I've had an on and off interest in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. I grew up on the 2003 Fox Box series and still watch it from time to time. I also remember really liking the first film that involved those actors in the Ninja Turtle costumes. And despite my general disinterest with the 1980s series, I loved the crossover event Turtles Forever. Overall, though, I'm hit and miss with the franchise. But every once in a while, a character gets my attention in particular. Recently, such a character has received my attention.

Here, we have Alopex, a mutant arctic vixen and a member of the Foot Clan, serving the Shredder in the IDW comic. While I've never read the stories proper, I've become fond of Alopex as a character based on what I've seen and read about her. Granted, I'm a bit of a sucker for fox characters, but she is pretty badass in her own right. Of course, she realized the evil that the Shredder truly embodied, partially symbolized/expressed through her memory of a monstrous bear that threatened her hunts back in her pre-mutant days. Unfortunately but predictably, she failed to kill the monster, but she later redeemed herself. Honestly, the more I read about her, the more interested I became. Plus, I love her design, especially those facial markings.

So, after a bit, I found myself MS Painting her, recreating a pose where she sets out to clear the way for the Shredder. But I decided to incorporate her eyes in the shot as well. And, despite the hours it took, I manage to get the shading down. In short, I wanted to make a decent picture of this fascinating vixen. And I believe I have done a somewhat adequate job.

Alopex © Kevin Eastman, Brian Lynch, and IDW