"Deep Slumber in Ruins" - Contest Entry

"Dvalin sinks into a deep sleep in the ruins to heal his terrible wounds after the battle. But the most terrible wound will be the moment he wakes up and realizes that everyone has forgotten his heroic deed, and even him..."

This work was created for a small contest related to Genshin Impact. Since the artwork took me 23 hours (according to ArtStudio), I decided it would be a shame not to dissect it and tell you about some of its details that were added during the creation process.

Welcome to the lesson of Alternative Art History!

— Brief Summary —

Dvalin is the wind dragon, raised on the expanses of Mondstadt under the patronage of the local deity Barbatos. A free-spirited dragon, who, years later, had to defend his home from another evil dragon that came to these lands. Dvalin won the battle but suffered deep wounds, after which he spent a long time recovering under the ruins, in a deep sleep.

At that time, Dvalin did not know that the wounds he received in battle had poisoned his soul. They were full of corruption, which grew during the dragon's sleep and clouded his mind. And, centuries later, after awakening, Dvalin discovered that all the inhabitants of Mondstadt did not know him, and his heroic deed was completely forgotten. The enraged dragon was full of hatred and despair, which led him to start destroying everything around him. After these events, the people of Mondstadt called the dragon the "Terror of the Storm," and the ruins from which he emerged - the "Lair of the Terror of the Storm."

— Idea — 

The idea was to tell the story through an illustration-fresco, but I quickly moved away from this style and ended up with something in between a classical illustration and a woodcut board.

"He falls asleep a hero to wake up a monster" - a phrase written on top of the arch, which is actually part of the ruins where Dvalin will sleep for the next few centuries. By the way, these ruins used to be the capital of Mondstadt, where the previous patron held people captive, trying to shield them from the dangers of the world.

— Dvalin — 

I decided to depict Dvalin in an unnatural pose, almost as if slightly "twisted," to show how much pain he is in from the wounds. I didn't draw the wounds themselves because it's unknown - was it a physical battle or... a magical one?

Above Dvalin, a purple liquid pours - corruption or an image of the dragon's blood, showing that something is wrong with the creature. The viewer doesn't see the liquid right away, just like Dvalin doesn't see that dark magic is already beginning to corrupt his mind and body.

— Cecilia — 

In the foreground are white Cecilia flowers. This is the favorite flower of Dvalin's close friend - Barbatos. So I wanted to show that despite all the past, present, and future actions of the dragon, the wind patron will always be by his side. Now, during sleep, and even after awakening when the dragon begins to destroy everything around him.

— Stone of Destiny — 

At the zenith, a star shines - the Stone of Destiny. To put it simply, this is a currency that allows you to try your luck on the Wheel of Fortune within the game Genshin Impact. You can win characters, weapons, and other interesting goodies. In this case (for me), the Stone of Destiny became a symbol and embodiment of fate itself. Spin or not spin - everything is predetermined. Fate knows whether you will win something important next time or not. So it is here: Dvalin's fate is predetermined. He will have to go through these trials and cause much pain to those around him, in order to eventually become free.

Comment:
This is certainly not the culmination of the number of images inside a painting, but these are my first attempts. I think it's not bad for a start, although in some places I may have overdone it a bit). In any case, thank you for reading to the end. I'm glad that this article was interesting to you :)