice of the respective fruit/plant would drop down her chin and make her snowy white fur green/orange/yellow all the way down her neck. I wonder if it´s the same for Kristen.XD
There are even cases where it´s a serious phobia and people are scared to death by buttons. Thankfully for me it´s just a distaste.
And well, if they really are obligatory like on a Jeans or something they don´t bother me as much. But I don´t like them at all if they are only decoration or have flashy designs. Clothing like this is avoided like the plague.<__<'
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Haha, well, a disability it may be, but one still wonders who saw any potencial in her to make an actress out of her. Damn.
Didn't really heard about phobia like this, though I know there are weirder things than that.
Tough bisness, girl, so many buttons everywhere OnO Shame you don't like them, I quite enjoy clothes with tastefully decorative buttons when they are otherwise plain. As long as they don't snag my sweaters, that is :>
I don't know if it's a quirk or not, but everytime I see an animal that is within my reach, I have to touch and pet :3 Everything, like sneaking behind fences to pet horses, feed birds so long that I'm able to catch them and approaching stray dogs that don't always seem friendly. One of my favourite past times as a child was catching lizards. And taking them home of course. Poor lizards. But I released them before winter so they could sleep through it ^^
Seriously, I seem to have little to no instinct of self-preservation when it comes to animals which may kick me, bite or hurt otherwise.
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If she stands still and the lighting is right she does look kind of pretty. I can admit that much.XD
Yeah... for example the phobia of butterflies. Or of being stared at by ducks.
You can keep those, then. I enjoy my tank tops and button-less sweat jackets. Seriously, I have more than a dozen different jackets and am still not satisfied. Give me moooooooore!°Q°
I was like this as a kid, too.XD
Every animal within reach had to be petted and cuddled. And I went and caught frogs every spring/summer to play with for the day. I released them in the evening, because there was no way t take them home without my parents freaking out.
I kind of grew out of it, though, once I had my own pets.:3
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Haha, we definitely wouldn't be fighting over clothes in a store, that's cool xD
Yeaaah... And I am a bit obssessed with hoodies
Well, I've never grown up out of it xD Despite having cats most of my life ^^"
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Hoodies are cool, too. But I prefer the jackets because overall they are more practical.^^
I´d love to have a cat. But my flatmate has two big dogs that aren´t very fond of meowing furballs and when I move to my next flatshare in may I´m living with a girl who has a phobia against all kind of animals (poor thing!), so I can´t get one there, either.
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Ohhh! That's a shame! Cats are really nice creatures...
And I really pity that poor soul who is afraid of animals...
I plan to have a dog too, in the future, but it would need to grow up with the cat(s)... though there are some breeds that wouldn't bother a cat. Or any other animal.
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It always depends on the character of the dog first, then the breed and the training it got. At least in my experience. The terrier of my grandma grew up with cats, but simply hated them and hunted them down whenever she saw one. It got along great with chickens, though. One of the dogs of my flatmates is of a breed that´s normally really calm and reserved towards humans, but this particular one loves to play with /cuddle with /chew enthusiastically on every person that it happens to come across.XD
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Of course, the character of a dog can differ within the borders of the breed or it can be entirely different (even if its rare). But from what I've read, most of the herding dogs are fair game, because they never were trained to hurt animals, just herd and protect. And the best match I've found for myself is Rough Collie, because it can also be kept in a flat when provided with a long stroll every day. It's loyal and supposedly harmful to other animals. It have to be introduced to many differend stimuli as a puppy, though. Otherwise it will be scared of everything.
And if I remember correctly, terriers were trained to hunt small rodents, so maybe that's why it doesn't like cats?
Well, as I said, there will alywas be a deviation from a rule, so when one wants to get a dog should simply hope for the best.
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seine Flügel sind besonders geil aber
seit wann sind menschen größer als die erde
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Seit die Silhuette nur ein Größenvergleich für die Astralform von Nid ist. Steht im Text.
Ich hätte natürlich die Erde wegradieren können, weil die ja bei der Astralform fehlt. Allerdings hätte ich dann, der Volsständigkeit halber, wieder ein anderes Bild hinzufügen müssen, bei der man sie sieht. Das war mir zu viel Aufwand, also steht der Mensch neben der Normalform meines Drachen, um die Größe der Astralform zu verdeutlichen. Deal with it.B)
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du zeichnest sowas geiles
aber das dir dann zu viel arbeit? XD
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Ich habe zwei Jahre für die obere Hälfte der Ref gebraucht. Wenn man der Mathematik Glauben schenkt, dann hätte mich jede weitere Ansicht von Nid ein zusätzliches Jahr gekostet.XD
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Thank you.
I´m really proud of his design, although it´s a pain to draw him sometimes with all these details.
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Wow, was für ein genialer Charakter o.o
So detailiert, kein Wunder, dass du so ewig gebraucht hast.. Ref sheets sind eh eine Qual, ich kann die auch nicht ab xD
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Ich hatte das halbe Lineart fertig, dann habe ich die Lust verloren. Zumal ich, als ich dann etwa ein Jahr später doch mal damit weitermachen wollte, etliche Fehler darin gefunden habe. Da hab ich es gleich wieder weggepackt und lieber andere Refs gemacht, die schneller zu zeichnen waren. Vor anderthalb Wochen habe ich mir dann endlich diese hier wieder zur Brust genommen, ca. 1/3 des bereits vorhandenen Linearts korrigiert und den Rest so gut es eben ging fertig gestellt und an die bereits vorhandenen Lines angepasst. Nicht ganz einfach, weil sich mein Stil zwischendurch etwas geändert hat und ich mich erstmal wieder umstellen musste. Aber nun ist es endlich fertig!:´)
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Oh, sowas kann ich total nachvollziehen, sag ich dir xD
Hab auch mal ein Bild nach nem halben Jahr oder so neu aufgemachtund dahcte nur "oh mein Gott" xD
Hab es aber trotzdem fertig gemacht und war am Ende zufrieden^^
Finde es großatig, dass du das bei dem großen Projekt auch geschafft hast und es hat sich auf jeden Fall gelohnt!^^
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Aww, that paws, the cutest thing c:
Anyway, I loved the idea of the night reflecting in his inner wings, must be nice to see it at night.
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Thanks.^^
When I planned the first drawing of him, the original idea was that his wings were actually what earth sees as the night sky, because they surround the planet. But it didn´t work out, of course, because they can´t be wrapped around it without the rest of his body showing (or the wings being held at a very awkward angle all the time). I still liked the idea enough to keep it, although I´m not quite sure how to explain the logic behind it. But hey, it´s a gigantic dragon carrying the world between his horns, who cares about logic, anyways?XD
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No prob c:
Ah, it's a fantasy creature, anything is possible XD - But I guess the idea of making the skies in his inner wings makes it more of a subtle feature, maybe?
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Maybe.^^
They at least make the connection to his size, as well as his natural habitat. Also they look pretty cool and are easy to draw. What you can´t see here is the big amount of folds I added in the lineart. All gone with just one layer of starry sky. Saves me so much time otherwise spend on shading & highlighting.X´D
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I imagine, shading the wings are the worst part for me to do (that's why I don't like drawing wings : P )
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Thanks.|D
I probably have to redraw this sheet in a while, because some parts of it really bug me (and I feel it doesn´t do Nidhogg justice overall). But for now it will be enough.
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<3 he's still one of my favorite dragons here
he's just such a beast
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