My Art Stuff - Blog Posts

The Dreamer returns to Alagadda looking for a way to escape her fate.

Just some pretty lineart for a bigger painting, always for "Tales of the Dreamer".

Right now med school is killing me (I have two exams in as many days, just let me die), but, as always when I am stressed and sleep deprived, I am also quite inspired ( meaning: I have a LOT of weird ideas), so... silver linings am I right?

The empty shells of fallen Dreamers, those caught by the servants of the King in Yellow, tormented and used for horrible experiments still wander the lost city, always seeking for what they lost.

The Dreamer finds herself in Lost Carcosa, and is saved by a cat of Ulthar.

@amyma-ymamy

There is a girl that travels between worlds.

She is not a girl but, for now, it doesn't matter.

There is a girl that travels through the multiverse, with a golden compass at her neck.

It is not truly a compass, rather an armillary sphere. Anyways, it is a gift.

There is a girl that is also a dream and an idea. And if what I just said puzzles you, you can imagine how it puzzles her.

What she truly is, is a Dreamer.

There is a woman that is also a snake, and a Vessel, but first and foremost an Alchemist.

The Alchemist has become a captive to win her freedom, but she doesn't mind the exchange.

There is a lost mentor and a flight without end but, really, the story is not about that.

Always remember: in the beginning there was the Dream.

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C'è una ragazza che viaggia tra i mondi.

Non è veramente una ragazza. Forse un tempo lo era, ma questo per ora non conta.

C'è una ragazza che viaggia tra i mondi e porta al collo una bussola d'oro.

Non è veramente una bussola, ma una sfera armillare. In ogni caso, è un dono.

C'è una ragazza che è anche un sogno e un'idea. E se questo confonde voi, potete immaginare come se la passi lei.

C'è una donna che è anche un serpente, e un Ricettacolo, ma prima di tutto è un'Alchimista. 

L'Alchimista è diventata prigioniera per essere libera, ma la cosa non la turba. Neanche questo è importante.

C'è un Maestro scomparso e una fuga senza fine. Ma davvero, non è questo il punto della storia.

Ricordati sempre. 

In principio c'era il Sogno.

Draft prologue for "The tales of the Dreamer", plus concept sketches of the main characters, Arual the Wayward Dreamer and Lady Chandra, Alchemist and Noble Citizen of Alagadda.

The whole project is meant to be a tribute to all the pieces of media, music, literature and art that inspired me through the years.

excuse me but I am aggressively interested in your Tales of the Dreamer project. Is there anything more u can say about it at this time? Is it a comic or a story? (Also as a former med student who also occasionally draws or writes I would like to express medschool artist solidarity because it makes a lot of us take up either smoking or drawing. Your work is awesome!)

Thank you! I am so glad someone likes my crazy ideas! Tales of the Dreamer should be the illustrated story of Arual, the Dreamer, as she travels the multiverse, trying to remember who she was before the Great Old Ones snatched her from her reality. I imagined it as a tribute to all the pieces of media, books and music that inspired me to make art.

It is mainly inspired by Lovecraft's Dream Cycle,expecially the Dream quest of Unknown Kadath, but with some twists.

I must say that the whole thing was born from what was left of my brain after my Anatomy exam, so I feel like the weirdness is justified.

The true impossibile nature of Carcosa as glimpsed by the Dreamer in her visions, as she wanders the lost city.

Work in progress (these are just the backgrounds) for my project with @amyma-ymamy .

The Dreamer finds herself in Carcosa, and is saved by a Cat of Ulthar.

Work in progress that is taking me way too long, for my pet project with @amyma-ymamy.

Random landscape sketch (a stock photo study done in about 40 min). Keen eyed people may spot my lovely OC strolling around as a dark silhouette.

Along the shore the cloud waves break,

The twin suns sink behind the lake,

The shadows lengthen

In Carcosa.

Strange is the night where black stars rise,

And strange moons circle through the skies,

But stranger still is

Lost Carcosa.

Songs that the Hyades shall sing,

Where flap the tatters of the King,

Must die unheard in

Dim Carcosa.

Song of my soul, my voice is dead,

Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed

Shall dry and die in

Lost Carcosa.

—"Cassilda's Song" in The King in Yellow Act 1, Scene 2

It may be that I saw the Yellow Sign, but... this is the first of a series of paintings for a project I am working on with @amyma-ymamy. Hope you like it, it is the first city I paint.

As usual, I know nothing.

I have my anatomy exam in two days and I should be studying but... it's late. And my brain is mush. I found this wip laying forgotten and I had at least to render the background until it did not look like an utter mess.

(I think it may be some unfinished ASOIAF fanart, because the tree is surely a weirwood, and the characters give me some Brynden and Shiera vibes, but mainly it was an excuse to learn to paint all the things I struggle with.)

The dysfunctional House of Finwë at one of its finest moments, work in progress.

This will surely take me ten thousands years but it's fine. That's what the lockdown is for. And I do love my doomed Noldor.

(Sketching this was so HARD. It took me 20 perfectly happy minutes to sketch Nolofinwë, but Feanaro... I redrew him at least ten times before landing on this pose...and I am sure I will tweak it a thousand times in the greyscale rendering)

From shapeless blob to almost human-looking Snape in about two and a half hours.

I am way too busy with my exams to finish it properly, but I think it came out pretty ok.

Random sketch. (45min)

I was just doodling around with a newly created brush and things got out of control.

Luthien Tinuviel in the halls of Menegroth

"As Beren looked into her eyes

Within the shadows of her hair

The trembling starlight of the skies

He saw there mirrored shimmering.

Tinuviel the elven-fair,

Immortal maiden elven-wise,

About him cast her shadowy hair

And arms like silver glimmering"

VERY quick Book!Snape sketch. (30 min)

This evening my Harry Potter-loving friend called and we ended up talking about my problematic fave (even if I am not that much into the fandom I still enjoy both the books and the movies), so I had to sketch him. He is wearing muggle clothes just because I am too lazy to draw his wizard attire.

Luthien Tinuviel, one of my favorite badass ladies in the Silmarillion.... this is only the basic greyscale-ish stage, and I still have to put in the background, colors, light and a billion billions details , but I still like how this is turning out.

"Beneath the gold,the bitter steel"

Ser Aegor Rivers, called "Bittersteel", founder and first Captain-General of the Golden Company.

Aegor Rivers, work in progress.

As partial as I am towards Bloodraven and the Blackwoods I do like Bittersteel as a character. And I will spend the next 20 years detailing his armour.

(the circles floating in the background on the sketch are the golden skulls of the Golden Company. Because I just love that concept. But I don't know if I will have the strength to render them in the final piece. We shall see who will win, if my lazyness or my love for creepy and awesome things)

"Lord Tytos Blackwood met him in the outer ward, mounted on a destrier as gaunt as himself. Very tall and very thin, the Lord of Raventree had a hook nose, long hair, and a ragged salt and pepper beard that showed more salt than pepper. In silver inlay on the breastplate of his burnished scarlet armor was a white tree bare and dead, surrounded by a flock of onyx ravens taking flight. A cloak of raven feathers fluttered from his shoulders"

(VERY quick sketch on samsung notes done during class. )

Lord Tytos Blackwood . He appears in the books like... three times (?), but he is just awwsome. ( I should have at least tried to draw his cloak of raven feathers, but I was too lazy. Maybe when (if) I overpaint it in Painter I'll add it)

Fly or die (the Last Greenseer)

I was reading A Song of Ice and Fire (again) and I felt like painting Bran's "fly or die" dream. The problem is that my brain is broken and I ended up thinking about the Three Eyed Crow and how he probably may have learned greensight the same way from his predecessor... so here is Brynden Rivers being taught the fine art the greenseer by almost being impaled on oniric spikes.

(In my headcanon this happened while he was recovering from the Redgrass Field)

Euron Crow's Eye

Another random sketch on infinite design. I may be developing an addiction to it.

Just some random things to try out Infinite design ( disclaimer: I know nothing about vector drawing)

"You've known queens and princesses. Did they dance with demons and practice the black arts?

Lady Shiera does. Lord Bloodraven's paramour. She bathes in blood to keep her beauty."

Lady Shiera Seastar, daughter of King Aegon IV and his last mistress, Serenei of Lys.

"How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? A thousand eyes, and one" Brynden Rivers, Lord Bloodraven, warrior, sorcerer, spymaster, Hand of the King and greenseer. My favorite amongst the Great Bastards ( though Shiera Seastar is a close second).

Nelyafinwe Maitimo Curufinwion (Maedhros Feanorion), when he was still young and happy in Valinor. I don't know why but I have always pictured him with short hair.

Quick sketch (about 30 min) on infinite painter.

Arya Stark of Winterfell, as I imagined her when I first read A Song of Ice and Fire.

This painting took me about two/three hours, mainly because I was experimenting with a new technique and ( since I love to make things difficult for myself) I worked straight away with colors without sketching it out first. It is far from perfect but I kinda like how it turned out.

Quick painting of Elros and Elrond as children playing by a stream. I needed to paint something cute and fun after spending an unreasonably long amount of time detailing horrible wounds on the last one. Also I have to work on my backgrounds so it was an interesting painting exercise.

"Concerning the Three Rings Sauron could learn nothing from Celebrimbor; and he had him put to death. But he guessed the truth, that the Three had been committed to Elvish guardians: and that must mean to Galadriel and Gil-galad.

In black anger he turned back to battle; and bearing as a banner Celebrimbor's body hung upon a pole, shot through with Orc-arrows, he turned upon the forces of Elrond."

The death of Celebrimbor (my love for doomed Noldor is resurfacing in strength)

Quick landscape painting done on infinite painter.

(Since I may have a Tolkien obsession the landscape study misteriously turned into a depiction of the Misty Mountains.)

"The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars. Venerable he seemed as a king crowned with many winters, and yet hale as a tried warrior in the fulness of his strength. He was the Lord of Rivendell and mighty among both Elves and Men."

I just finished reading the Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time and I had to paint my favorite Elda-Adan-Ainu hybrid. Since I love to suffer I spent hours on rendering evey single detail I could think of and then some more.

So here is my depiction of Elrond Peredhel, as he travels around Second Age Middle Earth in order to perfect his education as a loremaster.

This painting was also inspired by @vardasvapors 's take on this character that made me love him even more.