Artbook
The meaning of sleeping positions When I started drawing The Pirate Balthasar I was going through some rough times. I had the story clear in mind but I did not think it was going to develop it in something particularly detailed. I just wanted to tell the story. As I started sketching the storyboards my relaxed mind abandoned me and “planning” took its place. Writing a story is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, everything must fit in perfectly. At one point I started adding structure and themes and working by adjective and adverbs and using symbols and call backs and all that stuff... and then, one morning, I woke up and realized I had shifted in my bed. I had been sleeping in fetal position for more than 4 years... why did that change? I started looking into that and found out a couple of books about sleeping positions, one of which by Evany Thomas, even takes the time to analyze love relationships through the positions of the lovers in bed. That’s when I decided to sketch my couples in their favorite sleeping positions, I pinned those on the wall and went ahead writing the story keeping in mind, visually, the kind of relationship they had. I was quite surprised at the outcome but... you know, it’s exactly like when you write a free flow and a character tells you something about themselves you would never imagine. For instance: Kane and Castalia both hate potatoes. Me? I cannot live without potatoes.
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Usually this is a position that lovers take when they first start going out and feel like they want to merge in one being, almost. Supposedly, after a few years, you give each other space, switch to a more serene position and even sleep back against back and feet against feet. There are couples, though, who don’t shift and still manage to sleep in a very small space, even though they have a big King size bed after many years. They sleep on top of each other or all tangled up. This is because they are very dependent of each other and cannot bear to be apart. It’s the kind of relationship Kane and Castalia develop, that is mirrored in this position... even though they fight a lot, they cannot stay mad at each other and there is something too familiar and comfortable about the other. I call them a symbiotic couple! Ha ha ha To me this is more of a light sleep position, maybe they even whisper to each other and answer automatically with “mhhh” and “uh-uh”. Kane is a heavy guy, Castalia’s leg might hurt, his arm might go numb. Still I have a feeling that, because they are symbiotic, they might move around a lot during the deep sleep and turn to find a more comfortable position. They might end up with him prone on her supine... I doubt they separate though. Is this a healthy relationship? I don’t know... to me... it’s dangerous to be so dependent or addicted to each other. Keep this idea in the back of your minds.
Cassandra and Westley came out in a “Spoon position”. Apparently this position is shared by people between their first and fifth year of marriage and symbolize a supreme bond based on trust (if you think about it... it’s about having genitals pressed against buttocks). Eventually one thing to consider is that one member of the couple is more dependent of the other: the one hugging. In short the one facing away is a person that likes to be pursued and chased after and the one hugging is the pursuer... the one who cannot let go. The pursuer is then trying to hold back the partner by holding her/him in his/her arms. So does that mean that Westley loves more? Probably not... who knows what’s in Cassandra’s heart! Sleeping in this position, people seldom shift during the night... although our girl might turn around, at one point, and snuggle against the guy because her subconscious takes over and in sleep she is very honest.
This is called an “Excalibur position”. It is said that people who likes to sleep in the oddest positions, when alone, will adapt and fit the other like a jigsaw puzzle the moment they get into a relationship. If the partner is like that as well you have the supreme Tetris champions of sleeping positions. No matter what: they’ll find a way to grab each other with legs or arms and always be in contact and constant proximity. In our case Cat is a “free faller” and Feetsie is probably between a “longer” and a “fetal”. A Longer is very quiet and submissive and Fetal is very complex (it’s shy at first but then turns out to be very friendly and easy going). A Free faller is outgoing but has issues with criticism (in our case, Cat is short and feels bad about it hahaha). We also see who’s dominant here and who is dependent... an Excalibur couple is there to proof the World they are meant for each other and they are a match made in Heaven.
This is the “Sweetheart position” or the “True love position”. some sites refer to it as a position you get from older men with younger women and their will to protect them and literally keep them under their wing. We have a twist here... Foxy’s arm is loose and his body is completely loose and relaxed. He does that thing crossing his leg behind another, which is usually said to be done by insecure people. To me this is still Lio dominating the game and wanting to be on top and pawning him down. She actually sleeps in the nude... but this drawing is going on the blog, on facebook and Deviant art and bla bla bla... so I sketched some lines around her so that she looks clothed and dropped some green in. Remove that and you have Lio. Don’t laugh... I know... he’s got black underwear. He’s emo, for God’s sake, let him be! (I wanted to give him black bed sheet too but that would be too anachronistic LOL)
Somewhere, earlier on my this blog, I mentioned that I work with symbols and words to establish certain things - in order to be consistent. So I use keywords and try to keep them in mind so that my story does not go out of track and each character follows his/her own arc without failing his-her karma! ;D One of the adjectives I chose for Westley is “Euphoric”. It’s the effect love has on his heart. When people fall in love they can chemically react in different ways: some fall in a slump, other feel hunger and desire burning up and have this continuous longing expression on their face, other feels jumpy and all over the place, always tense. To Westley life turns pink and he feels like smiling all the time. Oh, and you will see him smile a lot. Even when things get tough and don’t go as well as hoped, even in the utmost despair, while thinking “I’ll never get the girl”... the moment Cassandra steps in he smiles and feels euphoric. He’ll smile after a fight, he’ll smile if his heart aches, he’ll smile even if things are going for the worst... he just cannot get the frigging grin off his face. He would even smile with tears in his eyes! Ha ha ha. This is coming from a guy who never did smile sincerely... ‘till there was her.
This time around the magic word is: “embraced”. Although it is not clearly an adjective, but a verb - I could not find an adjective to describe Cat and Callista’s situation, if you can help me with this concept I would be really happy! It is to be intended in its double meaning: enveloped and accepted. Not discriminated! <--- here’s the key. So their story is about acceptance. The important ideas to keep in mind are: I don’t feel different and I feel your warmth.
t sure feels nice to know that someone cares for you. Our friend Foxy has a perfect nurse all for himself, now, doesn’t he? hahahahha So he feels “pampered”... loved... protected and healthy! He has to, right? I don’t think Lio would let it be otherwise. He’s a lucky fella, so nicely taken care of by a sweet wolf in lamb’s clothing such as Lio. Will she find a way to his smile? Who knows. They are the youngest couple on board and act like cheesy teenagers at times but they are cute. There will be a point where Lio feels pampered too a and a very lucky girl.
here we have, our fabulous pirate couple! Wilson Kane and his wife Castalia! In chapter six we see poor Kane go evil on the people around him and yes, you don’t want to be on his wrong side when he is like that. Mh, now the evil mood is actually... his normal state which doesn’t make him very likeable. So the funny and happy Wilson Kane only came to be when Castalia arrived. Some people are meant to be there for us, to sooth us. Now, Kane and Castalia vibrate next to each other. They calm each other down by a lot... which kinda takes the funkiness out of the girl and the moodiness out of the guy. Until they find a way to get a perfect balance and energize each other. Because they feel so calm, when they are together, they act with extreme familiarity since the very beginning and they let each other do all kinds of stuff to the other... for example... Kane doesn’t mind to have his face touched because he knows the girl would not take the mask off. Castalia is the kind of girl who does not ask questions, she thinks that people have their reasons to do what they do, so she sits around and waits. This will develop into a supreme bond of trust. Interferences to this perfect balance could have painful outcomes.
Hey, it’s about time we talked about how Pifo feels around the guys he likes. What’s the adjective I am looking for? Joyful, cheerful... happy... mhhhh..... “gay”! Yup, he definitely feels gay and gay the right way! I feel gay around him too, because he makes me laugh so much and keeps me happy. Why shouldn’t he feel gay, right? It’s like he died and went to gay and women’s Heaven: the ship is packed with juicy looking pirates! They are nice to him! They are friendly with him... they go to the bathroom with him... eventually take a bath with him... naked... he sees everything... measures everything... compares... (Pifo let’s trade place!) Oooh it’s enough to die of a nosebleed or a heart attack... or something else... yeah. We will follow his gay adventures and be gay with him when he finally finds true love and puts an end to his much suffered unrequited love for Kane... and the Doctor... and a couple of other people - oh, all at the same time! Not one after the other. - but mostly Kane and the Doctor will always be his true love, both of them (that’s a good boy!).
Wilsone Kane... why should I pick a nice guy for my protagonist, isn’t that like a shortcut, the easy way out? Writing about the perfect man, always so charming and sexy and kind and gallant and... whatever, like that stuff does exist! Men are men and women are women, perfection is not of this world! The guy is pretty nuts, that’s what makes him fun! People are made of flesh and bones and no matter how hot a guy or a girl might look... they have imperfections too. Kane is moody but we kinda knew that, didn’t we? The cheerful and smiling Wilson Kane, that’s outside of the norm and that’s why the guys need to act quick: the cheerful and smiling Kane cut them some slack! Who wouldn’t want him like that all the time, then? Go, guys, do something! Not out of your own generosity (who cares if the dude is happy?) but for your own good and out of sheer selfishness... here, out of the goodness of your hearts: be happy, we’ll be happier too. Yeah! Kane is not an easy guy to deal with. He has his reasons... he has his past, what he saw, how he lived, where he comes from and he is framed and left without choices. Even so, moody as he is, he could have been greedy, hateful and very selfish. Instead he likes to give people choices and shows great wisdom. Keep an eye on him, he is the engine that propels everything forward.
you pick your song, I made them dance! Some of you are still playing this game and having fun with it. I picked these songs from my pirates: -
Kane and Castalia, cole Porter, You’re the top. Cat and Feetsie, George Gershwin, Someone to watch over me. Wes and kes, Cole Porter, In the still of the night. Lio and Foxy, Cole porter, let’s fall in love. Pea and Martin, George Gershwin, S’wonderful.
This is their love dance... you can put any music you like, they’re dancing already!
How is breakfast for our pirates? - Lio and foxy would eat each other. - Kane and Castalia would have breakfast in the middle of the night. - for Cat and Callista a bright morning breakfast is the best. - Kes and wes will probably even use that time to plan their future.
Pillow talk was part of a game/contest. The other drawings are requested by the winners of previous contests.
Pirate Cosplay or Pirate Fan Art is a set of illustrations that will see our pirates act in the clothes of heroes and heroines from famous stories. The set came about as a game called â&#x20AC;&#x153;deda draw us a fan art of...â&#x20AC;? followed by a list of famous stories: - Feetsie as Alice with a Cheshire Cat - the guys as the 4 musketeers - Lio and Foxy as red hot riding hood and the wolfie More will follow: -
Cassandra as Pinocchio with the Cat and the Fox Kane as hook and Castalia as peter pan Pifo gaga and the guys... going to see the Wizard of Oz The girls as Little Women Pea and Martin as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy
because pirates do not really celebrate Christmas... I was trying to move away from the most exploited holiday of the year and just trying to still stick to that feeling of peace and joy that can be found throughout the year. It’s christmas when... ...daddy comes back home from his long journeys. ...when we are together. ...when it’s time to get ready for bed. ...when we get to jump on daddy’s stomach to wake him up. ... and of course the traditional kiss under the mistletoe... did you kiss pifo? I can assure you it’s good karma!
here are some of the children of our pirates. I will give you their names but will leave you to figure out whose children they are. Index of the illustrations: - balthasar and andromeda - cosimo and tirzah - Isaac and Pearl
Different ways of saying: Honey I am going to bed... ...are you?
For the useful yaps I would have to send you directly to the blog. (click on the word “blog” to visit) Refer to the column to the right called “Useful Yaps”. It’s constantly updated with a new release, if there are any new curiosities to talk about. At first I thought about putting some of the yaps here. The problem is that I link to other pages that might not be there in the future and I also upload photos that don’t belong to me and I have no right to use without linking to the rightful owner. Plus there are way too many curiosities, right now and the column keep getting longer and longer by the week. I hope you don’t mind my cutting this artbook short throwing a random link at you, but because I also produced a lot of new artwork I really want to get started on the next artbook before I get sick and tired of overtweaking this one! So hopefully I will see you on the blog and thank you for reading the comic. Maybe you enjoyed the artbook, maybe not! It’s my first attempt... I promise I will get better. deda