Category: AiA character portraits

Anneke character portrait

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‘Anneke is the first red-eye I’ve drawn from AiA – one of the two kinds of vampires in the setting. Archer is a yellow-eye, who are far more common in Sacaan than the red-eyes. The distinction between yellow and red eyes is one you’ll have to read the story to find out more about, but it plays an interesting role in the politics of life in the city-state.

All priests of Ashkenta are considered to have taken on a non binary role in society upon joining the order, due to Ashkenta’s role as goddess of liminal spaces, and transitions, including birth, death and gender transitions. Transition across the binary genders is possible through old magic in the world of AiA, and Ashkenta’s priests are the ones who oversee that ritual. Just as in our world, though, not all trans folks are binary, and plenty of folks identify as non-binary, including Anneke. Being non-binary in one’s personal gender is viewed in a different way from priests who have taken on a non-binary role, but plenty of Ashkenta’s priests are both’ – artist’s comment

Jai continues to be wonderful, even in the face of poses which throw up significantly more challenges than expected and my continued issues with describing facial features other than ‘well I know what they look like, but I don’t know how to explain’. Find their work on Facebook here and dA here.

(Previous pictures in the series: Archer, Sabbat, Amelia, Viola)

Viola character portrait

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‘Viola is Amelia’s lady’s maid/bodyguard/valet, and as such, she goes where Amelia goes. She’s also a werewolf (the first one I’ve drawn from AiA!).

The embroidery on her clothes are in the same motif as on Amelia’s, although obviously not as over the top. She’s also breaking some social norms in her clothes, although not necessarily for the reason you might think – not wearing shoes in Sacaan is pretty highly unusual, given the climate! (Either cold and snowy or humid and wet.) But when you have claws for toenails, and transforming into your other form would ruin anything you’re wearing if you have to transform quickly… Boots get shucked whenever possible. (At least, if you’re Viola, and don’t give a toss about propriety.)

She’s much taller than Amelia – she’s actually nearly Archer’s height! – so I had to resize my sketches and adjust my sketches quite a bit.’

– artist’s commentary on the piece

Jai, once again absolutely hitting it out of the park (and putting up with my continued inability to describe what my characters’ noses look like XD). Find their work on Facebook here and dA here.

(Previous pictures in the series: Archer, Sabbat, Amelia)

Sabbat and Archer, a portrait

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‘A portrait of Archer is not complete without Sabbat, and likewise in the reverse. Each of their portraits in the chair work fine on their own, but it’s as a pair that they really come together.

This one was a fun one, because Sabbat’s choice of clothing contrasts so well with Archer: Sabbat is wearing cheap/worn/out of date styles that were chosen more for how easy it is to run around in them, while Archer’s are more current, tailored and made for comfort. Sabbat’s also wearing his outdoor (hobnail) boots rather than the soft indoor boots Archer is wearing. (And probably ruining Archer’s floors while he’s about it.) The emboidery on his outfits is both subtler (black on black) and simpler (generic leaf patterns on waistcoat and trews, snowflake on boots), rather than the custom, fancy silver embroidery on Archer’s.’

– Jai’s commentary on this piece, taken from here

These two are so much a double-act that, when we started this project, we knew we had to do it in such a way that they could end up in the same image together – hence Sabbat’s pose in his solo picture – and I am so godsdamn happy with how this came out.

Sabbat character portrait

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Sabbat, being about as relaxed as he ever is xD Also, there’s a reason he’s leaning on that chair rather than sitting in it – all shall be revealed fairly shortly.

Find Jai’s work on Facebook here and dA here. Also a) they take commissions and b) they’re between jobs right now, so now’d be a really good time to get some art from them.

(Previous pictures in the set: Archer, Amelia)