Hello, dear readers! You haven't had a fan art update for more than 2 weeks. I am sorry about that. I've been away for some time, and when I was at my place it was just too crazy to even think about updating. The holidays are not quite finished for me, but I do have some time today to do my weekly duty. I've had some time to play games while traveling here and there, and I brought Rondo of Swords with me for another try, and I think I might succeed this time. I've been playing Rock Band at various christmas parties, too, and now I want it. But I know what YOU want, and I am going to give it to you right now: fan art!

Featured this week is Red's Legend of Zelda picture titled Hyrule. When Red sent me this picture I loved it immediately. It's nothing incredible, it's not flashy, but it's original. The artist found a clever way to show the game's world map while keeping the viewer's interest. The character and cliff gives presence to the piece, even though it is clearly about the background. The light-green part is a bit too bright, however, and strongly drags the eye toward it. It is also the only surface colored that way, and in a picture containing a handful of colors, it makes it look out of place. Good job!

Aurian does it again this week with another summoned monster from the Final Fantasy series. This time, Leviathan leaps out of the water and poses for the viewer. Now, I know Aurian wanted to give some luminous effect to the piece. It worked. To a point where it is missing some contrast. Or is it because of the scanning? Anyway, lack of contrast aside, the colors look really good, the beast is detailed and the composition works well.

I've received a lot of Final Fantasy VII submissions over the months. However, very few had Hojo as the center of attention. Now if you still haven't played the game, you might want to avoid the picture, because it might spoil a part of the game if you read the title. And while you're at it, just skip this paragraph, too. For the others, let me tell you I love how the artist used the medium in this picture.Hojo would still look good without Sephiroth's dark background, but since he is dressed in white, having that black surface behind him makes him stand out. The composition is dynamic and the linework is precise.

Another Red picture. This picture has some mild nudity. Nothing offensive, though, but I thought I should point it out. This submission is actually two drawings in one, since this is a bookmark with two sides. I'd say this is one of Red's best work composition-wise. Both pictures are well-contrasted and contrast each other, one being cooler and the other warmer. Good character drawing with a nice interpretation.

The last picture for this week is brightly colored. It is appropriate for a fan art of a game as brightly colored as Secret of Mana. It looks so happy and cheerful. What I like here is how Wolfe Wallace decided to separate the characters from the background. The scenery is drawn with colored pencils while the characters were made digitally. My only complaint would be the consistency in how the shadows are cast.

In comics corner, enter Terra's dream as she uncovers a secret from her dark past in this big 4-page update. In Themes Submission, have a look at the newest Secret of Mana wallpaper. You've been looking for something cute recently? Randel has just the thing for you! And that's the last Fan Art update for 2008. Of course it has only been half a year, really, but I find the column has grown considerably during the year, which makes me proud. I would like to thank the readers for their readership, and the artists for their numerous submissions. We had more than fifty artists submitting more than eighty pieces. Congratulations to everyone! See you next year!

Maxime is not ready for 2009 yet