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Niskigwun Blog Entry |
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March 30, 2021, 11:48:45 PM 3/30/21: This...took some doing. Obviously. A few portraits I've avoided so far with what a sheer pain I figure they'll be to do...this here is an example. I worked on it about twice as long as usual for a portrait. Niskigwun ("Ruffled Feathers"--yep--that's his name), from my Manitou Island stories, is a Michinimakinong or Turtle Fairy, descendants of Geezhigo-Quae who used to live on the Island but, after persecution by humans, fled through the Fairy Arch into the Fairy Realm. When Charmian first meets them she's rather disappointed that they look not like Tinker Bell but pretty much like regular native Islanders...albeit with pointed ears, and wings which they often keep rolled up in protective leather cases on their backs. They also have a particular fondness for feathers, which they wear not only on their heads, but on their clothes, tools, and weapons as well. Bird- and sky-related names are common among them, such as with Niski here, and two of his multitude of siblings who are named in the stories, Zhooshigauh (Heron) and Cheengwun (Meteor). (Sooleawa Chepi/Zhooniyaawaa Geebi is an exception, likely because her name is an assumed one.) Niski is a sort of "captain of the guard" for Geezhigo's troops; he's a bit unusual a character as he's a skilled warrior but also rather fussy and prim. Charmian learns some interesting things regarding both Michinimakinong courtship rituals and wing physiology from him...I guess you'd have to read my serial, Return To Manitou Island. His unusual headdress is actually a sort of turban/wrap (red colored here...unfortunately, blends with his skin tone a bit much) with small spiky feathers stitched(?) all along it...when unwound it reveals that he's mostly bald, aside from a porcupine-hair-roached strip along the top of his head (visible through the open top of the turban) and a tail in the back (should be a bit longer but I hadn't the room). He's rarely seen without his headwear, so I imagine it's a Michinimakinong custom to not often remove their head coverings in public. *shrugs* Oh, he's got at least three pairs of earrings, some feathered, as well. Because of course he does. I consulted a few old drawings of him and thought, "WTF, he doesn't need that many earrings!!" but he ended up with them anyway. Of course. Incidentally, Chepi is another character who will be a sheer pain to draw...feathers...sigh. [Niskigwun 2021 [Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 11:48:45 PM]] |