The Road to Tiamis

[Mouse]

This paper is at least 24 years old and very yellow (even though my dirt cheap scanner rather conveniently bleaches out the age stain). If I use the eraser too much I leave a whiter-than-white mark on the sheet, so I'm being very careful about the sketching, and I'm having to do the shading absolutely right first time.

If I'd thought about this properly before I began, I would have gone and bought myself a brand new sketch pad

[Ilanthar]

Gorgeous work, Mouse ! You are very talented with a pencil. I'm waiting eagerly for more .

[Mouse]

Aw thanks Ilanthar

The weather went dark again almost as soon as I mentioned how it was so much brighter today ( I should have kept quiet, I know), so I'd best get that daylight bulb out and work a bit more this evening

[Mouse]

This is the bit more I did - starting to add the all important road. I've yet to work out how to turn it around, and have erased the initial sketch line to make room for thought.

Road to Tiamis 04.JPG

I'm reaching the limit of being able to scan the worked area in one on my A4 scanner, and the daylight has been too bad for photographs for the last couple of days, with no sign of improvement, so it may be another couple of days yet before I do another update.

C&C welcome

[ThomasR]

Really impressive ! The slight blur of the pencil work gives the whole piece an eerie feeling that I really dig

[Mouse]

Thanks thomrey

The blur is actually unintentional, since I'm being careful to work from the left to the right to try and avoid it on this relatively small piece of paper (A3 - 420mm x 297mm). I don't know where it's coming from. It may be the knap of the paper, which is supposed to be fine quality cartridge paper. It is, however, 24 years old (and showing it in terms of being decidedly cream coloured rather than white). I suspect that since the sensation of drawing on it is more like drawing on sugar paper, the knap is raised a bit due to having absorbed atmospheric moisture over the years.

Glad you like it, though

Maybe I should preserve the rest of the pad to be used on special occasions only, since there aren't enough years left in my life for me to age another sketch pad to maturity the way this one has been aged, before I get to the point where I'm probably going to be too old to both see clearly and keep control of a pencil properly! LOL!

[- JO -]

A magnificent work on this one!

Not only the design, the realization are incredibly realistic, but the imagination is really at the rendezvous to create these mountains. I like the contrast between the "tortured" side of the mountains and the peaceful aspect of the countryside. The location of the village is so conducive to creating stories, that I hope you have already written those stories, and that we will be able to read them!

[Mouse]

Hey Jo

Kind of you to drop by when you must be really busy with your Challenge entry - which is looking brilliant

Thanks for the compliments

There may be a story in the map. I haven't decided which way to go with it yet.

I've been trying to do more today but I've been a bit distracted, so I decided to do a colour experiment instead.

Colour experiment.JPG

What do you think? Should the finished article be colour, or black and white?

[Warlin]

Wow ! Splendid Mouse. With color for me. It will seem even more magical. Your mountains and precipice are epic. Keep an eye on your work.

[Mouse]

Thanks Warlin

I'll tick your vote for colour then