#drovlai

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I’ve seen so many planets dancing, I’ve seen too many people hiding

I am one of two planets dancing

So I feel I may have gone too overboard with this.  And maybe added just, way too many things in the end that don’t make a whole lot of sense BUT I really like it? There’s a lot of things I am VERY proud of on this (hi can we please appreciate the labradorite on his collar THANK) but most of I am really proud that I actually drew a male character halfway decent.  As I was working on this I started to notice more and more that’s a bit off that I will have to fix next time but that’s fine and I will remember it in the future. 

ANYWAY, this is my OC Myros (I had previously been calling him Lucis as a placeholder until I landed on something I liked), my Solar/Light elemental.  He is the head of his branch, and previously on the ruling Elder Council of Iara before the incident.  The symbol in the background is a distinct dorsal marking each element has on their back and is unique to each element; this is the one for light.  In the piece I did for Shazri, hers was more obvious in the stars.

The Drovlai of this branch are the scribes, archivists, and collectors of Iara, and some of the longest-lived.  The earliest Solars after the end of the Ancients are depicted as divine.  Solars have very dark hides, ranging form navy to violet, to absorb more sunlight that is stored and emanates from their markings until needed.  Lightshows at dusk in their territory is common, as they need to dispel the light they collect so avoid a very uncomfortable overcharge and get some sleep.  (Consider stored energy as, essentially, caffeine for a Solar Drov.)  

I’m doing a lot of worldbuilding as I go with these and nailing down the details, very much of it is still a work in progress.  Hope you enjoy!(And that tumblr doesnt destroy the quality)

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I started just doing a general eye drawing cause I'm gonna make a ref sheet my Drovlai race and their notable traits but I couldn't stop.  Turned into a super closeup of Shazri.  Maybe I'll do this for all of them??  Either way eyes are my fav thing to draw and color so this was a fun little speedpaint.

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And here, next, Lacuna, my Ocean Drov.  She is the head of her branch, all primarily marine though freshwater communities do exist.   Water Drovlai are the crafters of Iara, and are skilled jewelers and weavers.  Like most Drovlai, this species are covered in abundant luminescent marks, but unlike others they use their glow to communicate with one another over long distances under water in their own forms of morse code, and to some degree they can change the shade of the markings from their base color.  Lacuna’s markings in particular are lined with chromatic cells that change the outlining shape of her stripes and bands.  Looking out into the bay after dark you might see faint pings of light along the horizon.   

There are regional variants to Water Drovlai, with populations existing primarily in the oceans and some small populations in freshwater, and distant tundra communities that are not seen in Iara.  All those within the Iaran region use the many rivers spread throughout to travel and it is not uncommon to see the beast forms on a Water Drov effortlessly swimming against a river current, dragging buoyant, specially designed rafts of supplies and goods to one destination or another.

Anyway, she has a few more traits than what you can see in this halfbody, particularly down her back.  Her hair shimmers, almost opalescent in the light.  She is nonconfrontational by nature and lives separate from the man hub with the rest of society with the bulk of her people.  Her moods swing rather quickly, mostly from calm to manic, with a wild curiosity and an attention span that is rarely kept on a singular thing unless necessary.  She comes across quite naive at times, but when it comes down to it she can be a terrifying force if backed into a corner, taking on the air of a stormy sea.

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First of the ref fullbodies is Myros, my Solar Drov.  I wont be shading these but they will be getting their clothing/accessories eventually as I work through them.  I’m also fickle as hell and it’s fully possible that I will be changing their designs as I go but i’m trying to stay committed.  Shazri’s fb is next cause I have the sketch already and I want to do my Earth Drov after but I may just do Lacuna first cause Terberin needs to be a beefy boi and I have art fear.  ANYWAY here is the son.  He has a lot of baggage.

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Lacuna is done! I’m pretty happy with how she turned out and someday I will do a side view/back view to show the fins she’s got.  She’s very quickly becoming my favorites especially since I learned that not only do octopi sleep, but they change patterns/colors in their sleep and all I can imagine is this precious girl doing that.

Also, I enjoyed making her color scheme and really wanted to stick with the colors of many open water species where they will be light colored on their bellies, and dark on their backs so they blend in depending on what angle you see them from in open water. C:

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In my dreams I am weightless I swim like a comet through the darkness

Shazri.  Wind Drov, head of her branch.  Conduit to the Makers.  

My oldest OC, part of a race I have been playing with and developing since I was about 16, but I created her when I was 13 I think.  I have wanted to give them human-ish forms for a long time, and finally I feel like I can start to do them justice.  I drew her fullbody a little bit ago but the poor thing needed some clothes.  I’m wildly proud of this. I hope to slowly work through these for all my Drovlai.

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The lineart of my solar/divine oc, Myros. I'm still really learning how to draw the male figure and hope I can keep getting better! As I complete these busts I hope to be able to write up profiles for them and their traits to keep motivating myself towards an eventual lineup with all their fullbodies.

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Updated fullbody ref for Shazri!!  As I said, they will be all getting their outfits eventually, but for now this is for the purpose of having a color palette ref, and adding them to a height lineup.  I think I’m finally happy with her humanoid design and definitely happy with how this came out!