Squiddrz

I could do with some help! I'm putting together a new pinned post/header, and I'm hoping you can help me pick my 4 best pieces of art, especially the pieces that represent my work the best

What are your fave pieces of mine from the last few years? Any help very much appreciated

I found the regular narrated ones but not the full cast, I better check it

A fancy lioness holding a teacup

A female elk weaving magical threads

A book cover for Dragons: a Monster Week Folio featuring a dragon talking to a party of adventurers

An armoured Dragonborn holding a sword

Apparently these are 4 most popular art posts this year!

Not had time to do much artwork but I'm really proud to have worked with some really cool clients this year

Thank you everyone for your support ♥️♥️

Coloured digital drawing of a sylph warmage with smoke-like hair. They are clad in armour and covered in different odd knick knacks and weaponry. Above them is a small drawing depicting them in profile in a beaklike helmet. To the left is a plaque with the text "War Mage To study the arcane is to devote oneself to the pursuit of power. As among the diverse set of magical traditions that exist it is the one that cannot heal the mind, soothe the soul or restore the body. Instead it steals the destructive powers of the elements, the pure awe of divine might, and untold secrets of the occult. Combining these spoils into a tradition of magic that demands respect and punishes any who would deny its self-acclaimed importance. Thus, those who enact the arcane are vain, prideful and powerhungry. Practicing a craft of pure power, control and ensorcellment. Still, while these may be lowly pursuits the power of the arcane is shackled and grounded by human desire and reasoning. But, place such a practitioner amongst the horrors of war, and not in the vain position of a commander, nor in the comfort of a ritualist but in the boots of a common soldier. Then watch their vanity wash away by a life in trenches, packed against dirt and corpses like a dead man in a coffin. Watch their shield of pride crumble as their spellwards against blades and arrows do nothing against the attrition of conflict. Watch their hunger for power die as their destructive spells do nothing against the arrows and blades that fell their comrades in droves. Then gaze upon the work of a practitioner void of the purpose that granted them power. Gaze upon the violence only humans can wrack but devoid of the love and passion, of the resentment and hate, of the righteous fury and deserved vengeance, of the vicious greed and the hunger for power that should guide it. Gaze upon the insatiable hunger of a beast that cannot be fed. It is an abomination. It is a war mage."

War Mage

Never come across that, probably because I'm British I think?

Man that's so sweet

Yeah I remember infanticide really early on, and one of the main characters' love interests gets horribly murdered too

Why did he describe everything so thoroughly, I'm actually not sure

The audiobooks are on Spotify premium, I find books more digestible that way

MISTMANTLE IS ON SPOTIFY HOLY SHIT

On Pale Horses

So many of these stories are incredibly dear to me, I should do more fan art

Redwall, Watership Down, Gahoole and Mistmantle were the most formative, and I think it shows

I swear like, 90% of my childhood reading was traumatic animal stories, specifically:

Watership Down
Farthing Wood
Redwall
Guardians of Gahoole
The Mistmantle Chronicles
Black Beauty
Varjak Paw
Warhorse/Born to Run

No wonder I'm, well, the way I am

Thank you!

Thanks SM!

Thank you 🥺🥺

Cheers!

Thanks so much, me too honestly

Thank you!

Yeah fuck him, it really sucks

I don't know if people like to know this sort of thing, but pretty much all the money from my commissions goes into a savings investment fund to help me buy a house for my gf and I

This frees up my salary from my legal work to go towards living and flights to see my gf

Hell yeah, thanks

Ouch I'm really sorry, makes my near loss feel pretty small - hope things are going ok now

Yeah I decided to stop studying for the day

Felt like it omg

Just thought I lost £7k worth of savings

Turns out everything is fine but damn.....

Art-Fight style commissions are still available for $40! Send me a ref of your character and I'll make you a funky piece! Send me a DM if you're interested ✨️

A swashbucklin' otter!

It's a pity, there's so much to learn and so much to unlearn from the style haha

That's fair

I think there is still a gulf between how female and male characters are portrayed in the comic that's pretty inexcusable

I've always felt really conflicted about this - on one hand, I really like the humanised approach, but it's undeniably sexist to only portray attractive women that way

When I did Blacksad fanart 6 years ago, I tried to humanise him in a similar way to the female characters