Saturday, February 5, 2005

   Check this artwork out!
Yo everybody! Lindsey (ElvesAteMyRamen if you don't already know) has posted yet another incredible pic! I would have posted this yesterday after my updated list, but Lindsey deserves more recognition then that. It would have been unfair to her and her artwork to just tack her on to the end of my post like that. So, I'm going to take today to show you guys her great artwork!
This is another one of those pics you have to see to believe, so here it is!


Now Lindsey, I know what you're probably going to say. You're going to go into thanking me for posting your work here and that I'm a great guy for reviewing this and looking deeper into your art. Well, before you do, it really isn't true. This is your artwork, and it should be YOUR credit, not mine. You spent time and effort on this piece, not me. All I'm doing is spreading the word of your awesome artwork. I don't deserve ANY credit for just showing people how awesome it is. So stop being so humble and get some of the glory that you honestly deserve (you deserve even more in my opinion)! The whole reason I put these up here and review them is so I can help you get that credit. You’re an insanely talented artist, and I'm going to see to it that the world knows.

OK, so here's my review of the piece. I was absolutely amazed by this pic. The level of detail is unbelievable. Just look at something as simple as the facial shapes and skin shading. Lindsey got the skin toning and shadows 100% perfect on this piece. She even knows that if the lighting is in the right position, cheeks can cast shadows. Just look at Kaoru's face. The shadows are so intricate and perfect, it looks like it's in 3D. The folds of the clothing are probably hell and high water to draw, but it looks like I could honestly reach out and touch the fabric of their kimonos. Look at the texture, don't they look so soft and silky? I could never draw clothing like that. Now on to the lighting. Look at the low-level reflectivity Lindsey put into the hair, eyes and clothing. That is exactly how those things act with light, it's perfect. Lindsey is also famous for her nigh-infinite shading layers. If you look close enough, you’ll see she even put layers and multiple shades on Kenshin's scar. This isn't even a close-up! That's talent if I've ever seen it.

Now let's take a quick summary of the subject-mater and context. Examine their expressions. It's like you can not only immediately tell what each character is feeling, but it's like you can feel it along with them. Lindsey did an unbelievable job on the facial expressions, right down to the blush shade in Kenshin's cheeks (look closely, it's there). Now if you're a Kenshin fan like me and Lindsey, you'd recognize that ribbon as Kaoru's favorite indigo ribbon. Kaoru let Kenshin borrow it before his fight with Ja-ne. The reason behind this was that this ribbon was Kaoru's prized possession, so not only was it to remind Kenshin that he has people that care about him, but it was also a fail-safe thought up by Kaoru to make sure Kenshin couldn't leave without saying good-bye. Aw, such a sweet story. But, Lindsey revived this classic idea without even coming close to copying it. You can interpret this piece in any way you feel it applies, and even think up a story that explains it. It's this interpretation flexibility that is one of the reasons that Lindsey is such a great artist, as also seen with the background of her Immortal Rain pic.

All in all, this is just further proof that Lindsey is THE best artist I've ever seen. But in top of that, when you get to know her, you'll also find she's also one of the kindest, sweetest, smartest, funniest, most cheerful people ever. I just wish there were more people like her in the world.
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