prince of dreams - design concept // may MOTM // sfw

thanks again to ky for suggesting the prompt "prince of dreams"! (suggest monsters and themes for future MOTM polls by commenting here!)

this design relies more on the vibes of the visuals than specific references to folklore or myth. i wanted to focus on the dreamy aesthetics rather than have every detail carry a deeper meaning, if that makes sense? that said, there's a couple of things to note.

the ram horns are a reference to the age-old method of counting sheep when you try to fall asleep. but the horns are also an allusion to the gates of horn and ivory. this is a literary image (first mentioned in the odyssey), according to which true and false dreams reach sleepers through either a gate of horn or one of ivory, respectively. "those dreams that pass through the gate of sawn ivory deceive men, bringing words that find no fulfillment. but those that come forth through the gate of polished horn bring true issues to pass, when any mortal sees them." the same imagery also appears in plato's charmides and virgil's aeneid, not to mention various english writings from the last few centuries.

he has little wings in place of ears, as inspired to a the civitella d'arna statue head of hypnos/somnus, the greco-roman god of sleep. perhaps i should have included a reference to morpheus (the shaper of dreams) or the other somnia (like phobetor/icelos and phantasos), sons of somnus who visit dreams in various forms. but i especially like how ovid, in his metamorphoses, describe hypnos as "gentlest of the deities, peace to the troubled mild, [...] restorer of men's strength." this mild, benevolent disposition goes well with the soft and dreamy vibe of this design. (that said, virgil reminds us that sleep is the brother of death and that his home is in the underworld, along with sorrow, fear, and other sad fates that might or will befall humans. ovid describes a calm cave where slumber dwells, poppies blooming at the entrance and completely silent, save the trickling of the river of forgetfulness.)

i also wanted to include some details inspired by nocturnal animals, hence the shape of his tail and the pattern of the upper sleeve, both of which mimic moth wings. his eyes are pale like the moon, usually half-lidded and a bit sleepy-looking. he has long, silky hair, which probably is incredibly soft to the touch and sometimes a little messy, in a bed-head way.

the colour palette was clear in my mind from the very start. you sleep in the nighttime, and one would probably associate night with dark blue or black, the cold silver of the moon, and the grey of clouds illuminated by stars. but i think that soft pastels feel much more dreamy. light purples, pinks, and blues (with faint undertones of yellow and orange) make a more romantic and unreal impression. these hues are soothing, airy, floaty, and comforting, which is exactly how i wanted this design to come across. he's clearly a prince of good, pleasant dreams, rather than nightmares or restless sleep.

in a similar vein, the long robe makes a glamorous, luxurious, leisurely impression, with its billowy sleeves, endless trail, and a long leg peeking through a slit. it features a pattern of fluffy clouds and blinking little stars, evoking the soft dusk when one might start to feel sleepy. (there's also a few depictions of nyx, the goddess of night and hypnos' mother, where she's holding a billowing piece of dark blue cloth dotted with stars.)

the softly luxurious vibe comes across even more so in the painting. it basically depicts a very pleasant dream, seen through a soft pastel filter; full of cotton candy clouds, twinkling stars, and sheer curtains fluttering in the gentle breeze. the prince's human lover seem weightless, enveloped in the surreal escapism of his dream. he's being treated to a carefree embrace in the prince's domain; the illusory, foggy world we visit when we sleep. (... in contrast, he's adorably sleepy in the waking world and heavily relies on coffee, as we can see in the sketch!)

// art + character © me.