Chapter Text
Just a few drawings created since I wrapped up this story…
First up, from Chapter One,
And there it was, affixed to one of the giant kegs behind the Three Broomsticks. Monk’s Mandrake Beer, the poster declared in curling letters, above the image of a rather tipsy-looking root-baby. As if on cue, the pot-bellied mandrake hiccoughed a plume of iridescent bubbles that lifted right off the paper.
My original composition for this was in color and showed Bertha’s full dress. Unfortunately, my sketch pad was too small to get the details right.
Next, my first foray into color pencils, to illustrate a moment from Chapter Six,
Monday marked Aesop’s sixth visit to the rooms above the shop, and that night, Bertha decided to try something different. The glow of the fire concealed her blush as she murmured a summoning charm. Just a few moments later, a plate whizzed up the stairs.
Aesop immediately leaned in to investigate. “Ah” he said, rubbing his hands in anticipation, “cherry salamanders!” The molded jellies were so plump and fresh that they jiggled when the plate settled on the tea table, red as the morello cherries from which they’d been made and speckled throughout with golden flecks of dried chili.
Finally, I’ve illustrated what happened after the “fade to black” at the end of Chapter Eight,
Alas, Aesop never found out if she was right. The beans had gone flying when he hoisted her onto the workbench, the better to sample the natural sweetness that was all Bertha’s own.
I’d prefer not to change the rating of this fic after the fact (especially since I managed to keep it pretty clean otherwise, an E would be an extreme upgrade.) So if you’d like to see that one, just click over to my current art portfolio, Professor Sharp in Pictures, Chapter Thirty-One 😉