The Protector

First off, OMFG, did I really do that?! *dies of total shock* Wow, this is the first time I've ever done anime/manga on the computer. Let me tell you, it's a pain in the butt! 8 hours in Adobe Photoshop and of those 8 hours, 1 hour was spent on hair! Stupid hair...next time I do something they are all going bald!

Okay, now about my poster. Let's see....

I chose the color scheme to be black, red, grey, and white. Why? Well, I looked on the Anime Expo website and those were the colors I saw.

Is that Cloud I see? Why yes, yes it is. Why Cloud? Well, when you browse through convention pictures who do you usually see...Cloud! So why not have Cloud be the main man? I mean, he is really hawt and all. So yea, Cloud would be the hero in my poster. However, Cloud also symbolizes something else that I will talk about later on.

Who's the chick? Well, the chick isn't really anyone. But the more I drew her the more I saw Sakura. So I guess it's Sakura. Why her? Well, after losing Sasuke she was pretty sad, so I figured she could be the heroine in distress. She's upset and, while she's feeling blue, the evil doer decides to make his move!

I bet you're wondering who the guy in the middle is, right? Well, he's the infamous Kira, or Light Yagami from DeathNote. Why Kira? Hello, Kira = evil. Thus, Kira is the villain in my poster.

What the hell is the thing on the end?! Well, I was hoping you could tell me! I really don't know what it is. It's some sort of beast, I think. So why did I add him instead of another face? Well, let's just say I had the hero, heroine, villain, and beast idea in mind. So I guess the thing on the right is a demonic beast that will wreck havoc on the poor innocent people.

There you have it! This is my idea of a poster. I wanted it to have a dark tone to it, giving it an evil voice, but at the same time, I wanted there to be hope and light.

So what does this have to do with the Anime Expo? That's easy! I chose some of the more popular characters from my favorite animes/mangas. Since most people cosplay, I figured three people should be sufficient. Then I added a beast, just to show that you don't always have to go as a person.

Oh, I bet you're wondering why Cloud is just a silhouette, ey? Well, Cloud represents those of us that don't want to dress up. He represents everyone else that goes, which is why he isn't colored. Kira, Sakura, and the beastie all represent the love and passion we cosplayers have, while Cloud represents the neutral party. I guess you could say that Cloud represents us artists and those of us that don't have a chance to make an outfit. It's showing that just because he's not fully dressed and in color, that he can, and will always be, an essential part of all conventions.

So there you have it. My reasoning and my poster. Thanks for viewing and understanding my reasoning.

Oh, and as a final note, thank you everyone. Without you all deviantART, anime conventions, and art in general would not be the same. So thanks for making me, as well as everyone else, feel like a part of a large family. If we don't stand up for ourselves who will! So thanks for everything and never let your artistic streak die!

I wish I could say, "I'll smell ya there," but I'm in New York and I'm without money. So for those of you that are going I want 3 things from you.

1.) Have fun
2.) Take a lot of pictures and show me please!
3.) Itachi is mine! If you find a super hawt one please send him my way!

Oh, I forgot to mention, the background was made entirely by me. I got bored last year in art so I made some icy looking stuff and yesterday (when I made the poster) I was just screwing around with the brushes.

And for anyone that wants to take a stab at what drawing I threw into this, I might draw you something. It's somewhere in my gallery, that's the only hit I'll give you. Good luck!

FYI: It took about 45 minutes to come up with the title.

Copyright © Jennifer Gillette 2008. All rights reserved. None of the artwork provided on this web site may be used, reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or the use of any information storage and retrieval system, except as provided for in the Terms and Conditions, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Sakura (c) M. Kishimoto
Kira (c) writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata
Cloud (c) Square Enix