Superstition WIP

TessaW

Hi everyone! When I thought of superstition, I thought of all the superstitions about ghosts, sacred places, and gods/goddesses while growing up in Hawaii. There's a lot of superstition regarding ghostly processions of warriors called the Night Marchers. Is it a moonless night? Do you see torches? Do you hear war drums or conch shells blow? Do you catch the smell of death on the wind? The Night Marchers are near. You better flee. If you get caught in the midst of their procession, lay face down and don't you dare look, for if you look you will die. The only way you will be spared is if one of your ancestors are in the procession.

Stories about the Night Marchers were a staple of my childhood, and I always thought about them while camping!

Here's a sketch I've done. I still have a lot of issues to work out with anatomy as well as weapon and tattoo design. Any feedback is appreciated!

1 night marchers-1.png

MichaelaH

It sounds really good, thank you for sharing the process.

Nyrryl Cadiz

This is already looking so creppy! Great job!

drawnbyshawn

@TessaW The 3-point perceptive from the low angle really gives it a foreboding feeling. It's a cool idea, especially since it's drawn from personal experience.

Chip Valecek

I agree with what @drawnbyshawn said. I don't read torches anywhere but maybe once you start to render it out they will standout.

TessaW

Thanks you guys!

@Chip-Valecek - Ok, I will make sure they are readable as I start to refine things more. Thanks!

Aaron_T

I really like the low POV....really helps drive home their scale. Great idea.

braden H

@TessaW Aaaand I'm puttin' that little tidbit of folklore in my 'awesome resources' drawer

It's great, and I love the perspective. However, my initial take was that there was only one warrior on the left, and that his left leg was forward and right leg was back. It took me a few moments to discover that there was a warrior directly behind him, and that foremost warrior's right leg was forward.

Then again, I may be alone in that

I like the sketch. I love the camera angle. The pic feels like a "ghost story" to me. My read, the children are too scared to sleep after hearing dad's spooky campfire tale. Hmmm, with that said, I suppose a scared child would imagine monsters and not Night Marchers? Maybe it can read as superstition??? LOL! This is a tough prompt, hard to be objective. My two cents, for what it's worth.

MichaelaH

@Braden-Hallett I saw it too, would be better without the second warrior.

TessaW

@Braden-Hallett @MichaelaH I see what you mean, thanks for pointing it out. I'll definitely fix it!

TessaW

@Tom-Shannon Thanks Tom. Yeah, I agree that it doesn't really nail the theme. I'm not currently subscribed and can't enter the competition anyway, so I just used the prompt as a jumping off point to make a personal piece. I should perhaps re-title it!

@TessaW It's a great start, regardless of the title. I love the composition. FYI, my wife grew up in Hawaii. When I asked her about Hawaiian superstitions, Night Marchers was the first thing she mentioned!