"Nightmare"
(Zio and Dark Force from Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium)
A commission for CainsLove Crafts (who is also my wife, lol), whom grew up with the original Phantasy Star series for the Sega Master System and Genesis. While I've not played them, personally, I've seen her play through all of them, so my grasp on their stories are fair.
I tried to make this very scenic, almost like a painting. I originally intended on having it paneled, but went against that once I realized how constricting it would look. Various layers of marker, colored pencil and chalk pastels were used in making Dark Force blend as well into the background as I could, as well as making the mist have a fog-like feel to it. The atmosphere of the picture turned out a bit better than I thought it would, honestly, and definitely leaves a foreboding presence fitting of the scene it's replicating.
May 27, 2015
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencis, chalk pastels, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock.
"I, II, Red, Blue"
(Zaku I, Zaku II, Char's Zaku II, and Gouf from Mobile Suit Gundam)
This was a fun parody of Dr. Seuss' "One fish two fish red fish blue fish," utilizing everyone's favorite Zaku variants... Wait...
I can't recall what exactly inspired me to do it, aside from the obvious "This is no Zaku, boy" line from Ramba Ral. I do know that whatever it was, it's admittedly one of the more clever things I think I'd come up with! (lol) I was stewing on when I was going to do this one completely, but when a friend who's moving soon told me he wanted to commission me to finish it, I jumped on it, if only for the sake of not having to mail it off later. I do wish I could have made the background a bit more consistent, but I've done worse, I think.
May 11, 2015
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock.
"Tenkaichi"
(Son Goku from Dragon Ball / Dragon Ball Z)
As mentioned before, Dragon ball Z was, like many others, my true entry into anime, being the first serial show I had watched that was largely serious (at the time) and had quality animation. While I wouldn't find out for a while that it started as a parody/gag manga, Dragon Ball still is among legend here in the West, with people here still holding in high regard today, even with newer series like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece taking similar reigns.
I used to draw DB stuff so much when I was younger that I never really required references for Akira Toriyama's style. However, 14 years is a long time, and I actually found myself looking through his artbooks and manga to make sure everything looked true to his vision. Although some parts looks more like Tadayoshi Yamamuro's versions... ^_^;;
I had a few concepts in mind for this before going with what you see now. I had efforts to worm in The two newest iterations of Goku from Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F'. However found it too busy for what I wanted as just a simple homage to the mighty Super Saiyan, so I decided to just stick with what was faithful to the manga. I think it gives the visual palette some nice contrast, so I'm overall pleased with this one!
May 8, 2015
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock.
"Cat•Nin•Den"
(Polly Esther, Speedy Cerviche, and Guido Anchovy from Samurai Pizza Cats /
Pururun, Yattaro, and Sukashee from Kyatto•Ninden Teyandee)
This is a LONG over due piece, in my own opinion, as this was probably the first anime I had ever seen knowing it was from Japan but still ignorant of the term "anime." Samurai Pizza Cats (as it's known most of the world over) was my gateway to anime, as its airing soon met with the early syndicated Dragon Ball Z, and netting me into the broad realm of Japanimation. And despite its loose (if at all existent) translation, silly plots, and non-stop pop-culture references (all of which are quite dated, now) made this show such an enjoyment to catch!
Pizza Cats is one of those that has a strong enough following in most of the western world, but little in the ways of fan art. Especially faithful fan art. And while I've seen LOTS of amazing liberal interpretations of the crew, I felt it necessary to pay the proper homage to the Nyankee group.
If you grew up with this show, you know why it's a classic. To those that have not, I suggest picking up the box set recently released by Discotek Media. And to those who feign uninterest...
"TEYANDEE!?!"
May 1, 2015
Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock.
