Blink commission (Pepe Larraz)

Pepe is one of my favorite modern artists (if not at the top of the list), and getting a commission from him has been a dream of mine ever since The Green Room started up.  I didn't make it onto his initial commission list (when an A3 color option was available), and when I saw Pepe was going to be at Lake Como this year, I tried again.  Lake Como is a show I've wanted to go to for years, but it never worked out with timing; and this year, I actually didn't have any plans to attend either... until I made it onto Pepe's commission list.

Since he was only doing A4 inkwash pieces, I didn't go with my immediate first choice (Rogue) since I'd like to save her for a big color piece, if that ever happens.  I also wanted Pepe to be inspired about whatever character he did, so I provided a list of characters for him to choose from (of course, Rogue was on the list); and to round it out, I randomly included Blink from Age of Apocalypse as an out-of-the-box suggestion.  And of course that was the exact one he picked (as it turns out, this was the first time he ever drew Blink... plus, he ended up doing a few other Rogue commissions for the show, so he was probably looking to do someone new).  But going into Lake Como, I had no idea who he picked, so that was a little nerve-wracking.

I could gush about Lake Como as a show, but I got to spend a good amount of time chatting with Pepe and watching him draw, and that was the highlight of the show for me.  We talked a bit about the Blink piece he did, and he mentioned how she looked a bit like Jinx (from Arcane) with her braided pigtails, and now I can't unsee that.  This would have been amazing in color (if you know her color palette, you know), but it looks great as is with the dynamic pose here and the little energy effects on her shards.  Still hoping for a color piece from Pepe one day, but for now, I'm glad to add another original of his to the collection.

Thanks, Icíar (and Pepe)!