ryker and juno

09/16/2023 | digital

death knell. death knell for my entire body of work. life changing image. psychological hazard. i would be a fundamentally different person had i never drawn this. i hope you like ryker and juno because they will not leave.

the first finished illustration of ryker and juno, whipped up after several passes of brainstorming and sketchbook passes. they both started out as player characters for TTRPGs and video games, but you can click on '2024' or '2025' in the gallery menu and see that it did not stay that simple. it's funny to look back on this drawing because of how weird and off model it is. juno's sharp, scrawny, and not as cute of a bird as he is now - and ryker, which technically having the same design, doesn't look at all like himself. he's got short hair, a generic face, weird boot patterns, no shoelaces, and barely any arm hair to speak of. they're like... larval form ryker and juno.

ryker's bandana was going to be green. i switched it to yellow last minute because i couldn't make green work. thank god, honestly