The 20-Year Quest for Uyné's Color Palette

 Okay, okay--18 years, not 20. I've been drawing Uyné since 2006. I never thought it would take me so long to settle on its coloration! I gave it mandrill-like facial markings around 2010; the rest of its body was a mystery.

UNTIL NOW!! :D

Uyné's skin is covered in chromatophores; think chameleon or squid! It has a dense, translucent coat of fur, keeping color shifts visible. Its upper lip can fold over its jaw like a gelada baboon's.

 

The new and improved Uyné compared to last year's study.

Uyné's nicknames include The Mouth / Maw and The Devourer of Wrongful Souls; its full name, Uyné'Zhat-no-ej'Mophest, means "One Feared for its Mouth." With its newfound coloration, a new name sparked my imagination: The Sunsetter.

The Mouth takes no pride in its designation as Soul Devourer. Ages ago, it attacked and killed one of its siblings, maimed another; Tretzanis had poisoned it, thinking The Mouth could destroy all of its siblings. With the Faélbè--"The Five" lesser gods--gone, Tretzanis could assume power over his own siblings and sow chaos in their absence. He would have succeeded had Uyné not torn his throat.

Ezthlitofett--a vigilante--stepped in to stop The Mouth from harming anyone else. A lengthy chase and fierce battle ensued. Ez managed to strike The Mouth across the neck with his sword, negating the effects of Tretzanis' poison. As the poison wore off, Uyné, horrorstruck, beseeched Ez to kill it. Ez refused, talking the godling down instead.

With time, they become intimate. It's not a physical relationship until years later. Ez teaches Uyné the Common Tongue (like Esperanto or some kind of pidgin); Uyné offers Ez gentle paralytic bites to ease his chronic pain.

I love them. ;__;

Uyné shares an intimate relationship with Ezthlitofett. <3

(this is facing the right direction!)

I used my little Uyné puppet to keep its proportions consistent.

(this draft made from an older drawing)

Once these lovebirds are properly drafted, I wanna go to town with my markers. I had never attempted stippling with them until this color study! Chromatophores, here I come!!

It's nice to visit my fantasy babies again. Brainsick gets the bulk of my attention, but Fáèlborn is equally precious to me.

TL;DR lololol long time no post :U

INKtober 2016, Day 12!

INKtober 2016, Day 12: "I am no glutton, Elwick."
11x14 acrylic ink on smooth bristol paper

Fixed up old sketch I'd started last year.

2010 maquette I'd built for a college class. 

The ink I started off with feathered - not good!

"I am no glutton, Elwick. I am merely what the Fáèl dictate I be: a devourer. Understand, however, that I do not devour the innocent."

Uyné is a gregarious and highly intelligent beast. It's not easy to show, however, when you're feared by evil and good alike. Bobbin grew up with tales of Uyné's indiscriminate gluttony. The Mouth was said to be the most fearsome of The Five: a mindless beast driven by hunger.

Appearances are deceiving, however, and that is the theme behind this interaction. Despite his size, 
Uyné is gentle, and well-finessed with handling delicate visitors.

INKtober, Day 8!

Stand down, Uyné
9 x 12 pen and ink / ink wash on smooth bristol

Left: sketchbook page from late last year. Right: tracing paper draft.

Finished pencil draft.

I start inking with the Hiro 45. It yields well to varying pressures.

The Hiro 60-1/2 is excellent for inking very fine lines.

Ezthlitofett's head and neck were inked with a Hunt 107 nib.

Uyné (the larger of the two) and Ezthlitofett hail from my fantasy story, (working title) Legacy. Uyné is a godling tasked with devouring the souls of the wicked. When it is poisoned by a vengeful rival, Uyné attacks and kills one of its siblings. Ezthlitofett takes it upon himself to calm the distraught godling - easier said than done. 

I haven't drawn backgrounds in ages, and I think it shows. Nonetheless, I wanted to push myself with this piece; I'm happy with it overall. I miss my ol' fantasy critters something fierce and this was a lot of fun to create. 

This is supposed to be a bloody scene. Somehow that slipped my mind! Ezthlitofett is also missing his sword and scabbard. He's not crazy enough to take on a godling with only his bare hands...

Working on Day 8's piece would not have been nearly as engaging without the following epic background music (damn you, Attack on Titan, for being so beautiful).

Sketchbook_Creatura Pages 49 - 58!

Quick handwriting practice featuring VNV Nation lyrics ("Secondskin").

Uyné and Bobbin hanging out. Bobbin doesn't seem too thrilled. 

Another sketch of Vitriol, adopted from my friend Ribbontail on dA. 

Sketches for Mom's birthday card, inspired by the cat art of Louis Wain. 

Blame IM conversations for the Tit Owl.

The Whiptiger is based off of something I drew as a five-year-old:

1993 

This guy is some kind of harvester / serial killer.

He devours any and all living organisms and 

reconstitutes them into his body.

He can no longer use his legs, relying instead on extraneous limbs to move around.

I have strange dreams, but not often are they this strange.

Developing the face a little more.

Still not quite creepy enough, but getting there.

Initial sketches from dream, 2011

Quick study of my bearded dragon, Draco.