Paperlegends Art masterpost - Ivy and Amaranth by xthursdaynextx

[marymonroe]

Title: Ivy and Amaranth by xthursdaynextx
Author: xthursdaynextx
Artist: marymonroe

Notes: This first and last Paperlegends has been one hell of an adventure; sometimes pretty rough, when the muse or the hand wasn't cooperating, but always exciting and challenging. It also gave me a purpose and distraction in a time I needed one and that was very welcome too.

Comments

[alby_mangroves]

Wow, these are lovely!! The rendering is very soft and poignant in the first one, the conversation they're having looks pretty important and Merlin looks upset! (actually having re-read your description, it encapsulates the moment perfectly). The column of Camelot knights riding through the blizzard is fantastic, it's very evocative, and Arthur looks all too pleased with himself at Merlin the maid on a horse :D Awesome work, well done and congrats on finishing! <3

[marymonroe]

*squee*! OMG, feedback already! Thank you so much alby; it means a lot, especially from someone whose own art I admire s much. The things you can do with a pencil and charcoal stick! Ugh. I only hope I can achieve such a level one day. And I'm glad you think the expressions do fit with the story! I really wanted to capture the essence of that moment, and facial expressions are so hard for me. All my love! <3

Note to self: I really need a Merlin LJ icon. Lol.

[alby_mangroves]

YES YOU DO!! Get on that immediately :D Merlin icon's essential :D
And you're welcome! Thank YOU for giving us lovely art to ogle x

[marymonroe]

I was going to ask you if there was a bank of Merlin icons somehwre, but you know, I created a lot of screencaps when I was looking for photo references so I think I'll try to create my own :) New challenge! And thanks again for your comments :).

[k_nightfox]

These are all so different and each is wonderful in its own way! I love the graphite drawing of Merlin and Arthur, so soft and moody. The watercolour painting of the soldiers in the mountain pass is excellent, the hazy quality perfectly conveys the feel of a snowstorm. And then that last ink & pencil drawing of pouting Merlin-the-Maid and Arthur laughing like the prat he is-awesome!!

The concept art looks yummy, I really hope you get to it!

[marymonroe]

Thank you! It's good to hear I managed to do alright with veral different media like that! I actually thought the watercolor was a complete disaster until a few days ago, when I found it again, brushed it up and realized that if I cropped it, and maye found a way to tweak the lighting and colors, it might not be that bad. Looks like it might be better than I thought! I'm glad I decied to use it, then.

And of course Arthur would relish Merlin's embarassment like the prat he is. Lucky for him he's the adorable prat :).

[marymonroe]

Oh, and I'm crossing my fingers I can get to the conceptual art too! Especially the cover, which is maybe a third to half of the ay done.

[darlulu]

These are brilliant! I especially love the first pic...you did a great job of capturing their facial expressions.

Your beautiful art makes me very excited to read the story that inspired it. :)

[marymonroe]

Exactly what I was hoping for! :) Thank you for the good words. I spent an insane amount of time on those faces and I'm glad it paid off. :)

[andiwould]

These are so amazing :3

[marymonroe]

Thank you! <3

[archaeologist_d]

I liked the first one very much with the fine detail on it. The watercolor had a flow to it that was quite lovely. Had to LOL about the look on Merlin's face. Well done.