Great Oak Gazette

by Jack Dwyer

Overview:

The main focus of this art project is redesigning all of Ben Tennyson’s transformations from the Ben 10 franchise, aiming to revive many design elements that were popular with the fan community. This series of alien redesigns primarily centers on Ben’s original 10 transformations.

For those unfamiliar: Ben 10 is a cartoon franchise created by Man of Action and owned by Cartoon Network. It follows the adventures of a young boy named Ben Tennyson, who possesses an alien watch-like device called the “Omnitrix.” This device allows him to transform into various alien species, each with its own unique powers, abilities, and weaknesses. Ben creatively uses these transformations, becoming more adept as he grows older. Because of this, he is one of the most skilled users of the Omnitrix.

Many of the redesigns in this project feature re-proportioned body parts, while others introduce new abilities, fan-made names for species and home planets, or even entirely new conceptualizations. Any changes or additions will be clearly explained in the artist’s commentary.

Heatblast

Description: Heatblast is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into a Pyronite from Pyros. It is the very first transformation that Ben unlocked in the entire franchise. As the name of the species suggests, Heatblast is a pyrokinetic alien and has been used by Ben to create fire constructs. He has a humanoid body that constantly emits flames and an exoskeleton resembling charcoal. He can even lift a small portion of the ground to use as a “platform” for flight.

Artist’s Commentary: I aimed to maintain a consistent theme among the aliens by making them appear older and stronger, similar to the designs in Kuro the Artist’s 5 Years Later, and reflecting the time when Ben is an adult. For Heatblast, I incorporated many elements from his canonical designs, such as the protruding magma rocks on his skin and the fire radiating from his pauldrons.  I adjusted his body proportions to make his face sharper and more skull-like, giving him the appearance of a flaming skeleton. I also enlarged his forearms in proportion to the rest of his body, making them resemble cannons.

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Wildmutt

Description: Wildmutt is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into a Vulpimancer from Vulpin. He is an animalistic alien with both canine and feline traits, including a keen sense of smell—which can weaken if he catches a cold—and an affinity for violence. His primary combat techniques involve using his sharp claws for creative movement, his powerful bite, and occasional acrobatics. As Wildmutt matured, he developed the ability to shoot quills from across his body.

Artist’s Commentary: As a callback to Ben 10,000, I thought it would be cool to incorporate more feline elements into Wildmutt’s redesign, blending them with his vaguely canine appearance. Notable details include his striped fur and tail, which were added to emphasize Wildmutt’s ferocity. I also made his quills much more prominent, as Ben 10: Alien Force (video game) confirms that Wildmutt can shoot quills, even though this ability is never shown in the series.

Diamondhead

Description: Diamondhead is Ben’s transformation into a Petrosapien from the planet Petropia. He is a large, tank-like alien with segmented body parts that resemble diamonds. His most frequently used ability is shapeshifting his body into weapons and firing projectiles. He can also forge large crystals and manipulate them with telekinesis.

Artist’s Commentary: I did not like how Diamondhead looks as though he’s literally made of stone. However, I do like the concept of him being able to manipulate diamond-like structures at will. To balance this, I redesigned Diamondhead to be more like aliens such as NRG or Atomix, where the “diamond” part of his body functions like a suit of armor. I didn’t want to overemphasize this, so I made it more exclusive to his head, which now resembles a knight’s helmet. I also added some purple accents as a callback to his design in Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, where purple rocks serve as a secondary texture and indicate a connection to Sugilite, the Crystalsapien  (and by extension, Ben’s transformation of a Crystalsapien, Chromastone).

XLR8

Description: XLR8 is Ben’s transformation into a Kineceleran from the planet Kinet. He is one of Ben’s fastest transformations and can run so fast that he can travel on water. As Ben grew older, XLR8 became faster, allowing him to travel around the entire Earth in a matter of seconds. XLR8 has also been used by Ben to move so quickly that time appears to slow down around him completely.

Artist’s Commentary: I think there are design elements from both Ben 10 (Classic) and Ben 10: Omniverse that work well for XLR8. In the original series, I liked the smooth curve that extends from his head to his tail, while in Omniverse, he appears much skinnier. For new details, since XLR8 is based on a velociraptor, I thought it would be fun to give him a more bird-like appearance by adding feathers along his back, from head to tail. I also kept the stripes from the original Ben 10,000 design, as I really liked that feature.

Grey Matter

Description: Grey Matter is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into a Galvan from Galvan Prime. His small size and amphibian-like traits make him ideal for navigating tight spaces. His most notable ability, however, is his extraordinary scientific intellect. Ben has used Grey Matter to operate, modify, and even create advanced technology with ease. He can also quickly learn and understand various factors about things he has never encountered before..

Artist’s Commentary: Grey Matter was one of the most challenging aliens to redesign, mainly because his small size didn’t offer much room for significant changes. I considered giving him a lab coat, since Grey Matter is the “brainy” alien of the original ten, but that seemed a bit excessive. Ultimately, I chose a simpler approach, focusing on giving him a stereotypical alien appearance with a large forehead to signify his scientific intelligence. I kept this subtle in the redesign to avoid straying too far from the original look. I also extended his “brain” to the back of his head and made it glow green.

Four Arms

Description: Four Arms is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into a Tetramand from Khoros. He is one of Ben’s most physically powerful transformations and is often called upon in situations requiring immense strength. Four Arms can lift far more than his own body weight, and his solid physique makes him highly durable in combat. One of the clearest demonstrations of his strength is his ability to slam his fists into the ground with such force that entire pillars of debris erupt from the impact.

Artist’s Commentary: What I never liked about Four Arms is that he didn’t really feel “alien” to me. He always seemed more like a big person with four arms, and aside from the odd fins on his triceps, he didn’t look extraterrestrial. To address this, I oversized his arms, particularly in areas where people with muscular physiques tend to flex. I also made his limbs appear more segmented to give the impression that he’s literally made of muscle. I drew inspiration from his design in Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes United and the Tetramand species overall to give him a more macho appearance, incorporating tattoos and yellow gauntlets.

Stinkfly

Description: Stinkfly is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into a Lepidopterran from Lepidopterra. One of his most frequently used abilities is excreting a slime-like substance from both his eyes and mouth. This slime has various properties, such as flammability and the ability to harden into a glue-like substance, immobilizing enemies. The large stinger on his tail is also strong enough to pierce through metal. Stinkfly’s massive wings enable him to easily traverse environments and escape from tricky situations.

Artist’s Commentary: I feel that Stinkfly already has a solid design, but there’s room for improvement. I wanted to make him appear more poisonous, so I gave him brighter colors, covered him in spikes, and made his toxic gas more visible and potent. This gas references the episode “Don’t Drink the Water” (Ben 10), where Ben excretes toxic fumes from Stinkfly’s rear end—a move I’m surprised he never used again. I also made his jaw more segmented, as he also excretes slime from his mouth.

Ripjaws

Description: Ripjaws is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into a Piscciss Volann from Piscciss. He is a fish-like alien that Ben uses whenever he needs to go underwater. Ripjaws is also known for his brute strength in combat, particularly his powerful jaw, which is strong enough to tear through steel. His jaw can unhinge, allowing him to fit large objects in his mouth.

Artist’s Commentary: I feel that Ripjaws is one of the few aliens whose design in Ben 10: Omniverse is superior. This is largely due to the hunch he had in that series and his more “monstrous” proportions. However, I also like how Ben 10 (Classic) made his jaw “flow” into the rest of his upper torso. These were the two main factors I considered for his redesign: making him look more monstrous and enhancing his jaw with multiple layers of teeth and layers of “flesh” to make it appear as though his jaw can unhinge even further.

Upgrade

Description: Upgrade is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into a Galvanic Mechamorph from the moon, Galvan B. His most notable ability is merging with any existing technology, sometimes even “possessing” it, and enhancing its functions. For instance, he can merge with a vehicle, making it faster, stronger, and even capable of flight. His slick, stretchy body allows him to move easily, and he can also “fuse” with electricity for quicker mobility.

Artist’s Commentary: For Upgrade, I immediately knew I wanted to give him smoother proportions, as he—and Galvanic Mechamorphs in general—move as if they’re made of some kind of slime. When it came to the circuit pattern on his chest and legs, I was initially unsure of which direction to take. I liked the white pattern from the original design, but I also appreciated the green and black pattern from his later designs. Ultimately, I decided to combine both, using a white base with black elements forming the circuit pattern. I also added a green gradient that now appears on his arms.

Ghostfreak

Description: Ghostfreak is Ben Tennyson’s transformation into an Ectonurite from Anur Phaetos. His abilities are those typically associated with ghosts, including intangibility, invisibility, flight, and even possession. In his true form, he also has numerous striped tentacles that he can use as extra limbs. Ghostfreak’s gray, skin-like exterior serves as a protective cloak for the transformation. In his true form, he gains additional powers, such as telekinesis, energy beams (from his chest), and extremely sharp claws.

Artist’s Commentary: I initially thought about making Ghostfreak look scrawnier, since—as the name suggests—he is a ghost. However, I realized this might not be the best approach. In the episode “Ghostfreaked Out” (Ben 10), the gray part of his base form is revealed to be a protective cloak that shields him from the sun. If he were too scrawny, it wouldn’t be clear that he was wearing a protective skin. Instead, I made him look more wrinkled, as if his body were wrapped in the cloak, making it obvious that it’s not part of him. Bits of his true form seep through in certain areas, especially around the face.