Overall

Vision Vision

Originality Originality

Technique Technique

Impact Impact

Throughout your travels, you've encountered countless stories and myths, each one more enticing to investigate than the last. With each new lead, you built together a new adventure, taking you across the globe in search of all places pristine and untouched by the world it exists on. But none more illusive, none more the mountains of mist, where a dragon is said to lurk. This is not the first time you've heard of such a tale, as many a bystander or villager you've encountered had uttered the story of the dragon of the misty mountains. Each varying from the creature being a benevolent spirit, soaring above to look on upon all look to the skies, or a dark and vengeful being from hell, towering above all upon wicked wings only to send them to a molten fate beneath its immolating breath and burning gaze. At times, even your past compatriots have spoken of what they've heard; some even speaking of catching a glimpse of the dragon of these legends. Without hesitating your adventure beings. It is along and arduous quest, filled with dead ends misleading advice and palpable danger. More and more your heart fills with anticipation as well as deeper flowing taste of fear. Perhaps this is something you shouldn't discover, for if the warnings and stories are true, this may very well be your final adventure into the unknown...never to return. You shake the thoughts away; desperately keeping them from destroying your enthusiasm which remains strong. After weeks of travel of air, land and sea, both above and below, you stumble across a village near a body of water. But as you look on past them, you see the mountains. Towering spires of rock and earth each blanketed and basking in the setting sun. However, upon the tallest of the spires, you see it....the dragon of the myths. It stands strong and proud amongst the mountainous spires as it surveys all around it. Its eyes, conceal a wisdom of centuries, possibly millenia of information and stories, each that could fill a lifetime of books. It stares deep into the waning light of the setting sun as it lets out a bellowing roar. A roar that shakes the very winds themselves under its thunderous weight. A roar that lets all within its range know that this domain belongs to it and all that tamper, will deal with his wrath., created by Luminarium artist and former gallery moderator `taenaron, presents us with an all too familiar scene in fantasy, but presents such an atmospheric tension and scale that makes us all view it in a brand new light.To begin with, the artist's level of details continue to impress by allowing the eyes to take in each and every crevice, crack and crease upon the spires in the composition. Vegetation and the natural shapes of the rocky shapes really jump forth in this department and really frame the overall environment of the piece. The dragon, while in the background, presents a subtle prominence once the eyes meet its location in the piece and your gaze is held. Its posture and detailing present a dominating presence despite taking up little space in the composition. The subtle use of shadows as they creep down the backsides of the mountains, like snakes slithering from out of the burning sun are well implemented and really add to the depth and detail of the rock faces and the spires themselves. But the real element that brings it all together is the great usage of mist. The mist cloaks and covers the landscape and background, adding greatly to the overall tone and mood that the style portrays. It all comes together into a very cinematic display of a classic presentation in fantasy.While there are definitely a lot of things in this piece that make it work, there are a few things that could be done to make it shine a little brighter. The small village partially in the background for example, in some parts the supports beneath the huts look as though they're hovering over the water and under the huts themselves and minor details like the leftmost mountain surface looks slightly blurred. However, these are very minor things that do not distract from an otherwise well-designed and composed piece of art.Within fantasy and dreams, it will never be lost upon us what our imaginations can convey or what we observe can inspire for us to create.is a grand shining example of this, that a classic novel and image embedded in our minds can be viewed with a sharper and more composed light, allowing our imaginations to take shape and illuminate the minds of others around them. Congratulations on this piece Tobias, and here's to you continuing and exploring the depths of your skills. e.deviantart.net/emoticons/a/a… " width="31" height="19" alt="" data-embed-type="emoticon" data-embed-id="536" title="Ahooooy Matey!"/>