💚mOther M (AKA: Mother Metroid)💚

This design was supposed to be an acrylic painting, but the more detail I put into the sketch, the more I realized I wanted to work on it digitally! The hexagon shape reminded me of those legendary doors from Metroid Prime (that had similarly legendary load times before they opened haha). Her pose was inspired by performers being lifted/lowered by wires on stage, and maybe a little of Art Nouveau too.

When I was a baby, I got sick and had a long stay in the hospital. Both parents were worried, but my frantic father rarely left my side, so the nurses brought him an NES and a copy of Super Metroid (1994) to keep him preoccupied while I healed. Years later, after my parents separated and we stayed with my mom, I discovered Metroid Prime (2002) in middle school and had the soundtrack on my MP3 player. During one of his visits, my dad recognized what I was listening to, and was blown away that I had found my own path to that same series after all those years. The apple really didn’t fall far from the tree! He told me this story, and the game helped he and I reconnect, resulting in one of my favorite childhood memories.

Now, even as an adult, I still adore the classic franchise. And as an artist, I want to create Black representation that I could have looked up to as a child. The original Samus Aran, Intergalactic Bounty Hunter, may have been white, but in this piece I've drawn her my way to encourage other Black girls to be Intergalactic as well. This piece is also a direct call back to a skateboard design I painted in acrylic years ago. I am proud to revisit the character design and the act of rendering her metal suit.