The Amazing Artwork of Racheal Carl

Have you ever picked up a book while browsing through a book store, found the blurb compelling, and upon opening it, received the delightful surprise that it had illustrations? That’s when you do a little jig inside, and while you would have bought the book anyway, you walk out feeling like the find is just that much more of a treasure.

It doesn’t matter if you have an avid imagination or not, pictures can describe a thousand words, when out of necessity, an author can’t spare that many. A good illustrator can bring the author’s characters and stories to life, giving joy, not only to readers, but authors themselves!

I am happy to announce that Tempest & Jay’s first release, The Once And Forgotten Thing, will have illustrations. And this is the amazing artist that made it happen!

Racheal Carl (or RC-San) is a freelance digital artist from Virginia, who loves her husband and two cats that make up her family. Her indulgences include animated media, video games, cats, and anything fantasy-related.

The way these passions come out in her work is stunning!

I confess, I’ve seen many illustrators, but few impress me as much as this. She does so many things that take her artwork to another level, but I’ve highlighted only two for this spotlight.

Mood is important in any kind of artistry. You can be in reality one minute and fantasy the next, and in Racheal’s case, I find much of her art has that transcending quality.

Spring Queen is one of four digital masterpieces that were inspired by the seasons. You’ll see them the moment you open up her Facebook page, and each of the queens expertly convey the beauty and mood of their season.

Of the four, I think this one perfectly captures what Racheal consistently strives to achieve…

"I enjoy being able to craft and make something with my own hands and skills. I love vivid colors, details and anything that catches the eye." - Racheal Carl

This piece is the essence of detail and vivid color; it’s no wonder that it’s Racheal’s favorite of the seasonal queens.

Character

The other aspect that makes Racheal’s art, is her ability to capture certain characters and expressions. This is actually her forte. As a freelance artist, she specializes in showing not only the appearance, but the personality of a character through her intricate artwork.

From popular fandoms, whether villains or heroes, original or commissioned, Racheal puts so much into her characters. Many, you’ll find, are quite pleasing to look at too. Like most, Racheal doesn’t mind indulging in a bit of eye-candy…

…Cue Adonis.

The name was actually given to Racheal at a convention from one of her customers. We can’t deny he suits the title! He looks just like the sort of mortal whom two Greek goddesses would fall for, the foremost of these being Aphrodite.

But this character did not start with inspiration from the Greeks. Actually, inspiration came from further east, a character often portrayed in manga called, “Ikemen”. The term is derived from two Japanese terms, “Ikeru” or “Iketeru”, which can mean “cool”, “good” or “exciting” and the other term is “menzu” which means “man”.

So, put the two together, and you get “cool, good-looking, and exciting man”, or “eye-candy”.

Japanese manga is full of these heart throbs, and that “smolder” – as Flynn Rider called it – has done a lot to draw in readers and audiences from around the world. But most from the graphic novels and series have a few common characteristics: their pale, ivory skin, and straight, black or blonde hair.

Curiosity has driven many an artist, and Racheal is no exception. She wondered what an “Ikeman” would look like with darker skin and curly hair? The result is the above artwork.

While the inspiration crossed a few borders, don’t you think the curiosity paid off?

When A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

Character and Mood are wonderful alone. But it’s a talent for an artist – and a must for an illustrator – to be able to convey both accurately.

That’s when you get the “thousand-word picture”: a piece of art that contains enough mood and character to inspire a thousand words.

In working with this amazing artist, I and our author, J.J Sutherland, have found Racheal does this exceedingly well. While we can’t betray all our illustrations until the release, here’s an awesome picture from her own portfolio that proves the point…

While this piece isn’t named quite yet, it’s definitely an image I love to indulge in; the perfect prompt for an artist!

Can you feel the wind that carries the call of the crows? Hear it whistling past the stone towers? Can you sense the mystery surrounding him?

I love the mood!

Then come the questions: who is he? Is he a prince, a warrior, a villain, or a hero? How did he become a keeper of the crows? Does he have a special ability?

The answers are as endless as an artist’s imagination and it’s fantastic how Racheal can harness so much inspiration in one piece of art!

Tempest & Jay is extremely privileged to work with Racheal Carl, who so perfectly creates vivid fantasy in all it’s color and detail! We can’t wait to show off more of her work through the illustrations in our series, but also through the character renditions she does as a freelance artist.

Her artwork will be filling our gallery in the coming months, so stay up-to-date with our news and any art coming to our website.

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To see more of Racheal’s own work and her commissions, check out her Facebook page: RC-San | Facebook

If you are a creator and feel inspired by the images above, please deliver a comment! Whether a poem, a few sentences of flash fiction, or just some commendation, a talent this good shouldn’t go unnoticed!