# Rugid Cartoon Vigilante Renderings Blake Henriksen Illustrates the Ninja Turtles Realistically By Jason Soy | Published 2012-04-15 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blake-henriksen References: [geek-art.tumblr](http://geek-art.tumblr.com/post/21022131774/geeksngamers-tmnt-vs-zombies-by-blake) & [dolphinboy2000.deviantart](http://dolphinboy2000.deviantart.com/) The [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/magic-the-gathering-x-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles) are a franchise that’s very dear to people who grew up with them, so not surprisingly, artists like Blake Henriksen continue to draw upon the [heroes in a half-shell](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cowabunga-cleanse) for inspiration. In this particular series, Henriksen has decided to render Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo in a gritty style that’s more true-to-reality than their usual cartoon depictions. With battle scars, flesh wounds and aggressive grins, these ridiculously cool digital paintings perfectly capture the reasons why children everywhere fell in love with the reptile vigilantes. Blake Henriksen also extrapolates on the Ninja Turtles concept by adding in zombies for the [pizza-loving crime fighters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/grass-turtle-pizza) to take on. Who could have ever thought putting ninjas, mutants, turtles, teenagers and zombies together would yield such epic results? ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.8/10 - Popularity: 45% | Activity: 32% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Realistic Superheroes:** Artists are creating realistic renderings of popular cartoon characters to appeal to older audiences. - **Mash-up Narratives:** Artists are combining unlikely franchises to create new and exciting content. - **Gritty Art Styles:** Artists are using a more realistic and edgier art style to refresh classic cartoon franchises. ### Who This Affects Most - **Entertainment:** Entertainment companies can explore merging popular franchises to create new and interesting content for audiences. - **Art:** Artists can explore creating realistic renderings of popular cartoon characters using various art styles. - **Merchandise:** Merchandise companies can create products using these new gritty and realistic renditions of classic cartoon characters to attract an older fanbase. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Animated Movie-Themed Snack Cakes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle-cakebites.md) - [Glowing Movie Campaign Murals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-mural.md) - [Cartoon-Themed Pizza Seasonings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tmnt-pizza-seasoning.md) - [Action Cartoon Game Crossovers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/black-ops-6-tmnt.md) - [Crossover Action Adventure Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-and-naruto.md) - [Animated Turtle Clothing Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sheins-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.md) - [Nostalgic Superhero-Inspired Soaps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cowabunga-cleanse.md) - [Film-Themed Pizza Menus](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pizza-hut-mutagen-ooze.md) - [Cartoon-Inspired Card Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/magic-the-gathering-x-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.md)