Sketchbook - Dolphin and Shark

Mermaid time again!! Don't worry, it will be a little while before I run out of them (for this year, at least.)

The Dolphin! She's sporty, but chatty. And loves fish, obviously. I particularly like her design. If I could make a doll of her and go back in time and give it to my four-year-old self, the doll would be a close friend. She just looks cool to be around.

The Shark! More sharp teeth and fun with grumpy faces and muscles. Though sharks aren't really angry beings, but rather unemotional-seeming, right? (Eating machines.) That would actually make her more scary, hmm...

But a mermaid needs a human touch, so I guess her face is all right.

Sketchbook - Foagie and Irma

I'm going to have sketches of my owl family (human style) pretty regularly now (like when most weeks I posted QT Crawlies.) 

I'm taking Meshia's advice and thinking of each series as an assignment. So I'll be trying to catch up on a major project a month, a bigger minor project and a smaller minor project every two weeks, and then divide up the rest of my fanart and other tasks to get back on track. For the rest of this month I'll be working on Toilet Spawn, Plush-related art, and the Silly Calendar. I'm just trying to get them drawn. I'll worry about inking later. Coloring even later. Things that I want to digitally color, even later still.

But before I can illustrate my owls, I have to finish sketches of them, so here's a couple!

Grandpa Foagie. A grumpy, scary, but classy man. Not as derpy-looking as the old style, I hope!

Grandma Irma. I think I should have made her larger and more huggable, but her plush avatar was staring at me, so she turned out more like this. I'm a bit conflicted whether I should change her or not.

... Please stop looking at me like that, Grandma Irma!

I mean, I always think of her as a rocking chair or comfy chair type grandma. But I also have a hard time picturing her as particularly old looking. She carries her age well.

Oh wow, here I am debating on the human appearance of one of my plush owls.

Sketchbook - Dugong and Crab

Iiiiiiit's Mermaid Time!

The dugong. Along with manatees, they inspired the old mermaid tales, so I had to have one of the sea cows represented among my mermaids. (And Meshia is going to draw a manatee mermaid, so I didn't want to copy her.) She's the motherly one among the mermaids.

The crab. She's belligerent, rude, always grumpy and sharp-tongued, and tastes great with butter.





Except I prefer to eat my seafood plain without any butter or sauces because I'm hardcore like that.

Sketchbook - Jupiter and Saturn

This week, I have sketches of my eighth and seventh favorite Sailor Senshi.

Sailor Jupiter! She should have been one of my favorites, being a tomboy and having the green image color. But she ended up too girly and dull (girly is all right if the character is interesting, but girly and too down to earth? Not my type. I like silly and/or sharp characters.) But at least her character isn't a mystery or annoying, so that is why she ranks eighth.

When I draw her for the fanart series, I intend to make her look more powerful, as she's the muscular Senshi.

Sailor Saturn. She's so cute and exotic! But soft-spoken characters usually aren't very interesting unless they are secretly diabolical. And well, she usually isn't. But still so cute and fun to draw!

I have an MC (or MM) for the next installment of this series.

WIP - Lilith and Sayu

This week we have a mother/daughter combo of the owl family. They share similar names, which wasn't originally intended, but just seemed to fit and work out that way.

Lilith. I imagine her being a proper Victorian lady. ("I am not amused.") With a cute, baby face. And large breastmeat.

Sayu-Lily is a spoiled little princess with a mischievous side. She's also a crybaby when she doesn't get her way. Even though I imagine her older than the hootlets (probably because she was my first owl), her human form looks younger than them. I don't know how that works out, but it does.

Sketchbook - Turtle and Seal

It's about time I got back to the mermaids!

The Sea Turtle. What would you think if this popped up in front of you? I should have made the shell blend in with her skin more since sea turtles cannot hide in their shells. If you haven't guessed yet, her "character" is painfully shy, but maybe I can spice that up a bit. (Not "maybe", I mean. I really should. For... feminism! ... )

The Seal. Actually, a furred, baby Harp Seal (except she's not a baby, obviously.) The seal is friendly, naive, cuddly, and curious. Even the mean characters think she's adorable.

I still have quite a few mermaids left, so they'll be coming over the next several weeks!

Sketchbook - Evil Versus Cute

The following aren't related to any of my current projects. It's actually closer in intent to the ogre catharsis section of my sketchbook, because the feelings were similar. See, some very specific things were pissing me off. So I anthropomorphized their caricatures.

But after showing the picture to someone and explaining what the caricatures were of, I was asked if I wanted to get sued. Even though these were parodies and based on things and not people, I was told that the people in charge of those things have powerful lawyers and I could be in deep financial trouble whether I won or not. Which only made me angrier at the things (and now their owners) even more. But I blocked out every reference to what these gruesome guys represent.

America: the land of the free. (If you have a billion dollars.)

Originally, I thought of a super team of foils that would be made of beautiful women. They would be the heroes against the mean things/guys. The lawyer remark was made before I started sketching them, so they lack the identifying characteristics I originally planned for them. Only one of them somewhat resembles my original idea. They ended up looking like they would make a fun K-Pop group, though, hehe. (Wow, the heels on the far right lady are so messed up no matter how many times I tried to fix them.)

WIP - Foagie and Micki

This week's owl family drawings are magical! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this last time, but the shadows on the pages are from the spirals on the drawing pad. I was stupid and didn't use extra paper to flatten the pad of paper when I scanned them in.

Grandpa Foagie. His role and personality is a parody and in-joke. The in-joke being when I first received him on Christmas, my mom said, "And who's he supposed to be? The Grandpa?" Can you guess who (hoo?) he is a parody of? Hint: Lilith is his daughter. Lilith's name is a hint, even though I named her before I even received Foagie, so the connection was unintentional.

Sensitive cutie Micki should be a bit chubbier. Ad have a more delicate expression on his face. But I'm definitely keeping the ice-skating theme in the redraw. It's so fancy and totally fits him.

More next week? Let's hope!

WIP - Toni and Napoleon Valentines

The other two Valentines that I didn't finish!

Toni is already there as far as date-appropriate attire goes. But I want to improve her pose. Maybe make it a waist up portrait so the viewer can actually imagine walking beside her.

Why. Why did I draw this. I'm starting to understand why I never finished or posted these drawings before: I was ashamed. Yes, I was going for a silly theme. Yes, Napoleon is a dork. He's not successful with the women he flirts with, mainly because he has horrible sense when it comes to choosing what girls to flirt with (like the kind not interested in boys.) But wow, this is pathetic.

With any luck (in both computer health and time) I'll have some recent Power Warp drawings to show you next week!

Sketchbook - Pluto and Neptune

Ever since the Sailor Moon remake announcement, I've been excited about the summer. I'll be able to experience Sailor Moon all over again. Brand new, from the beginning. I can't wait! (Though technically I can wait, since I've been busy and haven't even finished watching simulcasts from the beginning of this year.)

Whenever I get in a mood like this, I really want to draw my obsession. Sometimes, unchecked, this goes too far (like The Great Death Note Obsession of 2007.) But I have a small series of the main Sailor Scouts/Senshi planned. They'll be inked, but I'm not sure about color at this point. I'll do one a month as a countdown to tide me over until the premier next year. I just really want to draw these girls I drew so much in sixth and seventh grade. I drew men as Sailor Scouts as a parody last year, but that wasn't enough to quench my desires, haha.

Note, these are just sketches to have fun. I want to use better poses for the final drawings. And I probably messed up on some outfit details since I drew from memory. Please forgive my errors!

Sailor Pluto. She was too mysterious to be a favorite of mine, but I'm still determined to show her gorgeous side. But maybe I'll still use this cute face in the final?

Sailor Neptune. I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean to make her so scary.

These are my two least favorite Senshi (#10 and #9.) Who are my #8 and #7? The countdown continues later!

Sketchbook - Owl Uncles and Grandparents

More of my owls this time!

Clockwise from upper-left. Unkle Jobob, the hillbilly brother of Mr. Fluffy Feathers. He enjoys whiskey, women, and pulling pranks. Though that may sound scary, he's the most open and friendly of all the owls. Not that the other owls aren't friendly, just that they don't have the warm familiarity (even with strangers) as Unkle Jobob.

Next is Uncle Theo(dore.) He's the older brother of Mr. Fluffy Feathers and Unkle Jobob (but not the oldest, who I'll get to later.) He's the scholar, majoring in computers and minoring in hugs (and apparently has the side talent of acrobatics.) Seriously, I just place him in front of my computer when it's acting up and he usually works it out for me. Or intimidates my computer. Or my computer thinks I'm pathetic and feels pity and humors me. Anyway, he may look gruff and serious, but he's actually kind and gentle and proves he took his studying seriously.

The last two hootlets are Gretchen (bottom right) and Micki (bottom left.) Gretchen looks a lot like a miniature version of her mother, Lilith. Gretchen is one of the quieter hootlets, a bit of a bookworm, but she does show a little rebellious streak when she sneaks off with her boyfriend, a yeti.

Micki is sweet, friendly, and flamboyant. But he's also the one most picked on by his siblings. Odin and Ludwig are the least likely to tease him and most likely to allow him to tag along (Odin likes adventure buddies and Ludwig likes someone willing to be his magic apprentice.)

The grandparents! First, Lilith's parents...

Foagie is stern, grumpy, and scary. He tolerates his grandhootlets as long as they are quiet and waddle obediently behind him.

Irma is the kind of grandmother with an endless nest of hugs and treats.

Grandma Lori V and Grandpa Barney are Mr. Fluffy Feathers' parents. Lori V always looks like she woke up on the wrong side of the nest, but she's just a wild grandma. Unkle Jobob gets his loud friendliness from her. Barney, however, is a pretty doctor/graphic designer. My mom accuses him of being too pretty and thinks Lori V trapped him. Mr. Fluffy Feathers takes after him them most. The rest of the von Hoo brothers share characteristics of both parents.

State of the Projects - September 2012

Okay, I'm still not ready to upload more stuff. I'm still trying to get the sketchbooks ready to scan before I work on longer, more developed, but easier-to-scan-in-not-my-scanner pieces. I will upload more stuff in September. But now (Tuesday) I must get off due to busy-ness and encroaching possibly-dangerous storms. I'm not sure if I'll be online by the first, that is why I'm updating this pathetic thing right now. I should add a category for my sketchbook. It might actually make me look like I'm doing something.

Not so hidden note to Rica: Check The Dark Writers Drafts. You like? :)

(I think Meshia might like it too, but she's not in the secret club and will have to wait for me to fill in the writing part of that post. XD )

Major Projects

1.) Hellhoney - Nothing.

2.) Minervellas - Nothing.

3.) Power Warp - Nothing.

4.) Toilet Spawn - Nothing.


Minor Projects

1.) QT Crawlies - Nothing.

2.) Optimizzy - Nothing.

3.) Random/Silly Calendar - Nothing.

4.) Hobo Story - Nothing.

5.) Zodiac - Nothing.

6.) Super Popcorn - Nothing.

7.) Mervscorn - Nothing.

8.) Birds - Nothing.

9.) Plush Owls - Nothing.

10.) Pin-Up Calendars - Nothing.

11.) Random/Original Art - Nothing.

12.) Pantheon - Nothing.

13.) Playing Cards - Nothing.

14.) Tunnels and Elevators - Nothing.

15.) I'm a Bug?! - Nothing.

16.) Tutorials - Nothing.