It's already time for a new Fan Art update! Yay! This week everything is in order, so nothing to worry about. Final Fantasy IV DS surprised me by being beaten quite easily. I'd say the last boss was one of the easiest in the game, and I don't remember him being so easy. Anyway, now I'm giving FFTA2 a second chance. I'll need to grind a bit, but I hope I can beat it this time around.

This week, Noreen Rana steals the spotlight and gets her Sephiroth piece the top spot. Sephiroth has shown a smoother and nicer side to the gamers in Crisis Core but now, we get to see him shy. He's even blushing. Google Yourself Lately? features but a single character on a flat background. The main source of light seems to be coming from the screen Sephiroth is looking at, giving the artwork an intimate feel, suggesting the character tried to find a secluded spot. Although the effect is well-done, I would have liked to have stronger shadows to give it even more personality. Lastly, be sure to have a good look at his confused, puzzled face. I don't think you'll see this too often coming from Sephiroth.

Next up is Son Gohan expressing his excitement for Chrono Trigger DS with his Playing With Ourselves piece. Featuring the three 1000 AD characters, the bright, colorful drawing retains Toriyama's illustration style and designs. Even though everything seems to be in order, I think a white background is not the best choice in such a drawing. The light reflection, the DS and Marle's dress would be that much whiter if the background was just a bit darker. Boum is back this week with her Pondering Ninja. Having just finished the DS version, I can tell you seeing Edge as calm as in this picture is a relief. Now I know this is quite an old picture, but I would say it is lacking some contrast in general. Composition-wise the piece is very dynamic; the strong horizontal line at the bottom formed by the tree branches and the inner dark-blue frame add a lot of movement and depth. Nice interpretation of the character. Following Edge are Hiro and Lucia from Lunar2 by Cloud 5trife. Generally the lines look good, but one important thing is variation. The width changes from place to place, but some wider lines, especially for some of the contour areas, would improve the drawing. It looks like this drawing could have been wonderful had it been colored, but instead it sports a "mistake", according to the artist. Hiro's face is plagued with paper tear due to too much erasing. The way I see it, if applied to the complete drawing, this kind of texture can evoke an old drawing or photograph. It is always good to be able to use one's mistake as an advantage. Is the next drawing colored? Or is it plain black and white? Animeangel's Sora Profile gives you white, multiple shades of grey and a clear, beautiful blue. I have not seen the drawing without the blue eyes, but I don't think it would have the same impact. The drawing was obviously hand-drawn and the sketchy lines evoke movement and spontaneity, as if it had been drawn on the fly by an artist sitting under a tree, drawing passers-by. Shadows are a little inconsistent, but the texture is lovely. Sora's expression shows serenity and seriousness.

And thus another update of Fan Art ends. The fan art portfolio is getting dryer every week! That's an emergency! I need some drawings. Right now. Pick up a pen and start drawing. Cows, hens, turnips. Or personas. Or pretty much anything else related to RPGs. I invite you to log in to the forums and talk about the drawings featured today. Don't be afraid to give opinions, ask questions, etc. I want this to be an interactive column with some response from the readers. Thank you for watching and reading, and see you soon for another exciting Fan Art update!

Maxime Viventi doesn't like this year's summer at all