ArcticLion completed this for me almost a month ago – AND I THINK IT’S THE BEST COMMISSION I’VE RECEIVED YET.

A demon uncle and nephew are hired as temple caretakers, and here they’re preparing the altar in the early dawn. Apart from the mopping and dusting, there are candles and lampwicks to trim, incense to burn, and flower and fruit to arrange before the golden idol!

I can’t say enough about this! For digital art it has a wonderful “oil paint” or “acrylic” look, with a perfect balance of light and dark: I asked for a cosy island of candlelight in a dark, massive room, and that’s what I got. The colour scheme is clever, with blues on the distant wall and sky, and warmer tones in the foreground (except for the plate of blueberries, which stand out!). On the figures, I see a “light outline” effect that indicates how the candles are illuminating them from the side, or from behind.

And I love the still life: the idol, the sunflowers, the flame on the candles, the smoke... even the subtle stone texture on the stairs and the pedestal, and the nephew’s reflection on the shiny surface. How the crystal bowl illuminates is exactly how the crystal vase on my home altar looks. And the characters are perfectly reminiscent of South Asian temple priests.

TOO lovely!

Said uncle and nephew were previously drawn by ArcticLion HERE.

ArcticLion’s Gallery submission is here:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16064977/