The Retiring Room

Update: the finished version is here ([link])

The Golden Compass or Northern Lights (by Philip Pullman) fanart... and my goooooodddd the scanner has bludgeoned this picture to death. It's made the paint look like it was scratched on by a chimp with a stick.

Well... anyway... it ain't finished but I've only got a few days of holiday left and I've got to concentrate on college work so this is as far as it's going to get for a while. As you can see the main areas of unfinishedness are Lyra herself and the rug she stands on. Also Pantalaimon was always going to be the last thing added so he's not here yet.

However, this already represents hooouurrrs - days! - of work over a period of some months. And it's good! Honest! It's the scanner that makes it look bleh!

The scene is from the opening chapter where Lyra has sneaked into the Retiring Room (i.e. Senior Common Room) of her home, Jordan College, somewhere she is forbidden to go. The picture is of the moment she has just heard footsteps approaching...

There are some details of interest: I didn't want to paint a room that could just be an Oxford common room in this world. The carpet is from a batique design and has animal symbols in the pattern. I imagined daemons would crop up in L-world design a lot. The portraits behind Lyra are of Milton and Pullman (l-r) and their poses and clothes are basd on Holbein's 'Lady With a Squirrel' and 'Da Vinci's 'Lady With An Ermine' respectively. Dunno how clear that is on this scan.

Anyway, hope to get the painting finished when I again have some free time (so about... never...) but hope you like what I've got so far!

Oh, it's A4 and painted in acrylic btw.