Karate

Ouch!

...

I've had this piece in mind since last year since I drew Veronica for the first time. shortly before I decided she was going to be a ghost hunter. I knew from the first moment that she went to the same dojo as Diego.

Remember Diego? He's Lil's good old boy-friend or something. So that's right! Officially this is the first "The Worndown Children'' - "Whisperers Crossover picture ever!

I think...

There may be something else somewhere but if there is I don't remember.

Anyway, officially they live in the same world. Is this the only way these two groups will interact? Doubt it, I already got some ideas for when they finally meet, I'm just thinking which one I like the most.

Wanted to finally make this piece as a little bit of a build up for Diego before posting my chosen piece for this year Valentine's day with him and Lil. I kind of feel it's weird for him to appear one on a Valentine's pic, disappear for a year and then appear again on Valentines. So now at least he has another picture. I kinda wish I had done it before lol

Also a detail is the sensei. He is vaguely based on a Karate teacher from my town. He gave karate lessons to my mom and most of my uncles in the seventies. Of course I got to know him when he was older and no longer could practice karate but I have seen the pictures and heard stories, he was quite a character.

He ran a small store a block from my house. He passed away last year. I didn't seek for pictures of him when working on this so I based the sensei on just the general vibe of what I remember.

I also drew a background for this picture vaguely based on a boxing / Taekwondo gym close to my house. I've never been there but I've taken a peak on a number of occasions. Unfortunately when it was done I realized that it distracted a bit from the characters and the poses which I feel are the important part of this piece. Only the texture of the floor survived, so with that you can have a small idea of what it would have looked like.

Lastly, good news! My boy Diego was updraded from yellow to orange belt since the last we saw of him! Hurray!