Dreams

"Dreams"
Key illustration

I knew I'd get around this one, but I'm definitely glad I waited.
Like all my recent illustrations, I did this on a large sheet of bristol board, with Terra being the only inked portion on here. The trees got a very loose outline in pencil, but were made mostly straight in marker. The large bird in the sky was also more defined in blue colored pencil and colored so that it looked high in the sky.
All the lighting tricks you see were done with colored chalk pastels and a lot of anxiety. This is also the first time I've done this illustration where I had the crop area in mind when coloring the piece (the colors exceed a good few inches past the crop area for good bleed).
The original piece was called "Fate," but I changed it to match the title of the first chapter for which it's the cover to.

June 25, 2018
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, POSCA paint pens, and chalk pastels
on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.

Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai

The Prophecy

"The Prophecy"
First volume cover illustration

Yet another redo of this illustration, but one I'm far more proud of in size, layout, and overall execution.
On top of updating their faces to be more consistent with their updated illustrations, I changed the coloring style, the angles at which Oni and Elysium are facing, made their hair longer and curl up higher to act as strategic censoring, and even made the lighting distinct on each character.
The background phoenix is now just black with a radiant red from the center, which is mostly obscured by the forefront figures.

June 23, 2018
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, and POSCA paint pens
on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.

Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai

Iris

Iris

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Childhood friend of Elysium, and brilliant archer and scout. 
She shares the same hatred for the group who destroyed their hometown, and with her sight akin to an eagle, she is able to rapid-fire arrows with extreme accuracy.

Iris Loftre
Age: 20 / Height: 5’ 8” / Weight: 138 lbs.
Birth Date: February 21 / Zodiac: Pisces / Blood Type: A
VI: Tara Platt

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[Illustration Info]

Iris (Ver.2018)

Her prior design was pretty solid, however I still had problems with the illustration itself. Of course, being an archer, I added some dynamics to her piece, and tried to do so in a less-than-typical way. I still have some issues with the way her face looks, but I'm fairly certain it's more because of the way her hair is, so it may be a non-issue.
Her leather armor has some very subtle color differences that made it difficult to do without crossing colors too much. Luckily, I think I did it right, here.
 
June 14, 2018
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, and POSCA paint pens
 on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.
 
Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai

Nocturne

Nocturne

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A dangerous hunter who assaults Terra early into his journey. 
Is he affiliated with the the beasts wrecking havoc across the mainland, or do his loyalties lie somewhere darker?

Nocturne (???)
Age: 19 / Height: 5’ 10” / Weight: 188 lbs.
Birth Date: December 21 / Zodiac: Sagittarius / Blood Type: A
VI: Sean Chiplock

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[Illustration Info]

Nocturne (Ver.2018)

Possibly one of the most dynamic character illustrations I've done in recent years, and this is the perfect guy for it. It was difficult differing the amount of blacks and grays adorning his outfit, but I think it all balances pretty well.
His weapons are always going to pose a challenge, especially with no three-dimensional reference to go from, so I believe it's something I'm just gonna have to get used to. (lol)
 
June 14, 2018
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, and POSCA paint pens
 on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.
 
Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai

Rhapsody

Rhapsody

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A young refugee from the destroyed city of Judah, she was separated from her family and found by Elysium. While raised as a mage, her mother disappeared too soon into her training, leaving her confidence and potential untapped.

Rhapsody Orpheus
Age: 17 / Height: 5’ 2” / Weight: 122 lbs.
Birth Date: March 16 / Zodiac: Pisces / Blood Type: B
VI: Stephanie Sheh

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[Illustration Info]

Rhapsody (Ver.2018)

This one was one of the hardest, though most rewarding of my recent redesigns. Something I was having a huge issue with prior with her was keeping her youthful cuteness intact, and instead accidentally giving her more of mature and sexy vibe... I didn't like that, and I certainly didn't want that. I fixed her proportions considerably, especially her face and eyes, and gave her outfit a lot of new frills and details... Almost too many details. (lol)
The color scheme isn't changed too much from the prior version, but with the added details, some new colors came into the mix that honestly bring everything together nicely. Her staff is the most complex thing I've designed, and I think I have a love/hate relationship with it...
But, this girl's a prominent character as the story progresses, and I want her to look the part!
 
June 14, 2018
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, and POSCA paint pens
on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.
 
Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai

Oni

Oni

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"Oni" is the chosen bearer of the fated sword of Wrathful Earth, Helgram.
Born with a deep hatred for the humans that betrayed her, she commands the group Il Inno di Morte, leading their search to a greater destructive power.
She will face off against Elysium and Terra, forever altering their destinies.

"Oni" Age: 19 / Height: 6’ 2” / Weight: 129 lbs.
Birth Date: December 10 / Zodiac: Sagittarius / Blood Type: A
VI: Colleen Clinkenbeard

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[Illustration Info]

Oni (Ver.2018)

And if two weren't enough, I actually managed to do a whole third illustration; second that same day. I actually made changes to her design here compared to prior iterations, including armored bracelets around her wrists and ankles, made hanging ends to her various straps, and tattered her skirt, but not in a stereotypical "goth cape" way.
Drawing her sword at that angle was hell to get right, but I think it came out dead-on.

Coloring was about the same as Elysium's, though a little more muted in shades. The leather of her gloves and boots were a bit tricky. I loved doing her hair and eyes, though. That eerie glowing pupil just seals what I want from her character for me!
Same deal with the white highlights, which were courtesy of my new POSCA paint pens.
 
June 9, 2018
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, and POSCA paint pens
on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.
 
Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai

Elysium

Elysium

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Elysium wields the fated sword Aegis of the Heavenly Sky.
Her home city was destroyed years ago. When her refuge town is attacked, she takes up arms, leading the one-sided battle against a group destroying humanity.
When she encounters Terra, the two eventually discover just how deep the war has gone.

Elysium Fairheim
Age: 21 / Height: 5’ 5” / Weight: 131 lbs.
Birth Date: December 29 / Zodiac: Capricorn / Blood Type: B
VI: Kate Higgins

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[Illustration Info]

Elysium (Ver.2018)

Hot off the heels of the last redesign for Terra, I have the one that inspired me to do these in the first place — Elysium. I don't know why, but for such a simple character design, I've consistently had the hardest times drawing her proportionately, much less creatively.

I must say, for the first time since 2004, I am in love with how I made her look, here. The pose, the face, the sword's angle. Everything is exACTly how I envisioned them to be. The colors turned out to be a little less flat than how I did Terra, but I don't think it's distractingly different.
One thing I as able to do I couldn't as well with Terra was the highlights, which I accomplished with a new Uni POSCA white paint pen, which allowed some really amazing controllable white lines here and there, especially on the blade of the sword, as well as her eyes and earring.
 
June 9, 2018
Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, and POSCA paint pens
on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.
 
Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai

Terra

Terra
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Terra is the main protagonist and wielder of the sword Dual Balance.
A skilled swordsman and hunter for his hometown of Gaf. In his errand to locate the other two fated swords, he will stumble into a quiet war a millennia old.
Within, he will find out the truth behind its bloody past, his blade, as well as his "self."

Terra Altum
Age: 23 / Height: 5' 6" / Weight: 172 lbs.
Birth Date: September 27 / Zodiac: Libra / Blood Type: AB
VI: Chris Patton

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[Illustration Info]

Terra (Ver.2018)

I know, I just redesigned him nary a year ago, right!? 
But, something was bothering me too much about, not only how I designed him, but how I was designing the all characters in general. I felt I was over-complicating them, especially faces. I was so caught up in making things distinct character by character that they ended up over detailed, leading to an almost unintentional similarity. So, I decided to look back at my first drafts from 2004 (Yes, this has been in my head for that long...), and simplified what needed and just let the art and poise do the talking.

Another thing that helps is the size and coloring. Instead of working my usual 8.5x11" stock, I decided to use 14x17" bristol board, allowing me larger areas to better express the details, especially in his armor and clothing. And the colors I wanted to look less "anime" and more fantasy, so I subdued the shading and tried some new blending methods. 
All around, I feel it to be a vast improvement over all 3 of my prior designs of him, all while returning to the roots of my first draft.

I'm also doing a new signature specifically for my personal creations.
 
June 5, 2018

Micron pens, Sakura Pigma pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pens
on 14x17" smooth bristol stock.
 
Fated Sword Dual Balance ©Studio OZKai