Jusha Lewa

 More from the Life of Lewa series image collection. This one is pretty old, in fact I made it back when my practice in digital art was still pretty small. Jusha Lewa, the first stage of a Makuta Lewa when Jusha poison spikes in his nervous system.

 

 I worked on three different versions to get the lighting right, but still didn't quite grasp it, my knowledge of filters and soft brushes lacking, leading to basic, but not quite right results.

 "You're slowing down, and I almost have you. No one can outrun Lewa, ever-fast shadow-wind."

Since I have more experience with some things in PSE now days, I decided to revisit the image and do some touch up work, along with some new versions of the idea.

Now the first version seems more appealing with a higher gloom to it. Being chased by a shadow Lewa through a bamboo forest is the first stage of scary.

Will you see him coming? 

I had someone suggest to me that I should try some zoom effect to create a teaser poster like a heads up to what's coming in the next chapter of the story. I liked the idea, and found the image to be even more interesting this way.

"Lewa's Darkness"

(Concept story clip)

Erozion's heart thud so loudly with panic that he felt like regurgitating as he ran as best he could through dense jungle terrain of the dark forest. 

The day had already been bad, but this just made it worse. One moment he and Kazikii were bickering about the subject of how foolish it was to wander near or even slightly over the dark forest border, next thing you know he's running for dear life from a raging mad Jusha close on his trail, Kazikii nowhere in sight.

As Erozion ran he recalled how the day started, thinking back on why he even wandered too close to Jusha territory in the first place. He and his dad got into an argument about his reckless move of nearly blowing up the basement lab while combining two unstable elements, knowing full well his mother said not to continue dangerous experiments at home. He then recalls losing his temper and expressing a few choice words at his father, when he should have just kept his mouth shut.

Lewa was very unhappy, and when he tried to grab the back of Erozion's neck so he could take him to his room for reprimanding, Erozion bolted out of the house as fast as a spooked gukko. 

No more than 15 minutes had passed since that moment, when he found himself confronted by Kazikii, his half brother who had heard about what happened and followed him to make sure he didn't wander too far at such a late hour. Ero knew the sun was setting and the jungle was dangerous at night, but he had just as much fear in the dark woods as he would at home in the presence of his angry father. In these thoughts of dread he hadn't payed attention to his surroundings, and neared too close to the dark borders. 

It's then he and Kazikii got into a bicker before the shadows seemed to close in on them, and suddenly someone came from the dark. Little did Erozion realize that Kazikii didn't abandon him, but rather hid so he could determine where to strike this Jusha whos eyes were fixed on Erozion with an odd sense of anger. 

If only Ero knew who this figure was, but it's a mercy he had little time to look back and notice as he ran for the first clearing of light he could find, now wishing he were back home hiding under his bed, the loud thud of running feet making him regret all his bad choices of the day.

The newer version of the old image does have some extra spookiness. I switched up landscape to appear as part of the dark forest, the dwelling place of Jusha tribes. It's known as the dark forest because it's so dense light hardly makes it through, which means Jusha can live there with ease. 

In this particular version of the scene, it's around late evening, hence why there's still some color showing. I'll also note the wisps on Lewa's swords is shadow energy.

In any of these scenarios I imagine Lewa is either chasing Erozion or Kazikii, one of them having made him angry enough to cause a Jusha poison spike in his system which temporarily turns him shadow and makes him extremely violent. You don't want to be anywhere near him when that happens, odds are he won't use his swords to hurt you if you're one of his own, but rather the metal whip he carries around.

I experimented in making a night version which is all black, gray, and blue, but it's harder to see Lewa in this one.

(Story clip concept)

The darkness was so dense you couldn't tell whether you were going left or right. "Get them." a voice growled from the shadows. What had happened to their fellow Toa was the next shock as a shadowed Lewa ran through the fog of Makuta's lair, pursuing his targets with a sadistic joy as his blades wavered with shadow energy. 

I also made this ultimate shadow version of the image which reminds me of Makuta's lair. Imagine shadow Lewa running around Makuta's lair like he owns the place, his sudden goal to capture you. It would be super scary having to run from this as you stumble your way around in the dark and fog.

Run run run as fast as you can, here come the shadows, you're a dead man. Yes, I did a zoom version poster of Lewa's Darkness.

 (Story clip concept)

 "What did you fast-say?!" the one Matoran shouts as he looks back at an angered Toa figure clad in black armor.

"All I said is that I didn't know which way his kid went!"

"Well next time a high-tall, black armored Toa of shadow-darkness is acting rage-angry and wondering where his son went, just point!" the other returns while running ahead along the bridge as shadows flash through the air, causing the two to yelp.

Best not slip on this dark trip through dense green jungle across a bridge. Lewa's poison stages vary, sometimes his appearance adjusts to fit the toxin in his system. Sure hope whatever village this bridge leads to has lots of light stones for a misty evening with a chance of shadow filled frights.

I made two versions of this, one with shadow attacks, and one without, which is this one.

Lewa's Shadow

Long time back when my blue LED Christmas lights were still up and working in my room, I had put my two Lewa sets on the desk (Axalara and Phantoka versions), finding the shadows of them to be interesting as they were cast on my closet door.

Original without lighting adjustments is a bit harder to see, but I thought I'd share color difference.

 The main image is on the left. Though the sets are both Lewa toys, I use the Axalara set as another character (Erozion, Lewa's son). This image is a reminisce for the Life of Lewa series, shadows of the past if you will. In this image I imagined Lewa and Erozion going on a walk in either the moonlight or possibly in the city of this alternate dimension which Life of Lewa takes place.

I imagine the two having a long conversation about life, hopes, dreams, responsibilities, training yourself out of reckless behavior and learning from your mistakes. No doubt Ero was having a tough week and had made a few mistakes which left him feeling kind of ill, so Lewa took him out for a walk to try and help him get back on top in mood. A little venting is never a bad idea. 

I have some emotional attachments to this piece, especially because I'm able to relate to the characters. Dreaming about what I just wrote makes me wish I could actually be there in the perfect night weather while the green dudes talk things out.

Astral Nui

 Astral Nui, another old painting adjusted. At one time when I made this, I think I was combining the idea of the Iron Giant and  Mata Nui together. It seemed pretty cool to dream of Mata Nui falling through space like a comet. This was made when I had little knowledge of Bionicle still, unaware of Mata Nui's size, so the falling form is significantly smaller.

There are lots of scenarios which could fill in the gaps as to why the robot is smaller. Perhaps the planet he's heading for is very large, or maybe from the angle we see him he's actually pretty far away from the planet still. Both those ideas could even be combined.
 
I ask myself what earth like planet is in view, and I have no idea, so for fun I adjusted the appearance of the world as a reenactment of when Mata Nui falls to Aqua Magna in the Bionicle story line.

Can't decide which I prefer, but the adjustment was quick, all I had to do was paint the world blue.

The original is less flashy, and as always I enjoyed applying new details to give it life. Most of my old paintings were made is basic paint programs, and at one time in Open Canvas.

Tree-Sleep

Dating back to the year 2010, "Tree-Sleep" was a dream image based off a few scenes from the Life of Lewa fan fiction. I improved the image later on, adding in a sparkling sky with clouds and a moon, plus an additional blue filter.

This scene displays part of the story when Lewa would climb up into a jungle tree to rest in one of the giant moonlight flowers which open at night, growing from large vines that wrap themselves around large trees.

   In order to heighten the magical sense I get when thinking about how peaceful it must be to rest in a large flower beneath the stars, with the thought of having a perfect temperature carried through a gentle breeze, I made this video.  A musical compilation of songs that struck the mood of this scene, a way to tell part of the story through imagery and music, a selection of clips from different movie songs I like the sound of.    I did play with shades, this version is what the scene is like without a blue filter.

 The absolute original image was a group project. My friend drew the flower, I then drew in the rest, then colored the picture with marker. As part of the story, Lewa had eaten a jungle fruit shared with him by his wife, Venimbus. This fruit changed his appearance slightly, the tannins on the toxic side towards Toa, resulting in a sudden immunity and a new paint job of scaly accents, a Junti trait considered to be attractive. This is why I drew Lewa with added scale details.

Red Star Gazing

 Red Star Gazing

"What mysteries lie beyond this great solar system? What is that glowing orb of red that sits above and moves in a most peculiar manner? Are we alone, or is there something beyond that's watching from a great distance? I only wonder if survivors of our moons can see and feel it too."

What story could be made of this? I took an old piece of art and have adjusted a few things for interest. The words above are a concept of what the figure in this drawing is asking themselves. Who they are is unknown, but in concept I believe the helmeted figure may be a Glatorian in odd plating, gazing up at the starry sky while they travel through the desert. 

Secondary concept could be that this being is on a world just outside the Glatorian solar system, able to see the three worlds, but also able to see the red star as well, wondering what it is. Who knows, this beings world may have witnessed the explosion of the Glatorian's world during the core war. Their history of this planet describing it as a great nova that crackled the sky and shook the mountains of their planet.

I'm unsure of what year I made this piece, I only know it was during the early stages of my digital art discoveries. I also know that at the time I was just starting to like Bionicle, slipping the red star into the piece, but making the figure my own design which doesn't resemble a creature of their world.

I felt it was time to make the mood pop better, so I added some shading and shine first (left), then I added in extra stars along with some glow spots (right).

I played around with color, added an aurora which resulted in the image on the right. For a night scene the colors seemed a bit bright, so I added a blue filter and got my main image shown at the beginning of the post.

Afterward I wanted to play around, and made the celestial glow version on the left. This made it feel more alien, as though the figure glows in the dark.

Matachillie Maps

 I figure it's time  I share these rough maps created for the old Bionicle RP known as MN-CN-I, name then switched to the adventure of Matachillie, a world that connects to the continuing RP known as Mata Nui Investigators (MN-I).

At the time I created these maps as a guide to other members of the RP, so they would know how I dreamed of the villages of this alternate Mata Nui with its own advances and improvements. 

The Ga Koro map was my final experiment of expression before the starter days of Matachillie RP came to an end due to player complications. However, I'm glad to have made it, enjoying the challenge of creating false maps and blueprints. 

 Matachillie's Ga Koro is rather large, the size of a decent small town complete with two main docks and shoreline living areas. 

I found the digital process of map making was more satisfying in the sense of crisp, clean lines. It helped me play with my layout of the village more, giving me room to adjust. Overall, this is my favorite map.

My very first map layout for the dimension was of Ta Koro, which I left mostly incomplete and only put in the main spots most mentioned during the RP. I didn't want to spend too much time on it, so I left it simple.

 

 Second map I made was a more enjoyable process, though not a full view of the Le Koro region. I wanted to show the mini village of my OC Onah, the female air Toa of the RP. This mini village was located just outside the Le Koro region, and most of the acting that went on with the players and their characters took place here. 

I personally enjoyed this map because I've always liked the idea of mini villages for family lineages, especially in a jungle setting.

Lewa's Capture-Brutaka's Game

"Lewa's Capture"

Woo! this scene....I've been putting this project off for a few years. This scene is from Brutaka's Game, a fan fiction written by Saronicle.

For a few years this particular scene of Lewa's capture has caught my attention, and I, like other fans, for some reason am captivated to see one of my favorite characters facing turmoil.

Despite the fact I've never read Brutaka's Game, viewing only clips of the story, grazing through the art pieces, and skimming through the podcasts, I've always wanted to see this particular scene in my own style.
I'm glad to say I finally stuck my foot out the door and got myself to ask Saronicle for permission to do so after a full year of hesitation.

Brutaka's Game: Lewa's Capture by Saronicle on DeviantArt    You can find more details about this scene by clicking on the link provided.  Above is the original version of this picture, dating back to 2010. On the left is the pilot named B.J., in the background is the character known as Mr. Petrik, and to the right is Ethan. I based my version of the image off of this 2010 drawing, but later after making the line art, I realized that I switched up the character placement in my version, meaning the image doesn't technically coincide with the actual story chapter.   My fault for ignoring the written details while drawing, despite the fact I've read that part before....What can I say, I didn't feel like drawing Ethan's face for some reason, and preferred the back view of him, finding it more pleasing to see Ethan tugging Lewa from the front instead of the back, and B.J. tugging Lewa's neck from behind instead of pulling his head forward. Basically, the foreground characters switched places in my version. Only way to make sense of it would be to say that during Lewa's struggle, Ethan circled around and the lasso slid to Lewa's front, while B.J. ducked away from Lewa's arm and tugged his neck from behind so Lewa would fall to the ground before getting tackled by more angry men, his doom to be tied up and threatened.
Brutaka's Game: Lewa's Capture by Saronicle on DeviantArt I'll also make note that Saronicle created this newer version of the scene, but still I remained more captivated by the original layout from 2010. I like the trees in this one though, always enjoying atmosphere. The atmosphere of my version is a bit different in the sense I made the camp ground less grassy and made it an earthy clearing with grass patches.....Not sure why I did that. Plus my trees are smaller.    On the subject of art process, it was interesting to work on this. Line art seemed good, and I tried a bit harder to lay down colors  which displayed proper lighting, wanting to get it close to the original setting in hour.  I find I'm still practicing in the realm of lighting and color, something about it seeming rather difficult. I asked myself if the lighting was good, and was surprised to find the painting looked better when the lines are gone. There would need to be many more tweaks and colors added to make the pure painted version look even better, but seeing the image without line showed me I didn't do too badly with color, and may one day improve upon the no outline version. Currently I'd say the painting looks like you're staring at the scene with slightly bad eye sight. I also was told Ethan's hair was brown, not blond. The detail I changed was his hair style, and felt like giving him a ponytail instead of a mullet. :P   About sketch process. I shared this page of pose concepts with Saronicle before proceeding to create line art. It was interesting to play around with poses of Lewa, but wanted an outside opinion of which I should I go with. Saronicle felt I should combine sketch 1 and 4 concerning Lewa's pose.    At first I made line art of sketch 4, and while I let the idea sit, I decided to make an adjustment and pull Lewa's arm out so it resemble the original art piece of the scene better. After a few votes, the line art with his arm out was chosen. Before this time I found it amusing to click back and forth between line art, noticing the adjustment of Lewa's pose was so slight that it appeared to be animated. It's probably only amusing to me, but I made a small video to show the two line art pieces put together, displaying Lewa tugging on the rope.

  You can see both line art pieces this way.