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Starsong-Studio — Earthsea: The Hands
Published: 2010-01-20 10:50:45 +0000 UTC; Views: 8324; Favourites: 131; Downloads: 0
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EDIT: I spent half a day taking decent shots of these images for my portfolio, so I'm uploading a new file - the colour balance is much better in this one (and it did look spiffy in print
)Another illustration for "The Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K Le Guin.
Ged, aka Sparrowhawk, decides to chase the shadow he released into the world, rather than be chased by him. He sets out from Gont, is shipwrecked on a tiny island inhabited by two very old people - a meeting that will prove deeply significant for the rest of his life - then sets out in a boat made from pieces of shipwreck, and held together more by his spells than anything else. The shadow lures him into this weird dark and spooky place, then, when Ged realises he is trapped, and turns the boat around, he suddenly appears behind him. I always thought that was one of the severely spookiest moments in the entire book.
Hope I've managed to capture some of it at least!
Oil on canvas
Ged/Sparrowhawk, and all places, objects and magic in Earthsea, are owned and operated by Ursula K Le Guin: [link]
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Comments: 56
As an avid Earthsea fanatic I can only say this; your art is fantastic!!!! Just, just please more. Everything is stunning. The watercolors and lighting had me staring at this piece in absolute awe. Just please do more, I beg of you.
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Fantastic
I had a moment placing Ged, but the simple shadow adds a lot. And the scenery is gorgeous
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Thanks! Yes, I consider myself a good oldfashioned illustrator, so I work from the texts, not from any screen adaptations.
Glad you like it!
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This is absolutely amazing. I think this is an excellent representation of the book, not to mention a ringer for what I was imagining at this scene. Great colors, I really dig your style of painting.
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Wow, thank you - glad you like it! This painting seems to be a lot of people's favorite from the series I did.
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Yes, I really enjoy it. I'm just now starting The Tombs of Atuan for the first time after all these years, so I won't let myself look at the other paintings in your Earthsea series and it is killing me. They look wonderful, so I expect to come back and fully enjoy the other paintings you've made, hahahahah.
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DON'T look at the pictures before reading Tombs of Atuan!!!!! It's a fabulous book and must not be spoiled.
The Farthest Shore will be ok, the pictures don't give away much.
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Hahahah! Okay! My curiosity is intense now, but I think I'll have the book done in a day or two, so it'll stave off.
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((Okay, I apologise in advance for any rude or otherwise insensitive comments, because I'm just going to speak my mind now....))
My first impression? Woman in white sailing through a serene glade.
Which, as you can tell, is totally wrong given what you were aiming for. The colours of the overall scene are too bright. The sea shouldn't look so calm and reflect bright sunlight. I don't recall the cliffs being in full bloom. And while I understand that Ged was probably rather messy at that point, somehow the hair and what I presume was supposed to be ragged clothing just don't look right. And the shadow doesn't have a shadow, and thus shouldn't have a reflection in the water.
Despite all above, your painting skills actually are quite good. The greenery is detailed, the flowing water really looks like it's flowing, the reflections in the water are very nicely done.... the picture would be excellent, if it wasn't such a far cry from the scene you were aiming to portray.
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Actually, the picture represents the scene I was aiming to portray quite accurately.
But I guess everyone reads books differently.
The joy in looking at illustrations, for me, is to see other people's points of view.
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I'm still planning on buying this print, but still evaluating my finances
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Are you going to be at Mygalaxi this weekend?
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nope, I haven't done that one yet, not prepared for that one yet.
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This incredibly awesome and outstanding !!! The colours are splendid and the water texture is neat !!
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I can't say that impressionism is my favorite style of painting, but even for that the reflection of the landscape and the boat is very well done.
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thank you! Well I wouldn't say it is really "impressionist" but I did do it after seeing an exhibition of Monet's paintings.
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It's not that it is impressionist so much as it just reminds me of that. Still really pretty though
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Ah, just you just love those moments when you find a true masterpiece! Excellent work!
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thank you! And thanks for submitting your sketches to the UKLG group.
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Wow. That is... SO pretty. I can feel the moisture of the water and the softness of the bushes and the smell of the forest.
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Thank you! 
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Hello! 
You have been featured in my journal [link] and in this news article [link]
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Oh, I love this so much! It's like a scene from a dream, so ghostly... It's rather blurry and that's great because that stresses the real meaning of the scene, all that lies behind it... and you can see that the shadow is really nothing more than that (but of course still a big, important thing)- a shadow, the dark part of Ged that he must learn to face. The sea and the backround are amazing... there could be just about anything hidden in there, it's like a look into the very soul itself.
Your style is so wonderful!
And I'm so happy that Ged has the right skin colour!
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thank you!
Yes, I'm quite particular about trying to get people's skin colours right.
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This is awesome image!
This mass of hands is creating the feeling very close to what I had when I first read the book...
(I only was wondering at Ged's white clothes and sail. If I'm not mistaken, he had brown-red sails (at least before the shipwreck..), and if I'm right, he still had his cloack lined with fur which they gave him at Osskil.
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Oh .... Ged just needed to be white, as opposed to the black shadow.
Actually whatever he wears would probably be of an indistinct grey-brownish colour by then. I've tried to make it not too glaringly white.
I forgot about the colour of the sail! Well, this one is woven from spells, so it can be any colour you choose I suppose (I even tried to put in little letter shapes in the sail, but probably they're too subtle for anyone to pick up)
And yeah - I always wanted to do a spooky rockscape with lots of weird faces and hands and things.
Glad you like it!
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Lol, you're right about "an indistinct grey-brownish" %)
But I understand that a picture to a good book might be symbolic in a way - it might be more importaint then the realistic way. So it's OK with ne
I really like it!!
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Actually, it's been a little while since I read it. :bad me:
I read up on that particular scene but had forgotten all about the colour of the sail, and the coat. At least I remembered that he doesn't sail Lookfar yet, at that stage! :sweat:
I did wonder what he would be wearing. Don't wizards wear a grey robe, usually, in Earthsea?
Need to read them books again... but I'm still stuck on Robin Hobb.
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Nope, only those who teach on Roke did - if I'm right... Or those, who are in council... Anyway, not everyonem as I remember.
I also read it for the last time very long ago... But Now I was presented "Lavinia" by my friend - so I have stuff to read for some time
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Lavinia was in my Christmas parcel from Amazon, but I have a bit of reading to do before I get there!
Have you read any of Robin Hobb's books? Do you read them in English or Russian? (I'm not sure that Robin Hobb has been translated).
They are very fat and complex books, quite different from Ursula Le Guin in that regard, but I think they're also fascinating, in a different sort of way. Lots of political intrigue and all that sort of stuff. And *very* observant, about humanity in general.
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I haven't read any of Robin Hobb's, and, actually, I don't read sci-fi books now
I read Ursula Le Guin's books in English only.
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I love all of your Earthsea illustrations. This is just too cool.
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I am not often made to comment, but this piece of art just does.
You skipped a lot of steps, you are so fast with progressing!
And the colours are wonderful, as DL said!
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