Mistakes are Okay

In a society that tries to persuade us to be perfect, it might be difficult to accept that something we have done does not turn out the way we want it to.

I realized this as I was posting this rendition of an OC for a member of the Sheikah tribe.  I left the mistakes in there.  You can see where I've erased multiple times (and yes, the paper held up, ha ha), made several adjustments, and generally kept playing around with this sketch until I got as close as I could to what I wanted.

The best part is that I'm really happy with this.  

Don't get me wrong, I see the areas where I need to improve.  There are many of them, believe me.  But the point is that I keep trying until I get to where I become more professional in my field.

So if you ever have a difficult time with art, just remember Mr. Rogers (you'll have to click on the photo to read this)

Doll Review - Belle and Gaston + BONUS!

Disney Store Live Action Beauty and the Beast Doll Set

I know that there have been a lot of negative reviews around Emma Watson's Belle doll ...

That said, here is my personal review of the doll set of Gaston and Belle - and stay to the end for a bonus!

Gaston

Gaston is an impressive doll - each layer of clothing is separate and truly well made.  His hair is molded (meaning not real, rooted hair), which I feel works for this doll.  The designer really captured Luke Evan's facial features, as well as the dangerous expression of the character.  

Gaston has a revolver at his waist, a ruby ring on his right hand, boots, vest, jacket, pants, and undershirt.

Overall, I give this doll a 10/10!

Created by: Disney Store

Belle

Belle, while not exactly the image of Miss Emma Watson, is still a beautiful doll in it's own right.  I feel like I know what the designer was going for, and coincidentally, from the profile actually looks like the actress.  The main problem, in my opinion, is that the eyes are a little too close together, which could be throwing the doll off considerably.

Each layer of her costume is separate - from the aprons to the bodice pieces and undershirt.  She even has socks!

Overall, I give this doll an 8/10 - now, I know that for many, that is an incredibly high number.  But to me, she isn't as bad as some pictures have made her out to be.

Created by: Disney Store

BONUS

Beauty and the Beast accessory pack

When I saw this at Toys'R'Us, I got so excited that I think I ran down the aisle a little.  Included are: Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Babette (or Fifi as she's called in the live action).

I am so surprised at the detail!  Cogsworth's design is so spot on to the movie that I feel this character steals most of my attention out of this set.  These are the perfect match for the Disney Store Beauty and the Beast doll sets.

Created by Hasbro.

Jewel Rider Project - Tamara

Tamara

I have to be honest: Tamara has always been my favorite Jewel Rider.  I love the mint/pink color scheme, as well as the heart/butterfly motif and her ability to talk to animals.  There is something soft, famine, and yet tough about her.  

Please note that in my JR version, there are subtle changes to Tamara, thought I try to keep her very in tact to how she is in the show.

Without further ado:

Tamara

Tamara is the only adopted child of Melody and Doc, the royal veterinarians of Avalon.  Tamara has grown up around Gwenevere and Tarabeth, though until becoming a Jewel Rider, she has been too busy learning her parents trade to play too much with the royal sisters.

While quiet and often reflective, Tamara has an uncanny ability to connect with animals of any type and size.  A musical student, Tamara uses her melodies to soothe and heal an agitated soul, making her the only Jewel Rider with innate magical abilities, making her overly curious as to who her biological parents really are....

General Information:

Nickname - None

Favorite Color - Pink and Mint

Animal - Shadowsong
Age - 14

Family:

Mother (adoptive): Melody
Father (adoptive): Doc
Mother: ..........
Father: ..........

Physical Features:

Hair - Pink

Eyes - Green

Skin - Fair
Height - 4 feet 10 inches

More updates to come!

Tamara

Going for a semi-realism view of my favorite JR:  Tamara

This piece is made from Blick Marker paper, Copic markers, and a Sakura (I think) Gold Gel pen. 

I drew the concept for this about a year ago and now have colored it.  I will probably re-do this concept again, so that I can see how far I've come since first creating it, but that will be down the road.  

Stay tuned February 8th when I release Tamara's bio for my JR Project!

-Brittani Ashley-

Jewel Riders Project

When I was in my teens ...

When I was in my early teens, I fell extremely ill and the doctors had no diagnosis.  Week after week I was poked and prodded with needles and test work until I felt more like a pin cushion than a human being.

It was during this time that I discovered a show about three girls with magical powers who went on quests and held the kingdom together by their friendship.

Yep: I'm talking about Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders.

If you would like to see more about the original series, the Jewel Riders Archive is a great place to start.

Friends together, friends forever!

Okay - I'll admit it....

Jewel Riders did have a tendency to be ... a little silly at times.  Not that silly is at all a bad thing - but sometimes I longed for something a slightly less giddy and something more mature (example: the whole romance episode between Gwen and the Beast Boy .... *cringe* - I was a teenager then so I was a bit squeamish on romance, ha ha!).

I decided over 18 years ago that if I ever became rich enough, I'd buy the franchise and reboot it.

18 years later I'm still poor...

But bless my soul I'm creative and I have a blog!  

While I may not be able to afford to buy and reboot the series, I would LOVE to share my fan artwork with the smallish Jewel Rider community that I hope will soon grow to be a large community.  Occasionally, as time permits, I would also like to share short stories on how the direction I feel Jewel Riders could have gone.

I will be using many of the original names and lost characters from the show bible for this project, as well as many ideas of my own.

I do hope that you enjoy my efforts and come along for the adventure!

Bluelily's Jewel Rider Project - Part One

Part one will consist of character designs.

I will include character designs of the following:

• Princess Angelene (Anya) and Lady Kale
• Morgana LeFay
• Merlin
• Gwenevere and her little sister, Tara
• Tamara
• Fallon
• King Jarrod and Queen Anya
• Archimedes (aka Archie)
• Sunstar
• Moondance
• The "Babies"  (ie. Cleo, Sugar, Spike)
• Wolf Pack
• and any other characters that pop into mind :)

Introducing Queen Angelene (Anya) and Lady Kale

**DISCLAIMER: this is my version of the history of Queen Angelene and Lady Kale, since we don't get a whole lot of information from the television series.  So anything I put here is not official :)**

Anya:
Younger twin to Lady Kale, Queen Angelene is gentle and kind.  Her down-to-earth attitude led her to become Queen of Avalon, and the first bearer of the Sunstone.  Part of her schooling was spent under the tutelage of Merlin, the great wizard.  While she excelled at magic, Anya never pursued a magical career and focused more on government studies and running a household ... errr castlehold.


General Information:
Nickname - Anya
Favorite Color - Violet family
Animal - Wintermane (white tiger)


Family:
Twin sister - Lady Kale
Husband - King Jarrod
Children - Princess Gwenevere (14) and Lady Tara (9)


Physical Features:
Hair - Blonde
Eyes - Dark Blue
Skin - Fair


Favorite Food - Strawberries


Kale:
Elder twin to Queen Angelene, Lady Kale's temper is as well renowned as her taste for power and gold.  Like Anya, Kale was tutored in magic by Merlin, the Great Wizard, but soon discovered that there were other resources.  She had a natural aptitude for magic, however, her eternal jealousy of the favored Anya (and subsequent willingness to use Dark Arts) prevented her from receiving an enchanted jewel from Merlin.  However, Kale soon found a way to remedy the situation by procuring the Dark Stone, which she stumbled upon during the search for Wizard's Peak and a new teacher.


General Information:
Nickname - none
Favorite Color - Red and gold
Animal(s) - Grimm (dragon); Rufus and Twigg (Dweasels - aka dragon weasels)


Family:
Twin sister - Queen Angelene
Nieces - Princess Gwenevere and Lady Tara


Physical Features:
Hair - Ebony
Eyes - Dark blue
Skin - Fair

**One final note: I'm still trying to make friends with my scanner, so the image quality for the next few art pieces may not be up to par.  I apologize and will try to replace images in the future with something that looks better.  :) **

More Updates to come.

-Brittani Ashley-

Artist behind Bluelily Illustration

Morgana

Hello again everyone!  Sorry for going on hiatus.  Good news!  My scanner is all fixed and I've started scanning higher resolution of my drawings.  Hooray!

That noted, let's get on to the next in my Jewel Rider Project: Morgana, Evil Wizardess of the Jungle Region.

Morgana:

Once a powerful wizard of Merlin's Council, Morgana has now been banished into the seemingly endless and void of the wild magic.  Her specialty lies in plants and vegetation; which she primarily used for potions and poisons.  Due to her specific talents, Morgana was, at one time, granted stewardship over the Jungle Region of Avalon.  However, when she began inciting the other wizards to rebel against Merlin, she and her followers were banished into the wild magic.  There, Morgana has waited patiently for a thousand years, plotting her revenge ever so patiently.

And there is one card up Morgana's sleeve that just might do the trick .....

General Information:

Nickname - None

Favorite Color - Black

Animal - None

Family:

... you'll have to wait and see!

Physical Features:

Hair - Ash White

Eyes - 

Skin - Medium

Stay tuned for more to come-

I was always a little sad that all three of our girls were only children.  So in my version, I brought Tara back - as Tarabeth.  Why the name change?  Honestly, I don't know.  When I started looking over the show bible, my mind misread the name Tara, and it's just stuck.

Princess Gwenevere:

Gwenevere, the eldest of two sisters, is in line for the Sunstone, and thereby the crown.  Often found a little more concerned with her wardrobe than her studies, Gwen can sometimes come off as spoiled and ill tempered.  Due to this, Queen Angelene was worried about passing the Sunstone to her, but relented when Merlin convinced her otherwise.

Gwen is persistent in good causes and determined to see things through, even though it might cost her personally.  In the beginning of the series (mine - just to be clear), Gwen does not get along with her little sister Tara.  It's only through the necessary growing experiences that Gwen learns what it takes to be a good ruler, friend, and sister.

General Information:

Nickname - Gwen

Favorite Color - Pink

Animal - Sunstar

Age - 16

Family:

Mother: Queen Angelene

Father: King Jarrod

Sister: Tarabeth

Physical Features:

Hair - Blonde

Eyes - Blue

Skin - Medium/Fair

Height - 4 feet 11 inches

Tarabeth:

Tarabeth is the youngest daughter of Queen Angelene and King Jarrod. Since she is not first in line for the crown, Tarabeth will inherit only one of the Duchies near the Enchanted Forest.  She is energetic, happy, and wants so badly to be like her older sister that it sometimes gets her into trouble.  She loves animals, cross-stitching, and art.  She hopes to have a new type of jewel from Merlin one day - and an animal friend to share it with.

General Information:

Nickname - Tara

Favorite Color - Purple

Animal - none

Age - 9

Family:

Mother: Queen Angelene

Father: King Jarrod

Sister: Gwenevere

Physical Features:

Hair - Brown

Eyes - Blue

Skin - Medium/Fair

Height - 4 feet 2 inches

Zelda becoming Sheik - Unfinished

It's dangerous to go alone.  Take this ....

Ever since I was an early teenager, I have been in love with the Legend of Zelda series.  I think it started with Ocarina of Time.  My favorite character was Zelda, of course, and I can still remember the surprise I had when Sheik turned into the Princess.  

This art piece, while unfinished at the moment, is a "behind-the-scenes" look at Zelda's training to become the last of the Sheikah.  

I hope you enjoy it!

I'm hoping to have a background selected and make this a finished piece soon - and will post that once complete.  :)

Jewel Rider Project - Gwenevere and Tarabeth

Princess Gwenevere and Lady Tarabeth

Although the original show bible called for a younger sister to Princess Gwenevere, a young girl named Tara, the character was never developed into the show. 


I was always a little sad that all three of our girls were only children.  So in my version, I brought Tara back - as Tarabeth.  Why the name change?  Honestly, I don't know.  When I started looking over the show bible, my mind misread the name Tara, and it's just stuck.

Princess Gwenevere:


Gwenevere, the eldest of two sisters, is in line for the Sunstone, and thereby the crown.  Often found a little more concerned with her wardrobe than her studies, Gwen can sometimes come off as spoiled and ill tempered.  Due to this, Queen Angelene was worried about passing the Sunstone to her, but relented when Merlin convinced her otherwise.


Gwen is persistent in good causes and determined to see things through, even though it might cost her personally.  In the beginning of the series (mine - just to be clear), Gwen does not get along with her little sister Tara.  It's only through the necessary growing experiences that Gwen learns what it takes to be a good ruler, friend, and sister.

General Information:

Nickname - Gwen

Favorite Color - Pink

Animal - Sunstar
Age - 16

Family:

Mother: Queen Angelene
Father: King Jarrod
Sister: Tarabeth

Physical Features:

Hair - Blonde

Eyes - Blue

Skin - Medium/Fair
Height - 4 feet 11 inches


Tarabeth:


Tarabeth is the youngest daughter of Queen Angelene and King Jarrod. Since she is not first in line for the crown, Tarabeth will inherit only one of the Duchies near the Enchanted Forest.  She is energetic, happy, and wants so badly to be like her older sister that it sometimes gets her into trouble.  She loves animals, cross-stitching, and art.  She hopes to have a new type of jewel from Merlin one day - and an animal friend to share it with.

General Information:

Nickname - Tara

Favorite Color - Purple

Animal - none
Age - 9

Family:

Mother: Queen Angelene
Father: King Jarrod
Sister: Gwenevere

Physical Features:

Hair - Brown

Eyes - Blue

Skin - Medium/Fair
Height - 4 feet 2 inches

Fairies at the Village Gardens

Just a few more fairies to get you through the day.

I love photography.  It's something that I was raised with.  I still remember the time that my father and I went to San Diego for a photo shoot at the San Diego Zoo.  It was a lot of walking and waiting, but that taught patience.  

Have you taken your camera out lately?

Jewel Rider Project - Morgana

Morgana

Hello again everyone!  Sorry for going on hiatus.  Good news!  My scanner is all fixed and I've started scanning higher resolution of my drawings.  Hooray!

That noted, let's get on to the next in my Jewel Rider Project: Morgana, Evil Wizardess of the Jungle Region.

Morgana:

Once a powerful wizard of Merlin's Council, Morgana has now been banished into the seemingly endless and void of the wild magic.  Her specialty lies in plants and vegetation; which she primarily used for potions and poisons.  Due to her specific talents, Morgana was, at one time, granted stewardship over the Jungle Region of Avalon.  However, when she began inciting the other wizards to rebel against Merlin, she and her followers were banished into the wild magic.  There, Morgana has waited patiently for a thousand years, plotting her revenge ever so patiently.

And there is one card up Morgana's sleeve that just might do the trick .....

General Information:

Nickname - None

Favorite Color - Black

Animal - None

Family:

... you'll have to wait and see!

Physical Features:

Hair - Ash White

Eyes - 

Skin - Medium

Stay tuned for more to come-

Flashback Photo

Fairies at the Village Gardens...

Here is a picture I took last year (2016). Every year, at a little village near us, one of my neighbors is in charge of putting together an impressive Fairy display. Here is one fairy, ready to tease us that Spring is not quite here yet. :)

Please let me know if you would like to see more from her work. I can do a post with many of the pictures that I took from this event.

For some reason, I can't figure out how to make this a click on picture so that you can view it larger.  However, I do have this larger on my Facebook page: click here to view.