Metroid Fan Art

Title: Fallen

Medium: Digital

Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Krita, Kyle's ink and halftone brushes

I began inking Samus from Metroid using Photoshop brushes. Her pose will resonate with gamers familiar with the franchise, as it's the way she appears when she dies in the game. I discovered a great ink brush in one of Kyle's brush packs that creates strong lines with subtle variations in width.

I had never used halftone brushes before, as they usually don't produce great results and often end up looking like a flat pattern. However, I came across Kyle's halftone brushes and was pleasantly surprised to find that you could get variation in the dot pattern based on pressure. This provides much more flexibility and allows for a wider range of values. I'm digging the results!

Now, let's add more debris and rubble! I'm really loving the composition and the dynamic range of values.

I started experimenting more with motion effects and adding texture, which sparked the idea to include a background scene.

Why not show how Samus met her end? I considered some of my favorite monsters and bosses, but honestly, nobody beats Mother Brain. I mapped out the composition and started focusing on the background.

Sketching the background was a lot of fun. I usually focus on characters, so it was satisfying to shift my attention to the environment.

Inking Mother Brain and the background was an interesting process. Normally, I tend to nitpick the details, but I knew I’d be placing the character further back and obscuring her to keep the focus on Samus. As a result, I worked a bit faster with my lines this time.

To enhance the value and texture, I experimented with Krita. It was completely new to me, but the program works really well for creating art. I also really like the brushes it offers.

Next, I blocked out the light rays coming from Mother Brain's eyes. Ah, yes—such a nostalgic reminder of playing Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo.

I spent a good amount of time adding the final touches to the background. Anyone else get pleasantly lost in all the textures like I do?

I’m really proud of how this came together. I’m someone who loves black-and-white artwork for its simplicity and classic feel. However, I thought it might be fun to experiment a bit and create a few variations just for kicks.

I explored adding pops of color without fully switching to color mode. Mother Brain's attack looks radical in the game, so this is my attempt to emulate that effect here.

One last experiment with Samus turning white just before her entire suit completely bursts apart.

Thanks for looking!