The White Raven

The White Raven emerges.

It started with a game of chess. I’ve always been fond of Alice in Wonderland, life size chess boards, and the concept of light vs. dark. My line, Xiaolin has a reputation for being dark and I thought it was time to give the popular Raven Queen character some deadly competition. Checkmate.

On the topic of ravens, here’s a little known family story. My Great-Great-Grandfather owned a pet raven just before the peak of the roaring 20’s. It is rumored that he slit the bird’s tongue and taught him how to speak. Ravens are incredibly intelligent creatures, and when kept in captivity can be trained to speak even better than some parrots.

And I couldn’t write this blog post without reminding you that I was a white feathered baby ballerina once upon a time. At age 3, this was the very first feather dress I had ever worn. Give it a few extra inches and adjustments, I’d probably wear it again. The photo on the right with my sisters is my favorite childhood photo. It says so much about who we would become when we grew up. We all know I haven’t changed in the slightest. The feather dresses just became more elaborate over time. My older sister, in the middle is wearing a kimono and holding a fan. She has been off traveling the world and living in Asia for the past two years. My little sister is all smiles. She keeps our family lighthearted and lively with her quick sense of humor.

Above is an image from my mood board for this project. Another Wonderland style theme, but the girl is painting the ravens instead of roses. My ice blonde raven girl featured by Dark Beauty Magazine was drawn from the same inspiration, foreshadowing the arrival of a new character.

To be continued…