HOME | DD

Description
Ok, so after initially not being interested in the most recent P:R redesign contest due to an unfamiliarity with the character, when the ‘remember, the deadline ends tonight’ tweet from Project: Rooftop appeared on my feed I found myself changing my mind… only to find out after researching Shadowman that I had an evening shift in work! Suffice to say, after 4 hours wandering around a bingo hall handing out change, my brain had come up with an idea, and I just had to draw it when I got in – The deadline was midnight EST, which translates to 5 in the morning here, and I STILL cut it dangerously close – even then the address wouldn’t copy/paste into hotmail properly, and I got a ‘failed to deliver’ message from one of my attempts, but I hope the other went through ok…

Anyway, the character up for redesign this time was Shadowman, a superhero from the Valiant Comics universe, with super human powers based on voodoo concepts and magic (you can learn more about the character from clicking the link on his name to take you to the corresponding Wiki page) – the series even spawned a successful game on the N64, where the character was re-imagined as a black guy with sunglasses and a skull-like mask protruding from his bare chest (this is the version I remember) – the original was very 80′s, with long black hair and a rock musician background (think The Crow, only less goth…) but the new design is pretty cool, with an all black SWAT-gear type costume and skull face-paint.

I wanted to keep this voodoo priest/skull look for my design, and extended it to a full head and neck job (partially inspired by my brother’s recent halloween costume) but I went even further by changing his whole costume into a voodoo-doll type thing, complete with ‘pins’, which are actually spears, knives and gauntlets made to appear that way. My design suggests his powers have become more magic-based too, as he can paralyse his opponents by muttering a special incantation, and plunging a ‘pin’ into a limb of his choice, disabling his enemy, but not himself (except when he pushes one into his heart – this will kill his target, but leave him comatose and vulnerable for days afterwards – only to be used in one-on-one fights) – this particular magic will only work when he is in possession of something previously owned by his victim (like hair for example).

Another thing he can do is wrap himself completely in his costume for protection/regeneration (this would come in particularly handy if he’d just pulled the pin-to-the-heart move) – this was meant to encourage the spooky voodoo-doll look, but I can’t help but feel it reminds me of The Scarecrow for Batman Begins… damn. The diamond shaped belt buckle is a simplified version of his logo, removing the man shape, but keeping the ’3 horns of Bosou’ – perhaps suggesting a departure from humanity maybe…? (deep)

So this was fun, and ever since i’ve been working my ass off… I’ve got a day off tomorrow, but I have numerous commissions to do before I can draw anything I actually WANT to draw, and as it’s almost International Gift Exchange Day (or Christmas as you Christians like to call it) I’d better get on with them, as I need the money – no rest for the wicked as they say -sigh-

*********

Shadowman belongs to Valiant Comics, this is fan-art only

Description
Ok, so after initially not being interested in the most recent P:R redesign contest due to an unfamiliarity with the character, when the ‘remember, the deadline ends tonight’ tweet from Project: Rooftop appeared on my feed I found myself changing my mind… only to find out after researching Shadowman that I had an evening shift in work! Suffice to say, after 4 hours wandering around a bingo hall handing out change, my brain had come up with an idea, and I just had to draw it when I got in – The deadline was midnight EST, which translates to 5 in the morning here, and I STILL cut it dangerously close – even then the address wouldn’t copy/paste into hotmail properly, and I got a ‘failed to deliver’ message from one of my attempts, but I hope the other went through ok…

Anyway, the character up for redesign this time was Shadowman, a superhero from the Valiant Comics universe, with super human powers based on voodoo concepts and magic (you can learn more about the character from clicking the link on his name to take you to the corresponding Wiki page) – the series even spawned a successful game on the N64, where the character was re-imagined as a black guy with sunglasses and a skull-like mask protruding from his bare chest (this is the version I remember) – the original was very 80′s, with long black hair and a rock musician background (think The Crow, only less goth…) but the new design is pretty cool, with an all black SWAT-gear type costume and skull face-paint.

I wanted to keep this voodoo priest/skull look for my design, and extended it to a full head and neck job (partially inspired by my brother’s recent halloween costume) but I went even further by changing his whole costume into a voodoo-doll type thing, complete with ‘pins’, which are actually spears, knives and gauntlets made to appear that way. My design suggests his powers have become more magic-based too, as he can paralyse his opponents by muttering a special incantation, and plunging a ‘pin’ into a limb of his choice, disabling his enemy, but not himself (except when he pushes one into his heart – this will kill his target, but leave him comatose and vulnerable for days afterwards – only to be used in one-on-one fights) – this particular magic will only work when he is in possession of something previously owned by his victim (like hair for example).

Another thing he can do is wrap himself completely in his costume for protection/regeneration (this would come in particularly handy if he’d just pulled the pin-to-the-heart move) – this was meant to encourage the spooky voodoo-doll look, but I can’t help but feel it reminds me of The Scarecrow for Batman Begins… damn. The diamond shaped belt buckle is a simplified version of his logo, removing the man shape, but keeping the ’3 horns of Bosou’ – perhaps suggesting a departure from humanity maybe…? (deep)

So this was fun, and ever since i’ve been working my ass off… I’ve got a day off tomorrow, but I have numerous commissions to do before I can draw anything I actually WANT to draw, and as it’s almost International Gift Exchange Day (or Christmas as you Christians like to call it) I’d better get on with them, as I need the money – no rest for the wicked as they say -sigh-

*********

Shadowman belongs to Valiant Comics, this is fan-art only