HOME | DD
Inkthinker β Mistborn - Steel Inquisitor
Published: 2008-08-30 07:39:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 54381; Favourites: 584; Downloads: 6092
Redirect to original
Description
Based on the novels Mistborn and The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson, the Steel Inquisitors are the merciless enforcers of the Lord Ruler, enhanced by Hemalurgy, a process of blood sacrifice in which varying numbers of huge nails are pounded into the body to grant powers... through the torso, through the spine, and always two through the eyes which emerge as bloodless spikes at the back of the skull, the nail heads shining out of the tattooed eye sockets.Dressed in robes and carrying obsidian axes, the Steel Inquistors seem to possess all the skills of a Mistborn, and more. They are the stalking nightmares of the Final Empire.
---
Snagging some time late at the studio, working in Photoshop with the Cintiq. Call it a semi-speed paint (about 2 hrs), just being loose with the brush and experimenting with grey and a splash of color (the red stripe means he's of high rank). It's hard for me to let the brush do so much work, given that for all these years I've been used to working with pen and ink on paper (a somewhat unforgiving medium), but I like how this developed. Extra thanks to miyabi and Czanos on Brandon's forum for finding some of the descriptive details in the novels to help me out.
"Mistborn" and the Steel Inquisitor are Β©2007 Brandon Sanderson .
Related content
Comments: 100
This picture is really awesome! It really captures how intimidating and terrefying they are!Β
π: 0 β©: 0
Awesome depiction of an Inquisitor! Huge Brandon Sanderson fan, so this is golden. Quick question though- over at the Seventeenth Shard we're trying to figure out exactly how many hemalurgic spikes Marsh has, so we can determine what his full compliment of powers are. I was wondering if this was an accurate depiction of spike placement for "The Last Empire" Marsh or for "Hero of Ages" Marsh. Thanks for your time.
π: 0 β©: 1
Thank you!
It's pretty close to a similar piece I did for The Mistborn Adventure Game >> www.inkthinker.net/illustratio⦠<<. Everything we put into that book was run past Brandon, and while I don't recall his feedback on the Codex page verbatim, it's what we published so I reckon it's either close enough or not that important (I have a vague memory of him telling me that what's most important is lots of blood contact).
It'll probably do until someone can ask him at a signing or something, but even then I bet a clip he asks Peter. Between all the Cosmere books just up to now, he's got so many details to keep track of that they've started to wiki them.
Marsh's page in the Game says he has, prior to the death of TLR, 10 spikes in total (4 Steel, 4 Bronze, 1 Gold and 1 Atium). At the height of his power, just before Harmony, he had 22 spikes (8 Steel, 2 Pewter, 8 Bronze, 2 Gold, 1 Aluminum and 1 Atium). I'm 99% sure that the four steel go two in the eyes, one at the top of the spine, and one through the heart. As to the bronze, gold and atium, I'd put the singles into his torso along the center line, and the four bronze into his ribs (2 each side). Symmetry is more attractive.
If you want to add more, placing them along the sides of the spine makes for a neat silhouette. I don't suggest actually having them stick out of his skin very far, that's just the diagram. In practice, I think you'd nail 'em all the way in. And they don't all have to be as long or wide as rail spikes, that's just the first four steel ones.Β
I hope that helps, some!
π: 0 β©: 1
It most certainly does! Thank-you so much! I think we'll be able to narrow down exactly which powers go where now- this was an enormous help. Everything about the Cosmere is awesome, especially the people who help build it
π: 0 β©: 0
I always imagined the Inquisitor eye spikes as kinda sticking out a bit... I dunno. Anyway, EPIC WORK!
π: 0 β©: 1
I've done a lot of better Inquisitor illustrations since this one, it's pretty old. Dig out the cover I did for the Mistborn RPG and see if that suits you better.
I imagine 'em almost like glasses, but made of steel spikes that pierce your skull.
π: 0 β©: 0
This is awesome. One of the few steel inquisitor pieces where the eye spikes don't make them look wide-eyed and silly. Love the tone and contrast, as well as the little splash of red around his eye!
π: 0 β©: 1
Thanks! These feel a little wide-set to me now, but I still like 'em.
π: 0 β©: 0
I always figured inquisitors to have larger spikes than that. what made you decide to have them all the same size? It would be cool to see a Marsh drawing, with all sizes of spikes protruding from him. I say the eye spikes should be bigger, since they are supposed to fill the entire ocular cavity. Put your fist against your eye and I think the heads of the spikes should be that size. Just my humble opinion though, rather spectacular drawing you've done.
π: 0 β©: 1
I reckoned they're about the diameter of the human eye, and I designed 'em such that the head is only slightly flared in comparison to widest point of the shaft, which tapers steadily. Sort of like a railroad spike, but round rather than rectangular. This was confirmed when conversing with Brandon while designing the work for the RPG.
If they were as wide as my fist, they'd be more like 2-3 inches wide, which would make them a little over the top in my opinion. Though I suppose you could envision the heads of the spikes as that large, if there's nothing in the canon that contradicts that.
As for them all being the same size in this image, that's a graphic excuse to make them recognizable as much as anything. By being of similar shape/size, the visual parallel to the eyes is easily made. In practice they can be of many sizes, though the ones that run through the eyes and the spine are probably the largest.
π: 0 β©: 0
Wow, almost exactly how I pictured them. Very good indeed.
π: 0 β©: 0
Considering all the previous comments I'm clearly not telling you anything you don't already know - but this is really great. I'm a HUGE Mistborn fan (and Sanderson fan in general) and I love than so many people have created so much great fan art based on this series. Great work!
π: 0 β©: 1
I never get tired of hearing it.
I started out as a fan of his work before I got involved in helping to develop it. Being a fan of his is what led me to seek him out in the first place, and I was lucky enough to be able to help him when he needed it. I'm still a fan, for that matter... just a professional one.
π: 0 β©: 0
May I please draw this??? I would very much like to.
π: 0 β©: 1
I'm not sure I understand the question... may you draw what?
If you mean "can I copy this", I wouldn't recommend it... there's only so much you can learn from copying other artists, especially someone like me.
π: 0 β©: 1
no i mean may i draw this picture. the one you made. btw your attention to shadows and details is masterful, i think i could learn from this. I've also never done a full figure drawing before. Usually i draw celebrities from pictures, I've never really drawn anything quite like this before.
π: 0 β©: 0
this is almost exactly as i pictured them, amazing!
π: 0 β©: 0
Wow, you've really captured the look of the Inquisitor. Is it Marsh or some nameless Inquisitor?
π: 0 β©: 1
Nobody in particular, I was just messing about with ideas and the Inquisitors are fun subjects to render.
π: 0 β©: 0
I might have to check out those novels...
π: 0 β©: 2
They continue to be some of my favorites. It's also worth checking out Sanderson's other content, he's a solid writer. I'm especially excited about his new series coming out this August, starting with The Way of Kings.
π: 0 β©: 0
Sorry, I saw this comment and I just had to throw in a good word for the series. I'm very picky about books, but these ones blew me away. Epic is the only word that comes close to describing them.
Awesome picture, he looks totally beast.
π: 0 β©: 1
I'll be sure to check it out.
π: 0 β©: 0
Inquisitor! O.o
Have I faved this yet...?... can't remember. Oh well.
π: 0 β©: 0
This piece has been featured here for being a great addition to the world of book-based art: [link]
~ Toki
π: 0 β©: 1
You're welcome ^__^
π: 0 β©: 0
Hmm, one spike smashed farther into his skull. Was that Marsh that had that happen to him?
Have you read Warbreaker (Sanderson's newest)? It's most excellent.
π: 0 β©: 1
I think so... Marsh got punched in the eye-spike by a Feruchemy-pumped Sazed at (I think) the end of book II, and it leaves one of his spikes poking out further than the other.
Not that it has much to do with this particular image, which isn't of any particular Inquistor.
π: 0 β©: 0
Just wondering. Would you have any problem with me using this image in my banner for a Mistborn RPG I am currently developing? The image is perfect and I would love to use it. All credit for the image will be to you of course. Stated in the 'Credits' area of the board.
π: 0 β©: 1
Are you aware that Crafty Games is developing a licensed Mistborn RPG?
π: 0 β©: 1
I am aware! I am excited too! But I just decided to create my own little alternate universe Mistborn RPG for some fun. I can give you a link to the board ... Nothing too special up yet. Still in the planning stages!
π: 0 β©: 0
This is amazing. I just finished reading the first book in the series. I loved every bit.
Great work.
π: 0 β©: 0
The ones in the eyes? Or the rest of the body?
It wasn't clear until the third book (which came out after I did this, I think) that the spikes in an Inquisitor's body are placed in a variety of areas, but there's always two in the eyes that poke out of the back of the head like silver horns.
π: 0 β©: 1
The ones in the body. It was hard to make out.
π: 0 β©: 0
awesome! this series is awesome and that drawing is really cool!!
π: 0 β©: 0
I really like how you managed to get the feeling of detail with rough lines. And I love how his cloak moves in the wind.
π: 0 β©: 0
I like that black and white approach.This one is really creating the mood
π: 0 β©: 0
Very interesting. So they get impaled by nails? How do you survive a process in which you get pins through your head? Very interesting. And how do they differ from Mistborns!? Argh!
π: 0 β©: 1
Some of those are questions that get answered (we hope) in the last book, The Hero of Ages, which comes out in hardbound this Tuesday (10/13).
Yayyy!
They have a lot of the same powers that Mistborn do, but they tend to be stronger and harder to kill, and they have additional abilities that are somewhat mysterious. Mistborn magic is called Allomancy, and involves the burning of metals inside the body through some unknown process which fuels certain abilities. Inquisitor magic is called Hemalurgy, and involves blood and metal being combined in some way to produce similar abilities.
At least, that's the theory so far. You can read pages of this stuff on Sanderson's message board. One of the things that I find appealing about his books and the magic in particular, however, is that it follows rules and has logical structure. Magic isn't just a means to an effect.
π: 0 β©: 1
Hmm. So I'm guessing you got the book already? Is it good? Anything revealed? You're gonna have to draw up another piece on this
π: 0 β©: 1
I have it, but haven't read too far into it... been kinda busy this week, but I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to burn through it.
π: 0 β©: 0
I wanna Have the Inked One, so without any colors, is that possible? I want to color it, I like the flair of that pic!
Greetz RamDaBam
π: 0 β©: 1
| Next =>