NOTE: If anyone is interested, prints can be made available for this pic. I will not be using the dA print service though; I will post from my own home:

LARGE (a little smaller than an A4 page) = $10 AU
MEDIUM (half an A4 page) = $6 AU
SMALL (approx. 4 x 5) = $4 AU

See my journal for more details: [link]

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Wow, I'm actually uploading something without a delay of one month! XD To be honest though, this pic has been complete since last week and I've only just gotten around to putting it up... *gasp* I'm becoming... ORGANISED!!!! *screech*

Ahem. So then, this is a different type of request pic for - different because Zlok requested a shaded phoenix to colour in Photoshop, although I decided to complete the pic as an added bonus... when Zlok has cg'ed the black and white version, I'll provide a link here and in my journal. ^__^

I'll also take the opportunity to announce that from here on in, I probably will no longer be taking requests... it's not that I haven't enjoyed working with the many ideas I've had the opportunity to be given, but now it's a matter of time and commitment - taking requests was a lot easier a year ago when it only took me a couple of days to turn out a pic, but lately with changes in my style that means it takes me at least a week to complete something, I need breathing space to complete commitments like trades and gifts otherwise they'll never get done, not to mention I've been seriously neglecting my own characters. -__-;; I'll complete the requests that I've already accepted of course, though in the future I'll only do requests for special reasons.

[b]Description:[/b] Anyway, enough of that rambling, what about this pic? ^.^;;; *Back on track* I think that this pic marks one of the new changes to my style that I mentioned before, and one which is extremely time consuming but worth the results - I've taken to colouring shadows in ink so that the image looks shinier. (I can hear Draco groaning already. XD) You can thank whose trade (which I'll be completing shortly! ) made me experiment with ink colouring in the first place... As it is, my faithful Artline felt tip which has been with me for about two or three years now (!!!) finally died for good after being used here, so now I shall decorate that pen with honours after being through hell and back, what with me as its owner. Apart from the felt tip, two other types of ink was used - ink from my cheap permanent marker and ink from the skinny end of my brush pen. (My marker is also starting to die, damn it... -__-)

Hand drawn border which caused me a lot of pain... this time it's not as easy to see the symmetry mistakes, heh heh heh. I traced the round shape using a biscuit container... then I hand coloured the border, due to my learning from the mistake I made in 'hoenix of the Candlebark' where I decided to try and colour the border by computer and it went horribly wrong! The phoenix's red colouring was also done by pencil, but everything else was done by comp in Paint Shop Pro 5.

Finally, what the hell does it mean? The concept was sort of inspired by how the Phoenix's death and rebirth is sometimes associated with the setting and dawning of the sun each day. This is meant to be the break of dawn when the sun starts coming out above the clouds... and of course some whopping big phoenix missing half it's body due to my aversion to drawing birdy legs has to be hanging around blocking the nice view. *Bah* *Cans all that silly poetic stuff* XD

Well, I've talked for too long yet again which means quite a few of you won't be reading the whole description (you know who you are! ), so I'll be shutting up now... I hope you don't mind me completing the pic before your version is ready Zlok, and I'll be sure to promote your version as much as I can. For now, everyone might like to get a preview of Zlok's computer skills, so follow the link or I'll chase you with a broom and a dust pan!