Werewolf Calendar 2009 - Jan

EDIT: Thanks for the DD and all the kind comments! I do appreciate them! Please bear in mind, though, that this is a specific piece for a specific project (The Werewolf Calendar), and if you'd like to see work that is more along the lines of what I do for myself, please see my Pen Sketchbook work.

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I'm not in the same league as the more realistic artists in the calendar so I did what I am best at, which is stylized realism, symbolism, and iconography. The background is loosely based on Tintern Abbey; I like werewolves and old churches, an idea I have explored before (like here: synnabar.critter.net/Images...… ). I ornamented the werewolf in Celtic style jewelry, including items in the lesser-known (but still beautiful) Celtic La Tène style.

The werewolf is colored white with red ears, as a tip to the story of The Wild Hunt (often telling of a pack of ghostly white hounds with red ears), and the statue in the werewolf's paws is symbolic of The Lord of the Hunt (or perhaps Cernunnos). The Wild Hunt is something that appears in many myths from many countries; I chose to go with the more Celtic aspects of it, but I like all the variations of the story. The crescent moon behind the window refers to the calendar description - "werewolves are not... affected by the moon". Since "they are in complete control of themselves in any form, and are grateful for their gift", I chose to do a more calm yet sentient one, just so I didn't copy the January image from last year (which was awesome, BTW).

(Note: you may recognize this particular werewolf ( synnabar.critter.net/Images...… ). I always wanted to re-draw it)

Pencil original here: synnabar.deviantart.com/art/We… . Detail images here: synnabar.deviantart.com/art/We… , synnabar.deviantart.com/art/We…

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I took a really long time with this image, and though I tried my best I know there are errors. Still, I learned a lot doing this and was very happy to be a part of this project. Thank you, Myenia!

Tools Used: Most of the work was done by hand, in pencil on Strathmore bristol board. I laid out the background in Adobe Illustrator CS3, then re-drew it by hand on the final board to make it more rough and textured. Color was added in Photoshop CS3, and yes, I am still using a mouse - haven't gotten around to getting a tablet yet. Soon!

References: I was inspired by images of Tintern Abbey, and goldwork and jewelry in the numerous Celtic reference books I own. The knotwork was inspired by Dover Celtic royalty-free clipart, and I looked at a few hundred images of wolves before starting this. As usual for me, I changed and stylized things in my own way; since this was to be a fantasy image, I was not trying to be completely accurate. Also, if you are interested, some Wild Hunt links (including information about red-eared hounds): www.economicexpert.com/a/Cwn:A… , cernunnos.tribe.net/thread/d71…