Aaaaargh!

Ok, guys. Here they all are, in a row.

I have literally been meaning to do this project for YEARS. The imminent release of Return of the Thief led to my return to the fandom, which somehow made it feel urgent enough to actually get them done. And while there are little things I could point out that aren’t quite working how I want them to, overall I am really proud of these images.

And yes, mild spoilers are present in these. My aim here wasn’t to create spoiler-free images, which I know some people are sensitive to. It was my project, and I just wanted to choose a scene that I felt 1) Represented the book well 2) Was one I was interested in drawing and 3) I could design in such a way that would leave room for text, while still working well as an image on its own. So yes, small spoilers are present, that wasn’t a primary consideration. Sorry not sorry. :-)

These were done in Procreate, which makes process videos automatically. I’ll probably be getting those up on youtube sometime in the near future in case anyone wants to see how they came together.

Eddis | Attolia - a view from two windows

.

.

.

.

.

I’ve been wanting to get more art that would be appropriate for interior illustrations into my portfolio, and I kinda had that on the brain while I was reading. I started with the first couple and was having such fun I just.... kept going. It’s been a good way to slow myself down on the re-read, having to stop and think about each chapter before rushing on.

Here, I have an illustration for every chapter in The Book of Pheris Volume 1.

Yes, I shared a few of these last week and said there wouldn’t be any more for awhile.

I lied.

I looked up tube bee hives and from what I saw, there was huge variation in the size of the tubes used?? So I just drew what I wanted basically. (I CAN DRAW ANYTHING I WANT.)

Triangles!

I should say here that since we have no idea what Pheris’ condition is, I wasn’t really sure how to draw it. I decided he would have one twisted foot, and one smaller/weaker hand that he would be in the habit of protecting/hiding against his body. Not being disabled myself, I don’t know the best or most respectful way to approach drawing this character. I am open to comments and correction if anything I draw has unintentionally offended someone, or perpetuated a stereotype.

This was a moment where when I read it I immidiately said I HAVE TO DRAW THAT.

Yeah, @emilybeemartin and @shebsart have already shared their awesome versions of this scene, and mine doesn’t feel as cool as theirs to me. I find it interesting that we each chose a different view point though—Emily did a cutaway so we could see either side of the wall, Sheb did a view from inside, and mine is from outside. In my sketch I had Irene and Pheris in the background, but it required too much vertical space for the horizontal format I had been using for these chapter heading styled illustrations, so I ended up cropping them out. So, so, so. Maybe I will do a taller version.... later.

Gen is SCARY in this chapter. I had to find a less scary moment.... fortunately there was a very cool visual moment of a scared, not scary Gen.

I made myself cry drawing this. 😭

I think this is the firs time I’ve ever tried drawing Relius? I wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. I love the limitations of black and white, but it does mean I can’t show things like bruises very well. 🤷‍♀️

That’s it! All of volume one

But I thought I would throw in a little Costis. As a treat.

I’ve always imagined Costis with a. Very square jaw/nose/chin/face. It seemed to fit his very honorable personality. I also always drew him with shorter hair, but I figured he’s been letting his curls grow a bit, and as soon as I drew the dark curl down across his forehead I said, “...why hello there, Clark Kent.” And then I just went with it.

Here it is---the full lineup of Queen's Thief protagonists. Working on this piece meant so much to me, even more so because I was getting feedback directly from Megan on what she wanted these characters to look like. That said, plenty of my own style snuck in (see: Kamet's freckles), and knowing MWT's record of letting her readers figure things out for themselves, I hope these "official" designs don't dissuade anyone from bringing their own interpretation to these characters. There are so many stunning artists and creators in this fandom, and it's the spectrum of styles and designs and depictions that have brought this series so much vibrant life for over two decades.

Gen, after all, would want to keep people guessing.

I'm humbled to have been asked to do this illustration, and I can't wait to see the outpouring of creativity Return of the Thief brings. Be blessed in your endeavors.

Queen’s Thief “Inktober 2019” Master Post PART 1/3

(Yes, this is blurb-brain. I decided to make a side blog for my art stuff. Long post incoming)

~~~~~~o~~~~~~

In honor of the last book of The Queen’s Thief being released yesterday (October 6), I decided to go back and finish my Inktober 2019 run. So I’m both 11 months late and 1 month early for Inktober I guess. It shocks me a bit, to look back over the whirlwind this past month has been and see all that I’ve made. I’ve never drawn this much, this often, and at a mostly consistent level…ever. Pretty proud of that and only hope I can keep the ball rolling.

Now, about Queen’s Thief.

Got into this series waaaaaaaayyyy back in the year 2000. Waiting for the next book became a running joke between my siblings and I as well as the rest of our friends who we roped into liking it. Forget 12 years of waiting, it’s been 20 years for us, and 24 years for those who were there at the very beginning. Our family has had The Thief in our cabinet since before I even started reading books with no pictures. What in the world is life like without a book in the Queen’s Thief series to wait for?

So thank you very much @meganwhalenturner from the bottom of my heart for the gift your books have been in my life. They are something I share with a lot of people I love, and the characters themselves are so vivid, so endearing, they’re on that list of people I love as well.

I wish you all the best wherever your interests decide to take you now that this is over. If I may borrow your line, “be blessed in your endeavors.”

Sincerely,

Queen’s Thief “Inktober 2019” Master Post PART 3/3

(Yes, this is blurb-brain. I decided to make a side blog for my art stuff.)

And that’s a wrap! See you all in the world post-ROTT

As Hilarion said:

Queen’s Thief “Inktober 2019” Master Post PART 1/3

(Yes, this is blurb-brain. I decided to make a side blog for my art stuff. Long post incoming)

~~~~~~o~~~~~~

In honor of the last book of The Queen’s Thief being released yesterday (October 6), I decided to go back and finish my Inktober 2019 run. So I’m both 11 months late and 1 month early for Inktober I guess. It shocks me a bit, to look back over the whirlwind this past month has been and see all that I’ve made. I’ve never drawn this much, this often, and at a mostly consistent level…ever. Pretty proud of that and only hope I can keep the ball rolling.

Now, about Queen’s Thief.

Got into this series waaaaaaaayyyy back in the year 2000. Waiting for the next book became a running joke between my siblings and I as well as the rest of our friends who we roped into liking it. Forget 12 years of waiting, it’s been 20 years for us, and 24 years for those who were there at the very beginning. Our family has had The Thief in our cabinet since before I even started reading books with no pictures. What in the world is life like without a book in the Queen’s Thief series to wait for?

So thank you very much @meganwhalenturner from the bottom of my heart for the gift your books have been in my life. They are something I share with a lot of people I love, and the characters themselves are so vivid, so endearing, they’re on that list of people I love as well.

I wish you all the best wherever your interests decide to take you now that this is over. If I may borrow your line, “be blessed in your endeavors.”

Sincerely,

“Costis is back.”

Eugenides, The Queen of Attolia

Ah, here we see Gen being salty af about Nahusersh.