#indaren

[paula-arrts]

Indaren, my dearly beloved Nerevarine <3

Morrowind singlehandedly cured my artblock but I can only draw elves now.

[paula-arrts]

The Red Year

This was a doodle I started while listening to "We Own You" by Waitress, which has the line "my nails are drenched in blood from shaking hands to win the game" and I thought about the blorbo, as I usually do. I like to believe that, in the timeline where the Nerevarine doesn't leave for Akavir, they were involved in allowing the Ingenium to be built.

Anyways, no WIP Wednesday because I posted my WIP on Sunday, so you're getting the weekly Indaren drawing.

[paula-arrts]

Indaren's artfight sheet. I still have to do his Red Year one but I literally have like 3 WIPs open on the same tab as this.

Here is his profile you feel like drawing him this July.

[paula-arrts]

Midweek WIPs Pt. 2

I've been working on a small comic about Indaren post-Morrowind events, the effects of having gone through all that, and the Red Year (my boy would never get up and leave everything to go to Akavir). These are some silly doodles I made while deciding how much bling the Hortator of House Hlaalu should have on them.

[paula-arrts]

Process for The Nerevarine Illustration

So while I am still struggling through the Tribunal Triptych, I thought I would share what usually goes on when I make big stuff like this.

1. Scribble Stage

Layout of big elements (for example, I really wanted Nerevar to be visible in the tapestry and I wanted some common themes like the spear) The moon and stars I copied from another artwork I had made for my Steam library. I make my borders first as a separate layer because my ideas usually begin with the frame I want to use.

2. First Sketch

I usually have multiple sketch phases where I try to make the scribble look like something legible. I began thinking about making more of the tapestry at this stage. I also began the process of tracing over the Daedric inscription on the tapestry.

3. Line Art

The biggest part of my art style. I spend multiple days on this stage. This image is the compliation of many line art layers because there were many things I had to go back to while lining this. For example, my Nerevarine was already techincally colored by the time I started to work on the tapestry in the back and the fonts. The Daedric inscription in the border (Many fall, one remains) was actually made at the very end because it was originally going to be in plain text but I couldn't find a good font for it.

4. Flat Color

I color my artwork like a coloring book, that's why it takes me so long to finish anything. There was a color test in the second sketch phase where I decide what colors I want to use.

4. Base Render

I am not a big fan of rendering but I know it saves lives. Here I used divide and multiply layer setting to make the light and dark areas. This is where I realized the colors were too saturated for my liking (multiply will usually do that).

5. Finished Piece

I tossed in a bright purple layer with pin light on it to make the yellow less eye-catching. I love textures so I finished this piece with a paper texture I had sitting around in my files. And there! That's the whole process for a big illustration like this one.

[paula-arrts]

WIP...Sunday?

Most normal House Hlaalu member.

We cannot end the week without the weekly Indaren drawing. You must look at my blue boy.

I was thinking about how well-adjusted I made him for someone who went from half-starved street urchin to Grandmaster of a Great House in like a year. So I decided to make him much worse.

This was partially inspired by this detail from The Roses of Heliogabalus. As a matter of fact, I have another sketch of this same drawing that copies that same pose. I like that one for a more "suffering from success" theme, but I think this one is better for the more self-destructive aspect. The bad thing is that I have to render all this gold now.

[paula-arrts]

As much as I love Red Year Indaren, the Morrowind era one is so endearing. His journal is just a bunch of random words like "Hla Oad, smuggler." "Steal staff from wizard". He's got a terrible Bravil accent both in Dunmeri and Cyrodiilic. He's been wearing the same pants for three months. He stares at everyone like 👁️👁️. House Hlaalu is still trying to figure how they promoted a man who doesn't know how to multiply to Grandmaster.

[paula-arrts]

For the in-depth tes oc questions: #13!

(From the-twilight-queen)

13. Does your oc have any particular rivalry or mutual dislike with any NPC?

Hmmm... I never really thought about this... Indaren doesn't have that many personal rivalries---a lot of them he killed, that's why. Maybe Odral Helvi and Orvas Dren? Helvi because he sent out Indaren to do the whole thing with the ebony shipment and the forged ownership documents instead of doing it himself. Corruption is standard in Hlaalu and the literal rules are don't get caught stealing. Indaren can accept that, it's part of being in Hlaalu, but it doesn't mean he should be dragged into that mess by someone else. I suppose Helvi must be pretty mad about being in jail.

Funnily enough, the beef with Orvas Dren isn't slavery related. It's from the Hortator quest and the whole thing with the Cammona Tong. I feel like between the events of Morrowind and the Red Year, they still avoid each other at House meetings.