King Calvin Manchester XII, a noble ape of noble birth, rules a home in the northern realm, facing daily onslaughts from barbarian hordes. Invented for a tabletop wargame my brother and I created a few years ago, he quickly became one of my favorite drawings.

Drawn on 8x11 paper and colored with alcohol markers and Prismacolor pencils, I rendered his image for one reason only: because my brother would laugh. We began the wargame to pass the time and share ideas, and as his world grew, so did mine. Each new design, game mechanic, or silly drawing added more lore, enriching the worlds we created together.

I placed the light using my favorite style, chiaroscuro, inspired by the Baroque period. Loosely based on old paintings of generals and kings, it also serves as a memento of simpler times, when we could imagine and think of such things.