Normally, I don't give much praise to me own artwork, but this....this I think is awesome.

Here we have that loveable orca fellow, Gale, warrior monk of the Eastern Sea. I was aiming for Highlander meets Buddhist, and I think I captured a little bit of both. I didn't want any plaid on his kilt, mainly because it would've been a royal pain to draw. The sword is his secondary weapon, only used in the direst of times; his fists tend to act as mediators when negotiations go sour.

Something else I was also gunning for was giving Gale a more ... humanoid look, while still retaining his dolphinish charm. His stance was -supposed- to be some kind of martial arts, but I think the casualty suits him better.

Unlike the orcas we're most common with, the "orcas" I've got (in this particular world) are more like the Darfella, in that they have strands of hair running out the back of their heads instead of a dorsal fin located somewhere on their spine. The reasoning behind this feature is its sufficient drag to stabilize him when swimming at high speeds, and it also retains water moderately well, allowing him to keep his neck and spine cool in drier areas, and even soak up moisture. As one could expect, he is a bit top-heavy, as power swimmers should be; I considered making their flukes into legs, but realize that it could easily diminish the strength of their stroke (rather to keep a single series of bones - i.e., the spine - to act as the engine, then have it channel from one set to another - i.e., the legs).

I might color this later.

Art & Char ©  ryuuyume