More sketches from my "Empire of the Sun and the Moon". Sorry, but that's my current obsession. I haven't had as much fun writing since "War-Zone".
While reading novels at our SOCK (literary club) meetings, we had a discussion about the appearance of characters and the fact that, as a rule, authors don't describe characters in detail. I recalled that I used to describe characters in great detail, but I gave up on it (cuz it was really boring). However, it turned out that people imagine my characters completely differently, e.g. with a different hair length (even though that is what is described) or with hair at all (where the text says that the character is bald). However, leaving aside such deviations, it turned out that from one description everyone imagines each character differently - so I started to wonder how I imagine them, and this resulted in a series of sketches made from the beginning of the week until Thursday (when it turned out that my child had chickenpox and from that moment on I stayed at home with her).
So first up is a complete sketch of Atian, which I've already sent in. Atian, one of King Tatucan's concubines, is a comfort character of mine, so I like to write or read about him when my anxiety mode kicks in.
I'm really glad I finally managed to draw him in a way that I was happy with. In the pages of the novel, he's described simply as a figure with black curly hair and skin the color of fresh cocoa beans. His face is described as "boyish" despite his age, and his figure as petite and feminine. I had a more detailed picture, but I couldn't get it right - so I'm proud that when I drew these sketches I had something like that "yes, that's exactly what I wanted!"
If anyone is curious about the inscriptions on the sketch, the arrows point to the features of the adult Atian that indicate he is a palace servant: hairstyle, makeup, and jewelry. In a world where people don't wear much on a daily basis, jewelry (especially earrings) immediately indicates position, status, and social role, so people often look at their ears first.
The next character is one of King Tatucan's six wifes, Tnyga. Tnyga comes from the Sea Kingdom, where she is her father's eldest daughter. Her people are so closely connected to the sea that if anyone tried to invade their Kingdom, they would simply get on a boats in a maximum few hours and sail away, showing the invaders their bare butts from the horizon as a farewell. I imagined them a bit like the native Hawaiians, but their rituals, beliefs and political system are also based a bit on Irish and Scandinavian coastal tribes - I know there's a big geographical spread, but hush… it's my alternate world! So they believe in the gods of nature, but they also have selkies. Their system is a hereditary monarchy, but the gender of the heir doesn't matter, so they have both kings and queens in power. Basically, similar to Empire of the Sun.
When I was drawing her, I had a look in my head that might be somewhat reminiscent of Moana. But in reality, the way I imagine her came out only on the third sketch I drew - the one at the very bottom (where she has a transparent cloth and you can see her breasts). This is my Tnyga. In the novel, she is described as a woman of average height with a wide mouth and hips, brown hair that falls in waves to her shoulders and a gentle look in her brown eyes. The king compares her eyes to the gentle look of a mazama (a type of South American deer). She is one of the king's two foreign wives who converted to the faith of the Empire and (like the other) remaining in the faith of their ancestors.
In the drawing where you can see her whole figure, she is in the traditional clothing of her people, below she is already in everyday clothing worn by high-ranking women in the Empire of the Sun. I also drew jewelry that testifies to Tnyga's "sea" origins - 'cause she is extremely proud of her roots and wants her daughter, Tialli to never forget that she comes from the sea.
I also drew 3 variants of hairstyles in which she appears in the novel: loose hair (often with pearls woven into it), which she wears at official feasts and meetings with important guests; tied in a comfortable braid, which she wears every day when she performs her duties in the palace; and tied in a high bun, in line with the Empire's fashion. She is not a fan of the latter, but when some protocols or holidays require it, she combs her thick, wavy hair in this hairstyle.
The next sketch is something I'm really proud of!
I decided to draw one of the more important secondary characters, the palace guard Katuro - and it came out exactly as I wanted it to, on my first drawing! So, to keep up the momentum, I also drew his younger brother, who has just finished his military training, so his hair is still growing. Yes, Konochi is a bit tall for a 7-year-old, but other than that, they both came out pretty well.
Katuro was barely described in the novel, except that he was a fairly tall and slender man who looked like all the palace guards. He was one of the youngest, having started his career as a guard at the age of 14 (he's 19 in the novel's plot). When I presented the other characters' points of view, I added that he had the appearance and build of a warrior (i.e. he was muscular), and I have to admit that I'm pleased with how well I managed this sketch.
Konochi is described as a short-haired boy with a sharp gaze, very similar to his brother.
Finally, I decided to make some outlines of the inhabitants of the two main nations in my novel's plot.
The inhabitants of the Empire of the Sun (aka Soleipo) are described as stocky, short people with slightly slanted eyes, black straight hair and skin in a cold shade of light brown. King Tatucan, sent by the gods (specifically the Sun), differs from them in both his figure - described as slim and tall, he is at least a head taller than most of the inhabitants - and his skin colour, which is described as copper (a warm colour, tending towards red) - which seems to emphasize his divine origin.
The Pakutan nation, on the other hand, has been described (through the eyes of one of the inhabitants of the Empire of the Sun) as being quite similar to them, but somehow fatter, more massive and with wide, flat noses. The colour of their eyes also distinguishes them, because they have eyes in various shades of brown and sometimes green, while the eyes of the inhabitants of the Empire of the Sun are usually very dark. When I imagined them, I based them somewhat on the indigenous inhabitants of North America, but also somewhat on the population of very cold zones in Asia or in the furthest Europe - that is why their bodies often seem "fatter". Unlike the inhabitants of the Empire of the Sun, the Pakutan have very long hair.
For scale, I included representatives of a neighbouring tribe called Dakota (I know it's a female(?) name and a state, but I can't help it - I like the sound of the word). No representatives of this nation appear in the novel, but they are often mentioned as allies and friends of the Pakutan, and one half-Dakota is a close friend (and lover) of one of the main characters in the novel. The Dakota are described as taller and thinner, though still massive, their tribe occupying coastal hilly areas, generally flooded and damp, and cold. The men of what I have described so far shave their heads, leaving only very long strands on the top.
I suspect that few people care about all I wrote here, since I don't post anything from this novel here (and I don't intend to, since I'm planning on publishing it as a regular book), but I wanted to share it anyway - because I'm quite happy with these sketches.
