https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIuOAhH6TAY Click for a relevant soundbyte.

This is a character I've had an idea of for years at this point, but I never took myself as even a halfway-decent artist. So I thought it would be relegated to my imagination to my grave. Then 2020 happened. I was bored one July day and started drawing for the heck of it, and while said early art frankly sucked, I enjoyed it. I bought a sketchbook and drew something in it almost every day, mainly using old Capcom fighting game art and sprites for reference, both for posing and anatomy. Come last week, I thought, let's go digital! So I bought a stylus and downloaded an art app on my phone and redrew this big guy from the sketchbook. A bit rough around the edges to be sure, but dammit I'm proud of it.

Enough about me, let's talk about Ralus, the big gold dragon up there. He comes from a long line of pyrokinetic dragons, but after a childhood friend invited him to a front row seat to an MMA match, he knew that's where he belonged. Ralus prefers street fighting, where he can show off his fierce flames without setting off fire alarms and sprinklers. He exudes 90's fighting game energy (you DID click that link up top, right?), so he has names for some of his moves, he'll trash talk before and after fights, he's got witty one-liners, etc. It may be cliché, but he's got a fiery personality that matches his fire powers, at least when he's fighting. Outside the ring, he mellows out quite a bit. He still has snark, but it's way less in-your-face. Ralus has a soft spot for the phoenix, and spends time in a nearby nature preserve dedicated to them. So much so that he's become somewhat of a Pollyanna, comparing life's ups and downs to a phoenix dying and resurrecting. He also sports a strong sense of justice, which might seem hypocritical, coming from a dragon that loves to taunt and show off mid-fight. But he believes there's a difference between his playful jeers and bullying for the sake of being a jerk, so he absolutely will not hesitate to stand up for those who cannot defend themselves.

"If you think you can handle the heat, then come and get me!"

Whew, that's enough biography for one day. Any constructive criticism is appreciated, as I'm still relatively new to this whole art thing. Shading in particular is something I'm just beginning to experiment with. Thank you!