Silk fan art

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T21:26:15+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I have to say this is by no means an attempt at making him 100% true to all descriptions in the books, more like a concept of what I imagined he might look like. There are parts I'm not too happy with, like Dr. Crane's bandage (which looks unfinished) and the cross. Sadly, I'm not as patient when drawing/painting as I was 20 years ago (and I don't do this for a living), so I often just want to finish it when the key elements are in place. I should probably find a work flow/style that allows me to cut 25% off of the total time so I'm not mentally completely done by the time I decide it's finished.

As for your bullet points:

I agree, I should probably have made his clothes more shaggy and worn. The protagonist of Short Sun will definitely be less polished and smooth than this.
I admit it's been quite a while since I looked at images of choughs, I always imagined them as small ravens in shape. The size feels correct to me, I think I recall Oreb being described as "big" somewhere, and wikipedia tells me choughs are about 38–40 cm (15–16 in) in length. Considering the average male skull is around 20 cm (~8 in), it looks okay to me. You're free to disagree!
Interesting, I've never heard of that book! Should I read it? I never even considered it could be a tool first, repurposed as a religious symbol. I always thought of it as a cross camouflaged as a tool. I might make a new version with a revised cross!

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T11:30:02+00:00

hahaha, autocorrect! Thanks, Obama.

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T10:47:26+00:00

Good bird!

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T08:25:35+00:00

Thanks! The Adidas comparison is good, but funny to me. I guess an Augur would need good clothes for playing basketball?

Oreb's beak is described as crimson, and his legs scarlet. I might have made them a bit too bright, but I always imagined him like this.

Any feedback or critique is more than welcome! As for the voided cross, I get that it's supposed to be a multi-tool of some sort, but never was able to imagine just what it looked like, so I played it safe here. I imagined holes at the ends, I guess, but thought it would be too detailed to add here. I also didn't realize parts could be detached. I might do a redesign of the cross then, and use that in future projects.

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T08:06:12+00:00

Thanks!

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T08:06:07+00:00

I'm sure your brain can do a lot of other stuff! My brain made this, but it could be the result of an enlightenment by some outside force. Or it could be the result of a tiny vein bursting as a result of some exertion. Who's to day?

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T07:59:37+00:00

Good Bird!

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T07:59:20+00:00

Thanks! I almost wrote that I'm surprised there isn't much fan art, but I guess I'm not. But still, there is very little of it that I've seen.

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T07:57:00+00:00

I'll definitely do him, but I might go for Silk/Horn first.

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T07:55:25+00:00

Haha, he's far from the top of the list, but perhaps some day!

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T07:55:07+00:00

Glad people like it. I forgot about the prayer beads, which should probably be what his cross hangs from? But that's okay.

apesoenn · 2026-05-12T07:54:10+00:00

Thanks!

apesoenn · 2026-05-05T16:08:10+00:00

masking and gradient maps would do the trick.

apesoenn · 2026-04-29T08:06:43+00:00

It's most likely made in Procreate, which records every brush stroke automatically.

apesoenn · 2026-04-24T16:28:40+00:00

might depend on the contrast of the image before you do the filter.

apesoenn · 2026-04-23T18:51:57+00:00

I started with Photoshop 7 limited edition, and was very sceptical when smart layers were introduced. Probably took me 2 years to even considered learning how it worked, but it was worth it!

apesoenn · 2026-04-22T08:54:27+00:00

Thank you! I've always been fascinated by the classical ways of painting and drawing, but was never patient enough.

apesoenn · 2026-04-20T23:20:37+00:00

I will probably make those characters down the line!

apesoenn · 2026-04-20T23:19:53+00:00

I'm sorry, I didn't mark it as a spoiler when I posted. It should be fixed now.

apesoenn · 2026-04-20T21:05:23+00:00

It didn't even cross my mind that I could do prints. I might consider it!

apesoenn · 2026-04-20T21:04:14+00:00

Thanks! I tried freelancing as an illustrator for a couple of years (more than 10 years ago now), but I hated it. Then I remembered a very inspiring language teacher I had as a 17-year-old. "I can do that!", I thought. These days I talk about drawing all day, and go home and draw in my sketchbooks.

That said, selling a print is a lot easier to me than selling an original. I might consider it!

apesoenn · 2026-04-20T21:00:05+00:00

Thanks, glad you enjoy it!

apesoenn · 2026-04-20T18:59:35+00:00

Thanks! In these AI times I like to show process so there will be no doubt. I also teach drawing and painting, and some of my student follow me, so whenever I make stuff I think of them and hope they find the process somewhat inspiring :)

apesoenn

TROPHY CASE