Matrix Resurrected

My tribute to The Matrix, a movie which I consider to be one of the best films of all time. It's a classic, action-packed, think and think again thriller with a sense of humor. I think the only flaw it has is that it is often overshadowed by the hype and subsequent disappointment of the sequels. Nevertheless, the original remains, even today, a landmark that stands on its own as a fantastic piece of entertainment.

I have wanted to do a piece of Matrix fanart for some time, and since I couldn't decide on which of my favorite characters to draw, I decided to draw them all. I also decided to use a more realistic style than is usual for me, and to this end I used a lot of references for the faces from my copy of The Art of the Matrix. This was a lot of fun: I've had that book for about six years, and when I first got it I tried drawing the people in it... and failed. Now, years later, I came back and was able to re-create the characters with relative ease.

Except Morpheus. Morpheus I had to work at a lot, but I believe he came out the best for it.

Believe it or not, the hardest thing to draw in this entire picture was Spoon Boy's head.

If you look closely at the streaming text, you'll see it's actually quotes from the movie, with each character surrounded by their own lines.

The original is 9"x12" bristol board, done with a pencil sketch, then inked with Pilot and Micron pens and Sharpie markers. Levels adjusted and text added in Photoshop. I did my best to re-create the "Matrix" title, and also to make the quotes look like falling matrix code.

The Matrix and all its characters are © Warner Bros. and the Wachowskis. Art © myself.

Wake up Neo. The Matrix has you.