"Welcome to the Fantasy Zone! Get ready!"
I've always enjoyed drawing videogame characters, especially those that never had the chance to be portrayed in something more than the pixelated screens we first met them (maybe some cover illustrations, but still). This is one of them. Space Harrier was an arcade game by SEGA from the 80s. It feature fast paced action in a way you could really sense the depth of the stages. The character, Harrier, was always flying forward, thrusted by a flying cannon he's holding on to, through endless levels with checkered floors, flying Easter Island heads, friendly dragons, evil octaedrons, and a lot of surreal stuff.
Is that a cyclops mammoth with flying rocks around him? It sure is!
The game also had a narrator who would welcome you to the "Fantasy Zone" and tell you to "get ready" every time the game started. He would also tell to "don't give up" everytime you died. What a nice guy!
I googled a screenshot from the game and tried to recreate it as faithfully as I could, trying to capture the feeling of the game with its sense of speed and things flying at the screen. With a few artistic liberties here and there (some to fill the gap left by the low resolution of the game) I'm quite satisfied with the result.
Below is a gif and a few images from the illustration process.
Below is a gif and a few images from the illustration process.
A few sketches before we begin
Basic color!
Shades and a few details. I made him assless because it would be covered by the back of the cannon anyway.
Trying to find the right light trace. Something that won't hide the shape of the back of the cannon.
This is a lot more subtle. Now to make a few of these flying Easter Island heads. Also, floor is purple now.
Apparently Space Harrier will be available soon for the Nintendo 3DS... in 3D! I'm ready!
