Phronemophobia's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[The cocoa fever]

It's cute to see those two relaxing with their choice of candy, but I adore how Big Man looks ready to bake with his. Is he going to prepare something simple like a batch of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies or perhaps he's asking them to join in a collaboration dessert such as a triple chocolate mousse. That seems like a Big Man thing to do, right?

While a room of chocolate isn't all that unique (a candy-themed level used to be pretty common in video games), I very much appreciate you putting in the time and effort to really spruce up your version of it. I'm going to guess the flowers here are daffodils though I'm not certainly since the flower is typically seen with six petals. Visually appealing, of course, but if you really wanted to be a dork, you could have included some chocolate cosmos. What draws my attention the most, however, is the cup you have Frye lounging in. The design has me thinking it is based on something and I'm curious if that's the case or if you came up with it on your own.

Lastly, the half-eaten food and missing tiles on the ground tell me there might have been a mini Splatfest of sorts going on here to determine how much space was shared between the three of them. The whole piece is a treat for the eyes.

ICam2k responds:

That's how Bigs is. Refined with his tastes and is willing to share them, y'know?
Daffodils would've been funny to be included there, but these are vanilla orchids. They're used to reference how white chocolate is made. Granted I've could've included cocoa beans for the other bars, but suppose the leaves give a fine hint.
I initially thought that you were referring to an aesthetic type of sorts until I looked that up and sure enough, it is a flower. Don't really think it's used for chocolate production despite what the name implies. Pretty looking flower though.
Besides the emblem pasted on (the Onaga crest) I came up with the "cup seat". Just a nice nod of how hot chocolate or any coffee is usually served in our place. No mugs, just a fine carton cup.
That was admitedly my favourite part to work on, especially the w. choco tiles. To be frank, I didn't even think white chocolate would come out victorious while working on this, so I suppose that was some sort of an unexpected prediction.

[Transmutation]

"Granted should I also watch Brotherhood?" Oh, definitely. It rushes through a lot of the beginning since the original anime had already done a great job adapting that and covers the manga properly afterwards. There's other differences, as well, and since both are enjoyable, it's basically the "two cakes" meme.

It is rather interesting to see you drawing something like this. All your other uploads have had that goofy, cartoony, kid-friendly aspect and FMA is a little darker at times which I wasn't sure if you could properly convey. I like Al more than Ed here. He understands that this is art and should pose properly for it. Ed, meanwhile, is trying too hard to look cool (probably to distract viewers from noticing how... *mumble mumble* he is).

[Needed image]

Went to look up Callie and Marie cause I remembered the names but wasn't sure who was who. Noticed their outfits were different from one another and wondered why only one looked dressed for New Year's. According to the images, that's their normal outfits right now? I guess only Big Man decided to dress up special for the occasion with his dapper-looking top hat and bow tie.

It's a fair drawing and perfect for the holiday. Most of your other uploads have some level of artistic ambition added to them but this seems rather straightforward. A shame there's not more interaction with the three in the back though I assume you just included them afterwards to help fill out the drawing. I'mma guess it's the ol' "I already came this far, so I might as well keep going with it" sort of mindset that I, too, have often at work when I'm closing things down for the night. You're finished with it, but you're not finished-finished with it and, therefore, it's not finished.

ICam2k responds:

They're also their cover-up outfits appaerently since they're agents of New Squidbeak Splatoon (once led by their grandpa who was a lieutenant). Guess that explains why Marie's outfit reminded me of such characters like Inspector Gadget (I actually never whatched the show though, I only know of the character).
Bigs is a rather goofy looking stingray with epicurean tastes, so he pretty much has to look fancy for such events.

Most of the drawings that are event related are straightforward really, even the halloween ones. I admit that I tend to draw the agents pretty less given that they're, well, player characters made to be customised. Do try include every once in a while, but yeah. I usually tend to go with characters with established personalities.

[Scarves are for the weak]

Outside of generation one, I'd typically side with fire types, so I guess I'd be rooting for Frye which is fine by me since she's second to only Pearl anyhow. Still, I did that sort of thing as a kid and all that bravado against harsh weather got me was a sore throat and the flu a couple times a year.

I really love the outfits two of them have the good sense to wear, especially Big Man. Shiver is still trying to maintain some fashion but Big Man clearly wants to be warm and I am 100% with him on that. Also, I like the lanky versions. Makes the squid people look less... maybe not "less" but more "evenly distributed" in design.

ICam2k responds:

I do have a couple of favourites as far as fire types go, but I do tend to side with water types quite often... for starters, I side a lot more with ground and ice actually. Krookodile, Claydol, Walrein and even Glalie are pretty good examples.
Heh, guess I'm not the only one who has done that. Back when I was little that is. Nowadays I tend to chill inside with a mug of hot choco in hands while admiring the snowfall at night... if it ever happens.
Thanks! I came up with these outfits long before the Frosty Fest came out with it their poster, which are supposed to be the official outfits.
https://x.com/SplatoonJP/status/1745732348921184606
(not to be confused with the stage oufits)
Sea creatures are cold blooded as far as I'm concerned, so putting on extra layers during harsh environments is mandatory.
I would go back to draw them like that if I wasn't so respectful to the source material. Ah well, at least some exagerations aren't fully one.

[Stay off the bed]

Thinking about it, I could totally see a, uh, whatever the term is... "squidling"... "squid kid" staying in their non-humanoid form whenever they're feeling particularly tired or lazy. That and Marina would be even more obnoxious in a taller/larger form while lying on top of Pearl.

Prior to reading your comments, I thought of this and the prior image where Marina was also in her other form and initially wondered if it was a choice to help place more focus on Pearl.

ICam2k responds:

No, inklings are squid kids, the term for their bulbous counterparts is "dumbo kid", trust me, I know this series real good. Heh, I was even going to have her drool on Pearl in sleep like in the Octo Expansion's chat log feature where they were postin photos. That would've been priceless.
This could be the intent, but I am willing to place focus on all characters on equal level every once in a while.

[Brook]

Man... making me feel bad, because I've met similar people like this. Usually, they need help but even if you do so to improve their situation, they eventually sabotage themselves, run away, and regret doing so before continuing to wish for a better life.

[Zepto]

A magical exclamation mark, eh? So you're saying he's... punctual?

[A Lurker In The Dark]

Now do a lurker in the light! "If you're in a well-lit place...and for a split moment hear what sounds like an accordion and can clearly see someone playing an accordion before everything falls into complete and utter silence...watch out. A Lurker has appeared..." and he realized he now has an audience to impress with his brand new Hohner Nova II 80 Light chromatic accordion! Sit down in your almost-blindly bright room and relax to some seasonally-appropriate "Hallowshanties" as the Lurker likes to call them.

[We drip ink]

"And then it led to a wave of fanart featuring these three. Just a heads up." Spoiler warning next time, please!

Another piece that probably should be on a shirt. This is the best interpretation of Frye I've ever seen... mainly because I loving seeing characters looking their most chaotic in fanart, especially when that character is a water goblin.

ICam2k responds:

Sorryyy, had to drop in a warning just in case, but I'll keep that in mind later on.
Chaotic looking people usually tend to be the best part in drawings like these. They always take the spotlight 90% of the time compared to the slightly sane ones, which isn't a bad thing.
LMAO, "Water goblin". You just straight up outclassed my term "inky imp" with this one. I would've given you a gold star if I had one.

[Purple and Blue]

I can hate on the quality of almost all the other recent Pokemon games (I bought the "new" Snap on Switch and it is a beautiful exception), but the designs of the monsters have always been excellent and if the series manages to return to the level of shine from the days of sequels like black/white or remakes like heartgold/soulsilver, then we'll have so many fantastic creatures to catch while appreciating their return to glory. That's probably a strong reason for why many still enjoy the current titles in spite of their issues. If you can roam around with something as cool as sneasler, then it becomes significantly easier to look past the flaws.

I don't know enough this particular evolution, though it seems like the simpler art in the middle looks more appropriate for sneasler's personality. I do like the one tearing through... grapes, I'm assuming, and the other with the imposing look to the far left, but sneasel always gave me the impression that it did a better job looking intimidating rather than being intimidating and that appears doubly so for its evolution. Feel free to correct me on that. Again, I haven't played this one. I'm just going by feels right now.

ICam2k responds:

So can I actually. I don't like how undercooked/limited Sword/Shield feels , even though the nuzlocke I did on it was the most memorable. While I could care less about Scarlet and Violet due to some its "quirks", its still not THE worst I've ever seen. Not sure if they can go back to the peak period at this point, but I'm still willing to give hope to the future projects like Legends Z-A despite being rarely shown since its tease.

That's exactly how I perceived from this tall weasel/sloth monster despite its poison/fighting typing, even though that's also based on one of my mons from my team (the trainer besides him is a nice giveaway) heh. These are Oran berries, but really, it's not too far off given that most of the berries are based on fruits anyways (although these resemble blueberries more).
Pretty funny given that these guys are described as being solitary prior to their johtonian forms' "hunting in packs" nature that they've adapted afterwards.