Menolly

Menolly

Just in time to close out this Year of the Dragon, I've completed this illustration of one of my favorite childhood heroines: Menolly.

I have the fondest memories of Anne McCaffery's Dragon Rider's of Pern novels. I remember reading and rereading my father's yellowing dog-eared copies of the Harper Hall trilogy; the ones with the fantastic psychedelic covers by Elizabeth Malczynski. Elizabeth's artwork alone successfully imprinted on me how fire lizards should be depicted forever and ever ad infinitum, and is no small part of my inspiration for drawing this. Hell, it was my inspiration for drawing to begin with! Between the ages 10 and 16, I'm not sure I drew anything OTHER then elegant, cow-eyed fire lizards. 

As far as the story goes let's just say, the first time I read Dragonsong when I was a little girl, I wanted to BE Menolly. (Go ahead and read that Doc Brown Back-to-the-Future-3 style.) After the initial introduction to the Harper Hall trilogy, I pretty much devoured any novel with a dragon on the cover. 

Historical reenactment of me listening to my father read Dragonsong, age 10.

I can't say how the novels would hold up these days... but as a young kid who desperately wanted a blue fire lizard of her own, it sure meant something to me. In any case, I'm fairly certain that a story about an exceptional yet wildly under appreciated teen finding independence and hanging out with 9 tiny dragons will appeal to most kids.

Alif the Unseen - Create-A-Genie Contest

I entered this illustration into a contest to win a signed copy of G. Willow Wilson's gorgeous debut novel, Alif the Unseen... and won! It was called the "Create-A-Genie Contest" and the rules were to pick a favorite out of five types of jinn, and interpret how it might look.

The word Jinn means "hidden," and refers to a sort of unseen creature in Islamic theology. They are mentioned in the Qur'an as being one of Gods three intelligent creations; Angels made from pure light, Humans made from mud or clay, and Jinni made from a smokeless fire. For whatever reason I've always been freaked out by the idea of angels... but find Jinni to be much more down my alley! What's cool about them is that, like humans, they were given free will and can be anything from benevolent to down right evil. I wish they existed in western mythology to a larger extent, because they kick ass compared to angels. (angels. pssht. "goodness and light." bah!) It was fun researching the different types of jinn. My choices were between: The large and powerful MADRID (think Aladdin), some cunning schemers called the EFFRIT, the undead grave robbing GHOULS, the shapeshifting female SILA, and a sort of psychic-vampire genie called the VETALA.  Here is a link to the more detailed descriptions provided by the contest: The Five Types of Jinn.

There were aspects of each djinn I found intriguing so this is an amalgamation... particularly of the fiery Effrit, and the "ostensibly demonic" Vetala. Call me crazy, but there is something appealing about a creature that can possess human corpses and still be considered "ostensibly demonic." In the end I submitted her as an Effrit... mostly because I had to get specific. :)

A bit about the book: Alif the Unseen is hard to categorize... it's full of myth, technology, humor, and even romance. My attempt at a one-liner explanation might be: "It's a myth-filled cyber-thriller that follows a young hacker who is assisted and hindered throughout the novel by jinn... with WiFi access!" I really loved the book, and thought G. Willow Wilson combined the supernatural and the technological in an unique and incredibly entertaining way, while also providing some lovably bizarre and memorable characters to travel with. Pick it up folks! I read it in two days flat because I actually only ever put it down to eat, and even then only after considerable prompting.

Besides the signed book, I also won a gift certificate to a local bookstore of my choosing and a beautiful panel from Wilson’s graphic novel Cairo. I'm a lucky lady! Thank you G. Willow Wilson for the inspiration and the folks at Grove/Atlantic for sending me these tasty tasty prizes.

*Edit: I would post a picture of the panel... but I never received it! :(

His Dark Materials

Lyra Silvertongue

This is Lyra, the heroine from the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy written by Philip Pullman. For those who have read it: I imagine this image takes place sometime after the events in third book. 

I loved how unpredictable these stories where. It's not like reading Harry Potter, where you're constantly being reminded of every other fantasy book you've ever read. (Lord of the Rings much, lady?) Let me append that statement by saying I've read and enjoyed all the Harry Potter books... and I should probably say something about imitation being the best form of flattery... It's just I found His Dark Materials to be a more unique in it's vision. No deja vu to speak of.

It really wasn't my intention to attack on Harry P here, so I'll drop it cause there are other better reasons why you should read these books. If you're a fool for stories about gods and myth that's a good start, because Lyra is essentially a modernish Eve that helps save the world from the rule of a false god. What I like about Philip Pullman's take is that she isn't portrayed as a negative mother-of-all-sin Eve. Instead the Fall is seen as a positive, and that's a beautiful thought. It reinterprets original sin and the fall from grace as a great moment that brought consciousness, knowledge and love to beings in all worlds. (yes, plural.) I love that it turns the guilt and regret you're expected to feel on its head to become a desirable event that made us the wonderfully curious and complex creatures we are. Eve mother-of-all-knowledge! (P.S. Sexy-time is awesome.)

The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. - Carl Sagan

You don't have to dig theology to get swept into these books though. It's a fun coming of age adventure like so many great stories. It's about embracing curiosity and wonder, and living life the best way you can. Which is a universal theme anyone can enjoy.

I wanted to share a couple of things that influenced me while working on this illustration... simply because they're cool. This is a statue I found while flipping through a massive volume of religious art in architecture at the bookstore. I liked the color, the texture, the aged gilded goodness... even the break neck angle of Mary's head. With those eyebrows, I can only assume this was the result of a Vulcan neck pinch. I'm also just assuming that is Mary, because I was an idiot and didn't write down the name of the book or the name of this piece. This is a cell phone shot... and on a second trip to Powell's Books I was unable to find it again. If anyone recognizes this please let me know!

Another fun resource was this tumblr blog called Ye Olde Fashion. While trolling the archives I saw this summer dress from 1912 and could picture an older Lyra wearing it. I imagine she would have a simple style with 'Gyptian' (gypsy) influences.

That's all for now. This was a personal project, hope you enjoy it.


*EDIT: This image is now available for purchase on Society6.

As You Like It

As You Like It - a play by William Shakespeare

Here is another illustration based off of a Shakespeare play and made specifically for SubPlot Studio. This time I went with the comedy As You Like It. It seems I really needed to lighten the mood after delving into deep, dark Titus. 

Mix laughs, love, cross-dressing and mistaken identity together and you have the basics of the play. Plus, As You Like It has the wonderful female lead, Rosalind. Focusing on her wit and awesomeness really made up for the sadness I felt over the empty symbolic shell of Lavnia in Titus Andronicus. Also keep in mind this is a Shakespeare play... and it would be a incomplete without a healthy dose of banishment. So Rosalind, of course, gets banished. (baniSHED!) She then disguises herself as a lovely shepherd boy, names her new identity Ganymede, and wreaks sexy-havoc in the Forest of Arden. From that point on every man, women, and tree falls in love with her. him. them. er. well. anyway. Everyone falls in love with Ganymedalind. I mean Ganymede. what?

My experience with As You Like It has been a short and recent one. I saw it performed by the Kentwood Players at the Westchester Playhouse in LA. It was directed by my friend, the multi-talented artist and karaoke machine, Jeremy Speed Schwartz. He asked me to read a couple lines with some folks of superior talent. We were then recorded and our bits were edited together to make us look like botox-riddled, caffeine-drunk talk show hosts (à la Talk Soup.) Perhaps not the most traditional introduction to As You Like It?

Here's a photo that helped inspired me:

 A Cary Grant-Katherine Hepburn-James Stewart sandwich? Don't mind if I do!

Titus Andronicus

SubPlot Studios invited me to take part in designing a theater poster to sell on their shiny new website. Their main goal is to make quality and affordable poster designs available to theatre companies, high schools, and other professional venues that might otherwise not have the funds to create unique designs to promote their shows. By doing so they hope to support the performing arts in our communities and schools, while working with an array of talented artists along the way.

Here is a direct link to the poster: Titus Andronicus. If you scroll over the image you will get a feel for how fully customizable it is.

I got to choose the play, which was a pretty nice incentive. There were many great plays on the list that I would have loved to work on, but when I saw Titus Andronicus was available I felt like it was one I just couldn't pass up. It's a play I studied in college, and I remember feeling struck by it then. The blood? The animal references? How could I pass that up?

There is so much going on in Titus Andronicus, and you could hardly claim any of it to be pretty. It's considered one of Shakespeare's most violent plays, and often is looked down on as being nothing more then shock and awe. Though it is crazy violent, I find it incredibly interesting. Revenge and betrayal are the blatant themes, but the more interesting ones (at least to me) involve gender, race and power. I don't think you can capture it all in one poster. Well... maybe you can but it might make you sick, and I was looking to make something simple, striking and not terribly vomit inducing.

With so many themes to pick from I decided to focus on the character I dwell on the most and the part of the story that strikes me hardest: the rape and torture of Titus's daughter Lavinia.

Lavinia is used as a symbol of Rome, where the story takes place. Her rape is compared to its fall. Her attackers described as tigers and wild beasts. Titus even says, "...dost thou not perceive that Rome is but a wilderness of tigers? Tigers must prey, and Rome affords no prey but me and mine." Wild animals, hunting, and dismembered body parts (particularly hands) are mentioned throughout the play, and were other aspects I chose to highlight in the illustration.

I'm going to indulge in some personal thoughts on the play from here on out. It's a brutal topic, so if you don't wish to feel incredibly depressed you may not want to read on. That being said, if you don't mind some heartbreak and upset, please read on and let me know your thoughts.

Rink Rash

Some portraits for the good folks at RinkRash.ca A Canadian site dedicated to Roller Derby! I think their name pretty much sums it up.

Rink Rash: The nasty red burn a skater gets on their skin after falling on a skating surface, while playing roller derby. Rink rash is often worn as trophies and is something skaters are proud of.

Since these are their contributor page portraits, I lifted the color scheme and distressed circle designs directly from aspects of their website. This seemed like a great way to keep things cohesive. I really dig the way their site is designed, and I'm pleased with how the portraits fit in!

The neck tattoo was greatly inspired by the work of tattoo artist Chris Cleen. He has a great, sexy and retro/classic style. Very bold, with lots of women spontaneously springing out of roses. Anyway, I thought that this tattoo style would really fit with the roller-derby-badass aesthetic.

You can check out his work here.

In other news: I'm living in Oregon and it's lush and bloody amazing.

WEREWOLVES @ Comic-Con

Werewolves - written by Paul Jessup / illustrated by Allyson Haller

If you are going to the San Diego Comic-Con this year, be sure to stop by the ChronicleBooks booth (1506.) They will be selling my book, Werewolves, amongst other illustrated wonders!

Chronicle is offering some super deals on their website for those of us who are missing out on Comic-Con this year. Use the code COMICCON11 at checkout and receive 25% off + free shipping on Werewolves and other titles.