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Awstein β Anomander Rake
Published: 2013-07-25 15:52:30 +0000 UTC; Views: 4007; Favourites: 76; Downloads: 5
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Description
So, as promised, here is the first really finished piece I've ever done on a computer: Anomander Rake (a character created by the brillian Steven Erikson in his novels about the Malazan Empire) and his sword Dragnipur. Hope you'll enjoy it!It's taken me soooooo incredibly long, somewhere between 50 and 60 hours, I thinks that's totally off-limits for this kind of painting. On the other hand, I've learned so much stuff!
1. I've painted a dragon for the first time in my life! For somebody who likes fantasy as much as I do you'd have thought I'd be drawing the little buggers quite often, but not at all. Frankly I was really scared it would turn out very ugly, but I think it looks like a dragon after all, and for a first attempt that's all I was aiming for, really.
2. I've learned more facts about swords than I thought existed! I now know the difference between all kinds of swords and I can even talk for a little while about their designs and their history! There again I'm really not used to drawing/painting metal and that one was particularly difficult because it's a very special sword, dragonforged etc etc. Tell me what you think of the result!
3. Last but not least, I've learned that if you want to do really HQ paintings, you need a state of the art computer. Cuz having to wait 5 minutes just to save the .psd is the kind of challenge you don't want to submit yourself to.
Nuff said. Criticism welcome as usual!
Made on Photoshop with a Wacom.
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Comments: 20
Wow, I love this.
This is just pure amazing. I love how you've used the colours to match each other but yet stand out, if that makes sense? Very Unique the way you have used them.
The lighting from behind the man just make the image. The light tells me he is a warrior with great power.
The detail is amazing on the Dragon and the way he is positioned around the man to make the man look like he's very dominant and powerful.
I love how much time and effort you have put into this piece and you have come out with great results, good job!
Keep going. You are very talented at this!
I just love it all e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b⦠" width="15" height="15" alt="
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Oh wow thank you so much, that is an incredibly nice critique! It's very encouraging for me to have someone like this piece 
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this
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It's no problem at all
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Good job painting, I like fur effect on his boots and the glowing back lighting. Keep it up!
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Thank you so much
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The citation for Dragnipur is: "A two-handed sword was strapped to Rake's broad back, its silver dragonskull pommel and archaic crosshilt jutting from a wooden scabbard fully six and a half feet long. From the weapon bled power, staining the air like black ink in a pool of water."
Thats somewhere at the beginning of Gardens of the Moon, if I remember correctly even his first real appearance at the battle of Pale.
I'll be happy to see your future versions, should be quite interesting to see the evolution
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Ha thank you! I have re-read the beginning and you're right indeed. Well now I HAVE to make a new version (what a great excuse 
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Great piece of art.
But a bit inconsistent in a few details like his skin colour or the furboots.
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Thank y ou, that's a very interesting comment! Would you mind telling me how exactly they're inconsistent? I'm trying to learn from my mistakes on that one but it's hard to see that kind of things yourself :/
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His skin colour is described as jetblack(makes it a lot harder to draw I think) and in general Tiste Andii wear more elegant clothes made of fine materials, furboots are for Tiste Edur
And if you want to get really into details, Dragnipur should have a silver dragonheadpommel.
But other than that, its really impressive.
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Ha you meant regarding the story
Yes you're quite right, I actually intended to make the skin darker but it kind of got lighter and I left it there because it looked better to be honest
About the sword though, are you sure the silver pommel is supposed to be dragonhead shaped? Because that's how I started to draw it then I checked to make sure and I read somewhere it's not dragonhead shaped after all :/ But I guess the people who wrote that must be wrong because I had that feeling and you have it too so it probably comes from somewhere... If you remember the exact reference for the description (the book in which it's found and the approximate place) I'd be really grateful if you'd let me know! I think I'll probably do another Anomander at some future point in time so I'd be happy to have my facts straight this time!
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Nothing about the shape of the pommel, but you may like Malazan Wiki anyway: malazan.wikia.com/wiki/Dragnipβ¦
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Ha yes that's a great resource for sure! Thank you so much for pointing me to it
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This is really awesome!
I like the lighting and how you've incorporated some shadow to give it some depth. The details are great, and I like your choice of colours as well.
Part of me feels that the wings could be more symmetrical in terms of the placement.. and I'm slightly confused why the chains are there, but .. yeah. The proportions of it all are brilliant.
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Thank you so much
The chains are part of the story, I guess it's not easy to understand where they're coming from unless you've read the book :/ That's my bad, I should have tried to find a more accessible way to represent the idea... Btw if you haven't read the book yet, you really should try it, it's absolutely amazing, especially in terms of writing!
As for the wings, I actually hadn't noticed how asymmetrical they were before the very end, then it was too late
I guess I'm not too unhappy with the outcome considering it's my first "real" photoshop piece, but I think it was mainly important in terms of learning what not to do, how not to waste time, etc. I'll try to use that experience for the next time! It's gotten me pretty hooked up on the whole digital painting thing
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Ah, I see. That makes more sense.
I'll have to try and look that book up.
That's understandable! I think what matters most is that you practice, and take on board the things you can improve for next time.
It's a really good piece, all in all.
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