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Description
I have also been nicknaming this piece "On the Surface".

After many iterations and literally years on the backburner, I finally took the time to finish this Chase's backstory illustration. The response from the first Swordplay illustration with Red really gave me inspiration and motivation to continue working on these. Thank you to everyone for your support and I will hopefully finish another backstory illustration sooner than it took to finish this one!

Progress Pics: If you wanna see more in progress pics of what I'm working on, I post more frequently on my instagram HERE !

Available Sketchbooks: If you are interested, I have my first sketchbook full of drawings over 2013 - 2014 now available to purchase on my etsy store HERE !

Chase's Backstory
The Dreamer
Chase grew up in a small village that was surrounded by luscious, fruit bearing foliage and an abundance of Lupa trees, hence the village’s name, Palupa. Even though this village was full of color and equally colorful characters, Chase had a hard time seeing this since he was born visually impaired. And while his mother would never admit it, Chase believed the hardship of raising a child with his situation was too much to handle for his father and was the reason she was raising him alone.
Although his eyesight proved to be limiting, he maintained a positive outlook on life thanks to his loving mother. It was hard to make any friends his age, since he was pretty sheltered and seen as an outsider that didn’t talk much, but he preferred this. He found comfort without the distraction of others and preferred letting his mind wander without interruption.
He could still recognize his surroundings enough to know that Palupa provided a beautiful landscape and Chase had ambitions to see what else was out there while he could still make out general shapes and colors. Places all had a different personality about them and he wanted to meet them all, along with meeting his father in person one day regardless of the outcome. You may not have known it when first meeting Chase but his interests in learning were rich with a quiet enthusiasm. He hoped to pursue his education at a northern academy he heard about in passing.
He grew up quickly, both mentally and physically. This led to an awkwardness in his features that he hadn’t quite grown into yet. Along with his dulling eyesight, he had bushy eyebrows paired with a lanky frame and a head too large for his body. His odd looks matched his isolated personality which made him a target and subject to taunts.
As is normal with kids, Chase was singled out from time to time and given his fair share of being teased but he could generally ignore it. What hit him the hardest were the jokes pinned at his father’s absence or being a burden on his mother. Most of the kids were alright but a few were relentless. Chase felt he had some tough skin for his age, but this was really ripping into his sense of worth.
When he became a bit older, his remaining eyesight worsened. His new priority was to focus on forming new habits of counting steps, learning his surroundings, and remembering as much as he could see while still able. Eventually the other boys caught, and surpassed him physically, yet they didn’t even bother pushing him around anymore because they knew what they could say would hurt much more. As his vision started to become more of a blur, so did his inspirations and desires.
Chase just wanted to be left alone. No one could understand how he felt, and what hurt the most was thinking no one ever would. He no longer aspired to travel and had sunk into a state of uncertainty. Now, at only fifteen, he could be found just outside the village on his pier’s edge gazing blankly into the ponds water below at his own fading reflection.

Description
I have also been nicknaming this piece "On the Surface".

After many iterations and literally years on the backburner, I finally took the time to finish this Chase's backstory illustration. The response from the first Swordplay illustration with Red really gave me inspiration and motivation to continue working on these. Thank you to everyone for your support and I will hopefully finish another backstory illustration sooner than it took to finish this one!

Progress Pics: If you wanna see more in progress pics of what I'm working on, I post more frequently on my instagram HERE !

Available Sketchbooks: If you are interested, I have my first sketchbook full of drawings over 2013 - 2014 now available to purchase on my etsy store HERE !

Chase's Backstory
The Dreamer
Chase grew up in a small village that was surrounded by luscious, fruit bearing foliage and an abundance of Lupa trees, hence the village’s name, Palupa. Even though this village was full of color and equally colorful characters, Chase had a hard time seeing this since he was born visually impaired. And while his mother would never admit it, Chase believed the hardship of raising a child with his situation was too much to handle for his father and was the reason she was raising him alone.
Although his eyesight proved to be limiting, he maintained a positive outlook on life thanks to his loving mother. It was hard to make any friends his age, since he was pretty sheltered and seen as an outsider that didn’t talk much, but he preferred this. He found comfort without the distraction of others and preferred letting his mind wander without interruption.
He could still recognize his surroundings enough to know that Palupa provided a beautiful landscape and Chase had ambitions to see what else was out there while he could still make out general shapes and colors. Places all had a different personality about them and he wanted to meet them all, along with meeting his father in person one day regardless of the outcome. You may not have known it when first meeting Chase but his interests in learning were rich with a quiet enthusiasm. He hoped to pursue his education at a northern academy he heard about in passing.
He grew up quickly, both mentally and physically. This led to an awkwardness in his features that he hadn’t quite grown into yet. Along with his dulling eyesight, he had bushy eyebrows paired with a lanky frame and a head too large for his body. His odd looks matched his isolated personality which made him a target and subject to taunts.
As is normal with kids, Chase was singled out from time to time and given his fair share of being teased but he could generally ignore it. What hit him the hardest were the jokes pinned at his father’s absence or being a burden on his mother. Most of the kids were alright but a few were relentless. Chase felt he had some tough skin for his age, but this was really ripping into his sense of worth.
When he became a bit older, his remaining eyesight worsened. His new priority was to focus on forming new habits of counting steps, learning his surroundings, and remembering as much as he could see while still able. Eventually the other boys caught, and surpassed him physically, yet they didn’t even bother pushing him around anymore because they knew what they could say would hurt much more. As his vision started to become more of a blur, so did his inspirations and desires.
Chase just wanted to be left alone. No one could understand how he felt, and what hurt the most was thinking no one ever would. He no longer aspired to travel and had sunk into a state of uncertainty. Now, at only fifteen, he could be found just outside the village on his pier’s edge gazing blankly into the ponds water below at his own fading reflection.