Brian: Comp., Pencils, Inks, Scan, Colors, Line Work, Autobot Symbol
Chris: Digital Line Work, Autobot Symbol
2009-05-31
*BONUS* Brian's Cliff Jumper!!
I had the privilege of assisting my brother Brian with his submission for the new Shout Factory Transformers DVD set fan gallery!! Presenting Brian's Cliffjumper!!
Brian: Comp., Pencils, Inks, Scan, Colors, Line Work, Autobot Symbol
Chris: Digital Line Work, Autobot Symbol
Brian: Comp., Pencils, Inks, Scan, Colors, Line Work, Autobot Symbol
Chris: Digital Line Work, Autobot Symbol
2009-04-30
Optimus Prime DVD gallery art!! (Updated 5.25.09)
*Filling in for the busy month of April is a brand new May entry...This artwork of G1 Optimus Prime was created in May specifically for the new Shout Factory release of the classic Transformers GI DVD fanart gallery media section that is to be added as extra content to the discs.
Although it was a somewhat of a short notice opportunity, more designed for previously created artwork, I did my best to create a brand-new image, a simple, clean expression of a core character in the classic animation's representation.
I'm hoping it gets selected for the DVD, as it is a great way to have my art on officially licensed Transformers merchandise, as well as great exposure!!
I will update as it becomes official.
Special thanks to Shout Factory for the opportunity, & my brother(s) Randy (for pointing the submission op out) as both he & Brian gave me feedback on the piece.
2009-03-09
GY-GOR: MOTU Redesign Challenge #87
This image was created for the Redesign Challenge #87 "GY-GOR" over on He-man.Org. Originally mentioned in Roger Sweet's book "Mastering The Universe," this was a character that was going to be made as a repaint/tool of a pre-existing gorilla mold from a earlier Mattel line "Big Jim." Alas he was never created before the line ended, but we did get a description of what the character would have looked like in the book by his creator Roger Sweet:
"I changed the ape's body color from black to bright yellow and gave him a dark olive-green face and chest. His face in contorted with white teeth snarling in an open mouth of blood red. I gave him a black body harness. From his shoulders I hung a dark maroon cape."
"When I showed "Gygor" to marketing Mark Ellis said that is ********** great!!!"
"Ted Mayer in my design group created a striking full-color illustration of the beast, with He-Man mounted on his back. Gygor was decked out with a panoply of harnesses and weapons."
This inspired a cool redesign contest to recreate the great ape & the result brought the Org artists together for some really superb entries. So this is my take, complete with bio & a new homemade additive female character for the fans...
"I changed the ape's body color from black to bright yellow and gave him a dark olive-green face and chest. His face in contorted with white teeth snarling in an open mouth of blood red. I gave him a black body harness. From his shoulders I hung a dark maroon cape."
"When I showed "Gygor" to marketing Mark Ellis said that is ********** great!!!"
"Ted Mayer in my design group created a striking full-color illustration of the beast, with He-Man mounted on his back. Gygor was decked out with a panoply of harnesses and weapons."
This inspired a cool redesign contest to recreate the great ape & the result brought the Org artists together for some really superb entries. So this is my take, complete with bio & a new homemade additive female character for the fans...
GY-GOR single:
Being a HUGE King Kong fan, I couldn't resist drawing a big ape for Masters, so I took the elements from Sweet's description, & then added my own touches pulling from MOTU, Galaxy Fighters, DC, & of course real life... I made him more of a being than a steed... The Bio was developed & changed (originally they were going to live in the icey north) many times before I came up with a story I liked. My brother Randy also suggested his ideas to me, & I took the best of all we thought up & added more before I was thru.
FAW-SIL single:
I knew I wanted to make a cave-girl character for this challenge to add to the Gy-Gor bio. Hammer's 60-70's cave girl films were always a big influence on me... & I thought that type of a character would fit well here... So I came up with a female I was calling Ray-Chill, (in MOTU the simple "dash" names are standard), who was going to have some kind of ice magic. I decided that I would drop the magical ice princess motif & save that name for another character in the future... I took some more cues from the Hammer cave-girl films, & also a MOTU KO line called "The Forgotten Warriors of the Universe"... then after browsing some Fossil watches @ the mall I came up with the more prehistoric flavored name, & switched up my total cave motif to a tribal-girl with a bone warrior element. Incorporated her to fit in w/the new bio, & was inspired by some modern winter wear I saw on an emo-girl @ the DMV for the final touch... lol
Being a HUGE King Kong fan, I couldn't resist drawing a big ape for Masters, so I took the elements from Sweet's description, & then added my own touches pulling from MOTU, Galaxy Fighters, DC, & of course real life... I made him more of a being than a steed... The Bio was developed & changed (originally they were going to live in the icey north) many times before I came up with a story I liked. My brother Randy also suggested his ideas to me, & I took the best of all we thought up & added more before I was thru.
FAW-SIL single:
2009-02-16
NEW ADVENTURES OF TEELA Cast ~recolors part 2
Today's post features more repaint ideas I had for my "New Adventures of Teela" cast, & as you can see there is more extensive retooling/reworking of the art here (w/CHARI-VARI) than in most of my original recolored projects...
CHARI-VARI ~ Skeleton version:
This version, like the original design, was also inspired by the Cirque Du Soleil:Kooza show to be a true "undercover" disguise while in the Dark Hemisphere's skeletal legions. Based on the Cirque Du Soleil Kooza Skeleton King's army & a Ninja-girl type.
CHARI-VARI ~ Neko version:
AKA "Cat version"... When thinking of ways that I could retool the suit without busting up the original line work, I came up with a skin-tight subtractive outfit rather than an additive outfit. When I finished the piece, she reminded me of Bruce Timm's version of CAT WOMAN, & I decided to role with the fun, making the fur color the same as the original's hair color & adding a tail & ear motif.
CHARI-VARI ~ Orko version:
Another retool... This time, designed to look more like the character of "ORKO" from MOTU that she is meant to replace in my NA continuity with a new scarf & more "Trollan flavor" to her color scheme.
*This turned out to be the most popular version in a poll on He-Man.Org.
CHARI-VARI ~ Devil version:
An alternate idea from the "Neko" version with a new tail end, horns, & pitchfork... LOL!!
NA MAN-AT-ARMS ~Skeletor version:
My original idea for a recolor, as this is the character that my creation was meant to mimic/replace, thus replicating the colors of the original MOTU nemesis Skeletor!! And based on a mix of the MOTUC/200X version's color scheme.
NA MAN-AT-ARMS ~Grim Reaper version:
An amalgam of a grim reaper & other influences for this original color scheme...
NA TEELA ~ Sahari version:
Based on the oldskool anime "GENESIS SURVIVER GAIARTH" OVA series lead female character "Sahari" for this retooled color scheme...
NA TEELA ~ '90 version:
This color scheme is based on the original 1990 "New Adventures of He-man" animation's version of Teela...
Hope you enjoyed my alternnate colors & maybe saw a new favorite!!
CHARI-VARI ~ Skeleton version:
This version, like the original design, was also inspired by the Cirque Du Soleil:Kooza show to be a true "undercover" disguise while in the Dark Hemisphere's skeletal legions. Based on the Cirque Du Soleil Kooza Skeleton King's army & a Ninja-girl type.
CHARI-VARI ~ Neko version:AKA "Cat version"... When thinking of ways that I could retool the suit without busting up the original line work, I came up with a skin-tight subtractive outfit rather than an additive outfit. When I finished the piece, she reminded me of Bruce Timm's version of CAT WOMAN, & I decided to role with the fun, making the fur color the same as the original's hair color & adding a tail & ear motif.
CHARI-VARI ~ Orko version:Another retool... This time, designed to look more like the character of "ORKO" from MOTU that she is meant to replace in my NA continuity with a new scarf & more "Trollan flavor" to her color scheme.
*This turned out to be the most popular version in a poll on He-Man.Org.
CHARI-VARI ~ Devil version:An alternate idea from the "Neko" version with a new tail end, horns, & pitchfork... LOL!!
NA MAN-AT-ARMS ~Skeletor version:My original idea for a recolor, as this is the character that my creation was meant to mimic/replace, thus replicating the colors of the original MOTU nemesis Skeletor!! And based on a mix of the MOTUC/200X version's color scheme.
NA MAN-AT-ARMS ~Grim Reaper version:An amalgam of a grim reaper & other influences for this original color scheme...
NA TEELA ~ Sahari version:Based on the oldskool anime "GENESIS SURVIVER GAIARTH" OVA series lead female character "Sahari" for this retooled color scheme...
NA TEELA ~ '90 version:This color scheme is based on the original 1990 "New Adventures of He-man" animation's version of Teela...
Hope you enjoyed my alternnate colors & maybe saw a new favorite!!
2009-01-31
The Dream Mistress: MOTU Redesign Challenge #86
This image was created for the Redesign Challenge #86 "The Dream Mistress" over on He-man.Org. An obscure Masters of the Universe character that was only featured in UK MOTU comic #67 "The Deadly Wishes."
The Dream Mistress is a magical woman that lures & seduces men with promises of fulfilling their inner most dreams, if only they can brave the dangers & traps of her fortress, located in the ancient ruins.
You can see more about her here...BUSTA TOONS BLOG
I came up with my own take on the character which proved to be a real challenge as she is nearly nude in her original interpretation, wearing a thong & armor w/nipples. What's the challenge there you say? Well to meet the boards standards on nudity without going overboard... lol. Many entries were placed & some had to be redone just for that reason. I made it through successfully. I also made it to the finals among a lot of amazing entries by the boards artists where I tied for 3rd. I made her bio a bit different than the original story where she actually ended up being Hordak in disguise, & made her a real entity instead. Her design is based on the original with some real life model inspiration for the pose, as well as her hair & face is based on Kahlan from the hit fantasy tv show now airing "Legend of The Seeker."
The Dream Mistress is a magical woman that lures & seduces men with promises of fulfilling their inner most dreams, if only they can brave the dangers & traps of her fortress, located in the ancient ruins.
You can see more about her here...BUSTA TOONS BLOG
I came up with my own take on the character which proved to be a real challenge as she is nearly nude in her original interpretation, wearing a thong & armor w/nipples. What's the challenge there you say? Well to meet the boards standards on nudity without going overboard... lol. Many entries were placed & some had to be redone just for that reason. I made it through successfully. I also made it to the finals among a lot of amazing entries by the boards artists where I tied for 3rd. I made her bio a bit different than the original story where she actually ended up being Hordak in disguise, & made her a real entity instead. Her design is based on the original with some real life model inspiration for the pose, as well as her hair & face is based on Kahlan from the hit fantasy tv show now airing "Legend of The Seeker."
2009-01-11
PILOT SCARLETT avatar remake
Pilot Scarlett avatar version 2.0:
Here is an updated version of my G.I.*Joe Scarlett avatar. It reflects Hasbro's Modern Era wave 11 '08 version of the character. Which is a tribute to "Glenda", an international repaint that was done in Argentina by the Plastirama toy company. I really like this version of Scarlett as she is loaded with gear, has a nice new head sculpt with the more formal pinned-up hair-du, & has a great color scheme.
One of my favorites in the '08 line-up!!
TOP 10 Favorites in 2008 (in no particular order):
1. J-ROCK: My favorite bands have been invading the US with a banner year in music!! (I saw a LOAD of awesome J-Rock bands LIVE this year, including Japan Nite '08 (Scandal/The Emeralds/Petty Booka/Ketchup Mania/Detroit7/The Beaches) in NY, Noodles/The Pillows (3rd time!) in NY, TM Revolution in NY, Renter En Soi in NJ, Jam Project in MD, DaizyStripper/Marbell/The Underneath in MD, Versailles in NY, & Dir En Grey in NY... best year for J-ROCK in the US ever!!
2. G.I.*Joe (Modern Era): '08 continued to impress with there best line since the 80's!!
3. Masters Of The Universe Classics: the new collectors brand launched this year with new fully-posable amazing figures online.
4. Transformers Universe: Classics 2.0 brought us some of the best reinvisoned staple TF's yet!!
5. Cirque Du Soliel ~Kooza: one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen, go see Cirque, between the performance & live music, it is a really unique & special... & I was lucky enough to have seen this with my friend Katrin from Germany. ^_^
6. Grindhouse Films: Cult classics & drive-in fare continued in '08 (despite some major industry hits) with some of the best guilty pleasure DVD releases yet.
7. Star Wars the Clone Wars: has made Star Wars all new again with a great new animated series that is bringing new life to the franchise!!
8. Avatar The Last Airbender: Possibly the best animated series ever made ended triumphantly this year with it's 3rd book having what is the best finale I have ever seen!! It was nice to share this show with the fandom @ NYCC.
9. Classic Cartoons: More favorites from the 80's dropped on DVD this year like Galaxy Rangers, Saber Rider, & Jayce & the Wheeled Warriors!!
10. Batman~ The Dark Knight: might be the best super hero movie EVER.
Here is an updated version of my G.I.*Joe Scarlett avatar. It reflects Hasbro's Modern Era wave 11 '08 version of the character. Which is a tribute to "Glenda", an international repaint that was done in Argentina by the Plastirama toy company. I really like this version of Scarlett as she is loaded with gear, has a nice new head sculpt with the more formal pinned-up hair-du, & has a great color scheme.
One of my favorites in the '08 line-up!!
TOP 10 Favorites in 2008 (in no particular order):
1. J-ROCK: My favorite bands have been invading the US with a banner year in music!! (I saw a LOAD of awesome J-Rock bands LIVE this year, including Japan Nite '08 (Scandal/The Emeralds/Petty Booka/Ketchup Mania/Detroit7/The Beaches) in NY, Noodles/The Pillows (3rd time!) in NY, TM Revolution in NY, Renter En Soi in NJ, Jam Project in MD, DaizyStripper/Marbell/The Underneath in MD, Versailles in NY, & Dir En Grey in NY... best year for J-ROCK in the US ever!!
2. G.I.*Joe (Modern Era): '08 continued to impress with there best line since the 80's!!
3. Masters Of The Universe Classics: the new collectors brand launched this year with new fully-posable amazing figures online.
4. Transformers Universe: Classics 2.0 brought us some of the best reinvisoned staple TF's yet!!
5. Cirque Du Soliel ~Kooza: one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen, go see Cirque, between the performance & live music, it is a really unique & special... & I was lucky enough to have seen this with my friend Katrin from Germany. ^_^
6. Grindhouse Films: Cult classics & drive-in fare continued in '08 (despite some major industry hits) with some of the best guilty pleasure DVD releases yet.
7. Star Wars the Clone Wars: has made Star Wars all new again with a great new animated series that is bringing new life to the franchise!!
8. Avatar The Last Airbender: Possibly the best animated series ever made ended triumphantly this year with it's 3rd book having what is the best finale I have ever seen!! It was nice to share this show with the fandom @ NYCC.
9. Classic Cartoons: More favorites from the 80's dropped on DVD this year like Galaxy Rangers, Saber Rider, & Jayce & the Wheeled Warriors!!
10. Batman~ The Dark Knight: might be the best super hero movie EVER.
2008-12-25
NEW ADVENTURES OF TEELA Cast ~recolors part 1
MAN-AT-ARMS (New Adventures) Original version ~JODO KAST:
Much like Toy Companies, I like to recolor my product into different versions lol. Here you see the original & 1st color scheme I came up with for my "Master-Of-Arms" character. Loosely based on the classic color 1980's Man At Arms, & more defined in the final coloration by the influence of Hasbro's Star Wars "Jodo Kast" '08 figure.*This turned out to be the most popular version in a poll on He-Man.Org.
TEELA (New Adventures) ICZER-2 version:
I am an oldskool anime fan, & I can tell you that one of my all-time favorites (as well as the 1st anime video tape I ever bought in the 90's) was the epic sci-fi horror OVA Iczer-One. So when re-designing the New Adventures Of Teela, I automatically thought of the Iczer series' influences on me, & what similarities I could draw from between my design, to fit in with the 80's fantasy theme of NA, as well as the wonderful Barbarella-flavored body suits of the Iczer-1 OVA series. And with a couple alterations I based my 1st recolor on the nemesis character from that anime classic... "Iczer-2."
...As I felt her character color key/design fit best with my creation...
TEELA (New Adventures) 200X MYP version:
This color scheme is based on MOTU Teela's 200X MYP animation colors. It is also very close to her Classic 80's Colors, but I opted for the 200X MYP colors to have her uniform have more variation than white & orange/gold, with things like the teal shoulder pads & green belt. This would be the most representational of what fans would consider a classically themed MOTU Teela.*This turned out to be BY A LARGE MARGIN the most popular version in a poll on He-Man.Org.
2008-12-01
UNLOCKING THE VAULT # 3: MOTU Character Sketches '05 UNCUT!!
SY-KLONE (unfinished WIP):
based on the 200X figure
based on the 200X figure
I thought I would help celebrate the new highly anticipated MOTU CLASSICS this week, by "unlocking" my MOTU 200X vault again to bring my friends here on the art blog some of my never-before-seen "Masters Of The Universe 200X" art work!!
This art dates back to 2004~2005...
Since these have never before been released from my archives to the fan community, all the dirt & flubs are there that I would normally clean, so you can really see my sketching process. Hopefully you will enjoy this installment as much as the my other 2, as they are all direct character sketches used as practice!
HE-MAN (Shield-Strike):
based on the newly-tooled armor 200X figure
based on the newly-tooled armor 200X figure
MAN-E-FACES:based on possibly my favorite figure of the 200X line...
TRI-KLOPS:based heavily on the symmetrical look of the 200X figure
RATTLOR:
based on the 200X figure
based on the 200X figure
TEELA (unfinished WIP - UNCUT):
based on the 200X figure with some anime influence, this figure is censored on the ORG by myself for non-descript nudity to meet the board standards, but the figure was a wip & never got to the "uniformed" stage so you can see the UNCUT drawing here!!
based on the 200X figure with some anime influence, this figure is censored on the ORG by myself for non-descript nudity to meet the board standards, but the figure was a wip & never got to the "uniformed" stage so you can see the UNCUT drawing here!!
SKELETOR:
based on the 200X figure
based on the 200X figure
***Be sure to CHECK out the BRAND NEW MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CLASSICS line launched TODAY by MATTEL & pick up the 1st 2 figures, HE-MAN & BEAST-MAN...follow the link... MATTYCOLLECTOR
2008-11-29
New Adventures Of Teela: MOTU Redesign Challenge #85
Created Specifically for He-Man.Org's very special 85th redesign Challenge (The New Adventures Of Teela) here are my entries...
TEELA (New Adventures):
CHARI-VARI (my own creation):
MAN-AT-ARMS (New Adventures) ~Grayskull Green version:
Even though we are only committed to entering 1 entry to be considered for this challenge, I decided on 3 entries so I could really flesh out some ideas I had for what would have been happening on Eternia during the New Adventures phase, loosely based on some of the elements mentioned for the unmade Season 3 story arc of NA from Olesker's thread outlining some events that may have transpired if the 2nd HE-MAN series (in the 90's) would have continued.
This vision of "Teela" is an updated version of her original NA character design elements & I was also influenced by the anime "Karas" in both creation & sheme, plus adding some minor elements from Teela in 200X.
"Chari" is my own fan-character creation, made specifically for this challenge.
I find that Eternia's history repeats itself, King Grayskull had The Oracle, & He-Man had Orko, so if Teela becomes He-Man & MAA becomes Skeletor, then Chari would become Orko. Not a Trollan, but fufilling the obligations of that wacky sidekick-type character. Her design is based around some of the costume elements I saw & loved at this years amazing Cirque Du Soleil: Kooza show with my long-time friend Katrin from Germany. ^_^
The color scheme seen here for Man-At-Arms (Grayskull Green) was made by my brother Brian. I can't thank my 2 brothers Randy & Brian enough for all their imput on what you see here, they really helped tighten up some of my artistic expression.
I hope you all like my entries, as I very much enjoyed the time thinking & creating my vision of a NA Teela & co. for this challenge. As I see it very fitting as a big Teela fan to be my 1000th post on He-ManOrg...
TEELA (New Adventures):
CHARI-VARI (my own creation):
MAN-AT-ARMS (New Adventures) ~Grayskull Green version:
Even though we are only committed to entering 1 entry to be considered for this challenge, I decided on 3 entries so I could really flesh out some ideas I had for what would have been happening on Eternia during the New Adventures phase, loosely based on some of the elements mentioned for the unmade Season 3 story arc of NA from Olesker's thread outlining some events that may have transpired if the 2nd HE-MAN series (in the 90's) would have continued.
This vision of "Teela" is an updated version of her original NA character design elements & I was also influenced by the anime "Karas" in both creation & sheme, plus adding some minor elements from Teela in 200X.
"Chari" is my own fan-character creation, made specifically for this challenge.
I find that Eternia's history repeats itself, King Grayskull had The Oracle, & He-Man had Orko, so if Teela becomes He-Man & MAA becomes Skeletor, then Chari would become Orko. Not a Trollan, but fufilling the obligations of that wacky sidekick-type character. Her design is based around some of the costume elements I saw & loved at this years amazing Cirque Du Soleil: Kooza show with my long-time friend Katrin from Germany. ^_^
The color scheme seen here for Man-At-Arms (Grayskull Green) was made by my brother Brian. I can't thank my 2 brothers Randy & Brian enough for all their imput on what you see here, they really helped tighten up some of my artistic expression.
I hope you all like my entries, as I very much enjoyed the time thinking & creating my vision of a NA Teela & co. for this challenge. As I see it very fitting as a big Teela fan to be my 1000th post on He-ManOrg...
2008-10-31
My Art in Costa Rica @ TICOBOT '08!!
Ticobot is a new Transformers fan convention, & the very first TF related con to be held this year in Costa Rica!! It's run by fans (for fans) trying to share their passion for Transformers.
My Classics Optimus Prime image was inserted in a new layout & is being used for their Autobot Con logo!!
They have my blessing for a successful Con, & with using my previous artwork for it, it provides some free publicity for me!!
Check it out!!
Website in Spanish: http://www.ticobot.com/
I've gone international!!
My Classics Optimus Prime image was inserted in a new layout & is being used for their Autobot Con logo!!
They have my blessing for a successful Con, & with using my previous artwork for it, it provides some free publicity for me!!
Check it out!!
Website in Spanish: http://www.ticobot.com/
I've gone international!!
2008-09-05
UNLOCKING THE VAULT # 2: MOTU Character Sketches '06 UNCUT!!
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! And to help celebrate I am UNLOCKING THE VAULT AGAIN to bring you some of my never-before-seen "Masters Of The Universe 200X" art work!! This time a compilation series of full figure sketches!! All the dirt & flubs are there that I would normally clean, so you can really see my sketching process.
From Top to Bottom/Left To Right
SKELETOR was to be used with him & his henchman (drawn seperately) in a big Evil Warriors piece at Snake Mountain... this piece was never finished.
BUZZ-OFF was my 1st attempt athe the "New Legacy" series piece featuring him & Grizzlor in a much less action-packed moment & more of a "Hey you... Stop!!" moment. Sometimes you need to get out more than one idea for your artwork, & I am glad that I did... as I am much happier with the finished piece shown here (earlier in the blog), that still remains a fan-favorite!!
EVIL SEED was a drawing session I was having with my friend Jared on sketching MOTU figures, I roughed this out in a few moments to show him some direction on how I would go about a solitarty piece of Evil Seed, who he was sketching out at the same time. This is a rare find, as you normally would not see me draw a non-action figure made character in MOTU, as I like to work from the actual figures on my art.
This HE-MAN was used as a reference piece for me... I would always use it as a character study as for how I would want the He-Man character to look each time I redrew him in other works. Kind of like my "Default He-Man." He is more anime-styled than I would draw MOTU now, with his boy-ish looks featured here.
TEELA (Nude) UNCUT!! Most artists draw their figures without clothes first to make sure they are getting the body porportions & pose down pat, then drape the clothes on, this Teela is no exception, & looks more like a figure drawing from art class then a "Masters" piece, she was drawn nude & was fully intended to have her battle dress on & snake staff in hand, but I never went back & reworked the piece, so she has always stayed NUDE.
***This piece was mildly censored on He-Man.Org by myself & later by my good friend Baena to meet the family friendly forum standards, which is very cool with me, so here I present the original "UNCUT" version!!...!! @_@
From Top to Bottom/Left To Right
SKELETOR was to be used with him & his henchman (drawn seperately) in a big Evil Warriors piece at Snake Mountain... this piece was never finished.
BUZZ-OFF was my 1st attempt athe the "New Legacy" series piece featuring him & Grizzlor in a much less action-packed moment & more of a "Hey you... Stop!!" moment. Sometimes you need to get out more than one idea for your artwork, & I am glad that I did... as I am much happier with the finished piece shown here (earlier in the blog), that still remains a fan-favorite!!
EVIL SEED was a drawing session I was having with my friend Jared on sketching MOTU figures, I roughed this out in a few moments to show him some direction on how I would go about a solitarty piece of Evil Seed, who he was sketching out at the same time. This is a rare find, as you normally would not see me draw a non-action figure made character in MOTU, as I like to work from the actual figures on my art.
This HE-MAN was used as a reference piece for me... I would always use it as a character study as for how I would want the He-Man character to look each time I redrew him in other works. Kind of like my "Default He-Man." He is more anime-styled than I would draw MOTU now, with his boy-ish looks featured here.
TEELA (Nude) UNCUT!! Most artists draw their figures without clothes first to make sure they are getting the body porportions & pose down pat, then drape the clothes on, this Teela is no exception, & looks more like a figure drawing from art class then a "Masters" piece, she was drawn nude & was fully intended to have her battle dress on & snake staff in hand, but I never went back & reworked the piece, so she has always stayed NUDE.
***This piece was mildly censored on He-Man.Org by myself & later by my good friend Baena to meet the family friendly forum standards, which is very cool with me, so here I present the original "UNCUT" version!!...!! @_@
2008-08-31
UNLOCKING THE VAULT: MOTU Head Shots '05
I'm UNLOCKING THE VAULT!! And showing never before seen MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE 200X art from my sketch pads!! First up is my "Head-Shots" from late 2005!! Created for the "New Legacy" fan-comic series, I did some character studies of a few characters I would be illustrating for that project as well as a couple others...
These have a little more anime influence then most of my MOTU work. All the dirt & flubs are there that I would normally clean, so you can really see my sketching process.
Here you see from top to bottom, left to right: "Battle Sound He-Man, Fisto, Adora, Buzz-Off, Moss-man, & Teela."
***FUN FACT: Teela was a seperate sketch, added to this picture replacing a "Jungle Attack He-Man" sketch that was to light for scanning... These are done with Blue-Lined non-photo pencil except for Teela who is is Graphite.
These have a little more anime influence then most of my MOTU work. All the dirt & flubs are there that I would normally clean, so you can really see my sketching process.
Here you see from top to bottom, left to right: "Battle Sound He-Man, Fisto, Adora, Buzz-Off, Moss-man, & Teela."
***FUN FACT: Teela was a seperate sketch, added to this picture replacing a "Jungle Attack He-Man" sketch that was to light for scanning... These are done with Blue-Lined non-photo pencil except for Teela who is is Graphite.
2008-07-31
BATTLE ANGEL
Hunter...Warrior... Battle Angel!!
ADV has rereleased one of my ALL-TIME favorite OVA's from the 90's back into the DVD market for a limited run... with the live-action movie rights expiring to allow this, I thought I'd celebrate by revisiting one of my past artworks...
In 2002 I penciled & inked this illustration based on my beloved Marmit Battle Angel figure, now in 2008 I decided to revisit this piece & add some color!! I did a bunch of different photoshop techniques to try & get the dry flavor of the manga-colored covers. I don't usually revisit older works but in this case I thought I'd make an execption being a big Battle Angel fan, & to welcome back that wonderful animation into the US DVD market... I handled this pic a little differently then some of my others by leaving the dirt & grit of the pencil & ink to emulate the dingy cityscape... Hope you enjoy a trip to my artistic past with some of my modern day colors!!
This picture depicts Gally (Alita) sad overlooking her crime-ridden cyber city...
It is supposed to emulate the feeling towards the end of the 2nd OVA...
I couldn't decide on the final sky color so I made 2 versions, the original "blue" sky, and then a "rust" colored sky...
BATTLE ANGEL:
BATTLE ANGEL ~Rusty Angel version~:
ADV has rereleased one of my ALL-TIME favorite OVA's from the 90's back into the DVD market for a limited run... with the live-action movie rights expiring to allow this, I thought I'd celebrate by revisiting one of my past artworks...
In 2002 I penciled & inked this illustration based on my beloved Marmit Battle Angel figure, now in 2008 I decided to revisit this piece & add some color!! I did a bunch of different photoshop techniques to try & get the dry flavor of the manga-colored covers. I don't usually revisit older works but in this case I thought I'd make an execption being a big Battle Angel fan, & to welcome back that wonderful animation into the US DVD market... I handled this pic a little differently then some of my others by leaving the dirt & grit of the pencil & ink to emulate the dingy cityscape... Hope you enjoy a trip to my artistic past with some of my modern day colors!!
This picture depicts Gally (Alita) sad overlooking her crime-ridden cyber city...
It is supposed to emulate the feeling towards the end of the 2nd OVA...
I couldn't decide on the final sky color so I made 2 versions, the original "blue" sky, and then a "rust" colored sky...
BATTLE ANGEL:
BATTLE ANGEL ~Rusty Angel version~:
2008-06-30
TMR - RETURNS...
Inspired by the T-Shirts for the AMAZING TMR Concert sold at NYCC '08 this year, I re-created this image as a graphic design element for a cover based on a special collection of T.M. Revolution's awesome J-Rock music & return to the spotlight...
Thanks for returning to the EastCoast for your fans TMR!!
Thanks for returning to the EastCoast for your fans TMR!!
You can read my full review here...
(coming soon)
(coming soon)
For those in the know, I'll see ya at the OK'08 Party this 4th of July weekend!!
2008-05-31
SCANDAL Japan Nite '08 ~Mami
Hi!
After the incredible performances at the "Japan Nite Tour '08", in NYC at the Knitting Factory (3.16.08), ... much like last year's ... I was inspired to do some artwork based on one of the acts. This time it was for the 1st band up, the all new Japanese Girl Quartet Indies Act "SCANDAL!!" These fresh high-school grads opened the show right with their blend of high energy pop-rock tunes that got the crowd going immediately & all 4 of them were very talented & very cute!! I picked my fan-favorite Mami to base this art piece on, as she demonstrated some amazing guitar skills & handed me her guitar pick right after their set!! AWESOME!! ^_^
It was nice to have my friends & family join me for this event, Brian, Mike, Jeff, Jamie, & David made a unique experience even more enjoyable...
Bands performing were:
SCANDAL/THE EMERALDS/PETTY BOOKA/KETCHUP MANIA/DETROIT7/THE BEACHES
Read my review of the whole night here:
***coming soon***
SCANDAL: band pic by Jeff Katin
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/teelamotu/omake/?action=view¤t=DSC01904.jpg
MAMI guitarist of SCANDAL: pic by Chris Para
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/teelamotu/omake/?action=view¤t=DSC00141.jpg
SCANDAL official English website:
http://www.scandal-4.com/home_en.html
After the incredible performances at the "Japan Nite Tour '08", in NYC at the Knitting Factory (3.16.08), ... much like last year's ... I was inspired to do some artwork based on one of the acts. This time it was for the 1st band up, the all new Japanese Girl Quartet Indies Act "SCANDAL!!" These fresh high-school grads opened the show right with their blend of high energy pop-rock tunes that got the crowd going immediately & all 4 of them were very talented & very cute!! I picked my fan-favorite Mami to base this art piece on, as she demonstrated some amazing guitar skills & handed me her guitar pick right after their set!! AWESOME!! ^_^
It was nice to have my friends & family join me for this event, Brian, Mike, Jeff, Jamie, & David made a unique experience even more enjoyable...
Bands performing were:
SCANDAL/THE EMERALDS/PETTY BOOKA/KETCHUP MANIA/DETROIT7/THE BEACHES
Read my review of the whole night here:
***coming soon***
SCANDAL: band pic by Jeff Katin
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/teelamotu/omake/?action=view¤t=DSC01904.jpg
MAMI guitarist of SCANDAL: pic by Chris Para
http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c44/teelamotu/omake/?action=view¤t=DSC00141.jpg
SCANDAL official English website:
http://www.scandal-4.com/home_en.html
2008-04-27
Top Secret #2 ~STINKOR vs. TEELA
Smell what's in JafariStew's kitchen??? P-U!! just like the joke... it STINKS!!
ahh... I never get tired of lame stink jokes...LOL!!
Here's 2 MOTU favorites of mine, battling in the courtyards of the Royal Palace...
This was the 1st image requested for a "top secret project" on He-Man.Org. This request was for artwork of STINKOR vs. TEELA. The premise was for Stinkor to be winning in the image by restrainig Teela with a weapon @ the Royal Palace, instead I took some artistic liberty & made it more befitting of the character. Here we have STINKOR (1 of my group of friend's legendary mascots) using his "STINK" to floor TEELA instead, & thus made it more of a tribute to "The Stench Of Evil" oldskool mini-comic!! This picture was worked on in several steps over a period of weeks, by originally drawing the 2 characters, layering in the stink, & then some manipulation on the bkgd. I'm pleased with the result as I think it's a befitting tribute, & still different from the original that featured Stinkor & He-man. STINKOR is based on the 4H Staction, & TEELA the 4H Micro-bust.
This will most likely conclude my exclusive MOTU 200X art ;_; as my future MOTU art works will be based on the upcoming NEW adult collector's line "Masters Of The Universe Classics!!" ...starting in Fall 2008 ...sure to be a hit, & the new current favorite of Masters fans worldwide... ^_- stay tooned...
ahh... I never get tired of lame stink jokes...LOL!!
Here's 2 MOTU favorites of mine, battling in the courtyards of the Royal Palace...
This was the 1st image requested for a "top secret project" on He-Man.Org. This request was for artwork of STINKOR vs. TEELA. The premise was for Stinkor to be winning in the image by restrainig Teela with a weapon @ the Royal Palace, instead I took some artistic liberty & made it more befitting of the character. Here we have STINKOR (1 of my group of friend's legendary mascots) using his "STINK" to floor TEELA instead, & thus made it more of a tribute to "The Stench Of Evil" oldskool mini-comic!! This picture was worked on in several steps over a period of weeks, by originally drawing the 2 characters, layering in the stink, & then some manipulation on the bkgd. I'm pleased with the result as I think it's a befitting tribute, & still different from the original that featured Stinkor & He-man. STINKOR is based on the 4H Staction, & TEELA the 4H Micro-bust.
This will most likely conclude my exclusive MOTU 200X art ;_; as my future MOTU art works will be based on the upcoming NEW adult collector's line "Masters Of The Universe Classics!!" ...starting in Fall 2008 ...sure to be a hit, & the new current favorite of Masters fans worldwide... ^_- stay tooned...
2008-04-22
NYCC 2008 photo ...NEW! MOTU CLASSICS King Grayskull!!
Looks like my brother & I made the front page of He-Man.Org with our pictures of the exclusive King Grayskull from the new Masters of The Universe Classics line!!...
A proud day for us both!!
Photos by Chris & Randy Para: http://www.he-man.org/ (April 22nd update)
A proud day for us both!!
Photos by Chris & Randy Para: http://www.he-man.org/ (April 22nd update)
2008-03-30
Top Secret #1 ~BASHASAURUS
2008 Image of the classic MOTU Vehicle BASHASAURUS & my claim to MOTU fame Mastergirl TEELA... The reason why I did this image is top secret (for now) but this 2007 project shall be relvealed in the near future... BASHASUARUS was always one fo my fave classic MOTU vehicles as a kid & it was a pleasure rendering it from a photo reference. Teela was drawn using my traditional techniques & color choice was made based on the 4H color scheme used on the TEELA micro-bust exclusive from 2006...
2008-02-24
SNAKE EYES ~25th Cards 2008 project!!
Hi! As mentioned previously, I plan on doing some Joe-Art for 2008, & came up with the concept of doing "animated style character design cards." Basically if I was designing a Joe cartoon, how I would make them look, based on the current toyline, then placed on a collectable type card. I would like to do one character a month represented from the 25th line (only characters in the current toyline), & will try my best to do that, time provided. It's a good challenge for myself & hopefully you will enjoy my take on the characters. I started off with Hasbro's #1 Joe... Snake Eyes!!
1st up, here's the original SE from the 25th Joe 5-pack...
Much like Hasbro, I love recolors, so here is 2 more versions of SE from the 25th, "Comic Colors" from the wave 1 comic packs, and "Black" from wave 5!!
Yo Joe!!
1st up, here's the original SE from the 25th Joe 5-pack...
Much like Hasbro, I love recolors, so here is 2 more versions of SE from the 25th, "Comic Colors" from the wave 1 comic packs, and "Black" from wave 5!!
Yo Joe!!
2008-01-13
TOP 10 Of 2007
In no particular order (but alphabetical), here is my personal favorite stuff in 2007.
AVATAR The Last Airbender: Truly one of the greatest animated series ever created, the "Boomerang gang" delivered another solid season in "Book 3: Fire" of incredable storytelling, breathtaking animation, & character growth, that few series of any type can boast. It is amazing to see such quality be put into an animated series of this type & the realism of the characters turmoil, & parallel word to are own make it even better. There has not been a cartoon on THIS good in years, & many of the best don't even touch it in terms of quality & freshness... This is the one series that I can't recommend enough to all ages. Truly one of the TV masterpieces of the decade.
*Avatar art on the left by by Deviant artist arriku*
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA: This movie ended up being my favorite "under the radar" hit of the year. It was the one movie I went to see on a whim (rather than very planned out) & it had more charm, depth, & warmth than most family films even touch. Walden Media is one of Disney's best new projects & I look forward to their future films... AnnaSophia Robb was perfect as Leslie Burke, & even though I liked a lot of films in 07 (like Pan's Labyrinth, 300, Harry Potter 5, Pirates 3, & Transformers) ...this film had so little expected yet delivered on so many levels of great storytelling, superb acting, & difficult subject matter with a innocence that was required..."Terabithia" will be one film I continue to cherish always.
AVATAR The Last Airbender: Truly one of the greatest animated series ever created, the "Boomerang gang" delivered another solid season in "Book 3: Fire" of incredable storytelling, breathtaking animation, & character growth, that few series of any type can boast. It is amazing to see such quality be put into an animated series of this type & the realism of the characters turmoil, & parallel word to are own make it even better. There has not been a cartoon on THIS good in years, & many of the best don't even touch it in terms of quality & freshness... This is the one series that I can't recommend enough to all ages. Truly one of the TV masterpieces of the decade.*Avatar art on the left by by Deviant artist arriku*
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA: This movie ended up being my favorite "under the radar" hit of the year. It was the one movie I went to see on a whim (rather than very planned out) & it had more charm, depth, & warmth than most family films even touch. Walden Media is one of Disney's best new projects & I look forward to their future films... AnnaSophia Robb was perfect as Leslie Burke, & even though I liked a lot of films in 07 (like Pan's Labyrinth, 300, Harry Potter 5, Pirates 3, & Transformers) ...this film had so little expected yet delivered on so many levels of great storytelling, superb acting, & difficult subject matter with a innocence that was required..."Terabithia" will be one film I continue to cherish always.
...now in "Comic Colors!!"
GI JOE: If you k
now me on a personal level, you know I am crazy about the new G.I. Joe "25th Anniversary" line. I total homage with updated sculpts to the original ARAH 80's line. Hasbro finally did something breakthrough again with Joe that made me fall in love with the battle against Cobra all over again. I go on mad-hunts looking for the latest figures with Randy all the time... the figs are hard to find with strong sales & collectable, and trust me, we love it!! Not to mention so much new product is always coming out which makes me even more anxious & excited about th eproperty, as I always am reciving new information. Much like TF's in 2007 Hasbro is bulding this classic line to get fans on board right before the Big-Budget Movie expected for 2009, and most likely a follow up animation... ans I for one, can't wait...
Olivia Munn Is Baroness - Every10Mins.com
GRINDHOUSE MOVIES ON DVD: Finally, all the B-film, exploitation, howlers, schlock, & martial arts 1 can muster from the 60's, 70's, & 80's is coming out on DVD thanks to great companies like BCI, Blue Underground, Severin, Retro Seduction & Blue Underground. Truly a guilty pleasure, grindhouse fans are seeing the jems of yesterday restored to their full uncut glory & making the rounds at Amazon & Bestbuy to add to your obscure but awesome collections! Movies from your childhood, sticky floor theatres, or cable movie channels are finally coming out from the vaults & are being uncompramised & priced for keeps!!
GO!GO!7188: In 2007, J-Rock band GOGO struck back by launching 2 tours in the US, the 1st with the "Japan Nite" ensemble in the Spring, then with their own tour in the Summer of 2007 just months later!! They performed brilliantly (Yuu's vocals... @_@) & were so kind to their fans by making fun live content & delivering solid shows from their discography. For a favorite band of mine that I thought I would never see, or have a t-shirt of, nevermind have them come to my area twice, was defiantely my best J-rock experience of 2007, with meeting the girls & getting autographs as additional frosting!!... Couple that with a new more retro album, harking more toward's their early works, and the fact that "569" also included a DVD release featuring "Japan Nite" footage, & you have IMO 2007's "band of the year" by a landslide, as this act did more for me than I ever imagined possible in 2007!!JULIAN
NE HOUGH: I have never taken to a celebrity like 2-time DWTS champion Julianne Hough... Her presence on DWTS Season 4 (with Apollo) & Season 5 (with Helio) made each & every week of the show a "must watch" for me. She deserved the final win both times, & I voted for her with a vengeance!! A gorgeous girl oozing with talent, humour, & personality had me seeing the perfect TV girl again in a long time. Couple that with her future on DWTS, as well as singing & acting & I am sure she will be making herself more well-known in 2008!! I never get tired of her & am always interested in what is new, & her newfound fame has made that easy with her legions of fans...It is rare that you have a chance to see celebs in person , & I saw this angel live in July & will be venturing to see her again this February...I can't wait!J-ROCK: 20
07 was a strong year for many bands on the Japanese music scene... In the US, many tours hit the US like Japan Nite, Jrock Revolution, Dir En Grey's live tour & more... It also marked the return of my beloved X Japan, something I never thought would ever happen. IAnd 2007 also saw oldskool bands like The Brilliant Green, Luna Sea & D'erlanger return...Couple that with strong works from fan-faves Abingdon Boys School, The Gazette, Galneryus, Hizaki Grace Project, L'Arc ~en~Ciel, Nightmare, Rentrer en Soi, Taia, & Versailles...it made for the perfect year of this ever increasing in popularity here in the US genre!!
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: Although MOTU has been a kind of a quiet franchise in 2007, it offered alot in so many ways. With the success of the 07 Transformers Movie, Masters was green-lit to hit the big screen for a big budget movie in the future... 2 more waves of the artistically perfect Stactions + exclusives were released to the awe of collectors. There is still nothing more satisfying as a collector than putting a new one of these on my shelf. A new classic styled prototype He-man was revealed at SDCC which could mean some more "big things" for the franchise... And as always, the wonderful art community & He-Man.org friends & family is a part of my daily life. Here's to some hopeful annoucements concerning the brand in 2008!!
THE OFFICE: By far my favorite TV (live) show for 2007, "The Office" had me hooked in 2 episodes. So much so that I immediately bought seasons 1-3 on DVD so that my family & friends would be caught up for Season 4's premiere. This show is hilarious, & is the perfect counter-balance for my other fan favorite comedy "Scrubs." The adventures of Michael Scott (his smallness, lovable mishaps, & overboardness as potrayed by Steve Carrell) & his funny suboridinates are a welcome laugh each & every week& have an amazing REALNESS to them. Working in an office environment myself, I can't help but relate to the characters & the humourous, yet daily instances that they potray...this show has made myself & the others with me laugh so hard sometimes we have had to pause the DVD just because we couldn't stop laughing...
TRANSFORMERS: To me, 2007 was the biggest year for TF's since the 84-86 saga (& even much bigger than Beast Wars at it's peak), it was quite possibly the biggest year for Transformers ever. Actually, it was."Classics" started the year off on the right foot, & is quite possibly the best TF toy line in history. The quiet (& not so quiet) steam building of fandom for the ultimate TF experience for the mainstream, "The Movie" in 2007 was the momentum for it all, hitting quite effictively in the middle of the year. BOTCON was AWESOME in 07, & I don't think they could have had more desirable exclusives, or put on a better show with having Peter Cullen, Stan Bush (with an extremely fun concert), & David Kaye as their headliners. I really enjoyed my 2nd experience with Botcon, & it riveled my original 1997 experience, then BEAT it. I think with Hasbro giving us so much postive information, like when we thought "Classics" were over, they were actually coming back as "Universe"... A sneak-peak at "Animated", & a chance to see the new Movie (before release), the real Optimus Truck from the film, Pepsi Prime & the "Games Of Deception" Box+, they really catered to fans in a way that I have never seen before, the dinner party/concert was killer, & reminded me why I go to Anime Cons to this day. And even if you had to wait to the initial release of the Movie, it didn't faulter as a mainstream success, I personally enjoyed it very much & I find it SO interesting that people now, who knew nothing 6 months ago about TF's, can realate because they now know who Optimus Prime & Bumblebee are. Kids were excited about TF's in a new way, so much so that stores were constantly empty of product, something that (as a whole) I have not seen (ever) for TF's. The year winded it's way down (in a good way, minus bare shelves) & Animated premiered, featuring what seems to be a new positive direction for the franchise & to maitain high interest in the brand. Hasbro took some INCREDIBLE risks this year, by NOT doing what they HAD been doing. "Classics" was a safe & steady bet, what many fans have wanted for years, following that up with a Blockbuster/radically different looking Movie that fortunately was a major success, was a huge gamble for them (imagine if it bombed??). Then follow THAT by another completely different non-anime, western-style cartoon headed by CN (so it actually gets a good timeslot) was another bold move that looks to be another major pay off for them come 2008. This formula worked in spades for them, & they are currently USING THE SAME formula with GI Joe, (25th classic style figures, Big Budget Movie in 2009, most likely followed up with an animated series...& my guess is the con will be in RI that year too. ^_-) It was an AMAZING year for TF History & one that will always stand as a "Staple Year" for how lucrative & innovative it was. Now I can truly call 2007, the year for "Transformers!!"
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