You seeing this shit, Bakin?

i’ve stared at this for too long so idk if its stupid or makes sense and some of the shading is ass but here it is

hc: gyro made his grills out of steel because 1) gold was hella expensive, who funded that shit, the pope? 2) gold doesn’t have a taste and i needed that for the concept 💔and 3) im pretty sure literally nothing of that caliber that existed back then for dental jewelry unless you’re replacing all your teeth which would be dumb as hell. so for the sake of this concept let’s all imagine they’ve got that metal-y taste reminiscent of blood (not as much as iron but it’s still there let’s all believe)

also if it’s unclear read it top left bottom left top right bottom right

layers below:

Two versions because I am quite fond of green Johnny, and because in the original their colors are swapped. (And I could not, for the life of me, decide which one is better)

Art by tan

i wonder what would fill johnny’s sketchbook? tried to make a few chronological entries.

now i know that this is projecting my hobbies onto my fav but… i imagine that after his injury, as he was bedridden/unable to ride horses, johnny picked up a habit of trying to sketch them to satiate that need of interaction. although at times, being unable to correctly copy something frustrated him beyond measure, he surprised himself by enjoying it enough to continue practicing for the next few years. he never really attempted drawing people until the race, where so many interesting people were introduced at a time it overrode his general apathy towards them. his previous sketchbooks were quite crowded, as having no one to talk to necessitated he spend his time journaling. but the one he happened to bring to california ended up being far sparser in comparison, as having gyro to talk/listen to calmed that very angry, aching empty space where nicholas had been.

i tried to add a few spelling mistakes for the italian phrases bc he doesnt even know what a dinosaur is much less a different language so kind of sound them out phonetically,… translations for those in order are: “asshole,” “pizza 💔,” “baby blue (jeez i want so badly for gyro to give johnny this pet name its a joan baez song please go listen to it (i may make a sbr song post later pls anyone tell me if theyre interested in that i have soooo many)),” and “exctinct creatures that johnny doesn’t know exist bc hes a high school dropout”. also i do not speak italian so i had to look up translations for these things, please let me know if they’re wrong or bad. (EDIT: GO TO THE COMMENTS FOR BETTER TRANSLATION!!! by the goat @capricornywrites)

finally it was really hard to try and draw in a different art style, and specifically one that would have been around in the 1800s… im not to good at realistic life drawing i add too much lineart but hopefully that doesnt take away from the vibe i wanted

please let me know if you have any suggestions for other pages of this, or if you’d want to see more in general ( i might think of stuff idk)

if u read to the end thx for enjoying 🫵💙🙏

I love how you portray Gyros religious perspective in your art! It really touches my heart to see Catholicism really portrayed in the ways that you are able to express it through your art work! ❤️❤️❤️

HI!!! i’d like to issue a formal apology for taking so long. i assume you’re the same anon who sent a follow-up? i promise i didnt forget you, the reason it took so long was because i had to grab these photos of a local church i know was built in the 1890s!! hopefully its worth it. I was very excited when i got your ask and had the idea right away, but had a wild few weeks and could only get there last week.

thank you so much for your kind words, i’m glad you enjoy and relate to the portrayals (i’m not technically catholic myself, but grew up with adjacent teachings and imagery). i think its fascinating to play with the catholic/protestant dynamic between the two. and i really like this idea, it’d be nice to see gyro getting a taste of home or some reassurance once in a while. and honestly, i dont think johnny would be too opposed to joining in, even though a catholic mass would definitely have a different flavor than what he grew up with. at the end of sbr, johnny says that the race itself is a ‘journey of prayer,’ and he’s been praying for weather, safety, his friend and their horses throughout. while gyro was steeped in tradition, johnny seems more the type to dislike an organized ceremony and seek out God in more natural places. maybe thats why he takes to the spin so well. i think of the songs rocky mountain high (john denver) and mother natures son (the beatles) as a perfect lyrical description of johnny’s spirituality.

im very glad you sent in this ask, thanks again for your patience! here’s a bonus from your follow up (assuming you’re the same anon, if you’re not, please let me know):

played jojos bizarre adventure: eyes of heaven. Even now, the positively rank color of johnnys base costume burns in the back of my eyes. I can’t sleep without a horrid vision of crimson and neon green. Why did they do it.

ive been feeling dookie about my art lately but my muse has returned in the form of this nonsense. so here it is