Roads to Safe Places

I got to spend some time reading fanfic again, though could hardly make time for all the brilliant-looking Hoggywarty and rarepair winter exchange entries this year that look interesting - most of them do look so worthwhile! You creators have really outdone yourself this year, and the recipients must feel so lucky! Some hits from the ones I've gotten round to reading, most of you have probably already read them, but if you haven't: 

Fanfic: 
The Perfect Gift (Minerva McGonagall/Severus Snape, 8441 words, PG), which is a truly magical ghost story about a Christmas gift, a family curse, and these two rather private adult characters slowly and respectfully falling for each other. Read this, you will not be sorry.

Rest your Dream in My Dream (Minerva McGonagall/Severus Snape, 9k words, T/PG), is an excellent Minerva/Severus fanfic which tells a post-war story about how Minerva and Severus became a couple with flashbacks to relevant past interactions. You won't regret reading it if you haven't already!

and an honourable mention: Lit Match (Alecto Carrow/Lily Evans, ~2k words, R) by phantomanto , which is a very interesting take on this unusual pairing which they still manage to make work well.

Art:
Rejoicing (in the Greenhouse)- an illustration for an equally excellent fanfic (The Longest Night) set in a greenhouse.

Art for Reawakening - a delightful gifset illustrating the visitors to Severus' bedside illustrating the fic of the same title

What a good ending to last year and start to this one!

Title: Azkaban.
Characters: Bellatrix Lestrange.
Rating: G
Credits: falln-brushes's Hair Brush set and Smoke Brush set, amorphisss's Snow Brush, Wolfcatstock's 694 as reference.
Summary: Bellatrix in winter wonderland Azkaban at night.



( Read more... )

Title: Brothers.
Characters: Regulus Black and Sirius Black.
Rating: G
Credits: ~mostlyguystock's Standing 6, *Beinspyred's Art Nouveau Border 28, =charfade's Grass Brush Set and ~Frozenstocks' Broken Glass. Thank you!
Summary: A window on the second floor of Grimmauld Place.



( Read more... )

Title: Mermaid. 
Characters: a mermaid, Pomona Sprout. 
Rating: G
Credits: Mermaid: ~sinned-angel-stock's Mermaid 24 and *linzee777's hair brush set. Water: frozenstarro's Water brushes. Border: ~gvalkyrie's Suddenly Spring brush set
Summary: Wysiwyg, really: a skinny-dipping Pomona being waylaid by a mermaid! 
A/N: Yes, it's warm over here. 



( Read more... )

Title: Catch
Characters: Minerva McGonagall/Rolanda Hooch
Rating: G
Credits: *SenshiStock's Sailor Gossips, *charfade's Grass Brushes and ~eMelody's Bird Brushes.
Summary: This early, school and grounds were hers. Minerva soared higher, surveying the cold pitch, which low mists filled like water. For an hour she enjoyed the lonely rhythm of throwing and catching until far movement stopped her. She left, but the memory of the Ravenclaw's lean body soaring across the sky lingered on her mind all day. Minerva saw her again the next day, and the next. On their fourth day, Rolanda flew up and asked, voice gruff with shyness, if she wanted to join her. The speed of Minerva's weak-kneed agreement was mostly due to the girl's golden eyes.
A/N: My indecision when it comes to femme!ships makes my Minerva get a lot of action, and here is one more Minerva/Rolanda. Sorry about the clumsy quidditch title metaphor and the spam.



( Read more... )

Title: Sisters.
Characters: Lily Evans, Petunia Evans
Rating: G
Credits: Sailor Kerrie Pushing by *SenshiStock, Smoke brush by ~Falln-Stock.
Summary: "That's where you're going. A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety." - Not a happy memory, needless to say. 
A/N: I've been wanting to do something Pensieve-related for a while now, as I'm wondering what Severus did with the memories he had of Lily after her untimely demise. If a Pensieve serves to preserve memories as well as organise them it's likely to me that he'd be keeping some of his Lily-memories there. 



( Step into the Pensieve... )

Title: Ghosts.
Characters: Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Dougal McGregor.
Rating: G.
Credits: Lily by ~Gracies-Stock and Dougal by ~Johnny-Yong, texture by `cloaks, grass and flowers by !ro-stock. 
Summary: Sometimes, if the light was right, in the hours around dawn, they almost seemed close enough to touch.
A/N:  Severus and Minerva being haunted by the ghosts of their past - Lily and Dougal. Loved ones who died remain a part of you, and navigating a relationship around those still half-with you must be pretty challenging. Yes, I caved in and did something Pottermore-backstory-related and kitschily indulgent. Apologies! 



( Read more... )

Title: Troubles.
Characters: Tobias Snape, Eileen Snape. Severus Snape.
Rating: G.
Credits: pose for Tobias by ~thepropagation3, Severus, texture by `cloak
A/N: Another non-subtle one, I'm afraid. There is a companion drabble that goes with this "drawable". Also maybe I did have a little too much fun when I was doing "Argument", but overlapping silhouettes are awesome. And my deepest apologies to the arachnid community for the blobby specimen, I don't seem to do spiders well. 



( Read more... )

Title: Family.
Characters: Tobias Snape, Severus Snape, Eileen's broom and cloak.
Rating: G.
Credits: Tobias by *SenshiStock, Severus by ~Struck-Stock, grass by *charfade, birds by ~WingsOfAHero and texture by `cloaks.

( Read more... )

Title: Son.
Characters: Eileen Snape, Tobias Snape, Severus Snape, Death Eater of your choice.
Rating: G.
Credits: official Dark Mark as a reference here and *sarahebear-stock stock image for the Death Eater.
A/N: Another companion drabble that explains what is going on here. Apologies for the bad quality. 


( Read more... )

Title: Favour
Rating: G
Characters: Remus Lupin and Severus Snape.
Credits: Wolf: ~MoonsongStock here, Severus: *SenshiStock here, Trees: ~Winerla here. 
Summary: Lupin never remembers what he does or does not do in wolf shape. Severus does not mind that at all. 

( Read more... )

Title: Choices
Rating: G
Characters: Minerva McGonagall and Eileen Snape
Summary: Minerva has called on a childhood acquaintance to see how she is doing after her wedding and the difference between them could not be greater - one is a witch at the height of her power, the other had to make a lot of uncomfortable compromises for her new life. The choices both witches had to make to get where they are were not easy for either of them.
Credits: =Lileya's great floral and foliar brush set, ~gvalkyrie's suddenly spring brush set, as well as *redheadstock's light brushes, another favourite.



( Read more... )

Title: Charge
Characters: Minerva McGonagall/Rolanda Hooch
Rating: G
Credits: ~redheadstock's awesome lightning brushes.
Author's Notes: Minerva and Rolanda don't seem to mind the weather and I am growing far too fond of lightning brushes.



( Larger version )

EDIT:  Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm slightly stunned right now. ♥ 

Title: Timid / Beginnings
Rating: G
Credits =cloaks's Vintage Texture Pack and ~Eterea86's beautiful corner brushes
Summary: Minerva and her owl being escorted to the train by her mother because her father is busy that day.

Title: Loved.
Rating: G
Credits: `cloaks's Vintage Texture Pack V, ~Eterea86's beautiful corner brushes, ~gvalkyrie's Suddenly Spring brush set, Hogwarts crest (C) Bloomsbury publishing. Reference: a family photo. 
Characters: Minerva's parents. (Isobel Ross and Robert McGonagall if you want).
Author's Notes: From 2010. Minerva's parents. Your choice whether this is Pottermore canon compliant. 

I've decided to do a backdated pic-dump post with my ventures in April. Mostly for me, should I make some progress in the future and should wish to look back, and because this new hobby consumed some of my time in the first half of 2010.

( So. Quick sketches and more detailed attempts at stuff. )

I can't believe I'm this excited about that drawing course. Here's hoping that what with all the exam preparation I'll get myself to go at all. The first session will luckily be after two of my exams. Still.

To prepare I've tried to draw a face without reference. Noses? What are they for? And there are some issues with perspectives and an obvious lack of practice, but other than that, I'm proud. 



Exam-preparation-wise I discovered a lovely collection of links about gay teachers, which ought to help with one of my topics.

Title: Gone.
Artist: mothwing .
Rating: G.
Notes: an illustration of Crockywock's wonderful fanfics The Prince's Tale and The Silver Cat.
Summary: After Voldemort's defeat, Severus is released from both his debt and also from his connection to Lily, which is driven home by the fact that his patronus changed with his feelings for Minerva. The loss of his old patronus as well as the meaning of the new one cause very mixed feelings.

Click for full view.



This is also the first time that I drew both humans and animals without any kind of reference, not even the trusted artist's dummy. I also practised doing rooms here, and I'm quite happy with how they turned out. Severus' face and expression, on the other hand, really still need some work. I'm rather happy with the cat, though, even though I consciously avoided doing fur, because my attempts at following Jab's pointers were pretty catastrophic and need some more work.

I like hands. I couldn't draw hands. So I drew hands. So now I can draw hands.

This is another cheesy one, Severus about to die, Lily's ghostly hand reaching out, but him being saved by Minerva who actually makes sure whether people are dead and knows her first aid spells.

Still playing around with silhouettes. I love silhouettes. And big noses.

Sadly, I'm still having some anatomy troubles - don't ask how long Severus' arm is in this picture.



( Coloured version )

It's fairly embarrassing to admit, but usually when I try drawing people and mean business I take Rebecca's wooden figure, put it in the position I want it in, take a photo, put that in a background layer and paint my human over that. ~Professional~, I know. Yesterday I tried painting without my anatomy reference. Behold. I think I'll stick to silhouettes for a while, they're fun.

Another afternoon happily wasted with playing around with Crocky's drawing board.

This is supposed to be Snape's dungeon office, hence the view of the lake. This is also the first time I've used textures.