Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Kain and Cecil

Final Fantasy IV (relased in 1991 in the US as Final Fantasy II) really fundamentally changed the way I looked at games. At 11 years old, the story of Final Fantasy IV surpassed anything I had ever known.

At its core, the story of Final Fantasy IV is one of redemption. Cecil, the main character, quite literally goes through a transformation when he sheds his past. Kain, arguably the best character EVAR, falls victim to his own insecurities and jealousy, making a perfect pawn for Golbez.

By the end, even the "bad guy" redeems himself after a revelation about his past.

Besides the moralsof the story, there were a lot of ingredients present in more serious dramas like characters making real sacrifices for love or for their cause, and love that is found, lost, found again and tangled up with other people.

Kain is a badass, so I did my best to do him justice. Here is some uncolored line art. I will clean it up a bit and color it when I have time. I think it turned out pretty good. If you don't know, Kain is a "Dragoon Knight", a character class in Final Fantasy lore that is able to jump literally dozens of feet in the air, piercing their enemy from above with a large spear.



I'm a little less happy with Cecil's line art. First of all the pose is boooring. It's also very thick, because I was playing around with line widths. Cecil becomes a Paladin after he sheds his dark past. He always bears guilt for the sins of his past, but more than makes up for it by saving the whole damn world.



I would also like to draw Rydia summoning Leviathan. I just can't draw women very well...

Well, comment away.

2 comments:

Riley said...

Actually, I like the Cecil drawing more than Kain. I know it's a more static picture, but I like the thicker, darker strokes more. Gives more heft to the character. I really like the look on his face as well.

Matt Vann said...

I gotta disagree. I looove the Kain artwork. It's one of the best pieces I've seen from you. I would love to see it colored.