“Snip is a very young tree spirit barely more than a seedling. She happily wonders the lands – learning, meeting and growing. One day she will find a place to put down her roots but not for a very long time… there is so much to see before finding her true home.” Snip is part of the Tree Spirit series. She is #1, Old Knot is #2, #3 will arrive this spring.
Snip fun Facts:
- Snip was inspired by looking at the deciduous winter trees in Denver… I thought what if the trees were upside down and would walk about like spiders. Creepy but then I ended up with her adorable face.
- I grew up on Brian Froud, Alan Lee and Tolkien. Originally, I thought of Snip as a “baby Ent” but after more thought doing a Tree Spirit series seemed more fitting for me.
Early Snip concept art – Snip started out with a pinecone head but then I decided to save that for a different series called “The Seedlings” (TBA). You can see her evolution in these sketches and her not so mobile cousin “Stumpy”.
<3
Lyla
Hello Lyla!
I met and talked with you at the Phoenix Comicon and bought some of your artwork. I’ve been checking out your blog. Very nice. I like reading about your thoughts inspiration behind this Tree Spirit series. So lovely! I too am inspired by nature, and I love how you used something from around your area to incorporate in this character. She is very sweet. That’s great you are a Tolkien fan! When I saw your Tree Spirits at the con, they reminded me of Ents, so it is cool that is where your inspiration began. I look forward to seeing your third one. Oh, and I love the color choice you went with, the rich blue/green. Awesome!
Have a great week!
Aw thanks Danielle for the sweet note! And thanks for stopping by at Phoenix Comicon! So glad you like little Snip :) It may be a platitude but I feel nature is magical. It’s a never-ending source of inspiration for me. That’s wonderful that it inspires you too! I believe it can lead us all to new discoveries. I’m glad you like hearing about the creation process too, it’s fun to share. Two more little Tree Spirits, seedlings in fact, are in the works now. I hope to have them up by San Diego Con!