New Release - Marie Nyantoinette

Hello, everyone!  Welcome to the very special showcase with the ladies of the AuroraWings Challenge Blog DT today!  Since I've had a lot of new digis coming out this month, I asked them for help with a showcase and release of this new Marie Antoinette digi playfully called "Marie Nyantoinette".  The title is a silly play on words with a Japanese twist.  Cats' vocalizations are often expressed as "nyaa nyaa", or "nyan nyan".  The equivalent of generic 'kitty' in Japanese is 'neko-chan' or 'nyanko-chan'.  So when I drew the kitten with a wig in this image, I started calling it "Marie Nyantoinette" and it stuck. :D

You may be wondering, "Why the kitty?"  Well, if you're a Main Coon enthusiast (or generally large fluffy cats... like Norwegian Forest Cats, etc.), you've most certainly come across the lores and speculations on how they came to be.  One of the stories goes something like this...

In the court of Marie Antoinette, there were dogs and cats, allowed to freely wander about.  She adored Turkish Angora cats.  When the royal family was forced to run away from the Versailles, they planned the escape to America by ship.  The ship of Captian Samuel Clough was supposedly loaded with six Turkish Angoras along with other belongings.  Marie and her family were captured en route and never made it to the ship, but the ship with the cats on board eventually made it to Wiscasset, Maine, where her cats bred with the local short-haired breeds, and the offsprings developed into the modern day Main Coon.

Turkish Angora at the Ankara Zoo by Ankarakediler

Well, I think we all love period clothing and extravagant hair styles of the Rococo fashion.  It's fun and images like this provide us with an opportunity to be playful and try different color combinations and approaches.  Here they are!!  The fabulous sample creations made by the DT ladies of the AW Challenge Blog!!

Debbie

Gorgeous in green!  She has colored the image with her favorite color, giving matching treatments to both Marie and her kitty.  Flags and polka dot bow add the playful touch that's just perfect!

Karina

Pink and light blue take center stage in a charming color scheme on this delightfully feminine and fun card by Karina.  Lots of little details to keep your eyes moving around from a beautiful frame to notebook-lined paper to the tiny kitty walking by.  Adorable!

Donna

An elegant beauty in lovely colors of red wine.  Donna has given gorgeous layers of frame and mats, along with real feathers to accentuate the feathers in Marie and kitty's hair ornament.  Feminine and elegant!

 Lorraine

Lorraine used shades of grey - from pale dove grey all the way to black - and touches of blush for an elegant presentation.  So striking and classy!

Gloria
Pretty in pink!  Glo has treated the girls to matching pink wigs.  Green eyes get a nice glow from the complimenting shades of rose.  Arched 'window' frame is a perfect treatment for this beautiful coloring!

"Marie Nyantoinette" is available as a 1500 x 2100 pixels (at 300 dpi) black and white JPG digi (5" x 7"/ 12.7 x 17.8 cm) at my Etsy shop here and at AW web shop here.

Be sure to check out the release event going on today at the AW Facebook group.  There will be a special flash contest -- the winner will get to GDT for the AW Challenge Blog for the November's challenge!


Still a week left to join our Sprite Delight challenge over at the Challenge Blog.  Catch the freebie Sunflower Sprite and join in on the fun!  Challenge closes on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 11:55 pm EDT.

And don't forget about the AW Facebook group contest of the month: Mermaid Madness!
Contest runs through the end of August.  Deadline is 11:59 pm EDT on the 31st.