*minarho1

It's about time I did something like this, isn't it?

This is in no way a post about what I think make the definitive DC characters. My own tastes are quite particular--- even if my faving or lack of seems a bit off or strange. I do sometimes wonder a bit if people assume I'll fave a Wonder Woman/Amazon/ DC fanart just because of the subject matter? Not so. For example, I don't like pandering, or variations of Wonder Woman that are overly exploitative.

Not that I'm gonna sit and overanalyze this. It's about the art, anyway. This is far from complete, but you get the gist of it.

So, without further ado!

's Wonder Woman looks to be drawn in Adam Hughes's style, but not slavishly so. There's also a touch of Jennifer Connely. The face and pose hints at the "babe in the woods" slant on Diana's character popularized by George Perez. A newcomer dazzled and not yet jaded by modern man, yet able to punch holes in mountains.

....
by needs no explaination. It's just amazing. A perfect mix of mixed media-- paint, ceramic, glaze-- with Lynda's Wonder Woman captured perfectly.
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by
by
And another "Lynda" themed Wonder Woman, with a novel twist:
by who is a crazy skilled painter.

This by caught my eye and stayed with me. The look in her eyes is what did it. There are many things the passerby could say about Wonder Woman. She's hot. She's passe. The lesser known of DC's Big Three. But this picture just nailed what I feel to be the core of Diana. The idea that she's a person that you cannot lie to-- lasso or no. In her eyes she knows all your weaknesses. She'll assess you... see the bed wetting you did at the age of six. The time you scraped someone's fender on the way to work and didn't leave a note. Because she values your dignity enough to see past all that. Cross her, though and all bets are off. Dignity or not, your ass will be PWNED.

by the great . My god, could you get any more awesome? Amazons Attack was pretty much a letdown for me personally. But if storylines ever lived up to the art, we'd have little need to complain, would we? Well, there is NO cause for complaint in this beautiful sculpture.

As if that weren't enough, mastered this slightly 'toony looking sculpting style. And many others. If you think switching up styles is hard with a pencil, try doing it with clay. Clay will make you it's bitch.

and by . An artist after my own shriveled heart.

by The lovely, deep rich tones really sell it. I love how the metal armor of her costume look like brushed metal, vs. the high gloss that most artist's tend to use-- to the point that it's mirror-like. The overall feel is that her costume is used, and lived in. And the lasso almost as the primary light source looks fantastic.

I love this guy's work. And when I saw this I gasped. Is that Phil?

by A beautiful mix of modern, and old, retro Art-Deco. I don't know about all of you, but I love when comics make the time-period just a little vague with a touch of art deco mixed in. Could be the present, could be the future. And yet the AD harkens back just a little to comicbook's golden age. And you can't get any more golden age than one of the trinity, simple as that. Remove the wonder woman theme, and it's a tile design that I'd love to have in my dream home. Heck, even with the Wonder Woman angle, I'd STILL want it up on a wall somewhere.

It also covers something basic to Diana. That she's a warrior with a peace mission. If you think that is a contradiction, then check this out: [link]

by
by ... Okay.... I feel a little bad about posting that one, seeing as how I can't ask permission to feature it from Mike. I've always thought his work had a... sweetness to it. And now it's just a little bittersweet.

by the amazing Brandon Peterson has drawn lots of hot, sexy heroines-- and more than a couple Wonder Woman pictures, which are amazing. But this gave some love to Cassie. I can't say enough how I envy people who kick ass with pen and ink, this surely kicks ass. Okay, and am I alone in finding that people who draw great female figures sometimes can't draw great faces or eyes? This is just beautiful on all fronts. (and it's a drawing of Cassie during my favorite Cassie phase-- the Young Justice team Wondergirl version).

Speaking of kicking ASS by . Michael is another of my favorite artists on DA hands down. Seeing his art, and reading his words, you think: "This guy's a fan". And whether a comicbook artist is a fan or not is pretty irrevelent as long as they draw like a fan-- which Michael certainly does. When an artist makes it seem like he loves your favorite characters as much as you do-- than you pretty much hit the best of what comics have to offer.

by :iconFranchesco, one of the best pin-up artists on DA imho. This really is another example of great, unique, bold use of black and white. Delicate little folds of cloth I'd KILL to be able to do, with strong contrasting lines-- it's got it all. And no one draws hair like Franchesco. 'Nother bonus is the adorable little Krypto, there. Okay, I'm not a fan of the booby-ness. But I love this drawing and it's unabhasedly sweet quality. Diana loves animals, and we love her for it.

by
by Color by
by
The Wonder Women: I love the relationship between Donna and Diana. The sisterhood-- the twin element, being a twin myself, it's always struck a chord with me. It's a little harder to nail how Cassie figures into it. A protege? A surrogate daughter? Little sister? All of the above? Whatever it is, I find it makes for great art.
And lastly but not least in the theme:
by (again) The Wonder Women in the Bruce Timm style is something I've wanted to see for a while. And I thought about drawing it myself, but obviously Naia beat me to it. And how well drawn it is.
by If you haven't yet seen wen-li's work, GO SEE IT.
What I appreciated about that piece is the delicate watercolor approach.

by , an artist I've admired for a while on DA for a cool comicbook horror/schlockiness. I found this piece quite charming in particular. A nice amalgam of all the wonder women. Golden age. Silver age. Colored in a modern way but with some of the old innocent aesthetic.

by Visit this gallery for some of the most crisp, elegant linework you will see on DA. Beautifully, elegantly simplified lines. Lines that are effortless. Crisp. CRISP. Did I mention crisp? That picture of Donna Troy above is just a sample of the awesomeness. Great angles. Lovely curves. Fluid, sharp-- oh, yeah. And *awesome*.

and by are also no slouch in the beautiful linework drawing department. To be fair, the second pic is a work in progress. But you get an idea of how skilled this artist is. And the style is so.... lush.

by Oh, hell to the yes. Donna Troy. Sexy, sweet. Powerful. When I first came across this picture, Tarzman's account was all but abandoned. Returned, reposted, and I made SURE to snatch it up again for my favorites. It's a picture I never forgot.

by who happens to be the model for a few of 's works.

a Donna Troy design by the one and only I'm all for new Donna Troy designs, and thought I'd seen them all. But this is one of a kind-- and I'm amazed that it works. I mean, one would not think that the fusion of Donna's 1970's-80's costume (the horror!) and anime (THE HORROR) would mesh well into something modern and..... dare I say it-- cool?!? The colors. The starfield. The everything. I wish this is the costume Donna would wear in the Titans reboot. Here's hoping it makes it into DC continuity somewhere.

by . The tones are so rich. The lariat is alive. Diana isn't just superior and regal. She's queenly. She almost appears like divinity. I'd also pretty much kill for those arms..... or at least to ability to draw arms like that.

by . Where to begin? It's a simple pose. Diana merely taking flight. But I love the simple pictures of her. The temptation with the character is to draw them in violent moments. Or maybe in some sexy exploitation scene. But drawing something like this is more telling about the artist and the art, imho. Again, for me its down to expression and execution. The drawing is beautiful. The suggestion of flawless gold and silver with just a few light and dark areas of pencil is great. And again, the face is what stays with me because I feel it nails the character. Diana is one of the most powerful superheroes in the DCU. She possesses a deep well of wisdom. And yet she's never jaded-- sometimes touched by beauty in that "babe in the woods" way. It's something that's almost impossible to write. The weakest times of the comicbook are probably when writers lose sight of that. But when an artist captures it in the eyes, I feel it's THERE. Pictures like this make me think the idealist is still there.

. An impossibly seamless photo composition/mixed media painting. I'm sure it's a good 8/10's paint, and if someone thinks it's easy, that person would be wrong. The "movie poster" series has been "aged" to boot. A lovely touch to a lovely series.

Trinity by

Lastly-- an amazon in spirit by .
Seriously, when I first heard of the "xena" show, and saw ads for it back in the day, I thought "Wonder Woman ripoff". Yeah. I know. *rolls eyes* I thought it was some sort of copyright infringement or something. Silly me. Then I watched the show and enjoyed it in it's own right. And amazons did pop up now and then in the show, which didn't hurt, either. Granted, they were a weird, silly version of amazons, but isn't that how they always are through the pop-culture lense?

To get back on track, I love rough, yet skillful sketches. Ssava is another of those artists who draw brilliant art and make it look easy. Notice a theme, here?

(I really do think Xena is an intentional tongue in cheek, slapstick pastiche on Wonder Woman. And I think Lucy Lawless is in on the joke. She does provide the voice of Wonder Woman in "The New Frontier" cartoon after all). ETA: there's also this: [link]

And this concludes my feature journal for now. Pretty much fangirl heaven, right there. Hope you enjoyed viewing it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.


My favorite post that clarifies art theft- what is and is not stealing:
[link]


In no particular order, an incomplete yet earnest list of those whom I admire--
:
<--- More to follow
Clubs: