Nightly Sketches

Korra! Because...well, Korra!

And for the curious, the series of sketches that I started with (I usually just do messy gesture/figure drawings, drop the opacity, then add progressively tighter sketches on new layers til I have the final).

Steep Ravine Hike

Stunning hike up overlooking Stinson Beach...and because Facebook's photo compression just doesn't do it all justice.

Lemme just say....National Geographic has loads of great photos on their site to draw from.

Another!

A sketchbook doodle that grew over the course of several days, and finally into photoshop for an evening coloring sesh. This pair travels through dreams of children, confronting and driving off their nightmares. The little girl, meanwhile, continues on her search for an outfit whose color better matches her steed (which, Alex pointed out, is clearly a sabertooth bisonlion)...

More sketching!

Sketch Update

Sphinx--drapes herself in the jewelry and spoils of her prey (whether they fit or not). Camped at the entrance to Thebes, asking riddles of travelers and allowing those who correctly answered to pass. Oh wait--this one is actually a bit of a bitch, she'll eat them either way. Her favorites are heroes, since they typically are packaged in extra shiny armor and valuables. All that gold's weighing her down a little, though, so she's a bit slow in the pursuit and been going hungry a little more often.

More imaginary animals...

Ok, yes, there was some logic behind this one...apart from my sparse notes up top (one of which is "more frontal eye placement on predator"). Its eyes are more similar to a dog or cat's, with vertical slits and excellent night vision, compared to the horizontal pupil shape of horses, goats, deer and other daytime/herbivorous mammals. Its silhouette (well, the front half at least) is almost identical to a horse, other than its *ahem* dental work...the idea is that it can approach its prey, typically horses, quite closely without being detected. Its body also produces a scent that mimics that of common horses, so even upwind of its prey cannot be easily detected as a threat. Its oversized canines and exaggerated incisors are to clamp down on its prey--with strong neck and jaw muscles to keep them immobilized. It eats much like a crocodile or alligator, tearing off chunks of meat and swallowing it whole (I mean, can you imagine that thing trying to chew and just slobbering all over the place?). And no, attempts to domesticate have not gone well...it tends to just eat whatever it's stabling with.