Drawing for Myself – Orko
July 8, 2011 by Jerzy Drozd
Filed under Blog
I’ve made some pretty good headway with this series of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe character re-imaginings, which means that I’m eventually going to have to confront some of the characters I’ve been reluctant to take on. Like this one!
ORKO Pencil, brush pen, and Photoshop on 5.5×8.25″ bristol.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Orko. Easily one of my favorite characters from the series (yes, and I also like Snarf, Chip Chase, and even Wheelie, so I guess I’m not a real “geek”). That’s why I was dreading the re-design, actually, because there’s little I would do to change him, and more than any of the other characters I was worried about doing him justice. I did borrow a few ideas from the 2002 version, but I left his proportions closer to the Filmation take on Orko. I thought he could use an update with a little more of a wizard-y vest with Trollan runes and pockets for those gags like where he pulls umbrellas and beach balls out of his hat. The original “O” on his shirt was silly, but I love it, so I compromised by obscuring most of the “O” and leaving it as an implied part of the design. Now it could just be some weird stripe on his shirt. As for personality, I’d play him pretty much the same as in the Filmation series, and I’d certainly give him more of a prominent role than in the 2002 reboot.
I think characters like Orko are vital to the dynamic of a kid’s show. They provide cute slapstick, they serve as a tool for identification in younger kids, and they just lend a level of sweetness that you don’t get when you “age up” a series like MoTU. I could go into it with a long-winded speech on the real value of underrated characters like Orko, but I know you’re here mostly to see the re-design, not hear me lecture from the pulpit. I’ll save it for a future podcast.
Past re-imaginings:
- Jitsu
- Faker
- The Sorceress
- Stinkor
- Clawful
- Fisto
- Webstor
- Moss Man
- Two-Bad
- Ram Man
- Tri-Klops
- Man-At-Arms
- Evil-Lyn
- Man-E-Faces
- Adam & Cringer
- Beast Man
- Stratos
- Buzz-Off
- Whiplash
- Teela
- Mer-Man
- He-Man
- Trap Jaw
I love that you gave his face some definition under the scarf as well. Makes him feel a little bit more there, you know.