news, news, what's the news?

Well the good news is that volume five is now finished and work has begun on volume six. Concept art is a still a bit slow but it seems there will be a long process of recovery going on for me (the author) as I climb over my writer's block and conquer it with a hammer and chisel to write a proclamation of victory. I'm still having a tough time of it but I'm working through a lot personally right now. In the meantime I have a few things to take care of on the art front and a few more things to do in regards to writing as well. To quote one of my old study buddies "Progress notes? What are those?"

working hard or hardly working

long time no update. I need to fix that don't I? On the work front things are slow and grinding at best. I'm likely to take a break for a bit when I have a chance though no promises on anything pretty and shiny. Something awfully amazing that has been keeping my hopes of working up has been reading myths a friend of mine has been writing. I find a measure of consolation in using cliches and breathing new life into older concepts but I also firmly believe in giving one's own spin to things. As such I already know what direction I'm taking Web of Souls but I'm more worried about how I can execute it to make it come out properly.

I suppose time will only tell how well I am and how much I get done. Right now I'll be relaxing and trying to draw ideas together so I can weave the magic I hope to make with the story. Peace.

Anything new?

Well, I had been hoping I'd feel well enough today to scoop back up the outlines for Web of Souls but it would seem that certain household noise makers had other plans than letting me sleep. I have found something of use however. If anyone has noticed the the banner with the sweet redhead on our page that's a banner for Ka-blam where I'm looking around to gauge the costs of printing and publishing Web of Souls. When it actually comes to that important publishing/printing step we might be able to do so with them. Here's to the bright future we have with Web of Souls.

Unfortunately, I keep feeling worse and worse today so it is unlikely I will manage to get any work done. At least something will get done and planned for during today though.

concepts concepts..

While obviously we can't share ALL the concepts here for the fact of spoilers and such there's no need to worry as we do still have some progress updates. I'll be first to admit I need to get back into the swing of things after vanishing for a three day convention but it has left me rather inspired to continue my work and get better at what I do. In the meantime my mind must recover from being blown with awesomeness before I can continue on the volume outlines of Web of Souls.

There may be some new updates on my personal blog, Thoughts from Chaos, once I get some more sketch paper available. If nothing else you can expect me to start using printer paper in desperation. Somehow I get the feeling I'll make a comic about the desperation of using printer paper for art and especially for important art. Luckily for Infurnace I still have plenty of my quality paper and am still using it for the concept art I post here.

Now I just need to take my brain and poke it with a stick and see if it can start using words at more than a CRAWL. Even typing this much in the blogs has exhausted my mental dictionary. SAY MORE WORDS!

A volume of volumes

So it would seem I've been hard at work and finishing the volume outlines. I've roughly been doing one a day if not half a volume's outline per day. More concept art can be expected between breaks and for anyone who follows my personal blog they can probably expect more comic and free writing updates there. I'm likely to begin updating the cast page with more characters as they introduced into the story outlines. Some are still without design but others are fully conceptualized and designed already. As of today I'm working on volume four's outline and might begin conceptualizing cover designs for them as well.
~Katinka

well that's faerie nuff I guess

I 'm beginning to think my titles alone will become a challenge for everyone to figure out what I'm referencing from time to time but when it comes to puns I just can't help myself. If there's such a thing as a good pun I've yet to find it but it's not like I'm bothered by bad puns. In fact I quite adore puns and for that we can probably turn a cynical eye to me having grown up reading Peirs Anthony's Xanth series and lay the blame between the entrancing pages full of hot cross puns. Speaking of puns I have a minor update to the cast concepts!

Ladies and gentlemen, these two lovely fair folk will be revealed within the pages of volume one of Web of Souls. You'd hardly think there's anything punny about them though I suppose some of the best puns are the ones left unseen. I do imagine wielding a blade of grass as an actual blade would be rather impressive as opposed to laughable but the underlying pun is still something I'm wont to enjoy endlessly.

On another note while we have mentions of volume one up and about. The full outlines for up to volume two are done. If work continues to flow so smoothly we can hope to see plenty of beginning work get underway.

Hello everyone!

Dimmi here, with another update for Web of Souls! A reminder that I am the concept artist for backgrounds and locations within the Web of Souls. 

Below is a rough draft concept image for Infurnace. The castle is based upon a few temples and monasteries located in Tsuen Wan. However, after a discussion over it with Katinka, the buildings will become smaller to scale. As the volcano should be looming more and how the castle integrates itself into the mountain. 

There will be more designs to follow this initial rough draft eventually.

Stop! Story time.

Anyone who follows my art accounts on some sites might have previously seen the story titled Grudge Knots. If not allow me to post it here for your literary pleasure. Consider it a teaser to keep everyone guessing, enjoy!

Grudge Knots

     Golden claws plucked and pulled the threads together. Strong, silvery wires of an unknown make though they sang with innocent energy and sheer purity that had long ago began trying to burn the misshapen hands of the sharp eyed woman who stitched the soft hide together. She worked in silence without looking up as obsidian strands began to mat against the undersides of the golden horns crowning and curling over her scalp. The freshly bound soul of the unicorn would give up soon, the fight to burn her hands was futile. She would win and she would command its power for her own soon enough.

     Scarlet eyes never wavered from her task as finally the servant standing in the doorway found the breath to speak. Her awe of the task having frightened her into silence. "L-lady Octavia, the king has called for your magic." There was no answer, the gentle threads of a pure born soul being tugged tighter and tighter until the knots were tied and the greatest magic she possessed took hold on the first of two gloves. The soul was bound within itself, every power the beast had held in life now bound intricately in its new living form. It would not die until she did and then only after her soul had passed.

    "Tell the king that unicorn gloves do not stitch themselves. This magic is a delicate matter, I will be before him come the end of an hour's breadth." The sharp words stung to the servant girl's heart like shards of frozen glass. The king did not like waiting and especially not where matters of importance were involved. Should the countess take too long it would be the messenger's head they took. Perhaps she could convince some other to carry the message.

     "Tell me child, do I frighten you?" Deformed hands tugged the strands of mane that would bind the soul within the second glove. Sharp eyes never once lifted from the work as the crimson scales like glistening ruby armor caught the light of noon and reflected it into glorious arrays around her sewing chair. True the countess was as frightening a woman as could be found and gruesome as well but it was often her unearthly nature that seemed to draw men and women to her alike.

     Being in a room with Octavia was almost the same as attending a masquerade without a costume, no matter what she stood out and made mortals feel the futility of their soft lives. She was beautiful in her own right but even her beauty was falsely gained by outside means. Once she might have been human, a pretty girl with nothing but deformed hands and strange ears. Where she had come by such powerful magic was beyond anyone's guess though.

     The servant was snapped from her thoughts as the countess' voice crept like a deathly wind through the room. "Answer me child or I shall fashion your maiden flesh into a pair of noble boots for a highborn." Those eyes like pools of blood in her skull, speared only by a splinter of black that was her pupil, never strayed from her work as twisted fingers continued to pluck at the silver strands of unicorn mane.

     The servant girl gulped and nodded quietly before she realized the countess expected her to voice herself. "Y-yes milady. You c-can be quiet terrifying." The countess slowed her work and with a brief gesture motioned the servant to sit beside her. "Come, speak with me at length. You have no need to fear me, only my temper."

     Blue eyes widened in surprise as those blood pools finally looked away from the stitches and captured the servant's gaze like a viper would devour a rabbit. "What is your name girl child?" Those eyes, like hell fires, stared curiously into the watery depths of the frightened servant as if the passionate scarlet gaze could evaporate her.

     The trance of her stare held the girl immobile for a span until finally the countess looked back down to her work and continued. So many tales had told of the hypnotic gaze that could paralyze a man in the perfect terror and awe, was it any wonder why? The woman had not the eyes a of a human but dragon's eyes hidden under the heavy lashes.

     "M-my name is Miranda milady." She said the words as if her breath had been stolen from her. The sheer terror and beauty of staring into those eyes, those blood filled, burning eyes was as exhilarating as any could hope to see in their life. It became all the more clear why this woman was so treasured amongst the court's men, she could chill and heat the blood of another with a simple gaze.

     Miranda sat beside the countess and watched her work in silence with all the awe of a newborn babe. Wordlessly the countess worked and allowed the girl to watch. The willowy mortal could not be a day beyond fifteen in age. So young and precious, and ripe to begin learning the most powerful magic of the mortal realm and many beyond it. "Has any others told you that you are beautiful Miranda?"

     The question struck her as odd but quietly the girl answered truthfully. Lying could get her nowhere and while not many had reveled in her presence the way many did for Octavia, she found it an honor to be asked of such. Crimson eyes stayed focused upon the glove in her lap as the burning white energy of the unicorn's still living soul struggled against her. At length Octavia held up the needle, shaped and carved of a bone splinter, for Miranda to see. "Would you wish to learn as I work Miranda? If you would wish the power of others to hold over them I would freely invite you to my circle of counsel."

     Wide eyes brimmed with tears of speechless joy and terror. The countess had never seemed to pay attention to her or any other servant before, had it been that perhaps while so many eyes devoured the ethereal Octavia that the dragon eyed woman's gaze had taken Miranda in before? Could it be that in the moment of which the countess had devoured her gaze she had seen something within her that she was unaware of possessing? She nodded with a bare breath of assent as her chest found air to be less blessed and she hardly dared to breathe lest it upset the sorceress.

     Without hesitation deformed hands clasped Miranda's and twisted the girl's perfect fingers to hold the needle and carry the unicorn's thread through with it. "You have experience in sewing, do not deny that truth, I have seen it within your work for the western baron." The surprisingly silken touch of Octavia's misshapen hands guided Miranda's roughened palms along the task. A thrill of power rose through her harshly overworked hands and still the soul inside the hide fought the power of the sorceress' weaving.

     "You have so much, so many who fall at your feet in love. You squander so much of their passion. Why milady?" Octavia chuckled softly as she showed the girl where to pluck the strands to tighten the threads, though she knew that Miranda already had the skill it should still be honed. the strands came together slowly, one half side done and the fingers to be shaped by strips.

     "I squander nothing, they fall before me because I bend them to me and I will them to my feet. Sex is one of the greatest powers mortals have taught me, even those of planes beyond treasure carnality in many ways. They do not love me, they bow before my whim because of the power I wield over them, their own desire." The rich, sultry voice made the girl shiver as though she was laid bare to the countess' desires.

     "Then how so will you ever know of a man's truthful love if you bend all to your whim milady?" Her words felt so out of place, like a quizzical little child asking where the sun went at night time. She felt uneasy asking so many questions when she had been taught to be silent unless called to question. It was relief that the countess seemed to welcome her curiosity and even more so as her hands were encouraged along the stitching.

     "I will know he is truthful when he bends not to my whim but when he stands proudly before me and denies my powers over him. Only he who could stand against me and still see me shall be truthful in his love. I would not raise a weaker man bent to my will and keep as my equal. Those who throw themselves to me in willingness are unworthy for any force could turn them as easily to another's favor." She paused in her explanation and stilled Miranda's hands as the glove came together at last and the final knots were tied, the soul fully bound within the pair of gloves.

     "Is that why you are here then? Do you hope to find such a man amongst the pitiful mortal courts?" A rumbling chuckle bubbled in Octavia's throat as the wickedly beautiful countess turned to nuzzle along Miranda's cheek bringing a hot flush to the girl's tanned face. Such an affectionate gesture was not unheard of from the sorceress but it wasn't entirely the gesture that had Miranda blushing as goose pimples raised along her arms. From the underside of Octavia's nose to the top of her plump, crimson lips felt as though it were a bird's smoothed beak.

     "You mortals are so amusing, you think too highly of them child. No mortal man could ever hope to stand against me now. Not after so many years." The husky whisper of the countess' voice in the girl's ear made her blood run cold as a winter deluge. Pillowy lips pressed a tender kiss to Miranda's perfectly rounded ear as though the girl had been her lover all along. "There was one.. A man whose eyes were as blue as yours, his hair like a golden crown, he was the last who could defy me."

     The countess sighed and pulled the girl into an almost soothing embrace of malformed hands and sharp claws that turned so as not to damage the tender flesh of the mortal girl. One elegant cheekbone rested against Miranda's as the countess gave a soft breath of wistful memory. "He was too weak. I had thought he had been strong enough to keep truly loyal to the heart I gave him but he shared the flaw of all mortal men and she was prettier than I."

     "What of the heart you gave him? Did he break it?" The countess seemed to stop cold at that as if all the warmth had gone from her. Slowly she stood and pulled away from Miranda with the gloves left in the servant girl's lap. A quiet agony seemed to fill the room as the countess glided gracefully towards the door. "M-milady?" Wide blue eyes stared after the countess as she rose and moved to set the gloves aside.

     "No, keep them. I have made them for you child. Those gloves of purity are my gift." The silent pride that always bore her seemed to slowly return as those dragon's blood eyes turned to capture the watery blues of Miranda's once more. Sharpened claws peeled back the scales of her dress, removing her own flesh in the same motion as the whole left side of the countess' inner chest was exposed to the girl.

     Those cold crimson eyes danced with pain and long unshed tears as she slowly stroked over the battered organ of her heart. Stitched and sewn in a patchwork of pain and roughly covered heartache. "Miranda, child, so many millenia has it been since any have asked of the man to whom I handed my heart. This is all that remains of it. I promise you child, the love you mortals speak so highly of has brought me more pain than you would know. I hear it is a double edged blade, but first I must pick up my own pieces." Sharp claws caressed the throbbing, patchwork of canvas, burlap, and living flesh again before she resealed her outer skins and made it whole again.

     "Do not be a fool my precious one, everything is knots. The universe, the planes, the worlds; everything is a tangled mess of knots. Connections are in every being and in every object. Knots, twisted strings of power, webs of deceit, and threads of fate. I weave and sew as a way of knotting and shaping myself and others. In order to sew one requires a greater set of weave, fabric. I would teach you my craft but my pains I would never wish upon you, never tie yourself back up with grudge knots, never bind your wounds in grief. It will make you feel better for a spell but all pain returns to haunt us."

     Those blue eyes stared as the dragon-skin clad countess drifted away to answer the king's call at last. Was it true? Could a grudge be so powerful as to pain a person so long? Miranda looked down at the unicorn gloves she had been given and the girl could only wonder what the power held within them was for. What of the creature trapped in her gift unwillingly? What about the creature's soul she had helped to ensnare for eternity with the strands she had plucked to tighten the weave? Was it tied in grudge knots too?

of chaos and crazies

I suppose I could poke a bit of an update out of it's cage and let all my lovely followers know that we're hard at work on Web of Souls and Dimmi should have an update to post for herself soon! I'll be encouraging the dear Eric to start a bit of posting here as well even if it is just silly filler like this entry. Before I go to laugh at myself some more I'd also like to thank each and every one of the viewers of this blog. It means a lot that you're taking even a moment to give us a look.

In other news I (Katinka) now have a personal blog for random posts. It'll likely be a little drabble spot full of amusing parody comics and enjoyably by anyone who likes learning random facts. This redirects you

Shatter Heart!

Not a whole lot to report except that things are getting underway with volume one's outline and story structure beginning to be put in place for the rough draft. Revision will become an objective only after I have the entire series outlined and roughed. Polishing will happen after full revision is made.

In other news I've been practicing with my new pens and I've decided that redoing Octavia's dragon hood was a pure must as she has been in need of a reference update to begin with. Next up will be redesigning her full body dress/hooded cloak combo and putting up some informational tidbits about said articles of clothing and the various accessories she has and dons for the many different powers and what not.

So while I'm busy weaving with words have a nice new picture of Octavia in all her creeptastic horror-glory!

Remember, all art posted herein is subject to copyright.

I flakked your blit in Westfall..

Anyone who knows where the title is from I salute you for youtube crawling and WoWing. Now about that update! (no blits were harmed in the flakking of this update)

Well, Tomorrow I'll most likely be off for a while down at the lake for some quiet R&R but you can expect me to begin the outlines for the first volume of Web of Souls aside from the usual conceptualization sketches if the trip truly is a go. If we'll make it is still up in the air but here's to hoping. I'd also like to take a moment to introduce my associate, Dimmi, Who will be doing much of the background art and landscaping as well as updating and blogging here with us about the project.

I really look forward to working together on this project with my teammates as both are fantastic folks and very good friends. With the concept alphabet safely in the hands of our talented illustrator, Eric, I have high hopes for seeing the final results of a new written language all our own with a faint breath of a numeral system included. I also have some layout design sent to Dimmi and I simply cannot wait to see the amazing landscaping she'll blow us away with when she finishes.

With the very beginning process and practice getting under way I'm excited to say the least. It will be a long hard road to finish this project but I hope to see it blossom as surely as the honeysuckle vines under the summer rains. On an aside from work, I will be taking along a few of my favorite novels and a couple I've yet to finish so that I can ravish them as they so deserve.

See ya'll when I get back,
Katinka

Lali ho!

So as I said yesterday I was working on Sihle's design next and indeed I wasn't lying! So why isn't the precious thing showing off and strutting her stuff with the other four? She's getting her own separate post is why!

I don't know why I have such a love of giving characters parts of themselves to hate and despise but I do kinda think everyone has one thing about themselves that they dislike or that causes them distress. I guess a character just isn't complete to me unless they have one self improvement goal at least.

I do believe I promised some fun facts about the five sisters too. Part of me wants to crack a joke about a pop quiz later but knowing me that quiz would be filled with random myth critter trivia and nothing truly useful (unless knowing how to dissolve gremlins proves useful to you, in which case I highly suggest calling a professional metaphysical exterminator or wishing the goblin king to take them away.)

And now what you're here for!

Random Fellpool Factoids:

• Alaqua's lacerated cheeks were initially sewn up by Jarona to prevent the continuous puns Alaqua would make about 'tongue in cheek' humor.
• Sibylla is often referred to as 'bright eyes' by prince Tomi.
• Sibylla isn't hot tempered as most would assume but she has a fiery spirit and a strong will. She is the only one of the sisters who will stand toe to toe with the prince until one of them backs down.
• The Fellpool are not actually sisters but they share a blood relation through Akako's magic.
• Each of the sisters has a different style of dress though their outfits never change.
• Jarona has a lovely voice and used to sing the young prince to sleep each night. It was on his sixteenth birthday when he asked her to not sing for him anymore that she stitched her mouth closed and became silent.
• Each of the sisters has a nose piercing of some sort.
• The elements the sisters command are inherent, they are not stolen powers. The existence of a water element amongst them suggests they are of varied origins.
• While Sihle enjoys pain as much as any physical sensation Randa's body piercings would drive her mad with sensation.
• Each of the sisters has a specialized fighting style as well as powerful elemental magic. Their weapons are specific to their fighting style.
• Sibylla's breath sparks when she speaks. When angered she has melted boulders and other various objects with sudden bursts of fire breath.
• Alaqua's amorphous nature cannot be classified as true shapeshifting as she must always return to her original form rather quickly. Her specific ability is known as burst shifting (a sudden and mild form alteration such as: becoming a puddle and reforming, reshaping an arm into a jaw that stretches seven feet further than her arm normally could, or stretching herself or her tongues great lengths.)

That's all for now! I'll be burying myself back into my work again soon and probably teaching my dear partner Eric how to use this blog

CHILL OUT!

Or not.. I suppose a welcome is in order as we kick things off with a grand hello and opening of this blog! I, Katinka, will be the first to admit that not quite everything is set up but that IS the point of this blog isn't it? This will serve as an archive and as a bit of a behind the scenes or 'making of' for the project Web of Souls.

I may not have much to post just now but I do enjoy sharing artworks so here comes the first round of wonderful things to show! Be warned this is an art dump (and remember, all images contained within this blog are the sole property of Kayla Steed and Eric Babbs).

Randa: The Sniffer

Queen Akako

King Fudo

Alaqua: the Licker

The Blood Bound Sisters

Sibylla: the Watcher

Jarona: the Listener

Miranda Moon

and last but certainly not least we have Octavia!

The final Fellpool is lacking a conceptual design as of yet but worry not as I shall soon be working upon dear Sihle's appearance and she will have the next post all to herself with a list of fun facts for her and her sisters.