Today we are excited to share the work of Dennis Osaj, also known as Oszaj. A fan of Metroid since childhood, Oszaj was inspired to draw Samus and other Metroid characters on-and-off for a number of years. Oszaj shares how he first became a Metroid fan with Super Metroid, and how the series is a strong connection to his childhood, impacting his passion for art.
Oszaj
Hi, my name is Oszaj. I’m doing web as a profession and art for the passion. I’m based in Berlin, Germany and wear different hats as a freelance Web-Developer and Hobby Artist. I’m physically grown up, but still a child in my heart.
I love creating Metroid fan art because I feel how much it gets enjoyed by others. Sometimes it awakes a long-forgotten love in them when they stumble across my work on social media. The reactions, kind words, my urge to draw and the love of Metroid is what keeps me creating.
I got my hands on my first Metroid game, which is Super Metroid, as a little boy in the late 90s-early 2000s. I still remember the hours I spent trying to solve this huge puzzle. Every new find was an incredible achievement, especially if you were lost for a long time and didn’t get any further.
But it wasn’t just a single player game. My friends and I shared the fun. We took the game and played it at my friend’s place or at sleepovers. Sometimes I have lend it to a friend for several days and when I got it back he found new areas and items. I can still remember the first time I came into Mother Brain’s room and had to defeat her. I know how my little brother and my dad watched me while I, as an eight year old, fought a giant chicken in rage mode.
Metroid builds a strong connection to my childhood and it gives me nostalgic feelings. I always try to build this feeling in my artwork, in hopes of sharing it with others and touching them in a positive way.
I have drawn since my early days. I developed and polished my skills on different subjects and did a lot of different work over the years. Unfortunately, life can be busy sometimes, so I had up and downs when it comes to creating art. In 2012 I started drawing digitally for a short period of time, got back to it for two years in 2016 and just started drawing more regularly in Summer 2020.
I’m still a hobbyist and don’t have a specific goal of where my art has to bring me. I’m very happy with my life and everything around it. Metroid fan art is my hobby and a way to vent from the hundreds of lines of code I’m writing on busy days.
I hope to draw as long as I can, and I hope you will enjoy it as long as I draw.
Our Thoughts
Darren
I have so many complements to offer Oszaj for the incredible artwork he has created. I loved the vibrancy of each piece, and the level of detail in his Mother Brain and Crocomire pieces , which are remarkable! I spent a lot of time just admiring what he had made, and how much I would want to see these printed up into some sort of comic book. My favourite piece has to be Arriving on Zebes, because the detail in the rain and the bolt of lightning narrowly missing Samus’s gunship is truly spectacular. I truly wish nothing but the best of luck to Oszaj on his future endeavors, thank you for sharing your artwork with us.
Image Gallery
For more of Oszaj’s works, please visit one of the links below: