Fan art? Should I? Maybe not.

[straechav]

Being the only board member who has confessed his/hers illusions about being able to paint. I happened to read the hatten_jc:s suggestion about doing fan art...

Well, I have been thinking about it for few months. But... first of all, I am not sure if it's good idea. People have different images of what Tarrin looks like and doing artwork like that will not probably look what people think he should look like.

Anyway, the second (and bigger) problem is that I would need a very good description of Tarrin. So, if anyone would like to see me try, please put together me a good description of Tarrin.

Now, this isn't something easy. Because when I thought about doing the fan-art, I started wondering how he looks. And the questions I had to ask myself were of this type:

How tall is he? How fat? The wings are how big? He is a hybrid between cat an man, what does that exactly mean? His joints are reversed or human? His physique more human than cat? His skull shape... human, or not? Eyes, how deep in skull? Nose? Teeth? Fur? Where, what color, and thickness? Hands, more like paws or hands? Bigger than human hands, or smaller? Same for feet. The relative lenght of limbs, are they same than with human? Fur color?

You get the idea.

[MommyDoom]

Well I for one would love to see some fan art so I'm willing to help out some. Here are some quotes from the books to help you. These should help you get started at least.

This is how Tarrin looks in the face and overall body type:
Tarrin favored his mother in looks. He had the Ungardt height and broad shoulders, and had also inherited blond hair and blue eyes from his mother. Tarrin's face was the male version of his mother, with the same high cheekbones and strong jaw, the same straight nose and the same penetrating stare.

and from when he was turned:

 Fingers lengthened and thickened, and claws formed from the nails of his fingers.  His feet lengthened and expanded, the toes becoming larger and more defined, with even larger claws forming from the nails.  His back was hunched, but it was obvious that the bones in his spine had reformed themselves, adding to his height as his torso elongated slightly even as his legs and arms grew longer by a proportional amount.  Tarrin's ears simply fell off as two black cat's ears sprouted up through his hair, just over and behind his eyes and just behind the hairline of his forehead and bangs.  There was a ripping sound, and his  tail emerged from behind him, pink with new skin as it grew as fast as a snake could slither, then it thickened and fleshed out.  Then black fur quickly grew over it, over his arms to above the elbow, and his legs to above the knee.  His teeth all simply flowed into slightly different shapes, slightly more pointed and sharper, except for the wicked fang-like insicors that grew out from the gums on both his upper and lower teeth.


"He pulled an arm out from under the covers, and stared at it in numb shock. His arm was fully healed, and it was covered in black fur to just above the elbow. His hand was almost twice the size it had been, with thick, long fingers that had pads on the insides and on the palm. He could see the tip of claws recessed up inside his fingers, retracted out of the way. "

""My eyes?"

"They are green," she said. "The same color as the woman's. They are a cat's eyes, with the vertically slitted pupils. They are very striking." "

He was nude, and his tail was coming out from under him. His tail wasn't very thick, more for ornament than use, and covered with black fur. His legs looked mostly like they did, except they looked more muscled, and of course they had the fur on them that started at a ragged line just above his knees. He reached down and put his hand on the fur, feeling that it was both soft and rather thick, but not very long. He reckoned that from a distance it would almost look like black breeches. His feet were similarly oversized, wider through the ball of his foot, almost like a paw, with long, thick toes that were tipped with those nasty claws. There wasn't a pair of shoes out there that would fit those feet. He sat up and pulled a leg up, then grabbed the oversized foot in his hands and turned it so he could look at the bottom. He was surprised at how easily his foot rotated like that, and he saw that the bottom of his feet were covered with two thick pads, much like his hands were. One was at the ball of his foot, and the other at the heel, with smaller pads on the bottom of each toe. The claws on his feet were even larger than the ones on his fingers.

As to height, Tarrin's final height is the same as Triana's and Azakar's, but I can't find a reference for it. Do you really need that? I wouldn't think you'd need to know exactly how tall he was until you started drawing other people with him. I'll keep looking for references to how he looks and will post more later.  Would you be willing to do Tarrin in human form also?  I think that would be marvelous.

MD

[Journeywoman]

It would be interesting to see your vision of Tarrin. For one it might give me something different to imagine than my current, slightly incorrect mental image of him :-[, which I have yet to successfully alter to Fel's description :-/.

Anyway, I thought I might go back and quote some descriptions from early in The Tower of Sorcery that answer a few of the questions.

Description of Jesmind (the first of any were-cat) Chapter 2
Her arms and legs were covered with white fur, to just above the elbow and just above the knee.  Her hands and feet were oversized for her body, noticably so, and were an odd cross between a human's hands and an animal's paws, with wide, thick fingers and toes and feet sufficiently large and long so that she stood up on her toes.  Each limb ended with large, long, wickedly sharp claws on the fingers and toes.  One of those white-furred hands was stained with his blood.  She was standing with her back to him, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs of the impact, and he could clearly see that she had a long, cat-like tail growing from between the muscles at the very top of the cleft of her backside, covered in white fur.  She had red hair, this creature, so thick that it all but stood straight up at the top of her head, but not so tall that the back of triangular, cat-like ears weren't visible.  She turned around quickly, and Tarrin stared at what was probably the loveliest face he'd ever seen, but a face twisted into a snarl of animalistic rage.  She had high cheekbones, a small, pert nose, and  a sharp chin, but it was her eyes that captivated him.  They were nothing more that two slits of pure green, literally glowing from within with an unholy radiance that made his blood run cold.  Her body was tight and well defined; it was obvious that she was very strong the way her muscles rippled and shifted as she moved.  Tarrin did see that she was wearing a collar of some strange black metal around her neck.

Various descriptions of parts (and a few movements) of Tarrin in Chapter 3
His heart seizing in his chest, he realized that that was exactly what he was feeling.  He pulled an arm out from under the covers, and stared at it in numb shock.  His arm was fully healed, and it was covered in black fur to just above the elbow.  His hand was almost twice the size it had been, with thick, long fingers that had pads on the insides and on the palm.  He could see the tip of claws recessed up inside his fingers, retracted out of the way.

"They are green," she said.  "The same color as the woman's.  They are a cat's eyes, with the vertically slitted pupils.  They are very striking."

After she left, Tarrin tentatively threw back the covers, and looked down at himself.  He was nude, and his tail was coming out from under him.  His tail wasn't very thick, more for ornament than use, and covered with black fur.  His legs looked mostly like they did, except they looked more muscled, and of course they had the fur on them that started at a ragged line just above his knees.  He reached down and put his hand on the fur, feeling that it was both soft and rather thick, but not very long.  He reckoned that from a distance it would almost look like black breeches.  His feet were similarly oversized, wider through the ball of his foot, almost like a paw, with long, thick toes that were tipped with those nasty claws.  There wasn't a pair of shoes out there that would fit those feet.  He sat up and pulled a leg up, then grabbed the oversized foot in his hands and turned it so he could look at the bottom.  He was surprised at how easily his foot rotated like that, and he saw that the bottom of his feet were covered with two thick pads, much like his hands were.  One was at the ball of his foot, and the other at the heel, with smaller pads on the bottom of each toe.  The claws on his feet were even larger than the ones on his fingers.

He almost instinctively stood only on the balls of his feet, heels off the floor, understanding why they were so wide.  Stability.  There was one other thing that got his attention, and that was the hair.  His hair was extremely long, falling well down his back, and very, very thick.  It was the same blond color it had been before.  He wasn't used to the weight of it, nor the way it swayed and swished whenever he moved.  It was an extremely disconcerting sensation.

He saw his clothes neatly folded at the foot of the bed, and he sat down again and picked up his trousers.  He saw that they'd been modified, with a small hole in the back and a slit leading to it, with a pair of buttons.  Dolanna had already made clothing for him to take his tail into account.  He sat down and carefully put his leg inside, then curled his toes to keep the claws from snagging.  He repeated it with the other leg, then stood up and buttoned them in the front.  It wasn't easy, because his fingers were so large now, but he somehow managed.  The back buttons, however, were another story.  Tarrin managed to twist himself in such a way that he could actually see behind himself; Tarrin had never been able to twist like that before, and he realized that his entire back and spine were built differently than his human one had been.  He worked for a very long time to get the small buttons through the holes, but the small things eluded even his best attempts.  Growling a bit in frustration, he popped out the claws on his hand and pinched the little button between then, then managed to jam it through the slit.  He repeated the process with the other button, managing it on the fifth try.

[Journeywoman]

I guess MommyDoom and I were thinking the same thing at the same time, hence some of the same quotes.
I couldn't find a reference to his height either, the closest thing I got was he grew by half a span when he was turned.
As to his wings, they vary.

[straechav]

Hmm, you're right that height doesn't matter unless I include other people in the picture. The odds of me doing fan-art of multiple persons are approaching infinity.

But, those descriptions actually help me a lot. The description of Jesmind was useful (in addition of the description of Tarrin). Now, after reading those descriptions and trying to visualize him, I have to confess that this isn't going to be easy.

At least, if I am supposed to make him look cool. And I don't do silly stuff, damnit.

Anyway, high cheek bones, strong jaw and straight nose? Sounds like scandinavian... but considering that he's half-Ungardt ...

I'll have to look in to this. But it DOES present quite a challenge...

[Taltos]

you might also ponder on which state you paint tarrin in...
with/out cat's slaws/manacles/wing/sui'kun halo?
i.e. for the hypthetical cover for a hypotheticallly published book 1 (i know that's a bit far-stretched, but i hope you get my point) it would be slightly inadequate to picture tarrin flying with wings of fire...

and by the way, i fear you will also destroy my mental image of mr.T  ;D
taltos

[straechav]

you might also ponder on which state you paint tarrin in...
with/out cat's slaws/manacles/wing/sui'kun halo?
i.e. for the hypthetical cover for a hypotheticallly published book 1 (i know that's a bit far-stretched, but i hope you get my point) it would be slightly inadequate to picture tarrin flying with wings of fire...

and by the way, i fear you will also destroy my mental image of mr.T  ;D
taltos

Hmm.. well, you're right. Now, after several initial sketches I am thinking that I'll paint him with wings of fire and in a bit symbolic setting. If you (all) were more familiar with my art, this wouldn't surprise you at all.

At the moment it looks like he'll have his sword and staff, and nothing else. With wings, some halo or other, green glowing eyes and so... After this, I might try to do him in human form (i.e, look book 1 cover) or if it doesn't work I'll try him in human form.

However, it's becoming a bit of a challenge. This is the first time I am painting someone with fur. I can't believe it, but it's true. Seven years worth of painting, and NONE of the pics have any fur in them... sheesh... Sure, I have a lot of drawings of animals, but I have never painted any fur and I am a bit confused how the hell I should approach it.

So, patience. I have work to do as well, and I am afraid this will take time.

[Fel]

If you wanna try, by all means, go for it.

Yes, everyone's vision of what Tarrin looks like is going to be different.  What I see in my mind's eye won't be the same as yours...and in a way, that's the way I like it.  If you'll notice, I rarely describe people or places to exhaustive detail.  I much prefer giving you enough to know what it looks like, but let you fill in all those little details yourself.  It makes it more personal...and besides, I'm terrible at describing things like that.  ;)

But, as far as Tarrin goes, I have to intervene on just a couple of points.

Please, please, please, do NOT draw him with really big cat ears.  All Were-cats' ears aren't huge or pronounced.  They're noticable, yes, but they don't absolutely dominate the head.  On Tarrin, about a third of his ear is concealed by his hair.  On Mist, about half is.

The other issue are the hands and feet.  Were-cat hands are HAND shaped, but oversized for the body and with large, rather thick fingers.  Oh, and don't forget the pads if you show palms up.

Feet are more PAW shaped, but ONLY across the ball of the foot.  Once you get up near the heel and ankle, you're looking at a much more human-like foot.  It's just the ball of the foot and the toes that strike one as more cat's paw than human foot.  And don't forget, the claws on a Were-cat's foot can't completely retract, so you'll see a little of them.

If you draw Tarrin, remember that he has fetlocks...but only if it's the TALL Tarrin.  ;)

If you're looking for hard measurements, Tarrin is about 7 feet 6 inches tall (2.5 meters or so).  Before he was grown out, he was about 6 feet 4 inches (2.1 meters).

For those who are curious, Azakar is a bit over 8 feet tall (2.7 meters), and the Vendari top off at about 10 feet (3.1-3.2 meters).

[straechav]

Question. If he has fletlocks... I understand the borders of his fur go upwards knees, and upwards from elbow? And those borders have fletlocks? Ouch. It'll pronounce the border of the fur and trying to make it look 'cooler' than without them isn't going to be any easier.

Question. What the hell he usually wears? Does he wear anything?

[Fel]

The fetlocks are shaggy tufts of long fur on the backs of his ankles, and on the outside of his wrists (on the pinky side), running up about a quarter of the way to his elbow from the wrist.  When he wears the Cat's Claws, they directly cover over the fetlocks, except right at the base of his wrist.

His usual costume is rather simple:  a leather vest, usually black or tan, sometimes over a plain wool shirt, sometimes not (he's been wearing a shirt recently), and undyed leather buckskin trousers.  The bottom of the trouser legs will be torn and a little ragged, because of his claws.

[Shadowhawk]

The fetlocks are shaggy tufts of long fur on the backs of his ankles, and on the outside of his wrists (on the pinky side), running up about a quarter of the way to his elbow from the wrist.  When he wears the Cat's Claws, they directly cover over the fetlocks, except right at the base of his wrist.

Wouldn't it be on the inside of his wrists i.e. on the palm side? It is (for human-like hand) equivalent of the back of the ankle.

fetlock - a.) the joint between the cannon bone (resembles shin) (or coronet in some definitions) and the pastern (resembles ankle), on the lower part of the leg of a horse or related animal, above and behind the hoof; b.)  A tuft of hair on such a projection.

See e.g. images of Clydesdale horse (large fetlocks) or Percheron draft horse at Wikipedia: the fetlocks are those small tufts of hair at the back of leg just above the hoof.

I have just relized that my title changed slightly... I wonder if it is 250-500 wide change, or new threshold introduced...

[MommyDoom]

sheesh... Sure, I have a lot of drawings of animals, but I have never painted any fur and I am a bit confused how the hell I should approach it.

So, patience. I have work to do as well, and I am afraid this will take time.

Okay, so I'll ask the question everyone is wanted to know the answer to...

When do you think you might have something for us to look at?  A week?  A month?

impatient MommyDoom

[straechav]

Okay, so I'll ask the question everyone is wanted to know the answer to...

When do you think you might have something for us to look at?  A week?  A month?

impatient MommyDoom

Umm... I'd say week, but I am not sure. I am not too hot on sketches, and the biggest problem for me is to do the initial sketch. After that is done, I average five work-hours to a finished painting. I'm sought after freelence illustrator when someone needs speed, since that is something I have never lacked. The most I have ever spent in any painting is sixteen work-hours. I can't believe people who use something like a two weeks to paint something...  I would be bored out of my skull.

So, at this time I have nothing but aborted attempts. But I just came up with a design that "feels" interesting, so I'll have to see if I use it. If I do, don't expect anything too obvious, and try think more symbolically and something iconic. Tarrin is a semi-god, anyway. Or was it demi-god?  ;D

[J-Man5]

So, at this time I have nothing but aborted attempts. But I just came up with a design that "feels" interesting, so I'll have to see if I use it. If I do, don't expect anything too obvious, and try think more symbolically and something iconic. Tarrin is a semi-god, anyway. Or was it demi-god?  ;D

Demi-God.  At least it looks that way for now.  Who knows what awaits him in the future.

J-Man5