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Description
After 5 weeks and god knows how many hours of work, it's done. Its FINALLY DONE!

5 weeks ago, I wanted to make a tribute to one of my favorite video game characters to really 'embody' why the character was one of my favorites. Shadow the Hedgehog from Sonic Adventure 2 was and still is one of my most loved characters due to how his character traits and role unfolded.

In the process, I have created the best art piece I have ever made and without a doubt my most extensive art project of my life. The sense of accomplishment I have with this picture can't really be put in words to be honest. And you really don't have a true appreciation for a character until you do something of this scale, and man, my respect for the 2001 Sonic Team is pretty much off the charts right now. Sadly though, Shadow has been muddied down, mislead, and given traits that don't really suit him in recent years. Because of that, people really forget why he was such a hit in the first place.

Here is your reminder. Shadow successfully pulled off one of the most impacting roles in a video-game franchise as a character that was, for the most part, only supposed to be in one game. During the game's development, Sega knew the Dreamcast was destined to fail, and decided to let Sonic go out with a bang. Was this game supposed to be the last Sonic Game? Was this SEGA's passionchild that would allow Sonic to prosper after the games had stopped? Who knows.

As a result, Sonic Team decided to create an 'evil version' of Sonic to serve as a rival, but also prove to become an inspiration for kids everywhere. This character was to start by having everything he loved taken from his grasp, and his heart filled with rage and sadness. With his memory skewed and only fragments to serve as a motive, he decided to exact revenge on mankind from taking his one and only love in his life, a child named Maria, for whom he was a guardian/father/brother figure. As the story deepened, more and more was unlocked in his mind until he realized that his purpose was to grant the final wish of hers, to give human kind what he could no longer give her after her death; happiness and a second chance. Finally, he gave his own life to exact that wish, going from the main villain, to the greatest hero of the game, moreso than Sonic. His original purpose was not to be resurrected in other games during the game's development, so his role needed to be complete and it needed to be ever so powerful.

And Sega delivered.

Shadow might be a character with a bit of an identity crisis now, but let's try to remember him for why we loved him so much in the first place; the ultimate badass, the ultimate hero, the ultimate life form.

This project was divided into originally 4 parts, each consisting of his stages in the game; Radical Highway, White Jungle, Sky Rail, and Final Chase. I decided that the tribute wouldn't be complete until I wrapped the tribute up just as SEGA wrapped up their game. Each individual picture took about 10 hours to complete from start to finish (minus sketching time) because I'm fulltime enrolled in College and also have a part time job, so finding time to make this was very hard. However the result was more than worth it.

Thanks to everyone who faved and commented the other pieces of the project. Your support means alot to me, enough to throw countless days and weeks into this. Don't forget to leave a comment here if you please. Here are the other parts

Once again, thank you guys. I'm exhausted from this project. I can get back to ordinary stuff now, like that Kiriban picture I owe and the few Art Trades. I doubt any will be as difficult.

Sayonara.

~Danny

EDIT: I got my first Daily Deviation ;A;. I cant thank you guys enough! I'm speechless

__________
Shadow the Hedgehog and Maria Robotnik © Sega/Sonic Team
ALL Artwork © =DanSyron
5 weeks (estimated 60+ hours) Photoshop CS3

Description
After 5 weeks and god knows how many hours of work, it's done. Its FINALLY DONE!

5 weeks ago, I wanted to make a tribute to one of my favorite video game characters to really 'embody' why the character was one of my favorites. Shadow the Hedgehog from Sonic Adventure 2 was and still is one of my most loved characters due to how his character traits and role unfolded.

In the process, I have created the best art piece I have ever made and without a doubt my most extensive art project of my life. The sense of accomplishment I have with this picture can't really be put in words to be honest. And you really don't have a true appreciation for a character until you do something of this scale, and man, my respect for the 2001 Sonic Team is pretty much off the charts right now. Sadly though, Shadow has been muddied down, mislead, and given traits that don't really suit him in recent years. Because of that, people really forget why he was such a hit in the first place.

Here is your reminder. Shadow successfully pulled off one of the most impacting roles in a video-game franchise as a character that was, for the most part, only supposed to be in one game. During the game's development, Sega knew the Dreamcast was destined to fail, and decided to let Sonic go out with a bang. Was this game supposed to be the last Sonic Game? Was this SEGA's passionchild that would allow Sonic to prosper after the games had stopped? Who knows.

As a result, Sonic Team decided to create an 'evil version' of Sonic to serve as a rival, but also prove to become an inspiration for kids everywhere. This character was to start by having everything he loved taken from his grasp, and his heart filled with rage and sadness. With his memory skewed and only fragments to serve as a motive, he decided to exact revenge on mankind from taking his one and only love in his life, a child named Maria, for whom he was a guardian/father/brother figure. As the story deepened, more and more was unlocked in his mind until he realized that his purpose was to grant the final wish of hers, to give human kind what he could no longer give her after her death; happiness and a second chance. Finally, he gave his own life to exact that wish, going from the main villain, to the greatest hero of the game, moreso than Sonic. His original purpose was not to be resurrected in other games during the game's development, so his role needed to be complete and it needed to be ever so powerful.

And Sega delivered.

Shadow might be a character with a bit of an identity crisis now, but let's try to remember him for why we loved him so much in the first place; the ultimate badass, the ultimate hero, the ultimate life form.

This project was divided into originally 4 parts, each consisting of his stages in the game; Radical Highway, White Jungle, Sky Rail, and Final Chase. I decided that the tribute wouldn't be complete until I wrapped the tribute up just as SEGA wrapped up their game. Each individual picture took about 10 hours to complete from start to finish (minus sketching time) because I'm fulltime enrolled in College and also have a part time job, so finding time to make this was very hard. However the result was more than worth it.

Thanks to everyone who faved and commented the other pieces of the project. Your support means alot to me, enough to throw countless days and weeks into this. Don't forget to leave a comment here if you please. Here are the other parts

Once again, thank you guys. I'm exhausted from this project. I can get back to ordinary stuff now, like that Kiriban picture I owe and the few Art Trades. I doubt any will be as difficult.

Sayonara.

~Danny

EDIT: I got my first Daily Deviation ;A;. I cant thank you guys enough! I'm speechless

__________
Shadow the Hedgehog and Maria Robotnik © Sega/Sonic Team
ALL Artwork © =DanSyron
5 weeks (estimated 60+ hours) Photoshop CS3