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Pfedac β Stargazing
Published: 2010-08-27 19:32:11 +0000 UTC; Views: 1400; Favourites: 18; Downloads: 0
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Description
My first fanart set in the universe of Temeraire, created by Naomi Novik. Here is Lung Tien Lien, the ill-cursed albino dragon, watching the stars with her master before Fate brought Temeraire back to the place of his origins... and no more spoiler ahead...
I am not entirely satisfied with it, especially because my scanner sucks and I had forgotten the fact that India Ink is absolutely awful once scanned, I should have used black gouache. I had to spend a looooong time on Noiseware and Gimp before being satisfied with it...
It is my entry for the Temeraire fanart contest. Seeing the submissions of the other people in DA, I think I don't stand a chance, but it caused a flare of wonderful Temeraire fanart so it really is a true delight
Made with India ink and white gouache
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Comments: 13
I was so sad for Lien when her Prince died. Your scene look like a prequel of the second book and I hope Peter Jackson will add such scene to his film.
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Thanks a lot. I love Lien fiercely, though I do not approve her choices afterward (won't say more, don't want to be too spoilery).
The books are Lawrence/Temeraire centric, but I hope the TV show (if it is the form it takes) will explore more the lives of the secondary characters.
Join Team Lien!
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"Join Team Lien!"
Heh! My sympathies to the French side of conflict by default. One really dark spot in Lien's biography is the destruction of the British fleet (I suppose it was an act of despair), though Temeraire started his military career by destroying the French air landing in the first book.
It is also annoying the Temeraire/Laurence centric plot. In France, the dragons leave their coverts, to be integrated in human society. This must be an effect of nuclear bomb, but not, the characters stubbornly refuse to notice so global changes. 
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I'm on the French side also, of course, but Napoleon is a complex figure for us French. We either love or hate him. On one side, he stopped the devastating pathway that the French Revolution was leading to and he tried to create a society based on personnal merits rather than birth rights (and we still have sooo many things from this time, like the Baccalaureat (end of high-school diploma)). On the other side, he conquered the people rather than free them, his rule was truly despotic and the press was rather strongly silenced. Amongst other thing, he restored slavery in the colonies to please the family of his wife and other exploitants... And this is something that I do not like in the books, it is said that Napoleon is a despotic tyrant, but the very dark part of his rule are never really showed. I know that Naomi Novik has a passion for him, but I would like a little bit more balance.
To come back to the French side, maybe the last book will happen in France once Laurence and TΓ©mΓ©raire have finished their world tour. And in the end, Lien does not die. I must say that it is my greatest fear for the end. Please Mrs Novik, do not kill her !
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I don't like an idea of a duel between Laurence and Napoleon. A despot or not but he deserves some respect like any other historical figure. I hope that Lien will survive at the last book. Be killed by Temeraire is too trivial death. By the way, Naomi Novik gave an interview in France and say that the end of the Temeraire series will be different from our history line. So I will hope for best final.
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Ooh, a bit of the Milky Way showing there....
Venice work with just black and white! Getting just hints of the scenery like that...
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Thank you very much! Indeed the goal was to focus mainly on the dragon, and to try to give a small part of the feeling of gazing at the stars, though for this part I'm not sure
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For those of us who knows what happens, it's a very sad picture, but I think that even those who have no idea what's going to happen can enjoy the simple beauty and peace in this.
Although I'll have to say that that's a ton more stars than I see when looking at the nightsky.
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Well I overdid it a little when adding the stars, but if we consider there shouldn't be luminous pollution, you can see far more stars than when looking from somewhere close to a big city : [link]
And it is the Milky Way, there is billions of stars in it...
Yes I know I am just trying to justifies my errors... I've been a little too much enthusiastic when doing our galaxy...
Anyway, thank you for the comment, I indeed tried to keep it simple, as I wanted to have as much contrast as possible between the characters and their surroundings, wanting the focus to be on them and the at the sky. Glad to know you find it beautiful.
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... Wow, for an amazing picture. Compared to that, you didn't overdo it much. A little bit, though.
It's absolutely lovely and touching! Too bad with the watermark. I can understand it's necessity, but still...
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This is actually one of my favorite pieces for the art contest that I've seen so far! It's so simple, yet so beautiful at the same time! I like how Lien contrasts so well against the darkness of the rest of the picture. Well done you!
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Thank you very much for the comment, it's really nice to know there are people who like this picture. As Lien is one of my favourite character, and she is white, she was perfect for a stargazing picture, Temeraire would have been more difficult. And I am happy to know that you appreciate the simplicity, as I wondered long whether I should make it that way, or more detailed...
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You're welcome! Sometimes I get tired of seeing overly complicated things and just like to appreciate simplicity. It's an aesthetic that you see a lot in Japanese/Chinese art and design.
And I like Lien too. Albino dragons are awesome!
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