Character Sketch 3: Paladin

This is another drawing of the female paladin from the full illustration, Flames That Clash Against Me [Link 1] [Link 2]. I liked her enough to draw her again. I may draw her again another time. Who knows.


COPYRIGHT:  Character Design belongs to J.S. Choi (c). DO NOT USE!

Media: Graphite

Character Sketch 2: Feline Warrior & Fox Kid

This female feline warrior is the same character for my illustration, Moonlit Night & Brutish Bane [Link]. I drew her in a casual pose amused and worried by the fox child. I imagined the interaction between the warrior and the adorable fox child was made in a random town she stayed at for a few days rest before passing on. Quick girl!  Roll a skill check to diplomatically decline the fox child's crush, and avoid importantly a annoying kid's wailing.

Oh kids... O_O You love them and hate them... Both at the same time.



COPYRIGHT:  Character Design belongs to J.S. Choi (c). DO NOT USE!

Media: Graphite

Character Sketch 1: Feline Warrior

This is another sketch of the female feline warrior in the illustration, Moonlit Night & Brutish Bane [Link]. You can tell I liked drawing her a bit too much. ^_^;; Something about the dreads/braids and her outfit, particularly the patterns are fun to draw.


COPYRIGHT:  Character Design belongs to J.S. Choi (c). DO NOT USE!

Media: Graphite

Shadowrun- Data Mining

A commissioned illustration I did for Catalyst Game Labs. The title to this piece may have changed in the printed book, but I was told it was called Data Mining. Shadowrun is a urban fantasy tabletop RPG game that is also heavily influenced by sci-fi with its technology. The illustration depicts a dwarf gathering data from his hard drives while a elven thief sneaks a away with a stolen hard drive in invisible mode.

This is a piece I did last year that just recently got published.


Copyright: Illustration belongs to J.S. Choi (C). DO NOT USE!
Copyright of Shadowrun product: Data Mining concept, characters, and
world belongs to Catalyst Games Lab(C).

Media: Graphite, Ink, & Photoshop

Huntress VS Black Canary (Mock Cover #4/ Value Painting)

This is the value painting for the Huntress VS Black Canary[Link].

Huntress VS Black Canary(Mock cover #4)

Dinah(Black Canary) and Helena(Huntress). Two awesome DC characters (Yes, I like DC and Marvel equally. None of this rivalry of who is better non-sense). I love them, particularly in Bruce Timm's Justice League animated TV series. I do love them in some comic series but Bruce Timm just makes anything he touches gold. Is there anything this man has done that isn't loved? Vampriella. Justice League. Batman, the animated series. Batman Beyond. Seriously!

Now then! I shall stop my fan raving heart and blush profusely for geeking out immensely to this amazing artist. I shall now commence the point of this artist comment with my mock cover of Huntress and Black Canary.

The two characters in this piece are from the known comic company, DC, particularly in series titles, Justice League, Batman, and Birds of Prey. Helena and Dinah's relationship is a solid friendship. Each heroine has her different idea of justice.

One believes in protecting the innocent no matter the cost, even breaking a few rules and bones. It doesn't matter if she looses her innocence, being consumed by darkness isn't so bad to her. She would rather save those who desperately need it, and if she has to kill the bad guy to do it, she will. This is her view in being a heroine.

In fact, she will even end a force of evil permanently if she could. She hates the idea that most of the law will simply let the scum loose to hurt the innocent again. They do the crime, a hero catches them, they get sent to prison, get loose from prison, and repeats the cycle all over again. This bothers her and she is close to killing at points. Most of the time, someone stops her from ending a criminal's life. She is a woman, who lives in a corrupt city where the law is too tainted to try people fairly. This heroine's name is Huntress. She is the cape covered woman with raven hair, and holding two metal pipes striking aggressively in the illustration.

The other heroine is Black Canary. She is pure in some regards and has a good conscious on her shoulders. Even if things look down, she boosts her friends up as a leader. She is loyal to a 'T'. She believes in a no-kill policy. She also believes in second chances.

The law will punish those that deserve it, and help those who need a chance to be better as individuals. She believes in capturing villains and letting the scale of justice fairly weigh a person's sins. It isn't right as heroes to kill. They aren't the executioner. They aren't the judge. They are meant to help the laws set out improve and stay secure. This is what she believes.

I wanted to show that tension, the yin-yang philosophies between the two as they duke it out. I really wanted to show the strength, dedication, and conviction in their belief as well as show the sensuality and persona of the other.

Black Canary is fair in hair and skin. She is being more defensive than offensive, dodging and blocking her assailant- Her friend.

Huntress, the dark one, is aggressive and charging forth with all she has through her legs and arms swing pipes with vigor and anger.

I wish to show that tenacity, and yet show the battle like a dance. Beautiful and elegant, yet, dangerous and menacing. They are striking contrasts revealing a elegant and ugly side like a coin.

The process for this particular piece was a rough technique based on Adam Hughes' greyscale process. The technique is a balance between values painted traditionally with color painted digitally.



COPYRIGHT: Illustration belongs to J.S. Choi (C) DO NOT USE!
Copyright of Huntress and Black Canary belongs to DC(C).
Huntress' original creator is Mort Meskin.
Black Canary's(Dinah Lance) creators are Denny O'Neil and Dick Dillin.

Media: Graphite, Gouache, Marker, Watercolor, White Charcoal, & Photoshop

Loki - The Oedipus Trickster(Mock cover #3)

Oedipus Ideas and Sexual Thoughts:

Loki Laufeyson. You are one fucked up child only a parent could mess up. I heart this character to bits! Man Loki. Lady Loki. Kid Loki. It doesn't matter! This character is pure fun!

For those who do not know this Marvel comic character, she is based on Norse Mythology. She is specifically based on the god of trickery and deceit. This illustration is influenced by both the Thor film and the comic book series.

Being a messed up case in both classic and modern interpretation, Loki is a complex villain and in recent events, changed into a woman not of his will in the comic, but of complex circumstances (It doesn't mean she didn't have fun being a female. She messed with so many people with her new sexual identity. Verily so!). XD

In a way, this is a transgender piece to me. Loki is generally a man, who turns into a woman from time to time. He is all about transformation and change in some ways. I am not saying Loki is some deep symbolic character per se, just that this illustration for me is a transgender piece- Nothing else. Nothing too complicated in my opinion. I worked on this piece, constructing it, trying to understand the character, and what not when making this piece... It doesn't mean I am necessarily correct. It's an interpretation.

However beyond the sexual theme, I felt Loki's tale is more of an Oedipus-like story of a child, who grows up to be an adult with the will to overcome her father and triumph. The idea of needing to kill the old to rule as the new is very classic concept be it Norse, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and so forth in history and in myth.

For Loki, the need to rule means much to her, I think. I constantly feels she is casted in the shadow of her brother, Thor. She never feels she can gain Odin's love. She isn't the ideal son. As a half giant, abandoned for being small and human proportioned (a deformity in frost giant culture) by her biological father, the frost giant king, Laufey, her existence is tragic. She was unloved to begin with. Her own father abandoned her as a baby in the frozen tundras of the icy Nifelheim realm to die. She was then saved and adopted by the main comic hero's(Thor) father, Odin. She was raised never knowing of her origin till much later, which must be a shock to her self identity. Eventually Odin, her adopted father, would abandon her for Thor, who she compares herself too always as a rival and enemy.


She has always had a complex issue with father icons. The usual result of wanting to overcome said paternal figure shows through her constant evil schemes, battles, vengeance, desire for love, need of acceptance, need to murder, need to over throne, and other classic parental wants. Loki is a very Oedipus being.


Illustration:

In the illustration, I wanted to show her as a strong character regardless of moral code enjoying the success of getting past her pain and anger with one father- Laufey. Yet, I also wanted to show the villainy of her archetype. This visual approach was to show a human side of Loki yet show she is still evil. Powerful and independent, but still evil. She is able to overcome a chapter in her life in vicious glory whether the audience find this is the proper way to do it.

As an experiment, I used different textures from ink spilt photos, different types of metal, and papers as I wanted more painterly and toothy quality in the piece. Graphite made lines disappeared for the most part in this piece as I let it be more of a guide to the digital aspects. Using graphic elements and painterly strokes for a more modern approach is heavily influenced by Adam Hughes and James Jean to pop out figures and show story through symbols and literal imagery.

The piece revolves around death such as the ravens, or the graphic, flat shapes of trees withered and dry. Everything about the piece even the pale and almost sickly color palette in both Laufey and Loki's skin is screaming death. Emotionally I wanted the viewer to sense the sexuality and horror emanating from the subject matter as a beauty slaughters a beast of a giant, covered in crimson glory only to understand the monster she killed is her father. The violence is harshly stark in contrast against the pure, white snow making it feel more vulgar as if innocence is tainted beyond repair. The fans should see it both disturbing yet sensual, monstrous yet human, and sympathetic yet unforgiving.

Simply put:

Loki is a beautiful asshole!


Lol. I do love crazy, funny characters!



COPYRIGHT: Illustration belongs to J.S. Choi (c) DO NOT USE!
Copyright of Loki and Laufey belongs to Marvel(C).
Laufey's creators are Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Loki's creators are Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby.

Media: Graphite, Texture, & Photoshop