55 mins
“I Never Noticed The House Was On Fire” This is a painting for an upcoming group exhibition about memories. When I was a kid I grew up in a household where my parents were functioning alcoholics. They gave me toys, put me in front of the tv, and sent me outside to play to keep me distracted from what was going on. When I look back almost all of my childhood memories revolve around these things. I became obsessed with these imaginary worlds and I learned to draw by copying my favorite cartoons and characters from children’s books. It was not until I was much older, that the truth could no longer be hidden from me. The imaginary world of cartoons and books kept me shielded from the harsh realities of home. As I grew into an adult that form of coping grew with me as I created my own imaginary places inspired by the ones I loved as a child. A healthy place to escape.
It's cool how the internet can bring people together from far away places to make things. "Graham's Up the Tree" is based on a true story from the life of author mbpardy ... He's in Australia - I'm in Seattle area. When he posts these images at his page I see comments from people who grew up with real life versions of these characters I drew -- People that actually looked out the window and saw this little guy high up at the top of a tree... where no one else could go.
A little explanation: in my native language, there's a separate word for gray hair. So I was playing with words a little here, hinting at his morality and also his hair color (she said he is "grey" rather than "gray-haired").
My role was to serve my people as a tactician.
My name was my rank. I had a soul.
But magic awakened within me, and my role changed.
My mind — trained and carved for purpouse — ceased to matter.
Reduced to a beast, they stripped away my soul and bound me in chains.
Is this the wisdom of the Qun?..
Faster than you think. Simple finale. Drawn with the 'hay' technique, using a computer mouse, all with one brush. I've published the sketches before, so you can follow the creation process. The 'hay' sketch on one layer, then another on the other, on and on until you get the lineart, then shading and colors. That’s all.
I've completed my part of the art trade with @daydreamerdahlia!
At first, Anya was just in a dress, but then I thought it was kind of weird that Caroline was wearing a coat, and Anya was just in a dress outside, so I redrawn her coat.
The scar and earrings are still there! But I didn't want to hide her colorful coat under a shawl.
Green goes well with her red hair, and to blend in with Caroline, I went with green.
I imagine it as some kind of girls night out. Well, not a girls night out, Caroline in her male persona Smarty, I imagine her name already carrying weight and no one will bother them!
Tommy can chill at home this time.
Re-uploaded with some edits that no one will notice.
The OC's name is Caroline Shelton. She belongs to the middle-upper class; her father is quite wealthy, so she knew no hardship much. But she is eccentric and zealously strives for knowledge, has many hobbies and is skilled in many things because of her pursuits. Basically, all she cared about in life was intellectual development. She had only one friend who could stand her personality and temper, James Holloway. Some time later, he disappeared, and Caroline received his bloodstained watch from an anonymous sender with no explanation, only the mailing address from which the anonymous sent the package. Caroline couldn't think of anything better than to dress up as a man and travel to the town the package came from, introducing herself as James Holloway and gaining fame with her skills. She hopes that if the anonymous hears about an albino man named James Holloway in the town where they might live, they'll contact her again when they hear about her. Her logic is this: this person sent a package containing something important to Jim to her, so they must know something about Jim, her, and their friendship, and if they hear Jim's name used by an albino, they'll understand everything. So she sets out on a dangerous journey, making herself a kind of beacon/signal for the anonymous sender to find them and through them to find Jim or learn what happened to him. She'll meet Tommy during this search.
I was going through some of my old work from a few years ago and I wanted to see the difference. I uploaded the original sketch. I like my art and my style. I see the growth. I. Am. Happy!