SnowySMT on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/snowysmt/art/Placing-the-Blame-213823698SnowySMT

Deviation Actions

SnowySMT's avatar

Placing the Blame

By
Published:
2.1K Views

Description

This started a couple nights ago as a random silly doodle in ArtRage. I had originally intended to leave it as line art, but, eh, there you are. Popped it into Photoshop and it was all downhill from there.

A prequel image of sorts for my Nocturnum storyline. See, once upon a time, my reclusive catamount scholar, Vim, actually had to work for a living. I know. The horror, right? Given his proclivity for the ancient and arcane, he was often commissioned to help find and/or authenticate particular artifacts. Generally, he'd do this in administrative or intellectual roles, staying safely out of the field. But, inevitably, there would be that one commission -- or expedition -- that was too important or enticing to leave to chance, and so he'd find himself trekking around with one or another band of rapscallions. Which is where Magnum comes in.

Magnum was a frequent contact and...well, calling him a colleague might be stretching both his relationship with Vim and Magnum's personal character a shade far. Not that Magnum's malicious, not by any means, but he is an unrepentant huckster and trickster, on top of being hopelessly (and gleefully!) opportunistic. (Hey, he's a crow. What do you expect?) Most of the time he simply can't help himself. Especially when shiny and/or sparkly things are involved. He knows just about everyone in one capacity or another and can assemble a (more or less) reliable expedition team on short notice. Very rarely does anyone manage to swindle Magnum, which does make him an asset when high-value items are on the line. His good behavior with Vim is fairly well guaranteed, not only because Vim is a valuable resource in and of himself, but because the tavern keeper, Barys Udal, introduced the two of them. And she's probably one of the few individuals in this world -- or the next -- who can frighten Magnum into good behavior. With good reason.

So, whatever wacky hijinks led to poor Vim clinging to that tree, they weren't intentional. Or permanent. No worries. He'll be fine.

Oh, and yes, yes Magnum is wearing an Indiana Jones hat. Because no self-respecting archeologist-cum-treasure hunter should be without one.

Some-odd hours first in ArtRage and then in Photoshop. Nothing serious, just a bit of nonsense that wound up offering a nice chance to explore some character backstory. The rice paper texture was free from a texture website the address of which I cannot remember.

Enjoy!
Image size
1281x780px 429.19 KB
© 2011 - 2024 SnowySMT
Comments6
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
azianwolfdoll's avatar
I find it somewhat humiliating...yet so perfect that Vim's 'companion' is a crow. Their opposites balance each other out & that's great chemistry for a good duo. Very interesting! I've never really seen nor heard of these two, actually, until now. Nice use of the texture in this piece, by the way! It's always great to see uploads from you & I look forward to seeing them!