Another month, another great crop of entries for the Brawl in the Family Art Competition! January's theme was Invasion of the Family, tasking entrants to incorporate original BitF characters into their work. It was a real treat to see what everyone came up with, and we hope you enjoy the following nominees as much as we did!
(Entries are listed in alphabetical order.)
Ame-Nami's entry
Bizarre doppelgangers have invaded the world of Professor Layton! Nobody knows for sure what's behind this phenomenon, but sometimes stuff exists that looks like other stuff, and sometimes such things can be kind of weird. We really felt for Luke in this situation, who seems to be terribly confused by this turn of events. Ame-Nami's charming art style lends much to the tone of the piece.
Clandy's entry
Not-Kirby just wants to have friends, but the Waddle Dees and Doos seem to think he just wants to have lunch. It's too bad they're so quick to judge a book by its cover - after all, everyone deserves to be judged not by their appearance, but by the content of their character. The emotions of the characters in this piece are clear and touching, and it's drawn in a very cute and rounded manner.
Deckard Canine's entry
A sun that doesn't know its own strength would really be a problem for Link, who seems to be constantly messing around with the rotation of his planet for his own selfish needs. Every "Dawn of a New Day" would wash blazing waves of heat upon the planet as the overly-friendly solar body peeks down to see what's goin' on. We thought the idea behind this submission was quite clever!
Detta's entry
Here, Not-Kirby gets mistaken for something else entirely, the... missing head of a Porygon-Z? Not-Kirby is perfectly content to go along with it, and is adorably surprised to have a chance encounter with Not-Jigglypuff. The cute art and innocent characterization make this entry quite endearing.
Metaknight4ever's entry
This comic explains a lot. Maybe if Mario just skipped the fire flowers in SMB3, he wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by the freakin' sun. I'd say it's worth a shot, because personally, I don't know how I'd handle having a giant ball of flaming gas trying to mess up my day. The art in this entry recalls Matthew's own style and effectively portrays the sun's fickle and vulnerable personality.
Platypus18's entry
Waluigi seems to have found a way to be slightly useful, which is much more impressive than pretty much everything else he's ever done. Whatever the relationship between him and Eario, things appear to be going quite swimmingly between them. The scene is almost suspiciously happy, which is supported by the textures and cheery colors that were selected.
Spazboy225's entry
Snake's butt in a Spazboy225 submission? This unexpected reveal is supported by Spazboy225's typically lovely art and great expressions. Eario would have his hands full on Shadow Moses; although Snake sells himself as a sneaky sort of guy, he pretty much always leaves a big mess wherever he goes. I'll have a hard time getting this final panel out of my mind.
thebovine's entry
That Poltergust sure would make a good bit Eario's cleaning a lot easier! Oddly enough, in Luigi's Mansion, the dusty rooms never seem to get fully clean, no matter how much you vacuum them. Perhaps this is haunted dust? In any case, Eario is looking plump as ever as he contemplates taking advantage of the Poltergust's availability, but I like to imagine that he wouldn't risk interfering with Luigi, and he'd stick to his broom in the end.
TNT98's entry
I wonder what ability Kirby has gained here. It seems that he's swallowed a bunch of BitF characters and received a bunch of apparently useless qualities. I imagine he can clean clocks pretty well, but most of these other characters wouldn't offer anything nearly as useful as a Falcon Punch or a Cutter. Cute renderings of the characters and cleverly combining them into one Kirby make this entry successful.
Uncle Bellman's entry
Okay, now this should actually be a game. Uncle Bellman pulled out all the stops and fleshed out Chain Link's world with an expertly-designed Ganon and Zelda! It just looks great, too. I'd totally play this game, and I'm starting to wonder why Nintendo hasn't made it yet. I mean, come on, they read BitF, right? What's the hold up, Shiggy?
Honorable Mention: Trebor Almasy's entry
The artist requested to not be considered for competition in the contest, but we couldn't let this entry slip by without giving it some recognition! These beautiful depictions of Eario at work show his dedication to his craft and the unfortunate incidents he always seems to run into. Even through all these trying times, at the end of the day he'll have things as clean as a whistle! Still, not a job I'd like to have.
And the winner is...
Uncle Bellman's entry!
It's always tough for us to pick a winner, but this entry made it a little easier this month! The great art is just one part of it: we love the design work that went into fleshing out Chain Link himself along with the logo, the background, and the other two characters. Just a great submission!
As always, we really appreciate everyone's participation in the contest! Head over to the February contest thread to see great new art and contribute your own! Thanks again, everyone.
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Originally Posted by Detta
And what really makes me like the art are the eye-patches, wanted poster tattoos, and sunglasses. On a flippin' Super Mexican Mushroom! 
