Beholder reveals...

[sigune]

The reveals for hp_beholder are posted!

My gift story, Driving Mrs Weasley, was written by miramiraficfic. It's a tender, astutely observant story about my favourite canon couple, Mr and Mrs Weasley :).

My own gift was for tripperfunster. As soon as I saw the names of Dumbledore and McGonagall on her wish list, I was struck with this one idea that I could not get out of my head. It's ... silly. And het. But I hope she enjoyed it nevertheless :P.

Title: A Patented Daydream

Rating: G
Pairings: MM/AD
Media: inks, watercolour, gold Hybrid roller
Warnings: Crack. Oh, and bondage, but I'm just saying that to attract viewers. See rating.
Summary: Some loves are impossible, but dreaming about them is not. Minerva McGonagall tests a Weasley product.
Artist's Notes:This picture was betaed by protowilson, sydpad, and Cabepfir. *BIG HUGS* to them for helping me out - those comments were immensely useful. Anything that still looks odd is entirely due to my ineptitudes. No one but myself is responsible for the colours - or for the idea :P.

Comments

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

I loved this, but when I look at the post originally, IJ was temperamental and wouldn't allow me to post my delight. I love it that her fantasy is to slay the dragon for him. Love the colors in the dragon. Not that I know anything, but I see your watercolor paintings just get better and better.

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm trying very hard to improve. Much of what goes better is due to the help I received from Cabepfir. She shared a few basic things with me, and at once I am having more fun and getting better results with watercolour! It's been great :-). I have also discovered hot-pressed paper, which suits my predilection for lineart much better than other kinds of watercolour paper do.

Me and my inverted fairytales... After Sleeping Ugly, I couldn't resist Minerva the Dragonslayer ;-).

[giant-ant.livejournal.com]

A really strong piece as well. *sigh* love it.

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'm so glad :D.

[veradee.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is great. Her daydream looks very vivid.

I'm particularly partial to the "real" MacGonagall, though – her hair, her features, her glasses are just perfect. I wonder whether you would ever consider doing a painting with her and Snape?

[sigune.livejournal.com]

That depends... Do you mean as a couple, or just the two of them in a painting? I like both, so if I had an idea to bring the two of them together in one picture, I would certainly carry it out :-).

Glad you like it!

[veradee.livejournal.com]

Oh, if you should ever feel like it, I know I would like whatever you decided upon. I can imagine them as a couple, as amiable colleagues, as rivals for the Quidditch trophy, young and inexperienced teacher and older and wiser colleague...

[bluestocking79.livejournal.com]

Yay! I had no doubt it was you. :-)

I already squee'd over at the site and rec'd it in my LJ, but I still really love it. It's clever and beautifully done and really, I think, quite IC for McGonagall.

[sigune.livejournal.com]

I like to think so ;-). In my opinion she is one of the most under-used characters in canon, and I absolutely hated it when Rowling declared in an interview that after the war, McGonagall didn't become Headmistress again because "she was really getting on in years". Come on! In a world where great-aunt Muriel is extremely sprightly at, what, 110 years old, surely a strong and courageous seventy-year-old is perfectly capable of carrying on until at least Dumbledore's age of 115?! Meh.

I couldn't believe I fooled anyone as to my identity, but apparently the absence of Snape alone was enough to confuse a few people :P.

Thanks for the rec, btw!

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Somehow I completely missed this when it was first posted. This is such a charming image! I love the contrast between McGonagall's brave knight-in-shining-armor fantasy and the blush on her cheeks below. You're amazing. Maggie

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D
I had such fun with this one. Wasn't it high time that a woman wielded Gryffinodr's sword? Too bad it's only in a daydream... :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/phistolemon_/]

this is one of your best pictures, imo. no kidding.
I simply love the idea and everything, really everything, about this picture looks perfectly right and well done to me :)

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Thank you! But I have to say that it only looks right because I had it beta'ed. This is very complex for me, and it needed a few corrections. Usually I am not patient enough to have my pictures checked, but I took my time on this one, and I was rewarded :).

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

I should have known this was yours when I first saw it. It's still a shock to me to see your works in color, but I really do like the blues and purples throughout. McG's sporran and buttoned up boots rock as does the way she seems to be taking Dumbledore by the beard.

What I most admire is the effect of light glancing off Minerva's armor as well as the intricate detail and precise line work going into each piece of metal. And those chains are so very uniform and chainlike!

[sigune.livejournal.com]

As you can guess, I used reference for the armour :). I'm rather fond of old weapons and armour, so I gladly devoted time to getting it to look nice in the picture.

There is still a lot of room for development in my use of colour *g*. My love for black and white hasn't lessened, but some subjects are just better suited to colour. If I had done this picture in black and white, it would have looked too serious/gloomy, I think.

Glad you like it!

[msavi.livejournal.com]

Wow, I love it! Everything about it is just brilliant. I find it unreasonably funny that Minerva is wearing armour, complete with sporran, and yet her shoes look like she stepped right out of the classroom. Like you said, it is silly, but that just adds to the brilliance of it. The artwork itself is drool-worthy. Love it!

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I did consider dressing Minerva in a complete harness, but I thought that would lose me some of her character. Shoes with spats are an integral part of my visualisation of McGonagall, and I really couldn't part with them :D. Now she looks like a funny cross between a schoolteacher and a knight, which is just right for the scene, I thought *g*.

[seaislewitch.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is fantastic! I love that her daydream is rescuing Albus from the dragon! LOLOLOL! And look at her corset of armour! The details are so good!

It's been too long, my friend!

[sigune.livejournal.com]

I know, I know - I so rarely find the time to be around! I like my job, but I haven't got a life outside of it :(. This picture took me an entire month to finish - I started it just before I got my job, and then it took several weekends to make corrections, then do the inks, and add paint. I'm not sure how I'm ever supposed to do a comic again at this rate X(. Also, during the first year of my employment I'm not entitled to take a holiday. *sigh*

At least the picture was fun to do :). I'm very glad you like it!

[protowilson.livejournal.com]

So good to see the final piece, especially with such lovely colours!
I tried to leave a comment over on DA, but the site wouldn't let me - going through one of its temperamental phases, I guess.

[sigune.livejournal.com]

I was really nervous about the colours. Inking is - the way I do it, at least - such a time-consuming process, and I would have screamed if I'd ruined those precious inks with bad painting. There is room for improvement, but the result could have been much worse, I think :P. I'm particularly happy with the colour of the rock and with the dragon. That scaly effect happened all by itself XD!

Thanks again for your help - your comments allowed me to make a lot of improvements!

[emila-wan.livejournal.com]

That is amazing, gorgeous, and hilarious! Perfect!

[sigune.livejournal.com]

*g*

Thank you!

[shaniah.livejournal.com]

You make my day! Thank you XD That's great!

[sigune.livejournal.com]

I'm glad :). Thank you!

[ex-neke.livejournal.com]

Oh. I love this. :D

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

[redvelvetcanopy.livejournal.com]

THAT IS PRICELESS! I think it's one of the best things you've ever done. I just love it.

Oh, if I could have the talent you possess in your little pinkie finger!

[sigune.livejournal.com]

With some small exaggeration... :P

But I'm very glad you like it :). It's certainly my most ambitious piece so far in terms of complexity, and it could have been a complete disaster. *g*

[branquignole.livejournal.com]

Yay for the watercolour! The colouring looks great.

And as for the idea - you did read vocalion's Highly Improbable, didn't you? We're all a bit aunt Hilly. :D I really like the idea.

[sigune.livejournal.com]

I'm glad! I don't have a speckle of Vocalion's comical talent, but now and then I do manage something a little bit crazy :)...

Thank you!

[corbye.livejournal.com]

Sweet and funny. Love Minerva's feminist take on the legend of St. George and the dragon--sporran and all--with that high button shoe planted firmly on the dead beastie. The water colors are lovely, right down to the delicate flush on daydreaming Minerva's cheeks. Thanks!

[sigune.livejournal.com]

I'm a great fan of those Celtic fairytales in which the women have to save/help/release their menfolk. And you'll have to admit that McGonagall has the potential to wield swords and fight dragons... *g*

I'm glad you like the paint :). Watercolour is exciting, even if I find it difficult. I certainly want to get to know the medium better.

Thank you!

[orpheus-samhain.livejournal.com]

LOLZ That's great! The idea and making :)

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)