I like the idea of elves being... A phenomenon, rather than a race. The forests themselves create them, perhaps not even consciously. It happens incredibly slowly, and far beyond the reach of mortal eyes. A single strip of bark coming slowly away from a tree. That's all it looks like to us. A small, particularly gnarled branch suspended just above the ground by a vine that coincidentally caught its fall. But in reality these are pieces, that are slowly... Very gradually, being made for each other, in different locations all over the forest. And one day, they miraculously come together and form a fey thing... A creature not it this world, and yet so natural in its mien. Men like to think they understand the world around them. But the existence of elvenkind represents an aspect of nature that is so far beyond human understanding, it is difficult for men to trust them. For a man fears what he cannot explain. Thanks for enduring my rambling if you read this far ☺️❤️
This would be sick if the elf bones had rings like trees to show how old they are. Since they live a long time like trees and are a part of nature I think that would be sick
I don't know how familiar you are with Terry Pratchett and his body of work, but his description of Elves in 'Lords and Ladies' has always rather stuck with me: “Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad.”
I actually had similar idea when I was worldbuilding for my game. I wanted each fantasy race to "evolve" with age into an element they were born from, the older someone gets the more features they have: - Elves age into dryad-like creatures, older they are the more leafs and woody skin they have, and when they die they turn into trees instead - Dwarves - stone, obviously, same process - And humans evolved into dragons, which is why humans are hunted and killed by other races (cause when they actually die of old age this fuckin creature goes wild and brings cataclysm to the world).
@@MisterVovun Exactly! Humans are always treated like they just got plucked from normal medieval times and dropped into a fantasy world. In reality, humans would be on par with elves and dwarves, or they would have just gotten destroyed. Humans are very adaptable and tough, they wouldn't just fold over and die (Excuse me going on a bit of a tangent it's definitely not required to read all of this) It's usually portrayed as Elves - Humans but better. They're faster, more agile, have better aim and eyesight and are much smarter and calmer Dwarves - Humans but better as well. They are shorter, but they make really fucking good weapons and armour and can turn an entire mountain into a city Humans - Elves but less agile, dwarves but less resilient. They just kinda... Exist. They can kill stuff but they're just sorta meh In reality it'd be something like Elves - Graceful creatures of the forest, skilled in both combat and scholarship, they act as guardians of nature, honouring what they are given and despising those who take it away. For every tree chopped down, three more are planted, and they make those trees their home with fine woodwork and craftsmanship Dwarves - Creatures of the deep, living in caves carved out into intricate tunnels and cities. Their smiths are extremely intricate and fine with their detail, just somehow still find time to get extremely drunk and boast about their beard size. The power of their weapons and the amount they can create make them a powerful foe, as well as the natural home advantage they have inside the tunnels of their kingdom Humans - Resilient and tough creatures. They don't claim the gracefulness of elves, or the fine craftsmanship of dwarves, but their adaptability is legendary. They will stare at chills that would freeze an elf to death, wrap themselves in warm furs and conquer it. They have no natural home, however anywhere can become it. And they absolutely refuse to die, they will break their limbs, lose huge amounts of blood and keep fighting to the last breath. And if you do kill one of their honoured, the fury and sadism of their race will be released on you, and they will figure out the most efficient way to burn down the forests of elves, or flood the tunnels of dwarves until whatever hurt them is gone
Elves being made out of trees/having bark or natural things like horns is one of my favourite aethestics. Although yours is very unique take and I like it!
I'd imagine elves as prime forest hunters, so they would have feet similar to apes for hanging off and climbing tree's, big ears to listen for prey with the ability for echo-location. Those are just some small suggestions just visually for elves as I think they would work best as, the other stuff would but up to the ones creating the lore.
In a setting where magic causes the practitioners to become mangled, and grow based on how long they practice I can see elves that live for hundreds of years to become several stories tall much like trees how you describe. I cannot wait to see this come together more
The thing that always kinda bothered me about the design of elves is that there are two separate types. There’s the original elf, the kind that works in Santa’s workshop. They’re small, they like household objects, they’re crafty and sometimes mischievous. Essentially brownies in old Celtic myth. And then there’s the tall majestic civilized kind from Tolkien which has become the norm in high fantasy. It doesn’t feel right to call them both elves. There’s also the concept of fae/fey and faeries/fairies, which kind of encompasses a whole swath of mythical humanoids which includes the little elves usually but not the big ones. But then you look at Shakespeare and see tall fairies too, so maybe it does include Tolkien elves? but also fairy can mean is its own race within that group. It’s all so varied. I love what you’re doing
The "Santa's workshop" style elves aren't the originals either. The association with Father Christmas was made in the Victorian era IIRC, but I know for sure that the broader concept originates in Romanticism and is itself a neologism. They conflated various other beings such as brownies, as you said, with elves. The real origin of elves lies in Germanic mythology (the ethnocultural family as a whole, not the modern conception of the word) and is somewhat nebulous because very few first-hand records of our beliefs survive. From what little information we do have, elves are a people (akin to both an ethnicity and a class) with close ties to the Gods. They appear to be a step below the Gods, but it's possible they were originally one and the same. Freyja and Yngvi-Freyr are sometimes referred as Elves or the rulers of Alfheim in Norse sources. The only person explicitly known as an Elf, however, is Weyland the Smith, who is certainly not a tiny brownie lol. We also know that in various belief systems, Elves were thought to be capable of secretly integrating themselves into normal communities. So, when you put all of this together it becomes clear that Elves, though supernatural, are far closer to humans than they are to beings like dwarfs, goblins etc. Tolkien's elves are therefore far closer to authentic belief than "Christmas elves". The reason for this is that Tolkien drew his knowledge and inspiration directly from what original sources existed at the time. With this is mind the timeline becomes clear: Elves in their initial, pagan context are a class of people between gods and men. The Germanic tribes are gradually Christianised and their beliefs recontextualised - Elves are associated with demons alongside other supernatural beings, which is how they get jumbled up. After all these ideas have been stewing in a pot together for a good long while, the Romantic movement solidifies the mix-up into one unified concept, eventually leading to Christmas elves. Then Tolkien comes along and blows the dust off the whole thing, revising the public image of elves. Everyone copy-cats him without looking into how he came up with them and we end up here, in the modern day. So yeah, that's how you end up with what are, in my view, three different types of elves - Victorian Christmas elves, modern fantasy elves and authentic, Germanic mythology elves.
@@armata_strigoi_0 dang! that's super cool, thank you so much for the breakdown!! I've been working on a project that attempts to synthesize like… all mythologies and religions around the world into one cohesive narrative. (absurdly ambitious i know, it'll probably never be done.) but the way you describe elves as "between humans and gods" is interesting. my current cosmology analyzes the various proto-indo-european polythesistic gods as the equivalent of various tiers of angels in abrahamic religions. (the primary gods loosely correspond to the archangels.) so i'm thinking that elves might fit in as lesser angels perhaps. the way they can integrate into society sounds very similar to some beliefs about guardian angels and such. i'm curious, do you have any sources you'd recommend? i'm always down to learn more!
This gives me vibes of the elves in Divinity (especially DOS2) in all the best ways! They have a special connection to trees, and even turn into one when they die. There's entire forests made of their ancestors, and when they're alive their bones protrude and texture their skin like gnarled bark and roots. To top it off, they can read flesh, eating it to consume memories and skills. I'd definitely recommend checking out their lore!
It is brilliant, I really enjoyed this. I feel there has been a “domesticated” look to many fantasy races. They don’t look like their folk tale origins where they are the supernatural, magical and unknown. This is a very well thought design in my opinion with an actual ikkness or uncanny sense to them. Carry on the hard work! ❤
I had a dream like that. I tried to polymorph into a tree but that wakened the elf "moderator" since they collectively banned outside magic from their "server".
Since you've done elves and dwarves, here's an idea for goblins: Goblins are a race of sapient mollusc-like creatures not unlike octopi, with soft bodies that allow them to squeeze into tight spaces, skin that can change its colour and texture, the ability to produce slime, and a very inquisitive nature. Due to their need for moisture, goblins prefer living in damp, dark environments, such as caves, cellars, and large vehicles. Goblins' natural abilities allow them to sneak into places they aren't allowed in with relative ease, causing many humans to distrust them. Despite this, very few goblins are malicious individuals.
I am personally Very invested in what you have put on the table, It's not every day that I get to see someone who genuinely tries to branch out and attempt new concepts with old ideas that have already been well established, And that's what I strive to do whenever I put pen to paper. It's very refreshing to know that I'm not the only one who's tired of The lack of imagination when it comes to fantasy as Of late, And I am personally excited to see what else you have to offer!
my idea is instead, like a race of parasite that live with the forest because of their bounds with the trees, their aestetics would take inspiration from flowers (with a little of fungii). tbh i have a lot of elves, across different worlds, some are common ones, other are odder, some are more monstrous, some were inspired by seraphim of judaic myths, or at least their descendat, who at some point will have hair like a blaze (not real fire tho).
These designs go so hard! The body shape of them alone separates them from anything else i've seen in media or really even though of to where I can easily see this in it's own series!
Ah, a fellow plant based elf enjoyer. In my dnd campaign, elves are effectively immortal as long their tree has not been killed. If an elf dies, a fruit will grow from their tree and will grow into that elf
This is closer to a classical dryad than anything. If you chop down a dryads tree they die, dryads return to their tree for safety and to heal etc. The added flavor is nice though.
A while ago I had an idea about elves that become more and more tree-like as they get older, they eventually die and completely become a tree. This art is exactly what I imagine an adult elf would be like, while the younger ones are normal elves and the older ones are like ents Wonderful video!
I've been thinking lately about the longevity of elven races and wondering: What if a race _didn't_ reproduce? There was just a hundred or a thousand of them, and they never aged, but they could be killed? How would such a race view the death of their own kind? How would they view races that, when decimated by war, would just reproduce and grow back over time? What would their goal be or the purpose of their creation?
Hi Monstergarden! Will cover again your idea of "Elves"? They looked quite interesting, despite they had been cast aside ... Since (from what I could get film now) your fantasy world appear much darker and weaponized, these creatures could be called "Elves" but resemble more closely the so called "Horned Gods" (The more ancient figures the roamed the forests and that inspired Myths from all Europe like Cernunnos, Pan, Lesny ...). Just as in your last sketch of their head they could possess horns or other characteristics from animal kingdom, alongside some traits from plants (even if I am not enterely convinced about the leafy toptrees on the juntures). Maybe you could preserve the idea of them being "made of trees" by adding roots, vines and branches of one or two different kinds of trees that emerge respectevely from their anckles, sides, shoulders and wrists. How could they live in better times? Rising their arms covered by leafs just ad branches to draw sunlight during day, and stalk preys during night? Would they be perceived as relics of an old past, before the war? If this is correct how to get this idea? Since the war could have affect their natural enviroment, burning down entire forests their appereance could be corrupted, becoming less leafy and more animalistic, forced ti sustain themselves through predation rather than through sun and water absortion, only to share the obtained life-juice with their trees, trying to preserve the rests of their forests. If once they could have some grade of "elven elegance" now they would be more simile to gothic Fiends, universally feared and despised from the churches. Could they use magic? From what I could understand on how magic works in your world (explained by you in other videos), the mana could be attracted even by natural ripetitive patterns ... maybe these elves could possess something like that on their bodies? Even if they wouldn't be able to use it directly, lacking the artificial addictions used by mages they could be hunted down and held in captivity by them or by the witches as "mana-sources", to perform some different kind of magic (something between the concept of Norse "Seidr" and the "Devil's summoning powers"). This would make them even more angry and suspicious ... it could be difficult for your Stranger to meet and have a proper chat with one or more of them. I hope I didn't over-wright. My best Regards to you!
You're doing something i've always dreamed of, coming up with awesome cool ideas for a whole world or specific things in them and drawing them out beautifully, showing them in form. How did you learn to draw? Did you take classes?
Personally, looking at the creation story for dwarves and how it’s thought that Dwarves are the same as “Dark Elves”, I’d say consider making your elves also insect themed. But they are more fit to a forest environment instead of the one underground like Dwarves are. The “Light Elves” would resemble trees, with their various insect parts. Also connecting them to faries
an idea i have had for wood elves is that they are symbiotic with a fungal hive mind type entity that pushes their development and symbiosis with all sorts of plants.
I can't claim to be the one to come up with this idea, and I don't remember where I first saw it. But I've liked the idea that elves may become trees after death or late in life and the reason elves are so ubiquitous with forests and protective of them and their groves is because its not just some random group of trees or reverence for nature but actually like a cemetery of their ancestors. Each of these trees IS or WAS an elf, living on in a new form.
Guild Wars 2 and the Divinity Series both have plant-based elves. The Guild Wars have the Sylvari, which some would say look more like humans made of lettuce and bark than trees. The Divinity series calls theirs "Elves", but they're tall and lanky and their flesh is plant-like despite still being pink and fleshy. Certain elves "evolve" into special trees that guide and watch over their people.
I hope you don’t mind a short ramble about the elves in a D&D game I’m in. The elves in this world resemble the aliens from the Avatar movie. Tall, lanky, and have cat-like faces and eyes. Just without the blue skin and tail. Also they’re marsupials for some reason. Don’t ask me why, I’m not the DM.
I had this idea of dwarves being made of some living stone, then I saw your dwarf video, and I thought it would be cool to try and recreate the ideas of common fantasy races in a simple easy to understand way (for a game I shall be making), and I thought it would be cool if elves were like short ents. A few days later I looked at your posted videos and saw this... I really like the new and creative ideas you are bringing to your world, and you have inspired me to do something slightly off main stream for my fantasy world too. Keep up the excellent work.
I think you should re-adopt the mentality you used when designing the dwarves. In that elves and dwarves are essentially humans, in different shapes - but they have qualities that reflect the environments they are in. So elves could be tall and thin, but perhaps their armor / clothing are literal living plants; a symbiotic relationship (in a way, the elf is the soil in which the plants grow). This could extend to their weapons too. They don't 'make' their weapons and armor, so much as they grow them. It could also be that the tree has to 'agree with' or like the elf, it's a relationship on multiple levels, not just biological (a tree whisperer, quite literally). But if these limitations are overcome, the plant can literally become anything; limited only by the potential of the elf host. That's the benefit for the plant, it gets to move, at the cost of its natural 'expression' (i.e. being a tree). It's said that not all plants can become elves (it's a term that means both plant and humanoid), and before their bodies become rooted (find a plant to symbiotically bind with), the humanoids are simply referred to as Terran (soil for a plant to be put in). The plants gain the ability to move and offload their survival process (gathering of nutrients) to the host. In return, the terran gains incredible regenerative abilities; even able to recover from potentially fatal wounds (though it takes a substantial amount of time and hibernation). This also extends to life-span: there is no known limit to an elf's age. Even better, elves tend to get stronger and stronger with time. Elders are fearsome forces to be reckoned with. Though fire is a sure way to end an elven life particularly quickly (At worst common knowledge. At best, easy to deduce), fire also seems to greatly hinder, if not stop, regenerative prowess. I've noticed that you use extravagant colours and patterns, though muted. An amazing contrast to the dark world surrounding these creatures. I think these elves could play with that theme perfectly, as their armor / weapons / clothes are also seasonal. In autumn, their armor 'wilts', losing any foliage and colour. In spring and summer - their armor is in bloom and their stealth is at it's most efficient. They may hibernate in winter, as they at their weakest. A 'jack of all trades' class of elven warrior could be an evergreen; it maintains foliage all year long, but specializes in no particular thing. The problem with the elves actually just being trees and nothing more, is that is more a Treant, a different being all together. I think the symbiosis is also a little more fitting for your dark fantasy worlds. There are costs, it's also something that many other beings would see as strange, or wrong. There could be sects of elves (or more accurately, Terran) that completely disagree with the symbiotic relationship, it being an abomination. Instead, they have mastered the 'tree whispering' aspect. They don't graft plants into their bodies, but are able to shape entire forests to their will through tree whispering alone; turning the woods into death traps if needed. But therein lies their own limitation, nature is not everywhere, and it moves/changes slowly (i.e. good defence, terrible offence). Blood elves could be the slave drivers of the elven race. They don't so much talk to their plant as they do ruthlessly command it. The plants rebel in one small manner; their foliage is always crimson leaves and ash white bark. The elves are 'marked' by nature itself: "blood is easily seen in a forest of green". They cannot use stealth, but they can drain their victims of blood to power their armor and weapons, and are wild, savage combatants.
I created a TTRPG called Myth's & Monsters, and in that, my lore for elves was that they are a plant species with a lineage that goes Treant - Dryad - Elf. So the ancestors, the progenitors were he sentient trees. They gave birth to dryads that had vast magical power and a more humanoid size and shape. They in turn gave birth to the contemporary elves, which are the most human-like, but still retain plant traits like photosynthesis, greenish skin, no set lifespan like a tree. They had a form of ancestor worship, but the ancestor treants and dryads were contemporary in setting too in sacred forests, ageless like gods.
I'm here after watching your magic system video and I see that the elf design has the repeating patterns on its arms and legs that you decided attract mana. Interesting way to incorporate it into the design!
I'm sure you've probably already seen his work looking up inspiration for literal tree elves, but this reminded me a lot of Arthur Rackham's anthropomorphised trees, especially his illustrations of Grimm's Fairy Tales, the one depicting 'The Old Woman in the Wood'. If you haven't seen his stuff that might help spark some inspiration! I do love the idea of being able to differentiate different regions/cultures elves may be from based on the trees that they are made of, really helps regionalise them.
You could take some inspiration by the nordic hollow back elves- beautiful but hollow- make them like a wooden carving, refined nature! Huldras i think they’re called
I saw the dwarves, and I really hope that you run with both these and the dwarves in your world. Seriously, this is incredibly creative, and frankly, a stroke of genius.
Used to desing elf-ish race for one tabletop project - I came up with stick-bugs/Phasmatodea origin, because tree-based elves seemed to generic. But you style is cool and incredibly well designed.
i had this idea of them being in harmony with their environment cause they sprout from seeds. so there heritage is both from the elf the seed is from and also the earth he was planted in. resulting in various subraces evolving naturally from their odd environments. an interesting idea was the political idea of, yes you are born from good seeds but bad earth. giving them an incentive to actually take care of their chosen environment
Dude please make a movie with all of this, like you and Guillermo Del Toro would get along wonderfully. Everything you make has very awesome little Pan's Labyrinthesque designs and I love it. Keep up the awesome work man
I grew up near redwoods, the way these trees propagate is interesting, most are a kind of offshoot the tree will reach out with its roots and push up a sapling, the saplings made this way are effectively the same tree with a second Body, or at least another trunk, they can reproduce sexualy creating genetically distinct offspring but this is only done after a forest fire has cleared the wood, it would be cool to include tree biology into elf culture/history
With the 1st bit about taking a year or so on a thing like this, i can relate I have done similar things when designing my own takes on monsters and myths
If Elves are made of trees, I'd imagine their physical body also behave like plants. Here is a list of ideas coming from that premise that I think might be interesting to you. Lost of body parts can regrown Modification of the body through physical means like using wires to guide the growth in gardening Different Elf individuals can be attached together much like grafting for really plants Fat and moisture rich tissue to store water like cactus A root system that grows out when resting, but retracts and protected when moving A group of elves that seems almost identical but actually is one individual like plants having multiple stems but a singular root system And I really like your art. They are conceptually novel and visually pleasing, but I feel like this elf idea is less radical than the "magic system" and the "dwarf" concepts. It doesn't mean that it is bad, it's just I feel this idea can be explored further. And also thank you for putting these type of concept art content with this level of detail, it really helps to understand the methodology of concept design.
The feet of the elvees are shoes like, if they are made of trees, you can give those feets some sort of root-like appearance. A sort of webbed reptile like feet but with roots.
Thanks my man, i havent drawn i 3years or so. Got the basics and hace gonna a bit further than that. But stoped litteraly when you start to reap the fruit i planted when i was a child and throughtout my life cared for. Today its time to water that plant with nystical beings! Love the "story/panel" you do, ill do some free sketches first then start forming my own stories! Insane how fast you exploded! i got here today 😂 Btw anyone here in the comments played with a touch board to create? I have never tryed it, looks sweet with the refferences, good way to learn i think!
I like the idea of Elves being part tree. I've been thinking of making them insectoid in my setting as they serve the Fey Court and the woods they live in. But I did originally want to make them tree-people that turn to Dryads when they die, but I couldn't really find a way to make that work.
You are very creative. I imagine I will be doing similar work in the future as my artistic skill progresses- this is very much the sort of thing I like. Best wishes.
Here's an idea, what if elves are seeds? Like driads and trents are a thing in fantasy lore, but the "children of the forest" would be seeds, not trees, right? And the forest and larger tree beings would be the few elders who were able to "sprout". Just an idea, but anyone have thoughts?
A comic is a Great idea. Even if it is just a page or to as you said to tell a single event. You should make the first panel and the last panel journal entry's for your traveler so it is him telling the story
If the elves are magic, they might be more monstrous, changed by the same magic that changes your mages. If you want their magic to be natural, it couls be a huge reason as to why they look like they do.
My idea of elves in this world are mages who are affected by manamorphosis to such an advanced point their bodies become attuned to the magic they specialize in and they begin to lose semblence of humanity. Pop culture wood elves would be mages who focus on plant based magic and would metamorph into the respective element. I don't imagine elves being born as elves, but an achieved status of delving so far into magic that you become that of a magical being yourself.
I like the whole tree idea, I personally like turning elves into insects, as insect humanoids always appear more alien to me and then connect that with the Fae origins of most elves in fantasy. Though mixing the two, tree insect humanoids might be interesting..
I feel like this is veering much further into Ent territory than Elf territory. And in my mind that kinda makes it *not* an Elf. Elves have their origins in Fae folklore, whereas this seems much more like "the spirit of the trees come to life" which is more in line with Ents or Dryads, which are mythical creatures with *MUCH* different temperaments than Elves. Dryads are usually seen as good spirits, and tenders, ents are seen as ancient, slow, and wise. Elves, however are fantastical, tricky, dangerous to deal with, and equally prone to acts of benevolence and vengeance. Mortals are playthings for them to be amused by. That just doesnt really line up with the concept you're making here, so I cant see it as an elf, and view it more as a combo of a dryad and ent.
I have always said: It is impossible for an elven empire to compete against a human. The human puts fire in his arrows, shoots a single arrow into a tree and causes a forest fire. Goodbye elves! No jokes, what is this a universe ? a comic ? a book?
yea i haven't figured a defense against the literally just light the forest on fire tactic. I'll have to design but the elves are going through some huge redesigns again anyway. And this is a world building project of mine. It isn't a book or comic yet though im hoping to make it something in the future.
@@monlenz Why not design the elves to be more a mutation of humans, akin to how Neanderthals were a cousin to Homo-Sapiens--maybe humans who adapted into a more _Leshy_ appearance? That way they could develop alongside humans, and depending on your timeline, could either have went into near extinction through inter-breeding like the Neanderthal supposedly did, or were hunted down by the Homo-Sapiens, thereby pushing them into a ever smaller box (i.e. migration or nomadic) as human civilization spread to every corner of the Earth? It would be like an indangered species inhabiting the most isolated, most hostile or most unexplored areas of Earth. In this case, humans may rediscover them (if this timeline is before satellites and the internet) or they make their presence known somehow someway--almost as if the myths of old, whereby creatures who once considered to be just fairytale, were actually real. On the other end, all creatures could have developed their own civilizations interdependent of each other and humans live alongside elves, dwarves (and so on) like what is seen in LOTR. Either way, just a thought. Very nice designs my friend. I found you by accident in my recommended so I hope you blow up as a content creator.
It's actually not that easy to light the forest on fire. Also, forests have natural fires all the time and those are actually vital to its ecosystem. So elves living in harmony with the forest would be well used to and prepared for forest fires. Firebreaks, controlled burn, water from the rivers, freaking MAGIC because everyone has this weird blind spot where elves are supposedly good at magic but the moment problem solvable with magic happens, they're like "well, i guess i'll just roll over and die :(". Even without magic, the above stands. You try to burn the forest? Congratulations, you have achieved nothing and now have a bunch of very angry elves demanding to know who did this and which tree he wants his innards to decorate. Or worse - you know what burns very well in contrast to the forest? The crops. The villages. Oh, you thought you're the only one with fire? Well, that's unfortunate. Point being, no. It's not a single arrow. California and Australia are not the norm, that happened because of active suppression of forest fires (and dry arid climate) - all the dead matter and debris that would not create too much of a disaster accumulate, and accumulate, and eventually everything is on fire and how could that happen to us.
@@monlenz (I'm speaking without knowing a great deal about how your elves work, so apologies if I get anything wrong) The elves would probably know how to deal with forest fires to some amount. Using water, snuffing out the fires, even just using something like nature magic to make a barren area that can't really burn. Or have elven trees be naturally "Resilient" or something, blessed with protection magic, so on. Elves and nature might even have a symbiotic relationship, nature makes elves stronger and elves make nature stronger, etc
maybe they are really tall, most people only ever see their trunk legs and often attempt to cut them down, both by mistake but also deliberately as their wood is used for the war effort.
Correctly me if am wrong. In this world that you are creating there are two factions, yes? One heavily relaying on tec and the other on magic yes? Will elf and dwarves be in this world and if so will magic people live next to elf, technology people live next to dwarf? (English is my second language, and i just binge watch all the video at 2am.)
I get the "let's reimagine ...", it's a wonderful starting point, but have you ever considered just naming your creatures something unique? Give them a unique name along with the uniqueness of your concepts, drawings and lore you add. Let them speak for themselves.
so with ur tar magic system, I had an idea. Let's say that when a Mage dies in battle, their tar leaks from the body, and the mana clings onto it, and if it's allowed to sit for too long, the mana will manifest the tar into a body, taking on the same features as the mage it came from. They wander no man's land, scared and alone, trying to return to their battalion. They attack anything that comes close to them, but they're too fragile to hurt anyone. They move through desolate fields for no more than a few days, until the mana dissipates, and they collapse to the ground, and sink into the earth. It's believed that inside these "ghosts" lies the conscience of the fallen mages, and while only a few hours pass in the real world, years pass for them while they're trapped inside their husks. As long as the ghost lives, they're barred from moving on, because of this, after battles the remaining troops will search the battlefield for theri fallen comrads, so they can be reclaimed, and then burned. Edit: Another idea I had was that as they walked, they left a streak of tar, and the longer the walked, the more they lost, until they walk long enugh they use their legs, and they can't walk so they start dragging themselves with their arms, and as their body drags across the floor they continue to lore their tar, until they eventually die. Edit 2: They could also carry the mage's fimble, which could be kinda interesting. Let's say one dies, and then they wander home and the mage's wife or children see them, and all they have to recognize them by was the fimble on their finger.
OK that sounds like it already a thing I could have sworn i saw/heard? "elves but tree" concept *somewhere* But im drawing a blank Its a really good idea, and im suprised there aren't more literal "wood" elves
Isn't ents from lotr kind of elf tree? Or cernunos deity some nature elf shiat? Also in song of ice and fire there's legend about children of forest that turn trees to soldiers (probably white walker origin) That's kind of icy elves tree Anyway keep up good work 👍
Just an idea but since youre mages change with the magic they use why not have the elves petrify into a tree/sappling for using wooden magic would give u a reaon why they are nature lovers
Развлечения
I like the idea of elves being... A phenomenon, rather than a race.
The forests themselves create them, perhaps not even consciously. It happens incredibly slowly, and far beyond the reach of mortal eyes.
A single strip of bark coming slowly away from a tree. That's all it looks like to us. A small, particularly gnarled branch suspended just above the ground by a vine that coincidentally caught its fall.
But in reality these are pieces, that are slowly... Very gradually, being made for each other, in different locations all over the forest.
And one day, they miraculously come together and form a fey thing... A creature not it this world, and yet so natural in its mien.
Men like to think they understand the world around them. But the existence of elvenkind represents an aspect of nature that is so far beyond human understanding, it is difficult for men to trust them. For a man fears what he cannot explain.
Thanks for enduring my rambling if you read this far ☺️❤️
oh this is amazing!
I ain't reading all dat
Yo this is fire 🔥
You could take some inspiration by the nordic hollow back elves- beautiful but hollow- make them like a wooden carving, refined nature!
dryads?
This would be sick if the elf bones had rings like trees to show how old they are. Since they live a long time like trees and are a part of nature I think that would be sick
im stealing that shit
I don't know how familiar you are with Terry Pratchett and his body of work, but his description of Elves in 'Lords and Ladies' has always rather stuck with me:
“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad.”
I will need to read this book!
@@thyago1992 sending you down the Pratchett Rabbit Hole I see. Enjoy Discworld :D it is a wonderfull world and the characters are great
My uncle introduced me to Terry Pratchett when I was a kid, he is one of my favourite authors of all time : D
I actually had similar idea when I was worldbuilding for my game. I wanted each fantasy race to "evolve" with age into an element they were born from, the older someone gets the more features they have:
- Elves age into dryad-like creatures, older they are the more leafs and woody skin they have, and when they die they turn into trees instead
- Dwarves - stone, obviously, same process
- And humans evolved into dragons, which is why humans are hunted and killed by other races (cause when they actually die of old age this fuckin creature goes wild and brings cataclysm to the world).
I like the idea of humans being tho boring race, so making a different, dragon-bourn race have that quirk could be a better option. But you do you.
@@xlmtap1192 stop discriminating humans in fantasy settings, we always suck!
@@MisterVovun Exactly! Humans are always treated like they just got plucked from normal medieval times and dropped into a fantasy world. In reality, humans would be on par with elves and dwarves, or they would have just gotten destroyed. Humans are very adaptable and tough, they wouldn't just fold over and die
(Excuse me going on a bit of a tangent it's definitely not required to read all of this)
It's usually portrayed as
Elves - Humans but better. They're faster, more agile, have better aim and eyesight and are much smarter and calmer
Dwarves - Humans but better as well. They are shorter, but they make really fucking good weapons and armour and can turn an entire mountain into a city
Humans - Elves but less agile, dwarves but less resilient. They just kinda... Exist. They can kill stuff but they're just sorta meh
In reality it'd be something like
Elves - Graceful creatures of the forest, skilled in both combat and scholarship, they act as guardians of nature, honouring what they are given and despising those who take it away. For every tree chopped down, three more are planted, and they make those trees their home with fine woodwork and craftsmanship
Dwarves - Creatures of the deep, living in caves carved out into intricate tunnels and cities. Their smiths are extremely intricate and fine with their detail, just somehow still find time to get extremely drunk and boast about their beard size. The power of their weapons and the amount they can create make them a powerful foe, as well as the natural home advantage they have inside the tunnels of their kingdom
Humans - Resilient and tough creatures. They don't claim the gracefulness of elves, or the fine craftsmanship of dwarves, but their adaptability is legendary. They will stare at chills that would freeze an elf to death, wrap themselves in warm furs and conquer it. They have no natural home, however anywhere can become it. And they absolutely refuse to die, they will break their limbs, lose huge amounts of blood and keep fighting to the last breath. And if you do kill one of their honoured, the fury and sadism of their race will be released on you, and they will figure out the most efficient way to burn down the forests of elves, or flood the tunnels of dwarves until whatever hurt them is gone
@@MisterVovun lol. At least we get to be the greedy pieces of crap that don't have morals and so end up ruling the world in the end!
@@hazeltree7738 cool!!!!
Woah this character design looks awesome!!
thank you, im glad you like the design
So… dryads!
yep
Or ents
Yeah basically ents
exactly what I thought lol
Dryads are more spiritual aren't they? and Ents are huge
Elves being made out of trees/having bark or natural things like horns is one of my favourite aethestics.
Although yours is very unique take and I like it!
I'd imagine elves as prime forest hunters, so they would have feet similar to apes for hanging off and climbing tree's, big ears to listen for prey with the ability for echo-location. Those are just some small suggestions just visually for elves as I think they would work best as, the other stuff would but up to the ones creating the lore.
In a setting where magic causes the practitioners to become mangled, and grow based on how long they practice I can see elves that live for hundreds of years to become several stories tall much like trees how you describe. I cannot wait to see this come together more
This is a hidden gem of a video, so cool!
thank you, i appreciate that
The thing that always kinda bothered me about the design of elves is that there are two separate types. There’s the original elf, the kind that works in Santa’s workshop. They’re small, they like household objects, they’re crafty and sometimes mischievous. Essentially brownies in old Celtic myth. And then there’s the tall majestic civilized kind from Tolkien which has become the norm in high fantasy. It doesn’t feel right to call them both elves.
There’s also the concept of fae/fey and faeries/fairies, which kind of encompasses a whole swath of mythical humanoids which includes the little elves usually but not the big ones. But then you look at Shakespeare and see tall fairies too, so maybe it does include Tolkien elves? but also fairy can mean is its own race within that group. It’s all so varied. I love what you’re doing
The "Santa's workshop" style elves aren't the originals either. The association with Father Christmas was made in the Victorian era IIRC, but I know for sure that the broader concept originates in Romanticism and is itself a neologism. They conflated various other beings such as brownies, as you said, with elves.
The real origin of elves lies in Germanic mythology (the ethnocultural family as a whole, not the modern conception of the word) and is somewhat nebulous because very few first-hand records of our beliefs survive. From what little information we do have, elves are a people (akin to both an ethnicity and a class) with close ties to the Gods. They appear to be a step below the Gods, but it's possible they were originally one and the same. Freyja and Yngvi-Freyr are sometimes referred as Elves or the rulers of Alfheim in Norse sources. The only person explicitly known as an Elf, however, is Weyland the Smith, who is certainly not a tiny brownie lol. We also know that in various belief systems, Elves were thought to be capable of secretly integrating themselves into normal communities. So, when you put all of this together it becomes clear that Elves, though supernatural, are far closer to humans than they are to beings like dwarfs, goblins etc.
Tolkien's elves are therefore far closer to authentic belief than "Christmas elves". The reason for this is that Tolkien drew his knowledge and inspiration directly from what original sources existed at the time.
With this is mind the timeline becomes clear: Elves in their initial, pagan context are a class of people between gods and men. The Germanic tribes are gradually Christianised and their beliefs recontextualised - Elves are associated with demons alongside other supernatural beings, which is how they get jumbled up. After all these ideas have been stewing in a pot together for a good long while, the Romantic movement solidifies the mix-up into one unified concept, eventually leading to Christmas elves. Then Tolkien comes along and blows the dust off the whole thing, revising the public image of elves. Everyone copy-cats him without looking into how he came up with them and we end up here, in the modern day.
So yeah, that's how you end up with what are, in my view, three different types of elves - Victorian Christmas elves, modern fantasy elves and authentic, Germanic mythology elves.
@@armata_strigoi_0 dang! that's super cool, thank you so much for the breakdown!!
I've been working on a project that attempts to synthesize like… all mythologies and religions around the world into one cohesive narrative. (absurdly ambitious i know, it'll probably never be done.) but the way you describe elves as "between humans and gods" is interesting.
my current cosmology analyzes the various proto-indo-european polythesistic gods as the equivalent of various tiers of angels in abrahamic religions. (the primary gods loosely correspond to the archangels.) so i'm thinking that elves might fit in as lesser angels perhaps. the way they can integrate into society sounds very similar to some beliefs about guardian angels and such.
i'm curious, do you have any sources you'd recommend? i'm always down to learn more!
@@dialog_box Are you trying to construct some kind of original religion?
@@averagedemocrat9546 no it's just a worldbuilding/writing project
@@dialog_box Will you publish it?
This gives me vibes of the elves in Divinity (especially DOS2) in all the best ways! They have a special connection to trees, and even turn into one when they die. There's entire forests made of their ancestors, and when they're alive their bones protrude and texture their skin like gnarled bark and roots. To top it off, they can read flesh, eating it to consume memories and skills. I'd definitely recommend checking out their lore!
It is brilliant, I really enjoyed this. I feel there has been a “domesticated” look to many fantasy races. They don’t look like their folk tale origins where they are the supernatural, magical and unknown. This is a very well thought design in my opinion with an actual ikkness or uncanny sense to them. Carry on the hard work! ❤
I had a dream like that. I tried to polymorph into a tree but that wakened the elf "moderator" since they collectively banned outside magic from their "server".
Since you've done elves and dwarves, here's an idea for goblins:
Goblins are a race of sapient mollusc-like creatures not unlike octopi, with soft bodies that allow them to squeeze into tight spaces, skin that can change its colour and texture, the ability to produce slime, and a very inquisitive nature.
Due to their need for moisture, goblins prefer living in damp, dark environments, such as caves, cellars, and large vehicles.
Goblins' natural abilities allow them to sneak into places they aren't allowed in with relative ease, causing many humans to distrust them.
Despite this, very few goblins are malicious individuals.
I am personally Very invested in what you have put on the table, It's not every day that I get to see someone who genuinely tries to branch out and attempt new concepts with old ideas that have already been well established, And that's what I strive to do whenever I put pen to paper. It's very refreshing to know that I'm not the only one who's tired of The lack of imagination when it comes to fantasy as Of late, And I am personally excited to see what else you have to offer!
my idea is instead, like a race of parasite that live with the forest because of their bounds with the trees, their aestetics would take inspiration from flowers (with a little of fungii).
tbh i have a lot of elves, across different worlds, some are common ones, other are odder, some are more monstrous, some were inspired by seraphim of judaic myths, or at least their descendat, who at some point will have hair like a blaze (not real fire tho).
I love watching these videos! Such great art!
thank you, Ill have to make more of them then.
These designs go so hard! The body shape of them alone separates them from anything else i've seen in media or really even though of to where I can easily see this in it's own series!
Ah, a fellow plant based elf enjoyer. In my dnd campaign, elves are effectively immortal as long their tree has not been killed. If an elf dies, a fruit will grow from their tree and will grow into that elf
This is closer to a classical dryad than anything. If you chop down a dryads tree they die, dryads return to their tree for safety and to heal etc. The added flavor is nice though.
@@rookregent5623 mine dont die. They become mortal since they dont have a respawn point
A while ago I had an idea about elves that become more and more tree-like as they get older, they eventually die and completely become a tree. This art is exactly what I imagine an adult elf would be like, while the younger ones are normal elves and the older ones are like ents
Wonderful video!
I've been thinking lately about the longevity of elven races and wondering: What if a race _didn't_ reproduce? There was just a hundred or a thousand of them, and they never aged, but they could be killed? How would such a race view the death of their own kind? How would they view races that, when decimated by war, would just reproduce and grow back over time? What would their goal be or the purpose of their creation?
Hi Monstergarden!
Will cover again your idea of "Elves"? They looked quite interesting, despite they had been cast aside ... Since (from what I could get film now) your fantasy world appear much darker and weaponized, these creatures could be called "Elves" but resemble more closely the so called "Horned Gods" (The more ancient figures the roamed the forests and that inspired Myths from all Europe like Cernunnos, Pan, Lesny ...). Just as in your last sketch of their head they could possess horns or other characteristics from animal kingdom, alongside some traits from plants (even if I am not enterely convinced about the leafy toptrees on the juntures). Maybe you could preserve the idea of them being "made of trees" by adding roots, vines and branches of one or two different kinds of trees that emerge respectevely from their anckles, sides, shoulders and wrists.
How could they live in better times? Rising their arms covered by leafs just ad branches to draw sunlight during day, and stalk preys during night?
Would they be perceived as relics of an old past, before the war? If this is correct how to get this idea? Since the war could have affect their natural enviroment, burning down entire forests their appereance could be corrupted, becoming less leafy and more animalistic, forced ti sustain themselves through predation rather than through sun and water absortion, only to share the obtained life-juice with their trees, trying to preserve the rests of their forests. If once they could have some grade of "elven elegance" now they would be more simile to gothic Fiends, universally feared and despised from the churches. Could they use magic? From what I could understand on how magic works in your world (explained by you in other videos), the mana could be attracted even by natural ripetitive patterns ... maybe these elves could possess something like that on their bodies? Even if they wouldn't be able to use it directly, lacking the artificial addictions used by mages they could be hunted down and held in captivity by them or by the witches as "mana-sources", to perform some different kind of magic (something between the concept of Norse "Seidr" and the "Devil's summoning powers"). This would make them even more angry and suspicious ... it could be difficult for your Stranger to meet and have a proper chat with one or more of them.
I hope I didn't over-wright.
My best Regards to you!
You're doing something i've always dreamed of, coming up with awesome cool ideas for a whole world or specific things in them and drawing them out beautifully, showing them in form. How did you learn to draw? Did you take classes?
Personally, looking at the creation story for dwarves and how it’s thought that Dwarves are the same as “Dark Elves”, I’d say consider making your elves also insect themed. But they are more fit to a forest environment instead of the one underground like Dwarves are. The “Light Elves” would resemble trees, with their various insect parts. Also connecting them to faries
Okay, i'm hooked, this beginning hooked me in just because of the question and the way you said it
an idea i have had for wood elves is that they are symbiotic with a fungal hive mind type entity that pushes their development and symbiosis with all sorts of plants.
Whenever the image came up when you said but, it got me 😂
I can't claim to be the one to come up with this idea, and I don't remember where I first saw it. But I've liked the idea that elves may become trees after death or late in life and the reason elves are so ubiquitous with forests and protective of them and their groves is because its not just some random group of trees or reverence for nature but actually like a cemetery of their ancestors. Each of these trees IS or WAS an elf, living on in a new form.
Daam, such an interesting idea
Guild Wars 2 and the Divinity Series both have plant-based elves. The Guild Wars have the Sylvari, which some would say look more like humans made of lettuce and bark than trees. The Divinity series calls theirs "Elves", but they're tall and lanky and their flesh is plant-like despite still being pink and fleshy. Certain elves "evolve" into special trees that guide and watch over their people.
I hope you don’t mind a short ramble about the elves in a D&D game I’m in.
The elves in this world resemble the aliens from the Avatar movie. Tall, lanky, and have cat-like faces and eyes. Just without the blue skin and tail.
Also they’re marsupials for some reason. Don’t ask me why, I’m not the DM.
What a unique style I’m obsessed!
Feel like this represents dyrads or nymphs better . Maybe tree Ents . Love the design though gives me major darksoul vibes in the looks .
Trees are interesting, but i believe that the approach of a mantis like elf would be more alien
It looks awesome
It would be really cool to have some holes in the elves' arms, and have music when the wind goes through it a certain way, a bit like a flute !
I had this idea of dwarves being made of some living stone, then I saw your dwarf video, and I thought it would be cool to try and recreate the ideas of common fantasy races in a simple easy to understand way (for a game I shall be making), and I thought it would be cool if elves were like short ents. A few days later I looked at your posted videos and saw this...
I really like the new and creative ideas you are bringing to your world, and you have inspired me to do something slightly off main stream for my fantasy world too. Keep up the excellent work.
I think you should re-adopt the mentality you used when designing the dwarves. In that elves and dwarves are essentially humans, in different shapes - but they have qualities that reflect the environments they are in.
So elves could be tall and thin, but perhaps their armor / clothing are literal living plants; a symbiotic relationship (in a way, the elf is the soil in which the plants grow). This could extend to their weapons too. They don't 'make' their weapons and armor, so much as they grow them. It could also be that the tree has to 'agree with' or like the elf, it's a relationship on multiple levels, not just biological (a tree whisperer, quite literally). But if these limitations are overcome, the plant can literally become anything; limited only by the potential of the elf host.
That's the benefit for the plant, it gets to move, at the cost of its natural 'expression' (i.e. being a tree). It's said that not all plants can become elves (it's a term that means both plant and humanoid), and before their bodies become rooted (find a plant to symbiotically bind with), the humanoids are simply referred to as Terran (soil for a plant to be put in).
The plants gain the ability to move and offload their survival process (gathering of nutrients) to the host. In return, the terran gains incredible regenerative abilities; even able to recover from potentially fatal wounds (though it takes a substantial amount of time and hibernation). This also extends to life-span: there is no known limit to an elf's age. Even better, elves tend to get stronger and stronger with time. Elders are fearsome forces to be reckoned with. Though fire is a sure way to end an elven life particularly quickly (At worst common knowledge. At best, easy to deduce), fire also seems to greatly hinder, if not stop, regenerative prowess.
I've noticed that you use extravagant colours and patterns, though muted. An amazing contrast to the dark world surrounding these creatures. I think these elves could play with that theme perfectly, as their armor / weapons / clothes are also seasonal. In autumn, their armor 'wilts', losing any foliage and colour. In spring and summer - their armor is in bloom and their stealth is at it's most efficient. They may hibernate in winter, as they at their weakest.
A 'jack of all trades' class of elven warrior could be an evergreen; it maintains foliage all year long, but specializes in no particular thing.
The problem with the elves actually just being trees and nothing more, is that is more a Treant, a different being all together. I think the symbiosis is also a little more fitting for your dark fantasy worlds. There are costs, it's also something that many other beings would see as strange, or wrong.
There could be sects of elves (or more accurately, Terran) that completely disagree with the symbiotic relationship, it being an abomination. Instead, they have mastered the 'tree whispering' aspect. They don't graft plants into their bodies, but are able to shape entire forests to their will through tree whispering alone; turning the woods into death traps if needed. But therein lies their own limitation, nature is not everywhere, and it moves/changes slowly (i.e. good defence, terrible offence).
Blood elves could be the slave drivers of the elven race. They don't so much talk to their plant as they do ruthlessly command it. The plants rebel in one small manner; their foliage is always crimson leaves and ash white bark. The elves are 'marked' by nature itself: "blood is easily seen in a forest of green". They cannot use stealth, but they can drain their victims of blood to power their armor and weapons, and are wild, savage combatants.
I created a TTRPG called Myth's & Monsters, and in that, my lore for elves was that they are a plant species with a lineage that goes Treant - Dryad - Elf. So the ancestors, the progenitors were he sentient trees. They gave birth to dryads that had vast magical power and a more humanoid size and shape. They in turn gave birth to the contemporary elves, which are the most human-like, but still retain plant traits like photosynthesis, greenish skin, no set lifespan like a tree. They had a form of ancestor worship, but the ancestor treants and dryads were contemporary in setting too in sacred forests, ageless like gods.
bruh i searched this when i was running out of ideas and i was surprised something actually came up lol
I'm here after watching your magic system video and I see that the elf design has the repeating patterns on its arms and legs that you decided attract mana. Interesting way to incorporate it into the design!
I'm sure you've probably already seen his work looking up inspiration for literal tree elves, but this reminded me a lot of Arthur Rackham's anthropomorphised trees, especially his illustrations of Grimm's Fairy Tales, the one depicting 'The Old Woman in the Wood'. If you haven't seen his stuff that might help spark some inspiration!
I do love the idea of being able to differentiate different regions/cultures elves may be from based on the trees that they are made of, really helps regionalise them.
Just gotta say, as ive seen a few of your vids now, I LOVE your artstyle!
It’s like theyre descendants of ents or something. Love this idea
You could take some inspiration by the nordic hollow back elves- beautiful but hollow- make them like a wooden carving, refined nature!
Huldras i think they’re called
I saw the dwarves, and I really hope that you run with both these and the dwarves in your world. Seriously, this is incredibly creative, and frankly, a stroke of genius.
Used to desing elf-ish race for one tabletop project - I came up with stick-bugs/Phasmatodea origin, because tree-based elves seemed to generic. But you style is cool and incredibly well designed.
i had this idea of them being in harmony with their environment cause they sprout from seeds. so there heritage is both from the elf the seed is from and also the earth he was planted in. resulting in various subraces evolving naturally from their odd environments. an interesting idea was the political idea of, yes you are born from good seeds but bad earth. giving them an incentive to actually take care of their chosen environment
Dude, i would love to see a graphic novel or comic you create. I especially love the magic system ideas you had
Holy fuck I actually found a conceptual designer that has WB skills and a Channel with lite lore.. this is motivating man
Dude please make a movie with all of this, like you and Guillermo Del Toro would get along wonderfully. Everything you make has very awesome little Pan's Labyrinthesque designs and I love it. Keep up the awesome work man
Finally some worthy contender to Tolkien's classic fantasy elves dwarf
Really cool visual design
I’ve tried to resist but the notion of missing any detail of watching you build this world is an unbearable pain in my heart. …subscribed.
I grew up near redwoods, the way these trees propagate is interesting, most are a kind of offshoot the tree will reach out with its roots and push up a sapling, the saplings made this way are effectively the same tree with a second Body, or at least another trunk, they can reproduce sexualy creating genetically distinct offspring but this is only done after a forest fire has cleared the wood, it would be cool to include tree biology into elf culture/history
With the 1st bit about taking a year or so on a thing like this, i can relate I have done similar things when designing my own takes on monsters and myths
my elves are gonna be bug people because they're a type of big fairy and my fairies are magical bugs
Hey mate!
It would be cool to see a redesign of humans!
Or some fantasy idea of humans, but still being human! :D
If Elves are made of trees, I'd imagine their physical body also behave like plants. Here is a list of ideas coming from that premise that I think might be interesting to you.
Lost of body parts can regrown
Modification of the body through physical means like using wires to guide the growth in gardening
Different Elf individuals can be attached together much like grafting for really plants
Fat and moisture rich tissue to store water like cactus
A root system that grows out when resting, but retracts and protected when moving
A group of elves that seems almost identical but actually is one individual like plants having multiple stems but a singular root system
And I really like your art. They are conceptually novel and visually pleasing, but I feel like this elf idea is less radical than the "magic system" and the "dwarf" concepts. It doesn't mean that it is bad, it's just I feel this idea can be explored further. And also thank you for putting these type of concept art content with this level of detail, it really helps to understand the methodology of concept design.
The feet of the elvees are shoes like, if they are made of trees, you can give those feets some sort of root-like appearance. A sort of webbed reptile like feet but with roots.
Personally I like the slender, extraterrestial, large pupile version, small strip of iris. I feel that fits better with old norse depiction of them.
Amazing Work!!!!
This guy is my new favorite fiction content creator😮
Being able to draw your ideas feels like it makes world building so much easier to convey 😩😩😩
idea: redwood elves that are really big
Thanks my man, i havent drawn i 3years or so. Got the basics and hace gonna a bit further than that. But stoped litteraly when you start to reap the fruit i planted when i was a child and throughtout my life cared for. Today its time to water that plant with nystical beings! Love the "story/panel" you do, ill do some free sketches first then start forming my own stories!
Insane how fast you exploded! i got here today 😂
Btw anyone here in the comments played with a touch board to create? I have never tryed it, looks sweet with the refferences, good way to learn i think!
"what if we drew elves, but they're made of trees."
*...*
"it all stemmed from..."
I see what you did there :P
its a dope idea
I like the design, even when I see this more as some sort of ent instead of an elf.
I like the idea of Elves being part tree. I've been thinking of making them insectoid in my setting as they serve the Fey Court and the woods they live in. But I did originally want to make them tree-people that turn to Dryads when they die, but I couldn't really find a way to make that work.
You are very creative. I imagine I will be doing similar work in the future as my artistic skill progresses- this is very much the sort of thing I like. Best wishes.
Here's an idea, what if elves are seeds?
Like driads and trents are a thing in fantasy lore, but the "children of the forest" would be seeds, not trees, right? And the forest and larger tree beings would be the few elders who were able to "sprout". Just an idea, but anyone have thoughts?
A comic is a Great idea. Even if it is just a page or to as you said to tell a single event. You should make the first panel and the last panel journal entry's for your traveler so it is him telling the story
If the elves are magic, they might be more monstrous, changed by the same magic that changes your mages.
If you want their magic to be natural, it couls be a huge reason as to why they look like they do.
My idea of elves in this world are mages who are affected by manamorphosis to such an advanced point their bodies become attuned to the magic they specialize in and they begin to lose semblence of humanity. Pop culture wood elves would be mages who focus on plant based magic and would metamorph into the respective element. I don't imagine elves being born as elves, but an achieved status of delving so far into magic that you become that of a magical being yourself.
I like the whole tree idea, I personally like turning elves into insects, as insect humanoids always appear more alien to me and then connect that with the Fae origins of most elves in fantasy. Though mixing the two, tree insect humanoids might be interesting..
I feel like this is veering much further into Ent territory than Elf territory. And in my mind that kinda makes it *not* an Elf.
Elves have their origins in Fae folklore, whereas this seems much more like "the spirit of the trees come to life" which is more in line with Ents or Dryads, which are mythical creatures with *MUCH* different temperaments than Elves.
Dryads are usually seen as good spirits, and tenders, ents are seen as ancient, slow, and wise. Elves, however are fantastical, tricky, dangerous to deal with, and equally prone to acts of benevolence and vengeance. Mortals are playthings for them to be amused by.
That just doesnt really line up with the concept you're making here, so I cant see it as an elf, and view it more as a combo of a dryad and ent.
So coooool!
I have always said: It is impossible for an elven empire to compete against a human.
The human puts fire in his arrows, shoots a single arrow into a tree and causes a forest fire. Goodbye elves!
No jokes, what is this a universe ? a comic ? a book?
yea i haven't figured a defense against the literally just light the forest on fire tactic. I'll have to design but the elves are going through some huge redesigns again anyway. And this is a world building project of mine. It isn't a book or comic yet though im hoping to make it something in the future.
@@monlenz
Why not design the elves to be more a mutation of humans, akin to how Neanderthals were a cousin to Homo-Sapiens--maybe humans who adapted into a more _Leshy_ appearance? That way they could develop alongside humans, and depending on your timeline, could either have went into near extinction through inter-breeding like the Neanderthal supposedly did, or were hunted down by the Homo-Sapiens, thereby pushing them into a ever smaller box (i.e. migration or nomadic) as human civilization spread to every corner of the Earth? It would be like an indangered species inhabiting the most isolated, most hostile or most unexplored areas of Earth. In this case, humans may rediscover them (if this timeline is before satellites and the internet) or they make their presence known somehow someway--almost as if the myths of old, whereby creatures who once considered to be just fairytale, were actually real. On the other end, all creatures could have developed their own civilizations interdependent of each other and humans live alongside elves, dwarves (and so on) like what is seen in LOTR. Either way, just a thought. Very nice designs my friend. I found you by accident in my recommended so I hope you blow up as a content creator.
It's actually not that easy to light the forest on fire.
Also, forests have natural fires all the time and those are actually vital to its ecosystem. So elves living in harmony with the forest would be well used to and prepared for forest fires. Firebreaks, controlled burn, water from the rivers, freaking MAGIC because everyone has this weird blind spot where elves are supposedly good at magic but the moment problem solvable with magic happens, they're like "well, i guess i'll just roll over and die :(".
Even without magic, the above stands. You try to burn the forest? Congratulations, you have achieved nothing and now have a bunch of very angry elves demanding to know who did this and which tree he wants his innards to decorate.
Or worse - you know what burns very well in contrast to the forest? The crops. The villages. Oh, you thought you're the only one with fire? Well, that's unfortunate.
Point being, no. It's not a single arrow. California and Australia are not the norm, that happened because of active suppression of forest fires (and dry arid climate) - all the dead matter and debris that would not create too much of a disaster accumulate, and accumulate, and eventually everything is on fire and how could that happen to us.
@@monlenz visual novel would be cool I think
@@monlenz (I'm speaking without knowing a great deal about how your elves work, so apologies if I get anything wrong)
The elves would probably know how to deal with forest fires to some amount. Using water, snuffing out the fires, even just using something like nature magic to make a barren area that can't really burn. Or have elven trees be naturally "Resilient" or something, blessed with protection magic, so on. Elves and nature might even have a symbiotic relationship, nature makes elves stronger and elves make nature stronger, etc
Reminds me of the elves from Runequest which are all varieties of plants (except for dark elves which are a fungus)
maybe they are really tall, most people only ever see their trunk legs and often attempt to cut them down, both by mistake but also deliberately as their wood is used for the war effort.
Correctly me if am wrong. In this world that you are creating there are two factions, yes? One heavily relaying on tec and the other on magic yes?
Will elf and dwarves be in this world and if so will magic people live next to elf, technology people live next to dwarf?
(English is my second language, and i just binge watch all the video at 2am.)
Meet… the elf
(TF2 theme plays)
I get the "let's reimagine ...", it's a wonderful starting point, but have you ever considered just naming your creatures something unique? Give them a unique name along with the uniqueness of your concepts, drawings and lore you add. Let them speak for themselves.
I would draw a parallel to secret histories elves
Elves are obviously juveniles of Ents.
so with ur tar magic system, I had an idea. Let's say that when a Mage dies in battle, their tar leaks from the body, and the mana clings onto it, and if it's allowed to sit for too long, the mana will manifest the tar into a body, taking on the same features as the mage it came from. They wander no man's land, scared and alone, trying to return to their battalion. They attack anything that comes close to them, but they're too fragile to hurt anyone. They move through desolate fields for no more than a few days, until the mana dissipates, and they collapse to the ground, and sink into the earth. It's believed that inside these "ghosts" lies the conscience of the fallen mages, and while only a few hours pass in the real world, years pass for them while they're trapped inside their husks. As long as the ghost lives, they're barred from moving on,
because of this, after battles the remaining troops will search the battlefield for theri fallen comrads, so they can be reclaimed, and then burned.
Edit: Another idea I had was that as they walked, they left a streak of tar, and the longer the walked, the more they lost, until they walk long enugh they use their legs, and they can't walk so they start dragging themselves with their arms, and as their body drags across the floor they continue to lore their tar, until they eventually die.
Edit 2: They could also carry the mage's fimble, which could be kinda interesting. Let's say one dies, and then they wander home and the mage's wife or children see them, and all they have to recognize them by was the fimble on their finger.
OK that sounds like it already a thing
I could have sworn i saw/heard? "elves but tree" concept *somewhere*
But im drawing a blank
Its a really good idea, and im suprised there aren't more literal "wood" elves
cool design, i hate elves, but this design is good
You made human sized ents.
putting the garden in monster garden
Isn't ents from lotr kind of elf tree?
Or cernunos deity some nature elf shiat?
Also in song of ice and fire there's legend about children of forest that turn trees to soldiers (probably white walker origin)
That's kind of icy elves tree
Anyway keep up good work 👍
Really funny
Just an idea but since youre mages change with the magic they use why not have the elves petrify into a tree/sappling for using wooden magic would give u a reaon why they are nature lovers
W
Looks like a druid
what about if you give them a little bit mushroom apareance?
spriggans
So Groot but smarter
Also known as “elfents”, often misheard as “elephants” by English speakers