Rydia and Leviathan

A companion piece to my other Final Fantasy IV Sketches, this is a sketch of the summoner from that game, Rydia. Here she's being backed up by the King of Summons and Sea Monster/Dragon Thing Leviathan.



I did this in about an hour while trying to wind down for bed. I like how Rydia turned out, even though I went strictly from memory and she sort of looks like an Old West Prostitute. I also took liberties with Leviathan, but that's what art is all about, right?

Megaman Painting

Well, I occasionally try non-digital painting also. The lack of an undo or eyedropper, and only 6-8 colors to choose from make it challenging. But, it's relaxing, when I don't get frustrated by how much I suck.



This is a pic of Mega Man. I think it turned out decent. It's really, really hard to get crisp outlines, and I could never get the lighter shade of blue (on Megaman's helmet's trim pieces) right. Also, he looks overly tan because making a good skin tone was hard.

But, as an exercise I learned a lot and enjoyed the process.

Norfair

Finally put Samus in a scene. Of course, by the end I was so sick of it I just kind of rushed the background elements. But, I like it.


You could also call this "attack of the gaussian blur".

I wonder what Samus is thinking? "Oh man, I can totally jump that high!" Y'know, because she could. Easily. She's just adding drama to the moment by looking thoughtfully at the Energy Tank...

Anyway, I'm spent for now.

If you want a desktop-ish size, click here.

Samus in Technicolor

I managed to paint in Samus' colors. Beware, this is a png with transparency, so if you're running an older version of IE it may not look as intended.




I'm struggling with what scene to put her in. I'm thinking either the pink areas of Ridley's hideout or in Kraid's hideout. Either way, I'm going to work in an Energy Tank. I'm not sure if a dead enemy (that she presumably just shot) should be included as well.

Part of the problem with drawing the character without context is putting her into context or scene and making it look like she belongs there. You have to worry about perspective, lighting, and scale.

Samus Aran

Here's a somewhat-chibi take on Samus Aran.

Just a quick doodle I did while wtching the news which I scanned and inked in Photoshop. I definitely like the design, and want to turn it into a full image.

For those not in the know, Samus Aran is the lead character of the Metroid video games. The fact that she is a female was kept from gamers unless they were able to beat the original game in a short-enough amount of time. Now, Samus is a staple of the video game menagerie, and is probably the most famous female game character.

Click for the larger size, and definitely submit your comments.

EDIT: I got a comment that Samus' neck looks way too long, and I agree. Here is a quick edit to put her more in proportion. I'm going to color it this weekend, hopefully.

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.

Deconstructing the Character

I spent more time deconstructing the Nightmare Castle 2 character further. I simplified the hair, and removed the nose completely. Not sure if the missing nose will stay, but I will keep exploring this style for a bit.