Creature Feature – The Enchanted Moorish Maiden ~ Video

Art by StarTwo

We revisit the Enchanted Moura with a video of the digital inking process.

A lament in the wind whispering “Save Me”, a voice impossible to ignore pulls you towards the direction that made the hair on the back of your neck stand. But the dulcet voice is too sad and you feel compelled to accept the challenge to free her of this cursed afterlife. And you advance as many have done before… At your own risk.

Check the lines and full colour posts on the links below!

click here for the Lines!…

…And here for the Full Illustration!

★Stay safe and stay inspired★

Creature Feature – Soul of Meister

Art by StarTwo

Portugal is typically known as a country of sailors and fishermen, and many are the tales of glorious journeys, discoveries of unknown lands, cultures, treasure and also death.

When it came to shipwrecks the men, in their sublime rudeness expressed their sense of loss and belief in something extraordinary, moved by religion and superstition. And so came to be the idea that when a helpless ship got lost at sea or was devoured by a storm’s cruel waves, the soul of its Captain would rise and roam alone, eternally lost.

They respectfully called them “Alma de Mestre”, literally translated to “Soul of Meister”, and they would forever wail amongst the night ocean’s waves until their bodies could be set on the earth and finally reach Paradise.

In truth, the wailing sounds the sailors claimed to hear were nothing else but the plaintive sounds of birds called storm petrels that come to fish at night and thus the Portuguese sailors dubbed them too, “Alma de Mestre”.

It is a tragic memory left behind and yet another testimony of human sacrifice and desire to go further beyond.

★stay inspired★

Creature Feature – Caretos de Podence

Art by StarTwo

Nice try, but a mask won’t hide a voice she can recognize!

Portugal is a land of many traditions and among them, there’s one in particular that has been officially recognized as part of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO this month of December 2019! It is none other than the Caretos from Podence, in Trás-os-Montes e Alto-Douro, Portugal. A millenarian tradition celebrated in Winter, but festivities are more intense on Shrove Tuesday and its previous day.

There are several speculations about its origin and it’s believed to have Celtic roots, from a pre-Roman period. Probably related to the existence of the Gallaeci and Bracari in Galicia and North of Portugal.
A rather interesting theory also speaks of the connection to the Roman Saturnalia, the agricultural god Saturn and Lupercalia festivities, in honour of Pan, god of shepherds and flocks.  And when you think of satyrs and their chase on the nymphs… Well, let’s keep going.

The Caretos are creatures that blur the lines stipulated by religion and profanity, born yearly when groups of men and boys dress in

Creature Feature – The Enchanted Moorish Maiden ~ Lines

Art by StarTwo

Our Enchanted Moorish Maiden still lingers waiting for someone to break the curse, knowing that freedom will require someone with bravery – and knowledge of the dangers.  Here are the lines from her Creature Feature full colour post.

Click to check the full colour illustration!

★Stay inspired★

Creature Feature – Enfield ~ Lines

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★