Seeking Dreams Through the Window of Stars

"Seeking Dreams Through the Window of Stars'"
(Super Mario RPG)
 
Have you ever lay your head down on a pillow and suddenly, like a brick through glass, an idea hits you that you just have to do something with? I do a lot of illustrations, but none ever hit me so vividly like this one had. Super Mario RPG for the SNES was my gateway to the realm of turn-based JRPGs, and yet it's a game I tend to give so little credit. Sure, its simple in design and gameplay (to a point, anyway), but it has a lot of charm, and continues to be a well talked about staple in both Nintendo and Square's glory days.
I tried my best to give this a good Square-game feel, with the layout, colors, and style in the lineart. Rather than stick with the squat proportions of the in-game sprites, I went with designs more modern to Mario, Bowser, and Peach (Really wish I could change her name in SMRPG...). Didn't really do much with Mallow or Geno, since they're designed around the SMRPG style, but they still work well with the setup.Doing all the shades of blue and purple, as well as the glow from Mario's fire orb required a lot of attention to keep consistent.

July 20, 2016
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, normal pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock

Xenogals: 'Weltall-Id'

"Xenogals: 'Weltall-Id'"
(Xenogears)
 
And here's the counterpart to the Weltall Xenogal, its altered state, the Weltall-Id. Aside from making sure the two "worked" in terms of being transformed versions of one-another, A lot of the geometry on the wings and spikes were giving me a hard time. Adding in the wing and feather effects really sets this one apart from the previous two, but gives it an air of chaos that's fitting of the gear.
Of course to match the fact that not only the machine, but its pilot "transforms," I made the girl appear as Fei's alter-ego (or lack thereof), Id, though I hid her eyes to give it a more menacing feel. Though I admit, this does make her head appear smaller.

July 15, 2016
Sakura Pigma pens, normal pens, Prismacolor Markers, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock

Xenogals: 'Weltall'

"Xenogals: 'Weltall'"
(Xenogears)
 
The second of my Xenogears-themed MS Girls, or "Xenogals", is the first gear you come across, the Weltall. The colors really tripped me up on ths one as I had no individual markers that could replicate that dark slate color, so a LOT of layering and mixing was involved to obtain that color. I almost forgot to add the highlights before scanning it. lol
I had to keep a lot in mind with doing this one because of another pic I'm finishing up. (Anyone who knows this gear's secrets will understand why...)

July 13, 2016
  Sakura Pigma pens, normal pens, Prismacolor Markers, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock

Xenogals: 'Xenogears'

"Xenogals: 'Xenogears'"
(Xenogears)
 
You already know my love for Xenogears, and also female characters. And a long time ago, I wanted to do personified versions of the various gears in the style of Mika Akitaka's MS Girls (which in turn are based from Mobile Suit Gundam). I decided to re-explore this though, starting with the titular gear.
Every time I draw anything of the Xenogears gear, I gain a new understanding of its complicated form, and this one probably gave me the least issues with its pointed glory. Obviously, I based the base girl off of its pilot and main protagonist Fei. Something I'll probably continue for the duration of these illustrations.

July 13, 2016
  Sakura Pigma pens, normal pens, Prismacolor Markers, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock