The Show Must Go On Ver.OFFSET

"The Show Must Go On Ver.OFFSET"
(The Big O)
 
Another long-shelved project completed! I first fully saw The Big O late last year, and I loved it, from its visual aesthetic (at least in the first season), to its form of storytelling, to its giant robots. Big O has a lot to like, though it also has a lot to throw off casual viewers. Either way, to me, the pros far outweigh the cons, and it earned a spot among my favorite anime.

This one's actually a bit of an odd duck in the collection. Aside from it facing forward, this piece for the Big Venus isn't exactly "screen accurate." In fact, the only reason I colored this piece was because I needed a reference to do its true version. While technically part of the "Cast in the Name of God" collection, this one can be considered a variant.

October 13, 2017
Micron pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pens
on 8.5x11 cardstock

Ye Not

"Ye Not"
(The Big O)
 
Another long-shelved project completed! I first fully saw The Big O late last year, and I loved it, from its visual aesthetic (at least in the first season), to its form of storytelling, to its giant robots. Big O has a lot to like, though it also has a lot to throw off casual viewers. Either way, to me, the pros far outweigh the cons, and it earned a spot among my favorite anime.

The third piece in this "Cast in the Name of God" set is the more penultimate Megadeus, the Big Fau. I was very happy to pull off its off-white base color without using my typical myriad of greys. The background gave some minor issues as it started to clash with the name. I was able to separate the two a bit, but I feel I could have done a little better. All in all, though, I'm happy with the turn out of this one.

October 12, 2017
Micron pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pens
on 8.5x11 cardstock

Ye Guilty

"Ye Guilty"
(The Big O)
 
Another long-shelved project completed! I first fully saw The Big O late last year, and I loved it, from its visual aesthetic (at least in the first season), to its form of storytelling, to its giant robots. Big O has a lot to like, though it also has a lot to throw off casual viewers. Either way, to me, the pros far outweigh the cons, and it earned a spot among my favorite anime.

The second piece in this "Cast in the Name of God" set is the first true rival Megadeus, and the second Big, aptly named Big Duo. Not much to note on this one, it followed pretty straight-forward. I think its color palette is my favorite among the set, though.

October 11, 2017
Micron pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pens
on 8.5x11 cardstock

Ye Not Guilty

"Ye Not Guilty"
(The Big O)
 
Another long-shelved project completed! I first fully saw The Big O late last year, and I loved it, from its visual aesthetic (at least in the first season), to its form of storytelling, to its giant robots. Big O has a lot to like, though it also has a lot to throw off casual viewers. Either way, to me, the pros far outweigh the cons, and it earned a spot among my favorite anime.

The first piece in this "Cast in the Name of God" set is the titular Big O. I think I inked this piece 3 different times before landing on a style that I was satisfied with. The colors came a bit more naturally, at least, though I will admit some of my markers were giving out on me, resulting in a lot of layering to get the coverage and colors I was aiming for.

October 10, 2017
Micron pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pens
on 8.5x11 cardstock

Samael Waits for You

"Samael Waits for You"
(Hellsing)
 
Casually speaking, I'm not usually one for violent supernatural thriller series, anime or otherwise, but something about Hellsing -or more specifically, its OVA- stood out to me. I don't know if its how well its story is told, the interesting mix of supernatural creatures and military, or even its surprisingly apt grasp on history and the woes of churchdom (on more than just Catholicism, at that). Or maybe it's how well Team Four Star had been doing on their Hellsing Ultimate Abridged. I dunno, but it was definitely a series that actually stuck with me in a positive way. My wife enjoyed it more than me (Which is saying a bit), so she commissioned this piece from me... Back in January.

Needless to say, like many pieces I do that are of the larger format, I got overwhelmed and shelved the piece well into the inking phase. But, of course, I decided to pick it back up and finish inkin as well as color it all in one day. I should really stop caving to my anxieties.

The many eyes, as well as the shadow matter they dwell within, were my biggest issues with the piece, but all came together pretty well. I remember feeling a little "unwell" after doing all the impaled bodies on the right-hand side of the piece, but I tried my best to keep them more silhouetted. A lot of this picture took me outside of my comfort zones, so hopefully they don't come off as too subdued.

September 23, 2017
Normal pens, Micron pens, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, gel pens, and chalk pastels
on 11x17" cardstock

Gunship 4x4

"Gunship 4x4"
(Metroid series / Rocket League)
 
Metroid's been getting a lot of love, lately, eh? Two new games -one of which is out now- and also a "cameo" in the extreme fantasy sport game Rocket League; who's Switch port has exclusive cars based on Mario, Luigi, and Samus' Gunship. Admittedly, I let the idea of a pin-up illustration run away with me, to which, here we are!

I will say, I haven't seriously drawn a real car in a long LONG time, so this was a daunting endeavor, but I found just enough references to make the thing work with minimal guess work as to shapes and details. I'd say the biggest challenge was deciding to still go with traditional for the piece, but I think it adds some character I know would have been lost had I attempted digital. The colors all balance really well, which I am proud of, especially going with Samus' Fusion ending suit, compliments the orange of the car.

September 21, 2017
Micron Pen, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, Sharpie Neon markers, and gel pens
on 8.5x11" cardstock

Dreams Come True

"Dreams Come True"
(Sonic The Hedgehog series)
 
Admittedly, I'm not a Sonic fan. Or rather, I never grew up with Sonic. I played a few games here and there when visiting friends and relatives who had a Genesis, however our household was SNES. That being said, my small time with those classic cartridges made me understand why Sonic is so revered by his fans... And why the 3D generation has had them so downtrodden over the franchise. I still have yet to play Sonic Mania due to the PC version delay, however, I am definitely on board the hype train for it, especially for my wife, who had grown up with Sonic and knows Sonics 2, 3, and 3&K  like the back of her hand.
Oddly enough, I had this picture in mind for quite a while now, but kept it stewing until it bubbled over. And I'm glad I did, because the final product is bounds over the minor ambition the original plan was. I tried my best to let the colors do the talking rather than thick dark ink lines and crisp cel-style shading. The background had a LOT of ambition poured into it, but I think despite my many flubs and supply issues, it still turned out well.
Trying to imagine what the Chemical Plant Zone would look like from an outside view was kinda difficult, so I kinda tucked it away. lol

August 17, 2017
Mechanical pencil, Copic pen, Prismacolor Markers, colored pencils, and gel pen
on 8.5x11" cardstock