Terry Brooks Fan Art Project: Inked Unicorns 'Books of Magic' via 'The Black Unicorn' novel [Magical Kingdom]

 FINALLY!!! 

I'm MAKING THIS PROJECT HAPPEN!

 In the 1987 novel "The Black Unicorn" (remember the "The" so as to distinguish it from "Black Unicorn" [no "The"] by Tanith Lee in the 1990s, which is ALSO GOOD.) Brooks writes about "The Books of Magic" which were a crucial plot point in the narrative of this specific novel, which comes from his "Magical Kingdom" series of Fantasy Novels from the 1980s. 

 You can READ the excerpts from the novel which I posted HERE that describe The Unicorns in the Books of Magic.

@blackunigryphon #FanArt #inkdrawing #unicorns #TerryBrooks #FanArt #book #sketchbook #BooksOfMagic #MagicalKingdomOfLandover #FantasyArt #Fantasy #FantasyNovel #WIP ♬ original sound BlackUniGryphon

I am SO IRKED that I misplaced my original vintage copy of the novel. I literally had the dang thing, highlights withe notes & ALL in my hands in early December, but our Condo had a new electrical system installed in December, which means the entire place was topsy-tervy, and everything moved around. So, even tho I found ALL of my other novels from my teenagehood that were always kept together I CANNOT FIND THAT ONE! 

So, I had to find a digital copy online, and THANK YOU SO MUCH TO FANTASY NOVEL FANS ON THE INTERNET!!!!

I've actually made a number of art pieces since I was a teenager in the 1990s depicting a number scenes from this novel. This novel really showcased a lot of the sweetness of Brooks' heart, and sentimental side. His also uses interesting narrative devices which for its time (1980s) were refreshing, altho today might seem cliche. It reminds me of an Classical Ancient Greek style which involves the mind of the audience (or reader) like in Peter Pan, you need to BELIEVE IN FAIRIES & clap your hands otherwise Tinkerbell will die,  or if you believe in Jesus you become Deliverance & Salvation so you can go to Heaven in the Gospels. These are things the audience that hears or reads the story does INSIDE THEIR MIND by thinking and also FEELING which works very effectively, especially in a play or fairy-tales. 

In Brooks' story, he uses this concept of "The Books of Magic" in a similar manner. So without giving out too many spoilers, these Unicorns which appear to be inked drawing on white parchment paper are actually trapped unicorns. They need to be set free so that the people in other realms (like our own) can "believe in magic" which also gives Magic it's own power. This is a very ancient classical narrative style that was perfected in Ancient Greece. 

I don't want to SPOIL the story, but its connected to The Black Unicorn, which turns out to be NOT WHAT YOU THINK. 

Let's just say, The Black Unicorn IS NOT EVIL, and IS NOT A DEMON. 

YOU NEED TO LOOK PAST it's DARKER EXTERIOR AND SEE THE BEAUTY OF WHOM THEY TRULY ARE. 

The Black Unicorn is INNOCENT. 

Imagine being misjudge JUST BY HOW YOU LOOKED ON THE OUTSIDE! 

But INSIDE there is SO MUCH MORE!

This is ALSO why THOSE 2 BOOKS OF MAGIC MATTER SO MUCH IN THE PLOT! 

Actually, when I was a teenager in the 1990s I made my own makeshift, hand made, version of the 2nd Book of magic with the Inked Unicorn Drawings! But, after I graduated college in 2001, I was snobby at my old high school art work, AND I THREW IT AWAY! 

OH, HOW I REGRET THAT I DID THIS!!!!! SO STUPID! Me & my STUPID EGO! WHAT WAS I THINKING??? 

I'd made a Painting that had depicted a scene from the book with the fairies Dancing over a Lake at night to summon the Black Unicorn, which I was in high school. I didn't think much of it, but my family found that painting and framed it. I was honestly shocked since they never seemed to give a care about my art, ever. Also, no matter which house they lived in, they ALWAYS took THAT painting with them and HUNG in a room that ALL PEOPLE COULD SEE IT usually when they entered the house. 

The kinds of things people would say to me about that painting were so sweet. So many people would tell me just how much they LOVED that painting! So, I guess I must've tapped into whatever Brooks wrote, because I LOVED that scene in the novel SO MUCH that I went out of my way to make a painting depicting it. I thought I wasn't any good when I made the painting, and felt disappointed that it wasn't better. But, when so many people kept telling me how much they LOVED it, I guess I did it right after all. I guess that's the problem with ego, huh? 

So, by the Pandemic Quarantine Lockdown of 2020, I actually found my novel. Then I thought about "The Books of Magic" with the Inked Unicorns. 

Then I thought: 

Hey that would be a good project! (Then I remembered, I DID do that project as a kid, BUT THREW IT AWAY! DOH!)

So, I'd been meaning to re-create it myself.

I wasn't sure if there was still a Fandom for Terry Brooks. So, I checked! 

Oh! THERE IS!

Bored with this trashy novel I'm reading at the moment. Think it's time for a return to the #MagicKingdomofLandover, not read those for ages

— Dan Jackson (@danj2k) March 18, 2016

Brainstorming for #PitMad. Have I found my comps? I read using #HarryPotter is pretentious, but it fits for my setting, tone & MC's arc. As does #MagicKingdomofLandover. Whaddya think? Too ballsy? Too dated? I've looked at the more current titles & nothing else fits. #amquerying pic.twitter.com/AGwK0WCEB6

— OJ Barré (Olivia) is writing Awen Tide🐉 (@ojbarreauthor) February 13, 2018

So, I went to Michael's Art Supplies & bought a new hardcover sketchbook for the project.

 

The 1st 2 Inked Unicorn Drawings/Pages are described in the novel as the first one is standing still, and the 2nd is in motion. 

So, I depicted it this way on the 1st 2 pages:

After that, in mentions the 3rd & 4th as all different, ans all of them after that. (you can read the excerpt here)

If you would like to see my ENTIRE Photography Gallery for this Project as it unfolds go HERE.

 

The 1st #unicorn 🦄 #InkedDrawing as depicted as standing still in the #TerryBooks #novel #TheBlackUnicorn 1987 #MagicKingdomOfLandover #Landover #inked #ink #Sketchbook #FanArt #Fantasy #FantasyArt @BlackUniGryphon #HandDrawn #HandInked #ArtistOnTwitter pic.twitter.com/8xrevfbdCe

— Black UniGryphon Arts 烏獨角獸 (@GryphonUni) December 30, 2021

1st #unicorn in the #TerryBrooks novel #BlackUnicorn mentions it's standing still in the 2nd of #BooksOfMagic #MagicKingdomOfLandover #Landover #Fantasy #graphite
I will ink it. @BlackUniGryphon pic.twitter.com/K2x6KVVnVf

— Black UniGryphon Arts 烏獨角獸 (@GryphonUni) December 30, 2021

1st #unicorn in the #TerryBrooks novel #BlackUnicorn mentions it's standing still in the 2nd of #BooksOfMagic #MagicKingdomOfLandover #Landover #Fantasy #graphite
I will ink it. @BlackUniGryphon pic.twitter.com/K2x6KVVnVf

— Black UniGryphon Arts 烏獨角獸 (@GryphonUni) December 30, 2021

 

2nd Page #inked #Unicorn 🦄 #Drawing #sketchbook #FanArt #TerryBrooks #TheBlackUnicorn #novel #MagicKingdomOfLandover #Landover #HandDrawn #cartoon @BlackUniGryphon #TheBooksOfMagic pic.twitter.com/b1w87u45t2

— Black UniGryphon Arts 烏獨角獸 (@GryphonUni) December 30, 2021

A project to make an entire sketchbook full of unicorns!
A project I actually did but in a smaller scale in high school in the 90s!
I'm hoping to film some of it n publish to YouTube. #TerryBrooks #FanArt #fantasyart #MagicKingdomOfLandover @BlackUniGryphon pic.twitter.com/EXLPKDYHJl

— Black UniGryphon Arts 烏獨角獸 (@GryphonUni) December 30, 2021

The 2nd #unicorn 🦄 on the page of #TheBooksOfMagic in #TerryBrooks #novel #TheBlackUnicorn describes it as being in motion.#WIP #sketchbook #FanArt #fantasy #FantasyArt #inking #handdrawn #penciler #inker @BlackUniGryphon #ArtistOnTwitter #cartoon pic.twitter.com/yUdpBLwIM9

— Black UniGryphon Arts 烏獨角獸 (@GryphonUni) December 30, 2021

Please leave your comments, suggestions, critiques, here on this Blog, or find me on Twitter!

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TELL ME! SPILL THE BEANS!!!!

 

My First Drawing Experiences As A Child

When I was a child, adults would ask children what they wanted to be when they grew u (in the 1980s & 1990s) all the time. I never hear that by adults today, but back then  it was common. I loved horses, unicorns, My Little Pony, and loads of girly things. But, I liked things my brother liked also. So, when adults asked me this questions, I told them I wanted to be a Jockey and race horses. I thought that was the best thing ever, and my grandfather had a horse named King.

A few years later, when I was in Girl Scouts, there was a girl that told me she was already a Jockey, and she was too big to race when she told me. I had no idea I could've been a Jockey when I was a kid. But, oh well...

I loved Fantasy and cartoons, and I watched Saturday morning cartoons like The Smurfs, Dungeons & Dragons, or shows like Voltron, and Thunder Cats. I was crazy about a Don Bluth film called "The Secret of NIMH" and "The Last Unicorn".

And, I LOVED Dinosaurs! I was crazy about Dinosaurs in the 1980s!

My First Drawing

I always liked to color with crayons in coloring books, and when these magical markers were the new thing, every kid wanted some! I cried until I got my very first markers, because I saw them advertized on TV. It'd funny because older folks still call them "magic markers", but everyone else just calls them markers. I used to scribble-scrabble & doodle on everything when I was very very little. I remember as far back as 2 years old. I would scribble things and give them to my Mother, or whoever came to visit my parents. Then, I would tell my mother it was a pig (because she liked little piggies) or a dog, or a cat, or whatever... (To me, I didn't consider that drawing.) Then, after a while, I would ask my mother, or whoever, what they thought the picture looked like. and, I would get upset if they didn't know whatever I imagined it was, but they were still very polite about it. 

I guess I must've really annoyed my mother, my relatives, and visitors. 

My mother could draw cartoons, and I would pester her to draw a cartoon of our dog "Chi-chi". For whatever reason, I thought those were the greatest things ever when my mom did that! My mother had her own style, and everything! My mother also made her own wedding gown, several blankets,  clothes, Halloween costumes, did fancy make-up, wrote stories, and was an exotic go-go dancer.

My father also would doodle on the phone -stuff like little houses with yards, clouds, and whatever. He could also do drafting and schematics or something electrical, and he frequently would invent things, or re-invent something.

My brother also would doodle and color with me. So, I thought it was just normal, and assumed that everyone did those things. It wasn't special to me, even tho' I often did them. I just thought it was as normal as watching TV, or any other recreational thing.

When my mother's friends would visit, they brought their kids, and I would also draw or do coloring with them, often for hours, or we would swim, or lay the stereo and run around like crazy animals, or lay hide & seek.

I already could doodle a flower, a heart, and normal stuff, and, had learned to write my name. So, I didn't think it was special. But, my friend Jamie, whom was older than I was, asked me to start drawing again. I always thought it was strange how much she liked drawing, but since she was older than I was, I looked u to her. And, we had contests trying to figure out how to draw things. She was better at it than I was. But, then, in the summer before I started kindergarten, she made a challenge to draw a unicorn! So, we were all excited about that!

Each one of us would take a turn. She went first, but it went terribly wrong. Her unicorn looked like a Rhinoceros! Also, the details were all wrong. I tried, but still, it was wrong... (I was only 4 years old, and about to turn 5 at the end of the summer.)

Then, she went, still wrong... this went on a few times... I knew that the alicorn (horn) was wrong! But, I didn't know what exactly it was! Then, I realized WHY it looked like a Rhino! She kept drawing the horn on the NOSE!

So, when she was done, and it was my turn, I drew the horn on the forehead, and also I drew mine with BOTH ears. When I drew it, I sat back and looked at it, and I KNEW it was RIGHT! It was the most mind-blowing thing of my entire life (until I learned animation)! Like: WHOAH! OMG! I just DID THAT! Then, Jamie looked at it, and she was blown away too! She said WOW! And she was so obviously amazed that I did it, and we had this same shared experience of just WOW or Eureka! The entire time, her little brother & little sister had been teasing us, and annoying us, and making fun of us, and my little brother too! But, when I drew THAT unicorn head, it was this total WOW that happened! Then, her brother grabbed the paper! And, everyone wanted the paper!

Then, it was like everyone was crazy, and we were jumping around! Everyone said we should show our mothers! Then, before we knew it, we all ran off with the drawing, to the kitchen where our mothers were, and showed them. "Look what Kandy did!"

And, the look on their faces!

It was different than before when I'd show my scribbles & doodles of nonsense...

My mother said: "It's a unicorn." and her friend nodded. They both looked amazed...

To a little kid, this was a BIG DEAL. It was like figuring out how to whistle or how to blow a bubble with bubble gum... but, even more beyond THAT! Because NO OTHER KID could do that! Not even the older kid, who was BETTER at drawing than I was!

My MOTHER, and HER FRIEND, looked at the paper and COULD VISUALLY SEE, and IDENTIFY that I had ACTUALLY drawn something, and it LOOKED like something! NOT like a scribble-scrabble that you had to tell everyone it was a this, or a that, but obviously looked like a mess to anyone else!

After that, Jamie & I drew unicorns frequently for the rest of the summer. But, before school started, I put it all out of my mind... 
To me, drawing was just some kind of thing that everyone did. The neighborhood kids could doodle or color with me, and I thought that was normal.... 


But, on the FIRST day of school, I soon learned that it was NOT normal. 


Kindergarten Drawing

On my very first day at Kindergarten, I was very scared, because I didn't want to part from my mother. My mother was a VERY nice lady, and she was THE MOST beautiful woman IN THE WORLD! She was sexy, cute, sweet, handy, she could dance, and I was always with her. But, for Kindergarten, I cried.

After we sat down, and I got assigned my table, we were handed these BIG FAT CRAYONS! I never saw such a thing! Look how BIG they are!

And, the teacher asked us to draw things. So we did. We drew ourselves, or our summer.
Some of the kinds asked me how I drew some things, and I didn't understand what they meant. So, I told them: I just draw it like this.

Then, we were told we could draw whatever we wanted. So, I just drew a unicorn. What followed after that was really weird for me! Suddenly, the kids at my table, including the boys, were freaking out about the fact that I drew a unicorn. Outbursts of WOW, and "Let me see that!" started happening! Then, kids at the other tables came over, and wanted to see!

And, suddenly everyone was out of their chairs, and all around me, looking at what I drew! Then, it was questions like:

How did you draw that?
Or, did you really draw that?

 Then:
Can you draw a cat?
Can you draw a bird?
Can you draw a squirel?

Until finally, the teacher came over, to investigate what was going on!

And, everyone said:
Look what she did!

I thought I was in trouble! But, the teacher looked down at my drawing and looked amazed.
She told me it was very good, and that I would like art class, and no one was in trouble.

It might seem normal to people today that little girls, or little kids would draw unicorns... but, you see... not when I was a kid... 

You see,  unicorns were a rare thing in the early 1980s, and My Little pony, and The Last Unicorn had only JUST come out...most kids just drew cats, dogs, birds, and that was it... It wasn't until mid-way through my kindergarten year that you could sometimes find a unicorn SOMETHING in a store. It was just REALLY RARE.

Yes! For REAL! Unicorns were RARE in the very early 1980s! 

It's TOTALLY TRUE! Can you imagine? A world with almost no unicorns! 

So, for a 5 year old Kindergartener to draw that was like a huge feat in like 1984! 

I still told everyone I was gonna grow u to be a Jokey... but, by 1st & 2nd grade, everyone had already been referring to me as "the artist". 

I did NOT know you could have a job doing that until I learned about it in school. 


I drew ALL THE TIME! I was a BIG day dreamer, and I couldn't help it!