So, moving away from our Canadian contingent now, we're going to take a look at someone whom has a thought train much like a Salvador Dali painting, if his comments are to be believed. However, whilst the stuffffffffffffff that comes out of his mouth might be a tad… odd, his art is, well, it's the stufffffffffff you're gonna see below the jump.
Wolfwoman
Just look at that face. Those eyes are gorgeous. And the muzzle works so well, even if it's just an insignia or two and some trickery. And the colours complement each other pretty neatly as well, the red and orange really standing out against the blue of the character. But really, it's those eyes.
Dragon Monk
This is where we really start to see Al's style start to form.We have a less conventional pose, though not as intricate as he would later do, alongside neat effects and some more wacky ideas (it's a martial arts monk wearing flares… need I say more?). Oh and having the tattoos red on the body and yellow and blue as auras makes them really stand out.
WillowWisp
Now we're getting somewhere. The posing is getting there nicely. We have a very eccentric looking character as well, which is something that a lot of Al's work can be described as. The mixture of magic and mechanics is unusual and interesting and the colouring is on point again, especially the green against the purple background.
Guru Yatra
Really I haven't got much to say about this one, because I've got so much to say about it that I don't know exactly how to word it. So in list order, colour, effects (especially the floor), white outline on black background, pose, face, sense of action and power in the character, awesome.
Pappy
Again, what do I say about this? It's perfect in every way. The creativity is astounding. The pose, the custom items created (see the nose, the neck and the shoes), the costume, the effects. This just has so much character.
Rum
See everything I said about Pappy, squared. That face alone is worth an inclusion on this list, but then you have the pose (that word has turned up a lot hasn't it) the shading, the costume. Oh and that freakin' left hand. How long did that take to do?
Split
You know, I'd love to take an hour and just sit down and try to figure out where you get some of your ideas from dude, because you come up with some of the most out there stuff, but it always ends up being awesome. Exhibit A here. And once again, I have to Hand it too you on one aspect of his piece. I just can't place my Finger on which bit. But as rule of Thumb I have to mention the awesome pose and the characters expression, which just sells this pic even more.
Midnight Magician
Coupe De Grace
Jaguar
And then he created backgrounds….
And lo, the forums didst rejoice. For it created wonders the likes of which had not been seen before, and it was good. For now the poses and effects were framed by marvellous scenery and such excellence as the preceding triumvirate were gifted to the people. And the land overflowed with milk and honey and there was ever lasting peace through out the world.
Which was nice.
(Ok, might have got a bit off topic there. No idea what happened).
Laela Moonstorm
Ok, wanna hear an injustice. This is Al's only Hall Of Fame picture. And that's only because it won the 200th CDC (and rightly so, I mean look at it, the picture is gorgeous). Once again I'm going to have to say that I love everything about this picture and just leave it at that, because I'll just be listing everything that makes up the pic if I were to say what it is I like.
Porcelain Witch
This one is a cracker. It's absolutely smashing. (Ok, I'll take a break from the puns now, they aren't all they're cracked up to be. 😀 Sorry too much fun). But yeah, being serious, if I completely and utterly ignore the obvious, I have to say that the best thing about this picture is the colour. Just look at how beautiful that background is, the mix of the magenta and deep turquoise, with the purple and green embellishment in front of it and the pink pattern, it should be a mess, but it is gorgeous. But then we take notice of the obvious and, oh my god, that arm is magnificent. I honestly can't lavish enough praise on the concept or the execution here, the way the arm shatters to expose this stream of magical energy that just spreads around the characters upper body. And then you have the face, the costume, the cracks across her skin. Perfect perfect perfect. Best thing in this gallery, and that is saying something.
Cascade
*heavy sigh*
I might need to go back and rethink my "Best Heromachiners Ever" list after this Gallery Grabs. Just look at this. Every little detail, right down the the ripple in the water where the character has just stepped, is perfect. The costume, perfect. The pose, perfect. The background, perfect. The speed lines on the water, you guessed it. The colouring….
Hummingbird
We covered this one in COTW a while back. Back then I mentioned the pose, the effects, the background, the colouring and layering of that colour and the costume, and they remain as brilliant now as they were then. End of.
Zuwa
Ok, maybe not quite the end. Instead have some panther people to end on. As character studies go, you won't find any more awesomely posed on heromachine. And those eyes are back. I love those eyes.
Gallery- Delirious AL's stufffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff go here now. I was very very selective, so there's even more awesome and it's only 10 pages so it won't take to long, provided of course you are very quick at super-glueing your skull back together.
