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ShadowOfSolace β 12th Moon_2010
Published: 2012-04-12 17:35:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 2688; Favourites: 99; Downloads: 0
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Description
12th moon, roughly translated as April 12th, Aka today.
Aka Van Fanels Birthday Most my viewers won't recognize this character, but he's one I will never forget.
Back before Anime was unanimous with teen culture, It had a small humble following for those who knew where to look.
Rouroni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakashu, Inu Yasha, Gundam-These were a few of the initial shows to hit cable before anime came into its prime.
For those of us who had regular television, we get rare gems like Cardcaptor Sakura, Mon Colle Knights, and The Vision of Escaflowne.
I believe that every writer and artist is drawn to create because something somewhere inspires them in a pivotal way that nothing before ever has. It is their initial call to arms, the driving force behind what they eventually mold into something unique and personal. For me, Escaflowne was that start, because as a child I had never before seen anything like it.
In the months that followed I woke diligently every Saturday morning, and made recordings of every episode on our VHS recorder (blast from the past no?). Like most Animes in its generation, it was heavily plagued by edits and alterations as the American company tried to make it more 'guy friendly' and less adult oriented. I will never forget the first Saturday I awoke to discover the show had been canceled, and replaced by 2 hours of NASCAR racing.... I still hate NASCAR to this day
Anyway,
I drew this piece two years back, and it was to be my first submission to this my new DA account, as I was looking for a fresh re-start.
Sadly I did not finish it by April 12th, tho I did manage to create this account that day at the very least ^_^
So here we are two years later, I finally put on those last touches and decided to call it done. I'm rather embarrassed by the awkward lighting and strange shading-But at the time I was still trying out alot of new challenging things- transitioning to Sai being one of them. (That and this picture contained ALOT of pink-a color I have only grown to tolerate over time XD)
Anyway, don't judge this too harshly. Count it as one of those Oh Wow pieces where u gain inspiration from the knowledge that u too can improve with time-If you stick with it.
And send some Happy Birthday love Vans way.
^_^ It would make me happy.
-S.o.S
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Van Fanel(C)Bandai Entertainment US
Drawing (C)
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Comments: 39
He has the same birthday as me! This has to be fate <3
By the way, a beautifull picture!
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so perfect....
Feliz cumpleaΓ±os Van slazar de Fanel.
happy birthday Van Slazar Fanel.
i liked very much your drawing .. is awesome ;3
kisses
atte
cafanel
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^_^ Awwwwww
Ty for the adorable comment~
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"Rouroni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakashu, Inu Yasha, Gundam-These were a few of the initial shows to hit cable before anime came into its prime.
For those of us who had regular television, we get rare gems like Cardcaptor Sakura, Mon Colle Knights, and The Vision of Escaflowne."
Yes, yes, and more yes. I recall those shows and many others, outlaw star, cowboy bebop and monster rancher, medabots... all great classics. But like you, I was addicted to Escaflowne waking up early on sat mornings, reaching over in bed for the TV to turn it on, laying there trying to wake up so I could watch them.
So...to the creators of Escaflowne and in part Fox Kids for making me addicted to the show and thus anime over all...thanks alot. =O
---now that the anime talk is out of the way, I think you did a great job on the art piece itself. Think it captures Van well, ( this coming from a guy that supports the enemy more than the heros in this particular anime ) the lighting and details that you claim are so off, I think --to me-- are easily over looked when looking at the whole concept.
also for esca fans I recommend: [link] <---abridged series; great stuff.
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Oooo, lovely depth in this piece!! You're always challenging yourself; it's going to make you improve so incredibly fast. I'm really eager to see what you're going to do next!
A tip I would have to keep working on your bodily proportions; the arms seem to thin out near the shoulders. But the more you draw and the more you observe, the better you'll get! I'm still trying to improve, myself :'D
Keep it up! This is really cool.
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KG Thank you so kindly for the critique!
I know I have alot left to learn in terms of anatomy, so I appreciate any feedback!
Observing from RL is what I've always been told helps best, but I would love to know what has helped you personally. 
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^^ Eee ty Tsu-Noka!
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and yeah, I was in the same situation with the VHS...
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This is just lovely..
And your descrip as well..
I so know the feeling.
Sadly here in the Netherlands, they never got over the fact that drawn things are for children..
So you hardly find any anime on tv these days.. =_=;
But indeed.. Escaflowne is such a wonderful thing. It made me check out other anime/manga.
(made me quite addicted xD)
Once again, amazing piece my friend!
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Oh VHS, how I miss thee....
If there's one thing I love about this (and believe me, there's many!) it's the gem he's standing on, and the perfect shading around him since the gem's giving off the light. I'm amazed. Like, inspired even to draw some of my old favorite animes from when I was younger (especially Sailor Moon. XD )
I've never seen this show, to be honest. ._.; But maybe we should watch it together?
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Comforts me to know one of the most awesome guys in anime is an Aries just like me (not to mention his b-day is just two days after mine).
This was the first real anime that I watched all on FoxBox of course. (Sailor Moon being the absolute first) I was 13 at the time and just saying the words 'Fox Box' makes me feel dated. lol This is amazing art work and very detailed. The perspective on this is spot on as well. Fantastic job!
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Van-samaaaa!!! how could I forget him, he is one of my all time fav characters! and you did an amazing job
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Oh my...
Neldorwen hearing from you is a dream come true.
When I was younger, your fanart was some of the first (and frankly best) that I ever came across.
I would go for months at a time proudly displaying your art on my desktop.
You always did such a magnificent job of keeping to their style, while making it your own.
I am so very touched to hear your old passion for Escaflowne is something that has never dwindled.
More-so, it is so neat to hear from an artist I have admired for so many years.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment.
Seeing your icon always makes me smile, and reminds me of fond times long past.
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you have no idea how much you made me blush!!! really...
thank you so so much for your kind words *hugs*. I owe to Escaflowne a lot... maybe ALL what I did all these years, and specially the friendship for life I made since 2001, were thanks to that amazing and unique series.
Must tell you I think I never received such a nice comment from someone, so again, thank you, from the bottom of my heart
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You are so very very welcome.
I was happy to take this oppertunity to let you know your art made a difference in my life.
I'm sure numerous others as well.
Thank you again, so very much for sharing your talent and inspiration with the world.
I will never forget the motivation it gave me to just keep trying.
And I will always appreciate how beautifully it complimented such a magnificent anime series.
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see you around ...
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I will never forget such a beautiful anime.
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You and me both... *hugs*
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EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKkk VAN-SAMA!!!!!!!
Poignant words....
I remember when the first episode aired. I remember the crafty commercials that, at first, did not catch my interest. Then I watched the first episode and was hooked; the intro was so amazing back then; I'm such a nerd that I still remember it. The next week was a fundraiser for girl's camp down at the neighborhood park. I'd signed up to volunteer and it was in the morning, through the second episode. The unfairness of it all.
I was still new to the anime world. I'd seen some others at a younger age than teens that I didn't really know were anime at the time (Project K.O., Dragon Half, The Wind Called Amnesia, Birdy the Mighty (the first four OAVs before the series was re-approached and named Tetsuwan Birdy), and I few others that I still cannot find the names of. So when I talked with one of my friends about Escaflowne back in junior high (whoa, ancient history now) I was so shocked and so engrossed in all that she knew about anime. She even had the "Animerica" magazines (now discontinued, but I still want the issue that has Escaflowne as its main article). I also remember how anime was definitely 'a secret' among teenagers. The stuff was seriously hard to find in the libraries, manga included. And then strangely when it became more prevalent, the whole concept of it being akin to a 'teen hidden treasure' faded and (to my dismay) it was unsettling for a little while.
Before I even knew what bootlegs and fansubs were, I found the entire series and the OAV movie on eBay, fansubs of course. My fandom was so deep that I bought all of the soundtracks and when the series was released on VHS and I could find it at the library, I copied them (bad me). Only recently have I learned about the figurines and artbooks that were available. Collector's items now, I look back and wish that I'd known about them sooner so I didn't have to pay so much money to sate the fangirl in me.
Escaflowne was the first anime that I truly began to understand anthros. Though they were in other ameritoons, they just weren't the same. The 8th episode when Van flew for the first time, I think I had a heart attack I was holding my breath for so long. When the Foxaflowne version ended abruptly I scoured the 'net to find more and stumbled upon an episode summary for the entire series. Overflowing with spoilers, they did no justice to when I watched it all.
oh look, I wrote a novel.
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Aww girly Iβm not gunna lie-you were one of the driving inspirations behind finishing this piece. Iβve tried to years in a row to meet the April 12th deadline, but I was always to busy/embarrassed to complete it.
Finally had the will to do it this year.
One of my best Escaflowne stories involves a girl from my ward named Danielle. After a string of avid praise I convinced her to watch the show. That following Saturday she tuned in, and that following Monday she informed me that she had seen blood and butts, and thought the show was vulgar.
XD I was pretty squeamish myself at the time, so I was so embarrassed she had seen the episode with Zongi (the doppelgangers) bum.
I totally agree and I wish more items would have been available during the American release. I remember one Christmas getting all the CDβs cause simply-thatβs all there was. A year later I found the transforming Esca Guymelf for $50.00. I remember thinking that was SO EXPENSIVE. XD Now it goes for over $100.00
I still remember when u got me the Artbookβ¦ I thought I was going to have a heart attack I was so elatedβ¦
The first time I saw Vans wings was in a preview for the next weeks episodeβ¦I had to sit down just to keep from falling over. I spent the following week twitching like a leaf and rambling like an idiot-I completely understand the feeling u described upon finally watching that episode. I do not know why but seeing his wings left an impression on me that I will never forget. It made me feel soβ¦ alive, exposed, powerful and weak all at the same time. It was like glimpsing a manifestation of that fragile good that is within everyone.
*shrugs*
It was simply amazing.
End of story XD
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Oh now you've gone and made me feel so embarrassed.
I wouldn't be too surprised if the episodes with Zongi's bum and Hitomi's exposed chest were what ended it. The last episode, which was with Van giving Hitomi fake CPR, I recall telling said friend about it because she'd missed it. She freaked out. One thing that I remember about that episode is how 4kids edited it so that as Van compressed her chest to bring her back, Hitomi 'saw' him flying towards her, the same scene during her original vision. That was one edit that I didn't/don't mind cuz I thought/think it's cool. β₯
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Awwww....
I loved the look on Vans face when he discovered Hitomi was going to be okay..
He didn't really fluxuate much between angry and afraid at the time, so it was simply adorable to see a hint of a more gentle emotion... ^_^ hehe~
And you should be embarassed-you help feed my Esca addiction all the time~
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Turn-about's fair play ^^
I feed you, you feed me.
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we so need to do an Esca-thon after finals are over and reminisce. And I'll have to show you my newest treasure from the Escaflowne franchise.
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Can that face be any more cute, for something you did a while ago I think it's beautiful. The real beauty is the love behind it I think. I miss those old shows too, we never had TV when I was young so I always got excited going over to my cousins house to watch on Saturday morning ^^
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Thank you..
There was maybe...2 times? during the course of the series where Van truly looked happy and content.
I wanted to emulate that expression here ^_^
Hahaha and that is really neat to hear (about having no tv). Me and my brothers were the same with friends who had a playstation, or DDR floormat and game.
We LOVED visiting those cousins XD
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Pfft such a late comment.
You're welcome!!!
I haven't seen the show but I really want to watch it now due to this picture. I think you did a wonderful job on giving him that 'at peace with his situation' look.
Is it, haha I guess it's kind of unheard of now a days, but yeah loved going to other people's house to play video games and watch TV >.<
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Thanks Red Wing-Your amazing ^_^
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Thanks. ;β;
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Scary coincidence. This anime was also one of those important milestones of my art.
I was just re-watching the series 3 days ago. I still feel bad about the ending, but really what can we do TT^TT (Both the series and the OAV movie)
I love your Van's expression here
Happy Bday!! Van!
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Awwwww... that totally makes my day...
Not only that u KNOW the show, but that it was monumental for your art as well~
It's been along while since I've rewatched the series, but I still have the vast majority of it memorized.
I spent most of my teenage years watching it almost daily. ^_^ I used to rush out to Media Play everytime a new DVD was released (they stopped making the VHSs) It was pritty much the only thing I EVER spent my money on XD haha.
Thank u so much for ur comment.
Again, I really am touched/happy that u loved this show as well.
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I am also happy to know that there are others like me.
I was the only one of my friends who watched it.
I mostly memorized the songs
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Lol u can have this piece-As long as I get to keep Van-Sama~
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I don't know, his hair is almost as pretty as mine, I'm not sure I can take that chance.
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