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Gomis — Tuonelan Virrassa
Published: 2009-10-27 17:23:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 3026; Favourites: 45; Downloads: 27
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Description
Tuonelan Virrassa = In The River of Tuonela.Swan's now an official character of mine, character sheet here .
Made originally for upper secondary school art diploma class.
One of our arts diploma class's themes that year was Kalevala, and I really, really wanted to represent a myth or character of Kalevala with my style, and I chose the Swan of Tuonela.
A holy swan that swims in the black river of Tuonela, that's the only thing that was said of the Swan in Kalevala itself.
I decided to make The Swan look sort of holy, giving it white feathers and crosses, but associated it with death as well, with it's blood-like markings and skull head, which are of course Death's trade marks.
I wanted to combine popular culture and old art while drawing my piece, so I used my regular manga-influenced style and Copic Markers, but arranged the picture in a tripych formation that's often used in Kalevala art.
The Swan of Tuonela originates from Kalevala, the epic of Finland.
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Comments: 87
Just my own desire to put blood-like markings on a death deity. =w=
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concept and design are fascinating, very well thought out. i would say though referencing the skull a bit more, and adding some shading to the white as well as the red (:
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Thank you..! 83
The skull isn't trying to be really 100 % percent accurate, though. And yeah, I know it could have more shadings, but it looks pretty nice IRL, and I'm still pleased with it. Still, thanks for your advice. :3
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ah, i understand. i also see this is an older piece, and your skulls have improved since ^^
delightful gallery you've got there btw
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Yeah, I still like this piece though even if it's older. <3
Why thank you. <3
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For one, the skull is amazing! Also, lovin it's "bling"
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Thank you very much! :3 Yes, it's got some nice bling. |D
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Love the layout and the way it depicts many sides of the same creature, though I wonder if a foot could have been shown in the first panel. The tilt to the swan's body, the outspread wings, and the open mouth suggests a pretty lighthearted mood to the first panel.
The heavy darkness in the middle panel does a good job in emphasizing the Swan's silhouette. Which goes well with the sort of full body shot shown.(sort-of on count of the submerged legs)
Due to the similar grays the third panel feels like a continuation from the first, the Swan landing from the earlier swoop down and puffing its chest proudly.
Also the skull head is awesome, especially around that large, jagged hole around the eye area. Non-mammal and/or non-carnivorous skulls ought to be used more often.
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Thank you cery much! :3 I like the layout too.
I focused on the Swan's face and wings in the first panel, so their feet didn't quite fit there... But I don't really think the feet are the most important part of the Swan anyway, since it's usually swimming.
That's the main reason why I made the Swan white, despite being a death-based creature, because it's swimming in the black river. Too much black on black... No. Plus it gives an impact.
I was thinking of what kind of background the last panel should have, but my friends said it should have a similiar one to the first panel... And it worked. At least two pictures being a contunation works better than all three being different from each other.
I'm really satisfied with the skull head as well, I used a real swan skull [picture] as a reference, though wanted to add the teeth, which real swans don't of course have. Sort of to say "I'm a swan, but I'm not even close to a normal swan". And yes, bird/reptile/fish/something skulls need more love.
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this is certainly the most beautiful and apealing swan depiction I think I've seen yet, personally I thought the swan of tuonela wasn't as interesting, being, well... just a swan, but you made it epic
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Awww, thank you very much. 8'3
I've always thought of the Swan of Tuonela as a cool creature, but I hadn't really put much thought on how it'd look in my mind before this.
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herregood kun on mahtavan näköinen! Oikeasti aivan pelottavan loistava! Upea toteutus ja nuo värit todella tuo esille kaiken sen kauhean kauneuden mitä Tuonelan Joutsenesta puhutaan
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Senkin saksanpähkinä! Idea ja toteutus toimivat, lumoava työ. "Kuolema on osa elämää eikä siltä voi välttyä" ja olen ylpeä sinusta.
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Hyi, saksanpähkinät maistuu kamalalta. 8'<
*happeeh, sai kehuja* 8'3
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I love this swan and I love your composition. I would be glad if you made it into a character!
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Thank you very much! :3
I'll have to think about characterising [?] The Swan...
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Do all the thinking your heart desires.
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Tykkään tykkään kun tässä on aika innovatiivisesti päästy tosta Kalevalan kuvitusperinteestä eroon. Ristit on mulle ainakin ookoo, Lönruutin Kalevalassa on muutenkin aika paljon kristillistä väritystä. Hannunvaakuna ois tietty ollu täyspohjoismainen pyhä symboli tai mursunsydän. Mut itse tykkään näin. Jos jostain pitää nillittää niin onramenttikuviot vois olla tasaisempia eikä vaan vapaalla kädellä veettyjä, mut makuasia..
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Kiitoksia kehuista. <3
Mua itseänikin vähän häiritsee nuo reunojen koristeet, mutta ei silleen kauheesti, kun tietoisesti tein ne noin "huonosti". Ehkä mä kuvittelen että itse kuvat vie ihmisten huomiota, tai sitten mä olen vain laiska. Kukapa tietää.
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I like the design. :3 Creepy if you found this swimming on a river one night.
Well I've never heard of triptyykki before, but I think it's pretty cool, showing 3 sides to the same thing.
I like how the blood isn't blended in so much with the white but more like splotches on white. I guess real blood is more like that? But either way I think it looks more realistic and like a pattern on the swan.
It looks more creepy than holy to me |B
You're studying for an arts diploma? Good luck! ^^
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Thank you very much..! <3
I dunno if triptyykki has an English name, it probably does... But yah, it's cool. :3
I dunno how real blood would act on white feathers, really, but usually blood leaves splotches on every surface it's "sprayed" on. I wanted to make the markings look like the Swan would be covered in someone else's blood that got on its feathers, not in blood coming from its own wounds or anything.
Maybe it's holy creepyness?
In our school we are allowed to participate in an arts diploma class and when we finish it we get a marking of it to our report card. Helps me to get into arts school, I guess. =w=
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I've only ever seen injured pigeons (usually run over by cars)..creepy. ._.
Either way, I like the effect. :3 Now that you mention it it looks real yet artificial at the same time..it does look like something sprayed blood on it, instead of blood just getting there somehow..?
Cool. O: Our school offers art in upper sec (everybody takes art in lower sec but it doesn't really help in getting to art schools), but it's limited to only certain courses which contain subjects I don't want to take. D: So I passed art up.
But good luck in getting to the school you want. :3
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Aww. D:
Yeah, because of the "splatter" around the splotches it looks like somebody like... Toss blood on the Swan or something. 8B
Awww, poor you. D: I tried to take every single art course in our school, but of course I can't go to all of them...
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Evil. D: Just in time for Halloween. 8P
Aww. D: My previous art teacher said in our school, the art syllabus will be catered to the area of art you want to work in or something. |B
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8<
Meh. I just want to try all kinds of art.
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Vau.. onpa.. mielenkiintoisen näköinen.. joutsen..? xD
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Kovin iloinen joutsen, kyl.
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Ah, a tripych (same word in English)! That's a cool idea.
I like the blood markings, especially on the neck. Cool design!
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Aaah, that's what it is..! <3 *corrects the word*
Thank you very much! :3 I'm really happy with the design as well.
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Bloody swan... I didn't imagine there was a myth for. ^_^
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In the myth there's nothing said about the swan's appearance... So I used my artistic creativity there. |3
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cool. and creepy too.
o-o my smoke alarm is freaking me out
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Awww, thank you. : D
Stupid smoke alarm. D: Change the battery.
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lol we are but we dont have any 9v batteries
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onnistunut näin lyhyesti. muut ovat sen verta jo kehuneet että en edes yritä keksiä mitään uutta vaan tiivistän tuohon yhteen sanaan tämän kaiken ytimekkäästi.
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wow, it looks epic. great design, especially good job fusing such a beautiful creature like the swan with death.
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Thank you very much! :3
Swans are very beautiful creatures. <3 Somehow I feel that my swan here is pretty even after I made it so death-ish.
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this is true, it still looks quite pretty even if its bloody with a skull head xD
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