I decided it was time to make a proper character profile for Chielle, a character in my upcoming novel.

 
You can read more about her in the blog post where I first shared Chielle's concept art.

If you're curious about the naming convention I used for her family, it was inspired by the Spanish method of passing on surnames.

Since I'm writing a sci-fi fantasy world that isn't based solely on white Canadian culture, I didn't want to default to the "kids get the dad's last name and the mother's name disappears" formula from my own culture, so I looked to some of Earth's other cultures for inspiration.

I liked the Spanish model better: married women keep their original surnames, and after their personal names, Spaniards have both of their parents' first surnames, usually with the father's first and the mother's second.

But there were still a few things about that system that I wanted to tweak for this fictional universe.

For one thing, the first surname is often the only one used in less formal settings, so once again, the man's name is at the forefront while the woman's is left out.

​And because the children usually inherit the first of each parent's two surnames, the fact that the father's surname usually comes first means that - again - the mother's surname is erased.

That being the case, for the purpose of this book, I gave the system a small tweak: if the child is a girl, her surname is her mother's first surname, then her father's. If the child is a boy, his surname is his father's first surname, then his mother's. And if the child is nonbinary, it's decided on a case by case basis.

That way, both parents' names have a chance to be passed on.

How close is this book to being finished?

I'm in the process of fleshing out the outline, which means filling in plot holes, making sure no characters inexplicably disappear for days or indefinitely, adding foreshadowing, and removing any parts that no longer fit with the overall story.

I'm also writing the first draft of some scenes where I already have a clear and detailed idea of what I want to happen.

I'm currently on page 84 of 138, and the document is 68,664 words long!

Right now, I'm in the process of rewriting and fleshing out a pivotal scene roughly halfway through the book.

The first draft was already pretty much written, but then I decided that, under the circumstances, it would be more realistic and more emotionally compelling if it took place in another dimension, while one of the characters was bleeding into their brain. >:)

It definitely shifted the dynamic between the characters involved, and it gave me a chance to show off a side of their relationship that hadn't been shown in quite a while, while giving a shoutout to a part of their early backstory. All in all, I'm really happy with this change.

Want to see more?

If you want to be among the first to get updates about this story, to get early access to all my completed art and stories, and to get exclusive access to works in progress like the concept art for the man Chielle rescued, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

This is the concept art for one of the major characters in my upcoming sci-fi fantasy novel. Everyone, meet Chielle!
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Out of all the concept art I've drawn for my various characters, this is one of the ones I'm the most proud of. She looks pretty much exactly like I pictured her in my head, I love her fashion sense, and she's got such a distinctive look.

Her right hand is posed the way it is because I plan for her to be holding one of her inventions, when I figure out what said invention looks like.

So who is Chielle?

Chielle is a human scientist in a universe where Spinosauruses, spaceships, and immortal semideities can all be found on the same planet.

Her natural hair color is brownish black, but she's always been a big fan of stark, bold color contrasts, especially between light and dark. So when she started to develop vitiligo, she decided that if her favorite aesthetic was going to take over her face, she might as well run with it.

She lost her right arm in a shuttle crash when she was a child. When the rescue workers finally found her and pried her free from the wreckage, that moment when fear and despair suddenly turned into hope made a deep and lasting impression on her, as did the impact that getting her first prosthetic made on her quality of life.

For the rest of her childhood, she was torn between two dreams.

She became fascinated with prosthetics, and started studying them in hopes of someday inventing one that had the same range of motion and sensation as the original limb. She wanted to make life better for herself and her fellow amputees, just as the inventors who came before her had done for her.

But at the same time, part of her wanted to be a hero in a more direct and life-saving way, as those rescue workers had been to her. She wanted to be the reason someone's terror and despair turned to hope.

Even after she accepted a job in research and development, that part of her still hoped that if another shuttle crash happened, she'd be close enough to save the people inside.

Then, one day, she got her chance.

Chielle accepted an ambitious assignment in a classified lab on a remote planet, to seek a technological solution to a magical problem that had cost thousands of people their lives.

Her mission was to use her expertise in technology and neuroscience to invent machines that would block magic Wisps' control over their host, allowing people to wield the Wisps' magic without fear of getting possessed.

When the impact of a downed shuttle shook her lab, she didn't hesitate to race into the flames and drag the only surviving passenger to safety.

She had no way of knowing how this ragged, mysterious survivor would turn her world upside down.

Update:

Chielle now has an official character profile! You can see it here.

​If you want to be the first to get updates about Chielle and her world, to see higher-res versions of my art, and to get early access to all my completed writing and art, please join me on Patreon!

I had so much fun drawing Lesbian Lake Landscape that I decided to make another piece of pride flag landscape art, this time based on the agender flag. I think this one turned out even better than the first!

I'm seriously considering doing more of these, maybe even going through my whole set of pride flags in alphabetical order.

But that would mean the androgyne flag, which consists of just 3 vertical stripes, is next... *artistic eye twitch*

I've been trying to mostly stick with just using the shades that are actually on the flag, except for some sky gradients to make the clouds visible, so it'll be interesting to see if I can pull this off, or if I'll end up having to bend some rules to make it look good.

​Maybe I could draw a blue waterfall on a purple crystal cliff, adorned with pink flowers... yeah, that could work.

This is an experimental piece, my first attempt at creating art exclusively with the colors of a pride flag, as opposed to drawing black outlines or foregrounds and filling in the openings with flag colors.

It's a bit rough in places, but I feel like there's a certain charm in that, a reminder that art doesn't have to be polished and perfect to be beautiful.

You can get this artwork on prints, clothes, home decor, and more via the links below:

​Get it on Redbubble

Get it on Society6

You can also get an unwatermarked version as an NFT on Voice here.

My new artwork, "The Fae Within," is now available on T-shirts, tapestries, tote bags, and more!
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​You can see all the cool stuff you can choose from by checking out my Redbubble and Society6 stores.

A fae casts a glamour to take the form of a normal child... or a child's mind soars into a world where she's a creature of power and magic. Which one is it? I'll leave it to you to decide.
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You can see the high-resolution version, as well as the earlier drawing stages, by supporting me on Patreon.

In this speedpaint, I'm designing Kivara the Charishi kitten, a chaotic little member of a feline species in my fantasy short story and upcoming novel, Upholding the Covenant.

While I design her, I'll be sharing cute and funny Kivara moments, new facts about Charishi culture and biology, and insights into how the jock baby's friendship with nerd ambassador Orennian developed.
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I recently had the pleasure of illustrating a new children's book!

I really enjoyed being part of this project, and I look forward to illustrating future books about Princess Wildebeest.

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If you want to read the book and see the rest of the illustrations, you can get your copy of Princess Wildebeest here!

And if you want me to illustrate your book or create any other art for you, you can see my art commissions pricing and rules here.

​Remember that concept art for Kivara I recently shared? If you want to see what my drawing process looks like in fast forward, while listening to music that's far prettier than the early stages of the drawing were, here's the speedpaint!

If you haven't read Kivara's story yet, you can read Upholding the Covenant here. 

If you want to support the development of a novel starring Kivara, and to get early access to completed stories, art and videos, please consider joining my inner circle on Patreon.

And if you just want to thank me for my work, you can leave a one-time tip on Ko-fi.