Drákōn of Earth

Introducing... Drákōn of Earth
Well... the draw of the dragons has begun.  As promised at last year's Renaissance Faire, I have finished the first in a set of four dragons.  This collection is my "Elemental Dragons" Collection.  Each dragon will be representing its own element.

This dragon turned out to be like my other "non-traditional" dragons.  I feel as if I look at these creatures in a different light.  I have learned that most of my customers have a love or hate relationship with my dragon style.  I am not one to show these majestic creatures within their fiercer moments... but more when they are at peace.  I feel that these creatures are majestic, graceful yet gentle... and I try to portray this in my art.

As for Drákōn of Earth... I wanted to show a creature that truly represents the forest that is all around her.  I wanted her to be one with the landscape.  I gave her "tree roots" as claws and a leaf like feel to her wings.  I bring this leaf theme down her back and into her tail.  Her horns are very subtle, yet remind me of an old twisted drift wood and she appears to be moving towards the light as if she were the ground vegetation within the deepest of forests.  She is exactly what I think of when I think dragon of Earth.  Majestic, graceful, and one with nature.

I am in the process of creating her counter parts... Air, Fire, and Water.   When all four dragons are finished... they will be placed on the market in my Artfire store.

Thanks again for all those who support my art... you let me do what I love and I know that I am truly blessed for that!

Predicting the Next Big Fad

If you have turned on a television, opened a magazine, or surfed the Web over the past 6 months, you probably noticed that zombies are EVERYWHERE. They are becoming such a hot topic that I even felt compelled to look up zombie apocalypse survival strategies for the last blog post. Who knows, it could happen and I like having a brain.

Image from http://zombieradio.org/

6 months before zombies we were in the middle of the vampire and werewolf explosion. Thanks to Twilight, you couldn't walk 2 feet without someone talking about the characters, reading one of the books, or critiquing the movie. (Full disclosure, Cherie and I are both big fans of the series - Team Edward!)

Image from www.twilightsaga.wikia.com

Vampires will be coming back on the upswing in a matter of months due to the release of the last Twilight Saga movie and the Abe Lincoln flick. But what about after that? What kind of sci fi/fantasy creature will be the next big thing?

My guess? Unicorns. Ok, unicorns may not have the sexy factor like vampires or the creepiness of zombies, but they are most certainly gaining popularity. You think I'm crazy, right?

Well, take a look at this...

They have their own cult now. 

The Unicorn is Unique.

The unicorn knows it is a unicorn, but may hide it from the world.

The unicorn rejects the boredom and common things of the average life and strives for more.

Image and manifesto from The Cult of the Unicorn

Not into cults? How about The Bloggess' Unicorn Success Club

The good news is that they are a pro-dragon club! Mug and assorted other Unicorn Success Club products are from her Zazzle shop. The Bloggess (who is hilarious) can be found here. 

And they've already hit prime-time television...

Yup - Glee! 

Image from www.youknowyoulovefashion.com

It's only a matter of time before they create books, television shows, and movies that focus on these majestic creatures and everyone will be clamoring to wear their very own unicorn horn. I'm going to get a head start and go buy some fuzzy pink unicorn lederhosen now...

*We'd love to hear your take on the next big fad on our Facebook page! 

Zombie Apocalypse Survival

I'm going to be honest - if the zombie apocalypse happens, I'm screwed. Seriously.

Several of my friends have big, elaborate plans on how to obtain weapons, find other survivors, and locate food. Me? I'll probably make the folks from "Shaun of the Dead" look like geniuses.

Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to find some of the best zombie apocalypse survival tips on the Internet in order to live to see another day. Plus, I have to be prepared to save Cherie since a world without fantasy art would be worse than a world overrun with zombies. Be safe, friends.

A Very Zombie Holiday (Instructional Video) is full of tips on how to multitask if zombies decide to come a callin' over the holiday season.

The good folks at No Zombies have a ton of great tips, including information on pre-zombie outbreak preparedness, zombie recognition, and weapon suggestions.

I found the "avoiding common mistakes" section useful, too.
* Using a vehicle, which you don't have keys for, as a safe haven. 
* Leaving simple weapons, like machete's and baseball bats out where the Zombies might find them. 
* Teaching Zombies things that might be detrimental to you, like the use of firearms 
* Giving your only gun to the dude who's losing his marbles 
* Hiding in the basement, but leaving your supplies on the kitchen counter 
* Using the elevator in a Zombie infested building 
* Fighting with your fellow survivors about little things, after all, we're all in this together!  
source: www.nozombies.com

Zombiephiles explains the top 10 dumbest things to do when being chased by zombies. Each one is important, but I think the most useful is: Don't go down. Zombies can go down, too.

That's assuming you don't want to die horribly like this guy did.

Zombies can’t climb. You can. In light of this, why would you ever choose to go down, rather than up? Stay out of basements, gullies, sewers, and anyplace else that zombies might unwittingly wander / fall into and be unable to get out of. Remember, it’s unlikely that a human would be in a sewer, but zombies don’t care a whit about the smell.

*I also think #1 on this list is important. 

Mermaid Couture

Mermaids are one of the staples of the fantasy world and the object of many little girls' dress-up fantasies. Something about their long hair, incredible swimming abilities, and longing to walk the land seems to capture our imaginations and makes us wish we could glide under the ocean with a fish tail or have the opportunity to woo one of these beauties, at least for an afternoon.

Unless you know a warlock or sea witch, your dream of becoming a mermaid probably won't ever come to fruition, but who says you can't indulge in a bit of under the sea cos-play?

Mermaid wig with hair accessories from Siren's Grotto

Seashell bra top from Sirenia Solaris

Latex mermaid tail from Island Breezes

Pink seashell necklace from CleopatraNYC

Seashell headband from Cinamon Girl

Starfish hair clip from Angelfish Originals

Sea glass bracelet from Erie Expressions

Archer ~ The newest of the Warrior Fay

The Warrior Fay is an art collection of mine that I started in 2010.  I was inspired by the "protectors" of the Fairies... the ones that made all of the others safe.  So I came up with four pieces... Raven, Hawk, Lynx, and Sparrow.  It seemed that many of you loved the concept of these male fairy warriors as well... especially Raven.

Well, this year I plan on adding to that collection and here is the newest warrior... Archer.

 

The Warrior Fay have been a difficult collection for me personally... which I am slowly starting to master.  Drawing men is a challenge.  They take as much time for me to draw as dragons.  The male form has many more angular shapes than women and is not as free flowing.  To offset the hard angles of Archer, I added the bay horse with the arched neck and long flowing mane.

Well... I hope you like him.  There is more to come, so please keep tuned.

Until later... Cherie