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!