Fan Artwork for March 6th, 1999

Cloud and Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII "the enemy within" marker and ink Art by Hydrachild There's one thing about Hydrachild: she does fabulous portraits. but I discovered something else about Hydrachild when she sent me this piece: She does fabulous non-portraits too! Creativity and emotion abound in this fine artwork: I love how Sephiroth's reflection comes right up from the water and is able to physically hurt Cloud...symbolically accurate, aesthetically pleasing, and wonderfully emotional. A drop-dead gorgeous combo, no less; beautiful job.

Faris and Lenna of Final Fantasy V "Rose of Tycoon" pencil Art by Shinryuu (Artist of the Week) Shinryuu says: This is Faris in a military uniform (inspired by the French royal Guard uniform in the 1700s, Gen. Santa Anna's uniform, and a general's uniform in the Russian Revolution =) with a highly protective look on her face and drawing her sword, Lenna behind her in court dress. The title in question is an ode to Ryoko Ikeda's manga/anime series 'The Rose of Versailles', whose main character is a woman raised as a man for the sole purpose of serving as the Queen's (Antoinette's) head of the Royal Guard before the Frence Revolution.

Janus of Zeal from Chronotrigger "The Black Wind Howls..." computer graphics Art by Pamela Ramali The compositional technique in this CG is simply stunning. The juxtaposition of Zeal, Janus and Magus leads your eye from background to foreground, which makes sense if you've played the game and know the storyline...Also, Pamela has been able to integrate artwork, graphics, and pre-rendered backdrop into the same picture...I'll never understand how she did it so convincingly. Amazing and awe-inspiring ^_^

Link of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "Elven Autumns" Meta-Creations Painter 5 Art by Laura What a wonderful painting of Link! What can I say? The autumn scenery is lovely, yet it doesn't detract from our main subject. Color scheme is great, too; Ladies and Gentlemen, here we have a rare, beautiful piece NOT done in Photoshop! Wow! (applause) ...I'm sure few people have seen Link so serene and calm, especially with those tense, official anime-style portraits he has. Thank you Laura, for bringing us this treat!

Lenna from Final Fantasy V "Hiryuu and Princess" pencil Art by Sandara-3 Sandara, I don't even need to compliment you anymore because you know by now much I adore your art! ^_^ This piece of fan artwork may be just a portrait, but the detail in the composition is astounding. Just look at the texture of the Hiryuu's rough, reptilian skin, and Lenna's gentle expression and beautiful features make this a portrait that the King of Tycoon himself would have gladly patroned for his daughter. I can see it now...Sandara-3, court painter for King Tycoon...

Krelian from Xenogears "Krelian reading at Midnight" color pencil and Photoshop 4.0 Art by Zachary Knoles Zachary says: It mentioned in the game that Sophia introduced Krelian to books, and he started reading up on them, and that eventually led to his obsession with genetics. And so for this picture, I drew him when he was still young and blue-haired, up late in the library reading up and studying. This is the first fan art piece I've done that's actually a full scene (rather than just the character alone), and I really like the dramatic lighting I applied to this. I also like how Krelian's eyes make it look like he's been staying up for days studying these books. Like he really, really WANTS to learn more, but his body just can't!