“In this ocean of stars we found each other,
and that’s why we are StarTwo”
Welcome one and all to a place where words become artworks.
We invite you to become a dreamer and surrender to imagination as we share with you our work, thoughts and inspirations.
★There will always be a comfy seat waiting for you at Starlitden★
Follow the Light Bearer with the guiding crown.
This time we bring you a turn of phrase that seems to exist in so many languages with the same structure, which was really interesting and in turn inspired us enough to pick it up and give it our StarTwo’s twist.
In Portuguese “Na terra de cegos, quem tem um olho é rei” translates to “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King” is an expression that reminds us that the level of one’s abilities and skills heavily depend on how common they are in the current environment and that those with less skill will value a higher level of abilities than their own (or lack thereof).
The non-existent capacity or aptitude from the surrounding people elevates the one with some level of ability and skill.
There is a similar saying, but dating further back – straight from the 4th or 5th century- “In the street of the blind, the one-eyed man is called the Guiding Light”, and this is where we got the inspiration for our Light bearer, leading the blind and the ones who do not wish to see (although they’re quite able).
Just in case, hone your skills as you might have to pick up a Guiding Light depending on the land you’re visiting!
★stay inspired★
Even if it feels like Autumn just begun, with Halloween gone by it’s starting to feel like Winter really fast.
We’re holding ourselves to the current season though and as we try to appreciate roasted chestnuts and sweet wine, we’re sharing our Enfield’s lines with you.
By giving ourselves the challenge of creating a humanoid version, we tried to come up with a design that also felt modern and intriguing. Usually there’s a set time-length for these illustrations and we can say that this one pushed our time slot to the limit!
You can check our complete post about these Irish Chimeras and the colour version of the illustration here.
★Enjoy roasted chestnuts and stay inspired★
The plea of StarTwo’s enchanted Moorish Maiden. “Oh noble traveller, save me…”
If you happen, wondrous traveller, to find yourself roaming by the moonlight and chance upon the ruins of a castle or wet your feet in a cooling river or ocean waters, beware of the enchanting, warm voice beckoning you to come closer and hear its sultry plea with promises of riches and eternal flesh made human again, to be forever yours.
There are enchanted Moors in the land of Portugal and if you can not bring them salvation, they will most certainly bring you doom.
Moorish Maidens or Enchanted Moorish Maidens are fantastic spirits and according to traditional folktales and legends, they are princesses of great beauty and are known to be dangerous seductresses.
They are obliged to live in certain places, in a supernatural stupor until a certain chain of events releases them from their curse and most stories do speak of the incidents that made them become spellbound, the main ones being that the Maidens fell in love with Christians and by consequence were forsaken and cursed by their families, or as daughters of Moors with magical powers who depart in warring campaigns against their enemies, are left eternally enchanted as means to protect the treasures their fathers left behind.
The ways to free a Moorish Maiden from her enchantment are usually also revealed – by the Maiden herself, as she uses all her charms and otherworldly beauty to make those that hear her feel tempted into aiding her, while ignoring the risks. These usually involve tasks that range from an apparent simplicity to tricky demands such as offering a salt-less bread, milk, to proclaiming certain words and resisting the urge to look at a curiosity inducing matter and of course, giving the Maiden a kiss.
To fail completing these tasks means doubling the enchantment on the Maiden, dooming her forever and losing her and the treasures she is guarding, not to mention putting your life at risk as well.
It’s in the south of Portugal, due to the historical Moorish invasions that these tales and legends became intertwined with the origin of city names and castles which were built by the Moors. Although a Christian country, paganism was a normal happening and the supernatural mixed with the real to create these folktales about amazing treasures and the tragic Maidens that guard them for eternity.
A Moorish Maiden in Vila de Moura’s Coat of Arms
To this day, many believe they still haunt several places (especially in the region of Algarve), maybe a means to keep some modern Indiana Jones away.
But are Enchanted Moorish Maidens truly just related to Moorish princesses?
Then, what of the Marwo of Celtic origins, present in northern Portuguese folklore and Galicia, way before these lands ever saw a Moorish invader?
That will be a subject we will gladly share with you on a future post, where we shall compare these mystical, beautiful Maidens that populate Portugal’s rich folklore! This was a particularly charming theme to illustrate and we tried to mix both the mysticism of the Maiden and her sultry charm with the danger that lurks if you pay attention and don’t fall for her charms right away.
★We wish you a wonderful weekend and stay inspired★
Please click to check the Commission Information
This is a StarTwo Public Announcement!
Our Commission information is finally updated and fully illustrated to help everyone who is interested in either having a personal work from us or a commercial one.
This information will always be available on the blog’s pages and we’ll inform you if it gets updated again or changed. We are very flexible in terms of styles so check with us what you have in mind and we’ll love to make your idea get shape and colour!
Thank you very much!
★stay inspired★
Amidst Inktober inking commotion and regular work hours, the doorbell rang and an eagerly awaited package from Cirsova Publishing was placed in our hands. Just like that, Christmas had come earlier.
As we merrily mentioned previously in other posts, we were approached by Cirsova to work with them in producing illustrations and covers for the 70th anniversary of Leigh Brackett’s pulp hero, Eric John Stark.
And once again, Cirsova was delightfully generous to send us copies of all the editions they published of Stark, from the separate stories (coloured soft covers) to the compilation with all three (white softcover) and last but not least, the special hardcover coffee-table edition!
From all of them, we have to say the deluxe hardcover is our favourite and the one making us rejoice the most. Besides our illustrations and coloured covers being included at double the size of the other editions, all the concept art we produced as well as the preliminary studies for the chapter illustrations are included, revealing how we went about creating the characters and creatures and which illustrations got picked for the project (Oh, those days of hard decisions…).
Leigh Brackett was a wonderful creator and we wanted to translate to our style her manly men and strong yet feminine women. (We dream of being able to make a comic book about Stark, honestly.)
It’s with immense gratitude that we thank once again Cirsova Publishing for sending these amazing books over to us and in case you haven’t, check out which edition is for you at:
And you can visit Cirsova’s blog
Bonus pic with a curious photo bomber
★happy week and stay inspired★
A ghoulish wedding
Many blessings for the Werewolf Knight and the Succubus Dame, may their life be long (if not eternal) and full of happiness.
After the groom accepts to wear the traditional cape and settle down, the bride also commits to retire from the succubi life to enjoy any and all phases of the moon together. Howling is optional.
This concludes our own StarTwo Inktober 2019 themed with Knights and Dames. What an adventure it has been!
Thank you to everyone that went on this journey with us. We look forward to your visits as we resume our usual posting.
★Happy Halloween and stay inspired★
Just the right amount for first impressions
Getting ready for a hearing, now that war times pushed her into the responsibility of dealing with the bureaucratic issues regarding the family’s estate.
A welcomed task coated with the confidence to do the best she can.
★stay inspired★
