I was finally able to finish the illustration below for Kendra Kandlestar and the Search for Arazeen. It is meant to depict the teeming horde of the monster tribes—Ungers, Goojuns, Krakes, Orrids, and Izzards—as they march towards the Land of Een near the end of the book.
Here’s another illustration I’ve been working on for Kendra Kandlestar and the Search for Arazeen. In this part of the book, Kendra and Oki have been captured by the bounty hunter Iro Vex, who has decided to turn them over to Shuuunga, the Unger witch.
Here’s the final, inked, version of a sketch I posted previously that depicts two important characters in Kendra Kandlestar and the Search for Arazeen. You probably recognize Trooogul beneath his cloak. The other character is the would-be-king of Arazeen, a central location in this new book.
Last year I posted some sketches of what Unger drums might look like. The drums play an important part in my final Kendra Kandlestar book, The Search for Arazeen. The Ungers have different beats depending on the ceremony or circumstance. The “thunddrum,” for example, is played when the Ungers are on the hunt for a dangerous quarry. They also have a very specific beat for when they are headed into battle—which will happen at the climax of this book.
I decided to make the final version of the Unger drums sharp and hooked, like one of those beast’s tusks.
Here’s a drawing that I actually finished inking on my recent trip to Korea, and now I am finally getting around to posting it. This is for a crucial scene in Kendra Kandlestar and the Search for Arazeen, in which Kendra finds herself in the clutches of Shuuunga, the Unger witch.
This scene was a difficult one to write . . . and I’ll be interested to see how readers respond to it. Let’s just say, that after this scene, Kendra’s life will never be the same again!
Here’s a sketch for an illustration I’m working on for Kendra Kandlestar and the Search for Arazeen:
One of the number one complaints I’ve heard from readers about the last book is that it didn’t have enough Trooogul. Rest assured, he has a bigger role in this book—and a very important one, as is hopefully conveyed by the above drawing.
This term I’m teaching an art history course for kids and next week is our unit on ancient art. That means we’re making our very own miniature mummies! I decided this weekend to try one out for myself and my fiancé Marcie and goddaughter Charlotte decided to join in on the fun.
We started by each making a form out of self-drying clay. Marcie chose a hummingbird, Charlotte a fairy, and . . . me? I decided to make mine in the shape of an Unger. After all, I imagine that the death rituals of those troll-like beasts from Kendra Kandlestar would involve something akin to mummification—though, let me tell you, it’s quite hard when it comes to their tusks!
Here’s stage one, building the clay models . . .
We let the models dry overnight. Then comes the really fun part: wrapping them with little strips of plaster of paris. It’s a messy process, as you can see by the photos below.
This material is easy to work with; you simply just moisten it and start wrapping your model. You can smooth it out, or leave ridges, as you please.
For the last part of the project, you add decorations with paint. You can do this as simply or as elaborately as you wish, as you can see by our final results (all very different!).
Well, I admit that my Unger kind of looks like he has to go to the bathroom. But it was my first try, after all. The hummingbird turned out really well:
As for the fairy, Charlotte decided to go for the weathered, ancient look; I think it looks very spooky and cool!
You won’t need to snicker about our choices for subjects. I was in Egypt many years ago and was surprised to discover that the ancient Egyptians pretty much mummified anything and everything—including these crocodiles that I found at the Temple of Kom Ombo, in honour of the Crocodile God, Sobek:
This activity, of course, is not only a good connection for art history, but for creative writing, and ancient studies as well!
Here’s the latest page from my Kendra Kandlestar sketchbook, the place that captures all of my ideas, musings, and inspirations for the final installment in the series.
These are just some my ideas as to what Unger drums might look like. You see, drumming is an important part of the cultural fabric of the Unger tribes—and it will also be a key component of the plot of the book. At one point, the Unger hunters will issue “the thunndrum” for one of the Een characters (I bet you can’t guess which one!). The thunddrum, also known as the “thunder beat,” is the beat the Ungers traditionally play while on the hunt, in pursuit of particularly dangerous prey. And to play the thunddrum means to show no mercy for the target.
I was actually inspired to develop this part of Unger culture after participating in a few drumming circles this past year. It’s a wonderfully liberating activity and while I was playing my traditional African drum (called a djembe), my mind drifted off and I suddenly found myself standing amidst an entire sea of Ungers, banging on their instruments as they prepared to wage war on the Land of Een.
I haven’t written this actual scene yet . . . but I have a feeling it will appear on the page almost exactly as it appeared in my imagination while in the drumming circle. We’ll have to see . . .
Given that there is a promotion running this week on amazon for Kendra Kandlestar and the Shard from Greeve (click here for details), I’ve been reflecting on the creation of that book. Yesterday, I wrote a post on my inspiration for the Rumble Pit itself—that dastardly gladiator arena where different mythical creatures are forced to fight for survival.
I had a lot of fun thinking about which characters old and new would end up in the Rumble Pit. Many of the “rumblers” were only mentioned by name, or shown with an illustration, but the truth is that I had developed little mini back-stories for each of them. I like to think that many of them could have novels all to themselves, chronicling how they ended up in the gladiator trenches. The truly fun part was that so many of the rumblers had completely different motivations.
Here are my favorite rumblers . . . whom would you choose to fight by your side?
Name: Kendra Kandlestar
Species: Een
From: The Land of Een
Tool: Enchanted wand of Eenwood
Cleverness: High
Strength: Low
Motivation: To rescue her brother from the pit
*
Name: Trooogul
Species: Unger
From: The Hills of Horm
Tool: Claws and fists
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To steal the Shard from Greeve
*
Name: Prince
Species: Peryton
From: Mount Zephyr
Tools: Horns, hooves, and wings
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To fight with honor in the Rumble Pit and impress his father
*
Name: Leerlin Lurk
Species: Een
From: The Land of Een
Tool: Shadow cloak
Cleverness: High
Strength: Low
Motivation: To steal the Shard from Greeve
*
Name: Uriel
Species: Unicorn
From: The Forests of Grink
Tools: Hooves and horn
Cleverness: High
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To escape the Rumble Pit and return home
*
Name: Krackle
Species: Dragon
From: The Skies of Elan
Tool: Fangs, claws, and fire breath
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: High
Motivation: To vanquish all in the Rumble Pit
*
Name: Darius
Species: Centaur
From: The Plains of Eradeen
Tool: Hooves and mace
Cleverness: Medium
Strength: High
Motivation: To survive the Rumble Pit and return home
*
Name: Xerxes
Species: Serpent
From: The underneath
Tool: Coils and acidic venom
Cleverness: Low
Strength: High
Motivation: To feed her belly
*
Name: Akillé
Species: Gryphon
From: Ireshook
Tool: Beak, claws, and wings
Cleverness: High
Strength: Medium
Motivation: To escape the Rumble Pit and return home
*
Name: Grolf
Species: Giant
From: The Valley of Krodos
Tool: Fists
Cleverness: Low
Strength: High
Motivation: To smash everything he sees
*
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a sketch I was working on for an important scene in Kendra Kandlestar 5. In that original sketch I had envisaged Kendra being attacked by a formidable foe I referred to as “Three Tusks.” While I haven’t dropped Kendra’s encounter with Three Tusks from the text, I decided that the Unger in this sketch looked far too much like Kendra’s old pal, Trooogul.
That’s when I realized that this character was Trooogul. So, when it came time to ink this illustration, I changed Three Tusks to Trooogul. Here’s the final result:
Why is Trooogul attacking his old comrade, you ask? Well, to find out the answer to that question, you’ll have to wait to read the book. And, yes. I’m working on it!
At least you should be happy that Trooogul is back to play a role in this final Kendra Kandlestar book. I’ve had a few complaints that his role in The Crack in Kazah was just too small!
Between the Cracks of Here and There 