amphigoury: (Default)
amphigoury ([personal profile] amphigoury) wrote2011-08-31 06:08 pm
Entry tags:

Art- Paperlegends BigBang 2011 - Men For All Seasons

Title: Art for "Men For All Seasons"
Artist: [livejournal.com profile] amphigoury
Pairings/characters: Arthur, Gwaine, Merlin
Rating (if applicable): PG
Warnings: Violence, comedic nudity


Summary: Art for [livejournal.com profile] new_kate's Men for all Seasons: a reincarnation story set in 1940. In Albion's hour of need Arthur is brought back from his rest in Avalon. He learns that the world is at war, and that the enemies have dark magic at their disposal. With the help of the mysterious Vril society the invaders are about to gain air superiority and become unstoppable. Only Merlin could fight the new magical threat, but Merlin has been missing for a long time...


Artist's notes: Pinch-hit for [livejournal.com profile] new_kate, who was an absolute wonder to draw for. Originally just the comic, it grew to a cover, banners of some sort, a fleet of animated gifs, and a little something extra at the end - heh.


Disclaimer: Fan-created content, no profit is made.








The Cover

There is a joining theme in the story of Arthur waking up and looking at the sky. I thought it would be an appropriate subject for the cover:

---
Arthur felt solid ground beneath his back and opened his eyes.
 
The sky never changed. Everything else did - the people, the buildings, the fields and the forests; even the mountains seemed to grow or shrink as the centuries rolled by. But Albion's sky was always the same, overcast and low, readying for a rain or recovering from it, stormy blue and familiar like the eyes of an old beloved friend.
 
"Hello again," he said, trying out his voice, and pressed his palms to the cold earth.
 
He always woke up here, in the place where he'd fallen.



Next time Arthur opened his eyes they were in a different place. The sky above them was high and clear, the kind of blue that was too blue to exist in reality.


The Comic

A bit of a dramatic piece with Arthur showing Merlin the advances of weaponry and Merlin having a bit of a tantrum and unleashing his magic on Gwaine's native soil. The tree was fun to destroy - and the hardest part was coming up with a tree-exploding sound: "KKRAAAKOOOMM!!"



--------
The shot fired; Merlin's whole body jerked against Arthur's hold, and he dropped the weapon.
 
"It hurts," he said, rubbing his hand. "And I think it went wide. It's not that easy."
 
"You'll be better after a few days of practice. Everyone we face will have had more. You have to remember that."
 
"Well, this is going to be a fun trip for you without any weapons training," said Gwaine worriedly. "I'd kind of assumed you knew what you were doing..."
 
"I don't need weapons, Gwaine," said Merlin. "I am a weapon."
 
"Merlin..." Arthur started, and Merlin shook his head, baring his teeth in a stubborn grimace.
 
"No. I won't hide and lie again. Not now. I have magic, Gwaine."
 
"Magic? Like in a circus, or like the spiritual-"
 
"Like this," said Merlin and whipped his hand toward the oak, and the old tree shuddered, shedding the last of dead leaves, and split along the middle with a loud groan. The mutilated trunk swayed, sagging under its own weight; a few branches snapped off and fell down, onto the twisted  roots.
 
"Guns can't do that," muttered Merlin, and Arthur decided to stand back and let him work through his anger, and to explain about cannons at a better time. Merlin aimed his right palm at another tree, hissing out his favourite fire spell, and stuttered mid-word when Gwaine caught him by both wrists and gave him a gentle shake.
 
"Don't," Gwaine said. "Stop destroying the French countryside, it's suffered enough."
 
Merlin stared at him, huffing angry breaths through flaring nostrils, and his eyes were yellow with magic, thoughtless and wild.
 
"You're not a weapon," Gwaine said. "You're a man. Merlin, my friend, you're a man."
 
"You don't know," said Merlin. "You've no idea what's going on. There are sorcerers in Berlin, people like me; they would fight. They would put all their magic behind those... guns, and machines, and they'll march with the invading army, to burn our kingdom down. And I have to stop them. I have to stop them."

"I know what's happening to you," said Gwaine softly. "It's happening to my men, too. Fighting changes you, of course it does, it has to. But if we forget we're human, the war will never end."

Merlin laughed harshly, rocked forward and pressed his forehead to Gwaine's shoulder.


---

Animated Headers

[livejournal.com profile] new_kate said she wanted the story to have an Indiana Jones vibe and I figured what better way to get that across than with animated Jones-style maps to commemorate the journey! 


Camlann to London via car



London to Dover via Train


Dover to French country-side via Stuka


Calais to Paris via Train


Paris to Berlin via Train


Calais to Antarctica via Stuka

My favorite bit on this leg was the "striped horses" and "the ugliest unicorns I've ever seen", so I had to include them, heh heh.



Misc


These are too big to be banners, I reckon - but I couldn't help but draw Merlin and the penguin. 







One More Thing:

"Oh, shut up, Arthur," Merlin said, defiantly gulping down more. "I can hold my drink just fine. If you recall, no matter how much I drank I never ran out on a balcony bollock naked yelling 'I'm the king of all I survey!'"





-----

That's it folks - my first Big Bang year all wrapped up! I'm already looking
forward to next year, and all the fests in-between!

[identity profile] lolafeist.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I HAVE BEEN DYING TO SEE THIS ART. Oh god, it's perfect. Yay yay yayy!!!!!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
And I've been dying to post it! Yaaay! Thanks!!!

[identity profile] marguerite-26.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY!!!!!!!!!! GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously am all teared up at Gwaine hugging Merlin and telling him he's not a weapon! and powerful Merlin destroying the French countryside because he's angry and refusing to hide and trying to prove a point. MY HEART! I adore this. And absolutely cannot wait to read this fic.

Excellent Art, bb.

Also the cracky one is adorbs! ♥

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
♥♥ Thank you so much! I really loved that scene too.

[identity profile] ella-bane.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 02:42 pm (UTC)(link)
THIS ART! OH MY GOD. I was wondering what you would do and EEE, you picked one of my favorite scenes. You captured the emotions I felt while reading it! *dances*

The Indiana Jones style animated maps are so GOOD.

Hahahaha at Arthur in the last art. :D SEXY KING!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
It's such a good scene, isn't it? And I wasn't sure if the map headers would turn out, but I'm glad they did! They were a bit of work! LOL!

Thanks for the comment!!!

(no subject)

[identity profile] ella-bane.livejournal.com - 2012-01-09 18:30 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] new-kate.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
King of all he surveys!!!!

Dammit that's hot :D

I still can barely belive this all exists in actual reality. Wow.

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 03:04 pm (UTC)(link)
That's what I do, baby! I make your fantasies reality!! LOL!

♥♥♥
ext_579430: (Default)

[identity profile] gwyntastic.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 02:48 pm (UTC)(link)
This is all FANTASTIC. The last one and Merlin with the penguin cracked me up. I don't know what it is about arthur in the very first panel that's got me unable to take my eyes off of him.

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks so much Gwyn!! The penguin was a blast to draw!!

[identity profile] the-muppet.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
This is BRILLIANT! I LOVE your artwork and can't wait to see more of it! I can't believe this was your first Big Bang, and really hope you'll take part in Paper Legends again next year =)

Also, I am so grateful to you for stepping in for [livejournal.com profile] new_kate when she needed someone =)

Wonderful work; thank you ♥

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much, Muppet! I had a blast participating!

[identity profile] reni-m.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I was scrolling through looking at all the art marveling at the gifs, the kickass comic where you managed to animate a tree exploding without, well animating it (how did you do that??)
...
and then I get to the bottom and all my respect for you DISAPPEARED with the arrival of cracky!arthur.

Just kidding!!!
This is fan-freaking-tastic, Amph!
You are amazing.
Dayum your computer skillz guuurl.

And I personally think we should all draw more crack!Merlincharacters because it's just funny.

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL, thanks Reni! I drew up that merry Arthur about 18 hours before I had to post! Ha ha!

[identity profile] chaosmaka.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh wow, these are great :D The last one made me lol so hard *g*
Thank you! :) ♥

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
It was my pleasure! Thanks for commenting!

[identity profile] fuzzytomato02.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
so awesome AMPH! :D

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
♥♥♥ Thank you!!

[identity profile] iichristinll.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
AHHHHH AMPH! IT'S AMAZING!

I love the animated headers so much, omg they're awesome. And of course your comic is great, as they always are :D Gwaine's scruffiness is super cute.

Your hard work paid off!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks so much! Now that I've posted, I feel like a great weight has been lifted! LOL!

[identity profile] altocello.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
These are wonderful! I love the animated headers, they're perfect! And Merlin and the penguin, hee. :D And Arthur, saying hello again, it's just beautiful. I love the comic, and of course it's the little details that get me, like the suspenders, the style of the shirts (all that research for Kamaraden paid off again!), that Merlin's eye is still gold when Gwaine grabs his hand, the hug, all of it! Well done!!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
That Kameraden research DID pay off! LOL! Thanks so much!

[identity profile] altocello.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I forgot to mention crack!Arthur, which is hilarious!
scribblemoose: image of moose with pen and paper (Default)

[personal profile] scribblemoose 2011-08-31 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, that's just brilliant. :D:D:D

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!! ♥

[identity profile] waltzing-mice.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow bro, awesome is too small a word to describe this.

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
What if you put an extra 'e' at the end? Awesomee!

Lol, either way you go, thanks!!

[identity profile] the-little-owl.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I love the one with the penguin!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks!!! I had fun with that one because I've never drawn a penguin before!

[identity profile] castmeaway.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I adore your style. just so you know.

...and Gwaine...? Perfection (in the ruggedly handsome and totally kick ass kind of way).

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks!! This was my first time really drawing Gwaine, so I'm glad he's up to par!! ^__^
kathyh: (Kathyh Merlin MA5)

[personal profile] kathyh 2011-08-31 10:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh wow! This is absolutely brilliant. The animated headers are absolutely fabulous and I adore the main banner and the comic. Merlin and the penguin is just adorable and Arthur on the balcony is just hilarious. Fabulous work!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you! I had a blast creating them all!

[identity profile] jabber-moose.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
oh my god, these are perfect. Well done!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much!

[identity profile] katie-andrew.livejournal.com 2011-08-31 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
This is amazing!

I love Albion's sky and the maps especially. ♥

Also, Arthur, please always be drunk and ridiculous. :D

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you! ♥! The maps were fun to make!

[identity profile] goth-prostitute.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
very lovely and i lol'd so hard at the last pic... *g*

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!! Glad you liked it!!

[identity profile] mama-zoya.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I love this so much!
Merlin with penguin is so nice, but in comic we can see he can't be nice for all the time. Thank you for this scene, this is all the fic in focus, Merlin should remember he is a man, not a numen, and dont't kick himself for his daily choice, this is difficult balance.
And drunken Arthur )))) OMG )))

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!! I do enjoy when Merlin walks the fine line of 'man' or 'weapon', especially when he's forced into the role.

Thanks again for the comment!

[identity profile] sallyna-smile.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
you're SO good, these are beautiful!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-03 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much!

[identity profile] winterstorrm.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
What wonderful art! I've got to save the fic for later, but this has given me a taste of what I can expect! <3

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-03 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the fic!!

[identity profile] nympha-alba.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh!!!!!!!!
I love this - all of it, but particularly the comic (with BAMF!Merlin). And the penguin made me all awwww. :)
Can't wait to read the fic!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-03 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Can never have enough BAMF!Merlin. Or cute penguins! Thanks for the comment!

[identity profile] feymrys.livejournal.com 2011-09-01 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Your artwork is beyond cool and your majestic HelloAgain!Arthur gave me goosebumps ♥!!!

[identity profile] amphigoury.livejournal.com 2011-09-03 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much!! ^__^

Page 1 of 2