≈ 3 min read
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of painting “Therma, The Chosen Fundamental.“ It is one of the first commissioned works that allowed me to experiment with a transmedia process and build the lore for my universe.
Inside Jokes as Inspo
The Patron, a good friend of mine, asked me to paint "whatever my soul produces." So, I ended up personifying a weird conversation we shared a few years back. We were discussing how people get cold or overheat, easily. What if there was a creature whose abilities revolved around homeostasis or equilibrium? What if there is a being who can only be seen by someone before they overheat or become frostbitten? This being appears before you in your last moments traversing a blistering desert or a roaring tundra. And, with a simple touch, they could save your life.
Since then, this character concept has been tumbling in my head and I appreciated the chance to develop her further.
Lore Begets Form
"Even in the vastness of our multiverse, her name is seldom mentioned. Those who fear her refer to her as The Thermal Hag with a whimpering reverence. Her friends simply call her Therma. Once a normal young woman from the Bronx, she mysteriously became Fundamental- a manifestation of physical law. Since it's kinda hard walking down Grand Concourse as the physical expression of thermodynamics, she decided to travel off-world. Between several odd jobs, she works as a freelance writer, selling stories while researching the true nature of her condition."
With this lore in mind, certain questions begin to bubble in my mind. How does one visualize thermodynamics? What makes a hag, a hag? Is being called a hag rude? Would one subvert or assimilate this hag notion? Can one have a hot girl summer in the cold vastness of space? Am I overthinking this concept?
Gathering Reference and Planning
From left to right: “Communicating” by Irina Nordsol Kuzmina, “Flamekin Harbinger” by Steve Prescott, “Fire Elemental” by Joe Slucher, Photographs by Olivier Grunewald.
A decent amount of direction came from fantasy RPGs like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. Beings like elementals are commonplace in fantasy. Visually, they appear as the embodiment of natural forces, like air or water, but with semi-humanoid features.
My initial thumbnails focused on the design of her Fundamental form. The point was to emulate that embodiment. Basic geometric shapes convey a simpler, more primordial, form. They also give off the bare-bones nature of 3D physics simulation models.
The humanoid arms and the Baroque-esque pose gave the Fundamental form something that was both dramatic and human.
Therma's designs arrived organically. She's a writer with a notebook and a posh cape. For someone who travels away from Earth, the cape had to convey the utility of space-age materials.
Finally, I enjoyed the idea of composing the piece like a card from a French-suited deck. As the introduction to the character, this format would emphasize the duality of Therma/The Thermal Hag.
A Traditional Execution
Here, I laid down the foundation for the colors and the composition. Each layer of gouache, watercolor pencil, and oil pastel built the desired textures. For instance, those impressionistic details on her cape or the skin of her Fundamental form.
I enjoy the happenstance that traditional media offers.
Once finished, I photograph and import the piece into the painting software Clip Studio Paint. My physical limitations, like the character of my brushstrokes or my mistakes, can be digitally built upon. I sharpened edges, added textures, and saturated the colors. If you can tell, I adore this shade of purple.
What We've Learned and Where We'll Go
I love how so much imagery and lore can develop from an small Inside joke. It ended up being an excellent chance to blend both a traditional and a digital process. It feels like a piece has multiple lives. In the future, I would love to expand upon the Fundamental design and include Therma in stories where she can grow as a character. I might even paint over the physical version and give her human form a more dynamic gesture.
Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed my work please consider following me on Instagram and possibly donating to the studio on Ko-Fi.