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KrisCynical

@kriscynical.bsky.social

Illustrator & Fandom Artist | BFA Ringling | she/her | 40s | 🔗🌲: kriscynical Art tagged #KrisCynical_art

64 Posts59 Follower 9 Folgt

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 3w ago

"Look of Love" From the #Zelink #fic "Calm Waters Run Deep" by MaryDragon on #Ao3. In a moment of mutual understanding, #Zelda can tell #Link loves her just by the way he is looking at her. And he knows she loves him, too. #KrisCynical_art #loz #LegendOfZelda #fanfic #fanart #botw #BreathOfTheWild

Illustration of Link from "Calm Waters Run Deep" by MaryDragon on Ao3. Link sits cross-legged on the floor in the moonlight, chin resting on his fist, affectionately watching Zelda as she prays.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"The Comeback Kid" So I started watching #Inuyasha again for the first time in about 15+ years... #KrisCynical_art #fanart

Fanart of Inuyasha, head and shoulders in a very sketchy style with washed out color. It's probably been ten years since the last time I drew him and God was it ever fun. I used to be known for my Inuyasha art about a million years ago.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"The Fierce Deity" I 100% made this for my sister, Bree/Echo. #Majora'sMask is her favorite #Zelda game and Time as the #FierceDeity is her boy. #KrisCynical_art #fanart #loz #LegendOfZelda #MajorasMask #FierceDeityLink

Close-up illustration of Link as the Fierce Deity from Majora's Mask. Link's eyes glow as he raises his sword, ready to swing.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 3mo ago

"Like Real People Do" Named after the #Hozier song. I don't think #Zelink would ever get bored with the mundane moments that normal people would have w/o life or death stakes, divine intervention, or trauma. #KrisCynical_art #loz #Zelda #totk #fanart #TearsOfTheKingdom #LegendOfZelda

Zelink illustration titled "Like Real People Do" after the Hozier song. Zelda and Link snuggling on the sofa. Zelda has her head on Link's shoulder and is reading aloud from a book while Link's fingers play in her hair. Also: rings because I can.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I've been told that my #coloring process from flat to finished is witchcraft by people who are privy to my progress shots, so I made a gif of how I layer flesh and hair in my work. This is from "Foolish Girl", obviously. #KrisCynical_art #gif #color #loz #zelda #LegendOfZelda #BotW #BreathOfTheWild

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 4mo ago

"Foolish, Foolish Girl" From the #fic "Calm Waters Run Deep" by MaryDragon on #Ao3. After being saved from freezing to death by #Link, #Zelda finally admits to herself that she's foolishly fallen in love with him. #KrisCynical_art #fanart #loz #botw #BreathOfTheWild #fanfic #LegendOfZelda

Fanfic illustration for "Calm Waters Run Deep" chapter 8 by MaryDragon on Ao3, titled "Foolish, Foolish Girl". Link holds Zelda in his lap after staying up all night to keep her from freezing to death due to staying in the Spring of Courage for far too long. After waking up, she realizes that she's fallen for him even though it was "the single most foolish, ignorant, inconvenient thing [she] could have done".

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 4mo ago

"Comfortable and Drowsy" From the #fic "Calm Waters Run Deep" by MaryDragon on #Ao3. #Zelda captures a picture of #Link napping immediately after the frog memory in #botw. #KrisCynical_art #LegendOfZelda #BreathOfTheWild #fanfic #zelink

Illustration titled "Comfortable and Drowsy" from chapter 7 of the fanfic "Calm Waters Run Deep" by MaryDragon on Ao3. Zelda and Link are lounging in the meadow behind the castle after she caught the frog, and Link falls asleep. Zelda captures the moment on the Sheikah Slate.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 5mo ago

"Coming Home" The first night home post #totk. Link has some trauma to work through now that he's got his safe place back after thinking she was gone forever. You can't turn off grief like a light switch.More in AltText. #KrisCynical_art #loz #Zelda #fanart #zelink #LegendOfZelda #TearsOfTheKingdom

Illustration titled "Coming Home" of Zelda holding Link on top of the blankets in their bed in Hateno as he clings to her and weeps, out of relief and grief and he doesn't even know what else. He thought she was essentially dead, after all. (I know I used this title for an Inuyasha piece a decade ago but it fits too well not to re-use it.)

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 5mo ago

"Don't Hate Me" From Born a Storm ch7 by MaryDragon on Ao3. #Zelda talks in her sleep days after being saved from the Yiga, "Don't hate me." "I could never hate you," Link answers, "You're my Queen. I will always love you." #KrisCynical_art #loz #fanart #botw #zelink #LegendOfZelda #fanfic

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild fanart for the fanfic "Born a Storm" by MaryDragon on Ao3, chapter 7. Link and Zelda camp at the Spring of Courage after Link saves her from the Yiga at the Kara Kara Bazaar. Lit by a camp fire on a stone background, Zelda sleeps and Link kneels at her side to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. She starts talking in her sleep about how Link saved and forgave her for being a prat, ending with a plea "Don't hate me."

"I could never hate you," he answers, "You're my Queen. I will always love you."

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 5mo ago

"Nite Nite Milk" I have a soft spot for Soft Daddy #Link, especially Wild. I saw a YouTube short of a couple's bedtime routine with their 2yo daughter that included the dad giving her "nite nite milk" and it stuck w me for days. #KrisCynical_art #zelda #zelink #loz #botw #totk #fanart #LegendOfZelda

Legend of Zelda fanart titled "Nite Nite Milk" of Wild sitting in an armchair with his and Zelda's toddler daughter, giving her warm milk before bed.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 5mo ago

"Beaded Brothers" I thought I posted this here during Mardi Gras but I guess I forgot! In 2025 my annual Christmas Card client, Suzanne, decided she wanted a 2026 #MardiGras card to change things up. #KrisCynical_art #commission #illustration #shelties #dogs #greetingcard

Mardi Gras illustration of two shelties wearing a jester hat and mask, tangled in beads. This is a throwback to the only other Mardi Gras card I had done for Suzanne which was when these two were "introduced" as puppies back in 2013 and they were wearing the same hat and mask.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 9mo ago

"Crashing Through the Snow" Backstory about my #Christmas card client in the alt text. Palmer and Cooper #sledding downhill Clark Griswold style... I think Cooper is enjoying the ride more than Palmer. #KrisCynical_art #ChristmasCard #illustration #shelties #dogs #commission

Christmas illustration of two shelties racing downhill on a sled in the snow with one dog looking excited while the other looks terrified.

One of my first clients after graduating from Ringling back in 2007 was Suzanne. She wanted a Christmas card of her dog, Hunter. That started a tradition that's still going to this day, through the remainder of Hunter's life and into her next dogs, the brothers Palmer and Cooper.

I forgot to post this last year until it was far too late, but it worked out because this year she wanted a Mardi Gras 2026 card instead of a Christmas 2025 card. This is the 17th card I've done for her and I think it's probably my favorite of the bunch. It was a lot of fun to draw!

Happy Holidays, lovelies.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 11mo ago

"Inner Demons" Another old #Bleach piece of #Ichigo with his inner hollow. Honestly it's been so long since I watched the first season of Bleach I don't remember all of the terminology and names! Gimmie a break, I'm internet old™. 🙃 #fanart #KrisCynical_art

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Standard story: Today's my bday. I decorate cakes as a hobby, including my own. My mom bakes/frosts it for me, then I have fun w it. If I didn't, I'd get candy letters. #loz #Zelda #LegendOfZelda #Hestu #BotW #BreathOfTheWild #TearsOfTheKingdom #TotK #CakeArt #FoodArt #BirthdayCake #KrisCynical_art

My birthday cake for this year, obviously korok/hestu themed. Nothing like having little crap nuggets decorating the sides of your cake, amirite?

All made with fondant. Hestu's body is painted, then everything else is drawn with food dye markers. I wish pearl dust showed up better on camera because there are touches of it everywhere on this to give it a little sparkle. Outline and magic bits made with glitter gel. I got a cake leveler tool this year and it made a huge difference!

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 11mo ago

"Mom of the Wild" My Christmas gift for my mom back in 2020. The full story behind the image is in the alt text, but I got my mom into #Zekda via #BotW and she ADORES the #koroks. And #Hestu. She's my partner in Hylian mischief. #BreathOfTheWild #LegendOfZelda #loz #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Breath of the Wild illustration titled "Mom of the Wild". I got my mom into Zelda via BotW back in about 2018, and she's been hooked ever since. She became known as "Mom of the Wild" on my tumblr at the time because tales of her exploits in Hyrule in her own playthrough ended up being surprisingly popular, which absolutely delighted me. You can still find the whole saga over there.

This was my Christmas gift for her in 2020, of the two of us dressed up as Link with her favorite thing in the whole Zelda universe, the Koroks. And Hestu. I cannot tell you how many hundreds of times I have watched that broccoli man dance. I can never skip the cut scene because she LOVES his dances and thinks the koroks are the most adorable little things ever.

We still play Zelda together constantly, particularly TotK. I think we've played through it completely six times? Seven? It doesn't get old. Different weird and funny shit happens in every single playthrough!

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 11mo ago

...are these something else I never posted outside of LiveJournal? I think it is. Oops. This was another convention piece, this time of #Sebastian from #BlackButler. He was very fun to draw. #CielPhantomhive? Not so much. I was freaking nuts for trying to do LACE RUFFLES. #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Black Butler piece of Sebastian pulling on one of his gloves.

Black Butler piece of Ciel Phantomhive. Every so often I'll do a piece like this that really makes me think that I hate myself deep down, because wtf was I thinking??? LACE? LACE RUFFLES?

Detail shot of the eyelet lace ruffles in the piece of Ciel Phantomhive. That was temporary insanity.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 11mo ago

The one other #AttackOnTitan piece that I did back when only the first season was out. It's #LeviAckerman. And there were so many tiny details in that equipment & all of those straps/buckles that my eyes hurt by the time I was done with it. lol #AoT #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Another Attack on Titan piece, this time of Levi Ackerman flying through the trees mid-battle, spattered with blood.

My eyes legit hurt by the time I was done with this one due to all of the details in the equipment and straps and buckles everywhere. I was also really happy with the trees, which were another use of the same textures from my Adventure Time piece.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

I actually have two more TotK Zelda things in progress right now, one of which is being inked after being a pencil doodle on my drawing board next to my bed for more than a year. What an odd but dearly missed feeling, having ideas and /actually executing them/.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

This is untitled because I cannot for the life of me find a record that I ever actually posted this anywhere after it was finished. 0ops. An #AttackOnTitan piece that I did for cons of the original trio. #ErenYeager #MikasaAckerman #ArminArlert #AoT #fanart #KrisCynical_art

An untitled Attack on Titan piece that I apparently forgot to post...? I can't remember giving it a title and I'm not seeing it on my other socials, so... oops? lol

I never finished AoT because it just wasn't really my cuppa when it comes to anime (I'm not one for gore), and when I watched season 1 that's the only season that had been released so far so by the time season 2 hit I had lost interest. I know a lot of people ended up completely obsessed with it, though!

All of that equipment was an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE to draw and ink for someone as detail obsessed as I am. That's one of the main reasons why I only ever did one other piece for AoT, of Levi. Which I DID post on my other socials and will post here on BlueSky soon.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"Come on n' Grab Your Friends" An #AdventureTime piece I did eons ago for conventions. And it bombed spectacularly even though I still really like it. ALT text for some tech talk. #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Adventure Time illustration titled "Come on n Grab Your Friends" that I created as a convention piece eons ago. Fin, Jake, and BMO lounging under a tree while Jake plays his viola. This piece BOMBED even though I still like it.

I made a lot of technical strides with this one when it comes to texture overlays in the grass and tree bark, which were made using photos of one of the big trees in my own front yard as well as the grass. Even the sky was a photo from the same afternoon.

I was really proud of how the whole thing turned out, including the tree shade which I had never tried to do before. Too bad nobody liked this one, either in person or online. Sigh. :c

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"Hand in Hand" Another pic for proantagonist's #YoI fic "Winter Song" on Ao3. #VictorNikiforov giving #YuuriKatsuki some reassurance before the GPF. #YuriOnIce #victuuri #fanart #KrisCynical_art

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"The Hero's Tears" The end of The Dragon's Tears quest broke my heart in the best way, esp with all of the Silent Princess that sprang up around Link like a last "I love you" from #Zelda. #loz #totk #zelink #TearsOfTheKingdom #LegendOfZelda #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Tears of the Kingdom illustration titled "The Hero's Tears" as a play on "The Dragon's Tears" side quest. The whole thing was devastating, and the image of him surrounded by all of the glowing Silent Princesses broke my heart in the best way. I'd had this concept swirling around in my head for more than a year but it wasn't until last week that I finally got the motivation to sit down and draw it.

It's been a long time since I actually drew something just for myself and not a client. I'm finally off of my antidepressants again and I hope to be able to keep creating new stuff now that my hiatus is (again, hopefully) over. It felt so good to create again that it nearly brought me to tears.

Reading the fic "Love Stayed With Me" by 1UpGirl1 on Ao3 gave me that kick in the pants because a portion of it described this concept almost perfectly.

I wish I had made this sketch a higher resolution, but I didn't expect the sketch itself to be the finished product so I didn't. It's not often that one of my initial sketches ends up being the final piece, but if I tried to clean this up and finish it in my usual way it would definitely lose something, imo.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"Morning Routine" Some future #victuuri of #VictorNikiforov loving on #YuuriKatsuki during their morning routine. I always liked the little intimate detail of Victor's fingers tucked in Yuuri's waistband. #yoi #YuriOnIce #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Yuri on Ice illustration titled "Morning Routine" of Victor kissing the nape of Yuuri's neck while Yuuri puts his hair up for the day. I've always liked the little intimate detail of Victor's fingers tucked into Yuuri's waistband. Also according to the original description on Tumblr, I got this idea while brushing my hair.

Detail shot of "Morning Routine" of Victor kissing the nape of Yuuri's neck while he's pulling back his hair for the day.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"Ina Bauer in Blue" #YuuriKatsuki doing a layback Ina Bauer, which was great anatomy practice. #yoi #YuriOnIce #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Yuri on Ice illustration titled "Ina Bauer in Blue" of Yuuri doing a layback Ina Bauer which is one of my favorite figure skating moves.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"Mischief and Adoration" One of the many pieces I did for the fic "Winter Song" by proantagonist over on Ao3. #YuuriKatsuki and #VictorNikiforov having a little tipsy fun on the beach. #victuuri #yoi #YuriOnIce #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Yuri on Ice illustration titled "Mischief and Adoration" of Yuuri and Victor having a little tipsy fun on the beach. Inspired by the fic "Winter Song" by proantagonist on Ao3. This is yet another use of the night sky from "Lonely".

Detail shot of Yuuri holding Victor's face in his hands and looking at him adoringly.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"The Six Sages" YES I KNOW ZELDA IS A SAGE the title refers to the six TEMPLE sages. You don't need to tell me. lol OoT was my fave Zelda game for 19 years until BotW hit in 2017. This is my love letter to it. #loz #LegendofZelda #OoT #OcarinaofTime #zelda #fanart #KrisCynical_art

Legend of Zelda illustration titled "The Six Sages" after the temple sages of Ocarina of Time. I wish I'd had the foresight to actually name it The Seven Sages to include Zelda but at this point it's just too late to change it. This is... like... 15 years old now. lol

OoT was my first Zelda game when it released when I was 14. It was my favorite Zelda game and just GAME in general for 19 years, until about 30 minutes into playing BotW in 2017 when it dawned on me that I was playing my favorite video game for the first time so I damn well better savor it. I did the same with TotK six years later.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"Touch Me Like You Do" The night that I originally drew this I was going to doodle for 20 minutes before bed, and then this started happening and kept me up until 9:30am because I knew that hatching wouldn't last. #yoi #YuriOnIce #YuuriKatsuki #VictorNikiforov #victuuri #fanart #KrisCynical_art

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"A-Kon 28 Deer, 2017" The last time I was asked to be the #A-Kon #ArtistAlley staff badge artist, they wanted a deer/doe girl holding an arrow. Again, she was fun to draw because it was unlike anything I'd ever drawn before. #KrisCynical_art

Again, the base staff badge. The head and first lieutenant wanted "a deer girl holding an arrow" which was a little bit of a challenge for me because I'd never really drawn anything like that before. I like how she turned out, though, especially the freckles. And I know only bucks have antlers. They wanted her to have antlers and they're pretty, okay? Also another re-use of the night sky from "Lonely".

I didn't know at the time that A-Kon 28 would be my last con before the irl hell of 2018 would force me into retirement permanently. All in all I did conventions for 13 years and over 30 cons across Texas and Oklahoma, and I loved every moment of it. Even the legendarily shit ones like the Anime Matsuri at the Crowne Plaza on Rodeo Weekend, YuleCon 2011 at the American Airlines Training Center, and the one Tokyo in Tulsa when the artists and dealers were stranded alone in the convention center that was under renovation with dust EVERYWHERE and no signage to tell people where we were. The passage of time allows for nostalgia to replace the migraines. lol

Hastur's badge variation with darker coloring and Cthulhu.

Starrydance's badge variation with the purple and rainbows.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"A-Kon 27 Djinn, 2016" The first year I was asked to be the #A-Kon #ArtistAlley staff badge artist, the art was my choice (the geisha). When they asked me again the following year, I told them it was theirs. They wanted a "smart, sexy djinn". She was REALLY fun to draw. #KrisCynical_art #conventions

The assignment: a smart, sexy djinn for the artist alley staff. For anyone familiar with the Aladdin TV series from the '90s, I took a lot of inspiration from Eden, Genie's girlfriend (who was a reference to Barbara Eden of "I Dream of Jeannie" in and of herself!).

Another fun fact: the night sky in the background is from my Inuyasha piece "Lonely", which was also re-used as the background of my Sesshoumaru piece, "Threatening". I've gotten a lot of use out of that night sky over the years after first painting it.

Again, the artist alley head, Hastur, loved Cthulhu, mythology, and other dark things so I made her this badge variation. The squid dude on the scroll is the same one from the geisha's fan the previous year.

Again, Starrydance, the artist alley first lieutenant, loved purple, rainbows, and unicorns so I made this badge variation for her.

KrisCynical @kriscynical.bsky.social · 12mo ago

"A-Kon 26 Geisha, 2015" Back when #A-Kon was actually a regular Thing a million years ago, I had the privilege of being the #ArtistAlley 's staff badge artist. Three times. This was the first, with variations for the AA head and 1st Lieutenant. Details in the Alt text. #KrisCynical_art #conventions

This was the "base" geisha that was used for the overall artist alley staff badges. Fun fact: the texture overlay used in the background circles was just a wadded up piece of 8.5x11 printer paper that I flattened back out, scanned, and color graded. I've used it in several other pieces of work over the years.

I was told she was a big hit with the staff. I've always adored her, so it made me happy that everyone else seemed to enjoy her just as much.