My momentary burst of energy over the rebirth of Scrabbulous was but a lapse. I am now returning to the cough syrup-induced haze from whence I came.
A Belated…
J.Ho Originals
PLEASE READ: On a serious note…
Now, I don’t really talk about anything serious on this blog. I talk about seriously nerdy stuff, but I never talk about serious topics. Today, I thought I’d make a little exception–I hope you all don’t mind if I get a little personal, and a little serious.
Some time ago, I suffered a great loss. No one died, but it was a great blow to my morale… and in a way, my innocence died. I realized how fragile happiness can be. I found myself lacking motivation. I was anxious and listless at work. In short, my heart was broken. Over time, I healed–the loss faded from the forefront of my mind. I moved on, but I never truly forgot.
But recently–as I suspect you all know by now–something amazing happened. Something big. This didn’t just affect me, but the whole world. A move that gave me a reason to hope, to dream… to live again. The loss that I had suffered, was now erased, and replaced by something more stable. Something beautiful, and inspiring.
Of course this loss and subsequent inspiration that I’m talking about is the death of Scrabulous and its recent rebirth as Lexulous.
I have a reason to live again. Praise Thor, god of thunder and wordplay! I think that’s right, isn’t it?
Sick as a…
Spring is not in the air
Here’s something I whipped up a few months ago… I had some notion of holding on to it until the spring, but I’m a bit short on time these days and in need of a post:
click above for larger view
I sketched this out in non-photo blue pencil, and inked it with a Sakura brush pen. The idea for this illustration just randomly sprang into my head, and I decided to use it as an opportunity to try some new Photoshop techniques. Um… enjoy?
Kage Kuringoru Densetsu
(Posting early for the holidays, tune in on Friday for a bonus post… )
[23:25] JOSH: next time you guys do a sketch off
[23:25] JOSH: i’d like to see ninja santas
So you get this:
click above for larger view
KAGE KRINGLE, the Shinobi Santa, gives razor-sharp kunai to all the good little ninjas at winter time. He also gives razor-sharp kunai to naughty ninjas… kunai which are delivered to their hearts. So be good, for goodness sake.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, BLOG READERS!
Mutant Zoo! Gorilla + Octopus!
For the Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Gorilla and an Octopus:
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… despite their fearsome appearance and deafening displays, the Octorilla is a serene, family-oriented creature, inquisitive and gregarious…
This was the combination that originally attracted me to the Mutant Zoo jam, from a few weeks back. I wasn’t in time for the original deadline, but I actually designed this hybrid before I started on the Bat + Deer combination. I finally got a chance to color it up, so here it is.
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Lemur + Tarantula!
For this week’s Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Lemur and a Tarantula:
… the tip of the Taramur’s nimble tail actually houses the creature’s spinnerets, allowing it to spin webs in almost any direction. The glowing eyes in the Taramur’s abdomen have excellent vision, and are capable of firing intense psionic blasts…
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Ladybug + Rhino!
For this week’s Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Ladybug and a Rhino:
… despite their diminuitive size (roughly 2 inches long, tail not included), these normally docile creatures can pack quite a punch if disturbed while grazing upon spectral aphids, their food of choice…
Get ready for a Mutant Zoo blitz–there were two choices for this week’s jam, plus I drew up one of the older combinations as well, all to be served up momentarily. Stay tuned!
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Pug + Shark!
For this week’s Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Pug + Shark:
… tenacious and affectionate, the Shug is often kept as a pet by aristocratic mermaids.
It took me a stupidly long time to color this… not sure the time taken is reflected in the end product. Bah!
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
Mutant Zoo! Bat + Deer!
Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy are holding a jam over at Deviantart called Mutant Zoo. The basic idea is to draw a hybrid of two animals–this week’s challenge was Deer + Bat:
click above for larger view
… the Ba’eer is known to commonly appear shortly before the birth or after the death of a great hero or hunter. A Ba’eer with a flame above its antlers is carrying the soul of a fallen hero or hunter to the afterworld; an unadorned Ba’eer heralds the birth of such a hunter or hero…
The horns and face markings are based loosely on the muntjac, and the tusks are based on the muntjac, as well as the more exaggerated tusks of a water deer or musk deer. The ears and nose are loosely based on a leaf-nosed bat. I wanted to try a drawing with super-thin lines (pass), and had a certain look in mind for the colors, but it really didn’t quite work out (fail).
Be sure to check out Dreamwolf’s Deviantart page for links to other participants!
DO EET.
Been chaining myself to the drawing table and/or wacom tablet lately. DRAWING GIVES ME POWERRRRRRRRRRR…
Ridiculous.
Excitement and intrigue follow you closely wherever you go!
Lucky numbers 12, 14, 17, 27, 30, 45
Lucky numbers 12, 14, 17, 27, 30, 45
Really, fortune cookie? Really??
Just a little painting practice in Photoshop, with a random subject. I looked at a fortune cookie for reference, but this isn’t a depiction of that exact cookie. If that makes any sense. I mean, it makes sense to me, but it might not make sense to you.
Our Numbers Are Many
Some highlights and lowlights from Comic-Con (you decide which are which):
- I saw Stan Lee almost die on an escalator–some guy got his messenger bag tangled up in the railing and almost took out everyone behind him, with Stan being the first in line. After the crowd helped Stan clear the obstacle and get to his feet, he blurted, “What was that?!” in his Stan Lee voice. Surreal.
- I saw Riker and La Forge walking the convention floor, without security and unharassed by the nerdy masses. What has transpired in the world of geekdom that these demigods can traverse freely? Should not these heroes be lavished with geeky worship? Hast thou forgotten Gargoyles? Reading Rainbow? To say nothing of ST:TNG?!? For shame, ye ungrateful dorks. Thou hast forsaken thou nerdy roots! Repent! Repent, lest repeats of classic sci-fi shows be replaced by blighted, hateful sports highlights! REPENT!
- Whilst working the booth for the day job, a kid ran up, saw the comics and exclaimed, “grab everything in sight!” Thankfully, his mother was accquainted with the modern system of exchanging goods for money, and restrained him immediately.
Lastly, I discovered that nerdy Asian guys with mohawks are a dime a dozen at Comic-Con. In aisles crowded with cosplayers, action figure collectors, fanfic writers, and miscellaneous dweebs, I would encounter my dopplegangers… each time we would lock gazes, and time seemed to stand still. Sizing up each other’s mohawks, a hypothetical battle would be waged in the deadly electric path betwixt our steely eyes. In another time and place, under different circumstances we might have been friends, but here and now, we were fated to be enemies. There would be no conflict yet–the pact of the immortal mohawk forbade endangering the lives of mortal nerds. But soon… soon, our destinies would be fulfilled, for there can be only one.
Sorry, sometimes I lose my damn mind. Comic-Con will do that to you.
Better Late Then Never. Sort of.
Last Saturday was Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day. In recognition of that, this is what Friday’s post was supposed to be:
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The punchline in this picture arose from a typically dorky IM session between myself and Charles. For those not in the know, an Owlbear is a Dungeons & Dragons monster, and possibly the offspring of Smokey the Bear and Woodsy the Owl.
Pure Genius.
It’s about 4:30am as I begin typing this blog. I started my blog illustration very late, just a few hours ago. I was almost done coloring it in Photoshop, and then my twitchy hand closed the file without saving. The really great thing is that I literally had not saved anything. So instead you get this last minute rage doodle:
As I generally refrain from cursing on this blog (unlike my ultra-profane RL), I have nothing more to say.
I bet I could pass the Chunin Exams…
Is it weird that I, a grown man, often daydream about being a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village?
Obviously I have been catching up on my Naruto. Naruto is seriously one of my favorite things ever.
Things I ate, and an awesome bonus illustration from a SUPERSTAR artist
Food consumed this weekend was as follows (in chronological order):
FRIDAY:
- 1 large turkey hoagie cross-section, approximately 4 x 4 x 3″
- 1 plate full of barbecue chips, kettle-cooked
- 2 Snapple ice teas
- 1 slice of chocolate cheesecake
- 1 pear
SATURDAY:
- quantities undocumented–assorted dim sum (shumai, har gaw, chicken feet, barbecue pork buns, etcetera)
- 2 bowls of Mongolian barbecue (buffet)
- 2 slices of watermelon
- 1 Crystal Light peach-mango fusion Slurpee
SUNDAY:
- 1/2 order of sliced chicken with garlic sauce (Chinese take-out)
- 1/2 order of mixed vegetables in light sauce (Chinese take-out)
- approximately 3 glasses of Fresca
- 1 foot-long Subway tuna sub (with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, black olives, cilantro, and mustard)
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY:
My pal, Dustin took some time out of his crazy rockstar schedule to draw an awesome piece for me:
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The l’il robot on the left is my character Cog and the super-hott dame on the right is Big Barda, my favorite character from DC’s New Gods.
YOU’RE THE MAN, DUSTIN! Be sure to check out his Deviant Art gallery, and go buy all his issues of Detective Comics, available in finer comic book stores now!
Don’t Go Crying To Your Mummy
Textural Healing
(Posting early.)
Today, a momentary respite from the recent deluge of He-Man related sketches. I was working on this one a few months ago, but put it on the backburner as other things came up. I sketched and ‘inked’ this piece in Photoshop (in addition to coloring in Photoshop, as usual), so the result is 100% digital. The subject matter was pretty random. I started sketching a girl, which became a go-go girl, and then I just threw in a ray gun for the heck of it. This is what happens when I let my mind wander. Really.
click above for larger view
I decided to stretch my wings a bit and experment with some textures for this piece–the blue and purple pattern on her dress was created by me, using pressure-sensitive opacity brushes in Photoshop; the other textures were taken from free texture sites (this one and this one). The texture for her hair is a sunset, and the texture for the boots and purse is stained glass. All in all, I’m pretty happy with the results.
Pardon Our Dust…
(Posting early)
Today’s post is still under construction! Or, at least what was today’s post is still under construction. So instead, you get this quickie:
Two manifestations of my raging ego in one week. WHAT A TREAT.