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SciFi & Fantasy Art / Gallery 508 of 1003 / Daniel D. Copeland (the Naked Celt) / Picture 8 of 11 / The Brownie’s New Coat

"The Brownie’s New Coat" by Daniel D. Copeland (the Naked Celt)

SciFi/Fantasy Picture 8 out of 11 by Daniel D. Copeland (the Naked Celt). ←Previous - Next→

SciFi and Fantasy Art The Brownie’s New Coat by Daniel D. Copeland (the Naked Celt)

European folklore, from ancient times, tells of little people who hide in the shadows and help with tasks around the house — or make trouble, depending on how they feel about the residents. These creatures have many different names; in Scotland they are known as brownies. The tradition in some places, including the British Isles, is that they do not wear clothes, and if you reward them for their services by giving them clothing, they will take offence and never work for you again. (To readers of the Harry Potter series, this should sound familiar...)

Being a nudist myself, I felt I could sympathize, and I decided to illustrate the legend. This little fellow — shown, as near as I could scan it, at his actual height of 16.8cm (6 5/8") — feels that his cultural values have been infringed on by this insensitive gift. Clearly the house-owners do not believe him capable of looking after himself unless he becomes a miniature one of them. He rejects it angrily, as you can see.

Textures are important in this one, because I wanted to convey the tactile nature of nudism as well as its social aspects; but I’m afraid the background rather overwhelms the action. I’m always looking for ways to improve, so that’s what I’ll look at next time. Pencil drawing, enhanced in PhotoStudio 2000.

Date	Name	Comment
23 Sep 2004	MrMiller	Loading... This is well drawn. I love the texture of the wood, and the fact that the subject isn't centered in the image. makes it more dynamic that way, and leads the eye from the brownie to the coat and back. I agree that the background overwhelms the subject a bit... a bit of shading on the brownie to give it form and darken it a bit might fix that problem. The coat seems to change from a render to a sketch and looks unfinished. A bit of tone added can fix that too. oh. and one more question... Why (if the brownie is a legendary creature) is he circumcised? oh well. Very good job on it, keep up the good work! Daniel D. Copeland (the Naked Celt) replies: "Yes, shading to denote form is another thing I need to work on, you're quite right. The coat is intended to convey the two very different textures of leather. And for your final question, a quick visit to my index page should tell you who the brownie is based on."
3 Sep 2005	Shavon K. Martin	Loading... The texture here is extraordinary, but I was particularly drawn to the paneling, while teribbly good, takes away from the brownie. Perhaps you could darken him? So yes, I basicly just stated I agree with everything in the above comment. Why do I bother.
6 Nov 2005	Anonymous	Loading... Yes, yes... you've drawn yourself as a naked brownie. Should I also assume that in addition to being circumcized, you've also got one leg considerably longer than the other? It's a little, hairy man doing tai chi next to a blob with a pant leg. It doesn't even look like clothing. I wouldn't have had a clue what it was if you hadn't told me. Drawings should not need descriptions to identify what they are. The wood grain is drawn well, however it gives the impression that he's in a box. I'm sure you'll know say that that was an impression you intended to give because clothing is a box and all that.
15 Jan 2006	Agalophotis	Loading... In Norse folklore the reason why you should never give your brownie clothes is because it will make him too proud to toil for you anymore, not because it will offend him (although they are testy little buggers). As for his privates, there is no account of any such thing anywhere, so how would anyone know that brownies do not indeed circumcise their young? The person commenting before me obviously has some issues and should not be taken seriously, as he/she does not even have his/her own gallery (or is perhaps ashamed to show it to others?). This is a very interesting idea, and the execution has many fine qualities (such as the beard and the floor boards, for example) Keep up the good work!
25 May 2006	Anna E. Lawton	Loading... This is charming! He is so expressive, I can almost hear him muttering a "Hmph" as he repels the offending garment!! I am fascinated by the mythology behind it, too. I agree that perhaps the shading could be tweaked to make your brownie stand out more, but your wood grain is beautifully rendered. I love it!
9 Jun 2006	Trinity	Loading... Circumsion isn't the point, and I think the annonomus comment above is right, 1 leg is shorter than the other. which is the thing that matters.
16 Oct 2010	Anon.	Loading... whats he goosestepping for? you copy this from something nazi?
16 Aug 2011	Anon.	Loading... The "clothes" looks like a gun. and the woodgrain makes it look like he’s standing in a trench.