Hello readers! Sorry for the delay in posting this week's update. Some... matters demanded my attention and I had to postpone. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with playing games, which I haven't done is some time. Nevertheless, my progression in Final Fantasy VI led me to just before the new continent. In Baldur's Gate, I finished half a dungeon of the expansion. That's quite a lot for me in one single week, but all of this was mostly during the weekend.

Featured this week is a new piece from Andromeda, whom we haven't seen in months here in Fan Art. Welcome back! This picture certainly looks gorgeous, but the background is what caught my interest at first. Richly textured, it contrasts beautifuly with the foreground character. The dragon meshes the two together, what with its black contour and the texture invading its shape. Crush the insects is a very warm piece that's worth checking.

Next is another one of Boum's male portraits. This week, have a look at Reno from Final Fantasy VII. Pretty much in the same style as the others who preceded him, Reno harbors no texture, but has carefully placed shadows and shows great character personality.

Falyne Varger sent in this piece as an entry for the Blue Dragon+ contest. This digital painting is very pictural and gestural. The wind implied by the hair and the pale twirls, along with the character's closed eyes, give a poetic tone to the scene. It looks dreamy and peaceful, yet there is a lot of movement everywhere.

Apparently TomR likes to work with fewer colors week after week. Although the technique appears to make it hard to work in details, the artist manages to make things as clear as possible. My only complaint would be that it's quite hard to figure exactly what is happening in the bottom-right corner. He only gets better with this technique, and it looks good. The red bar balances the weight of the bat; without it, I'm not sure it works so well. Finally, a part of me would like to see the bat in its entirety, but that's just an opinion.

This is it! At last. It is getting late. Just like in the Final Fantasy VI comic, in which Locke and Terra finally escape from the mines. Locke suggests the next destination should be Figaro Castle. I just love Terra's face in the second panel of the first page! Thank you all for reading, and many thanks to the artists for sending art. YOU are the column! Please share your opinions in the forum thread!

Maxime Viventi