One look at some of my stranger creatures, and you can probably tell that I get a lot of inspiration from fairy tales, folklore, legends, and mythology. I love exploring the common themes in these stories and find them endlessly captivating. I love the imagination in them, the timelessness, the hope, the beauty, the magic and, yes, even the horror.
I decided to focus on this theme this week not only because it is one of my favorites, but because I just finished reading book 4 in a series that has been filling my head with all sorts of new ideas: the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. I am adoring this series, in which a plucky teen and her brother find themselves suddenly wrapped up in a world of magic, mystery, and danger when they learn that their grandparents are the caretakers of a secret preserve for magical creatures. The story is enchanting and fast-paced and the characters are a bit more realistic and interesting than a certain famous boy wizard.
Mull populates these novels with creatures we are all familiar with (and some we are not), painting very vivid pictures of their looks and behaviors. I've been inspired to sketch some new creatures, but it will be a while yet before I have anything I can show you. So instead, here's a sampling of fairy-tale themed art that really speaks to me:
Baba Yaga's Chicken Leg House © Melissa Sue Stanley.
The Shape Shifter (Mammalius Kinesis) © Marina Bychkova.
Fairytale Forest Skirt © Made with Love by Hannah.
Fairy Tale; Bajka © Tanja.
I wish Tanja's blog wasn't in Serbian; I would love to know more!
Gyspy Countess © Lolley.
SilverHoof IV © Indigo Ocean / R. R. Wake.
Little Red Riding Hood © Elsa Mora.
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