Showing posts with label Steven Universe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steven Universe. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Crystal Gems: Steven Universe




Now to bring the whole group of the Crystal Gems as ponies together. I am not overly happy with Garnet and Amethyst, but their designs don't translate as well as Pearl and Rose Quartz.

Garnet's cutie mark is Ruby and Sapphire's gems with swirls to show them fusing. I made Garnet a unicorn to fit her "magical" ability to see into the future.

Amethyst's cutie mark is her whip. I wanted to give her a more personal one but not related to food or being messy, ultimately I stuck with the whip to keep it a cutie mark that isn't gross or weird. I made amethyst an earth pony since she was born on earth and she can easily look like a unicorn or pegasus if she wanted.

Pearl's cutie mark consists of her spear, her sword, and her (very poorly drawn) violin. I chose a pegasus for her because of her graceful movements.

Rose Quartz's cutie mark is the symbol on her flag which represented her shield. I made her a princess because I see her as being an extremely powerful gem and was the leader of the Crystal Gems.







Thursday, July 16, 2015

Random Drawing of the Day

This is part of a set which started with Rose Quartz. This is Pearl from Steven Universe as a pony. I saw many versions of her as a unicorn, but I chose a pegasus because of her graceful movements. Her cutie mark consists of her spear, her sword, and her (very poorly drawn) violin.

I will probably do the other Crystal Gems and maybe even the home world gems or fusions. I will probably not do Steven or any of the humans, just because their color schemes won't translate as well as the gems.

Random drawing of the day

This time I decided to draw my favorite character from Steven Universe as a pony, combining two shows I really like (that and ponies are fun and easy to draw). I tried to capture her fuller figure without making her look pregnant here, as this was supposed to be her when she was leading the gems during the war. Her cutie mark is the symbol on her flag. I made her a princess because I see her as being an extremely powerful gem and was the leader of the Crystal Gems. I love how her mane and tail look and overall I am satisfied with this drawing that only took 30 min.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Movies and TV Shows I Like: Steven Universe

*Note: Play the music while reading.

So in my free time I get obsessed with tv shows. One that I got into is Steven Universe, created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network.

The series about the Crystal Gems, Garnet, Amethyst,and Pearl, and Steven, a young half-human, half-Gem boy whose gemstone is from his mother, Rose Quartz. It is set in Beach City where the Crystal Gems live in an temple, protecting the world from evil. Most episodes focus on Steven's days with his human father Greg, his friend Connie, other people in Beach City, or the Gems. The episodes are short making the slice of life style appropriate, but some episodes give tastes of a deeper plot. Whether it is showing us fusions, the ability of Gems to temporarily merge to form a new and more powerful person, the kindergarten, where gems were grown on earth for the past war they hint at, or Rose Quartz's past as leader of the Gems and her relationship with Greg.

So far there are two seasons, the second still ongoing right now and while I love learning about the history of the Gems and the war that happened, my favorite part of this show is actually the episodes dealing with some of the unconventional family things. Steven grew up without a mother and his father is around, but it is likely the remaining Gems raised Steven after Rose Quartz sacrificed herself to have Steven. He has three aunts/mother figures (gems aren't actually female they just have female forms) and a dad who was once a musician and lives out of a van. Strangely my favorite character is Greg. When he first appeared, I thought it would be a story about Steven trying to please his deadbeat dad, but that isn't what happened. It is likely Greg gave Steven to the Gems so he would be safe and have a real home. That is a very selfless thing to do, especially after losing Rose Quartz. And Greg's relationship with Rose Quartz is wonderful to watch.

Now for the animation and music, well animation has improved as the show goes on and gains more funding. It is overall very pleasing to the eye and while obviously cartoony, there are a lot of soft shapes and interesting body types. The color palates all fit the scenes wonderfully and help set the tone for each place (compare the Kindergarten and the beach in front of the temple for example). Just like the animation, the songs have gotten better and better over time. My favorite ones are most of the recent ones with a few from the first season (any sung by Greg especially). Most use the guitar or ukelele as that is what Greg and Steven play respectfully. There are a few exceptions, Pearl's songs have violin sounds and Garnet's are more edgier, but considering Estelle voices her, it makes sense.

If there is one thing I do have to say negative about it, the Uncle Grandpa episode is a waste of money and effort. Skip it because it is non-canon, junk. (I blame all of that on Uncle Grandpa because of the dumb tone of that show.)

I would suggest everyone give the show a watch, it is really quirky but fun and heartwarming with some action thrown in. If it isn't your thing, that is cool. I personally don't like Adventure Time (which Rebecca Sugar also worked on) but I admit it is a good show.