The Chronicles of Ademar

Here are some views of Castle Ademar that I produced while using the maquette sculpture as a reference. These are finished in colored pencil, and are a good view of the overall structure of the castle, as well as a closeup view of the main entrance gate. The vinework seen throughout the architecture will be a recurring design theme both in the environments and in the actual costumes/clothing of the Ademar family.

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The following is an animated GIF showcasing the growth pattern of the castle over the past four generations of the Ademar family’s reign. Here you can see how the internal architecture is built like a tower, while five individual trees are sculpted and guided in their growth to form an outer shell, creating the illusion of a single grand tree castle. It’s designed to be a monolithic representation of their embrace of nature.

Click to view. This is a large file (about 2 MB), so please be patient while it loads.

Here are the first conceptual sketches of the interior of Ademar Castle. I want the interior to include a heavy mix of natural structures and man-made architecture, so at the point that these sketches are at I’m still trying to find a good balance between them. I will be producing additional sketches and watercolor illustrations over time, which will be posted here as they are completed.

Note the inclusion of the light bulb insect in the second sketch. I will be posting an in-depth explanation of these bugs eventually.

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Click to view.

In The Chronicles of Ademar, a major point in the story is how the people have rejected technology in favor of an embrace of nature. The Ademar Castle is a monument to this, built within and atop a twisting tower of five separate trees. The castle itself is broken up into several smaller buildings, each nested on the outstretched arms of the trees that form the base. The center is actually formed by the trees themselves, producing a hollow tower that provides a perfect natural line of defense as well as protection from the elements.

The maquette pictured below is a scale model of the tree castle. The model stands a little under a foot tall and is made of super sculpey with a blend of lichen and green foam for the foliage.

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Interior/exterior sketches and illustrations to be posted September 15th in part two.