For those who are not familiar with this anime, it is the "Sherlock Hound" (Meitantei Holmes) series by the esteemed Hayao Miyazaki (who only ended up directing 6 episodes because things came up). Ever since I was a kid, I have adored this series, especially Marie Hudson. I appreciated a strong female character amidst all the weak female characters I saw on TV back in the 80s. To make things better, I always wanted to be a pilot, and Marie is an aviatrix. Moreover, I have always loved Tommy dearly. Even though he's only in one episode (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtGDtH7O6D4), his personality just shines... plus, he's a nifty little guy. I love how bouncy and cheerful, yet very brave, Tommy is. Now, decades later, I *still* love this series and it *still* helps in defining who I am to this day.

When I drew them, I wanted to show a younger version of Tommy and Marie prior to the series. I'm guessing about 17-ish or so (Marie is 19 or 20 in the series, so I chose for Tommy to be around the same age as her... he seems to be, at least). I also kept them in relatively the same outfits as they had in the anime. I didn't want to draw Tommy's aviator cap since I wanted to show his fabulous hair. Why is Tommy smoking a cig? Because I wanted him to. I could see him smoking occasionally... maybe socially while having a few drinks. Think of the time period, man.

© S. Henson 2009

Tommy/Marie Hudson © Hayao Miyazaki