Ode to Ellas

In 1985 I was hired by KABC TV which is the Los Angeles affiliate of ABC Television in the US. There were still only three major national TV stations back then and ABC was one of them. The local station was looking to develop a Greek mythology project. I designed it and wrote it as well. Unfortunately the project didn't get past the initial development stage. That happens periodically in the biz. But I did get a chance to create some fun artwork on a stimulating theme.

This is one of the drawings I came up with. It was a concept design for the lead character. I kept this in my portfolio for years. All the way up to the time when I stopped showing it for work.

I always intended on coloring the composition. Finally after more than twenty seven years it's happened. Below is the Photoshop illustration I finished earlier this evening. I added the Greek text 'Ellas' in the upper right as a homage to the land of my ancestry. Especially in consideration of the hard challenges Greece is facing nowadays. Ellas is the actual name by which the people of Greece call their country. I dressed the character in the colors of Sparta.

Really enjoyed working on this. Funny how when the image was first created Photoshop and digital colorization did not exist. At least not in a way that we know today. This is the first time the image has ever been shown publicly. Thank you for checking in.