I'm a varied artist and a self-published, young adult science fiction and fantasy author. I also create fantasy and historically inspired jewellery and digital illustrations & concept art.
Subscription tiers are a 'pledge what works best for you' system with all tiers receiving access to the same subscriber only content. This content includes, but is not limited to:
early access/first dibs options on new jewellery (with 15% discount).
work-in-progress photos and screenshots of new artwork and jewellery.
updates on all writing projects.
chapter drafts of (select) new stories prior to publication.
digital art resources
access to the 'Patron Perks' area of my author website where you can find fun merchandise related to my art, jewellery, and books.
0 subscribers
Unlock
$5
per month
Black Opal
Subscription tiers are a 'pledge what works best for you' system with all tiers receiving access to the same subscriber only content. This content includes, but is not limited to:
early access/first dibs options on new jewellery (with 15% discount).
work-in-progress photos and screenshots of new artwork and jewellery.
updates on all writing projects.
chapter drafts of (select) new stories prior to publication.
digital art resources
access to the 'Patron Perks' area of my author website where you can find fun merchandise related to my art, jewellery, and books.
0 subscribers
Unlock
$10
per month
Alexandrite
Subscription tiers are a 'pledge what works best for you' system with all tiers receiving access to the same subscriber only content. This content includes, but is not limited to:
early access/first dibs options on new jewellery (with 15% discount).
work-in-progress photos and screenshots of new artwork and jewellery.
updates on all writing projects.
chapter drafts of (select) new stories prior to publication.
digital art resources
access to the 'Patron Perks' area of my author website where you can find fun merchandise related to my art, jewellery, and books.
0 subscribers
Unlock
$25
per month
Star Ruby
Subscription tiers are a 'pledge what works best for you' system with all tiers receiving access to the same subscriber only content. This content includes, but is not limited to:
early access/first dibs options on new jewellery (with 15% discount).
work-in-progress photos and screenshots of new artwork and jewellery.
updates on all writing projects.
chapter drafts of (select) new stories prior to publication.
digital art resources
access to the 'Patron Perks' area of my author website where you can find fun merchandise related to my art, jewellery, and books.
0 subscribers
Unlock
$50
per month
Aetherium
Subscription tiers are a 'pledge what works best for you' system with all tiers receiving access to the same subscriber only content. This content includes, but is not limited to:
early access/first dibs options on new jewellery (with 15% discount).
work-in-progress photos and screenshots of new artwork and jewellery.
updates on all writing projects.
chapter drafts of (select) new stories prior to publication.
digital art resources
access to the 'Patron Perks' area of my author website where you can find fun merchandise related to my art, jewellery, and books.
0 subscribers
Unlock
Welcome
- Chapter drafts of new stories - Access to the 'Patron Perks' area of my author website for fun merchandise
- Work-in-progress pictures and sketches of new jewellery and artwork; free digital art resources
- Early access and first dibs options on all new jewellery (with 15% discount)
See something you like? Subscribe to see even more!
"And Then the Dragons Arrived" by Laura Hepworth (Rilaiss Art) "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a village in possession of a great fortune is destined to attract unwanted pests. Valcryon was one such village. Though, in truth, it had long outgrown the moniker of 'village' to become a thriving city-state. It was thought by some to retain the title as a reminder of its humble origins, while others theorized it was more a matter of tricky than of humility. That, perhaps, if they did not boast of their great wealth they could avoid the fate that accompanied it. Regardless of where the truth lay in actuality, it was a clever ruse that served them well as they continued to amass riches beyond imagination - gold, jewels, and magical objects, the vast vaults of Valcryon had them all, yet always found room for just a little more. It had worked for centuries,..... and then the dragons arrived."
It's finally finished!! I started this painting last May, but set it aside when I ran into a part I wasn't certain how to do. So, rather than continue to mess about with it and possibly ruin the work I'd already done, I took a break to work on other projects. I finished it yesterday after deciding on Monday it was time to get back at it.
At the start of this painting, I had absolutely no concept in mind of what I was going to do. I simply picked a canvas colour (black) and decided on what colours I wanted to work with (in this case orange and red tones), scribbled all over the canvas with them, and then started using a blender brush to mix them together to see what I'd get. It was a method I'd read about in "Secrets of Corel Painter Experts" by Daryl Wise and Linda Hellfritsch where one of the artists talked about how he never planned a project before he started painting. He'd just pick a canvas size (sometimes splitting it into multiple paintings on the same canvas that he'd work on at the same time), pick a back ground colour and his colour palette, and just start painting and would just keep painting and blending until he started to see forms of what it 'could be' and would start refining it from there. It's the same method I used for my Little Red Riding Hood painting, and, since it worked then, I tried it again.
With the colours I chose, it actually didn't take very long before I had an idea. My first thought was 'I see fire' (which became the working title of the piece; fitting considering it turned into a painting of dragons and 'I See Fire' is also the title of a song from the movie The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug). At first, it was going to be a forest on fire, but then the forest became the sort of Viking-ish village you see in the final version. I then needed a reason it was burning, and, what better cause than dragons? This then lead to having someone that you can only partially see trying to fight off the dragons, and, that, is where I go stuck. I was originally going to paint in a longbow, but I could get the angle right. Also, the way I'd wanted to have it cutting across the screen as it, you the viewer, were the one holding the bow wasn't going to work as it was much too large in proportion to the buildings. It was only this week I decided to change the bow to a crossbow and that simple change made a huge difference!
My earlier dragons were rather small and difficult to see in the background, so I added just the tail of one much closer up along more fire and people running away, and, tada! It's finished at long last!
All through painting it, I knew I wasn't going to keep the working title, but didn't know what to change it to once it was finished. In the end, I have the silly Facebook games from the fairytale groups I'm in to thank for it!! In those groups, we love to play the 'ruin a book/movie title' games and one that has come up a couple of times is ruining either the title of a book/movie or the opening line of a book by adding 'and then the dragons arrived.' It was the perfect title for this piece!
Prints are available on ArtStation after this post goes public. New merch for both RedBubble and the Patron Perks area of my author website are also available!
"Tome Raider: Treasure Greater Than Gold" by Laura Hepworth (Rilaiss Art)
"They're not wrong when they say a dragon is attracted to treasure, we are. Many of my kind pride themselves on their grand collections of gemstones and gold, and the way that the light dances off of them is like a siren's beckoning call. But,... not all dragons are the same, and not all treasure is gold. I should know, as I am one such dragon. A different sort of dragon, and the treasure that I seek is not found in the depths of the earth or in the vault of kings, but in their words, for I, Aecaris of Libredinn, am a Book-Wyrm."
No matter how many times I look at this painting, I am still so incredibly pleased with how it turned out! I started painting it back in late December of 2018, but I didn't finish it until last October. For a long time, I've wanted to do an art piece of an abandoned old library and always thought it would be funny to do a play on words of the nickname 'bookworm' for anyone who love's books (which I do!). And, as I'm sure some fantasy lovers out there will want to point out, I know, technically speaking , a 'wyrm' is generally used only of legless and wingless dragons. However, if countless artists, authors, and film-makers can get away with using a wyvern in the place of a dragon, I think it's only fair that I be allowed some creative license with my pun. At least, in my case, it is still a type of dragon and not a totally separate mythological species. (Apologies, for the mini-rant! the prevalence of calling a wyvern a dragon is very much a pet peeve of mine!)
Anyway, back to the painting. This was actually my first time painting a dragon, hence the reason I took so long, and I'm very pleased with how it's turned out! I didn't create any rough pencil sketch beforehand, and just freehand painted it in Corel Painter with my graphics tablet. I started with just laying down values of tones and the general forms that would, eventually, make up the tile floor and the background bookshelves and then starting roughing in the pile of books building it up slowly and, finally, adding in more distinct details so that what it would read clearly. Next came adding in the actual dragon, again, just roughly at first, before refining the shape and details. Finally, the shadows and lighting were added and everything got the last bits of cleaning up and extra finishing details until it got to where I decided it was 'finished' and any further fussing with it was liable to mess it up rather than enhance.
How do you like him? With my fantasy art, I like to write little stories to go along with it and give the piece more depth. Sometimes, I also use these little one or two paragraph stories as 'seed stories' to use for full-length novels or novellas later on. I hope you enjoyed the one I wrote for this piece and, if you'd like to see me expand on it, please let me know!
Prints are available on ArtStation. Become a subscriber to get access to other merchandise using this painting.
See something you like? Subscribe to see even more!
Subscribe Now
The subscription gives you:
Access to Star's profile content.
Ability to support your Star by contributing – one-time or recurring.
Means to reaching out to the Star directly via Instant Messenger.
Star Stats
103 posts
Goals
$0.00 of $250
per month
Working as an artist and author is not easy. There are always supplies that need replenishing, new tools to get, tech that goes out of date as soon as you take it out of the box or breaks on you when you can least afford it, and all manner of publishing fees no matter how much you try to do yourself. On top of covering all of this, you also have to find some way to pay your bills and put food on the table. This is the minimum monthly income I need to stop stressing about my bills and the inconsistency of art/book sales and be able to focus more on my art and writing and less on getting 'seen'.
$0.00 of $750
per month
I love what I do and wouldn't want to be doing anything else! Reaching this goal would mean I have successfully achieved the minimum income I need to make a part-time living as an artist/author which will go a long ways to helping me continue to bring you more art and stories. It would also help me to start a fund for replacing worn out/outdated tech so that I can keep creating.
$0.00 of $1,500
per month
Reaching this goal would be truly amazing as this will have meant that I have now reached the minimum income goal I need to be a full-time artist/author! It would also allow me more freedom for trying new things and test out new ideas with you. I would also be able to spend more time creating resources to help others with their art.
$0.00 of $3,000
per month
This goal would be a truly awesome milestone! It would allow me to invest in new materials or software to keep up in an ever advancing and competitive field and be able to attend workshops/seminars to upgrade my skills. All of which means that I can continue to grow as an artist and share that journey with you.
Ability to support your Star by contributing – one-time or recurring.
Means to reaching out to the Star directly via Instant Messenger.
Subscribe
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through this website. Continue to use this website as normal if you agree to the use of cookies. View our Privacy Policy for the details. By choosing "I Accept", you consent to our use of cookies.
Log in
