Tooth and Nail

I guess that given these drawings, maybe "Teeth and Nails" would be more appropriate, but it just didn't have the same ring to it.

First up is a character that has little by way of explanation, but what there is I'll tell you.  This is Pearlie.  Pearlie is one of those drawings that just sort of popped out of the depths of my subconscious. I find teeth to be interesting and at times disturbing.  Just think of all of the famous characters who would look vastly different without them. Bugs Bunny, Jaws, Count Dracula, and Goofy are just a few (admittedly disparate) examples. The shape of each of those characters' teeth is a huge part of the viewers identification of who they are.  Pearlie is no different.  Given his rather massive mouth it is apparent that he is a talker. His huge white rounded rectangular teeth betray his non-threatening disposition. The dark eyes could be a little ambiguous, so I also gave him a whimsical hairstyle to add to the overall goofy impression he gives.

This next one requires the least amount of description of nearly anything I've posted so far. It's simply a skull.  Since, barring any invertebrates who have taken to reading my blog, all of us have skulls it is one of the most recognized shapes I can think of. The symbolism associated with them is pretty clear too. Unfortunately danger, death, poisons, and general warnings are all commonly associated with skulls (frequently accompanied by crossed bones). Because of those connections, most people have a bit of a mental block against noticing the finer details of skulls. Who knows why? Maybe it's a human instinct thing. Whatever the reason, that simple fact makes a skull a great practice for observing and drawing details. It's arguably one of the most unfamiliar familiar things you can draw. Give it a try sometime.

Finally is a critter that I drew purely for the fun of it.  Have you ever thought about the term "fish fingers" that is given to the formed pressed pieces of fish served in many school cafeterias?  This is the answer to that very question. This is also another of my drawings was directly inspired by a fifth grader's suggestion. Since, as far as I know, a fish of this type has never been observed in the wild, I had free reign to give it whatever details I wanted. As you can see I decided it should have a beak. There's not really a logical reason for that decision, I just liked the way it looked. I thought having a big toe for its side fin was a nice addition as well.

Well, there you have it. I should point out that this week's title not only hinted at the drawings you'd see, but also at how hard I'll have to work to make sure I have something to post next Sunday. I think I may begin showing some of the paintings I've done, or maybe make some more drawings... who really knows what all can transpire in a week. Check back to see, and be sure to tune in midweek for the next installment of Wired Wednesday.
Stay creative,
AH!

Reptiles... Mostly

As the title indicates, this week features three pictures of reptiles... sort of.  I really like drawing reptilian skin and scales. There's something about the details of the skin and scale textures that puts me into an almost Zen state. Drawing plain old lizards and snakes over and over and over again gets a little monotonous, though. To  combat the tedium, I improvise.

First up this week is an amalgamation of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a chimpanzee. Whether it's deserved or not is up for debate, but the T. Rex has the reputation of being one of the baddest of the big-bads in the dinosaur world. Then I thought about a chimp (Don't even bother trying to figure out how my train of thought reached that station) Chimps, as entertaining as they are, also have a mean streak at least a mile wide.  Since the eyes and hands, in my opinion, are the most expressive aspects of any primate, I combined the Rex and the chimp into the roaring beast you see here.

 And here's Ossie.  He's unlike the other two creatures in today's post in that he is entirely reptile. The inspiration behind this drawing is actually found in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible. According to the Genesis account, prior to tempting man to commit the original sin, the serpent got around in Eden by walking. After the fall of man, he was cursed to slither around on his belly. This is my idea of how he might have gotten around before the curse. The name is an acronym for Original Sin Serpent In Eden.

Finally is another student inspired creation. I'm not exactly sure where he got the idea, but somehow the idea of a bull/alligator hybrid seemed to click with me. A short while later the bulligator came into being. I took an alternate approach to the combination of these animals than I did with the chimp and t. rex, opting for a blend of their aspects throughout the body this time. Regardless of those differences, I can safely say that I wouldn't want to run afoul of either of them (or Ossie for that matter).

Thus ends another post. My mid-week Wired Wednesday series continues this week, so check back then for more of my three-dimensional art. Before I sign off, here are a couple of reminders.

REMINDER #1) As an artist I thrive on feedback from my audience, so questions, requests, ideas, or comments about this or any other post are both welcomed and strongly encouraged. That's what the comment section below and my email are there for.

REMINDER #2) There's still an artistic challenge waiting for your response here. It's not too late to take up the challenge.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Stay creative,

AH!

What (Taco-induced) Dreams May Come

Let's kick this post off with another student-inspired drawing. No, I've never taught a student who looked like this (though I bet nobody would mess with that kid), but as I occasionally do, I asked for student input for my next project. In an unprecedented turn of events, I got only two suggestions: a robot and a monster.  Since both ideas clicked when I heard them, I drew both. In retrospect, I think the metal jaw was probably at least partially inspired by the character Trap Jaw from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, one of my favorite childhood (and adulthood) cartoons.

I went with a almost completely black eye and exaggerated musculature and brow to play up his monster portion, and of course the metal lower jaw and cybernetic eye to give him his robotic aspect. The jaw was a little plain, so I added weld lines to give it a more gritty, metallic look.

 As I've expressed in earlier posts, my mind can be a strange place.  My dreams are often even more strange. This thing is directly from a dream I had, which may or may not have been influenced by eating fast food tacos too close to bedtime. As is apparent it is come sort of water-dwelling creature. To give you an idea of the scale of it, in the dream I was roughly as tall as this things nostril.  I'm more than six feet tall, so this thing was monstrously huge. It's face was flat when viewed at profile, and it's skin was translucent grey-green. Other than that, I recall that in spite of it's gargantuan proportions and grim visage, I didn't feel threatened by it at all.
The translucency of the body and fins (or flippers or whatever you'd call them) was an interesting challenge. I'm not sure I'd do it the same way a second time, but I suppose I'm satisfied enough with the results. I really like the way the tail turned out, as well.

This last one, for my younger readers, is a television.  This is what they looked like before they evolved into the flat panel, high-definition, admittedly much better incarnations that are the norm today.  This was another exercise in stepping outside of my comfort zone and drawing something that has a defined shape and very defined proportions. It was drawn at the suggestion of another of the youth group kids from church and, along with my Japanese spider crab, bulldog, and a dirt-bike (to be posted at a later date) became a compilation drawing that I gave copies of to the kids who inspired it.  I'll probably post that compilation sometime as well. 

Even though I wasn't crazy about the subject matter, I did get to draw a little of my relaxation-inducing meticulous details in the wood grain of the cabinet housing. I also drew a "Hamptronic" brand plate to the middle of the speakers to add a little visual interest.

That's it for today's post.  Wired Wednesday continues this week so check back then. Also, I'm still waiting to see who is willing to step outside of their comfort bubble and take the challenge I threw out there a while back.  Remember, even if you absolutely can't bring yourself to share your art with the world, I guarantee you know someone who is willing.  I encourage you to point them in this direction. Hope to hear from you all and receive those drawings soon!

Stay creative,

AH!

Some Things That Aren't Real... I Hope

Okay, so I'm having a hard time coming up with the right words for this first little guy.  I believe that, all things considered, he is one of my favorite drawings that I've ever created. In fact, maybe even the favorite.  As has already been well established, I think monkeys are pretty great.  So how do you make a monkey even better? Give it wings, of course! Just ask L. Frank Baum.  I decided to go in a little different direction than the Oz creator, however, and gave my monkey the wings of a dragonfly in place of the feathered variety.  It seemed only logical to give him eyes to match.

The monkey's fur is fairly straightforward and simple, and I left it that way intentionally to offset the complexity of the wings veining and the facets of the eyes. I also thought that even though monkeys ears are not typically pointed, that they would fit better stylistically if they were. After all, monkeys don't usually have faceted eyes or insect wings either.

This next one was inspired primarily by the mythological Argus Panoptes. In case your Greek mythology is rusty, Argus Panoptes was a giant with a hundred eyes. Mister H fact of the day: From early childhood I've had a fascination with classical mythology. That in connection with how much I like to draw eyes made this creature's creation all but inevitable.

This was also a great way to draw eyes in a variety of positions and at various stages of openness.  Much like what I mentioned about drawing hands a couple of weeks ago, drawing eyes is great practice at improving the eyes realism. That realism in turn helps your audience identify (or not identify, if that's your intention) with the subject you've drawn, painted, etc.

Most mythologies are full of some rather bizarre creatures, but few compare in pure strangeness to Egyptian mythology's Set animal, or Sha.  Set was the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, so it should be no surprise that the Sha is a chimeric beast.  It was a (somewhat humorous) combination of various beasts often described with a long nose, long pointed ears, and a stiff tail that was forked at the end.  The decision to give it hooves and webbed, frog-like feet was entirely mine.
Making the textural transition between wrinkled skin on the nose, scales on its head, feathers on its neck, smooth fur on its back and legs, and bare skin on its back feet was fairly difficult but a good exercise in blending and of course in drawing those various textures.

That about wraps up another post.  The Wired Wednesday series continues this week, so be sure to check back. Also, check out my post from earlier today if you haven't already.  I'm hoping some of you step outside of your comfort zones and take the challenge. You may surprise yourself.

Keep art alive. Stay creative.
-AH!