A Little Tribute to One of the Greatest Days of My Life.

 This coming Tuesday (January 6) will be 35 years since one of the greatest days in my life (the details of which I'll post about one day)! Long story short, I went to NYC Creation Con for the 4th time, with my mother, and bought a couple of videos (including the first five episodes of Ultraman, in English; finally seeing an Ultra Series for the first time, after hearing/reading about it for so many years), watching samples of other videos (including The Space Giants and Kamen Rider Black), and to top it all off, bought the first issue of the short-lived Markalite (Summer 1990), one of my favorite magazines of all time! (And yes, named for the Markalite FAHP/Flying Atomic Heat Projector mecha from The Mysterians.) It's like much of my questions were answered, including learning the word "tokusatsu" (special effects) for the first time! And it was my gateway to tokusatsu fandom, after trying to find out more about my favorite Japanese sci-fi stuff for many years!

 Here are the two main human characters from Rekira the Super-Monster reenacting Markalite's influence on my life. Raitaro Hayama reflecting my teenage self from the time, and Verena Freston looking on with curiosity (because tokusatsu, at the time, was considered so weird and not worthy of mainstream attention). Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca (in a pencil style).

Final Art of 2025!

 Here's my final work of 2025!

 Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca, here's the Olympus Key Staff (secretly the Dynamic Heralds), the main characters of my kaiju project, Rekira the Super-Monster, wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

Last CG work of 2025!

 I think I really nailed it this time. :)

 You may have seen them in some test footage I posted recently, but I recently completed updated versions of the main heroes of my original kaiju project, Rekira the Super-Monster! And with them, I did a second version of the reenactment of my last art of 2022 on Blender, and this time, I finally nailed it, for my last CG work of 2025.

 Once again, depicted are the main characters, the Olympus Key Staff (who secretly transform into the superhero team, the Dynamic Heralds), hanging out in a huge studio similar to the Rainbow Room from The Monkees! (It's the same exact one used in the previous version.)

Here's the original 2002 drawing for comparison:

And the first 3D version from 2023, which is not bad, but it's great to see how far I've come in my modeling skills.

 Either way, these deeply touch me. :) 

 I'll still be doing some drawn art by the end of the year, so stay tuned!

Introducing Dengeking!

 Not quite Ultraman, but it'll do for today!

Finally completed in Blender (the texture map done in Flash), here's the cyborg superhero Dengeking, from Rekira the Super-Monster! This is the giant form for Herald 6: Dengekid (Raitaro Hayama). Obviously my own tribute to Japanese superheroes, including Ultraseven, Spectreman, Silver Mask, Hyuman, Zone Fighter, and others. The color scheme is an obvious homage to Jet Jaguar (where my interest in Japanese robots and superheroes came from). I'm especially proud of how the head turned out!

Happy Valentine's Day 2024!

 For (after) Valentine's Day, I did this drawing of Mysti-Girl and Dengekid (Heralds 4 and 6, respectively), two members of the Dynamic Heralds, from my original kaiju project, Rekira the Super-Monster! Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Happy Chinese New Year 2024!

 So yesterday was the Lunar New Year! The Year of the Dragon. :)

So I thought I'd do another New Year's drawing featuring my original kaiju, Rekira, and I started on it yesterday. But because we got Chinese food for dinner (it was delicious!), and I got to spend a bit of time with my family (even watching some of the animated movie Wish Dragon, which was cute!), I was a bit delayed, but it was still worth it. It took several hours, but it's a gorgeous bit of art!

Here, the Dynamic Heralds, the superhero team from Rekira the Super-Monster, perform with a dragon dance pole puppet based on Rekira himself! A concept I thought up in the last few days.

Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Last CG work of 2023!

 I'll be taking a break from CG work for the rest of the year, so it's fitting that I would post this superb CG recreation of my "Final Art of 2022" drawing! Once it was finished, I got a bit emotional seeing the result (and the original drawing was emotional enough as it was). A Christmas present for all. Done on Blender on the 15th, and assembled in FireAlpaca today.

And here's the original:

The Dynamic Heralds in CGI!

 At last, after two years, I finally got all of the Dynamic Heralds translated into 3DCG!

The Dynamic Heralds is the superhero team featured in my original kaiju project, Rekira the Super-Monster; they are the (super)human protagonists of the story, investigating the strange phenomenon of giant monsters suddenly appearing in New York. Transformed into "die-cast" superhumans by the super-computer HERA (Hydro-Electric Re-Atomizer), The Dynamic Heralds are secretly based/reside in Olympus Tower on the small artificial island Olympus Island, located in the Hudson River in New York. As the Olympus Elite Staff, our heroes are excellent technological engineers for the privately-run Olympus Industries, Ltd. As the Dynamic Heralds, a mysterious team of vigilante superheroes, they fight crime and corruption, and keep peace in the New York area.

One to two years in the making, after several tries, all were modeled in Blender, with the textures in FireAlpaca. The bases for the Dynamic Heralds designs are based on these designs from 2021. There have been little changes in translation of design! The Olympus Elite Staff suits are based on these designs from 2022.

Helmet Type:

Mask Type:

Unmasked:

Civvies:

Olympus Elite Staff:

Happy Belated Thanksgiving 2023!

 Due to health issues and other unfortunate technical difficulties in the past few days, I'm extremely late in posting this cute Thanksgiving card I whipped out this past Wednesday evening, so I humbly apologize. :(

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca, here's a head portrait lineup of the Olympus Elite Staff (the Dynamic Heralds) from Rekira the Super-Monster for their staff Thanksgiving greeting card! Oh, it would've been such a great fit right before Thursday...

Dengekid into Dengeking

 The main (super)human protagonist of Rekira the Super-Monster, Herald 6/Dengekid, demonstrating his power to transform into his giant form, Dengeking!

Started on September 15th, finished today (October 26), done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Some recent Verena art

From Rekira the Super-Monster, here's a new mod-style cartoon doodle I did of Verena! The new CG model on Blender looks very close to this. Drawn on May 26 on tablet in FireAlpaca.

 

Another, done on the same date.

 

First Art of 2023!

 Happy New Year, everyone! Here's my first artwork of 2023!

I had wanted to do this for New Year's Day yesterday, but was busy with family at the time, but better to be just one night late than never (or any later)!

Here's the stars of Rekira the Super-Monster, the eponymous monster Rekira (right) shaking hands with the superhero Dengekid (a member of the superhero team, the Dynamic Heralds)! This year is the upcoming 50th Anniversary of my personal favorite Godzilla movie, and one of my favorite movies of all time, Godzilla Vs. Megalon (Toho; 1973), so this New Year's Day drawing is my tribute to that film with my characters.

Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

Last Art of 2022!

 My last art for the year!

Here's the Elite Staff of Olympus Tower in NY (secretly the superhero team Dynamic Heralds), the main (super) human characters of my original kaiju project, Rekira the Super-Monster, saying goodbye to 2022 in this group photo, looking forward to next year! The background is very Super Sentai-ish (which is partly the intention), but is actually based on the huge, colorful performance set from Season 2 of The Monkees. Done on tablet in FireAlpaca.

See you on New Year's!

Raitaro & Verena - Olympus Elite Staff Members

 From my original kaiju project, Rekira the Super-Monster, here are the two main human characters, Raitaro Hayama and Verena Freston, in their Olympus Elite Staff uniforms!

Figures done in Blender, collage assembled in FireAlpaca.

 ADDED BONUS (9/16/2022): Here's three versions of the central pic; black & white, faded "retro" color, and normal color versions.

And a pic not seen in this collage; one in black and white, and in normal color.

Remodeled Mysti-Girl and Dengekid!

 I have finished remodeling the Blender CG figures of Mysti-Girl and Dengekid, the superhero forms of Verena Freston and Raitaro Hayama, respectively! They look much better!

The helmets/goggles/masks/accessories are unchanged, but the bodysuits were completely redone, and look much smoother and more to my liking.

Remodeled Raitaro & Verena!

 I just recently finished remodeling my Blender figures of Raitaro Hayama and Verena Freston (two main characters from my original kaiju project, Rekira the Super-Monster), and are both much improved!

Raitaro's entire mouth was remodeled, and the facial expressions are much better, not to mention I redid his entire body from scratch, and it looks much better proportioned.

Verena, on the surface level, doesn't look too dissimilar from her previous model; the head/expressions are the same, but the body was entirely redone from scratch, and is far more refined. You wouldn't know that from the clothes she's wearing (which were slightly tweaked to accommodate the new body)! ;)

Mysti-Girl and Dengekid in CGI!

 Two more characters from Rekira the Super-Monster have been completed! Made with Blender, these character profiles were assmbled on FireAlpaca (the logos were done in Flash).

 Last time, you've seen Raitaro Hayama and Verena Freston. Now, here are their Dynamic Heralds superhero forms!

Here's Verena as Herald 3/Mysti-Girl:

 And Raitaro as Herald 6/Dengekid:

Dynamic Heralds Design Extras

 Some new designs related to the Dynamic Heralds, the protagonist superhero team in my original project, Rekira the Super-Monster.

First up is a speculation design: WHAT IF... the Dynamic Heralds wore matching suits? This is what it would look like. Naturally, the Super Sentai influence is still there, though I also imagined not only the Fantastic Four and early X-Men (both by Jack "The King" Kirby), but also the Beatles and the Monkees (the latter became a superhero team called the Monkeemen, with matching costumes/capes).

And next, here's something that will actually be used; the Heralds have special work uniforms (the Olympus Elite Staff uniforms) at their tech-industrial workplace/default residence, Olympus Tower (underneath which is their secret command center). This is influenced by the Beatles' Pierre Cardin suits, the blue uniforms of the Science Special Search Party (Science Patrol) from Ultraman, as well as something Wes Anderson could create if he did a 1960s-style sci-fi movie!

Verena Portrait - April 8, 2022

Contemporary manga-style portrait I did this afternoon of Verena Freston (AKA: Herald 3/Mysti-Girl) from my original project, Rekira the Super-Monster! Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca.

 

Dengekid - Style Experiment

 Here's a sketch I did on February 8 of Dengekid, drawn in a style reminiscent of Bruce Timm! (There's also a vague Tatsuo Yoshida and Jiro Kuwata style to him as well.) Drawn on tablet in FireAlpaca.