This started as a quick landscape practice, but I felt it needed a snake... and fire-breath.


Image is link to bigger version on DA

Maybe that is its last fireball??

Very nice, like the way you have done the lighting from the fire across the body of the heroine.

I think the water is a little stiff, a little more lighting on it might make it a lil more lively imo.
Still nice work!

merrak: i seem to have missed this one! i'm a great fan of dragons and also of stoorworms and lindorms and all those gigantic serpents, so i liked this a lot . i think moko has a point about the water, though, and i also think there's something strange about the points where the serpent disappears into the water, it looks out of perspective. i agree with he4rty that the light from the fire flame falling beautifully aross the heroine's body, i get jealous when i see work like that .
quite apart from the points of beauty and technique of this i'm curious about something though: i've seen at least one more fantasy heroine of yours wearing similar clothes. to me they seem a bit out of context, they look like something a tight rope walker at a circus would wear and the material looks to be thick and rather plasticky - a bit futuristic (very unpractical stuff to wear when you're out slaying beasts too, of course, but i know fantasy heroines can't be too particular about that, it's sort of a rule of the genre ). what are your thoughts about their clothes? do they all live in a world where this futuristic fashion is the rule? most fantasy clothing seems to reflect either medieval times or the antiques, so yours stand out, which can be a strength or a weakness. i'd really like to hear your thoughts on this!

Beautiful work again. I love the fire breath.

Thanks for the comments

The water does sparkle a bit - but maybe it could sparkle more? (Around the serpent, too). Maybe that'd liven the water a bit. Maybe the perspective needs to be changed. The serpent enters the water at an angle and I'm not sure I got it right. Thanks for the tips!

@AnMal ~ There is a complex answer to this question

Most of the drawings I've posted are illustrations of two books (one I've finished, another in progress), that are situated in the Roman era and Renaissance era respectively. It's part of a series about a hitchhiker telling a story to his driver. The context is not historical on purpose. I think it's more apparent on the structures than it is the character's costumes. The artwork is meant to reflect an altered reality. Whether it is that of the characters, the narrator telling the story, or the driver telling the story to -you- is a mystery left up to the reader.

Here's the same heroine in a different scene. (bigger version)



With "futuristic" buildings. The heroine is of the second book. The drawing below is from the first book. The buildings are different, but still impossibly large.



Maybe the costumes were more realistic from that first book. I can't seem to find the older threads where I've posted them to GC.

It just seemed more fun to do the artwork this way... call it a style choice I suppose.

merrak: that's so cool! i knew the answer would be interesting . i loved the icicle city! now i'm really curious about that story, where can i find it?

I'm still working on it

The first book is called A Foundation in Wisdom. It has a website if you're interested in seeing what it's about. http://www.afoundationinwisdom.com/. It's almost completely finished.

The second book is called An Ember in the Wind. The manuscript is still under revision, then it needs to be sent to the editor - so it's a while out. It has a site, though! http://www.anemberinthewind.com/. There's some artwork there, but that's about it.

merrak: it looks very promising! i think i could like these books.

Hey! I like fire serpents! Next to rats they're my second favorite pet! There it was, minding its own business then out of nowhere comes this half dressed crazy girl with a knife and proceeded to attack it. I think someone should start a 'save the fire serpents' foundation. Poor thing.

By the way, can I temporarily use your pic as an example of what kind of things I'd like to draw? The art forum folks I frequent have been asking what kind of things I want to draw so they can guide me in the right direction. I wouldn't try to pass it off as my work, no one would believe it anyway. I would never draw anything like the killing of innocent fire serpents.

That's fine

... And no live fire serpents were harmed during the creation of this artwork... Very important unless you want a lawsuit.

There needs to be a Bob Ross style "how to draw a fire serpent" sequence.

Make your fire serpents look like happy little serpents.

yay! that's a cause i can support - does petfs have pins or badges for my backpack and jacket?

Oh! They need to get to work on that..