Saturday, 15 December 2018

Merlin's Bestiary 3 - Fairy cat memes business

The latest entry in Merlin's bestiary. This ain't your friendly neighbourhood bongo cat! I introduce to you the cat sidhe! (pronounced "cat sidhe")
Themo H Peel - Cat sidhe
The fairy kitty - pencil on paper

I've actually started writing a short story about Merlin and his relationship with the fey creature. So, I decided that doing a more detailed study for his bestiary was in order.

Themo H Peel - Cat sidhe
An early sketch
The cat sidhe is a Celtic creature that stalks the Scottish highlands and is believed to be either a type of fairy creature or a witch that could transform herself into a cat. Either way, it's not a creature you want to mess with. When Merlin encounters one, this cat means business.

Merlin describes the cat as, "black as pitch with the exception of the shock of white fur that burst from beneath its chin. Yet, its coat shimmered and moved, showing off its unusual stripes, the deepest, most empty blackness like the voids of the night sky. It had large blue-green eyes that shone like two moons and fixed me in a chilling stare. However, the thing that showed its true sidhe nature were its miraculous ears that twitched and flapped like bat wings... As it moved, its form billowed like so many swirls of campfire smoke, it’s midnight figure a flickering shadowy flame."


Themo H Peel - Scottish wildcat
Sketch of Scottish wildcat
My cat sidhe is actually a combination of a Scottish wildcat and the Kellas cat (which is actually a hybrid of wilcat and domestic cat). However, what sets the cat sidhe apart are its over-sized fairy wing ears and large saucer shaped eyes I also thought that Celtic swirl stripes would add to its other-worldly.

I enjoyed doing the drawings in pencil as well as it allowed me to play about with shading, smudges and an eraser to achieve smoke like affects.

I'm having a great time working my way through the bestiary. I love the synergy between the writing and drawing. I always start with a quick draft of ideas then I begin to draw. Then, as I draw I come up with wee details that I then find ways to work into the writing. It's how I prefer to write and it probably takes longer than if I just sat down and bashed out a draft but it makes the experience richer and more exciting for me.

The full story of Merlin's cat sidhe will be in the bestiary when it's done but I hope you enjoy this tiny taster. You can check out some of the other pages from Merlin's bestiary about the sidhe (fairies) and wyrms and gargoyles as well. Next will be GIANTS!!!

Check out more from the Bestiary here!


Hope you enjoy!



Buy 'Black Star' or 'Spirit Shear' on Amazon in the UK and US

Friday, 14 December 2018

Lego galaxy

As per usual on my trip to London in the spring time I stopped by the Lego store!!!

I thought it was time to create some of my favourite characters in Lego and Lego stores have these great bins that have a plethora of hair and clothes and faces where you can create your own mini figures (And I may have had a few pieces already at home).

Introducing the characters of Emersus Project in LEGO!!!

Emersus Project lego characters
L-R: Mhetli, Lauta, Ila, Gemmy, Sem
I've used Lego before to help with modelling when I directed a show. And I've always loved how lego inspires me to create and create the things in the worlds in my head in real life. And let's be honest, the little yellow plastic smiley people just bring me joy.

So, as I get back to working on the drawings for the new edition of Black Star 1.8 New Galaxy Edition (can't get any more Kingdom Hearts than that!!) I have my new Lego buddies to look out for me, keep me smiling and keep me on track.

Hope you enjoy!


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Tuesday, 20 November 2018

Fantastic Bestiary - Part 2

I started this post back in March over the holiday weekend. While working on drawings for Black Star 1.8 I decided to warm up by dipping my toes back into Ash and Ana's mythical world.

What started as a warm up turned into a fun afternoon of drawing and writing and I LOVE what it turned out. The first page of the bestiary that I typeset was just to try out the fonts. So, I made some tweaks to the style and format. For example, Ash is a lefty, so his annotations are slightly skewed as, without ruled paper, he finds it difficult to keep text in line. I've gone back and updated the first page.

I think I do some of my best work when I don't give myself an 'assignment' and just draw whatever strikes my fancy. I'm a firm believer that great art is 10% inspiration 10% talent and 80% technique and discipline. Recently I've burned myself out on the discipline and haven't left enough room for inspiration and enjoyment!

Looking through my sketch book and notes I've actually written and drawn over a dozen entries for the bestiary (There are trows decorating the margins of just about every notebook I own). But, I never got around to setting them because, at the time, they weren't my focus. Seeing how well the gargoyles page turned out, my instinct is to construct a regimen of typsetting the entries and set an end date for delivery. But, the rest of me thinks... just do it when the mood strikes. There's no magic formula for success and pressuring myself to do it is only going to send me back into a spiral of frustration. There will be time for dilligence later.

If you're curious, here are some of the other fun creatures that you'll encounter in Merlin's bestiary.

Check out more from the Bestiary here!

Hope you enjoy!


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Monday, 19 November 2018

20 years in the making - Christmas 2018

I've started working on my Holiday card for 2018 and it suddenly occurred to me that I've made a card every year for the last 20 years!

 

1998 watercolour card
My first holiday card was in 1998 and I've made one every year since (except 2005 when I'd first moved to Scotland and I was super broke).

Looking to the first card for inspiration it made me really excited. It was done in watercolour and ink and was beautiful! I was actually really good. These were the days before photoshop so the only way to colour anything was by hand and watercolours were my favourite medium.

It was painted on a giant A2 sheet of paper and had to be reduced at copy shop. It was actually too big for the machine so you can see the edges were cropped. Paying for the printing turned out to be way more expensive than I thought so I could only afford to get 20 made. But, I wanted to have something to give to family and friends who I couldn't afford to get a gift for.

I can't remember the last time I'd used my watercolours so I decided it was time to get them out and get practicing. I started with a picture of a rose from our garden this summer. And I'm pleased with how it turned out... for a warm up!

It took a while to decide what exactly I was going to do for the card though. I considered doing an updated version of the first card (geez, I wished I'd used modelling in 1998 to get proportions right!).  Or did I just want to tap into the spirit of the card and do something new in watercolour?

For the theme of my card holiday card I like to think of what my wish for the year ahead is. After lots of sketching I decided to stop agonising over sentiment and meaning and just have fun. 2018 has been a packed year with lots of ups and downs. And reflecting on that 16 year old kid who just wanted to do something nice for his family and friends during the holiday is enough for me. Also, the fact that I've been doing anything for 20 years is a huge achievement! There's no need to force it. And actually a bit of whimsy and fun is what everyone needs.

So this year I'm going SUPER CHIBI!!!


Some sketches and a new design for Wishmaker

Why? Well why not?!! I decided to got the crazy manga route while I was watching Netflix's She-Ra and The Princesses of Power. The glittering glimmering transformation reignited my long dormant love of Sailor Moon and the desire for a little bit of kawaii in my life. (Side note: I totally applaud the show for its positive portrayals - for example that Glimmer and Spinerrella aren't stick thin and are still warriors. Even little things like She-Ra wearing shorts under her skirt make it endearing. I love that it's creating something all girls can see themselves in and characters I'd be happy for all of my nieces to emulate).
Netflix She-Ra
Eat it, haters!
So, what will the final product of the card be? Well, you'll just have to wait and see!

Hope you enjoy!


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Monday, 30 April 2018

Black Star - New Galaxy edition

Like Da Vinci said, "Art is never finished, only abandoned." Well, 5 years on I'm picking my baby up from the orphanage!


I've decided, before I start the working draft of Book 3, Breaking Point, I want to go back to the beginning.
Themo H Peel - Black Star - plate 2
First illustration for Book 1
Black Star was my first ever novel. I know it's not perfect but I needed to get it out there for the experience. It's a story that's lived in my head for 20 years! But now, with three other novels under my belt, I want to update it and give it the benefit of that  experience.

Worth a thousand words
First and foremost are the illustrations. The Black Star illustrations were a hodge podge of different styles. By the time I got to Spirit Shear, I'd settled on a style for the series that really works for me as an illustrator and, most importantly, adds to the story. So, Book 1 is getting all new illustrations! Here's the first of them!

Kill your kittens
When I studied I was taught that when you write there is story architecture and story scaffolding. Scaffolding are the bits of information you need to construct the story. But, once it's done you should take them away. Often times in the scaffolding are little darlings or 'kittens' - bits of information or passages of prose that you just love!

Get rid of them.

There are definitely a few kittens in Black Star (possibly a whole litter). Also, admittedly, the tone and pace are a bit uneven. I hadn't quite found my voice as a story teller and wasn't sure what would work for my target audience. I now know who I am as a writer and who I'm writing for!

Glossy
The Emersus Project series has become so much more than just Gemmy's story. It's a story of his friends and family and an entire world. There are so many extras about the world and small details that could enrich the original story, but they don't belong in the book. But, that's what glossaries are for - a kitten corral! I mean, have you ever read the Silmarillion? Of course you haven't! It's all scaffolding. But, for the die hards it's an amazing world building encyclopedia. So, the new edition is going to have an enhanced glossary and some new short stories.

Draw draw draw
And just for fun here are (just) two pages of the character sketches I've done. I obviously already know what the characters look like, but it's helpful to remember where they were at the start of their journeys. And, as I edit, it helps get me back into their mindset back before everything blew up (literally and figuratively). I'm really enjoying getting to see Mhetli again with his long lanky hair, all sneers and grease!

It took me a while to get a proper style for Gemmy's wild and curly hair. The style I use for the illustrations is what I think of as detailed 'short hand'. Like with any caricature or cartoon, I try to find the most obvious feature and use simple, referential lines to give the impression of it. So, things like curls are simple swirls of the pen without drawing each individual curl. But, you still want to convey depth and texture. Sem's pony tail was another trial and error motif. I didn't want to make it so detailed that you see every hair and fly away. But, you needed an impression that it was a feat of mastery to get all her short hair pulled back.

Hope you enjoy!


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Tuesday, 24 April 2018

Albion tarot

Getting ready for the next #DVPit event tomorrow. And, with social media it's always a good idea to use an eye catching image. I'm still working on the images, adjusting some details and refining the layers of texture. But it's been a busy few months, so here's where I've gotten to in time for #DVPit tomorrow.

Themo H Peel - Ana tarot card Themo H Peel - Ash tarot card

I wanted to do something unique and interesting for Ash and Ana. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired, though. So I pulled out one of my tried and tested methods of punching through a creative block - When in doubt, copy the art of someone who inspires you.

I went through a few genres. I redrew some of my favourite comic cover art as the characters from Emersus Project. I started doodling Ash and Ana as manga characters. But, nothing seemed to hit the spot.

Then I came across my tarot card deck. The Aquarian Tarot deck illustrated by David Palladini originally caught my eye on a trip to Salem, Massachussetts many years ago. I was drawn to it because of the strong art nouveau and art deco feel.

I started flicking through the deck and was caught by the cards Temperance, Queen of Swords, The Hierophant and Strength.

Aquarian Tarot by David Palladini

I'd found my fun fantasy them for Ana and Ash!

For Ana I wanted to do something regal and strong, taking inspiration from the tribal art of Burkina Faso (which is where she's from). It's really intricate with lots of repeated angular patters and concentric circles. The extravagant detail of Temperance really captured that wild queen vibe.

For Ash I played with Pictish tribal art and added some Celtic influences. His probably follows the garb of the tarot cards though as most pictures of tribal Picts that I could find are mostly second hand accounts and feature half naked men and women covered in body paint. And, this is a children's series after all!

However, with the other influences, I wanted to keep the drawings distinctly Acquarian - elements that make them seem more ethereal than real. Firstly the mix of heavy and thin lines firmly root the drawings in art nouveau inspiration. Also, the way Palladini zooms in on the subject of the cards unlike other tarot cards that feature more elaborate scenes. I tried to keep the flat pencil sections combined with more textured painted blocks, but I was super keen to keep Ana's dark skin and the pencil lines got lost. I did manage to keep the more fantastical elements of the costumes, fighting my natural tendency towards function over form. I love Ana's starry hair and elongated neck (which is referencing the tarot card not the African people who use neck rings). Ash's overly broad shoulders.

What do you think? Will they catch an agent's eye?

Hope you enjoy!


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Check out Themo on Twitter and Facebook