Solo [Tain's Studio] What the mountain means

[Job] The very first day of work for Clara

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

[Tain's Studio] What the mountain means

Postby Clara Preston on December 12th, 2018, 10:29 pm

9th of Winter 518AV

What the mountain means



Clara stared at the blank paper in front of her. Nothing… She couldn’t think of anything… or better yet, her mind was full with drawing ideas… except not the ones that were requested. A mountain scene. Her first assignment was to draw a mountain scene… She had drawn plenty of mountains before, but for some reason, mountains were something that didn’t exist in her mind at the moment. She sighed and moved the charcoal closer to the paper, inches away from touching it… She had to draw something. Anything. This was her first day and she was only showing how much of an amateur she was. “Do it… Draw something… Anything…” She thought, over and over again, but her arm was stuck, holding the charcoal, barely touching the paper. Oh how she hated drawing things that were requested. Chorum, her drawing teacher, had always said that in order to be an artist, she would have to learn to draw things that were requested of her and not anything that she wanted to, and that’s the whole reason why she decided to work in Tain’s Studio. To learn to draw better and to learn to draw things requested of her, but right now, she was only feeling what a foolish errand this would be. She couldn’t do it. She had no idea. She was going to be stuck here forever.

“You can do it my little wife.”

Chorum’s words suddenly sounded through her head. Whenever she was stuck or afraid to do something, Chorum would always say the exact same thing. She could do it. Chorum was counting on her and she could not disappoint him. She thought about the first time he had said that to her. She was having one of her first lessons in drawing. She was drawing a small house and on the right side of the house was… Sartu Peak… “That’s it!” She said to herself while looking at the blank paper. She didn’t have to draw anything that she imagined. She could just draw something from her memories.

Her hand automatically started to draw lines on the paper, signaling the contours of the mountain she was thinking off. She didn’t even care about looking outside towards the real Sartu peak. No, she had a much clearer view on her head and that’s exactly what she was going to draw. With each line, the mountain gained new contours. “Remember, draw with planes. Not with lines.” All of the things Chorum had taught her were suddenly rushing to her head, fighting with the memory of the mountain for the primary remembrance spot, but the mountain kept being strong. She kept drawing, tracing the contours of the mountain as she remembered. The top of the peak, the different ledges on the sides of the mountain. Everything she could remember. “Think of the light. Add some shade where the light wouldn’t hit.” More and more lessons kept assaulting her head as she filled the white spaces of the mountain. She remembered where there was shade and where the mountain was being lit. She remembered everything about the mountain and that day… And with just a few more touches… she was done. Her mountain drawing was complete. She stared at it blankly. It was perfect… at least to her…



WC: 549
Last edited by Clara Preston on December 14th, 2018, 8:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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[Tain's Studio] What the mountain means

Postby Clara Preston on December 12th, 2018, 10:29 pm

“Oh, That’s a good start.”

She jumped, frightened by the sudden comment coming from behind her. Nat had come see how she was doing and was now admiring what she had created. “Keep going. You’re doing great.” Said Nat before turning around back to her own work. “Keep going? What did she mean with that?” Clara thought while starting deeply in to the drawing. She was requested to make the drawing of a mountain, and that’s what she had, slight shade and everything. She had done what the request said… and yet… keep going? Was there anything else that she needed to add? And if so… how could she find out what it was? There was only one way she could thing off… Ask directly at the source… However, doing so would make it look as if she was a complete amateur… What could she do?

“If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Again, Chorum came to her rescue. He was right. If she didn’t know what she was missing, all she had to do was ask. She took a deep breath and turned around. Nat was also drawing something behind her. Clara walked slowly towards her boss, thinking on what she should ask but even before Clara could utter any words from her mouth, Nat looked straight towards her from behind the canvas.

“Let me guess… Your drawing is perfect that way it is, right? Do you want to submit it like that?”

She asked, surprising Clara. Yes, there was that feeling on her mind, but still, if there was anything else she could improve on… she had to know.

“Could you… tell me what I’m missing? What I could improve on?” asked Clara from the bottom of her heart. If there was anything she could do to improve her drawing. Anything at all… she had to know. Her eyes were focusing straight on Nat and how she would react. Yes, she was afraid that this would make her seem like an amateur, but to be honest, that’s what she was… An amateur. Someone that was just starting out in the art business. She wasn’t going to always make perfect drawings. She wasn’t always going to draw masterpieces. No… She was only going to do her best, and right now, her best demanded to know what she was missing.

Nat smiled. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Come here. Take a look at this.”

Clara looked confused but did as Nat asked. She couldn’t believe that she was seeing… There, on Nat’s canvas, was the exact same mountain she had painted. The exact same shade and edges. Everything was the exact same… She kept staring between Nat’s drawing and her own. It was the exact same. But why? Why had Nat copied the exact same drawing she had made? She was about to ask when Nat explained.

“It’s a good drawing for your current level, but it lacks one very important thing… Your soul. Your very own magic.”



WC: 501
Last edited by Clara Preston on December 14th, 2018, 8:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[Tain's Studio] What the mountain means

Postby Clara Preston on December 12th, 2018, 10:32 pm

Soul? Magic? What would Nat be talking about? Did she mean magic as in… the magic she could use? Her confusion only rose, but Nat, understanding this, explained it more clearly.

“I mean… It misses you. Your own way of drawing. Everyone can copy a landscape they have seen one day, but the true masters are the ones that draw the landscapes the way they feel it and not the way they see it. You should try again. Draw the same mountain, but instead of drawing it as you see it, try to draw it as you feel it. You’ll see the difference.”

Clara was more and more confused, but something sounded truthful on Nat’s voice, like it was something she would have to learn if she wanted to keep on this job. She thanked Nat for her trouble and went back to her drawing. Draw what she felt? What exactly did that meant? How could she draw a feeling? It wasn’t anything she could see or touch… How could she draw it. Still, she had to try it. After asking one of the general workers for a new paper, she faced it and closed her eyes, remembering the scene again… She was… happy… Chorum was teaching her how to draw and she was enjoying it… But how could she draw that feeling? Draw a face on the mountain would be too strange to even think about. Change the shape of it? The way the shadows faced? How exactly? She didn’t know, but still, she decided to try it anyways.

She thought back to the mountain and began drawing it just like she had seen it. The very exact same… but this time, she added more ledges… made the top round… changed the way the shadows were… She added tiny lines symbolizing trees. She added birds… She even added a small house on it… And… It was awfull… The worst she had ever drawn. The lines didn’t match, it was overcrowded, things didn’t have the right shape… There was no way to salvage it, and she knew it. She had to try again. She looked back to the general worker that had brought her the paper and asked for another. This time, she was going to do it. She was going to add her feelings to the paper… She closed her eyes, thinking about how to do it… There was nothing. She had no idea how to add happiness to her drawing. It was so… frustrating…

“Wait… That’s it.” She said to herself. She wasn’t happy right now. She was frustrated. Frustrated with herself. Frustrated with her skills. Frustrated with everything she didn’t yet know about drawing… This mountain that she had to paint… This mountain wasn’t giving her a feeling of happiness… It was making her know how little she knew. How small she was in comparison with the mountain itself… How small… she was… and yet… She was determined… Determined to climb the mountain to the very top and claim the treasure there…



WC: 505
Last edited by Clara Preston on December 14th, 2018, 8:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[Tain's Studio] What the mountain means

Postby Clara Preston on December 12th, 2018, 10:33 pm

Her hands began drawing as if overcome by something strange. She had a picture on her mind. Not the same mountain, but another one… much taller and steeper than any other mountain she had ever seen before. She drew it’s contours… strong black and menacing lines filling almost the entirety of the mountain. Large spikes sticking out from the walls, sharp enough to stab through metal. No easy way up… and yet… she was also there…

She drew herself at the base of the scariest mountain she had ever drawn, facing it straight, on a path that disappeared right in front of her. Only her back was showing and yet, she had a look of determination. She was going to do it. She was going to climb this mountain and find the top… And for that she was going to need help.

Her hand touched the paper. The stick of charcoal she was using to draw was now spent. She hadn't even realized… In front of her, was her best drawing ever. Almost perfect shapes, not too overcrowded… There was still lots of room for improvement, but she was happy… She had managed to fill the paper with her feelings of both fear and determination and that was something she had never done before… She had to thank Nat…

Clara turned around. Again, Nat was right there, behind her, watching carefully without making a sound. “You finally understood it.” She said, smiling. “That’s what adding your feelings to a drawing mean.” Clara blushed and turned back to her own drawing. “What else?” She asked “What else can I do to make it better?” Nat however, gently pulled the drawing and rolled it up, delivering it to one of the other workers.

“For now, this one is good. I have another job for you. I need you to draw another mountain landscape, but from the top of the mountain instead. Just the contours. Someone else will be painting over it. You can add shadow, but don’t exaggerate it.”

Clara nodded. She already had a bit of an idea on her head. “Got it.” She said to Nat and watched as her boss went back to her own work. A mountain landscape… from above it… She had a very clear idea in her mind… What would it be like to be on top of the mountain that she had drawn before? What would it be like to acquire the treasure above it? And what exactly did the mountain represent? She was afraid of it… And yet, determined to conquer it… But what did it meant? And why did she had the feeling she had seen it before?

Another image popped up on her mind… An image of her mother, cooking. Her mother had always been a good cook. Always making the best meals. And yet, every time Clara tried to do a new recipe… Even though she was following everything to the letter… It was always bad… Her mother just knew too much about…

“Knowledge…” She whispered to herself… “The mountain is knowledge…”



WC: 511
Last edited by Clara Preston on December 14th, 2018, 8:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[Tain's Studio] What the mountain means

Postby Clara Preston on December 12th, 2018, 10:35 pm

Her eyes perked up. The idea that first appeared on her head when Nat told her the next assignment suddenly flashed clearer. She could see herself, standing on top of a mountain, a flag with the symbol of a brush on her hands… And in the distance… More mountains… Each one taller and steeper than the other… Each one which it’s own flag and symbol… And her feeling… She wanted to climb them as well. Not all, but many more… She wanted to know more about the other mountains… And she was again determined to do so… but for now… There was one mountain that she needed to climb…

She requested another paper and another stick of charcoal and began inventing the scene, never forgetting what she imagined reaching the top of the mountain would feel like. First, she drew a rounded line cutting the bottom right corner from the rest of the drawing. This was going to signify the very top of the mountain she was in, so she purposely left it completely white. She was hoping that the painter would realize that there would be snow there. After that, she drew the far away mountains and the valley beneath them. Less scary than she had imagined, but still imposing. She added a bit of shade on the left side of these mountains, not too pressed just like she was asked, but enough to signify where the light should be coming from. Between two of the mountains, a small river, slowly gaining in size as it reached the valley bellow and disappeared in the horizon. And next to that river… a small village, all in black and white, a small bridge in the middle of it. Besides the village, on one side of the river, close to the mountains, a massive forest. And on the opposite side, fields of grass and small farms. All the things she was imagining, her hands were sending to the paper, almost as close as the picture in her head.

She drew the last farm and took a step back to admire her work. She liked it. It was something she could feel proud of. The valley and the village looked pretty good for a black and white drawing with no shade… But still… Her eyes weren’t being absorbed by the valley. No, they were being drawn to the mountains in the back. They were calling for her… And she was happy to accept the calling…

She shook her head to come back to her senses. The sun was shining orange beams through the windows. It was almost night. She had been so absorbed with her own works that she didn’t even realized. Still, she was smiling. This day had been an amazing experience for her, and she knew that this was the right place for her. Carefully, she picked up her drawing and turned around. Only Nat was there. Everyone else had already gone home it seemed. She slowly approached Nat and peeked at her work. It was amazing… She was painting the exact same landscape she could see from the windows… and yet… it was full of life and feelings. Nothing she could ever do with her own skill… And she saw it… In one of the mountains she had previously seen… Almost reaching the very top… was Nat…

“I’m sorry, Nat…” Called Clara “Here’s what you requested.”

Nat looked at Clara and her drawing and smiled. “Well done. I like it. Just leave it in your table and I’ll collect it once I’m done here. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said before turning back to her own painting… Clara simply nodded. She didn’t want to make a single sound and disturb Nat. Slowly, she placed the drawing she had made back on the table and left Tain’s Studio… Her first day was a success.




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[Tain's Studio] What the mountain means

Postby Neologism on January 20th, 2019, 10:35 pm


Skills
Planning +1, Drawing +4, Socialization +1, Philosophy +2

Lores
Chorum: Supportive, Drawing: Mountains with Charcoal, Drawing from memory, Drawing: Light and Shading, Nat: Supportive, Self: Checking your ego, Draw with soul, It is hard to draw an emotion you aren’t feeling, Drawing: Mountains from the top perspective, Drawing: Adding details to mountains

Notes
Don't forget to edit your entry in the Grading Queue as completed. :)

Ivory Heart Zintila The Constellations The Shinya
Council of Radiance (WIP) Star Gazing Gazette
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Neologism
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