Dreamdance: Abandon

From the Dreamdance Oracle

Abandon

Size: 8.5x14

Medium: Watercolors

For prints and detail closeup views: -click here-

Satyros Phil Brucato writes for this card:

Caught in a mosh of inner and external chaos, the Dancer either surrenders or is destroyed. Sometimes such tempests are chosen; more often, they choose us. Either way, we learn to abandon our usual sense of control. If we cling too rigidly to our usual way of doing things, we risk getting mulched by the storms that inevitably come. 

If you choose to Dance with Abandon, embrace the sense of chaos that comes with it. Ride it before it shatters you. In the Five Rhythms practice cultivated by Gabrielle Roth, Chaos comes between the Staccato force of directed energy and the Lyrical harmony where all previous energies flow together. In order to achieve such harmony, therefore, the Dancer must pass through Chaos, shape herself to it, and accept it as a valid aspect of life’s Dance.

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Initial very rough scribbles in my sketchbook for the concept.

 Refined that

 And further refined. Prepped for painting at this point.

Color rough in photoshop, just to get an idea of what direction I'm going to take the colors for the piece. Had a pretty solid vision in mind already, even at the initial brainstorm sketch phase. Wanted the satyr to be a really stand-out contrasting color from the rest of the scene.

 

 Started painting.

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Painting with the color test up on my monitor so that I can use that as reference for my tones.

Dreamdance: Fear

Fear

Medium: Watercolors

Size: 8.5x14 inches

Prints available, and detail closeups: -here-

From the Dreamdance Oracle

Satyros Phil Brucato writes for this card:

When Fear traps us in its razor-bladed hell, escape often seems impossible. Yet as long as we’re alive, we’re never truly hopeless. Courage is our weapon in such situations, and while we must eventually surrender to mortality, we can still carve out a life worth remembering before we go.

Sword-dancing turns the art of war into a spectacular skill. Sharp edges cut both ways, and a little bloodshed is inevitable when learning how to use a blade. Still, a person who’s determined (or desperate) enough to master such arts can weave a glorious trail of steel and blood and fire in their wake. To do so, you must learn to face terror on its own terms and make yourself an instrument of change. Literally and symbolically, blades divide one state from another; where one passes through, the landscape gets transformed. In the hands of someone who knows how to use them, blades can cut new paths through apparent hopelessness, lighting a way through the darkness of Fear.

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Some of the sketches and in progress scans for this piece:

 Initial brainstorm sketches.

Composite sketch pieced together in photoshop, from the rough brainstorming pieces.

 More finalized sketch, ready for painting.

Painting in progress.

Mechanism

 

Mechanism

Medium: Watercolors

Size: 20x30 inches

For prints, original painting, and detail closeups: -click here-

This piece is a little different from most of my others.  Commissioned by Mega Games to be released as a puzzle.  Sounded like fun.

 Started initially with an ink drawing for the design. I only actually inked half of the butterfly, and some of the asymmetrical components.

Then photoshopped it into a single piece.

Color rough done digitally.  Used this as a guide for the actual watercolor piece.