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Description
Her Master had warned her about him. “Don’t allow him to strike first. If you leave him any opening, he’ll seize the opportunity. He’ll create a new set of probabilitie if needed. Don’t toy with him like you did with the others. You must kill him fast."

And so Layla did.

In one swift jump, she crossed the open space that separated them and threw her right leg forward to land a lethal side kick on his head with her knee. The impact as well as the horrible sound of bone being crushed told her that her blow had been successful; blood splashed on her thigh, as she sent his body crash against an emergency white van that was parked right in front of the railings. The sword clanked on the pavement; her enemy collapsed without a scream. It was over.

— Yzabel Ginsberg, Was (chapter 16)
Media | Time | Soundtrack

#58 in the 100 themes challenge , drawn with Access's Doubt & Trust looping in the background for... as many hours as were needed to complete the picture. I'm not sure the lyrices are a good fit, but the music sure helped me a lot. Inspiration works in very odd ways sometimes; the rythm and melody just got me into drawing this picture, which is much more dynamic that whatever else I've done before, I think.

And insomnia power is back! Otherwise I wouldn't have had the time to draw & colour that picture. (Oh, but to finally get a FULL night of sleep!...)

English:

Layla and Marek, February 6, 1989, in Paris.

Layla was a strange woman who acted as both bodyguard and assassin for Louis Valdemar, the renegade True Names mage turned Necromancer. Warned by her Master that his enemies would come and seek him, she waited for them to show up. Marek was the first one, and so he took the brunt of her fighting skills right in the face. Layla intended to kill him, and sure she did (she finished him off with two bullets at blank point in the head ). But of course, since it's Marek, the bastard never stays dead for long. No need to say that dear Layla was up for a nasty surprise...

Français:

Layla et Marek, 6 février 1989, à Paris.

Layla faisait office à la fois de garde du corps et d'assassin pour le compte de Louis Valdemar, mage anciennement de la tradition des Noms Véritables, et entre temps viré Nécromant (et renégat). Avertie par son maître que ses ennemis à lui viendraient lui mettre des bâtons dans les roues, elle les a attendus de pied ferme. Marek a été le premier, et il a donc eu le droit de se prendre la tatane du siècle. En fait, Layla avait l'intention de le tuer, ce qu'elle a d'ailleurs fait (en le finissant avec deux balles à bout portant dans le crâne ). Evidemment, Marek étant égal à lui-même, inutile de compter sur ce bâtard pour rester mort. Surprise, surprise, Layla...

__________________________

Background picture from =MerkabahStock : [link]

Reference from a "How to draw manga" book about drawing fighting characters. Also an attempt at doing a night picture, because I seriously suck at shading that kind of scene. The full moon is technically WRONG (02/06/1989 was a dark moon), but I needed a light source, and I don't remember if there are street lights right in the middle of Parvis Notre-Dame, so... Let's say it, uh, some kind of trick due to all the magical energies flowing in the air on that night. T_T

Free to colour lineart: [link]

EDIT 27/03/2010: Shading slightly reworked.

Was is ©Yzabel Ginsberg (me)

Description
Her Master had warned her about him. “Don’t allow him to strike first. If you leave him any opening, he’ll seize the opportunity. He’ll create a new set of probabilitie if needed. Don’t toy with him like you did with the others. You must kill him fast."

And so Layla did.

In one swift jump, she crossed the open space that separated them and threw her right leg forward to land a lethal side kick on his head with her knee. The impact as well as the horrible sound of bone being crushed told her that her blow had been successful; blood splashed on her thigh, as she sent his body crash against an emergency white van that was parked right in front of the railings. The sword clanked on the pavement; her enemy collapsed without a scream. It was over.

— Yzabel Ginsberg, Was (chapter 16)
Media | Time | Soundtrack

#58 in the 100 themes challenge , drawn with Access's Doubt & Trust looping in the background for... as many hours as were needed to complete the picture. I'm not sure the lyrices are a good fit, but the music sure helped me a lot. Inspiration works in very odd ways sometimes; the rythm and melody just got me into drawing this picture, which is much more dynamic that whatever else I've done before, I think.

And insomnia power is back! Otherwise I wouldn't have had the time to draw & colour that picture. (Oh, but to finally get a FULL night of sleep!...)

English:

Layla and Marek, February 6, 1989, in Paris.

Layla was a strange woman who acted as both bodyguard and assassin for Louis Valdemar, the renegade True Names mage turned Necromancer. Warned by her Master that his enemies would come and seek him, she waited for them to show up. Marek was the first one, and so he took the brunt of her fighting skills right in the face. Layla intended to kill him, and sure she did (she finished him off with two bullets at blank point in the head ). But of course, since it's Marek, the bastard never stays dead for long. No need to say that dear Layla was up for a nasty surprise...

Français:

Layla et Marek, 6 février 1989, à Paris.

Layla faisait office à la fois de garde du corps et d'assassin pour le compte de Louis Valdemar, mage anciennement de la tradition des Noms Véritables, et entre temps viré Nécromant (et renégat). Avertie par son maître que ses ennemis à lui viendraient lui mettre des bâtons dans les roues, elle les a attendus de pied ferme. Marek a été le premier, et il a donc eu le droit de se prendre la tatane du siècle. En fait, Layla avait l'intention de le tuer, ce qu'elle a d'ailleurs fait (en le finissant avec deux balles à bout portant dans le crâne ). Evidemment, Marek étant égal à lui-même, inutile de compter sur ce bâtard pour rester mort. Surprise, surprise, Layla...

__________________________

Background picture from =MerkabahStock : [link]

Reference from a "How to draw manga" book about drawing fighting characters. Also an attempt at doing a night picture, because I seriously suck at shading that kind of scene. The full moon is technically WRONG (02/06/1989 was a dark moon), but I needed a light source, and I don't remember if there are street lights right in the middle of Parvis Notre-Dame, so... Let's say it, uh, some kind of trick due to all the magical energies flowing in the air on that night. T_T

Free to colour lineart: [link]

EDIT 27/03/2010: Shading slightly reworked.

Was is ©Yzabel Ginsberg (me)