I had this idea cross my mind and I had to draw it! This is a scene with Arlo and Enzo when they were younger (12 and 6) simply going on a fishing trip in the morning. While the scene may feel happy, I felt a bit melancholy (and even nostalgic) while drawing it. This piece depicts the some of the happiest moments in their lives. It’s not long after this when things really start going down hill and the brothers start drifting apart. Also notice how Enzo still has his natural leg. Anyway I gave Enzo the picnic basket since he’s already a foodie.

In the interest of learning more in the area of painting, I decided to attack it in full force. I’m still new at the whole concept of doing it, but I think I’m happy with my first attempt. I tried going for a pseudo CG look reminiscent of Pixar or something of the sort. Anyway, here’s my villain Titus Van Buren in all his shady glory. I want his jacket and shades. LOL

Arlo and Enzo are back in this side piece I did for a contest. I took them straight to the steampunk genre with a slight techie twist. 😀 I’ve always had a soft spot for steampunk even though I was more of a cyberpunk fan. Anyway, time to pack some heat!

This is my next big piece featuring Arlo and Lily. This is actually Lily’s first piece! Going into this, I specifically focused on trying to keep my colors in check, backing off on vibrance, while paying close attention to lighting and perspective. I also realized the success of this piece relies on the dynamic of Arlo and Lily from gesture to expression. This was a challenging piece as I tried a lot of new tricks, as well as some new brushes to try out. I also got a little ballsy drawing many onlookers (as I call NPC’s). This helps convey the reactions in this piece. Also, I’m kind of a fan of Scandinavian architecture and areas around Switzerland / Germany, hence the environment.

About the piece:

Arlo and Lily have known each other a long time coming from two different ways of life. Lily is smart, sassy, and very practical. She sees through all of Arlo’s antics and crap, calling him out whenever needed. Arlo doesn’t like her being right all the time, so his way of getting back is to embarrass the hell out of her with song and dance…..IN PUBLIC. Arlo is shameless and a romantic to a fault. They aren’t exactly a couple, but they sure act like one.

As I continue deeper into character design, I had one final character to do in the cast that I had NEVER drawn. He was just a name on some paper in the story, but his role is very important. Hell, I didn’t even have a name for him other than “president” or “king”. This guy is the candidate you’d probably regret voting for. However, who says this is a democracy? President Lockridge has big plans for his citizens, with Titus as his strong arm. He might be all smiles and good on the podium, but this guy is a snake that will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.

I got some inspiration the other night and slammed this out. I wanted to experiment with dialing back the years and showing Arlo and Enzo at a younger age. I’m thinking they’re 6 and 12 here, also the same year their dad died. I call this “The Better Days” as from this point on, things start going downhill. It’s sort of tragic really (also notice how Enzo still has his leg). Cherish the moment and what you have.

These two buddies were actually a little invention from my writer. They’re what you’d call the honest blue collar worker, the farming folk. From the story written around these two minor characters in my graphic novel, I got some inspiration and churned this out. The scruffy drunk looking cat cracking open a brew is Jules. The pudgy concerned friend on the right is Angus. These two characters have a habit of putting their nose where it doesn’t belong. Trouble is bound to catch up with them.

Here’s Archer relaxing on a day off. Being the quiet type, a book and booze is the perfect afternoon. I expanded on my concept of “Oasis Heights” which is a neighborhood that the wealthy or city officials are able to live. Lucky for Archer, he was fortunate enough to get one of the coveted spots rather than live inward towards the city (real estate is scarce after all). The only ways to get there by transit is through train or private airship, both being under heavy surveillance.

As my last piece in my holiday series, the family Christmas isn’t necessarily as jolly as it could be. Enzo has finally had enough with his older brother. As we can see, he’s attacking Arlo with a candy cane decoration and Holly is a bit worried. Arlo however can’t stop laughing even in the midst of a fight. Seriously, what can Enzo do? He’s such a pussy…..erh reindeer. LOL

I wanted to revisit Daphne again since I haven’t done her justice lately. I attacked a lot of new things from a technical perspective, including a serious application of 2 point perspective, multi-light sources, experiments with textures wet and dry, etc.

I made this a story piece with Enzo and Daphne walking home from the workshop one evening. However, while I wanted this to be about Daphne, it’s also about Enzo…technically their relationship. Enzo has a hard enough time making friends, but a girl (especially a cute one) is practically a goldmine, especially since she’s his assistant. Being young and inexperienced, he’s a bit of a hopeless romantic without even knowing it. We can see here that he’s keeping Daphne dry at the expense of himself getting wet, and he’s loving every bit of it. What he doesn’t realize is that he can be a bit of a push over (Daphne knows this). Oh Enzo….you have some growing up to do. 😀