20,000 unique hits at Jewelvixens.com! Yee-haw!

If you haven't heard the news, take a gander!
www.jewelvixens.com

Most of Sapphire's fans don't know that, in her travels with her father's occupation, she engaged in a number of humanitarian jobs, at one point formally signing on as a United Nations goodwill ambassador. Her travels took her to the Republic of Banana, corrupt and war-torn, in order to help refugees crossing into neighboring Costa Rica.

Chock full of patterns and motifs ripped from 60's and 70's sci-fi/spy movies.

A rare composition which, in my opinion, looks as good in B&W as it does in color. Ironically, some of my pieces look BETTER in B&W than their fully colored counterparts.

While Ruby has somewhat of a following, sadly she is already quite enamored by Stanley, a naive country boy who has no idea that his girlfriend rips apart tanks for a living!

Pretty self-explanatory here... thanks to all of you who participated! :D

part of the stuff I drew while on vacation, this is going to be an item in the Sapphire portfolio- in color, of course. I want to see the difference between a 'surprise' folio like Emerald's and a previewed one like Sapphire's. Stay tuned!

Sorry about the long lapse, folks- it happens when you're compiling portfolio pics for Anthrocon, then going on a two-week vacation afterwards. Fortunately, I return with a little fan service for the ladies...

The comic will be up and running in no time! The last few weeks have seen a lot of preparation for Anthrocon, where this picture was created.

Sorry about the lack of updates, folks. This is why- Depending on a number of factors, the Emerald Folio will feature six more items. The exact price hasn't been determined, but circulation will be limited. Look for a guy in a shirt that reads "Innocent Bystander"

I decided to try a swimsuit pic of Amy again because the swimsuit shot I did of her last year was so miserable, even by my standards. Hopefully, this picture will restore Amy's reputation a little!

Check her out, along with some cohorts, at our comic right here, at:
http://vcl.ctrl-c.liu.se/vcl/Artists/Steven-Swanson/Jewel%20Vixens%20Archive/index01-by-date.html

>Topaz
>Fox breed: Red
>Age: 18
>Eyes: Gold
>Fur: Bright golden yellow and white with white tailtip, gloves, and boots
>Cup size: B
>Place of Birth: Santa Monica, CA
>Team occupation: Scout/Sneak
>Weapon of choice: Morrison Whitney 9mm Tranquilizer Gun
>Friends: Aquamarine, Onyx
>Likes: The beach, surfing, dancing, hot dogs, hunks, roller skating, hanging out with friends
>Dislikes: She keeps forgetting.
>Skills: Scouting, gymnastics

Check out her creator's modelsheet and others at http://vcl.ctrl-c.liu.se/vcl/Artists/Nick-Hardin/

>> Emerald
>Fox breed: Red
>Age: 20
>Eyes: Green
>Fur: Orange and white with dark brown ears, gloves, and boots
>Cup size: C
>Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
>Team occupation: Interrogator and Weapons
>Weapon of choice: Ingram Mac 10 (unfortunately, she is forced to carry a slightly smaller gun)
>Friends: Jade, Sapphire
>Likes: guns, action movies, motorcycles, baking cakes
>Dislikes: people calling her “Emmy”
>Skills: Interrogation, Brawling, kicking badguys into their hats.

No, wait! Put the gun down! I can explain!

Recently I entered a 'lil writing competition over at Club Extinctioners, and, remarkably, won. Since the competition was just for fun, there wasn't really any associated prize.

So, nutjob I am, I decided to try drawing my own victory picture, featuring two of the main characters, Tamar and Max Blackrabbit, as their superhero personas...

Okay, now you can shoot.

Onyx
>Fox breed: Silver
>Age: 30
>Eyes: Bluish-gray
>Fur: Black with white headfur, tailtip, and boots
>Place of Birth: Dublin, Ireland (lived in Oregon for the last few years)
>Team occupation: Sniper/sharpshooter
>Weapon of choice: M-21 Match-grade Sniper Rifle
>Friends: Sapphire, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Topaz
>Likes: target practice, teaching the team, pinochle
>Dislikes: People that don’t respect her, people she doesn't trust
>Skills: Marksmanship, small-arms tactics

Subtlely paying homage to one of the greatest spy comedies of all time... It's so subtle that I'm sure no one will recognize the connection!

>Mendoza
>Fox breed: Gray
>Age: 26
>Eyes: Amber
>Fur: Traditional Grey and white with chestnut/brown markings
>Cup size: WHAT?
>Place of Birth: Kent, England
>Occupation: Advisor and agent/photographer for the Jewel Vixens
>Weapons of choice: The Jewel Vixens
>Friends: The Jewel Vixens
>Likes: Plaid, his job
>Dislikes: Not understanding what’s going on, people who make fun of his hair
>Skills: Uh… being the team’s advisor and agent?
Created & Copyright Nick Hardin, Artwork by Steven Swanson

>> Amethyst
>Fox Breed: Silver
>Age: 20
>Eyes: Purple
>Fur: Shimmering purple and white, light purple headfur, and silver/white tailtip, gloves and boots
>Cup size: C
>Place of Birth: New York, NY
>Team occupation: Mechanic and driver/pilot
>Weapon of choice: .45 caliber Colt 1911 (Series 80)
>Friends: Aquamarine, Ruby
>Likes: Cars, working on cars, driving cars, driving ANYTHING for that matter, watching TV
>Dislikes: Cheez-its®
>Skills: Vehicle mechanic and driving/piloting

After a warm and very helpful review of this, I've decided to post it as a good establishing picture for one of the Jewel Vixens' many locales: The Republic of Banana. Think of a cross between Havana and Panama City, and you've got Platano, the Republic of Banana's burgeoning capital.

>Fox breed: Red
>Age: 26
>Eyes: Crimson
>Fur: Deep red with black (Deep brown) ears, gloves, tailtip, and boots
>Cup size: DD (E in certain countries)
>Place of Birth: Houston, TX
>Team occupation: Heavy Weapons
>Weapon of choice: Colt Python .357
>Friends: Her boyfriend, Stanley
>Likes: Stanley, Texas, truckin’, playing acoustic guitar, blowing things up
>Dislikes: Girly women, girly men, girly guns, Tofu
>Skills: Demolitions, frontal assault, playing guitar

Fox breed: Red
Age: 19
Eyes: Cerulean blue
Fur: Sky blue and white
Cup size: B
Place of Birth: Miami, FL
Team occupation: Technology and communications
Weapon of choice: "Torpedo" sportsman's crossbow
Friends: Onyx, Amethyst, Topaz (usually)
Likes: Computers, technology, reading
Dislikes: Being picked on by Jade
Skills: Intellectual challenges, Anything having to do with technology, gymnastics
(Character created by Nick Hardin, under Jewel Vixens. Art by Steven Swanson)

One of the many villains of the Jewel Vixens, Colonel Diego Fresas is the corrupt, hilariously inept military dictator of the Republic of Banana, an obscure Central American nation with a fruit-based economy and multiple ties to evil organizations. At left is one of his bodyguards, a member of the elite Banana Republican Guard. At right is one of Diego's many fruit-hatted mistresses.

Before you complain... this is admittedly not an anthropomorphic picture, of course, but it DOES pertain to the Jewel Vixens in that it is one of their primary vehicles.

So there.

Quiet, shy, timid- these are good words that have nothing to do with Sapphire. A veteran of the 1960's superspy craze, Sapphire has been granted the opportunity to lead her own team of operatives, the Jewel Vixens. A quick thinker and combat genius as well as a renowned supermodel, Sapphire may not be the perfect vixen, but she's damned close.

She'll melt your heart... right before she blasts you out of your socks! The sultry seductress of the Jewel Vixens, Jade's cool allure masks a keen street smarts and finely tuned combat skills. More than capable of disposing of any jive-ass turkey.


But she can't cook worth a damn.

Fox breed: Silver
Age: 19
Eyes: Deep green
Fur: Black all over
Cup size: BB
Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
Team occupation: Seductress, Martial Artist
Weapons of choice: 8mm Nambu 14 pistol, Katana/parasol combo
Friends: Emerald, Aquamarine (or so she says)
Likes: Men, soul music, playing around with men, teasing men, teasing Aquamarine, movies, playing pranks, martial arts, showing off
Dislikes: people who condescend her
Skills: Seducing, Sneakery
(Character created by Nick Hardin, under Jewel Vixens. Art by Steven Swanson)

This is, hopefully, a panel from the Extinctioners: Elseworlds annual, with a retro take on the Extinctioners. It's gonna take a lot of patience and a bit of brain damage to get this done. Fortunately, I have plenty of the latter.

The last picture in the Jewel Vixens portfolio... and just in time for AnthroCon. This is Amethyst, the intrepid high-octane vixen whose only strong distaste is a stoplight. Regardless of whether it's an airplane, a helicopter, a boat, a car, or a fiesty kitchen appliance, this vixen can keep it all under control and repair it when necessary. Copyright Nick Hardin under "Jewel Vixens".

Topaz is the Jewel Vixens' primary reconnaisance expert, which often involves elaborate infiltrations, pickpocketing, and breaking into big, secret vaults. Petite, agile, and light footed, this unlikely candidate for a safecracker is actually more of an avid surfer and hipster than a thief or a spy. While her lexicon consists primarily of the words "Like," "Far Out," "Groovy," and "Dude," she is a cunning thief trained well in evasion and, if necessary, escape.

Onyx is the Jewel Vixens' weapons expert. She's generally cool and nonchalant, with a very level head and a dry, mature sense of humor. She is well versed in a variety of weapons, particularly sniper rifles, as she demonstrated by thwarting a 1968 assassination attempt where 30 assassins tried to murder Charles DuGalle, all at the same time! Tough and tender, true to her Irish heritage, Onyx is the one to call when you need someone to watch your back.