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Sekto’s bio posted by OWI on twitter

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland homage (pt.1)

‘Kay, so I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole that is Oddworld lore…and I was *already* a big fan of the whole concept thanks to “The Promised Neverland.”

Surely this has been done before, but I couldn’t help paying some homages to the series—especially because it fits so damn well for obvious reasons!

And honestly…this is the most fun that I’ve had with my art for a long, long time. It’s like I remembered what I love about creating, and even *how* to do it. I remember loving symbolism and the significance of imagery…like here? I loved having the plates act as a kind of sick, ironic commodity: like the Glukkons absolutely would sell off “authentic” style dish wares with which to serve their workforce up on.

And even though I’ve only been able to play both the New n’ Tasty re-release and Soulstorm, I had a lot of fun trying to kind of reconcile the designs some for Abe and Alf? Alf especially; I liked the idea of him wearing his overalls down 90’s-ish style because it kind of acts reminiscent of his old loincloth, but still keeps him as visually distinct as Abe or Toby.

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland homage (pt 2)

She hasn’t even made a formal debut on screen and yet I’m *fascinated* by the character of Sam, Mudokon Queen.

I just have so many questions: was she acting alone her decision? Did anyone else even know, or did she just wander off of her own volition to make this deal with the Glukkons? Was she truly acting in the best interest of her people or were there more selfish motives at play?

And it’s those questions that really made it so easy to draw this parallel between the original image that inspired this piece (The Promised Neverland OP 2, “Identity.”)

Because…regardless of whether she was acting altruistically or not…Sam still has blood on her hands? The blood of not just her people, but her *children.* She might not have known the conditions that they’d be brought up in, or the abuse they’d face…but she still made the decision to sell them. And she still lives in relative comfort, at least compared to Abe and the others, even if it’s nowhere near idealistic.

I sympathise with her…and yet I’m so suspicious of her? And I love that?? And I loved portraying that via a cracked and bleeding egg, precariously stitched together, much like the situation that they’re all in. Actually, like I mentioned in the other post, this is the most fun I’ve had with my art in *years.*

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland homage (pt 3)

Yet another in my latest little series of homages…my god these are fun to do! At the rate I’m going I’ll have enough to put together a little animatic to the tune of “Identity,” haha!

This one was definitely the most challenging to try to compose, but the most fun to play with. While I knew putting Molluck where Isabella originally sat would bring a more cynical tone to the piece, I wasn’t expecting to truly appreciate how damn oppressive a figure he can be. Using the smoke in place of shadow was intentional; I wanted the Mudokons to come across as generic and faceless as the Glukkons no doubt see them, but also lean into the double meaning of how the brew is designed to fog up their minds and keep them under control.

Also, Procreate’s light pens are so much fun to play with!

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland Homage (Pt. 4)

Now, see…this one was A LOT more complicated to compose, both because of the complexity of Lady Margaret’s design and Glukkon anatomy in general. On the one hand, it may have been poignant imagery if we saw little but armless business suits all lined up…but even though Lady Margaret hasn’t made a formal debut in the game, I feel like it did a disservice to her place in Glukkon society?

Granted, in the original image I was homaging, the demon king is fairly minuscule compared to the clasped-handed followers lined before him…but still, it felt like such a shame to relegate Margaret to a faceless silhouette. So, the solution? Inversion. Let Margaret be larger than life, both literally and figuratively; let her stand out amongst a line of anonymous glukkons, composed and unreadable…and have her show off that, not only does she get to bear and use her arms, but she flaunts this by wielding *two* cigarettes in fancy holders! Have her be at the centre, as if offering all a light…or letting them watch as she relishes her oncoming lung cancer.

Seriously, I’ve been having a bit too much fun making a spectacle of the smoke in these scenes? I dunno, because it feels like such a part of the Glukkons, at least from the artwork I saw, it felt like something I could make a bit of an artsy spectacle out of?

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland Homages (pt. 5)

Aka: my excuse to finally abuse the light pens in the name of art!!

I still can’t get over how well The Promised Neverland’s imagery lends itself to Oddworld…quite possibly because they’re pretty much the same concept, but still. I mean, fundamentally, Abe is absolutely a different character to Emma: he’s more reluctant in some respects and clearly doesn’t relish any of the danger he has to face…but he still loves his family. That moment where he hears gunshots and worriedly murmurs “The others…” is proof enough of that and it’s still as effective and powerful as Emma declaring that she never wants to lose another sibling to shipping.

That’s what I was hoping to convey most in this image—what the portal represents. Freedom, relief, safety; not necessarily for Abe, but for all the Mudokons we’ve helped him ferry to safety…or lost in one misstep.

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland Homages (Pt. 6)

I gotta be honest, this image had to be the one that I was most excited about since starting this series.

It’s based off barely a flash of a second in The Promised Neverland’s second opening, and it’s a much more ‘closed’ composition there, focussing mostly on Emma’s face and the braid that hides a significant injury. But for Abe I felt it was important to ‘zoom out,’ so to speak, to emphasise the action of him reaching up towards the moon—the moon with the face in the shape of Abe’s paw.

I just felt like it could represent so much all at once for him; wonder at its sight when he first escapes Rupture Farms, hope in darker moments, despair at all he’s learned since that first night of escape. Actually, it wasn’t very hard at all to adapt this image seeing as the bulk of it was just referencing *that* moment in Soulstorm—hands down one of my absolute favourite moments in a video game. The helplessness on Abe’s face as his body just loses all support, how he curls up and begins to quietly weep…the terror that flashes on his face when the keeper first approaches, and then how he calms a bit when he realises that she won’t hurt him. It’s just…it’s beautiful in how heartbreakingly poignant it is. And I really hoped to do it justice in this piece?