Diegesis : Auricia

Die/ge/sis

(n) the time and place in which a story takes Place

This project had dual intentions, providing me with visual guides I could reference as I continued writing and allowing others a glimpse into the world I was actively creating. For this show, I explored the geography of the first three novels as well as began designing some of the more major characters. By writing and illustrating in tandem, I feel that the world I developed was richer and more vibrant. I was writing the history of these fictional peoples as I was designing their crests and the lands they inhabit.

Auricia...

Is a fictional kingdom in a medieval, fantasy universe. It is also the setting for three of the books in the series I am writing about protagonist, Eirlyss Valeska.

Auricia (oar-REE-sea-uh) is made up of twelve provinces, each specializing in a field or trade, largely influenced by their geography. Demesners are responsible for the day-to-day operation of each province and report back the High King of Auricia. Each Province has a young Representative who lives in the capitol.

(in order shown)

Hadley: Eirlyss

Eurwen: Romany & Esora

Vanna: Oryanna

Cressida: Niyamh

Altan: Lucca & Jules

Besart: Orlaith

Shipwreck Monastery

Over the course of this project, I received a lot of requests to share my painting process. To do this, I split one of my illustrations into three panels - depicting line art, flat colors, and detailed shading. This conscious awareness of steps also helped me streamline my process and tailor it to specific projects.

"Daedalus" is a scene from a short story which pre-dates the novels, depicting how Eirlyss' mother arrived in Auricia.

Auricia : a History

The written part of this show was the following booklet - a fictional account of the history and world to the start of the novels as written by one of the characters. It includes descriptions of each province, examples of their flags and iconography, as well as information on the political, economic, and geographic structure of the empire. It also delves into backgrounds of some of the characters represented in the show, providing written details that connect back to the artwork.

The inspiration for this style of text were books like Dragonology and Wizardology by Dugald A. Steer as well as Discovery of Dragons by Graeme Base and Aurthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You.

It is my intention for future editions to have fabric samples, as well as 3d printed, hand painted "artifacts" and AR enhancements, such as weather and music.