Sanctuary
Just like any other story in a book, there is good and evil. But what happens when Humanity is actually on the wrong side of it all?... When we become the bad guys...
A collection of characters for a comic about the Sanctuary Forest.
NYLAA LAHTRIA Q’NAEPP
2014 - CURRENT
Nylaa is the main character of this storyline and the character I am most committed to evolving. Originally designed in 2014, she has been my companion on my art journey throughout the years and the one character I think best reflects my soul. I started this comic purely to expand upon her storyline more illustratively, then other characters were added to give her more life. As a hamadryad, Nylaa has always known the forest, her life force and immortality being tied to the life of a single tree. So long as the tree lives, so does she. Her sacred connection isn't uncommon where she lives, surrounded by other creatures of the forest. Nymphs, ents, werewolves, satyrs, all the like. Though Nylaa stays eternally young, her appearance often changes with the seasons to help better camouflage her from the dangers surrounding the sanctuary of the forest. This ability has often saved her from her own curiosity and desire to know more about the humans in the villages nearby. My original designs for Nylaa in 2014 were based on an elven species called the Lytharian, who could transform into animals. Some designs involved transformations into that of a wolf and others where she was feline in nature. Later on, in 2019, I gave Nylaa’s character a facelift. Her magic became much more about stealth and camouflage. This magic now presents itself in two ways. When in danger Nylaa is capable of returning her spirit to that of her original tree, temporarily merging her soul into its roots. This same connection also causes changes in her physical appearance; sometimes flowers will bloom in her hair, moss growing on her shoulders, and changes in the vibrancy of her hair and skin based on the season at the time. In the story, Nylaa’s tree sprouted close to where some Dryads presided. These forest nymphs, who embodied the spirit of the forest but had no actual ties to specific living things within it, had no love for their sister nymphs the hamadryads. Nylaa naturally became an outcast among the Nymphs of the Sanctuary forest, each day drifting farther and farther away and closer to the village of the humans. For centuries Nylaa watched the humans evolve with fascination, drifting farther from her home tree. Distracted by their technologies and ways of life, she didn't notice a war was slowly stirring between the children of adam and the creatures of the forest.
HEADSHOT TURNS (2019)
COLOR EXPLORATION (2019)
ANIMATION STUDIES (2020)
Sketch
Rendering
Background Design
MAKING FRIENDS WITH BROWNIES (2021)
Enter, Rowan, Nettle, and Niho...
ROWAN
2019 - CURRENT
Their name is Rowan for the tree where they originated. They once lived in the same forest as Nylaa, peaceful and docile for they were not sentient, just a tree. One summer when humans were invading the area and causing havoc in the Sanctuary Forest, a very powerful sorceress living with the humans summoned the trees of the forest to fight alongside them. Rowan was one of those trees. Suddenly they came alive, able to process their surroundings and no longer planted in the ground. They had no prior life experiences to tell them what they were doing was wrong and therefore their allegiance lay with their masters. The humans along with their new soldiers, the Ents, rushed forward towards the edge of the forest where the creatures that lived there met them head-on. After the wreckage of the battle, the humans and their sorceress fled, leaving the Ents behind to remain captive by the fae. This is where Nylaa and Rowan met. Rather than returning the Ents back to their original form as non-sentient trees, the fae with magic abilities decided to break the sorceress’s hold over Rowan and the other ents giving them a will of their own. Nylaa, having a special connection to a tree herself, was put in charge of guiding Rowan as they explored their newfound freedom and ability to think. Her main priority was the idea of FUN.
COMIC CONCEPT (2019)
Early design for a mini comic about Nylaa and Rowan, talking about a spirit in the forest who you would have NEVER guessed was once a human...
LIFE CYCLE OF AN ENT
Sapling
Mature Tree
Sorcerer's Magic
Sentient Ent
AGRIELLE NETTLE
2020 - CURRENT
She may be small but even the tiniest thorns can leave a bear crying for help. Just under 6 inches tall, Nettle comes from a clan of flightless fae living among the underbrush of the Sanctuary. Adapting to their lack of size and numbers she and her family have managed to scrounge up gear from acorns, rat rumps, wheat strands, and really anything that they can find to use to their advantage. Agrielle Stinging Nettle is among the more furiousness of her bunch, choosing the fight alongside Nylaa and the others in the war against the humans, while the rest lay hidden among the mushrooms and the trees hoping for the best. Her small size made her a great scout and moving through the ranks of the fae creatures of the forest she became an important part of the mission.
CONCEPTUALIZING (2021)
Content
Disappointed
Unimpressed
Scared
Size Comparison
Flats
Rendering
Background Design
SITTIN ON A TWIG (2021)
NIHO
2022 - CURRENT
Although Nylaa is the main character in my mind, and is the main character in this storyline, she doesn't convey the type of energy that would drive her to be the leader of an army or the character that everyone pays attention to. Because of this I knew I had to create a character who WOULD BE the center of attention. Niho, "benevolence", is a natural leader, everyone looks up to her. Her riddles and rhymes hide a soul full of wisdom and intelligence. Like Nylaa, her youthful appearance hides centuries of knowledge. A fawn who is much MUCH older than she seems and wiser than expected. She doesn’t carry many possessions, but an ancient horn used for battles is never to far away. She likes riddles and often talks in them but they have more meaning than just fun. Her agile state makes her perfect for the front lines of battle but she doesn’t revel in them, only knows of their importance. Her herd has always considered themselves the protectors of the ancient forest and its ways. When the children of Adam began to make moves towards the Sanctuary forest, Niho was the creatures everyone looked to. She had earned their respect, their trust, and their allegiance.
DESIGN EXPLORATION (2022)
Serious, masc, mythical horns
Weird, playful, faun horns
Regal, femme, satyr horns
FINALIZED NIHO (2022)
COLOR EXPERIMENTATION (2022)
FINAL COLOR CHOICES
Accessories: Leg wraps, ancient horn, satchel
THE SANTCUARY (COMIC)
2022 - CURRENT
Just like any other story in a book there is a good and evil. But what happens when Humanity is actually on the wrong side of it all?... When we become the bad guys.
Far beyond the edges of a growing kingdom lies a forest considered sacred to the villagers who live nearby. Those who are smart dare not venture in, for there is strange magics at work. But the fae have been known to give a gift or two, a true loves kiss here and a murdered rival there. And so there are many who decide the periles of The Sanctuary Forest are worth it.
This is where the story begins. With a prideful King, and his knowledgeable Sorcerer, at the edges of the Forest, thinking they are brave enough to venture inside, to conquer the riches that lie within.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Niho
Rowan
Nylaa
Nettle
THUMBNAILS (2022)
Children of men arrive on the edge of the Sanctuary Forest, armed and ready.
Leader/general looks on the beautiful forest, "It doesn't seem like much..."
Far off, Nylaa sits on a tree branch a flower in hand. Suddenly her ears perk and she hears a great horn blow.
Nylaa gracefully jumps from her perch.
She takes off into the forest at a fast pace, the flower now left behind.
As she sprints, she is joined by a small crew of forest creatures.
More creatures join, all different types.
(See colored panel below)
They amass around a lake at the center of the forest where a tall fawn blows a golden horn.
Niho looks upon the crowd with a somber look on her face.
PAGE SKETCHES (2022)
PANEL (2022)
