The Sea Fairies Illustration by Kevenn T. Smith
This is an illustration that depicts a moment in L. Frank Baum's 1911 book, The Sea Fairies. At this point, Baum had written six Oz books and wanted to write other stories. He wrote The Sea Fairies about a young girl named Trot and her friend, an old peg-legged sailor named Cap'n Bill, visiting the mermaids and exploring the ocean. Yes, it was decades before Finding Nemo and Disney's Ariel. The book is mostly travelogue in nature until the last third, when the plot about an underwater villain really kicks into gear. This image features the mermaid, Merla, swimming with Trot and Cap'n Bill, who have been transformed into merfolk themselves, by the magic of the mermaid sea fairies.
Baum followed The Sea Fairies with Trot and Cap'n Bill's further adventures in Sky Island, which is one of my favorite books by him. Oz characters Button Bright and Polychrome appear in the book. However, Baum's readers wanted more Oz, and so he resumed the series. Trot and Cap'n Bill traveled to Oz in the ninth book of the series, The Scarecrow of Oz, and joined the cast of Oz characters for the following books. I consider these two "spin-off" books to be essential to Oz reading.
A grayscale edition of this illustration will be featured in the program for 2011's Winkie Convention. Programs are available for purchase here. The original colored art piece is debuting framed and matted today (Friday June 3rd) in the Lakewood, Ohio Beck Center for the Arts Student Art Show. The piece will be on display in the lobby until the end of July. It is also available for sale. Contact me for pricing information. This image is also available as cards, postcards, prints, and posters on RedBubble.com!
8 x 11 inches bristol board.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor color pencil.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
WonderCon 2011 Wrap-Up
I had an amazing time at WonderCon! I got to meet so many people who were more than nice and see some great talent there. I'd say it was an absolute success. Thanks to all who came by the booth and supported us. I made 3 artcards right before WonderCon, and one of them sold, and I wanted to spotlight them here. First up is Psyche from Brian Andersen's So Super Duper. This image is now available as cards, prints and Posters at RedBubble.com!
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
Speaking of So Super Duper, I had the opportunity to go by Whatever Comics in the Castro, and issue #11 of So Super Duper with my 10 page back-up story was on display in the front window! You can't miss the hot pink cover:
Issue #11 of Brian Andersen’s So Super Duper is on sale at the shop at Prism Comics.com and Indy Planet.com!!! The 10 page back-up story that I wrote and created the artwork for is lettered by Ray Caspio (who also has a pin-up illustration in this issue!). Just click on the preview thumbnail images below to enlarge them.
All artwork and images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
Another artcard I did was of DC Comic's Batwoman. For this artcard, I wanted to capture some of the "feel" of J.H. Williams III's art in the Batwoman stories that he illustrates. This image is now available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
Batwoman ©DC Comics 2011
The third card that I made before WonderCon was of one of my favorites, She-Ra. I also couldn't resist the chance to illustrate the Whispering Woods backgrounds from the She-Ra cartoon again.
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil, Prismacolor marker.
She-Ra ©Mattel 2011
UPDATE: Brian Andersen wrote about his own experience at WonderCon and mentioned me in the write-up over at Comicbook Queers.com. Take a look!
Shh! Santa Scraps Is Sneaking by Kevenn T. Smith
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This artcard is my way of saying "thank you" for all the support from so many people that I have been given this past year for my work. It's been quite a year for me, and I am very grateful for what I've been able to accomplish. Whichever of the Holidays you may celebrate this time of year, if any, I hope you find peace and love in your life. Thank you. So please enjoy this illustration of Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of Oz, sneaking as Santa underneath the Christmas tree.
This artcard is available as cards, prints and posters at RedBubble.com!
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
So Super Duper #11 Is Now On Sale!!!!!
It's finally here! Issue #11 of Brian Andersen's So Super Duper is now on sale at Indy Planet.com!!! Not only does this issue contain a riveting story written by Brian Andersen and art by Celina Hernandez, but it also features a 10 page back-up story that I wrote and created the art work for, with lettering by Ray Caspio (who also has a pin-up illustration in this issue!). Still not convinced you need this issue? The link at Indy Planet.com gives you a 6 page preview of the main story, and here, I'm giving you a 2 page preview of my 10 page story. Just click on the thumbnail images below to enlarge them. Enjoy!
And don't forget that you can still buy a t-shirt with my take on Psyche & Comet from my illustration from So Super Duper #10 in various styles (hoodies too!), colors and sizes at RedBubble.com, where from now until December 25th, all white apparel is 20% off!
Psyche & Comet From So Super Duper T-Shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
So Super Duper 11 TM and © Brian Andersen. All rights reserved.
All artwork and images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2010
Superhero Artwork Merchandise by Kevenn T. Smith
Just in time for the Holiday Season, you can buy cards, prints and posters of some of my past superhero illustrations seen on this website!
Wonder Clubbing by Kevenn T. Smith. This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
Here, Kitty, Kitty! by Kevenn T. Smith. This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
A Boy and His Dog by Kevenn T. Smith. This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
Double Transformation by Kevenn T. Smith. For sale as T-shirts, Skirts, Hoodies, Kids' & Babies' Clothes, Posters, Throw Pillows, Tote Bags, Studio Pouches, Mugs, Travel Mugs, Photographic Prints, Art Prints, Framed Prints, Canvas Prints, Metal Prints, Greeting Cards, Laptop Skins and more! Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request and inquire about pricing and size options.
All artwork and images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2010
Oz Artwork Merchandise by Kevenn T. Smith
Now you can own prints, cards, t-shirts, hoodies, and other apparel of many of the Oz character illustrations seen on this website. They're available for purchase at RedBubble.com. Also, from now until December 25th, all white apparel is 20% off! All of my t-shirts (women's, men's, children's, and infants) and hoodies are available in white.
Scraps the Patchwork Girl of Oz by Kevenn T. Smith
The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman T-Shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
Dorothy and Ozma T-shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
Polychrome T-shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
The Cowardly Lion and The Hungry Tiger T-shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
Yurgod the Gryphon T-shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
Ozma of Oz T-shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz T-shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
Emerald City Landscape by Kevenn T. Smith available in cards and prints
All artwork and images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2010
"The Lasso Is Mightier..." by Kevenn T. Smith
This is a new illustration of Wonder Woman that I've done that I call "The Lasso Is Mightier..." I'm one of those people that thinks Wonder Woman is so much cooler because the only things she really needs in order to get the job done is her lasso, bracelets, tiara, and powers. All the other stuff like swords, spears, axes, and armor - they're cool for someone like Xena or Red Sonya, but what makes Wonder Woman so wondrous is that she can take on armies, monsters, villains, and gods with just a few tools. Yes, she's THAT good!
This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor color pencil, Photoshop.
Wonder Woman ©DC Comics 2010
Femmes & Furries: Star Wars Sketch Cards For the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation
These are Star Wars sketch cards that I did for the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. Apparently, they were auctioned off in September in separate "treasure chests" at the Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo. I called this series "Femmes & Furries."
Queen Padme Amidala in her Theed Throne Room Gown from The Phantom Menace: I love this costume. It's a mixture of Asian costuming and Italian Rennaisance costuming. I couldn't resist doing my own take on this look.
Princess Leia Organa in her Bespin gown from The Empire Strikes Back: This was my favorite look for Princess Leia in the original trilogy, and my favorite action figure I had of Princess Leia when I was young.
Oola the Twi'Lek Dancer in Jabba the Hutt's Palace from Return of the Jedi: Oola was played by dancer and actress, Femi Taylor. Amazingly, she hadn't aged much between the original filming of RotJ and the Special Edition in the late 90's, and returned to film more footage for that edition. I wanted to capture the grace of her movement in this piece.
Wicket W. Warrick & Princess Kneesa on the Forrest Moon of Endor from Return of the Jedi and The Ewoks: Lots of fans hated the Ewoks in RotJ, but I loved them. I also loved watching The Ewoks cartoon when I was young, which introduced the character of Princess Kneesa. For this piece, I wanted to depict Princess Kneesa in a style more similar to the way the Ewoks looked in their live action appearances with less cartoon looking eyes.
Chewbacca in the Cockpit of the Millennium Falcon: I wanted to draw Chewbacca because he's covered in hair, and I thought it would be fun to show that texture.
Pencil, Ink, Whiteout Pen, Prismacolor Pencils, & Prismacolor Markers
All characters ©Lucasfilm 2010
Wonder Woman Day V: Transformation At Horror Hall by Kevenn T. Smith
Once again, I am participating in the charity auction for Wonder Woman Day V, 2010. The auction will benefit Bradley Angle as well as other domestic violence programs. I continue to participate in this event because this cause is very important to me, and I hope you will consider bidding on my piece to help raise money for it.
As per my usual M.O., I want to continue to depict an empowered Wonder Woman who takes joy in her life and what she does. I also wanted to do a follow up to my piece last year, which had She-Ra in it. As I noted last year, Wonder Woman and She-Ra seem to contain some analogues in their Rogues Gallery, and I couldn't resist taking a crack at another pairing. I also love to put out more images of Wonder Woman and She-Ra working together, as opposed to fighting each other. Right now, the Wonder Woman comic book is being written by J. Michael Straczynski, who also wrote many episodes of the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon series by Filmation, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010. I definitely wanted to do another piece with She-Ra to help contribute to the passing of that occasion.
Wonder Woman's designed changed a little from last year's piece. I wanted to simplify her outfit just a tad to make her more similar to the level of She-Ra's design, so I opted to leave off the diagonal side seams on her boustier. I also went with a more Lynda Carter-esque design on the boots, as opposed to the early Terry Dodson "w" shaped top cut to the boots. In addition, I rounded the edges of her bracelets. She-Ra's bracelets were also smoothed a little on the cuffs, and I added the raised circlet on the center of her choker that the Masters of the Universe Classics She-Ra figure by Mattel had.
Circe's design was a combination of the way she appeared as Terry Dodson drew her in the Heinberg-written issues of Wonder Woman, as well as the DC Direct action figure based on Dodson's designs. Shadow Weaver remained largely true to her Filmation depiction, but I wanted to "fancy" her up just a bit to bring her closer to the level of detail and design that the other characters in the piece had. I gave her a corset , still in red, but in a deeper red than her dress she wears, and gave it a shinier texture. In some early artwork of Shadow Weaver, her belt was a gold or yellow, so I went with that interpretation of her belt and added a row of spikes to it as an homage to a custom Shadow Weaver figure that I own made by Scott Falappi. I also depicted her with the wand that she used in the second season She-Ra episode, "The Caregiver."
Because Circe and Shadow Weaver are both very formidable and dark opponents in each of their respective franchises, I wanted to set the piece in a more dangerous setting, and Shadow Weaver's Horror Hall base, set on top of a volcano, was just the ticket. In preparing for this piece, I did a lot of research on Horror Hall and looked at shots of all the incredibly beautiful backgrounds used in the cartoon series. I also looked at different elements and creatures who were associated with Shadow Weaver in the series, such as her vulture, Syrax, her servants, her bird-like spy, and vermin that lived in the tunnels of Horror Hall. Ultimately, I didn't feel like they would contribute to the composition of the piece, and I wanted to refrain from doing "too much." I opted to depict the main "hall" and what looks to be Shadow Weaver's library, which seemed to be used the most, while taking elements from the background paintings made for the series, as well as adding several "easter eggs" for fans of the Princess of Power show and original Mattel toyline.
For sale as T-shirts, Skirts, Hoodies, Kids' & Babies' Clothes, Posters, Throw Pillows, Tote Bags, Studio Pouches, Mugs, Travel Mugs, Photographic Prints, Art Prints, Framed Prints, Canvas Prints, Metal Prints, Greeting Cards, Laptop Skins and more! Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request and inquire about pricing and size options.
Click on the picture to see a full-sized image:
Transformation At Horror Hall
11.5 x 8 inches Bristol Board.
Pencil, ink, & Prismacolor pencil.
Wonder Woman and Circe ©DC Comics 2010
She-Ra ©Mattel 2010
Shadow Weaver ©Classic Media 2010
So Super Duper Issue #10 Pin-Up by Kevenn T. Smith
I am really excited about my pin-up piece that I did for Brian Andersen's comic book, So Super Duper, issue #10! When I was asked to contribute a pin-up for the So Super Duper comic book, I was beyond thrilled. Going into it, I wanted to make sure it was something that celebrated a milestone like the tenth issue. For an indie comic, it's a big deal! I ended up drawing nearly every character that had appeared in the comic's previous nine issues(some who are not even named). I think I missed one and a half. There was literally one unnamed character who only appeared half-way on one panel. I wasn't going to cry over not being able to fit her in.
You can go here and read a free eight page preview of the issue that includes my pin-up. And while you're there, feel free to order the issue. It's only $4.00! It's the cheapest way to own a piece of my art, and you get to support indie artists! Plus, it's such a fun, cute comic book filled with action, humor, and heart. How can you resist? The original piece, complete with trim art, can also be viewed in the lobby of The Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, Ohio (along with a pin-up piece I did for Kevin Conn's Lava-Roid comic book - but that is another post!) until July 30th, 2010!
From Left to right, starting at the bottom, we have: Mr. Keen, Sass, Feminazi (Don't know if that's actually her name), Bad Kitty, Giant Poop Monster, Bad Tink, Dr. Wicked, The Twins, Skip. The next row is: Fly-Girl, Crazy Curl, Unnamed Superheroine in Yellow and Black, Unnamed Superheroine in Blue and White with Pink Hair. Row Three: Fly-Girl's Unnamed Sister, Halo, Psyche, Comet, Briar. Top Row: Unnamed Pink-Winged Hunky Hero in Violet and White, Star, Hothead, Tink, Captain Idol, Ultra Woman. All characters ©Brian Andersen 2010.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2010
Pencil, Ink, Prismacolor Pencil, Photoshop
Wonder Spin: Bronze Age Artcard by Kevenn T. Smith
My Wonder Woman work seems to be the most popular with people who know of my art, and since I haven't had a Wonder Woman artcard available for a while, I thought it was time to put a new one out there. Usually, when I draw Wonder Woman, I depict the Modern Age version. I'm a big fan of the costume the way Terry Dodson re-designed it, so that's why that look is usually my go-to version of the costume. However, for this artcard, I felt it was time to do something different, and that's why I ended up going with the Bronze Age Wonder Woman when she still had the eagle instead of the later double "w" symbol.
And what could be a more fun way of depicting Bronze Age Wonder Woman than in a Lynda Carter inspired Wonder Spin? Another way that I like to depict Wonder Woman, is smiling. I like the idea of a Wonder Woman who loves life and enjoys what she does. My ideal Wonder Woman is happy.
This artcard and all the other artcards I’ve done are all original hand-made works and can be purchased or $15 plus shipping ($4.95 USPS Priority Shipping – international shipping will be calculated upon an individual order).
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil, Prismacolor marker.
Wonder Woman ©DC Comics 2011
Imperials by Kevenn T. Smith
This is a commission that I did for a friend. When I was a small child, I drew pictures of characters from Star Wars a lot. I don't think I drew Darth Vader very often, or at all. I always liked the good guys better as a kid.
Earlier this year, I drew several Star Wars trading cards for a charity event to take place later this year, but I still hadn't drawn Darth Vader (or any Stormtroopers). This piece gave me the opportunity to tackle those characters and find my own take on them. At first, I got a little intimidated by the limited motion their armor would allow, but eventually, I figured out the way I needed to approach it that would work.
8.25 x 11.5 Bristol board.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
Darth Vader & Stormtroopers ©Lucasfilm 2011
Hop, Throttle, Soar: Adam's Picture
This illustration is a very special piece that I was honored to be asked to do because it's for a four year old boy named Adam Grover. Adam's two favorite things in the world are frogs and the Blue Thunder Monster Truck. Adam was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy Complexes I & IV on June 4th 2008. This mitochondrial disease affects the mitochondria of the cells, which harness energy for the body. The disease leaves him very tired, among other symptoms, that get in the way of living life as four year old boy who wants to play and go to school. It ultimately leads to fatality, and there is no cure. There are certain kinds of vitamins that can possibly help to treat this disease, but insurance does not cover them. Here's a picture of Adam and his Blue Thunder toy:
This piece is going to be presented to Adam at his Make A Wish party this spring, where Blue Thunder and its driver will be present. I am beyond touched and grateful at being able to participate in this celebration of Adam. To find out more about Adam and/or to find out how donate to his fund to help contribute to medical costs, please click here.
The challenge for this picture was to come up with a way to integrate the frogs and the Blue Thunder Monster Truck into an image together so that it made sense. I wanted to draw tree frogs because I think they are simultaneously beautiful and odd looking animals. I love their bright green color and their contrasting bright red eyes. Their bodies are a lot like rubber humans, which make them fun to draw. I thought the best way to overcome the size difference between small frogs and a huge truck was to show the frogs in the foreground, and Blue Thunder behind them. Because these frogs live in the rain forest, I thought it would be great to showcase the truck ramping off of the rain forest mountainside. This gave me an excuse to be able to illustrate a lush rain forest aerial landscape shot. I like these kinds of views because they let me to create the kind of picture where you want to go inside it and explore all the different places in it. Click on the pictures below to access larger versions.
Blue Thunder Detail:
Frogs on the left detail:
Frogs on the right detail:
11.5 x 7.75 Bristol board.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
Cold Hands, Warm Heart: An Ice Valentine by Kevenn T. Smith
This is a Valentine artcard featuring Justice League international character, Ice, whose real name is Tora Olafsdotter. Ice is a princess of a tribe of magic people hidden in Norway. Her powers allow her to create and manipulate ice. And while her powers are very cold, Ice is known for her warm and sweet personality.
Because February is such a cold month where I live, and because Ice is such a caring person, I thought she'd be perfect for a Valentine's Day card. Ice was stupidly killed off at one point, but has been thankfully resurrected by Gail Simone during her first run of the Birds of Prey title. I am very glad Tora was brought back, because there aren't enough loving characters like her in the comics. Not every character needs be be tough and hard or sarcastic and bitter. She even charmed the heart of a hardened character like Green Lantern, Guy Gardner. Ice brings personality diversity to the characters in comic books, and I like to give her features a more diverse look as well. While I was doing this card, I really liked the idea of making her eyelashes white as well. I think they give her a very fantastical quality.
This artcard and all the other artcards I’ve done are all original hand-made works and can be purchased or $15 plus shipping ($4.95 USPS Priority Shipping – international shipping will be calculated upon an individual order).
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
Ice, Tora Olafsdotter ©DC Comics 2010
Now also available as cards and postcards at RedBubble.com!
Singular Sensation: Yurgod the Gryphon
This Singular Sensation entry showcases my illustration of Yurgod the Gryphon that I did for the wrap-around cover of issue #37 of Oziana Magazine. Yurgod the Gryphon is a character from the Russian Oz series of books. When The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was translated into Russian, it seems that it took on a life of its own, and several follow-up books were written in Russian, completely separate from the Oz books that L. Frank Baum continued to write.
I was completely unfamiliar with Yurgod, but the challenge for the cover was to showcase characters that appeared in stories inside the issue. Some characters I knew, but others, like Yurgod, I only had was a couple of images of him provided by my editor. However, he was a visually appealing character, and I was eager to try my own take on him. How could I resist the chance to draw a fantastical creature like this? The drawings I had were very stylized, and I wanted to inject a sense of realism in anatomy to my version. In order to depict him in a way that he would fit in even better with other Oz characters more firmly established in the canon, I wanted to add the bow to the end of his tail to echo the bows on the ends of the tails of the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger. I think the bow makes him look decidedly "Ozzy."
Pencils, Ink, Prismacolor Color Pencils, and Photoshop.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
Now available on a t-shirt at RedBubble.com!
A Boy And His Dog: Superboy & Krypto the Superdog
This is a commission piece that I did of Superboy, Conner (Kon-El) Kent, and Krypto the Superdog. Superboy is a clone using DNA of both Superman and Lex Luthor. The current DC Comics stories have Conner living with Martha Kent on the Kent Farm and going to school in Smallville, much like Clark Kent did when he was growing up.
For me, this piece was also an opportunity to go back to the rural small towns and farm areas that were nearby where I went to college. I had the opportunity to go back there earlier this year for a wedding, and I think it really helped me in depicting the small town/rural setting.
This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
8" x 10.5" on Bristol Board
Prismacolor Color Pencils
Superboy & Krypto © DC Comics 2011
Built Like An Amazon: Artemis of Bana Mighdall Artcard by Kevenn T. Smith
This artcard showcases Artemis of Bana Mighdall in her Requiem costume that seems to have made a comeback in DC Comics' recent publications. Artemis is from the Middle Eastern tribe of Amazons from the hidden city of Bana Mighdall. At one point, Artemis ended up beating Princess Diana of Themiscyra for the title of Wonder Woman. Artemis served as Wonder Woman for a short time. The Amazon sorceress, Magala, had put a spell on Diana on the behest of Queen Hippolyta that would transfer half of Diana's strength and speed when they were near each other. Artemis' stint as Wonder Woman was short-lived, and she was killed by the villain, The White Magician. However, death cant keep a tough Amazon down, and Artemis ended up clawing her way out of hell and her own grave.
Artemis has proven to be a popular character in the Wonder Woman franchise. She's more headstrong and less compassionate than Diana, but her heart is in the right place. She ended up becoming the leader of the Bana Mighdall Amazons on Themiscyra. Aretmis has just returned to Themiscyra in the Wonder Woman title, and her future roll remains to be seen.
For this piece, I went back to Ed Benes' original drawings of Artemis in the Requiem miniseries, as well as Nicola Scott's take on the costume in the recent Secret Six storyline. In some of Benes' early drawings, he had the green lining at the decolletage make a "w" shape. I like that element to help visually tie Artemis into the Wonder Woman family, and as a former Wonder Woman, I believe she's entitled to wear a "w" symbol - even a simplified one. I left of the skull on her headband because I thought that element was excessively 90's. Instead, I opted to repeat the tripple-arrow "A" symbol that the Requiem costume has on the sternum area. I really liked the seams and the side-lacing that Nicola Scott added to the costume in the Secret Six issues, as well as the kneecap armor she gave the boots. The sword is the special demon killer sword that Artemis ended up having in the Byrne run of Wonder Woman that was also included as an accessory to the Artemis action figure that DC Direct made.
This artcard is available as cards, postcards, and a small matted print at RedBubble.com!
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, and Prismacolor pencil.
Artemis ©DC Comics 2011
Ready...Aim...Equality!: Green Arrow Artcard
This artcard was done in support of Marriage Equality issues, especially at the time of this posting when voters this Tuesday in Maine will hopefully be voting No on Issue #1 to protect Marriage Equality. At the same time, I hope voters in Washington state will be voting against Referendum #71 to preserve the rights of all couples in registered Domestic Partnerships.
I don't often put political pieces and views on this website, but Green Arrow has been established throughout his years of comic book publication as a hero who takes up liberal political causes, and has even performed same-sex weddings in his comic book title. Because the character has already come out in support of this issue, I didn't feel like it was inappropriate or trying to make the character into something that he wasn't. My visual inspirations for my depiction of the character come from his costume from the 1970's-80's era with coloring influences from his appearances in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon. I really like the Robin Hood inspired lace up vest that the character had in the 70's and 80's, but I also like the "G" belt buckle that the character has been sporting in the past few years.
This artcard is available as cards, postcards, and a small matted print at RedBubble.com!
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil, Prismacolor marker.
Green Arrow ©DC Comics 2011
Emerald Satellite: Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, Artcard
With DC's Blackest Night event going on right now, Green Lantern is one of DC Comics' hottest properties at the moment. So of course, there couldn't be a better time to showcase my Green Lantern artcard here on this site. Hal Jordan is DC's premiere Green Lantern at the moment, so he won out when it came to choosing which Green Lantern to depict.
I've always enjoyed the few times I've drawn "spacescapes" in illustrations, and this piece was no exception. I wanted to use photographs of some of the planets and moons in our solar system for inspiration when coloring the ones depicted in this artcard, but I wanted to make it clear that this was not our solar system. As photographs from the Hubble Telescope has shown us, space can be quite colorful, and I definitely wanted to incorporate that into this piece.
For Green Lantern, I used Ray Caspio as a model for the pose. I also took visual cues from the updated costume in the comics. For example, I had the Green Lantern symbol on his chest actually project itself as a lazer light projection hovering over his chest. I always liked Hal Jordan visually because green has always been one of my favorite colors, and also because he was one of the few superheroes who had brown hair. Most superheroes when I was growing up had blond or black hair, and I liked that he was different in that respect.
This artcard is available as cards, posters, and prints at RedBubble.com!
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
Green Lantern ©DC Comics 2011
Singular Sensation: Dorothy & Ozma - Princesses of Oz
You knew it was coming - the Singular Sensation entry that features the last part of the website header illustration. If you know The Wizard of Oz, you know who Dorothy is, however most people aren't used to seeing her portrayed as a blond. They expect to see a brunette with braided pigtails, ala Judy Garland. While Dorothy did look like that in the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with Dorothy's return in the third book of the Oz series, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy was portrayed as a blond with a fashionable haircut by John R. Neill. Neill continued to portray Dorothy with this look throughout the books that he illustrated, which equaled to many more appearances than brunette portrayal in the first book.
Princess Ozma of Oz came on the scene in the second book of the series, The Marvelous Land of Oz. Ozma, who was a fairy and the rightful ruler of Oz, was restored to the throne. When Ozma and Dorothy met, the two got along famously and became best friends. Ozma ended up making Dorothy a Princess of Oz. In the sixth book of the series (which Baum intended to be the last, but was besieged with requests of "More Oz, Mr. Baum!"), The Emerald City of Oz, Dorothy, along with Toto, Uncle Henry, and Aunt Em (and Eureka the kitten whom we met in the fourth book, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz) all moved to Oz permanently.
In portraying Dorothy, I like to stick to Neill's blond take on her. I also draw her with visual cues like silver shoes and in modernizing her, I give her a gingham-like print on her t-shirt. In Oz, you never grow older unless you want to, and Oz creators like Eric Shanower have Dorothy changing with the time, while remaining a child. Even Neill drew Dorothy's hair cut changing trhough the years that he illustrated the Oz books, through the early 1900's to the 30's.
I like that approach. Ozma is usually depicted as being a little bit older than Dorothy. Her pendant is a representation of the different areas of Oz: Green in the middle for the Emerald City, yellow Winkie Country to the west, the purple Quadling Country to the north, the blue Munchkin Country to the east, and the red Quadling Country in the south. Ozma was usually drawn wearing two large poppies on either side of her tiara, which I followed, but I left off some of the ornamental ribbons that were usually included on there as a way of showing that in some ways, Ozma is keeping up with the times too. Who wears ribbons in their hair any more? Like Dorothy, Ozma was also drawn differently as the Oz series progressed, even getting a little older. I also thought it'd be nice to break the background tradition for the Singular Sensation entries and include a more detailed background. It better contrasts with the rainbow magic and sparkles.
Pencils, Ink, Prismacolor Color Pencils, Watercolor, and Photoshop.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
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