I already told you that I don't love to draw with colored pencils. But the more I see of these illustrations, the more you want to conquer the color barrier!
I decided to start a series of fairy-tale characters that I draw using colored pencils.
Thinking about what the character should be unique and bright, I could not pass up Kikimora - is a dark and dangerous character of the old Russian fairy tales and folklore.
According to legend, the Kikimora looks as evil and hunchbacked old woman with green skin and long dishevelled hair, covered with mud and river grass.
It inhabits the marshes of wild forests and is the wife of the owner of the forest.
Legends say that "The Kikimora" are the souls of women who died an agonizing death, most often it is drowned women. The other version is that is the souls of the little girls who didn't love mom.
Ancestors believed that the meeting in the forest with this creature brings only grief and impending death.
Kikimora appears before the traveler only if he came already far in the swamp and there is no turning back. Her way is to completely scare a drowning man and take away his last chance for salvation. She embraces the man with her cold hands and he plunges into her arms right to the bottom.
Of course, such legends are creepy and unpleasant feeling. So I decided to refuse the evil and frightening image. I made the character's face more warm and friendly.
Now it's more of marsh's grandmother, rather than terrible swamp thing)
What fairytale character would you like to see next?