Hi HALE ADDICTS,
I'm JK Noble, and I am an artist and the YA fantasy author of the HALE series!
It's been a while since I've continued my character portraits since the first book of the HALE series released in November, but I'm so excited to share my newest edition with you all! This portrait depicts a beloved character of mine, the Empress of the world of Orcura, Talzra.
The peoples of Orcura are able to control the elements and they have a deep Prussian blue skin. Yes, blue skin! While some might assume the Orcurian people are similar to the peoples of the Avatar film of 2009, there are major differences. For example, the people of Orcura do not exist on another planet, but in another realm/dimension. Likewise, they do not have animalistic features such as a tail, pointed ears, or patterns on the skin, and their skin is a significantly dark shade of blue.
The world of Orcura, though briefly mentioned in the first installment of HALE: The Rise of the Griffins, will have more of the limelight as the series progresses, and I cannot wait to share those stories with my fans.
Empress Talzra, though intimidating at first, is an inspiring woman. She is strong, wants the best for her people, and offers a guiding hand to our main cast of characters such as Camden, the former prince of the Bimmorian Kingdom.
Her overall look was one that I had imagined way before writing her down on paper. I always envisioned Orurcians, especially those of higher rank, wearing scarves on their heads. Their luscious silk-like fabrics would have multiple tints. However, being the empress, Talzra must be adorned in magnificent jewels. And being from a different world entirely, it would seem improbable to wear something along the lines of a traditional crown from our world. I envisioned a magnificent brace at the neck signifying her majesty over her world. Likewise, her earrings and headband should be as unique as the world she hails from. It is alluring as an artist and fantasy lover to elongate her ear as many fantasy creatures sport in modern media. But what would make her stand out among the sea of fantasy peoples with elongated ears? So, after various designs I ended up with an interesting earring that extends out from behind. I've grown to like it so much that I wish such jewelry truly existed. While the world of Orcura is rich in minerals, I scrapped her ordinary dress for somewhat of a laced metal with an opaque mesh beneath.
Here is a time-lapse video of the whole process for creating this artwork.
I can go on and on about the world of Orcura, its peoples, and its secrets, but I think that would just ruin the fun of experiencing it for yourselves.
For more details about the HALE series, check out the official HALE website where you can find a lot of free content like trailers, interactive previews of the books, a character page, creatures page, powers page, personality quizzes, and my favorite: the interactive map.
If you would like to purchase any of the art displayed on jknoble.com or hale-fantasynovel.com you can find them available in online stores like ArtPal and FineArtAmerica. These two platforms are amazing because you can pick out your favorite piece of art and customize on what material or object you want it printed on! For example, you can choose anything from a canvas to a beach towel to a tote bag! Isn't that cool! I've even purchased a personalized notebook from FineArtAmerica with a beautiful piece of art on the cover.
For writing tips, blogs, vlogs, art tutorials, and fun videos, you can always connect with me on all social media platforms: @jknobleauthor
Empress Talzra is now an official member of the HALE cast's Trading Card set, which you can find at https://www.hale-fantasynovel.com/trading-cards ! Her full portrait is displayed on https://www.jknoble.com/art-work.
I'm so happy to have her as a part of my collection and I can't wait to complete the set with the rest of HALE's cast.
Who is your favorite character from the HALE series?