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SpaceTurtleStudios β Exploring the Deeps
Published: 2014-04-22 15:44:10 +0000 UTC; Views: 736; Favourites: 25; Downloads: 0
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Forgot I hadn't uploaded this yet! This was done in February, for the Spring Issue of Spellbound Magazine, a fantasy e-magazine for kids 8-12. The theme this issue was "dwarves," which you can check out here .I wanted to do something a little different with this piece, still focusing on dwarves and their connection to underground caverns, but with less of the obsession on gold, jewels, or fearsome monsters. I haven't had a lot of practice with this kind of landscape, so painting this piece proved to be a challenge, especially the crystal formations. In the end, though, I'm quite pleased with how it came out. Hopefully I'll get a chance to work with Spellbound again on future projects.
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Comments: 14
Dwarves probably see a lot of interesting things underground.
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Great! Really like the depth and environment you created! Great composition!
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Thank you! Those crystalline walls took like 3 tries of painting and then completely starting over to get right, so I'm glad they look good.
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Aaw, it's so pretty! I really like the colours and the depth
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Oh he's cute! I hope he's the kind to appreciate the wonder, beauty and mystery of things around him because that cave looks awesome. Love the lizards. Maybe he could tame one and it can ride on his shoulders!
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It is actually meant to be a girl dwarf, though it's a little hard to see since her longer hair is kind of hidden in the shadows. We see so few female dwarfs, I wanted to make a point of showcasing one here.
The lizard creatures are loosely based off of axolotl salamanders, but I'm afraid the dwarf would have to ride on their shoulders, as I imagine them being around 5-7 feet long. Quite big! But they're definitely not vicious; I wanted to convey a sort of meeting of cultures, where the creatures were just as curious about the explorer as she is about them.
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Well that would explain the sweet face! I can see her hair now that you mention it.
Ha ha! I can just see them both standing a distance from each other with big eyes wondering 'what is that?' I bet once they're familiar with their dwarf friend that the lizard/salamander will be very affectionate and knock her over by accident and give her lizardy kisses (and eat whatever packed lunch sheΒ brought). Β
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I think you've got the feel of their meeting exactly right. So many times fantasy ends up with a very violence/conquest-based mentality regarding other creatures and races, I wanted something that focused a little more on the possibility of building friendships. So both the dwarf and the salamanders are nervous and wary at first, but neither is overtly threatening or scary.
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Sometimes meeting new people and understanding new cultures is more of an adventure than any action sequence. Β
Maybe your little dwarf and her salamander friends will grace more art in the future and we'll get to see how that adventure unfolds! Β
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That would be kind of a fun series. We'll have to see.
I've read a lot of really neat speculation and headcanons about dwarf culture that I think would be fun to explore, but I have such limited time to do personal art nowadays, I never know what will end up actually getting painted.
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Ah yes. We all have to move with the times and the demands of now. I hope your time isn't all work and no play. That would be tragic.
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It's mostly work right now, but I do enjoy the art that I'm making, so it evens out.
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Well that's good. Β
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