Good ol' Sketchdump

"I've heard of a place far up north."

Llewelyn: "Boop!"
The grouch on the left is Corman, a monk sent to Northumbria prior to St. Aiden, but was too combative with the locals to get anyone converted.

Happy Thanksgiving! :'D

Based on a Quensadilla vine.

Redesigned Herne :D.

Cozy dude.

Self-explanatory.

Eeee! New dude! His name is Simeon and he's a scribe from Syria. On Iona, he's well known for not interacting with others as much as his fellow monks, keeping to himself and his work.

Got to coming up with a colored design for Alim!

Another new dude! While Gilchrist is reduced to blindness and a limp, he wasn't always this way. He was once an excellent soldier, impressing Torin and Alastar envying him. Torin was considering having Gilchrist become the next commander of the king's army, and Alastar wasn't happy with the notion. After Torin fled to Iceland to become a hermit, Gilchrist was tricked by Alastar in a supposed scouting mission. Once led far away from the main camp, Alastar ambushed the young soldier, blinding him, crippling him, and leaving him for dead. Upon returning, Alastar lied to the soldiers that there was a border scuffle with an enemy. Meanwhile, Gilchrist was found by a young Rinan, apprenticed to Llewelyn and Zabo. There at Lindisfarne, his wounds were tended to, but he would never forget the despicable acts of his former comrade, Alastar.

"OK I will make an exception because he looks very polite"

Very polite Skithei.

Some new dudes and old friends :D.

The Secret of Kells (c) Tomm Moore

Long Old Life

Story panel for Llewelyn.
Of course, Zabo belongs to my friend :D.

Young Caron and Young Llewelyn - Friends for Life
Younger Llewelyn - "I cAN sEE eVERytHING!"
Odhrán and Llewelyn - "Why, I am the rambling old coot!"
Rinan, Zabo, and Llewelyn - Youth, Father, and Sage
Rinan and Llewelyn - "It's okay, I had a good run.."

The Secret of Kells (c) Tomm Moore

Traveler

Warming up to digital art after a while of doing traditional art in my sketchbook. Here's Skithei, and I'll be redoing her reference sheet soon :).

The Visit

"Aye, he's comin'! His Lord Bishop!" a scout announced.

A wave of hurry nearing panic dispersed as the soldiers placed themselves for the coming guest. Alastar prepared himself, adjusting his regalia and armor. The word was that the bishop and abbot of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Aiden, was paying visit to His Majesty's troops. A high honor for such, yet something clutched at Alastar's conscience.

From what he has heard, Bishop Aiden was highly enthusiastic of the mystical traditions. The traditions of retreating into one's closet to pray; lying in silence while listening for the comforting voice of the Divine. The idea was outrageous! Sitting alone in a cave was dangerous, for demons hunted for lost souls there! One should be in the light of day, doing what is right. Oh, but Alastar wasn't afraid of being alone in the dark, no! He's a soldier, and a soldier isn't afraid of whatever crosses his path. Why should he be afraid of something that only a child would be afraid of?

"Men! May I present to you, our Lord Bishop Aiden of Lindisfarne!" a scruffy looking commander named Torin declared in a shrill voice. The crowd of soldiers hushed upon hearing the bearded man. He opened the gate to the camp as the bishop made his way.

Cloaked in blue, and dressed in the golden fire he extinguished, Aiden radiated a light around him as he gently treaded among the soldiers. The soldiers bowed their heads in reverence for the holy man. His eyes met Alastar's whilst the young squire kept messing with his cape. Alastar's eyes locked into place as his heart quickened its pace.

Lord Bishop is coming towards me!, he yelped to himself, his hands then shaking and his breath becoming noticeably loud. He gave his furry cape a final adjustment, swallowing his anxiety.

"There isn't any reason to be afraid, young one," Aiden whispered, "You are a soldier, yes?"

Alastar nodded. The presence of Bishop Aiden was intimidating and domineering, yet the squire felt his breath deepen and his feet become light. The squire loosened up a little from his state of being petrified, but a scent of fear still radiated from him, for his fear for his immortal soul lingered.

"A soldier requires strength. After all, he must win the battles ahead. But strength doesn't just come from the tense atmosphere before war," noted the bishop, "Strength also comes from silence."

Alastar nodded again, for he even couldn't even mutter out a, "Yes, my Lord."

The bishop then chuckled. "It seems as though you are already on the path," he jested.

The squire's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows lowered, for he taken offense to Aiden as the other soldiers snickered.

"Right..," Bishop Aiden muttered, clearing his throat, "Remember this. Be mindful of the destiny you choose. It may seem appealing at first, but if one is hurt in the process, you are also hurt as well."

The soldiers surrounding the squire and bishop marveled at the advice that was given. Aiden muttered a quick blessing, waving his hand in the sign of the cross. Alastar received it as he bowed his head, his eyes closed. The bishop then left the young squire to talk with the other soldiers who flocked to see him.

Alastar sneered as the crowd brought the holy man their praises and requests for advice. His face flushed, and he tightened his fists. He looked like an absolute fool in Bishop Aiden's presence, and he was going to one day lead the troops!

Wisdom, indeed! Seems more like the musings of the lukewarm who are afraid to truly fight!, Alastar snarled in his thought. He dashed off opposite of the bishop.

He dashed off opposite of the saint.


-Yeet! Felt as though Alastar would meet St. Aiden like Odhrán. But of course, Alastar takes the advice very differently.

The Secret of Kells (c) Tomm Moore

Alim of the Near East

New dude! This guy's name is Alim and he's a scholar. Before Faolán joined Lindisfarne as an apprentice, he was also his tutor, teaching him science, astronomy, philosophy, and even his native language of Arabic. As a method to help Faolán become more passionate in his learning, he would play Devil's Advocate, taking on different points of view to debate. This in the long run, helped Faolán build his courage for any situation, especially when standing up to Alastar a few years later as an apprentice. Alim is also a devout Muslim, pursuing studies in honor of God. Though he personally is a religious man, he never fully encouraged Faolán to convert, as religion isn't compulsory in Islam, not to mention to enforce religion would infringe on Faolán's education.

The Secret of Kells (c) Tomm Moore

New Characters and Shiz

New dudes! Their names are Iago and Eira, a brother-sister team of bandits from Wales. Infamous for terrorizing their victims, they wander throughout Britain, stealing valuables and striking fear into the hearts of many. They used to be Odhrán's "caretakers", training him to become like them, ruthless sociopaths thirsty for blood and hungry for gold. Odhrán was too shy and kind-hearted, however, so they would terrorize him in turn. Luckily for Odhrán, he managed to escape their grip, meeting Llewelyn and becoming ordained as an apprentice at Lindisfarne. This wasn't without confrontation, for they tracked him down almost a year later. Llewelyn came to Odhrán's defense when Iago threatened him. He had the upper hand at first, but Iago overpowered him quickly, then Odhrán came to Llewelyn's defense, shoving him off. Frustrated and frightened at the strong apprentice who overcame his fears, he and Eira left, defeated.

"Listen here, old man. You're going to give the boy back."

Came up with an AU where Rinan survived getting poisoned, but his mind wasn't exactly the same afterwards. His memory of Alastar's wrongdoings became foggy, yet he is even more driven to expose Alastar for who he is, obsession pushing him forward and driving him to madness.

"Don't procrastinate, Wanderer!"
Llewelyn gave Odhrán the name, "Wanderer" because of his strong desire for spiritual fulfillment. Being Llewelyn, he first gave Odhrán the name while hanging upside down from the oak tree in the herb garden, meditating.

Some more semi-realism. Here's Odhrán, using Keaton Henson as a reference.

Faolán. I used my own imagination on this one.

Alastar and Colby. I used Christopher Lee as a reference for Alastar and improvised a little bit with Colby, using Benedict Clarke as a reference.

Siorus. I used Alan Rickman as a reference.

Had fun with this one.

Another new dude! His name is Kauko, and coming from Finland, he used to be a shaman's apprentice. The shaman died before Kauko could finish his training, thus driving him to travel, looking for someone to help him finish his training, whether they would be a shaman or a monk of the new religion. He found a village nearby the abbey of Lindisfarne, with Llewelyn and Rinan welcoming him in. Being wifty and odd, he fit in with Llewelyn and Rinan perfectly. There, he surprisingly found romance between him and Rinan. The two swore to each other that they'd take this secret to the grave, lest they get into deep trouble. Nonetheless, they savor every moment they are together.

À la Upendi.

When Kauko grew older, he started getting blackmailed by Alastar for his more mystical beliefs, under threat of being punished for heresy. Rinan came to Kauko's aid, solving the mysteries behind the sinister abbot. Then Rinan witnessed Siorus' murder, sealing his fate. He was poisoned later on. Seeing Rinan's dead body, Kauko was overcome with grief, for he would never again lie beside him under the stars and embrace each other. He fell into depression, and not even the newcomer Faolán years later could easily help him.

Here's Armas, Kauko's mentor. Being a shaman, he trained Kauko to access altered states of mind to gain wisdom from spirits.

Some sketches and new characters :).

The Secret of Kells (c) Tomm Moore

Llewelyn Semi-Realism

Got to trying my hand at semi-realism. Pretty happy with how it turned out. I didn't use anyone famous in particular as a reference, I mostly used the image of a sadhu, a Hindu holy man. I'll probably do something similar for Odhrán and the rest of the gang.

The Secret of Kells (c) Tomm Moore