Creature Parade #8

Another Creature Parade has arrived!!  This first creature I call Equis Arcona.  It's a mix of bird and horse along with a few rat-like characteristics.  I originally meant for the feet to be more along the lines of prehistoric horses (toes), but I settled on hooves instead.  I suppose I was afraid if I used toes that I would simply come across as a griffon.  I haven't decided if the creatures are bird or horse in size.  But I like the idea of tiny bird horses running around and leaping through tall grasses catching locust and other small insects.

This second creature I named the Nether Worm.  It spends most of it's life underground; digging through the earth and feeding off organic matter.  It has a curious ability to wind itself up using specialized muscle groupings that resemble a spring or accordion bellow.  Once wound, the creature can spin at great speed and "drill" into the earth using its spiny front.  This allows them to dig down further than other worms. 

This next creature comes mostly from my fascination with the birds of paradise.  If you've never seen footage of the birds of paradise, check them out.  They are among the most colorful, strange, and flamboyant of avian animals.  I think only the males in each species are decorated in this way to help them attract the attention of a mate.  I might call some of the species artistic because they will perform elaborate dances to attract a mate.  They also diligently clean and maintain the area where they come to dance.  And they have to impress when they perform because the females are very picky.  This "bird of paradise" I've name the Exquisite Palomar Eropa. 

Next we have a creature that dwells in the ocean.  But more specifically in areas where coral is abundant.  For now I'm simply calling it the Coral Shrimp.  This species spends a majority of its life hiding among the coral.  It can perch itself upon large bodies of coral, upon surrounding rocks, or hide in holes with its head sticking out.  It's flexible mouth parts gather small organisms and ocean detritus that float by.  As a defensive measure the animals furry tail contains a toxic stinger.

Finally we have a creature that shares both avian and reptilian qualities.  I recently re-read a short essay about disputes over whether Archaeopteryx evolved as a tree bound reptile, or a reptile that ran on the ground and used its arms to help it gain speed.  My interest here isn't so much about the dispute, but rather about the Archaeopteryx itself and it's importance to paleontology and biology.  It is one, if not thee, holy grail of species evolution.  I have created here a distant cousin to Archaeopteryx, yet one that had more talent for hopping that for flight.  It also wears a brilliant crown of feathers.  I call it Arcyopteryx Tripudio in honor of the curious creature Archaeopteryx.

Art for sale!!!

Hey everyone!  I just thought I'd mention that I recently opened an Etsy shop.  Trying to extend my branches a bit.  You can check it out here.  I wanted to give it a try and see if I have any luck.  The pieces I have for sale are new work.  They are the first half of a series of imagined monster portraits influenced by the classics.  There is a second half in the works.  All ink drawings.  I may put some other stuff on there as well, at some point.  We'll wait and see.  I also wanted to mention that I'm always open for commissions.

I'll hopefully get another creature parade on here by the end of the week.  Thank you, as always, for checking out my art!  Happy All Hallows Eve!!

A Couple Birds

     These are a couple more prints I did in college.  I recently photographed some school art that I didn't have digital copies for and these are among my favorites.  They are both monotypes, or monoprints.  The first, Dancing Crow, was made with black ink and the gray is simply black ink thinned out by mixing with a transparent base (basically a clear gel/paste).  The white is no ink, or ink wiped away from the plexiglass plate.
     The second image, Andre the Giant, is probably my favorite monotype from school.  It's multiple colors, and the process is much more difficult that this print might convey.  I started out with 4 plexiglass plates.  On the first I drew the image with black ink.  The other three plates were designated for red, yellow, and blue.  The idea is that all 4 plates will be sandwiched together and the ink can mix together.  It's' sort of similar to the halftone screenprinting process.  For instance, the green was a result of yellow on one plate and blue in that same area on a second plate.  Also keep in mind that I had one shot with this and I had to line up all the plates so the image could come together.  It was time consuming yet a labor of love.  I suppose that is why I like the print so much.  Thank you for reading!

Creature Parade #7

Hello friends!  I guess it's about time for some more creatures.  These are a few I've finished somewhat recently.  I wanted to start thinking more outside the box with some of these.  I can only hope that they continue to get more obtuse while remaining interesting.  Perhaps more obtuse simply equals interesting, but I suppose that's up to the eye of the beholder.

This first I've named Noxia Luna.  It tends to be a rather noctural creature.  I was thinking about photosynthesis and wondered if moonlight could also be a source of energy.  I suppose the light we see from the moon comes from the sun anyway, yet its easy for one to think that the light is radiating from the moon.  I decided that it might live near the ocean where it can sense changes in the tides ergo the cycles of the moon.  It uses its tongue and antennae to sense these changes in the tides.  They float in the air and as they absorb energy it causes them to emit a blue glow like a lightning bug at night (only its a constant rather than a flicker).  Needless to say it can be a beautiful sight to see a few together at night.

Next we have Avia Lymantriidae.  This one came from considering the camouflage that some caterpillars rely on for protection.  In this case the caterpillar has completely taken this decoration to another level.  Yet I haven't abandoned the idea that this creature could also be a blend of both bird and caterpillar.  I didn't really consider that it might eventually become a butterfly or moth, but I will imagine that later.  Maybe it doesn't go through a change, I don't know.  It spends much of its time up in trees eating leaves.

Another idea I was pondering was the merging of nature with technology.  Technology after all mimics nature in many ways, so perhaps at some point the reverse might happen.  Biomechanical creatures are nothing new but this is my first take on that notion.  I decided that the most "mechanical" of creature in nature probably come from the insect world (ants, bees, locust, etc...).  The creature above I've simply named Locusta Mecha at this point.  It moves in a hopping fashion similar to a locust.  Inside the lip of the head are rows of teeth that it uses to punctures the side of a tree or other plants.  That is how it feeds. And it's feet help it cling to most surfaces.

Next is a creature that is perhaps a little more simple in terms of concept, but maybe not.  I actually saw something like this in a dream.  I was dying in the dream, and lying on the ground.  As I was lying there scared and alone I saw a few of these Spirit Worms approach.  They move like a worm might but while floating in the air.  They had human faces with gentle expressions.  They also glowed.    It was comforting and they calmed my fear.  Then they covered me in a cocoon and that's all I can remember.  I suppose this creature is more celestial in nature.  Moving between worlds.  Gathering the dead and preparing them for transport.

The final creature in this collection is perhaps the strangest yet.  I call it Tachliomera Omega.  I started wanting to create a creature that is a combination of creatures-a chimera.  In this case it would be a creature that appears fairly straight forward (the hooved creature at the base), but when it wanted to feed it would spew out a collection of other creatures.  I had an idea that the creatures were determined by what was in the mothers stomach during the first months of gestation, the DNA being absorbed by the fetus.  But I thought that could get really complicated, so for now its just what you see here.

Well, that's it for now.  I hope to post another soon.  Thank you for being interested and I hope you continue to enjoy. 

Learning How to Draw Mickey Mouse

 

My nephew, Caden, watches me draw every now and then.  As he watches he also asks me to draw a variety of things.  A couple weeks ago he saw me drawing in my sketchbook and asked if I knew how to draw Mickey Mouse.  I said something like, "I don't know, let's see."  Almost immediately he replied, "I show you how."  Then he walked over to the printer and grabbed a piece of paper.  I gave him a pencil and he started drawing.  The first drawing above was the outcome (the line above Mickey's ears is his hat).  Then he turned the piece of paper over and drew Mickey again.  Throughout the process he spoke all the different body parts as he drew them.  When he was finished he said, "now you do it."  I said, "okay, I'll try but you might have to help me."  The third drawing was the result.  One direction I remember that Caden gave me was that I was coloring in the ears incorrectly.  I started with the left ear and he told me I was doing it wrong. The right ear, according to Caden, is the correct way to color in the ear.  It doesn't look exactly like Mickey, but I like the drawings.  I just had fun drawing with Caden.  These were all drawn first in pencil and I went over them carefully with ink.  I tried my best to preserve all of Cadens marks, no matter how minute. 

Sorry for being gone for so long.  More is coming.  I hope everyone is doing well.  Thank you for the encouragement and support.  I hope all your dreams are coming true.