Doodle 131 - Animals Acting Strangely (part 2)

Soooo... I wasn't very productive art-wise today, but you can blame it all on one thing:

Skyrim expansion.

Oh yeah, I got sucked into Skyrim again, those darned dragons!

I can proudly say though, I am single-handedly saving that world, like boss! Hey, someone has to keep the virtual peeps from getting charred or attacked by who knows what, and that someone is me... at least on my xbox account anyway hehehe... ah yeah.... I am such a dork.

Anyway, I did manage to get one more doodle today, hurray!

Heather T. suggested an octopus trying to roll itself smooth like an armadillo. And you know what Heather? I looked it up and yes, armadillos can make themselves into perfect spheres:

ZOMG they can do what?!? The top of the head and tail close the sphere perfectly, that's so cool!

 I learned a new thing today, and yes we have armadillos here, I hadn't seen one that wasn't an ex-armadillo with its four legs up on the side of the road until a couple of years ago.

Andrei and I had gone out for a walk early in the morning when I heard this odd noise... sounded like a miniature horse galloping on the concrete, we rounded the corner and there it was... a galloping armadillo hightailing it toward us, gotta admit I squealed and freaked out a bit because it was so funny looking, it made a sharp turn and disappeared into the woods.

And now for the poor octopus:

Ehn! So... many... tentacles... - mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

And now... I am off to bed, my eyeballs are tired from all the adventuring.

Doodle 130 - Animals Acting Strangely (Part 1)

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, I am having a lot of fun drawing these!

Marebabe suggested an elephant stalking down low:

Stalking - mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

 Charissa suggested a purcopine spinning a web like a spider:

Oh the web we... errr... weave - mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

 NatalieG suggested a cat acting like a dog or vice-versa, most cats hate car rides, and most dogs love them, so:

Faster! - mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

 And finally for today, Michelle H suggested a red panda hanging out like a possum:

Just chillin' - mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

Tomorrow I'll do some more :)

Doodle 129 - More winter and new theme!

I stopped procrastinating on my winter trading cards (they need to go out next week), I think I only have one or two more left, I am still under the weather, but I think I am keeping it at bay.

I need to get out and buy more cards for my trading and for a series I will be doing for all of you as a holiday present of sorts.

WIP Winter cards - cold press watercolor, blue mechanical pencil, micron pen, silver and golden markers. Aprox 40 mins for all 3.

And now for this weekend's theme! (I will take 5 at random from now until tomorrow at noon and then complete as many as I can from that cut-off):

Animals behaving strangely!

Allow me to explain, you will pick one animal and then another animal it will be behaving as, example:

A cow bathing herself like a cat.

Now, if you have seen a cat bathing itself you can agree it would be a riot if a cow tried the same.

This theme is brought to you by Andrei, because he is as crazy as me.

Doodle 125 - Interactive Friday Masks (part 3)

Alright! Finished a couple of more masks today. Tomorrow I have to get back to drawing my winter trading cards, after that I'll work on refining several of the masks I sketched over the weekend and I'll come up with a way to give them away.

amanda suggested a bird of paradise:

Birds of Paradise Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

 And Michelle H suggested a dragon:

Dragon Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 10 mins.

Doodle 124 - Interactive Friday Masks (Part 2)

Well, like every weekend we have an interactive game you guys came through and gave me a bunch of wonderful things to draw. Thanks for all the ideas and for keeping me inspired.

I tried my best to finish every single request, I have some left and I'll tackle them tomorrow because... well all your ideas are too awesome not to try them out.

So, from where we were yesterday:

Charissa suggested a frog:

Frog Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Melissa suggested a seahorse:

Seahorse Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Kristi suggested a lion or a mouse:

Mouse Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Colin suggested an echidna mask:

Echidna Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Tarsier suggested a walrus:

Walrus Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Marebabe suggested an ermine and a fennec fox:

Fennec Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Ermine Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Laura suggested a bald eagle:

Bald Eagle Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

And finally for today, Becky suggested a turtle (non-ninja kind):

Turtle Masks - graphite and mechanical pencil. Aprox 10 mins.

Doodle 123 - Interactive Friday Masks (Part 1)

It's here, it's here! December has arrived, still going strong with this project after 123 days, now if I can get my working out schedule as disciplined we'll be in a very good place, so I declare I am starting my daily workout tomorrow morning and not letting myself skip a day, we'll see how that goes.

And now, for today's masks, to switch things around and give everybody a fair chance I decided to start from the bottom of the list and work my way up, I really want to get to all of your ideas, so I am hoping to get them all down on paper before Monday.

Sparky suggested a meerkat, a tiger and a zebra:

Warm up - Meerkat masks variations - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

Tiger masks variations - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

Zebra masks variations - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

Jennifer suggested either an elephant or a peacock... I tried both:

Elephant masks variations - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

Peacock masks variations - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

And that's it for now, tomorrow expect many more!

Doodle 122 - Interactive Friday Masks

WooHoo! The weekend is here and that means I get to be home, clean, decorate, watch movies, FINALLY visit the post office to send a drawing out (hey I haven't forgotten I just have been out of town so much) and draw!

Since we haven't had an interactive Friday for a while I thought I would do something relatively easy (I say that now, just watch as it gets complicated lol).

The theme for this weekend will be animals... and masks. I am trying to exercise shape variation and letting myself take more chances with my drawings, sometimes I get restricted by trying to make everything as proportionate or at least proportionate to reality as I can, this really makes me miss a lot of design opportunities that could create very fun and cool characters.

So, I will draw as many masks as I can, and there is a fun twist, once I do all the masks and variations I can I will pick the masks I like best and make 10 artist trading cards to giveaway on the days counting down to Christmas.

To denmonstrate what I am trying to do, here is a fast exercise I did today while thinking of a jaguar:

Jaguar mask variations - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain sketchbook. Aprox 15 mins.

Ok everybody, I am counting on you!

Doodle 104 - And the Winner Is...

And so, the moment we have all been waiting for has arrived!

But first... today's doodles (haha! I am so bad).

Lady J's character description read:
"Name: Roslein
Sex: Female
Age: Mid 30's

General Features: Roslein is really plain to look at. She is neither beautiful nor handsome. Her nose is oddly shaped, her lips too big and her hair very ordinary. But her eyes are very wise and kind, and her face, while begining to wrinkle, is showing the lines of wisdom and humour. Laughter and smile lines rather than frown and care lines.

She dresses simply in flowing pants and shirts, as these are most practical for her work as a gardener. She loves to be outdoors working with plants, and this also gives her the most opportunity to encounter the people of the village she lives in.

Roslein is like a lodestone for people. She draws them in with her warmth, understanding, love and good humour. Love and peace shine out of her. Although she is not beautiful to look at, her inner beauty is luminous and shines out of her almost tangibly. Her inner beauty makes her appear beyond beauty to those who know her. And all who know her love her."

Roslein - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

 Roslein sounds like an awesome character.

Next is Marebabe's character:
"Name: Lucy
Sex: F
Age: 72

Lucy is a farm wife, a leader in her community, a real salt-of-the-earth type. She is efficient and organized, cheerful and hospitable. Brought up in a large family, the second of eight children, she learned early to work and do her share to help keep a farm and household running smoothly. She is married to a cattle rancher, and has a grown son and daughter. She is slender and tall with curly hair and glasses, her favorite attire is jeans and a cotton blouse, and she is very fond of pockets. She likes a sweater or jacket with pockets, and in the kitchen she always wears a bib apron with 3 pockets. She milks a cow every morning and evening, she cooks and bakes most everything from scratch – even noodles! – and every summer she puts up the best pickles in the known universe. She loves having family and friends to visit, and in the summers she welcomes her City grandkids and assorted nieces and nephews to stay for a week or so, to experience the easy pace and simple pleasures of life in the country."

Lucy - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

 I gotta say, after spending some time at the fair it was a little easier to draw the cow from memory... also I had forgotten how huge cows are next to people, I see cows every day on my way to work, but they are next to horses so I forget the scale of them... they are huuuuge. LOL

Anyway, now, for the moment you all have been waiting for. Let me say I wish I had a doodle to give away to each of you, your encouragement and visits keep me going, no matter how tired or sad I get, I consider myself immensely lucky to be able to share my journey with you, and since so many of you entered, I have decided to do giveaways more often, maybe every time I hit 50 more drawings and maybe at random to spice things up.

The winner of the first giveaway is.... (oh, the suspense...OK OK! I'll say it):
LeAnn Woodward! (LeAnn, please e-mail me the address where you would like the drawing to go)

I have also added the drawing to my RedBubble shop, it is the least I can do for everybody who participated, also I have made the prices for this piece specially low for the next week, so if you want, you can have your own copy.

Look forward to the next giveaway, if I keep practicing the drawings can only get better, right?

Doodle 103 - Interactive Doodles

Alright, I ended up getting sucked into a work project most of today, so instead of a bunch of drawings I did a bunch of design related stuff, but like always, the doodling must go on!

I picked another 2 random characters to draw, don't worry, I will try to draw more tomorrow.

First charissa said:
"I'd like to tell you about the character my grandmother and I came up with when I was young, that I still remember.
Henrietta is a pink hippopotamus. She is in her peak years (35-45ish), and travels the world looking for adventure. She always wears a green polka-dotted dress, mary-jane patent leather shoes and a string of pearls. Henrietta loves to entertain, throwing lavish tea parties after each of her trips to educate and enthrall her friends with her tales around the world. Everyone loves her kindness, openness and generous spirit, and an invitation to one of her tea parties is the highlight of everyone's day!"

Henrietta - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins

 Henrietta sounds like an awesome character, jetsetter, prim and proper with an unquenchable thirst for adventure!

Next I tried kikimae's character:
Name: Mai Fu Rui
Sex: Male
Age: 64
General features: Fernando is a young, spry 64 year old man. He immigrated from China when he was 20 and misses his homeland, but has nothing to go back to. He owns a flower stand on the side of the road. He has hand painted signs to lure in locals to purchase his flowers. His flowers are always beautiful, and they stay fresh longer than any flower you can find anywhere else. He is kind, generous (he'll usually slip in an extra stem if he knows you), he is always ready with a smile or laugh, and he keeps a jar of candy behind the counter for any kids that come by. He has a gleam in his eye and an aura of mystery that really makes you wonder what it is that makes this man and his flowers so special.

This is a cross between my actual flower seller and my grandfather - hope you have fun drawing him!

Mai Fu Rui - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins

 I drew him re-stocking one of the many flower basket he keeps at his stall, I imagined that, since he is a great florist, he probably talks to all the plants he keeps in order to keep them happy and beautiful.

And now for the giveaway contest, I have all the entries made until 10 p.m. EST today, thanks so much for playing everybody! I can't wait to see who wins.

I will put the names on a randomizer and let you know who is the lucky person tomorrow at about 8:00 p.m. EST.

Doodle 102 - Interactive doodles and the Fair

We went out today after watching the My Little Pony season premiere, yes, I woke up just for the purpose of watching cartoons, because well, it's part of my education... and so much fun!!!

Anyway, after watching ponies, working out and breakfast we went to get an oil change and we decided to hit up the local seasonal fair.

I have been living here in Tallahassee for over a decade (Andrei even longer), but I have never once been to the fair. It happens once a year and mostly everybody in town goes, but I have anxiety issues related to crowds and strange places, so gathering the courage to go to a fair with all the noise, people, etc can be daunting.

I recently started taking meds for my anxiety and I have to say, they really help me, so much so that today I managed to do something that would have reduced me to a shaky blabbering mess not that long ago.

And you know what? It was fun! Plus I got to see tiny goats, the tiny goats make it all worth it to me... I just think they are incredibly cute and hilarious.

Gooooats, goats everywhere.

Alpaca! I petted it... it was soooo soft and fluffy.

Award winning rooster, he had quite the voice.

The sun setting at the fair.

 After so much excitement we came back home so I could decompress from all the human interaction. I was way happier to walk around the cow pens than when we were out in the crowds... which is hilarious because I have been in shoulder to shoulder crowds at Disney World and with not a care in the world... but Disney World is my happy place, so I guess normal crazy rules don't apply.

I sat down and tried to flesh out a couple of character sketches based on two of your random descriptions, first I tried Maple Girl's:

Name: Azalea Woodhouse
Sex: Female
Age: 16 (this time)
General Features: Azalea is a psychic vampire (she takes energy from other people instead of blood) that was captured when she looked like she was in her 30's. To escape she used her ability to completely drain someone of life energy - but that turned her into a child with no memory of who she is or her abilities.

She's beautiful with very long white-blond hair, large green eyes, and a pale complexion. She's a bit of a bookworm, and has a thing for Jane Austen novels.

She's painfully shy, so she always looks startled. She's short-ish (5'4") and has just begun attending high school.

(This is a character of mine from a story I'm working on. Hope you don't mind. ^_^)

Azalea Woodhouse quick sketch - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 5 mins.

 I tried to make her look innocent and shy, she is probably holding one of her books close, maybe Pride and Prejudice, she obviously likes books better than people.

Then I tried Anonymous':

Name: Wilson
Sex: Male
Age: 37
Wilson perpetually lives in a half-way house for mentally impaired and has a withered torso. He can't find or get a job, but he acts as a sort of sunbeam for the employees and other participants. During the day, Wilson walks up and down street blocks and tries the handles of parked automobiles he passes. He's not sure why he does this (his doctor will say something about Aussbergers compounded with ...while looking perplexed) but it brings Wilson great joy whenever a car alarm goes off. Wilson wears cast-offs and green gloves.

Wilson - green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

I tried the sketch to the left first and then decided to work a bit more on his face on the right.



Tomorrow I am planning on mostly being home, so I'll get more doodles done.

Doodle 101 - Paperman Vynilmation Concept

I am so excited! We have a 3 day weekend here in the US, this means I get more time to draw and create plus more time with Andrei, that's always a plus.

People always comment how quirky it is that we never seem to get tired of each other's company, and to be sincere, even to us it is a thing of wonder.

When we began our relationship we were a world away from each other, we longed to be able to see each other face to face, at the very least be able to hold hands, so when we finally were together you could imagine we became inseparable.

Still, when we are together we are not lovey dovey, so much so that waiters always ask if we are going to pay together and people that don't know us assume we are just great friends, a fact that makes me chuckle every time.

What can I say, I am not into PDA, it comes from being shy I guess, but I somehow like to leave our more lovey side to ourselves.

After what happened all those years ago, we became even more inseparable, so much so that people will always act surprised if we show up to social events without the other and act worried, sort of as if we were missing a limb.

We have lunch together every single day, unless we have meetings or work related delays. Still, I like to spend some time alone, and my drawing time is indeed "me" time, plus sometimes I send Andrei to do the grocery shopping while I, in exchange, clean the house. He doesn't like to be away from me, but I was a loner before I met him and I like my space on time to time.

Plus we keep our work and work functions to ourselves, so you could say, we don't spend every hour of the day together, just an apparent insane amount of time side by side, and yet, it never feels like enough in the end.

I guess that once you have nearly lost the person you love the most in the world you realize that every moment spent together is as precious as any other, even when all you do is sit on the couch reading books.

Well... that was totally unrelated to today's doodle, well a bit unrelated anyway.

I have this large white vynilmation by my desk begging to be painted, at first I was going to try something candy related, then I thought maybe Mary Poppins, but after watching Paperman, I decided there was one thing I wanted to paint, today I sat down and did a quick sketch to start the process:

Paperman vynilmation concept (front) - green, red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins

Paperman vynilmation concept (back) - green, red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins

 Be on the lookout as I work on this project for the next weeks ahead.

Also, remember this Friday's interactive theme, you can see it here.

And lastly, check the giveaway contest, you have until Sunday night to enter, for rules, etc go here.

Doodle 090 - Bonus Interactive Friday doodles!

As promised, today I drew the last three combos you guys provided me. These took a little longer, but as drew more and more combos it became easier for me to imagine how I would mesh the animals in more interesting ways.

 Mrsblocko said: "Lilies tigers and giraffes!"

Giraiger Lilly - red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins

 The Giraiger Lilly is an omnivore that lives in the savannah, its long neck allows it to eat the sweetest and softest of leaves from trees and it can also hunt for birds.

AppleCore said: "I hope I'm not too late. How about an aloe vera plant, a hedgehog, and a goat? Sounds fun."

Aloe Hedgegoat - red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

 The Aloe Hedgegoat is a domesticated medium sized animal/plant , it produces aloe that can be harvested and nectar instead of milk. It is known for being able to jump large heights and distances, so keeping them corralled can be difficult for inexperienced farmers.

And finally JessJess said: "A cheetah, owl, and lotus flower :)"
 

Lotus Cheetowl - red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

 The Lotus Cheetowl uses its sharp night vision to hunt. It can also swim and float in the water to hide or fish. This animal is also an incredibly fast runner, some of them have been successfully domesticated and used as hunting companions.

Doodle 89 - Plants and animals interactive Friday (Part 2)

I had tons of fun drawing your suggestions this week, at times I would read the combos and wonder how on earth would I make that work LOL.

I drew most of the suggestions and have 3 left, since they all sound equally awesome I'll just finish those 3 tomorrow, so hang on tight for a bonus interactive post.

Maria said: "could you try doing something with a hamster, catfish, and an eggplant :3"

Eggplant Hamkoi - red and black mecnahical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

The Eggplant Hamkoi is a variety of pet fish that  thrives on garden ponds or aquariums. It is purple with different purple hue spots over its body.

Sarah said: "Can I just pick one of each? A peony and a butterfly. If you must have three...throw a kitten in there, too."

Peony Kittenfly - red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

 This species of kittenfly gets its peony name thanks to its wings which look like peony petals in bloom. This variety of kittenfly is medium sized and uses its tail to secure itself to flower stems while napping and sunbathing.

Melissa said: "hydrangea, elephant and a tortoise :)"

hydrangeaphant tortoise - red, blue and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

 This hydrangeaphant (say that 6 times fast), has a shell, similar to a tortoise's, it blooms during the spring and summer months.

Suzanna said:  "An Orchid, a cockatoo and a Koi fish. :3"

Cockakoi Orchid - red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

 This type of Cockakoi lives deep in the rain forest. It thrives in the humid, hot weather and lives part time between the water and perched atop the trees.

And finally for today, Charissa said: "An oak tree, an otter and a tiger!"

Ottiger Oak - red, green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

The Ottiger Oak lives in forests with abundance of rivers and ponds, it blends in with the foliage, the leaves on its back change color with the season and fall off during the fall so the ottiger can grow extra fur for the cold.

Doodle 088 - Plants and animals interactive Friday (Part 1)

As always, you guys rose up to the challenge and gave me amazing combos to work with. I gotta admit my brain had a work out today and tomorrow I'll try and get many more done because they all sound so fun!

I was outside most of the day, aaand then I came home and decided to play Dishonored for a little bit... a "little bit" turned into 3 hours, seriously, that game is nearly as addictive as Skyrim, hehehe, anyway, I had to peel myself off the controller and draw.

First we have Marebabe: "I've thought it over. Try a whale, a dragonfly, and a palm tree."

Flying Whalepalm - non photo blue pencil, red and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins

This flying whalepalm lives in the sea, but comes up to the surface and flies around during the day in intervals to let its palms absorb sunlight. These animals are actually rather small, about the side of your hand.

Next is tracie: "I think a tiger, a panda and a daisy has some potential!"

Panger Daisy - non photo blue pencil, green and black mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

This animal/plant hybrid requires some shade and needs to be watered and played with often for optimal growth and health.

And finally for today judi: "A penguin, a chipmunk and a water lily?"

Water Lily Chipguin - non-photo blue pencil and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 20 mins.

 This animal/plant lives in ponds, it is a very good swimmer and can dig itself into the mud for safety and warmth. During the day it swims around the pond and uses the Lily on its head for camouflage and photosynthesis.

Doodle 075 - Myths and Legends 2 (Interactive Friday)

There went another great weekend, spent most of the day today cleaning the house, so by the time I sat down to draw I was rather tired, still, I tried my best to draw as many mythical creatures as I could before having to call it a night.

Again, thanks so much for all of your suggestions, I learned a whole bunch of new stories and myths thanks to you guys, to be sincere I love myths, legends and fables, so I had a ton of fun researching everything and reading up.

Random fact about me: I used to be an student in the History and Anthropology department of my university back at Spain. Art was my first choice, but due to circumstances I ended up with my second love: Anthropology.  Of course things didn't stay that way and I managed to go back to art in the end.

Anyway, first today is Marebabe:"I'll go with my first thought: Pegasus, the winged horse!"

Oooh pegasus, I love it too, I really haven't practiced my horse anatomy and they are such an amazing mass of musculature and power that it can be very intimidating to tackle them, but I did my best, note to self: work on more horse anatomy drawings:

Pegasus - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

 Next was Colin Morris: "It'd be cool to see you take on the Rainbow Serpent from Australian mythology"

I had never heard of this mythical creature, so I was very excited to research it and now I have a lot of curiosity to learn more about Australian native culture and legends.

Here the serpent is actually part of a stream.

Rainbow Serpent - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

Next Melissa: "I'm rereading Harry Potter right now... just finished book 3. So I'm thinking a Hippogriff :)"

Another tough creature, mostly due to the horse parts lol:

Hippogriff - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

 Rhisssana: "Herne the Hunter. With his horns and his hawk and his horse. I've run out of alliteration."

Yet a new character I hadn't heard of, I learned so much today! I kinda ran out of space for the hawk and horse lol but I did get his horns:

Herne the Hunter - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 15 mins.

And finally for today Moonlup: 'And if you're still taking exotics, perhaps a fiery salamander?"

I decided to make this one loose, quick and fun:

Firey Salamander - graphite and mechanical pencil on plain Moleskine notebook. Aprox 10 mins.

 And that's it for this weekend doodles. I hope I managed to entertain you since you guys did an awesome job at challenging me and teaching me new stories.