ARTWORK: Cake's Art Corner

[Cake]

Hey folks!

Figured I'd give the Sonic Showcase section a bit of a spin, to show off some of the stuff that I can draw. I work very slowly, and I'm not the best artist, but I still think it'd be cool to get some input from you folks, and just share my stuff in general.

SO, I won't keep y'all waiting!

This first piece that I have is the cover page for my Pokemon fic, aptly titled: Explorers of Infnity. While it is primarily based on the concepts of the Mystery Dungeon games, it is in no way a retelling of the story found in either games. The closest similarities you will find is that it follows the adventures of a human turned Pokemon, namely Claws the Meowth, and his friend Kippur (the Mudkip)! Not gonna say much about it, but if you'd like to read it, all 5 parts of Chapter 1 are on my DevART (check my sig).

Onto the piece itself, I wanted to make something bright and colorful for the cover of Chapter 1, as I wanted it presented in the style of a storybook. I think I did a pretty good job, though I must say there are some obvious issues with the size of Kippur's body (Mudkips are TINY). Tell me what you think!

This second piece, titled "Lost in the Moonlight" is more recent, and was actually my first attempt at using a photoshop-like program (GIMPShop). I simply love how the clouds and grass came out, and poor Claws seems pretty upset, doesn't he? ;_;

Anyways, I'll leave the topic opener at that. I'd love to hear what y'all think!

[Little Miss Fortunes]

Aah, I love that Explorers of Infinity cover! It really does have a story book feel to it. The text is nice and bold which makes it eye-catching, and the vibrant, simple background serves to really highlight the focus - the two characters. I absolutely love, love, love the way you draw Claws' eyes when he's happy, they're so big and shiny and... happy! I think the fact that they're usually not drawn with eyeshine really highlights the gleam when he's happy - I find them really radiant and expressive - it really gives him what I like to call the "Sunshine Smile".

As for Kippur's body, I think it's about right. Personally, I find it horribly difficult to draw quasipeds in general, let alone small, round ones like Mudkip - it's so easy to make them too thin or too large. Also, if he were to be tiny, he'd barely be on the cover unless he were more in the background, and though Claws is the primary protagonist, I like how the cover highlights the whole theme of friendship and partnership by having them both equally in the foreground. That was a very nice touch. I really like the particular scene from the story you used for it as well.

I think it's a very 'warm' picture overall. Warm and fluffy. It's very enticing, and I think it suits the story it's portraying perfectly.

The background in Lost in the Moonlight is really beautiful! I love the softness of the clouds, the twinkly little stars, the subtle glowing of the moon... it's quite a sullen atmosphere, but it's really befitting of the mood of the picture, and it's just so beautiful to look at! The grass is superb as well, did you do that manually? O_O It looks pretty darn realistic!

I love how Claws' more bold and simple design greatly contrasts the subtle and more realistic background, it draws attention to him whilst highlighting his melancholy through both his facial expression and the quiet atmosphere around him. I think a lot can be told from his eyes, they're just so sad-looking, almost as if he's about to cry... It really plays with the heartstrings, drawing out all the feelings of "aww, I wanna adopt him and cuddle him and never let him go!". I think Claws as a character speaks a lot of depth through his eyes in general - they're the window to the soul, after all!

You did an awesome job! I can't believe that's your first attempt at using a program like that - they are HARD. Hee, if this is your starting point, I can't wait to see what you come out with next - you'll be a pro in no time!

Keep up the awesome work, Cake!