Mercuralis's Portfolio

Green and Sultry Summers

Mercuralis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:39:29 GMT

Green and Sultry Summers

A dragonfly faerie converses with the spirit of the swamp.

Corel Painter IX

Mina

Mercuralis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:37:08 GMT

Mina

Experimenting a little. Before anyone asks, while there's some vague Dracula overtones here, she's actually named after my cat.

Anyway, the castle in the back is Butron's Castle, in Spain. I've been experimenting with using google sketchup to help me out with perspective. The castle model can be found here: [link]

I did, of course, light it and paint over it myself. Everything else in this is painted entirely from scratch.

Figure Model from: http://mjranum-stock.deviantart.com

A Sharpened Heart

Mercuralis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:29:11 GMT

A Sharpened Heart

My version of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.

Corel Painter IX

A Touch of Sin

Mercuralis — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:30:08 GMT

A Touch of Sin

Male model referenced from LinzStock on Deviantart used with permission.

Two months, off and on, 90 layers, a dozen or more textures, and several headaches later this is finished.

Fists Full of Time

Mercuralis — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:49:04 GMT

Fists Full of Time

"Pockets full of magic, fists full of time."

He's been here for awhile. A year. Maybe two. Every now and then I'd glimpse him in the corner, playing with a pocket watch like kids used to play with yo-yos. It glitters in the light.

Now and then I'd sketch him. Fast, usually, because he always looked like he was about to go somewhere. I shouldn't have worried. He has all the time in the world.

His name, he says, when he finally saunters into the light, is Nick. Robin mentioned that I was looking for male fantasy figures to pose for a calendar. Did he qualify? In the corner, Robin laughs. He's very, very busy checking out the Macy's online catalog. He thinks the zoom resolution on the women's lingerie is fascinating.

I assure Nick, several times, yes. I don't *only* draw men with pointy ears; and sorcerers (or whatever it is he does with all that magic and all those watches) qualify as fantasy as well. What took him so long to come forward?

He only smiles, and pulls out a pocket watch. It's beautiful, but even as I'm running a finger around the rim the face is changing. Small whorls of gold and and silver are entwining, making ever more complicated patterns, ever more beautiful shapes. He says, in a voice that is the low sexy rumble of mountains eroding, that he was waiting for me to be ready.

He was waiting for it to be time.

Mistletoe

Mercuralis — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:09:42 GMT

Mistletoe

My first entry in one of the weekly My FX Challenges: Magic of the Forest.

Hamlet

Mercuralis — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:07:16 GMT

Hamlet

Hamlet, Shakespeare's tragic prince of Denmark.

I was really reaching for that "Something rotten" feeling, and a hint of Hamlet's premeditated madness and quest for vengance.

Painter IX.
Between 8-9 hours

The Goblin Gang

Mercuralis — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:10:12 GMT

The Goblin Gang

They hang out on street corners, in dark alleyways, and arcades, just waiting to lure some poor unsuspecting jerk into the shadows where they can rob him of anything of value. They're also wanted for numerous other crimes, including public drunkeness, mishchief, vandalism, and bad fashion sense. Copper is their leader, mainly because out of all of them, he's the most intelligent (probably because he's fae, not a goblin). Beware though, he's more dangerous than he looks. That handsome face has robbed women of more than just their money and jewels.

From left to right: Trench, Copper, and Tag (and, like with roaches, when you can see one goblin, there are at least three more you can't.)

All My Heroes are Bad Boys

Mercuralis — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:08:44 GMT

All My Heroes are Bad Boys

Well... they are. Knights in shining armor are boring. They never want to have any fun.

Painter IX

Nocturne

Mercuralis — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:04:55 GMT

Nocturne

Nocturne is an evening Faery. You know the saying "still waters run deep"? That's Nocturne. Like her name she is a little dreamy, but never should be mistaken for tranquil. Her beauty is also her greatest weapon, luring the unsuspecting and naive into her arms.

Painted in about 4 hours in Corel Painter IX. I screencapped the entire process (minus a couple of food and bathroom breaks). You can watch the painting from initial concept sketch to completion over on YouTube. Just follow the link