Still In the Game

[tealin]

John Childermass, Mr. Norrell's ... valet? A mysterious character (I have my suspicions, because irony is too sweet...) and, I think, my favourite. He's more independent than anyone else in the book, as everyone besides him is a slave to what they are supposed to be, be it gentleman, magician, wife, politician, whatever. They are all bound by duty and expectation but Childermass is Childermass and no one says boo. I nearly thought he was going to succumb to the usually fatal Tealin's Favourite Character Syndrome (they always die!) but he seemed to survive that ... unfortunately he still has to make it through the remaining 300 pages I have yet to read. This design seems influenced largely by Ubiquitouspitt's Tony Chattin (a character I know only through her drawings) but also by the illustrations in the book, and the close shot of his head looks suspiciously like the drawing of Angua I did not too long ago. It's odd, having a character who refuses to come out of my pencil again. Lately it's been unfairly easy .. I've started to wonder. Looks like things are back to normal. Hah, and he looks like all my other long-faced men. Things are definitely back to normal. Junior Postman Groat ... I have finally figured out that the person he reminds me of is the little old guy who throws off the Emperor's Groove. The physical description is pretty different but acting style would be the same. They're the same sort of character. For that matter, Moist, when he's angry, has a physical acting style very much like Ian Holm (Bilbo) in Fellowship of the Ring. Carrot and Angua go undercover in Jingo. Carrot uses his Vegetable Frippery Disguise. I'm not too happy with this drawing as a whole but dang it, I DREW it! Hah!! Take that, Reacher Gilt!

Comments

[thereisnosp00n.livejournal.com]

*giggles at Carrot's costume* Oh... i <3 Carrot and Angua. :)

[magicnme.livejournal.com]

Oh, I *heart* that Angua expression.

And Childermass...love the clothes but you're right...he looks....vaguely like a cleaned up, better proportioned, less hookednosed version of your Snape.

[(Anonymous)]

What book/series is Childermass from?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell ... sorry, I thought I said.

[salamandersoup.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I just might have to read that story now. How many pages is it ..?

You draw costumes SO well. Probably due to a visit from the Costume Drawing Fairy. *glingle glingle*

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

No, I do not draw costumes well. No costume designer, me. I know about five stock costumes and just change colours and insignificant details. Besides, after drawing this I remembered it's supposed to be a very old-fashioned coat, so I'm going to have to take it back to the 1770s or something. A nicer style, I think, but a bit more work.

I need a costume book.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Hah, forgot to answer question #1 ... it's about 730 pages long. So, roughly the size of Order of the Phoenix but with smaller type, more footnotes, and fewer illustrations.

Okay, I just looked it up on Barnes & Noble, and the hardcover is 800 pages (I'm assuming that includes table of contents, acknowledgements, etc.). And I found this, which brings me to further dislike Gregory Maguire:

Gregory Maguire - The New York Times
A reader more distractible than I am might yawn for 300 pages running and still discover several book-length stretches to enjoy. I never yawned. Clarke's imagination is prodigious, her pacing is masterly and she knows how to employ dry humor in the service of majesty.

'I'm so good. I never yawned. Perhaps the less enlightened mortals out there who like puply trash hard and fast will find this boring but those of us, such as myself, with superior intellect and enlightenment, can appreciate this book's intricacies.'

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to read that book now, just because of your Childermass. He looks like Sydney Carton.

I love Angua's expression.

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

I might like him more if he actually wrote a different story sometime. I mean, fairy tale politics are all very well and good the first time, and in a couple of short stories, but Wicked just seemed to have been drawn out so long...

It was one of the only musicals that I found better than the book, or at least with more sympathetic characters.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

You know, I had that exact same thought as I was drawing him... he's not terribly like Sydney in character, but he does bear a resemblance.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Aha! At last! It is such a relief to find someone who finds Mr Maguire tiresome!

Incredible!

[(Anonymous)]

(Sigh)I love this portlait of John childermass,
Tealin. A lot.
He looks really cool, although I don't know who he is!

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

I did like Confessions... when I first read it, but then I started Wicked and it seemed exactly the same.

"Oh, he's just decided to try that premise again," said I, and could not actually finish Wicked because it was boring.

Then I found a short story by him in The Green Man that was based on Jack and the Beanstalk. It was good because it was short. It was clever, as he sometimes is, but lovely and short. So I think that his style could work for humor, but not long, serious novels.

well

[miss-ida.livejournal.com]

I think the guy looks a bit like Sirius Black...

Re: well

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

He's about 70% Sirius, 20% Snape, and 10% Jacques Snicket, by my reckoning.

Re: well

[salamandersoup.livejournal.com]

Maybe with a dash of the Dark Rider ...?

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Well, the Dark Rider is a mix of Sirius and Snape already...

[miss-ida.livejournal.com]

Yeah....you're very right...
great combination !

[gabbysun.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I missed this post! I am re-reading the book again and just happened to see this post and just saying Childermass is teh awesome.