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ElenaTria โ The Childlike Empress
Published: 2007-03-28 14:17:28 +0000 UTC; Views: 4425; Favourites: 61; Downloads: 222
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Description
"The Neverending Story".This being one of my favourite drawings.
I should have added more details, and should have used the coloured pencils a bit more.
I wish I had a doll like that.
She's supposed to be the most beautiful creature one could ever imagine (I had to use 11-year-old Brooke Shields' face for that). She's also some kind of angel, saint, or even deity. The giver of all kindness.
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Comments: 57
What a great picture!
The doll like beauty and the shine of her golden eyes fit perfectly. At first I thought the lights over her were her seven senses but I nevertheless like the athmosphere they create.
I'm not sure I completely agree with the description though. "Giver of all kindness" makes her too much of a good guy (or girl) although she is neither good nor bad and can be seen as a bit cruel sometimes.
Nevertheless, awesome artwork.
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Oh damn, lol, your comment makes me realize that it's been years since I read this book! XD *hides*
I don't even remember the seven senses thing. 
As for the giver of all kindness.. I vaguely remember a scene where she was helping Bastian and she was being very nice to him, and the fact that everyone in that world was depending on her and her "kindness", the fact that she was the only one who could grant wishes with those golden eyes of hers.
Or maybe it was just me, turned down and heartbroken at the time and I saw her as a saint's icon standing there on my shelf in my hour of despair, I don't remember anymore what was what.
And thank you!!
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A good opportunity to read it again then. *nudge, nudge*
Well, she's certainly very important to Bastian and treats him very sweetly when they are face to face. On the other hand she doesn't give him more than the vaguest hint at what he's supposed to do (Do what you wish - isn't all that concrete) and doesn't warn him what will happen if he decides not to go back to his world and uses up all his wishes. At one point Atreyu seems rather upset about her being so uncaring about Bastian's fate once he's "done his job" and named her.
And you're welcome of course. It's a really impressive artwork.
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Oh I've been wanting to re-read it for YEARS! *hides*
Well.. what can I say. Neverending Story is basically a fairytale about.. philosophy, or many philosophies at once, and.. yeah, you could say it's about God and how the writer (or just some of us) perceive Him. Indeed God, if he exists, doesn't tell you what to do, we come to this world unwarned, unready, we have to face everything and learn everything from scratch, even if it kills us in the process. Sure God, as I see him, cannot intervene in human fate, and it's not his place to warn us or tell us what to do, and maybe that shows that he "doesn't care". I'm sure it's not the Empress' responsibility to save Bastian's soul. There's a lesson to be learned here! After all, when Bastian goes back to his world he's a changed person. If he hadn't forgotten everything, and what real life is about, would he appreciate it enough when he finally found his memory?
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Actually I don't see it quite that way (IMO God tells you quite a lot of what you are to do) but it's rather cool how metaphysical you can get thinking about the motives and themes of this book.
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I don't know what God says to each person. 
And yes, the book has many metaphysical concepts that are worth thinking about.
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That's quite true. But I also really like how Bastian isn't left completely alone but has Atreyu. Even after all they go through Atreyu is the most loyal friend I could imagine. Without him Bastian would have been lost in the end.
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That's totally true, and the book says that as you grow up, you end up finding *real* friends, people you can rely on.
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And the reason why you didn't use 12 year old Tami Stronach's face is because...?
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Because it's not how I pictured the Childlike Empress when I was reading the book.
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...yeah, I never read the book. I just grew up with the movie. I don't want Michael Ende to contradict my beloved childhood memories.
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You're very right! Same here, I wouldn't want the film to spoil my memory of the book, that's why I watched it only once.
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It's so close that's I imagined when I read the book !!!
It's so hard to find very good drawing of the never ending story directly inspired from the book !!!
Bravo !
(did you made other characters &/or places of this so wonderful story ?)
P.S: sorry for my english I'm french ^^
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Saluuuuuuut, ami Francais!! 
I'm SO glad it's close to what you imagined! 
You know there are NO illustrated versions of the Neverending story in bookstores?
Oh no, I wanted to draw green-skinned Atreyu too, and Fuchur the dragon but I never came around to it.. I wish I could read the book again real soon!
Ne t'inquite pas de ton Anglais, mon Francais est pire!...
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Oh this is just beyond beautiful!
You used the perfect colors for her hair, her face and everything.
You made her look so peaceful and wise yet young and innocent.
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Thank you SO much!!!!
I do believe that light blue is the perfect colour to shade something as purely white as her hair and dress. Yes, peaceful and wise was what I was going for, and the youth and innocence was achieved by.. using 11-year-old Brooke Shields as reference. D
Thanks so much for the nice comment!
(and greeeeeeeeeat avatar btw.. 
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You did? Oh wow! You really did a great job.
I love this avvy. Its a good film and it followed the book a lot. Labyrinth is one of my favorite movies too.
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Sheยดs very beautyful.
And I like you choice of colour.
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Thanks!!! Don't you like all those whites and blues??
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YEah, i do.
THink is facinating to see all the other colours you've managed to sneek into the pic.
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I do like light blue combined with WHITE and pink (pink!! 
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Yeah, I too like to sneak in colours.
and soft pink are terrific together with white.
hehe, thanks again.
Did i have pink in my pic, more white less pink i think.
I kept thinking of snow when i drew her.
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Oh yes, snow, most certainly!!!
You put in a lot of gray, I'd use.... ummmmm, mmmmmaybe light blue instead.
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P.S.: If you thought the first movie was bad, avoid the others and the series at all costs, they only get worse.
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Wish I had read the book first. My mental imagery will always be linked to the movie, which I loved as a kid, having no basis for comparison.
It's interesting to me to see how people interpret her from the book.
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Wow. Really, amazing and don't worry about the details, "lesser is more"
She really is beautiful, well done!
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Do you really think so?
I imagined her as a very beautiful live doll. I must do some more fanart with her.
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Please do?
I imagine her as... something pure, and wise. Young of body, but old in years, if you understand...
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Wise she was indeed. As SOON as I read in the book the phrase "Childllike Empress" (and you would never know how lovely and pure it sounds in Greek) I felt a shiver down my spine. I said "I WANT to read the description of this character. I want to know what she looks like. Right now!" And the description was more than perfect. White hair!.... Living in a flower!...
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Well, I learned Ancient Greek, but to be fair, I wasn't the star of the class.
She's so perfect she's hard to imagine... but that description; it couldn't have been better!
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It's ฮ ฮฑฮนฮดฮนฮบฮฎ ฮฯ
ฯฮฟฮบฯฮฌฯฮตฮนฯฮฑ (pediki aftokratira). It's beautiful.
That's right, so perfect she's hard to imagine..... She's a living doll, I'm sure...
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Ouf.The first word I guessed but the second...
I am the disgrace of my Ancient Greek class ^__^
But it does sound beautiful...and complex. Not an easy give-away name...
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Ah yes, aftokratira meaning empress.
You must be good though!
So you do learn Ancient Greek in Belgium.
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I figured ^^
I did, for 3 years. But I sucked, all I cared about where the little tales
And for Ancient languages, well yes, they still are popular here *read: our parents force us*
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Tales? You mean Ancient Greek tales? Aesops' fables?
Your parents force you? What? Isn't Greek an optional class in school, is it obligatory?
Students here are obliged to learn English at school. And they also have to choose a second foreign language, French or German. We didn't have a SECOND foreign language 12 years ago, when I was still a student!
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Yep, those things^^
Nope, it isn't, well not ANCIENT languages.
In our country, we speak 3 languages: Dutch, French and German. To survive, you got at least to know 2 of them.
And English, if you intent to set a foot out of Belgium once a while. ^^ From the four, you have to learn at lest 2 others then your mother language, but it depends on which school you go.
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Oh my, so many languages to learn!
How about Ancient Greek? Why do you HAVE to learn it?
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Nono, you don't understand! ANCIENT languages are an option. Like extra math or chemics.^^
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Ah ok. But you chose it nonetheless! 
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Er they let us pick 4 paintings of our choice the first day, and asked why we liked it. Then they chose in our place.
I mean, they asked me why i took one from Ensor, and I said "... Because he was a funny bloke? " *slaps face*
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Ensor is too amazing! I always dreamt of making art inspired by his surreal/expressionistic paintings.
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Amazingly weird. I love him! I wanted to do one of his legendary Death's...
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Well, I don't know how they are called in English actually. But he draw a lot of people, usually dressed them up like it's Carnaval, - with masks and stuff - hiding their true identity. Between them you could often seen Death himself, in his natural form. He, as only one, doesn't need to hide or pretend.
But you should read something about him, I know only what people told me, and that's not too much.
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Tell me more about these Deaths.
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OMG... There was so long time since I last read the book.
I adore both the book and the movie (the first one)
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Yeah, me too, it's been years since the first (and only) time I read it, I so want to read it again and keep postponing it.
I haven't seen the second film yet.
But the first?..
OMG, it was horrible! I mean... horrible!... Too american, couldn't be compared with the perplexed issues of the book.
There's also a series, haven't seen it yet.
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neato, her glowing eyes are a little creepy though *__*;
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Um, I guess you've read the book. They're supposed to be golden and eerie. And she's not really human.
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All in all, the colours here really give a dreamy/fairy-tale feeling. (you're referring to the child-empress from the "Neverending Story", right?
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Of course!!! I so love this book along with "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman. But I hated the film, it was HORRIBLE! What a shame... And still haven't found a good illustrated version of the "Neverending Story".
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