🎨 Artcow Ken Penders - Former Archie Sonic Comic Writer/Artist

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thinking about mr hands said:
This piece looks very familiar, but I can’t remember where from exactly. Given Pender’s history, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is traced/heavily referenced from one of Spaz’s arts.
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Best to look into it
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XYZpdq said:
I don't know much about previous SONIC and/or KNUCKLES stores but I'm gonna go out a limb -
sure, Jan
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I highly doubt ken has a sound plan al of it is just pushing back the date of the comic and becoming something like timbox would do.
 
Sure that sonic piece isn't the worst thing he's made, but I really feel like there's something off about it. Sonic's leg already was mentioned. I think it's the perspective in composition. Some of the depth in the characters don't look right.
 
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So he claims to know how to draw these kind of backgrounds, but instead resorts to stealing photographs and just plops them in his comic because he doesn't want to waste his time drawing the backgrounds?

"While I can create just about any image without the use of a photo, what I can't create is more time,"

"Yes, why make something entirety original and completely my own when I can open up Google and get some 'reference' photos and trace or just straight up use the image as my own in half the time?"

"... so I'm very comfortable with any shortcuts I take."
And despite all those shortcuts the comic still hasn't come out yet. I guess the shortcuts can only get you so far.
 
Hoodie said:
So where's the comic, Ken?
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He's a walking contradiction.
"where's the comic?"
"well, comics take time to make. You can't rush art."
"okay then- hey, you shouldn't use other people's artwork as your own."
"if I do this, it allows me to get me work done faster. Besides, I don't want to waste my time."
"Well... With all this cheating your doing, surely the comic will come out soon? It's been like three or four years since-"
"well, comics take time to make. You can't rush art."
 
jc17 said:
He's a walking contradiction.
"where's the comic?"
"well, comics take time to make. You can't rush art."
"okay then- hey, you shouldn't use other people's artwork as your own."
"if I do this, it allows me to get me work done faster. Besides, I don't want to waste my time."
"Well... With all this cheating your doing, surely the comic will come out soon? It's been like three or four years since-"
"well, comics take time to make. You can't rush art."
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I'd love to see him weasel his way out of being called out for this.

I'd also like to see how he responds to actual constructive criticism but I feel he'd just ignore it.
 
Shard said:
That actually doesn’t look that bad. I wonder what he did differently to not make it suck
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Ken, prior to working on Archie-Sonic, worked on Star Trek comics. back then, his artwork was amazing. You wouldn't even be able to tell they're the same artist when looking at them.
Ken's biggest problem is that he was always trying to give the sonic characters way-too-humanoid proportions and anatomical structure, which pushed his Sonic art into uncanny-valley levels of uncomfortable. The thing that bothers me the most about his art these days is that he still over-uses gradients as if he's using a 2001 version of Jasc paint Shop Pro.

If you see his work that isn't pertaining to Sonic, you can tell that he's got some serious skill.
 
Maybe Ken keeps dragging his feet on this because, deep down, he knows what's going to happen. That this project is going to bomb, and that he's going to spend the rest of his life being hated because of all the shit he did at Archie. Before he actually releases this thing, he can dance around in fantasy land pretending that Lara-Su will be breakout hit and everyone will forgive him.
 
Newman's Lovechild said:
That leg is freaking me out. I really did not want to consider Sonic the Hedgehogs right buttock.

Too good for rubber hose, Ken?
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Ken keeps making the same mistake by not understanding or stubbornly refusing to draw Sonic characters using Sega's visual design. There are solid aesthetic reason as to why the Sonic style characters Sega came up with are so compelling and have endeared themselves to so many fans. It is the same reason why when the original trailer for the first Sonic movie with the anatomical "manhog" was universally rejected, because it looked creepy. Ken doesn't understand that his design are basically the "manhog" all over again.

Hoodie said:
Sure that sonic piece isn't the worst thing he's made, but I really feel like there's something off about it. Sonic's leg already was mentioned. I think it's the perspective in composition. Some of the depth in the characters don't look right.
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I feel the composition is mostly to blame, the art is serviceable at best ( if the creepy leg is overlooked ),

It is just weird.

...

Huh? wait a minute

Huh.png


Computer, enhance!

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OMFG, Ken hasn't worked for or set foot inside Archie's offices in over a decade yet he is still using paper with their watermark on it?! Jesus Ken, you weren't happy just stealing ideas, concepts and art from them, you had to steal whole stacks of the company's stationery too. :story: What's the matter, can't afford brand new paper to make commissions? What a thieving cheapstake!

jc17 said:
View attachment 3272588

So he claims to know how to draw these kind of backgrounds, but instead resorts to stealing photographs and just plops them in his comic because he doesn't want to waste his time drawing the backgrounds?

"While I can create just about any image without the use of a photo, what I can't create is more time,"

"Yes, why make something entirety original and completely my own when I can open up Google and get some 'reference' photos and trace or just straight up use the image as my own in half the time?"

"... so I'm very comfortable with any shortcuts I take."
And despite all those shortcuts the comic still hasn't come out yet. I guess the shortcuts can only get you so far.
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All the way back in 2018 he was showing that beach page and I critiqued it then for looking so disjointed.

If painting a simple background is easy, then do it Ken, At least it would look more cohesive for the panel to have your poorly drawn character on top of a poorly drawn backdrop, not over a realistic photograph.

Somehow he's proud that he is using such blatant shortcuts? "Combining drawing and photographs is an art unto itself". Yeah, another failure because it is obvious it is a photograph, if it where done properly it would not be noticeable.

"Currently taking classes on Unreal Engine/Blender". How 'bout you take some classes on basic painting and color theory instead? This is such a typical assumption from hacks: "If only I had better tools then my work would be better!" No matter how good is the tool, it is useless in the hands of someone who has no skill or talent.

Also, he is not under the pressure of an editor or a company for him to be taking these shortcuts. he is just lazy.

Big ChimiChungus said:
Ken, prior to working on Archie-Sonic, worked on Star Trek comics. back then, his artwork was amazing. You wouldn't even be able to tell they're the same artist when looking at them.
Ken's biggest problem is that he was always trying to give the sonic characters way-too-humanoid proportions and anatomical structure, which pushed his Sonic art into uncanny-valley levels of uncomfortable. The thing that bothers me the most about his art these days is that he still over-uses gradients as if he's using a 2001 version of Jasc paint Shop Pro.

If you see his work that isn't pertaining to Sonic, you can tell that he's got some serious skill.
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I'll rate his skill as average at best and only within a very narrow scope. He draws serviceable work when drawing humans and only when doing black and white work. The moment he steps outside his comfort zone (drawing non-humans and applying color and shading) his art takes a nosedive. I highly suspect that even during his Star Trek comic days he relied heavily on tracing still images of the show's cast to copy their likenesses. Even his more recent examples of human related art has taken a nosedive and relies on tracings of real life actors. ( There is a human character in his Lara-Su comic that is, for no reason, a look alike to Anthony Mackie, whose appearance is obviously traced as well). It is this over reliance on cheats and half ass knowledge of digital programs what have caused his skills to degrade over time.
 
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XYZpdq said:
I'd be curious to see a real stab at Kirby-style Knuckles
also lol mapping this fucktard couldn't map out a triptik
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It’s just looks wrong for every single reason. It’s the proportions of the characters.
 
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