Hey guys!

So this is it. Today, February 20th, 2008, I am celebrating exactly four years on DeviantART. And honestly? It only seems like I joined yesterday.

I thought it was fitting that my celebration image reflects the very first piece (if you could call it that) I ever posted on DA, which can be found here: [link]

Landon Landerson, and all of the Characters of Snailsvenue for that matter, have been a staple of my gallery ever since the moment I joined DeviantART. Those who have been with me for a while watched while Landon and his friends (and enemies) evolved into very different iterations of themselves, and as the formerly titled "Freakshow" (from whence my DA username name is based) became the currently titled "Snailsvenue."

And as my ability to use proper grammar on the internet came about. ^_^

And while their world became darker, colder, smaller, and wetter, it still contains the same elements it always has: Landon, Kitty, and even that big, nasty, carnivorous plant called the Mortoflower (who first appeared in the bottom half of this piece: [link]).

The characters of Snailsvenue have been unfortunately absent from my sketchbook, and consequently my gallery, for quite some time now. Rest assured, that is something I hope to fix, as I have always loved drawing these characters, and I feel I should devote more time, thought, and energy into fleshing them out even further before I consider doing anything serious with them. I feel a lot of my characters are sort of disposable and I tend to borrow from them a lot, but the guys and gals of Snailsvenue will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Now, about the image.

I chose to depict Landon essentially where he started: in his red, striped jacket, and his whirl-o-top hat. The checkered pants did not come along until later, but they became a trademark of his classic appearance. Landon currently lacks an sort of refined design, as every one I try to come up with sucks majorly. After drawing this, I remembered how much I enjoy his old design, and I may end up resurrecting it for further use. Who knows.

Regarding Kitty: He did not originally have an eye patch. However, I thought it would be gross if I drew him without it now that I'm more capable of making that look believable, so I chose to implement that here. After all, that's how his design has changed over the years, and this is a celebration of all four years, right? ^_^

As for the Mortoflower, I based this design of it on all of my previous pictures of the beast, and then made it a bit more evil and nasty than it has ever been. I like the results.

Alright then, I'm done blabbering on and on. Please FULL VIEW and enjoy!

Sketched in Photoshop CS, inked, colored, etc. in Illustrator CS. About 6-7 hours of work.

EDIT: I'd also like to add that I may be doing more of these. And that they may not necessarily be Snailsvenue character. I've been on here for four years, so I've accumulated a lot of characters. I should think my favorites and most iconic ones might be getting the same treatment Landon has here. ;D