Challenge art

[hrymfaxe]

Artist: hrymfaxe 
Title: No
Summary: Fudge has given his newspaper to Sirius in Azkaban and Sirius realises that things are not as they seemed...
Rating: G
Warnings: No
Prompts: No and You hurt the ones that I love best and cover up the truth with lies
One day you'll be in the ditch, flies buzzin' around your eyes
Blood on your saddle - Idiot Wind, by Bob Dylan
Medium: Graphite
Artist's Notes: I have tried to make this stark and gritty and to convey what Sirus felt in this situation. I would love to hear your thoughts on this piece. This is done for the Tales of Dogs and Scoundrels challenge over at redandthewolf 

 

Comments

[bratanimus.livejournal.com]

Oh. My. God. This is amazing. There's such energy in Sirius' physicality, and such anger in the style with your bold, heavy strokes. I adore the pose, with him crouching, gripping the paper, fists clenched in rage, howling against the injustice all over again because now he KNOWS what happened. I love how open his torso is, as if he's appealing to whatever gods he believes in to come and fill him with the strength he needs to get his revenge. And I simply love how you've made him very thin (they can't feed people very well in Azkaban, can they?). You've given us a hint of the prison stripes on his shirt, but one wonders where the stripes end and his ribs begin. There's even movement in his shirttail and his hair, as if he's about to leap up and start pacing his cell. This is the moment in-between, after the powerlessness and before the determination to escape. This is his one moment of self-pity and rage, the moment that fuels him for all that is to come next. Gritty indeed, and expertly done. Thank you for posting this! :D

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

What a few days for reviews and comments it has been, eh? This is another that goes straight to my artist heart and warms it all up! I can't believe how much you pick up in this - it's like you were inside my head. Sirius must have been so angry at this moment in time when he found out what had truly happened and the thought of all the lies and the mistrust between the true friends, and the horrible losses, would, I think, prompt a moment of complete abandon into rage. Before it is channeled, as you say, into his singledminded hunt.

I'm also pleased you think his physical appearance works. He has been in prison so long, he is worn thin and has been reduced by his hopeless situation to being nothing more than an inmate - to the point where you are no longer sure of it is the clothes or he himself that a prisoner makes...

I have learned a lot from doing this, and I am so pleased you think the style I attempted worked for conveying his emotions. Thank you so much for yet another wonderful review!

[ravnclw-lioness.livejournal.com]

WOW! When the image popped up on my screen, I just sat here staring at it for a few seconds because it is so powerful and emotionally charged. I love how you depicted inmate!Sirius. He looks thin and battered but you give him a lot of life and dignity too. His posture is very strong and evocative. The lines of his neck and hair really struck me as portraying movement, as if he just collapsed into the posiiton. Even the heavy strokes that make up the background are wonderful and just brings the whole thing together. Fantastic work!

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! It means a lot to me that you were gripped by the emotions I was trying to depict.

It was a fine line to walk between the hopeless inmate and the determined hunter, so it pleases me no end that you think this works. This is a frozen moment where he cuts loose, before he fuels all his rage into escaping and hunt down the one who cheated him of friends and life.

I am always nervous when going so heavy on the paper, because there is no way back, so I'm glad you think it adds to the drawing.

Thank you again, I'm happy you like it.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Wow! Really, really strong portrayal of emotions. Love the figure and everything about his posture. Can't add much to the comments you've already received except to endorse them.

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm very pleased that you are feeling the emotions I have tried to draw here. Thank you for looking and commenting, it means a lot.

[duck-or-rabbit.livejournal.com]

Very psychological and dark, and to that end, it shows exceptional creativity on your part to place negative space around him. Sirius stands out as a lone figure against this background. Brilliant effect.

I think he is barefoot! Fantastic detail. Oh, and he is so thin, just down to the bone. Love his fists.

And the lyrics tie in well with your image. Both Dylan's words and your drawing depict extreme, pushed to the edge scenes at the moment of a shocking discovery.

It is obvious Sirius would react like this to seeing Wormtail in the press yet it is still chilling to see.

Well done. Thank you.

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm very happy you think the negative space works to underline his emotions. It is always a but nerve-wrackingto lay down - especially as this was no slow build towards the darkest shade, but rather me pressing my pencil hard to the paper. There is no going back... ;)

Also it was important to hit right on his physical appearance - thin and worn from so many years in prison, but still with enough life and strength in him to break out and hunt down the little rat.

I give credit for the amazingly Sirius-like lyrics to the mods over at redandthewolf. They immediately led me to this point in Sirius' life - where he would be angry to the extreme, as you say.

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, it means a lot to me.

[duck-or-rabbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I agree the prompts are full of inspiration over there. (I am working on my first fanfic EVER and found myself deciding, re-deciding, then re-re-deciding which were pushing me onward.)

That said, Idiot Wind is a tune I keep in my so called song-back-pocket, and I pull it out from time to time to absorb its words. So, it is especially relevant for me to see the lyrics embodied here.

Many thanks!

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Uhh, good luck on your first fanfic! How exciting - I hadn't noticed that you had signed up, now I'll go see which ones you chose. I was going through all of them too going - I could use that, but that one is good too, or perhaps that one... :)

I'm very happy my drawing was a good representation of lyrics that are special to you. Thank you.

[jdbracknell.livejournal.com]

Wow. I think bratanimus said all this better than I could, but I just love this.

I think you've really captured the powerful emotions at play here, and I love the way that's all in his pose, because we can't really see a lot of detail in his face - but I think that's what makes it work. I think all truly powerful emotions - especially the negative ones - really manifest themselves body-wide, and here I can just imagine him reading the paper and sinking to his knees, as if the whole fabric of what he believed has just crumbled beneath him. I love the balled fists as well, that there's definitely anger in there, and like bratanimus said, it really does seem as if he's throwing himself on the mercy of the gods and howling about how this could have happened.

It's a really powerful piece. I'm so pleased the prompts inspired something like this :).

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

I'm really pleased that the reaction I have shown sirius having reads true to you. It is as you said - he discovers that not only is he in prison for life and feeling the guilt of his friends' death, but the person who put him there and got them killed got away free! It is a primal reaction and his whole body must participate in the rage or he will explode...

I'm very happy you like it - and all those lyrics you have chosen for the challenge are amazing. I can just imagine you listening along calmly, and then go: Sirius!!

[jdbracknell.livejournal.com]

I think the great thing about Sirius is that there are just so many songs that are applicable to him - we could easily have listed a hundred each, I think. I'm really pleased people have found them inspiring - it's so interesting to see how people interpret a song.

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

there are just so many songs that are applicable to him - Is it his rock'n'roll personality do you think? ;) Or perhaps just the fact that he rides a great flying motorbike and has a very very tragic story, that makes prime lyrics-material...

[jdbracknell.livejournal.com]

I think there's a lot of different aspects of Sirius you can pick up on, things like his loyalty, his longing, as well as all those bad boy rock and roll star lyrics ;).

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

I'll echo everyone else and say this is such a powerful, anguished image - a simply wonderful take on the lyrics. Everyone's already commented on the astonishing anger that radiates from Sirius in this pose, but I rather like the idea that the rage (and guilt?) is as much directed internally at himself as it is at Peter, for letting him get away in the first place. The details are perfect - the blurring of prison stripes and/or ribs, the brutally taut, straining line of the neck, the balled fists - I can almost hear him roaring aloud from his cell to the world at the injustice of it all.

And you can almost feel this is the moment when he's getting out of this cell, somehow, whatever it takes.

Tremendous drawing; love it!:D

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your wonderful comment. There is definitely something in the idea that the anger is also directed inwards, mixed together with some powerful guilt that would resurface once Sirius found out that Peter got away with it.

I was almost laughing when you mentioned the details, because I was thinking when I did it, that for once I had cut them away, because the background is so stark. But you are right, and I just can't seem to help putting them in there. ;) And I'm tremendously pleased that his body language is translating what goes through his mind.

The prompt definitely did its job and prompted the Sirius muse - he is wonderful to work with even if this one is not putting him back in a place anyone would want to go...

I'm so pleased you like it, thank you again.

[noliel.livejournal.com]

Wow. What an intense picture! The betrayal and the fury and the *realization* is completely palpable! And the grittiness of the picture serves amazingly well- so well that I hesitated to use the word picture because it seems too- too flowery and there's not enough emotion in the word to describe what's emanating from this work of art. And I just love his clothing, and the line of his jaw, and his neck... Brilliant!

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!! The things you mention about this image are exactly what I was hoping to portray! What a wonderful comment to get.
I think that this moment is what will fuel Sirius for the next year and then some - so it needed to show a lot of energy. I'm really happy you think the few details I allowed myself to put in worked. :

Thank you again, I'm really pleased you like it.

[snegurochka_lee]

That is a fantastic piece! So intense. :)

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm pleased you like it.

here via snegurochka_lee

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Dynamic, and emotionally very powerful.

Re: here via snegurochka_lee

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

What a powerful piece -- I feel like we're seeing Sirius just an instant before he lets out a roar of rage. There's a sense like an ocean wave curling itself up right before it crashes. The line of his throat and the tension in his shoulders are wonderful.

Also, your Dylan prompt is an absolutely perfect choice for Sirius's thoughts about Peter. This is amazing.

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This is precisely a moment in time, just before something lets loose. I love the image of the wave - it is very descriptive of Sirius poised to crash.

I'm glad you think there is tension in his pose, and that the lyrics fit this piece. I thought about this situation the moment I saw those lyrics. :)

I'm so pleased you like this drawing, thank you again.

[sasher-copy.livejournal.com]

Wow. That. Is. Wonderful. I love how you did his position and how you have angled his head. The strokes on his neck and magnificent. His hand clenching the newspapers is pure gold.

Thanks.

[hrymfaxe.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much (and sorry for taking so long to reply) I'm very pleased you like the drawing - I had a lot of fun doing it.. Well except for empathising with all the Sirius angst of course.

Also thank you for friending - I'll go and friend you back right away. :)

I love you all!

[(Anonymous)]

Make love, not war!