Friday 1 April 2016

Fan Art Contest 2016: The First Gallery

So the glorious day dawns! Follow the Wood Thrush's song now along the Path to the Haven, and within the Haven...the Library, where now is displayed the new year's gallery of art of those who wander the Between!

Again, artists from near and far unsheathed their pens, tools, and paints to give us truly beautiful works to depict the Tales of Goldstone Wood. Enjoy each and every hard-striven piece of art, and send your chosen top three favorites to dameimraldera@gmail.com where they will be counted by contest absentee, Maid Bryn. The rating for your top three favorites is as follows:

1st choice = 3 points
2nd choice = 2 points
3rd choice = 1 point

Goldstone Wood fan voting only, please! Please vote within the next two weeks and have your votes in by April 14th, 9 pm EASTERN Time and, and on April 15th, the piece with the most points of the contest will be revealed as the fan's most popular choice for winner.

ANOTHER winner will be chosen by the author, Anne Elisabeth Stengl!

Both winners will receive ARC copies of her new novel, A Branch of Silver, A Branch of Gold.

But above all, this is a place to enjoy and delight in the company and creativity of the Imps of Goldstone Wood. So do be sure to drop a comment and express your love for the art! :)

Be sure not to miss Gallery 2! 

A New Venture 
Courtney Dusenbury 
Digital Imaging


Draven and Itta
Hannah Rogers
Pencil
Draven's Light




Prince Felix of Parumvir
Sarah J. Kuther
Untouched Photography



 Eanrin Collage
Sarah Taleweaver
 Photomanipulation

Heartless
Natasha Hannu
Pencil Drawing
Heartless





Lady Gleamdren 
Merenwen Inglorion 
Digital art (doll maker)


Into the Wood
Mary Kuther
Coloured Pencil


A Rose from Mousehand's Garden 
Caitlyn G 
Colored Pencil 
Photography for reference by Terry Krysak
Veiled Rose



Let Me Tell You A Story
Beka
Coloured Pencils
Draven's Light



Queen Bebo of Rudiobus 
Elizabeth F. Buckles 
Number 2 pencil


"You Like Their Fluffiness"
T. Gemmell
Medium: colour pencil and pen
Golden Daughter



The Shadows of Her Self 
Sierra Bombardier 
Watercolor 
Shadow Hand



The Beginning of Vengeance
Dara Esther
Mixed Media (Coloured Pencils/Pastels)
Dragonwitch

MeadowLark  
Michaela 
Pencil  
Shadow Hand


Sairu's Smile 
Beka 
Watercolor
Golden Daughter


Una and Monster
Catherine Regitz
Digital
Heartless

Oeric
Hannah Rogers
Pencil


The Knight and the Child 
Hannah Williams
 Colored Pencil 
Draven's Light



Lady Life-in-Death Collage 
Sarah Taleweaver 
Photomanipulation


 Eanrin Finds a Snack
 Michael
Pencil
(explanation: Eanrin has found an apple and a strawberry for a snack.  Arrows point to the fruit.  The moon is in the right corner, and a star is in the left corner.)


I Would Give My Life for You
Hannah Rogers
Colour Pencil
Shadow Hand


Goldstone Wood 
Beth Andrus
Pencil

News of Diarmid's Death
Dara Esther
Coloured Pencils
Moonblood


Royals of Goldstone
Sarah J. Kuther
Untouched Photography



Mock Cover
Artist: Draven's Light
Coloured Pencils/Metallic Marker for Titling
Draven's Light


Moonblood Over Lunthea Mally 
Sarah Taleweaver 
Photomanipulation


In the Haven 
Hannah Rogers
Colored Pencil


The Stick-Boat Race 
Victoria 
Color pencil
Veiled Rose

Lioness 
Michaela 
Pencil
Shadowhand


That Secret Smile 
Hannah Williams 
Watercolor
Golden Daughter



The Birth of Itala
Beka
Coloured Pencil
Draven's Light



Una's Reflections
Sarah J. Kuther
Untouched Photography
Heartless


The Veils of Varvare
Dara Esther
Pastels
Veiled Rose and Moonblood


Eanrin
Catherine Regitz
Crochet


What Have You Done?
Hannah Rogers
Pencil
Moonblood


Frienemies
Dara Esther
Coloured Pencils
Moonblood

Gallery 2

16 comments:

Blue said...

(Part 1)
Courtney- That picture is amazing, I love how you played with the lighting and colour!
Hannah- this is nice, but it's the details on Draven's cloths that really stand out to me. The straps on his hands, the folds on his sleeves, the texture of his trousers, and the stitches on his tunic- wow.
Sarah- Prince Felix and his sword! Let's hope he is practicing with the prince of Farthestshore and not Garvais, eh?
Sarah- Both pictures and quotes are very fitting for this collage!
Natasha- That's a lot of detail, drawing the individual scales. Nice work!
Merenwen- Yes, that's Gleamdren, looking very pleased with her own beauty!
Mary- I like all the different shades of green in this picture. And Eanrin!
Caitlyn- That's beautiful, with the different shades you put int the rose. I really enjoy the detail of the veins!
Beka- I like the knowing smile on the grandmother, and the texture on their cloths is fantastic!
Elizabeth- profiles and ears are so difficult to do, but look at how beautifully you drew this!

Anne Elisabeth Stengl said...

Okay, you incredible artists! I am, over the next few days, going to try to write up comments on all of your ridiculously amazing art! Forgive me if it takes some time to get to your piece, but seriously, I love them all so much, I've got to say SOMETHING about each one! :)

@Courtney--I love everything about this! The colors, the composition, the magical aura. This young lady HAS to be Starflower, she is so lovely. Seriously, I want a poster of this image, it is so gorgeous. You always amaze me with your submissions, but this might be my favorite one yet.

@Hannah Rogers--I cannot tell you how much fun it was to see this image! You brought Draven and Ita to life for me! His costume is wonderful, and her expression? I mean, could you GET any more Ita than that? The eye-contact is so strong, I really feel their sibling dynamic. Wonderful!

@Sarah J. Kuther--Oh, great Iubdan's beard! Felix LIVES! In the flesh! I mean, that is so perfectly HIM! Love the setting with the dramatic stone lions on either side too. Is this a practice sword for trying to beat Prince Gervais? Or is it Bloodbiter's Wrath in disguise? Either way, I love it so much.

@Sarah Taleweaver--You found so fabulous pictures for creating this Eanrin collage! And those quotes are some of my favorite lines of his. Such a cat! Wonderful harmony and warmth to this collage, it all just FEELS like Eanrin to me. (And what a pretty version of him as Monster!)

@Natasha Hannu -- Wow! What a gorgeous depiction of Una in her half-transformed state! The emotion you captured in her face is truly beautiful, and all the details of those scales and her hair . . . I'll say it again: Wow! You pulled this moment right out of my imagination.

Okay, I'll be back with more later! Must take a tea break with my Rohan for the moment . . .

Blue said...

(Part 2)
Sierra- fascinating blend of colour and shading! Daylily is still beautiful, yet one can see she has lost her vibrancy.
Dara- That...that's so sad! How can such emotion be seen in a face cloaked and looking downwards?
Michaela- those eyes really stand out, and I love the subtle shading!
Beka- I like how you can see the smile in her face, even while it's subdued.
Catherine- What a unique style! Even though it's simple, you still show quite a bit of character and expression.
Hannah (Rogers)- First off: wow, what detail! Secondly: Yay! Oeric is awesome!
Hannah (Williams)- Aw, the look on the little girl's face!
Sarah- Well done! I think the two right hand pictures and the quotes are my favourites of the piece. They show the lady's eerie and mysterious nature.
Hannah- The colouring you did with their hair is amazing, and even the painful aspects to this picture are beautifully done.
Beth- Wow, all that detail! And I see Beana! I love Beana.

Blue said...

(Part 3)
Dara- You have such a sweet and simple style, and you put such emotion into it!
Sarah- That's a fun picture. I imagine a lot of work was put into the costuming!
Beka- There is so much going on in this picture, but the best part is the determination on Draven's face.
Sarah- this piece is just amazing, beautiful yet frightening!
Hannah- Another scene from Imraldera's library! Heh, Eanrin's talking about how great he thinks he is, eh?
Victoria- Aw, sweet scene. I like the faint detail of Rosie's sleeve in the water.
Michaela- It's amazing how you can draw something so simple, and yet so lifelike!
Hannah- This is great! I like the sweep of her clothes, the misty outline of bamboo, and her expression.
Beka- That's a unique style of drawing water, a cool mix of faint swirls and bold lines.
Sarah- Nice! Reflections are always fun pieces of art.
Dara- Each image is distinct, yet each image is Rosie!
Catherine- Aw, looks squeezable!
Hannah- You drew one of my favourite scenes! (then again, all Beana scenes are my favourites.)
Dara- C'mon, you two, don't be like that! Although there's tension in this picture, it's lighthearted, and I like that.

Anne Elisabeth Stengl said...

@Merenwen Inglorion - Okay, that expression is so perfectly Gleamdren, it absolutely cracks me up! Love her gorgeous gown, love her hair and her headpiece. Just all round full of Gleamdren-ness.

@Mary Kuther - I love how you created such wonderful depth in this Wood! All the layers of trees and shadows . . . it's both beautiful and formidable. And how delightful to see a tiny little Eanrin making his way boldly inside!

@Caitlyn G - The vibrancy and detail of this piece is stunning! That rose looks velvety soft and almost luminous, and the veins are so delicately rendered. Gorgeous composition, full of simple magic.

@Beka - Well, you already know how much I enjoy this piece! Love the expressions on both of their faces, the beautifully captured dynamic between grandmother and granddaughter. The composition is so lovely as well, effectively putting all the right focus in all the right places ,but allowing for some little details of setting as well!

@Elizabeth F. Buckles - She IS Bebo. Just perfectly, perfectly Bebo. So noble and royal, and yet you can see kindness in her face. I love her hair, I love her gown, I love that she looks both beautiful and strong. An amazing depiction of this queenly character!

@T. Gemmell - I keep coming back to this piece! Every time, I feel like there is more to see! Every one of Sairu's expressions is so perfectly HER! You captured her good humor, her cleverness, her amusing insightfulness. And the hedge-pigs! So super cute and fluffy!!! Eanrin's expressions are utterly perfect. I love how you depicted him as a cat, and yet I feel like I can ALMOST detect traces of what his man form would be as well. (Plus I just kind of love this scene between the two of them, so props for choosing to illustrate it!)

@Sierra Bombardier - Oh, my goodness! Her eyes utterly grab me. So luminous, so full of sorrow and just a hint of danger. She is gorgeous, but she is definitely stepping deeper into darkness, and this whole portrait captures that sense of the journey she must go on. Beautiful use of watercolors (which I find to be a difficult medium!). The contrast of her russet hair with the blue tones of her skin, her eyes, and the background makes for a striking composition that continues to draw the eye back to itself.

@Dara Esther - Such a heart-wrenching scene to depict! And so much emotion communicated in just a few, elegantly rendered lines! This is one that definitely stopped both me and my husband as we were scrolling through, as we discussed the scene and the courage it would take an artist to choose to create it! Love the blend of your colored pencils and pastels as well!

Anne Elisabeth Stengl said...

@Michaela - Oh, goodness me, I didn't even have to read the title to know exactly who this was! She utterly darling, and I love how the composition compels me to gaze into her eyes! Beautiful work on her curly hair as well.

@Beka - Once more, you demonstrate your versatility, this time by tackling a whole new medium! And a lovely depiction of Sairu this is, capturing that impish nature behind her lethal training and exotic makeup. Loving the bold choice of colors as well, the elegant hues in her shirt (which looks like pure silk!) and her boldly red lips.

@Catherine Regitz - I just love so many things about this piece. I love the elegantly simple "brush strokes" you used to sketch the characters. Something about it feels so spontaneous and simultaneously so controlled--you make it almost look easy, and yet I know capturing the shape of those hands and the expression in her face must be anything BUT easy! The composition beautiful,and simple, and the colors chosen are just right and just enough to compliment that elegant "brush work" underneath. Seriously, this is another piece that just keeps drawing my eye--at first glance so simple and yet with so much to admire! Not to mention I just love this depiction of Una . . . you absolutely captured her sweetness and innocence with just a dash of mischief in her eye.

@Hannah Rogers - Oh, oh, oh, Lume love me! This is AWESOME!!! This is the best depiction of Oeric I've ever seen! And he is NOT an easy character to capture in picture form. But somehow you managed to find that perfect balance between his ugly, startling, goblin face and his noble, heroic character. I absolutely love him. Not to mention his gorgeous garments, fit for any knight. Lights Above! Just LOOK at that pattern of fabric beneath the buckles! Cannot get over it.

Anne Elisabeth Stengl said...

@Hannah Williams - Well, you already know . . . I love EVERYTHING about this piece! The girl is just ridiculously adorable and such a perfect fit for the character. Akilun is a romantic figure in his way, beautiful and ethereal, and yet you can see how much he is able to love these simple mortals, how much joy he has in revealing the Greater Lights and sharing in the Song. I can almost FEEL the music in this piece . . . all I have to do is look at their faces! A gorgeous depiction of a scene I really love.

@Sarah Talewaver - Another super-awesome collage! These images are also so dark and so well-suited to one another . . . they create a perfect conglomerate of the Lady herself. And I love that you included her most classic quote: "The game is done. I've won . . . I've won . . ." Chills!

@Michael - Okay, this just makes my heart happy in SO many ways! My husband and I enjoyed analyzing all the different features of this piece, from the energized Eanrin hunting for his snack (after all, he DOES bring Starflower apples in one of the novels, doesn't he? Good to know he is clever at finding them!), to the sun and moon imagery that is so important to the series as a whole. Delightful, sure to bring a smile to any art-lover's face!

@Hannah Rogers - Just when I thought you couldn't possibly outdo yourself . . . This is TREMENDOUS! I love this piece so much, every time I see it, I gasp out loud! This is one of my favorite scenes in the series, one of those scenes I am most proud to have written, and you absolutely captured it! The expression on her face, so conflicted and yet so full of dawning understanding . . . his tortured hands . . . I can almost feel the shudders running through his body at the pain he is even now experiencing. The sacrifice is so vivid, and her realization of that sacrifice and what it means is so compelling. I cannot believe how much you managed to capture in this one, beautiful image.

@Beth - Nothing short of GORGEOUS! I HAVE to come back to this one, over nad over again, because i keep seeing new things. This time, when I looked at it, I saw that the lantern is actually sitting on the grave stone! The starflowers are so beautiful, and I love that they weave in and out from among the roses as well. The Wolf Lord is dreadful, and Eanrin/Monster is so completely smug . . . I love everything about this image. Amazing use of light and dark, such control of your medium! I am more than a little in awe.

@Dara Esther - A beautiful, tragic moment, tenderly rendered. I love the interaction you've captured between these two characters, one of my favorite brief little moments in this book. And how wonderful to see Hymlume shining down upon the two of them! I almost didn't notice her at first and was glad I came back to this piece for a second look! Also (and this is a bit random, I know) I really like how you did his feet! Feet are hard to draw, but you made his look really natural, even in the boots!

Sarah Kuther said...

Wow! It's so exciting to see how creative everyone is! And so exciting to see my own pictures as Goldstone wood worthy! It was so fun trying to get costumes and organuze 6 rambuncious siblings and 1 shy mother! And I love to see how others imagine the perfect characters and settings. Especially with hand art because you can create whatever is in your imagination! And what a cool idea to use an avatar creator. I know some eager gamers who would enjoy that if they stopped playing video games long enough to do it! Wonderful creativity everyone!

E.F.B. said...

What wonderful art, everyone! I looked at the galleries myself and then showed them to my mom and we both enjoyed them so much! As much as I'd love to comment on each piece individually, I'm afraid they'd all end up basically saying the same thing, which would be, "Oh my goodness, I love this so much! How did you manage to make things look exactly how I imagined them?" :D

Anyway, I hope everyone had as much fun as I did while creating your art, and I wish everyone the best!

Anne Elisabeth Stengl said...

Finally picking up where I left off commenting on all these awesome submissions!

@Sarah J. Kuther -- Oh, my goodness! You got EVERYONE in on the costuming action! I had such a blast going through and figuring out who was who. Love that Una and Felix stand back-to-back, like the good siblings they are. And Ytotia with her feathered wings is particularly fabulous! All of these are delightful, and the whole image makes me smile.

@Beka -- I really do love collage images, and this one is an excellent composition! I love how you captured these characters and the spooky climax of the story in this mock-cover. And awesome hair textures, by the way! Loving Draven's hair and beard!

@Sarah Taleweaver -- Oooooooooh. SO pretty! And haunting as well. Love this raw color scheme that so perfectly captures that first night of moonblood, with all the stars falling. And the shadowy buildings are fantastic! Excellent photomanipulation, very convincing.

@Hannah Rogers -- Oh, my goodness. I do just love these two, and I love seeing their dynamic so beautifully captured here! The whole composition is lovely, but it's the little details of their clothing and expression that really make this piece sing. I mean, can you GET more Eanrin than that pose? And she looks both faintly annoyed and highly amused, which is probably her typical state of being where he's concerned . . .

@Victoria -- I LOVE this. Such a sweet scene to illustrate. I really love that you're capture Rose Red's childhood sweetness and sense of adventure even behind her spooky veils. And Leo is just perfectly Leo in every possible way. Great scene, great illustration.

Anne Elisabeth Stengl said...

@Michaela -- What a beautiful drawing! And wow . . . did you ever capture such an EXPRESSION on her face. She's so realistic and yet so very personable all at the same time. Makes you wonder what foolishness Nidawi is getting up to just off-scene that's making Lioness react like this. :)

@Hannah Williams -- Gorgeous. I mean, simply gorgeous. I love how you let the subject matter dictate the medium too, selecting a watercolor and brushstroke that feels authentic to this part of the world! Sairu's smile is spot-on, and I love her costume so much. Just a gorgeous piece!

@Beka - One of my favorites of all your pieces. There's almost a dreamy, Art Deco style here, which is such a dramatic contrast to the subject matter! Fantastic composition, fantastic use of light and color. And great eye-contact between the two figures, creating a dramatic moment. Love it!

@Sarah J. Kuther -- Awwww, sweet and dreamy Una! She's the perfect image of Una a few years before HEARTLESS begins, in her proper princess gown with her little braid . . . but you can see that, even now, she's longing for more adventure than her proper little life currently offers. And is that an opal ring I spy???

@Dara Esther -- Oh, this is so cool! Love these various faces of Rose Red, all true to her and all beautiful in their way. A great idea and well rendered. Love the expressiveness of her face (when we can see it!)

@Catherine Regitz -- A crochet Eanrin!!!! I, my word, I want to SQUEEZE him!!! So creative and fun . . . and immediately recognizable as our favorite faerie-cat.

@Hannah Rogers -- This is just a PERFECT rendition of this scene. I love how ferocious Beana looks, how furious and how protective all at once! Leo is DEFINITELY outmatched here. She's even taller than him, which is spot-on! The costuming is stunning and the composition is wonderful and full of energy. I love this. A great moment to choose to illustrate and done just brilliantly.

@Dara Esther -- Ahhh! So cute! Love these two when they are thrown together . . . and this image is a perfect expression of their "friendship." Great job on the costumes, poses, and facial expressions. One day I hope to see the two of them teamed up again . . . :)

Anonymous said...

As always everyone's pieces are fantastic!

Round one!

@Courtney Dusenbury: I love how much is in this picture. Starflower, the Thrush, Eanrin as a cat, the Wood, the river... And the way it all blends is beautiful! It looks like one picture!

@Hannah Rogers: Ah-ha, something I don't know about. I love the pines back there. And the way she's standing, and he's sitting shows so much character!

@Sarah J. Kuther: Neat! That pose is very Felix-ish I think. Love the cloak. I love the background too, the lions add an epic touch.

@Sarah Taleweaver: Oooh, that is beautiful! I love the quotes you picked. And those pictures fit so well!! I never imagined Eanrin with a beard, but that picture still really reminds me of him somehow. And I love the cat.

@Natasha Hannu: Those scales are so well done! And there's one scale that I can't tell if it's a scale or a tear, which I think is a very cool touch. I love the way her cloths is tattered. And you can really draw hands!

@Merenwen: Very nice depiction of Lady Gleamdren. I like how it's framed: the sort of thing Gleamdren herself would have on her wall. XD Her dress is really pretty! I love the patterns, and her crown.

@Mary Kuther: I like that! The wood, the path, the little flowers... And there's Eanrin walking down the path! I like how you used different shades of green for the trees and grass and forest shadows.

@Caitlyn G.: Oh that is a beautiful rose!! So much color and detail! Of course Mousehand would have the most beautiful roses. Lovely drawing!

@Beka: Hmm, I'm becoming more and more curious about Draven's Light. I love her expression and necklace and the cloths. For some reason I really like the front of the house up there, and you're really good at drawing hair and faces! The coloring is fantastic.

@Elizabeth F. Buckles: Wow, I like how young you made Bebo look, it makes sense with her being a Faerie. Her face is so well drawn! I like her hairdo too.

@T. Gemmell: Oh. wow. I love that. That part is fantastic. That drawing of Sairu saying "You like them". . . so Sairu. And Eanrin's expressions!! I love this!

@Sierra Bombardier: I like how there's only a few spots of color and everything else is just a vague colorless blueishness. Her hair really stands out and it's very well drawn. It's kind of a scary picture, but I think that's the point, so nice job on that!

-Rebekah / Stargazer

Anonymous said...

Round two!

@Dara Esther: The cloths are so well drawn! That cloak is EPIC. And I love the broach!! The drawing is so epic and sad!

@Michaela: I love that drawing of Meadowlark! The hair, and eyes and her mouth and teeth... It's so Meadowlark!

@Beka: Yes, the smile. Love this drawing of Sairu. It has so much character. That blue is awesome by the way.

@Catherine Regitz: That style is so unique! I like how Una's biting her nails, and the color of her dress is really cool.

@Hannah Rogers: I was scrolling down, and as soon as I saw this I was like "That's Oeric!" And sure enough, it says it's Oeric! There's so much detail and I think his cloths are so cool.

@Hannah Williams: AWWW!! I don't know what this is about but it's so beautiful! And holding the mouse over it it say's it's Akilun! <3 I love his grin and that pointy ear and the little girl is so pretty, and there's light everywhere and I love that!!

@Sarah Taleweaver: Uummm... I'm scared now. Like, super scared. But that means it's a very well done collage. I don't know where you found those pictures or what you did to them but they're spot on for Lady Life-in-Death. Yikes. *shivers*

@Micheal: Awesome! I hope Eanrin enjoys the apple and strawberry! The star looks very cool, and I really like Eanrin's tail.

@Hannah Rogers: I don't know what to say about this one. It's so sad. And beautiful. There's Daylily looking sad, and her hair is doing cool things, and I really like her dress! And poor Foxbrush with his poor hands, and his no longer oiled hair, and his messed up cloths... And I love the background! :)

@Beth Andrus: Wow. There's so much there... Roses and Starflowers, the sword, Beana, Eanrin, the Thrush, a unicorn, a dragon, the Beast, the lantern... The style is so unique and it looks like everything is carved out of stone.

@Dara Esther: Eanrin and Starflower! I love the feather in Eanrin's cap, and their cloths are really neat. :)

@Sarah J. Kuther: All the royals! Y'alls costumes are awesome and fit so perfectly! I can easily tell who everyone is except the little girl on the floor in green. . . Meadowlark of Nidawi? Not sure. Anyway, this picture is so cool! LOVE the costumes and poses!

@Beka: So many things! Love the candle and faces! I think the hair is very well drawn! Very nice poster!

@Sarah Talewaver: Moonblood over Lunthea Mally... I like that. It's so very red. And there's the falling stars! Epicness.

-Rebekah / Stargazer

Anonymous said...

And round three!

@Hannah Rogers: This is amazing! I love it so much! Imraldera has so much character! Wow. Her expression and hair is awesome. And I love the shade of green her dress is. And there's Eanrin being Eanrin!! :D The grin, the red cloths, the look of innocence with hand on chest, the other sort of almost in the way on the desk. . . Yes. Awesome. And I love the books back there, and the doorway and curtain and trees! And that feather pen is epic.

@Victoria: I love Leo's expression! I like his shirt and the way his hair looks. And I love Rose Red's veil, and the way her hand is going down into the water. Also, that is a really cool looking stick boat!

@Michaela: Lioness! Lioness is awesome! Love this drawing of her! I like her eyes. Her face looks nice, and I like her tail. Also, her paws look cool. And the way she's standing is really cool.

@Hannah Williams: Beautiful drawing of Sairu! Those little braids look awesome! How can you do these things with water color?! Love the way she's "walking towards us" so to speak. And is she holding something sharp?

@Beka: No clue what this is about since I haven't read Draven's Light, but those angels look like they would take a lot of skill to do. I like it, and it makes me more curious then ever to read Draven's Light.

@Sarah J. Kuther: That dress is so pretty. Love how you caught the reflection in the window. And there's Una's ring! The attention to detail is awesome.

@Dara Esther: I love this. All the different veils/faces of Varvere. The beautiful, sharp, sad Princess Varvare; the small veiled Rose Red; the unhappy goblin; and then after the last veil falls, the happy, normal, but still pretty, Queen Varvare. I'm not sure if anyone has drawn anything like this before. I think it's so cool and I really like it!! Awesomely done!!

@Catherine Regitz: That. Is. So. CUTE. A Crochet Eanrin! That's just awesome. I want to hug it! ^_^

@Hannah Rogers: O_O Oh wow. Yikes, she looks formidable. But that's the idea, so, epic job! The detail is fantastic, and I love her sword. And the way her dress is flying looks awesome. Lionheart's tunic looks really cool! Poor guy, but he brought it on himself, so. . . yeah, being lifted of the ground and yelled at by a scary Lady Warrior was kind of what he deserved. Love your depiction of this.

@Dara Esther: I love their poses. I like the colors too! And I love Lionheart's coat! Very cool drawing, I love it!

God bless y'all! Keep up the lovely work! :)

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to comment on Gallery two!

Dara Esther said...

Right, I can't stand it anymore. I have to make comments!

@Courtney Dusenbury--firstly, wow. IT'S so awesome! I don't understand how you can take such random pictures and fit them together in such a seamless, beautiful, and amazing picture. I love everything, especially the flower in the girl's (am I right in guessing it's Starflower's?) hair. And is that Eanrin I spy?

@Hannah Rogers--um, can this be less awesome? Don't think so! Every time I see Ita's face I start grinning. And Draven is awesome. Actually, everything is awesome.

@Sarah J. Kuther--this picture is great. I love the building you used for a background, and Felix's dramatic pose is so--Felix!

@Sarah Taleweaver--Eanrin! Yay! Heart up and died of happiness! I want to pet that kitty so much, and where on earth did you find a picture that fit's Eanrin's human form so perfectly? And his quotes are awesome (after all, how could they not be? Eanrin spoke them, after all).

@Natasha Hannu--everyone has already commented on the amazingness of the scales on Una's hands and face, but can I just say--those scales are awesome!!! And her face makes me want to cry...

@Merenwen Inglorion--Ah, Lady Gleamdren. You did an amazing job! That self-satisfied smirk is so her, and I love how you made it into a portrait!

@Mary Kuther--your trees, especially the pine tree, are just wonderfully done. And I love little Eanrin striding confidently along the path!

@Caitlyn G--only one word can express my thoughts: PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Beka--wow, you did such a great job coloring in this piece! Your textures with colored pencils are far greater than anything I could accomplish. And I like the fact you include Itala's copper necklace in the picture. It makes sense she's still wearing it.

@Elizabeth F. Buckles--um, can words express? Everything about this picture is so great! Her face, her dress, her expression, her hair... (her hair! Amazing! Wonderful! Splendiferous!)

@T. Gemmell--thank you so, so, so, so much! This was my favorite scene in the entire book, and I constantly flip back through the book to read it. Seeing it in comic form, and in such an amazing style, makes both me and my brother laugh out loud! We especially love the expressions.

@Sierra Bombardier--lovely! the colors, her face, her hair, oh, her hair! I want hair like that! I want to be able to paint hair like that! You have such amazing talent! (I probably used too many exclamation marks, but I care not!)

Be back later! Cheery-bye!
~Dara Esther

Dara Esther said...

Right, to continue...

@Dara Esther--oh, right, this one's mine. Firstly, I want to thank all you guys who said such nice things about it! It took most of the month to complete. Personally, I like the way the background turned out. For the ground, I think it took a total of 12 layers of seven or eight different pencils in the proper order to make it look exactly the way I wanted. Painstaking, but worth it, I hope!

@Michaela--ahhh, Meadowlark. This is such a pretty portrait! I like the way you did her curly hair. Thanks so much! We don't have nearly enough Meadowlark pictures. She was one of my favorite characters in Shadow Hand (if it wasn't for Eanrin, she'd probably be my top favorite in that book).

@Beka--oh, so pretty! I love the face paint and the her smile! And the clothes are so nice.

@Catherine Regitz--this is one of my favorites. I especially like the colors, so bright and cheerful! And the expression is quintessentially Una.

@Hannah Rogers--Yay, Oeric! I LOVE Oeric! This is such a nice picture of him! (I know everyone talks about the fantastic detail, but did you know that the detail in your pictures are fantastic???)

@Hannah Williams--oh, this is one of my favorites! Everything about this picture is so wonderful! I'm a huge fan of your art.

@Sarah Taleweaver--eep! I'm scared now! It's such an incredible collage. You have such talent!

@Michael--So cute! And very nice jobs on the fruit. I especially like the apple!

@Hannah Rogers--okay, there are so many wonderful things about this picture, but I have to say my favorite are his hands. They make MY hands hurt to look at them, they look so painful! And I really like how you did Foxbrush's beard.

@Beth Andrus--wow, there's so much in here I didn't notice until I read everyone else's comments. Then I'd quickly look at the picture and be like, "Wow, that's in here! That's awesome! How didn't I see that before!". If pressed, I'd have to say I have three things that tie for first--Akilun's gravestone with the Asha Lantern, Beana (I love Beana!), and Eanrin, of course. Eanrin is automatically my favorite thing in any picture he's in.

@Dara Esther--Hello, me. Thanks again for all your sweet comments. This was my first actual fanart for this series, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. When I first read that part in Moonblood I stopped and drew that picture to a) celebrate confirmation of my suspicions that SOMETHING was going on between those two, and b) mourn Diarmid. Mostly to mourn Diarmid. I still get teary-eyed when I think of him. Sniff. But thank you again for all the nice things you said about it!

@Sarah J. Kuther--This is such great pic! It was fun trying to guess who everyone was. My brother and I think we see Una, Felix, Sairu, Rosie/Varvare, Ytotia, Bebo, and is that Nidawi? I hope so, because I LOVE Nidawi!

Okay, I need to go again, but I will make sure I come back and comment on everyone's pictures!
~Dara Esther