Illustration Friday: Neighbors

Illustration Friday: Sailor

Live drawing portrait

Drawing people's faces, especially from life, is interesting. You start out by following shapes, and even though each shape is right, it doesn't look at all like the person in front of you. But you have to keep going, because at some point, like magic, it happens! I love it when it happens.
Sometime it doesn't happen, and then I have to start over again. I'm guessing that with practice it will get easier to make the magic happen more often.

Illustration Friday: Ice Cream

Magical Animal Alphabet: Yacumama

This is the last of the Magical Animal Alphabet series! If you're wondering what about Z, then Z is here.
Yacumama is a giant snake-like creature that lives in the mouth of the Amazon River and is the mother of all water creatures.

Magical Animal Alphabet: Xecotcovach

Xecotcovach is a mythological Mayan bird, one of several enemies of humans. It was sent, along with the others, to destroy humans before they could gain control of the Earth. Unfortunately they failed, and look where we are now...

Magical Animal Alphabet: Wumpus

The Wumpus is a mysterious monster that lurks deep inside a network of rooms. It was originally developed as a text-based game written in BASIC! Magical indeed!

Magical Animal Alphabet: Vucub-Caquix

Vucub-Caquix is a Mayan bird demon. He was powerful and pretended to be the sun and the moon of the twilight world. Some evil twins managed to somehow defeat him and became the true sun and moon of the present world. Thankfully, not before he fathered Zipanca, an underworld demon deity, and Cabrakan, the Earthquake God.

Magical Animal Alphabet: Ushi-Oni

Ushi-Oni is a Japanese bull demon that exists in various versions. Some are menacing and some are beneficial.
The most famous one is thought to ward off evil spirits. This is the kind I made for U.

Magical Animal Alphabet: Tanngnjostr

Tanngnjostr, teeth grinder, was one of two magical goats (his companion was Tanngrisnir, teeth barer) that were cooked and eaten every night by Thor, only to be resurrected the next day. Magical indeed.

But of course, all goats are magical, in my opinion.

Magical Animal Alphabet: Sarimanok

Sarimanok is a colorful rooster bringing good fortune. He was originated in the major island of the Philippines, Mindanao, by the Maranao people.

Magical Animal Alphabet: Raiju

Raiju is the lightning bringer in Japanese mythology. He can take the form of a dog, cat, or weasel and his roar is thunder.

When you sleep outdoors, he will crawl onto your navel, where he will peacefully sleep, only to be woken up by an arrow of lightning sent by the lightning god, Raijin.

More Experimentation: Biro Gothic Style

I've been watching this guy's videos, and one of them introduced me to Chris Mould, who uses cheap ballpoint pens to make wonderful drawings. I thought it was great he can create such detailed drawings with just scribbling away, not having patience to hatch and crosshatch properly. It fits my character perfectly. Also fits my character - the use of cheap pens. Another proof that it's not the tools that make the artist.

So I started again by copycatting the character he was demoing in the video (below), and then created my own:

I call him "Oh dear, what's this?"

Here's my fanart piece:

More Pencil Drawings of Pretty Little Girls

Continuing with my acquiring and sharpening skills, here are two more pretty little girls I drew: Little Astronaut and Little Cowgirl. I would like to try something other than pretty little girls, though. Or maybe give them other types of expressions. Or at the very least not have them run into the gutter of the sketchbook. We'll see how it goes...

Magical Animal Alphabet: Qilin

Qilin is pretty much the only magical animal I could find for Q, but it's a great one nonetheless.
It is a dragon that is a chimera of an antlered and hooved animal, like a deer, with a fish, and the whole thing was inspired by giraffes. It is a calm, peaceful and vegetarian dragon who's appearance represents the arrival or passing of a sage. My favorite!

Magical Animal Alphabet: Pamola

Pamola is a bird spirit that causes cold weather, according to Abenaki mythology. (The Abenaki people are indigenous to northeastern US and Eastern Canada.)
Pamola has the head of a moose, the body of a man, and the wings and feet of an eagle. He lives on Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, and dislikes mortals trying to climb it.