Nothing Wrong With Singing Silly Songs by Kevenn T. Smith
This illustration is another piece that will be featured in my forthcoming Oz book. This is Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of Oz, who debuted in the seventh Oz book by L. Frank Baum, The Patchwork Girl of Oz. Scraps was created by the wife of the wizard, Dr. Pipt, who created the Powder of Life, a magical powder that would bring inanimate objects to life and imbue them with a personality. The Patchwork Girl was intended to be a servant to Margolotte, the wizard's wife, and she had intended to give her brains with only qualities like obedience, amiability, truth, and only a little amount of cleverness.
However, at the time, Dr. Pipt and Margolotte had visitors, a Munchkin boy named Ojo and his uncle. While most of the adults were distracted, Ojo felt sorry for the Patchwork Girl about to be brought to a life of servitude, so he added more cleverness and other qualities from Margolotte's cabinet like judgment, courage, ingenuity, posey, and self reliance. Upon being brought to life, the Patchwork Girl, who came to be named Scraps, said a big NOPE to a life of servitude and joined Ojo on an adventure and eventually settled in the royal palace of the Emerald City as one of its unique celebrities, continuing to be a free spirit who often broke into, song, verse, dance and play.
A refusal to be what those who created her intended. Can't imagine why I would relate to that. She was always my favorite Oz character, and I hope to do her justice in my own book.
Her figural illustration is now available on several products at my Redbubble Store, like t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, face masks, kids clothes, hoodies, dresses, socks, tote bags, etc.
It's also available on several black products, if you're like me and like to wear black a lot. In the meantime, please enjoy this illustration here:
“Nothing Wrong With Singing Silly Songs” by Kevenn T. Smith, an illustration of the Patchwork Girl of Oz
Close-up shot of the Patchwork Girl of Oz, Scraps, by Kevenn T. Smith "Nothing Wrong With Singing Silly Songs" by Kevenn T. Smith
Digital Illustration - Photoshop
©2024 Kevenn T. Smith
Put a Web On It by Kevenn T. Smith
My local comic book shop holds an annual auction of art created by customers in the form of comic book covers to raise money for the Cleveland Food Bank. In 2022, the theme was "Spider-verse," and my entry depicted Beyoncé as Spider-Woman. I even came up with a glittery logo that said "Spider-Bey" for that version that was sold at the auction. And while that version will always remain unique, I'm now offering prints, t-shirts, stickers, hoodies, and other merchandise with a logo-less version of the artwork at my Redbubble store.
Right now, from July 10 2023 to July 17th 2023, everything on the Redbubble webstore is 20% off! No code needed! Click on the image below to go to its page at the store.
"Put a Web On It" by Kevenn T. Smith
Digital Illustration
©2023 Kevenn T. Smith
The Heart & Mind of Oz by Kevenn T. Smith
One of my dreams since I was a kid was to write and illustrate an Oz book. Back in the day, I ended up imagining more book titles of stories that I wanted to see that took place in the Land of Oz and the magical lands around it, and I even drew up cover illustrations for these made-up Oz books. That's about as far as it went back then. Just ideas and situations and characters that I wanted to see. I hadn't even read all of the Oz books back then, because they were pretty hard to track down in those days with no internet and only a meager allowance.
The older that I got, I didn't really know if I had an Oz story inside of me to tell. I had offers to work on other people's Oz books and stories here and there, but most of them never seemed to be the right fit for me and the story that I was also interested in telling. I did eventually have an idea about a story that I wanted to tell that took place in a land like Oz, and when I was relaying my idea to someone, they asked, "Why don't you just write it taking place in Oz?" Could I even dare? Would my story idea even work? Years later, I'm still working on it, but I think I've found a way to make this story work.
So yes, I'm writing and illustrating my own Oz book! I found that I actually DO have an Oz story inside of me to tell. It's taking me a while to get it all written, and it's going to take me more time to do that and fully illustrate it, but I feel that it's a good story, and I hope to do it justice. I'm not ready to let you know the title of the book just yet (I have a title, and I think it's PERFECT), but I'll be sure to announce it here when I'm ready.
In the meantime, I'd love for you to enjoy the first fully produced illustration that I've made for the upcoming book. It depicts our beloved and well-known Oz celebrities, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. They're enjoying couch time on a lovely afternoon day with a book. Eagle-eyed viewers should be able to easily figure out where this scene is taking place in Oz, and I think this piece does a good job of showing the relationship between these two characters that I'll be showcasing in my forthcoming book.
But for now, the characters, the book, and the couch of this illustration are available on various products like t-shirts, hoodies, kids' clothes, tote bags, and face masks at my Redbubble store. Just click the linked text here!
Also available in "Winkie Edition," where some of the items have yellow backgrounds instead of black backgrounds at my Redbubble store by clicking this text.
"The Heart & Mind of Oz" by Kevenn T. Smith
Digital Illustration - Photoshop
©2023 Kevenn T. Smith
Super Friends in Oz by Kevenn T. Smith
I participated in my comic book shop's annual auction to raise money for the Cleveland Food Bank. One person won an exclusive edition of my Super Friends in Oz piece that I created for the auction. The illustration is an homage to the Super Friends episode "The Planet of Oz," where Mr. Mxyzsptlk sends a tornado to transport Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman inside of the Hall of Justice to the planet of Oz. Upon arrival, he transforms them into versions of characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book. The three of them have to find their way through many encounters on the planet until they reach "The Wizard" and of course manage to trick Mr. Mxyzsptlk into saying his name backwards, thus forcing him to set everything right.
As an homage, I didn't want to try to create something that looked like an animation cell from the episode. I wanted to inject my own style into it, three-dimensionalize the visuals, and offer more nods to the 1939 MGM musical of The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland. That meant adding a "Dorothy" to the piece, and while Jayna of the Wonder Twins actually did appear in the original episode, I decided to use Wendy Harris, a character who regularly appeared in only the first season of the Super Friends show. I thought that Wendy's color scheme and design would better meld with Dorothy's and look better alongside the other characters in the piece. And while I'm a HUGE fan of the Oz books, the makers of the movie musical were not wrong when they decided that ruby slippers would "pop" more against the Yellow Brick Road compared to silver slippers that were in the book.
Prints of this piece are available directly from me. Fill out the "Contact Me" form at the left of this page to contact me regarding a print and inquire about pricing.
"Super Friends in Oz" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil & Photoshop
©2022 Kevenn T. Smith
"The Monkey's Aunt" by Kevenn T. Smith
One of my mom's favorite all-time celebrities is Annette Funicello. Because of that, we grew up in our house being exposed to Annette movies and music. Hers was the first autobiography I ever read when I was in junior high. I have thought a lot about why my mother gravitated toward Annette (obviously at a young age), and I haven't asked her, but I do suspect a reason or two. Annette Funicello was a kind person with a loving heart and a cheerful disposition. She was often demure and really didn't seem to think she was all that. I think that's what appealed to my mom at a young age and even now. My mother is a kind person with a loving heart and a cheerful disposition. In the Universe, like attracts like. When I think about myself and my own sense of optimism and my endeavors to be kind and cheerful, I truly think it's because of my mother - and in turn Annette.
And so with that, I did this illustration as a present for my mother for her birthday. It's an illustration inspired by the opening sequence of the classic Disney movie, "The Monkey's Uncle." My mother mentioned liking her look in that scene, especially with the blue headband. (Could that also be the origin of my love for headbands too?) In that sequence, Annette's character, Jennifer, is singing on stage at a college party with a little-known band at the time named The Beach Boys. Time and focus being what they are, I wanted to concetrate on just Annette (for mom) in my illustration, but I rendered the background to resemble elements of the set for that sequence with the room colors and party decorations. I also wanted Annette to look happy and singing. The reason that I titled this piece the way I did, was because in the song she sings in this scene, some of the lyrics are: I love the mokey's uncle, and I wish I were the monkey's aunt.
This illustration is now available at my Redbubble store on many products, such as t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, kids' & babies' clothes, dresses, skirts, scarves, prints, posters, cards, stickers, bags, iPad/iPhones cases & skins, Samsung Galaxy cases & skins, buttons, journals, pillows, and many, many more. Click on the picture below to go to the store and browse the many products this illustration appears on.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2020
"The Wizardess' Unknown Voice" by Kevenn T. Smith
I love a deep cut. This new illustration is a pretty deep cut. Honestly, at this point in the Great Rebellion series that I've been working on, nearly everyone left is a deep cut. This illustration features my depiction of "The Wise Old Wizardess."
There were two mini comics that came with some of the vintage She-Ra figures, "Journey to Mizar" and "The Hidden Symbols Mystery." Both of them featured a part where She-Ra needed help from a mysterious and magical woman in the woods. In both stories, the woman was depicted wearing a robe, having no hair, and a halo of light shining from the back of her head. While one was colored all in golden tones and referred to herself as a Seer or the Voice of the Unknown, the other was called The Wise Old Wizardess. She had a purple robe and a double halo of yellow and green light. Neither was depicted as particularly old.
To me, it seemed obvious that these were meant to be the same character. There were enough visual similarities in design and situation, while still accounting for the production situation of the minicomics, which I suspect were farmed out to different illustrators, probably done under a time crunch, then farmed out to different colorists with no time allowing to make sure the depiction of a minor character not included in the style guide was consistent. I would not be surprised if research showed that this character was a progenitor of both Madame Razz and Light Hope. Both were mentor characters to Adora and She-Ra that gave mystical knowledge as well, like this character did. Madame Razz was an ancient female magic user who lived in the woods and wore purple, like the Wise Old Wizardess. Light Hope, in the toy line, was at one point also concieved as a magical woman who lived in the woods (though much younger looking), and in the cartoon was depicted as a halo of colorful lights, much like the halo of colorful lights the Wizardess has. It seems to me to be a distinct possibility.
In wanting to depict this charater, I decided to combine visual elements from both depictions into one and get the greatest amount of "Visual Variety." I combined the design of the belted gown from "The Hidden Symbols Mystery" with the predominant coloring scheme of the design in "Journey to Mizar." I incorporated magical items that were given to She-Ra in the costume(the golden net worn around the waist, which she does in the comic and removes when she gies it to She-Ra) and the staff, where the piece at the end is the enchanted mirror used in one of the stories. In combination, we get the best of both worlds and exciting new story possibilities.
This illustration is available on a plethora of different products at my Red Bubble store, including prints, cards, posters, bags, phone & ipad skins & cases, pillows, t-shirts, hoodies, baby & kids clothes, dresses, scarves, socks, journals, clocks, stickers, bath mats, and many, many more. Click on the picture to go to this piece at my store.
"The Wizardess' Unknown Voice" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2020
Character ©Mattel 2020
"The Sad Scared Shy Dragon" by Kevenn T. Smith
The COVID-19 Corona Virus Pandemic has come to our planet, and I felt that this character was the perfect character to work on at this time while I was feeling all sorts of emotions about this situation. The character is a dragon named Sorrowful. He appeared in three episodes of the classic Filmation She-Ra: Princess of Power series: "The Laughing Dragon," "The Prisoners of Beast Island," and "The Locket." Sorrowful was kind of the "Cowardly Lion" character of the show. He was a huge dragon with the ability to breathe fire, but he was quite easily frightened, and really wanted to be gentle and kind and enjoy the company of his friends. But because of his friendships and how deeply he cared about others, he was able to summon courage in harrowing situations.
This illustration of Sorrowful is available at my Redbubble store on a multitude of products including: prints, cards, posters, bags, phone & ipad skins and cases, pillows, t-shirts, hoodies, baby & kids clothes, dresses, scarves, socks, journals, clocks, stickers, bath mats, and many more, including face masks. Click on the picture to go to this piece at my store.
"The Sad Scared Shy Dragon" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2020
Sorrowful character ©Dreamworks 2020
Sleigh Ride in Oz by Kevenn T. Smith
It's been a while since I've done artwork involving any of the Oz characters, and this was the perfect time to get back to them. I wanted to create a winter scene with Oz characters because I send out postcards every winter to people on my mailing list - because I can never get it together to send out cards at Christmas time. This way, my cards are a nice bonus at the beginning of the year, and they don't get lost amongst all the other cards people are receiving around the Holidays.
This piece depicts the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and Scraps the Patchwork Girl in a royal sled racing through a snowy section of the northern Gilliken Country of Oz. You don't see him, but I imagine that the sled is pulled by the Sawhorse. You can see his hoofprints in the snow, however.
I'm currently working on my own Oz book, and I wanted to begin to find the way that I am going to portray these characters visually in it. I also wanted the art to convey how I envision them not only visually, but something about each of the characters' personalities and essences. My goal is for the book to be the kind of Oz book that I would have loved to read as a boy, that respects the world of Oz as crafted by L. Frank Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson, whose Oz books I grew up reading, but also has a modern feel and interpretation. I want the book to feel like a balance of utmost respect for the past, but also a pulse on the present. It has been my dream since I was a young boy to make an Oz book. I used to draw up covers for new titles of books that I'd like to see. However, I'd never really had a whole story inside me that I felt that I needed to tell. Until now. Writing a GOOD Oz book is very hard. Writing the kind of Oz book that I like to see, one that mostly takes place in the actual Land of Oz, and making that book GOOD is even harder. Especially if you're trying to honor what has come before, yet also tell a story that has conflict and discovery. I hope readers will feel that my story is a GOOD Oz story, and enjoy the tale as well as the illustrations that I plan on accompanying that story. This will obviously be a labor or love and time, but hopefully the book will be ready to be sent off into the world in the next two years or so. #LoftyGoals
In the meantime, please enjoy this latest illustration. It is available at my Red Bubble store as prints, posters, pillows, ipad cases & skins, laptop cases & skins, mug, tote bags, drawstring bags, zipper pouches, journals and notebooks. Just click on the picture to go there.
"Sleigh Ride in Oz" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2020
This piece is also available in a trimmed format as postcards and greetings cards at my Red Bubble store.
Winter Wonderland by Kevenn T. Smith
I'm always terrible about getting my Holiday cards out on time. They usually go out in January as New Year's cards, but this time, they were so late, they went out in February as "Winter" cards. This piece was used on those cards. It's called "Winter Wonderland." I did two versions of it, one a "Solstice Blue" version and the other a "Christmas Crimson" version, each having a different color of the cape that Wonder Woman wears in the piece. This illustration is available as prints, cards, and posters, and for other items like t-shirts, hoodies, journal covers, pillows, drawstring bags, phone caces and skins, etc., there is a version just of Wonder Woman and the reindeer. If you're interesting in owning an item with this illustration or a print, please use the Contact Me form at the left side of the page to let me know what you're interested in.
"Winter Wonderland" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2019
Wonder Woman ©DC Comics 2019
The Archer's Affable Sidekick by Kevenn T. Smith
I have one last Rebel to post for 2018. It's been a busy year for me - doing the My Husband is Not a Rainbow book, singing with a band called Bullseye Womprats, working with a local high school's theater department, and working on illustrations for a 6-book series. I hope to do more Rebels to come next year, especially since there's a great new She-Ra and the Princesses of Power show on Netflix now.
This Rebel illustration features Josh. It's time to go in Deep-Fan Mode. Josh was created to be a protege of Bow and only appeared in two mini comics that came with the vintage figures, "Across the Crystal Light Barrier," where he was named and seen having a picnic with Adora, Glimmer & Bow, and "Don't Rain On My Parade," where a character wearing "Josh colors" appeared playing a flute. If he was Bow's protege, and Bow played a musical instrument, the harp, then it's seems likely that Josh would have played an instrument too - the flute hanging from his side by ribbons. So yes, I maintain that *was* Josh in that panel of that comic.
I gave him a headband as an homage to the vintage Bow action figure, and I used the hat band from his appearance in "Don't Rain On My Parade" for it.
The mini crossbow recalls Bow's archery, and the clover bolts also hearken to Bow's heart tipped arrows. I gave him blue clovers because picnics can happen in fields of clover, and the trees in Whispering Woods are predominantly blue, so I thought that there could be a blue clover in the Woods. I also imagined that perhaps he had been in a Horde Youth Group, and would have had training with a crossbow, as many of the Horde characters have crossbows. I gave him shoulder epaulets like Adora's, but in blue, to tie that in.
His bracelets are the same as the vintage Bow action figure's, to further visually tie them together. The boot design, I took off the Dekker action figure from the Masters of th eUniverse Classics line, because I liked the element of stitching it had that was like the stitching that Josh's tunic had at the chest. Also, the boots were a turned-down style, and male characters on Etheria favored a turned-down style of boot - like Seahawk and Snout Spout. I also thought the gems on the boots were a nice echo of the circles on Bow's boots at the top and the ornamental flare many of the female characters have at the top of their boots.
And then, there's the bowl of potato salad - started as a joke by someone on He-Man.org, that Josh brought potato salad to the picnic in "Across the Crystal Light Barrier." The potato salad grew to have a life of its own, and is now synonymous with Josh. I used colors from his design and tried to give it an Etherian feel.
This illustration of Josh is available as cards, prints, postcards, t-shirts, hoodies, skirts, dresses, scarves, bags, pillows, phone cases, clocks, duvet covers, and more at my Redbubble store! Click the picture to go there.
"The Archer's Affable Sidekick" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2018
Josh character ©Mattel 2018
Pagan Amazon Princess
My local comic book store, Carol and John's Comic Book Shop has an amazing Holiday party every year. During the party, there is an art auction to rise money for the Cleveland Food Bank. Each artist who participates gets a blank comic book cover to render however they want to, and last December, the theme was "The Holidays." Wonder Woman being my favorite comic book character, I wanted to draw her, but I also wanted to depict her in an appropriate holiday setting for one of the most famous pagan comic book heroes. I did a "by hand" piece for a Wonder Woman "Solstice Special" comic book cover. I ended up getting a sizeable number of bids for my piece, which ultimately generated 272 meals at the Cleveland Food Bank! Incredible!
"Wonder Woman: Solstice Special" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Prismacolor color pencil
©2017 Kevenn T. Smith
Wonder Woman ©DC Comics
When I posted this picture on my Facebook wall, it got a lot of positive reaction, and people asked about prints being available. Because I did this piece for charity, I did want to keep something unique for the person who won this piece. I decided to do a digitally colored version that I call "Pagan Amazon Princess," which is more "year round" than "seasonal specific." If you like it and are interested in t-shirts, prints, or all of the other sorts of items that I usually offer my illustration on, use the "Contact Me" for on the upper left of this website.
"Pagan Amazon Princess" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2018
Wonder Woman ©DC Comics
Unicorns and a Bounty Hunter
Here are a couple more illustrations for the Great Rebellion series that I've been meaning to post. The first up is "Baby Wind." She-Ra's steed, Swift Wind, ended up revealing a secret life - a wife named Starr Wind with a baby on the way in the very last episode of the series. If the baby was born on Unicorn Island, he would be a unicorn like his parents. If not, he'd only be a regular horse. Due to Hordak's antcis, the baby was born off-island. Swift Wind and Starr Wind professed how much they loved their child, even though he wasn't a unicorn. She-Ra called upon the powers of Grayskull with her sword and changed the foal into a unicorn.
The baby was never named, but I like to think that if he was named, he'd be called Sun Wind - due to his golden color (and a sun is actually a star, so it's close to his mother's name), and it's also a pun (which the Masters of the Universe/Princess of Power characters liked to do with names), because he's Swift Wind's son.
This illustration is available at my Redbubble store as prints, posters, cards, postcards, stickers, t-shirts, hoodies, dresses, kids' & babies' clothes, phone cases & skins, laptop cases & sleeves & skins, pillows, skirts, leggings, mugs, tote bags, drawstring bags, studio pouches, scarves, duvet covers, journals, clocks, acryllic blocks, and more!
"Baby Wind" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2018
Character ©Classic Media 2018
The next featured Rebel, is the bounty hunter, Huntara, who was designed to basically be Grace Jones (whim I am a huge fan of). Huntara was only in one episode, but she was slated to return in another episode, "The Silaxian Wars." The episode was storyboarded, but it was deemed too violent to be completed. The episode had Huntara returning to Etheria to enlist She-Ra's help to defend her planet, after Horde Prime targeted it for revenge for when Huntara refused to capture She-Ra in Huntara's first appearance. She-Ra and Huntara would have brought down a lot of damage on Horde Prime's forces, and it would have been an epic episode to end the series on.
This illustration is also available at my Redbubble store as prints, posters, cards, postcards, stickers, t-shirts, hoodies, dresses, kids' & babies' clothes, phone cases & skins, laptop cases & sleeves & skins, pillows, skirts, leggings, mugs, tote bags, drawstring bags, studio pouches, scarves, duvet covers, journals, clocks, acryllic blocks, and more!
"The Honorable Alien Bounty Hunter" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2018
Character ©Classic Media 2018
Last, we have an illustration piece that depicts the entire Wind Family soaring through the verdant Etherian sky! This piece is also available at my Redbubble store as prints, posters, cards, postcards, acryllic blocks, laptop cases and skins, pillows, drawstring bags, tote bags, mugs, wall tapestries, stickers and more!
"Rebel Unicorn Family" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2018
Characters ©Classic Media and Mattel 2018
Rebels That Rock - And Dance!
I've finished some more illustrations for my Great Rebellion Series, and offered a couple new group shots as well. First off, we have the Rock People, which also contain the two "Comet Warriors," which Stondar and Rokkon were also known in the vintage Masters of the Universe toyline. However, at the time that the toys came out, new episodes of the He-Man cartoon were no longer being produced, and so the characters ended up being featured on the She-Ra cartoon - along with Granita, a female Rock Person, who was planned to be produced in the vintage Masters of the Universe, only Mattel decided that boys couldn't handle *ANOTHER* "icky girl" in the line. I mean, those poor boys of the 80's did have their precious and frail masculinities threatened by the introduction of THREE other females in the line, Teela, Evil-Lyn, and Sorceress, so goodness knows what sort of villainy and ararchy would have resulted if a FOURTH female had been introduced, so Granita was cut.
But she showed up on the She-Ra cartoon - TWICE! Stondar showed up twice, and Rokkon only showed up once. Also, another member of the Rock People showed up in an episode, a young female named Facet. As far as I'm aware, there was no other appearance of Facet in any other media. Stondar, Rokkon, and Granita all showed up in the Masters of the Universe daily newspaper strips, where they were all depicted in their simplified Filmation designs, but we wee told that Stondar is the father to both Rokkon and Granita.
For these illustrations, I wanted to largely begin with the Filmation design as a base, but add in a lot of details that the two Comet Warriors had in their vintage action figure and Masters of the Universe Classics action figures had. And in that, to make them all cohesive, I added more details and elements to the designs of Granita and Facet to bring them closer to the two males. All illustrations in this post are available on a variety of products such as T-shirts, hoodies, dresses, kids/babies clothes, posters, prints, phone cases and skins, iPad cases and skins, mugs, tote bags, drawstring bags, pillows, studio pouches, scarves, duvet covers, skirts, journals, clocks, acryllic blocks, and more at my RedBubble store. You can click the text link there to go to my store, or you can click on each picture to go to that illustration's listing at my store directly.
"Rebels That Rock" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Granita, Stondar, Facet, and Rokkon
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2017
Characters ©Mattel and Classic Media 2017
"The Gracious Girl of Granite" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Granita
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
@Kevenn T. Smith 2017
Character ©Classic Media 2017
"The Reckless Young Warrior of Rock" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Rokkon
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
@Kevenn T. Smith 2017
Character ©Mattel 2017
"The Stoic Leader of Stone" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Stondar
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2017
Character ©Mattel 2017
"The Fearless Faceted Femme" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Facet
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2017
Character ©Classic Media 2017
Another character that I completed an illustration of is of one that I call "Bubblerina." This character was previously only seen in one illustration in a German catalgoue that featured the never-produced Bubble Carriage. The illustration depicted She-Ra riding inside the carriage along with this mysterious new character, and Spinerella riding on the back of the carriage. For years, fans speculated whether this was a new character or a mis-colored Mermista, but I was of the opinion that it was indeed, a different and distinct character, and that the bubble morif on her was similiar to the bubble motif of the carriage and Bubble Power She-Ra. I suspected that this character was a dancer (because of the ballerina tutu) and for some reason, the bubble motif was given to She-Ra to make the Bubble Power She-Ra variant in Wave 3, and the character was cut from the wave but her dancing elements were given to Spinerella, and the element of her being Spinerella's sister and the largely blue color motif were taken up my Netossa.
This was all confirmed at 2016's Power-Con convention, when the Sander Brothers ended up revealing a lot of research that they did into Mattel's archives on the She-Ra: Princess of Power line, and said that this "Bubble Carriage Maiden" was a character initially named Joya, and that her bubble gimmick was given to Bubble Power She-Ra, because the gimmick for the Wave 3 She-Ra variant was not working. However, I do not think that if Joya had gone to production, that she would have been released with the name "Joya." It doesn't have the descriptive and pun-filled nature of the other She-Ra characters' names. We leared from that Power-Con that Perfuma's original name was Terra (like the earth). I feel that if Joya would have been released, she would have been released under a name that describes her abilities and who she is, thus "Bubblerina," which combines "bubble" and "ballerina" together to give us an idea of what she's about. In my illustration, I did want to give her a couple more details to make her fit better with the other female Rebels in this series. I gave her a belt that's reminiscent of the belt worn by Bow or most of the male figures in the Masters of the Universe line. I also wanted to make sure there was a gem in her costume's bodice like nearly all of the vintage Princess of Power figures had. So without further ado, I give you Bubblerina!
"The Joyous Bouyant Bubblerina" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Bubblerina/Joya
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith
Character ©Mattel 2017
I also created a group shot featuring Bubblerina and the wave 2 vintage She-Ra characters and a few other characters from the cartoon. The Wave 2 characters were very much representative of the elements, and I felt Bubblerina worked with that as well. Mermista as water, Sweet Bee as fire (her sting), Perfuma earth, Flutterina wind, and Peekablue spirit with her psychic abilities. Bubblerina has elements of water and wind. Sprittina also represents Earth, while Kowl and Kowla are wind. Madame Razz is spirit and wind. Loo-Kee is spirit.
"Wave 2+ Rebels" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2017
Characters ©Mattel and Classic Media 2017
"Amazon Princess 2" by Kevenn T. Smith
Wonder Woman is FINALLY about to get her own major motion picture released into theaters! I have been waiting ALL my life for this! And to celebrate, I needed a new Wonder Woman T-shirt to wear when I finally get to see Princess Diana of Themiscyra in her own live-action solo movie! Hence, the new work here.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2017
Wonder Woman ©DC Entertainment
The Great Rebel Round Out
It's time to round out the year with more new Great Rebellion illustrations - with a 2017 calendar to come soon! All of these illustrations are available on an assortment of items like t-shirts, hoodies, dresses, kids'/babies' clothes, stickers, scarves, skirts, iPhone cases & skins, Samsung Galaxy cases & skins, laptop skins & sleeves, throw pillows, duvet covers, mugs, tote bags, studio pouches and more at my RedBubble.com store. Starting us off is a new collection of all the completed Rebels so far:
"The Great Rebellion #2" by Kevenn T. Smith. Featuring: (Front Row) Spragg, Loo-Kee, Sprocker, Spritina, (Second Row) Double Trouble, Seahawk, Frosta, Bow, She-Ra, Princess Glimmer, Castaspella, Perfuma, (Third Row) Peekablue, Tallstar, Starla, Jewelstar, Netossa, Spinerella, Mermista, Snout Spout, (Fourth Row) Sweet Bee, Kowla, Kowl, Queen Angella, Madame Razz & Broom, Flutterina, (Fifth Row) Swift Wind, Star Wind, (Top) Light Hope. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
All characters ©Mattel or Classic Media
"The Scrappy Wood Sprite" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Spragg of the Twiggets. Click on the above image to purchase products featuring this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
@Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Character ©Classic Media 2016
"The Shy Wood Sprite" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Sprocker of the Twiggets. Click on the above image to purchase products featuring this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016Character ©Classic Media 2016
"The Three Main Wood Sprites" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Sprocker, Spritina, and Spragg, the three Twiggets who were featured the most in the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon. Click on the above image to purchase products featuring this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Characters ©Classic Media 2016
"The Spectacular Leader of the Stellar Sorority" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Starla of the Star Sisters. Her design is a combination fo the vintage prototype figure, the vintage Style Guide/Magazine design, the Filmation design, and the Masters of the Universe Classics action figure. Click on the above image to purchase products featuring this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Character ©Mattel 2016
"The Telescopic Lookout of the Stellar Sorority" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Tallstar of the Star Sisters. This expandable beauty takes design elements from the vintage prototype figure, the vintage Style Guide/Magazine, the Filmation design, and the Masters of the Universe Classics figure. Click on the above image to purchase products featuring this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Character ©Mattel 2016
"The Gentle Gem of the Stellar Sorority" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Jewelstar of the Star Sisters. This shy gal who can transform herself into a gem incorporates design elements from the vintage prototype figure, the vintage Style Guide/Magazine, the Filmation design, and the Masters of the Universe Classics figure. Click on the above image to purchase products featuring this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Character ©Mattel 2016
"The Stellar Sorority" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring all three of the Star Sisters together. Had the She-Ra series and toyline continued, the Star sisters were planned on being a big focus. Click on the above image to purchase products featuring this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Characters ©Mattel 2016
"The Aquatic Princess of Salineas" by Kevenn T. Smith
This latest Rebel has been a long time coming. A fan favorite, Mermista is the last Rebel I had to finish that received a figure produced in the vintage Princess of Power line. Princess Mermista hails from the underwater kingdom of Salineas, ruled by her father, King Mercier, and is a Rebel who can often be found around the Crystal Falls. As usual, I combined elements of the Filmation design with the Vintage figure, relying more heavily on the Filmation design. I felt that the silver belt worn by the vintage figure (and also used on the Maters of the Universe Classics figure) ruined the sleek line of her design. I also don't like that the belt causes her fish half to begin abruptly at the waste. I liked that the Filmation design allowed the scale covered areas of her body to reach up into her torso. This makes for a more unique mermaid design, and for the Filmation version of her land form, would giver her a scaled body suit with little green fins behind the heels.
Normally, I post these illustrations on a plain white background, but for Mermista, in order to get the water effect the best, it works best on this aqua background. My Mermista illustration is available on t-shirts, hoodies, kids'/babies' clothes, stickers, leggings (those items do not include the water splash effect), iPhone cases & skins, Samsung Galaxy cases & skins, laptop skins & sleeves, throw pillows, duvet covers, mugs, tote bags, studio pouches, and more at my RedBubble.com store. Click here or the image to go directly to the store.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Mermista ©Mattel
The First Rebels of 2016
The first two new Rebels for 2016 are here! Both illustrations are available on t-shirts, hoodies, kids'/babies' clothes, iPhone cases & skins, Samsung Galaxy cases & skins, laptop skins & sleeves, stickers, throw pillows, duvet covers, mugs, tote bags, and studio pouches at my RedBubble.com store. Click here or the images to go directly to the store.
Sweet Bee: "The Stunning Honey From Space" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. This Sweet Bee illustration pulls heavily from the Filmation design, but as usual, I also incorporated elements of the vintage Style Guide, and the vintage action figure.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Sweet Bee ©Mattel
Flutterina: "The Ethereal Empowered Lookout" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. This Flutterina illustration also is based mainly on the Filmation design, but likewise incorporates elements of the vintage Style Guide, and the vintage action figure. This piece took me a lot longer to work on than others. While I was working on it, I was going through losing a family member - our beloved dog, Lucy, and afterwards adding a new dog to our family, Carter. I was very aware of the butterfly being a powerful symbol of big life changes and personal growth. Flutterina's origin in the Filmation cartoon series, of a humble and shy slave girl named Small One being transformed into a beautiful empowered butterfly woman, followed that theme.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Flutterina ©Mattel
"Amazon Princess" by Kevenn T. Smith
My first piece that I complete in 2016 is an illustration of my favorite superhero, Princess Diana of Themiscyra, also known as Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman has played a very huge and important part of my life. I met my spouse through Wonder Woman fandom. And Wonder Woman stands up there with She-Ra for me as the kind of person and values that I try to emulate in my life.
For this illustration of Wonder Woman, I have been very inspired by the Wonder Woman '77 comic series and the recent The Legend of Wonder Woman comic series. I'm not fond of the way her mythos, history, origin, and costume were changed during DC's New 52. For me, my Wonder Woman has been gone since then, and the comic book has embraced a very effemophobic atmosphere, energy, and aesthetic.
My favorite Wonder Woman designs are Lynda Carter's CBS Wonder Woman costume and the costume designed by Terry & Rachel Dodson. I wanted to do a version that combined those two designs, and one that I want to celebrate feminine energy with. Wonder Woman is a fantasy princess to me, and I wanted her depiction to be joyous, feminine, fun, strong, and sexy. For me, the beauty in Wonder Woman is that she shows us it takes a special kind of strength to not be hard in a hard world. My Wonder Woman is soft and doesn't need to be hard in order to be victorious. I find Wonder Woman is far more impressive when she doesn't need large bracelets to deflects oncoming blows and projectiles and can do it just as well with small bracelets. I find it more amazing when Wonder Woman can subdue her foes using yonic instruments like her lasso, bracelets, and tiara without having to use a sword or shield or armor or an axe. That's my Wonder Woman, and that's the one I enjoy seeing and portraying.
As of now, this illustration is available on t-shirts, hoodies, kids'/babies' clothes, iPhone cases & skins, Samsung Galaxy cases & skins, laptop skins & sleeves, stickers, throw pillows, duvet covers, mugs, tote bags, and studio pouches at my RedBubble.com store. Click here or the image to go to the store.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2016
Wonder Woman ©DC Comics
The Last Round of Rebels for 2015
The final illustrations of 2015 for my Great Rebellion series are here! We start off with my favorite, Netossa! The first four illustrations are available on t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, pencil skirts, scarves, kids'/baby's clothes, stickers, prints, posters, postcards, greeting cards, pillows, totes, drawstring bags, studio pouches, mugs, duvets, iPad/iPhone/Samsung Galaxy/laptop cases and skins, spiral notebooks, and hardcover journals at my RedBubble Store.
Netossa: "The Captivating Cerulean Huntress" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. Netossa is a combination of her vintage figure design and cross sell art, her Filmation design, her vintage Style Guide design, and her Masters of the Universe Classics figure.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T Smith 2015
Netossa ©Mattel
Spinerella: "The Wisteria Whirlwind" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. Spinerella is a combination of her vintage figure design and cross sell art, her Filmation design, and her vintage Style Guide design.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T Smith 2015
Spinerella ©Mattel
Sea Hawk: "The Rogue Rebel Pirate" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. Sea Hawk is largely based on his original Filmation design, but also has elements from later episodes, like the ring from his father, The Falcon, from the 2-part episode, "Treasure of the First Ones," and the half of the locket he gives to Adora in "The Locket." I also wanted to give him a touch of "Captain Jack Sparrow" around the eyse, to help differentiate him further from Bow, since they're both redheads who were voiced by the same actor in the She-Ra cartoon.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T Smith 2015
Sea Hawk ©Classic Media
"Rebel Hearts 1" by Kevenn T. Smith. Sisters? Besties? Lovers? Whichever you prefer, there's no denying that Netossa and Spinerella adored each other in the episode, "When Whispering Woods Last Bloomed." Now you can have them together in one piece. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T Smith 2015
Netossa and Spinerella ©Mattel
"The Beach Blanket Queen" by Kevenn T. Smith
My mother's favorite celebrity is Annette Funicello, despite that Annette passed away last year. I grew up watching Annette in movies, TV shows, and specials, and listening to her music thanks to my mom's fandom. This year, my mother wanted me to draw her a postcard with Annette on it, and I did. While my mom has the original, you can get this illustration in a special tryptych format on:
Stickers, Spiral Notebooks, Hardcover Journals, iPhone Cases & Skins, Samsung Galaxy Cases & Skins, Posters, Throw Pillows, Tote Bags, Studio Pouches, Duvet Covers, Mugs, Travel Mugs, Photographic Prints, Art Prints, Framed Prints, Canvas Prints, Metal Prints, Greeting Cards, Leggings, Scarves, Pencil Skirts, Drawstring Bags, iPad Cases & Skins, Laptop Skins & Sleeves, T-Shirts, Hoodies, Kids'/Baby's Clothes in assorted sizes, styles, and colors at RedBubble.com! Click on the image to buy those products with this illustration on it.
Pencil, Ink, Prismacolor Color Pencil, and Photoshop Enhancements
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015