Our first picture that we’re working with is a black and white version of the character.  Even from this version of the artwork, you can see that she keeps much of her attire looking the same as past iterations, with one big distinction.  As we’ve been working on including references to the sigils in our art, Wern thought to include the Atalathian phoenix sigil in this piece.  Everything else is pretty much on brand for Zoe, including her sais.

Once we add a dash of color, you can see the gold and blue coloring that’s very in line with Zoe being a street-level hero for the city.  She bears the same colors as the city itself, meaning that she identifies with it.  Now, one thing that you’ll see here in the WIP is that Zoe is looking a bit older than she typically appears to be, so we asked Wern to help us dial that back a bit.

Here we go!  Now that Zoe has been aged down appropriately, we’re also able to appreciate the rest of the polish that Wern put together for the final version of this artwork.  He brought Zoe to life in a very cool way, and we’re very happy to have her immortalized in a new fashion!

We have got plenty more to come from Wern, so keep your eyes peeled!

The post Character Art – Zoe Hart appeared first on Tellest.

Today, we’re looking at a character we’ve seen before.  A couple different artists have tried their hand at Zoe Hart, but this is the first time, believe it or not, that Red Pear has tried her hand at the second generation hero.

Zoe was a quick one for us.  Pear gave us two sketches to work with, and this one was the one that we passed on.

The original pose looked a little too much like Lyla, so we opted for this second piece.  Both highlighted her weapon of choice, the sai.

The detail layer shows off a bunch of cool little details, like her neck piece, and the braid in her hair.  It also highlights her youth.  She’s definitely on the younger side of the characters—maybe younger than Adelia is by the time all our heroes converge—but she’s still a force to be reckoned with!

And here’s our final version of the character with a splash of color.

Here’s a fun fact: If you’ve ever played that game whisper down the lane, this is kind of what it’s like when art is involved.  In the books, Zoe isn’t quite as…bountiful.  But our first artist to tackle her, John Becaro, has a very specific style.  His women all have large assets, and every artist to take on the character since then has kept those womanly curves in place!

That’s it for this take.  It won’t be long before our next Red Pear feature though.  Stay tuned!

The post Character Art – Zoe Hart appeared first on Tellest.

We’ve got an awesome treat for you today.  Barnswallow, who we’ve worked with before, has done up some awesome new characters for us.  And I do mean new.  These characters have either barely been shown in our art gallery, or this is their big debut.

We start with Zoe Hart, our second generation hero.

In our sketch, you can see Zoe is taking what is probably a much deserved break in the city of Atalatha.  We never really talk about what happens between books, but we consider Zoe a “street level” hero, in that she probably helps to keep people safe even when she’s not involved in cataclysm level events.

here you can see a little better our heroine’s attire and weapon choices.  She’s got a very playful style, and even when she’s in trouble beyond her beliefs, she’s willing to give it her all and be optomistic.

Don’t forget to check back every Thursday for more art from the world of Tellest!

The post Character Art – Zoe Hart appeared first on Tellest.

Here’s where we left off:

Of course, a lot changed after that image.  June did an awesome job with the rest of the piece.  Let’s get to it!

We had some need to change certain colors on the character.  We conceptualized Zoe with a more turquoise or teal kind of hue – it made her a little more feminine, yet bold.

The second to last big change was heavy on shading.  June made Zoe look vibrant and energetic, and she really pops now.

Still, as many changes as we went through, nothing could have prepared us for how awesome Zoe looked in her final iteration. June gave us this last piece, and we were floored.  It’s so good!

We’re excited to work with June again.  Cross your fingers that it’s sooner rather than later!

The post Art: Zoe by June Jenssen, Part Two appeared first on Tellest.

Zoe is important to the overall Tellest saga for a few different reasons.  First and foremost, yes, she’s the daughter of a legendary hero.  That hero’s blood means that she’s got a lot of spunk and moxie, but the talent to back it up as well.  She’s also the love interest of a fan favorite, the bulletproof gladiator, David Garus.

Leading into the next big series, she’s going to be playing a much bigger role.  With that in mind, we knew that we needed to get some interpretations of her, and June delivered in a big way.

As always, we were prepared with a sketch of the character.

This particular sketch shows the outfit and the weapon of choice, Zoe’s sai (she has two, but this portrait only shows the one).

After that, June slapped a little bit of color onto the canvas.

The material is starting to come together by this point, and you can see a lot more of the features clearly.

This was the last phase of the work before a big change.  She’s beautifully colored at this point, but we wanted to change from the tint that we had from our reference picture.  At about halfway done, though, June had already made her mark in a big way.

Stay tuned over the next couple weeks for the follow up to this post. 3She did an even more amazing job with the completed image!

The post Art: Zoe by June Jenssen, part one appeared first on Tellest.

Dream No More
-Part Two-

“Garrett!” a feminine voice cried.  “Garrett!  I think it’s working.  I think he’s finally coming to.”

A golden aura seemed to fill the small cottage, not least of all when his vision settled upon the blonde young lady before him.

“Zoe,” he whispered.

She brought her hands to her face, covering her mouth and her nose.  Even in his stupor, he could see the tears rushing to her eyes.

Several urgent steps pounded against the wooden floor.

“Did he just speak?” his son asked.  “Conrad, you’ve done the impossible.”

Randall turned his head then, seeing the beaming smile of his boy.  Garrett reached over and grabbed his hand.

“Son,” he muttered, giving a gentle squeeze.

With wide eyes and a beaming smile, Garrett looked to his sister.  She rested her head against his shoulder and wept.

Beside them, the cleric finally leaned back.  His hand still resonated with a golden tincture, but as he drew away, that glow seemed to fade.

Looking at his surroundings, Randall couldn’t suppress a sigh.  He struggled to sit up, but his son’s hand kept him stationary.

“Take it slow, Father,” Garrett insisted.  “You’re in no rush.  Let us take care of you.”  He turned to his sister, nodding.  “Will you be alright?”

“Of course,” she said, dragging her thumb across her eye.

Garrett patted his father’s chest, standing up beside the bed.  “I’m going to find Uncle Grant and Rhianne, Father.  If we wait, we’ll never hear the end of it.”  He turned around, his steps resounding against the floor again.  “Come and speak with me, Conrad.  Keep my mind at ease.”

Both men withdrew from the house, the door – so distant from Randall, it seemed – slamming shut.

At his side, Zoe slid her chair across the floor.  She had never let go of his hand, sharing in that gentle touch.  As she drew closer to him, she saw the moisture on the rims of his eyes.  His brow furled, and he couldn’t abstain from looking out the window on the wall to his side.

Though he had found the strength to stroke her hand with his thumb, he found himself drawn to the bright blue sky outside.  The clouds rolled over the cottage, obscuring the sun for several moments at a time.

A tear dropped from his eye, rolling down his cheek.

“Father?” she said.  “Father, what’s wrong?”

He croaked out a sob, and in that moment, he seemed to shrink in the bed.  Randall looked at his daughter, his lip trembling.

“Zoe, you have to let me go.”  He struggled to sit up, but his daughter cast her miniscule weight upon him.  Even had she not, he realized his muscles had atrophied while he was confined to the bed.

He turned his head to the side, yearning for the sky outside.

“Let me go,” he begged.  “Let me fly.”

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