Sketch: Sunshine Challenge, Prompt 1

[paulamcg]

Prompt 1: Red
Red is a strong color that is associated with a variety of things including: courage, power, glory, love, passion, inner strength, romance, sensuality, defiance, tenacity, violence, life, pleasure, fire, and revolution.

This challenge has made me do something outside my comfort zone. I've never before posted a picture on DW. (EDIT Or on AO3, where I've managed to get this a day later./EDIT)

And I've never shared (or made) a piece of fanart. This is just a sketch based on a scene I've been composing when rewriting an old fic about Remus Lupin in Paris in 1984. My Remus is an artist, and just yesterday I wrote about him painting with red, wearing this red jumper borrowed from a lover.

Comments

[sportivetricks]

WHAT.

WOW.

You've never made fanart?? Well holy moly, let's hear it for new beginnings. This is conceptually brilliant, the rhythm and repetition of your color use drawing our eye right to that scar. Kudos.

[paulamcg]

Oh, what a comment! I'm so glad we've just subscribed to each other: you are very welcome on my journal :)

In fact, I recently found two tiny pencil sketches of OotP-era Remus and Sirius in the margins of a print of fic from 2003, but I've shared only one watercolour and one pencil sketch on a Livejournal community for original work in 2010, and practised watercolour painting only a bit back then and again a couple of years ago.

Honestly, I couldn't imagine that this picture would work so well. Thank you for making me see how it does!

[bemused_writer]

Ahh, Remus Lupin was always one of my favorites. ^^ And I'm loving the idea of him in Paris! I think it's looking like a great sketch.

[paulamcg]

Thank you – also for your further comment on the Sunshine thread! Oh, I'm so glad to have met another Remus fan – even though you used the past tense in your first phrase. :) A lot of my early short fics were set in his so-called lost years, which I renamed his drifting years. This fic was first written in 2004.

[bemused_writer]

Of course! It's awesome seeing some HP stuff both fan art and fanfic. ^^

Ahh, the past tense is just because it's been so long since I've read the series. ^^" Remus is still a favorite. ^^ I've been meaning to do a reread this year (I've been slowly collecting the UK edition), so this could serve as some inspiration for it! ^^

[paulamcg]

Thank you for still commenting! I'm happy if I – or the challenge? – can contribute to your getting inspired to read... at least some Remus fanfic! :) I reread the series a couple of years ago, then all my old fanfic, and in February last year I started writing again after an eight-year hiatus. (All my fics follow only the first five books in the series and belong to the same story of Remus's life, although every fic can be read separately as well.)

[bemused_writer]

Definitely the reminder of Remus helped. ^^ I had quite a bit of a fanfic-writing hiatus myself (got back into it in 2018 when my last fic was from 2012 and with how much I've written lately I can only assume I'm trying to make up for lost time).

Rereading our old fic and still enjoying it--and wanting to add to it!--is such a great feeling. So glad that's how it went for you. ^^

[paulamcg]

It's lovely to hear you've been happily and prolificly back after so many years. I was surprised how meaningful it suddenly felt to keep adding to the story I'd thought I'd completed in 2010 (when finishing a long chaptered fic set after OotP). In 2019 I wrote 24 short stories, 121 000 words altogether. But now I'm slowing down – when I'm finding more people to spend time on talking to.

(I subscribed back yesterday – before reading your profile – and also gave you access, as I give to everybody, even though I've so far made no locked posts. If I ever make any, they're likely to be drafts for fics, as I hardly ever post about real life.)

[bemused_writer]

I've been having a great deal of fun with it. ^^ And I've met a lot of people through writing as well, so that's been really cool! Sounds like you wrote up a storm there; that is awesome. ^^ Getting back into the swing of it and finding it even more fun and meaningful than before is part of what's kept me at it, too.

As for my access list policy, there's no worries. I'm always flattered when people add me to theirs. ^^ Real life stuff, fandom stuff, it's all good. When I say I don't want to see nonstop negativity, we really are talking like... bucketloads of it. ^^" That can be rough. But a little venting here and there is no problem; I think we all do that.

[paulamcg]

The chance to meet people – more exactly to interact with other writers and readers – was the reason I became a fanfic writer. Before my hiatus I developed some great writerly relationships. After returning to post fic on my Livejournal, I was surprised I persisted without any interaction for nine months, too busy writing fic (and really a lot of it, by my standards, as I've always been a slow writer) to look around for activity on other platforms. Since December I've written mainly for fests. It's lovely to find out that I'm not the only one – and perhaps crazy trying to get back what my fandom life used to be – and that it makes sense we're here, because we're finding it even more fun and meaningful than before.

Thank you! It's good to know that an occasional brief complaint (for instance about not being allowed to work from home) won't bother you :) I also try not to mention too often that a fic having got no attention makes me sad, and to focus on these happy occasions of sharing.

[bemused_writer]

The interaction that can come from fanfic is a lot of fun. ^^ I love the reviews, but I've been amazed at the level of interaction with meta (which I've taken up doing with a lot more frequency as well)! That has been a great deal of fun. ^^ I've started doing fests with more frequency (I signed up for my first Big Bang ever this year) and I've been enjoying it a great deal. Prompts really do help spark some ideas and get me talking about stuff I might not have thought of otherwise.

I really don't think you have to worry about it. ^^" I really am thinking of a very specific kind of negativity onslaught rather than talking about the day-to-day or fanfic and such. I'll work on the wording in my Profile! ^^

[paulamcg]

I love discussing fics (and not only mine), but since my return I've got a lot more interaction with other than fic posts.

I've never signed up for big word counts, and I rather try to keep my fest fics short, partly because I think it's more likely that the other participants give a chance to a short fic despite not knowing the writer. Besides, I've felt no urge to compose another chaptered fic after my very first fic turned out a novel which took seven years to complete. It's interesting to hear that, you, too, do fests more often than before. Back when I was working on the novel, I did very few fests.

Oh, no worries about changing the wording in your profile. I just got overly cautious afterwards because I'd hurried and added you without reading it first. The negativity statement's about locked posts, after all, and I don't even lock any posts! :) Thank you for responding to all my concerns!

[bemused_writer]

Big word counts can be tough with a deadline, that's for sure. And after writing so much, I can see why you'd like a bit of a break! For me, one of the reasons I didn't do fests so much before was because I was very unsure of my ability. XD A lot of those nerves are gone nowadays, so it's much more manageable. ^^

Of course! I'm glad I could clarify it. ^^

[paulamcg]

Oh, I'm sorry I failed to reply earlier to this further comment on my fanart post!

Yes, I guess I've always been at least a bit unsure of my ability to reach a certain wordcount (above 5000 words or so) when writing with a deadline, as I'm a slow writer. Besides, because I want every fic I write to be consistent with and also meaningful in my single "universe" of the characters' lives, I still always check that there is a suitable prompt or a chance for self-prompting before I sign up.

But I wouldn't call this a bit of a break, really! I had an eight-year break, after all. :) After that I've written (among others) a couple of 9k-word fics, one of 11k words, and one 19k-word fic, which I guess could be called a novella (but I didn't make even that one chaptered).

It's good to hear you find fests so much fun now – and I guess a little bit of nerves is part of the thrill. :)

[bemused_writer]

No worries! And very true. ^^ Ahh, long oneshots such as your 19k one are some of my favorites.

[paulamcg]

Thank you for the reassuring comment! I've thought that long oneshots are the hardest to get readers for, but there must be all kinds of preferences. Perhaps you mean your favourites to write… In any case, if you want to have a look at this one, you'll find it here: The Angel of Charity, or This Awfully Long Month.

[bemused_writer]

Oh, I mean both. :D It can be hard to get people to read them, but I've found that those who do usually like them a great deal more? At least, that was the reception I got for the two Vanitas no Carte fics I did that were around that length (Dealing with Monsters and When We Fall Asleep). I will definitely take a look; sounds interesting!

[paulamcg]

I love those titles you mention! It's a pity I don't know that canon you write for at all, and I suppose when reading a long oneshot, it can be more important to know the canon – than when reading a single intimate scene, I mean. Is there something suitable you'd like to self-rec for me to read?

I'll be thrilled if you have a look at that Remus-pov fic, perhaps also let me know what you think, even in case you don't have the time to read all of it. It's one of those I wrote last year when I wasn't in contact with anyone in the fandom.

[bemused_writer]

It's my ongoing goal to get more people into Vanitas no Carte whenever possible. XD It's a great manga.

As for what I'd recommend of mine... Hmm, I'm actually not sure what our mutual fandoms are outside of HP! And the only thing I have uploaded that I wrote for that was when I was a teen, so not a very good representative of my current writing. I've written for several manga/anime, some video games... Some of the more popular titles would be The Untamed, Good Omens, and Voltron if you're into any of those series?

I'll definitely leave a review when I read; I try to be on top of that kind of thing. (^^)

[pauraque]

Well done on getting out of your comfort zone! This is a cool sketch. The fact that the red color is also part of his body (the scars) makes me think he's starting to paint something from his own life, expressing what he's been through.

[paulamcg]

Thank you! I had intended to do ssomething else besides writing since my summer holidays started yesterday, and considered practising a bit with watercolours (which I've hardly touched after the end of my hiatus from fanfic) this month. But when the prompts being of this type had surprised me, and only after checking out other contributions, did I suddenly have this idea, and I hurried to make this and to find out about posting an image. I'm surprised it worked out. :)

It feels wonderful to get feedback like this: your interpretation, which is not less valid – not less valuable, on the contrary – if it diverges from what happens in the story. I'm thrilled you saw the scar and its connection to Remus's painting. I hoped it wouldn't look like he'd just touched his shoulder with the brush :)

[walgesang]

Watercolors are so cool and I love what you've done with the red paint here. Thanks for sharing your art!

[paulamcg]

Thank you for your kind words! I dabbled with watercolours ten years ago and again a couple of years ago but not since I got back to writing fanfic. I'm glad this challenge gave me the idea and the motivation to do this without further thought, as it's always such a pleasure to have something received. This prompt made it natural to paint only the red parts, and I hoped that this colour would work to depict scars, too. (I've written a lot about Remus having the bite scar on his left shoulder, but I've never seen it before. :) )

[silveradept]

The sketch and the decision to use solely red (and dilutions thereof) is a choice that works for the artwork. I would enjoy seeing this inked up along with the red decisions that have already been put to it.

[paulamcg]

Thank you for your wonderful comment. I'm glad to hear that you think my choices here work for this work.

Perhaps I should have looked for a softer pencil to use in this. But somewhat fragile lines may suit what I want to convey about the character in this situation. However, I appreciate the idea about inking up. While I've never used ink... what about you making a remix artwork of this :) ?

[silveradept]

Regrettably, all I would be able to do with it is digitally turn the pencil lines into solid black lines by tracing over them rather than anything else. Not exactly remixing (and my strengths are in writing rather than drawing.)

[paulamcg]

I don't even know if and how remixing of fanart is done. Before this I've never thought of contributing anything but fic and comments to the fandom, and I've only dabbled with these fragile traditional media: watercolours and pencil.

You write HP fic, don't you? I'd like to subscribe to you.

[silveradept]

It can be done, although, as I imagine it, it could be someone drawing or arting in their own style, or from a different angle or pose, or making another in a series.

I have written some HP fic. It is not, by any means, my most prolific fandom. Feel free to subscribe, if you like. If you subscribe to my DW, you will instead see lots of link goodness and the occasional fannish meta or similar instead of fic efforts. (My fic is basically all archived on AO3, same username silveradept.

[paulamcg]

Thank you! I meant subscribing on DW. I'll be happy to have more goodness in my feed. And I'll check out your fic on AO3, too.

[enemytosleep]

I love that you only used red for this. It's very eye catching, and the points it draws attention to are also somewhat affecting. The oversized sweater, a symbol of comfort, the red of the palette and the diluted red of the water glass that he’s painting from. The dash of red on the canvas: is he painting a sunset? It’s fun to speculate. The scars are poignant. It says a lot in few lines. Thank you for sharing!

[paulamcg]

Thank you so much for this lovely comment! Now I'm ever happier that the challenge made me paint something red to post on my journal, which I want to keep fannish (and rather Remusy, as all my fanfic belongs to one story of my Lupin's life, although each fic can be read separately, and a lot of fics have other main characters). I'm surprised how well this picture works, but your detailed description helps me believe it. You make me think this is like a visual drabble with its few lines, and I'm glad I've finally drafted one, as for years I've written about this Remus and recently more about what painting meant to him.

I'm thrilled you also enjoy speculating. I guess I shouldn't answer your question, because I've solemnly declared that each reader's interpretation is valid and valuable and finalises a piece of fic or art. Let's say just that the other character in the story also assumes that the aquarelle is a sunset landscape. :)

[quietmoon]

Lovely! <3 The dab of paint on the (in-world) painting drew me in, and for a moment I was like 'wait, but this is also a painting' asldkjfh painting-ception.

[paulamcg]

Oh, thank you! ♥ Funny how painting-ception (:)) seemed to me a most natural thing to do. I happened to have described this scene in writing just before I saw the prompt. Remus in his in-world was the one who painted first, and inspired me, also in the sense that I actually started dabbling in watercolour painting (taking a two-day course in 2009) because I'd written for six years about this Remus to whom visual art meant a lot, and I felt I needed to finally learn a bit more about watercolour in practice. Your mesmerising icon suits your comment well, too! ♥

[a_belladonna]

Oh! That is a lovely drawing! :) It's very bold to only use the red colour, I like that effect. :)

[paulamcg]

Oh, thank you! In my mind my Remus has always been lovely, but I wouldn't have decided to try and show that in a drawing, if the scene I had just added to the fic I've now been rewriting for a month had not suited for this challenge prompt, which also made it an obvious choice to use only the red. I'm thrilled you like this so much.

[a_belladonna]

Of course! It's a good drawing. :) And wonderful the image you had matched the challenge prompt. :D

[paulamcg]

Thank you! This feedback means a lot, particularly coming from an artist like you. ♥

[a_belladonna]

Aw, thank you. :)

[paulamcg]

♥