Final Fantasy VII + Gipi (part two)

This week's challenge continued...

Making up for lost time, I'm going to dive right in with the hero of FFVII, Cloud Strife!

Taking my cues from Gipi's Notes From A War Story, I decided to try and turn Cloud's SOLDIER look into the look of an Italian youth circa WWII. (The interpretation is a loose one, of course). The biggest challenge was maintaining Cloud's "spiky" coif in a way that still made sense in Gipi's more realistic world. I tamed the spikes a bit and went with shaved sides instead, transforming him into a bit of an early punk. 

I'm having a lot of fun experimenting with the style so far, and looking forward to seeing how I can take it further :)

Final Fantasy VII + Gipi

This week's challenge:

Final Fantasy VII is the first RPG that I had ever played, and still one of the most memorable. Chances are if you were once (or still are) a fan of video games and/or anime, manga, etc., you have heard of FFVII. In fact, in all likelihood you have played it, become obsessed with it, dressed as the characters, and created a web-shrine devoted to even the most obscure of its parts. 

I'm not sure what it is about this game that gave it such a hold on its fans, but its impact is undeniable. For my part, I had never played a game before FFVII that had such developed characters. The internal struggle of protagonist Cloud is arguably of equal importance to the immense external struggles the game's cast is thrown into. 

  

Gipi, born Gianni Picanotti, is a well-known Italian cartoonist and illustrator. I discovered him completely by accident at my local comic shop and instantly fell in love. Gipi's understanding and portrayal of the subtleties of body language are incredible. His style maintains a roughness and energy often found in an artist's sketchbook. There is so much life in his drawings...it's such a joy to see! 

Compare Gipi's studies with his finished product and you'll see that the latter retains all of the wonderful exploration and movement of the former. This combined with the fact that you can see a bit of his own face in the faces of his characters help to create an incredibly personal look to Gipi's comics.

I think this style will be a perfect fit for Cloud and his ilk.