Princess Samara Surrounded by Her Friends
I've been wanting to do a recreation of this painting by Franz-Xaver Winterhalter with my characters for a long time, so I finally sat down and did it! There was also just enough room for me to add in her best friends Rezin and Lizzie! They're visiting Samara from their respective worlds as she prepares for her coronation. It was fun designing them in a way that honors their characters while also making them fit in with the rest of the girls here. Lizzie is in a Victorian style ladies' suit that is loosely based on this outfit. Rezin has been enamored with the fact that Samara is a princess since the day they met, so Samara gave her the royal treatment and let her wear one of her dresses. Honestly, this whole piece was an excuse to draw Victorian fashion, one of my favorite things.
My Friends are My Power
I did this as a gift for my best friend/co-writer for Christmas. These are the main characters of our story, The Wishgranter - Samara, Rezin, and Lizzie. They're very near and dear to my heart, especially since we've had these characters since we were 13!
For this, I decided to take a trip on the nostalgia train to their origins from our super old Kingdom Hearts fanfiction, and designed how they would look in KH3! I had loved drawing these three again, I even included Spiffy, their pet Heartless! I miss that cute little Heartless.
Crown of Queens
While brainstorming for a story that's set post-Wishgranter, one idea I had in mind was a crown made of gems from the crowns of Alenia's past queens, aptly named the Crown of Queens. Of course, I had to draw Samara wearing this crown, since she's the heir to the throne.
Although unintentional, as I started to play with the lighting of this, it began to remind me of the glamor shots that were really popular in the 90's, so I decided to go all out with that and I actually really love it!
The Court of Alenia
This is Samara and her Ladies-in-Waiting. In Alenia, the title is a huge honor, and it means more than just following the Princess around and making her look good. Each Lady has their own area of specialty that they oversee.
Lucretia, the Mistress of Wardrobe – personal stylist to the princess
Mae, the Lady of the Arts – manages the princess' patronages
Zephne, the Maid of Honor – the head lady-in-waiting, manages the princess' schedules and, since she is a changeling, also works as a body double for Samara, Crown Princess of Alenia
Dione, Lady of the Stars – observes the night sky, tracks weather patterns, and interprets dreams
Anais, Lady of the Seasons – manages agricultural aspects while also organizing festivals
Radella, the Lady of the Tomes – manages the royal library and is also tutor and advisor to the princess
Mae, the Lady of the Arts – manages the princess' patronages
Zephne, the Maid of Honor – the head lady-in-waiting, manages the princess' schedules and, since she is a changeling, also works as a body double for Samara, Crown Princess of Alenia
Dione, Lady of the Stars – observes the night sky, tracks weather patterns, and interprets dreams
Anais, Lady of the Seasons – manages agricultural aspects while also organizing festivals
Radella, the Lady of the Tomes – manages the royal library and is also tutor and advisor to the princess
Beauty
A portrait of Samara for my webcomic, Une Danse Éternelle. It had been a while since I had last done a full-blown digital painting, and even though this is a few years old, it's still one of my favorite pieces!
Even If
This is a redraw of something I made when I was 16 and at the height of my Kingdom Hearts phase in high school (who am I kidding, I'm still in that phase).
The story behind this is in the KH fanfiction Samara and Kacey come from, Kacey went missing during a stable fire. Shortly before the fire, he had given Samara a locket for her birthday, and inside was the inscription, "Even if all the worlds disappear, my love for you will still shine." The locket was all Samara had left of Kacey after the fire, so she cherished it and never took it off. Eventually, they are reunited in the fanfiction. Or they would've been if my buddies and I had gotten around to finishing it, but a little thing called The Wishgranter had us preoccupied. I might eventually get around to writing a one-off chapter for their reunion, though!
The story behind this is in the KH fanfiction Samara and Kacey come from, Kacey went missing during a stable fire. Shortly before the fire, he had given Samara a locket for her birthday, and inside was the inscription, "Even if all the worlds disappear, my love for you will still shine." The locket was all Samara had left of Kacey after the fire, so she cherished it and never took it off. Eventually, they are reunited in the fanfiction. Or they would've been if my buddies and I had gotten around to finishing it, but a little thing called The Wishgranter had us preoccupied. I might eventually get around to writing a one-off chapter for their reunion, though!
Victory Kiss
This is also a redraw of something I made in 2010, just as I started venturing into a story that centered around the romance between Samara and Kacey.
I love doing redraws; it's so much fun to see how far you've come in your art journey
I love doing redraws; it's so much fun to see how far you've come in your art journey
In this piece, Samara and Kacey share a victory kiss after a great battle against the villain.
