The Horror

Wanted to get a quick one out there. The important part of this project is doing the work, even if it's not always fantastic. Metroid is 25 this year. Consider this just one of my tribute pieces. Oh and enjoy the behind the scenes look (every detail is a fully editable object, which makes revising and changing these things easy if you know what you're doing).

Metroids are horrible creatures. They haunt my nightmares. In the original game, you didn't even encounter a Metroid until the final area. And thank goodness for that, because those mutant jellyfish will hunt you down and drain your health with a fierceness. Your only defense against these beasts is to curl into a ball and constantly blow yourself up while praying you have enough of a window to hit them with your ice beam. Later games in the series made them even more menacing by mutating them or sending you into abandoned laboratories full of the things.

*Shudder*

Girlie

A really stylized Medusa for Halloween. The snakes were fun. I really want to re-do the face. Still pleased with the overall design of this one: it went through a lot of revisions throughout the day.

NannerBeard

Pushing against the borders - an epic beard. Inspired by classic wizards, lawn gnomes, and Olaf the Stout.

This blog was inspired by Noah Scalin's 365 project and the book he based on it. But I wouldn't have even known about the project if it weren't for The Accidental Creative. It's worth a look for anyone who considers themselves creative and who has or is currently going through what we call a "creative block". I've gone through a lot of blocks during my life and I've read a lot of books about getting over them. Todd Henry distills all of that knowledge and quite a bit of his own into his website, podcasts, and a great book.

'Spec Knucks

I wanted to break away from the usual today. I had to find out what sort of things the calligraphy brush would let me do. I decided to go outside my usual style and workflow to do something ridiculous.

This piece was inspired by Cartoon Network. I loved that channel growing up - coming home from school and watching Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, and Samurai Jack followed by a healthy dose of Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, and Gundam topped off with some Sealab 2021, Home Movies, and Aquateen Hunger Force. Watching it now reminds me of those old times - only better.

I seriously recommend Adventure Time, The Regular Show, Gumball, and the new Looney Toons to anyone reading this. It's like someone decided to take the wit and sarcasm from adult swim and add it to the regular daytime cartoons. Here, you can even watch them from your computer.

Anyway, watching a lot of The Regular Show inspired me to create this fist-bump sticker. Enjoy!

A Peach Sticker for a Banana

Add this to that category of things I'm surprised I didn't do sooner. Peach is one of my favorite characters in the Mario universe. Gliding across tough areas in Mario Bros. 2, keeping my party's HP levels up in Super Mario RPG, and knocking fools out of bounds with a well placed butt-attack in Smash Bros. are just a few reasons she'll always be my first choice. I've always enjoyed the rage my friends express when she wins: twirling about, waving, and saying something classic like "Peachie's got it!" or "Aw, did I win?".

Original doodle on a post-it note. Said post-it also contains two more ideas I plan on using this coming week. They involve a wizard, and fist-bumping. Should be an interesting one.

NannerBeetle

I have a weird thing for bugs. Not THAT kind of weird thing, mind you. It's just that, given a blank canvas and my own direction I will often find myself painting a grasshopper or a luna moth.

Insects are an amazing artistic subject. Like flowers, they come in an astounding array of colors, shapes, and sizes. Beyond that, it's a lot of fun to study the behaviors and defense mechanisms of various insects.

Bugs are still pretty freaky. I may feel a sense of awe and wonder seeing a full size goliath beetle perched on someone's hand, but it would definitely squick me out to find one walking across my carpet.

So expect to find more bugs in the future here. I'm kind of surprised I didn't make one earlier. This one isn't based on a particular variety: it's an amalgam of insect symbols from my left-brain informed by artistic processes in my right-brain. In other words: it's a doodle. Enjoy.

NannerMonster

It's October. Halloween is around the corner. Thought I would throw out a Yeti tonight. Nothing super fancy, but fun nonetheless.