Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Finale

I spent a year working on all of these individual designs and the setting for this composite piece. When I was working on it, several times throughout the year of 2021 I wondered if this piece would be obsolete or no longer relevant by the time I finished all the planned entries. Sadly, the answer is that it's more relevant than ever. With the Omicron variant being five times as transmissible as the already more transmissible Delta variant, whether you're vaccinated or not, the best way to help protect yourself and others (after being vaccinated) wearing a mask when having to be near others. Being vaccinated and wearing a mask are the best ways to stop the spread of this virus. I wish this piece was obsolete so that life could get back to the way things were before the pandemic happened.

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. 

Pictured Left to Right starting at the bottom, Row 1: Black Canary, Huntress, Barda, Isis, Donna Troy, Nubia, Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, Artemis, Vixen, Katana, Batgirl, Zatanna, Mera

Row 2: Ice, Omen, Power Girl, Flamebird, Hawkgirl, Dove, Bumblebee

Row 3: Fire, Dr. Light, Starfire, Catwoman, Batwoman, Raven, Supergirl, Green Lantern

Row 4: Red Tornado

Right-click on the thumbnail below and open it in a new tab to see a larger image size. Thank you for taking the time to experience this piece and this series. I hope it inspires you to wear a mask.
"Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©2021 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©DC Comics

Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Flamebird

This is the 26th entry that I've posted in the series featuring "red carpet" takes on superheroes in costume with masks to promote the pro-social & pro-health practice of mask wearing during a pandemic. At the time of this posting, the Delta Variant is still a serious threat, and many areas in the United States, like the one I live in, are under advisement for everyone to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. This entry is also one of the final six "deluxe" entries to this series.

All hail the original Dick Grayson Thirst Queen! The character Betty Kane was created in the 1950's, not long after her aunt, Kathy Kane, to combat those pesky homosexual rumors about Batman and Robin. Kathy Kane's Batwoman wanted to aid the Caped Crusaders, and her niece, Betty, became the original Bat-Girl...in order to get closer to Robin because she had a crush on him. AND NO ONE CAN BLAME HER.

Along came the 1960's and DC Comics had a Batman TV show that made big waves in pop culture, and they decided to introduce a new Batgirl character by the name of Barbara Gordon. Kathy & Betty Kane had been long disused, and it seems as though it was decided that those adventures with Batwoman and Bat-Girl took place in a parallel universe on Earth-2. The character of Bette Kane was later created, a tennis champion as a young teenager, a young beauty pageant winner to rival any Tots & Tiaras star, an Olympic level swimmer and acrobat, trained in many martial art forms, an experienced sky diver, wind sailer, and mountain climber. All that, and the only prize she couldn't win was catching the eye of the original Robin, Dick Grayson. She ended up creating the identity of Flamebird and set out to get Robin's attention by becoming a crime fighter. Eventually, she joined the Teen Titans West and was an auxiliary member of the Titans throughout the years. My favorite Flamebird moment occurred during the 1998 JLA vs. Titans miniseries by Devin Grayson & the LEGENDARY Phil Jimenez, when trapped in an illusion of her perfect world, her fantasy was playing a game of tennis against Robin in his original short-shorts/short cape costume, and watching him bend over - over and over - to pick up the ball. Bless her heart.

Flamebird received a bit of a makeover in the Batwoman title when she wanted to serve as a sidekick to her cousin, Kate Kane, who is Batwoman. Bette ended up taking up the new identity of Hawkfire. It's a terrible name, especially because DC has long had a character named Firehawk in its Firestorm stories, but Hawkfire did have a great costume which the chest symbol in this outfit is lifted from and the gold layered bracelet inspired by the gauntlets on that costume. The rest of the outfit is inspired by her two Flamebird costumes, the original containing a tennis skirt and color homages to the original red and green Bat-Girl costume. Her character's history and portrayal contains a level of camp that endears this character deeply in my heart. It's a real shame she isn't used more in comics.

Thank you for taking the time to experience this piece.
"Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Flamebird" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©2021 Kevenn T. Smith
Flamebird ©DC Comics 

Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Batgirl

This is the 9th entry that I've posted in this series featuring "red carpet" takes on superheroes in costume with masks to promote the pro-social & pro-health practice of mask wearing during a pandemic.

Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon, a gymnast, tech whiz and gifted with an eidetic memory, Barbara Gordon became Batgirl out of the desire to do GOOD in the world and for her city. Modeling a costume off of Batman, she set out on her own to fight crime. Batgirl traditionally wears a cowl, which doesn't translate well into formal wear. As of late, she's had an odd pair of bat ears just sticking out of her hair. It's a look I detest, in fact. At least for Batgirl. Instead, I opted to dress for Barbara Gordon, giving her Batgirl elements in the colors and bat smybols. I was hugely inspired by amazing artist and clothing & jewelry designer - and style icon - Stephanie Buscema(you really should check out her work at www.kitschywitchdesigns.com) with her hair and glasses. I wanted to give Barbara a hip look using some retro elements. I couldn't bring myself to use scalloped edges, mimicking Batgirl's cape, or to even use a cape, but I did go with a batwing sleeve design...which would be more noticable if her arms were lifted. *sigh* I also really like taking style elements from different eras, and mixing them together, all with a modern spin on them.

Thanks for taking the time to enjoy my work!
"Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Batgirl" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©2021 Kevenn T. Smith
Batgirl ©DC Comics 

Art For Mid-Ohio-Con Part 2

Here are more of the artcards that I will be selling at Mid-Ohio-Con this weekend, along with prints of some of the work in my Illustration Gallery:

Superman:


Wonder Woman:

Donna Troy as Wonder Girl:

Supergirl (I wanted to capture the feeling of the aerial ballet in the Supergirl movie starring Helen Slater.):

Green Lantern:

Batgirl:

Nightwing:

Flamebird (based on International Supermodel and D-Listed.com's Hot Slut of the Year 2007, Phoebe Price):

Stephanie Brown: Spoiler/Robin IV

I was a fan of the DC Comics character Spoiler from the first time I read a comic with her in it.  I believe it was Robin #3.  Since then, I tracked all three of her previous appearances in Detective Comics #647-649, where her first outing as a costumed vigilante was told.  Spoiler is pretty much the only non-powered teenage vigilante that wasn't a derivative of anyone; especially not a male hero.  I created this visual Costume History of Spoiler as my own entry in the grassroots online support to bring the character back from her apparent death in the War Games storyline.  This piece shows the evolution of her costume through the 90's and into the present decade, including many of the looks that artist Pete Woods gave her during his lengthy and classic tenure on the Robin title.

Spoiler was always a favorite character of mine.  She is determined, headstrong, fun, and comes from a blue collar background.  She doesn't have millions of dollars and isn't one of the privileged rich kids living off of Bruce Wayne's money.  Her dad was a supervillain, the Cluemaster.  Her tenure as Robin was brief, but memorable.  I am happy that DC Comics has brought her back from "the dead" under the pen of her creator, Chuck Dixon, and I hope her character continues to shine in comics for years to come.

Spoiler and Robin ©DC Comics 2011

DC Comics Villainesses 2007

After completing the DC Comics Heroines 2007 piece, my goal was to create a companion piece for it that would contrast it with a showcase of DC Comics' various villainesses.

Once again, my goal was to depict iconic representations of the characters that would give an idea of who these characters were, just from looking at them, as well as rendering them in the styles of my favorite artists who have depicted them.  Some of those artists include Terry Dodson, Jim Balent, Nicola Scott, Matthew Clark, Lee Moder, Dustin Nguyen, George Perez, Joe Bennet, J.G. Jones, Dale Eaglesham, Jesus Saiz, Patrick Olliffe, H.G. Peter, Mark Buckingham, Ed Benes, Adam Kubert, Drew Johnson, Ethan Van Sciver, Joe Benitez, Phil Jimenez, Gary Frank, Tom Raney, Graham Nolan, John Byrne, and Don Kramer. Some of the characters have only appeared in animated DC projects, but I did not feel that the animated style would work well with the others styles present in this piece, so I rendered them in my own style instead.

What follows is a numbered version of the piece, and below that is the key to the names of the numbered characters, as well as the superhero/heroine or group they are the most common adversary to or affiliated with:

01. Silver Banshee (Superman/Supergirl);  02. Ursa (Superman);
03. Phobia (Teen Titans/Manhunter);  04. Mercy Graves (Superman);
05. Livewire (Superman);  06. Rampage (Superman/Supergirl);
07. Magenta (Flash); 08. Terra (Teen Titans);
09. Shimmer (Teen Titans/Outsiders);
10. The New Ventriloquist & Scarface (Batman);
11. Siren (Titans/Tempest); 12. Knockout (Secret Six);
13. Jinx (Teen Titans/Wonder Woman); 14. Scandal Savage (Secret Six);
15. Gundra the Valkyrie (Wonder Woman); 16. Silver Swan (Wonder Woman);
17. Medusa (Wonder Woman); 18. Dr. Veronica Cale (Wonder Woman/52);
19. Giganta (Wonder Woman); 20. Dark Angel (Donna Troy/Wonder Woman);
21. Queen Clea (Wonder Woman); 22. Dr. Poison (Wonder Woman);
23. Osira (Wonder Woman); 24. Dr. Cyber (Wonder Woman);
25. Devastation (Wonder Girl/Wonder Woman); 26. Circe (Wonder Woman);
27. Cheshire Jade (Titans; Secret Six); 28. Superwoman (JLA);
29. Catwoman (Batman); 30. Blue Lama (Sargon the Sorcerer);
31. Volcana (Superman); 32. Scorch (Martian Manhunter);
33. Blackfire (Starfire/Titans); 34. Morella (Catwoman);
35. Golden Age Catwoman (Batman); 36. Cyber Cat (Catwoman);
37. Golden Age Cheetah, Priscilla Rich (Wonder Woman);
38. Baroness Paula Von Gunther (Wonder Woman);
39. Cheetah, Dr. Barbara Minerva (Wonder Woman);
40. Granny Goodness (Female Furies);  41. Tala (Phantom Stranger);
42. Lashina (Female Furies);  43. Morgana LeFay (Demon Etrigan);
44. Bernadeath (Female Furies);  45. Fatality (Green Lantern);
46. Star Sapphire (Green Lantern);  47. Lady Styx (Capt. Comet);
48. Roulette (JSA); 49. Chain Lightning (Mary Marvel);
50. Eclipso, Jean Loring (Mary Marvel, JLA); 51. Shiv (Stargirl/JSA);
52. Hummingbird (Hawkman/Hawkgirl); 53. Mad Harriet (Female Furies);
54. Satanna (Hawkman/Hawkgirl); 55. Killer Frost (Firestorm);
56. Stompa (Female Furies); 57. Plastique (Suicide Squad);
58. Queen Bee (JLA);  59. Tigress (JSA/Hawkgirl); 60. New Wave (Outsiders);
61. Lady Lunar (Superman);  62. Jewelee (Suicide Squad); 63. Linx (Robin);
64. Amanda Waller (Suicide Squad);  65. Lady Vic (Nightwing);
66. Alley Cat (Catwoman);  67. Sickle (Teen Titans/Catwoman);
68. Harley Quinn (Batman);  69. Lady Shiva (Batman);
70. Roxy Rocket (Batman);  71. Poison Ivy (Batman);
72. Spy Smasher (Birds of Prey); 73. Velvet Tiger (Batgirl); 74. Orca (Batman);
75. Spellbinder III (Batman);  76. Talia al Ghul (Batman)

©DC Comics 2011

DC Villainesses 2007 ©Kevenn T. Smith 201116" x 20"
Pencil, Ink, Prismacolor Pencil, Photoshop

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.

DC Comics Heroines 2007

I thought the best way to get the ball rolling here on my portfolio was to write about one of my favorite pieces I did.

The goal of this piece was to portray my favorite versions of my favorite DC Comics Heroines, including the costume details and artist depictions of them. I also wanted to try to depict as many characters as I could in a way that was iconic to the character; to try to communicate something about who that character was.

Some of the artist whose styles I worked to emulate for these characters were: Terry Dodson, Amanda Conner, Nicola Scott, Adam Hughes, Ed Benes, Joe Bennet, Joe Staton, Dale Eaglesham, Brian Bolland, Tony Daniel, Pete Woods, Mike McKone, Michael Turner, Jamal Igle, George Perez, Kevin Maguire, Chris Batista, Phil Jimenez, J.G. Jones, Al Barrionuevo, Daniel Acuna, Matthew Clark, Todd Nauck, Tom Grummet, Bill Willingham, Adriana Melo, and Jesus Saiz.

What follows is a numbered version of the piece, and below that is the key to the names of the numbered characters:

 

01. Jade; 02. Raven; 03. Isis; 04. Supergirl (Kara Zor-El);
 05. Supergirl (Linda Danvers); 06. Aquagirl; 07. Ravager;
 08. Batgirl (Barbara Gordon); 09. Speedy; 10. Misfit; 11. Black Canary;
 12. Oracle; 13. Huntress; 14. Big Barda; 15. Lady Blackhawk; 16. Thorn;
 17. Manhunter; 18. Gypsy; 19. The Question (Renee Montoya);
 20. Batwoman; 21. Batgirl (Cassandra Caine); 22. Queen Hippolyta;
 23. Flamebird; 24. Starfire; 25. Power Girl; 26. Sasha Bourdeaux;
 27. Catwoman (Holly Robinson); 28. Catwoman (Selina Kyle); 29. Spoiler;
 30. Bumblebee; 31. Ice; 32. Miss Martian; 33. Wonder Girl;
 34. Earth-2 Wonder Woman; 35. Wonder Woman; 36. Miss America;
 37. Donna Troy; 38. Fury I; 39. Artemis; 40. Vixen; 41. Firehawk;
 42. Hawkgirl; 43. Cyclone; 44. Stargirl; 45. Liberty Belle;
 46. Earth-2 Huntress (Helena Wayne); 47. Phantom Lady; 48. Red Bee;
 49. Empress; 50. Dr. Light II; 51. Skyrocket; 52. Mera; 53. Katana;
 54. Mary Marvel; 55. Crimson Fox; 56. Nightshade; 57. Thunder;
 58. Fire; 59. Natasha Irons; 60. Madame Xanadu; 61. Zatanna;
 62. Enchantress; 63. Grace

 ©DC Comics 2011

DC Heroines 2007 ©Kevenn T. Smith 2011
16" x 20"
Pencil, Ink, Prismacolor Pencil, Tempera, Photoshop

 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.