ATC: Hippocentaur

Not one of my better ones, this, but my usual excuse of not enough time comes into play again here. That said, it is still a creation, and I made a promise to post them warts and all, so that I must do. Although this dud is certainly no masterpiece it still illustrates my next ATC in my Mythical Beings and Imaginary Friends series, now totalling six. Before colouring with pastels (as with the others in this series) the face looked chiselled and devilishly handsome, but the pastels smudged the black gel ink, distorting the face somewhat. The body is also longer and fatter somewhat than intended, especially at the tail end, and the legs were rather stumpy compared to how they should be, but I think I’ve managed to hide that by the text for the creature’s name. When I have time, I shall either return to this or create another one, spending a little more time rather than just racing to get it done.

So. The hippocentaur. Centaur to you and me, but I have chosen to use its full name here. The centaur is a mythological creature with the lower body of a horse and upper body of a human. They are usually only seen in male form, but centauresses do exist as well. My centaur has long golden hair, and golden stripes similar to those on a zebra, and is seen in its animal form. If they go for their human nature, they tend to wear cloaks, hoods, gloves and carry bows or spears. In their animal nature they shed all things human and run around naturally as horses would.

To me, they are friendly beings, but they are troubled by the split they have between their animal and human sides. They can’t be accepted by either, so live an isolated existence, but help out human and animalkind when they deem it necessary, but then return to their woodland habitat rarely being seen.

This is my legend of them, by the way, not the true legend which stems from both Greek and Roman mythologies, and other mythologies around the world. One more, I feel, just adds to their magic.

So. Here’s the hippocentaur, taken with and without a flash, although I’m not sure which is the better option…