Witchphibians

This OC originated in the School of Games + Adobe Moodboard Challenge 2022 on Instagram. We had to create a character inspired by the moodboard, the colours, the pictures on it, the words provided (to see my 2021’s entry, click here). The result was Raven the witch apprentice. After submitting my entry even more ideas came up to my mind.

Raven, Witch Apprentice – Raven and the Chamber of Witchcraft – Raven Frogfeet – Raven and Sam
Secrets – Weaving Magic – Brewing Magic – Warming Thoughts

Character’s Gallery – Samandra’s Fabric Journal

Moonlight Magic – DTIYS

Raven – Witch Apprentice

Raven and the Chamber of Witchcraft

Originally a thief (not a good one, obviously) who made the mistake sneak into a witch’s hut but got betrayed by her own clumsiness. To make up for the trouble, she henceforth either had to live the life of a small green hopping animal or to become the witch’s apprentice (incl. all the chores coming with it).

  • Digital painting, comic style: Raven (young woman, short white hair in sidecut, barefooted, simple golden brown dress, a necklace with a raven charme) sitting on a terracotta tiled floor in front of a storage rack with books, jars, scrolls and several magical items, looking on some magic lights coming from a magical staff and a puddle of red potion on the floor, additionally a text with her background story "Raven - Witch Apprentice; Originally a thief (not a good one, obviously) who made the mistake sneak into a witch's hut but got betrayed by her own clumsiness. To make up for the trouble, she henceforth either had to live the life of a small green hopping animal or to become the witch's apprentice (incl. all the chores coming with it)."; my Instagram nick in the background of the painting.
  • Digital painting, comic style: Raven, a young woman with short white hair in sidecut, barefooted, wearing a simple golden brown dress and a necklace with a raven charme, sitting on the floor (terracotta tiles); in front of her a tipped open jar, pouring a red puddle between her feet, next to it a tipped wooden magical staff, throwing light towards the puddle, creating several circles with magic symbols in the air; more jars and a broom are standing or lying on the floor as well as an open book (pages down); she is in front of a storage rack (left to right, top to bottom: 1st row a small chest with a frog ornament; a jar with something black and one single eye, several tilted scrolls; 2nd row books; 3rd row a wicker box with several magical accessoirs, tarot cards, keys, feathers; a kettle, several jars), the area between Raven's legs and her face is well lit, the background is dark but the details are visible; my Instagram nick in the background of the painting.

Raven Frogfeet

It wasn’t actually a green hopping animal. This was the treat, though, and the witch gave Raven a taste of what it was like to be a frog. Still, since the witch wasn’t the youngest anymore and never has been top witch in the best years of her life, the spell partly stuck even after turning Raven back into a human being. Therefore, every so often Raven (or body parts of her) still turns into a frog or parts of it – usually in the most inconvenient situations.

  • Digital painting, comic style, light beige background: A small, thin light pink frog with several darker pink spots, staring unbelievingly towards the viewer, golden brown frog eyes, a semi-transparent light blue amphibian crest on the head, covering parts of the right eye; an amulet which doesn't fit around the neck anymore and light pink clouds around the frog; the frog is sitting inside an empty collapsed simple golden brown dress; text: "Raven Frogfeet; It wasn't actually a green hopping animal. This was the threat, though, and the witch gave Raven a taste of what it was like to be a frog. Still, since the witch wasn't the youngest anymore and never has been top witch in the best years of her life, the spell partly stuck even after turning Raven back into a human being. Therefore, every so often Raven (or body parts of her) still turns into a frog or parts of it - usually in the most inconvenient situations."
  • Digital painting, comic style, light beige background: A small, thin light pink frog with several darker pink spots, staring unbelievingly towards the viewer, golden brown frog eyes, a semi-transparent light blue amphibian crest on the head, covering parts of the right eye; an amulet which doesn't fit around the neck anymore and light pink clouds around the frog; the frog is sitting inside an empty collapsed simple golden brown dress.
  • Digital painting, comic style, light beige background: A small, thin light pink frog with several darker pink spots, staring unbelievingly towards the viewer, golden brown frog eyes, a semi-transparent light blue amphibian crest on the head, covering parts of the right eye; an amulet which doesn't fit around the neck anymore and light pink clouds around the frog.

Raven and Sam

When you are a witch apprentice, you meet other witch apprentices. One of them was Samandra Elvennewt. She was a natural with needle and thread and experienced in retailoring clothes of people who occasionally turn into animals (you get them a lot around witches and wizards). She retailored Raven’s dress which was no more than a mere sack before and together they travelled around a lot.

Samandra shared Raven’s fate in reverse. Originally she was a fire salamander. The whitch she was apprentice of was in need of a helper who could do the chores she wasn’t able to do anymore. So she simply turned a newt into a human being. Since Sam was a fast learner and also showed talent in witchcraft, she finally raised her as her apprentice. Although not completely voluntarily drawn into apprenticeship, she, like Raven, preferred her new life to the old one (not having many memories of it anyway).

  • Digital Painting, comic style: Raven to the left, a young woman with light rosy skin, short white hair in sidecut, barefoot, wearing a golden brown dress, tied with a rope in the middle, a pouch and a necklace with a raven charme, the left hand and the right foot are turned into frog hand and foot, Raven is looking annpoyed towards the frog foot; Samandra to the right, a young woman with brown skin and yellow frackles and spots on her body, neck long red hair, barefoot, wearing light brown leather trousers with buttons on the sides of the legs, a red tailor's bag by her side and a grey apron-like dress held by some ropes as straps, a scissor and needles tucked into a band on the of front part of her dress, a ruler in her right hand; she's looking amused towards Raven, covering her grin with the left hand; Text: "Samandra Elvennewt", "When you are a witch apprentice, you meet other witch apprentices. One of them was Samandra Elvennewt. She was a natural with needle and thread and experienced in retailoring clothes of people who occasionally turn into animals (you get them a lot around witches and wizards). She retailored Raven's dress which was no more than a mere sack before and together they travelled around a lot.>>"
  • Digital Painting, comic style: Raven to the left, a young woman with light rosy skin, short white hair in sidecut, barefoot, wearing a golden brown dress, tied with a rope in the middle, a pouch and a necklace with a raven charme, the left hand and the right foot are turned into frog hand and foot, Raven is looking amused towards Samandra, to her left a small pink frog sitting on the floor; Samandra to the right, a young woman with brown skin and yellow frackles and spots on her body, neck long red hair, barefoot, wearing light brown leather trousers with buttons on the sides of the legs, a red tailor's bag by her side and a grey apron-like dress held by some ropes as straps, a scissor and needles tucked into a band on the of front part of her dress, a ruler in her right hand, a tall fire salamander's tail appeared on her back, waving the back of her dress into the air, she's looking embarrassed out of the corners of her eyes towards the tail, blushing, still covering her mouth with the left hand, right to her a small fire salamander; Text: "Samandra shared Raven's fate in reverse. Originally she was a fire salamander. The whitch she was apprentice of was in need of a helper who could do the chores she wasn't able to do anymore. So she simply turned a newt into a human being. Since Sam was a fast learner and also showed talent in witchcraft, she finally raised her as her apprentice. Although not completely voluntarily drawn into apprenticeship, she, like Raven, preferred her new life to the old one (not having many memories of it anyway)."

Secrets

After another unintended splash into amphibianhood, Raven told Samandra about her past as orphan and thief: War ravaged the land. Raven was searching food in some cellars that weren’t exactly her family’s ones when one side (or the other?) swept over her home village. After comprehending she was the only one not dead, she fled into the woods, meeting some other strays who made a living from theft. Because of the amulet she wore – the only thing left from home – they called her „Raven“.

Weaving Magic

Saying Samandra was a great fabric mage wasn’t just figuratively speaking. She found her special knack in bewitching clothes, trinkets, literally anything that was made of thread and tissue. This came handy after Raven nearly lost her amulet in the course of an unintended form-changing frog experience. Since Samandra knew the amulet was of great value to Raven, she bewitched it to make sure this would never happen again.

Brewing Magic

To become self-respecting witches, Raven and Samandra had to learn how to brew magic spells and potions, of course. And as any self-respecting apprentice they looked up the more sophisticated ones in books they were not supposed to know, collect ingredients they never should have known they even exist and stay up longer than they were expected to during moonlit nights to brew in secret whatever mess their teacher witches would have to clean up the next day. One drawback of turning into an amphibium unintentionally every so often was that when leaning over a bubbling cauldron, you easily could become one of the ingredients yourself …

  • Digital painting, comic style: Raven turned into a small, pink frog falling into a bubbling cauldron with gleaming hot stones, mushrooms and weed, leaving her robe empty; Samandra (young woman, with brown skin and gleaming yellow frackles and spots on her body, neck long red hair, wearing light brown leather trousers with buttons on the sides of the legs and a grey apron-like dress held by some ropes as straps) in the background, turned towards Raven alarmed, conjuring a gleaming yellow string that catches Raven around the torso and dropping two purple feathers in the process; next to her a table with a small journal showing a winged purple creature and an opened bigger book, hit by a beam of moonlight, letters and drawings are only visible where the light hits the pages; further in der background a wooden wall and a shelf with a book ("Remember Bob" + the picture of a small blob with eyes), a water lily flower, a bright blue gleaming crystal in a piece of rock and a wooden face of an owl ("Hooyt" (The Owl House)), on the floor a big stuffed heart, partly coveres by a thin fibrous curtain; green, yellow and purple bubbles in the foreground.
  • Text sheet: The "Brewing Magic" piece faded and blurred as background, text: "Brewing Magic; To become self-respecting witches, Raven and Samandra had to learn how to brew magic spells and potions, of course. And as any self-respecting apprentice they looked up the more sophisticated ones in books they were not supposed to know, collect ingredients they never should have known they even exist and stay up longer than they were expected to during moonlit nights to brew in secret whatever mess their teacher witches would have to clean up the next day. One drawback of turning into an amphibium unintentionally every so often was that when leaning over a bubbling cauldron, you easily could become one of the ingredients yourself ...".

Warming Thoughts

If you are a witch apprentice who could turn into a frog whenever you don’t want to, you shouldn’t leave the house alone on snowy winter days. Even if you have a friend like Samandra around who picks you up and thaws you out with the help of spongehole magic.

Character’s Gallery

She’s a light rune mage: Discovering, inventing and combining light runes, this way – in theory – able to conjure nearly everything – if she remembers the correct and often quite complex combinations

Orphaned after a battle ravaged her hometown, the raven amulet is the last thing that remained from her family

Made her living as (not very succesful) thief

Sneaked into a witch’s hut who threated her to turn her into a frog, if she didn’t do her chores (and gave her a taste thereof)

Still stuck with the spell, occasionally turning into a frog or parts thereof; therefore, her friend Samandra put a spell on her amulet to not get it lost when turning forms

Dressed up and travelled together with Samandra Elvennewt a lot

Originally a fire salamander

Got turned into a human being by a witch to help her with chores but soon got raised as her apprentice

Outstanding tailoring skills, experienced in tailoring clothes for people who occasionally turn into animals – including herself

Special field of study: Fabric magic, creating and bewitching clothes

Made Raven a collar to prevent her amulet getting lost when turning into a frog

Dressed up Raven and travelled together with her a lot

She’s a fabric mage: Bewitching clothes, textiles, technically any kind of thread and tissue, in theory even the fabric of space and time – if she ever will be able to mastet this level

Samandra’s Fabric Journal

Being a fabric mage means knowing where to get your magic stuff to weave into your clothes. So, Samandra wrote down any bit of information she got to look it up again whenever the need arises.

This painting is part of vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge. I tried several approaches, this one is the only one I finished. Already the first one was planned to be linked to my witches universe. Since I failed to get stuff done, I did it via the form of a journal entry.

„Roaming the flooded shores of forest’s river the Floodycorn can be found. Despite its cold appearance it has a hot temper and attacks anything that doesn’t respect its territory.“

Second painting for vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge. The topic was „Water“ this time. Biggest reference to this one was the narwhale, the unicorn of the seas. First I thought of placing it in the icy waters the narwhale lives in, with a horn made of ice, but I got carried away with the background and placed it in more swampy waters. And besides, I planned to depict a doodle of Raven in frog form right from the beginning, so icy waters wouldn’t have been fitting at all. This way it also fits into Raven’s witches universe

„Running faster than a horse, ruling the sky like thunder, the Hurricorn is on the hunt, causing storms and mayhem thereunder.“

Third painting for vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge, matching the the air topic. This time Samandra scribbled herself in salamander form into the journal.

Digital painting, comic style: A black unicorn with yellow spots, eyes, horn, mane and tail are made of fire, the hooves are red, fire around them; burning coal falling from its mouth; it's standing above as stream of lava, volcanoes, a castle ruin and a dark blu night sky in the background; sparks in the foreground; in the right upper corner a rock, a frog (labelled "Raven") and a salamander (labelled "Me") doodled on it with pink crayon, the frog is falling from the rock, the salamander is holding it by grabbing it feet; text: "Samandra's Fabric Journal"; "The Pyrocorn"; "Eternal Fire (Horn + mane); Flintstones"; "Fireproof fabric (Fur + skin)"; "Inflammable acid (Salamander spots); Burnt coal dust (Digested coal)".

„“In the middle of the now burnt lands the Pyrocorn emerged, bringing fire, flames and fear.“

Fourth painting for vitranas_art’s Junicorn challenge for the fire theme. This time Samandra helping out Raven who got in trouble.

Moonlight Magic
DTIYS

In July 2022 my Instagram account reached 200 followers. I asked my followers how to celebrate this and the majority voted for another DTIYS. This time, I wanted to provide a fresh and new painting and since I wanted to continue the tale of Raven and Samandra ever since there was the self-induced break during the Mermay. This way I hit two birds with one stone (and by the way, added a little bit more to the lore):

  • Digital painting, comic style: Raven, a young woman with short white hair in sidecut, barefooted, wearing a simple golden brown dress and a necklace with a raven charme, sitting on the floor (terracotta tiles); in front of her a tipped open jar, pouring a red puddle between her feet, next to it a tipped wooden magical staff, throwing light towards the puddle, creating several circles with magic symbols in the air; more jars and a broom are standing or lying on the floor as well as an open book (pages down); she is in front of a storage rack (left to right, top to bottom: 1st row a small chest with a frog ornament; a jar with something black and one single eye, several tilted scrolls; 2nd row books; 3rd row a wicker box with several magical accessoirs, tarot cards, keys, feathers; a kettle, several jars), the area between Raven's legs and her face is well lit, the background is dark but the details are visible; my Instagram nick in the background of the painting.