Author’s notes:
I very nearly didn’t write today. I painted a LOT but none of it theme / story related. I was tempted to leave things there, but instead spent 10min in brain dump (journal) mode and then this scene happened… I’m so happy I pushed through and did focus on writing as I LOVED discovering this new character, and the accompanying sketch too! In this case, the character sketch came after the scene, capturing a few more quirky details that we don’t know yet from the story itself… Very intrigued to see where this goes next! It’s moments like these that keep me coming back the next time writing feels hard… And the next and the next. Happy reading! :)
Story Instalment: Prompt - “Time”
Time seemed to slow around her as Simone focused on getting to the shore. Even though the stretch of beach hadn’t seemed that wide from their brief view of it through the fog, it now felt as if it would never end. Simone had no idea how long she had been walking - the sun was still hovering just above the horizon, a bright red ball glaring at her, turning the surrounding sky into deep oranges and yellows. The ocean was an ominous indigo behind her and despite the fact that the fog had cleared, she could also no longer make out where their ship was anchored, even though the Tower still stretched as big as ever behind her.
Simone shook her head. They had known right at the start of the journey that this wouldn’t be easy. The Legend of the Flower didn’t exist for nothing - according to those stories, no one who had set out to find it had ever returned to tell the tale.
Or they had been wise enough to keep quiet if they did.
She refused to let ghost stories keep her from saving Tristan. She knew from painful experience that even the most elaborate lie still held a kernel of truth. This time, none of this was for her - she had left it all behind, put her past behind her to start a new life with Tristan, to govern Layna and help restore the oceans to their true strength.
What good will a flower do to help them anyway?
The doubts she’d had at the start of their journey were bubbling to the surface. It was the one question neither Tristan nor the Elders could answer for her, only that they were adamant that some sort of prophecy or another required it.
“Sure you’re in the right place?”
Simone would have jumped if her boots weren’t still stuck in squelching beach mud with each step. Instead, she gave a yelp and turned around, trying to find the source of the voice.
“You know, you really should pay more attention when trudging about on unknown beaches. You very nearly stepped on my favourite toe.”
Squidting, Simone finally made out a vague shape standing right in front of her, it’s foot indeed mere millimetres away from - was those really it’s toes? They looked very much like human toes, except they were easily ten times as big and blended in perfectly with the sand around them. They were pushed into boots that had been cut open in the front to let the oversized toes poke through.
Kind of defies the purpose, she snorted, then tried to hide her amusement as she saw the creature - person? - Frown at her.
“I - ah - I do apologize, Mister, ah—“
“Sir, to you,” he grumbled, then swept his hat off his head to give her an elaborate bow. “Sir Time and Keeper of this island, at your service, Simone.”
Simone’s words froze in her throat - she had been about to return the courtesy of introducing herself. “I— Have we met before?”
Sir Time smiled and bowed again. “Not yet, not yet, but we will.”
Before she could think to question that, Simone noticed Sir Time’s hat. It had looked like any normal floppy sun-hat - if one ignored the chameleon nature of everything about this person that managed to blend in with the scenery around him. But now that he had taken it off, she became aware of a very loud ticking sound and realised an enormous clock was attached - no, part of - the hat itself. The colours shimmers and shifted as Sir Time moved, very much like a chameleon would if it were shifting colours to match it’s surroundings as it moved. She blinked several times, feeling a headache coming on.
“Now, let’s get on with it, shall we?”
Sir Time held out his arm to her, elbow crooked as if he was asking her to dance.
“Get on with—“
“Getting the flower of course! Come on now, step lively. No time to lose!”
Simone shrugged, placing her hand in his.
What have I got to—
The moment they took the first step together, the beach vanished. The next thing she knew, Simone had just taken a step right over the edge of a very high, fiery-coloured cliff.
Total words: 715
Painting debrief:
Did the sketch after the writing this time around. Started with the clock, then the hat, felt he needed an elongated face and then made sure to focus on the enlarged feet first (and the odd detail in my head that it’s important that he have six toes per foot, not five, which isn’t highlighted yet in the story). I really love playing with this colour scheme too! All the reds and yellows and browns with purple and pink and indigo for shadow and contrast.
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Etchr Sketchbook
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Indigo pencil then pigma micron pen
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“Coloured” in with aqua brush: Quinacridone gold, quinacridone burnt sienna, burnt umber, payne’s blue grey (in previous mix), indigo, quinacridone violet, opera pink
About this project:
“What happens if World Watercolour Month and Camp Nano meet halfway? What if I let myself be inspired - first by the prompts, and then by my own painting / drawing, and embark on the journey of discovering a new story along the way, 500 words or so at a time? I realise it's rather ambitious - a drawing / painting a day plus a minimum of 500 words, but I know it will be okay if I miss a day or two too. Or if I end up playing catch up. But I'm feeling excited about the possibilities this holds!”
Read more on the “Why” for this project in this intro blog post here: "Emergence". Remember that what you will find here is the raw, unedited journey of this creative as the story emergence - including “zero draft” writing, typos and “bad lighting” photos (rather than not posting at all)…