J.Ho Originals

Mutant Zoo! Gorilla + Octopus!

~ J.Ho ~ 1 Comment

For the Mutant Zoo jam, held by Dreamwolf and Super-Munkyboy at Deviantart–here’s a hybrid between a Gorilla and an Octopus:

click above for larger view

… 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!

~ J.Ho ~ 2 Comments

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!

~ J.Ho ~ 1 Comment

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! Bat + Deer!

~ J.Ho ~ 1 Comment
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!

Ridiculous.

~ J.Ho ~ 2 Comments
Excitement and intrigue follow you closely wherever you go!
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

~ J.Ho ~ 6 Comments
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.

Pure Genius.

~ J.Ho ~ 2 Comments
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.

Things I ate, and an awesome bonus illustration from a SUPERSTAR artist

~ J.Ho ~ 4 Comments
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:

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:

click above for larger view

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!

Textural Healing

~ J.Ho ~ 5 Comments
(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…

~ J.Ho
(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.

I Know How To Party.

~ J.Ho ~ 5 Comments
(Posting early, why not?)

This is how the weekend was spent. For those who don’t live in the ‘States, 1040’s, W-2’s, and 1099’s are various super-fun tax forms.

click above for larger view

Flashback Friday!!! (AKA I am a slacker)

~ J.Ho ~ 3 Comments
Here’s an illustration of a fox spirit ronin that I did a number of years ago (2004 to be precise), for a now-defunct art challenge:

On the one hand, posting old artwork makes me a lazy and horrible person. On the other hand, I think this piece holds up pretty decently, and since only a handful of people ever saw this anyways, I thought it was worth sharing. Your mileage may vary.

‘Hawk and Croc

~ J.Ho ~ 7 Comments
I did get a mohawk this past weekend. I did not get a pet crocodile. Which is fortunate… for my enemies.

I’ve been lazy/tired/whatevs, so this was a last minute deal. I’m happy with it, which I guess means that I should work under pressure more often.