The Hyperion Chronicles

When I first decided to do 31 Days of Rawr! I realized I needed a mascot, someone to sum up the fear and scary of Halloween without losing the lovable fun.

Problem: I have no artistic ability.  None.  I'm not kidding - I can't even draw blood.  Thus, I put the call out on Twitter and Facebook that I needed an artist for a special project.  A few minutes later I got a reply from Solus Nihilvale.

I've never met the man, but his reputation proceeds him.  Once put on trial for War Crimes against the Keebler Elves, Solus was infamous in Internet circles not only for his lauded art (which includes drawing, animation, music composition and albino love potions), but for his "special projects," of which I legally cannot say anything, but coughcoughchlieanminecollapsecoughcough.

I joined Solus on Microsoft Instant Messenger and he asked me what kind of creature I was looking for.  I gave a brief sentence or two, and in less than 10 seconds - it was literally that fast - a drawing popped up on the screen:

"You already had this drawn?" I asked, impressed he could pull something up that quickly that was pretty close to what I was looking for.

"No," Solus replied, "I just sketched that right now on Messenger."

I'm not hayseed straight off the turnip truck, but color me agog!

I made a couple of suggestions, and a few seconds later a second version popped up:

One look and I knew I had found Rawry.

I was happy as a clam, and ready to get to work, thinking I would just use the drawing above. Oh, no, not for the great artist.  Solus sent me a a Microsoft program that let  me "see" his computer screen in real time, and I got to watch him live as he drew the final product of Rawry.

I'm not ashamed to admit I squealed like a little girl.

Many times.

It took about 90 minutes, as Solus kept at it, me watching just enchanted. Part of it is my own inability to draw, which makes me conversely fascinated to watch anyone who can.  And part of it was the gee-whiz factor of getting to see someone halfway across the world, someone I've never even met, draw my monster for me while I watched.

When he had the lines the way he wanted them, Solus asked me what color Rawry was. I always assumed he'd be green, and I deferred to the artist's temperament, but when I realized it was up to me my heart swelled up like the Grinch at Christmas.

"Purple!" I yelled, my heart all a-flutter.  Then, realizing that I was on IM 8000 miles away, and he couldn't actually hear me, I typed the word.  Low and behold Rawry gained a beautiful purple hue, like Ronald McDonald's pal Grimace,  if he were raised by jackals.

Soon I had the full Rawry (which I immediately made my Facebook avatar):

I shyly asked Solus to crop the head so I could have a Twitter avatar too, and without charging me extra (yay!) he gave me this:

Finally, Solus made a one with an artistic background for presentations, and the final Rawry pic - (the one that's been on the top of my website all month; I have it below), and my monster was truly born.

I hope you have been enjoying the 31 Days of Rawr! and I hope the next few days are even more exciting for you. I purposely kept my best material for last.  Enjoy, and make sure you feed Rawry, who is very friendly and very hungry.  (But don't get too close. Misunderstood or not, Rawry is still a monster!)

Hyperion

Unless you're too scared, Go to the 31 Days of RAWR!