Saturday, November 29, 2025

The Snow Queen's Palace Castle

 

So, five sweeping towers were a distinctive feature of this royal season's abode. The living sculptures that hung along the delicately patterned ice brickwork were too beautiful to be called gargoyles. Of course there were hollows and overhangs for those beloved creatures of the Queen, the white as snow polar bats and their far larger cousins the polar batters.

...

Here and there wide bridges weaved themselves between the towers over the palace gardens in the palm. The Queen even when she had been more twisted than a funhouse mirror adored sledding and sleighs so naturally her palace castle had routes throughout to play with, indeed having no need to keep her abode warm, grand wide passages meant that if she desired she could ride her sleigh everywhere within and without the grounds. Naturally many of these routes ended abruptly in the sky, for she loved flying and spreading snow only slightly less than sleighing and sledding.

Finally finished, an illustration for The little Drummer Bird by Snowyteller, an Advent/Christmas story which we are crowdfunding to make a picture book!

Find the campaign here!

This is the fourth illustration I've finished and will be part of a set of Christmas cards we're sending to backers for this Christmas; the rest of the rewards will come with the book itself for Christmas of 2026.

Friday, November 28, 2025

Values and temperature for The Snow Queen's Palace Castle

 

This is the values-and-temperature marker layer for The Snow Queen's Palace Castle, an illustration for The little Drummer Bird by Snowyteller. We're making a picture book of this beautiful Advent/Christmas story; back the campaign here!

I'm sharing this in-progress work before the finished picture because it's taking me longer than planned--I blame the stars! This is the last illustration for the set of Christmas cards for this year; that reward is no longer available since they now need to be printed and shipped as soon as possible.

But there's still the chance to get Christmas cards for next year, which will have many more pictures to choose from, and of course to get the book itself next Christmas, original art, and sculptures!

Saturday, November 22, 2025

Drawing on live camera???


Tomorrow at 7 p.m. Central Standard, Snowyteller and I will be on the Superversive Fiction livestream to talk about The little Drummer Bird! They might even let me draw!

Back the campaign soon to get Christmas cards for this Christmas!

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Values and temperature for The Soldier and the flame

 

The marker under-layer for "The Soldier and the flame", an illustration for The little Drummer Bird by Snowyteller.

We are raising funds for a picture book, there will be over 30 illustrations, and if you back it within the next few days you can get four of them on a set of greeting cards for this Christmas!

Sunday, November 16, 2025

The Soldier and the flame


The dark was not lifting even a little, and the little Drummer Bird wondered if the night would ever end. Onwards he flew, glancing up at the guiding star high in the night sky, the drum tapping against his feet sent waves of warmth, keeping the cold at bay. 

On one occasion, he saw the flicker of light in the dark, peeking through the trees, like lit wick of caged lamp. So, he flew closer towards it, and there sitting by a waning campfire was a figure.

Somewhat of a giant, a soldier whose skin was white as snow and coat was red as blood.

"Hello, Mr. Bird, just for you I'll build this fire up again, you should last a little longer in this long night, even if I don't."

Another illustration for The little Drummer Bird by Snowyteller, one of the pictures that will be on the set of Christmas cards you can get for this Christmas by backing the campaign to make a picture book by Nov. 25!

Friday, November 14, 2025

Christmas presents for this year and next

If you're looking for fun Christmas presents, several Paper Doll Veronika images have just be added to my Redbubble shop, including a set of stickers I've wanted to produce since the beginning: 

Also available are many objects bearing the image of the Princess Oto doll, which I'm told is the prettiest paper doll of them all:

And Veronika herself makes an appearance!

Not to mention the most recent chapter cover artworks, some of the best so far in my opinion.

And best of all, the religious drawings I did for this year's Inktober:

Finally, if you're seeking a wonderful Christmas present not for this year but next, do take a look at the campaign for a picture book of The little Drummer Bird, a beautiful Advent tale.

Thursday, November 13, 2025

Temperature control

In The little Drummer Bird, two of the main antagonists are none other but Cold and Dark themselves. So for the illustrations, what could be more crucial than light and dark values and color temperature?

The first layer of coloring, seen above, is all about temperature and value, laid down in marker.

The local color goes on top of that in watercolor pencil and crayon:

And for unity, I'm going to use the same markers throughout the book for this foundation:

From bottom to top:

Mepxy Prussian Blue, very dark and cold

Mepxy Light Blue, dull middle tone

Prismacolor Violet Blue, dark and jewel-like

Prismacolor Ultramarine, intense for the night sky

Prismacolor Cerulean Blue, intense middle tone

Prismacolor Light Cerulean Blue, slightly purplish light blue (two of 'em)

Prismacolor Deco Blue, bright, light, slightly turquoise

Mepxy Light Violet, light, warm, almost pink

Mepxy Light Wood, luminous pale orange, the key highlight color

Mepxy Cadmium Yellow, glowing light

This base is the same I used a year ago for the spontaneous fanart that providentially led to this project:


The book is going to have 37 illustrations so if I'm going to use these markers for each one I'll have to buy some more!* 

So back the campaign today!

 *Though Mepxy seem only to be available now shipped from Australia so hopefully I won't dry out the Light Wood!

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Discovery of the Drum - The little Drummer Bird book crowdfund is live!

 

The crowdfund is live for an illustrated book of The little Drummer Bird by Snowyteller!

Find the Campaign here!

It's a beautiful Advent/Christmas story in the vein of  Hans Christian Andersen. You can read it here, and just imagine what a gorgeous book that will make! We aspire to have it made for Christmas 2026, and for THIS Christmas you can get greeting cards of some of the art! If you back before November 25, that is!

Other rewards include sketches, original art, and polymer clay sculptures! With stretch goals of more rewards like felt ornament kits, Advent calendars, and even, possibly,...plushies! 

This book will be a wonderful Christmas gift for children of any age. I truly believe it's a story that deserves to be treasured for generations.

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Brought out of their distresses

 

Bonus art for Chapter 26 of Part III of Paper Doll Veronika, which is now posted on Arktoons! 

The latest episode is here.

The series is here.

Now that Ocean is complete on both my site and Arktoons, I can say that this conclusion is a moment in the comic I have been working towards with particular fervor for several years. I hope it shines through as a high point of the whole story.

You can also read it on my own website. (I recommend my site for PC and Arktoons for mobile.)

Support the comic and get special bonuses here!

Get the book of Part I here!

Sunday, November 2, 2025

Have passed over me over

 

Chapter 25 of Part III of Paper Doll Veronika concludes on Arktoons! 

The latest episode is here.

The series is here.

You can also read it on my own website. (I recommend my site for PC and Arktoons for mobile.)

Support the comic and get special bonuses here!

Get the book of Part I here!

Inktober day twenty: Rivals

 

My subjects: Religion, Paper Doll Veronika, Ace Attorney/Professor Layton, Spooky

Upon determining I wasn't going to complete this year's challenge, I picked three last ones for which I had clear ideas, and this is the last of all: my Paper Doll Veronika heroine and antiheroine Veronika and Skarlezza respectively.

And this makes ten drawings, the most I've ever done for an Inktober so far! My goal was to be cured of perfectionism and I think it did help in that regard. Happy Hallowtide!

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Mermaids

Character profiles for the mermaids from Paper Doll Veronika.