More Rebel Groups, Pairs, and Singles
I've added a few more pieces to my Great Rebellion Collection, featuring the virtuous characters of the She-Ra: Princess of Power Universe. All of these pieces are available in a plethora of different formats like t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, kids'/baby's clothes, stickers, cards, prints, posters, pillows, totes, mugs, duvets, and iPad/iPhone/laptop cases and skins all at my RedBubble.com Store.
Castaspella: "Enchanting Queen of Mysticor" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Double Trouble: "Verdant Double Agent" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith
Kowla: "The Demure Owlette" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
"Related Rebels 1" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Double Trouble, Queen Angella, and Princess Glimmer. Double Trouble is said to be Princess Glimmer's cousin from the kingdom of Green Glade in the Filmation Series Bible. Queen Angella is Princess Glimmer's mother, thus Double Trouble's aunt. Click on the image above to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
"Love Birds" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Kowl & Kowla. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media.
Additional Great Rebels
Two more Rebels have been added to the collection: Frosta, the Ice Empress of the North, and Swift Wind, She-Ra's trusty steed. Both of these pieces are available in a multitude of products like t-shirts, hoodies, kids'/baby's clothes, prints, cards, iPhone/iPad cases, laptop cases, pillow, totes, mugs, duvets, and leggings at my RedBubble Store.
Frosta: "The Ice Empress" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with her image.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Swift Wind: "The Valkyrie's Trusty Steed" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the image to buy products with this image.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
Both characters ©Mattel
More Great Rebellion Artwork by Kevenn T. Smith
In adding to my Great Rebellion Collection, there are now two more characters that haven't appeared in prior releases. "Brightmoon' Angelic Queen" and "Light's Crystalline Hope" depict Queen Angella and Light Hope. Both are available on t-shirts, hoodies, kids' clothes, stickers, iPad/iPhone cases, throw pillows and totes at my RedBubble.com Store. Also available is an Etherian Landscape piece which will serve as a backdrop for all of the characters in one large print. The backdrop(sans characters) is available now on posters, prints, and cards because some fans requested it in order to use as a backdrop for their action figure collections. It's also available on a duvet cover. Click on the pictures below to be taken to the item at my store.
"Brightmoon's Angelic Queen (Pink)" by Kevenn T. Smith has Queen Angella with pink tinged color in her wings, which is an homage to the pink wings of the vintage action figure.
"Brightmoon's Angelic Queen (White)" by Kevenn T. Smith is offered for those who want her with the all white wings that she appeared with in the cartoon.
"Light's Crystalline Hope" by Kevenn T. Smith depicts the character Light Hope with his "column of colored light" form that he appeared as in the cartoon the most along with the corporeal "Crystal Castle Man" design for him released in the Masters of the Universe Classics action figure line.
And finally, also available is "Etherian Landscape" by Kevenn T. Smith.
All images are hand drawn in pencil, hand inked, and digitally colored in Photoshop.
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel
"Razzle Dazzle" by Kevenn T. Smith
Another Great Rebellion illustration is now available at my RedBubble store! You can get this illustration of Madame Razz & Broom by themselves on t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, stickers, kid clothes, tote bags, throw pillows, iPhones cases, and iPad cases. Click on the picture below to be taken to the page.
Great Rebellion T-Shirts by Kevenn T. Smith
I have been working on this series since the beginning of 2012. And while I wanted to debut it all as a massive print with a large amount of characters, perhaps this is the best way to get the ball rolling. The She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon was a huge influence on me as a child in my development as an artist, a person with a moral center, my strong belief in feminine empowerment, and my sense of aesthetics. Alongside the cartoon was an action figure line that I wasn't allowed to own and had to surreptitiously play with my sister's collection, which included amazing design details that had to be simplified and excised for the purposes of animation.
With this series, I'm trying to come up with my "ultimate" versions of these characters that takes my favorite design elements from all of the various depictions of these characters, (Filmation cartoon, vintage action figures, vintage style guide, vintage production art and advertisement art, vintage coloring books, the current Masters of the Universe Classics figures, and original design elements) and bring them all into one cohesive series. The first entry is the core members of the Great Rebellion on a t-shirt (in various sizes, styles, colors and available in kids' clothes and on stickers!) or totebags, throw pillows, iPhone & iPad cases: She-Ra, Bow, Princess Glimmer, Madame Razz & Broom, Kowl, Loo-Kee, and Light Hope. Click on the pictures to be taken to my RedBubble store where you can purchase a t-shirt (or other products offered) of "Rebel Core."
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
Other T-Shirts (and kids' clothes and stickers and tote bags and throw pillows and iPhone/iPad cases!) are available, such as this one with a slightly different version of She-Ra called "The Light of the Valkyrie's Hope."
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel and Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
Loo-Kee by himself in "Here I Am!"
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
Loo-Kee ©Mattel
Pencil, in, Photoshop
And Kowl by himself in "The Owl Knows."
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
Kowl ©Mattel
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
The 3rd Annual Pay It Forward For Don Shepherd Day
Today is the 3rd Annual "Pay It Forward For Don Shepherd Day." Don Shepherd was an amazing man who spent his life helping others. He was a veteran. He was an EMS professional and saved countless human lives. He volunteered many of his off-work hours helping with homeless cats and animals. Don was the husband of my friend, comedian, actor, teacher, and writer, Kelley Lynn, who died suddenly this day three years ago. Since then, every day this year, Kelley has worked to get people to do something nice for someone else on this day in rememberance of her wonderful husband. She asks you to do something, and then e-mail her to tell her about it.
The reason that I'm mentioning this here, is because Kelley is also writing a book about her husband and her life after his death using her unique brand of humor to deal with what is normally a subject of despair. You can get a sneak peek at some of the content of her book by reading her blog: R.I.P. the Life I Knew. I am providing the cover to her book, which is scheduled to be published later this year. However, Kelley is a widow who is struggling to live on a single income now that her husband has died, and extra money for publishing a book is not easy for her to come by.
That's why there is an IndieGoGo campaign to raise money for the book. If you would like to donate, please head on over to the IndieGoGo page for her book. It would make a great contribution for Pay It Forward For Don Shepherd Day. When you contribute, you can see a preview of my artwork for the book cover in the Updates section of the campaign page. And here you can get a sample of some of Kelley's outstanding comedy where she turns pain into something to laugh at:
"Rainstorm In Prague: The Night Circus" by Kevenn T. Smith
This past autumn, I had the opportunity of being asked to provide original artowrk for the charity art auction for the One Book Odessa event in Odessa, Texas. This year, the event celebrated Erin Morgenstern's fantastical novel, The Night Circus. Ms Morgenstern even made an appearance at the event. It was a huge success and well attended.
For my illustration, I wanted to depic one of my favorite scenes in the book. It takes place in Prague, in a rainstorm, and it is the scene where the illusionist, Celia Bowen, learns the true identity of the handsome Marco Alsidair. It's a terribly romantic scene with a magic umbrella that keeps rain off of its holder and warms them up as well.
The book mentions that the scene takes place near the old astronomical clock in Prague. I've never been to Prague, and this required some research on my part. When scouring pictures of the clock and the surrounding area, I quickly realized why Courtney chose to set the scene where she did. The clock is reminiscent of the intricate and amazing clock that resides in the circus. The sidewalks even appear to be "black and white," which is how the circus in the book is adorned. I also researched the street lamps in Prague in order to accurately depict them. Most of the clothing in this scene isn't decribed, but we are told that Celia is wearing a wine colored dress. Marco is described in the book in at least one place as wearing a brown suit, and I wanted to be as faithful to the text as possible.
This piece is available as cards, prints, and small posters on redbubble.com!
©Kevenn T. Smith 2013
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
Holiday Cards by Kevenn T. Smith
Looking for festive Holiday greeting cards? I have two!
The first one, Humphrey & Lucy's Happy Holiday, features precocious pups, Humphrey & Lucy breaking into their presents a little early. It's available on RedBubble.com!
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor color pencils, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2013
The other Holiday card I offer is called Shh! Santa Scraps is Sneaking, and features Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of Oz, also available at RedBubble.com!
Pencil, Ink, Prismacolor color pencils
©Kevenn T. Smith 2013
Recent and Upcoming Projects
I know it has been quiet on this site, which means that I've been very busy with projects. I just completed an assignment as the Costume Designer for Theater Ninjas' show, Black Cat Lost, which was written by Obie Award winning playwright, Erin Courtney. The show was also paired with a short ten minute long piece called The Refrain, which I was also responsible for. The show also received a write up in American Theater Magazine.
I've also been working as the Costume Designer for another show, which also received a write up in American Theater Magazine, called Doug Is a D-Bag and performed at Cleveland Public Theater. It's my first show as a Designer for Cleveland Public Theater, and I couldn't be more excited to work on a show that combines audience texting interaction with hilarious comedic writing. We open the day after Thanksgiving and run for three weeks, so come out and see us!
Zulana's Adventure Party by Kevenn T. Smith
This latest piece was originally intended to be an illustration for an all-ages appropriate fantasy anthology comic book. Unfortunately, the comic book didn't materialize, but I had already started the work, and I hate abandoning a project. The lack of a deadline, however, meant that I could really go all-out with a lavish background.
This piece wouldn't have been possible without some of my very amazing friends who helped to create and serve as models and visual inspiration for these characters: Valhala the young Elven Bow Maker, ancient Elven wizard Elcnu Stoot and his faithful owl Brab, Elven ranger Il'thindar "Thindar" Aoenarian, the Amazon warrior Zulana, Halfling Joan of Orc, Johnson the Orc, D'Arjento Carnifax the Wyrd and his feline familiar Ozymodius, and Dwarven warrior Odin Von Thorenstein. They are shown here against the landscape of Zulana's Amazon Homeland, Estronia. And this will hopefully not be the last you see of these characters...
This piece prints out at 16 by 20 inches and is available as prints and more at my RedBubble.com store.
Valhala
Elcnu Stoot & Brab
Il'thindar "Thindar" Aoenarian
Zulana
Johnson the Orc
Joan of Orc
D'Arjento Carnifax the Wyrd
Odin Von Thorenstein
Pencils, ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2013
Ain't It Cool News Reviews the So Super Duper Complete Collection
Ain't It Cool News, arguably the biggest pop culture site on the internet, has reviewed the So Super Duper Complete Collection! There's a wonderfully funny interview with So Super Duper creator, writer and artist, Brian Andersen, himself, and the review follows. What is especially thrilling for me, is that out of all the back-up stories that were chosen to be included in the collection, mine was specifically mentioned!
"It must be said, “Pride Goeth” by Kevenn T. Smith and Ray Caspio has got me thinking that Smith would be a perfect fit for an ongoing series. His perfectly pulpy pencils are a nice fit for such a fun story--just sayin’."
The So Super Duper Complete Collection is a delightful read, and you can go here to buy either a print version (which utilizes a high quality paper, so the print version is gorgeously produced) or a digital pdf file of the collection.
The Ascension of Polychrome - Prints, Clothing & More!
This week sees the release of the movie "Oz, the Great and Powerful" on Blu Ray & DVD. Also, June is PRIDE month, so what better way to celebrate both than the release of my piece "The Ascension of Polychrome" now available as prints, t-shirts, hoodies, stickers, cards, post cards, and kids' clothes on Redbubble.com? While Polychrome isn't featured specifically in "Oz, the Great and Powerful," the rainbow does make an appearance, and Polychrome is the Daughter of the Rainbow... You can read more about this piece from my previous entry on it when I first debuted it on this site here.
As usual, the clothing comes in assorted sizes, colors, and styles - simply choose your favorite! Click on either of the images below to go directly to the listing on my Redbubble.com store.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2013
Triple Goddess' Blessing by Kevenn T. Smith
This piece is very special to me. I had previously done a piece of the Triple Moon Goddesses, but as explained before, I had been asked to keep it an exclusive piece, which I continue to honor. In the meantime, I've had several inquiries about selling prints of that piece, and I knew I would need to re-visit that subject again. Along came last year's Winter Solstice, and I really felt like it was time to have a go again - once again as gift material - but also this time using techniques that I've developed in my work since then. The original piece was hand colored with Prismacolor pencils and tempera paint. This new version is hand drawn and inked, but colored digitally.
As I worked on this piece, one piece of music that I played on heavy rotation for inspiration was a beautfiul song by the amazing and incredible independent singer and songwriter, Casey Stratton, entitled "The Maiden, The Mother and The Crone," from his fantastic 2009 Holiday album, A Winter Moon, which is available for download purchase and free sampling at his website. I think the mood and timbre of his song really helped me capture the magic I wanted to instill in this piece.
I also really wanted the colors of this piece to be vibrant and really reflect the essences of these Goddesses, as well as weave a mysterious and mystical mood that inspires, comforts, and soothes the soul.
This piece is available for purchase as greeting cards, post cards, prints, and posters at my Redbubble.com store. The piece is also available directly from me as an 11" by 14" print on metallic photo paper via the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request that specific print directly from me for $40 + Shipping, which includes Priority Mail & Tracking.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2013
The Tinderbox at Talespinner Children's Theatre
Right now, Talespinner Children's Theatre is mounting its own adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Tinderbox. I had the glorious privilege of serving as the Witch Designer and Crafts Artisan on this production. I can't express enough how much I love the creative freedom that I am afforded at Talespinner. It is a true joy and delight to be able to create work there.
The show is done in a steampunk-meets-circus style, and it was really a fun aesthetic to work in. I won't get too specific about the design aspects of the show just yet, so as not to spoil anyone's experience, but I hope you will go and see not only my work, but amazing costumes, set design, and performances, which are as follows:
April 12th through April 28th, 2013
Fridays 1PM & 7PM; Saturdays 2PM & 7PM; Sundays 2PM
Pay What You Can performances Sunday, April 7th & Friday, April 12th (7PM only)
For more information and reservations, please go to The Tinderboxwebsite at Talespinner's page.
The Knights T-shirt by Kevenn T. Smith
This t-shirt design is actually a "Deleted Piece" from the Theatre Ninjas show "Marble Cities," that I served as Costume Designer on. I originally had envisioned the Kinight character wearing a t-shirt with this logo on it, and the logo would be for the landscaping company that he worked at. In the end, the decision to cut the logo on the t-shirt came for a couple of reasons. One, that we didn't want to telegraph the natures of the Knight's character too much, and two, none of the other characters had anything as graphic on their costumes as this was, and it would have stood apart from the rest too much.
But now, rescued from the "cutting room floor," this t-shirt can be yours or for the Theater Ninjas or chess superfan in your life! It is available as t-shirts, hoodies, and stickers in assorted colors, styles, and sizes at RedBubble.com!
©Kevenn T. Smith 2013
Art For Talespinner Children's Theatre
This is my last post for 2012, and I wanted to write about another incredible opportunity that I had this year. I was asked to help out in making three-dimensional artwork for the two shows of 2012 for Talespinner Children's Theatre.
In June, I was called in to help add on details to some of the puppets that were constructed for the show, "The Tale of the Name of the Tree." They needed someone who could handle very detail-oriented and time-consuming work of gluing dried grass from grass skirts as hair on some of the puppets. Detail-oriented and time-intensive; naturally, they thought of me. I worked on a baboon puppet, and giraffe puppet, and a huge lion puppet.
In November, I got the call again from Talespinner's Artistic Director, Alison Garrigan, to work on chandeliers for their adaptation of the opera, "The Magic Flute." I was provided with most of the materials and the umbrella "skeletons" that were going to serve as the base of the chandeliers and told one was for The Queen of the Night, and the other was for Sarastro, who was like The King of the Day. In addition, the umbrella "skeletons" needed to be able to transition between the closed and open positions, as they would be brought out onstage "closed" and then opened and suspended in the closed position. I was given complete creative freedom and confidence, which is everything that an artist like me could wish for. Using the materials I was given, and some of my own, including spray painting one of the umbrella "skeletons" gold, I threw myself into making sparkling chandeliers that would hopefully dazzle the young audiences who would be witness to the magic onstage.
There's something very rewarding for me about creating work that will be seen by children and helping to transport them into another world fueled by their imaginations. I was very happy with how the chandeliers turned out, and they were even mentioned in a review of the show on Cool Cleveland.com as part of the set:
"...clever and visually stunning (old umbrellas with glittering streamers where hung up as chandeliers in the palace)."
Images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2012
Fantastic Plastic Toys Logo Design by Kevenn T. Smith
One of the projects that I worked on this year was creating a logo for a company. My friend, Mark Vasquez, started a toy selling company called Fantastic Plastic Toys. In working on the logo, he gave me an incredible amount of creative freedom, which is what an artist like me craves. I got a basic idea of what he wanted, but the character creation was up to me. I used colors found on the company's website in the circle, the letters, the "shelf," and the background color.
The logo is used on the company's Facebook page, as well as banners when they sell merchandise at various conventions where collectors attend. It's great to see my work act as the face of a company, especially when it's a company that's all about fun.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop, Illustrator ©Kevenn T. Smith/Fantastic Plastic Toys 2012
Costume Designs for "Marble Cities" by Theater Ninjas
I was hired as the Costume Designer for the Fall 2012 show by Theater Ninjas, Marble Cities. Marble Cities is a devised show created from the ground up through workshopping with the actors. This was the first time I had worked on a devised show, and it was a whole new process from what I've been used to.
Usually, when I design a show, I get a script, and I read it several times, scouring it and taking notes for every little hint about the characters in it - their appearances, their personalities, their pasts, their futures. I incorporate all of that into the design of the character, and I try to hear the rhythms in their voices and create from the inside out. With a devised show, I'm hired, and there's no script. I receive character descriptions and an idea of the direction that the director wants to go in with the characters.
Also in the devised theater process, the actors have a gigantic share in the creation of the character that they're playing, so it was necessary to meet with each of the actors about their character and get a sense of the direction that they were thinking of taking them. I asked them questions about their characters like their favorite color, or if there was a certain element that they aligned with, or if they had a "totem," be it animal, vegetable, mineral. I got a variety of responses that were great to work from. I also took photos of each cast member, and I asked them to assume the body language of their character. I used these photographs as referneces in coming up with character renderings for each of them, and they gave me further clues as to who these characters were. I made full-color illustrations of the characters in order to give the director as much of an idea of the direction I was leaning in for each character as possible. One challenge of costuming an eight person cast show with a smaller theater company is staying in a budget. The fully realized renderings were one way I tried to keep costs down by being specific, which would hopefully cut down on the number of items I would end up buying for the show that might not be returnable if they ended up not being used.
I've created a gallery of illustrations and photographs for the characters where I write about the thought process (and in some cases, evolution) with each one. for those who want to explore some of the details of the world of Marble Cities. You can reach it by clicking on the rendering of Ray Caspio as The Magician below: 
Pencil, ink, Photoshop ©Kevenn T. Smith 2012
Upcoming Projects
I'm pleased to be able to announce two projects I will be working on. This Saturday, September 8th, I'll be a performer for Cleveland Public Theater's annual Pandemonium fund raising event. I will be in the "Red Room" with Ray Caspio and Lauren B. Smith in the basement of Parish Hall, and drawing will be part of my performance. The three of us have created the performance and designed the space.
Also, I will be the Costume Designer for the world premier of The Theater Ninjas' new devised show, Marble Cities. I am extremely excited to be working with the Theater Ninjas, since I am a big fan of their work. I'm looking forward to doing sketches and working closely with the actors to solidify the visuals of the characters in the show. Marble Cities opens November 1st, 2012.
The Ascension of Polychrome by Kevenn T. Smith
This illustration, The Ascension of Polychrome, was made for the 2012 Winkie Convention Program Book. This year, the Winkie Convention is celebrating the 100th year anniversary of L. Frank Baum's 1912 book, Sky Island, the follow-up to his 1911 book, The Sea Fairies.
In the book, the young heroine, Trot, and her companion, Cap'n Bill, meet a young boy named Button Bright (who first appeared in Baum's 5th Oz book, The Road to Oz), and the three end up flying with a magical umbrella to an island high in the sky known as "Sky Island." They first land in the Blue country, where everything is blue and the people are none too friendly. They manage to escape through the fog bank separating the blue country from the neighboring Pink Country, where the people are more pleasant, but they're still not welcome to stay. The law leads them the Pinkies to believe that Trot and her companions must be thrown over the edge of the island to their deaths. Fortunately, Polychrome, the Rainbow's daughter, (who also appeared with Button Bright in Baum's 5th Oz book, The Road to Oz)arrives and stops the execution, and finds a loophole in the Pinkies' Book of Laws to not only save Trot, Capn' Bill, and Button Bright, but to declare Trot their leader. The Rainbow returns, and Polychrome ascends into it to return to her sisters and her father, which is the scene I wanted to depict here.
When creating this piece, I one of my goals was to capture the feeling of the many paintings depicting Christ's ascension into Heaven. I felt that in the book, Polychrome was a kind of divine savior figure, descending from on high and reversing the fortunes of Trot and her companions, as well as bringing an abundance of color into a monochromatic world. Like the Greek Goddess of the rainbow, Iris, she brings color and knowledge with her, which in turn brings growth and change.
The Ascension of Polychrome by Kevenn T. Smith ©Kevenn T. Smith 2012
Polychrome Detail ©Kevenn T. Smith 2012
Violet Sister Detail ©Kevenn T. Smith 2012
Red Sister Detail ©Kevenn T. Smith 2012Pencil, ink, Photoshop
@Kevenn T. Smith 2012
This piece also gave me the opportunity to use a live model for my Polychrome. The last time I depicted Polychrome, a friend of mine said that she looked like the actress, Elizabeth Mitchell, who appeared in the movie Gia, with Angellina Jolie, and the ABC television shows LOST and V. I thought about trying to search for pictures of Elizabeth Mitchell at the angles I wanted to draw the figures for the piece in as reference material, but that would have taken too much time and may not have yielded the results I was hoping for.
Then, I remembered that my friend, the superbly talented and beautiful Cleveland actress, Emily Pucell, often reminded me of Elizabeth Mitchell. Luckily, Emily was kind enough to pose for me to use not only as Polychrome, but as her two sisters as well. This was the first time Emily has ever modelled for a drawing or painting, but she said she would definitely consider doing it again. Emily graduated in 2005 with B.A. degrees in Theater and History from Miami University. She performed in her first play at the age of 12, but has been working professionally as an actor since her graduation in 2005. Emily will next be seen onstage in the forth-coming show by Cleveland's Theater Ninjas this fall.