Comments and criticism appreciated.

Well, this is super cool! Thanks for sharing, CKY!

I am always so jealous of people who can draw. It's the one skill I genuinely wish that I had. It must be extremely cool to be able to actually express the way that characters and places appear inside your imagination.

That's an amazing piece of work!

Yeah, that art is amazing. Like Orcish, I really wish I had, well, ANY talent in art, so stuff like this always kind of blows me away.

As for the card, it's certainly interesting. It's sort of a niche effect, but potentially very powerful, and I like the concept of shutting down potential attackers because of the card-draw and possible destruction it would cause. And hey, is always my favorite color combination, so yay!

My critical analysis for this piece:

The composition, subject matter, shading and style of the piece are very good.

There is however a lack of forced atmospheric perspective.

Think of the whole main subject as an landscape stretched across an expanse, and use chiaroscuro and fumato accordingly within their respective layers.

If the scepter itself is in fact not only a tool but also the mage wielding it, and the steed of the mage being a key module of her as a character ( especially considering the intelligence of some beasts), it seems that the face of the dragon should be sharper.

Just from my philosophical standpoint, you see...

Provided that your artifact as a piece of writing passes the test, you may indeed see this piece as its illustration, even right next to its description if you can prod the mods' well enough.

But alas, such sweet dreams of continuity are far removed from the likes of you and me.

We like the unpredictable.

Or rather, perhaps we're bound to it. Like moss on teeth of the trolls of old.

Thanks everyone!

For clarification, this piece depicts the character Philosopher Scepter in the final moments of the Fool's Gold storyline. She's riding towards the heart of the philosopher's gold on her trusty natron mirrorwing familiar Claror, and wielding the mythical artifact that represents the pinnacle of the alchemical pursuit: the Azoth of the Philosophers. The golden flecks around her are actually particles of deadly philosopher's gold, which only the Azoth and Claror's natural immunity to magic are keeping at bay.


Much like with writing, lots of people assume there's some secret that separates "artists" from "non-artists." There's no secret. Anyone can draw. If it looks off, don't beat yourself up: figure out why it's wrong, and then correct it. Repeat ad infinitum. That's the only way things get done in the creative world.


I'm sorry, what?

This is true enough, and good advice. But I do think that, at the end of the day, we all find ourselves more apt at some tasks than others. I mean, I've been able to get halfway decent at writing, and purely as a result of grinding at it -- Lord knows that I am no literary savant. But no amount of hours spent at the driving range have ever allowed me to stripe the ball like Tiger Woods.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there. The main thing is that it's a beautiful illustration, and I got to enjoy the pleasure of looking at it!

It really is quite beautiful.

Don't mind my prodding.