"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
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
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
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
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
Another Round of Rebels With More Products Offered
There more additions to my Great Rebellion Collection, featuring the virtuous characters of the She-Ra: Princess of Power Universe. RedBubble has offered even more products to print these images on, so while you can find these illustrations 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, you can also find all of the other previous illustrations from this collection available on those products as well. In fact, much of my work is available on most of these formats at my RedBubble.com store.
"Rebels: Credited and Wave 1 Plus" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. This image features all of the characters on the She-Ra cartoon's opening credits sequence, and all the characters from the first wave of the vintage toyline.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Star Wind: "Valkyrie's Companion Mare" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. Star Wind is a combination of her Filmation design and the first toy Swift Wind.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Spritina: "The Sweet Little Wood Sprite" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration. The first of the Twiggets in this series, Spritina was the only one featured in the cartoon's opening sequence.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith
Peekablue: "The Beplumed Oracle" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Snout Spout: "The Unsinkable Elephantine Firefighter" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Perfuma: "The Scentsational Floral Nymph" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Characters ©Mattel
More Rebel Groups, Pairs, and Singles
I've added a few more pieces to my Great Rebellion Collection, featuring the virtuous characters of the She-Ra: Princess of Power Universe. All of these pieces are available in a plethora of different formats like t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, kids'/baby's clothes, stickers, cards, prints, posters, pillows, totes, mugs, duvets, and iPad/iPhone/laptop cases and skins all at my RedBubble.com Store.
Castaspella: "Enchanting Queen of Mysticor" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Double Trouble: "Verdant Double Agent" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith
Kowla: "The Demure Owlette" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
"Related Rebels 1" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Double Trouble, Queen Angella, and Princess Glimmer. Double Trouble is said to be Princess Glimmer's cousin from the kingdom of Green Glade in the Filmation Series Bible. Queen Angella is Princess Glimmer's mother, thus Double Trouble's aunt. Click on the image above to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
"Love Birds" by Kevenn T. Smith featuring Kowl & Kowla. Click on the above image to buy products with this illustration.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media.
Additional Great Rebels
Two more Rebels have been added to the collection: Frosta, the Ice Empress of the North, and Swift Wind, She-Ra's trusty steed. Both of these pieces are available in a multitude of products like t-shirts, hoodies, kids'/baby's clothes, prints, cards, iPhone/iPad cases, laptop cases, pillow, totes, mugs, duvets, and leggings at my RedBubble Store.
Frosta: "The Ice Empress" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the above image to buy products with her image.
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Swift Wind: "The Valkyrie's Trusty Steed" by Kevenn T. Smith. Click on the image to buy products with this image.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2015
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
Both characters ©Mattel
More Great Rebellion Artwork by Kevenn T. Smith
In adding to my Great Rebellion Collection, there are now two more characters that haven't appeared in prior releases. "Brightmoon' Angelic Queen" and "Light's Crystalline Hope" depict Queen Angella and Light Hope. Both are available on t-shirts, hoodies, kids' clothes, stickers, iPad/iPhone cases, throw pillows and totes at my RedBubble.com Store. Also available is an Etherian Landscape piece which will serve as a backdrop for all of the characters in one large print. The backdrop(sans characters) is available now on posters, prints, and cards because some fans requested it in order to use as a backdrop for their action figure collections. It's also available on a duvet cover. Click on the pictures below to be taken to the item at my store.
"Brightmoon's Angelic Queen (Pink)" by Kevenn T. Smith has Queen Angella with pink tinged color in her wings, which is an homage to the pink wings of the vintage action figure.
"Brightmoon's Angelic Queen (White)" by Kevenn T. Smith is offered for those who want her with the all white wings that she appeared with in the cartoon.
"Light's Crystalline Hope" by Kevenn T. Smith depicts the character Light Hope with his "column of colored light" form that he appeared as in the cartoon the most along with the corporeal "Crystal Castle Man" design for him released in the Masters of the Universe Classics action figure line.
And finally, also available is "Etherian Landscape" by Kevenn T. Smith.
All images are hand drawn in pencil, hand inked, and digitally colored in Photoshop.
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel
"Razzle Dazzle" by Kevenn T. Smith
Another Great Rebellion illustration is now available at my RedBubble store! You can get this illustration of Madame Razz & Broom by themselves on t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, stickers, kid clothes, tote bags, throw pillows, iPhones cases, and iPad cases. Click on the picture below to be taken to the page.
Great Rebellion T-Shirts by Kevenn T. Smith
I have been working on this series since the beginning of 2012. And while I wanted to debut it all as a massive print with a large amount of characters, perhaps this is the best way to get the ball rolling. The She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon was a huge influence on me as a child in my development as an artist, a person with a moral center, my strong belief in feminine empowerment, and my sense of aesthetics. Alongside the cartoon was an action figure line that I wasn't allowed to own and had to surreptitiously play with my sister's collection, which included amazing design details that had to be simplified and excised for the purposes of animation.
With this series, I'm trying to come up with my "ultimate" versions of these characters that takes my favorite design elements from all of the various depictions of these characters, (Filmation cartoon, vintage action figures, vintage style guide, vintage production art and advertisement art, vintage coloring books, the current Masters of the Universe Classics figures, and original design elements) and bring them all into one cohesive series. The first entry is the core members of the Great Rebellion on a t-shirt (in various sizes, styles, colors and available in kids' clothes and on stickers!) or totebags, throw pillows, iPhone & iPad cases: She-Ra, Bow, Princess Glimmer, Madame Razz & Broom, Kowl, Loo-Kee, and Light Hope. Click on the pictures to be taken to my RedBubble store where you can purchase a t-shirt (or other products offered) of "Rebel Core."
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
Other T-Shirts (and kids' clothes and stickers and tote bags and throw pillows and iPhone/iPad cases!) are available, such as this one with a slightly different version of She-Ra called "The Light of the Valkyrie's Hope."
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel & Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©Mattel and Classic Media
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
Loo-Kee by himself in "Here I Am!"
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
Loo-Kee ©Mattel
Pencil, in, Photoshop
And Kowl by himself in "The Owl Knows."
©2014 Kevenn T. Smith
Kowl ©Mattel
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
Illumina: Eternian Solstice by Kevenn T. Smith
I did this piece for the Illumina Day fan project in support of awareness of the character of Illumina for the Masters of the Universe Classics toy line, of which I'm a big fan of. Illumina was a character created by Val Staples and Emiliano Santalucia and slated to appear in MV Creations' 200x era He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comic book, and even appeared in print in an in-house ad, before things behind the scenes prevented her appearance. Illumina was going to be a heroic Gar warrior, also gifted with powers of light, who was trapped on the Dark Hemisphere when the Mystic Wall went up, keeping Skeletor locked away for years. Many fans hope she will win the upcoming fan choice contest from Mattel and will receive a figure in the MOTU Classics line.
I listened to a lot of holiday music as I was making this piece, and I get a Holiday feeling from it. Since Illumina can light up the dark, I thought a lot about the Winter Solstice, and how it's the longest period of darkness in the year. I'm sure Eternia has its own version of the Winter Solstice, with a longest night of the year. Illumina, herself, spent many years confined to the dark half of Eternia with precious little light. I feel like there's a sense of hope in this piece that accompanies the Winter Solstice. A hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Pencil, ink, Photoshop
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
WonderCon 2011 Wrap-Up
I had an amazing time at WonderCon! I got to meet so many people who were more than nice and see some great talent there. I'd say it was an absolute success. Thanks to all who came by the booth and supported us. I made 3 artcards right before WonderCon, and one of them sold, and I wanted to spotlight them here. First up is Psyche from Brian Andersen's So Super Duper. This image is now available as cards, prints and Posters at RedBubble.com!
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
Speaking of So Super Duper, I had the opportunity to go by Whatever Comics in the Castro, and issue #11 of So Super Duper with my 10 page back-up story was on display in the front window! You can't miss the hot pink cover:
Issue #11 of Brian Andersen’s So Super Duper is on sale at the shop at Prism Comics.com and Indy Planet.com!!! The 10 page back-up story that I wrote and created the artwork for is lettered by Ray Caspio (who also has a pin-up illustration in this issue!). Just click on the preview thumbnail images below to enlarge them.
All artwork and images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
Another artcard I did was of DC Comic's Batwoman. For this artcard, I wanted to capture some of the "feel" of J.H. Williams III's art in the Batwoman stories that he illustrates. This image is now available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.
Batwoman ©DC Comics 2011
The third card that I made before WonderCon was of one of my favorites, She-Ra. I also couldn't resist the chance to illustrate the Whispering Woods backgrounds from the She-Ra cartoon again.
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil, Prismacolor marker.
She-Ra ©Mattel 2011
UPDATE: Brian Andersen wrote about his own experience at WonderCon and mentioned me in the write-up over at Comicbook Queers.com. Take a look!
Superhero Artwork Merchandise by Kevenn T. Smith
Just in time for the Holiday Season, you can buy cards, prints and posters of some of my past superhero illustrations seen on this website!
Wonder Clubbing by Kevenn T. Smith. This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
Here, Kitty, Kitty! by Kevenn T. Smith. This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
A Boy and His Dog by Kevenn T. Smith. This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
Double Transformation by Kevenn T. Smith. For sale as T-shirts, Skirts, Hoodies, Kids' & Babies' Clothes, Posters, Throw Pillows, Tote Bags, Studio Pouches, Mugs, Travel Mugs, Photographic Prints, Art Prints, Framed Prints, Canvas Prints, Metal Prints, Greeting Cards, Laptop Skins and more! Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request and inquire about pricing and size options.
All artwork and images ©Kevenn T. Smith 2010
Wonder Woman Day V: Transformation At Horror Hall by Kevenn T. Smith
Once again, I am participating in the charity auction for Wonder Woman Day V, 2010. The auction will benefit Bradley Angle as well as other domestic violence programs. I continue to participate in this event because this cause is very important to me, and I hope you will consider bidding on my piece to help raise money for it.
As per my usual M.O., I want to continue to depict an empowered Wonder Woman who takes joy in her life and what she does. I also wanted to do a follow up to my piece last year, which had She-Ra in it. As I noted last year, Wonder Woman and She-Ra seem to contain some analogues in their Rogues Gallery, and I couldn't resist taking a crack at another pairing. I also love to put out more images of Wonder Woman and She-Ra working together, as opposed to fighting each other. Right now, the Wonder Woman comic book is being written by J. Michael Straczynski, who also wrote many episodes of the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon series by Filmation, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010. I definitely wanted to do another piece with She-Ra to help contribute to the passing of that occasion.
Wonder Woman's designed changed a little from last year's piece. I wanted to simplify her outfit just a tad to make her more similar to the level of She-Ra's design, so I opted to leave off the diagonal side seams on her boustier. I also went with a more Lynda Carter-esque design on the boots, as opposed to the early Terry Dodson "w" shaped top cut to the boots. In addition, I rounded the edges of her bracelets. She-Ra's bracelets were also smoothed a little on the cuffs, and I added the raised circlet on the center of her choker that the Masters of the Universe Classics She-Ra figure by Mattel had.
Circe's design was a combination of the way she appeared as Terry Dodson drew her in the Heinberg-written issues of Wonder Woman, as well as the DC Direct action figure based on Dodson's designs. Shadow Weaver remained largely true to her Filmation depiction, but I wanted to "fancy" her up just a bit to bring her closer to the level of detail and design that the other characters in the piece had. I gave her a corset , still in red, but in a deeper red than her dress she wears, and gave it a shinier texture. In some early artwork of Shadow Weaver, her belt was a gold or yellow, so I went with that interpretation of her belt and added a row of spikes to it as an homage to a custom Shadow Weaver figure that I own made by Scott Falappi. I also depicted her with the wand that she used in the second season She-Ra episode, "The Caregiver."
Because Circe and Shadow Weaver are both very formidable and dark opponents in each of their respective franchises, I wanted to set the piece in a more dangerous setting, and Shadow Weaver's Horror Hall base, set on top of a volcano, was just the ticket. In preparing for this piece, I did a lot of research on Horror Hall and looked at shots of all the incredibly beautiful backgrounds used in the cartoon series. I also looked at different elements and creatures who were associated with Shadow Weaver in the series, such as her vulture, Syrax, her servants, her bird-like spy, and vermin that lived in the tunnels of Horror Hall. Ultimately, I didn't feel like they would contribute to the composition of the piece, and I wanted to refrain from doing "too much." I opted to depict the main "hall" and what looks to be Shadow Weaver's library, which seemed to be used the most, while taking elements from the background paintings made for the series, as well as adding several "easter eggs" for fans of the Princess of Power show and original Mattel toyline.
For sale as T-shirts, Skirts, Hoodies, Kids' & Babies' Clothes, Posters, Throw Pillows, Tote Bags, Studio Pouches, Mugs, Travel Mugs, Photographic Prints, Art Prints, Framed Prints, Canvas Prints, Metal Prints, Greeting Cards, Laptop Skins and more! Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request and inquire about pricing and size options.
Click on the picture to see a full-sized image:
Transformation At Horror Hall
11.5 x 8 inches Bristol Board.
Pencil, ink, & Prismacolor pencil.
Wonder Woman and Circe ©DC Comics 2010
She-Ra ©Mattel 2010
Shadow Weaver ©Classic Media 2010
"Here, Kitty, Kitty!" for Wonder Woman Day #4
I'm participating in the Wonder Woman Day IV Charity Auction this year. The auction benefits these Domestic Violence Shelters and hot-lines: Raphael House of Portland, Bradley-Angle House, and Portland Women's Crisis Line. I am very proud to participate in this auction because these are very important causes to me. Please bid, and bid high!
I wanted to do a picture of Wonder Woman being happy and having fun - something that I don't think happens nearly enough in the comic books. I also really wanted to draw She-Ra and Catra, as well as Wonder Woman's enemy, Cheetah. Most pictures I've seen that have Wonder Woman and She-Ra together have them fighting each other. I really don't care for that, because I believe that Wonder Woman and She-Ra would get along really well and enjoy a tremendous sense of camaraderie, and I wanted to show them being friendly and having fun together. I also wanted to play on the fact that they both have well-known enemies with a cat theme.
While I take a lot of my cues for Wonder Woman and Cheetah from the way that Terry Dodson depicted them when he drew the Wonder Woman comic book, I also take a couple of Lynda Carter elements that I sneak in here and there with Wonder Woman. Cheetah also has a few George Perez elements in her design, especially when it comes to her facial markings, which Dodson mostly abandoned.
She-Ra and Catra were really fun to draw. I'm a big fan of Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics action figure line. It's a melding of various canons of their franchises into one cohesive line. My approach to She-Ra and Catra was along that lines. I wanted to depict them with the familiarity of the Filmation designs of the cartoon that everyone knows and loves these characters from, but also bring in some of the details that the action figures had, whose designs were very different from the cartoon designs. The result give detailed and interesting looks that easily stand up well alongside Wonder Woman and Cheetah.
The background is inspired by the Whispering Woods background paintings that were featured in the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon. They are lush, flamboyant and magical looking. As I was planning out the background, I thought it would be fun to have Lookie in it. Lookie was always hiding in the background of the cartoons, and at the end of the episodes, he would reveal his hiding place and explain the episode's moral. Once I decided that Lookie was going to be in it, I wanted to balance the picture, and tried to think of a character in Wonder Woman's lore that could serve as an analogue to Lookie. The two franchises are pretty rife with analogues: Ares/Hordak, Circe/Shadow Weaver, Giganta/Scorpia, Steve Trevor/Bow, Nemesis/Sea Hawk. When it came down to it, I settled on the whimsical and fun Wonder Tot, who is Wonder Woman as a small child in the Silver Age comic book stories. Wonder Tot often had "impossible adventures" right alongside Wonder Woman as an adult and Wonder Woman as a teenager (Wonder Girl), and I thought that the magical nature of the Whispering Woods, and the fact that She-Ra's planet of Etheria was likely in another dimension, would provide a narrative that would allow Wonder Tot.
This illustration is available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.
Here, Kitty, Kitty!
8.5″ x 11″ on Bristol Board
Pencils, Inks and Prismacolor Color Pencils
Wonder Woman, Cheetah and Wonder Tot ©DC Comics 2010
She-Ra, Catra and Lookie ©Mattel 2010