The Forum's Art Museum

[wavewright62]

Catch-up time for me.  I have been enjoying the progress of Keep Looking's painting for some time, but am also thrilled with the result.  I find the side-eye from the 'mirror' image amusing rather than ominous, and imbues a more spontaneous look.
I really like your development with the rose pictures, moredhel.  Watercolours flummox me, but I did learn to like phthalo blue as my go-to for shadowing.
Annuil, your gift for the sweet lineart really shines through in that happy portrait.

[Mirasol]

All the things that have been posted here lately are wonderful, I´m in awe!

[Annuil]

Awww, thank you, guys! Here is another illustration that I just finished today, it is a different part of the story and takes place about 4-5 years before the wedding scene but the characters are the same:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsSnHPIBASO_zVOkY-Z2TutmjgoV
Nicklis (the red haired guy) was leaving Dina’s world after spending about two months there, so she got a little upset about it  :'(
There, now it is all spoiled :'D
For anyone who is interested, I have actually started translating my stories (it’s not the best, but way better than what Google Translator would have done). So, if you’d like to read them, my website is
http://annuil.art/
(If you’re using a phone, scroll all the way to the bottom of the menu and you’ll see chapters in English)

[moredhel]

A Translation and a beutiful illustration. Great.

[thegreyarea]

moredhel, I really like the rose, and I think this last version is even better.

(note to self: Find some time to play with watercolours! They are great!)

Annuil, so much talent and, I'm sure, lots of work! This last illustration is excellent! I do hope that someday you will be able to publish an illustrated book with your story. Maybe an e-book? (I would be tempted to buy it even if it was in Russian!)
I noticed that in this last image Nicklis' ears are pointing a bit down, while in the wedding they were a bit up. Is this a characteristic of his race, to show their emotions, or just happened?

BTW your gallery is filled with beautiful works! And I began reading your story. I'll tell you when I reach the end of the translated part!

[Annuil]

Thank you, grey and moredhel! You guys inspire me to continue working on this project! I really do want to make it into a published book, at least start doing it in smaller amounts. At the moment I have a problem of not being able to cell stuff... but maybe one day I will figure that out.
My plan is to print a teeny-tiny edition of that story (like 10-20 copies, in Russian...), fully illustrated, as a project for my portfolio this summer! We'll see how that goes.

grey, about the ears. Yes, his ears do move a little depending on the emotion/mood/level of strength. They become droopy, if he gets tired or sad or insulted or any other negative/embarrassing emotion. They also relax in a way when he sleeps and become a little lower. They can drop pretty far down, if he gets depressed or exhausted. Like, here,
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AsSnHPIBASO_zVdBRhH32ltL4BTP
(this drawing is a part of a different story, the scene takes place a few days after a very tiresome battle, so the ears show the level of weariness).
He also cannot control his ears, so one could tell if he's upset but doesn't want to show it by simply looking at the ears :'D
Most of the elves in my world have this "ability", but some stronger than others. Nicklis has a rather expressive character, but he works very hard to control his emotions, so ears are truly a problem to him :'D they drop and rise without first asking him.
It is kinda fun to draw, since it gives an additional way to express the mood (great for comics! even thought I rarely do comics). It gives the characters a certain look. 

I'm glad you guys enjoy the website! I'll translate the pages there and refresh the gallery (some art there is rather old...). And add more translated chapters as I move on! 

[moredhel]

Did a page of a coloring book. In watercolor.



Sorry about the quality but I did take a photo with my mobile phone because my scanner can not see the red I used in Many parts of the picture. Like the skin and the clothes. It looks strange.

[Mirasol]

Lovely watercolors, Annuil and moredhel!
And I agree, characters with moving ears are great for comics! I love the extra-expression they can give them!

[Vulpes]

Nice work, moredhel! The falling petals add to the impression of movement.

[moredhel]

Still doing some watercolor practice.



I think it gets better.

[Vulpes]

Wow, moredhel, that's well done! You got a little catch-light in the eye, that's tricky in watercolour. Do I detect a bit of the background blue in the shadows? It ties the whole thing together nicely.

[moredhel]

There is blue in the shadows. And it is very tricky to do the lights in the eyes

[catbirds]

moredhel, you've already moved on to painting watercolour portraits in colour! That's great I think your portraits definitely capture people's character and you've made a lot of progress. Your last painting was also cool!! And I have noticed the blue shadows, they're good.

[thegreyarea]

Annuil, that's one fine sketch! And I love the emotion sensitive ears!

moredhel, they are amazing!  Your watercolour skills are improving work after work!

I've been doing a lot of things... work related ones... but I found time to do some urban sketches for my daughter, that asked me to help illustrate a paper she was writing about Urban Evolution. So I thought that you may like them.

These were made at a new public plaza on an area previously occupied by industries, close to the sea. The pedestrian road below replaced an deactiveted railway that connected with the port (you can se a crane at the end), and in the second sketch you can see all those new buildings in an area filled with warehouses, some of them still remaining (but not for long, I suppose). BTW that thing in the middle that looks like a chimney is a sculpture that works as a historic reference to the actual chimneys that existed there.

[wavewright62]

Multistorey buildings, my nemesis!!  Your style works well with this, giving a sense of liveliness, even though it's got the perspective down.

Thanks, moredhel, for continuing to share your progress with us.  I agree that you really nailed the eyes in the portrait (Poe?).  That focus really helps make a portrait and your development in getting that control is heartening.