Guardian of the Golden Apples

So this was my entry for the Girl Thunderdome over at ConceptArt.org, you can see the rest of the entries here: [link] A thunderdome is basically a themed challenge where people then vote for the best one. The theme this time was "Something wicked this way comes".

I decided to illustrate a well-known scene from Norse mythology. For those unfamiliar with it, the woman is the goddess Idun, the guardian of the golden apples. The other gods eat them for eternal youth and beauty. The big eagle in the background is an evil giant in disguise, Thiazi, who's after the apples. He made a bargain with Loki to get them, who then tricked Idun to a certain location where Thiazi would later seize her. In the end, of course, she is rescued and those responsible get their rightful punishment!

Oh, and for those with a watchful eye: I 'carved' a rune in the tree, shaped like "Þ". Can you see it? I love adding some random symbolism. Not only is it the first letter of the evil giant (Þjasi in Icelandic), but in its reversed/dark meaning, it can mean "betrayal, danger and defenseless", amongst more. So fitting!

Originally, I wanted to make this a painting. But I ran out of time and had to scrap what I had painted and went for my more familiar ink and cel-colour instead. I really wish I had managed otherwise, but it really takes me forever since I'm so inexperienced in it! Practice, practice.

Ca. 6 hours (not counting the unused painting part)
Photoshop CS3
Wacom Intuos3.