Monday, January 18, 2010

Eros and Anteros

Last week, I finished the Valentine Fairy pic and posted it up on my deviantArt page, where one of my frequent visitors asked if she had "plumed" butterfly wings. Thinking I was sorely uneducated in butterfly terminology, I asked what, exactly, plumed butterfly wings were. Turns out, they're the feathered butterfly wings of Eros's little brother, Anteros. Being the mythology nut I am, of course I had to plunge right into researching the guy... and then, I had to draw him.



Eros, little attention whore that he is, insisted on hopping in, too.

In any case, this took three straight days from sketch to posting, which translates to maybe 24-30 hours of work. I'm pretty happy with it. For once, I think I've managed a background that is present but supports the composition of the picture as a whole rather than going, "Look at me! Look at me!" There's a nice, warm atmosphere to it all, and the peachy color scheme really helps Anteros's wings and their eyes stand out, but not jarringly so.

As for those wings... For Anteros, I spent awhile trying to figure out just how one feathers butterfly wings and still has them functional. In the end, just feathering the basic butterfly structure seemed the way to go. That lovely blue comes from a passage on the Erotes from Philostatus the Elder over at The Theoi Project, where he described them as having deep blue, purple, or golden wings. Blue seemed to suit Anteros, with him being the personification of mutual or returned love: soothing, calm, and beautiful.

Meanwhile, his big brother Eros started out with the typical white dove wings, but next to Anteros, they just seemed so bland, and didn't really pop enough in the picture. They needed something more... so I bit the bullet, pulled out the lasso tool, and turned his wings into a hawk's. He's a little more predatory and arrow-happy in nature, so that seemed like a good fit for him.

Now, I know that somewhere out there, there is someone going, "But I thought they were supposed to be chubby cherubs with a head full of golden curls!" Well... artistic license here. I've never really been comfortable with Eros/Cupid being all child-like, especially in the context of the Eros and Psyche myth. I'm far more comfortable with them being attractive adult males. I did intend them as blonds when I started, but it just did not work out. But I think auburn works wonderfully for the two of them.

Overall, I am really happy with this piece. I kinda wish I'd done a step-by-step as I went along. Maybe next time!

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