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Description
you're not alone!

This is for 's club's contest "Memories of the day". The challenge for the contest was bring back the original Zidane, from Final Fantasy IX.

For the start I replayed this game, to get a feel of the feelings I felt when I first played it, and for our main character Zidane. I could've drawn the whole crew in this piece, but it's a club dedicated to Zidane and also the point of the contest. So I challenged myself, to draw Zidane as Zidane.

That's tough, because in the game we see many personalities involving Zidane. He's protective, sneaky, dedicated, good natured and heroic. He risks his life on numerous occasions for people, and never needs a reason to help them.

However, there's a point in the game where even his willpower is tested and that point sends chills down my spine every time I get there.

Spoilers ahead!

Terra. That magical blue area where you find out Zidane's origins. He seems off from the get go, seeing all the people who look like him. I can just imagine how he felt: no longer unique, confused, angry. You start to see Zidane show his 'human' side here the most.

When he's told of his origins, he challenges his creator. So strong willed as always, and ends up passing out from Garland's mind supression.

He wakes up; fragile, vulnerable. After everything that happened, he was broken and forgot who he was.

That's what I wanted to capture in this piece.

He's fragile, alone and broken...the worst thing ever possible happened too him. He found out he was a killer, and meant to destroy the world. He lost faith in himself...and everyone around him.

The song that plays, scares me It's such a sad song playing and you can feel Zidane's inner conflict at this point. He wants to do it alone, he needs no help: No, here we see Zidane when he needs help the most.

End of spoilers

This part of the game spoke to me. It's my favourite portion of the game, that no matter how tough and strong someone is...sometimes they too break and need the support of their friends and loved ones. No one is strong on their own and that it's okay to rely on people sometimes, Zidane taught me that.

This piece took me off and on a month to do. Everything in it is hand painted, as I wanted to express my love for Zidane with every single brush stroke. No textures, no custom brushes; just hand painted with the stand solid brush.

This is why it took so long. When Jenn extended the contest, I was able to finish hand painting it.

Just like Zidane was challenged at this portion of the game, I too wanted to challenge myself in every way possible to produce the picture.

I did a full fledged fully coloured and detailed background which I always struggled with.
I did a ton of detail in his clothes which normally I don't put. Everything here was drawn on the computer first, so that was a big challenge for me being a pencil artist.

This was a great contest, and a great opportunity for me to replay FF9, find out just what made me love zidane the most, and capture that. This is the hero I know and love, this is him at my favourite moment of his life captured in the game

Just remember Zidane...although you walk through this dark time, know that you are not alone!

Zidane Tribal (c) Square-Enix
artwork (c) *Master-Mune

A special thanks to Jenn for hosting a wonderful contest and inspiring me.

Description
you're not alone!

This is for 's club's contest "Memories of the day". The challenge for the contest was bring back the original Zidane, from Final Fantasy IX.

For the start I replayed this game, to get a feel of the feelings I felt when I first played it, and for our main character Zidane. I could've drawn the whole crew in this piece, but it's a club dedicated to Zidane and also the point of the contest. So I challenged myself, to draw Zidane as Zidane.

That's tough, because in the game we see many personalities involving Zidane. He's protective, sneaky, dedicated, good natured and heroic. He risks his life on numerous occasions for people, and never needs a reason to help them.

However, there's a point in the game where even his willpower is tested and that point sends chills down my spine every time I get there.

Spoilers ahead!

Terra. That magical blue area where you find out Zidane's origins. He seems off from the get go, seeing all the people who look like him. I can just imagine how he felt: no longer unique, confused, angry. You start to see Zidane show his 'human' side here the most.

When he's told of his origins, he challenges his creator. So strong willed as always, and ends up passing out from Garland's mind supression.

He wakes up; fragile, vulnerable. After everything that happened, he was broken and forgot who he was.

That's what I wanted to capture in this piece.

He's fragile, alone and broken...the worst thing ever possible happened too him. He found out he was a killer, and meant to destroy the world. He lost faith in himself...and everyone around him.

The song that plays, scares me It's such a sad song playing and you can feel Zidane's inner conflict at this point. He wants to do it alone, he needs no help: No, here we see Zidane when he needs help the most.

End of spoilers

This part of the game spoke to me. It's my favourite portion of the game, that no matter how tough and strong someone is...sometimes they too break and need the support of their friends and loved ones. No one is strong on their own and that it's okay to rely on people sometimes, Zidane taught me that.

This piece took me off and on a month to do. Everything in it is hand painted, as I wanted to express my love for Zidane with every single brush stroke. No textures, no custom brushes; just hand painted with the stand solid brush.

This is why it took so long. When Jenn extended the contest, I was able to finish hand painting it.

Just like Zidane was challenged at this portion of the game, I too wanted to challenge myself in every way possible to produce the picture.

I did a full fledged fully coloured and detailed background which I always struggled with.
I did a ton of detail in his clothes which normally I don't put. Everything here was drawn on the computer first, so that was a big challenge for me being a pencil artist.

This was a great contest, and a great opportunity for me to replay FF9, find out just what made me love zidane the most, and capture that. This is the hero I know and love, this is him at my favourite moment of his life captured in the game

Just remember Zidane...although you walk through this dark time, know that you are not alone!

Zidane Tribal (c) Square-Enix
artwork (c) *Master-Mune

A special thanks to Jenn for hosting a wonderful contest and inspiring me.