Phronemophobia's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[Love strings]

Ah, getting me ready for that day-long downer of loneliness with not only a Valentine's theme but also of one depicting Big Man taking all the pain upon himself in the process. Maybe I can preemptively cheer myself by surprising him with a gift? *looks up Big Man's address* Cami, I don't think he's real. I might have to prepare for a potential two-day downer... a double downer. This art has given me a lot to worry about in the near future.

ICam2k responds:

What are you saying?
He resides over there.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267113971163?_skw=splatoon+big+man&itmmeta=01JH0YCZD54N3HPAFG6JXEF5J3&hash=item3e313bbddb:g:5s0AAOSwUTBlRHM2&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HeiGDgIPEom89sRrPuXPknBkd0yutHSIY4fpxSafJT0YHI00Xya39H%2FZDm46Tl1Ft9l4Pj8DjEb2t9YseB5tF0a0iz3%2BDGIXyaXqpj94YzbZ5BOoYhS6ABWyLw6IswKRn7%2BEjSV9mS3pHS8X3kkzDvjo2gFhsxtgmeOiCGSQb3ZVECVGWBYkThkDfwyOvGlzm45RUyKz7lzE7uYEmIVFG%2BObNnjqfOPcm29r3VEbDbp56NHmoFkiswJajA4U8ubPwGJouoN6X0iYuC7RhiMDmlbz%2BoU%2FV1Tv76AIAfST%2BbSpqzYpDlR0g5ukTmzeXTfuQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM3Paznohl

(man I hate how links can extend like this, but it's an eBay purchase)

[First concert drawing]

I decided to glance at the concert and, as I figured, Big Man is so obnoxiously stiff. I guess they really didn't want to bother with giving him any sort of proper interaction. Instead, he was just waving around and slowly turning in place like someone's grandmother at a family get-together. They could've had him dive into the floor and pop out from one end then the other, yeah? It wasn't as bad with the other two (other four) but they spent much of their time staying in these invisible "lanes" that it only looks like they are together. I get the feeling that if we saw a top-down version of this, we'd notice these thin, almost invisible barriers separating all of them to prevent collisions with one another.

Your piece reminds me of a place in WoW's Un'Goro Crater what with all the colorful crystals lighting up a cave near a neutral campsite. I remember screenshotting that cave (this was well over a decade ago) and using it as a background image on my PC. If I had any sort of personal connection to the Splatoon series, I probably would have taken this art and done the same with it... *shifting eyes* with your permission, of course (probably).

ICam2k responds:

After enough time has passed (which is nearly a year, golly) and recounting how that concert went, I definitely think that I... agree. I still like the concert (mostly for the music and few funny choreographs like Pearl's Naruto run) but yeah, there are definitely some rough spots here and there. BigMan especially moves like those low budget animatronics. People weren't kidding when they said that he oozes the "mascot feel" as much as I like him as a character.
On one hand though, I kind of get why they did this. They had to be careful of not stepping too far off the "lanes" as you mentioned in order to not break the immersion for the audience too much, which were even more evident in other previous concerts like the one in 2016 with the Squid Sisters. I like to think the Grandfest slightly improved on that since they're basically transfered in the game and possibly have some tweaks to make them somewhat dynamic, but I'm gonna have to rewatch them again to really be certain about that.

I'm admittedly not all that big on MMORPGs (except my brother who played Metin2 everyday in his teenage years) but I do recall being captivated by their worlds and their atmospheres, which I feel where for such games like this They were the games before "open-world" would become popular with most people later on.
Of course! You can always do that. I even made some pieces at the desktop resolution too albeit few. (mostly on 1920*1080 of course since that's the resolution I'm using, but I assume nearly everyone is set on that size)

[The smallest are the strongest]

I know of Chaotix and I believe Charmy is suppose to be the easiest character to use in that game, right? Reminding me of that line in the song "I literally carry the team when I carry the team!" with this display of lugging Vector around like a gatorskin suitcase. More importantly, we got not one but... *counts on fingers* uh, TWO! Vectors in this piece. One can only hope to one day see a third (possibly final?) form of Vector who will likely also get tossed around by something a fraction of his size and Cami will be there to properly visualize it for her future millions of fans to appreciate.

Of the two, I do prefer the older style with Charmy but the size difference in the modern version of Vector does lend itself better to the joke.

ICam2k responds:

Both in OG Knuckles Chaotix and in Sonic Heroes respectively. Charmy is an absolute powerhouse and no one seems to be joking about that. Not even me barely. Bees are barbaric, they don't mess around.
Is it? Or was it ever a third form of Vector? There's technically one for Boom, but he looks too similar to the current incarnation besides wearing a jacket, a tattoo and... lacking his headphones. And he's from Boom. Yeah, there's no third Vector. I'm sorry everyone.
I do like older interpretation of Charmy as well. Simple design, but an effective one. I tend to scoff whenever I have to draw his needlesly detailed goggles in the modern version, but it's all not too bad at least. (not bad as Espio's)

[In a jiffy]

I'm a little conflicted. This is some of the best Pearl art I've ever seen, but it's also sad to look at. Why is the best character in Splatoon sad? Isn't that a crime? Are you becoming a criminal? Should I call the squid police? You can't escape the long tentacle of the law, Cami. Pearl deserves to always look confident and mighty and you broke the law to make her appear vulnerable.

ICam2k responds:

THE best on NG? No waaay. There's got to be some besides mine. It's also pretty grungy too.
WHA-?! HOLD ON, THAT HAS BEEN LONG AGO. BESIDES I JUST WANTED A LITTLE CHANGE OF PACE, I DIDN'T MEAN TO CHANGE CHARACTERS FOR A SCENARIO THAT REQUIRES THEM TO BE SO LIKE THAT *runs away*
LEAVE ME ALOOOOOOON...!

[Globe Cut]

So Deep Cut don't really stop being "villains" after the third game? They just go from being proper enemies to... I don't know, the Splatoon equivalent of Jesse and James (and Meowth) from Team Rocket? I feel bad for Big Man. He's clearly the least comfortable in that globe.

I find your chatter about their various official outfits pretty interesting because I figured the music was the focal point of the series outside of its gameplay, but I suppose the fashion of named character is far more important than merely offering a variety of basic designs a player might pick out (similar to clothing in Animal Crossing).

I just don't see the appeal in dA. NG has always been much easier for me to navigate and I'll gladly wait a few (or more) days for your work to also be uploaded here, instead of making an account there.

ICam2k responds:

Villain sounds a little too casual in my opinion. Antagonist is somewhat close to Deep Cut and even Jessie, James and Meowth. They're too much of goofballs to exactly count as such. (minus Team Rocket on some exceptions where they did take it a bit too far with some of their gadgets on certain episodes... and maybe that time in Alterna where DC used eels/rode a shark/threw a variety of bombs to attack a 14-year old squid kid over some treasure even though they have spawners, but they moved on from thaaaat)
Music is also an art form just as much as how drawings and fashion are essential to the medium since they also count as creative works, which according to most people, that seems to be the core appeal apparently. I've been told by a friend of mine that the people who made Splatoon are also the same ones who worked on Animal Crossing, so you're wrong about that. heh
Naw, did I say you need to be on dA? Its layout is still buggy and its generally unappealing even with some customizations (which there are barely any). I just try to stick around since I know there are still a few who are over there, plus the resolution previews are still better whenever I post a pixel art on rare occasions even when categories have been removed (compared to other "art" social media where the smaller art always gets crunched down to a worser quality if you don't increase it to an appropriate size, although NG doesn't have that problem, thank goodness).
Besides, there's no problem with people just being on one place if it's a comfort spot for them. As a matter of fact, I like being on NG mostly because I like having conversations better rather than getting famous. Sure, I got phenomenons here and there on other places, but I value talking.

[As told by the young]

So many shapes and sizes like something out a Dr. Seuss book or maybe it's Splatoon's version of a Hyakki Yagyō. Either way, I've never see anything like them in passing, so good on you for bringing some love to these bizarre side characters.

ICam2k responds:

Admittedly didn't know about Hyakki Yagyō until I instantly figured out what you meant be that the moment I searched it. And I already knew about some of the Yōkai too. How embarrasing.
Speaking of which, that's probably the main reason why I love Splatoon and I kind of feel it borrows some inspirations from the latter in way (although quite slightly and it may be just an another case of me overlooking over things). The overall design of these creatures are just so captivating. You see the everyday human looking inkling and all of a sudden you find a man with a fishhead seconds after and you won't sit still until you find out more about the world they inhabit in. Then again, they are inspired by the marine life, which yes, also extends to the deep sea.

[John Wayne Greyscale Watercolor]

It's The Duke! ...and you made him just as colorful as he was in the films!

[I know what you are]

I know nothing of Pokemon after Sun and Moon, so I know nothing of the one wearing a mask, but I have seen that green child from the Puyo Tetris games. Forgot her name... *looks at tags* "Ogerpon". Yeah, that's probably it. Haven't learned much about Ogerpon yet, either, now that I think about it. Story mode is too focused on the one always holding an apple... Arle. They do share a lovably smol/green resemblance but I am unaware of how else they might relate to one another. Maybe that's it. Perhaps fashion is the only bond necessary for these two to become great friends. That or they could participate in a Puyo battle. Wait, why does that onion have a spiked club?

ICam2k responds:

Wait, I thought the one holding the apple was called Gogotte. Well, guess I got to replay the games again.
He just does. His layers make people's eyes water after all.

[boo loo and huooo]

Delightfully colorful lineless art and while you claim this has nothing to do with Christmas, I want to believe the two of them are flying over to meet the REAL Dragon Santa at the Lindwyrm Mall. I also shared this with another dragon I know along with the game. No one else needs to know about the game, and I shall not share it with others for fear of a fandom forming, but I believe all dragons should be aware of its existence.

[The crossover no one asked for]

Oh nice! You finally finished that crossover I specifically asked for! *nods in approval*

"I just thought it would be even more impactful if you got to gift yourself in way could think of." - For a few years, I thought like that and would buy my own birthday cake back when I worked at a bakery. When a co-worker found out, she said it made me sound sad and pathetic and refused to sell me cake on my birthday. Instead, she just gave me one each year.

Happy late birthday (or early next-year birthday), I suppose. I am all out of wishes to send you, but I do still have a few blessings, a handful of celebratory cheer, and brownie mix in the kitchen. If nothing is to your liking, please know that the kitties around here are all strays that wander the neighborhood. Darting them would accomplish nothing.

I am curious to know the non-Vector and non-Syrup shift in your "personal favourites" but I assume I will learn about them in your future works and would rather not be spoiled ahead of time.