A '90s Kind of Kim by phantomdiver on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Without a doubt, I’m a “‘90s baby”, and the decade certainly culminated in some of 2D animation’s most beautiful art stylings made from a wellspring of top notch animators who had perfected the craft. So imagine my nostalgia nerd-out when I recently came across Kim Possible’s familiar face but in a uniquely different design that took me back to some of my favorite films (Balto, Mulan, We’re Back, FernGully, All Dogs, to name just a few). Then imagine the extra mind explosion when I realize that sketch work I came across was done by Jeffrey James Varab who had a major hand in animating those beloved movies.

Long story short, I had to bring this adorable ‘90s version of Kim to full life so I did some line art polishing, make some minor additions, inked, and colored a full rendering of his sketch. As I did the coloring/shading and background work, I made a point to rewatch some of my favorite scenes from those movies recently so that I could make an overall composition that reflected a little bit of a modern KP styling infused with that familiar style I grew up with.

I also reached out to James for permission to run with the final piece and to put his signature on the final print. Thankfully, he gave full approval and was delighted with the rendition, and even complimented the coloring technique.

You can even see a teaser comparison of his original sketch alongside my final work on his Instagram page! Be sure to check out his full profile for a slew of other great pieces from his KP study.

I also might recommend this awesome throwback jam to the decade while enjoying this piece.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy!

Cheers!