Fortnight
Not the game. Inkbeard post #31
Fiery Doom and Demise.
For this week I drew another addition to the world of the Wizard, a Madhi who presides over fiery death and destruction. Funny how many ill-intending words begin with D. After a particularly busy week, I decided to change this blog from a weekly to a bi-weekly production. Indeed, this was a stark possibility from the beginning, as I was unsure if I could keep up with myself.
I release this post on Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for those who gave their lives to keep our freedom safe. I speak of course, of the Nerd community, who have given countless hours upon hours creating such media as games and movies to provide mental stimulation for the rest of us. For if they had not gone to the trouble of being fascinated by the likes of dragons and spaceships, we would never have had the works of Tolkien, Rowling, Wizards of the Coast, Marvel Comics and the like. Of course I also speak of the multitude of soldiers and first responders, their bravery and dedication to the American nation.
The Art
This piece took a considerable amount of time, as do all finished pieces, and I am well enough pleased with the outcome. I began with the thumbnails, sketching out various ideas, which I will include here. At first the Madhi had many arms, each with a skull at the shoulder; another version had a whole heap of burning skulls piled on the shoulders of a hulking figure (I still like that one). After choosing the right form, I moved on to the sketch, then the inking. The original inking has the left leg at an odd angle, which I thought seemed more natural. Luckily, Procreate allowed me to fix this and other mistakes quick enough. Then I scanned it and colored it in Procreate. This part took the longest, because I am not as adept at this practice as with the other steps. I used a mixture of a water brush and the medium airbrush to color and blend everything together. The end result is quite realistic enough for me.
Of Death.
Madhi are stewards of creation; caretakers, teachers, and judges. Some are benevolent, others harsh. The Madhi of Fiery Death is one such example, a judge who brings justice with fire from the heavens, utterly destroying the wicked. In truth he does not look to be of righteous nature, with five burning heads devoid of flesh and a terrible power of destruction. Once he was fair to look upon, before the Eldest betrayed his brethren and defied the Creator. In that battle Fiery Death defied his brothers of destruction, and they burned him and cast him down. A Madhi is immortal, but they can be wounded and scarred, and so was Fiery Death.
Before the Turning, death did not exist; only a rest and rebirth, like spring from winter or rain after fire. When the Eldest turned he twisted death into a horrible thing, his minions becoming servants of evil and darkness. In this time, some were made judges of evil, and Fiery Death took his namesake (for before this he was not called so, but Fiery Rest, like a forest burned by lightning to begin again). That one so fearsome could be so good has mystified many, and they burned multitudes view Fiery Death as evil on his own right, though he serves justice.
Farewell
I thank you, dear readers, for remaining steadfast and continuing to read this little piece of literature. I hope your mental capacities were stimulated in the sharing of ideas and reading of vocabulary, and that you will return in two weeks for the next addition to the Inkbeard blog. I wish you all a merry week.
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