torkirby

[Kirby30] Toy Box and GCN

Here are the last of the four new extra floats made for the book!

Rendering for GCN is almost done, which also means that work on the book is nearly complete. My goal is to have them sent to backers by the end of April, rolling out the time-lapse videos by then too.

The true end to this project is finally in sight.

[Kirby30] Dream Buffet and Return to Dream Land Deluxe

Hi, it's been a while!

The 30th Anniversary Parade book Kickstarter was a major success! As thanks for the support I've received, I'll now be making four new parade floats. Here's a look at the first two!

Because these are made specifically for the book with the help of the backers, I won't be doing my usual little write-up here (you'll have to wait and see that in the book), but I wanted to show you the sketches I had anyway!

I took a mental health break last month, but now it's time to kick it back into gear.

Kirby Star Allies [Version 3] - Time-Lapse Drawing

True friendship reveals itself along the way. ❤

At long last, the third and final version of my Star Allies piece is here. Thank you so much for waiting! This version has much more drastic changes compared to Version 2. The final update of the game brought the Heroes in Another Dimenion game mode and the Soul Melter EX difficulty of The Ultimate Choice; both were clear inspirations of this version. I wanted to use those inspirations to make this version look even more striking than the previous two. Nearly every aspect of the original piece has been altered in some way, and because I only put in four new Helpers in Version 2, changing all of them in this version conveniently made it so all of the rest could be included. Along with Magolor, Taranza, and Susie, every playable character in the game is now represented.

I included the little showcase at the end as a way to wrap up the journey, and to say "thank you" to anyone who's been around since Version 1. And of course, old followers and new, thank you for your support. I hope I can continue to excite you with new art going forward.

[Update] Kickstarter is LIVE

The Kickstarter for my 30th Anniversary Parade artbook is now live and you can pledge here!

[Update] Kickstarter Pre-Launch

Quick post to mention that the pre-launch page for my Kickstarter is now up! The 30th Anniversary Parade will be made into a hardcover art book! The link can be found below. Please sign up for notifications if you're interested in backing the project one it goes live!

[LINK!!]

[WIP] Star Allies v3 lineart progress 2

Hot off the presses, here's the other half of characters! All that's left for me to do as far as lineart goes is Kirby in the middle, and then I think I can finally move onto color and rendering.

[WIP] Star Allies v3 lineart progress

Had a renewed sense of motivation to pick this up again.

My plan was to get this piece done by March, but now I can see myself having it ready by the end of this November like I had originally wanted. I'll keep the momentum going and hopefully that can happen.

[Update] Hi there + Tier talk

So, maybe you noticed already? I don't know if patrons were contacted when I updated the tiers, but they've changed a little. Notably, I changed the names of them.

Deluxe is now White Star

Super Deluxe is now Gold Star

I never put too much thought into the names of the tiers, so I hope this is a little more clear and "on brand." Nothing has changed as far as what membership you're currently in. I think I might've updated the descriptions as well to get rid of obsolete info, but that's about it.

Of course, there's a third Platinum Star in the image above too. In the past, I offered an "Ultra Super Deluxe" tier, but felt I wasn't offering enough in it to justify its existence. Recently though I started thinking of new things to do with it, so while nothing is concrete yet, know that there might be a higher tier option in the future.

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It's been a bit of a hard couple months for me personally. Nothing to discuss here as to why, but I'm sorry it's affected the frequency of posts. Thanks for continuing to stick around through the quiet moments though. I'm always busy with some kind of art, even if it's only intended for myself. I hope the recent posts I just made can make it up somewhat.

[WIP] HoloKirby

Kirby x Hololive brainrot.

This is another merch set in the works, this time as acrylic keychains. I know I don't really have much of a Hololive audience, but it's something that makes me real happy so I'm hoping this will extend my reach a little.

That's kinda also why I haven't done much other Hololive art before, or at least posted any publicly. Maybe this will bridge the gap.

[WIP] Kirby pins

One Kirby project onto another.

I've had this Copy Ability enamel pin series in the works since earlier this year. Merch making is becoming more of a focus because of my growing presence at conventions, so I want to start offering some nice, high-quality enamels.

I've always wanted to get some made, but they're quite expensive for just one design. So far, only the Sleep one has been produced and they'll be available soon, but I don't want there to be too much time in between them. Actually, the original idea was to release them in waves (each row in the picture would be one wave), but I don't think that's something I could reasonably do without crowdfunding. That's something I'm looking into, but I'm not so confident in it just yet.

I'm so excited to get these in hand! Got some nice packaging for them, too. I want them to feel really premium. Keep an eye out on Etsy if you want one of your own.

[WIP] Star Allies version 3 sketch

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally happening.

This will be a much bigger update than the second version was. Almost every aspect of the piece will be changed in some way, aside from the new characters added. With this version, all playable characters from Star Allies will be represented.

That's about all I got on this for now, I want to have this done by the end of November, aligning with the releases of the other two versions, but since this one is so big I don't know if I can promise it. That's the goal though.

Kirby 30th Anniversary Parade - Animated Showcase

A two-year-long 30th anniversary celebration finished in time for the 32nd anniversary. It's never too late for Kirby!

I'll give my full thoughts on the project once the final time-lapse video is done and posted.

[Update] Important Schedule Update

The final timelapse video in the parade project, originally scheduled to release this Saturday, will be delayed until the following week.

Instead, a special commemoration video will premiere. Forgotten Land's float will debut in that.

One particular element of the timelapse video needs a bit more time in the oven, and while it's not absolutely integral, it's important enough for me as a finale to go through with the decision to delay it. I hope you understand!

This new commemoration video is something I'm working very hard on, and helps the project become fully realized. Here's a Patreon-exclusive screenshot of its workspace!

[Update] Parade Finale Schedule

Welcome to Spring!

Here are the dates for the final four additions to my parade project. Mark your calendars! 📅

[Kirby30] Forgotten Land sketch

And now, the one we've all been waiting for.

Simply put, this one had to be huge. The line between parade float and diorama is almost nonexistent, but that's okay because it's Forgotten Land! A true milestone in the Kirby franchise and finale of the parade project. Of course it had to be spectacular.

Funny how this one ended up more city-like than Air Ride's City Trial-focused float. The world of Forgotten Land is so interesting and visually stunning, and I wanted the different buildings to feel cohesive with one another. I chose ones that made an impression on me; I particularly thought the Hotel building would be fun to have in there.

Of course, what would this project be if it didn't include an actual parade from the games? Coincidentally, the Wondaria Dream Parade is my favorite level in the game too.

I've got a pretty big mountain to climb with this one, but it'll be worth it. Throughout the whole project I've always wondered what the finale would look like, and I think it'll live up to those expectations.

[Kirby30] Fighters 2 sketch

If I didn't limit myself, I'd totally make the tower 50 stories high.

Yeah, so it was pretty obvious to me that Dedede's and Meta Knight's tower was to be the centerpiece of this float. with the characters all standing on it looking onward, it almost feels like a more traditional float than some of the others in this project that are more like dioramas.

I played quite a bit of Fighters 2, so things kinda naturally fell into place for this one. It's just the right length with just the right amount of uniqueness to it for a float of this size.

Plugg was another character I intentionally left out of Kirby 64 and Star Allies because of this game.

[Kirby30] Super Kirby Clash sketch

Unlike Extra Epic Yarn, I was excited to revisit the Kirby Clash universe!

I could've gone the easy road and designed the float like the Port Village from the game, mirroring the Team Kirby Clash Deluxe float, but that ain't how I do things here. What's another iconic piece of imagery from the Clash games? Probably the Time Stop background.

This one might be scaled down a little in the final; I might've gone too big when I didn't intend to.

Once again, thank you Super Kirby Clash for allowing me to use characters that haven't been represented in the parade yet. This is actually why I didn't include a Sphere Doomer in the Return to Dream Land float, because I knew I could put in Greater Doomer here.

[Kirby30] Extra Epic Yarn sketch

Final four. Here we go!

I fully admit: Extra Epic Yarn might be my least favorite Kirby game. That's kind of a bummer way to start off this post (and the new year), but it's what I was thinking of the most when I was plotting this one out. With how much the original Epic Yarn resonated with people, it's a bit ironic that Extra really did not make any waves, becoming quite possibly the most forgetful Kirby game.

No matter the perception though, it still has its place in the parade! But it was tough for me to design another Epic Yarn-related float, but at least such a minor Kirby game doesn't have to be as big.

Along with the game's new features, I also decided to look back on the original Epic Yarn's float and incorporate some ideas that I couldn't manage to fit in it, like the Quilty Court apartment complex.

Kirby30 - Star Allies sketch

This one's a monster.

Star Allies is pretty special to me, and despite the public perception of the game, it's a big part of the series' history and in a way marks an end of an era for Kirby. That's why one of my goals for this float is to make it one of the biggest and grandest in the parade.

The Jambastion was my first choice for focal point of this piece, as I felt it represents the otherworldly visuals the game has. It's of course a pretty important area, too. I knew going into the sketch that this would be an insane challenge for me, because the Jambastion has such a complicated design because of how surreal it looks. It's a fortress that doesn't look like a conventional fortress.

However, after sketching it out, I looked at it as a whole. This is WAY too complex for the parade. I was worried that a lot of its detail would hurt the composition, and frankly, I don't know if I have enough patience to do its final lines while still keeping it the isometric perspective. I'm proud of myself for figuring out how to draw it at that angle though; you don't really see it facing anywhere besides head-on in the game, and there's no concept art that goes into detail on its structure.

So I opted to go with a smaller, Jambastion-inspired platform instead, and make Void Termina the focal point. That wasn't easy either! But I think it makes more sense.

[Update] Q4 2023 Schedule

Here's what you can look forward to from me throughout the rest of the  year!

Kirby 30th Anniversary Parade will continue in the first three weeks of October! We got a few 3DS games lined up on October 4, October 11, and October 18, all releasing at 9am EST.

In November, for the first time since the parade project started, other non-Kirby time-lapse drawing videos will be released! These will be related in some fashion to the new amiibo being released on November 3 and November 17.

Finally, the next parade float of Kirby 30th Anniversary Parade will release on November 30! This one will be one of, if not the biggest one yet.

And then I'll be off again until 2024! I'll keep working hard and aim to complete the parade by the end of April. Hope you'll stick around!

[Kirby30] Battle Royale sketch

Hoof. This one was tough to get right, and I'm sure you can see why. With these floats being in an isometric perspective, I usually have to be pretty technical when drawing structures. I give myself some leeway if it means something will look better if doesn't follow the grid exactly, but it's not always a good idea. You'll see in the video, but this colosseum took a lot of trial and error. In the end, while it's bigger than I thought it would be, (I even had to shrink it down from how I originally planned it) I think I nailed the look and is a pretty cool set piece.

Battle Royale has a lot going on in it so it's a bit hard to strike a balance of representing all of the different battle modes properly and keeping the float from being gigantic. Despite that, it easily has the most amount of characters in a float by far in the project.

[Kirby30] Blowout Blast sketch

First off, I'd like to thank all of you for your patience. I know I've been quiet here and I feel like I should've made this update a while ago. It's been a hectic couple of months for me but I'm still trudging through the project when I can and I think I'm finally back to moving forward at a good pace again.

This game made an easy transition over to a parade float design, due to its 3D and blocky look. It's also relatively short and concise so I didn't feel pressure to cram too many features into it. I like what it looks like, but I'm worried it might not be all that exciting because of those points. This project needs some smaller designs every once in a while though, for the sake of letting others breathe and for my own sanity.

Another design in which the rough isn't all too different than the sketch. I opted to go for regular Masher over Mega Masher because I think it's a more iconic design and I think the purple would look better in the composition than the red.

[Kirby30] Team Kirby Clash Deluxe sketch

This one was fun. I love the Kirby Clash games' own little world, and I'm glad I get to do another one as part of the project because I want to revisit it! It's also another one of those games that let me include characters from previous games not yet represented in the parade yet.

Beam Mage's aerial attack is, in my opinion, the best move to use in the game and I wanted to put it in, but with the positioning of the enemies they're fighting it wasn't looking that great, so I settled on just a charged shot. I'll have to rectify that in Super Kirby Clash.

While drawing King D-Mind, I never actually noticed that his Dark Mind form just does not have Dedede's body attached to it. It's just the coat.

[Kirby30] Planet Robobot sketch

A spectacular game needs a spectacular float.

This is another one I think is really anticipated more than others in the project. It's one of the most unique Kirby games and there's so many memorable elements of it that I have to put a cap on how much of it I can include. It definitely deserves to be one of the biggest and most detailed floats though.

The Kirby Halberd wasn't originally envisioned as part of the float, but I think it would be a disservice to the game not to include it. It may be an ambitious task, but will be worth it in the end.

I feel a little iffy about making one of the coolest reveals in a Kirby game front and center in this piece, but again, something as cool as Star Dream needs to be included to match the greatness of the game.

[Kirby30] Rainbow Curse sketch

While it may not be the most memorable Kirby game, Rainbow Curse still has a few pieces of iconic imagery that was easy to pull from. Not to mention the game's art style, which is fun to replicate in my own style for this project!

Looking at the rough, not much has changed about the layout of the float. It's pretty messy, which could be both because of my increasingly messier pencil-on-paper sketching style, and because Rainbow Curse isn't really that highly regarded, so I didn't feel the need to make a clean rough of this one.

[Kirby30] Drum Dash Deluxe sketch

Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe remains one of the only Kirby games in which I've never fully completed; in this game specifically, I've never been able to get a platinum medal on the final level.

So that's where most of the design inspiration for this float came from. The big spiky pencils being the first thing you see, Magolor obscuring some of the level, and while I don't think that little Dedede keychain is in the finale, it might as well be because that's my reaction whenever I think about it.

[Kirby30] Fighters Deluxe sketch

For a little while I was back and forth about if I wanted to combine Fighters Deluxe and Drum Dash Deluxe into one  float. Even though they released on the same day, they're still separate games in the end, so separate floats they shall be. They're purposefully made a little smaller than others, though, which isn't unlike some of the earlier spin-off games.

Fighters Deluxe in particular was hard to design. How do you make a float around a small game with not a lot of original visuals? Like I said in my last post though, these games give me an excuse to use some Triple Deluxe assets without making the Triple Deluxe float cluttered, so the Springy Hands seemed like a good option. Kracko was also going to be in the Triple Deluxe float, but I knew I could use him in this one. The animal friends are there in honor of their first 3D appearance, and all of the copy abilities featured will use their alternate hats originating from this game.

I think that strikes a balance between old and new!

[Kirby30] Triple Deluxe sketch

Phase 3 start!

Throughout the majority of this project's history, I've only envisioned it with classic Kirby titles. It's super fun to start seeing the modern games put into it, and I'm excited to get going!

A lot of this float came together pretty naturally. Of course, the Dreamstalk had to be front and center and Flowered Sectonia could be on top, then Hypernova Kirby had to have a big presence, and how could I not include the Waddle Dee train? That kind of thinking. As usual, there's so much more I could've included that I had to hold back. Good thing there are two spin-off games that use a lot of Triple Deluxe assets!

[Kirby30] Dream Collection sketch

It’s the 20th anniversary all over again in the 30th anniversary celebration! It’s a Kirby game, I can’t skip it!

This will be the last float in phase 2 of the project. I think Return to Dream Land and Dream Collection marks a good enough turning point to the Kirby series to fit the finale of the phase.

This was originally going to include all of the different Kirby designs from the classic era, but I realized that classic Kirby never really became a thing until Star Allies, so the gold pixel Kirby statue is a good alternative.

As part of the original thesis for the project, each float would’ve had a Japanese variant if there were enough differences between regions. An example would be that certain enemies in the Dream Land float would use their typical design instead of the NA box art versions, and of course, Kirby would be pink instead of white. This float would’ve been another to have noticeable differences in the game box arts. Maybe I’ll revisit them and make those variants once the project is over.

Be on the lookout for the Return to Dream Land float releasing this Friday 2/24 to coincide with the release of KRtDLDX! I put a ton of effort into it so it needs a biiit more time in the oven, but I’m so excited to share it.

[Update] Hi there, let's touch base

Hope you're enjoying your new year and the continuation of my parade project! Just posted a slew of new previews for you, so be sure to check those out.

I've been busy cranking these guys out, and there's not much more to say about it. Please know that I'm not feeling overworked or burned out, so I'm fine! I'm just excited to share these, and having the goal of getting Return to Dream Land's float out by the week of the game's release is a good motivator.

This project really is one of the only things I'm working on art-wise right now, so I apologize for only sharing previews of that alone. A lot of my time is eaten up by my day job as well, so I hope you understand.

I think at some point I'll be reworking my Patreon a little bit. Adjusting the rewards tiers and such. I feel like how it is now is a relic from the very start of my Patreon years ago so I think it needs a bit of a refresher. Hopefully I'll start making changes within the next month or two.

Thank you for your support!