Garret Jax and the Jachyra (Shannara)

~Bad Poetry~Shannara~Tributes

Nov. 27

Written By Tiler 'Ti' Bradshaw

The Weapon Master of the Four Lands meets the ultimate test of his martial prowess! Garret Jax a nigh unstoppable force of power and precision the protector of Jair Ohmsford bearer of the Wishsong on the quest to save his sister and heal the land from a poison spread through a mystical site call Heaven's Well, the source of the Silver River. The Jachyra, is a demonic fiend, a maddened and relentless lycanthrope that seeks violence and bloodshed, and only becomes more furious and deadly as it causes and sustains damage, until it can no longer function, and is killed.

Garret Jax fights the demon to the death, allowing Jair to save his sister and purify the river's source. The battle is not described fully, omitting the conclusion, but with the Weapon Master's body discovered and no sign of the Jachyra itself.

Unlike with the previous fan art paintings I presented prior to this, I actually made a solid attempt to get things right and more fully developed. I didn't want to rush the work and I expected to make good use of my developing painting and drawing skills. The poses were to have some strong action and motion to them, the background would have some detail without being a boring and nonsensical.

Did I manage to execute at the level I was hoping to do? Mostly. he poses were not excellent, but not terrible. The main issue was that there was no sense of interaction between the characters. Garret doesn't look like he's mid-attack (or at least not executing a natural movement that feels right) The Jachyra seems okay, but without seeming imposing and dangerous to match it's reputation. The fore-shortening on the Jachyra did not hold up well, especially for the arms and the front of the torso. Better posing would have served to give a stronger sense of the creature being an insane violence and bloodshed beast that is inescapable and impossible to safely deal with. Garret Jax isn't posed well to describe his movement and intention. There is no stress in the image, just an edgy look.

I was able to do some justice for the background, which is well enough populated with appropriate scenery. The Tower is the Heaven's Well a water source for the Silver River, an important element of the story at this point.