ElfQuest Fanart (original art & colorings)

[Jerelyn]

Elfquest elves are where I started to draw, and a lot of folks can see the roots of my style as coming from there. But it's been ages since I drew any elfquest fan art. 

There's one particular character I'm really fond of, called Crescent (this is my other web page, which I don't share often because it feels like it was a lifetime ago: www.eqcrescent.com), that most of my drawings concern.  So when I wanted to do another EQ drawing, she was my first choice.

As a fun comparison of how far I've come in the past 2-3 years, this was my last elfquest fan piece:



Shapes aren't so bad, but the coloring...omg, I'm cringing.

This is a for-fun vacation drawing I just finished:



Heh...hehehe..heh...heeheeheehee...what a trip.

[Anker Steadfast]

Oh yeah - a clear improvement.
She's sexeh now.

And she got dirt on her knees too !

[Clawsor]

Wow....that almost looks like manga. The improvement is way clear.

yay.

[Obi-Rak Kaeliri]

You're not an Elfquest fan, are you Clawsor?

[Jerelyn]

Well, it's true that Wendy Pini was influenced by japanese artists, but comparing ElfQuest elves to manga still makes me go --->

[Obi-Rak Kaeliri]

I think Wendy improved on manga. Infused some western influences to it.

[Clawsor]

Never read elfquest....but it still looks manga like. Not like sailor moon or anything that extream. I think most of it is the way you colored the early one.

[Anker Steadfast]

Hmmmmmm ....

The first Elf Quest volumes were definately not influenced by Manga's.
But the later ones ? I would not be surprised.

I kinda miss the old style, even if it was rather nitty gritty.

[Jerelyn]

To be clear...Manga simply means "comic" in Japanese, correct? Wendy Pini was a fan of japanese comics at a time when most preferred super heroes, and she was inspired by the then-japanese-artists (I read this in the old Gatherums). Hence her influence by Manga. Whether that compares to today's assumptions about what constitutes manga is a subject for someone more knowledge than I to approach.

[Obi-Rak Kaeliri]

Personally I liked the style of the stories ranging from the original quest to Kings of the Broken Wheel. Not so much with the stuff that came later. Though some of the stories about Ember's tribe, and the later Wavedancer stuff, was getting to the same level.

[Obi-Rak Kaeliri]

Barry Blair should never have been let anywhere near Elfquest.

[Jerelyn]

I really loved the Wolfrider! story arc, and not just because it finally included Crescent.  And random other one-offs, like a few of the Blood of the Ten Chiefs pieces.  Oh, and the five gorgeously colored Hidden Years by Wendy...those 5 will always be my favorite stories.  The Pini's were in their peak, artistically and story-telling.  

[Clawsor]

im not sure....I got this book on manga drawing for christmas. (which influenced my first comment). IT means "Irrisponsible pictures" Apparently the western view of manga is the big eyes no noselittle mouth one (which I can say for myself) but in the end manga is just comics. IT was based off of the american superhero comics that were brought to japan after WWII.

[Jerelyn]

Another bit of ElfQuest-type art. 

Backstory...my dad liked ElfQuest too.  I was muchly-pleased that I had one parent that was able to get into my hobby, so when he asked me if I'd draw *him* as an elf (as I did for myself and my friends), I was delighted.  He still has the picture I drew for him up on his bulletin board in his home office.

So, his birthday is friday, and I just figured it'd be fun to draw an updated version of "Raptor" (as I called him).  The bird is a Mississippi Kite, the species he's done about 20 years of field research for.  Fun bird...it likes to dive bomb golfers.  It's fair to say he's the worlds leading expert on Mississippi Kites. *preens on behalf of her dad*

[BrecciaSilentstep]

Way cool! Your dad sounds like a neat guy. Must have interesting stories...

And the elf version has a ... kindness to him. Very warm feel. The love you have for your dad comes through, I think.


For interest, we also have birds here that torment golfers. The ravens in Prince Rupert delight in stealing the balls, and playing with them. There are even signs there that warn you of it.

-Breccia

[Jerelyn]

For interest, we also have birds here that torment golfers. The ravens in Prince Rupert delight in stealing the balls, and playing with them. There are even signs there that warn you of it.

Ravens are a hoot.    I'm reading "A Year in the Maine Woods" by Berndt Heinrich right now, where he raises a young raven.  The stories are hilarious.  I'm tempted to pick up one of his other books "Ravens in Winter" to read more stories.

Your dad sounds like a neat guy. Must have interesting stories...

He's definitely a character.  And a loving dad, though he can lecture like, well, a college professor.    Most of my friends were afraid of him because he really wouldn't let us kids get away with stuff. 

I wish I had a video of his current "hobby" (I honestly don't know what to call it). 

He's always been very outspoken and eco-minded.  The sort that is often writing letters to congressmen and making noise in town hall when something dastardly is coming to town (like a bark-mulching plant that could cause respiratory problems).  So it's no surprise that he quit being a bio prof for being an environmental educator (doing programs for schools, camps, conventions, etc).  He loves speaking to crowds.

Well, with the popularity of Harry Potter and LotR, he's found a new way to get people's attentions.  He feels that...to be a "wizard" is a timeless thing.  That a wizard is anyone who has devoted their life to the pursuit of knowledge/truth, and who cares about stewarding the world. So he puts on robe and hat and grabs a staff and switches to the persona of "Raptorius".  I wish I had a photograph, because it's quite something.  Especially with his gray beard and long gray hair. 

Add one of his owls or hawks (he's a rehab-er, if I hadn't mentioned that already), and he catches attention.  Which he then uses as an excuse to spread the word about planetary stewardship, and pass out reading lists on learning more about ecology/conservation.  Kids love it, of course.  Some parents do.  I'm sure he has stories about people who don't care for it.  A few times he's been accosted by security, but people can't ever figure out a reason to accuse him of doing anything wrong.  He doesn't actually stand on a soapbox. He just...walks around. People notice him and whatever animal he's carrying and they can't help but ask him what the heck his deal is.

[BrecciaSilentstep]

Dang. I want to meet him now.

And, further on ravens...

There was a National Geographic article on ravens not TOO long ago... The writer/photographer was watching them opening the storage compartments on people's snowmobiles in this national park in the States, and stealing their lunches.

One guy comes back to find his stuff (like his maps) strewn around in the snow, and his lunch gone, and figured the photographer did it.

I wonder how he felt when he saw the issue of NG, in which the raven was photographed in the process of opening the compartment?

-Breccia

[Jerelyn]

Awww man, we missed that one.   Sounds hilarious.   I've been really enjoying our new subscription to NG, but I suspect I might need to visit the library to catch some of the ones we missed, like the article on Lynxes, and now this one on ravens.

[BrecciaSilentstep]

A few minutes of searching led me to the Jan 1999 issue. 

Well. We've been getting the magazines since the seventies.... so 1999 is not too long ago in a relatively speaking sort of way.

-Breccia, shaking her head, sure that she read the thing more recently than that

[Anker Steadfast]

Ohh, nice.
It needs colors though !

You say he's gray beared now ?
Thwn if/when you color it, make it a tad bushier - Gray/white beards seem bigger and bushier because they reflect more light than a dark one. Not much, mind, but a bit.

Your dad sounds like a hoot .. ask him to get you a photo in his full work attire and bird(s), I bet he'll love to give you one.
Besides, you'll like to have one when you reach ooooooold age yourself.

[Martilena]

That picture is so cool. Your dad sounds neat!

[Jerelyn]

Ohh, nice.
It needs colors though !

Eventually. I knew my dad would prefer something original over digital, though, and my analog coloring skills are less than l33t, so I just did pencil for now.

You say he's gray beared now ?
Thwn if/when you color it, make it a tad bushier - Gray/white beards seem bigger and bushier because they reflect more light than a dark one. Not much, mind, but a bit.

Huh, interesting bit of trivia. Definitely seems true in his case.

'Course, this is an elf...so I think this one works best as a sleek beard.  I may even keep the hair brown when I color it. But when I get around to doing a RL drawing of Raptorius, you can bet he'll be all bushy and gray.

Your dad sounds like a hoot .. ask him to get you a photo in his full work attire and bird(s), I bet he'll love to give you one.

He's said several times he'll send me one...one of these days. Y'know, if I say I have online friends who want to see him, I bet that'd get him to send me a whole slew of 'em! 

/em goes off on a mission

[Jerelyn]

Another elfie-lady. For those who don't read ElfQuest, she is the daughter of two VERY stubborn, arrogant, hot-headed people, so of course she ended up being a very zen-like and calm woman.

[Anker Steadfast]

Ah yes, Venka isn't it ?

[Feydir]

Scary eyes....Looks like...grey alien/human hybrid baby!



Very well drawn. But the style will probably give me nightmares