She Walks in Beauty

What can I say? Sketching helps me organize my thoughts when I'm trying to visualize something.

On that note:

SCANNER. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE. YOU TOOK AWAY ALL THE LOVELY SHADING THAT MADE MY TWO HEAD PORTRAITS LOOK SO NICE. WHAT.

Sorry. My scanner eateded up all the nice pencilwork on the two faces. Speaking of which, I will introduce them:

Top left is...Kikakura! Again! This time it's her after she's left the Organization of Purification and is sort of undergoing rehabilitation by living with a new Sidhe caravan. ~akaichoukyoko had the idea that she goes to stay with Natasha at TRXM and then ends up confronting Nick. This is the travelling gear she wears. I think this is one of the best portraits of her I've done.

Also, her face paint? It actually has meaning. This particular getup is called "the blind fool," and is worn when the bearer is a student or on a journey for enlightenment or knowledge. In this case, Kiki is basically re-learning how to live. The other two I've drawn are "the soul is split" (a single line down the middle of the face used in mourning and prayer) and "the warrior's tongue" (a single stripe down the lips and chin that Kiki thinks resembles a split lip). Her hair kerchief also has symbolism to her people, but that kind of has to do with her sex life so we won't bug her with the details.

Bottom left corner: Seeker from Elizabeth Bear's "Blood and Iron". OH MY GOD, ELIZABETH BEAR FANART. FROM ME. THE WORLD HAS COLLAPSED UNTO ITSELF. SOMEONE MUST HAVE DIVIDED BY ZERO. Anyway, I won't give anything away about the character. Mel, a.k.a. ~akaichoukyoko/~maki-to13 tried to make me read the first half of the first chapter...a long time ago. I think around the time Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn" came out. Either that or back when I read "Eclipse". Anyway, point is I was reading a Meyer book and then tried to jump immediately from that to Bear. I would not recommend that. I actually had to put the book down because I was getting dizzy from reading it. And suddenly a few weeks ago I was back at my bookstore and, for the hell of it, decided to see if there were any Elizabeth Bear books on the shelf. I picked up "Blood and Iron," easily whizzed through the first chapter and a half and went "...Damn. Another one I want to read." So now when I get my debit card I plan on buy the last "Blood and Iron" book at the store and also getting "Bloodhound" by Tamora Pierce.

Plus Mel kept saying "DRAW SEEKER DRAW SEEKER DRAW SEEKER" along with "DRAW SHADOW UNIT" and "READ SHADOW UNIT" and "READ MIRADOR" so now I finally have one done so she can STOP BUGGING ME ABOUT IT KTHANX. Um, I didn't put the braids in out of sheer laziness. Also, I know the nose isn't in traditional Greek statue style, but it didn't seem to fit her whenever I drew it that way. Also also, someone send me Seeker's damn coat, because I want it. Also also also, I finished through the second chapter and now I love the Dragon. Maybe I'll start chapter three next time I go.

I own Kikakura, but Seeker is property of Elizabeth Bear. I don't want to make money off of drawing her character, or anything. I'll use my own. (Chyeah right.)