claire

@claire-h

Also, what does Nan look like?

@claire-h no problem! As far as I know there is no meaningful symbolism to be found in the curvature of Myrrha’s horns.

@purpleturtle Thanks! That is a heck of a plot you’ve got there – I think I have some ideas for Cyril’s appearance and props. He sounds like a man of adventure, like Alan Turner from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (except…[Read more]

@claire-h i can’t remember exactly what I said. Uhh… curcing out and forward? 😛

Also, @purpleturtle, I’ll take Cyril Drake! I’ve not had the best luck with drawing young men lately, but I seem to be a dab hand at old ones. Do you have a full description for him? What’s his role in the story?

@deeprun, She’s beautiful! 😀 I love what you did with her hair – making it like a corona of flame around her head. I’d never drawn her with pixie-short hair but it fits her so well! AND IT’S SO DIFFERENT TO ACTUALLY SEE HER IN COLOR. THE EYES – THE EYES! And her gown is so pretty too! The dark blue is such a good complement to her hair – having…[Read more]

@claire-h

Sorry, Amerlee’s hair is straight…but you could put a little bit of wave in it, like she just took it out of a braid, if you know what I mean.😄 Thanks so much for doing this.

I think I’d like to try my hand a one of the twins. Their story is very intriguing.

@claire-h So long as you plan to work those details in sometime, don’t worry too much about the first chapter—leave us a little bit of mystery. 😉

@claire-h

Okay. I’ll see if I can find some of your character descriptions. Are they a couple pages back?

I love how you did @the-inkspiller ‘s countess. Really good.👍

So, Amerlee Whistler is about 20, fairly tall, and has fine features. She has white-blond hair (which she probably wears mostly down), and eyes that are probably somewhere…[Read more]

@claire-h Solid points all. Plus, if you can make a non-murder mystery compelling, that itself will set it apart from the majority of the genre. In your excerpt, the mention of her grandfather’s technical work immediately elicited expectations of some speculative machine / 1920s gaslight / dieselpunk technology. It may be something far more…[Read more]

@eitan

Thank you! My whole family is excited about the baby, too. 🥳

I live in the country.  The land here is very hilly with a nice mix of pasture and wooded areas. We have lots of oak trees and cedars. One of the neat things about where I live is that you never know what the weather is going to throw at you. I’ve had the air conditioner on in…[Read more]

@claire-h Honestly, I’ve always been scared to get into digital art. I mean yes it would dramatically improve my ability to render color and lighting in my art, it just requires… things… and patience…

Whether you render Myrrha on computer or in pencil, I’m excited nonetheless! I have a lot of drawings of her, but I think it best I refrain…[Read more]

@claire-h I like it! It’s definitely very different seeing my characters in color, given that I pretty much only work in pencil. I like how you captured the intensity of her stare and the whole sharpness of her appearance. It’s quite a change from how I’ve often depicted her – that is in armor, and often encased in her helmet too.

I’m curious to…[Read more]

@claire-h

I’m delighted that you agreed!🤩 I don’t want to overload you…but I can send a description whenever. Her name is Amerlee Whistler.

Also, I can draw one of your characters if you’d like. I’d do it in pencil, but I’m up for a challenge.😉

@claire-h

I get more and more excited each time I hear about her! AAAAAH my brain is all discombobulated with anticipation.

I’m curious what you mean about it being too much for your 20s story to also be a murder mystery. Do you feel that it’s somehow not optimistic enough? I guess I’m curious to see what your process is for evaluating what is…[Read more]

Hey guys, I’m open to do an art exchange if someone wants to. I have a couple characters that are options.

Just tell me.

@claire-h I know you already have a bunch of drawings you’re doing…but I really admire your art (especially the ladies you’ve done for people). I have a queen that I think you would do really well. Tell me if you’d like to.😊

@claire-h

Thank you! The background’s a new technique I’ve been trying out – it’s very quick and low-effort, but you’re right, it dramatically improves the depth of even a very simple illustration.

You know — that’s actually a scene in one of the stories I have planned. Kyreleis is ordinarily a very austere woman to cultivate the image of a…[Read more]

@claire-h

I present to you Princesses Emory and Amara of the Kingdom of Faran:

I took a great many liberties with Amara in terms of props, posing, and costume. You mentioned she was the one scheming to take power, but also had a more energetic personality. Since I suck at open mouths and am still very much in training on the subtleties of…[Read more]

@claire-h

Hmm. Melodos… do I detect a certain tinge of Tolkien / Psalmic inspiration? (Tolkien’s creation story for Middle Earth – the First and Second Music…)

Old Testament! 😀 A bold place to go. No seriously, that’s a hearty undertaking, but a very interesting place to dwell for a fantasy story – a place and time when the world was…[Read more]

@claire-h, I know the feeling. That’s partly why I cheated and just used a historical backdrop so I don’t have to build EVERYTHING. Lol. No, historical fantasy just replaces brainstorming with research because unless one wants to go whole hog and rewrite an alt history with a rationale for why things changed, one still must follow the big…[Read more]

@the-inkspiller

Thank you for pointing out the groups to me. That sounds like what I’m looking for. I’ll check them out.

So my husband does various construction and welding (today he’s going to help build a rocket mass heater), but he’s primarily known for blacksmithing. He could do it full time if he wanted, but he enjoys variety and working…[Read more]

@claire-h

First off – that’s a pretty darn good excerpt. I can see you’ve studied well the art of evocative prose. I don’t know if I’ve seen your fantasy stuff on Story Embers just yet, but now I’m all the more interested in reading the rest. Also – that’s a darn good description for Amara. That helps a lot with making her look and feel different…[Read more]