TMNT: EVOLUTION - Michelangelo

Created in Adobe Illustrator in Septemper 2010

EXPLANATION:
TMNT: EVOLUTION is a hypothetical series that would air on Nickelodeon (in a similar vein to Iron Man: Armored Adventures) in the wake of Nickelodeon buying the rights to the Turtles. In this nonexistent cartoon, our beloved heroes in a half shell have been re-imagined into high school students. They must deal with hall passes, homework, and science experiments while fighting the forces of high school bully Oroku "Shredder" Saki and the nefarious Principal Krang.

CHARACTER BIO:
I figure if anyone would try to blend in with the popular crowd, it would be Michelangelo. I also thought going with a more lean, toned body type would work for his character. Or at least be a change of pace after Leonardo and Raphael. I like that his legs are bigger/more muscular than his arms...I like to think there'd be a running gag of Mikey trying to pull off Capoeira moves. Mikey's "I [heart] LAIRD PIZZA" shirt is a blatant homage to TMNT co-creator Peter Laird (and it feels like the type of homage a studio would whip into such a cartoon).

REFERENCES:
- dalpura's "Happy Turtle" served as my inspiration (especially noticeable in Mikey's head) [link]
- Awesom-O-5000's "Shane , front stock 2" was my photo reference for Mikey's upper body (especially the arms) [link]
- ladydove7-stock's "Gabe Sword-2" was photo reference for Mikey's lower body [link]

Don't miss the rest of TMNT: EVOLUTION:
Wave 1:
Leonardo: [link]
Raphael: [link]
Michelangelo: [link]
Donatello: [link]
Oroku "Shredder" Saki: [link]
Principal Krang: [link]

Wave 2:
April O'Neil: [link]
Casey Jones: [link]
Baxter Stockman: [link]

Wave 3:
Splinter: [link]
Bebop & Rocksteady: [link]