Re: Road Trip Wednesday #86: Images that Inspire

I'm an anime nut. There. I said it. So when I write I don't usually go to magazines or TV for my visual inspiration. I'm far more likely to visit some of the talented artists on DeviantArt.com instead. I have a few pieces of art to share. Some of it is mine; some is not. I have done my best to credit the artist(s) on the samples that are not my own. I have also linked back to their original page for the image so that if you like what you see, you can let them know.

My Art:

Here is one of Kesyl and "Ruby". This was drawn five years ago and I'm posting it to show just how far that his character has come from where I originally "found" him. He was originally going to be the hero of a book called "Chronicles of the Holly Knight", about a Prince whose Kingdom took over the lands of a neighboring Kingdom because Kesyl wanted to marry their King's daughter. Anyway, here you go:

That purple hair so had to go. This image

is kinda creepy now, too. Ruby is his Mom.

Here are a couple more modern shots of Sarena. The girl that Kesyl (or "Kess" as people tend to call him) ended up with by the time I started Moon Dance. Where did Sara come from? She was actually created to be the girlfriend of a Lich in a D&D story about ten years ago. She has retained much of her appearance and her spunky attitude but I think she's doing much better in the modern setting. Plus, going from a Lich King (I now wonder if my RP buddy as a Warcraft fan?) to dating the Prince of the Underworld has to be a major upgrade. (No pesky philactories. Ew.) 

"Well excuse you."

This was drawn about a month ago. It's actually from a story later in my "Kindred" series (working title.) In this image, Sara has just started her first day at Hycanth House and someone in a rush to get to class knocked her over. They're lucky her daggers didn't materialize. Or that Kesyl didn't see this. ;) I can't believe I drew this before I started writing Moon Dance. It does not really seem all that long ago.

"I've been waiting."

This is another drawing that was inspired from a scene I have jotted down for a later story. Here we see Sara lying on a bed in a suite in the Underworld, waiting for Kess to come and find her. They had a fight because Sara got into an arguement with Ruby, the Moon Goddess. (Kess' mother) Ruby told Kess that she wanted him to take the souls of Sarena's parents because Sara has offended her. (More then that -- she cut Ruby's face with a dagger and the Goddess has a scar.) 

Kess is torn between his love for Sarena or finally having a chance to please his birth mother. (Ruby did not want Kess and gave him to one of her priestesses to raise.) Sarena and Kess' friends are angry at him for even thinking there is a choice to be made here. Kess' father Lucian, the God of the Underworld, decides that Sara should live in his palace until Kess makes up his mind. Lucian wants Kess to know what life without Sarena is like. Luc feels that Kess might not be appreciating her enough.

This picture is her expression at seeing Kess walk through a door after several days being separated.

Other Artists:

I'm actually only going to put up one piece that has really inspired me that I found by another artist. This is the image that I have on the desktop for my new netbook (more on that later...). It always makes me want to write about these two. 

Kiss by Ladre

In a word: stunning. There is so much that I love about this image. The colors. The posing of the characters. The ripples in the water. And yes, this is where I got the idea for Kess' Soul Globe. (See the chain around his neck?) I simply couldn't do a post about inspring art without giving this magnificent image a moment in the light. (I'm so many lightyears from drawing / coloring like this. Oh well, can't have it all I guess. :p )

Anyway, thanks for coming by and taking a look at the images. Have a great day! (Note to self: reference the images you look at, genius! *sigh* Finding the credits for Kiss took me an hour.)