Aurora

Aurora

For *A Winter's Fantasy* Contest


Inspired by the luminous enchanting dancing lights of the polar aurora.
In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis.
Also know in parts of Canada as Les Joyeux Danseurs, English; The Merry Dancers
the northern lights have inspired many an author, poet and artist.
Further inspiration for this piece came from the poem by
Christopher Pearse Cranch. See Excerpt Below!

I took heavy artistic liberty of coarse and gave my piece
a fantasy twist instead of following the classical
lines of the poem.



"Sister of the moonlight pale,
Star-obscuring meteor veil,
Spread by heaven's watching vestals;
Sender of the gleamy crystals
Darting on their arrowy course

From their glittering polar source,
Upward where the air doth freeze
Round the sister Pleiades;--

Beautiful and rare Aurora,
In the heavens thou art their Flora,
Night-blooming Cereus of the sky,
Rose of amaranthine dye,
Hyacinth of purple light,
Or their Lily clad in white!"
~From *To the Aurora Borealis*
By Christopher Pearse Cranch


Credits:
Fairy: Rendered by me in Daz 3D, repaint done in corel painter,
and post work done in photoshop and paint shop pro.

Castle: Rendered by me in Daz 3D, repaint done in corel painter,
post work done in photoshop and paint shop pro.

Tigers: [link]
*Repaint to make them look slightly more like individuals
done by me in corel painter.*

Brushes: [link]

Background 1: [link]

Background 2: [link]

Textures: Textures from personal stock. Some came from scans of wrapping papers, gift bags, and some
from photos of snow and ice.

All other elements painted or made by me, and or licensed for commercial use.

Close ups can be seen here: [link]

Tools: Daz 3D, Photoshop, Corel Painter, Paint Shop Pro, Scanner, Digital Camera *Nikon*,
and a Wacom Tablet

Time: 28 Hours total, with 48 individual layers before the final merge.