Rant of Ferox

Detra stared into the glass bottle in her grasp. An air spirit glared back at her. It wrinkled up its small, furry  face as it glared. It looked rather like a mouse, except that its hind legs were much larger, as though it was designed to leap into the air, in order to give the feathered wings on its back a head start for flight. 

Spirits are one side of the magic system in the stories I write. They are effectively invisible and shapeless, until a special person who has been taught to see them comes along. Then these spirits must take a shape.

Usually they pick a shape coined from a medley of different things they have seen and like, with a bias towards whatever element they associate with.

To help me visualise and write, I would do little sketches. Recently I’ve tried to use computer graphics to help me along too, becuase I’m anything but an artist.

It didn’t turn out how I had it in my mind, but it’s not awful for a first try. I think the head is the wrong size, and perhaps the wings need to be a lot more obvious. The little guy should look able to take to the air at any moment.

This is the original sketch I had done when re-writing the first time. I really wish I was a better artist, my skills haven’t improved over the years.

Tags: , air spirit, concept art, detra, ferox, fiction, writing