I always loved when Mr Tumnus told stories about his life in Narnia during the summer, most notably during his tea with Lucy. This scene was inspired by the time he tells the Grand Vizier in The Horse and His Boy what he loves about Narnia instead of what he dislikes about Tashbaan.
“…that now, when high summer was coming on, my heart turned to
the cool woods and dewy slopes of Narnia.”
I initially drew this for #mythaugust2021 as the faun prompt, but with moving and changing jobs at the time I’ve had to set it aside, working on it here and there, and decided to save it for the anticipation of Narnia November beginning in the following days.
I drew inspiration from two paintings by Hungarian artist Pál Szinyei Merse, the first being his study (which I personally like more) and the second being his final piece. And, of course, I used the one and only James McAvoy for the portrait.