Art: Spare the Rod (R)

[pink_mint]

Title: Spare the Rod
Characters: Harry
Rating: R
Warning: blood, bruises, come
Created with: Painter X
Notes: This is This is fanart for calanthe_fics's Spare the Rod, part three in the Mudhoney trilogy. Additional notes and an excerpt from Spare the Rod are below.
Additional notes: First, I have to say that I had residual inspiration from calanthe_fic's trilogy that needed to come out, and this is the result! Plus, how could I not draw her Harry after doing Draco?

I wanted the two paintings to compliment each other in look and in intensity of emotion, and at first I had a tough time picking one emotion of Harry’s to show. The one of Draco was really obvious to me, but this one I had to think about. Then I remembered the Exanimus scene, which is nearly my favorite – it gives me chills.

Do correct me if I’m mistaken, Cal: in the picture of Draco, it was the moment that his fantasy and desire for Harry finally manifested. And in this picture of Harry, it’s the definitive scene for him personally. He realizes he wants to live.

Admittedly, I took some artistic liberties with this one. Cal, please forgive me if he’s a bit more bruised and bloodied than you wrote him. I also realize that these bruises are probably a lot further along than they realistically could be, given the time frame. ;)

Please let me know what you think. Once again, I'm a bundle of nerves!

A happy birthday to darling Harry Potter! So sorry I made you look terrible on your special day. ;)

Lastly, my companion piece to this, featuring Draco.

Excerpt:

“Finite Incantatem,” he annunciates, his low voice carrying clearly across the space between us.

My lungs spasm painfully and I hear myself drag in a ragged, bubbling breath that’s deep enough to curve my spine up off the table. I choke out the remaining jism from the back of my throat with unfettered relief. After that first breath in, the one that makes black blobs dance across my vision, I flop back onto the table and pant, drawing a shaking hand up to scrub at my face, wincing as the raw pain of an overstretched muscle in my shoulder protests.

Thank fuck! I’m alive! I experience a blinding moment of euphoria as my survival moves from fantasy to fact before my body starts to palsy and shake in shock. I put both hands over my face and try to breathe even though it’s hard. I’m alive.

I turn my head eventually, moving it painfully slowly to stop my focus blurring and breaking up.

He must have moved the moment I turned my head.

All I see is the flutter of a grey-trimmed black cloak disappearing round the doorframe and out of sight.

I lie there and watch the empty space for minutes, curling my toes and then flexing my limbs, testing to see what works and what hurts.

When I finally get up to dress, a changed person from the one who lay down, I consider life and death. I consider love and hate. I consider how fine the line between extremes can be.

I look down at the crumpled form of my Stupefied attacker and consider kicking him until his ribs break and his stomach is black with bruises. But I don’t do it. He’s broken enough without my interference, so I merely turn and walk away.

- from Spare the Rod by calanthe_fics

Comments

[autumn-veela.livejournal.com]

Dear God (I mean that both as an expression ["Dear God!"]and literally ["Dear God...", because I think you might be]. You are amazing. Truly, inescapably amazing. marguerite_26 mentioned that you are also into a bit of Harry/Scorpius... nextgen and crossgen desperately need more artists, so feel free to come over to the dark side with us. : )

Looking past the intensity of this picture, I absolutely love your Harry. You've given him a new face, and one that fits very well. And the way you work with skin textures and light... well, guh.

I'm sorry my commenting doesn't really make smuch ense, but you've scrambled my brain. ♥

[pink-mint.livejournal.com]

Dearest, you are just too sweet to me!!

I'm so pleased that you like my Harry. It means a lot because this was the first time I was able to get him just like he is in my mind. :D

I was thinking sometime next week I'd post a couple of pictures from the WIP stage of this, one of them being Harry before I added the injuries. Do you think that's a good idea? :)

I would definitely be interested in doing crossgen/nextgen art! I don't have any ideas, though, so I just have to wait for a fic that really gets me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! ♥

[autumn-veela.livejournal.com]

WIPs would be amazing! I'd love a bit of insight into your method.

Are you new to fandom altogether, or just to art?

[pink-mint.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! Keep an eye out for it in a day or to. :D

I've been in the fandom for about four years, but I haven't been active in three. I kept up pretty well with fics, though. Before I left, I wrote a handful of fics and I think did one drawing, but that's it.