Chapter 6: Ripples and Raging Rapids

River

“‘Splish! splash! splosh!’ The sounds of water slapping onto rocks echoed through as the little girl gradually reached the end of the forest. For a moment, she thought she saw precious diamonds shining brightly at the outskirts of the forest grounds. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the glisters and sparkles were reflection of sunlight on the river’s surface. Fed by mountain streams, the river gushed with a roaring terror of swift waters. As the little girl raised her vision towards the mountains, raging rapids and dislodged woods lined the river’s course. She could not help but shudder at the challenges proposed by mother nature. However, the little girl swiftly constructed a small wooden boat strong enough to withstand her weight and the rivers’ forces as she proceeded to travel upstream. She vowed to keep carrying on and not give in to any undesirable circumstances. Waves lapped onto the sides of the boat mercilessly as the little girl raised her flag of courage and pressed on towards the mountains.”

Rivers have long been one of the traditional key provision of food, shelter and means of transportation. A river begins at a source and flows along a course of its own. Meandering youth rivers travel a much longer route than the straight rivers and has a much faster flow rate. Hence, by incorporating this type of river into the realm, it raises the benchmark for the little girl, proving that the expedition to obtain enlightenment is not an easy task to begin with. Obstacles such as drift wood and rapids also served as dangerous natural traps as she got closer to the source.

In order for the little girl to be able to reach the mountains – the river’s source – she must travel upstream via a small wooden boat. However, fate had more sinister plans for her as the river banks were resided by a hungry, savage troll. The troll would do anything to hinder her way towards the source of the river. So, the little girl must conquer the traps laid by the troll by outwitting it.

Troll Illustration

Similar to the method of execution for the forest’s design, outlines were created for the river, the troll and riverside trees using the cut outs. These were then digitized and illustrated via digital painting in Photoshop. I had references for the rocks by taking photos of rocks in real life while the rivers were referenced via secondary resources. As I was more familiar with the design process, it did not take a long time before I finished the illustrations for the river “arena”.

River Illustration [Screenshot]

Girl Sailing on Boat Illustration

Driftwood Illustration

Mid River Secion Illustration

Bottom River Section Illustration

Upper River Section Illustration

Twin Trees Illustration

 

The little girl was set for her embarkation of a new journey on the waterways. As she forged ahead towards the river source, her sight was partially blinded by the incoming mist. She knew that she was approaching her goal very soon. Yet, she felt uneasy as she sensed that fate’s trials for her has not ended.