This is a digital illustration of my own personal designs/interpretations of Ida and Totem. I was intrigued by how much water imagery there is with these two in the game, and wanted to create something that embodied that. Also, I found Ida and Totem’s relationship in the game to be really touching and sweet, one of the most heart-warming relationships I’ve seen in any video game, despite the fact that they never speak and have few unique interactions. (The quote is from the song “C'est la Mort” by The Civil Wars, which reminded me of them).
This illustration took around 15 hours from start to finish, and I enjoyed every second of it. Monument Valley is one of my most favorite games of all time, and this illustration is basically a love letter to the game, and to the amazing people who made it. I couldn’t even begin to describe how much this game, its story, and its characters mean to me.
From the bottom of my heart–ustwo, thank you for crafting such a beautiful experience.
There was a poem I read a while back and it reminded me of monument valley. It’s called “the princess” by Alfred Tennyson. So I drew this.
“The princess” Tears idle tears I know not what they mean Tears from the depth of some divine despair Rise in the heart and gather to the eyes In looking on the happy autumn-fields And thinking of the days that are no more.
Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail That brings our friends up from the underworld Sad as the last which reddens over one That sinks with all we love below the verge So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns The earliest pipe of half awakened birds To dieing ears, when unto dieing eyes The casement slowly grows a glimmering square So sad, so strange, the days that are no more
Dear as renember’d kisses after death And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned On lips that are for others; deep as love Deep as first love and wild with all regret; O death in life the days that are no more!
Check out my Photo Book “Arizona”, now available in the Apple iTunes Bookstore! Available for only $4.99! I appreciate your support and I hope you love the book I’ve assembled celebrating the beauty of Arizona’s various landscapes. Your purchases help me to continue to pursue my passion for photography!
We originally woke up at dawn to photograph Monument Valley, but heavy snowfall made the road unmanageable. So we came back later to find the tribal land covered in fog. It was a eerily beautiful sight.
