The mischievous pixie NiaTa knelt beside the forbidden pool; she had abandoned her duty to trick intruders away from the woods, (or, if she was so inclined, to their deaths) and her incorrigible curiosity had led her to the glittering water.
Her wings fluttered with excitement as she reached out to touch her reflection. The other spirits of the woods whispered among themselves at the disturbance.
Ripples formed and NiaTa withdrew her hand, horrified at what she'd done...

I've been creating some characters recently for painting inspiration, and I thought I'd draw this pixie character to use for my new site's banner.
I wanted to achieve a very speedy and painterly effect (which contrary to how it sounds, is pretty tricky and time consuming if you go into all the details) and though some of the trees seem off to me, I'm pretty happy with it.

Full view please! Enjoy. :)

Details: [link]
Tools: Photoshop and Wacom
Time Consumed: Lost track. Definitely over ten hours... over about two weeks.
Reference: Gorgeous picture of a transparent butterfly I found on the 'net (for the wings of course): [link]
Art ©AmberDust 2007