Stephanie Pui-Mun Law - DreamScapes Myth & Magic: Create Legendary Creatures and Characters in Watercolor

Much of the fantasy genre is built upon a grand history of archetypal imagery. Tolkien understood this when he wrote his Lord of the Rings, drawing much of his inspiration from ancient tales that spanned across the mythologies of European cultures. He reinterpreted the lost bits of folklore and tales into his own Middle Earth.

Tolkien was not the first nor only one to draw from the vast array of mythos for his fantasy world. Shakesp eare took the king and queen of faery, Oberon and Titania, into his Midsummer Night's Dream, and wove his play around that bright thread. Acknowledging the importance of such figures to the subconscious workings of the human mind, a tarot deck's twenty-two trump cards wend a path through a cast of archetypal characters: Emperor, Empress, Death and the celestial bodies of Sun and Moon and Stars.

Even into our modern popular culture, unicorns and dragons are commonplace on T-shirts and posters, kitsune run rampant through Japanese manga and anime, and tanuki even peek their wide eyes from video games like Super Mario Bros.

What are the origins of these images? Why does the Snow Queen in Hans Christian Andersen's story evoke chills that go beyond her introduction from his tale? Is it because there are a long line of witches before her, who provide a backdrop for our understanding of that type of character? Thomas the Rhymer is a bard in good company with Taliesin, Orpheus and Diarmuid. Even a simple tree can have impact across the world and across the divide of cultures for its significance in religions, stories, and mythologies.

A great deal of fantasy has evolved from the traditions of what was once word of mouth folklore, and much of what modern writers and artists depict follow in the footsteps of tales and images that are much more ancient. This book will be an exploration of some of those ancient origins. Come sit at this fireside that has burned from the first brand and spark of life and knowledge, listen to some tales, and let mind and hand bring them to life. Then, perhaps, you'll come and share your own tales the ones that have grown from the seedlings of the old.